#love popular culture

[plomegranate]

i love palestinian and arab culture so much.

my grandma wearing thobes around the house and making us tamriyeh. my cousins wedding when we all wore thobes and keffiyehs and took photos downtown and we danced with someone playing the guitar on the street and this lady stopping us to tell us we all looked so beautiful. walking the graduation stage in a thobe. the girl who liked to guess arab peoples ethnicities telling me "you're wearing tatreez... do you want me to write 'palestinian' on your forehead?" the keffiyeh my brother keeps on the drivers seat of his car.

my dad sending me off to my last semester of college with 2 pomegranates and a jar of palestinian olive oil. my cousins wife coming up with new ways to make zaatar and cheese pastries. me and my grandma sitting on the floor and making waraq 3neb- my job was to separate the leaves so she could roll them easier. my mom sending me and my brother to school with eid cookies for my teachers and tasking us with delivering some to the neighbors. my aunt glaring at me and piling more food on my plate and then asking if i was still hungry (i wasnt). my mom always telling me to invite my friends and cousins over for dinner and asking me what they like to eat. my family getting my dad knafeh instead of cake for his birthday. the man who told me i made the "best fetteh in the western hemisphere".

the man in the shawarma shop who gave me my fries for free and baklava i didnt order because we spoke about being palestinian while he took my order. the person on tumblr who i bonded with because we are from the same palestinian city. the girl i met on campus who exclaimed "youre palestinian? me too!" because i was wearing my keffiyeh. the girl in my class that showed me the artwork about palestine her dad made and donated for fundraising. the couple in the grocery store who noticed my palestinian shirt and talked with me for 20 minutes and ended up being a family friend. the silly palestinian kids i tutored sighing in disappointment when i told them i was born in america because they were hoping that id have been born "somewhere cooler". my friends family who bought me dinner despite me being there by chance and having met me for the first time the day before.

the boys starting uncoordinated dabke lines in my high school's hallways. the songs about the longing and love for our land. the festivals and parties and gatherings where everything smells like shisha and oud. memories of waiting in the car for an hour as my parents talked at the doorway of their friends homes. my cousins and i showing up at each others homes with cake or fruit or games as if it was the first time we ever visited even though we always say "you dont have to".

kids stubbornly helping to clean and make tea after a meal while being told to go sit down because they are guests. the necklaces in the shape of our home countries. people hugging and laughing and acting as if theyve known each other for years because they come from the same city or know people with the same last name. the day i finally got to bully my friends into letting me pay the bill because i had a job and they were still students. my moms friend who calls us every time she's at the grocery store to see if we need something

palestinian people are so resilient and hardworking and charitable. they love their culture and their community and are so quick to share and welcome anyone in. everyday i am so thankful and proud to be part of such a warm and lovely culture

[thekidsarentalright]

you guys ever think about when fob came off hiatus the venues they were performing and touring at were small, often standing room only capacity venues and just about a decade later, 23 years into their career overall, theyre consistently selling out massive arenas and stadiums and headlining huge festivals. like you ever think about how them coming back was such a hail mary, unlikely to work thing and they cheated death and are more successful than ever and that success is only expanding, not diminishing

[i-dreamed-i-had-a-son]

Broke (2016): BBC Sherlock is a phenomenal piece of media and anything that seems like a flaw just hasn't been fully explored yet

Woke (2020): BBC Sherlock is an incredibly flawed series run by an egotistical writer, it never deserved the hype and is actively bad on so many fronts (especially representation)

Bespoke (2024): BBC Sherlock is flawed and bogged down by increasingly poor writing, which many fans refused to see while it was airing, leading to hugely misplaced expectations (particularly for the final series), AND it has the seeds of some compelling characterizations and portrayals, some genuinely solid performances, and touches--albeit imperfectly--on complexities that are still being discussed today (particularly as it relates to the relationship between Sherlock and John). The huge cultural impact of the show has created a massive pendulum effect in its public perception, leading to most people today remembering a caricature of the show (whether positive or negative) rather than appreciating its nuanced merits and failings...that being said Season 4 sucked

[themyscirah]

Complaining abt Suicide Squad yet again but the fact that they have Waller exposing the alien community to space racist attacks and talking abt how she got to her position through deceit and being a terrible person and stuff is just. Ahsfiwueh JUST SAY YOU DONT KNOW WALLER.

Anyways literally the 3rd mission of the Squad ever (and the first framed as smth Waller picked and not orders from above) was the Squad discrediting and stopping a rogue vigilante who was only arresting POC and funneling white people into white supremacy groups (of which he was the most prominent member) in SUICIDE SQUAD #4. and it's explicitly framed as this mission being personal for Waller that she's hiding from the government bc its illegal like. Guys. Please why are we having her incite (space bc comics) racist attacks now

Also the whole "Amanda got her position through deceit and being a terrible person" NO. she KEPT her position through being shitty and playing complicated political games!!! She wasn't always that way like there is a difference and it is IMPORTANT ppl PLEASEEEE. In Secret Origins #14 we learn Amanda's backstory and she used to be a normal, caring person! Like even after she entered into working in government and politics she wasn't automatically morally bankrupt like please people. She was originally given control of the Squad by Reagan (*sigh* 80s comics...) to distract and get rid of her because she was so successful at pushing progressive social policy in Congress. Acting like she's this static pillar of evil is such a waste of her character and so fucking uninteresting and disrespectful to her arc it drives me MAD.

