#this isn't real criticism this is another case of me knowing too much to enjoy it. like hades

[casiavium]

I know Susan Collins wanted the Capitol to all have Greco-Roman names to keep with the theme, but Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is starting to sound more like a Percy Jackson book than the Hunger Games 😭

[cosmicjoke]

https://www.tumblr.com/cosmicjoke/757516383076679680/alright-well-first-of-all-id-like-to-say-that

While I understand both Anon's objections and your explanation for the way it is like it is, I gotta admit I'm getting tired of Levi's unending suffering. It's true recovery is not linear, the relapses are fine, but the amount of external shit happening to him is too much too. I really need him to stop suffering. Preferably with a happy ending, but really, at this point, I'd welcome just an ending. I get a little depressed/ anxious with each update when I see there's no final chapter yet, and thus no foreseeable end to the constant whumping. :( I may have met my Angst ceiling.

You're free to stop reading any time you want. It's not like anyone is holding a gun to your head and "forcing" you to read my story. If it's really causing you to feel "depressed" and "anxious", again, it's your responsibility to look out for your own mental health, not mine.

And I'm sorry, but this much bad shit can and does happen to people in real life. If you don't want to read about it, that's fine, and if you don't have the patience to wait for me to get to his eventual recovery, again, you don't have to read it. But I'm not going to tailor my story to your specific needs, I'm afraid.

My answer to that anon ask wasn't a free invite for people to just come in and dump on my story, by the way. I said "constructive criticism". Telling me you get depressed reading my story and telling me you think it's "too much" what Levi is suffering through isn't constructive, it's just criticism.

Stories have to have catalysts for why things happen. Otherwise, there's nothing to hold the readers interest and nothing to drive the story forward. There has to be conflict, whether that's internal or external. There's been maybe 3 or 4 external events that have contributed to Levi's internal issues in my story, so I don't know what you're talking about with there being too much "external shit". Most of the external things that have happened to Levi in my story have been a catalyst for his other mental and physical problems compounding. One is necessary for explaining the other. Both his mental and physical illnesses in my story are the result of one another, being compounded by one another. It's rare for either mental or physical illnesses to exist in a vacuum. They always have a high rate of comorbidity.

Like I said, if you don't enjoy the story anymore, then I don't know why you're still reading it. It's marked as "angst" and "heavy angst", and "hurt/comfort". It has all the appropriate tags. You know what you're getting into, so complaining about the dark content and saying it's "too much" and claiming that it's triggering you in some way isn't valid. That's a you problem.

I think your issue may be that you think a happy ending requires Levi to be fully healed from his trauma, but the reality of trauma is, you never really get rid of it. You learn to live with it, but it never disappears completely. So if you want or expect there to be some miraculous moment of recovery for Levi where he simply no longer suffers from any of the issues I've presented in the story ever again, then I'm afraid you're going to be sorely disappointed, and you should probably just drop it, because I can't and won't give you what you want.

This is meant to be a realistic depiction of chronic mental and physical illness, and in reality, it's often the case that those things remain lifelong problems for people. You can't just hand-wave them away, and I refuse to do so just because my story might make some readers uncomfortable.

[super-hero-confessions]

I'll never understand why some people are so insecure in their tastes that they have to take opposition and claim supremacy to what they consider 'other'.

Shipping wars. Marvel vs. DC. Comics vs. Film.

Obviously, not exclusive to fiction. But a perfect example of where the worst of it starts.

I understand when something warrants actual criticism or a closer look. Fandom bullshit and bullying should always be called out. Having a fave in and of itself is understandable. But at the end of the day, this shit is supposed to be and remain fictional and it's just so ridiculous how hypocritical these people don't even realize they are.

And here's a crazy ass concept.

Why not both??

I swear these are the same type of people to think you have to choose between anal or oral. But like... you have options. You can enjoy all of them in some capacity or another and still have your faves, that is an option too.

I swear though, the acting like tween fangirls and throwing a fit or having to take a serious dig at something that isn't your absolute fave because you can't cope with your own insecurity doesn't make you look any better.

It's called being petty and childish.

Dismissive and disrespectful too when the thing that gets thrown constant digs may cover extremely important subject matter that deserves a second look more than people could possibly know. Case in point for example but not limited to?

The Boys comics.

Let me just tell you, it is just wonderful to know how little people actually care about one of the biggest detriments to human life the world has ever seen so much so that they would do exactly what the show and books criticize.

Just go, "haha, supe go brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr" for the show or exclusively fawn over the actors while denying or ignoring the important stuff cause porn I guess and let the rest be swept under the rug.

Because we should always blame the soldiers and veterans instead of the war profiteers and mercenaries that have kids sign contracts before they know what they're getting into and who they're really fighting for, right?

This coming from someone who has preferences and faves. Because guess what? You can like more than one thing and even have fandom discourse and discussion. You can even have reasons to not prefer something that are valid.

But when you pretend those reasons and opinions are more valid than someone who has put in the time and effort and research without a second thought? Or deny the experiences of someone who has because you couldn't be bothered to pay enough attention?

Instead of just accepting that you have a preference, that's okay, and you shouldn't have to put something down to justify your preference?

You're part of the problem. And you don't even realize it.

Fandom, like what you like. Enjoy and have fun. But please grow up and learn to be serious when appropriate instead of horrifically dismissive or taking everything as a personal attack.

Fictional stuff especially is way less important than real life stuff. Bullying should not be happening over fiction. And we should be taking the messages from the media we consume as a reason to do better and try our best to listen and learn.

And maybe don't listen to the 500 different peoples' opinions about a comic not a single one of them has bothered to actually legitimately read or even make a vague attempt to understand.

The world could be a better place.

[tj4shy]

A silly and short Dutch Van der Linde x shifter reader fic thing

Okay so this is basically just a first interaction with Dutch van Der Linde I would have once i manage to shift to RDR2, but i decided to post it here in case any shifters need motivation/inspiration for their first day I hope you enjoy it x please don't criticize my writing, english isn't my first language and this is my first time genuenly posting something on tumblr

I wake up and I am met with Dutch staring down at me, I am pretty dizzy and distorted, I prop myself up on my elbows but before i can regain my consciousness fully i get questioned by him “Who are you?” I mumble my real name “Tjaša”, the name is foreign to him and he catches only a bit “Ash?” I stare at Dutch in slight disbelief that he managed to butcher my name this bad, but I am too disoriented to correct him or just to bother correcting him “yeah, that”, he then offers me a hand so i can pull myself up from the laying position, I take it, while he pulls me up he says “the name’s Dutch Van der Linde” as I stand up, I regain back my consciousness fully and try to make it look like I made a mental note in my mind of his name despite knowing it beforehand.

As I take in my surroundings I realise where I actually am, the realisation hits me like a truck, but I remain calm, i feel my body with my hands and swat off any dirt on me, as I look down I see my old black zip up hoodie, red t-shirt and my gray sweatpants accompanied by my red socks and Sketchers. After taking in my surroundings and grounding myself Dutch speaks up again.

