#so you're seeing a bunch of gifsets with him because i want to show how he really was hugely important

[melisusthewee]

"The Andes are huge. They'd have to organize the search in some way - like in zones. They were here yesterday. We saw them fly overhead. Today we heard them but didn't see them. I bet they're searching a different area." "That means they didn't see us." - La Sociedad de la Nieve/Society of the Snow (2023)

[bengiyo]

Hi, i'm a newish bl drama watcher from thailand that just started watching thai bls. i'm a bit ashamed to say that for a long time as a gay man living here i've been avoiding bl shows like the plague cuz of both the fandom reputation and of misconception from my yaoi era which i leave far behind. i'm just want to ask how did you got into watching thai bls and what were you preconception before you got into it.

Welcome to the Tumblr side of BL fandom. I'd actually like to also hear more of your experience with yaoi and BL as a gay person growing up in Thailand if you're willing to share.

For me, I'm a Black American from the Gulf Coast (the South). I grew up in a Catholic city and spent my entire adolescence in the closet. Despite having a sense of who I was as early as 8 years old, I kept most of that to myself. Because I didn't talk about it much with people, I found out most information about queer media and queerness from the internet.

I entered BL via queer cinema. I think the first explicitly gay character that I remember from TV was Marco from Degrassi: The Next Generation. There were probably others, and definitely more subtle expressions, but when I think about the oldest gay character I remember and connect to, it's Marco. I don't like counting things like shipping Shawn and Corey on Boy Meets World or Tai and Matt on Digimon for oldest gay characters. Sailor Moon can't even count because we got a censored version of it in America.

I got access to satellite television away from observing eyes around age 16 and started watching content on Logo back when they aired gay content regularly. I watched basically whatever I could late at night. It's how I saw movies like Get Real (1998), Beautiful Thing (1996), and Bent (1997). It's also how I saw Queer as Folk (2000-2005) Noah's Arc (2005-06).

After hitting adulthood I mostly got lost in video games and standard American TV for a while, but I did basically show up to any Gay Event in TV. I appreciate that Stef and Lena from The Fosters (2013-2018) were some of the only TV lesbians to survive the horror of 2016.

I watched a bunch of movies in this time, many of which appear on the Queer Cinema Syllabus I made for a hypothetical Westerner new to BL and queer cinema, which @wen-kexing-apologist has decided to try to complete.

I got into Thai BL in 2018 accidentally. I started seeing gifsets of Kongpob telling Arthit he'll make him his wife passing around Tumblr and was basically like, "Right, what's all this then?"

I had watched a few Thai gay films, mostly notably Love of Siam (2007), Bangkok Love Story (2007), How to Win at Checkers Every Time (2015), and The Blue Hour (2015), but this was the first time I was seeing a long series made available so easily from any Asian country.

From there I got into Make It Right (2016-17) and Love Sick the series (2014). Once I realized that yaoi had moved beyond manga and a few anime adaptations, I went looking for a lot more. I basically haven't left since I started in about 2016 with SOTUS.

There's my basic entry into the genre. I don't think I was as worried about fandom and worries at the time because so much of being a fan of queer cinema was a mostly-private experience for me for so long. I didn't realize that BL fans active in the space would predominantly be women or queers figuring themselves out. It took a while to adjust to that, and also to adjust my expectations of the kinds of queer stories BL distributors were willing to fund.

That being said, I tend to agree with @absolutebl that BL has a useful role in normalization for non-queer audiences who encounter it. I like cheering BL when it does things I think work really well, and also deriding it when I think it does things that are offensive to help nudge the genre and offer my perspective as a gay man.

I like the place we're at right now where there's way too much to watch for any person with other hobbies and responsibilities because it means that people can pick and choose what's to their tastes.

More often than not, I'm probably most-invested in something airing from Japan because of my melancholy nature, but there's so much variety these days that it's okay if you don't like everything. I certainly don't!

I'm glad you joined us on Tumblr and look forward to your thoughts!