Like I am NOT saying Waller is all sunshine and rainbows, she fucking SUCKS (said w love <3) but like there's a human being there. It's a progression, she has a character arc like please, DC, please!!! They've fucked up Waller so bad and made her so opaque and uninteresting she can't even be the protagonist of her own story for fucks sake!

Like I don't know how many times I have to scream it until DC hears me or remembers but WALLER IS THE MAIN CHARACTER OF SUICIDE SQUAD. ITS HER BOOK. yet right now she's a cutout to be used as the villain wherever the writers please. Even in her book we get none of her perspective really displayed, no exploration of her thoughts with any kind of understanding of the role she traditionally has played and was made to play in the story.

[cloudsndreamsxo]

[tumblasha]

bkdk middle school e-dating au, you say? what if i tell u that not only they met on an all might forum but they also run an rp dave x all might blog together

[remusawoooo]

came across a very lame and obviously unoriginal anti-w0lfstar post that was written to uplift pr0ngsf0ot claiming canon plausibility as the reason. (honestly, pr0ngsf0ot is compelling by itself idk this new surge of remus/w0lfstar hate but wtv- they are fictional so you do you ig)

*censoring cause i dont want this post to clog up shipper space, its not for that.

this is a rant post so feel free to skip but know that none of this is ever directed to my lovely mutuals. i am usually the type to block and move if you genuinely annoy me (which you all dont <3)

so, a hot take: Sirius is really not as obsessed with James as you all make it out to be, in canon.

is that his best friend? absolutely

did he love him very much? duh

was he devoted or wanted to dedicate his life to James? that's where you lose me icl

if anything James was more interested in entertaining sirius, in the one prominent memory we see of them. there is enough context clues and testimonies to conclude that they were very close. and this is what interested me to ship and explore their dynamic (not a post to say you can only ship with canon hints. im just talking within the topic of my rant lol). there is only one person sirius shows utmost devotion to and that's Harry. that's his godSON, his heir and honestly his everything post Halloween.

it is entirely surprising to me how definitive sirius // james shippers sound when they claim it would be more or most canon. both r/s and j/s operate on the same level of delusion and are informed by canon. yes, I think there is a great possibility in canon that sirius was into james- i love the appeal of pining and even heartbreak if not reciprocated. (I also accept this pining and heartbreak in remus//james if anyone is into that wink wink) similarly, I think that remus and sirius could be romantic starting anywhere in the timeline. a boyish sweet love or secret longing and heartbreak or coming together in their tragedy as adults. endless possibilities, it seems, for all of them.

Anyway, back to the point of this post. its insane to me when w0lfstar in particular gets pushback with emphasis on canon like there isn't chemistry and history between them right on the pages. its not a magnified reading. its there. in their dialogue, their physicality and its Harry clocking all of this. these are two alive and kicking characters in the books that shippers read. idek how many times this has to be said. people genuinely believed this relationship would lead to queer representation in the book, explicit or implied. people did not have hindsight, believed jkr to be a better person lmao. you don't have to accept this reading but you also cannot be so narrow that you refuse to see this reading as a valid experience for other people.

once again, you don't have to ship w0lfstar. at all. maybe the popularity and general hype is the annoying part. there are many reasons to not engage with new age w0lfstar shippers btw. but god this "stanning fictional characters" or hating one immensely for the benefit of another, unironically, is so corny. giving stan twt like what imaginary competition is happening?

another thing that ticks me off is the notion that w0lfstar are not close at all. yeah, i do complex magic to help out people i don't really like for the hell of it as well. ik there will be some justification to those who want to prove their point by any means. "sirius is smart so he wanted to do advanced magic" "he actually did it for james" or wtv else comes up. idk how to tell you that marauders are friends first of all. yes, james and sirius are closer but there is no hierarchy with remus. he is not as close obviously, but he is also on the edges by all of their character designs. sirius, in his recounts, never talks of remus as someone below him or largely excluded, just as someone who was conforming, compliant and the "good boy". it is also quite clear in their communication that they were good friends. james first befriended the quiet kid cause he liked him, supported him financially because that is his good friend. he did not act out of pity. that is a great disservice to his character as well.

this is my personal take/opinion. sirius would obviously mention his relationship with james to harry and not remus' and his friendship. i don't think remus and sirius were secretly closer btw, but it is a bit odd that w0lfstar shippers are expected to write james as the #1 priority for sirius when they are not the focus?(this is a very small group of people btw, miniscule in fact. i'm just ranting to rant, not a larger problem) ig my first hot take comes down to this too. you can interpreted the text as you want and that is okay. you can read sirius as obsessed with james but it is not canon. so to dunk on other shippers when they don't share the sentiment is?? mind you, i am well aware of w0lfstar shippers sidelining or flanderizing james in their interpretations and have ranted about that too many times not that that's relevant here. just pointed out in case anyone misinterprets lol

ship anything man idc but saying w0lfstar has no canon support or to insinuate that w0lfstar shippers are shipper pilled (this made me laugh, what are you doing at the coven meeting friend?) is a bit ?? my point, if there is any, hypocrites piss me off or maybe its the lack of self-awareness? how to interpret the dynamics, character reactions in au, canon divergence, fiction is really all up to you. you can honestly remove remus and replace him with gilderoy lockhart in the marauders for all i care, its fictional. but you can't bring up canon and say something blatantly false to rag on shippers of a ship you don't like. that's just silly now. extremely condescending as well.