“What happened to you? Arthur says that he found you knocked out on the side of the road” oh. that. I remember my stupid story that I am meant to sell them and begin explaining “I- I dont remember, sir” its polite to use proper official terms is it not? “Where am I?” i contrast the politeness before, by interrupting him as he was about to say something “Horseshoe Overlook, a minute on horseback away from Valentine” this is my first time here, no way I would know where it is despite the fact that I visited this location in my favorite videogame many many times “I’m sorry, where?” Dutch now picks up on my foreign accent, he at first brushed it off as dizziness from being knocked out, but now realises that it is a part of who I am “America, young lady” I give him an unamused look “I figured that part out, sir… what year is it?” let him figure it out on his own, I think to myself, if he hasnt picked the fact up by looking at my clothes, surely he will get it now, right? “1899” he says pridefully, clearly missing my hints, so i just serve it to him on a plate “fuck… this cant be right” he finally gives me the awaited puzzle look “What do you mean by that?” okay, here we go, now is the time to sell him the absolutely insane story “I am not supposed to be here… sir, I- I am from the year 2024” okay I sent it fully, now lets see the reaction “Lady, I am afraid you hit your head a bit too harshly” oh boy, now the convincing begins “Sir, look at my clothes, do they not look foreign?” he checks me out for the first time ever, not that he wont be doing much of that later on “Foreign yes, but from another time no, impossible” okay hes not easy to convince, lets pull the plastic trick… I remove one of my shoes and point on the end of a shoelace “this is plastic… it hasn’t even been invented yet” he carefully inspects this curious material I called plastic… “I don’t recognize it, but I still don’t believe you” shit okay, now we gotta pull out the tags on my clothes “see here? it says that it was produced in the year 2023, which isnt my year cause I had this hoodie for a year, but still its from the future” okay this better be it… he gives me a puzzled look not being able to come up with a reasonable explanation for it, he does a double take and looks at me in disbelief “And how are you here then?” he bought it, yes, lets proceed “No idea, but I want to go home, sir” he briefly tries to find a way for me to time travel back, but is met with no success, he sighs as if this is going to be the toughest news of my life “Miss, I am afraid I have no idea” of course you don’t, I am a shifter dumbass, but oh well at least you feel sorry for me.

[before-it-felt-like-a-sin]

The yearning is too relatable. The every hot butch lesbian being 23 hurts me as well. I have no game and have messed up taking to girl by accidentally talking in an accent that was not my own (it was Southern, I didn't even know until my friend told me it happened).

The Wilds post was slightly unexpected, as much as I loved the show, it was in no way a blueprint. That person had some very strong feelings of The Wilds and interesting take on Yellowjackets to say the least. I do agree with imsosolesbian. He stated things very well, and honestly I couldn't have explained it better

Ok let me explain the season two thing because my only gripe is with the detectives' story line. There are several things I enjoyed with season two outside of it, Misty and Walter being sociopathic was hilarious to me, Shauna being terrible at lying - comedy gold. The way Saracusa handled the case angered me because why the hell wasn't Kevyn Tan stopping this man to abide by the law? Saracusa in general angers me.

I have no idea what she has done as a person, but unfortunately a person once forced me to be there as they read a chapter from one of her books aloud. Never do that to yourself it is torture.

Don't watch Despicable Me in Spanish, I beg of you. That wasn't a dare, it's like watching Phineas and Ferb or Scooby Doo in Spanish. It's terrible if you have watched in another language.

No you're so real. I also have no game (idk if that was clear or not from running a tumblr blog and also never having dated anyone), so I get you. I was supposed to find the loml at college but that isn't panning out right now 💔

Seeeeee that's what I'm saying. The wilds and Yellowjackets are honestly two completely different TV shows imo. I liked what I watched of the wilds but it just is NOT the same.

Okay, I see what you're saying about the cop timeline. I also saw someone on TikTok say there were too many plot lines in the adult timeline s2, which I get. Honestly I quite enjoyed but I often don't have many criticisms of medias I like.

I'd never let someone read Colleen Hoover to me don't worry 🩷 I hate her too much.

No now you've challenged me. I have to watch it in Spanish. I'm sorry, it's what I've gotta do.

[misery-has-no-company-now]

My first post! Only for people to know who I am really, and because I don't want the blogs I follow to think I'm a bot at first glance. Here goes nothing.

My name :

I won't be saying my actual name over here, since I'm a relatively private person in nature, though I might occasionally go on vents about my personal life on this blog, but that's without revealing any part of my identity, because I want this to be separate from my real life.

Therefore, I'm just going to be creating my name from my blog's name, as I've seen some others do. You can obviously call me Misery, and from the same letters as present in that word, you can call me Mery (or Meri) as well. Ignore that these two words have opposite meanings - it matches with my vast range of moods anyways.

I'll update this if I think of another name. Additionally, I don't mind someone coming up with a new nickname for me either; although my only request is that it isn't used if I don't like it (:

My identity :

I'm still learning a lot about sexualities and pronouns; but as of now, a definitive is that I'm ace, and my current pronouns are she/her.

Also, speaking about moods, as I mentioned earlier, I'm really volatile, so don't be surprised if I appear amiable one day and melancholic the next. That will happen. I can assure you.

Moving on, my hobbies include reading, writing (which is how I learned about this site in the first place), and making art. However, I'll probably only be posting written compositions over here, since the art is more personal and can easily identify me (and in case it was not obvious, I don't want that)

English is my third language, but I'm constantly looking to improve, so any suggestions and constrictive criticism (in the event that I do actually post something, less likely than one might think) are always most welcomed (:

My current hyper-fixation is in WTTT, so I'll mostly be reblogging stuff related to the same. I have smaller interests in other fandoms too, so those can also show up every now and then.

Apart from that, my favorite thing in the world is nature (speaking of that, I got this header from wallpapercave.com) and honestly, my biggest wish is to disappear into the wilderness forever.

The long-awaited finish :

Evidently, I have a huge problem with limiting how much I write, so if you managed to read till the end of this post, congratulations! You will survive the rest of my blog - as and when that happens. Enjoy (:

[genericpuff]

it always humbles and thrills the shit out of me when Greek pals come in and add their own input on these types of posts because 1.) I'm very transparent about not being Greek (just love Greek culture and its stories/myths/etc.) so I'm not an authority on this subject at ALL (and so I try to respond to asks like these really carefully because I don't want to overstep those cultural boundaries) and 2.) I always learn something new every time which just enriches that experience of enjoying Greek culture and its stories. Thank you <3

And just to add / address something in your tags real quick:

Literally there seems to be this like... entitlement to Greek culture from a literature / media point of view, over pretty much the vast majority of every other culture in the world. Like, compared to other cultures, people treat Greek myth as just 'fair game' when like... no, you can still create really offensive or otherwise tasteless shit that subconsciously or consciously attempts to erase parts of a culture. LO is practically a masterclass in that especially when it's predominantly aimed at a younger audience who don't question the legitimacy of what they're reading... and meanwhile the people who do know and care about Greek myth and don't care about how LO depicts it don't read the comic, resulting in LO's own audience becoming an echo chamber of people who legitimately think LO is a good and accurate retelling.

Norse and Celtic mythology suffer from this, too, actually, but that's another can of worms for another essay.

Obviously it's great that so many of these stories and myths have managed to be preserved so well over the course of centuries which allows so many people to connect with them, but an aspect of that preservation has wound up turning into a sort of romanticizing / fetishizing where people think they're just entitled to take Greek myth and flat out do whatever they want to it without criticism.

