#no matter what people say it's a lot better

[lambilegs]

listen, lowkey, I feel like sevika would love interacting with a feisty!reader. like, I get why people headcanon her as preferring a partner who's more submissive or, like, lenient with her. but, I don't know, something tells me she'd relish in having a partner who gives her a hard time. someone who she can bicker and argue with back and forth, someone who doesn't just ride with her shit no matter what. she'd like having someone who actually challenges her, and questions her stances, opinions and strategies. someone who gets her to reflect on her actions and give them even more careful consideration than she already does on her own. someone who makes her think even harder.

and aside from a moral standpoint, she would just playfully love it too. something about you looking up at her with a glare whenever she messes around with you has her abdomen stirring with desire. she feels like a teenager again, vying after the attention of someone who is constantly tiring of her. but, she can't help it. she likes when you punch her arm after she makes a cheap shot at one of the guys she's gambling with at the last drop. when you scoff at something tough she says, and teasingly coo that she's just a big softie, dammit, she can't help but feel like one with the way your words are affecting her. when she jokingly wraps an arm around your shoulders, you shrug her off with an eye roll, and when she props her elbow on your head as though it's an armrest, you pretend to bite at her wrist, to which she laughs and wiggles the mechanical fingers, saying, "you sure you wanna do that?"

sometimes, she tries to flirt with you. she'll ask you to go on a walk with her, or sit with her in her corner of the bar when she does repairs on her arm. hey, who said romance is dead? there've been times where you smile, heave a sigh and drawl out, "well, since there's nothing else better to do," which usually incites her pulling out a chair for you and gruffly sitting on her own, getting to work. it's nice, really. you chatter away, she learns more about you, gets more intrigued, then you leave, and she feels just a bit more hollow. it's a vicious cycle. but, she can't resist going back to it, over and over again. especially when there are little moments where it feels like her feelings might be returned. like when she asks you to do one of the above, and you scoff and say, "why don't you ask one of the girls you saw at the brothel today?"

it surprises her the first time, to say the least. but, she grows to like it. a lot. the way you stiffen up next to her when another woman eyes her with desire, how you snap and glare at her when you hear from babette that sevika paid a visit the night before. it feels like you already have your claws sunk into her before she even got the chance to ask you out. and shit, does she really enjoy that. how possessive you are, how livid you get with her for showing attention to anyone who's not you.

she nearly likes it just as much when you direct that anger to someone else. an ex-friend you're steaming with rage over, a disrespectful enforcer, someone who gives sevika, or actually anyone else in the undercity, shit. the way your nostrils flare with the deep breaths you take, how sweat lines your brow, that motion when your eye twitches. she can't help but admire the intensity of what you feel, and how you have the courage to deliver it to someone who deserves it. whether they fuck with you, your people or the city. and on some occasions, with sevika.

[selfshippinglover2222]

Hazbin Boys When Their Partners Crying

Alastor: 📻

Would be very gentlemanly about it

He’d whip your tears away with his thumbs as he caresses your face

“What ever happened, Sweetheart?”

He’d listen quietly as you explain to him why you’re feeling so down.

He’s soothingly rub his thumbs on your face, continuing to whip off any tears that fall

If someone made you cry he’d eat them for dinner.

No one makes you cry and gets away with it

If you’re crying over something else, something he can’t kill, then he lets you vent before giving you some advice.

“I’m here to lighten your load, my dear. Allow me to do that by explaining how exactly o can help!”

He ls very proactive in dealing with it, and he wants it delt with quickly.

Lucifer: 🍎

Would feel your pain with you

He feels an ache in his chest everytime you cry. It almost makes him want to cry everytime he hears you cry

He embraces you in a tight hug, letting you cry on his shoulder as he hushes you, rocking you both back and forth.

“Shh, it’s alright honey. It’s okay.”

Would very gently ask what happened

If you don’t want to talk about it he just nods his head and keeps shushing you

If you tell him someone made you cry he feels immediate rage but calms himself down

You’re more important than that right now

If you tell him something else then he just holds you tighter.

“We’ll get through this together. I promise.”

Husk: ♦️♣️

Husk would be very freaked out by your tear

At first he’s frozen, staring with wide eyes as he figures out what to do

He’d let you cry and vent, sitting next to you the whole time.

Slowly he puts his arm around you, letting you lean on him as he quietly listens.

If you tell him someone made you cry he’d growl quietly, holding you closer

“Fuck’em. You don’t need that in your life.”

If you say it’s something else, like being overwhelmed by school or other things, he’s nod and let you rest your head on his shoulder.

“What do you need me to do?”

He’s ready to help in anyway he can

Angeldust: 🕸️

“Oh, Baby.”

He’d run right up to you and wrap all his arms around you, letting you cry into his fluffy chest.

He’d hold you and just squeeze his eyes shut, trying to ignore the pain in his own chest at you crying

You’ve been there for him in his worst nights, so he’s ready to be strong for you in yours.

“What’s wrong? Baby, whats happened?”

Frantic to find out why your crying

If someone made you cry he’d be ranting and raving about how much they suck

“How dare they say that to you?! Are you kiddin’ me?!”

If it’s something else he’d try his best to calm you down, giving small pep talks.

He just wants to support you best he can, even if he’s not the best at it.

Vox: 📺

“Who the hell made you cry?”

Immediately he’s ready to electrocute something, his arms tinging with electricity.

He feels about ready to kill someone

If you tell him someone did make you cry he’d teleport away to them and immediately ruin them.

He’d leave them alive but then ruin their reputation

They’d never find a job again and people on the street would hate them

If it’s something else he’d try calms down and sits next to you, pulling you in for a side hug as he listens to what you say

“Let me help. I can fix it.”

If your overwelmed with work or school he’d contact the officials and make it easier on you

He’s use his money and power to help you stay happy

Valentino: 🦋

“Amorcito…Baby what happened?”

He’d rush over to you and pick you up, cradling you like a child as he shushes you.

He’s very physical with his comfort, holding you close as all his arms rub you soothingly

Talks a lot, giving you a lot of comforting words as he coos at you

“They said what.”

If someone made you cry you better beleive he’d be paying them a little visit

He’d beat the absolute shit out of them, no matter who it was

If it was something different then he’d coo and soothingly rub at your arms, back and head, giving you little pecks to help calm you down

He doesn’t know what to do but he does know he hates seeing you cry

It stirs up unpleasant feelings in his chest

[novlr]

How would i politely describe body types without being vague?

Characters are as diverse as the writers who write about them, but when it comes to describing them, it can be very easy to default to what we know or to succumb to clichés or stereotypes. This can be especially challenging when describing characters’ bodies. When you need to describe body types, it’s really important to strike a balance between being specific and respectful while avoiding harmful stereotypes or vague descriptions.

Why description matters

Description is essential to really bring a reader into a scene and connect with the characters you’re writing about. Physical descriptions help readers visualise characters, which, in turn, can influence story dynamics. Body descriptions can reveal a lot about a character and even affect the way that other characters interact with them. Like people in real life, the way we look influences both who we are and how we interact with the world. 

As a personal example, I am quite short, but I have very long limbs. This gives me the illusion of being tall. Consequently, I am often asked by people taller than me to help them get things down from high shelves because they perceive me as taller than I am. This is a common interaction in my life that has changed the way I dress and carry myself. You probably have similar anecdotes in your own life, which is why building those descriptions into your characters can be such a great way to really make them feel real. How a character looks is not all they are, but it does help create a well-rounded sense of character if we get a feel for how they interact with the world around them.

General guidelines to describe body types

Thoughtful representation matters in modern writing. Descriptions should exist to make your characters feel like people and not like stereotypes. To achieve this, you must:

Focus on relevant details that serve the story — don’t just describe a person’s body because you feel you need to. Everything, even character description should exist to serve the story.

Avoid loaded terms or judgmental language.

Use specific, relevant details rather than general statements for the sake of it. 

Consider the character’s own perspective of their body instead of only through the eyes of other characters.

Include dynamic descriptions that show how the character moves and interacts with their environment to give a sense of who they are instead of info-dumping a description.

Common pitfalls to avoid

Don’t make a character’s body type a central part of your narrative if it isn’t plot-relevant.

Don’t rely on stereotypes or clichés.

Avoid using food-related metaphors, as they’re often problematic.

Don’t make assumptions about health or lifestyle based on appearance. Only include this information if it is relvant to the story you’re telling and you’ve researched and fact-checked to ensure its accuracy.

Don’t over-focus on your character’s body as a defining character trait.

Don’t use derogatory or outdated terminology.

Don’t over-describe body type to avoid saying what you mean. Fat and skinny aren’t dirty words. Short and tall don’t have an implicit bias. You can be direct. In fact, it’s often better to be direct in your description than to labour over someone’s body in minute detail.

