#put in a position where he must consider gender roles and his part in them he would realize he doesnt feel connected to anything

[divinemackerel]

[ganymedesclock]

What are your thoughts on TotK so far?

[spoiler alert obviously don't keep reading if you don't want this]

-Gloom hands are the absolute best I love them so much never stop being horrible

-Gleeoks are nice. good to see them again. like the new look.

-Admittedly not completely wild about the fuse system but Kohga attacks you with a car and it's fun to watch people build all the looney tunes contraptions people make

-Can't believe they finally dropped Zelda's fursona only to make it a dimension of torment for her. I love the light dragon but can't Zelda have a dragon break rather than a dragon breakdown.

-In seriousness with the fake Zelda running around it could be an interesting twist if everyone believes the light dragon is hostile because it keeps randomly dive-bombing people while a Zelda who is lucid but unable to communicate is trying to chase people away from her impostor.

-Related to a prior point I like to think the Koroks kind of enjoy being yeeted. they're prankster forest spirits. this has to be at least a little bit fun.

-I'm not keen on Kilton in the first place and I don't think we needed Kilton 2: Worse Kilton. I don't like how every NPC in TLOZ that doesn't look completely conventionally attractive is increasingly signaled as either an evil overlord or a funny idiot you shouldn't respect or take seriously. I do not want to watch these clowns dance for me as a reminder to not take any sort of interest in monsters seriously. This is a vibes based thing and is not limited to the designs. I feel like you could keep those designs as-is and salvage the vibes but I'm not quite sure how.

-Narratively, Tears of the Kingdom feels suffused with a specific kind of old man sadness that he is No Longer Hip With The Kids (and this is not gender-specific but the predominant gender of the mouthpieces it is given ingame must be noted) without making any concessions to what The Kids actually care about so Rauru is here because they heard you didn't like Rhoam so now there's a super cool hip with-it dad who never yells at Zelda but also just like Rhoam his actions amount to failing her at a critical moment, leaving her alone to suffer, and then coming back as a ghost to implicitly give Link Daddy's Blessing to marry Zelda.

I want to like Rauru way more than I do because the Zonai's designs are fantastic, but I feel like the depiction of these "Sky Gods" and their role in history ends up patronizing the hell out of both the Zonai and everybody else, but especially the non-hyrulean vassal states where the Zonai are made out to be needless fairy godmothers when they have all the hallmarks of a dying people 10,000 years ago, we can only imagine Rauru's legacy was whitewashed to hell and back considering how central Hyrule positions its non-Hylian allies, But Then Also the Zonai are so beautiful and smart they created everything with their inherent superiority and if the gerudo, zora, gorons, or rito have any meaningful cultural legacy no they didn't the Zonai did this for/with them.

Also can we please not physically put the arm of the king with its power to command things and space on Link's body. This feels like a twofer desecrating Rauru even further by disembodying him down to only the useful part of him and also literally making Link just a bodily platform for the King's Authority. no we're not gonna empower YOUR hand we're gonna hack it off while you're unresponsive to make room for the real kingly authority. We've been doing this since Wind Waker and the quiet part feels like it's getting louder.

-I love Gloom I love the Depths. on the one hand yes they could afford to be a little more Actual Cave Like but as it is it kind of sends the vibe of like, a prior surface that sunk downward into the earth. The idea of moving up as well as down, this sort of heaven-and-hell motifs, are kinda great.

-As afraid as I was of this version of Ganondorf being made out to be a puppet/pawn/disciple of Demise I was actually very, very pleased to see the man just straight up eat Demise's lunch in every conceivable way. Even his demon king form which feels the closest to aping Demise replaces the primal pyroclast vibes with that saturated blood color. Demise feels like a primal titan- Ganondorf feels like a Persephone stained with the fruits of the underworld. I love his designs I love his vibes I love what they did with him. This is SUCH a good return to 'letting Ganondorf be a person rather than a screaming rage cloud'.

Literally the only thing I don't like is I think his tiny dinky oni horns are silly and he didn't need them. that's it.

-I mentioned Kohga but I'm so glad Kohga just decided that since he fell down a hole he Lives There Now.

-the like likes are excellent. If you are sensing a pattern here it's that I'm very fond of the creature design. You begin to see why I'm frustrated with Kilton and Kilton 2: Worse Kilton. Just let me hang out with the horriblins. have you seen them.

-Ok I don't really like that they had a "here, idiot, this is how you make a functional weapon" angle to giving Conspicuously Weapon Shaped horns on all the main monsters so you can just harvest them to make spears or hammers or such. This is part of the part of Fuse I'm not keen on.

-did we really need zonai device gachapons. they were not being at all subtle about how toyetic this new mechanic was, to the point of it feeling kinda immersion breaking. how seriously are we supposed to take this. Zelda is over there doing the anime fisheye stare. This is the last surviving legacy of a dead people. We are capable of recreating the Guardian Massacre from BOTW onto random blins now. But whee. Car go brrrr.

-TLOZ Please Stop Adding Gimmick Robot Characters That Obviously Have Feelings But Are Also Slavishly Bound To A Purpose Long After It's Useful To Anyone And Were Made That Way By Heroic Guys We Are Supposed To Root For And This Isn't Framed As A Problem, and other songs by Fall Out Boy,

-Yona is a good character and I like her, Sidon is allowed to be bisexual

-this isn't unique to TOTK or originating there but I have a little petty rage in my heart that goron rock food is just... comedy cartoon meat but made of rocks. I hate it. expose us to an entirely alien concept of cuisine. Make me yearn to eat bismuth knowing my human limitations would fail me. I was thinking about this the entire Marbled Rock Roast plot.

WHAT IS THERE TO ROAST

IT'S ROCKS

HEAT CANNOT ALTER THE PROPERTIES OF ROCKS WITHOUT EITHER MELTING THEM OR TURNING THEM INTO A WHOLE DIFFERENT ROCK

-I think Evermeans are good and we should live in fear of resource-useful setpieces more often. there should be hostile jar mimics next. Wind Waker had enemies popping out of jars but also you could get the drop on them by breaking the jar like normal, and that fails the mimic test of "am I now afraid to perform Ordinary Actions in places I'm not sure are safe"

[tomatograter]

I was wondering about your take on Lesbian Jane?

I’ve been thinking about her a lot. Jane isn’t inherently a villainous character. She was raised to take on a position of power so it’s not surprising she seek that out in adulthood. But more the that, I think about how she was born in a time when certain things were expected of women. And how she may have internalized the idealism of husband and child due to that. In HS2 it’s clear she doesn’t have any true romantic feeling for Jake. And part of me wonders if she ever really did? Or if her infatuation with Jake English as a person was due to the fact that he was a “attractive boy”. After all, in HS2 she does marry him and they do have a child. Fitting what would have been seen as a perfect family construct in her original timeline. But she openly neglects both in favor of things she actually finds important. I know Gamzee exist. But I still wonder if her performative gender roles and inherent straightness isn’t all one in the same. I.e, BS. 

I’ve always been partial to lesbian Jane. I don’t think ‘gamzee’ is much of an argument against it if you’ve ever been in contact with actual lesbians; there’s women who spend decades of their lives putting work into a straight marriage that doesn’t truly satisfy them beyond the barest needs for companionship, but it is what they’ve been taught to accept and what they believe Everyone Else Feels. The human experience doesn’t work in a tight binary where you automatically know *what* is wrong with you. Sometimes the problem makes you believe it is actually a feature, and that it’s normal, and that you should just muscle through it no matter how shit it feels like. And that’s kind of Jane’s whole thing- Jane has Girlboss disease. 

Like, “yeah, this all sucks, and it makes me feel like garbage, but I have Numbers, and i have Prizes, and I have Accomplishments, and I am a Strong Independent Woman, and that’s what everyone tells me SHOULD make me happy, so I guess this is what happiness feels like.” And she just doesn’t know when to stop. She’ll dig her own grave with a golden shovel if you leave her to it.

I think It’s interesting to note a few things when breaching this subject:

1) Nanna Egbert chose to be a single mom. It’s not that she’s a widow, is that she never pursued marriage. You can make a lot of fail arguments on this one like ‘oh but in the lore nannasprite section we learn that jane and jake had a marriage prophecy or whatever blah blah’ but Beta Jake avoids her for eternity and while Beta Jane found someone to have a son with, she didn’t make it any more than that. Instead, she built a practical jokes and pranks shop and ran it for as long as she was alive, because again, she’s a girlboss. A lot of lipservice about traditionalism on this one and very little actual effort put into fulfilling it.

2) Jane doesn’t actually “love” Jake. She’s infatuated with what he represents, which is a recurring theme in Homestuck. Be it about Terezi and her relationship with Alternian Law, or Dave and his coolguy schtick, or Jake and his flimsy adventure hero persona- characters have “expectations” and these come with a set of rules that must be fulfilled. Sometimes, these self-imposed challenges are more harmful to the character than they’re ever going to beneficial for their growth. It’s effectively like shooting themselves on the foot.

This is actually an ongoing thread during act 6, but not one that I see brought up a lot. Jane projects what she believes are desirable qualities about a man onto Jake, what she’s been taught is the norm and dreamy- but she has negative interest in who he actually is. If anything, Jane finds him tacky, annoying, weird, and unbearably boring. But she thinks she can ‘fix’ him into a model companion if she tries hard enough.

Jane “reinterprets” a lot about Jake as a person to make him more digestible. She does this deliberately, to pad out how little interest he seems to have into the whole thing, and also to depersonalize him enough that she doesn’t have to feel bad about not... actually liking him.

(worthy of note, her “two favorite dames” are married as of catnapped in HS2)

They’re friends, i’m not disputing that, but friendship doesn’t necessarily translate into “compatibility” or “romance”.

“Jake” as a concept in Jane’s glossary is interchangeable with “7th grade 1st place trophy on the national Spelling Bee championship”, and that’s where most of our issues come from. He’s an achievement to be crossed off from a checklist, on the road of becoming an Independent, Successful Businesswoman. At best he’s a status marker, at worst he’s a commodity. Jane didn’t come up with this by herself, though, these ideas are closely linked to HIC’s influence on her life and Jake’s. (It’s not for nothing that Crockertier Jane is the one to be most outspoken about it, or that Epilogues Jane is characterized as a Crockercorp-monster. None of this exists in a vacuum.) These ideals are part of her familial upbringing and corporate brainwashing, the endgoal of them being simulating the Condesce as closely as possible. 

When HIC goes undercover as a Human Woman Of Earth, the figure she picks to represent her is a housewife. The fictional Betty Crocker is the apex of Girlbossery- and how can you be a housewife, in 20′s America, without a husband?

Jane is discouraged from being an “individual” and told what she needs to be is a suitable heiress, and that’s her own tragedy. (She has failed to consider wives can have other wives.)

I have babbled about Jane before, particularly when it comes to her also being trapped by gendered expectations she doesn’t want & being gender-nonconforming (a butch, if you will) here.

[telomeke-bbs]

BAD BUDDY EPISODE 10 – MUEANG, CAN YOU DO ME A FAVOR AND MARRY ME TODAY PLEASE?

Pat’s encounter at the open staircase of the Architecture faculty is a scene with many layers of meaning, but perhaps one of the most heartwarming is that it can also be read as PatPran’s WEDDING in a way.

The orchestrated plan to take down faculty disapproval regarding PatPran’s relationship at first looked like the same kind of hazing that seniors put newcomers through, before allowing them into the fold. (The scene here echoes the freshie orientation in SOTUS, except that it’s the Architecture faculty, not Engineering.) And in the end it DOES fulfil that function, in so far as Archi disapproval is concerned. But somewhere along the way the scene also takes on the mantle of a Thai wedding ceremony – even Pat notices this and asks Pran why it’s like a khan maak at Ep.10 [1I4] 12:13. 😊

Thanks to the rambunctious, chatty and good-natured mob frequenting the comments section at the bottom of the Bad Buddy Series My Drama List webpage (shout out especially to PaMiKa, BenedictTan and Mermaid 👍) there is a link on there to Twitter (username: petalkiss) that helps clarify the scene.

According to Thai and Chinese traditions (let’s not forget Pat is Thai-Chinese and it’s suggested that Pran’s family is ethnic Thai/mixed), as part of the wedding ritual the groom visits the bride’s house (sometimes the hotel where the wedding will be held) and goes through a series of challenges, answering questions, shouting out declarations of love, etc., before he is deemed worthy enough and allowed to take the bride in marriage. (In Thailand this is actually considered part of the betrothal, but the wedding ceremony usually follows right after and both are seen as parts of one whole. In Chinese tradition, as far as I can tell, it's a precursor to the actual wedding ceremony, always on the day of the wedding itself.)

In the modern day the practice mostly involves a lot of light-hearted game-playing (sanuk in Thai, and known by many different names in mainland and diasporic Chinese communities) – all in the name of good fun, but this wedding custom (entertaining though it may be) has its roots in more archaic (and violent) times, when daughters were seen as weaker, precious things to be protected, and only allowed to be married off – often without much say in the matter – after the groom had proven himself worthy, paying a bride-price in the process (acknowledging her own worth, and the reality that her departure was also a loss for her family). And so she would go from the protection of her father’s house to that of another man’s – an idea that must sit uncomfortably in a lot of minds today. (Actually, I’m sensing that the directorial and screenwriting team also have some positive and supportive comments to make on strong women upending patriarchal restraints, with Pa and Dissaya leading the charge down the way blocked by Ming, but I will save that for another post.)

Setting their home lives aside for a bit, their faculties are also warring houses, and so we had Pran primly perched and isolated high above, waiting for pleading groom Pat to win over the patriarch of the Architecture family.

And it’s not surprising that Pat had to answer personal questions about Pran, shout out how much he loves him, and climb those mountainous steps to claim his beloved (although that romantic password reveal at Ep.10 [1I4] 11:40 was gasp-inducing in these troublesome times of personal data protection 🤣).