And I'm not talking about people coming up with their own AU stories that they post to the internet for fun like "what if Demeter and Hecate were girlfriends running a cafe together", I'm talking about, of course, stories like LO that try so hard to take credit for being educated and deep Greek myth retellings while avoiding Greek culture like it's fucking COVID. From Zeus making fun of Persephone for being vegetarian (when being a vegetarian isn't hard or uncommon in Greece because vegetables, fruits, beans, and other non-animal products are a predominant part of the Mediterranean diet??) to Persephone never eating any actual Greek food even when she's not being a hummingbird for two seconds (why are they eating fucking Thai food??) to Persephone and Hades literally having a Christian-coded wedding, it begs the question of why Rachel would try to write about Greek myth at all or take ownership over knowing so much about it when she doesn't seem to even want to touch actual Greek culture with a ten foot pole. At worst it's cultural erasure, and at best it's just... really fucking BORING??? Why try to adapt a story from a culture that's so enriched their own deep history of music and fashion and art and food and then just NOT FUCKING USE THEM-

I think people just like to conflate the arguments that Rachel is whitewashing Greek myth with "white people aren't allowed to have fun!" which is just such a strawman distraction from the real issues. No one's saying you're not allowed to have fun coming up with retellings and AU's and other fanfiction-like ideas for Greek myth, even people who are legitimately Greek have said this because most of the time it's harmless, so long as the person writing these stories is transparent about it being fiction and they're not being downright hateful with it (unless, of course, they're really trying to do an exact 1:1 retelling in another medium in which case yeah, you'll probably be quizzed a bit or expected to know all the details you're presenting in your retelling). The problem is that creators like Rachel have risen to such a mainstream level that their work does affect the general perception of Greek myth, as so many people are having their first exposure to these stories through LO - and unlike other major pieces of fiction that are also retellings, she and her fanbase will only ever say "it's just fanfiction, don't take it that seriously" when her writing and depiction of Greek culture is being criticized; otherwise, when it's being rewarded, suddenly she's a "folklorist" and her comic is just so deep and she's so much more educated on Greek myth than anyone else (which anyone who's actually reading her comic with a critical eye and real knowledge of Greek myth would BEG to differ).

That aforementioned strawman is literally just, again, attributed to people feeling entitled to write about other cultures that are not their own without putting in a smidge of effort or respect, especially Greek culture because of how popularized and mainstream it is. And then when they feel like they're personally being attacked due to someone else saying "hey maybe don't commit culture erasure for your own gain" towards a project that isn't even theirs (cultural appropriation/erasure can be done regardless of whether you're white or POC btw, but we're usually talking about Rachel here who is white and definitely exhibits signs of whitewashing / Christian-coding in her writing so that's besides the point) they interpret it as "HOW DARE YOU BE WHITE AND WRITING A CULTURE THAT ISN'T YOUR OWN!!!!" when like... no one's victimizing you for being white and wanting to read/write about myths that you think are cool, bruh. Just do your research and flex your imagination a little further than your own personal bubble. And most of all, don't speak on behalf of or over the voices of those who are from the culture you're trying to depict, don't use your work as a springboard to put yourself above those who are actually from the culture.

If you go in guns blazing claiming to be a "folklorist" then you bet your ass people are gonna scrutinize you more over it than if you were just some random person writing Dionysus fanfiction on AO3. The latter is just here for a good time, the former is more often than not just using another culture's stories for their own gain because of how mainstream / popular / trendy it is and that's... that's lame and gross. Get your heels out of the ground, please, I beg you.

There's almost this weird blur that exists now between Greek myth the fandom and Greek myth the culture. And when the fandom part starts becoming the loudest voice in the room speaking over Greek myth the culture, that's when it starts to become a serious issue.

Intresting how its only trivializing and mocking green myths when non-greek white people do it, but not when non-greek poc do it. Its almost if you dont actually care

lmao bro what

i literally have zero clue what you're arguing here, "stop criticizing rachel for writing her greek myth retelling from a predominantly whitewashed westernized and christian-washed point view" ?? yeah okay lol

[kiefbowl]

I know this isn't a "real problem" according to radblr but I feel so insane when I read a lot of feminist literature about sex. It's always about how penetration is evil and centers male sexuality and I get that, I truly agree that men feel entitled to penetrate women. But there's always that implicit message that you cannot enjoy penetration, or that women only really enjoy clitoral stimultation. I had no idea my case was so rare before feminism: I have never orgasmed from clitoral stimulation by another person, unless you count rubbing my vuvlva over someone else's genitals. With another person I have only ever orgasmed from penetration by a penis, or fingers one time. When I have penetrative sex I pretty much orgasm every time, sometimes multiple times. On my own I can orgasm very easily from clitoral stimulation but never with someone else, and it's not like the guy I'm with doesn't try, he knows where the clitoris is, he actively and enthusiastically goes down on me. And I know this sounds like a non-issue, a sort of "good for you, nobody else is like that" kind of thing. But I find it difficult to connect with a lot of sentiments about sex on here. A lot of it makes me feel like I can't talk about the way I experience sex and desire, because I sound like I'm sucking up to the patriarchy or to men. Centering male sexuality, even if I'm really not. Sorry to rant

There's a couple things I want to address here, and you might not like them all, but please keep in mind I'm writing this in good faith and not to lecture. I'll just take it one bit at a time:

"I know this isn't a "real problem" according to radblr but I feel so insane when I read a lot of feminist literature about sex."

First of all, radblr is a tenuous concept at best. It's not that it isn't real, or that it isn't important, or we should flippantly dismiss what happens on radblr, but you have to understand that what you specifically are experiencing as "radblr" is extremely unique to you. You have the only dashboard you experience. You get to follow who you want, you get to block who you want, there are settings you can toggle, you can block tags, and most importantly, you get to publish whatever content you want. So whatever it is you’re experiencing as “radblr” is not going to be everyone’s experience. So when you say “I know this isn’t a ‘real problem’ according to radblr”, it comes off as myopic and self-indulgent. You don’t know what everyone’s “problems” are, and frankly a lot of women come on tumblr to specifically not have “problems.” They’re here to have a good time, which leads to my second of all:

You caring about something or feeling uncomfortable about something and finding that most others don’t care or are dismissive or are even critical or even mean doesn’t really say anything about feminism or radblr, but says more about what you’re spending your time on tumblr doing. You’re allowed to quit tumblr. You’re allowed to have 20 sock puppet accounts. Stop expecting other women on here to be endless supplies of validation. In fact, expect them to be not even a fraction of their “true, irl” self here. Every single person on tumblr has a real life that is is more interesting than anything happening on tumblr and just literally has nothing to do with you. If you really can’t handle how a woman is using tumblr to blog about her life, just block her. She won’t even notice.

I guess the rest of my response is going to address the “insane” part...

(the rest under a cut for length and descriptions of het sex, not too graphic):

“It's always about how penetration is evil...”

I think if you’re reading feminist literature about PIV and your take-away is that it’s calling it “evil”, you don’t really give much respect to the validity of feminist literature as social, or political, or even philosophical theory. You see women as play-acting male intellectualism. Evil is a moral concept, and more often than not a religious concept. Maybe you’re throwing this word around unthinkingly, you mean it in some colloquial way and you didn’t really intend it’s full (and varied) meaning, but if you want to engage with female literature as intellectually relevant, and you want to be critical of it, you need to choose your words carefully. Does feminist literature critical of PIV claim penetration is evil, or are you just uncomfortable reading critical theory about PIV sex?

