#no but i just think its so funny when aspec characters are like come on get it together guys we have work to do

[soup-child]

My favorite kind of aspec character is one who doesn't know theyre aspec and get fed up whenever other people are allo

[digirainebow]

i dont necessarily ship jiley/racob, but i ship the idea that riley and jacob's lives are always going to have some manner of a timeloop in them by nature, no matter how much they improve themselves, and i think that one of those loops being a permanent will-they-won't-they is possible. it never comes to fruition because jacob can't imagine being a father figure to rex when riley thinks it would be nice if he could be, and once jacob realizes he basically has been this whole time anyway, riley thinks they're too old for it to really matter anymore. and i think this could be one of the many things contributing to rex's disappointment in riley. not because he wants them to be together, in fact he doesn't give a shit. jacob is...fine. its seeing riley continue to not know what it is she wants that pisses him off. we know he just wants her to make a choice for herself.

[acoraxia]

What are your thoughts on shadowpeach?

Fandom wise? I do not care for it.

Canon wise? I believe in men committing crimes while forming the most toxic, unhealthy attachments to one person could lead to such a dysfunctional relationship that it, eventually, turns into a functional one. And also they’re trans and aspec.

Disclaimer: this is all my opinion and people can do whatever they want, i simply have my gripes with some of the fandom stuff. this is just me explaining what i like and dislike about shadowpeach.

I think the most common thing people fall into when it comes to ships—or shipping in general—is how to domesticate these two characters without fully addressing their flaws, personalities, behavior, and their overall choices throughout the original media/show they come from. 

Macaque and SWK both suffer equally through this mischaracterization: Macaque is often painted as this shy or “edgy” character with little to no ties to his actual character in canon and, more often than not, he is perceived as this “dad” type of character when, in fact, he should not be allowed near children for I fear he will bully them nonstop until they sit there in the corner feeling disheartened and miserable about themselves; Sun Wukong is often portrayed as this dumb himbo with little-to-no means of understanding social cues, not understanding emotions in a way that’s very frustrating, and be this yearning, pining idiot who’s still longing for his childhood crush when he did not hesitate to punch this guy in the face multiple times throughout the show. So when they are paired up together it’s this weird mash of people believing Macaque is the better dad with more understanding of human behavior and Wukong is his dumb, doting husband who’s doing his best and cannot stand up for himself when confronted about things.

The amount of times people choose to make Macaque sympathetic by having Sun Wukong’s family side with Macaque when it comes to Wukong’s actions/choices is so vast I could not count them all on one hand. The common trope of having Princess Iron Fan (Sun Wukong’s sister-in-law) become Macaque’s sworn sister is so disheartening to see for someone who read through Journey To The West and thought of how silly the overall family dynamic of the Demon Bull Family and Sun Wukong’s troops was. Removing Iron Fan as Sun Wukong’s literal sister just to have someone backup Macaque and sympathize with him is funny and a bit silly. 

That being said… the canon version of Shadowpeach and its possibilities are, in fact, very delicious.

Canon wise this is what we know about Sun Wukong and Macaque’s history together: 

Sun Wukong and Macaque meet

The brotherhood is formed after Azure meets Sun Wukong, Macaque tags along with Wukong (note: Macaque is not addressed as “brother” by the characters, only Wukong is)

Macaque tries to warn Wukong about how dealing with Heaven might be a bad idea

They share a peach under a tree; Wukong reassures Macaque this plan will work

Wukong carries on with Azure’s plan anyway (yes, azure lion’s plan, not wukong’s)

The brotherhood is defeated and Wukong gets trapped under a mountain

Presumably no one comes to visit Wukong, only Macaque

During his final visit, Wukong is angry that Macaque is free and can’t see the fact that Wukong was trying to do everything for them and his kingdom

Macaque snaps back at Wukong and calls him an obsessive demon before leaving

They have another fallout and fight

Wukong ends up killing Macaque in the aftermath

500~ years later, Macaque and Wukong fight again with Wukong being more apathetic towards their reunion than Macaque is

Macaque obsesses over Wukong continuously (coughs)

Macaque is biased in his retellings of his and Wukong’s relationship (see: all of shadowplay and the scrolls memories)

They fight (again) throughout S3

They somewhat reconcile by the end of S4

We will address the fact Sun Wukong was groomed into going to war by this former celestial warrior instead of having it be because of his own want to protect his family and friends after Heaven refused to pay him the respect he wanted when he first joined their ranks later. Right now we focus on the fact that Sun Wukong is canonically a person people easily fall in love with (platonically) and have a tendency to want to stay close to regardless of what his future actions will be like and Macaque is sequentially obsessed with him throughout the show.

“The hero and the warrior were like the Sun and the Moon. Their light, a protective glow, shining upon the world. Together, there was nothing that could stop the two of them. Either in the Celestial Realms or on Earth. As time went on, the hero attained power beyond comprehension. As the hero's light grew, so too did his shadow. And soon, the warrior was cast in that shadow. In the darkness, the warrior was forgotten by the hero.”

Fun fact: Macaque is never going to be on par with Sun Wukong’s power and he works best as support than he does a duo-attacker along side Wukong. Wukong is on his own power level and Macaque, while being able of holding his own against enemies, could be stomped to death by Xiaoijiao is he crossed the line.

Macaque’s obsession with Sun Wukong comes from the inability to move on from the past; Macaque wanting things to go back as they were is a subtle theme going through the show — he keeps latching on to biased memories and avoiding the actual problems that caused their relationship to fall apart and it isn’t until Season 3’s big confrontation with Long Xiaojiao’s Samadhi Fire ritual. He realizes he abandoned Wukong during a time of need and proceeds to flee, abandoning him again. 

Macaque has issues. More often than not people call out on Sun Wukong for abandoning Xiaotian or the Monkie Kid Crew all while ignoring the fact Sun Wukong does not purposefully leave Qi Xiaotian, he tries his hardest to make it back in time and is visibly scared/horrified when LBD attacks in his absence. Sun Wukong tries his hardest to comfort Xiaotian while Macaque tries to torment him. 

Regardless, Sun Wukong and Macaque’s relationship is unique to most media’s portrayal of friends turned enemies. Because Wukong does not see Macaque as a threat up until he teams up with Lady Bone Demon — he is only scary by association, not by anything he has done up until that point. You can tell with the way Wukong mocks him and calls him something akin to a puppet during their interaction in Season 3 when Macaque trapped him and Nezha in the ice. 

And even then Macaque doesn’t even bother trying to engage with Wukong in a friendly manner because kindness is for losers HA i’m not apologizing for anything, bye Sun Wukong, you big old LOSER [proceeds to possibly live on the streets and stay homeless until wukong allows him to return to ffm under certain house rules]

You’ll notice that Sun Wukong barely has any opinions on Macaque.

This is because Macaque is favored by the narrative more than Sun Wukong is so we have very little context as to how Sun Wukong genuinely feels towards Macaque. 

Sun Wukong sees Macaque as an annoyance, a bother, a threat, a coward, an imposter and then, finally, an ally. 

But all we get from that is Wukong handing Macaque a peach-flavored ice cream pop as a parallel to him sharing a peach with his old friend back when they were young monkeys before he was trapped under a mountain for 500 years as a result of his abuser’s power hold on him that forced him to fight heaven as a way to “make the world a better place”. 

We love to see it.

Macaque and Wukong’s relationship goes from mutual interest and a supportive friendship established years prior to the original building of the brotherhood to a very weird, uncategorized type of dynamic. The only way to characterize Sun Wukong’s “affection” towards Macaque is, possibly, the same way most people would characterize Macaque to be towards Wukong. Y’know the slightly judgmental actions and eye rolls and scoffs of affection most people write about Macaque when Wukong does something stupid? Yeah.

“But Macaque said “this guy” when Wukong was presenting his plan to defeat Azure—“ yeah have you considered Wukong does a lot of masking in the presence of the entire Monkie Kid Crew and Macaque has a tendency to present himself as this cool persona when in fact he’s just a homeless monkey who’s been crashing on his ex’s couch for the past weeks since the ending of Season 3? 

“OK…. but why QPR Shadowpeach?”

Sun Wukong throughout the course of Journey to the West and all its past and future iterations have always had him be uninterested in both men and women. There are multiple instances where he’s capable of courting women and he instead backs away or does not pay it any mind; aside from this he’s heavily implied to only care about familial love and friendships. He does not see his pilgrim brothers as anything more than family and he views Tripitaka as a mentor rather than someone whom he was chained to. And Azure was his idol and he was groomed by him, and everyone else was viewed to him as a troop — or, y’know, a family.