[majorasnightmare]

im so glad bg3 made everyone fixate on how cool drow are and had minthara as one of THEEE best characters period because for years i had to hide my truth from a community of elf haters, but now i no longer face ostracization for what i deeply truly believe in

freaky purple elf hot and also badass

[blissfulcrow]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: The Crow 1994 Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Eric Draven/Reader, Eric Draven/Shelly Webster, Eric Draven/You Characters: Eric Draven, Shelly Webster, Reader, Sarah Mohr Additional Tags: Reader-Insert, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Eventual Fluff, Inspired by Music, Post-Canon, Post-MCR, Love, Falling In Love, Canon-Typical Violence Summary:

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she could see a crouched man dressed in all black, rips and tears covering his attire, squatting on the sides of the mausoleum as if he were a fierce stone protector right at home with the gargoyles. His clown-like face paint was framed by deep black hair and intense brown eyes that seemed to pull you deep into them. There was something almost ethereal about him, nearly as if he glowed in the pale moonlight engulfing them both.

Note: My fic inspired by Brandon Lee’s portrayal, posted both here and on AO3. Please feel free to leave a like and comment so I know I'm not just throwing this fic into the abyss

Chapter One: Can’t Find My Way Home.

Blinding… That is the only way to describe her rage's effect on her… Blinding… like a flashlight clumsily pointed in your direction or a train rapidly approaching, unwavering in its journey and uncaring what was in the way. She was inconsolable after they told her the news. Her closest friend suddenly and unexpectedly passed away after having no signs of deterioration whatsoever. When she remembers, she feels like she's still there in that hospital room. Her ears ring as doctors ask a flurry of questions that she can’t answer, not because she doesn't know the answers but because her mouth just refuses to form the words. The bubbling of emotions threatening to boil over is unbearable; she thought she had prepared for this… “Stupid fucking idiot!” She reprimands aloud, boots slogging through the dense, earthy surrounds of the cemetery just outside the city. She walked straight back into the emotional turmoil of losing her mother; she promised herself she wouldn't work herself up, today of all days especially. Today marked one year since her friend's death, a whole year. One year without her closest confidant, a year of benders ending with her curled up next to a toilet, calling her friend's voice mail despite knowing it was futile. She would never get the answer she sought at the end of that dial tone, no matter how many tears were shed… The dead can't come back.

Every week, she would bring flowers to her grave. No matter how much it hurt, she pushed herself; she knew her companion's biggest fear was being forgotten, and she couldn't bear the thought of her being right. Every week, she had to put herself through the same bitter cycle of grief, and she knew she couldn't keep going like this. She just didn't know how else to cope. She trudged closer to her destination, fists whitening from her stone grip on the wilted pink Chrysanthemums. It happened to every flower that made its way to the grave; no matter how hard she tried, they always ended up crushed, and in that regard, she could relate to the poor flora withering in her palms.

The headstone slowly entered her view, the night's fog limiting it momentarily. The pot of emotions she thought she had under control started to boil wildly and without warning. Tears erupted ungraciously, blinding her vision as she approached, unaware of the crow mounted atop the grey stone watching her intently.

A grating caw pulled her from her mourning. Startled by the black bird as she kneeled, she looked up at it, and its eyes were hypnotising. It cocked its head as if almost to ask, “What's wrong?” and that's when laughter burst from her mouth. “I must be going nuts if I think a bird is concerned for me!” She manically exclaimed, running her hands through her hair to soothe herself. It wasn't working, not this time. “Sometimes, seeing truly is believing.” a bleak voice beside her called, snapping her back. Dropping her bag and flowers, she scurried away, hyper-aware of the reality of being in a cemetery alone with a stranger in the late hours of the night. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she could see a crouched man dressed in all black, rips and tears covering his attire, squatting on the sides of the mausoleum as if he were a fierce stone protector right at home with the gargoyles. His clown-like face paint was framed by deep black hair and intense brown eyes that seemed to pull you deep into them. There was something almost ethereal about him, nearly as if he glowed in the pale moonlight engulfing them both. Seeing her reaction to his presence, he shot his hands up, seemingly to say, “I’m no threat to you.” It was comforting in a strange way. Despite his ghostly exterior, she felt that there was something more to him, something tragic. His eyes held sorrow and grief, just as hers did. ‘Probably just another poor grieving soul.’ She speculated, feeling foolish for her initial reaction to his presence. “What do you mean?” She quizzed, referring to his opening line. She hadn't said anything, yet he had read her mind. “The bird, you thought you were going crazy because it could understand you. If you see it, believe it,” The leather-clad man stated as if it were something everyone would know.  

“That's an odd icebreaker” She quipped, straightening herself up. “Got a name, Mr Lurker?” Stretching out her hand to formally introduce herself to the man. She's done stranger things.

He stared at her hand as if contemplating the minor gesture. After a moment, he shook his head. ' Oh,’ she thought.

“Don’t do physical contact” Fell bluntly from his blackened lips as he looked away. Her hand wavered for a moment before returning to its place beside her. “Hey, fair enough, man, the chick you just met in a graveyard probably has heaps of diseases. I don’t blame you.” She chuckled, turning her head towards a grave, any of them to not face the embarrassment of her word vomit.