Effective techniques to incorporate body types in the narrative

Describe clothing and style choices.

Show how the character navigates their environment and how their personality shines through movement.

Consider cultural and historical context.

Include relevant occupational influences on physique or vice versa.

Reference genetic or familial physical traits when relevant.

Include distinctive characteristics or style choices that aren’t related to their body type.

Note how the character’s appearance changes in different situations (i.e., dressed up or casual, at home or at work).

Focus on functional strength and capability outside of their body type.

Consider historical context if writing historical fiction and be aware of changing beauty standards.

Avoid cultural stereotypes and generalisations.

Don’t make a character’s body the centre of their story if it’s not relevant to the plot.

Use precise, specific language – don’t beat around the bush. Say what you mean.

Choose words that match the tone of your story.

Describing body types doesn’t have to be a minefield. Writing a character respectfully doesn’t require any more technical knowledge than simply writing them like a real person. While description is important for reader immersion, it’s also not something you need to focus on in too much detail if it’s not relevant to the plot. 

Describe body types in a way that serves your story. Every character’s physical description should contribute to their overall characterisation and your story’s themes, and never distract from it. Physical description is just one aspect of character development, so the most respectful way to describe a character’s body type is to make it a natural part of who they are and not the focus. 

[mazamba]

"Hmm, which one looks good?" I asked my wife.

"They're all adorable, but it's hard to pick."

"A lot of couples find it difficult to choose," piped in the assistant they'd assigned to us, "you'd be surprised how many people just pick a random one."

"For fifty thousand dollars?" I scoffed, "Not happening."

"Yeah, we're picking a good one."

I could see the assistant deflate slightly. Bad attitude. I'll have a word with her manager before we leave.

"That one looks smart," I noticed, "no, wait, she's eating dirt. Swipe left."

"I mean, most children put things in their mouth they shouldn't," pointed out the missus, "but I suppose we won't want a sick one to start, do we?"

"That one's in a decent orphanage," I noted, "but he's a little too fixated in that baby doll... do you have an alternate version of that one that plays with cars instead?"

"Does- does it matter?" she stammered, as if it weren't obvious.

"Of course it matters! Can you imagine going through the trouble of raising the kid, only to get a-?"

"Honey, that word's not polite," chided my wife, "and just because he plays with dolls, doesn't mean he'll grow up to-. OH! I know! Can we see their future? Just a little, to make sure we pick the right one."

"...how would you define "the right one"?"

"Oh, you know... normal."

"Not the type to go out waving rainbow flags," I provided helpfully, "best way I can say it while remaining "politically correct"."

"I'll... see what I can do."

She left, and would hopefully return with a solution. For what we were paying for this kid, we should get better service.

You and your partner can’t conceive a baby, so you go to the local MultiBabies, where the staff trawl the multiverse for one where you did have a baby but was somehow orphaned, so they are plucked from that universe and brought to you to raise as your own.

[seungfl0wer]

*𝑰 𝑮𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒀𝒐𝒖*

Pairing: Deer!Hybrid Chan x Reader

Genre: Smut

Warnings: Unprotected sex, Breeding, Multiple: Creampies, Orgasms, Rounds. Praise? I think that’s it? Sorry for any mistakes or missing warnings!

A/N: This is the last one guys :( I hope you enjoyed the series as much as I did! Also side note I am half asleep as I wrote this so I hope it came out alright 🖤

Series Master List

-🐾

You watch out your window every morning, seeing all the wildlife come to your back yard like it was a safe space. Deer, rabbits and the occasional raccoon. You noticed around this season every year the male deer fighting. After reading about it you realized they were fighting for the right to breed. You watched as they did always worrying about them because of course it looked painful.

Today though, it seemed like it was an all out war. The season had started seeing males you’d never seen before fighting. Before you knew it you watched as one of the bucks went down hard. He didn’t seem like he could get back up. You don’t know what came over you but you put your morning coffee down running out of the house. You dumbly put yourself between the fallen buck and the other male. “He’s down, you won” you said trying to get him to leave.

He huffed at your turning around as if he was better than you. The other deer followed leaving your backyard to head somewhere else. You turned to the other deer who was trying to stand up. “You’re gonna hurt yourself more, let me get something to help you” you said running back to your house.

When you came back out you cleaned the gash he had on his leg. When you pulled away turning to grab something else your eyes went wide. Here was a hybrid laying in front of you now. He had the same antlers, those big doe eyes and the gash on his leg. ‘So these deer have been hybrids this whole time?’ You thought to yourself.

“Thank you” he said softly. “But it doesn’t matter- I’m not gonna be able to mate this season just like every other season” he said with a sigh. “It’s just a lost cause” he said trying to get up.

“Hey don’t say that!” You said trying to reassure him. “How about you come to my house? You can rest there and let your leg heal” you said with a smile.

“I guess I don’t have anything better to do” he said.

You helped him to your home sitting him down on your couch. He looked so defeated. Like he just wanted to give up. “You can stay here as long as you want. I don’t mind” you said grabbing him a drink.

“Thank you” he said softly.

A few days since then had passed, you two talked a lot. Learning a lot about one another. He told you all about his kind and how he’s come here for the past few years.

While sitting down for dinner today he seemed antsy. As you ate he watched you closely before he got up walking back to the spare room he’s been staying in. You were worried of course so you followed. “Hey you alright?” You asked peering into the room.

“No. Not really. It gets harder every season- I just- I can’t take it” he said with a sigh.

“I’m here though, what can I do to help you?” You asked.

“Y/n the only thing that could help me right now is if- is if I can mate. And that’s not gonna happen so” he said. You could hear the frustration in his voice.

You thought to yourself. Silence fell as you thought things over in your head. “Then- then mate with me?” You blurted out.

He was taken back by your words however his fluffy ears turned to you “actually?” He said.

“Y-yeah? I- listen if I’m being honest I don’t talk to many people. It’s been a long time since I’ve done anything. I’m willing to help you, just know I’ve- ive never done anything like this. But I wanna help.” You rambled.

He moved his way to you his hand coming up to cup your face “are you positive? Like really positive?” He asked.

“Yes.” You said. He studied your face for a moment trying to make sure you were sincere.

“Just tell me if you want me to stop” he said before planting his lips to yours.

His lips were warm, soft like little clouds. His free hand rested on your back pulling your body close to his. Something about his touch, his scent made your brain go fuzzy. It was like you were drinking him in and he was some kinda addicting alcohol that you couldn’t get enough of. He moved backwards as he kissed you until his feet his the edge of the bed. Before you knew it he had you on your back kissing you, his tongue swiping at your lips.

His hand found it was down to your shorts, pushing them down just enough he could slip his hand in. He found your clit rubbing it softly. A moan crept past your lips filling his ears. You watched as something flickered in his eyes. The kiss becoming a bit rougher as his fingers found your folds pushing them into your heat. He curled them ever so slightly making you moan again. “Shit- you sound so pretty” he said against your lips.

He was getting lost in everything, his mind racing. Never did he think he’d be able to mate but now he had someone all to himself. Happily that someone was you. “I can’t wait- please I need you” he said before getting up, stumbling to his feet. He fumbled out of his pants pulling yours down right after.

He pumped his cock a few times before looking down at you. His eyes widened as he stared down at your wet cunt. “Stop staring and fuck me already” you whined out. He couldn’t help but chuckle at your words “sounds like you want this just as much as me” he said before aligning himself up to your entrance.

He wasn’t wrong, it’s been a long time since you were with anyone. You worked, came home and then worked some more. You had zero to no social life and dating almost always ended up bad. You were just as touch starved as he was.

He pushed himself into you bottoming out right away. He hips meeting yours, cocks stocked to the hilt. You both let out a long moan your hands coming up to hold onto him. “Warm” he said softly. “You’re so warm.”

He started moving slowly, his eyes glued to where his cock was. “No- no-“ you groaned before you felt a hot stream of cum dumb deep inside you. “Shit- I’m sorry I’ve- this is my first I-“ he whimpered out feeling a bit embarrassed. However his movements didn’t stop. His cock was still hard as he fucked his cum into you. “Gotta- gotta breed you properly” he said his body laying against yours. His head rested in the crook of your neck as his pace quickened.

“God- you’re so fucking warm” he groaned out.

“You feel s’good” you moaned out.

Those words of encouragement wiped anything else that was left in his brain. He was fucking into you like he was on a mission now. He needed to hear that again, needed you to praise him more.

His hand came down to toy with your clit, balls smacking against you as the sounds of sex filled the room. “Mate- you’re my mate now right? All mine.” He said almost sounded like he was begging.

“Y-yes. Chan- I’ll ah- I’ll be your mate. All yours- fuck-“ you moaned.