But it’s clear that Pran here is no powerless princess bride languishing passively in some ivory tower. Director Backaof and the talented screenwriters use this opportunity to throw some cold water on another BL trope (the meaningless role-gendering of male couples, accompanied by suggestions of imbalanced power dynamics). Whether or not the whole scene originated from Pran, it’s obvious he’s a key player and very much in control (from the phone call at Ep.10 [1I4] 8:30 and his knowing, cheeky smirks peppering the whole exchange, starting at Ep.10 [1I4] 9:52). Pat may have gone to the faculty like a knight in shining armor with Pran’s work file, but that was actually at sneaky Pran’s bidding, in service of a higher purpose.

When it becomes evident that the scene has evolved into a commitment ceremony with Pat’s question at Ep.10 [1I4] 12:13, Pran takes over the narrative from senior Joke at Ep.10 [1I4] 12:20. (Anybody have any idea why Joke appears tipsy so early in the day though? He makes me think of the drunk best man leading toast after toast at a wedding banquet, woozily emceeing the proceedings until a saner, more sober individual has to take over. 😂 And any significance to his nickname?).  

At this point we have PRAN stepping forward and issuing challenges directly to Pat – all at once he’s no longer the silent observer at his own wedding (unlike countless sequestered, voiceless brides in times past).

Then – significantly – they take steps toward each other on that staircase, and meet in the middle, signifying that this is a union of equals, where instead of rings, they seal the deal with the fist bump seen before at Ep.1 [4/4] 1.48 and Ep.6 [4/4] 8.35. And well we know – that fist bump showed how well-matched they were as rivals before, and it shows how well-matched they are as partners now. 😊

TLDR… ;) This scene can be read in a number of ways – it subverted some patriarchal norms, stomped a bit more on some BL tropes, demolished faculty opposition to PatPran’s relationship using faculty hazing tradition, and also commented on wedding customs in the light of modern relationships. But the romantic in me can’t help but see it first and foremost as PatPran’s commitment ceremony, or wedding, call it what you will – the very public formalization of their heretofore informal love relationship in the eyes of society. 💖💖💖

[Afterpost Edit: It turns out that Pran’s peer mentor Joke does have some significance, and his name ties in with Pat’s password reveal. For the analysis, do check out this link here. 😉 And for WAI’s own wedding (sort of), do check out this link here.]

[awesome-cookies-and-cream]

time for a history lesson kids

Iso anyway after 9 years of waiting (oh god) my dreams came true and hetalia finally has my country featured. And my first instinct is to draw a precolonial Philippines and then headcanon the shit out of it based on all my readings

i knew an Anthropology degree was gonna be useful someday

so anyway head canon history lesson time. gather round kids. I took this college program for a reason:

I feel like the recent Philippines would be born post 1565 after Miguel Lopez de Lagzpi. That boy must be a considered Mestizo ( mixed-race individuals, who were born from intermarriages of the Spaniards and merchants with the indigenous Filipino (Austronesian/Malay/Malayo-Polynesian) natives)

But let’s assume he is an Indio (who somehow lost all his tattoos?? oh well) then there’s an angsty and slightly badass headcanon that he actually killed absorbed all the other representatives from other tribes. they don’t die easily (unless harmed by economic struggles/or i guess hurt by fellow representatives) so it kinda explains the whole Bayani concept of undefeatable heroes. (we love our epics about heroes don’t we?)

That said! (our precolonial ancestors’ history is pretty badass tbh and very brutal. i wouldn’t put it past him to actually have killed all the other reps. We literally have a headhunting sport haha) let’s get on to the cultural aspects shall we?

I based most of this from the Boxer Codex’s illustrations which probably is centered around Visayas and Manila settlements for obvious reasons that they were found first. (they deteriorated first too :’) but since I’m from Visayas, the info i can give you are better off being in Visayas (also he has a tarsier lmao. mostly found in bohol. i hc him to be in Visayas. I’m sorry)

the obvious parts here are the tattoos which if you think looks kinda like the one in Moana, you’re right. it is (somewhat) we may also have descended from the same Austronesian ethnicity from Taiwan or China (most SEA countries did actually. there are many conflicting theories for this and most of you guys learned the Otley-Beyer’s wave migration theory WHICH IS WRONG PLEASE FORGET ABOUT THAT SHIT. IT’S VERY RACIST. something about calling negritos inferior because of the technology sits very wrong. throw that multi linear cultural evolution thoughts away and say fuck you to Morgan and Lewis and also say fuck you to DepEd for not changing it. anyway

the point is virgin Otley Beyer, chad Peter Bellwood. Listen to Austronesian Wave Migration theory (you’d find this evident in the way southeast asians to melanasia and pacific islanders share linguistic similarities. i can’t find that teletubbies salamat meme

but let’s talk about pre-col culture because I’m rambling now. everyone probably knows that tattoos are a symbol of social roles from your HEKASI lessons. they are the Pintados. It’s a sacred tradition where you earn them at every achievement. you start at your legs and trail up to your face. the ones on the chest that look like breastplates are awarded after you win a head from the head hunting (which yeah they think of the head as a holy place too so they eat it, thinking they’ll consume its holiness) the face tattoos are for the greatest warriors (and seeing he’s an immortal country, he would have face tattoos) different tribes have different patterns, but you usually either see snake patterns or sea patterns (thus the zigzag)

fun fact: cebuanos were very ruthless pirates haha. we are voyagers my dude. we devised long ranged boats way before sailing was a major thing. much like in moana. you can see traces of it in the traditional fishing boats with those braces on the side to keep balance. it’s cool. point is, water is a very large way of life. (i think you also earn a tattoo from sailing but I’m not sure)

the deep red dye is an honor given only to the bravest warriors. the longer your putong or headdress is,the braver you are. we also used gold like it was nothing. (magellan had to stop his crew from trading their stuff into gold haha) we used it everyday and even placed them in our teeth. (YES WE HAD DENTISTRY BACK THEN) our art and aesthetics believe in the pride of our bodies thus we decorate it, believing we are past primitive thoughts by modifying the human body. so we didn’t care about property, we cared about our appearance. we are also culturally expected to strut our new tattos and piercings with pride. speaking of piercings men and women were expected to pierce their ears and wear large ass earrings.

the precolonial cebuano is a showman (and we still are). you show off these accessories with finesse. you need to live the art. walk and make those golden bracelets jingle. so if you feel like being dramatic, that’s the spirit of your ancestors encouraging you to be dramatic hahaha

(funny enough the ye olden people thought the spanish were poor and backward for not ornamenting their bodies.only a monkey would have white teeth like that and undecorated skin! yeah love how we chismis like that way back then too)

one last side note. we wore cock rings/piercings too as status symbols okay bye

anyway I have more to talk about pre-col phippines. we haven’t touched gender roles (pre-col philippines would also be very chill about gayness and transwomen are even venerated into priestess positions. it’s all cool so pre-col philippines is definitely not cis haha and probably chill about not being straight yay indophil)

anyway yeah

[sukiglycerin]

yours, senpai || katsuki bakugou.

* pairing: pro-hero!katsuki bakugou x manager!reader (gender neutral!)

* genre: kind of,,, angsty not really, fluff

* words: 1,884

* warnings: all i can say is sorry shouto, usage of sEnpAi (used for upperclassmen) and kOuhAi (used for underclassmen), i keep doing manager!reader nd bakugou, reader has a bad day, cussing, bakugou being soft

* original request:  okay so i’ve seen so many bakugou fics about him getting jealous but I remember having an idea to write about the reader getting jealous over bakugo for something so little because of them having a rough day i don’t really have the time to write it but if you get around to it and actually wanna write it i’d definitely give it a read

* a/n: this is finally here! i’m really happy with how it turned out. ngl, this was almost named “y/n and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day” but be glad i didn’t LKDSLFSL there will be a second part to this that’s just,,, pwp for fem!reader. so, look forward to that next week! @toishi is the best for proofreading this~~

bakugou always had girls over him. it was just a thing, a norm, that had come to be as a pro-hero. that didn't make you like it more, or anything, but you had to accept it. you knew it would never really change; even in your high school days, the kouhai named bakugou would be the talk of the girls in your year, fawning over his smooth skin and rugged look. (it was as though they'd completely forgotten the sports festival in your second year.) you never understood the appeal; to you, a third-year in the business course, bakugou was just an immature hero-wannabe, one of the boys that came a dime a dozen in japan. heck, this was a hero school; you were surrounded by them.

your first interaction with bakugou was in your third year. you'd been partnered up with a hero course student as a project, learning the ins and outs of marketing to a hero's strengths and managing said hero. girls absolutely ogled you for being partnered up with the bakugou, but you found it slightly revolting. to idolize a second year, a kouhai, who had anger issues and a terrible fashion sense? you did not see the appeal. if anything, you were concerned about how to contain the explosiveness of his personality and package it into a pretty looking present. his face constantly made the crudest of expressions, and the words that fell from his lips were completely vulgar. 

after the project, your perspective of bakugou slightly changed; his face wasn't always unpleasant to look at (typically when he was off-guard) and his personality had softened a bit. he, at least, had the decency to call you senpai; according to a rumour from your friend, class 2a's infamous pretty boy, shouto todoroki, spoke quite plainly. too plainly. it was like he had a bone to pick with every upperclassman he talked to, not bothering to use the proper honorifics and talking shit when upset (the latter, though, wasn't confirmed by your friend, you'd just heard it around).

you kept in touch with bakugou, and the honorifics never really dropped, even though you'd told him it was fine to speak casually. you'd both graduated from high school, thus bakugou became a pro-hero and you started an office job at a hero agency. you worked your way up through the company, though it was an incredibly slow process due to the sheer size of it. it was then bakugou offered you a position at his agency; as his manager.

manager was a heavy word in your mouth. the only times you'd even echoed the job were your school project with bakugou and the one time you'd handed a schedule to a sidekick during one of your internships. besides, you didn't want to earn the job simply because you had the right connection; you wanted to earn it, and as of then, you didn't quite feel you had. when you'd voiced this concerned to bakugou, he bluntly told you that he believed you were fit. (your first reaction was: what kind of reasoning is that?) he then followed up that he was in desperate need of a competent manager, and that if you could do one day he'd be grateful and pay however much you asked. it was a surprising request from such a popular, in-demand hero, but you supposed it wouldn't hurt.

it has not hurt at all in the five years you've been his manager. the closest thing that has come to hurting would be the fangirls, and even then, most mean no harm. somewhere in the middle you'd started dating bakugou, and it was almost as if you were dating his fangirls as well, with the way they always tried to contact you or hammered you if they recognized you in public. thankfully, the latter was extremely rare.

however, today was not a particularly good day for the appearance of fangirls. whatever power in the universe had decided to awaken you on the wrong side of bed (literally, you found yourself face-to-face with a spider and two alarms too late), and now you were blessed with a meet-and-greet for bakugou. 

fanmeets were held once in a blue moon for bakugou (thankfully), because he was more concerned about his hero duties than how his fanservice would make some girl's heart burst out of her chest. lucky for you, the universe blessed you to have one today.

really, the only thing you can think of as you drive to work is the sight of bakugou's face. he's always quite cute in the mornings; the rasp of sleep on his tongue and a slight pout he has when talking. it would be enough to reenergize you for the day, you know for sure.

conveniently, he is nowhere near his office when you arrive to work. you pull out the calendar on your phone and realize: he's currently being styled for his fanmeet, and you definitely won't be seeing him for another hour. you sigh, heading to the lounge to make yourself coffee. this was gonna be a long day.

conveniently, you burn your hand in the slightest making your coffee, and it seems to have started a time bomb of your patience. careful not to burn your tongue on the godforsaken coffee, it gets cold. you're stuck in an elevator with a bunch of stockholders who do not smell pleasant (a potpourri of conflicting fragrances is not ideal), and somehow, you almost trip up walking while fuming about the horribleness of your day.

conveniently, you forget where you put the paper copy of today's schedule and must begrudgingly adhere to the plain, unannotated one on your phone. the hold time for the fanmeet venue takes far too long for a priority customer (such as yourself and ground zero), and listening to eine kleine nachtmusik for the billionth time as the same monotone voice apologizes for the wait does nothing to brighten your day. damnit, mozart, it's morning, and you have 8 more hours of this shit. thankfully, the venue has not completely forgotten about your existence and you're able to confirm everything, and then you find yourself driving to said venue to meet up with staff. traffic is one hell of a nightmare to someone having a bad day.

you sit in your car, which seems extremely cramped and humid because you've been sitting in it for too long, clicking on and off radio channels to the point you make a rhythm based off the clicks and somehow your radio hasn't broken and traffic hasn't moved an inch.

you arrive at the venue on time with no bakugou in sight; ah, right, he's retouching his makeup and hair. he doesn't even need makeup, in your humble opinion; his natural skin is literally glowing. you're just about to approach bakugou (who, maybe on second thought, needs the makeup, considering how angelic he looks) when one of the staff asks that you check that the projector is on the right channel, and then the fans pour in. you try to convince yourself that each fan has spent an abhorral amount of money to get into this event and that you should treat them with respect, but it's so damn hard when they're all nosebleeding and making grabby hands at bakugou. you're grateful you're not a bodyguard, or you're sure you would've decked the teen with the green shirt who attempted to full-on makeout with bakugou before being politely escorted out.

you could barf at the fanservice so gracefully sown into the fanmeet; the way bakugou so effortlessly intertwines with a fan's, or how he ends a smooth line with a heart-killing smirk. it's absolutely disgusting recalling that you taught him all of that.

needless to say, you have a lot of pent-up frustration by end of the day. the fanmeet ended smoothly, though halfway in, you considered ditching your position as manager to become a nosebleeding, crying, grabby-handed fan just to make contact with bakugou. perhaps the last straw for you was after the fanmeet; as the two of you exited the venue, tired, a fan (probably around bakugou's age) approached bakugou for a picture. bakugou accepted, and she apologized profusely for bothering the two of you. you were stuck behind the camera, grumpily watching as she put her hands on bakugou. a rational part of your brain knew her touches were as polite as possible, but the rest of your brain selectively ignored this fact. you fumed taking the photo, gritting out a smile as you handed back the fan's phone (stopping yourself from smashing it on the pavement). who were these fans, taking away you from bakugou? 