Eyes flicking from graves to the man, the woman sucked in a breath as if to build the courage to ask.

“So, what brings you this neck of the woods?” He stared again, trying to read her face.

“Only two types of people come to these places at such an hour: criminals and mourners.” He laughed, a haunting laugh that almost echoed off the surrounding statutes and monuments. She was entranced in how alluringly beautiful he looked as the smile spread across his monochromatic features. The crow landing on her shoulder broke her out of her daze. “So which are you? We friend or foe?” She jested, bringing her hand up to her shoulder, stroking the feathered creature with her pointer finger. 

Her eyes moved from his face to the disturbing sight beside him: an overturned grave. She couldn’t make out the deceased's name but could do the math. Sketchy stranger plus disrupted grave equals criminal, a thought that caused anxiety to rise to the surface despite his good looks. 

She slowly rose to make a quick escape, seeing as though she had just interrupted a looter, and she didn't want to end up in that empty grave. He saw her alarm and quickly cried out as she turned to run, crow flapping away from the perch on her shoulder.

“It's my grave!” Well, that certainly is a good way to stun someone. Ever so gently, she turned to face the unknown clown-covered man, contemplating how even to address the statement he so brazenly blurted out. ‘What the fuck does that mean?!’

Before she could verbalise her confusion, he was suddenly in front of her as if by magic. His hand flew to her mouth as he pulled her towards the mausoleum, keeping her from screaming. Her arms and legs flailed wildly in vain as he pinned her to the wall inside. “Hush now; no harm will come to you.” He whispered curtly. “There is someone here; they are responsible for the grave. If I take my hand away, do you promise to be good?”

All she could do was nod, eyes wide in fear and confusion. He eyed her carefully, steadily removing his hand, testing if she would keep her word. She did.

“Thank you. If your kindness could extend a tad longer, that would be appreciated. We have a visitor, " he said, crouching at the tomb's gated entrance to get a better look at who was approaching. She joined, slightly behind him.

It was a cloaked figure, steadily encroaching on the mangled grave. A heavily bangled arm outstretched to pick up the wilted chrysanthemums, crouching as they grabbed them. Low, angry muttering could barely be heard by the shrouded pair when suddenly, the flowers set ablaze in the figure's hands. More curses left the form as they clapped their hands over the empty grave, shaking the remaining cinders from their skin with the loud clangs of their bracelets that echoed through the graveyard. Visibly frustrated, the figure turned to leave quickly as if on a mission.

She didn't realise she had been holding her breath until her body reminded her of her oh-so-important need for oxygen. Spluttering as she attempted to regain a semblance of control of her body, the man before her turned to meet her gaze as if almost to say, “You mind?”

“Sorry”, She started, “I’m not accustomed to hiding from hooded figures.” If the joke landed, his face did not show it. 

“What happened to the whole ‘Don't do physical contact thing’?”

He peeked out to ensure the coast was clear, ignoring her before straightening up and extending his arm. Rapid flaps could be heard as the forgotten crow took its place upon his arm before turning to its owner; when they locked eyes, it seemed almost as if they were communicating with each other telepathically. ‘What the fuck is happening?’ The woman thought. “Go home, it’s not safe here.” Well, that much was apparent. Hastily, she skirted around the man to begin scooping up the contents of her bag back into its home. This had been creepy enough to last her a lifetime. 

The man watched her fumble and tumble out of the cemetery, not moving until she was out of sight. He made his way back to the decrepit grave, wracking his mind: ‘Why am I here? I thought this was over with. How am I back? Who was that figure?’ His eyes slowly drifted from the carved-out words ‘Eric Draven’ to the name on the adjacent grave, ‘Shelly Webster’, his heart rapidly thumping, threatening to leave his chest.

“I tried to come home, Shelly; why can't I return to you?” He wept, kneeling beside her headstone. His head met his hands as he unleashed his sorrow and frustration. ‘It’s not fair; what cruel being keeps us apart?’

Next to his grieving form, he could hear tiny taps of scale-like feet. Pulling him from his pity, the crow had dropped something beside him. Reaching out, he picked up the object, a driver's license. Seemingly, it belonged to the woman who had mistaken him for a thug. Gazing towards his feathered companion, he muttered,

“Suppose it’s time for a formal introduction.”

Alright, folks lemme know what you all think With Love, Blissful Crow <3

[ducktracy]

(1) Hello! I don't know if you guys in the USA heard about this, this morning the greatest presenter and communicator on Brazilian TV, Silvio Santos, passed away😢 and some people were complaining on Twitter that while other TV channels were reporting his death, the SBT channel, which he owned, continued showing cartoons as if nothing had happened lol And I think these people don't understand that this is exactly what he wanted. And that made me think about how visionary he was...

(2) with the law that banned children's advertising on television, there are basically no more children's programs and cartoons on open TV (I don't know if "non cable TV" is called like that in english), this channel SBT was the only open TV channel that continued with children's programming, Silvio Santos himself said: "I don't care if I'm losing money [in the mornings] because [for me] showing cartoons is an obligation!", and that shows how much he cares about this younger audience...

(3) And until recently, the Rede Recond channel stopped showing Woody Woodpecker after 7 decades on the air (WW was the first cartoon to be shown on Brazilian TV, in the 50s) because there was no more audience, and it's really annoying see how cartoons have lost their place on open TV over the years, as if they were just a mere disposable product. I'm going to miss him a lot, I can't put into words how important this man was to the televition, and I really don't want to make this text even...