He moved his body leaning back before taking your legs pushing them upwards. He fucked into you mercilessly his soft hands gripping at your hips. His eyes fluttered as your cunt clenched around him making him cum once more. His body shook, his pace slowing down only for a few moments. Hand moving to play with your clit once more as he leaned down sucking on your nipples. “Cum with me- fuck please- cum with me-“ he begged.

You grabbed ahold of his antlers making him almost cry out. “Shit- fuck don’t- you can’t just- fuck- ah!” He almost screamed out as he came for the third time.

“Are they sensitive?” You asked. He sheepishly nodded yes making you grin. You stroked them before gripping ahold of them again. His body faltered thrusts becoming sloppy.

“Ah- m- mate- fuck I can’t- please- fuck- fuck!” He screamed.

He was close to cumming for the fourth time already but he needed you to cum too. His pace picked up as best as he could, his cock hitting deep against your cervix. “Gonna breed me like a good mate? Hmm? Gonna fill me full” you said not knowing where it was coming from.

“Yes- yes fuck-“ he said his head falling back. Your legs wrapped around him your body trembling as your high hit you hard. You came around his cock as you did your hands gripped his antlers hard making his push one last time into you. It was hard, deep you could feel him so deep.

This last load was a lot, there was so much cum you swear you could feel your stomach being filled directly. His body laid onto yours his arms draped around you as he left soft kisses to your skin. “You know.. maybe it wasn’t a bad thing I lost the fight.. cause in the end I gained you” he said sweetly. He was quickly dozing off to sleep before he softly said “I love you my beautiful mate” your heart melted at his words. “And I love you” you said back falling asleep with him.

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

💙 If you’d like to read more of my stuff you can find it Here: Master List . Thank you for reading and if requests are open or you just wanna talk feel free to send me something🩵

Taglist: @satosugu4l @do-you-remember-summer-127 @xines16 @minh0scat @troublemaker02 @tr-mha-fan @lunearta @velvetmoonlght @minghaosimp @ldysmfrst @felixleftchickennugget @jehhskz @babigriin @kkamismom12 @jeonginsleftcheek

[low-budget-korra]

Arcane Hot Takes

1. The hate on Jayce is mostly for no reason. He was a good guy, genuinely nice and with no toxic masculinity. He never created Hextec to be a weapon or to destroy the world. And only got really mad when Jinx stole his creation and honestly? He had the right to be mad at that. He ain't perfect, he made mistakes but c'mon guys.

2. If you hate on s2 Caitlyn but idolize Silco, you're a hypocrite. The difference is that Caitlyn did all blinded by grief while Silco did blinded by the thirst for power

And speaking of Silco…No, he is not this revolutionary man some of the fandom make him out to be. He was a Mafia boss who filled the streets with drugs, divided and weakened his own community and even used child work in his factories. Yeah, he was not some Che Guevara freedom fighter. All he had was beautiful speeches abt it.

And also not this perfect father figure for Jinx, as he kept filling her paranoias and manipulating her

3. The writers made a miracle managing to end the show in a nice way, but the truth is that Arcane needed at least one more season to be perfect. 

In s2 they rely too much on characters' micro expressions and subtext. Which is not a bad thing at all, but in a first view a lot of things get missed

I already saw s2 three times, so if you think things were poorly explained, try to watch a second time. Better, binge s1 and s2 and I guarantee that a lot of stuff you think was outta nowhere, will make sense.

4. Caitlyn had the best character arc in season 2. Experiencing the phases of grief, getting radicalized and manipulated, opening her eyes and realizing what she was doing, a subtle yet important redemption.

And I Say "subtle" bc even if for me it was obvious, I know for a lot of people, it wasn't.

Also, the haters don't want her to recognize what she did wrong bc she already did, just not with those on the nose dialogues. The haters wanted her to be punished, which she also was. Girl was stabbed in the abdomen, betrayed by her right hand, was almost executed in front of her men, got beat up with a knife still in her abdomen and lost an eye. Yeah, I think she was punished enough and if you wanted more, just admit that you are a bit sadistic and move on

5. Arcane is fiction. Sure, it takes insp in real life problems but is still fiction. Its cool to be able to recognize the themes but project our world problems, anger and frustration towards the characters is stupid and makes you miss a lot of good stuff in the show. If you act radical abt the show, you don't have the right to judge someone that goes radical after losing her mom to a terrorist attack.

It doesn't matter if her mother was rich or something. In fact, Cassandra was one of the few council members, maybe the only one, who actually did something good for the Zaunites as she was the one that created those air filters for people in Zaun, the workers, be able to breathe without getting cancer or smt.

Yes, I know it's the bare minimum but she was the only one doing something. Heimerdinger in his 200y never did something like that and only tried to help Zaun when he was expelled from the council.

6. Vi didn know Jinx was wanting to off herself. Jinx already tricked her a couple times before and “breaking the circle” , from Vi’s pov could mean a lot of things. From offing herself to explode things again. She doesn't watch Arcane guys, she doesn't know Jinx as well as we do.

7. Having Zaunites helping Piltover in the battle wasn't lazy writing or disrespectful. It was literally about the fate of their world, y'all thing Ambessa and Viktor would stop with just Piltover? Who y'all think would be the next target? 

They also used the enforcers uniform because it is a tactical one, useful in a situation like a battle. I can hate on the police all I want but in a situation like that, I would rather go to battle with that stupid uniform and bullet proof vest than go on a simple tank top, jeans and converse.

And this shows how better the Zaunites are compared to Piltover and it's enforcers. They were willing to shallow their hate, their pride and help their oppressors for the greater good. That's a good heart, maturity and emotional intelligence.

[genderqueerdykes]

One of my friends who previously identified as gay is now in the process of realizing it's bisexual, and honestly I'm proud of it for being open to changing labels when it realizes something new. However, some of its other friends have made jokes about how it's "regressing" or how it's "letting the comphet get to it" which, as a bi person myself, is kind of making me side-eye them a bit. I'm honestly so tired of bisexuality being treated as "less queer" than being gay.

i really, really am, too, you're not alone in this.

first of all, i'm so sorry your friends are saying that, because that is literal queerphobia. like i'm sick of this too, because this is exactly what kept me from identifying as bisexual even though i knew i was. i was forced to identify as gay because if i didn't, people around me would call me straight. there was literally a period in time where i was dating a man and woman at the same time and people still would call me straight whenever it benefitted them

i haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate when people use "comphet" when talking about bisexuals. comphet is a difficult subject and it has a lot very questionable talking points. generally, i see compulsive heterosexuality as what people do before they realize they're queer, while they're questioning, if they're in denial, or if they live somewhere where they just can't come out as queer so they force themselves to be straight. like that's not what comphet is or means

people have to get over themselves and accept that all modes of attraction a bisexual experiences is queer. unless someone explicity considers their bisexuality to be half gay/queer, half straight... it's best to recognize that all of their modes of attraction are queer. a bisexual man attracted to women is experiencing queer attraction. they are bisexual. unless this is explicitly how they state so, they are experiencing bisexual, not heterosexual attraction toward women.

bisexual women experience queer attraction to men. they experience bisexual attraction toward men. unless explicitly stated that they personally see that attraction as straight, it's queer. it's inherently queer because it is a bisexual person experiencing it. i don't understand why it's so hard for people to wrap their heads around.

i'm not suddenly straight because im a man who's attracted to both women and men. i'm not suddenly straight because i'm a woman who's attracted to both men and women. this is literally queer attraction, i'm experiencing multiple modes of attraction at once. "straight" attraction doesn't "cancel out" gay attraction. they exist alongside one another. they're both happening at once. you can't take 1 experience out of BIsexuality and focus on it. there are TWO OR MORE experiences happening, all at once. isolating one of them is a disservice to the bisexual.

bisexuality is queer. always. 100% of the time, unless defined otherwise. bisexuality challenges the binary of cisheternormative society by saying that gender doesn't matter when it comes to attraction. we show that the line between queer and straight isn't as defined as people think it is. we show that being attracted to any variety of genders can be queer. bisexual people completely break the "straight/gay" attraction binary, and if that scares you, get out of our way, because we're not leaving.

if it's genuinely scary to people that bisexual people literally challenge the straight/gay attraction binary... why are they here? wouldn't you be much more comfortable in the cisheteronormative society you love to suck up to? like genuine question there. if people breaking boundaries threatens you, why are you even here?

i hope things get better for it, and yourself. that's just so shitty of your friends. they need to care about biphobia, because they're making it harder on your friend to accept itself, and that's not what queer community is about. we don't do that here.

[10101]

This is dumber than a lot of takes on this site and that’s saying something. Let’s do this step-by-step

Step 1: Woman. Man. Classes created on the basis of oppression. Oldest form of oppression in the world. You know, same oppression which has birthed the following: women killed. Women sexually harassed. Women raped. Female babies killed. Female foetuses killed. Genital mutilation that becomes painful for your entire life. Women tortured. Women thrown acid on. Women mutilated. Women forcefully married. Women abused by the same people who supposedly protect them. Women psychologically and verbally tortured. Women denied better nutrition.