"senpai," bakugou deadpans as the two of you drive home. the word brings a sense of comfort to you; strange to an outside viewer, you know, but it somewhat acts as a pet name bakugou used on you. the word brings you back to simpler times, when you and bakugou were clear-cut senpai and kouhai, nothing else. even when you became his manager, the word "senpai" rolled so smoothly off his tongue, despite the roles being switched. you started having a penchant for the word, it becoming a word of comfort to you. for you, entangled in a strange manager/lover position to bakugou. senpai. it reminds you of who bakugou was, and how much he means to you now.

"eh? what's wrong? you've been lookin' upset all day," bakugou grunts.

"it's... trivial," you say. you rarely get jealous; you trust bakugou, and know he'd only ever have eyes for you. "let's talk about it when we get home." you make up your mind to discuss it rationally with bakugou when you get home. very rationally, with cuddles and all.

one thing that fans will never ever get are bakugou's cuddles, and you smile to yourself at that. they'll never know what it feels like to feel safe in bakugou's arms, to be enveloped in his scent, to feel home with bakugou, and be able to call him only yours. in that way, he's your little secret.

when bakugou asks what's wrong at home, you simply reply, "missed you." the two words are enough; he's stepping towards you, a little hesitant, and then his arms are around you, and the familiar scent of caramel greets you.

"had a bad day," you confess, "and watching all the fans and the fanservice..."

"fuck the fanservice," bakugou says, and his grip gets slightly tighter. "i'd leave it all for you, in a heartbeat. i'm... i'm only yours." you look at him, and he's looking away, face scrunched in a frustrated expression and cheeks dusted pink.

"you should know that, idiot," he grumbles. 

you smile. "love you," you say, pecking his cheek softly. he flushes deeper at this, glancing at you then away again.

"don't make me say it back," he mumbles. "you know i love you too."

it's at night when the feelings of jealousy bubble again. you can't help but feel insecure, replaying the day's events in your mind. those girls had so much that you didn't - surely, they were much more attractive, much more sweet and kind. 

"mine," you mumble, pressing yourself against bakugou.

"stop thinking, moron, and sleep," bakugou grunts. "of course i'm all yours."

[dwellordream]

“Antifeminist jest and satire against alewives, shrews, and gossip soften grouped together as gossips' literature-provides a rich site for this sort of excavation. The word gossip itself requires more careful treatment than it is usually given. Respectable for centuries, gossip (from godsip) referred primarily to a godparent of either gender. By the sixteenth century the word was being applied to any close female friend, though it was sometimes used for male friends as well. In the late sixteenth century "gossiping" described a "merry meeting" of women to drink, laugh, and talk; it was not until a century later that Johnson's Dictionary equated gossip with the obnoxious woman "who runs about tattling like women at a lying in." Early modern speakers drew important distinctions between scold and gossip. The words were by no means equivalents. 

Unlike talking about one's neighbors, scolding was a chronic, legally actionable offense; and the connotations of shrew varied from mild to damning. In Brathwait's Essaies upon the five senses (1619), a scold "goes weekly a catter-wauling, where shee spoiles their spice-cup'd gossiping with her tart-tongued calletting." Whatever those gossips are up to, the scold is wrong to spoil it. Such a distinction suggests that women had certain rights of assembly-despite all the injunctions that women should stay indoors, avoid all gadding, and strive for silence. Traveler Emmanuel Van Meteren marveled that Englishwomen spent so much time visiting their friends and keeping company, conversing with their equals (whom they term gossips) and their neighbours, and making merry with them at child-births, christenings, churchings and funerals; and all this with the permission and knowledge of their husbands, as such was the custom.

Daniel Rogers warned husbands that they would be foolish to forbid their wives to attend gossipings and even advised them to give wives money "to bestow upon the meetings and lawfull merriments of their kind, which it were a poore thing for a husband curiously to enquire after." Robert Cawdrey urged moderation rather than abstinence: gossips should meet only as often as "the law of good neighbourhood doth require." John Stephens's character "A Gossip" predictably conflates a woman's volubility and mobility with sexual and bodily incontinence. 

Her knowledge is her speech; the motive, her tongue; and the reason is her tongue also: but the subject of her eloquence is her neighbours wife, and her husband, or the neighbours wife and husband both. Shee is the mirth of marriages, and publicke meetings .... Shee carries her bladder in her braine, that is full; her braine in her tongues end, that shee empties .... Shee emulates a Lawyer in riding the circuite, and therefore she keeps a circuit in, or out of her own liberties: striving to be both one of the judges, Jury, and false witnesses: that is her freedom only, to censure .... Her truth is, to make truths and tales convertibles: tales be her substance, her conceit, her vengeance, reconcilements, and discourse .... If she railes against whoredom it savours not of devotion; for she is only married to escape the like scandall; from the doore outward.

The irony, of course, is that the author rails in the catty tones of a censorious neighbor. Despite the formulaic hostility in this character, one may glimpse a shadow portrait of a neighbor and a neighborhood. Like neighbor, the term gossip implies a relationship between peers. Always on hand for disputes and interventions, she also serves as a chief relayer of news and knowledge within the community. As the sarcastic phrase "one of the judges" indicates, she operates as an informal social arbiter. Ironically, it is precisely her narrative skill that qualifies her for this role. No matter how caustically "tittle tattle" was scorned, gossip "gave women a particular standing in neighbourhood social relations," as Gowing puts it. "Telling stories and judging morals made women the brokers of moral reputation."

While Stephens derides his gossip for gadding and tattling, he fails to suppress an uncomfortable social fact: such women can never be excluded from the crucial labor of maintaining social order. Pamphleteers and playwrights devoted much energy to trivializing women's talk at gossipings, betraying their fear that the effects on men's reputations could be far from trivial. In a merry meeting in Thomas Deloney's Thomas of Reading, some gossips "talkt of their husbands' frowardnes, some shewed their maids sluttishnes, othersome deciphered the costliness of their garments, some told many tales of their neighbors." Some jest gossips are two-faced, greedy, and leaky, such as those in Middleton's Chaste Maid in Cheapside. Others are almost witchlike. 

The author of The Gossips Greeting (1620) rants against "the proud, peevish, paultry, pernicious shee-pot companions, those curious, careless, crafty, carping curtizanicall Gossips ... dangerous as hell, / None of you beare a modest womans mind / You do infect even with your smell." These representations must be read alongside gossips' texts that are more nuanced and altogether less bilious. Samuel Rowlands's best-selling Tis Merry When Gossips Meet (1602) and A Whole Crew of Kind Gossips (1609) painted alehouse meetings with a mix of humorous voyeurism, mild satire, and unusually candid social realism. In the first pamphlet a wife and widow give a maid fairly standard advice about men and marriage. The widow buys them rounds with an evident pride in her ability to pay, providing a strong contrast to the many jests in which drunken men cheat the hostess. 

Satire is directed largely at the widow, who gets tipsy and garrulous. But for the most part, the pamphlet leaves the impression that it offered readers a glimpse of women indulging in a merry pastime that formed an important and familiar part of neighborhood socializing. To repeat Wrightson's argument, the ideal of "good neighborhood" required everyone to accept neighbors "as a reference group in matters of behavior and to promote harmonious relations among them." How could a woman fulfill this obligation without asking, "What news?" The surprising answer is that she couldn't. What we now call gossip was, in fact, essential to being a good neighbor, and talking about neighbors and strangers was not considered the prelude to scolding or near kin to slander. The obligation of neighborhood made constant comment not only normative but a prime regulating device. 

To use Merry Wives as an example, the Windsor wives' censure of Falstaff and gossip about Ford initiates action that will eventually involve their neighbors in neutralizing the threats to the common peace posed by a sexual adventurer and a horn-mad husband. Their joint consultation and campaign of mockery lie firmly in the bounds of "good neighborhood." Censorious gossip "could be an effective informal method of control: it indicated community disapproval, and shamed its subject. If the subject of gossip did not stop the behavior, at least everyone else knew what to think about it." Gossip, defined this way, could maintain and reiterate social boundaries. Fueled by curiosity and pleasure in ridicule, gossip also primed audiences to recognize the more cutting forms of wit and the aesthetically engineered moral judgment known as satire. 

Proficiency at this narrative form, so often salted with jests and proverbs, promoted rhetorical efficacy in life and art, while skill at telling believable stories about one's life and neighbors held much weight in the courtroom and on the streets. Gossip was not always conservative in effect. By asking "What news?" women also had a chance to learn about and talk over events in the larger world, out of the hearing of husbands, fathers, and masters. According to historian Steve Hindle, gossip is both a "female subculture" and a "formative stage in the development of 'public opinion' over a whole range of issues, local and national, private and public, personal and political. To ignore gossip is to ignore one of the few channels of participation in this 'public sphere' that was open to women."

Gatherings during working time or in leisure moments, such as christenings, may have given women a place in which to articulate opinions and to plan for common action, such as the many enclosure protests, grain riots, and religious disputes in which they participated. Some fictional gossips poach eagerly on male discourses supposedly closed to them, such as biblical interpretation, the worth of stage plays, and the fate of kings. In The gospelles of dystaves (c. 1510) a group of women meets secretly to hear a new kind of preaching by "apostles" named Dame Hengtyne and Dame Abunde, while a male scholar transcribes. Their chat mixes homely proverbs and bawdy laughter, interspersed with more serious challenges to religious teachings about women's subjection. 

While the pamphlet obviously satirizes ignorant and unruly women, it also suggests that women did talk together about what they heard in church and that they were given to interpreting biblical passages in favor of women's interests. Female association could be dangerous to the state: the weird sisters of Macbeth carp about their neighbors, crack jokes, practice riddling prophecy, and rearrange Scottish history. Like gossips in their cups, they "scorn male power" while "their words and bodies mock rigorous boundaries and make sport of fixed positions. " In The Staple of News, Jonson attempts to silence and discipline unruly women in his audiences by presenting caricatures of neighborhood gossips. 

Underlining the close association between the juries of the threshold and the theater, Tattle, Mirth, Censure, and Expectation boldly invade the stage with their stools, sitting down to cavil about the actors and the sweaty playwright, forming a jury of women who judge a play together as if they were judging gossip and scandal at home. Despite the satire, Jonson casts them as the prime producers and consumers of news and rumors; he cannot help but make them sharp-eyed judges of the staple, which commodifies word of mouth" by printing it. Occasionally gossips are painted as resourceful and clever. In Dekker and Webster's Westward Hal, citizen wives furnish themselves "a commodity of laughter" by leading their jealous husbands and eager suitors on a wild-goose chase up the Thames. 

As in Merry Wives, this pleasure carries a risk. When they plot to scare their husbands with the prospect of horns and turn the tables on their arrogant suitors, one wife warns the others that they must deflect any resulting slanders using shrewd foresight: tho we are merry, let's not be mad: ... It were better we should laugh at these popin-Jayes, then live in feare of their prating tongues: tho we lie all night out of the Citty, they shall not finde country wenches of us: but since we ha[ve] brought em thus far into a fooles Paradice, leave em int: the Jest shall be a stock to maintain us and our pewfellowes in laughing at christning, cryings out, and upsittings the twelvemonth. 

Similar scenes of female complicity are rooted in the social reality of women neighbors and gossips who rely heavily on each other's judgment in matters sexual and romantic. Such interdependence was especially important for unmarried women. Comedies featuring maids satirizing suitors (like Portia and Nerissa in The Merchant of Venice) or coolly ranking types of men (like Franck and Clora in Fletcher's The Captain and Celia and Rosalind in As You Like It) probably did stoke masculine anxieties about patriarchy's vulnerability to the desires of women. On the other hand, the very same scenes may have delighted women or taught them sophisticated new ways to squelch unwanted suitors. 

The antimasculinist satire and complaint that fill gossips' literature function in a distinctive way in Margaret Cavendish's Convent of Pleasure, which virtually reproduces passages from gossips' literature and from women's tirades in controversy pamphlets. Poor women meet in the street to moan about the flaws of their husbands, which include wife beating, heavy drinking, and gambling away the household funds. Other scenes show the terrors of childbed and the persecution of a gentlewoman threatened with rape by a married man whose proposals she rejects. Neighbors and friends cannot stop rapine suitors or worthless husbands in this dystopia; so Cavendish creates a gender retreat that takes female complaint seriously, dedicating her earthly paradise to women's association, education, and delight: a high-toned gossips' feast.”

- Pamela Allen Brown, “Ale and Female: Gossips as Players, Alehouse as Theater.” in Better a Shrew than a Sheep: Women, Drama, and the Culture of Jest in Early Modern England

[0dirty-deals0]

I love the yandere headcanon you wrote for Asmo! Could you write one for the twins too? Thanks in advance!

YANDERE TWINS HEADCANONS:

Warning: I do not and never will condone abusive behaviour like this, what I'm writing is PURELY FICTIONAL. Contains n/s/f/w. Mc is GENDER NEUTRAL

*Okay so, I personally believe that yandere wise, they're a two for one deal. That's both a good thing and a bad thing. Good thing is that you get twice the love, bad thing is that they love you so much it's suffocating, and that's only for one of them.

*They're very protective of you, it's not uncommon to have both of them by your side. Even if one isn't available they make sure the other is and if neither are available then you aren't going out, plain and simple. Even if you inform them that you HAVE to leave the house they'll try their best to tell you that they're just protecting you.

"Mc, it's very dangerous outside. We don't want you getting hurt."

"Wouldn't it be scary to be killed by someone you didn't know? To be eaten and never found? Don't make us go through that heartache, Mc..."

*They crave your attention constantly and they're very upfront about it. You could be chatting with a demon from your class and once they decide they've had enough of you talking to them they'll try to distract you. Beel often whines about starving and wanting food to get you to follow him and if that doesn't work he just straight up carries you away. Belphie hugs you from behind and while you don't notice it, the demon you're conversing with is terrified when they see Belphie's peeking death glare over your shoulder. If you ask him why the demon left in a rush he'd just shrug and hold you tighter to him.