[awesomefroggy]

what's going through my head: when I was 13 my best friend picked up CDs at the library exclusively based on how much she thought it would piss off her parents. She picked up some that had bloody art and skeletons on them, ripped them to her computer and then deleted the tracks she didn't like. We'd listen to them together and I fell earnestly in love with all of it, to the point of "being cringey about it" because genuinely loving anything was cringey when you're 13 and edgy. I saw a bunch of people who were just like me though: awkward and creative and nerdy, who built vast worlds and got really really into the things they cared about. They talked about fantasy books I'd read and played games that I liked and they loved and cared about all of the people who came to see them. I saw a lead singer who was hurting and struggling and trying desperately to find a way to get better and I didn't know why at the time but I understood that even then. I spent all of high school writing their words on my arms and using their music to block out a world that I didn't understand, that was too loud too bright too confusing too much all the time. And later on when they came out as using they/them I didn't think about it too hard other than "Hey good for them!" And now I'm 25, non-binary, working at a comic and games store, getting help, learning how to cope with a world that is still too much, feeling better and better every day. I saw a side by side gifset of that lead singer, one of him at what was described as his lowest point saying "I'm gonna get better", and one of him from the last week smiling and happy and healthy and full of joy. I still want now what I wanted at 13: to sit down, have a coffee with them, and talk about comics and wizards and world building. But I now also want to just look at him and say "We did it. It's so fucking hard but we both did it. You continue to show me over and over that the kind of person that I've always wanted to be is possible, and from the bottom of my heart thank you."

what comes out of my mouth: bestie help I'm crying over Gerard Way again

[jung-koook]

does someone once again said you're a jimin anti just because you don't gif him that often? for god's sake when will people learn that just because you gif your bias(s) most of the time doesn't mean you hate other members. there's literally BUNCH of content creators who edit/gif only one member and i don't see anyone having a problem with it. my god that's just so stupid, hope these stupid people will leave you alone one day.

you’re right anon. thank you. this time it was because i ~cropped out~ jimins part from my gifset. but this is not the first time that i do that. i always cropped out some part from my gifset. i often just put the part i want to show. on this set i wanted to show how jeongguk is always ready to praise/compliment his hyungs. sometimes we make gifs a part of the video but its not necessary for us to make a whole gifset with parts that we dont want to ~show~. i dont know if i knew how to explain it, but yeah, it was stupid. i just feel upset because its always just jimin, and if you notice, jimin is not the member that i make the least gifs of. i could say that i gif less hobi or yoongi but that doesnt mean i dont love them all. there are people who have blogs only dedicated to one member but that doesnt make them solo stan. stop being childish, PLEASEEEEEE!!! 

i love all the members so much! please stop wanting to think that i need to prove my love for them by making more gifs. real life doesnt work like that!

[allegra-writes]

Just my type

Peter Parker x Villain!Reader

Peter Parker x Villain!Reader

NSFW

Warnings: Smut

The request:

This is actually a combination of two different requests An anonymous reader who asked for a dominant reader and @asuperconfusedgirl who wanted an imagine about the "let's try that again" gifset, because, I quote: "Damn!". I wholeheartedly agree. This might be a little darker and shorter than you're used to from me, but I wanted to do something different. Hope you still like it🔥

“More than meet the eye, to tell the truth would be a lie”

Just My Type - The Vamps

Peter didn't know how he had gotten here: One minute, he was just dodging another one of Flash's caustic remarks, minding his own business, just trying to get out of one field trip unscathed; and the next he was here... With you, the new girl, on his lap bouncing on his cock, in broad daylight on the top floor of the bus. Where anyone could come up at any minute. Where anyone could see.

It was wrong. It was dangerous. It was insanely hot.

And you were relentless: Labored breath, fine sheen of sweat covering your face and your breasts, but you still showed no sign of being tired or slowing down, chasing your release. Riding him, using him, mercilessly. And he knew he didn’t have any experience whatsoever so his input would probably be useless, but there was still one thing he could do.

He put his hands on your waist, to help you ride him faster, bunching the fabric of your pretty dress a little, making it ride up your thighs just enough to give him a glimpse of his thick cock disappearing inside you. He moaned at the sight, but you quickly slapped his hands away.

“Remember the rules, Peter…” You reminded him, breathily, “touch me, and this is over…”

“No… no, please!” He begged, pathetically, “please, I’ll be good… I promise!”