Evil in general is a pretty broad concept, so what is intended to respond to PIV critical theory with such a broad response? It means you don’t really want to engage, because you haven’t brought much to the table. You’ve brought your feelings, which aren’t unimportant, but have you really explored beyond that? What is your theory, your hypothesis, your maxims? What’s your thesis? Are you doing the heavy lifting, or do you just want to “not feel insane.” That’s fair to an extent, but if that’s the case, stop reading things that make you “feel insane” and go about your business. Engage or don’t engage, commit or don’t commit.

“...and centers male sexuality and I get that, I truly agree that men feel entitled to penetrate women. But there's always that implicit message that you cannot enjoy penetration, or that women only really enjoy clitoral stimultation.”

Many different women are coming to the table to discuss feminism, and even the most intelligent and well resourced women has the limitation we all have, which is at the end of the day we can really only speak to our own experiences. No woman can tell you what it is you like sexually, you are the only person who is experiencing your sexual history. If a woman says “women can’t enjoy penetration”, and you think she’s wrong, that’s your answer. What do you want from her? She will never ever validate your sexual experience and frankly she doesn’t have to. Validate your own sexuality.

Personally, I understand that there’s two nuances here: (1) the human body is both measurable and yet varied and diverse, and (2) sexual satisfaction can’t be divorced from socialization and mentality, which PIV critical theory attempts to explore. I’m already getting into more intense and complicated discourse than the average tumblr post, because if I really wanted to explain my feelings on both those points and then connect it to what I’ve already discussed above, we’re talking pages. Pages and pages, words and words, work I don’t want to do. I’m not getting paid, neither is your random tumblrina.

Which leads me to another point...are you reading feminist literature, or are you just kinda sorta hanging out on tumblr? No shade, I think just hanging out on tumblr is fine, and I think there are a ton of intelligent and smart women hanging out here too making some great content. The last time I read a feminist essay I honestly can’t tell you. I haven’t been doing my own heavy-lifting in awhile, I haven’t been doing my due diligence. I also trust, as a grown woman, I’ve done enough of my own studying to rest on my laurels a bit. I’m not convince of that for everyone I see on tumblr, but I’m also not their mom and I’m not going to lecture women to read or what to read. I encourage it, though! But at the end of the day, if the extent of your feminism is hanging out on tumblr reading what cool women are saying on their personal blogs when the mood strikes them, I’m not saying that’s bad or not enough, but you have to temper your responses to what you read accordingly. I think it’s awesome the internet allows women to congregate, and the anonymity of it allows women to speak more freely than they probably do in real life. It totally makes sense that internet communities are a big entry point to explore feminism for lots of young women, especially if they’re missing that community in real life. Love love love it.

But it does blur the lines of what is (in my estimation) the three “pillars” of any social movement’s text: theory, action, and personal account. To expand on that...

“I had no idea my case was so rare before feminism: I have never orgasmed from clitoral stimulation by another person,”

Were you actually “called to action” to only enjoy clitoral stimulation, or is it more likely many women have personal accounts of not enjoying penetration, enjoying clitoral stimulation, and having their needs disregarded by male partners? If we have so many personal accounts, what can we theorize? What you personally act on with that information is not that important in the grand scheme of feminism because you’re just one individual. The call to action is better suited to the group: how can we make women more comfortable standing up for their boundaries and their pleasure? How can we protect women from sexual violence? How can we educate them? When it comes to you, no one can stop you from making the choices you want to make, and that’ll be true for everyone. But the more we talk about these things, the more we can help women in general.  

“... unless you count rubbing my vuvlva over someone else's genitals.”

Why wouldn’t we? No honestly, this strikes me. I think this speaks to the issue a lot of women have where they’re primed to view their own sexuality in 3rd person, downplay what they experience as “real” or “correct”, and view sex from a male POV.

YOU orgasmed, that’s reality. Every orgasm you have counts. Every orgasm you have is real. Who cares how rare it is? Who cares if it fits the idea, the “social script” about sex?

Many, many, many people discuss het sex as if the only way to have genital sex is penetration, even so much so that when discussing other sex besides penetration, people point to oral and manual, and seem to be unable to envision genital sex without penetration. But genital sex without penetration is sex. You had sex and you orgasmed without penetration at least once from what I’m reading.

So yes, I count it. I count you. Now imagine a woman in your experience deciding for herself that’s how she wants to pursue orgasm, and standing her ground that she’ll never have PIV sex again. I see that as brave, and wonderful. It doesn’t matter what I do in my sex life, which includes PIV. I’m not a factor in her sex life. But I applaud her, I support her. You could do the same while changing nothing else in your life, so why wouldn’t you?

“With another person I have only ever orgasmed from penetration by a penis, or fingers one time. When I have penetrative sex I pretty much orgasm every time, sometimes multiple times.”

I’m very glad you’re having orgasms. Lots of women don’t, so it’s exciting to hear that’s a big part of your sex life.

“On my own I can orgasm very easily from clitoral stimulation but never with someone else, and it's not like the guy I'm with doesn't try, he knows where the clitoris is, he actively and enthusiastically goes down on me.”

Another way to have sex is mutual masturbation, which you’re claiming doesn’t lead you to orgasm, which I’ll admit sounds strange to me. Why would stimulating your clit work with masturbation but not with a male partner? Are you so positive social conditioning isn’t playing a role here? In any case...

Another way to have sex, though some might disagree with me (I don’t care), is to masturbate together. As in separately. If you were to masturbate with him there doing idk whatever he’s doing (maybe he’s not even touching himself maybe he’s rubbing your feet or brushing your hair who knows), I call that sex and you have again successfully orgasm without penetration and by clitoral stimulation. So again, are you that different from other women?

Maybe, hopefully, this might give you some pause just to think about it. You don’t have to do anything different, but maybe you should think about it. What is so different about you? You don’t sound different or rare to me. You sound typical. Is there nothing to glean from PIV critical theory if you push past feeling uncomfortable, if you don’t treat it as a call to action, if you just sit with it an think about it? Maybe there is something scary on the otherside, but maybe with the new scary thought comes something exhilarating. Maybe there’s even more pleasure than you could even imagine. You will have to discover that for yourself.

“And I know this sounds like a non-issue,”

To circle this back to the first point, don’t speak for me :) Kindly meant, I will tell you what sounds like a non-issue to me.

“...a sort of "good for you, nobody else is like that" kind of thing. But I find it difficult to connect with a lot of sentiments about sex on here. A lot of it makes me feel like I can't talk about the way I experience sex and desire,”

Get over those feelings. You have a personal narrative, you can bring to the table your personal account. One of those pillars I mentioned above. But make sure you’re aware...your personal narrative is not enough to “call to action”, and is not a significant sample size to theorize.

Not to mention, this is tumblr. Like it’s a personal blog. Say whatever the fuck you want. If you’re not using tumblr for fun, I can’t imagine how you’re using tumblr. Like if it isn’t fun, go do something fun instead it’s better for you.

“because I sound like I'm sucking up to the patriarchy or to men. Centering male sexuality, even if I'm really not.”

Part of putting your feelings out in the world is that they might be met with criticisms. But it sounds like you want to do it, so get tough. Harden that skin. Get in there get messy, make mistakes. People are going to come at you with legitimate counters, and that should be so exciting and titillating. Don’t you want to learn? Don’t you want to grow? I’m getting so pumped thinking about it, women’s minds coming together to make an unique and interesting place on the internet, be still my heart.