*Belphie has considered locking you in their room many times and has informed Beel of the idea. While tempting, Beel doesn't want you to be completly locked away. He knows you'd be unhappy with the suggestion and that his brothers would cause a whole fit if that happened. Though, maybe if you push him hard enough he may reconsider.

*Both are very emotionally manipulating. They're skilled in making you feel guilty if you ever do something that displeases them. Belphie is a lot more physical than Beel when it comes to showing his displeasure as well. Though not too much to the point where you fet severely hurt, his grip just tightens to a point where it bruises.

"Mc, please don't leave us. Please don't leave me. Please, I don't want anymore nightmares."

"Ah, your wrists are bruised. I'm sorry, Mc, I'll ask Beel to get some ice, but you really shouldn't be talking too much to Solomon nowadays, who knows what he's constantly planning. I know he's your friend, but aren't we your lovers? We just want to protect you as best as we can."

*Belphie and Beel are possessive of you, but on different levels. Beel only allows you to converse with people he knows and trusts, such as his brothers or the other exchange students. He knows that others enjoy your company too, but he needs to determine who is allowed to be around you. Belpie on the other hand does not want you to converse with anyone but the two of them. It's not to say he doesn't care for his other brothers, but he doesn't trust anyone other than Beel with you (ironic considering he murdered you). He's worried they'll take you away from them, he gets especially pissy if you talk to Diavolo or Lucifer. Beel has to be the one to calm him down and explain to him that you do need to interact with other people to keep (sane) happy.

*They often give you their clothes to wear when you all go out. It serves as a claim from the two of them and I'm sure demons have a heightened sense of smell, so the scent of not one, but two high ranking demons on you is more than a warning sign to back off. Also Beel likes to look at how cute you look in your jacket and Belphie thinks you look even more comfier in his cardigan.

*When you two are cuddling and for whatever reason you need to get up, Belphie will use his charm to slowly lull you to sleep and Beel will contribute by massaging circles into you back. You can whine and complain all you want but eventually you'll always find yourself resting your head on Beel's chest once again. When you're out cold they take this opportunity to hold you even tighter against the two of them. You aren't leaving until they let you.

NSFW:

*Okay so, they have no problem sharing you in bed either let's get that straight out of the way. In fact, they enjoy it a lot when they do share. Beel's eagerness to please and Belphie's lazy but commanding role are a pretry good match.

*Overstimulation is always a must when you're sleeping with Beel, and Belphie likes to tell him what to do to get your screaming and sobbing. You really won't be able to walk for a while and that's fine by them. It means Beel gets to haul you around with a reason and Belphie gets to keep you in bed without the worry of you escaping his grip.

*MARKING! Okay so biting is definitely a demon's favourite thing to do in bed, but since they're absolutely obsessed with you, their marking gets a lot worse. There's not a part of you that isn't covered in large bites. Beel is obviously the biggest fan of marking you and he loves biting your shoulder blade or your neck. His bitemarks on your neck are rather large and hard to hide, they sometimes go in quite deep too. Belphie, true to his lazy nature, enjoys hickies and where he marks depends on how you're all positioned. Wherever is closest to him is the place that will be covered in hickies.

*Okay so, Somnophilia is highkey a thing they're into. Mostly in Belphie's case but Beel guiltily joins in sometimes too. Belphie will put you under an incredibly strong sleeping spell and from there they have fun with how pliant and honest you are when you're unconscious.

*Belphie is lazy when it comes to aftercare but Beel likes it a lot. So Beel is usually the one taking care of you after your activities. They often leave you tired so Beel insists on cleaning you up by himself, gently scrubbing you clean in the shower and giving you soft kisses. After that he, with the help of Belphie, will disinfect any deep bitemarks or wounds they may have left on you. That part of your aftercare session may or may not be Belphie's favourite as he sees the damage him and Beel have done to you. When it's all finished, Belphie will help you to fall asleep using his charm, with or without your consent. He does this to ensure you don't escape their cuddle session in the middle of the night.

Others: Did I just get more yandere asks and this time for my favourite boys? Yes I did~ (Plz keep them coming-) THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS REQUEST! I hope you enjoyed it and if it isn't what you wanted I'll gladly redo it for you! Thank you so much for reading!

[antiracistkaren]

The passivity of white women

I am so fortunate to be a part of a few groups where Black women are pushing white women to have uncomfortable discussions.

I love uncomfortable discussions, and unpacking unsaid currents of rules around social behavior. You may have seen the twitter thread on white women “keeping the peace” and how white women can’t seem to do “real talk” and I think there’s a lot of nuance to this that I’d like to talk about.

You can’t really talk about how white women behave until we talk about how white women are taught to behave, and that begins early. Nowadays with Gender reveal party nonsense, it’s taught even before a baby arrives.

Young kids (of all genders) are taught their roles early: this is what a woman looks like, wears, does for a job, talks like, walks like, thinks like. These rules are implanted extremely early if a child is part of an organized religion (especially ones like Christianity). On top of these gender norms, kids are also taught about white supremacy very early. Patriarchy and white supremacy go hand in hand, much as capitalism and white supremacy do (in fact, they are likely a triumvirate of oppression of the masses, but I digress...).

That means that while kids are learning about what is “man” and what is “woman” they are doing so against the picture of whiteness--that the white standard of beauty is paramount, that the white woman standard of what a woman looks like is superior. Patriarchal rules around sin (that Eve was sinful from the start, and thus, all women are sinful and therefore cannot be trusted--which, again I’ll digress, is so weird that this inherent belief exists alongside being forced to care for children, who are so impressionable and plastic in the first five years of life...) and around a woman’s place in the home (”never the head of household”) creates a strange gilded cage for women in general.

This twitter thread was written as an observation by a Black woman, and I think that she does hit on several points, but it is by no means a complete evaluation of the ways in which passive-aggressive and lack of “real talk” rules perpetuate in white households.

Just as there is intersection of oppression on Black women, we have to look at the complicated nature of patriarchy’s oppression on white women and the unwritten danger of cognitive dissonance in the house with any man.

We have established that gender norms and white supremacy are implanted early. They also have lasting consequences: students who mold themselves to these rules are rewarded with verbal praise, promotion to leadership positions (which is wild when you think about it), a large social circle, and general popularity among students. Students who speak up and question these rules are met with swift and lasting punishment: social isolation, physical and verbal bullying by peers and adults, and a lack of opportunity to influence others in leadership positions.

White supremacy and Patriarchy are so ingrained by kindergarten, that parents don’t have to do much work in their kids to uphold it.

Also consider the father in this situation: what role is he playing in the family that the white mother must be wary and concerned about? If they’re going to church, he is likely very conscious of his reputation as a man within that church: a man who “provides” (economically), who manages his wife (in a myriad of ways, but definitely economically and socially), and who raises children who will also be perpetual upholders of the status quo.

When we look at violence overall, we know that it comes from men a vast majority of the time. Consider what this means within a family. Since men tend to react violently to cognitive dissonance (their worldview shifting or being questioned) it is in a wife’s best interest not to cause it. That means keeping the peace as the man deems it, and holding conflict to a minimum, as this may put her (and/or her kids) at risk for bodily, verbal, or economic harm.

There is a strong incentive for any woman of any race and class, to stay partnered with a man. He is more likely to earn more money, and a double-income household is better able to provide services and opportunities for their children. So when we consider families who have been raised straight, christian, white, and able-bodied generation over generation, it is easy to see how a white woman can have these rules and rituals (to be passive, to do as told, to not question authority) implanted and Never Question Them for the span of their entire lives.

White women tears then in some cases, when provoked into a conversation that causes cognitive dissonance, are really tears of primal fear. If I change my mind to assimilate these concepts of patriarchy and white supremacy, then as a wife, it is my job to also help my partner assimilate these concepts. But should I do so at the risk to my body, my economic status, my children and my health? These are real questions white women will have to answer.

In the mean time, it’s imperative to start drawing a line from where these rules stand right now (that women, still, are required to uphold a visual appearance that is in line with white standards of beauty, and to uphold the very social norms that keep these oppressions in place) to where they were implanted in the very minds of the women in the grip of white supremacy and patriarchal views. Until we change the way that we teach what a woman is, in a way that is inclusive, non-patriarchal, and not in a white supremacist paradigm, it is up to white women to speak up no matter the threat, to create plans to ensure their own safety, and to stand up beside BIPOC women and non-binary folks to speak out about how harmful these unspoken rules are.

[lilisouless]

The grishaverse´s best female relationship and how gender roles play a part on them.

Most group dynamics with only two girls, normaly have a tomboy and a girly girl/woman in order to set up how they are diferent. There is nothing wrong with this dynamics if done well (like anything else in writting) , but is notable that this is using gender roles as defining the characters (she is girly, she diferenciates from her because she is not) and setting them as oposites, rarely there is a third girl since this dynamic is mostly used as "there is only two type of women" narrative.

In the case of Six of Crows, the desition of having only two girls is probably not made with this distinction in mind: the author wanted three romantic storylines with six characters , but since she also wanted one of them to be a same sex couple, then the female-male radio was not going to be equal, and in this case she decided to make a male mayority (the oposite would happen later in the Nikolai Duology)

Let´s see it for a second how this compared with the original grisha trilogy (yes, me again praising Bardugo by critizing Bardugo)

Leigh doesn't write a lot of tomboy characters, the only one i can think is Tammar (yes, Hanne exist but i am not sure if i should be talking about them as "girl" with all that obvious trans coding) that could also be a factor. So, there are not a lot of girly girl/tomboy comparissions,but this doesn't mean gender roles doesn't make an impact in female relationships

There are a few ,important woman/woman dynamics: Genya and Alina is a dynamic that is still in the dark for me, i haven't finished S&S not read R&R , so i would rather keep them out of this, but as long as i got, they are not an equal relationship and neither are Tammar/Alina since most of the dialog is bringing Alina up, Tammar only had a couple of lines about herself .The other is Zoya and Alina and is what normally happens when you put two femenine women together: The virgin/whore complex

warning,warningwarning this may not be friendly to Alina fans warningwarningwarning skip this skip this

Alina is the inocent ,virginal "just like you" girl, but at the same time is "not like other girls" and Zoya is presented as the bitch, the sexually active, those other girls Alina can't stand.

Alina deep inside, is just as bitchy as Zoya , the only diference being that Zoya is more aware of this and actually voices it while Alina keeps it to herself.

Leigh eventually would realize the potential in Zoya, or maybe she planned it since early but managed to save Zoya and only the first book is where she is unlikeable and the designated target so the viewer could spill her internalized misoginy without feeling guilty. But even if Zoya gets most fleshed out in the second book (when by accident, is shown how she is actually more put together than Alina) they are still against each other: because Zoya becomes phisically involved with Mal , she is placed as the wrong choice while Alina is the right one. Compare it with the opposition of Mal/Nikolai where Nikolai is possed as a tempting rebound (yes, he is too good to be the rebound but that´s how the book makes him to be) and a good, even better option as Mal, but Zoya is made to be Mal´s terrible mistake. Yes, Alina is the narrator therefore we see this since her perspective but the double standard is still there. (see Anne with an E for an example where this doesn't happens as Gilbert is not shown in the wrong for dating Winifred instead of Anne)

Zoya and Alina´s conflict only gets resolved when Zoya is the one who becomes nicer and (like every other woman on this series) beggins to adore the floor Alina steps on.

In an ironic note, Leigh would eventually realize she liked Zoya better ,she is a character that was rescued but the point here is: this is not a mutual relationship, Zoya is the one that must prove she is a better person that she let on and Zoya is the one that has to realize Alina is amazing.

I could go on for a lot, but you people don't have the whole day, the point is this: Not all female relationships have to be compelling , rivaldry exist, BUT when gender roles play into said relationship you have to be carefull ,because you, accidentaly or not, may be saying that there is one type of woman superior to another one. Zoya/Alina is NOT the worst dynamic, in fact is almost almost out of this problem, but almost is not enought. In this case,Alina=the inocent and virginal girl is placed as superior as Zoya=the sexualy active girl,despite the author´s better eforts not to.

Now : Six of Crows

Before getting to the relationship you actually came to see, i´ll point out that Bardugo DID wrote a relationship based on contrast femenine vs Masculine traits, but she did it with two guys,just to note the author is no stranger to this dictonomy

Now, the point of this: instead of being girly girl and Tomboy , both Inej and Nina are presented as femenine.

So, you are probably right now yelling for what i promised in the title , so now i´ll get back to Inej and Nina, unfortunately i am better talking about things i don't like and the ones i do , so this could be disapointingly short:

Reminder,they are both femenine in very very diferent ways.

-Inej is more quiet, wise ,graceful,and overall softer

-Nina is more loud, sexually open,charming, childish and overall more extroverted

They have some traits that can be oposite ,yet still quite femenine. And the most important part: none of them is presented as superior to the other.

Like i said, not ALL female relationships must be perfect and sweet, conflict is interesting but in this case there wouldn't make sense for them to be in conflict. Their beliefs and goals clashes with Kaz and Matthias , not with each other. And of course they don't fight about boys because there is absolutely no need for that,not fight for dominance.

Unlike the Zoya and Alina example above , Nina is not somehow seen as inferior than Inej.Sure Nina is the flirty one that uses her sex appeal to her advantage and Inej is (with very good reason) adverse to sex. Inej doesn't look down at Nina, she encourages to be herself unshamelessly , since she knows what is like to be stripped from will and is happy to see how free spirited her friend is, also can't tolerate Matthias calling her "too much" . Nina is someone with a very diferent temperament from her and admires her,without actually trying to be like her.

And in return, Nina doesn't look Alina down for being diferent for her, for her more calm character, she actually shows to be grateful to having Inej around with her sweet but blunt honesty.In fact, with all Nina´s good self steem, she still feels that Inej "saved her" and her final speech makes you think Nina thinls she much say thank you to Inej for "tolerate her" even if Inej actually feels just as grateful for having her.

