#she’s so important to me…never have I ever made a character as Gender as miss athan-askr here

[thetwilightroadtonightfall]

euphoria ☀️

⚠️ SPOILERS FOR OVERMORROW CH 10 ⚠️

Charis is bigender, genderfluid and intersex, and goes by he/him or she/her. Gendered terms (i.e. boy, girl) are fine too 🥰🏳️‍🌈

[dragonseeds]

what are your thoughts on rhaegar and lyanna?

oh i love them! there’s all this talk of them haunting the narrative and they do, but i’d take it further and say they are the black hole at the center of the story. the choices that they made, starting with lyanna’s decision to defend howland reed and what that meant to both him and rhaegar, who was very likely at his lowest point at harrenhal after the ruination of his careful plans, touched or changed the lives of every character and plot line in the series. the story itself is such a fun mashup of tristan and iseult, lancelot and guinevere, helen and paris, the fall of camelot and all of arthuriana really, the classic trope of the princess in the tower and the dragon and the knight: all of that in one couple and we don’t get to experience any of it with them. we can guess and speculate, but we can never truly know them. we experience their story only through the memories the people who survived the war they ostensibly kicked off, and those memories are all heavily colored by trauma, guilt, nostalgia—alternately faded and sharpened by time. it’s this incredibly fun and brilliant reconstruction of some of the most enduring tragedies in folklore and mythology and i adore it.

hate beyond articulation the way asoiaf.tumblr.edu approaches their relationship and the individual characterizations of both of them, though. just absolutely some of the most insufferably sanctimonious disingenuous decontextualized analysis i’ve ever experienced—much of that coming from people viewing this through a historical lense instead of a thematic one. like, imagine approaching the battle of the trident as “rhaegar is a bad person for fighting for his father who was evil! he lost the moral high ground with that one” as opposed to “rhaegar as a character exists to fail and die; he was the last dragon, carrying the unbearable weight of his family’s legacy and the burden of the prophecy for which they conquered westeros: the end of his life is the end of the targaryen dynasty. he must fail and he must die, so that dany and jon can grow up free of that weight and that power. daenerys gets to redefine what it means to be targaryen on her own terms. she and jon separately and unknowingly do the things that he thought he had to do—the things he was conceived and born to do—but never knew how: they do it because of their circumstances, because of the people that they have grown into, because they believe it is their duty, because they have the power to do it.” also, like, re: interpretations of battle of the trident, is there maybe another battle that occurs later in the series that is exactly the same thematically and contextually? where perhaps a character who was missing for a while shows up on the eve of battle, knowing that the opposition is right and their cause is just but that his family will die if he doesn’t fight with them? anything that adds an extra layer of meaning to what happens, aside from dany’s own connection—which is not as thematically similar but is still incredibly meaningful. like i certainly don’t think there’s any one interpretation of a character or story, but the worst ones are consistently applied to rhaegar.

and then with lyanna in particular, it’s like people cannot stomach her or find her sympathetic as a character unless they’re wallowing in her eternal victimhood. the constant dismissal of the importance of lyanna’s actions and what they meant to rhaegar is pure misogyny, by the way. her choices and her agency, the inherent meaningfulness of the struggle for both of those things in a system that seeks to reduce her to her body and the use men can make of it—all of that is important. the person she was and what that meant to people was important, but from the way i most often see her discussed, it’s like her gendered death is the only thing that matters. it’s okay to lament her because she got crushed by the wheel. if she hadn’t, if she wasn’t a victim to write flagellatory meta about, she would be a hypocrite, someone who needed to learn a lesson—as difficult for some of these people to relate to as dany or rhaenyra apparently are.

like, it’s just wild to me because her kindness to howland reed and her choice to defend him, to disguise herself as the knight of the laughing tree and risk her life and reputation to fight for him—is the answer to and the embodiment of one of the most thematically significant questions in the series. we see it most prominently in dany’s chapters because she asks it directly: why do the gods make kings and queens if not to protect the ones who can’t protect themselves? that’s what lyanna did, when no one else was doing it: she had more honor than any knight at that tourney or any man sitting on the small council, and it meant something to rhaegar. like what about this is hard to understand? i think he must have idealized her immediately: she must have seemed like something out of a song or a story to him, and rhaegar was a singer, a songwriter, a bard: he knows how stories are supposed to go—how to finish a song, or at least he thought he did.

bran, who also loves stories, says it himself: “and the mystery knight should win the tourney, defeating every challenger, and name the wolf maid the queen of love and beauty.” like obviously bran has some critiques i cut out, but he has the ending right—only the wolf maid was the knight, and she couldn’t have won. in the feudal gender prison, women are rewarded for being beautiful and their worth is derived from that and from what their bodies provide. she should’ve won the whole thing, but the system doesn’t allow that, so rhaegar—in a fit of single-minded capital r romantic hero idiocy—dedicates himself to winning the tourney to honor her in the only way he can: the only way the system allows him to recognize her. it was the worst possible move he could make at that time because of the romantic connotations, but i love him for doing it, as stupid as it was and even though there is no way it didn’t hurt and humiliate elia, or make him look terrible when he desperately needed to make a good impression on the lords of the realm—it’s just such a Moment. being reminded that there’s good in the world—feeling hope in the face of endless abject overwhelming despair—how do you express gratitude for that? the idea that he could only doing it by hurting someone who didn’t deserve it and making himself look like an ass is fucking awesome. i’m genuinely so sorry for people are incapable of enjoying that. could not be me!

but that’s just my interpretation of what happened at harrenhal. like i said, part of why i like them so much is that we truly don’t know. while i love darker relationships in general, the idea that he crowned her at harrenhal because he wanted to impregnate her then does not work for me. it’s a popular theory, but it renders some of the very few contextual clues we are given about what happened meaningless. for one, he didn’t know that elia wouldn’t be able to have more children at that time. this was discovered after she gave birth to aegon, and that is the point at which the question of the third child appears to have become a motivating factor for him. i personally think he left for the riverlands to consult with the ghost of high heart—the one whose prophecy is the reason he was born, the reason is parents were forced to marry, the reason his family burned alive the night he came into the world—and ran into lyanna somewhere near harrenhal. it’s possible he had been in contact with her prior to this (how? without her family knowing? what are the logistics of that?) but i think it’s just as likely it was pure chance. i really like the idea that his crowning her queen of love and beauty caused lyanna’s father to set a date for her wedding to robert or talk of moving it up, maybe even suggest a double wedding at riverrun, which would have almost certainly caused her to balk. either way, high heart is located between harrenhal and riverrun. arya also stops there while she’s kidnapped by the brotherhood without banners on the way to ransom her to her family at riverrun, and they trade songs to the ghost for her dreams and prophecies. i think it’s worth noting because arya’s journey in the riverlands mirrors lyanna’s right down to her “death” as arya stark when she leaves for braavos, paying the ferryman’s fee with the coin jaqen h’ghar gave her—just as jon’s journey at the wall mirrors rhaegar’s in many ways right up until his own death.

i also don’t think rhaegar and lyanna eloped because they were in love—this is implied by lyanna’s famous quote—but that they did come to love each other deeply, which is suggested by the way they died: her roses and him saying her name. notably, rhaegar did not leave the tower of his own volition—someone had to come and get him with news of war, which is hilarious because i think the tower of joy is right in the middle of like three major battles of the rebellion? like quite frankly, if he didn’t love her or care for anything beyond the prophecy and if she didn’t love him despite how badly things went wrong, then where in their story is the heart in conflict with itself?

i do want to clarify that i love the tower entrapment and the power imbalance aspects of their relationship as much as i love (what i interpret as) the genuine respect for each other that grew into love: it’s really the tension of those disparate elements that interests me. a dragon can love the maiden, but he’s only ever a dragon—still liable to hoard her like treasure or burn her up and rip her open trying to be gentle, to protect. that FUCKS, sorry! love is sweet and hopeful, but it’s also at exactly the same time horror, consumption, destruction.

idk it’s myopic to act like the beginning or the ending of their relationship—of their lives—is the summation of it. i think people want their story to be easy when it’s not: a clear case of a villain and his victims where everyone knows who to root for and no one has to think too much about things that are difficult or uncomfortable, questions where there probably isn’t an answer that doesn’t hurt someone. what a sad, tedious way to approach any text, but specifically this one. i’ve sometimes seen it suggested that if their story is romantic then it’s an endorsement or justification of all the “bad” things that happened because of it, and that’s also stupid. grrm as an author is never going to be someone who tells us how to feel about anything: he presents these characters and situations, often as a means of exploring certain facets of the human condition, and each of us has to come up with our own answers and find our own meaning. i don’t think he always knows what he means, or what those answers are, you know? but for me rhaegar and lyanna are one of the most fascinating parts of story, and whatever the truth is—if we ever find out—i can’t imagine a scenario where i don’t love them or find them really interesting and wonderfully sad.

[zuko-always-lies]

Incomplete list of metas (2022)

Mai is not afraid to show people affection in front of Azula

Zuko and Not Learning the Lesson

Zhao’s War Map of the World

“Katara’s Blind Hatred for Fire Nation People”

Does Zuko blame Azula for Ursa's "death"?

ATLA Characters By the Number of Times They Stole/Scammed Things from Civilians/Noncombatants

Who is Zuko Shipped With, Anyways?

Most Popular Zuko Ships on 01/01/2020 on AO3

ATLA trauma and suffering and its effects

Toph's Opinions on Nonbenders

Unpopular Opinion: People Frequently Completely Miss What’s Terrifying About Azula as An Antagonist

The Class Divide in ATLA

Suyin being awful to Lin

Zuko believes that suffering made him a better person, but it's not true

Azula Never Had Control of Mai

Zuko vs. Azula on the threat posed by the Water siblings

How Katara's grief over her mother was handled poorly

Mai would hate Ozai way more than she would hate Azula

Zuko throwing Fire at someone out of frustration in his introductory scene!

Does Azula not Get Enough Credit for Her Intuition?

Zuko’s Arc is Very Forced (in that the narrative pushed him strongly in certain directions at critical moments)

The Dangerous Ladies are Hated in Proportion to the Degree They Violate Gender Norms

Zuko’s Agency in His Fights with Azula

Ty Lee and Zuko are Not Friends

Zuko Doesn’t Get Why Katara Doesn’t Like Him

“Now my Dad Talks to Me”[Zuko Meta]

Does Zuko forgive anyone in ATLA for the wrongs, real or perceived, they inflicted upon him?

Zuko, Zuko’s perception of honor, and Agni Kai’s

Zuko and Classism

One thing that I almost never see addressed is how odd Zuko wanting to join the Gaang was as a decision

Azula doesn't fake vulnerability

Foreshadowing for Zuko siding against Aang at Ba Sing Se

Zuko would find being Firelord boring and frustrating

more on that

Toph was forced into joining Team Avatar more than she chose to do so[Toph meta]

Zuko's reaction to Aang and Iroh allying

The semi-canon Earth Kingdom Chronicles have interesting takes on Zuko and Katara in the Catacombs at Ba Sing Se

“Good” impulse in Zuko comes from empathy and (sometimes) personal loyalty, not really from duty or morality. 

How Well does Iroh Live Up to His Own Wisdom?

how many times do we see Katara comfort Sokka during the series?

Little Azula trying to impress Little Ty Lee

Ty Lee terrifies Katara

Do Zuko and Azula believe in auras?

Azula Maturing and Overcoming Her Jealously?

Mai defending Ty Lee from...Zuko?

Azula’s Objectives for the DoBS, in Order of Importance

When Can We See Azula Being Polite?

People realize that it’s Sokka who brings up the idea of Katara being the Team Mom, empathizes that she’s been mothering him for years, and says this is a good thing, not Aang, right?

How was 13 year old Zuko really like?

Iroh’s finest moment–at The Crossroads of Destiny

There’s Zero Evidence that Ozai Abused Show!Canon Ursa.

How Would Zuko’s Actions when He’s 13 Years Old Look within Fire Nation Elite Culture?

Azula doesn’t think love is weak and stupid, she thinks that no one will ever genuinely love her.