This and the fact that— both Sun Wukong and Macaque are over a thousand years old. Why on earth would they have a normal type of relationship? Giving them a checklist of what passes on as romantic and platonic when to them the line is so blurred it’s barely existent to them is amusing. 

Sun Wukong and Macaque having their own weird relationship where it changes from frustrated best friends to partners to angry middle aged demons to the tired traumatized immortals who sometimes cuddle while still beating each other up is so deliciously interesting and unhealthy to the point where it is healthy. 

Also Celestial bodies are not the same as mortal bodies; canonically Sun Wukong has transformed into women before and people have addressed him with female-leaning pronouns before. my personal headcanon of sun wukong being genderfluid lves on and now we can have sapphic shadowpeach with transfem macaque.

also im still feverish so if this doesnt make sense then too bad damn im sorry

[arenabreadandbiscuits]

Um, so currently watching Ohmyoji... Seimei is getting to me a lil. Also reeling in more peeps for commissions. ^^

Seimei Headcanons

We're going to write this in a way where he's more than just a little interested in you. You're rather calming to be around and silly as well and there's a few times where you get a chuckle out of him even at the worst times

He's a tease, he can help it from time to time but oftentimes he finds it funny just to reach his hand over and lightly grip your thigh when talking to others over a drink for example.

Bro will definitely act like he doesn't know why you jerked like you did. If you mention it later in a fit hell grin just a bit.

He kinda reminds me of a fox, like those kitsune characters OR that snake brother from Juni Taisan (Zodiac War) or however you spell it.

On the topic of who he looks like I can imagine him getting a little annoyed being compared to other people

Outside of touching you just to get under your skin, if both of you are okay with it he will take the time to touch you, caress your skin and admire it in all its glory.

I wanna say that the interest he has for you is only meant to be seen with ONLY you. He's not a fan of showing off his pda to anyone who he doesn't care for.

Though, of the topic I can definitely see him get touchy if he's feeling a bit threatened. It's not that he gets jealous often if at all but he does know when someone is looking at you with less than innocent intentions and maybe there's no harm in... Suddenly wrapping his arms around your shoulders or waist before pulling you in.

"Aren't you a cutie?~" or "You crying?" From Gojo is something I can see him saying.

Probably into things like morning hugs and cuddles, like imagine making breakfast in the early morning hours of the day just for him to come find you and rest against him quietly.

Will also offer to cuddle if he visits you in the middle of the night.

Will play music for you, find little flowers and trinkets and such to bring back to you, honestly a bit of a lovey dovey type with the right conditions.

Touches and rubs you while humming softly as if it's a calming thing for him.

I can see him being the type of guy that touches you all the time but let you ask him playfully he'll respond just as playfully but let you seem serious... Looking deep into his eyes.. he may try not to but bro might fold. He's so pretty when he blushes..

Likes running his hands through your hair if you let him and if it manages to put you to sleep he'll stay still and let you sleep against him.

If you mention that your favorite aspect of his is his eyes he might freeze for a moment. One of those moments where he seizes, blinks and then smiles a bit.

Honestly so far he's giving possible aspec, like maybe after time to watch and examine his LI it's easier for him to want to cling to them and be close.

Honestly bro being in love with his partner is like watching two swans or geese be in love.

Will take the time to get you gifts that he's sure you'll like but also makes him think of you when he sees em. Those flowers match your eyes.. he'll pick em up. That necklace would go so well with your eyes. Hell he'd take the sun out of the sky and hand it to you if he could because of just how beautiful it is as it runs over your skin.

I can also see him writing little poems or notes for you to find. Bonus points if he hides them all over the house like it's a little game.

Caresses your knuckles whenever you leave your hand in his for too long.

Head kisses, forehead kisses, shoulder kisses and neck kisses seem like they'd be a favorite of his.

And I'll stop this here for now but he definitely will say your name in different ways just to see which affects you the most.

(want more? Follow me and see what else I post! Want something specific from me and have the funds to support then please commission me! 🙏🏾❤️)

[klavery]

tell us your klavery hcs about how they started dating^^ (who asked who first, where they go for dates, first kisses/hand holding, etc)

EEEK! I AM SO SORRY!!! this took a while 2 answer cuz i wrote a whole frickin ESSAY! i guess thats what happens when u ask tumblr user klavery 2 talk about klavery, lol.... ANYWAYS,

ok ok omg... firstly i want 2 warn that i clearly take them wayy too seriously and romanticize the fuck out of them and its rly embarrassing bcuz they are stupid but i am just too gone 4 them at this point so 😊👍

SO LIKE!!! avery being aspec + autistic in my minds eye affects pretty much everything abt their relationship 2 romance & dating & stuff... so that & the fact theyre like a dorky awkward nerd to me makes them pretty passive & nervous abt romance stuff, at least at first! avery seems like they could b the suave confident type when it comes 2 romance, which is the kind of person i think their character develops into once they get the hang of it (still a silly dork tho OF COURSE). that being said, in the beginning, avery wasnt usually the one to initiate things often! klara was his first everything... his first crush, his first kiss, everything like that (as opposed to klaras like, 20 exes, lol) so he was kind of inexperienced XP

the development of their relationship is like... at first they HATED each other, they found each other so ANNOYING and INSUFFERABLE, naturally... until a little problem in the form of a 13 year old child showed up at the dojo. apparently this kid was enough of a mutual threat to get the two of them to tolerate each other enough to reluctantly team up... also can i say they r literally like cartoon antagonists to me? they are SO funny and dumb i am SO obsessed... anyways! after the whole main plot of the isle of armor is over, they still kinda almost, try 2 awkwardly ignore each other? tsunderes... they cant admit theyre growing fond of each other xP and after a while, that strategy just doesnt work out :p they continue 2 train at the dojo, and this soon leads 2 them becoming friends! this part is integral 2 me 4 the development of their relationship, they become total besties, they r such galpals........

after some indeterminate amount of time after becoming friends, avery finally falls for her. i headcanon klara was always attracted to him, even when she hated him, lol. they were like two freaks who were perfect partners in crime. they get really close and affectionate, even platonically ❤ ... u can tell how crazy i am over enemies to friends to lovers for them xP

so with ALL THAT in mind.... i think klara would ask first? technically? i mean klara would b the kind of person 2 want someone 2 confess their undying love 4 her, but avery was kindaa weird. i dont think they would have EVER asked her directly tbh.... they were soo confused abt their feelings hehe, abt her but also abt dating in general. klara kinda knew abt the latter, considering avery would have opened up 2 her abt it in my brainspace. i guess knowing this she would just shoot her shot & suggest that they could date! avery is so nervous.... he panics and says he needs time 2 think on it, and when he finally recomposes himself hes all like, Ahem, Klara, I Would Like To Formally Accept Your Ever So Gracious Invitation.. hehehe.... he was so funny.

UM so they try dating!! and i dont rly care if it isnt realistic or believable or whatever at all i just like cute indulgent things.

so what do they do!?! WELL, i think a particular Official artwork could answer that..

(ok but could u IMAGINE my reaction when this was first revealed!? they literally merchandised MY headcanons they merchandised MY SHIP they did it ALL 4 me💞💞💞 this is my own scan too btw! sooo worth it. its soo in character too, klara too busy clout chasing 2 notice her partners abt 2 get his flesh melted off over some curry 😊 and of course, all the lil slowpokes around them❤ quintessential klavery image). but ya! this could possibly b their first date?? i feel like i wanna honor the existence of this wonderful art and say yes.... so aside from pokecamping or just hanging out around the island doing tasks and training and such, OFC they would go shopping, they would go 2 the mall, they would have spa day, avery would take her 2 high end fancy restaurants (bcuz hes upper class and loaded lol), all while being menaces 2 society of course 🥰. OH! wanna know what i think would b cute?? THIS IS SO CRINGE but basically i hc that they have rooms at the dojo 4 the students (so they dont have 2 sleep in tents or go home everyday or whatever...) and i think it would b SO cute if honey and/or mustard helped avery set up a lil candlelit dinner date in his room~ its so silly but so sweet❤

hmm.. honestly i really like the idea of their first kiss being kinda like, lowkey. juxtaposed to the kind of people they are. one might expect some kind of grandiose fairytale type situation... when in fact they were just chillin alone somewhere on the island, and she asked 2 kiss them... and they agreed! it left avery asking themself, what am i doing? how did i get here?? everything had been so different. this definitely wasnt what they would have imagined for themself... but they loved it. averys life was changing in unexpected ways. i guess this was first-love making him a little cuckoo in the head, huh? maybe this event had been a bit grandiose, in its own way.