“Atta boy” You approved, leaning over to place a little kiss on his lips, surprisingly chaste for your current activities, “And good boys get their rewards…”

You tighten your pussy muscles up, tearing a groan out of his throat. You pushed him around until he was lying flat across both seats, his head pillowed by the window. Satisfied with his new position, you leaned back a little, reaching behind you to cup his balls under your dress.

“Fuck!.. oh fuck! Right there!” he sobbed, “right there!”

“Shh, I know, baby,” You cooed, soothingly, “I know…”

“I-I’m gonna…”

“Oh no, Spidey. You are going to wait your fucking turn” You reprimanded him, turning your massages into a hard squeeze that had him crying out. An alarm went off inside Peter’s head at you calling him 'Spidey', but soon your punishing rhythm and strong grip on the base of his cock had him rolling his eyes inside his skull, brain melted into a useless puddle of goo.

You weren’t any better, jumping up and down his hard length, your clit hitting your knuckle every time you took him in all the way, the sharp sting of the head of his cock colliding with your cervix giving you the extra edge you needed for the tight coiled spring inside you to finally snap.

You could have ended it right then, after all, you had already gotten yours. But he had been so obedient, so good… He deserved a reward. Besides, it was going to be easier if you tired him out. Yeah, those were the only reasons.

Or at least, that’s what you told your self as you braced yourself placing both hands on his muscular chest, drool worthy even hidden as it was under his plaid shirt, and rocked your hips in short quick strokes, your sensitized walls fluttering around him in the tiny aftershocks of your orgasm.

Peter’s hands were blindly searching for purchase, and one of them found it on the edge of the seat he was lying on. You heard it crack under the force of his grasp and knew that, as reckless as you were being, you had been smart in not letting him put his hands on you.

“So good… you’re so good… oh, fuuu-“ His voice was pitched high and you knew he wasn’t going to last much longer. You leaned over him to whisper at his ear,

“Come for me, baby” Baby? You frowned. Where had the endearment come from? He wasn’t your baby. He wasn’t yours, period. You would do better to remember what you were doing this for. “Come on Peter, come all inside me…”

It was all it took, almost as if he was waiting for your order. You felt his hips involuntarily thrust up into you as he came with a final curse.

“Woah… Oh God!” He was breathless, completely spent, melting into the seats, “That was… let’s… let’s try that again!”

That made you chuckle despite yourself. You hated to admit it, he was cute. And that debauched, fucked out look was really hot on him.

Peter’s brain was trying to get through the fog, trying to pin point exactly what felt wrong, you saw it on his eyes. It was a shame, really, you could have bask in the afterglow for a little longer if it wasn’t for your earlier slip-up. You probably didn’t have more than a few seconds before he remembered you calling him Spidey, so you reached for your backpack under the seats and pulled a small golden cylinder out of it.

As you opened it and applied your lipstick, you noticed Peter’s eyes on you.

“What?” You asked a little harsher than you probably needed.

“Nothing, it’s just… God, you’re so pretty!” Peter reached for your face, cupping your cheek and you allowed yourself to lean into his touch a little.

“Really? You like me?”

Peter nodded. Your smile turned a little sharper,

“And what about my lipstick, you like this shade?”

The question struk him as a little weird, but, whatever, it wasn’t as if he actually understood girls most of the time.

He nodded again,

“It’s almost as pretty as you”

Your smile was definitely wolfish now.

“Thank you! It’s vintage, you know?” You commented casually. He perked up at that; he liked vintage things too. Granted, he liked vintage computers and videogames, but maybe you guys could find something in common.

Emboldened by that thought, he chanced snaking his arms around your waist. His heart did a little jump when you didn’t immediately removed them.

“Really? That’s pretty cool!”

“Yes, it’s from the forties, actually” You explained, “This specific shade was a favorite amongst the female agents of the SSR. You know, the Strategic Scientific Reserve. Later known as SHIELD…”

Peter’s blood turned to ice, and his grip around your waist, vicelike. There were no traces of the lazy, spent smile on his face, or of the adoration that up until two seconds ago had shone bright in his eyes.