Ty Lee is Mean!

You know, I think Mai just doesn’t like beaches

Mai tried to kill Katara (and not because Azula made her)

Empathy drives Zuko's goodness

Almost every time someone abandoned or betrayed Azula, she was powerless to prevent it, regardless of her actions

Book 1 & 2 Zuko didn't care about the war

Traumatic experience that Zuko received (that no one remembers)

The Zuko-Katara Scene Under Ba Sing Se Didn’t Have Any Great Emotional Significance for Zuko

Mai, Azula, their relationship, and Mai's parents

I find the idea that Mai doesn’t understand “the real Zuko,” while Katara does, quite confusing and questionable. Like...

Zuko's status anxiety

Zuko’s ill-timed comment in the war room was not a matter of him opposing the war

Zuko Parallels

Azula's luck at love in fanfiction [not really mine but I had to include it]

Zuko's lack of reckoning with his personal imperialist violence

Zuko’s Book 3 Unhappiness

Zuko does little to no emotional labor for the females in his life,

 Sokka very much doesn’t like people from the Fire Nation

Aang's maturity and wisdom

Settler Colonialism, Sokka, Katara, and Jet

Azula fic character tags

Ty Lee and pride?

Zuko bringing up his Agni Kai with Ozai

I was just trying to describe Sokka to someone…

Zuko was crown prince in first half of book 3

Azula's charisma

Azula wanted to talk things out with Mai before taking action at Boiling Rock

"Zuko is the perfect brother postwar” fics impress me with how little respect they show for Zuko’s trauma.

some of the better evidence of Zuko’s dissatisfaction with the more militaristic aspects of Fire Nation culture.

Ursa’s departure, and another reason why Azula hates herself

People love acting like “realizing that Ozai also abused Azula” was part of Zuko’s arc...

Azula playing with Ty Lee

The big problem with “Zuko switched sides because of Ozai’s plan to burn down the Earth Kingdom”

Ty Lee the outsider of the Dangerous Ladies?

Every Refence to Azula’s Relationship with the Court and General Public in the Fire Nation

Zuko only comforted people four times?

Zuko’s Avatar Hunting Strategies

Bonus:

How does Iroh talk about Ozai vs How does Iroh talk about Azula

[starz222]

surprise!

synopsis: planning nilou's birthday, your assigned baking partner, alhaitham, blurts out something unexpected

contains: gender neutral reader, not proofread w/c: 1443 (not on purpose i swear)

a/n: characters may be ooc, prompt shown at the end! part 2 here !

Zubayr theater is planning a surprise party for Nilou. She’s been working extremely hard for the theater and has made tons of contributions aswell. Ever since the festival, the group stayed in contact.

The people of Zubayr theater thought it would be great to ask help from the group, though busy, they would make time for a friend. They had asked the traveller to contact everyone in order to get the arrangements done. They called you, Alhaitham, Dehya, Tighnari, Cyno, and Dunyarzad. Of course, they did think that these were super important people, and extremely busy at that, but they’ve saved Teyvat together. Surely, they would be able to make time and help out. (Traveler also invited Nahida but they were gonna keep that a surprise.)

Without Nilou incharge of the arrangements, the situation was utterly messy. 

“Okay, soo.. Dunyarzad is in charge of keeping Nilou distracted, Alhaitham and [Name] are in charge of baking,  Cyno and Tighnari help out with the decorations, and Dehya in charge of the gifts and supervising with us!” Paimon announced.

“One question.” Cyno crossed his arms. “You sure that the mighty scribe knows how to bake?” 

“I know how to. And, why don’t you go and focus on the pretty little decorations? Isn’t that your job?” Alhaitham bites back.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough. We should all get to work soon if we want this to be done quickly.” Tighnari stopped the two from arguing. 

You and Dehya share a look, even without words, you both know what you’re thinking. They’re fighting like kids.

“Ahem… Okay! Let’s get to work!” Paimon clapped. Everyone went to their designated stations, and you head to the little station set up for baking. 

You see Alhaitham carrying a box of baking supplies, along with the Traveler. Sure, he had muscles for days. But god, you never really paid attention. He sets the box on the table and helps get out the tools. You get the necessary ingredients and you begin to whip up the batter. Cracking a few eggs, pouring in the flour and the milk. 

“Give it to me, I’ll put it in the mixer.” Alhaitham offers. He knows that he doesn’t know how, but the mixer came with a manual. He thought it would be easy to use the mixer. You watch him as he carefully reads the instructions. “It’s pretty simple.” He concludes, putting the manual down. “Haitham, are you sure you’ve got this?” you tease. “As always.” He grabs the bowl of batter and places it onto the mixer then presses the button. It begins to spin, “I told you.” he says with a proud grin. Suddenly, it accelerates. It becomes so fast, the batter starts to fly out of the bowl.

“HAITHAM-” you cover your face with your arm. “TURN IT OFF!” you scream.

“I’m working on it, genius.” The batter flies to his face, causing him to miss the button of the mixer. He reaches out and finally turns it off. You hand him a towel (well, you throw it to his face). He pauses before he grabs it from his face. “I was the one that turned it off, you know.” He wipes the batter off of his neck and clothes. “You were also the one that started it.” You retort, “So many ingredients wasted, we’ll have to start from scratch again.” You sigh and wipe your forehead.

He looks at you and laughs, “I’ve never seen anyone look so cute and ridiculous at the same time”. 

“You.. think I'm cute?”

“....Forget I said anything.” He turns away and his bangs fall, covering his face. You wish you could see his face right now. 

Fuck, why’d I say that? How did I even mess up with the mixer? I’m embarrassing myself. I can’t even focus. Why do I keep on messing up now that they’re around? 

earlier that day ... alhaitham's pov

“Alhaitham! We’re planning a surprise party for Nilou and we were wondering if you wanted to come and help out!” Paimon looks at Alhaitham. “It’s okay if you can’t though. But, we did call the rest of the group! Wellll, so far, only [name], but they said they’re going-” 

“It’s going to be held at the Zubayr Theater, right?” Paimon nods, “Let’s not keep them waiting if we want to celebrate now.” 

assigning the jobs ... al haitham's pov

Alhaitham is more than unaware of his feelings for you, rather, in denial.. All he knows is that when you’re around, his heart paces. When you’re around, he’s more conscious. When you’re around, he doesn’t know what to do. 

“Okay, soo.. Dunyarzad is in charge of keeping Nilou distracted, Alhaitham and [Name] are in charge of baking,  Cyno and Tighnari help out with the decorations, and Dehya in charge of the gifts and supervising with us!” Paimon announced.

Of all people, it just had to be you. Why you? Well, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, he thinks. But he knows that he won’t be able to react so rationally towards you. You're always on his mind, and he doesn’t know what he would do without you.

back 2 the present ...

“Hey! How is it over-” Paimon sees the mess.“..here.” She shares a concerning look with Traveler and Dehya, they see Alhaitham cleaning up the mixer and batter, and you mixing up a new batch.. “What happened?” Dehya turns to you. “A little mishap, I accidentally changed the setting to the highest”. You force a laugh. “Umm, good luck with the rest!” They begin to walk away and check up on the others.

You hear Tighnari in the distance, “Cyno, PLEASE. For the love of god, stop it with your jokes!”. He begs as he stands on a ladder that’s being held stable by Cyno. “What? I’m thinking of more as my gift to Nilou.”

“Don’t even–” Tighnari sighs, “Dehya’s taking care of the gifts already.”

Poor Nilou, you think. (IM KIDDING CYNO I LOVE YOU)

You’re lost in your thoughts, meanwhile Alhaitham is confused, why did you cover for him? You had no reason to. The faucet is still running, and the cold water continues to hit his skin. What do I do next? He thinks.  He always knew what to do next, it wasn’t that much of a problem for him. He always knew the answer, or found another way. Now, he doesn’t know what to do. He’s.. stuck.

... “I’ve never seen someone look so cute and ridiculous at the same time.”

“You think I’m cute?”  .....

You replay the conversation in your head, little did you know, he was doing the same. 

What should I say? It’s so… awkward now.

You dealt with the silence while baking and helping each other, you notice your hands lingering on his longer than it should have. You stare at him, lost in your thoughts, thinking: "When did he become so damn pretty?” Meanwhile, Alhaitham feels your stare. His grip on the piping bag changes, and he fixes his posture. He clears his throat, “Are you gonna help or what?” You snap back to reality and help him with the cake.

You both manage to bake a cake together in these conditions. It was too awkward for the both of you, at this point you were begging to the archons that someone else would come and break the ice. And the archons answered your prayers. 

“I smell something yummy!” Paimon exclaims as she floats towards you and Alhaitham’s station. “Oooh. I can’t wait to dig in!” She kicks her feet in the air. “Hands off, Paimon. You’ll get to eat lots later.” Traveler stops her, and of course, she begins to sulk.

“It looks great, you two. I’m surprised you even managed to bake a cake successfully.” Dehya praises, of course, managing to say some passive-aggressive shit to Alhaitham. Weirdly, Alhaitham stays silent instead of coming up with a witty retort. “That’s weird.” They nod in unison. “Did something happen between you two?” Dehya asks.

“It’s nothing.” You gulp, “Anywho, is everyone else done? I haven’t gotten the chance to look around, but it looks gorgeous! Nilou’s going to love this.” you state. “Speaking of which, where’s the birthday girl?” Paimon asks, you all turn towards Dehya. “Dunyarzad said that she’s having trouble keeping her away from the theatre, y’know, it being a home to her and all that. But now that we’re done with the preparations, we can give Dunyarzad the clear and let her come now.” 

“Okay! Sounds great!” Paimon says.

You look at Alhaitham, but he was already looking at you. Your cheeks feel hot again, but he was quick to turn away.

How are you going to go through the party feeling this tension?

a/n: might make a part 2 about how the party went!! (if this gets a few likes)

prompt: "I've never seen someone look so cute and ridiculous at the same time"

[cadybear420]

Cadybear's Reviews- Murder at Homecoming

Welcome to the thirty-seventh official Cadybear's Reviews! Today I'll be talking about Murder at Homecoming, which I have ranked on the "Platinum Tier" at 9 stars out of a possible 10. My last and only playthrough of this was during September-December 2022.

This is definitely one of the better, if not the best release, of 2022, and it’s easily among my personal faves. 

A MC who is proactive and gets shit done, multiple LIs, highly compelling story. How can I not love that? All three of the LIs are amazing characters– and Tyler especially is just precious. I think he’s the first love interest I have ever adored nearly as much as I’ve adored Aiden. I miss when we had male LIs that are just so babygirl. 

The incorporation of mature topics and queer themes was especially excellent. MTFL, take notes! Because THIS is how you write a teen story that talks about queer sexuality and mature behaviors. Besides maybe BiBound I mean BloodBound, this is probably the first book in Choices where each LI has some degree of confirmed sexuality outside of their LI option status for the MC. 

One thing that’s especially notable is how Tyler will talk about how he used to think he was straight if you romance him as a male or enby MC. I normally don’t mind much when LIs in GOC stories are made with the “playersexual” style of writing, but these sort of little changes are a good show of effort and give Tyler more character.

But of course, it’s not without a handful of problems. 

Like COP (1), the story is incredibly linear and none of the clues or choices really affect your story. Sure, they give you a bit of extra background, but that’s about it. 

The only choices that really have any impact are the stuff related to the queer discussions, Tyler’s romance route, and how the options for how your MC can talk about their queer experience can change based on your MC’s gender and romance choices. Which is still highly praiseworthy, don’t get me wrong, but I’d have loved to see some variation in the other elements of the book too.

And as much as I did enjoy this MC and do consider them one of the more refreshing ones, they were also a bit too rigid and pre-set for me at times. I get that some MCs will need to have pre-set details about them, and to some degree that does apply to this MC, but it was a bit much at times. Like, there was especially no need to give them a default first AND last name. I do like the aspect of MC preferring to go by their middle name, but we still could have been allowed to change their first and last names too, to be honest. 