Step 2: Women say “hey this is bad I’m a human being too” -> resist -> invent feminism

Step 3: Men decide the women saying they are human beings are too radical and must be labelled ugly whores and married off. First counter-offensive against feminism

Step 4: Feminism has to pick itself up from its deformed state to form a second-wave. This was radical feminism. The ideals of this movement are radical feminism. A movement for women, by women and which addresses primarily the patriarchy, like all movements against oppression are supposed to do with the system of oppression they’re targeting. Anything that is the most representative of patriarchy is opposed. Simple. And this in itself is a painful task because patriarchy. Pervades. Everything. Every single institution we know, every single country, every single religion and even our psyches. Read one feminist text or take like one actual feminism course and you would know this

Step 5: Third wave feminism. So liberal that even capitalism would be ashamed it is not doing a better job. The internet. People like you come in, who unironically believe radical feminism is a blackpilled movement, without not studying even a bit of its history or a single actually meaningful feminist texts

To address your claims driven from this ignorance though-

1. Literally no actual radfem says their basic biology has doomed them to be a victim of the opposite sex. It’s actually exactly the opposite. It is not our biology that has driven oppression against us, but the ideas of basic gender. That we are a woman and so we must be oppressed for it. That we supposedly all birth children so we must remain at home. Actually, even incels don’t believe their basic biology makes them a victim of the opposite sex. What they believe in shows exactly why we need radical feminism—because they believe they are entitled to women’s body and women, who now get to choose the men they marry, are refusing to accept them because women can demand better now. We’re in the process of not being property and incels hate that.

2. Quite a lot of radfems are colored or working-class women, or women oppressed in some other way by society that is not based on gender. In fact, radical feminism has birthed the idea of writing and researching feminist theory in many countries around the world, which has profoundly changed the way we look at gender and institutions of class. Go out of your Tumblr echo-chamber btw and you would know that even a few trans women are radfems. So we are more than aware we are not the primary victims of society, although we are one of the victims and our lives matter just as much as a man’s does—particularly a man in our group who can demand and have better rights but we can’t. Radical feminism has also been one of the few extremely influential movements which helped bring in laws for women around the world that would enable them to feel safe and come up at the same levels as men. So they are also trying their best—and still do—to create a better world. Should be shocking to most people that women who are this aware of the extent of misogyny still refuse to believe in the society being actually irreparably broken

3. Firstly, radical feminists absolutely do form communities outside the internet. That’s literally one of the points. Secondly, if a community is unavailable, many of us do try to help women individually. Just because you refuse to engage with irl radfem communities or women does not mean they don’t exist. Thirdly, radical feminists—even on a site like this—are trying to form community with each other and discuss their awful experiences. They have as much in-fighting as an average community on social media made of oppressed individuals who are psychologically broken down by the systems that oppress them. The queer community is literally the biggest example lol

4. Fourth point is actually quite true. The reality radical feminists have realised is real though, and that’s the difference. Because the patriarchy goes insidiously deep. Go to a bookshop. Tell me how many actual feminist theory books you find. Talk to any woman you know. Tell me if their understanding of the patriarchy has birthed any form of class solidarity or a desire to help women beyond basic libfem stuff like “girls support girlssss!!!” Talk to any man you know. Ask him if he is genuinely willing to give up all the privileges and power given to his class to free women. You might find some good answers and examples. But they will be very few. The more you learn about this sort of misogyny, the more difficult it becomes to actually fully talk to many people. And yet, radical feminists help women in need, even if they don’t agree with them. And incels kill people. Funny how that works.

5. Oh yeah totally not another misogynist myth that is verbatim not what counter-offensives to feminist movements haven’t repeated.

You know what you’re missing, friend? That women are an oppressed class, while men are not (in relation to women). The first class overwhelmingly makes up radical feminists, the second makes up incels. To even compare the two shows you understand absolutely nothing about either of the movements, and wanted to gain brownie points on this site just to go “ew the fucking radfems amirite”

sucks that "incel" is just like a generic insult now synonymous with "virgin" bc if people had much of an idea of what incel ideology actually entails, we could have a conversation about radical feminism being quite literally, beat for beat, incel shit for girls

[occasionalsnippets]

I need to know more about fd au reader as robin 🙏 /lh

Main concept

Some assorted miscellany.

If you didn’t think Batman was going to get better, you wouldn’t have allowed Tim to become Robin no matter what. You'd reluctantly give Bruce a B- in parenting. He's not perfect but he's trying which is enough that you're willing to help.

You, through gritted teeth: I know and believe you can be good but this is rotten work, especially to me, especially if it's you, but I'll do it.

Your persona as Robin is carefully curated so that you are almost exactly like Tim. It’ll get annoying if people get confused about there being two different Robins running around at the same time so it’s easier if you just pretend to be the same person. You fill in enough times that putting on the Robin uniform automatically makes you slip into “Tim-Robin” mode which freaks a lot of people out at how uncanny it is.

You can perfectly imitate Tim's voice.

Despite your efforts pretending to be as similar to Tim as possible, it’s not totally perfect, obviously. You’re- a bit scary actually. You make the right quips, make the same distractions and appear to be exactly the same as “normal Robin” but it’s just… something is a little bit off. You’re always watching. Maybe you’re just the Robin that takes after Batman’s demeanor the most.

Part of what adds to the whole “hmm something is up with Robin 3” is that sometimes people will be like “I definitely saw Robin break his arm yesterday so how tf is he okay and patrolling today???”

Tim is still a better detective than you are but you’re no slouch either. You did not squint at gritty photos of crime scenes from three different newspapers and reconstruct doll house versions of them with dollar store craft supplies so you could teach 9-year old Tim how to analyze crime scenes just to become a “mediocre detective”.

During the early Robin 3 days, Batman used to accidentally call you and Tim, Jason. He’s also called you Tim on several occasions.

You take the Robin role during Batman’s “bad days” early on in Tim’s run as Robin because you’re able to handle to worst of it. Batman is… relentless, cold, terribly uncooperative on those days. He didn’t want another Robin and you’re well aware of how he lashes out at the two of you because of it. You don’t want Tim to go through the worst of Batman when being Robin is supposed to be something good. What are you meant to do if not protect him?

Wrangling Batman is difficult. You spend way too much time pulling him aside to say “You need to pull back on your punches. If you land them in the ICU again I will be ending this patrol early.” Although just having a Robin beside him makes things better, it doesn’t mean it’s great by any means. Depending on how much he pissed you off, you enact various punishments upon him such as making all his coffee decaf, helping Alfred make his least favourite foods, shutting down the batcomputer so he can’t work on cases and so on.

Overtime, as Batman gets better, you fill in less often. It's also because around this time you get very busy running Drake Industries.

You get on Commissioner Gordon’s case about how many cigarettes he’s smoking. All these Robins and you're the first to look so disappointed in him.

You have gone on patrol several times and no one noticed it was you and not Tim. It’s funnier not to correct them until you de-mask at the end of the night and reveal that it was you all along.

Sometimes you and Tim just swap in the middle of the night.

At the top of a lot of contingencies, there’s a note that just says “if (Y/n) inexplicably has an answer or solution, believe them and follow what they say”

[abbysimsfun]

Sims In Bloom: Generation 2 Pt. 107 (The Old Man at the Salty Paw)

"I was starting to think I'd made you up, but a friend of mine said he thought you might be the old keeper of the Brindleton Light."

"I hate that name, but I love that lighthouse," he said. "I haven't had a reason to leave the island in over a century and a half, but when you showed up in town I got excited!"

"So why only come out once, then never again? My friend said I should try talking to you, but...I hadn't worked up to it yet."

"I can relate; never thought much of ghosts myself, when I was alive. I stayed away because I don't like being around people much, and you've been occupied with more important matters. I know they still occupy your mind, but I heard you on the phone the other night and thought I better not let you think you've lost your mind."

"Thanks a lot...So what is it you've been waiting to tell me, Ben?"

"I'd love to talk about many things with you, but the main reason I've been waiting to talk is because of my dog, Captain Whitaker. You met him the other night."

Conrad shook his head in disbelief. "Felix is good. He thought you were the lighthouse keeper, and I wondered... The ghost was your dog."

"He was my best - my only - friend in the world. When I died, he was still a young dog, and he was cheated of a happy life with a loving human because my time came without warning."

"Legend says he stayed to watch over the lighthouse long after you were gone."

Ben nodded. "That, and I was there. I've been waiting for a Gordon to come back to the bay for a century and a half. Cap's happy enough, but I know he wants to stay. He wants a family, and he smelled a good one on you and your girl when you did your unmentionable dance in the lighthouse. Both times."