And sometimes people say stuff that’s bullshit. Okay, so trust your own mind and judgement? Respond back. Tell them they’re wrong, present your argument, present your logic.

You have to make the value here, and if you’re not getting any value, again...maybe tumblr isn’t for you.

“Sorry to rant.”

I manifest for all women everywhere to stop apologizing to me for saying things from the heart. I could say sorry for writing 1000 words (I didn’t count) but I’m not going to fucking do that because I get to write whatever I want when I want. I don’t have to be sorry for existing and neither do you.

Cheers! :)

[factorialsfandoms]

I liked this update (but then again, I like all the updates). Hyrule was so cute! And Warriors was being very strong (but will we get to see him break down and be comforted?)

I think the next episode could go a couple ways:

Wild and Four talk. (I’m just waiting for the moment Four admits to splitting into four people and Wild’s just like “wait… that was real?!”)

We hear from the other Sky, Legend, and Wind. (Can you just imagine Sky and Legend comforting Wind as they tuck him into bed? That would be so adorable!)

Twilight gets corrupted. I figure he might wake up and attack whoever is sitting with him, probably Time and Hyrule, then escape out the window.

Twilight in a dreamscape. Maybe we’ll get Twilight in a dream fighting back against the darkness in his blood. Presumably this would end up with Twilight winning.

I very much don’t think Twi will die. Jojo likes him too much. It seems like it would be too easy though if Twilight magically got healed overnight (unless there’s a dreamscape sequence where he's fighting it). But having have a corruption arc is a big commitment. If he did, it could easily be another year or two (for us) before Twilight was back healthy and on the side of the light. I don’t have any problem with that (I’m a writer, I understand how stories work), but I know a lot of folks are getting tired of Twi being near death for like a year (I hope they realize that this could be only the beginning).

~ 🌲

I don't know if we'll get to, but yes! He should get a chance to have a break too. One way or the other. Break down, holiday-break, who knows!

All of your ideas make sense.

Please take the following as a criticism of my brain and not of Jojo or LU or any other artistic work, and you are correct in how stories work, etc etc etc. But I can't really talk about opinions on the update more (and why I'll cling to basically anything that isn't the ongoing plot with Twilight) without trying to explain my brain a bit.

I'll be honest I just don't really... enjoy things with ongoing plot as much? Just generally. Its still fun, but I forget things, I get tired or bored, and sunset in general just has not been nearly as enjoyable for me as short self-contained comics. This is absolutely a personal preference thing and not a problem with the story at all! And you mustn't and can't rush people. But its the same thing with fic - ongoing fic I really struggle, though long complete fic is fine. I can watch an entire TV series through, but waiting for episodes I just... Reach a point where I forget? It's been the same since I was a small kid, and its absolutely no fault of Jojo's that she's taking time with a very significant plot point (no matter what happens next things will shift a /lot/).

Also while I think corruption isn't unlikely I just don't like corruption stories as a matter of taste and so am pretending I don't read that option when I see it xD

In the nicest way possible I literally could not care about ongoing LU plot and never have, I just… like the comics where the boys are just… hanging out, for want of better terminology?

And I absolutely am still enjoying this and it 200% is literally just my personal preferences and tastes, and everyone has different ways in which they enjoy media and types they like. It is not a criticism of Jojo or any ongoing work creator or anyone who likes or makes corruption arcs, they just... aren't my preferred flavour? I've never had much patience in my media. Books I love I've never read the sequels to simply because they weren't released when I read it and in one case 3 weeks was too long to wait. This is absolutely a my brain problem, but you can imagine what a year of the same plot is doing to me. ^^; Its very good content! I'm just in the category of people fed up with it (but then I've been fed up with it since I got here, always going "it must be over soon right this is so many more parts than any previous single title", and I'm still here, and I'm still finding ways to have fun).

Honestly I have the same problem writing anything longer than a single-sitting oneshot. As soon as I've looked away from a thing, its incredibly hard for me to look back. Even if it was just I went to have dinner - hyperfocus is a tricky master. That I can go months, see an LU update, and enjoy it is actually extremely unusual and a testament to it being good.

However before I finish I want to offer you a tasty idea I have been stewing over in my brain a bit - Twilight dream sequence. He succeeds in saving his own life and fighting back to not be destroyed, but fails at the last hurdle to not be possessed (or whatever). That, or he develops a long term every night he has to fight /again/ (and one day he will slip up, just there'll be a bit where he appears to have recovered bar understandable "nightmares" in between before he does).

I'll be honest I sway towards dream sequence because the last page or so /looks/ like the start of a dream sequence.

2 would however be adorable. 1... I do expect we'll see 1, but not for a /long/ time. I tend towards thinking that the "core" problem of Twilight needs resolving before that gets tackled.

... And now you got me rambling.

[gravedangerahead]

That a-spec Sydney Sage post I keep promising

Some notes on why I'm convinced Sydney is on the aro/ace spectrum, specifically demisexual.

Throughout the series Sydney shows no signs of attraction without previous emotional attachment, and plenty of feelings of inadequacy due to not feeling what she's "supposed" to feel. Romance is not on her radar at all and frequently catches her by surprise.

When Sydney first describes Adrian she uses comparisons to classical art, she admires his looks in a more detached way, rather than describing her reaction to him. I believe this was meant to show the hang ups she has about vampires, she then says she can't admire him like she would a human guy, HOWEVER, she never does admire any human guys in a more involved way.

While we have some toxic cultural assumptions about women in general not really having a sexuality, or having a single target sexuality directed at her One True Love, her husband or soulmate, we know that isn't the case here bacause we have a very interesting contrast to Rose, who is sexually assertive and isn't demonized for it. She's clearly capable of feeling attraction right away and to people other than the man she's in love with.

The descriptions of Rose and Lissa's attraction in the first series are more involved and reactive, more similar to Sydney's attraction to Adrian once she has emotionally connected to him, as opposed to Sydney's objective descriptions of people in aesthetic terms in the beginning.

She didn't notice Ian's crush on her until it was pointed out to her even though we later see he's obnoxiously obvious. When a boy tries to ask Sydney out she assumes he's asking for her opinion on silent cinema and gives him a lecture about it, while what's actually happening is very obvious and hilarious to everyone around her. Even as her general social skills improve and she learns to navigate other situations better, she cannot confidently tell if a situation could be romantic. She reacts with panic when the possibility occurs to her and relief if it turns out that isn't the case, like when she thought Trey was asking her out in TGL.

While she's frustrated her job might stop her from actually connecting with friends and even her family, she doesn't seem too bothered about the obstacle to her romantic life before her relationship with Adrian. She doen't consider dating until her friends impose it on her, and she doesn't notice she actually agreed to a date with Brayden until Trey celebrates it.

During her relationship with Brayden she feels zero attraction to him and focuses on what is socially expected of her, not any of her own desires. Brayden is just as socially inept and inexperienced as Sydney, but he's clearly attracted to her and enjoying their kisses, while she finds all their physical contact underwhelming and unconfortable:

"Still, I was very conscious of being so close to someone. I didn’t think I was getting any romantic vibes. My pulse didn’t race; my heart didn’t flutter. Mostly I was aware that this was the closest I’d sat to anyone, maybe in my life. I wasn’t used to sharing my personal space so much. I soon forgot about that as the play started."