I found it really hard to feel for the loss of Perdita for this reason; the traumatic event backstory didn’t feel as well established, compared to that of ILITW and ACOR MCs. Though to be fair, I do remember there being a handful of premium scenes to see a memory with Perdita, and I do remember skipping all but two of them. 

But even then, I never felt she had quite as much importance as the writers clearly wanted her to have? Outside of being a motivator for MC to solve Gabbie’s case and allowing MC to connect with Donovan better. Maybe my opinion on this might change after I give it a replay, though. 

That being said, I’m actually fine with the story not telling us what really happened to Perdita, as much as I’d have loved a continuation for this book. MC not knowing what happened to Perdita is what motivated them to solve Gabbie’s case, and in that regard, the two cases kind of juxtapose one another. Whereas MC is able to get closure for Gabbie’s case, they don’t do that for Perdita’s case.

That makes the ending a little more nuanced in my opinion. Sometimes, we don’t always get closure for these kinds of things. While I’m still mixed on how well the story integrated Perdita, this message was handled decently and didn’t feel like it was in bad spirit. 

So if there were a continuation for this story, I wouldn’t mind it being centered around MC finding Perdita, motivated to work on that case more actively after their success with Gabbie’s case. But rather than having them solve the case, it can mostly center around them struggling between whether they should keep up that search, or leave it as a cold case and move on. 

Overall, definitely a higher-tier and very respectable story that definitely deserves a replay. 

[rruhlreviews]

Book Review - The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

I must preface this review with the fact I have a certificate in women and gender studies.

Some context is important when discussing the success of this book. This novel was a blockbuster on BookTok, so we need to examine what makes something a sensation for the BookTok audience. The basic elements of a BookTok success are a high concept, diverse representation, a heavy emphasis on tropes, and use of contemporary language and/or pop culture references. Strong plot or character arcs are a secondary focus of the BookTok audience.

A story about a baseball player sports-bro who has to read regency romance to be a better husband. This high concept is the selling point of this novel. What makes this appealing to BookTok? Toxic masculinity is a hot topic in society right now. Despite being parents, the characters are young, which appeals to the burgeoning new adult audience. We’ve got feminism and a strong female lead who loves art and activism. Sports romance is popular as well. I can see how an online audience who’s used to the jargon online would think the author was clever for using terms like “mansplaining.”

The premise was appealing and I was genuinely excited to read the book. I appreciate what the author was attempting to do! The part with Gavin doing the grand gesture and Thea playfully saying she wanted to was very sweet. Unfortunately, thepremise fell short of its potential for me. Contemporary romance isn't my typical read (though I have read and enjoyed it before), yet I went into this with an open mind. My reaction can best be summarized by: when I learned this was a BookTok fav, all of the criticisms I had made a lot more sense. BookTok is a site where trends change constantly and the media consumption cycle lasts a month if you’re lucky. How to market to this constantly shifting audience? Sell them bite-sized ideas. Emphasize tropes. A new take on the sports romance. Useless man fights for empowered wife. Unpacking toxic masculinity. Woke romance. Men are from Mars and women are from Venus, but it’s done in a feminist way this time, we promise.

Have I mentioned I don’t ascribe to the whole idea of gender?

I digress. My point is, the entire book seemed to be just these few tropes and premises. The narrative never got into the emotional depth I needed to make me care about the characters. Miscommunication as a plot device can be done well, but if you removed it from The Bromance Book Club, the entire narrative would fall apart. If the reader ever stops to wonder if men and women aren’t from two different planets, the narrative falls apart. I’m not making excuses for Gavin being oblivious to his wife’s happiness, but I must point out that Thea never communicated either. She told him to leave, so he did, then she was mad at him because he wasn’t supposed to actually leave.

The plot and characterization were weak. I was interested in Thea’s trauma, but it seemed to be glossed over to push a heavy-handed “strong woman” theme. It’s like a cake made out of all frosting. That’s the thing. BookTok wants easily consumed frosting, not a cake that requires a longer attention span or the contemplation of important concepts such as diversity and inclusion beyond a surface-level discussion. Being able to check off boxes on a representation clipboard doesn’t make a book a strong story, but that would be news to BookTok. I hate the term “woke” because it misses every single point of real social justice work, ergo it is the perfect term to describe the attempt at feminism in The Bromance Book Club, which didn't feel super feminist at all. Ultimately, the tension and comedy in the book rely on the belief that women and men are inherently different, and if you and your partner struggle to speak the same love language, it isn't a communication issue but a gender issue. Honestly, while reading, I kept thinking about the sitcom Home Improvement from the 90s which I know wasn't the intended effect. Mentally, I call this phenomenon "girlboss feminism," where the quest to create a strong female lead falls back on buzzwords and a couple tropes and ultimately has little new or interesting to say about gender.

The voice in The Bromance Book Club was a voice I recognized from other BookTok successes I’ve read. Its attempt to be witty was just edgy. The voice was self-aware, ironic, and almost felt to be poking fun at the genre as a whole, which made me wary of its sincerity. It's like when a musical has a character point out "why is everyone singing?" Personally, I'm a fan of just enjoying a genre without breaking the immersion. We’re all here to read it because we know and enjoy the general formula, and you don’t need to hit us over the head with anything. Additionally, there were sections where the author's voice bled through and it felt more like reading a rant about injustice than a story.

As a final nitpick, Courting the Countess used the phrase “male gaze” at one point and I was irked by the anachronistic language. It’s 1820, not 2020.

In conclusion, while the high concept and premise of The Bromance Book Club caught my attention, it fell short of its potential, trading a dynamic plot and characters for appealing buzzwords and a superficial attempt to discuss feminism. Because of the culture on BookTok which desires speed, surface-level representation, genre fiction that “isn’t like other genre fiction,” and easily consumed media, it was the perfect favorite for that audience. The book ultimately lacked sincerity to my eye. It felt to be showing off how not like other romances it was, and lost the heartfelt storytelling for me. TikTok as a site is all about flashy appearances with less depth.

Here I am, turning an unrelated piece of writing into a rant about society after criticizing The Bromance Book Club for doing the same thing. But this discussion is indeed part of a larger concern of mine. I worry about BookTok's potential to influence a trend of declining quality in the fiction market. I worry about the negative impact on the mental health of its userbase, afraid to show or feel things against the status quo.

Maybe I'm just not in the target audience, in which case these criticisms mean little. Maybe I read it as trying to be more than it actually was. In any case, it just wasn't for me, and that's okay, and I'm free to pick up another contemporary romance with different themes. This book certainly achieved what it meant to achieve, given its success, which I respect.

[idril-la-wiccan]

Mermay 2023 - 4th Week and last three days

Day 22 - Zodiac

Well, with a prompt like this one, it was a little too easy to go with the Aquarius for Mermay. But... the thing is I have a certain attachement for this astrological sign in particular.

Day 23 - Tradition

And here is "Mahu", the dumbo octopus merfolk from day 21, once more ! I had vaguely alluded to it, but "Mahu" won't be their name, even if this is what I had planned initially. I'll explain why.

You've probably noticed that all of the merfolks I made for Out of the Abyss are strongly inspired by polynesian cultures, the most obvious ones being Hawaiian and Maori. And "Mahu" is in itself a concept of the Hawaiian culture : a third gender of which the name translates litteraly to "in the middle". Mahu people had an important role in Hawaiian society. They taught spiritual and social traditions, which included, among other things, teaching the hula.

And so, for me to have the idea of naming them "Mahu" to begin with, you've probably figured out that it's because this is what they are, traditionally speaking. But as I thought about it, I realised naming them by what they are would be like naming a cat, well, "Cat". It's a bit dumb.

Basically, I want to give them a new name. I'll certainly keep a two syllables name to at least keep things simple.

Hmm... In fact, maybe I could find them a name that has something to do with traditions ?

Day 24 - Zaddy

I made this character on the spot as I wasn't really inspired by the prompt. But I think I managed well with it nonetheless.

Day 25 - Food

No matter his form, Humphrey will always be a big glutton. (Even if, thankfully, he doesn't have the same voracity as when he used to be an actual whale.)

Day 26 - Jewel

"Shiny... For me... ?"

Day 27 - Halle Bailey

Ok, I'm not gonna speak on the matter of the Disney remakes as I believe everybody knows and that everybody roughly agrees about it.

No, here, the subject is Miss Bailey. I think no one can deny it, her voice is magnificent. And no matter the state of the movie, if she took pleasure in playing Ariel's role, then I am gald for her. And I also wish her a good continuation in her career.

Day 28 - Sailor

Alright, I might be cheating a bit with this prompt here. But the idea had been floating in my head for a while now and I finally had an excuse to put it on paper.

I don't know if I was the only one to have this idea, but I saw no one imagine the Captain Caviar ending up with a merman form as a result from being cursed by Black Pearl.

And yet, I saw many people draw him as a merman, so I'm surprised I haven't already seen this idea roam around...

Day 29 - Barbie

I loved the Barbie movies when I was a kid, especially the Fairytopia series. Here, I drew Elina, main character of this movie series, who takes on a mermaid form for a good part of the movie "Mermaidia".

Day 30 - Blue

I had mentionned this on day 21, but I'll have to reiterate it for this prompt. Leviathan is a blue whale merman.

It's in fact for this same reason he's the tallest amongst his peers : blue whales are the biggest mammals known in the world. Even Humphrey, a little humpback whale merman in comparison, is no match.

Well, perhaps that under his original form, Humphrey could have surpassed Leviathan.

Day 31 - Good night

I never would have guessed that I needed to see Dino-sour be a father figure to a half dinosaur baby cookie in my life.

Yes, the previous sentence makes no sense out of context.

I no longer play Ovenbreak ever since... well, ever since even before what happened with Yogurca (the less we talk about it, the better), but I'm still trying to follow the stories on YouTube. And honestly, I think that Pond Dino is the best thing to have happened to the "Rise of the Blue Dragon" update. I get how their design bothers some (it's rather overloaded, let's admit it), but... Just...

Baby... <3

Baby that sleeps like an otter. <3

*****

*~ Third week ||

Like my art ? You can commission me !

Buy me a coffee ?

[nightshift-clocking-in]

10 books

Thank you to @wanderingdonut for the tag, I love any excuse to talk about books. 🖤(These are in no particular order)

PET by Akwaeke Emezi

I read this book in summer of 2021 and I think about it all the time. Something in this book rewired my brain, I cried so much that I left stains on the pages. It poses the question if there was a utopia, a perfect society, would there still be monsters? Honestly its fantastic, but please check the trigger warning because it discusses a lot of hard topics.

What if its us by Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli

Words cannot describe how funny this book is to me. Chaotic and completely ridiculous, but this book made me fall in love with audio books, I listen to it once a year and still laugh out loud.

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyers

This is the book and author that made me fall in love with stories. Its why I love retellings and fanfics (Marissa Meyer was a fanfic author before she was published hehe). If you knew me around the age of 15-16 there is a good chance that I read at least the first book out loud to you. But this story is what inspired me to start writing when I was younger and for that reason, it will always hold a special place in you heart.

One last stop by Casey Mcquiston

A lot of people apparently don't like this book, I don't care I do. I love this book, the mystery, the side characters, the trauma? Amazing. There is so much going on, and I say that as a good thing, so many little things to keep you on your toes to try and figure it out before the end. Honestly it's amazing, and made me feel seen in a way I never had in books before. Also a light sprinkling of smut and mommy issues.

Gender Queer by Maia Kebabe

I'm a firm believer that you should read banned books. So I read this only for it to give me a gender crisis (I know the irony) and I realized so many things I assumed were universal experiences where in fact not. Honestly, it's super funny to think about now but I did have a breakdown while read this on my friends broken couch while they played sims. Truly iconic.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

This book breaths summer to me, a very important person in my life read it to me while on camping trips over an entire summer. It has everything you could want in a book; adventure, sword fighting, pirates, death and true love. If you have not at least watched the movie, you should.

The Guardians of Childhood Series by William Joyce

It's been years since I read this, but the world building, imagery and the lessons at the heart of the stories where beautiful. I read this to the kids in my life when they were younger, and its just a beautiful story full of whimsy and hope.