WOW this post really devolved into me writing fanfiction about how kissing klara caused existential revelations within avery. nice! ok!

anyways!!! we r almost at the end! so!! avery was so touch starved, omg. he wouldnt let just anyone touch him, tho, of course. but if he liked you, well... earlier i said i believed they were pretty close b4 they dated, so if klara were to grab their hand, they wouldnt object, hehe~ (shes the one w the cold hands btw, and a firm grip, too..). things abt avery & physical touch interest me so much honestly, it is so intriguing when a character who could use psychic powers 4 everything would decide not to... especially when it comes 2 affection....

eeeeeaaaaahhh!!! ive gone on too long!! i never talk abt my hcs in detail EVER so like! theres stuff i know i couldve elaborated on more but i didnt wanna go TOO off topic... ofc i could write whole novels about my silleys..... THANK U 4 SENDING THIS!!!! hope it was comprehensible, heheh

[gutsfics]

Ace Awareness Week Questionaire - Reigan Lee (aka Lee Sungwon)

@choicespride

How/when did your character discover/realize they are ace?

he didn't know the word for it, but he realized that he wasnt as interested in sex and relationships as his peers when he was in high school. at first he thought that people were just exagerating when they talked about sexual attraction. he learned the word in his college's gsa, but it still took a bit for him to realize that it applied to him.

he thought he was bisexual for the longest time.

Does your character use any aspec microlabels?

no, but he uses the macrolabel of Queer. also he's aromantic as well

Has your character come out as ace? If so, how/when?

he's done it a bunch of different ways with a couple different people, but sometimes to the same people because they seem to keep forgetting 🤔

mostly though he doesnt think it's anyone's business

What is your character’s favorite thing about being ace?

he thinks its really funny being The Sexiest Person In The Room while knowing full well he has no intention of going home with any of the people currently falling over themselves trying to get into his pants

also not having to deal with the cleanup that usually comes after sex

What is your character’s least favorite thing about being ace?

"its just a phase, sweetie. you'll find the right person eventually :)" and when he ends up in a qpr, "i told you so! ;) so when are you gonna have kids?" which like, he doesn't mind the kids questions but depending on the person it may include some invasive questions about his sex life

Is your character in a relationship (i.e., romantic, qpr, platonic, etc.)?

yes! he's in a qpr with Dr Tobias Carrick. for them that means they help each other out financially and legally, as well as taking care of each other when sick, or just spending time together. outside looking in, their relationship does seem fairly romantic- especially bc they're fairly physically affectionate w each other- but neither of them see it that way

How does your character feel about sex (i.e., sex-postive, sex-repulsed, etc.)?

he's sex positive, but like. not near him thanks.

honestly, its pretty nuanced for him. because even though he doesn't feel attraction to other people, sometimes he gets horny, and sometimes- very vary rarely- that horniness happens to coincide with a need for human contact, and he may decide to possibly have sex then. he and Tobias refer to it as his pon farr

also occasionally he might go to a sex club and just chill naked. if asked by someone while he's there, he'll say its to help break the ice bc its easier to be less nervy about fucking in a sex club if there's a dude that's already naked. but mostly he just likes the idea of there being places where its okay for him to be naked

[astridofraftel]

reading challenge review #6

Just finished: Strange the dreamer by Laini Taylor + Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen + Divergent vol. 1 by Veronica Roth + Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola

Currently reading: Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor

Next on schedule: Le symbole perdu by Dan Brown + Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

I haven't read that much these past two weeks because of the new Zelda game, which was totally justifiable, the hype was stronger than my resolve and it was totally worth it. Now I'm able to play more lightly so I have time for books! I've finished re-reading most of my indulgent additions in the first half of May, so I won't review them. However, I just finished a book that was actually on my schedule for this challenge, so I'm not late! And this one I'll review, with no real spoilers I think but don't hesitate to skip. That's right, I finally read:

Thérèse Raquin, Or: It All Could Have Been Avoided If The Characters Were Aspec (just saying)

I must have read a school edition or something because more than half of the footnotes were either unnecessary definitions or unannounced spoilers. I get that spoilers are not that big of a deal when it comes to classical literature since it’s supposed to be about skill and style, and sometimes I willfully spoil myself before getting into a classic (especially tragedies), but I like to have control over it, which I didn’t have for this one. Well, I can only blame myself, surely there exist spoiler-free editions, I bought mine because it was second-hand.

Fun fact, I challenged myself to read it in the first place because it's apparently one of the favorite books of a friend, but I procrastinated for such a long time that I'm not in contact with them anymore, oops.

I definitely freaked out for nothing about reading this one because it wasn’t as hard to read as I thought it would be. It was way lighter than the Zola novel that bored me to death in middle school (Au Bonheur des Dames), as it was shorter both in length and in exposition, and faster in pace—though I’m only talking from unreliable 10-years-old memories. I only remembered from Zola’s style his never-ending and exhausting descriptions that could go for pages on end about dull objects or sceneries with no use whatsoever to the progression of the plot. You know, like those books that are all about the ✨vibes✨ except it was in fact not my aesthetic at all. Thérèse Raquin was more bearable in this regard, more concise, even if I should properly re-read Au Bonheur des Dames to really be accurate and constructive (not gonna happen).

TR is supposed to be carried by its characters before its plot, but I could not get myself really invested in any of them, as I often fail to do when I read classics: they were selfish people, self-indulgent and self-centered, with no tangible qualities to redeem them. We're not supposed to like them, I guess, and the author said it himself: the story wasn’t actually about its characters so much as their temperaments, they were just ploys to tell a story meant to be shocking and disgusting in its displays of immorality and depravity. I wasn’t all that shocked myself, because to a modern eye the story isn’t particularly unrivaled, but I can imagine how it had been received at the time.

Zola’s preface is actually so funny on this subject, he was delighted to disgust his peers and felt superior to any revolted reader who, surely, was too stupid to understand the story. I’m not kidding, he was so salty and supercilious, such an impertinent preface would get bashed on the spot on Twitter or BookTok or something if it were published today—but to be fair it isn’t a surprising behavior from Zola (who is famous for his bigmouth if you don’t know about the whole “J’Accuse” debacle).

"Je suis charmé de constater que mes confrères ont des nerfs sensibles de jeune fille."

"I am delighted to observe that my peers have the sensitive nerves of young girls." — Emile Zola, preface to Thérèse Raquin

What a bitch

Not to look like a sensitive dunce, then, but I didn't really like this book. It's not that it was badly written, even if the writing style is rude. It's definitely not because I was shocked by the contents. I just don't agree with a lot of Zola's naturalist convictions, which I find mostly pretentious. He wrote this fiction with self-claimed scientific methods, to show-off what he thought was superior literature, and as a result there was no way I could get emotionally invested. About half-way through the story (not to say a third in), I already felt like I knew everything that would follow, and nothing ever surprised me from that point. It was almost like reading a report on an unhinged social experiment (it was also weirdly Freudian or something, idk).

To end on a positive note, I liked the tragic aspect of it all. I love reading tragedies, especially when I know they're tragedies, so the end was completely satisfactory. If I could have cared about the characters more, my view of this book might have been radically different, but I had no high expectations in the first place so it wasn't a bad read.

Now, I just need to finish re-reading my beautiful Muse of Nightmares, and then I'll begin Le symbole perdu (The Lost Symbol) by Dan Brown. I read Angels and Demons, Inferno and Da Vinci Code a few years back (in French) and I really liked them, so I don't even know why I procrastinated TLS for so long... My hopes are high, though, so it better be worth it!

(prev) (next)

[sneezemonster15]

Hi :D do you think that any characters beside Naruto (gay or bi? I'm not sure about this one) and Sasuke could be LGBT+ inside original manga? Or at least coded so. Orichimaru is canonically non-binary. I had a hunch Itachi and Sasori were aspec coded (especially Sasori). I'm curious about what do you think

Hi.

I think Haku is LGBT+ coded. Kishi has shown him dressing up in a feminine manner, and has drawn him with makeup. Naruto at first thinks of him as a girl until Haku corrects him. He is also shown to regard Zabuza in a more intimate way than would be expected of a mentor student relationship, even within Naruto universe.