"As we sat there, I realized we’d come to another critical dating milestone. What was the correct procedure here? Was he supposed to kiss me? Was I supposed to let him? Had that been the real price of my salad?"

"I was so surprised, I couldn’t even move. My heart raced, but it was more from anxiety than anything else. Was I doing it right?"

"Why didn’t I have the same reaction? Maybe I’d done something wrong after all. Or maybe I was deficient?"

"I felt a little guilt that I had a greater emotional reaction to seeing the coffee than him." TGL, passim.

This is supposed to contrast with her already blooming feelings for Adrian, but other girls in the series (Rose, Lissa, Jill, Angeline) are clearly capable of feeling attraction to people other than their main love interest. Jill is just as inexperienced as Sydney, younger, and has an awkward first kiss with Micah due to concerns about her fangs, but she still found Sydney's description of her reaction to Brayden being like kissing a brother strange.

Sydney worries that she's cold and unfeeling, which indicates this isn't a new development due to falling in love.

The only thing I knew for sure was that this kiss had been a lot like the last one. Nice, but it didn’t blow me away. My heart sank. There was something wrong with me. Everyone was always going on about how socially inept I was. Did it extend to romance as well? Was I so cold that I’d spend my life never feeling anything?

This quote is very relatable in a sad way, a lot of a-spec people feel that they might be broken and that there's something wrong with them. It could also have some toxic implications, if you think it's only meant to be wrong because Sydney does have romantic and sexual feelings towards Adrian, but I don't believe that's the case. I think at that point you're supposed to think Sydney's worry is unfounded because she has shown herself capable of caring about and connecting with a lot of people already.

TGL has a lot of nice moments showing how the gang is becoming a found family and how much they all care for each other, including everyone's reaction to her first date with Brayden. In the opening Sydney is away for just a weekend and she misses all of them, and all of them seem supremely happy to see her when she comes back. Sydney's devotion to her family and friends has been highlighted plenty of times.

By TIS Sydney is clearly experiencing plenty of sexual and romantic attraction to Adrian, despite being in deep denial about it. While Jill is worried about a possible relationship with Marcus, and Kristin and Julia do not understand how she could possibly not be attracted to him, she seems dumbfounded by the idea that she would be.

Then Adrian, the person in the series who's portrayed as the most perceptive about people's feelings and how they work other than Sonya, while using his Magical Spirit Insight to look at her aura, describes Sydney in a way that's basically the definition of demisexual:

"My body doesn't know any better. I'm as susceptible to lust as anybody else." There was probably a book about that or at least an article in Cosmopolitan.

The hint of a smile played over his lips. He was fully in tune with me again. "No you aren't. I mean, you are, but not without reason. I know you well enough to realize that now. You're not the kind of person who's 'susceptible to lust' without emotion to back it." TIS, p. 243

Compare and contrast: "Demisexual is used to refer to someone who doesn't experience sexual attraction unless or until they've developed a close emotional connection with another person, according to sexologist Carol Queen, Ph.D."

That's as close to canon as we could get from an author who I imagine has never heard that definition, and the narrative definitely frames Adrian's take as correct. It's never implied that Adrian fixed Sydney, or that she's a late bloomer, or that there's something wrong with her. That's just the way she is and that's okay.

The most convincing arguments I've seen that Sydney feels attraction to someone other than Adrian are toward Rose and maybe Dimitri. While there's nothing wrong with people simply having different headcanons, I'd like to point out that I don't think that would be incompatible with Sydney being demi, as she already has an emotional attachment to both of them. I think no one in the VA universe has been able to describe Rose and Dimitri's looks in a non fawning way, so they're probably so reality bendingly hot that that's just how you would objectively describe them. But she already considers Rose a friend and likes Dimitri, so she could be demi and be attracted to one or both of them if that's how you interpret it.

Someone on Discord asked some good faith questions about asexuality and demisexuality and why people feel it's important to them, and I might post my answers here if anyone is interested. I'll happily answer any questions anyone might have, but I'll not engage with anyone who tries to invalidate or exclude other people's sexuality. I didn't use the SAM here because I don't think it applies in this particular case.

[projectjasper]

Hello 💛

so christmas break is coming and i've been wanting to start *and binge on* a new bl (that is if I'm not still utterly controlled by bad buddy brainrot lol). anyways, what i had in mind was manner of death. i've tried watching it before when it first came out but the first ep made me cringe sksk. i think there was an accidental kiss or sth like that? i don't really remember but i want to give it another chance. my question here is, is it worth it? (Well obviously yes, i know you love it) but like can you give me a mini review (or an in-detail review, whatever you're comfortable with), sth to hype it up. i really trust your judgement when it comes to this stuff

Have a good day!💛

heyyy!! you're absolutely correct - i do, in fact, love it, it's my second favorite show, i think it's perfect. i'm going to give you a general gist of my feelings along with my dear friend and loyal companion @sporadicauthor's feelings, as i did ask them to help me out here as well (thank u so much ora <3). i kept it as not spoilery as i could, so you could enjoy the series to its fullest:

so, one of the most refreshing things about manner of death is that it's a story about queer people, but not necessarily a story about being queer. and there is nothing wrong with those stories, of course, but it's really cool to see two gay men just doing their thing, you know? it's a murder mystery that happens to have two male leads that are queer and in love with each other. that's fucking incredible.

in general, the series is amazing from start to finish to me - it hasn't disappointed me once: the pacing is perfect, there is no unnecessary drama or plot points, and an absolutely incredible ending. but speaking of the murder mystery specifically - it is good and it is the central point of the series. it's going to keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time, trying to guess what's going on, who's in the right, and who's in the wrong. as a cherry on top - it's a murder mystery that does quite a good job of criticizing the system, especially the police, which is so rare and so amazing to see.

another rare thing to see is that we are actually dealing with adults here!! not high schoolers, not uni students, not even someone who's just out of uni - these are grown men meeting each other and falling in love!! i think this is so important to see, also because a lot of us queer alloromantic people miss those "milestones" early in life and get to really experience that side of life later than cishet people.

all characters in the series are very well-written - i can't say anything specific because figuring out the truth about every single person is a big part of the fun, but you will have plenty of people to love and hate, support and admire.

the relationship at the center is also amazing - despite the fucked up circumstances and some unorthodox things happening, they are ultimately equals who respect and support each other. they are in an established relationship throughout pretty much the entire series as well, which is also quite rare.

with that established relationship, you will see a lot of intimacy too - i say this with confidence, no other mlm series has this much intimacy between its leads. and i don't know if someone has told you this before, but in case you don't know - max and tul are some of the best actors we have ever had, and they are also very close, so the chemistry is off the charts.

i also love how the relationship is portrayed as something constant - a lot of the time, especially when the main focus of the series isn't just the relationship, in moments that aren't directly related to said relationship, the characters are often not really portrayed like they are in love, even though in real life you would always think of your partner regardless of what the situation is - manner of death understands this, and you will never feel as if the main characters suddenly don't care for each other the same way they do during the romantic moments because they are occupied with something else. that's what i mean by it being constant.

as a final small point, the series is also shot beautifully, in my opinion, and there is quite a bit of symbolism, which is always lovely.

so hopefully all of this convinces you to watch it, but if you have any follow-up questions - i will gladly answer them!!