(4) longer, and btw I'm sorry for the long text, I don't even know why I sent you all this rant, I just love your blog a lot and I thought maybe you would be interested in it im sorryyy

HI THERE! firstly, NO NEED FOR APOLOGIESSSS I’M sorry i didn’t answer this sooner!!

secondly: WOW!! THANK YOU for sending this in!! this is so touching!! I’M INCREDIBLY INTERESTED!! i recall hearing about his passing and knew he was beloved, but that’s about it…. what a sweet guy!! this makes me so happy to hear :’) i think that’s a perfect tribute!! if you ask me, all the other cartoons should have been playing cartoons in his honor, too!! i had absolutely no knowledge about any of the bans—that’s so interesting to learn!! i also knew that Woody was VERY beloved in Brazil (good!!! Woody rules!!) but completely missed that he was the first to be shown on Brazilian TV, that explains so much and is so interesting!!

AHHH i’m rambling myself, i don’t have much to add other than THIS IS SO SWEET and i’m so appreciative you took the time to send such a sweet tribute!! this really makes me want to look into his legacy more; this is so sweet and i’m so happy you shared this!!! thank you so much for thinking of me!!

[fictionadventurer]

But does your man buy an entire hawking establishment just because he saw a painting of a hawking party where one of the women kind of resembled you?

[sexcromancy]

fanart has always been a beloved medium that I admire so much but I feel like in the last couple of years across several fandoms I'm in fanart has gotten so ridiculously awesome and experimental and aesthetically compelling. and it's really cool to track those trends from artist to artist and watch people innovate and get imitated and etc. now I don't put any sort of hierarchy on this but: I do generally separate fanart and nonfanart in my mind/in my tag organization system. similar to fanfiction I think fanart has the most impact and is most interesting when it's in conversation with the work it's transforming, and that in itself is enough to warrant a separate category for me (or several categories, by fandom). recently I've been seeing more and more fanart that I am entirely compelled by even without engaging with its subject, or that is even more interesting to me than the subject. that's a very cool blurred border of "when does this, being fanart, become non-fanart to me, a layperson wrt to the fan subject?" I'm having difficulty even naming the category of "nonfanart"... I don't want to call it traditional art (already way too loaded in the art world, is sucky) or general art (also sucks), but defining something by what it's not bothers me. so I'll keep thinking about it/would love input from other artists especially.

[thekidsarentalright]

so fobcore to be up for two awards they deserve to win, lose both of them, not even show up to the awards show But dress up in silly outfits for their prerecorded performance. would expect nothing less from the band of all time tbh

[fantodsdhrit]

oh why disrobed truth people eke solemn lies as truth that's your only truth

sunshine is laughing in my balcony

you arm him about aqua sarcophagi 

i accidentally let the refrigerator die

jews are arabs are jews slew gardyloo grimy fremen at their borders

your honeycomb heart logarithmic

picks a thousand in a room of thousand

not i or moi thousand one minus one

kill or be killed pressroom briefings chinese first-class red tie

you're beautiful no one interprets you

you're gorgeous and there goes holi

a handful of halogen love potions currency speculation tipsy

sea and spring and chrysanthemums

someone drowing herself with you as you

with your reflection your planetary influence your impaired glutes

tax avoidance for coke zero coitus

someone is walking like a bazaar with russia eyes with an individualistic salt

[mo-ondial]

*jersey shores your miku*

[akirayuri]

The utter insanity of ch 78 of mother fucking Pearl Boy: a rant ( tiny rant cuz lowkey my eyes are burning )

Pearl Boy and a rant about the absolute shit show that was Koh Daekwang's ending and the misuse of SA as a whole.

TW: sexual assault, gang sexual assault , Pearl Boy, etc ( and yeah, I didn't really organised or edit anything, I just kinda tried to pin point what I was on about in the headings but take all of it as a whole. It's... very messy. )

Spoilers for: Pearl Boy, Sheep Mask and Chainsaw Man.

So, Pearl Boy? Yah? Unsurprisingly ( and for all the wrong reasons ) it's a popular BL amongst the BL manhwa community fans. ( Korean manga basically ) I kinda picked it up when I was wayyy younger. The art was so freaking pretty that I just couldn't resist. But turns out even my underage, horny brain went, "uh. There is something wrong with this one. I don't like it". ( It's not that I couldn't read or handle heavy material. I remember reading Warehouse back that year and genuinely speaking? That manhwa is still one of the best psychological BL I've read to this date. )

And then a few days, no wait, weeks ago I heard that apparently it was ending?? And since I get slapped in my face with spoilers now and then I do know whatever was going on in that manhwa, it was bad. And genuinely? The MC of that manhwa just went through so much that I genuinely wanted to see him happy even though I didn't really find myself getting into the manhwa for several reasons. Despite its gorgeous art and ( as the fans insist ) a green flag couple and ML, there are several icks I have with this manhwa even before I opened chapter 78. But 78 was genuinely a nail in the coffin.

*sigh* I shouldn't have trusted the hype surrounding this, this thing . Some fans of bl community are just batshit fucking insane. Period.