Sai. His relationship with Shin seems to be intimate, even though he calls him a brother, but then Kishi made it more than clear that he doesn't understand what the implies. They are both true orphans, just like Naruto, who also wondered if Sasuke was like a sibling. Also, Sai talks about looking at Shin's penis, this is too out there for brothers, bit Kishi makes sure to have Sai say it out loud. He was written as a replacement of Sasuke who is clearly gay, and Sai's relationship with Naruto is also affected by that, extra points for him looking like Sasuke and dressing up quite like Sasuke as well. In the sense, noticeably provocative and the angles Kishi chooses to draw them in also look like he wants their provocative design to look as effective as possible. The audience's gaze is immediately drawn to Sasuke's open chested shirt or Sai's exposed midriff. He also keeps commenting on Naruto's private parts, which is again funny, but Naruto 's response is always too dramatic. Says something about both. It's also amusing how Kishi wrote a few scenes where he makes Sai thinking of women (Sakura and Ino) as displeasing to look at. He of course does it under the garb of comedy, like usual, but it totally pans with how Kishi depicts Sasuke and Naruto's sexuality. Kishi's general approach is to use female characters to say something or give some information about the characters such as Naruto, Sai and Sasuke with either an interaction or a passing comment. So the characters probably won't say or do anything that seems dubious on their own, but Kishi will create situations where the above characters will say something or do something in response to the women. Which is understandable since he cannot explicitly say these things in this genre. Hence the red herrings. Kishi is a storyteller. His job is to show, not tell. And show he does. So he has to be subtle about it.

This is pretty consistent with how Naruto behaves towards Sakura. The way he projects his feelings for Sasuke onto Sakura, since it's the only way for him to come to terms with his confusing feelings. Or he would try to react in his hap hazard, confused ways when Minato asks if Sakura is his girlfriend, or the way he backtracks with Sakura when they talk about Sasuke. He also does this with Hinata, the way she confesses to him in Pain arc and he runs to Sasuke right after and confesses to Sasuke with similar words while ignoring Hinata completely. There are many such instances with Naruto, starting from chapter three and remaining consistent.

Sakura and Karin act as Sasuke's female admirers, but Sasuke is shown clearly to not reciprocate. They are both over the top romantic or sexual with him and he gets uncomfortable or really annoyed. Oftentimes, it is also hidden under the garb of comedy, the way Sakura slumps or the way Karin rubs against Sasuke, while Sasuke looks annoyed or displeased. It's all very off putting to me, but clearly shounen has very outdated concepts of generating humor, even if its cultural in some ways. Kishi still manages to subvert all of these expectations. In the sense, those who want to read the surface level are welcome to do so, and those who are more critically inclined, also find their entertainment. It's a win win for both. Which is why Naruto appeals to a whole lot of fans, transcending genres.

I can't say that about Itachi or Sasori because I don't see anything that indicates towards it. I don't think Kishi wrote them with their sexualities in mind, as in exploring them. Also depiction (and understanding) of asexual spectrum is relatively new in popular media and I doubt Kishi knew what it meant when he was writing Naruto.

I also think Gaara has romantic feelings for Naruto, and Hashirama and Madara 's relationship also looks suspect, but their sexualities are not something Kishi pointedly explores in the manga. It is only implied through their relationships.

[arotechno]

Jughead (2015), Issues 7-8: Discussion and Commentary

Boy oh boy am I excited to talk about this arc!! These two issues hold a very special place in my cold little aro heart.

(By the way, do you see that? I managed to get a digital copy from my library via Hoopla, which means you are spared from my shitty phone grabs. I’ll fix the previous post, don’t worry. Try clicking on the screenshots if tumblr blurs them. And try Hoopla, if you’ve got a library card and have been looking to read these.)

Fed up with him sitting around the house playing video games all summer, Mr. Jones forces Jughead to get out of the house and do something outside. Jughead finds Archie at the pool where he’s working as a lifeguard, and convinces him to take time off to go camping in the woods with him at their friend Dilton’s cottage.

They take Archie’s car out to the woods, only to find that the lake is overrun with Reggie’s over-the-top relatives at the Mantle family reunion. Horrified, Jughead and Archie go out on a hike to get away. This is where things go downhill—literally.

Jughead calls Archie out for his growing fixation with Veronica Lodge, whose father is the one trying to clear out Fox Forest. Archie immediately goes on the defensive, but Jughead, understandably, really doesn’t get it. And here’s where we see that this is a divide that has been brewing between them for quite some time, even if Archie seemingly had no idea it was happening.

The boys end up getting lost, which only serves to fuel their frustrations. It occurs to Jughead, some time later, that the lake they’re camping at is not that far from Camp Lucey, an all-girls summer camp. Shocked and hurt, he accuses Archie of only agreeing to go on the trip to pick up girls, and not to hang out with him. He tackles Archie and they tumble down a hill into the woods below.

This is a really interesting story, from an aro’s perspective. Jughead can’t relate to Archie’s teenage obsession with girls, and it isn’t something they can bond over like other friends may have been able to do. On a simple level, all Jughead really wants to do is hang out with his best friend, just the two of them, just like old times—back when they were younger, before Archie’s interest in girls seemed to take over his every waking moment. Importantly, Jughead never objects to Archie’s romantic pursuits on principle (he does have an issue with Veronica, but that has to do more with her father’s actions than her). It isn’t that he wants to stand in the way of Archie’s happiness—he just feels left behind, and that’s something I think a lot of aromantic people, teenagers especially, can resonate with.

Eventually, Archie and Jughead run into Mr. Weatherbee of all people, who begrudgingly offers to help lead them back to camp. It’s at this point that we get one of my favorite moments in the entire series, one that I have waxed poetic about on this blog before and probably will again.

Archie insists that he is in fact here to hang out with Jughead, and that he’s just being dramatic. Jughead, on the other hand, insists that Archie’s the one being dramatic with his love triangle problems, to which Archie replies:

“Look, I’m not going to apologize for being a normal guy, I—”

And Jughead’s reaction to those words has stuck with me since the first time I read this. He’s shocked, hurt, and clearly a little angry that Archie would say something like that. And it’s a subtle moment, one that you might not even feel the gravity of if you didn’t know that Jughead was aro. What’s most important here, though, isn’t Jughead’s reaction, but the fact that Archie is clearly in the wrong, and he knows it. He tries to backtrack immediately (“Jughead! I didn’t mean it like that! Wait!”), but Jughead ignores him, as Mr. Bee has already gotten them lost again.

This singular page is, to me, a deeper and more nuanced portrayal than many works with “on-the-page” canon aromantic characters. This arc isn’t about Jughead being aro (in fact, none of the comics particularly are). But this is a meaningful incorporation of Jughead’s orientation into his daily life and his relationships with other people—namely, with his best friend. Although Jughead is being somewhat harsh with Archie, never does the narrative place him in the wrong for feeling abandoned, hurt, or angry because of Archie’s words and actions. Even Archie, his best friend, is capable of saying things that hurt him, and his words in this scene are never excused or justified by the narrative.

It also means a lot to me that Archie apologizes the second he gets the chance to, and that Jughead is quick to forgive him and explain that he just misses the time before Archie was so obsessed with girls. I wouldn’t want the story to just turn into a feud between them. You know when you’re on a trip with your friends and you get lost and you’re tired and frustrated you just end up airing your grievances and coming out of it with a new understanding of your friendship while trying to solve the mess you’re in? That’s what this arc is.

Anyway, after a run-in with Reggie’s relative and Mr. Weatherbee’s old high school bully Ted Mantle, the trio manage to make it out of the woods—after several hours of walking until the sun has come up. There, they find that Camp Lucey has actually been renamed, and is now a camp for elementary school girls, where Betty happens to be working. So after all of that, Archie just ends up making a fool of himself, like usual. Mr. Bee’s wife drives over to rescue them and brings the boys back to Dilton’s cottage, where she remarks that she’s heard a lot about Archie and Jughead, and that they’re inseparable.

At its core, this is a story about friendship. It’s about the difficulties that come with realizing you can’t always relate to each other, and you can’t always read each other’s minds, and you sometimes say the wrong thing without meaning to. It’s a story about growing up, but not necessarily growing apart, and being able to reconcile your differences.

Archie assumes that after all of their bickering, Jughead would just want to go home and not hang out with him anymore. But turning back now would be contrary to what Jughead wanted in the first place, which was just to hang out with his best friend.

All’s well that end’s well, and Jughead and Archie patch things over and vow that they will always be best friends. It’s a wholesome moment, and reflects a common struggle for aspec teens that I rarely see addressed in media, if at all. Sometimes, it feels like your friends are all moving on without you, and sometimes they don’t even realize it when they’ve been neglecting your friendship. It takes communication to work these things out, and I’m happy to see that illustrated here.

This arc is my favorite, I think, and there’s reasons for that even outside of the aspects I’ve already detailed here. The kids getting lost in the woods on summer vacation is a fun way of framing the deeper story, and there are a lot of funny and endearing moments in these two issues. (Archie falls on his face, a lot, and Mr. Weatherbee is stoically exasperated with both of their antics.)