So this is Ever After by F.T Lukens

This book poses the question of what happened after your question end, you beat the evil king but how do you repair a kingdom that's been cursed for 100 years? Honestly the first page of this made me laugh so hard I had to put it down, its just fantastic.

Heartless by Marissa Meyers

I know I already listed a book by this author but I'm sorry I just love it so much. Alice in wonderland is my favorite classic story of all time, so retelling are hit or miss with me, and this is perfect. I love how its a prequel, to the world and you meet the character in much different circumstances. The Queen before she was a queen, the hatter before he when mad, and new characters too. It fills me with childlike wonder. I have a complete annotated and dissected copy of this book going into all the details of the world. I read it at least once a year. And this is what got me back into writing as an adult, which seems silly to say out loud but it's true.

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

Just chaotic all the time. I have not read all of this authors works, but from the ones I have they are hilarious. While this is a silly little romcom with some of the funniest details (Like a dung beetle ball) it also goes over a lot of harder topics; complicated relationships with parents, guilt, OCD, ignoring your own need so you can "be better", ect. Sometimes you just have to stop caring about what others think, and realize that its okay to be a mess, because everyone is a mess all the time.

No pressure tags:@crying-lightningx , @jegulusofwesper, @underburningstars,

[fairykukla]

I sell sewing machines for a machine dealership. I often get moms and grandmas wanting to get a kid their first sewing machine.

Keep in mind; I'm in a sewing supply store. We sell sewing machines and tons of fabric, notions, and sewing accessories. We aren't in a mall. I'm not in the corner of a department store. The only reason to be having a conversation with me is because this person drove to a sewing store, walked through the sewing store, and walked up to a sewing machine salesperson.

And I still get this weird pushback in the conversation.

"I want to buy a machine for my kid. I'm looking for something simple, and easy to use."

"That sounds great! How much have you budgeted for this gift?" I need to know if she is looking for the cheapest possible choice, or if she genuinely wants to get the kid an easy to use machine.

"Well, what's your cheapest model? I don't want to spend too much. What if (child's name) loses interest?"

I then have to try to get them to see that if you "support" a kid's interest with a cheap, difficult to use, impossible to master tool, you're guaranteeing that they'll lose interest quickly. It's not necessary to buy a "top of the line" tool, but it will absolutely *encourage* a new fiber artist to give them a tool that eliminates difficult steps.

I often have this conversation with an adult who has done this several times; the kid in question tried, then lost interest in music, cooking, sports, and several crafts. This grown-ass adult in front of me thinks that those purchases were a *waste of money* instead of *supportive investment* for a young person's growth and life experience.

I got an inexpensive plastic toy loom as a kid. I made one thing on it and it broke. Ditto for the plastic secondhand "knitting machine." I've never pursued weaving or knitting since then. I got to use my parents' real sewing machine, though. Look what I do for a living!

Phases are an important part of our journey in life. I'm horrified by the idea that a human being is required to only ever invest their energy in activities that will pay off in specific ways. We should be able to dabble in anything we have interest in. And we should be able to walk away from an interest at any time. I collected stickers and made chenille crafts as a child. I don't really do that anymore. So what?

Are you interested in being a girl for a while? Go ahead. Be a girl. Wanna experiment with being a guy? Be a guy, dude. Don't be afraid to invest yourself into it.

Then, maybe later, you decide that you're not really interested in being a guy anymore? Be who you want to be. Maybe you'll have another Guy Phase later on.

One of the things I loved about John Varley's Steel Beach was that humanity had reached a point where anyone could choose to be anything at any time. The lead character starts out as a guy, dating a girl. Partway through, the girl's kid buys her a mustache kit. So she wears the mustache for a while. Then she decided to go ahead and switch to being a guy.

In the mean time, our lead character is pursuing The Mystery but realizes that he kind of misses being a girl, and switches to a female form. The hookup with the other character is kind of amazing.

And the gender switching isn't even the main plot of the story! It's a thing you can just casually do, as a part of your life! There's people with animal characteristics!

Embrace phases. Experiment in your own life. Unhook from Sunk-Cost fallacy.

Buy the tool that makes your life easier. Whatever it might be. When it no longer makes your life easier, pass it along to the next person.

“what if kids identify with something and it ends up just being a phase-?” good. stop teaching and expecting kids (and adults honestly) to formulate permanent traits and ideas of themselves. everything in life is a phase. that doesn’t make it any less legitimate while you experience it. let people explore themselves and know it’s okay if what you think about yourself changes.

[dimensionwitch]

JJK - Female Chars

Hi I’m Rita. I’m brazilian of japanese descent. I’m a fujoshi and I've been reading manga since the early 2000s. I especially love shonen manga but I read a lot of genres.

Personagens Femininas em Jujutsu Kaisen - uma análise em contexto.

Jujutsu Kaisen Female Characters - A Contextualized Essay

This is a response and an essay about female characters in Jujutsu Kaisen. I watched some videos and read some threads about it and I think many people are missing the point. So I’m adding my opinion. A criminal act, I know.

First of all, we know from interviews that Gege Akutami went to an all-boys school as a teen but, after that, we don't know, and have no confirmation anywhere, that Gege identifies as male. Gege uses both “watashi” and “boku” to refer to himself, and can be a bit ambiguous in japanese. I'll be using he/him for simplicity, but we do not know for a fact. An argument can be made that “he” used to play with his wiener among his friends, but that’s not gender. I don’t think Akutami’s gender is important for this essay, but I also thought it was important to get that out of the way. Although he is probably a man.

Now, the main issues I’m seeing here and there are:

> People created weird expectations about the female characters and were let down;

> The women have “support skills”.

> The women fades away at some point and are not part of the narrative anymore.

JJk is regarded by some as “The Manga For Female Representation”it is not. And it never was. I don’t know who gave anyone that idea. JJK female characters are good. They are well written. But they are not perfect.

But! I can say more: They’re as good as the male characters in this story.

But let’s start at the beginning, what does a “good female character” even mean?

While that may be different for everyone, for me it means the women have drives, stories and personalities that are independent from the male characters. And even better if they pass the Bechdel-Wallace Test, and the Mako Mori Test¹, but those are optional. Those are the BASELINE.

There is an infinitude of manga with good female characters, In Shoujo and in Josei we frequently have deep and connecting stories of female narratives. But we crave and seek them in Shonen and Seinen manga as well, manga that are not intended for female audiences. 

BUT! Many women, like me, enjoy reading shonen with their crazy magic systems and power levels. And the stereotypical female character hurts us. The misogyny is too blatant. Too many boobs and too many panties. The beach episode, or the bath scene, with pervert males and boob-grabs. The male gaze. The characters that are insecure for having small boobs. The characters that fall in love with the male lead because he touched her once. The hypersexualized outfits... the list goes on and on. We’re tired of that and many women I know dread shonen, for this specific reason.

And this IS a merit of Jujutsu. The female characters dress normally and are treated like, well, like any other character. They are not overly sexualized. Even the sexy characters are fully dressed, like MeiMei. That was shown naked on a cover art, but we didn’t actually see anything.

There’s this argument about Uro, because she’s a naked lady in the sky dressed up with the sky. However, there’s a difference between a naked body and a sexualized one.. Sure, if you think that’s sexualization that’s a completely valid point. But we never see a JJK girl slipping on a banana peel just to flash her panties. The only “sexual harassment” ever presented is Aoi Todo asking everyone he meets what’s their type of girl, the questions he learned from Yuki, his master. Todo is also the guy Akutami chose to draw when asked to make a sexy pinup. Todo is also obsessed with a girl idol, a trait that I know everyone would look down upon if he was a girl with a favorite male idol.

The only time I, personally, felt the woman was naked for no reason at all, was that cover art of chapter 218 with naked Yorozu. And the times she ran naked towards Sukuna in her flashbacks. One character. Out of 116.

The “beach episode”, in jujutsu, would be the Okinawa part of the Hidden Inventory Arc, where the point was for Riko-chan to feel alive one last time, and there was not even one smidge of sexyness in that scene. Her swimsuit was demure and she was wearing a cute beach-coat.

So here we are now. The first point. The expectations.

I was there and I remember Bleach in 2001. Kuchiki Rukia was among the first female characters that made me think “wow! this one is NOT LIKE OTHER GIRLS! SHE’S NOT LIKE THE OTHERS!”. She had a personality, didn’t know how ro draw, slept in the closet, was short and upfront, confident, she was professional, she was strong and she had a life! But it was a weak effort. Bleach fell flat. The entirety of the Soul Society Arc was centered on saving Rukia and in the end she never actually did anything. The other female characters were basically petite or big boobed mamas that never actually helped the narrative move.

Naruto was a disaster. We all know them. The best written (female) character is Tsunade, but she was written to be “The same personality as the first Hokage. Her backstory is because of her brother and she only made decisions because of Jiraiya and Naruto. And also she does whatever she can to stay pretty and young.”. Sakura never does anything, she heals Kankuro at the beginning of Shippuden, and then punches down a dying dinosaur at the spin off Naruto: Sasuke's Story—The Uchiha and the Heavenly Stardust: The Manga. Ino just came and went to be the pairing of Sai. Hinata became a housewife... AND DON’T let me even start complaining about TenTen. She didn’t even get a last name.

One piece has good female characters, yes. Their personalities and story lines and strengths are awesome. But it IS a bit jarring how so many of them are drawn sexy. (please watch MelonTeee videos about one piece characters)

And those were the Big 3 shonen manga of the early 2000 - When I was a teenager.

And when Gege Akutami and the other current shonen authors were teenagers.

You can see it clear as day that the big 3 influenced Jujutsu. Be it in the art, or in the way the characters dress. I can see it in the way the characters fight.

And I can see the progress of the last 20 years.

Remember Shaman King? The female characters barely spoke. Tamao “took Anna’s personality” in flowers; Eliza Faust never spoke, not even when she was alive. Ana’s motivations revolved around Yoh. 

Remember YuYu Hakusho? Tell me what Botan, Keiko and Yukina did in the original story. Only Genkai was really a character. Mukuro was more interesting when we didn’t know she was a girl. Think about the Bechdel-Wallace test again. Fun female characters, but none of them mattered. 

The female characters of Jujutsu have motifs and stories and drives that are not related to male characters. Maki wants to be the head of her clan to save Mai. Mai wants to survive. Nobara wants a boyfriend, but she also wants to be herself while doing her duty, she wants to be authentic with herself. Miwa wants money. Uro wants to win the culling game. Many of those “could” be male characters. But some can’t. If you change the gender, you change the story, so they are important female characters, not only characters. Put a pin on this, I’ll get to this again later.

The backstory we see when Mahito attacked Nobara is solely hers. It’s about not wanting to be mistreated for who she is. It’s about going to Tokyo to find a better environment to be herself. And she goes and finds it.

Actually, Nobara’s plot is about trying her best to be feminine and to be herself and to be considered strong in a very patriarchal society. Not only the jujutsu's one, but also Japanese society.

The female characters in Jujutsu ARE well written. Point blank. But please read the rest to see how people could be let down by it.

The second point, all the female characters have support skills.

This is not true, but also not-not true.

Is Nobara’s a support skill? 

So, the technique Nobara uses is called “Straw Doll Technique” and it’s based on Ushi no Toki Mairi (丑の時参り). Wikipedia says:

“[It] refers to a prescribed method of laying a curse upon a target that is traditional to Japan, so-called because it is conducted during the hours of the Ox (between 1 and 3 AM). The practitioner—typically a scorned woman—while dressed in white and crowning herself with an iron ring-set with three lit candles upright, hammers nails into a sacred tree (神木, shinboku) of the Shinto shrine. In the modern-day common conception, the nails are driven through a straw effigy of the victim, impaled upon the tree behind it.”

So it’s not a support technique, but it is one related to women. I flashed this one out because people think it’s voodoo when it is NOT. Please research Vodun and its history. Nobara’s technique is a traditional japanese witchcraft.