“Who are you?” He demanded, tightening his hold on you minutely. To his surprise, you didn’t struggle or tried to get away: You did the exact opposite thing, wrapping your own arms around his neck and leaning in closer.

“Wanna know the name of this shade?” You breathed against his lips, right before capturing them in an open mouthed kiss, slow and dirty, and by far the most sensual one you had ever shared.

By the time you released his lips, his head was spinning. No, wait, it wasn’t his head, it was the whole bus. Scratch that, it was the whole world. Your smirk as you looked down on him, the only thing on focus, everything else was blurring, shifting and twisting fast.

“It’s called 'Sweet dreams'…”

Realization dawned on him as the blackness overtook him, you had drugged him. With your lipstick.

“Who are you?” The demand came out as more of a beg. You sighed.

“I'd tell you the truth, Peter, I'd do” You confessed, “But even that would be a lie”

The last thought on Peter’s disjointed mind before succumbing to unconsciousness was that at least now no one could make fun of him for being the last virgin on senior class anymore.

You knew it was a mistake, letting him live. Just as you knew it was a mistake as you were climbing into his lap in the first place. Your soft spot for Peter Parker was a weakness, a dangerous one that would surely come back and bite you in the ass some day. But he wasn’t the enemy, not really, and your mother had thought you to minimize the casualties anyway; people weren’t numbers, they weren’t “collateral damage”, they were sons and daughters and brothers and mothers, they were someone’s whole world.

Just as your mother had been your whole world, before she was taken away from you.

And now, thanks to Peter Parker, you had exactly what you needed to find the real responsible for your mother’s death, and make him pay. You took the glasses from his face and put them on. They remained unresponsive but it didn’t matter, you were a hacker the likes of which the world hadn’t seen since Daisy Johnson, your мамочка had said so herself. If there was anyone in this world capable of hacking into the interface, it was you.

You finally stood from Peter’s lap, letting him slip out of you, and tucking him back into his pants, cause you figured he was going to be plenty humiliated once he woke up, he didn’t need the losers of his school to make fun of him anymore than they already did. You hurried to get your things and jump out of the bus, knowing that with his peculiar metabolism, he was going to burn through the narcotic a lot faster than a regular man.

And if you felt the smallest pang of regret as you saw the bus driving away, or if you dreamt about Peter Parker for weeks after your little encounter, well, no one actually needed to know.

To be continued...

[nyxelestia]

You're basically saying that TW stole a bunch of tropes commonly used by Stereks in their romantic Sterek fics, and in the next breath blaming Sterek fans for leaving when it became evident tptb had no intention of exploring their relationship. Viewers have no obligation to continue watching a show they feel no attachment to, and contrary to Posey's statement, I don't think there is any right or wrong reason to watch a show. You also say that the baiting/encouragement by actors, tptb etc 1/-

was benign and innocuous, as they were only doing their job. You say that Stydia and Scallison was hyped as well. Sterek was multitudinously bigger, which was reflected by the hyping of it and the many articles written about it in mainstream media. You then blame Sterek fans for buying into it, which OK, I guess we were all supposed to be savvy enough to realize it was all for funsies. I disagree with the notion that it’s the job of the cast and crew to tease a queer ship that they have no 2/-

make canon, just because fans enjoy it. The honest thing would have been to say something along the line of “we see you dig Sterek, that’s great! It’s not going canon but we support your creativity”. You see basis for Scerek in canon, which awesome. Write all the fics about them. Don’t however discredit the vast number of people who did see canon basis for Sterek. Not everyone has been fooled by corrupted gifsets. As for the clusterfuck that is the bi-baiting of Stiles. That’s just ugly. ¾

They baited and baited his bisexuality, whilst being adamant of not ever explicitly stating it. I think the fact that the writers felt compelled to get Stiles a gf, is the main warning sign of their incompetence. “Erica’s going to be girlfriend material. Gage leaves. Oh shit, we have to bring in another girl. YES, an as of yet completely forgotten Hale girl! Adelaide leaves. Desperation grows. AH, dub-con sex between two mentally ill teens in an institution!”. Sterek fans are not at fault here.