My thoughts on Koh Daekwang before I got my brain frayed

And let's clarify where Koh Daekwang as character was in my pedestal at that moment first. Because I think it needs clarification. For one, I got plenty of spoilers to know that he's one of the antagonists and that he has done some shitty things. And being the asshole he is, I expected him to get a ass-woping he absolutely deserved. And tbh? I didn't care much about his character until much later. It was just very weird cuz his japanese name is very similar to my OC ( Hikaru and Hikari. Oh fuck. ) and the beauty mark on his face was on the exact place as my OC ( and the base of the hairstyle but then again, my OC is a red head and and he has wavy hair. )

( but the more I read into the twins I realised my OC acts more like Daehwi than Daekwang 😭 )

Other then that, he was just a hot asshole those manhwa/manga seems to have in default. I didn't really pay any mind to him.

The issue with the SA scenes in the manhwa + the gang r*pe of Koh Daekwang ( on a surface level )

Until I went back to kinda skim through the chapters and stumbled upon chapter 78.

And I KID YOU NOT the f**cking whiplash I got from chapter 78 can't be explained in words. Listen, I've read my fair share of graphic stuff in my years, some I liked and some I didn't. But this, this literally made me wanna throw myself out of the motherf**cking window at 3 am. I didn't know who Daekwang was or what he did ( but I had the feeling that since it's Pearl Boy, he must've done something really really shitty cuz the writing is just like that. ) I only know that I loved his character design very much. I paused in each and every panel and pushed down my urge to throw up. I've seen how the author draws s**x ( more like r**pe scenes ). And something about them already made me uncomfortable. I couldn't just put my finger on them at that time. But now as I skimmed through the entirety of the absolute dehumanising brutality Daekwang had to endure, I realised what exactly made me uncomfortable.

And for a hand sight, I was pretty confident I was gearing up to cheer for dooksik had he not done what he did. I would've probably gone, "GO DOOKSIK KICK HIS ASS !! RIP HIM LIMB TO LIMB TO GO GO GO !!"

Like I'm not even joking. I wouldn't have batted an eye if dooksik had even burned him alive or tortured him in the same fashion as Hostel and the Saw Franchise. Because for a fact, that's more merciful than what he had to go through and more.

Listen, there are ways to torture someone. What Dooksik initially needed was Daehwi to show up and feel the same helplessness he felt when Jooha was being assaulted.

Now, some of y'all would probably jump the wagon with "but he said eye for an eye!! They deserved to be SA-ed because Jooha was SA-ed too"

that's- that's the most shittiest reasoning I've ever heard.

Listen, r*pe is a act that is irreversible and as evil as man kind can get. And no matter which character conducts the act, it's still wrong. ( I mean, this is the reason everyone is like, "omg the twins deserved so much worse uwu " )

And it's even more traumatizing and just, genuinely gross to see Dooksik do it because he is that character we are supposed to be cheering for, he's the ML. He is supposed to be right one ( I mean, it was initially his negetive character arc but I will get into it later ) Jooha went through the same thing and he has no right to call the shots as to what do with Jooha's perpetrators as he wasn't the one assaulted. Much less get the least evil of the three used as a scape goat in such a dehumanising way just to call in his sibling. And speaking of perpetrators; how come fucking PILWON GOT OFF WITH ONLY AN AXE TO HIS HEAD AND MOTHERFUCKING DAEKWANG ( who was hinted to be also the victim of sw from a young age to provide for his brother and genuinely, he's also a victim ) GOT FUCKING GANGBANGED INFRONT OF HIS BROTHER!? EXPLAIN!!

This is why I genuinely think there is something very, very insincere and wrong with the writing.

And as for the "eye for an eye" no honey. It didn't work. It's simply that Daekwang literally got used as a plot device and later thrown to the side. Like, tell me how he ended up like that? In a coma I presume? Like, why is no one talking about it? A guy got gang r*ped by one of the main characters and later when it was time to show the aftermath the author simply ships him off to who knows where and then he's, asleep? In a goddamn coma? Lazy writing at it's peck.

And as for the r*pe sense itself-

Ok so, here is a thing. When you write something or draw something extremely traumatic there are ways to showcase that. there are plenty of good examples out there. How to make trauma seen without fetishizing it. There are ways to go about it. What Pearl Boy does is exactly that, fetishize r*pe as a whole. No matter who is being assaulted they just gotta draw a full on close up to that. Is it really that important to show how many times and exactly how Jooha is being r*ped? It's very disrespectful to actual sa victims. Like, a black fade out or a brief flash back is enough oh my god.

Pearl Boy really has a bad issue for fetishizing r*pe of each and any characters regardless and it's fucking hard to watch, alright?

And the issue with what happened to Daekwang was something else entirely. I knew he was a bad guy and that there was some in**est going in the background. But honestly, look me in the eye and say that he deserved it ( he fucking  didn't. Even Pilwon was killed to easily and mercifully compared to what Dooksik did to the twins ) There are tasteful ways to t**rture someone. Hack, I wouldn't have been this antsy if he got his limbs chopped off or murder even. Like z waterboard him? Clip off his nails? Chop his fingers off? ( I mean, he always has two fingers missing apparently. Like, please can everyone just leave this guy alone? ) like, go watch Hostel or the Saw Franchise and get inspired, man. why gang sa? Honestly the answer is pretty simple, ✨ fetish ✨

( Honestly , killing him off wouldn't have made any difference since he was literally used as a plot device by the end of it. Poor guy. )

And again , it boils down to the eye for an eye thing. But to be honest they didn't even manage to execute it properly. Despite everything he did, Daekwang is a sa victim. If you really wanted to go for the, so famously said, "eye for an eye" do it so with legitimacy. He was literally shipped off too somewhere and then when we see him again, he's looking like a dead man probably in coma 💀. TELL ME F**CKING HOW!? YOU GOT TIME TO DRAW HIM GETTING D**ICKED DOWN BY A WAREHOUSE FULL OF MEN BUT THEN WHEN IT'S ABOUT GIVING A PROPER CLOSURE TO HIS CHARACTER YOU GO, "oh. He's asleep 😁☝🏻" GET OUT.