The way they express their feminity not only compliment each other, this is something they both consider "saved her life" Nina for having someone to listen to her and Inej for having someone to light her up.

As a bonus,in comparission to , to say ,Alina with Genya or Tammar, none of them is reduced to be the other girl´s best friend. They both have their storylines and goals, can exist without each other, they just don't want to.

With dynamics like Inej and Nina is shown that there are more than one way to handle gender expressions, and this doesn't mean one personality traits are better than the other, they are just diferent people.

Now, let´s adress when the reader is probably thinking: there are two female vs female confrontations in the book.

Tante Heleen is femenine as well, she wears expensive jewellry , clothing and make up. But Heleen´s apareance is more reminicent of a privileged rich woman , and she harms and abuses girls for a living and her looks are not to punish her for being femenine, but for gaining all those expensive items by the horrible things she does to other women, in contrast, Inej wants money to help and liberate sex slaves.

Then there is Dunyasha, who has a more polished look than Inej, with white and gold elegant clothing. As Inej´s speech is worth something, i don't have to say a lot to remind people this was a privileged vs opressed conflict and gender traits doesn't really play on that much.

In conclussion, Nina and Inej´s relationship is aspirational, it feels real because there is a mutual understanding and it helps expand the traditional writing of female dynamics and how the gender roles play into it in an actually positive way.

[ponett]

Three novels down in my journey through Discworld! I’ve now read Equal Rites. As the first book not starring Rincewind, this one shifts its focus from wizards to witches, introducing another series mainstay, Granny Weatherwax

While it’s still obvious from the start that this is set in the same world as Rincewind’s misadventures, Equal Rites immediately feels like a very different book. It still has Pratchett’s comedic flair, but this book is incredibly earnest compared to the farcical tone of the last two books. At first, I was a bit disappointed that this book wasn’t as constantly funny as The Light Fantastic, but by the end I was deeply engaged by its more heartfelt narrative

You see, with this book, Pratchett has started to move from simple genre parody to satire. Equal Rites still pokes fun at fantasy conventions, of course, but at its heart is an examination of sexism and gender roles. It just so happens that this story is told through witches and wizards

The story begins when an elderly wizard travels to the rural town of Bad Ass (the story of how the town got its name is apparently interesting, although it’s never shared in the book). On the Discworld, the eighth son of an eighth son can perform magic and become a wizard, and so this particular wizard plans to pass his staff on to such a child before he dies. Except there’s a problem: after the wizard passes his staff on to the expected newborn, he realizes too late that the baby is, in fact, a girl. And then he dies, and the world is left with is first female wizard

We skip ahead about seven or eight years, and now the young Eskarina Smith wants to learn wizard magic even though she’s a girl. The book feels a bit like a young adult novel at times because its protagonist is a kid, although the narration makes it clear that the book is still written for adults. This is not the world seen through a kid’s eyes, but rather an adult’s commentary on how a kid sees the world. (The need to mark the book as for adults in spite of its young hero is also probably why the opening paragraphs reference sex, and why lots of jokes about adult things that go over Esk’s head are sprinkled throughout.) Esk is joined by Granny Weatherwax, the town witch who isn’t really related to her but is described as basically being everyone’s granny

For the first act of the book, Granny acts sort of as an antagonist (albeit a very mild one), teaching Esk the differences between witch magic and wizard magic and trying to stop her from learning the latter. Wizard magic is portrayed as being bombastic, changing the fabric of reality and shooting lightning bolts out of their hands and that sort of thing. Witch magic, on the other hand, is more in tune with nature. A lot of it could hardly be described as proper “magic” at all, actually--lots of knowing about herbs and home remedies and things. Another witch in the story reads palms and tea leaves, but most of her business seems to be selling some kind of homemade birth control concoction

As Granny puts it, a big part of being a witch is “headology.” Witches have to lean into the theatricality of their profession with the pointy hats and the spookiness and whatnot in order to be treated like witches, and that does half of their job for them. It makes people trust that the home remedies work, or believe that a witch could really curse them, or that sort of thing. Of course, Granny does also know quite a bit of “real” magic as well. The main power she uses is “borrowing,” the act of mentally becoming one with an animal--not quite controlling it, but rather “suggesting” its actions. This leads to some fun sequences throughout the book, including one where she borrows the “mind” of an old building said to have developed something resembling a consciousness over the centuries so that she can locate Esk within it

While there was a good deal of magic in the last two books (even if Rincewind, famously, cannot perform magic), the depiction of wizard magic in these books has already changed. In the first book, Rincewind explained that it took years of studying and a ton of effort to perform any task with magic, making a lot of it seem pointless. But here, with just a staff and no proper training, Esk figures out how to turn one of her brothers into a pig, and teleport her staff to her, and all sorts of other things. Of course, this isn’t some sort of CinemaSins ding or anything. The priorities of the books have simply shifted. In a pure genre parody like The Color of Magic, it made sense to say that magic was actually kind of stupid and pointless. Here, being a wizard needs to be desirable, because Esk’s whole arc is about wanting to become a wizard

While Esk does do well with her witch lessons, eventually it becomes clear that she’s going to start figuring out how to use wizard magic with or without guidance, and Granny accepts that she can’t change Esk. After a bit of a journey in which they get separated and meet several side characters, Esk and Granny make their way to Unseen University. (While Rincewind is nowhere to be seen, the librarian who got turned into an orangutan in the last book is still around. He’s apparently refused to be turned back into a human and is happier this way.) Esk is humiliated by the wizards and turned down, but Granny manages to get Esk a job there as a housekeeper so that she might be able to pick up some magical knowledge while hanging around

In the climax, Esk uses her skills to save a fellow student she befriends named Simon from some eldritch horrors that wanted to take over his mind, and as a reward she’s named the first female wizard. But she realizes that being a wizard is kind of silly, and she and Simon go off to develop their own type of magic (which, if I’m understanding correctly, involves a good deal of Not Doing Magic). In the action of the climax, Granny also manages to show the head of the school that witches know a thing or two about magic as well, and is offered a position at the university (although it’s left unsaid whether or not she took it)

Overall, I really, really enjoyed this one. This was the first book in the series that felt like it took its characters and their problems seriously, writing them as people to empathize with instead of just vehicles for jokes. The gender-based conflict is simple, but effective. I really liked that Pratchett didn’t lean into Esk being Not Like Other Girls. She actually still quite likes the feminine witch magic, and uses those skills to her advantage. It’s just that she also wants to learn wizard magic. It’s not about one being better than the other, it’s about the gender divide being silly. The book shoots down the idea that there must be some fundamental physical or psychological difference between men and women that means they’re destined to excel in different fields, which is honestly a refreshing thing to read in a fantasy novel from over 30 years ago

While it might be a little convenient that the head wizard of the university was swayed to be less sexist so easily, I do think the ending struck a good balance. Sexism is ingrained into wizard culture, so he’s still got some biases against women, and he’s only considering letting a few women into the school to start. He’s taking baby steps. Some might see this as a failure because he only got a little better, but personally, I find this much more believable than if the book had ended with all the wizards deciding that witches were their equals and the school quickly achieving a 50/50 gender split

People don’t quite change like that overnight. But this book does still believe that people can change, challenge their preconceived biases, and become better. And I think that’s what really sets this book apart from the previous two. It’s the first glimmer of those humanist Discworld themes I’ve heard so much about

(Also I laughed every time a wizard said women couldn’t study as wizards because it was “against the lore”)

So yeah, good book. Very good book. Pratchett’s style is already rapidly evolving And next, it’s finally time... for the first Death novel. I couldn’t be more excited

[voxdaemonica]

&&. cauldron above, ( kael endiron ) was just spotted in the fae lands — word has it ( he ) is affiliated with ( the night court ). ( he ) is a ( 346 / physically 30 ) year old ( high fae ). it’s been said that ( he ) resembles ( marlon teixeira ). ( he ) has been said to be ( cunning & analytical ) but also quite ( hedonistic & sarcastic ). ( he ) is currently serving as ( the night court general / second-in-command ).

The Basics

Name: Kael Endiron

Age: 346 / appears 30

Gender: Male

Species: High Fae

Affiliation: Night Court

Occupation: General of the Night Court

Sexuality: Pansexual

Biography

The Endiron family has served the inner circle of the Night Court for generations. Their earliest ancestors held ties to the Warrior Fae, and in the subsequent generations of High Fae that followed, it has been said that those origins are the reason for the family’s remarkable military intelligence. Kael for one, thinks the legend is more myth than fact, but there is no denying that the Endirons are a family that have been blessed with a sharp mind, a cutting tongue and breathtaking beauty.

Kael was the second-born of the Endirons, his sister Giselle, being the true heiress of their family name. Though the siblings did not necessarily get along, they were cordial with one another. And with Giselle fully intending to succeed the family name, it left Kael with all the time in the world to pursue his own interests; ones that were entirely frivolous and completely fitting for a High Fae of his station. He was a common sight in the Jeweled City, often spending his days charming others and spoiling the Hellhounds that guarded them from outsiders. When it was necessary for him to demonstrate his talents, he always did enough to meet slightly above their expectations, never expending more effort than he had to for the sole purpose of maintaining his freedom. It was no secret that the Endiron family was one that was frequently targeted by political rivals, but by maintaining a perfect persona of mediocrity, Kael could at least prevent any challenges to his sister’s claim to the family title by minimizing the perception that he was a threat.

While Kael was perfectly happy playing the role of an aimless entitled nobleman and nothing more, everything changed when he met Gabriel Beaumont. He had paid so little attention to the heir of the Night Court in previous engagements, but the moment he set his eyes onto him, Kael felt a pull unlike anything he had ever felt before. They were drawn to one another inexplicitly, the brilliance of Gabriel’s mind and his cool emotionless facade resonating with the young man in a way that no one else ever had. While they had taken different approaches to hiding their true natures, there was no denying that they were one and the same. In bonding with the future High Lord, through subtle conversations and shared looks,Kael discovered his purpose; for there was no other he could think of that he would ever want to follow than the Beaumont heir.

It was in this realization the Kael became a changed man. Suddenly he had the motivation to push himself to his real limits, pouring over dozens of texts and challenging himself against the strongest soldiers that the Night Court had. If he was to serve as Gabriel’s right hand, he knew that he needed to put the effort into it. When he wasn’t clashing swords with other knights, he was by Gabriel’s side, using his natural charisma and silver tongue to woo over the Dawn Court and it’s allies, playing his part in a long game of revenge. Together, they slowly dismantled the inner workings of the man who had tormented his High Lord for so long, breaking down any sympathetic feelings with sly insinuations and two-faced smiles. And once they were free of that particular insect, well, what was stopping them from going further?

For his role in Gabriel’s revenge, as well as the clear competency he had developed since following the High Lord, Kael was given a coveted position as his second-in-command. Together, they repelled the encroachment of the Summer and Winter Courts, reclaiming the mountains and amassing their political power to heights that have never been seen before. While others cower in fear of the King of Nightmares, Kael knew that none of this would have been possible under any other leader. Over time, his close friendship with the High Lord became something deeper, and it was as this point that the High Fae knew that he would follow no other than this true regent - his mate and the only person outside of himself that truly mattered to Kael.

Yet while Kael considers everything to have gone remarkably in his favour, there is one thing that has not; trying to capture one Gabriel Beaumont’s heart. The general knows deep down that there is no one else for him other than Gabriel, and his many, many attempts to deny this fact have always left him wanting more. However, not once has Kael ever been truly successful in convincing the High Lord that they are true mates, and he has been even less successful in gaining some form of commitment from him. Still, for the longest time, he was content with their dynamic, knowing no other would know his king as Kael knew him.

However, the impending arrival of Sophia Wren is bound to change everything. It’s not that Kael is jealous, that an unknown Nymph is acquiring something he so longed for, and his pride is most certainly not wounded at the idea that Gabriel chose her over him, but everything about Gabriel’s plan to wed The Garden to the Night Court has Kael up in arms. He has seen his High Lord hurt too many times, and knows just how much effort it has taken him to get to where he is now. And if this stranger- this Nymph- plans to snuff out the faint bit of starlight left in his mate, then Kael will stop at nothing to show her what hell on earth really looks like.

But when it rains, it pours. Though the engagement was undoubtedly a shock for Kael, it paled in comparison to the horrific news that Giselle Endiron, head of the Endiron household, had been suddenly killed while visiting another Court. The loss of Kael’s sister was a profound one, and the odd circumstances behind her death have him suspecting that foul play is at hand. The emotional wound is a fresh one, and paired with the impending loss of his mate to another, Kael is more determined than ever to make sure Gabriel does not suffer a similar fate.

It is Kael’s job to protect the High Lord, and if he must resort to treason to do so, so be it.

[deivorous]

HE BIG BLEACH HC MEME centering around politics, repost & fill out! For anyone who wanted to explore those aspects more, considering it played a big role in the story. Some things may be unknown to your Muse, just think in WHAT IF then & well, have fun and take your time!

BASICS

Name:   Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez  / / /   Age:  Unknown [<100 yrs]   / / /   Gender:  He/Him (Agender) Race:   Shinigami / Quincy / Hollow [ Arrancar ] / Fullbringer / Visored / Human / Other Currently lives:   Soul Society / Hueco Mundo / Silbern / Living World / Hell Exact Location:   Las Noches, Hueco Mundo  ;  Urahara Shoten Rooftop, Karakura Group(s): Las Espadas; Aizen’s Arrancar Army

QUESTIONS

- Would your muse consider themselves more: GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL ? - Would your muse consider their group more: GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL ? - How does your muse think others see them: GOOD / EVIL / NEUTRAL ? - How does your muse think others see their race: GOOD / EVIL / NEUTRAL ? - How does your muse think others see their group: GOOD / EVIL / NEUTRAL ?

- Is your muse considered a threat: YES / NO ?  From whom?:  Shinigami, Humans, Hollows - Is your muse powerful: YES / NO ?  Could they be considered OP:  YES / NO ? - Did your muse commit any crimes: YES / NO ? [ Idk everyone seems pretty chill with murder ] - Does your muse think they are doing mostly the right thing: YES / NO ? - Would society think the same: YES / NO / MIXED OPINIONS ?