Ever seen that gifset about “when Stiles was being protective of Derek” when Chris was threatening him and Jackson in the last episode of Season 1? Derek was never mentioned in that scene, and Stiles was talking about Scott and Kate. // Just a friendly reminder that Derek was in fact mentioned in that scene. STILES: “Would you prefer I locked him in the basement and burned the whole house down around him?” … “Oh right, Derek said you guys had a code. Guess no one ever breaks it.” -Transcript

Posey has always referred to TW as “his own show” - ex: the cast interview with Cody C. and Dylan Sprayerry in which Posey states that shipping non canon pairing doesn’t make any sense and it’s incredibly offensive and disrespectful towards the writer, the producers and everyone involved in “his show” - and he also became a producer, so… Why did Posey never address what HIS show have done to Arden/Kira? He simply said that “Scott doesn’t need a love interest in order to be interesting” instead

You are picking and choosing from interviews to supplement your agenda.

TPTB aren’t a monolith, either - they are a group of writers, producers, and actors who all have to answer to someone else (MTV), even Jeff Davis. Collectively, have their own agenda, their own plans for the story as a work of narration, and the show as a production. They have to react and take into account the fanbase - but that does not mean that fans get to dictate the show, either. They also regularly disagree with each other, have no idea what the central narrative will be, or sometimes just aren’t in constant communication with each other.

Queerbaiting, generally speaking, is a shitty thing to do. Especially on a show that also, already, has queer characters. On that, we agree. And I don’t know how you got “benign and innocuous” out of “they were doing their jobs”. You are, again, trying to put words into my metaphorical mouth to make a strawman argument.

And you’re right, we are going to disagree on most of the rest.

Such as reasons for watching a show. There is a right reason and a wrong reason for watching a show. It’s not about characters or ships or plot - it’s about watching the show to enjoy the show, vs watching it because you keep waiting for something to enjoy (and then getting mad when something that was never supposed to be there, isn’t there).

There is a world of difference between watching the show for inspiration for Sterek, and watching the show expecting Sterek to happen. There is a world of difference between watching the show because you like a side character, and waiting for that side character to supplant the main character as the star of the show. There is a world of difference between hoping for a ship and expecting a ship.

There is also a world of difference between “listening to fandom” and “bowing down to fandom”. By and large, the producers and actors of the show were listening. They were not obeying, they never had to, and they never should have had to.

As for the actors, there is also a world of difference between “I’d be down to play this” and “this is probably going to happen”. There is a world of difference between “I have some ideas for this dynamic” and “I want these two characters to hook up/end up together”. There is a world of difference between “this could happen (as could many other things)” vs “this probably will happen (as opposed to many other things)”.

It’s that element of picking and choosing again. Take Hoechlin’s idea for how the Darach confrontation in Derek’s loft could’ve gone - his idea was for a platonic interaction between two characters who he refers to as friends and partners in crime. Fandom took it as a shipping scene. This is probably the force that also leads to people seeing so many “Sterek questions” in interviews and panels that they forget - or never see in the first place - things like questions about Stydia, or other ships, or other character arcs unrelated to shipping at all.

I don’t pretend to have seen all the Teen Wolf interviews and such ever, but what I have seen is that along with Sterek, the cast have a lot to say about a lot of ships, hypothetical and otherwise. Of course, if you’re only ever looking for what they say about your own ship - and you only ship one thing - you’ll never see them.

(Which is probably why Posey got accused of being a homophobe. If you only pay attention to what he says about Sterek, then it’s easy to make that accusation, because you’ve never seen or paid attention to him talking about being open to Scott having a boyfriend, and being down to play Sciles or Scisaac.)

Yes, they were pandering to Sterek shippers. They were also pandering to Stydia shippers. They were pandering to Scallison shippers even while building an Allisaac relationship. They were pandering to Sterek and Stydia shippers while also pandering to the former Sterica base with Stora, and then with Stalia.

And I hate to break it to you, but Stiles’ “would you prefer I locked him in a basement?” line was still about Scott, not Derek. The conversation was about Kate, and Stiles didn’t particularly care about Derek in that scene, or in that season as a whole. Mentioning a piece of information provided by Derek was still about Kate.