I can list every character and go one by one, but let’s not do that. Many do have support skills (like Shouko, who is a healer, and Utahime, who is a buffer). But many don’t (like Yuki who has the power of the concept of mass, and Hanyu, who has airplane hair). About their stories, Momo’s whole life was supporting Mai, and (I know she’s a side character, but) Saori doesn't even HAVE male character around her at any given time. Hanami is a flower and a curse of nature itself.

I will not be disingenuous here. The thing is, they are mostly for support. Yes. Mai creates a sword for Maki. MeiMei uses a huge ax, but her ability is surveillance because she controls crows. Angel can extinguish techniques, but “she’s weak” so she “only helps the male characters”.

The worst part, for me, is how many of them only exist in favor of male counterparts. Angel’s back story is about Megumi. Rika-chan died for Yuta (in Jujutsu Kaisen 0). We never actually met Tsumiki, but Yorozu was obsessed with Sukuna... 

I said “not-not true” because all of those things are also true for the male characters. You see?

Gakuganji is a buffer, like Utahime. Inumaki use words for crowd control. UiUi can teleport. Mechamaru can control dolls. Arata Nitta can “stop existing injuries from getting any worse”. Yaga can put souls into stuffed animals. Amai can create flans out of his blood-sugar. All of those would be read as “feminine” if they weren’t being used by male characters.

Even Aoi Todo, his innate technique is “exchanging places of things with curse energy”, and it can only be used to help anyone who wants to go there and punch. If he was a girl, a girl obsessed with an idol, that has a “supporting technique” would “she” be deemed a badly written character? Food for thought.

What? You’re telling me the female characters are “superficial”? We know more about Nanako and Mimiko than we know about the Kappa guy. We know as much about Takako Uro than we know about Ryu Ishigori.

Even Yuuji is sometimes delegated to a supporting role. Against Sukuna he is there to trigger Higuruma’s domain and another time when they went north to recruit Hakari. He only became THE protagonist, after every single one of the other options were out of the table.

Important Tangent About the Techniques

I believe the techniques are about the things conservative Japanese society deems “improper” in any way. Things the mainstream deem possible, but “you should do it in secret”.

The three big clans deal with Space (and they are the most powerful and revered), followed by Shadows and Blood. And those are from a time where sorcerer's were accepted by Japanese society. Now they hide in plain sight. So the three families get a special pass. “Nowadays” the techniques are ebbed in a kind of shame.

Other powers include: Gakuganji’s guitar, Hakari’s pachinko, Kirara’s constellations, Nanako’s photo manipulation, Ogami’s incorporation of the dead, Junpei’s venom, Naoya and Naobito’s animation-frame-counting, Charle’s manga panels, Reggie’s contracts and the list keep going.

SIGH

There are some shonen stories that can take place anywhere. Ichigo doesn’t NEED to be japanese for Bleach to work. As well as Yusuke (Yu Yu Hakusho) and Shinji (Neon Genesis Evangelion). They could all be Brazilian and the story would be basically the same. Naruto, Goku, Asta and many others are from worlds that aren’t ours and the rules need to be explained to the main character. Jujutsu is not like that. It’s absolutely impossible to separate Jujutsu’s narrative and worldbuilding from Japan. 

As a friend of mine said: If you want to write a fanfic of JJK in China, you gotta reforge the whole worldbuilding from scratch, because Chinese society sees the internal energy of people in a different way. The Jujutsu society only works the way it works because it’s in Japan.

The powers, the energy and its relation to the world, the Heian roots, the curses and how to exorcize them... It’s all VERY japanese.

Remember my pin? So, the female sorcere’s need to deal with the inherent misogyny in jujutsu’s patriarchal society. The manga makes it very clear that it’s an even more conservative society than modern Japan. Maki and Mai’s mom walked two feet behind the man in the Zen’in clan. Momo said that Maki wouldn’t understand Mai’s pain because she let go of the society's expectations that were crushing her sister. Yorozu did her best to be recognized by the best and still couldn’t do it. Again, many of those are trying to survive in this environment, but the struggle is intrinsic to their gender and the relation they have with society.

A quick side note: Because of this (being intrinsically Japanese), Akutami sometimes doesn’t explain concepts very clearly. He assumes the Japanese viewers understand it. And they do. My humble opinion is that this is for the best. Akutami is not that good at explaining stuff. I love this manga with the strength of a thousand suns, but holy moly, are the techniques badly explained.

Anywho.

Screen Time

You can argue that “female characters have less screen time than the males”. Yeah, sure. But it’s because we have lots of screen time about ongoing fights. Satoru vs Sukuna takes 13 whole chapters! But, in universe, this was about 10 minutes? Up to an hour at best? And it was to establish Sukuna as a threat. But if it wasn’t for MeiMei, the others wouldn’t be seeing it; if it wasn’t for Angel, Satoru wouldn’t be there. The participation of all genders is prevalent in all arcs. The only ones with characters of only one gender are Junpei’s arc, without girls; and Maki’s arc, where all the men are destroyed relentlessly leaving only Maki alive.

Back on Track

Another important thing about Jujutsu Society is that it’s deeply ableist.

Yeah, Nobara had a schrodinger's death and came back after 141 chapters had passed, wearing an eyepatch. But Inumaki as well, he fought, got hurt, and then disappeared to come back as a recorder. You’re either perfect, with all your members attached, or you out. Remember? Mechamaru hid himself all his life, until he made a Binding Vow with Mahito, so he could go out in the sun.

I also think that Aoi Todo’s comeback is a plot twist, exactly for that reason. You WOULD think his boogie woogie was dead after he lost his arm, but he came back with the queixada and is kicking. Angel also came back without an arm. Both of them are amazing for that.

I believe none of the hurt characters would come back if it wasn’t for the extra-ordinary occurrence of Sukuna. That’s why the reveal of them coming back is such a strong plot-twist, because the expectation of the abandonment was already there.

“Yeah, but Nobara didn’t have to be left out like that.” you say.

Like what? I ask. Like Nanami’s death?

It’s not about Nobara. Nanami had a compelling personality, we loved him. He was a responsible adult and had a cute and short backstory about cooperative work. He came back to Jujutsu Society and died.

You remember that confusing chapter of Yaga’s death? It showed he used the soul of Kusakabe’s dead nephew on a stuffed doll, so that his sister would smile again.

Think about Junpei. He was bullied at school, with cigarette burns in his forehead, and developed a technique involving poisons, with jelly-fish shikigami. Tell me he is a bad character. And, even more, tell me he would be a bad character if he was a girl.

No. They wouldn’t be. They are all good characters.

Anyway, I think it’s not about the technique. It’s about how you use them.

Then, I completely agree, the main parts of the fights are done by the male characters. 

And I don’t think it’s because the female characters are badly written, I think it’s because Akutami might have an internalized misconception about women. But put another pin in this thought here. 

The only one that “goes there and punches” is Maki, and she only does that because she’s a mirror for Toji. This is a tragedy, because she could be so much more. But, at the same time, what Toji represents is important to the narrative, and his legacy needed to be part of the story. I’m glad it was Maki and not some boy. And even Toji’s legacy is unimportant for Maki’s own story, it’s important for the plot and for the author, but not for the character. Maki doesn't even know who Toji is and she’s developing into her own persona. She is fully herself and she isn’t Toji.

The last point I want to discuss is how the narrative leaves the women behind.

So, I’ve seen people out there saying that “Jujutsu Kaisen is a character-driven story” and I completely disagree.

I think Akutami created a trap. He has a story to tell and he made the characters think they had opinions on the matter, but they didn't. In the first page of the first chapter we see Megumi calling Gojo to tell him “Sukuna’s finger was missing from the spot.”, missing from a meteorological station. What the flying ***** was Sukuna’s finger doing in a METEOROLOGICAL STATION on the way to Yuuji’s school? It was a trap Kenjaku made. Because they created Yuuji to be Sukuna’s vessel. Yuuji never actually had any choice. It was a plot-driven story all along. I mean, the choice he made to eat the finger is solely his, but Kenjaku was his mother and they knew the kind of nature Yuuji had. He would be one to protect. they named him “yuuji” (悠仁) . Akutami said he chose this name because it sounded normal and he had a friend named like that, but it means lasting/lingering virtue.

BY THE WAY, It does not matter what definition you use: Jujutsu Kaisen is a dark fantasy. Because I didn’t not know if the main character, Yuuji, was even going to survive till the end.

The only important characters in Jujutsu Kaisen are Gojo, Sukuna and Kenjaku. The rest is rest, and Gojo died and Kenjaku is nonbinary and also died. In the end, Sukuna also died. 

Satoru Gojo and Suguru Getou both wanted to change Jujutsu society in some manner. This is very different from the normal shonen tropes. The story Akutami created heavily criticizes Japanese society. And it’s bold, I’ve never seen something like this. Usually, the characters of secret societies want to protect the status quo. But not Jujutsu. Akutami even kills off the American Defence Forces and destroys one of the biggest subway stations in the world.

Gojo intended to groom and create a new generation of sorcerer’s that agreed to his ideals, so he could overtake the conservative man controlling the world behind the scenes. That’s why he wore the uniform, to be relatable to the students, approachable. That’s why he killed those men behind the curtains. To get to make the decisions himself.

Geto wanted to anihilate the “monkey population” so people could be free from the fear of curses.

And they both died.

Because Kenjaku (again, nonbinary), wants to experiment with the human form and become MORE. 

This leads me, again, to the female characters. They disappear.

For a while, my thoughts were “I would like to see if Nobara survives”, but that’s not the point. The point is that she was not part of the narrative for a good while. She was the female lead of the story, she was the perfect counter for Mahito’s skills and she took a hit and was no more. We felt betrayed. Even if she came back afterwards, it took TOO LONG.

Yuki was even harder to watch. She was built up as Todo’s mentor. She was one of the class S sorcerers from Tokyo. And her fight with Kenjaku was intense and weird, but the importance was to establish Kenjaku as a threat, and to clarify their powers. And that’s a shame, because we wanted her to be more than that.

Bad ones

I think there are some badly written female characters in Jujutsu.

The middle school friend, Ozawa, was cute and sweet and showed us that Yuuji can see beauty in everyone. She used to be made fun of, but never from the protagonist, and never from the framing. We don't read that part to think she's funny. And even when she's short and fat, the society declares she needs to hide it, and she does, but this isn't a bad characterization. “I'm not like other girls” is not necessarily a good thing. It was also an homage to yu yu hakusho.

Yorozu, Remi and Kurusu Hana are some women that live because of the man around them. Their motivations and strengths are enhanced by their submissiveness. 

But, wait a min, isn’t UiUi the same? He is devout to his sister. Ogami’s grandson doesn’t even have a name and was turned into Toji. Getou had a whole group, full of characters we know nothing about, besides Miguel, Larue and Nanako and Mimiko, their names were Manami Sua and Toshihisa Negi. The Kappa Guy and the Katana Guy are both a mystery.

We can argue about Hana, because her background revolves around liking Megumi and wanting to defeat “the fallen one”, but her relationship with Angel is solely hers.

Tsumiki was a red herring and it was pitch perfect. We never considered she wouldn't survive. It was amazingly written. What a curveball. When Yorozu assumed the body we knew the situation became hopeless. “The poor sister we must protect” was beyond salvation.

Non binary people.

We have Kirara. We have Kenjaku. We have Uraume. Isn't that amazing? Three named non-binary characters.

And a few agender curses, but those are rarely named or have personalities. But many are also male! That’s why I decided to read Hanami as female. But that’s me.

Good and evil and we don't know their sexuality. And it's all fine.

I just wanted to point it out before I forgot.

Final Thoughts 

The conclusion is that Jujutsu Kaisen is not about being the beacon of female representativity. Jujutsu is just a measure for us to see how much we progressed in the last few years of shonen. It’s a mirror. You can think of Akutami as someone with internalized misogyny to work on (remember that pin?). But that’s ok, people can improve.