Conrad blushed. "We've got a full house, busy lives, rambunctious kids - is he sure we're the right family for him? Does he like cats?"

"Captain Whitaker knows we're related. He smells it, and he knows what he wants. I think he knows you have the ambrosia treats to bring him back, too. He's always had a great sniffer!"

Conrad considered this, but Ben could tell he wasn't quite convinced. "If you're not ready to bring him home, we'll keep waiting, but it's been a long afterlife for me. I'm just about ready to pass to the Netherworld, but I won't go until I know the Captain will be happy."

"What else did you want to talk about? If you can leave the island and make it over here to the pier, I don't suppose you saw anything the night we found a body?"

"I heard about it back at the lighthouse because people love to gossip just as much as they did in my day, but I try to stay away from anywhere the Brindletons like to be."

Conrad nodded. "So they've always been unpopular, huh."

"They were rotten to the core in my day. There were rumours they didn't even found the town they put their name on, but that's from before my time." A memory pushed a laugh beyond his long mustache. "As a boy, George Brindleton liked to come out to the isle with his friends and chase seals. The Captain and I scared him so badly one night, he never left his fishing boat whenever any of his crew came to the island."

Inside the bar, Johnny toasted his wife while Heather looked around for Conrad. He'd been outside so long, Hazel and Nicola had left in a huff, arguing as they threw on their coats and walked out the back door. (The really left out of nowhere while I focused on Conrad and Ben. 😐)

With drink in hand, she spotted him standing outside by the patio tables and excused herself. Stepping into the snowy night, she heard him talking, but no one else was there. "Conrad, are you alright?" she called.

"I'm fine. I'm just talking to the old man." He stood to introduce them as Heather approached his picnic table, but he turned back around with a start. The old man - Ben - had disappeared.

"Where?" she asked with a smile, but as it dawned on her, her expression turned to concern. "So, he's definitely a ghost?"

He nodded. "Definitely a ghost. He's the old lightkeeper. According to Felix, he's also a great-great-great uncle of mine. Or something. But we're related, I guess."

"Wow! And you thought you didn't have any family after you lost your parents."

Conrad bristled. He understood relativity, but family was something else. Family was the people he'd do anything for, but he'd pushed off Ben Gordon twice, already. "He wants us to revive his old dog, take him home with us. He's waiting for his best friend to find a family before he'll pass on, and apparently Captain Whitaker picked us the first time we went to the lighthouse."

"That's the dog's name? Captain Whitaker? King Tut, Mayor Whiskers, Queen Cupcake - you know what I think."

"That I should have revived and adopted Captain Whitaker the night me and Gord first met him?"

She grinned. "I love strays. They're my weakness!"

He smiled. "I know you always have time for strays, but I don't feel right bringing home a new pet with everything we're dealing with lately. I'd want to be able to give him time to to get adjusted, train him a bit..."

"I get it. The clinic will pick up again after the new year and I'd want to be able to give him all my time, too. Should we make a deal?"

"What deal?"

"After you find Ximena and her brother and this is all behind us, we'll head out to Deadgrass Isle and bring Captain Whitaker home."

He smiled, glancing at the overcast sky as thick snowflakes fell on the patio umbrella above their heads. "You have a deal."

Heather followed his gaze skyward, snuggling against his shoulder to combat the cold, coastal wind. "It's almost midnight. Did you want to go back inside for the countdown? Hazel and Nicola left early, and I want to get back to Lavender and my parents soon."

Watching the cloud form in front of his face as he breathed through the chilly night air, he nodded and followed her inside. They found Johnny and Eva gathered in front of the television with other patrons, counting down as the ball dropped in San Myshuno.

Heather and Conrad joined in late, though Heather gave it more enthusiasm than he did. He thought he'd feel relief when he'd finally solved one mystery, but celebrating this one still felt conditional.

He checked his phone, just in case a dispatch had come that might answer his fears. He wouldn't be able to enjoy solving the mystery of the old man and his unfinished business until Ximena was behind bars and he'd found Rafa.

Back at home, they found Lavender sleeping peacefully in her crib while Neal and Daisy flirted in the living room. Heather glanced at Conrad, hoping for 30 years of happiness with him, just like her parents.

Knowing they were safely back home, Neal and Daisy went to bed in the upstairs guest room, and Heather snuggled next to Conrad until they fell asleep. ->

<- Previous Chapter | Gen 2 Start | Gen 2.1 Summary

Gen 1 Start | Gen 1 Summary

[sinnabarmoth]

Wdyt the guys’ love languages would be?

Okey dokey!

Zayne: Quality time. It doesn't matter what you're doing he just likes being in the same room with you. He will take the time to plan around both of your hectic schedules to be able to spend more time with you. After being apart for so long he treasures your time together. It really touches him when you stop by work to drag him out for lunch, partly because he had forgotten to eat and because it means more time with you.

Xavier: Physical touch. It is not all about sex (though it is one of his favorites😘) but he prefers being able to touch you whenever. There is something so grounding about touching you. He is always lounging on you, content feeling your body next to his, the sound of your breathing and the way your hands card through his hair. You are his favorite nap spot. He also loves it when you hold his hand while walking or when you climb on his lap while you're playing video games. A hug from you can make his day immediately better.

Rafayel: Words of affirmation. Saying what you mean and meaning what you say is very important to him. He loves telling you exactly what you mean to him. People say actions speak louder than words but in his opinion actions can be misleading whereas words spoken from the heart always ring true. A million critics can tell him that his latest work is amazing but he only truly cares if you say it is good. Even just the sound of your voice puts him at ease. If you have written him a card you can bet he is keeping it in a drawer in his room to reread later.

Sylus: Gift giving. He loves to spoil you with whatever he thinks you would like. Price does not matter, so long as it ends with you smiling. He also loves getting presents from you. They are a lot less ostentatious but the fact that you stopped and saw something that you thought would make him smile brings him so much joy. Doesn't matter if it is a little crow plush you saw at the store or his favorite candy bar you picked up last minute at while getting groceries.

[grandistragedia]

Ok so I DO know about traditional Isekai harems so I can explain a bit about how they subvert the usual tropes here, which I would like to clarify Re: zero is both a lot more and a lot less cliche than people give it credit for so a lot of the tropes are played straight just as much as they are subverted, generally speaking it's more of a balance of deconstructing and playing it straight

basically:

EMILIA is basically a mish-mash of generic light novel fantasy main heroine tropes: she is a kind, naive and happy Half-Elf wizard "princess" whom is the first person the main hero meets in his adventure, being an elf wizard is INCREDIBLY important here because in every other fantasy work being a female elf wizard pretty much permanently boxes you into the role of "love interest for the male hero" unless the princess takes that role (and she ALSO has the princess role so she's EXTRA "generic love interest), and I wanna say what I consider to be her MAIN deviation from the role: she isn't Subaru's Love interest, Subaru is HER Love interest.

to put it simply she's not the princess whose love Subaru will earn after rescuing her from the Dark lord after overcoming a thousand hardships, She's not the mage that will support the heroic Subaru in his battle against Evil who develops feelings for him along the way: She's the Hero, she's the Noble, Wise Ruler who plans to end the discrimination rampant in the kingdom, she wants to uncover the secrets of ehr past, she wants to prove herself to be her own individual and not just Satella 2.0, she's Aragorn, she's Luke, She's the Hero

She's not here to fawn over Subaru and tell him how cool he is while she supports her, Subaru is here to do that for her, HE'S the support, she earned his love after with her kindness after saving him, she's the one that battles evil while Subaru supports her while openly (and loudly) being in love with her while she's on the side half ignoring his feelings half sorta-reciprocating them (she basically treats him the way male heroes tend to treat their love interests)

this is more apparent when you realize that Emilia only starts to actually like him back when he stops trying to impress her and starts trying to actually support her, support her emotionally, support her in her goals, support her as a strategist, not just trying to be cool but being on her side, believing in her, the real her with her flaws and her virtues

this subversion is so important to re: zero that when Emi starts to act like a typical love interest it's a red flag (ie: the route were she goes insane, greed if)

even when they finally do become Lady and Knight their relationships is on completely equal terms, they fawn over how cool the other is, the try their best to help each other and be on each other's side, they're in love and it's cute

TL,DR Emilia is a subversion of main Heroines in the sense that she's actually the Hero and Subaru is her Heroine

REM

now I'm gonna be a bit brief here Rem is the PHYSYCAL EMBODIMENT of a trope called "Makeine" (Makeru=losing,Heroine) she's a the Betty to Emilia's Veronica, the black, brown or blue haried "more accesible" love interest that is DESTINED to lose to the blonde, white, sometimes red haired heroine that is more "difficult to earn" (the hair color is VERY important here), she's the childhood friend in a harem anime that loves the MC from the start and is always super nice to him and the audience REALLY roots for her so she get's really popular and then she loses so the audiences proceed to make a riot and get mad because she deserved better so the autor makes a spin off where she wins

it speaks to how trope-y Rem is that she plays this SO STRAIGHT that I can't even tell if Tappei did it on purpose to mess with us or if she just turned out like that due to fate, but to be blunt it doesn't really matter since this isn't the trope she subverts:

Rem is the embodiment of every single anime "my waifu" trope that weebs love, until she isn't.

but then she IS those tropes again, except NOT.

she's a cute, kuudere maid that is friendly to the mc alongside her flirty sister, until she kills him

SEVERAL TIMES

but then after some development of their relationship, she starts to fall in love with him very quick, she starts to admire him, to like him (all of him, flaws and all) to sacrifice herself for him, she starts to become.....his waifu.

an actual waifu, not a "real girl" like Emilia, she embodies ALL the fantasies about romance that Subaru wants to have, she's the cute fantasy monster girl that loves and supports him unconditionally, who understands him and is willing to do anything for him even while knowing all his bad qualities (her being an oni is also not a coincidence, Lum Invader from Urusei yatsura basically codified all the waifu tropes Rem embodies) every boundary that he can't cross with Emilia is a boundary that Rem wants him to cross, she idealizes him just as much as he idealizes Emilia, that whole speech Emilia gave Subaru about how he doesn't love her but the version of her inside her head could have never come from Rem's mouth, instead she gives him a speech about how much she loves the version of him inside of her head and tries to motivate him to act like the hero she thinks he is (a speech that helped at the moment but did more damage in the long run) all the things Emilia can't give him are constantly being given to him by Rem

Rem is too good to be true, a dream come to life, she's so perfect it's unhealthy, this is why it's inevitable that she ends up removed from the story.

Subaru cannot mature into the person the Emilia camp needs as long as she's around, she makes things too easy for him, her love is a crutch that must be taken away from him before he grows to dependent on it, and with her coma Rem goes from one cliche to another, she become Subaru's "Lost Lenore" she goes from the "Lum" to Subaru's "Ataru" to the "Eurydice" to his "Orpheus"

(btw Rem getting fridged for Subaru's development is the most painfully heterosexual thing in Re: zero)

And even when she "might as well be dead" Subaru continues to depend on Rem, it actually might have made it worse because now that the real Rem is gone he only has the Rem inside his memories, the version of her inside his head becomes more separate from her actual self and slowly becomes more of an abstract ideal that serves to motivate him

(SPOILERS START HERE)

and then her amnesiac self shatters that ideal violently (i haven't read the vollachia arc so I can't elaborate about this that much yet) but it basically serves as the final nail in the coffin for the old Rem and the final confirmation that Rem was too perfect to be healthy

(SPOILERS END HERE)

btw Rem IF actually contributes to the deconstruction, in order for this universe to exist two things must happen, Subaru has to be a coward and Rem has to be Selfish, by doing this they both relinquish the idealized virtues that they had in the other's head, Subaru stops being "Rem's hero" and Rem stops being "'Subaru's perfect waifu", Subaru becomes a deserter and Rem becomes just a selfish girl in love, they can now permanently indulge in their joyous "sloth" and stop trying to grow as people, at the cost of living with regret for the rest of their lives

tldr Rem subverts every Waifu trope by playing them completely straight, it's more the story itself that deconstructs her by showing her as unhealthy

CRUSCH

I'll be brief, Crusch subverts the harem tropes by not being one of Subaru's love interests.......that's it

Ok I'll be less brief, in a more cliche story she would be the third member of his harem and be the one that officially upgrades it from "love triangle" to a proper harem (her personality even fits as she foils both Rem and Emilia and fits the "lady of war" cliche) but because this is Re: zero Crusch decides that even if she could have fallen for Subaru that ship simply won't sail because she's too busy and he likes someone else, so she just doesn't become one of his Love interests (even post amnesia)

Yes I'm including Priscilla, not because I think she's seriously part of his harem but because she deconstructs some Harem cliches

Prisicilla deconstructs the "Arrogant Tsundere Oujosama" by playing it so utterly straight it loops back around to being original

She's not putting on an act, she doesn't have a nicer, softer side that the protagonist will slowly uncover as she falls in love with him (well, she does have a kinder side but she doesn't fall in love with Subaru, also bluntly speaking even her nicer side is not that nice), she's not secretly lonely or secretly unhappy, she is a Rich Bitch through and through

there is no "tsundere" about her, when she says "I hate you, you're a loser who's beneath me" she means it

even as she starts to legitimately like Subaru she still makes it utterly clear she views him as beneath her

tldr she deconstructs the Oujosama cliche by not subverting your expectations and legitimately being the spoiled, elitist snob she initially seemed to be.

I am being completely serious Reinhard is part the conversation

Reinhard subvert harem tropes by......well tbh just by existing at all

In a another story Reinhard would simply be the body Subaru is reincarnated in, not a character but simply a vessel for Subaru to live out his fantasies, here him and Subaru get to coexist and that makes their dynamic more interesting

Willhelm wishing Subaru was his grandkid is not a coincidence, by all the rules of Light Novels Subaru should be Reinhard

Without each other they are incomplete, without having Subaru's huge personality to fill him Reinhard is almost robotic, with zero ambitions and no drive to do anything beyond his duty, barely even a person, and without Reinhard's perfect body to be his vessel Subaru can't be the hero he wants to be, they need each other, they yearn to be each other, they aren't even soul mates they're just the two halves of a person who never existed

Instead they're sorta "stuck" as different people, but it also allows them to fall in love with befriend each other, Reinhard can be the pillar of strength that the insecure, weak Subaru needs and Subaru can be the pillar of mental strength that the lonely Reinhard needs

The above statement about how Emilia is the hero and Subaru the heroine applies also to him and Reinhard (which makes sense as Rein and Emi have a lot of parallels) but he also fits a different more modern love interest cliche, Reinhard is a Calamity Princess

these girls basically

the calamity princess is basically the (comparatively) modern counterpart to the generic light novel heroine thar Emilia represents , basically they were born from Highschool DxD's Rias Gremory and they were a sort of attempt at revitalizing Light novel Heroines

they are very specific to the 2010s era of light novels (and because of this they feel super dated now), they tried to make the MC's a bit less Gary stu by giving them some conflict about how uncontrollable their powers were or making them initially weak and then becoming stronger (very quickly), academic settings were mandatory, and most importantly they tried to give their main heroines more "personality"

rather than being perpetual damsels in distress or whiny sidekicks, the Calamity princess is actually supposed to be the MC's superior (or at least start as their superior), they are some one the MC is meant to strive for, to impress, to eventually Surpass, and they are defined by 5 characteristics

1)Superiority: as previously mentioned the Princess is meant to start of as someone above the MC whom he must eventually surpass, usually she's his boss, a more experienced colleague or sometimes a sort of rival before joining his side. She can't just be superior to the mc however, she must be viewed as a Superior by the world as a whole (justifying her an an objective to surpass)

2)ambition: the calamity princess has something to prove, a duty to uphold, usually in spite of her superiority she is also ostracized in some form by society at large (her heritage, a condition of her birth, inability to control her power) because of this she then sets herself a goal to prove the world wrong about her and become an important person at "insert thing here" or to defend the honor of "insert noble house here"

3) being royalty, or at least rich: this is just connected to her superiority

4) as mentioned before she is ostracized: in spite of her superiority she tends to be disliked by her fellow nobles or by the world at large due to "x reason"

5) a connection to the protagonists call to adventure: usually the calamity princess is directly involved in empowering/enabling the protagonists, she is sometimes a mentor or a rival

pretty much the only characteristic Reinhard doesn't have is not being a woman and not being the main love interest, and now you might be thinking "Isn't Emilia also a calamity princess?" and you'd be right except for the fact that the calamity princess's agency ultimately depends entirely on the protagonist (basically she's not the hero of her own story but an asset to the MC's story) and her superiority exists to make the MC look cooler when he wins her over, which is simply not true of Emilia.....but it IS true of Reinhard.