I also really hate to break this to you, but Posey’s promotion doesn’t actually give him much sway over the decisions made about the show, just how those decisions are carried out. Equating the star of a show referring to said show as “theirs” and equating it with production power is a strawman argument - you are ascribing power and influence that Posey does not have to him, then blaming him for not using it, and for not putting his career on the line to speak more openly about the problems of the show.

It would ultimately achieve nothing and fix nothing - remember, racism isn’t just about individual shows, but also about the broader industry, and bias against WOC is rampant in Hollywood, MTV and otherwise. Look at fucking Hawaii 5-0 - if Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park could not get parity on a show whose ensemble they have been a part of since the very beginning of the show, what was Posey going to accomplish for himself or for Cho?

Especially given that he’s facing some tremendous cuts, himself - as a lot of people have pointed out, Scott practically became a side character on his own show in Season 6 to make room for Stydia, and this is with Posey having a production component in the show that was not there in the earlier seasons.

tl;dr - The show did its job of trying to pander to every ship. Sterek fandom took it personally when their ship wasn’t given even more preferential treatment than it was already getting, just because it also happened to be so big.

I’ve said before that fandom often blames Scott for failing to be omniscient. What you are doing is blaming Posey for failing to be omnnipotent.

[kaedekayano]

hi it's me gakushuu anon here off anon to defend my identity as gakushuu lover #1 wanna scream more? i'm always listening literally bombard me with anything about my son i am waiting also i love your soul you're the pillar of the karushuu community

Wow, I am so flattered thank you so much omg

I’m writing meta (which I have not done in way too long) because I love my son and I love thinking about him and how much I want him to be happy. So here’s an analysis of his relationship with various people. Except it’s really incoherent because it’s late and I wasn’t trying very hard to be articulate, whoops. Have 1.3k of meta.

The Five Virtuosos

Ria @haise-potato and I were discussing them over Skype recently and I’m bringing back this post (http://karushuus.tumblr.com/post/148925252800/on-the-five-virtuosos-and-their-friendship-with), one of the first posts I’ve ever written, because oh boy do the Five Virtuosos fuck me up! People don’t really talk about them or what their relationship w/ Asano is because they are so minor 

But look, okay, they’re just a bunch of teenagers who are irresistibly drawn to Gakushuu because Gakushuu is canonically super charismatic and brilliant and everyone thinks he’s amazing, and they’re no exception, except they in all likelihood (see linked post for evidence) are damn well aware of the insecurities and weaknesses that lie beneath the surface

But God, they’re loyal to him and they love him and they know that they’re not his equals, that he’s too brilliant for everyone, but they care so much about him regardless even if they’re aware they can never really understand him because they aren’t on his level, and they believe in him despite those insecurities, which I think is really valuable, you know?

Dammit Gakushuu appreciate your fucking friends more. The group dynamic isn’t quite healthy but it could be if Gakushuu would just stop and communicate with them and I just — I just love them a lot because the group dynamic is so fascinating, they’re set up to be villains at first but they’re just middle schoolers who don’t quite know how to communicate with each other and that’s so human and understandable.

Also my wish is for all of them to have established character tags on AO3. Gakushuu and Ren already have one but what about the rest, hm

Gakuhou Asano

Heya just a little rant here but I really, really hate depictions of his relationship with his dad as black-and-white. No, Gakuhou wasn’t a good dad, stop portraying him as otherwise just because he started getting a little nicer toward the end of the story and he wasn’t an asshole twelve years ago. But he also wasn’t the devil. When I see fics where he constantly hits or sexually abuses his son I’m like the fuck, where did you get that from. Also wasn’t a pedophile!

Anyway! Fandom rants aside. Something I’m really big on when it comes to abusive relationships is that always, there’s a power imbalance. Yes, the show initially paints it so it seems like they’re competitors, and yeah, they are. Gakushuu is always trying to snatch away his dad’s power and get the better of him. But they weren’t equals, and Gakuhou was really the one in a position of power and authority, and he abused that.