And this mirror shows us female characters in a non sexualized framing. We never saw panties. The nakedness wasn't for men to ogle. We never got a scene of “let me feel the size of your boobs” or even “I'm sad my boobs are small”. We don't have a perv character for comedy (male or female). Aoi Todo and Yuki asking about their type is jarring because there's nothing like it in the story. And they justify it by saying “the answer tells me about themselves” and it's somehow true, isn't it? They don’t aggressively persecute people who don’t answer.

If you treat JJK as the peak, it means we can never, as a culture, go up from here. And that’s a shame. Because we know it’s not true. Now we know how bad Rukia was. And I can’t wait to see how JJK ages. And this is a good thing.

There are better shonen for female representativity. I’m rather fond of UndeadxUnluck (even with Andy touching Fuuko in the first chapter, please, begin reading from the 2nd. It is one of the most epic love stories I’ve ever read.), and did you know that Kaguya-Sama Love is War is a shonen? Blue Box is shonen and Blooming Love is shonen. All of those are romance stories. The thing is, because they’re from a shonen magazine, they don’t need to conform to shoujo’s narrative expectations. And, above all of those, Akane-Banashi is the best non-battle-battle-manga of the decade, and it has a female lead.

So we should celebrate.

Thanks Akutami-sensei, for all those years of shonen battles, and for your characters.

Thank you for listening. I have the transcript in the description of the video. I apologize for any mistakes and viva Brasil!

[captain-crackship]

Just finished Wednesday. My thoughts.

This might be a little too spicy for Tumblr, but some of you didn’t finish the first season. You watched, what? A couple episodes? And made a judgement call on that? So I will debunk a few of the rumors going around Tumblr about the show. Namely, the queerbaiting and racism claims. This post will be sectioned off so not to create a huge wall of text on people’s dash.

Starting with the first issue: Queerbaiting. Who better qualified to discuss this than a queer person?

Your first complaint was that the dynamic between Wednesday and Enid were clearly hinting at a sapphic relationship that was never confirmed. This was not the case. Enid’s romantic interest from the start was a male character. Wednesday I’m willing to believe is on the ace spectrum, at most demiromantic. Would they be cute together? Yes. They’re one of my newest ships. But believe it or not, two people of the same gender can just be friends and love each other platonically. You need to learn what a headcanon is and stop making it everyone’s problem. This issue runs rampant in another fandom I’m in and I’ve seen it enough times to recognize it.

Your second complaint with queerbaiting was Eugene’s moms. A major supporting character had two moms that are minor characters within the show. They didn’t appear for a split second in one episode. They appeared at least twice across two episodes and had spoken lines and dialogue with the main cast for both appearances. In your hyperfixation on Eugene’s moms you missed the other minor queer rep at the Rave’N. There was a sapphic couple at that dance but they were background extras with no spoken lines. Neither of these instances are queerbaiting. Queer normalization at best, and tokenization at worst.

Contrary to what conservatives may tell you, we’re not out to force queerness into your everyday lives and indoctrinate your children. We are regular people. We are also vocal minorities with active communities. You will see more queer people in a city like Montreal than you ever will in a small backwater in Vermont because we gravitate toward our communities where we feel safe. I live in a backwater in the Deep South. I have one other friend here who is a lesbian and I hear people talk shit about her all the time. If there are more like us here they’re closeted for that very reason. It’s not safe to be openly queer in rural communities.

The second issue you had with the show is racism.

I will not defend Tim Burton. He is a racist. He has said egregious things about Black people and the Black community and he is notorious for casting Black actors exclusively as antagonists in his works. That is not the case with Wednesday.

Bianca may have started out as a bully but she became friends with Wednesday as the season progressed and helped her to defeat one of the season’s villains-- a white colonizer who burned outcasts in a barn. She has also been given a backstory as a troubled teen whose mother is in an MLM-slash-cult.

Lucas? Sympathized with the outcasts at Nevermore and had remorse for his actions at Pilgrim World and the Rave’N. Also became friends with Bianca, who steered him away from his mother’s MLM. Even his father was ready and willing to work with Nevermore to solve the murders around Jericho. These are realistic characters with redeeming qualities, not the one-dimensional villains Burton is known for like Crackstone and Thornhill-- who, let me reiterate, are white and racist toward the outcasts of the show. Outcasts that could reasonably be seen as stand-ins for LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC.

In conclusion: The Tumblr Wednesday discourse is an excellent example of why critical thinking skills are important and to not be terminally online. Also Wednesday is a good show and you should watch it.

[heisenbergsmetalboobie]

Here's some headcannons no one asked for, for the lords since I can't get a single one of them out of my head.

Please be aware this is only how I see each character! If you have different hcs, cool these are just mine :)

Alcina Dimitrescu

She's a lesbian or well, she likes female presenting people. In my opinion, there's no denying that she hates men. For goodness sake she calls Ethan 'stupid manthing.'

'Why does she hate men?' You ask well, i believe that the men of the village caused her to hate men. It's clear that Alcina is extremely attractive, but maybe some of the men in the village took it too far: Cat-calling her and eventually her daughters. Their comments overtime annoyed her, especially when if came to her daughters. She fixed it by bringing the men to castle dimitrescu and, as heisenberg puts it, the man's dick is cut off in the castle.

When castle dimitrescu was more lively, Alcina had a couple flings with some of her maids. Though all of her maids end up dead one way or the other, I think she turned the ones she liked the most into Moroaică. The rest obviously were turned into dinner for her and her daughters

Speaking of daughters, Alcina is definitely a better mother than mother Miranda. Seeing as Miranda saw her and the rest of her siblings as monsters, I'm sure Alcina was kind to her daughters. I don't think she'd want them to feel like monsters themselves, so their childhoods were filled with many positive affirmations. Maybe, too many seeing as all three girls have very large egos.

Alcina's opinions on the other lords are very clear. She has hatred for all of them, though it varies depending on each one. The one she hates the least is probably Donna, she enjoys their company somewhat. That is, as long as Angie isn't around. Alcina hates that stupid doll, honestly she hates all the dolls. They oddly make her unsettled, as if Donna wasn't unsettling anyways.

Moreau is hated by Alcina due to him thinking that Miranda is actually his mother. Well, he may not say it out loud but the way he addresses her and looks at her makes Alcina sick. His looks are only the cherry on top, in her mind how could she be family with something that looks like that?

Lastly is Heisenberg. At first, she didn't mind his presence. He didn't look like an abomination and could hold decent conversation, that was until she saw how much Mother Miranda favored him. This pissed her off to no end, after learning that she began to see more flaws in him. From the way he speaks to his manners, almost every part of him infuriates her. How could Mother Miranda favor such a man child? How could she pick Heisenberg over her? Now even being around him for meer minutes makes her want to shred him to bits.

Donna Beneviento

When it comes to sexuality and gender, Donna can't really express it though Angie can I don't think they would be willing to tell their 'family' their identity. If Donna were to express it, I'd feel she'd use she/they pronouns or identity as nonbinary. I can't really explain it, I just get nonbinary vibes from them. As for sexuality, I'm unsure of their romantic attraction but she's definitely asexual. Once again, I can't explain it but they have the vibes.

Aside from Angie, Donna has built every single one of her dolls from scratch. Seriously they even carve the wood and hand paint each one. Creating these dolls is one of the few things that bring Donna peace. Honestly, she sees these dolls as more of a family than Mother Miranda's 'family.'

Another one of Donna's hobbies includes tending to their plants. Seriously, in the spring and summer months her home is covered in beautiful greenery. They are just fascinated with how plants can be used for other purposes, like with the fungal-infected plants. Almost all the books within her estate are about different plants and their properties and the lab they have is used to test those abilities. Though their test subjects are never well behaved due to being lycans.

When it comes to the other members in Miranda's 'family', Donna doesn't seem to care for them. She doesn't enjoy any of their company, especially Moreau. Though they don't express it themselves, Donna makes sure to let the others know her opinion them via Angie. The one she can stand the most is probably Alcina, mostly due to her being alot quieter than the others.

Salvatore Moreau 

This poor poor fish man. Moreau is physically the most unpleasant lord and he knows it. He's insecure. How could he not when the rest of his family call him horrible names? He's constantly put down by the people he truley feels closest to. This includes the woman who he truly sees as his mother.

Though he doesn't enjoy his family's comments, he desperately wants their approval. Especially Heisenberg. Moreau looks up to his as if Karl is his older brother, even though Moreau a great deal older than him. If the metal bender will allow it, he does his best to help out. Sadly, it doesn't last long since the factory is so dry and his vomit causes the metal to rust.

When he's not conducting experiments, he's watching sappy romance movies on his TV. Though Moreau doesn't believe he'll ever find love, he likes seeing others be happy. Sadly, once Heisenberg found out about Moreau's hobby he make fun of him to no end. So now, he's ashamed of watching something that makes him happy

Look, I love all of the lords but when it comes to them being mean to Moreau I wanna punch them.

Karl Heisenberg

This man is 1000 percent bisexual/pansexual. The way he flirts with Ethan is undeniable. The only thing keeping me from saying that he's gay is the pure fact that I simp for him.

Karl is alot smarter than he looks, seriously he built a whole army of machine people. Though he is smart, he likes to play the role of the stupid redneck. He'd rather someone underestimate him in a fight rather than overestimate him.

In his free time, I like to think that Karl prank calls the other lords. He did set up their phone lines after all. His constant prank calling has made Alcina miss a couple of important calls from Mother Miranda and made Donna completely take apart her phone line. Moreau on the other hand is so gullible, that he believe everything Karl says during his prank calls:

Moreau, innocently answer his phone: Hello?

Heisenberg, snickering: hey, is your refrigerator running?

Moreau: um..I think so-

Heisenberg: then you better go catch it!

Moreau, on the verge of tears: No! Ny fridge!!

Karl gets very bored easily. So bored in fact that he goes and explores the village and surrounding forest. During one of these explorations, he stumbled upon Miranda's lab. This caused him to find documents on him and the other lords. After reading them, it gave him a better reason to build up his army and take down Mother Miranda once and for all.

This man definitely has his own personal lycan that he treats like a dog. He has a comfy bed and treats for this thing. Karl knows that the lycan was once a human, but he doesn't give a damn. So what it use to be a person! It looks like a dog now and dammit he wants a dog.

[multifandomfanficss]

Perfect

Doctor x Reader (Platonic!Jack x Reader)

Prompt: When on an adventure with the Doctor and Jack the reader is attacked by an alien called a Psyfon, a race with psychic abilities who feed off of emotions. The reader gets stuck in their perfect dream realm and the Doctor has to save them before they die in there.

Warnings: Dead family members.

A/N: Pretty much any Doctor can be used, but I mostly thought of 10 and 11 while writing it. The aliens were inspired by the Djinn from Supernatural. I was also inspired by Doctor Who: The Infinite Quest a little bit so if you’re a fan of the main series you should totally check that out. Also please let me know if I made an error in pronouns. I tried to make the reader gender neutral so everyone could relate. 

You had been traveling with the Doctor for a while now and had run into Jack not long after you met him. When you first met Jack, an old friend of the Doctor’s, you didn’t believe him when he said he had known the Doctor for over a century. Judging by his earthly appearance and his age there was no way this could be true, but after watching him die you quickly learned of his immortality. 

You met the Doctor when he saved you from the Cybermen. Sadly he couldn’t save your family from such a terrible fate, but he got you out just in time. Ever since then they had been your biggest fear. Jack and the Doctor had lived for so long they both knew what it was like to lose the people they cared for most...nobody knew better than the Doctor. They helped you get through the pain that came after such a big loss. The Doctor would often hear crying coming from your room during your early nights on the TARDIS when he sat up late in the console room and he would be at your side in seconds to comfort you. He was always there for you no matter what. You wouldn’t have gotten to this point without him. By now the nightmares had gone away, mostly, and the scars had stopped bleeding, but they were still there. They would always be there. This history was a part of you forever, your history, and you were just lucky enough to have the Doctor in it. If you’re being completely honest with yourself you had grown a little bit of a crush on the Doctor. I mean who wouldn’t? He’s the Doctor. You loved him, but you would never tell him. You were happy living with his ignorance. Life was better in the bliss of your friendship. 