These are the last issues written by Chip Zdarsky. So shoutout to him for some of the most nuanced representations of aromanticism in fiction to date, even if he never wrote the word down on the page (I’ll get to that, don’t worry). But these are the first issues illustrated by Derek Charm, whose art style I love (no offense Erica Henderson), and the rest of the volume has a lot of other good aro moments in store. Until then, here’s himbo Archie:

See? Pure of heart, dumb of ass. You can’t be mad at him for long. (He falls into a hole later on the same page.)

Yeah, me too.

[coredrill]

thots on roman holiday, spoilers for the whole book below!!!

oh my GOD sjjdbdnemakfjen the line on page 17 “you have a unique grasp of socioeconomics” is SO ROMAN FBSBSBDBSJAIDLD. i love it

INVISIBILITY CLOAKS???????

v funny that when roman is considering where to go after leaving mistral, he shoots down vacuo first. obviously he’s gonna wind up in vale bc Plot, but it just feels like the writer going I AM NOT WRITING ANOTHER BOOK IN THE GODDAMN DESERT lmao

interesting note abt beacon tuition on page 92. i wonder if this is actually canon for a few reasons:

how tf would ren and nora afford TUITION????

i wonder if the other huntsman academies have tuition??? like atlas i could see doing it and haven too. maybe not shade but idk.

does this mean scholarships are a thing??? is ruby on scholarship???? what even constitutes a scholarship on remnant????

idk they probably didn’t think this deep abt this joke line but IM GONNA lmao

y’all some of these names…brick??? mortar???? bisque????? burgundy???? roch szalt???????? KANDI FLOSS??????? that last one is peak stripper name meme ansjdbfnnebehd. this is just like in btd when they had to name a team fondue 😭😭😭😭 i think they’re officially running out of colors 😂😂😂

THE EMBLEM OF NEO’S BOARDING SCHOOL IS A TRIPLE SPIRAL?????? the gurren lagann of it all……………

very funny that both neo and roman poison people with sleeping pills. hashtag just bestie things <3

pg146 “to listen to their body and what it was telling them about their feelings (gag)” ASPEC NEO RISE!!!!!!!!!!

ok i May be stupid but i thought everyone had a semblance???? bc semblance comes from aura, and everyone has aura??? maybe it’s just people without activated aura who wouldn’t have a semblance (so like if pyrrha had never unlocked his, jaune would’ve never discovered his semblance???? idk) but i’m also fairly certain roman has an activated aura????

very fond of roman meeting neo and understanding her very easily. platonic soulmatism i think.

ok wait actually i kinda wanna elaborate. LOVE that roman’s whole schtick is that he’s had to look out only for himself his whole life and he doesn’t wanna be a babysitter while neo is SICK of being babysat and so they work well together. ALSO LOVE that BECAUSE roman’s had to look out for himself his whole life, he’s good enough at reading body language and filling in the blanks to know what neo’s saying even without words.

also. hang on. OKAY. so neo gave roman his hat and roman gave neo her umbrella and neo made them BOTH outfits. BUT THEN ROMAN DIES and all neo has LEFT is the HAT SHE GAVE HIM and she goes to HIS OLD BOSS to help herself get revenge AND ONLY THEN DOES SHE CHANGE OUTIFTS????? BITCH??????? CHECK OUT HOW HARD I CAN APPARENTLY CRY OVER THEIR FRIENDSHIP

(okay note on the previous bullet after actually finishing: not the same hat :( and also how did neo convince lil miss malachite to help her when she nearly blew her up??? money ig lmao)

i’m literally obsessed with this being a ya book so roman and neo can’t steal alcohol or drugs, they gotta steal COFFEE 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 LIKE. ITS SO FUNNY TO ME

also in love with how (just like every other rwby friendship!!!!) there isn’t any pointless drama. they trust & love each other and that’s that!!!! like roman’s told that neo sold him out, and despite that being consistent with the rest of his life, he knows that’s not consistent with NEO and sees that she’s come to rescue him so there’s no petty drama around it!!! bc he TRUSTS HER!!!!!

pg268 “neo blinked back tears and hugged roman. ‘hey. don’t wrinkle the suit.’ but he put a hand on her head and over her shoulder, and that felt more like home than that house and her parents had in a long time.” HELLO????? HELL LOOOOO?????? bro i am CRYING i’m gonna SUE

tbh i was really worried they wouldn’t get to hug in this book BUT THEY DID!!!!!!! IM SO HAPPY WTFFFFFF

pg269 “her father threw up his hands. ‘do you know what she wants to say?’ he asked roman. ‘i do, actually.’ roman looked at her fondly. ‘i’m surprised you don’t.’” IM LOSING MY MINDDDDDD THATS LOVE!!!!!!!

pg270 “roman cleared his throat. ‘her name is neo.’” ALSKDJJREJNENFHCISOMENRJDIS BITCH

pg300 “he stopped walking. ‘while you get away. she’s mainly interested in me. drop this disguise and i’ll distract her. you get out of here. and never look back.’ she shook her head defiantly. he tried to pull his hand free, but she only held on more tightly.” 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

PAGE THREE HUNDRED AND SEVEN SHE KISSES HIM ON THE CHEEK AJDJFJEJENDNJDN KSIDOEOSPSKEJEHEBE. F THE POWER OF LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP WINS AGAIN

okay okay so now that i’m finished here are my Actual thoughts alskcjejenbrhdisk:

i wish! that more of the book! was focused on roman & neo together and their friendship!! like i get that the first half was important bc they needed to show Just How Alone they both were before each other. but i would’ve gladly traded some of the beginning stuff for just a little more time with the two of them together. like maybe condense some of that and give us a few more anecdotes from their time training together?? just to show the development from wary partners to ride-or-die a little more. but idk. because the first half of the book felt a little slow for me but as soon as i got to the back half i could NOT put it down!!!!!!!!

i owe this writer (& the rwby writers ofc) my heart and soul and also probably my spleen. first cfvy, now roman & neo???? taking characters i didn’t have any strong feelings about but giving them personality and history and love and making ME love them???? AND WRITING FRIENDS/FAMILY SO WELL???? bro. BRO. i’m losing my MIND

ALSO. very excited for neo’s role in v9 now. and will also probably cry.

like. it would’ve been so easy for them to make roman & neo romantic. especially since there’s only like a 4 year age gap. but they DIDNT they let those two BE EACH OTHERS FIRST PRIORITY AND CLOSEST FRIEND AS FRIENDS AND I AM SO ECSTATIC ABT IT HOLY SHIT

[ven-finn]

begging you to give us your incoherent aspec jerida thoughts

fuck ok???? i dont have like. any order to them or anything im just. spiraling. also im really tired so this is such word vomit. BUT U ASKED FOR IT! 

Her mom would have given Merida a lot of internalized garbage, completely unintentionally but still incredibly hurtful all the same. Like just everything about Brave is Merida rejecting her patriarchal society at large, but especially its heteronormative/amatonormative culture that Elinor keeps pushing onto her. She’s not even marrying for love in the first place, she’s marrying for peace, and fuck does Merida hate ALL of it. It’s not malicious, but in Elinor’s head something that just comes with keeping up appearances are straight milestones. 

and u don’t need a reason to hc a character as ace for any reason ever but like fullstop I think why I hc Jack as ace so strongly is because of the way he just kind of ignores Tooth’s blatant crush on him. Like. Thinking specifically of when Tooth hugs him towards the very end of Rotg and he just goes. Aha. Welp. And moves right back onto talking things out with Jamie. It’s just my interpretation of the scene but I think viewing it that way is kind of funny. He just....doesn’t feel the need to address it, because how can he, y’know? Not any of his business. 

They’re partners. In crime. And also partners. And they laugh every time their allo friends TRY *try* to define whatevers going on with them in the very limited way allos tend to do. Like are they boyfriend and girlfriend? Not strictly. Are they dating? Yes. Is romance involved? Depending on the day. Why the fuck do you need to know? And that confuses everyone else to no end, and while that confusion might have bothered a younger, still questioning, Merida, I think Jack’s easygoing nature would help her laugh off a lot of shit. Like, in her head she can go yknow what? Jack’s right, I doesn’t care about what people speculate about my love-life and nothing about my orientation is confusing or messy, I’m fucking great. She especially doesn’t care when she’s got Jack, and he’s got her, and they’ve got their friends who DO understand. All that matters at the end of the day is that Jack and Merida care about each other a lot, labels be damned. 

also obsessed with them bullying the shit out of awful romcoms together. just. completely tearing apart stupid tropes. rapunzel’s like “c’mon guys u have to admit (xyz film with weird manipulation plot at some point bc u know how straight romcoms are) is KIND of cute” and Jack and Merida share looks like ‘is this girl serious.’  

they got matching aro/ace rings baby. i fucking love ace rings. i love aro rings. i love rings in general. and i think merida would like them too. 

idk its just really appealing to me that Merida DOES find love on her own time, just not in the way everyone expected her to. Since it fits with everything else about her character, and also goddamn it arospec merida just means a lot to me. i’ve said before I’m partial to demi hcs with the two of them, but honestly any sort are good. 

oh also elsa is an aro lesbian. not really related but I think its really cute to imagine Merida using their intersect of identities to worm her way into being friends. yknow. like. oho. you’re aro? i’m aro. what a coincidence...................please be my friend. 