Reihard is the unachievable, perfect, redheaded superior to Subaru who makes his journey possible when he saves him, he is ostracized by everyone so the fact that Subaru is still nice to him makes him grow fond of him, Subaru constantly tries to be an equal to Reinhard

hell ayamatsu if is all about how Subaru feels inferior to Reinhard and is essentially a massive attempt at beating him at something

this being side I don't think Reinhard was made with this trope in mind, mainly because there's another Character that fits the trope better:

Theresia Van Astrea (specifically in her relationship to Willhelm) is obviously a riff on the concept, she pretty much fits almost all of the characteristics of the Calamity princess and she's even an actual redhead, she is the Superior that Willhelm constantly strived to equal all his live, she's the girl she loves, the girl he's willing to change himself for and the unobtainable shining idol who casts a shadow over her familiy, the reason why Reinhard resembles the Calamity princess is because him and Theresia have heavy parallels to each other so her archetype ends up bleeding into him a bit

it's also with her that we see the actual deconstruction of the archetype: Willhelm never manages to "earn" her, or he never feels like he does

Wilhelm is defined by his parallelisms with Subaru, he is also a "protagonist" of his own story and to be specific he actually represents the specific brand of Light Novel MC that existed alongside the Calamity princess back in the 2010s, he's not instantly good at everything and must submit himself to intense training to improve himself, he is hated by others because of his weakness and must search any opportunity to prove himself. they were sort of a mix between the usual light novel mc and shonen manga mc, they had the underdog aspect of the latter with the more quiet, self-deprecating nature of the later

so similarily his relationship with Theresia is pretty much a very classic "underdog light novel hero x calamity princess" with the caveat being that he never overcame any of his insecurities at his weakness, Theresia remained an unachievable image of perfection even when she always treated him as an equal, he neved stopped idealizing Theresia so when he loses her the self-hatred that had defined him for so long blows up, he takes it out on Heinkel, on Reinhard on all the people that remined him of her, and thereby reminded him of his failures

Subaru is the exception as he is actually a chance for Willhelm to fix his mistakes, with Subaru's help Willhelm manages to avenge his wife, with Willhelm's help Subaru's relationship with Emilia is mended and he can now start to properly court the real her, not the idealized version in his head (Which is important since Willhelm never got over the idealzied image of Theresia he had) and just as importantly Subaru's relationship with Reinhard is never plagued by the insecurities Will and Theresia's relationship was

Subaru manages to understand what the invincible hero actually needs: for someone to treat him like a human, not as an image of perfection, not as an ideal to strive for but as an 19 year old guy who can't and should not be expected to solve all the problems in the world by himself, he recognizes that his boyfriend, other half, soulmate friend has weaknesses, that he needs help covering those weaknesses, and most importantly, that it is perfectly possible for Subaru to help him cover those weaknesses (yadah, yadah, Subaru humanizes Reinhard, while Reinhard herofies Subaru, yadah yadah they make the perfect team yadah yadah, two halves of the same hero, yadah yadah THEY SHOULD KISS)

tldr.....Subaru and Reinhard are really fucking gay

ok this came out a lot less coherent than I wanted but I'm moving on to the last member

THIS HANDSOME FUCKER

Julius doesn't really subvert any "harem tropes" per se (I'm not familiar with BL harem's unfortunatelty), he's a subversion of the rival trope in the sense that his rivalry with Subaru only exists in Subaru's head

Like Julius does not reciprocate Subaru's animosity at all, he actually is kinda fond of the little bastard even though they started off in the wrong foot, like post white whale he's very clearly just fucking with him when he teases him

he spends more time saving him than indulging in any "rivalry", and by act 4 he's openly enjoying Subaru's company ("from the bottom of muy heart, your recklessness truly shocks me sometimes" *proceeds to shoot a literal rainbow laser powered by fairies*)

(SPOILERS)

any remnants of his rival status is further obliterated by the pleiades watch tower arc, they aren't even ribbing each other anymore it's just "OH THANK GOD MY BEST FRIEND STILL REMEMBERS ME, MY LIFE HASN'T ENDED"

(END OF SPOILERS)

also a lot of readers have read the constant flowery descriptions of Julius's handsomeness by Subaru as him having a crush on him but being in denial (which, fair)

on the other end Julius's constantly expressed desire to befriend Subaru and his obvious soft spot for him could be read as him liking Subaru, also his constant teasing could be read as flirting

fact remains that if Tappei were to decide that Julius likes Subaru or that Subaru has a crush on Julius and proceeded to change absolutely nothing about their relationship......it would work

tldr: Julius defies harem tropes by being a man and he defies Rival tropes by not being Subaru's rival at all and actually kinda just being a guy that's bad at flirting (or arguably he's good at it but Subaru's just dense)

this was way to damn long and took too much of my time to write but I hope whoever reads this can enjoy it

Most realistic part of re:zero is when Subaru makes jokes about his trauma that no one else can understand but he knows it’s funny

[k3n-dyll]

hii i hope you're having a good day! I saw some of your posts about the twitter discourse about sevika and the brothels in arcane...im not looking to argue or anything, just genuinely wanted to understand your perspective on it a little bit better the context of show kind of leads us to believe that zaun is deeply economically impoverished right. wouldn't that mean that most of the people in the brothels are there not through their own volition but because of the economic circumstances that they were handed? i personally think those situations are inherently coercive, regardless of how you spin the agency question. if you don't really have the choice to say safely say no, is that really a choice at all? of course the same logic applies to any kind labour under capitalism i guess, but coercion when it comes to sex is treated with a different degree of gravity (for good reason; we all know what coercive sex is called) irrespective of the presence/absence of some kind of organized trafficking business, the economic deprivation in the undercity kind of muddy the lines, at least in my eyes.

I recently saw a post that pretty much summed up my feelings on the topic which is that I think there are conversations to be had about sex work in media and how it's portrayed specifically regarding coercion and exploitation and how they intersect within those depictions, however, I also personally think that putting the label of 'rapist' on Sevika is an oversimplification of both Sevika's character and the world she exists in as a whole. A lot of the justifications for branding her with this label are extremely anti sex work(er) and uncomfortable to me as someone that has personal irl experience with both sex work and SA. There's a heavy lack of textual context on the sex work industry in both Zaun and Piltover and calling Sevika (or anyone that goes to the brothels in Arcane to buy services, really) a rapist detracts from actual nuanced conversation and critique on the matter.

I also feel that we have enough understanding of Sevika as a character in general (someone that, while morally grey for sure, is never depicted as a person that abuses power for her own personal pleasure) that using the term 'rapist' to describe her feels wholly unsupported by the show (both in implication and in what we're shown explicitly), and again a very harsh and reductionist way of viewing her character that flattens her in a way that discourages healthy debate and discussion on the topic.

I also want to point out that in a world where misogyny and the patriarchy don't play a factor in its inner workings (at least that we're shown), there is a huge possibility that sex work within the Arcane universe differs from our world in a lot of ways, because let's be honest, a lot of the reasons why sex work in the real world is so awful (industry wise) is largely in part because of those systemic issues. You can feel the way you feel about it, obviously, and I'm not completely dismissing concerns/healthy debate on coercion and exploitation - my opinion and thoughts on the matter aren't the end all be all. Still, I'm personally against using such a label to describe such a complex character and the world surrounding her.

[ohshitfangirlalert]

My feelings about agathario are actually so intense. I don't know how a show so 'little' had such a HUGE impact on my life. I don't think this will go away for a long time. Or, ever. I think about these characters daily.

This is what we mean when we say "representation matters". It only takes the right actors and a good, relatable plot, amazing visuals and a passionate team to make a TREMENDOUS impact on a young person.

I think it really changes so much for me and out a lot of things in perspective about adulthood, and love, and caring for people and sharing your truth and vulnerability. Women in media, proper queer women in media representation is so much better. Passion, grief, pain, worry, confusion. We saw so much emotion we saw so much rawness from the characters it just was both heartbreaking and heartfelt. It was rejuvenating, I felt like I was shedding my thick snake skin and my skin now is glowing.

It made me feel, no jokes intended.

I hope to thank everyone that took part in this wonderful project and the fandom, which has made me feel at peace and at home after so many years of estrangement in the queer community.

I love y'all. This is for you— a big hug.

I hope we continue to see things like this and continue to share about this show till we can't no more..by allowing ourselves to be vulnerable we share space for safety.

[rebeccathenaturalist]

What Superman Taught Me About Saving the Planet

Originally posted on my website at https://rebeccalexa.com/what-superman-taught-me-about-saving-the-planet/

Well, 2024 is just about wrapped up–and what a year it’s been! A lot of us find the holidays to be reflective as well as celebratory, and I think it would be fair to say that after this year a lot of us are just downright exhausted. That’s why it’s important for us to turn off the news and work emails and other serious things, and give ourselves some much-needed “brain breaks” as I like to call them. As I’ve been indulging in some time off during my winter break, it’s gotten me thinking about what attracts me to various fictional media and the characters within–and how I can never really escape the things that are most important to me.

Most of you all know me through my natural history work, but hang around me long enough and it becomes glaringly obvious that I’m a pretty big nerd, too. I play D&D and other tabletop roleplaying games a few times a month, my comfort movies include The Lord of the Rings trilogy and multiple Studio Ghibli movies, and I’ve enjoyed comic books since I was in my single digits. I started out with my sister’s old Archie comics and the compendium of Walt Kelly’s Pogo strips that I read near to falling apart every time we visited my paternal grandmother. I’ve since expanded to a variety of comics ranging from the past few decades of DC/Marvel superhero fodder to a hodgepodge of indie titles and even the occasional manga (lately I’ve been borrowing my best friend’s collection of Dungeon Meshi.)