R*pe revenge gone gone wrong Feat. 'Sheep Mask ' ( and a brief summary of the r*pe revenge genre )

Ok so here is a thing I think I noticed and I think it should be out of my system. There is a similar pattern in this Manhwa that is simply so, off puting. Despite Jooha getting sa-ed so violently each and every turn of his life, it's never him who gets to express his anger and the sheer animosity he is sure to develop over time. It's Dooksik. Dooksik proposes the idea of wanting to kill Pilwon, not Jooha. Dooksik arranges a gang sa for one of the twins, not Jooha. For Jooha the only ligament sign of actual resistance was when it was Dooksik's line on the line. He finally gets the courage to actually pull a gun at someone's head ( still not shoting him )

Someone of y'all simply find it romantic that Dooksik is willing to get his hands dirty for Jooha's sake which is fair considering men like him really don't exist. But Jooha's lack of guts to fight off is something that clashes with the initial "revenge"

Idk how many of you have read Sheep Mask by Paskim but if you have, you'll understand exactly what I mean. No matter how fucked up and graphic this manhwa is, we all will agree on one thing, it makes sense and at the end of the day; it's satisfying.

And not satisfying because there are no stacks for the MC as he delivers karma on his perpetrators, there are. In fact the consequences are everlasting. The MC can never really function properly and is probably marked off as a criminal and is doomed to be unable to live a normal life again ( and might be dead ) but also, the consequences also lie within exactly what he unleashed upon his perpetrator even after he is presumed dead. The lasting mental scarring on both parties leaves a bitter sweet but a understandable closure for both of them.

I'm not saying that this is what Pearl Boy should've done. I'm simply bringing it up as they handle the revenge r*pe aspect similarly, yet so differently.

What Sheep Mask did so satisfyingly was that it was the victim calling the shots, not anyone else. Which actually reminds me of a pop culture phenomenon that happened in the early days of revenge r*pe movies.

The culture of rape revenge has been around in the media for a good amount of time. This genre ( female oriented as it is ) has changed it's pattern over time.

[ and I highly suggest to check out this video essay that I'm linking down below if you are interested in this topic because this THAT video actually made me think about this more deeply. And it's very good 👍🏻

The video in question:

Ok back to topic ]

Like, lemme give you a brief run down as to what I'm getting at.

Back in the days when r*pe revenge genre had yet to see it's renaissance, there was a common pattern it had followed

Girl gets r*ped -> probably killed -> a male relative or acquaintances or lover finds out about what happened to her -> gets really angry -> goes on a rage full revenge quest to avenge the girl -> kills every perpetrators

Which sounds unproblematic at first glance but then you realise, the actual girl who was abused never got beyond that damsel in distress or the abused female archetype in whose trauma, the male character's character development is built upon. The female character's abuse was simply a plot device for the male character to unless his rage upon the perpetrators while the actual victim never got anything to their name other than the fact, that they were abused. Her trauma was used as a foundation to build the male character's journey to avenge her as she was just too weak or probably dead to do so. that's it. Otherwise she lacks the agency to protect herself. The victim's trauma is used to empower the male character and just be a quest and reason for the male character to persuade his enemy. Her suffering is not her own but the focus is on what the male character would do for her. ( Which changes over time through movies like Jennifer's body and Teeth. )

Of course Jooha isn't a girl but despite being a male, he is also a victim of repeated sexual abuse and he houses the inherent trains of the damsel in distress character archetype. His trauma was used to fuel Dooksik's anger and basically just give him the license to whatever the hack he pleased to the twins; and more accurately, with Daekwang. Because he was averaging his abused lover and because the lover himself didn't have the agency nor the power to execute the plan himself. The victim was powerless, is powerless. While Dooksik grows more and more jagged by the end of it. And simply showing the readers how far Dooksik is willing to go down.

[ this actually reminds me of this comment I read which said the following: "the twins should've known better. They raised a sleeping lion " which just proves the point of my prior comment of this being an empowering scene for the none-victim revenge seeker ]

Everyone has their own way to handle and process trauma. And Jooha not wanting to make things worse for either of them is valid. But won't it had been empowering for the actual sa victims if it was Jooha who actually pulled the revenge? Considering that Dooksik got so badly injured trying to protect him? What does it exactly say about the message it delivers? By the end of it, what happened was Jooha seeing the shadow of Pilwon in Dooksik and Daekwang being bed tied for an unknown reason and an unknown period of time.