It had been just a normal adventure with your two best friends, Jack and the Doctor, but then again nothing was ever really normal with them. You were separated from your boys as your ran down a long dark corridor. Your shoes slapped against the cold, hard pavement as you rounded the corner. When you looked behind you there seemed to be nothing chasing you anymore. You stopped to catch your breath. 

The three of you had been investigating a series of psychic attacks that were leaving people brain dead and full of a strange blue goo. You weren’t sure what kind of alien could do such a thing, but you knew you had to find out. 

“(Y/N)?!” I hear Jack yell in a hushed tone. His voice echos throughout the empty building. You turn to look for him when you start to hear ringing in your ears and a giant pounding in your head. You feel your eyes close as your body hits the ground. 

THIRD PERSON POV

Jack stood next to (Y/N)’s body with his gun aimed at the monster while the Doctor crouched down to check their pulse. 

“You better hope they’re still alive!” Jack said as he shoved his big gun in the monster’s face. Usually the Doctor would object to pointing guns at people, but he was so worried about (Y/N) he didn’t have time to care about Jack’s manners. 

“What did you do to them?!” The Doctor asks standing up to look at the alien. They were from a species called Psyfons, a group of aliens who feed off the emotions of other people. 

“Don’t worry, they’re only sleeping,” the alien slurred. 

“For now,” they added. Jack hit the alien with the butt of his gun and knocked them out. The Doctor gave him a disapproving look.

“You should be happy. Knocking them out was the least I could do” Jack joked. The Doctor rolled his eyes and dropped down to (Y/N)‘s body again. Jack joined him this time. They were sweating. He placed his hand over their forehead.

“They’re burning up” Jack stated the obvious. 

“Yes, I know I-I I have to do-do this thing-“ The Doctor starts stuttering. 

“Then do it!” Jack cuts him. 

“But I can’t! I swore I’d never do it again! Not since-“ He started to get a little choked up.

“Since what?!” Jack questioned. 

“Not since Donna” The Doctor finished sadly. Jack put a hand on the Doctor’s shoulder. 

“It’s the only way to save them” Jack told him.

“It was the only way to save her too” The Doctor says sadly.

“Maybe it’ll be different this time” Jack suggests.

“We don’t know that” The Doctor says coldly as he puts his hands to (Y/N)’s head and enter’s their mind. 

(Y/N)’S POV

You wake up laying in the grass in front of your old house. You hear the sound of birds and the sun is just a little too bright for comfort, but it’s home. You take a deep breath of the fresh air. You smile, but you’re confused. You look over to see the Doctor standing in the TARDIS door. Jack is nowhere to be seen. 

“Where’s Jack?” You ask. 

“Oh, popped off to see his friends at Torchwood, I suppose” The Doctor tells you. You nod as you look back to your house. 

“And we’re home because...” You wonder.

“The Psyfon knocked you out. I figured this would be a nice, safe place to rest for a while” He reminds you. 

“And I couldn’t just rest in the TARDIS?” You ask.

“I thought this would be a nice surprise” He says. 

“What year is it?” You ask. You doubt he would be able to bring you to a time period where your family is alive, but it never hurts to ask. 

“2021” He answers.

“So they’re not here” you say sadly.

“Who’s not here?” He asks.

“My family” You say becoming more sad, but more confused by the second. How could he just forget like that? You know he’s lived for a long time, but surely he wouldn’t forget something this important to you. Would he? He gives you a confused look.

“Doctor, my family is d-“ You’re cut off by the sound of a door opening. 

“You didn’t tell us you were coming!” You hear a voice say. You stop dead in your tracks and you go white. It can’t be. 

“Mom?” You say as you turn around to see her. You run to her and engulf her in a giant hug. 

“Woah, what’s that for?” Your mother asks delighted, as you practically knock her down. 

“I just missed you. That’s all” You say as you try to hold back your tears. 

“Where is everybody?” You ask, as it suddenly dawns on you that your family is alive. 

“Your father went to go pick up your brother and sister from school” She informs you. The Doctor comes up behind you and takes your hand. He squeezes it, giving you a big smile. He is an impossible man, but you never knew he could do something like this for you. 

“Why don’t you two come in? It’s almost time for tea” Your mother invites you in. You gladly accept, of course. You watch your mother go into the kitchen as you pull the Doctor aside into the living room and hug him tightly. 

“Thank you” You tell him. That’s when you start to let go of a few tears. 

“I figured it was time to go home” He says happily. The hug lingers a little longer than usual. He just holds you. Then he places a quick kiss to your cheek, just missing your lips. Your face goes red. This is completely out of character for your relationship with the Doctor. Sure you had always wanted to be something more, but he didn’t need to know that. You didn’t want your relationship with him to change. You figure it’s best to just dance around the subject. You pull away and clear your throat. 

“So, um...how did you do it?” You ask.

“Do what?” He asks looking lovingly into your eyes. 

“Bring my family back?” You ask with a slight chuckle.

“I didn’t” He says simply. That’s when your head begins to ring again. 

“Let me in, (Y/N). That’s it.” You hear the Doctor’s voice, but his lips aren’t moving. Suddenly there is a light and the Doctor shifts uncomfortably. He cracks his neck and stretches out his arms. 

“Good thing there was a body here for me to jump into or else that could have been disastrous” He comments. You give him a confused look. 

“Oh, yes! I’m sorry (Y/N), but none of this is real” He says plainly. 

“What?” You ask. This all certainly looks and feels real. The sound of a kettle whistle comes from the kitchen. The Doctor sniffs the air. 

“Is that tea?” He asks. 

“Tea’s ready!” Your mom calls from the kitchen. 

“Doctor, you need to tell me what’s going on right now” You demand. He looks into the kitchen and makes a face.

“The Psyfon. It put you in a dream state so it could feed off your energy and emotions. You’re dying in the real world. Turning to goo” He held out the last word as he made a face of disgust and interest. He gave you a sad look as he started to put the pieces together, of where you were and who you were with. You started to feel your legs give out from underneath you. The Doctor guided you to a chair. 

“I want to stay” You say numbly. 

“(Y/N), none of this is real” He starts.

“I don’t care. I want to stay” You repeat. 

“You’ll die in here” He begins. 

“Time works differently in dreams. I could easily spend my whole life here-“ You try to rationalize it.

“You’ll never see me again” The Doctor tries. 

“There’s a version of you here-“ You try, but are cut off again. He crouches down to your level and takes hold of your hands. 

“(Y/N), none of this is real. It will never be real. Your pain balances out your beauty. There wouldn’t be one without the other and that’s what makes you human and you are SO human. This is all in your head. You will be alone in here forever. Please just come home with me. There are people there who will miss you. Come back with me, back to the TARDIS, please!” He results to begging as a last ditch effort. 

“How can I go back when everything is so perfect here? I’m perfect here. I’m not a mess. I can just be me” You start to cry. 

“You’re always perfect to me and that little bit of mess makes you human. It doesn’t lessen your beauty or your creativity or your kindness. It just adds to who you are as a person” He says, wiping away a tear.

“Please. Come home with me” He begs. You nod in response as he gives your hands a squeeze. He gives you a sad smile. You stand together and you hear the doorbell ring. 

“That must be your father. He forgot his keys again” Your mother laughs as she walks to the door. The door opens and the Doctor pushes himself in front of your as three Cybermen crash through the door. 

“DELETE” One yells, as it kills your mother. 

“NO” You scream, as the Doctor tries to keep you from running towards her.

“She isn’t real! Come on!” He yells over the sound of pounding Cybermen feet as he pulls you out the back way to the garden.

“Where’s the TARDIS?” He asks. 

“It’s on the other side of the house!” You say as you pull him around the building. You lay your eyes on the beautiful blue box as the Doctor shoves his key inside. 

“YOU WILL BE UPGRADED” The Cybermen shout. Once unlocked, you push your way through the doors to find a hollow Police Box. 

“Why is this happening?!” You cry. The Doctor places his hands on your shoulders. 

“The dream is turning into a nightmare to try to keep you here. (Y/N), come on. You have to think. What’s keeping you here?” He asks.

“My family is dead!” You cry.

“Yes, something else” He tries to think. You look at his thinking face. His beautiful thinking face and it strikes you. 

“I’m in love with you” You blurt out.

“What?!” He looks back at you with a confused look. 

“The version of you here. I think he felt the same way” You give him an embarrassed look. He lets go of a big breath. 

“Well...” He starts as he tilts his head. 

“I suppose if admitting the way I feel gets us out of here then the real me doesn’t feel very different” He finishes quickly. 

“Wait, what?!” You respond. He gives you his classic Doctor smile before the Cybermen fade. Everything fades. The world goes black. 

You wake up crying with a pounding headache in your bed in the TARDIS. The Doctor rushes in just like old times. 

“It’s okay. I’m here” The Doctor tells you as he sits on your bed and wraps his arms around you. 

“I just had the most insane dream” You start to tell him. 

“Well...” His voice fades. 

“Doctor, was that real?” You ask him. He pulls back to look at you. 

“In a sense, yes” He goes on to explain the effects the Psyfon had on you and how he went into your mind to save you. He explains how you were unconscious when you came out of the dream state and that he brought you back to your room on the TARDIS to rest.

“Where’s Jack?” You ask.

“He’s bringing the Psyfon to the Shadow Proclamation for me where they will be tried for their psychological attacks. They won’t hurt anyone anymore” He promises. After you’ve calmed down somewhat he gets up to leave the room. 

“You should get some rest” He says opening the door. 

“Wait! Doctor, do you think maybe you could stay with me? Just until I fall asleep?” You ask. 

“Of course” He responds as he awkwardly climbs into your bed and wraps his arms around you. You almost forget about your confessions until he kisses you on the cheek. 

“Goodnight, (Y/N)” He says sweetly.

“Goodnight, Doctor” You say as you drift off to sleep to the sound of his dual heartbeats. 

[sokkagatekeeper]

honestly claiming katara was right to tell sokka that he didn’t love kya the way she did is such a disservice to her character and frankly gross and dehumanizing to a brown girl that’s as well written as she is. you people all have this idealization of katara in your brains that takes away all the nuance and complexity with beautiful virtues and ugly flaws and everything in between that makes katara so interesting and one of the best characters ever written in western media.

if you have such little comprehension of context and ability to read in-between lines allow me to explain that katara in all her overflowing rage was not referring to the philosophical questions of the way each of them love and grieve in their own unique ways, she was straight out telling sokka he didn’t love their mother as much as katara did which is just wrong and insensitive of her, and that’s the point. katara is meant to be insensitive and raging and irrational in order to let go and start healing properly, and if you miss that you are missing the entire point of the southern raiders. katara is a traumatized young girl, she’s meant to have flaws and her flaws are real, they’re tangible and relatable and not just flaws like rage against oppressors or inability to move on from grief that you can somehow romanticize to put her in a pedestal. katara can act irrationally, she can be immature and entitled and impulsive and cruel, without taking away her compassion and kindness and bravery, that’s what makes her a good and important character — not her waterbending, not her inspirational speeches nor her beautiful hair or her hope and kindness alone, but nuance.

and i don’t even want to get into the implications of what that says about your perspective on sokka’s character. you have to be so blissfully unaware to sokka’s way of grieving to make the same mistake katara does which is entirely mistaking sokka’s self-repression for indifference. comparing and measuring the way katara grieves to the way sokka does is entirely overlooking the effect society’s gender norms have on both of them as katara being so in-touch with her feelings and the way she’s so assertive with herself and her rage and her pain while sokka feels the need to mold himself into a little box and never let anything out in order to appear strong and masculine and reliable in order for katara to have space to be as open and righteous as she is. ignoring the sacrifices sokka made for katara including the repression of his grief over kya and the inclusion of katara in all of his conversations about her death is missing such an important part of what makes katara such a great character and so substantial in the narrative as in the lives of the characters themeselves. putting katara in a pedestal enough to claim her grief is superior to sokka’s rather than simply louder is never not going to come with the price of dehumanizing not only one brown child character that happens to be excellently written but two of them.