[queenangst]

It is once again ask time! Let’s see...

Do you have any headcanons or similar things that exist in all of your fics, whether you write them explicitly or not?

Are there words or phrases that you have a particular love for when you’re writing?

And a kinda abstract one: if you could give your writing a color, what would it be?

(I wrote these and then came to your blog and saw you reblogged the WIP ask game, but I didn’t wanna scrap these questions so...oops haha)

you always ask such great questions lar. i’m happy to answer them, too!

1. Do you have any headcanons or similar things that exist in all of your fics, whether you write them explicitly or not?

aspec!Aizawa exists in all of my fics. aro ace, if we want to be specific. not that it ever comes up explicitly, but i know it’s there, and you (might) know it’s there. i think there’s one fic where it might be explicitly stated, or at least clear, but yeah.

i tend to connect a lot of events in my fics and reference them in each other. not that they matter to each other, but a lot of fics you can look at and consider them all in annie’s boku no hero cinematic universe. for example, my fic invitation absolutely has some events that i know i would reference in other fics (bakugou’s birthday gift to izuku in their second year being a notebook, signed by heroes/teachers) and that i would kind of consider to just.. happen. if that makes sense? a lot of little things like that.

(it’s funny bc i know i referenced a fic inside of another fic but i’ve written so many and it’s all together in my head that i don’t remember which one that was... OOPS)

and this has never come up in any published fic, but izuku is the last holder of OFA. i headcanon that he chooses not to pass on OFA after he receives it.

Are there words or phrases that you have a particular love for when you’re writing?

lmao i was talking in NWA today, and i said:

image text: hahaha its ok we all have Things one day someone's going to realize i only describe the same three things and write versions of the same dialogue but look i will redecorate this cake a thousand times. and i will enjoy it

when i write descriptions, especially characters/actions i like to describe hands a lot. for faces and expressions, i also use “slope/plane” of the face and “curve of the mouth,” and for bodies i also like to talk about “lines” [i.e. of the shoulder]. 

for visuals: light! i especially like to use yellow light to create a certain mood. lol. leave me alone i know what i want and it’s YELLOW LIGHT. but also i use light as an emphasis for characters, objects, or places that i want to draw attention to, such as: 

Flare Signal’s “Kacchan's head jerked to the side. His restraints clinked against each other. A triangle of light illuminated his face; Izuku saw his eyes widen.“

The Last Window’s “The doors closed in. Izuku gasped as the pain began to subside, but the rectangle of light was growing smaller and smaller until his opportunity was gone completely. “

draw and quarter’s “Oboro tips his head back and laughs, his throat a pale sliver of light, unslit. He laughs quietly with the caution of someone who knows there might be someone else listening, but laughs with the knowledge that there is someone listening.”

the following lines of dialogue (incomprehensive): 

“Am I in trouble?”  “It hurts.” (Shoutout to all the Merlin fanfic with this, which really drove my love for variations of this line home.) 

out of courtesy, i’ll stop here. but know that there’s a lot of similarities you’ll notice in my style and the way i write that i really like!

And a kinda abstract one: if you could give your writing a color, what would it be?

a blue-green?

thank you for the asks! 

[mabel-loves-aces]

On one hand as an ace I think that turning the "queerplatonic? don't you mean friendship" argument on its head so that we make people defend that their relationship is romantic instead of friendship is great. On the other hand, as a wlw I feel like it should be done to m/f couples but not f/f or m/m couples, not when my parents literally used the "you don't want to date her you just want a friend; you're just lonely" argument when I tried to come out to them for the first time as bi

Hey anon!

You are correct, friendship is often used to erase gay relationships of both mlm and wlw people. And it’s important to keep this in mind in larger discussions.

But two things to note about the post. The first is that I’m pretty sure it’s just a joke. I’m not convinced anyone is actually planning on doing this.

Secondly, this post is coming from the context of the online community. (There is a lot to be said about this, honestly. It’s both good and bad. But worth noting that a lot of aspec people have put most of their stock in online communities due to the terror of irl communities that has been instilled by the ongoing di/scourse.) And this online community has faced issues from endless harassment on literally every. single. post. about QPRs that QPRs are “just friendships” and “you people don’t know what human interaction is.” I have had stuff commented on my posts that would make anyone ill just to think about. All because I have dared to engage in a slightly unusual type of relationship with a funny name.

These online communities are also faced endlessly with people who are both unwilling or unable to engage with any sort of media in any way other than shipping. I do not engage with fandom spaces at all because the internet as a whole absolutely cannot stand to allow characters to be “just” friends.

While it is absolutely true that we should be careful about the discussions we have about friendships vs romantic relationships as we attempt to make a place for QPRs, that post is responding to a very specific context and tbh, we need to let aro people vent about how there currently is literally no spaces for aros.

(This isn’t me yelling at you. I absolutely understand where you’re coming from, and I agree with you. I’m just very passionate about this topic.)

[clarabosswald]

i binged all of she ra s5 last night spoilers ahead

low points:

the animation. i’ve always had a bit of an issue with the animation in this show... in terms of design, it’s gorgeous. in terms of flow... i often find it lacking. stocky movements, or lip sync that’s off - those are pretty common. and i mean, i get it, they’ve had to get new episodes out in almost no time and i admire the team for creating the product they did at the end. but i really wish they were given more time to polish and refine it. 

the writing, i mean it’s a kids’ show obviously, but when they’ve got pretty much two modes - beautifully nuanced and emotional writing and then... painfully childish writing, then the childish writing REALLY stands out and it’s a bit embarrassing sometimes (micah and frosta’s little arc, for instance). but i get that too. people who’re good with drama very often can’t get comedy quite right. (and comedians are often really good at drama. it’s an odd thing)

the character arcs were done VERY well with the short time given for them to evolve, but i still do wish they were spread over 2 seasons instead of one. especially catra - seeing her change was super satisfying, but toxic life-long habits are SUPER hard to get rid of. and while they did show her struggle with it, i still really wish it was given the time to develop in a more natural way. still, with the time they had, i do think they showed a satisfactory amount of hardship before catra settled as a good guy.

this season was an absolute celebration of lgbt+ ships and identities and at the end i was really disappointed they didn’t make entrapta canonically aspec. it’s very reminiscent of peridot in su..............left JUST ambiguous enough so fans can keep on putting the characters in romantic/sexual ships. and it’s incredibly frustrating to see us getting SO close to actual canon rep for aspec people and then......not hitting the point. when will aspec representation seem important enough for creators to give it to us apsecs?

speaking of entrapta, her early season arc of her difficulties in interpersonal relationships made her......just a bit too unlikable. or rather.....they let it go a bit too far before letting entrapta show how much she DOES care for her friends? it might honestly be realistic, i know, i do, but realistic writing isn’t always the right choice when trying to present a character like this in a positive light, especially in a kids’ show. i’m just glad they only stuck with it for one episode.

i know it’s super silly but............the team’s spacesuits having holes in them for iconic look’s sake, and adora and entrapta’s hair sticking out................ my dudes that’s not how space works. it’s just a quirky thing but seeing how much emphasis was given on the dangers of space. just. yeah i’m a bit nitpicky

the music in the show is good but also.... kind of overused? that might also be a time constraint thing, though - they might have not had the time to write some new pieces. but it was slightly distracting when the emotional high points all used the same emotional track.

high points:

prime ABSOLUTELY felt like a big threat and i LOVED it. he seemed to be a few steps forward up until the end. this show always was REALLY good with its villains and i really admire that, it’s not a common thing in children’s media. speaking of villains, shadow weaver’s arc too was very satisfactory - her internal struggle between her massive thirst for power and her love of magic as a natural phenomenon and wishing to see it free. and chipped!spinnerella was chilling! chipped!scorpia was genuinely scary! chipped!micah was BATSHIT TERRIFYING! just, really good villain writing all around and i LOVE that shit.

speaking of prime’s chips - the mind control threat was REALLY well done, absolutely not too obvious, absolutely not too easy to win over with “the power of friendship and love”, REALLY fucking chilling and terrifying at points. i really loved how the trauma it left on catra was NOT downplayed, how often you could see her hand reaching the back of her neck when the chips were discussed. that was brilliant.