- Does your muse think they are treated unfairly: YES / NO ? - Does your muse feel understood from others: YES / NO ? - Is it important for them what others think of them as a person: YES / NO ? - Would they welcome death:  YES / NO ? - Will they ever find peace:  YES / NO ?

01.0.  Do they fully stand behind the group they are part of? YES / NO. Why is that? Explain: Grimmjow firmly believes that Aizen is right. The system is broken and it failed Grimmjow personally. But Grimmjow is disinterested in revenge, and has even less interest in fixing the broken world. All that feels too large, too tumultuous. Why is it his problem? What if they do kill the Soul King. What’s next? Replace one tyrant with another (Grimmjow knows Aizen is not a good man). The fallout can’t be predicted and honestly, his personal goals have very little to do with Aizen’s. Grimmjow’s biggest goal has an always will be to stay alive. It’s hard to do that if you back an organization and a man who is willing to dispose of him the moment his use runs out. Despite this, Grimmjow stands behind Aizen. He does not stand with Aizen’s army.

02.0.  Do they like as things are in Soul Society? YES / NO / INDIFFERENT. 02.1.  Is there anything they would change? Explain here: The whole thing is rotten as far as he’s concerned, but he hasn’t put more thought into it then that. If he could change it without too much effort on his part, he just wants to create a place that is safe for him and the very few people he cares about.

03.0. Would they ever actively try to bring change (in general)? YES / NO. 03.1. Is your muse more: passive / active ?  introverted / extroverted ? 03.2. Does your muse care more about: others / themselves ? 03.3. Do they trouble their mind over a lot of problems, others? YES / NO. 03.4. Do they mostly involve: the world / everyone / themselves / comrades / friends / family / elderly / kids / teenagers / home / workplace / strangers / souls / humans / quincy / shinigami / nobles / fullbringer / visored / hollows / espada / arrancar / (former) boss(es) / pets / animals / zanpakuto spirit / enemies / partner / lovers / soul king / god / other…(add more) 03.5. Name (up to) three which are the most on their mind (optional, adding names): - himself - enemies (shinigami, kurosaki ichigo, aizen sosuke) - surviving espada (nelliel and hallibel)

04.0. Do they think frequently about politics? YES / NO / SOMETIMES. Why is that? Explain: He only starts paying more attention once Harribel ascends to the throne and he is one of the three leaders of Hueco Mundo. Even then, he leaves the diplomacy to Harribel and Nelliel, preferring to take up a more security and defensive based role in protecting their stronghold. His interest only extends so far as to determine ways to benefit himself.

05.0. How do they feel in their current location: POSITIVE / NEGATIVE / NEUTRAL ? 05.1. Why is that?: It’s just a place. He happens to be here.

06.0. Does your muse have any goal: YES / NO ?  BIG / SMALL ? 06.1. Does it involve anything world-changing: YES / NO ? 06.2. If goal or not, any future plans? Share here: He would like to amass enough power as to no longer feel unsafe or threatened. He wishes to gain recognision and acknowledgement - originally as the King - this goal is largely achieved within Hueco Mundo.

07.0. Does your muse know about the Original Sin of Soul Society*: YES / NO ? [ Peripherally he is aware ] * curious? Read about it here. 07.1. If they knew, would it change their views on Soul Society: YES / NO ? 07.2. More: POSITIVE / NEGATIVE / NEUTRAL ?

08.0. Who is the worst person in their eyes?:  Luppi 08.1. What should happen to them? Execution (quick / slow death) / Imprisonment / Stripped of their powers / Torture / Repay for their sins / Pay a Fine / Social Work / lose their loved ones / Exile / other… (add more). 08.2. Explanation:  Nobody is really good or bad in Grimmjow’s eyes. They are either his enemies or they are a neutral party. Luppi is just the bitch that stole Grimmjow’s rank, and Grimmjow can’t let that stand.

09.0. Thoughts on: Quincy Massacre if they knew: POSITIVE / NEGATIVE / NEUTRAL ? 09.1. Would they be alright with such thing happening again: YES / NO / INDIFFERENT ? 09.2. Would they try to prevent it: YES / NO / DEPENDS ? 09.3. Explanation: Grimmjow is a hollow. The Shinigami kill hollows, sure. But the Quincy wipe them from existence. He has no mercy for the Quincy.

10.0. Would they ever switch sides: YES / NO ? 10.1. If yes, What could bring them to do so?:    - Grimmjow is and always will be on his own side. The side he is on is therefore just whichever aligns best with his wants and needs. He is however, also very loyal. One must earn this and then work to keep it. 10.2. Would they create a new one: YES / NO ?  or join a current one? If so, which:  - N/A

11.0. Does your muse follow a certain moral code*?:  YES / NO / GRAY AREA ? * (ethics) A written, formal, and consistent set of rules prescribing righteous behavior, accepted by a person or by a group of people. 11.1. What does it involve?: He always repays his debts. He doles out retribution as it is deserved. 11.2. What does it NOT involve?: He will show no bias in threatment regardless of sex or gender. He does not seek consent or permission. The ends justify the means at any cost. Murder. Violence. Hurting children.

YOUR MUSE’S VIEWS / OPINIONS ON THESE GROUPS ?

Central 46:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because: Eh. They’re in charge of the shinigami. Grimmjow hates them by association. He doesn’t really know anything about them beyond what Aizen told him.

Four Great Noble Clans:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because: Shinigami affiliated. He has no real idea who these people are or what the want.

Royal Guards / Gotei 13:   positive / negative / neutral .   ━   because: They hunt and kill his kind. THey are his natural enemy.

Fullbringer:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because:  He does not have an opinion. He has only met two and one was a shinigami.

Visored:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because:  He has... mixed feelings where the visored are concerned. On one hand, they are of shinigami origin. On the other hand, they are definitely at least partially hollow. Grimmjow feels an uncomfortable sort of kinship to them in the sense that both his and their lives were irrevocably affected by Aizen.

Espada:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because:  Every single one of them wants him dead. They can not be trusted.

Quincy:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because:  They want to exterminate not only his whole species but also the cycle that may one day grant Grimmjow absolution. They invaded his home, hurt his people, strung up his queen. They deserve death, and he will gladly bring it.

YOUR MUSE’S VIEWS / OPINIONS ON THESE (IMPORTANT) PEOPLE ?

Aizen:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because: Grimmjow’s relationship to Aizen is much too complex to boil down into a single post. Aizen simultaneously offers Grimmjow what he wanted, and then proceeded to dangle it in front of him and laugh as Grimmjow failed to meet his expectations. Though Grimmjow is willful, he has never desired Aizen’s death (despite what he may say about it). Grimmjow goes to extensive efforts, placing both himself and his pack at risk, and placing Aizen’s desires above his own in attempts to please him. He desperatly wishes to earn his favour and though he knows he will likely never succeed, his fragile hope, fierce possessiveness, and craving for recognision drives him onwards. Grimmjow both loathes and loves Aizen.

Yhwach:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because:  An enemy who impeded on Grimmjow’s way of life, threatened and his territory, and whats left of those that Grimmjow could categorize as his ‘people’. The threat must be eliminated.

Mayuri:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because:   He doesn’t know who this man is. If he knew that he was responsible for reviving Luppi, he would hate him. If Grimmjow met him, he would decide that Mayuri gives off Szayel vibes, which are bad vibes made significantly worse by the fact that he is a shinigami.

Kurosaki:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because: Again, Grimmjow’s perspective on Kurosaki is a complicated and convoluted one that really deserves it’s own post. Grimmjow was specifically made by Aizen as a stepping stone for Ichigo; as intent is realized through the Hōgyoku, at least some of that intent affected Grimmjow during his evolution. Grimmjow fixates obsessively on Ichigo, primarily as an enemy who must be destroyed. However, Ichigo is also one of the very few people who views Grimmjow as his equal, and though Grimmjow is frightened and threatened by this, he also respects Ichigo a great deal for it. These conflicting feelings cause him a lot of confusion which he expresses in violent ways.

Soul King:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because:  He has no strong opinions on the soul king prior to seeing it. He believes it is the actual, literal King of the Soul Society. His own pride and desire for power would have him see it as competition. Upon realizing that this is not what the Soul King is, Grimmjow is viscerally disgsted. It’s an abomination and makes him uncomfortable down to his bones. It cements in his mind that Aizen was on the right track, though he now knows of the side effects that may result in destroying it. He is outraged and abhorred that he nearly died tryign to protect such a thing.

CONGRATS, you managed till to the end, now tag your fellow bleach partners!

TAGGED BY: stole from @skyvar TAGGING: No one! It’s much too long for me to force on you, but it is super interestign and I would LOVE to read what everyone elses thoughts are!

[kimyoonmiauthor]

Story Ideas I posted on Soompi for K-dramas.

Posted November 14, 2020. I worked on these with some other Korean adoptees. Posting here to document it. Triple back up is not a bad idea when you do this type of thing. Elevator Pitch:

- Alt Joseon History Reverse Drama Harem set after the Imjin War, Women-centric (I suggested it last round, but I'm making it more attractive)

- Heart-warming adoptee tale set with Jaebeol family as the birth family.

Reverse Alt Joseon history Harem (I left historical research notes in for you to further research too).

After the Imjin War, Prince Gwanghae declared an "Honorable Women's list", which made the Queen Dowager upset with him and the crown prince (In real history he used the excuse of less arable land because of Japanese invasion to give land from widows to men, so they could get royal titles. In Nepal, in the mountains, less land has also meant that for some peoples there, the women marry a group of brothers who rotate time with the wife, guaranteeing land to her and them). So, she deposed him and installed the daughter of the Royal Consort Ui to the throne of Joseon. Joseon has been a Matriarchy ever since then with women ruling the throne and a harem to match. All of the key positions have been ruled by women. Men have to get permission to divorce, they cannot own land, and they are put on cycles per month rotation to favor their wife, who have all the power. Since then, the merit-based system has somewhat fallen apart with men severely devalued. Men are considered weaker than women in every aspect-- not as smart, frivolous, fixated on material possessions (like hair, clothes, make up, etc and landing a good woman with money), unable to learn anything other than etiquette on how to properly serve women, unable to do military affairs, unable to do magic (Based on harnessing spirits and Mugyo) [I suppose one could have a male-based magic system too that more subtle maybe based on Buddhism? since men imported Buddhism to Korea], can't do ancestor rituals but must provide the food, widows are expected to die (because who will take care of the men and provide for them if their breadwinner is gone?), and much physically weaker. They are devalued if they can't marry by the time they are 30 because they are viewed as much less virile. They are there to lead women astray from their husbands in the minds of society, and they are the ones punished for faults. If they rape or are accused of rape, they are met with death. They are considered peacocks for decoration and fill the brothels and red districts. They are allowed dance and to do street dramas, but this is considered a lesser art form compared to the lavish palace versions. Queen of Joseon, considered the most beautiful such that all the women want to imitate her... with her curly hair and freckles, is on the throne and has amassed a large portion of the men, leaving many of the Noble women unmarried. Her harem has grown huge with mostly pretty boys she's selected. She has lavish palace dances every day with pretty boys from her harem to entertain her. She also has them perform plays [Can reference previous dramas and do anachronistic references] for her more lavish than the next. The Prime Minister, has been supporting her habits to distract her from her duties while controlling the throne. The Prime Minister, while she has one husband and one concubine has been neglecting her husband and spending all her time with her concubine. There is a rebellion swelling against them... *** Extended version: In the midst of this, there are Portuguese traders that have come to shore with black men who are slaves, come to do trade (this really happened in Korean history). One of the slaves comes to the court to help refine the map of Africa (Gangnido was done in 1402 and Portuguese contact with Japan happened in 1543, so it's not that far fetched according to history). While helping the Minister of Arts, they fall in love with each other. She teaches him Korean, and he teaches her about his part of Africa. He comes from West Africa. (Hausa [Queen Amina died in 1610], maybe and maybe give him a Korean name later?) There, both men and women can be tribal leaders and share responsibilities. He comes to teach her that both men and women can be equal. The court grants him his freedom for his services, and he stays and marries this woman, despite objections, who, then becomes a part of the resistance against the Queen.

The Heads of the resistance is none other than the Prime Minister's concubine, not the Prime Minister's husband, who has been loyal this entire time. (Delaying this discovery is a good idea) Tired of having to service the Prime Minister every night, and entertain her, he has been leading a double life. He wants men in control again. The other conspirator is the Queen's top consort, who looks like a bumbling fool with his love of jokes (especially dry humor), stupid puns, food (though not fat, just fancy food), and has tried to look as useless and tolerant of the system as possible. But he loves his Queen deeply, which is why he wants to end the system and ask for equality. They have been meeting and arguing at an eating establishment since Royals aren't let into Red Districts, where a widowed lovable Halmeoni (You can get her to sell Subway sandwiches to camera, etc for laughs. Subway and Quiznos have a sense of humor... so why not ask if they are willing? Since it's alt history--make winks to the audience that you know it's not accurate.) has been slowly learning all of the court secrets... which is how the Queen learns of their dirty plots. The person who wanted this scenario fleshed out also wants the Queen to be... "Queen can’t be too flaky- forgetful to a fault, yea. Clumsy . Cold, a bit snarky, always on edge and with quite an appetite.  Forgiving of the wrong folks. Always looking for good in them but not trusting. Independent and she has to drive a black carriage!"

How this concludes, with equality, crushing the rebellion, or with men, again, taking power and thus making everyone question what was better is up to you, if you choose this idea. Five Act or 기승전결 is up to you. (Or mix them).