What's all this have to do with nature and Superman and saving the planet? Click "keep reading" to find out!

Walt Kelly was also my introduction to political and social commentary, even if I didn’t understand a lot of it until I was older. (Image source here.)

As I’ve gotten older, I find myself revisiting characters I’ve been rather ho-hum about in the past, including the big three DC flagship heroes. Historically I’ve enjoyed the exploits of the Bat-Family (the Cataclysm/No Man’s Land arc will always be a favorite re-read), and Gail Simone’s fresh takes got me interested in Wonder Woman again. But Superman? The Big Blue Boy Scout? I hadn’t really paid much attention to him since Smallville was first on TV (though admittedly I did mock the ’90s mullet a few years prior). I haven’t gotten caught up on the Injustice years, in part because I heard secondhand how much the writers just absolutely slaughtered Superman’s characterization by turning him into an absolute totalitarian. And I haven’t been impressed by what I’ve seen of Zack Snyder’s edgy version of him, either.

To be very honest, I’m rather tired of the tendency to grimdark everything that started out as vaguely wholesome (*coughRiverdalecough*). I can appreciate that sort of subversion from an artistic perspective, but personally I’ve grown weary of tragedy, dystopia, and depressing endings. I guess I’ve spent so much time trying to keep myself buoyed up while working to make this world a better place that I can’t get into vicarious distress via media. Hence my leaning harder into Ghibli movies, re-reading Linda Medley’s Castle Waiting collections (my all-time favorite graphic novels!), and other stories that manage to avoid being saccharine while wrapping up with a happy ending.

So it’s no surprise that when this set of panels from Superman Red and Blue #5 first caught my attention a while back, I was intrigued. I feel that Daniel Warren Johnson–who wrote, drew, and lettered the story–really captured the heart of Superman as a character. In every thing he does, he repeats the words that Ma and Pa Kent raised him with from the first moment, no matter how difficult the situation. What people like Snyder often miss is that Supes isn’t just some overpowered, one-dimensional do-gooder in a black and white world. Sure, his earliest appearances in the likes of Action Comics had him beating up the bad guys, but his lore has been expanded since then.

He’s a being of two worlds; he’s had to balance his Kryptonian nature with his Earthly nurture. He came of age on a farm in rural Kansas, raised by two kind-hearted human beings who taught him compassion and responsibility, and helped him adjust to being one of a kind in a world that often punishes differences. He’s polite and kind, and more sensitive than he’s often given credit for. Like any superhero he finds himself having to make difficult decisions, and villains often use his compassion against him (like the classic “two helpless people are in peril–who will you choose to save?” trope, in which our hero manages to save them both). And he’s had to deal with morally gray areas, in which his desire to do what’s right comes up against the question of what “right” really is in that context.

I can relate to that conflict. When we’re kids, I think a lot of us buy into the black and white, good and evil, right and wrong dichotomy we’re fed not just because before a certain point our brains just have trouble parsing a certain level of complexity, but also because the adults in our lives want to protect us from life’s difficulties as long as possible, knowing what we all eventually have to wrestle with. The older we get, the more apparent it becomes that life doesn’t have a lot of easy answers, and situations are rarely simple. As a kid I was convinced all the loggers who wanted to cut down forests where the northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caudia) nested were evil, Captain-Planetesque baddies who just wanted to see the world burn. As an adult, I still disagree with the push to log old-growth and otherwise structurally complex forests because I have an even greater understanding of the ecological implications thereof. But I also have more empathy for my fellow human beings who are afraid of losing their livelihood with no easy replacement, victims of the whims of the market and logging company C-suites. And I have the knowledge to understand that domestic sawmill closures are complex and aren’t solely due to the protection of older forests and their endangered denizens.

But I think what I loved the most about Johnson’s panels above is that they show that Superman, born as Kal-El and raised as Clark Kent, never lost his roots in love. His coming to Earth was a last desperate attempt of love by his biological parents, Lara and Jor-El, to save him from a dying planet. And he grew up enfolded in the love of Martha and Jonathan Kent, which he carries with him into every action he takes as Superman, whether he is saving someone from a burning building, visiting kids in a cancer ward, or sharing pizza with a group of homeless people. When he looks upon the populace of Metropolis, and then zooms out to space and looks back at our blue marble of a planet, all he can think to say in that overwhelming moment is “You are special. I love you. I’m so proud of you.”

I know that can be a hard thing to say to our species at this moment in time, as our actions have caused the extinction of so many other species, destroyed their habitats, caused a catastrophic shift in the planet’s many systems. But my psych training is rooted in humanistic psychology, and Carl Rogers’ idea of unconditional positive regard–the idea that even as we hold people accountable for their actions we always extend compassion to them, and hold space for them to do and become better. And I’m also reminded of deep ecologist Arne Naess’ concept of the ecological self, which includes the parameter “We certainly need to hear about our ethical shortcomings from time to time, but we change more easily through encouragement and a deepened perception of reality and our own self.”

And I see that final panel of Superman–Kal-El–Clark Kent–floating in space, beholding the entirety of the Earth and experiencing its beauty and fragility and sheer miraculous existence in what has been termed the Overview Effect. He is embodying the very best of who we can be, creatures so immersed in our love for our fellow living beings and our beautiful planet that it directs our every action. Even with all the ugliness and violence and sheer, unnecessary horrors he has seen people enact, he still holds and embodies immense hope for a better future for everyone, human and otherwise.

And that’s my Superman, who cynicism and malice bounce off of like bullets. Sure, if you look at the character as just a one-note musclebound power fantasy wrapped up in spandex, he’s boring after a while; you can only have so much “beat up the bad guys and save the day” before it becomes rote. But that’s never who he was in the first place. While, like other characters, he will always be influenced by whoever’s writing him this time around, one of Superman’s most enduring fundamental traits is his perennial hope and optimism that no matter how dark things get we will still rally to make the world a better place. And if not letting Superman down is what it takes to keep me trying in the face of insurmountable odds, well, here’s to truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.

Did you enjoy this post? Consider taking one of my online foraging and natural history classes or hiring me for a guided nature tour, checking out my other articles, or picking up a paperback or ebook I’ve written! You can even buy me a coffee here!

[thanakite]

I don't think Caitlyn or Jinx fully considered the toll it would have taken on Vi if she had killed Jinx, like it quite literally would have destroyed her

For all Vi saying that Powder was dead and that Jinx killed her, we all know that she believes that she created Jinx (and it likely only solidified that belief when Jinx said as much to her), meaning if Jinx killed Powder then it's a fairly easy step for Vi to generally believe that she killed her sister already, BUT that is a whole lot different than ACTUALLY killing her herself

Literally if that had happened, I very much doubt Caitlyn could have pieced Vi back together and helped her through, especially considering that she more or less pushed for it and even if she hadn't she was essentially the trigger for Vi deciding on this, Vi either would have likely ended up killing herself or would have spiralled until it killed her, the guilt of it all eating her alive

Because Jinx is still her sister, no matter what (and as it turns out with the rest of the season), and with so much of her family gone (and as much as Jinx blames herself for everything, Vi likely completely believes that even if Powder was the one to set off the bomb, she was the one that kick started these events (was the leader for the heist) and she put Vander in place to be taken by Silco and then brought Claggor and Mylo with her to rescue him, AND THEN afterwards she lashed out at Powder resulting in the essential creation of Jinx (even though Mylo started it, she solidified it, and Silco just furthered it along), so Vi pretty much certainly believes herself responsible for those deaths and might even blame herself for their parents' deaths too as they were fighting for better lives for her and Powder) being the person to end the last of her family and really the family she was supposed to protect the most, it would have destroyed her, and the only thing that may have kept her alive at that point might have been the belief that she had to live to punish herself for it

It would have been AWFUL

But neither Caitlyn nor Jinx were REALLY thinking about Vi then. Sure she was part of their plans, but they were both thinking about themselves and what they wanted (and Caitlyn was of course thinking about Jinx but I don't think Jinx was thinking too much about her beyond a potential wrinkle in her plan for Vi to kill her)

And really what's sad is that seems to have been so much of Vi's life because she's not thinking about herself either, she's thinking about Jinx and Caitlyn, because she was always the protector, the one looking out for others, but so few people were looking out for her (Yes her parents did but she was fairly young when they were killed and by the time Vander dies he's largely relying on her to look out for Powder, Claggor, and Mylo and eventually probably the whole Undercity, looking out for her yes, but also putting pressure on her to continue as a protector and caregiver (and to be clear this isn't right, but he also didn't have much of a choice with the way things work in Zaun) and while Caitlyn somewhat looks out for her she definitely hasn't really been for awhile by the time of the confrontation underground and what happens after that only really makes it all worse)