[marxandangels]

@just-some-sad-bitch

So, to establish terms: I’m defining trans as being and deciding to transition to a different gender than the one you were assigned at birth (For example, I was assigned female at birth; I am and have transitioned to being non binary). I’m defining humanity as an affiliation, an alignment, a sensibility rather than a literal fact; humanity is more than the body or the soul. Being human is ideation. With this definition, a technical angel with grace can be human, even if they’re not in a human body and human soul. 

Cas was assigned an angel and genderless/angel gender. He transitioned to being a human man. If Supernatural actually made narrative sense he would have lost his grace permanently and became human in ideation and in literal body/soul. Cas continues to choose Jimmy’s body until it’s no longer a vessel he uses, but his own body, Cas’ body. He chooses humanity in it. When Lucifer takes him as a vessel, Cas is the vessel, not Jimmy. In that scene with Hannah where he talks about what he cares about and she says those are human things, he is human in ideation.

He is specifically a man because he chooses to live his life as a man. He could have chosen a different body, used different pronouns, he could have lived his life in different ways if he wanted to, but he chose to be a man. In the show he uses he/him pronouns and is in a man’s body because the showrunners are boring and cissexist and Misha Collins is the actor of the character. But I don’t accept those explanations because they still could have changed both of those things about him. Cas is in two female vessels in the show but he is still a man. 

He defines himself as a father. He says that he was lost without heaven’s guidance until he became a father. Not just a parent, specifically a father: “My name is, um well, my name's not important. I do know what blind faith is. I used to just follow orders without question, and I did some pretty terrible things. I would never look beyond the plan. And then, of course, when it all came crashing down, I found myself lost. I didn't know what my purpose was anymore. And then one day, something changed, something amazing. I... I guess I found a family, and I became a father. And in that, I rediscovered my faith. I rediscovered who I am." (from 15x15)

He defines himself as loving Dean, as gay: “You know, ever since we met and ever since I pulled you out of Hell, knowing you has changed me. Because you cared, I cared. I cared about you. I cared about Sam. I cared about Jack. I cared about the whole world because of you. You changed me, Dean... I love you.” (from 15.18)

If we talk about Cas himself, as a character that’s a result of interpretation, he is a trans man. A trans man who is, importantly, gay and a father. All three of those things are essential parts of Cas as a character. 

Here are the ways I’ve written Cas talking about his humanity and his gender in the Brandon Trilogy (He’s not a father in this fic, but in the show him being a father is essential.): 

“When I got my grace back, I think I was still human in most of the ways that matter. This feels like coming home.” 

“I missed many things about being an angel when I was human the first time. I missed being able to heal. I missed flying... I missed many things. But when I was an angel again... I felt like part of me was missing. An essential part. Being human was certainly difficult but once I acclimated, I felt... truer than I ever had in my many years as an angel. Returning to humanity was returning to myself.” 

“Angels don’t have genders. Not the way humans do. I’ve taken women’s bodies as vessels as well. I didn’t mind. It didn’t feel wrong but it didn’t feel right like this body does. I chose humanity, yes. But more specifically, I chose humanity as a man. A gay man.”

(Thanks to @kneelcassady​ for workshopping this with me.)

[super-unpredictable98]

King Sun | Young Blades AU

Pairing: Louis XIV x Juliette (OC - Before The Sun’ verse) Word Count: 2k Warning: mild sexual content, discussion about gender roles a/n: It’s been a while huh? Well, I’m trying to get back into some old series so expect more of Louie and Juliette XD

(Masterlist)

"Your Majesty," D'Artagnan bowed as he crossed paths with the newly crowned queen. 

"Please, just Juliette is good enough, no Your Majesty or Your Grace, I am simply Juliette LaRue. Well... Juliette Dieudonné now," the young queen blushed, remembering that she was, in fact, married to the greatest king France has ever had. The king that soon would earn his famous nickname. 

"I simply cannot address Your Majesty by name."

"But you do have to follow the queen's orders, do you not?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," he smirked, knowing exactly where that conversation was going. 

The leader of the musketeers (as well as the rest of them) was extremely fond of the peasant duchess, she was lively and funny, not to mention humble and kind to every single person she met. 

Oh, and beautiful, her dark hair only made her pale complexion look even paler. There was no Snow White yet, but she could have easily been the muse for such a character. Hell, if she was not married and D'Artagnan was ten years younger, he would be the one writing poems and courting the painter.

"Then the queen orders you to call her Juliette and tell every other musketeer to do the same. You are of extreme importance to my husband so by extension, you are extremely important to me."

"Very well... Juliette," he nodded. "It is our pleasure to serve you both."

"Speaking of my husband, where is Louie? I woke up this morning and he was nowhere to be found. I know our honeymoon is over, but I expected at least a kiss before he leaves to take care of his king duties or whatever it is kings do," Juliette muttered.

"His Majesty had to be awake early this morning for his riding lesson," D'Artagnan explained.

"Riding lesson? Shall I believe the king does not know how to ride a horse? Well, if that was the issue why couldn't he ask me to teach him? I have been riding horses ever since I was small. Is he bashful about it?" she chuckled, looking out of one of the many windows, trying to spot him.

"I believe his lessons concern the king's posture and elegance when riding rather than the basics."

"And do you know when he will be back for lunch? I can stand having breakfast with only my mother and mother-in-law, but I will not allow him to fool around while I am stuck in this palace all by myself!"

"Right now His Majesty should be in the ballroom, practicing ballet with his tutor for his big performance next week."

"Ballet? Louie is a ballet dancer? Since when?"

"Since he was a little boy really. Has he never mentioned it?"

"No... Thank you, D'Artagnan, I shall find him right away."

Juliette wandered around the halls for a few minutes until she found the right room, every day she was coming to know the ways of the palace better and better, she would hardly get lost anymore. 

"Louie! Where have you been? Did you forget you have a wife already?" she stormed into the ballroom, startling the tutor and her own husband, who nearly fell as he finished a turn.

"Mon chou!" the young king ran to take his wife in his arms with the biggest smile on his face. He was a little sweaty, but she didn't seem to mind. 

In fact, she liked it. It was very rare to see the king sweating, the only times she had ever seen that happen were after long summer nights making love on their honeymoon. She loved watching Louis staring at the stars from the balcony, messy brown hair, shirtless, his skin covered in bright pearls from his face to his torso, shining under the moonlight as he tried to catch his breath.

"Don't you 'mon chou' me! You left without as much as a goodbye and I missed you!"

"I missed you too, mon amour, but you looked so gorgeous asleep, I couldn't wake you up. I was hoping to join you for lunch after my lesson."

"About that, why have you never told me you are a ballet dancer and apparently you have a big performance coming up next week?" Juliette folded her arms in front of her chest and turned her face as her husband tried to capture her lips. "Did you not want me there? Keep lying to me and see what happens, tonight I shall be asleep before you can even get out of your vests!" 

"No, please! I cannot stand it," only Juliette had the power to make the king beg, and did she enjoy it... 

"Maybe I will sleep in my undergarments tonight, it is quite warm. Or maybe I should not wear anything at all. Too bad my king won't get the chance to play with me tonight," she whispered, making Louie's cheek turn beet red. 

"Please, my love, I was not lying and it was not because I don't wish you to see me, I was simply embarrassed."

"Embarrassed of what? I think ballet is beautiful, I have never been good at it myself, but I enjoy it."

"Well, do you not remember the conversation we had last week?"

—————————————————— 

"How come you are so feminine?" Juliette asked, watching the musketeers ride around the castle, they were manly and imponent. 

"Pardon me?" Louis frowned, suddenly very aware of his frilly outfit and dainty demeanor.

"You know, my love, you are so delicate and beautiful. Is that how all kings are or is this specific to you?"

Louie didn't know what to say. Royalty looked a certain way ever since the beginning of time, he was a king, he couldn't simply prance around with his hair out in simple vests... But then it occurred to him, that was exactly how he looked like when Juliette first fell in love with him, maybe that is what she liked after all.

"Would you like me to dress differently?" he asked, looking down at himself. "Behave differently?"

"No, of course not, you do not have to change on my account," she assured, placing a tender kiss on his cheek. "I was just wondering, because back where I come from, men who are more feminine tend to... Be more interested in the company of other men, but you married me, isn't that right?"

"What could you mean? Men who like the company of other men? As in friendship?"

"No, they love each other like you and I do, but they are both men."

Louie's eyes grew and his mouth fell open, he had never thought about that possibility, let alone knew there were people out there who actually lived like that. How was that supposed to work? How did they have marital relations if they both have... Could they even get married?

"I did not know that, are they deviants of some sort?"

"Of course not," Juliette laughed. "They are normal like everyone else, just like the women who like other women."

"WOMEN WHO LIKE OTHER WOMEN? But then there is not even a... You know, a member involved?"

"Yes, and some people enjoy the company of both men and women."

"Really?"

"Really."

"So you assumed I was prone to liking men because of the way I look and act?"

"Not really, I was just curious to know if that behavior was imposed on you or if you are the way you are out of your own free will."

"Well, I never knew how to be any other way, so I'm afraid I do not know, mon chou."

He had never been insecure about such things before. It was true, his voice was higher than most boys his age, he was extravagant and flamboyant, he took pride in his appearance and his elaborate clothes and jewelry, his body was slender, he was almost completely hairless despite his age, and his face was pretty as a woman's.

Coming to think of it... Didn't Juliette had fallen for the Highway Man back in the day? The paragon of masculinity who stole the hearts of every single woman in Paris? Maybe he should try to be more like him, maybe this way she would be happier.

"We have been married for a while now, you eat like a little boy and you are prone to throwing tantrums, but I have never seen you curse..."

"That is improper."

"Or belch, or perform any other bodily function for that matter, or yawn loudly when you're tired, or-"

"Now that is just repulsive. Why would you want your husband to behave like that?"

"It is human, and I was hoping I married a human who trusts me and feels comfortable in my presence. I have never seen you as much as using a napkin the wrong way, you are the most polite gentleman I have ever met and still you manage to be so vulgar when it comes to our marital relations. Seems like an odd juxtaposition."

"There is a time and place for everything, mon coeur, I can guarantee you I am a human, but I do not have interest in showing you my flaws, especially not so early into our marriage. If you think I am much too feminine, that is a whole other issue which we can fix, being masculine isn't the same as being unmannered."

"I do not wish you to change, mon amour, do not worry. I was simply asking a question."

—————————————————— 

"Louie!" Juliette jumped into his arms, finally remembering the conversation. "You do not have to change nor do I wish you would, I think you are perfect, I love every single detail about you."

"You said I was much too feminine and ballet would certainly not make you change your mind about that, it would only make you think even less of me."

"That is where you are mistaken, Louie, feminine is not equal to bad in my eyes. I think you are perfect, all I wanted was for you to feel free to be yourself, whoever that is, around me. You do not have to wear a mask when I am around, pretend to be someone you are not or force yourself to act politely. I will never love you less, even if you yawn very very loudly."

"That would just be rude..." he huffed a laugh. "But I understand your sentiment and I see why you have said what you have said. Will you forgive me for hiding this from you?"

"Of course, if you invite me to your performance."

"That can easily be arranged," he smiled wide. Juliette never understood how someone could be so boyish and still so gentlemanly at the same time. 

"What is of that costume? Is that the one you will be wearing?" she finally took notice of his lavish gold outfit, matching shoes, and headpiece. 

"Yes, do you not like it? I am supposed to play Apollo in the Ballet Royal de la Nuit."

"It is gorgeous, you have always been my sun, but now you look even more like it."

"Thank you, my love... Wait, so that means I will get to play with you tonight?"

"Yes you spoiled brat, now go back to practicing, I want to watch you. I apologize for interrupting, sir," she nodded to the instructor who seemed surprised the queen would apologize for such a thing and even lower her head to him.

The former queen Anne smiled as she watched from the doorway, Juliette screaming and cheering for each of her son's moves, making him laugh and act even more dramatically. She couldn't help but think she did the right thing by allowing those two to wed.

Tag list: @holidayspirits​ @firstpersonnarrator​ @salvador-daley​