hordak and wrong!hordak were great. i kinda feared wrong!hordak was gonna turn out to be embarrassing but they kinda managed to tread the thin line there and success at making him really funny most times. hordak struggle with his memories was very good, and by GOD was i fucking grateful they didn’t make his fanship with entrapta canon with all the shipping fest that this season was.

catra with short hair was too fucking much for my poor heart and i WILL FIGHT with adora over her hair length preferences.

she ra’s new design was FIRE and it’s absolutely my favorite one. 

i know melog was kinda giving the team easy instances of deux-ex-machina with his invisibility gift but i love an adorable big alien panther thingy. plus, he really did come across as a powerful and threatening being in his debut episode.

the characters, backgrounds, general worldbuilding designs in this show continued to be utterly beautiful. really appreciate that. the mix between fantasy and sci-fi was SO good.

i really liked how bow, the heart of the best friends squad, was the one who struggled the most with glimmer’s return and with forgiving her. it added plenty of really good depth to his character. 

adora’s struggle with her identity and destiny was an ongoing theme but still, a+ on the execution, especially coming off last season’s closing cliffhanger.

god it’s already becomes so ingrained and obvious in my mind but obviously it needs to be discussed - CATRADORA CANON. like, BEAUTIFULLY canon. i started off the season with “are they gonna do it?” and pretty early on (like, when catra and glimmer were still prisoners kind of early) i became convinced like “they’re ABSOLUTELY heading towards it or the fandom is gonna burn this show” and then it was becoming SUPER obvious and i was like “okay are they gonna finally kiss now? finally kiss NOW? finally kiss now?” but obviously they had to save the big kiss to the climax and i was very okay with that because at that point their romantic love for each other was SO obvious. and just....... wow kudos to the show for going the length and making this ship canon, it was so SO so so so so satisfying and refreshing to see and i love love love loved it. because it really WASN’T done in an obvious way? they couldn’t really allow each other to openly love each other until catra started to REALLY heal and give up her old ways? and THAT was the ONLY well written and natural way for their ship to finally happen because adora is TOO heroic and lawful good-aligned to let herself openly love catra while catra was still in the dark side. so catra didn’t get it easy and had to go the way and change for adora and it WASN’T badly written because catra’s struggle with her love for adora and her hardships while being on the dark side and with her huge ass pride and will to do the easy thing over the right thing vs. her struggle with wish for meaningful relationships and being drawn to good-aligned characters and with having adora in her life again - all of those were SERIES-LONG issues that were explored with catra and while, as a i said, i wish we could’ve seen catra struggle with her lifelong habits a bit longer once she made the choice to join the rebellion, it STILL was made SO WELL with the time they were given and wow, GOOD SHIT. so joined appreciation BOTH for catra’s writing AND for how catradora grew to become canon this season.

bow/glimmer becoming canon was short and sweet and i was satisfied with that.

REALLY happy double trouble made a return. i still kinda wish they were given a BIT more to do, but they’re still probably the best written shapeshifter character i’ve encountered so far.

okay that’s all i can think of off the top of my head so far

overall: 4/5 the show’s like.........a REALLY good fish dish that unfortunately still has got a few bones in it that kinda stick in your mouth when you eat it. but it’s still so good overall that you can’t help but adore it. still wish the season, this show could spend more time in the oven. more work on the animation, more work on the comedic writing, more work for... general tweaks here and there. more TIME, another season, would’ve been brilliant, but sometimes it’s just not part of the plan or the upper ups (netflix/dreamworks in this case i presume) are just assholes and refuse to give the show the episode count it deserves. but still happy and glad for what it was. kudos to the dramatic writing, kudos to the character development, kudos to the designs and color and background work, kudos to the lgbt+ rep. 

[aroace-cat-lady]

Conventionally, yours.

First, I want to say thank you to Annabeth Albert for writing such a shitty book that I finally was able to defeat my reader's block. Genuinely, at some point I hated this so much i needed to finish it so I could complain about it *properly*. So, if Annabeth gets to read this, thank you for being a terrible writer.

Now, were do I start??

Conventionally Yours promises an enemies to lovers lgbtq+ between two gamers that have to compete at the same tournament at THE convention of their favorite game, Odyssey.

What Conventionally Yours gives it's a story about two guys that for three years had plenty of reasons to hate each other and end up falling in love in, like, three days.

This book promised SO much. The opening is pretty good. It introduce us to our two MCs, the game, secondary characters and the dynamic you can expect. At 15% of the book, we have elder queer couples, interesting back stories, nd rep and a no binary character.

And then Albert managed to send all of that straight to hell.

Bad writing, shitty character construction, elemental research left half way, and internalized ableism would be enough to piss any reader. But those are not the only reasons I hated this book so deeply.

Aphobia, virgin-shame, crappy characterization of a neurodivergence. These were the ones that made my blood run cold.

Amatonormativity and allonormativity are two things I know I can expect in a romcom. I was prepared for them. Most ppl haven't even heard about asexuality or aromanticism.

But our dear Annabeth had.

Let's get back to the classics shall we?? Show Don't Tell is the basic rule of writing, and Albert never learned it. She told us Cornard was a great, carrying guy; what she showed us an ableist 21yo pal that can't see farther than his nose. She told us Alden was neurodivergente, had anxiety and panic attacks; she showed us the classic case of ND, touch repulsed, probably aspec guy. She doesn't do anything with this information, but bringing it once in a while when its convenient for the plot. And the touch repulsed thing that was so clear at the begging of the book gets lost at some point because "love is the cure to everything".

And the worst was the virgin shame scene. That angered me on its own, but then, for some alien reason beyond my comprehension, Annabeth thought it was a smart move to bring up the aro and ace spectrums. If you have a ND character and you bring up the spectrums you do not do it to say they are not part of them, ESPECIALLY if said character is aspec coded. ESPECIALLY if being aspec gives them deepness. ESPECIALLY if that would show how much of a queerphobe you actually are in your lgbtqa+ (surprise darling: the A doesn't stand of ally)

Now, the dynamic between Conrad (21yo, his father kicked him out because he is gay, he's bankrupt, almost homeless and needs to win the tournament to start over) and Alden (23yo, living with his moms, neurodivergente, has anxiety and panic attacks, needs to win the tournament to build his own future).

She tried to make them cute and sweet and wholesome. She gave us a gaslighter ableist instead.

She did tried to acknowledge Alden's neurodivergency on his surrenders, but when it came to his dynamic with Conrad, it became more like a personality tread. Conrad is the worst kind of character you can find: author's favorite baby. If Annabeth were half as good as she thinks she is, she wouldve been able to see how toxic and shitty Conrad is with Alden. Albert tried hard to paint Conrad as a good guy, and she did it fine the first 20%. After that, she might be telling us he's awesome, the reason the sun comes out every morning and why the stars shine, but the reality is that he's just some guy that knows nothing about how to treat right a ND partner.

The eternal love promises were hard to read. The only "character development" in the whole book came from Love Meets All Shores (fuck you very much). And she managed to ruin erotic scenes. Like. It wasn't even funny enough to laugh about them. They were pity. And, tbh, disgusting.

The only point I give to her is that the Odyssey scenes were actually stupidly good. Like. Really, really good. They gave me hope that maybe this lady wasn't as useless as I thought.

But game scenes aren't enough to carry a book.

Anyways. Terrible book. It had some cute parts, but the awfulness of Conrad ruined them for me. Alden had so much potential and it makes me sad how bad AA managed him.

[acesthetically-pleasing]

We Need To Talk About Sherlock [22/52]

Asexual Awareness Week Fandom Challenge 2017

Wed 25th, Day 4: Post about how a canon asexual/spectrum character came out or how you believe a headcanoned asexual/spectrum character would come out. Or post about them not coming out and why they haven’t.

For this occasion 22nd aspec drabble of 52 aspec drabbles of 2017. One that I actually started approximately 10,000 years ago. It’s a nice feeling to finish things! Enjoy a 5+1 story all about Sherlock Holmes and coming out! :) [Also on AO3]

 one

"Girlfriend? No, not really my area." Sherlock replies, lost in thoughts, while still looking outside.

Will the murderer appear? It is a very long shot, he mostly hopes to get a chance to experiment with John's limp, it might be inconvenient if he doesn't get rid of it quickly enough.

"You've got a boyfriend then? Which is fine."

"I know it's fine," Sherlock says quickly. Of course, it's fine, he has nothing against it in general. People can do whatever they please, he would simply appreciate them not tagging him along with the insanity.

"So you've got a boyfriend then?"

"No."

"Oh, so, you're unattached like me. That's good."