Suggested issues to include (and why you might want to write this) and errata:

Can challenge current Korean issues of spousal abuse, feminism, gender issues (Such as nonbinary people), trans (Such as transmen), Make Mugyo a state religion since it was supported a lot by women during Joseon (also supported LGBTQIA, past and present. Baksu~~) And also challenge our understanding of history by adding in people like Lady Jang Gye Hyang (1598-1680), who would be against the current government and for rule by men, mention mention Heo Nanseorheon (Pre-Imjin war... she needs a drama done about her because she's always overshadowed by her brothers and made into a brat, rather than a full character and an intelligent woman, which she was). ImYunjidang (1721-1793) and Kang Chonggildang (1772-1832) for example... also aren't often mentioned figures. There were historical figures in real life that were for and against the new Joseon order of Neo Confucianism, though many of the women that spoke out had their papers burned by the patriarchy. Inserting those figures historically sageuk have been resistant to insert because it goes against the ideas of Joseon being an idealistic patriarchy might add spice to the drama. One can also challenge the idea that "traditional" values are male dominated by pointing out that widows in Joseon pre-Imjin war could own land and pass it to their daughters unchallenged, that LGBTQIA was more widely accepted, and that there were great Queens before that like Seondeok by upholding them as the rule, rather than the exception as reasons why the Matriarchy is "superior" to the previous Patriarchy.

One of the women who helped with this premise likes Lee Min Ho a lot....  lol She'd probably request that the Prime Minister's Concubine be Lee Min Ho. (He hasn't done a Joseon historical drama in a while and I think he could play both sides well--warm and sweet and then cold and callous...).

Probably needs a woman to write this one versed in feminism and history or a woman and man team. I hope it passes the Bechdel test (Two women talk about something other than men, preferably more than one time), the Mako Mori Test (Women have a motivation other than romance or the man and doesn't degrade over time). and the Sexy Lamp test (The women have agency to make decisions, face consequences and rescue themselves)... there is no fridging--i.e. killing characters without knowing them solely to motivate the main characters to do something,  and makes us think deeper about gender issues, feminism, etc. I suppose if the writer hits really hard on social issues, it would be probably JTBC material (who haven't done a Historical drama in a while). Tonally, I was hoping for a mixture of laughs and thinking about the issues more deeply, and some tight action to keep us guessing. If you want to argue marketability: I saw Romance of the Tiger and Rose (China) and Ooku by Fumi Yoshinaga. And a friend of mine (also Korean) wanted a drama with her and her (drama) harem of guys, so... we want a Korean commentary on feminism done this way, but with sharper feminism and more imagination attached. Covering modern feminist issues is fine since it's fantasy. Be transgressive.

BTW, for sponsorship: (since the costumes might cost extra, etc) easy... cosmetics advertised by men, done anachronistically to camera, on purpose. Other plugs can be done this way too... which would sell the product, but also make people question gender roles at the same time. Or you can also do plugs this way and suddenly gender them, making people question how this item is "male" or "female". Like a brush, or a wall, drink, sandwich (lol Quiznos and Subway), etc. can be called "Masculine" or "feminine" and be sold to camera, if the sponsors cooperate. (Sold by Pretty Boy actors to the audience... there's a good chance.) This should get you to at most episode 6, if it's paced well and you plotted the rest of the angles. If it's action-filled with lots of twists then the basic scenario will get you through to episode 4. The twists can come later.

And the other one was invented between me and another Korean adoptee...

Elevator Pitch: Heart-warming adoptee tale set with Jaebeol family as the birth family.

Twenty-five years ago, there were identical twins born to the same mother, but because her petition to get a paternity test failed from a Jaebeol family, she was forced by her lover's family to give them up for adoption, despite her best efforts to get into the single mother's homes (the adoption agency ones are pretty terrible because they try to wear down the women into giving up their children and seats are very few at the government ones). A woman had been stalking her while pregnant in order to give up her children for a kickback from the adoption agencies and from the family itself (There were KBS and MBC reports about it in the early 2000's), so with major heartbreak, she decided to give them up. However, her lover never knew this was a case.

The children were split up. One went to the United States, was adopted to a white family, and the other was adopted to Korean family, but never told they were adopted.

In the current time, the US adoptee, has been working for a year and a half to get her dual citizenship. She has a degree in Business accounting and is a very warm person. Despite her talents, she is teaching English in Suwon. She has an allergy to allium (Garlic, onions, etc), which makes it hard on her to eat Korean food. Every time she eats it, she gets gas and a tummy ache. She is constantly mocked by the ajumma in restaurants over it. She does not speak very fluent Korean and only knows Kindergarten Korean. She also often has delusions from Korean dramas as being real. Intelligent, smart, but has a hard time proving it to the Koreans around her because of her lack of language skills. People keep commenting on how she's single, but she finds it hard to date anyone once they find out she is adopted, so thinks she has no roots. Her records were sealed by the military. (US Military adoption is like that) So she takes a trip to Daegu's police station to get a DNA test. Meanwhile...

Meanwhile her twin has grown up in a steady Korean family, but there are things that never quite matched about her story and the family she's lived with. Their profession aspirations are totally different from hers, everyone else has a baby picture, but she doesn't. That feeling of "Jeong" sometimes feels like it's missing. The neighbors talk behind their hands when she passes them. This is when she accidentally discovers the truth talking to a neighborhood recycling Halmeoni. Unlike her twin, she has no allergy to allium and loves it. She mainly works at PC Bang and menial jobs and never really aspired to much because she's always felt like she didn't really truly belong.

*** Extended Pitch At the same time, their father has become the head of the company and a major CEO of a conglomerate. He is unaware of the twins' existence... so there are lots of passing shots between the family members as we get to know them. The company politics have become tricky because the father's seat was never really guaranteed. He still thinks about his lover from time to time, but his seat has become more and more unsure as he's opted adamantly out of marriage. The twin's mother is working at a small time job, and is forced to keep silent about the time she's tried very hard to forget. People shame her if they find out she had children.

When the twins finally get to remeet because of DNA, this shakes up their father's position and his company. The family secrets come out and the mystery of who sent the mysterious woman to stalk their mother starts to unfold, not only the secrets of the company, but of their father and mother's relationship, and of the family relations. But in the middle of this is that feeling of "Jeong" or instant belonging. (I don't think the love of the adoptive family should be diminished or it should be written like if you have more family, you have less love... but that there are things that connect people in different ways and the drama explores those ways of connection and disconnection.)

Issues that can be covered: Single Motherhood, Paternity testing (There was a recent Korean case on this and also another case about 10 years ago, where an adoptee found out they (male) were the son of a Jaebeol person, but the family refused any contact, etc--should be in Korean as well.), Economic differences, what Pres. Kim Dae Jeong called Adoption as the "brain drain" of South Korea (He said it on film, too, just before the reforms <3 Still my favorite president), Prejudices against foreigners, adoptees, and addressing the fact that finding family is difficult because of the shame around adoption and it's not instant. A person can start at 13, and still go through a ton of work and hoops to try to get any info. (The Korean agencies can also be mean/overworked with one person working all of the cases, like for HOLT and ESWS it's this way.) Also can address problems like how cousins can want to find each other, but get blocked because of adoption (You can't marry up to Second Cousins, but if you're adopted, you can't find your extended family members, even if you had connection to them in the past and they know you exist and they aren't allowed to search for you either because the agencies and law block them). Agencies lying that children are either dead, or that they never got communication, when they have. There is a story I know where a mother inquired every year about her child and wrote letters and then the agencies told her they got nothing, and then the matching adoptee wrote every year too, hoping to find their mother and equally got nothing. The agency lied to both of them. Also the old proxy system before it got outlawed where women would stalk pregnant single women to get records. (It's updated to the lawyer proxy system where lawyers stalk single women).

Warmth, not makjang, emphasis on Jeong and nunchi... and Warm and Fuzzy in the end at least... with spurts of humor interspersed would be nice.

Personally, I think if MBC or KBS is willing to help with the footage from the Proxy system report in the early 2000's where women were stalked by other women, those are the networks to pitch it to. It's up their ally. If not... cable. (I love SBS, too, no lies, but they didn't do a report back in the day.) Oh and make it 16 episodes-ish. Not family drama. We don't watch family dramas for length reasons...

[chicagocityofclans]

Scorpius Getta → Jake Gyllenhaal → Vampire

→ Basic Information 

Age: 1378

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Straight 

Birthday: December 2nd

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius 

Religion: Satanism

→ His Personality Getta is practical and down to earth with strong ideas about how vampires should be in this new age. He is orderly, organized, systematic and controlled, and once committed there is no stopping him. Getta has a great capacity for loyalty and affection, considering vampire nature. Being a calm and methodical individual, Getta is mostly in control of his emotions. He rarely loses his temper, but has a great capacity for violence when pushed. Getta is courageous and a true survivor, he is the builder and the foundation of the Underground, and his hard work and values paid off; the Underground is booming and he has one of the largest seethes in America. It's also his ‘fuck you’ attitude that links up with his sucess. Getta is unconcerned about being viewed as ‘the bad guy’ and sees his actions as a means to an end. He is often secretive and can be somewhat of a trickster, but is honest and direct. He is headstrong, persistent and passionate. Getta downright refuses to accept authority and has a stubborn belief in himself and his dreams. 

→ His Personal Facts

Occupation: Master of Chicago Seethe 

Scars: None

Tattoos: None

Two Likes: Blood with Pepper and Business

Two Dislikes: Vampire Movies and Bananas 

Two Fears: Being Forced to Feed Off of Himself and Naked Zombie Grandmas 

Two Hobbies: Enhancing the Underground and Inventing 

Three Positive Traits: Innovative, Lively, Extremely Confident  

Three Negative Traits: Sassy, Maniacal, Disconnect 

→ His Connections

Parent Names:

Ulfrik Göransson (Father): Getta enjoyed his father and if he had been given the chance he would have changed him into a vampire.

Bon’Ginnever (Mother): Getta doesn’t remember much about his mother beside the fact that she had blonde hair and an unusual eye color. Bon’Ginnever died from an infection. He was sure it was over the loss of Aleigha, his little sister. She was never the same after and death took her months later.

Emmalee (Step-Mother): Getta didn’t approve of his father remarrying. Since Emmalee was around his age, Getta tried his best to ignore her to keep from showing her any disrespect and disappointing his father.

Sibling Names:

Eirikur Ulfrikson (Brother): Eirikur was born several years after Getta. Getta doesn’t remember much about Eirikur as a child but he remembers his little brother all grown up and being a ladies man. Eirikus died mysteriously in his sleep. Getta is now sure he must have caught an STD or something. 

Aleigha Ulfrikdotter (Sister): Just like Eirikur, Aleigha was born several years after her brothers. Getta was nearing his late teens when she was born. Sadly, Aleigha was sold off to pay their debts and Getta still has no idea what faith laid out for her.

Bryleigh Ulfrikson (Half-Brother): Getta was out of the castle when Bryleigh was born. Getta never had the chance to meet Bryleigh. He only knew his name and the random updates his father would send him.

Children Names:

Ulfric Scorpiusson (Son): Ulfric was named after Getta’s father, following the old Nordic practice, before hereditary surnames were introduced. Ulfric grew to be a spitting image of Getta’s father with the same attitude to follow it. That’s probably why they get along so well. Getta turned Ulfric, on his request, into a vampire on his 20th birthday. He is still alive and married with his own seethe in Sweden.

Bjorn Scorpiusson (Son): Bjorn was named after Solveig’s father, following the old Nordic practice, before hereditary surnames were introduced. Getta doesn’t know where Bjon got it from but he is absolutely unpredictable. He was well on his way to become a shadow vampire when Getta stepped in and killed him. Bjon was always Solveig favorite and Getta still mourns the both of them.

Kjersti Getta née Scorpiusdotter (Daughter): Kjersti was named after Solveig’s mother, following the old Nordic practice, before hereditary surnames were introduced. Kjersti was unexpected but wanted. Getta made sure she didn’t follow the same fate as Aleigha and kept her close. She was the 3rd person Getta changed and he doesn’t regret it. She now holds rank in his seethe.

Romantic Connections:

Solveig Pelledotter (Wife): Getta wasn’t in love with Solveig but at the time it was his duty to marry and continue his bloodline. After marriage, they became close friends. If given the chance, Getta was sure they would have eventually fallen in love. Solveig had taken her own life after Getta was changed.

Platonic Connections:

Alva Ebba Getta nee Garbo (Daughter-In-Law): Alva married Getta’s son Ulfric over a thousand years ago. At first he did not approve of her but thought a wedding would be good for overall morale. Over time Getta learned to love her as one of his own. Getta especially likes it when she puts his son in his place.

Geralt Getta (Son-In-Law/Progeny): Geralt was an orphan on the streets Getta fed from. Getta adopted Geralt and he was Getta's first vampiric progeny. Getta sees him more like a brother and best friend than a son, especially after Geralt married his daughter, Kjersti. 

Winona Fili (Progeny): Getta had originally turned Winona into a vampire for his son Bjon. He should have known better because the two hated each other. Frankly, after the way his son reacted Getta knew Winona deserved better. Getta still cannot accept that Winona is gone and is trying his hardest not to fall into a depression. Losing Winona was worse than losing a limb or death itself. Getta still expects her to be there when he turns around or wherever he gets a brilliant idea.  

Aleksander Mazur (Progeny): Getta found Aleksander when Aleksander was at his lowest on the streets of London. Aleksander tried to rob Getta and failed. Instead of killing him or turning him to the authorities, Getta fed him, gave him fresh clothes and offered him a new life as a vampire. They have a well built relationship that is not exactly a father and son type but close enough. 

Raphael Caron (Progeny): Getta saved Raphael's life. Raphael was dying from Leukemia when Getta gave his parents the terms and conditions of vampirism. Their relationship is stronger than ever nearly two centuries later. Getta enjoys Raphael’s creative side and allows him to use him as a test subject.

Fiona ‘Fi’ Marz (Progeny): Getta does not like sharing the story of how he found Fi but she has been with him since she was a 6 years old human. Getta held out on changing her into a vampire until she was mature enough. After living and dealing with Fi for centuries, nearly a millennium, Getta has turned from an overbearing father to a cool understanding brother and to a best friend. Getta can switch to whichever role she needs from him at the time without making it awkward.