It’s unclear how much of Gakushuu’s personality and ideals are because of his dad, but when Gakushuu tries to deviate from his dad’s principles, Gakuhou does not react well — hypnotizing the Virtuosos + all of Class A, and hitting his son in front of the class when it doesn’t work out for Gakuhou — plus when Gakushuu doesn’t do as well on finals, pole toppling festival, culture festival, etc. and thus isn’t the perfect son anymore, Gakuhou gives him a lot of shit for it. Presumably, a lot of the way Gakushuu is at his introduction — obsessive, manipulative, self-absorbed perfectionist with a notable superiority complex — is because of Gakuhou’s teaching.

Something I don’t see much in fics often: Gakushuu was around three years old when Ikeda died (resulting in Gakuhou’s personality change). While the two probably had an excellent relationship prior to that, it’s unlikely Gakushuu remembers anything from when he was three years old. The Gakushuu we see in-story has only ever known the Gakuhou who emphasizes strength to his students over kindness or compassion. Which is sad and crushing in all kinds of ways, honestly.

Something I really really want to emphasize: Gakuhou and Gakushuu both become noticeably better, kinder, less self-interested people by the end of the story. And that’s great. That’s amazing and impressive. But that doesn’t mean they’re suddenly both saints, especially Gakuhou. Please know that Gakushuu is a 15-year-old boy, aka a teenager, and being a teenager means you have a lot of emotions and you change a lot and you have to figure a lot of stuff out — so honestly, he probably underwent some radical changes, especially morality-wise. But he doesn’t need to forgive his father.

Riiight this is a subject that I cry a lot about but you never need to forgive someone who abused you, and the Asanos had an abusive relationship. Gakuhou was like that for twelve years, impacting the person Gakushuu became to an incredible extent. We don’t know how Gakushuu’s relationship with his dad changed post-canon, but “smooth sailing, everything is perfect now” is highly unlikely to be the answer.

(He did go to study at MIT, far far away from Japan, and so probably sees his dad less. And honestly, knowing that’s canon, I breathe a lot easier for it. Poor kid needs to get some freedom away from his dad.)

Karma Akabane

Yeah, okay, so my ship bias is showing through. Sue me. Anyway, I’m gonna be realistic — they don’t have a lot of interaction, and it’s all rivalry, but it’s not terribly in-depth in terms of mushy romantic stuff so I’m gonna skip shippy things and talk about what these two actually mean for each other. As foils, parallels, etc. they’re really interesting in the narrative choices made.

Gakushuu and Karma look really alike, by the way, as several people have mentioned. I literally thought when I first saw Gakushuu that he was Karma’s cousin or something. Of course, this is deliberate because foils — not gonna go in-depth on this, just thought it’d be nice to mention.

There is a whole lot of parallelism and juxtaposition with these two. Check out some of the gifsets from the anime, y’all. I’m fond of these: (one) (two)

Karma and Gakushuu aren’t polar opposites, not at all. What I’d describe them as is being similar in all the wrong ways, and the same for their differences. This kind of rivalry exists in real-life, just usually not in a shippy way. There’s always a whole lot of clashing because both of you are incredibly smart but you always want to do different things with that.

Class 3-E as a whole, not Karma specifically, is the first time Gakushuu really and truly tastes defeat, and he improves for it. It’s honestly great for his character development. Karma specifically, however, I think teaches Gakushuu a lot of things and forces him to improve. Karma basically seizes Gakushuu’s throne by three points, and sure, he’s all modest about it to the class, but to Gakushuu Asano’s face, doubtful. And good.

They both start out as these ominous, intimidating, arrogant types but reveal themselves to be so utterly fallible and flawed and okay I’d need a lot more time and a whole separate post for this but it’s really cool, okay. Karma’s arc is about forcing him to work harder because stop thinking you’re invincible, and Gakushuu’s is about him working too hard but he doesn’t need to be invincible. His dad constantly pushes him to be invincible, to be perfect, to never ever lose, and it just messes him up.

Just look at the gifsets. They explain it so much better than I ever could.

tl:dr; I love Gakushuu Asano my son he is so wonderfully complex and amazing and he’s obviously not a very good person but he’s getting there and I am so proud of him.