[plushpinkfox]

poster musings

saw this while illegally scrolling my phone in a steak n' shake drive through and i (already a victim of slightly shaky hands) almost threw my phone out of excitement. i did not, but i did dm kate immediately. this is INSANE! IT'S REAL!!!

absolutely so insane to see this. like i knew it was real beforehand but seeing this on official netflix accounts is just the strangest thing for someone who's been waiting since like 2015 when i first picked up a copy of sge and it doesn't feel like a real, tangible thing that is going to come out and be seen by hundreds of thousands of people

watch out sge. the tiktok editors are coming. been thinking about this one a lot lately; the fact that sge is going to be a mainstream fantasy film is going to prompt so much... CONTENT. like so much. probably not a lot of book-related stuff but the movie is absolutely going to revitalize the hell out of this fandom and i have a feeling the edits will be out of this world

so proud of netflix for making a real poster that isn't another goddamn celebrity tower! celebrity towers are such cop-outs imo because posters are such a cool way to introduce story elements and draw in an audience so it's cool to actually Have a Poster Design

also the fact that it looks GOOD on top of that is, you know, also nice

have to agree with the (i think it's popular) opinion that the font looks just a bit strange. like i don't know what kind of font i would have chosen to replace it, maybe something a little more similar to how it looks in the cover of the books (not because i'm a stickler for book loyalty in most cases but because it just Looks Better), but it's not AWFUL so i'll forgive it i guess

was hoping for a specific release date (maybe tmr with the teaser??) but it is a bit sad that there's a confirmation of a fall release date. ah well. it is a school movie i guess i was just hoping it'd be more of a summer blockbuster sort of situation

so so so adorable to see sophie and agatha on the bridge staring at each other even though they're too microscopic to actually. Be Seen! like there are my girls!! our girls!! they're coming!! (now where's the Boy.)

loving the tagline too idk it's not a big deal but i like it

also just another little satisfying thing: obviously they were going to list sophia anne caruso and sofia wylie above everyone else because they're sophie and agatha but also. a little part of me was like: oh god what if they do the big huge stars first. please don't. but they DIDN'T! it's our girls first! our girls!! (i'm so happy)

i guess overall the more they hype this movie up and release official netflix branded content for it, the more i'm just PRAYING it's not a flop. like there's been so much put into this that i think it'll be a commercial success for netflix's standards no matter what but i really hope that critically it's a success too. not that i wouldn't enjoy it no matter what, but i want it to be a Good Movie!!! a good one! (please!)

i'll be back with teaser analysis tmr i suppose as soon as i can after i'm home from my theatre workshop

GUYS IT'S REAL!!!

[stina-is-a-punk-rocker]

'birds of prey': a cinematic masterpiece

It's been a little over a year since Birds of Prey came out, a couple of months since I watched in on a whim, and I'm still not over this film.

Too many men people get pressed whenever you say you like this movie. "It's objectively bad," they say. "It's campy. It's too divergent from the canon. It's SJW propaganda."

Who gives a fuck, Richard? Who gives a single flying fuck?

I'll preface this by saying, my knowledge of the DCU is flimsy, at best. I've watched a couple of movies. My mum used to watch Smallville. I watched the pilot episode of Gotham. And I know enough about it to get the few references sprinkled in other media. But I draw a complete blank when it comes to the comics. So the canon of the comics had no effect on my enjoyment of the movie. Which I did. A lot.

I walked in blind when I watched Birds of Prey for the first time. I was unaware of the controversy surrounding it, and the only reason I even gave it the time of day was because I was bored.

I watched Suicide Squad circa 2016, and positively abhorred it- the only good thing about it was the soundtrack (the best songs are always wasted on the worst movies. Case in point: Twilight). And the not-so-casual misogyny was just... Yikes.

And then, we got Birds of Prey.

Since watching the film, I did a bit of research (see: Googling 'birds of prey movie reviews' and clicking on the first few results that popped up). The response was mixed- which honestly came as a surprise, since I thought it was great, and mine is the only opinion that holds weight.

I've read and watched a lot of those reviews. I watched the CinemaSins video. I watched the CinemaWins video, because CinemaSins has taken a major nosedive since I first started watching them.

Were all the negative reviews not-so-subtly indicative of the (predominantly male) critics' misogyny? I dunno; how did they talk about similar male-centered action films? I don't think it's fair to scream, "SEXIST!" just because someone didn't like the movie. Critics hated Venom (which was admittedly pretty meh. I still enjoyed it, though), but it was still pretty well-received by viewers.

I saw one review say that Birds of Prey was 'for the birds'... I'll let you unpack that yourself.

And yet, though I try to keep an open mind, I find it unfathomable how anyone can dislike Birds of Prey.

One of my favorite parts about the movie was the female gaze present throughout its entirety. I've seen people bring up the obvious change in Harley's costume- which I'm a bit iffy about, to be honest. Don't get me wrong- I love her choppy bangs and fun pigtails and the whole fluffy top thing she's got going on, but a whole lot of the critique towards her getup in Suicide Squad comes off a tad too slut-shamey (that isn't a word? Well, it is now).

Her outfit wasn't the issue. It's how she was framed.

In Suicide Squad, we get loads of shots of men leering at Harley, and a little too much emphasis on her breasts and arse in almost every scene she's in. As opposed to Birds of Prey, where Harley's still sexy (I'm seriously concerned for the straight men who found Harley unattractive in this film... You good, Pete?), but we focus on her face instead.

That part where Harley gives Canary a hair tie in the middle of a fight scene? Brilliant.

The characters have depth (a lot of reviews disagree with me. Well, what do I know? I am but a lowly STEM student). One of my favorites was Canary (and not just because I found her insanely attractive)- I love, love, love her arc in the film.

I've seen people complain that the villain didn't really get all villainy until towards the end of the film; which, if Sionis had to put on the mask for you to finally see him as the bad guy, then you've clearly missed most of the film. He's literally introduced while he's peeling the skin off of someone's face. Not to mention that one particular scene at the club- I won't go into too much detail, because it could be triggering to a lot of people- but it chilled me to the bone.

Following up with the villains: "All the men are bad guys," they say. "The whole film is feminist propaganda," they say.

And me posting this on International Women's Day is a bit on-the-nose, I'll admit, but this particular critique bothers me. Because those men aren't unrealistic. They aren't caricatures of men in the real world. We all know men just like them. A lot of them hit a little too close to home for me.

I've seen people complain that women touting the film as feminist turned them off from it- which, I dunno about you, but seems problematic to me on so many levels. Sure, not everything has to have a political agenda, but it's hardly like Harley & Co. scream, "GIRL POWER!" every three minutes.

(Also: it's funny how way more people get mad about poorly executed feminism than actual issues a lot of women in the world face, but that's a topic for another day.)

The diversity was just- wow. Getting not only one but FOUR Asian characters with lines? Hollywood, am I dreaming? The LGBTQ+ representation (not going into Sionis and Zsasz being queer coded)? Holy shit, yes! Maybe I'm getting too excited about this- Hollywood's a lot kinder to us minorities as of late- but it still fills me with joy whenever I see people like me onscreen.

Another complaint that springs up with regards to Birds of Prey is the skewed order in which Harley narrates the events. Which is kind of one of her defining traits- she's an unreliable narrator. And she makes it pretty obvious (this video explains it better than I can). The cartooned beginning was engaging, as corny as some of it was (loved the style, too).