Dan Prior (Vampire Son-In-Law): Getta couldn’t hate Dan if he tried nor can he blame Dan for Winona’s death. Dan's first few years were tough on Getta, he was the new master of his seethe, lost his closest companion and progeny, and had a suicidal baby vampire to watch over. Getta feels like Dan and Fili are the only things he has left of Winona. He has been better about separating them from her but something in him always feels like it's snapping when he does.  

Richard Fili (Vampire Grandson): Fili was changed by Winona many years ago. Getta has always been accepting of Fili and even fatherly at times. Getta puts up with Fili’s bullshit, only getting pissed if Fili messes up big time, and he knows that is enough to make Fili grateful and undeniably loyal. Fili seems to be the only one that has taken notice of Getta keeping himself busy and staring off into space since Winona’s death; Fili is worried for him but Getta isn’t ready to talk yet.

Audrey Ann Wallace (Vampire Granddaughter): Audrey was turned into a vampire by Garelt when Kjersti started mourning the loss of ever being a mother. Audrey reminds him a lot of Kjersti and can be mistaken as their biological child.

Petra Chak (Best Friend): Petra and Getta have an unlikely friendship. She had originally come to Chicago to take over Getta’s seethe for her own master but somehow Getta had won her over. Over the years they formed an unbreakable bond and Getta trusts Petra with his life and the lives of their entire seethe. 

Sadie McCoy (Good Friend): Sadie randomly showed up one day… Or at least Getta finally noticed her and was too ashamed to ask anyone who she was or where she came from. Sadie hung out with Winona and by default hung out with Getta. It didn’t take long for him to grow fond of her and to constantly want her around. She became his muse and little soldier girl. She took Winona’s death as hard as Fili, Dan and Getta’s other progeny.  

Morana ‘Ana’ Vickors (Old Friend): Ana was a part of Getta’s seethe before he became the seethe master. She saw the destruction their old seethe master caused and quickly jumped on his support train when he took over. Getta considers her a trusted and loyal friend. Getta is also close to Ana’s husband and daughter. 

Sven (Old Friend): Getta met Sven a few times in Europe and again in the New World. Sven was always a loner and some considered him to be a feared shadow vampire. It took Getta a while but he convinced Sven to join the seethe he was apart nearly 300 years ago. Sven came and went as he pleased but Getta is happy to see that lately Sven has been making a permanent home for himself in Chicago. 

Chiara Ricci (Friend): Getta knew Chiara’s adopted vampiric parents. When he asked them to come teach for them, he was aware that they had changed a woman to be their child but never figured it would be someone with Chiara’s personality. She makes Getta laugh and can retell stories about himself better than he can. 

Hostile Connections:

Nick and Ray Hamelin (Hate): Getta doesn’t hate easily nor does he have a vindictive streak but the Hamelin brothers live to test his restraint. Vampires are not widely liked among the mortal supernaturals and Getta understands that. What Getta doesn’t understand is why the rats are constantly trying to enter the closed section of the Underground or why the rats cannot leave them in peace. After the poisonous gas accident Nick and Ray attacked the Underground killing multiple orphaned and neonate vampires. Getta was tempted to retaliate but put the entire seethe needs ahead of his own. He and Petra have tried to explain that the closed section of the Underground is semi poisonous but their pleads have gone unheard. 

Pets:

None

→ History Scorpius Getta was born Göran-Skorpionen Ulfirkson. He changed his name to Scorpius Getta after he was changed into a vampire and a widower. He no longer wanted to associate with his human past and this was especially so after changing all of his biological children to vampires also. Getta travelled the world, finding those he bonded with or those he thought deserved another life and changing them. → The Present Getta plans on expanding the Undergrounds and opening an above ground full service Hotel made especially for vampires. The only thing holding him back are key features and trusted human or supernatural construction workers. The key features are shutters and windows that completely block out the sun which are currently out of reach. Getta has already begun employing witches and warlocks to help, and his dreams seem closer to reality. Getta plans on naming it Hotel Winona. 

[metellastella]

Mao Mao Pride Week Prompts, Part 2

A continuation of the prompts put out by @maomaosmother Previous batch here: https://metellastella.tumblr.com/post/621726687992872960/hello-everyone-happy-pride-month-to-all-of-you

4. Who I am

Mao said, “You know how some people like B.C. marry the other sex and have children to ‘fit in’?”

“Yes.” Snugglemagne said. “It’s something that’s crossed my mind once or twice, to be honest.”

Mao started in surprise. “Really?”

“Yes, to continue the throne. Hard to imagine committing to someone you weren’t drawn to, but …” he shrugged. “Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad?”

Mao rubbed his chin. “I don’t think a lot of people would agree with you there. But. For my own part. A good number of Mao members choose celibacy, because of our offered teachings. Would that not simply be a form of celibacy, just on one side, not the other?”

The king thought about it. “Well, it does seem to make it more manageable, when put that way. I’ve been visited by groups of nuns traveling from their covenants, and they don’t seem to be worse off for it. But, obviously it’s easier for women than men.”

“There are friars, too,” Mao pointed out. “Wanderers. Tending to the poor. Stand-up characters. I felt lucky whenever I’d run into one. Camped out with a few of them in my time. Nice fireside chats.”

“Oh, yeah.” 

“Both of those genders we just talked about  . . . and we in the clan tend to think of all of it, more of as an option. Not a core part of who I am.”

“Hm.”

“How about yourself?”

“I’m with your battle partner on this one, Mao.” 

He nodded. “Fair enough.”

The cat chuckled. “It was kinda cute on nights when he’d pick up a partner and I wouldn’t, and he would get all anxious on my behalf, and, say, ask if they should go to a different floor and not the next room so I wouldn’t feel more ‘lonely.’ He just doesn’t get it’s not that big a deal. He never has.” he shrugged. “And, heh, I have more than enough training to block out distracting sounds from my mind, and I sleep really deeply. But, I appreciate his being concerned over me anyway.”

“I guess I might think of it a little less as a central tenet than he does. After all, I haven’t been actively courting anyone since you both got here, or a little before that, either.”

“So, nothing to do with me?” Mao quirked an eyebrow.

“Heh, unfortunately not. I’ve experienced ‘love at first sight’ before, but for your particular case, it crept up slower. Sometimes that’s just how it is.”

Mao opened a gloved hand. “Right! That’s kinda like the point I was going to make about marrying someone the spouse wasn’t drawn to. Think of the reverse! At least among us siblings, no matter whom we’re drawn to, or how strongly, we tend to seek the same sex a lot, anyway, because it’s just much less hassle and worry, you know? Somewhat because we have warrior duties that take precedent over having children and domestic life, somewhat because we’re wielders, when mixed-magic-and-non-magic opposite-sex pairings can be complicated. We do have, not only the magical blockers to consider, but we’d like to have more wielder children if we’re going to pair up and take that risk in the first place. My sisters would be … I guess a word for it might be … embarrassed? Or frustrated …? To go through an entire pregnancy and not ‘gift’ the world with a wielder. A new dragonslayer! It’s not just outside pressure, either! The bond between a wielder child and parent is just … unfortunately more satisfying than not.”

Mao paused, examining the non-magical animal’s face.

The lion carefully guarded his expression at that. It really didn’t sound like prejudice. He seemed apologetic enough. But it felt that way.

Of course, he could never understand it fully. 

If Mao was looked down on for being the weakest … what gauntlet must a non-magical child born into the clan go through??

Maybe it was sheer, pure benevolence on the womens’ part to do what they could to prevent that. 

But that in itself was kind of hard to think about. 

Mao didn’t get any hint as to his thoughts.

Another animal might have given into an angry or irritated expression, but the king’s diplomatic and political training paid off. 

Not finding anything amiss, Mao resumed. “Sometimes, we just want to let off steam. We seek the same sex. Sometimes, in the past, despite being drawn to both sexes, I’m not really all that attracted, but I want the option anyway. The ‘option’ concept goes both ways.” 

“I . . . guess I understand that, though I still have a hard time picturing being intimate with someone I wasn’t drawn to first. Despite my idle musings on the possibility.”

5. Obstacles

“What?” Mao’s sister asked. “Just because I’m up for fun, you think I’m any less controlled than you, little brother? Conscious decisions are just as fun. Get over yourself.”

His ears went all the way down. “I … I’m so sorry,” his green eyes got bigger than ever. “So sorry! I always thought you were so impulsive … How could I think so badly of my own kin…”

“Aww, it’s all right, Mao,” she backpedaled. “Oh my gosh, stop taking everything so seriously.”

But he looked genuinely grieved. “I don’t have any room to talk,” he looked at his own gloved hands. “Was it my Ego defense mechanisms kicking in? A blind spot? Or … I mean … the others don’t approve of your actions either. Was I just emulating them? They don’t care as much about my actions. Is it because I’m a man, and you’re a woman? Is it prejudice?”

“Really Mao, stop stressing over it. The elders have their penalties in place for both men and women! The social aspect of it … it is what it is. All people have got their personalized hurdles in life. Like the athletes! Tiring, sure. But. Everybody’s just gotta buck up and jump over them.”

“You think maybe that’s a reference to real bucks?” the badger wondered. “Man, imagine catching an antler to the chest.” His voice faded, losing its joy. Did the lion spot him trembling? “Think of facing an even more massive caribou or wildebeast! All antlers, all business. All genders. I mean even a bare-headed female moose with her mountain of muscles is nothing to sneeze at. I do feel sorry for any one of them who might consider themselves male, though. Antlers are hard to fake. All those dudes and dudettes are WAY scarier than predators. Preds like to make out like they’re hot stuff! Psh!” the animal shook his head. “Many bovine species outweigh them several times over … ” 

“Didn’t stop me,” the black cat said confidently.

“Yeah, yeah,” the badger waved his paws dismissively at the magically strengthened animal. 

“I guess in that case the phrase ‘buck up’ might be slightly sexist,” she hummed thoughtfully. “Deer can definitely jump hurdles, though. Way higher than bears could. Like horse jumping! I wonder if their sports earn more money because the audiences like them better? It’s more graceful, they have more natural ability? Higher stakes, too. Their legs are very slender even though they’re strong … it’s very easy, with their massive weight, to totally shatter their bones if they land wrong. Even just racing, not jumping. The same isn’t true, for, say, greyhounds. Their welfare isn’t as endangered. Enough money flows that there are always magic salves on hand, but bone still takes pretty long to heal after the initial injury. But, because they’re so graceful and skilled, they’re drawn by the money rewards. Bears, who usually do it more for status and reputation, are trundling, bumbling, and clumsy by comparison. Even though they’re half-predators. How did they ever manage to make any kills in the old days? I guess a diet of mostly fish didn’t favor their developing grace and speed, as with canines and felines.”

The badger crossed his arms. “With the other type of ‘hurdles.’ I guess even though I admire you in a lot of ways, I don’t envy you outright being a woman. I can lie about attractions and pretend that I’m never drawn to men, if the situation demands it. There is no ‘closet’ for presenting as a woman. That’s tough, though you’re a wielder, so that offsets it a lot.”

“It’s not like being an average woman. Not nearly! Even if I didn’t have powers though. Being drawn to men is a whole lot harder than my stuff, too,” she disagreed.

Snugglemagne thought it was sweet how they seemed to be mildly arguing over whom to support more.

6. LGBT+ Safety

“There was the phenomenon of ‘male daughters,’ in the ancient world,” the lion said. “They were as perfectly ordinary legal designations as a birth certificate nowadays.”

“Oh?” Mai perked his ears, interested.

“Yes, I’ll give you some material on it. They lived like men did, and inherited wealth like they did. They were treated as men in pretty much every way. No having to conceal for safety concerns, like the mess in some places in the modern world. It was just obvious, and pedestrian, to that culture and those individuals. They weren’t harassed because they looked different, nor was a body seen as gender role ‘destiny.’ The approaches and conceptual framework to this issue have varied so much from place to place, and time to time.” “Can’t wait to read about it.”  

The sister made a face. “Oh yeah, that’s Mao, always holed up with his scrolls. I’m more of a party girl.”

“Same,” the badger said.

“I told him …” Mao sighed. “I told him that you all seek the same sex often too. But it’s different for guys.”

“Why?” the lion asked. 

“Remember what I said about the ‘lower’ position,” the badger reminded him flatly. “Actually, among most adventurer circles, at least, it’s totally OK for a pair of guys to get jiggy with each other, as long as neither does that. It’s called a warrior bond.” 

“The warrior bond was something B.C. and I considered,” Mao said quietly. “Out on the road, you never knew whose nose you’d run into. Subbing is not something you can conceal. With animals who aren’t nose-blind, there is no ‘closet.’ We’ve been to places where birds could do things on the sly. But that’s a rarity. Everywhere else, there are predators, or heavyweights, or wielders who’ll take a piece out of your hide for it. Of course I’d have zero problems defending us if necessary. A random group of anti-heroes or bandits just nosing around for trouble in general didn’t have any chance against me, either. But. Just not worth the hassle. Not to mention I’d want to break the nose on whoever it was. All it would take is one good pop.” He made a lighting-swift motion-retraction with his fist. 

The smiles on both the badger and the bigger cat faltered. They looked at each other in concern.

Mao either pretended not to notice, went on because he wasn’t about to soften his feelings on the matter, or was so absorbed in his own reflection that he really didn’t see them. “And I’d enjoy it too. I always did.” He glanced up at them, expression unreadable. “I won’t apologize for thinking it. In fact, I still do. Being a wielder, though, fanning those thoughts is not a good idea. I had to learn that through trial and error.”

“That’s not healthy for anyone,” the badger shook his head, “wielder or not. You’ve managed to avoid growing more of a … like … you said Blue mentioned … a ‘martyr complex’ over it? Right?”

Mao sighed in aggravation. 

“Yeah. I was in the throes of that before. Anyway. For other normal or lesser powered people, the warrior bond provides safety.” Next:  7. Marriage 8. Self-Acceptance   V Click below V https://metellastella.tumblr.com/post/622003595371544576/mao-mao-pride-week-prompts-part-3

First chapter of the fic here: https://metellastella.tumblr.com/post/617045879413719040/piercing-the-swordsman-chapter-1