Oh. Oh no. Was he? Oh god. Why is it always so hard to tell, when it's happening to him? He's been told he missed obvious cues, so he tried to be precautious and actually warned Lestrade off, who found the whole thing hilarious once he caught up with Sherlock's meaning.

"John, while I am flattered, you should know I consider myself married to my work."

"No, no, I wasn't... No. It's fine. It's all fine."

Sherlock frowns. He's sure John doesn't understand, but they've just met and they're at Angello's and there's a serial killer on the loose, he doesn't have the time nor will to explain himself to strangers. If they will become flatmates, friends perhaps, he suspects this is not completely out real of possibility, though highly unlikely, it will come up and he will have the time to properly explain.

     He allows himself a brief annoyance that always comes with the thought of explaining it all. How uneducated people still are. How much more difficult it is to tell them the truth than to let them assume he is whatever they paged him for, gay, straight, sociopath.  

     Now, however, is not the time for this annoyance either, because the cab slows down and stays there for far too long. Oooh, that's clever. Is it clever? Why is it clever? 

           two      

     They're working on a case that is intertwined with a group of sex workers. Sherlock would be excited, sex workers are sometimes a beginner's crime for a serial killer, but the victims are very specific and the murder itself is dull while the case is muddled with personal drama of the victims. Sherlock interviews everybody connected, reads their social media to learns about them, talks with them in his head and it still doesn't make sense.  

     "Why would he even be with her, it was her night off, there was no cash exchanged unless it was taken, but nothing points to that," Sherlock rants to himself to stay focused.  

     "Yeah, why would he sleep with her, a true mystery," says John, mockingly and looking at him with a mirth in his eyes as if to share a joke.  

     Sherlock frowns and John's expression slowly changes, slackens, his eyebrows lifting in surprise.  

     "What?" Sherlock snaps.  

     "Seriously?" John rolls his eyes when silence is his only answer. "You walk into the room and know what a person you've never met had for breakfast, when did they get here and what's their dog's name, but you see a guy with an attractive girl in bed and you get confused?"  

     "I focused on her occupation and thought of it as a business meeting, I failed to notice she clearly mixed business with pleasure."  

     "Rather hard not to with a job like that."  

     Sherlock makes a sour face, just thinking about it in too much detail by accident. He shakes his head to lose the thought.  

     "I'm sure one can manage."  

     John frowns at him and Sherlock is already rolling his eyes and quickly walking away, avoiding eye contact. John makes this face when he is trying to figure Sherlock out and it never means anything good, considering both all the sharp bits that make Sherlock and John's lack of ability to look at them from the right perspective.  

     "Do you ever even-"  

     "No time for chatting, John. Lestrade is waiting for us."  

     "No, he's not. He said to come back when we have something."  

     "Well, I do have something."  

     "You found a lead?" John asks, hurring behind Sherlock and down the stairs.  

     "No," Sherlock grins, twirling around to face his friend. "I found a murderer."  

           three      

     Sherlock thinks it's too obvious.  

     Then he remembers people are idiots and always believe what they want.  

     He wonders how far he can push it.  

     Of course, Janine doesn't really know him. She met him once, at the wedding, he was being nice. It's not hard to convince her that his less nice moments were an effect of stress. It's believable. Again, she doesn't know him well enough to know that it was his good behavior that was actually an effect of stress and very strong will. Utterly fake. She thinks he's interesting and oddly funny. It's enough to work with for awhile, she's not a problem.  

     Everyone else is.  

     Lestrade would make this confused face he always does when he's trying to figure out if Sherlock is playing with him. Maybe he could be convinced enough not to protest, but he wouldn't ever really believe it. Ready to jump with the hearty "I knew it!" the moment the act was dropped. Molly would be upset enough to get fooled for a while, but then she would see him being sweet and she'd figure it out. She is a smart girl. Mrs. Hudson would be hopeful enough to try and lie to herself. Mycroft would just roll his eyes, he lost the hope a long time ago.  

     John...  

     He thought John would be harder to fool.  

     "You have a girlfriend?" John asks shocked and Sherlock fights back a smile.  

     "Yes, I have," he says, feigning confusion and hoping John will call out him on that.  

     He told him so many times by now, but it seems it never stuck. John is shocked and disbelieving, but he never brings up the right arguments, the right words, even if they should be well within his arsenal by now, so Sherlock doesn't indulge him with the truth until it's needed.  

           four      

     "You are a living, breathing man. You've lived a life, you have a past."  

     "A what?!" This shouldn't be happening not here, not now.  

     Although somehow he knows it did happen. It does happen. Both here and now. A lot of times.  

     "Well, you must have had..."  

     Why is he so tenacious, this is not what they're here about and yet it's always there, isn't it? Underneath all of their conversations.  

     "Had what?"  

     Sherlock should finally just tell him.  

     "You know."  

     He would be insufferable, but maybe the torture of those conversations would finally end.  

     "No."  

     Eventually.  

     "Experiences."  

     "Pass me your revolver, I have a sudden need to use it."  

     "Damn it, Holmes, you are flesh and blood, you have feelings, you have... You must have... Impulses."  

     That's what Sherlock always feared, that John would insist it's just Sherlock being Sherlock. That it's not a real thing, not a real explanation. And Sherlock had heard it all before. You're not asexual, you just have issues. You're not aromantic, you git, you're just an arsehole. It's not a real thing, Sherlock. You're a sociopath.  

     He heard it all and now he hears it in John's voice and now is - not - the - time!  

     "Dear Lord, I have never been so impatient to be attacked by a murderous ghost."  

           five      

     "As I think I have explained to you many times before, romantic entanglement, while fulfilling for other people..."  

     "Would complete you as a human being," John interrupts and Sherlock wants to punch him. He wants to hold him and make him stay, but good Lord he also wants to punch him.  

     "That doesn't even mean anything," he says instead and lets John talk instead. This isn't about him.  

           plus one      

     They're at the crime scene again, just for a moment this time. Rosamund is in Lestrade's car, happily playing in her seat and talking to herself and her plushie rabbit, but she won't be satisfied with this for long. They stopped for a moment just so Sherlock could glance around and point Lestrade in the right direction. The man is run thin, the Yard understuffed due to the flu season and Sherlock feels magnanimous enough to share a few minutes, as long as it's not enough for the takeout that John's still holding to lose all its heat.  

     John narrates calmly, half talking to Lestrade, half trying to figure things out himself. Sherlock just humms back at him, feigning interest while focusing on the difference between the footprints in the alley.  

     "Okay, so those two snuck out into the alley for a bit of fun like we all did in a day even if some of us pretend they've never felt the urge," John's monologue take that characteristic tone of 'I'm mocking you' which for John often means 'I'm mocking you to check if you're listening' so Sherlock obligingly rolls his eyes at him.  

     "I guess that's his privilege as the asexual one in the group," Lestrade mumbled before yawning hugely.  

     Sherlock stares at him while John falls silent and turns towards the policeman as well. After a short moment, Lestrade notices the doubled attention and blinks owlishly.  

     "What?" he asks, his voice muffled due to his stuck nose.  

     "What do you mean-" John starts asking, but Sherlock interrupts quickly.  

     "The cook from the bar did it," he says and then in the growing generous mood adds: "You will find the murder weapon under the bin, probably with his fingerprints or DNA, he accidentally dropped it and didn't have the opportunity to retrieve it since the police arrive. He didn't get a chance to clean it. He was in love with one of them, though I'm not certain which. He will confess, it was a passion murder, he's not prepared to deal with the consequences."  

     "Oh," Lestrade looks surprised at the detailed information, but quickly snaps out of it, clearly deciding to just take it gladly without looking the gift horse in the mouth. He grins at Sherlock. "Thanks, Sherlock, that's brilliant."  

     "Yes," Sherlock agrees. "I am. Goodnight, Lestrade."  

     "Yeah, 'night guys." Lestrade waves as Sherlock moves quickly towards the car, John following him slowly in a thoughtful silence.  

     Sherlock guesses they finally will have that conversation he kept putting off for years now. He grabs Rosamund and passes the takeaway to John, not meeting his eyes.  

     Part of him is relieved.  

     He catches them a cab quickly even though they're not that far from Baker Street. Rosamund is getting sleepy, she will get fussy soon, it's better to avoid it.  

     Part of him is annoyed that Lestrade didn't need the talk, but he tries not to dwell on it.  

     "So, asexual?" John asks and Sherlock raises his eyebrows.  

     "I thought it rather self-evident."  

     He turns towards the car window and talks to Rosamund, answering her inane questions as she points at the things they're passing.  

     The cab is not really the place for this conversation, he thinks.  

     But they don't talk about it at home either.