Pilwon got killed, but who killed him? Daehwi. Both Jooha and Dooksik would've died. Who saved them? Daehwi. Just- just what good did it come out of it? Daehwi got desperate but he would've done the same if Dooksik threatened to kill Daekwang without sexually harassing him so violently infront him because more then anything, the twins love eachother and are willing to serve their lives in a platter to anyone just to keep the other safe. Honestly it's very ironic and frustrating that by the end of it, it was Daehwi who did all the heavy work such as killing Pilwon and saving the asses of the fandom's beloved leads despite being the most injured one of the three. ( the epilogue was stupid )

The mishandling of Koh Daekwang [ and a tiny self indulgent comparison with Aki Hayakawa / I Wii make a separate dedicated post I swear. This is getting way too long / ]

And the fact that Daekwang wasn't even the most evil and probably the least evil' out of three antagonists, including his brother who was the main perpetrator on arranging the shit show that initially pushed Dooksik over the edge is really sickening. And also the hints about him being a sex worker in the past to provide for his brother ( and Pilwon's comment, "aren't you a pro in this?" ) just sits like a pile of rocks in the pit of my stomach. I really, really don't like the combination of a past sex worker who did what he did out of need and a probable victim of SA himself to be used as bait by being r*ped again just to bring in his brother.

And let's be f*cking frank y'all. Daehwi is the reason Jooha and Dooksik are kicking and punching 💀. Like, blud was literally mummified yet he was the one doing all the heavy lifting. How fucking ironic. ( The epilogue was so stupid . And sorry but I can't stop repeating this topic. It's just so frustratingly funny to me )

And speaking of giving a sincere end to a character who is supposed to be tragic and therefore , the lack of it in Pearl Boy.

I actually compared Daekwang to Aki Hayakawa a lot LOLOL and I still do cuz both of them had the most tragic end to their respective story arc but the taste and execution is so vastly different.

Where in Aki's initial doom was not only a foil and a proper closure to his character arc but also something that despite being as tragic as it could get, it had a sense of sincerity to it that makes the reader feel heavy, not disgusted.

Obviously the lack of gang r*pe as a whole is a good reason to itself but I feel like there are so many similarities to their situation despite being so vastly different from each other. And yeah, obviously Aki wasn't that much of an asshat that Daekwang was lmao.

But something about those two is so damn similar . The stubbornness to reach their respective goals and then getting slapped in the face with the consequences of not listening to their loved ones advice:

Daehwi tries to speak sense into Daekwang and Himeno tries to talk to Aki to quit public safety which neither of them listen until much later.

And generally bordering on being a bit deranged with how hell bent they are;

And then comes the knack for shouldering everything heavy and complicated and brushing it off with a, "leave it to me."

and just generally driving their loved ones to a point of utter breakage with how unmoveable they are aka making them do something high key crazy.

Himeno with her selfish sacrifice and Daehwi with almost everything he did in the last arc lmao.

But also doing whatever it takes to keep their loved ones out of danger which includes, self sacrifice or just becoming a human meat bait to the enemy party.

The arguably tired older sibling with godawful luck. And gremlins under their care.

✨dad energy ✨

( a compilation of Daekwang acting like an old man even though they are the same age. Cuz we all know how Aki is. )

And let's not forget both admired the worst person in the room ( Daekwang with Pilwon and Aki with Makima ) which brought them both to their inevitable doom. ( Aki's one is a complicated situation since he was under Makima's control all along and I feel like the situation with Daekwang and Pilwon got Messier after Pilwon humiliated, beat up and made Daekwang chop off two of him fingers infront of his brother. Which is another similarity; the sudden jerking sense of clarity before everything goes black again. )

Also the fact both of them were used as a literal bait, the sacrificial lamb for a bigger picture, holy crap. ( Ok I really need to write a dedicated post on those two. )

Despite the similarity there is a lack of sincerity in handling Daekwang's story arc wherein, no matter how ironically heartbreaking Aki's outcome became, it had a sense of sincerity and familiarity. It didn't feel wrong ( I mean it did, the Gun Devil arc was a fucking nightmare fuel. But not in a sense that'll make you want to burn your house down with how badly it was written. But rather it makes you love the character and appreciate the hardwork and love the author put into his works . It makes you want to go back and read the arc no matter how painful it is because at the end, it does not make you want to look away from the pages in disgust. )

( Oh and, free Daekwang from that author I swear. That man wasn't paid enough for all that. )

Obviously their situation was vastly different. But in the end they were played like pawns by a bigger brain. Their loved ones left to pay the price and to see the aftermath of a massacre. And the twins for a fact would've ran away or killed Pilwon even before the final had they been given the chance ( I mean, Daehwi was so fucking ready to chop off Pilwon's head at the drop of the hat. )

What actually hits even harder is that Daekwang was cast aside completely after his r*pe scene. Like his use was only to make Daehwi surrender and do Dooksik's bidding in the most dehumanising way possible. But when it came to giving him a proper ending, they just, made him... Sleep...?

I had a conversation with a friend of mine, she said something really good, "I guess it's not about what happened. It's about what couldve been. Had they been given a proper chance to live a normal life and not stumble upon each and every step because life gave them middle finger from they day they were born, they mightve lived a better and happy life. Without the gawning hungrer to chew at eachother because eachother is all they have got, without the need to hurt someone else otherwise not being able to live to see the next day. I guess it's about what couldve been if they were given the chance and guidance for a good and healthy life style. "

That's the tragedy.

Ok and I definitely lied about this being a tiny rant. This shit is bigger than my life span.