The fight scenes were thrilling to watch. Not a single minute passed by where I was bored (my eyes usually glaze over during prolonged action scenes in films, which did not happen in this case). The comedy was well-timed and bold; the cartoonishness added to its charm.

And this is probably not even significant, but I adored the color scheme. I loved the bright, shocking colors; the emphasis on the pinks, reds and blacks.

And, finally, how could I go without mentioning the soundtrack? It was divine- I listen to the Birds of Prey album on Spotify almost every day; Lonely Gun and Experiment On Me are among my most-played songs, and the rest of the music is just as delightful.

In conclusion: go watch Birds of Prey if you haven't already. It's the closest thing to a spiritual experience I had last year.

[agent-resurgam]

Here's all my Splatoon Rosalia bullshit so far in one post. Enjoy.

CONTENT / TRIGGER WARNING: Blood, mentions of death, depictions/mentions of severe illness / disease. Everything is under the cut, PLEASE do not read any further if this sort of thing makes you uncomfortable.

Beginning: How the hell did all of this start..?

Good question! ...No one’s too sure about that. All the greater population knows so far is that it’s something that’s resurfaced after a couple thousand years, and was first spotted in a small town outside Inkopolis and the greater Splatlands that no one really knows too much about.

Unusual bright blue flowers began sprouting all over the city, and strange reports of death and illness started showing up shortly after. It’s likely just coincidence, but the fact that these were flowers no one had seen before was definitely treated as an ill omen by some. As more was learnt, however, medical professionals within the city quickly realized what was going on... They were dealing with something horrible. Something that could destroy an entire city with just a few pulls of a string.. and had already done so before their time.

But it can't be that bad for cephalofolk like Inklings and Octolings, right? Surely their biology can't support its spread?

That is where you are wrong. Viruses have incredible instability and need to mutate constantly to survive. And... that's, unfortunately, exactly what the Rosalia Virus did when it came across these potential new hosts...

Benignity: Dark phase and active onset

The "dark stage" of the Rosalia Virus in cephalofolk is, as it was before, nigh-impossible to spot. I don't really have anything to speak of here, but I will touch on it a little. In this stage, it's perhaps the most similar to how it acted before with human infection. Not much to say aside from the fact that tumors might start cropping up.

Right after this, however, is where the fun REALLY begins. The virus, after having replicated enough, will begin forming colonies within the walls of the body (be careful with hugs!). As it begins to settle in, one of its most notable effects is the first that will start to show...

The ink discoloration.

As the cephaloperson's condition worsens, their ink color will start to desaturate a little. This is hardly noticeable at first, but becomes more and more worrying as time goes on; even with spots of that trademark discoloration beginning to show in later stages of infection. It also has a slightly more pink/red/purple tint to it, and the undersides/suckers on tentacles almost always become a pale pink/purple color.

The ink occasionally coagulates, too. This isn't the worst thing in the world - it's far from detrimental, actually - but it does seem to cause joint pain and may also cause a twinge of full-body pain when switching from kid to squid and back.

Glimpse of Fear: More symptoms & nearing critical mass

As time goes on, more symptoms of the virus begin to rear their ugly heads. The most common example of the virus' telltale symptom is its traditional, incredibly distinct bruising - a trait some have compared to an ink splatter. It's actually somewhat fitting, seeing as the bruises are almost always tinted with the affected's ink color.

Another common trait in Rosalia cases seems to be a sort of... melting effect? The affected generally struggle to keep themselves composed, and it only gets worse as it continues; usually, it's just the tentacles that are affected, but it can become severe enough to affect the rest of the body...

Rosalia also still causes auditory/visual hallucinations in patients. The auditory effects can be a bit more... musical, though.. whether it be a strange leitmotif or a repeating lyric, they're unusually common...

Oh, but that's far from the end of it.

(FAIR WARNING, THIS IS WHERE I FEEL THE POINT OF NO RETURN IS. SOME REAL POTENTIAL SCARY STUFF COMIN' UP. PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF, STOP READING IF YOU NEED TO!!)

Thorned End: The last hurrah

For the virus, everything has led up to this moment. Its chance to spread once more has finally arrived. Now, a cacophony of explosions takes place as the body gives way to its glory.

For the infected, this is, understandably, probably the worst thing they'll ever have to experience.

Ink pours from the eyes.. mouth.. nose. Contagious ink. The affected can do nothing but collapse into a heap on the ground, in a puddle of what is essentially their own blood.

However, somehow.. there's still hope for them. You've got to be fast - incredibly fast - maybe even just plain lucky - to sweep the virus off its feet and save their lives.. but the miracle is more than worth it if you can see it all through to the end.

That should be everything! Thank you for reading.

I put a shocking amount of effort into writing/drawing stuff for this and I really hope you enjoyed reading through my rambles. If you've got any questions, please let me know! And please tell me whether or not this makes me sound like a fucking insane person /j

[alvacchi]

Phantom Thief Hanako-kun AU Story: Chapter 9- Falling For You

I finally got to this part. This will be interesting.

Comments are appreciated! Thank you guys for reading. Enjoy!

---

-Recap time!

-Previously, Yashiro, Kou, and Teru look for Mitsuba due to Kou worrying for him

-They found him safe and sound with Hanako who was disguised as Hana at the time

-Mitsuba's conversation with Hanako revealed a secret

-While Yashiro and Hanako decided to continue the deal they made, they both started feeling something for one another

-What will happen?

-Yashiro was still looking into Yako's case of Missing Misaki

-Yakoo and Satou were now reported as missing since there was no contact with them so far

-Other people seem to have been disappearing too and it was concerning

-As Yashiro was looking through the files at Tsuchigomori's detective agency one day

-Tsuchigomori suddenly told her that she was off the case

-Yashiro: "What?? Why?! Tsuchigomori-sensei! I can do this! I may not have found much so far but I haven't given up!"

-Tsuchigomori: "I know that. I've granted you permission but Yako-san had told me that there is a police detective who volunteered to help her out. I don't know much of the details but the detective was just recently discharged from the hospital. Since they're a professional, Yako-san put them in charge so I'm afraid you don't have much of a say. You're still an apprentice, Yashiro-san."

-Yashiro was not pleased.

-Yashiro: "Can't I still do something about the case though?"

-Tsuchigomori: "They will be coming here in a few days to pick up the case files so perhaps you could speak with them."

-Yashiro: "Alright!"

-The door to the agency opened at this moment

-Yashiro turned her head from Tsuchigomori to see her best friend Aoi coming in

-Aoi would come by the agency once in a while to check up on Yashiro

-Yashiro: "Aoi!"

-Aoi: "Nene-chan, I'm here to visit~! How are you doing?"

-Yashiro: "I've been pretty busy. Actually, this is perfect timing. I've been meaning to talk with you about something. Let's go grab a drink!"

-Aoi: "Oh?"

-Yashiro: "See you, Tsuchigomori-sensei!"

-Tsuchigomori did a nonchalant wave as they left the agency

-Yashiro and Aoi both went to a cafe outside to chat with each other

-Yashiro told Aoi what was troubling her and how she had been feeling lately

-Aoi: "You know what I think? You've definitely got a crush on Hanako~"

-Yashiro spat out her drink, choking a bit

-Yashiro: "WHAT?!"

-Yashiro's yell attracted attention from people around her and she quickly looked around and lowered her voice

-The people went back to minding their own business

-Yashiro: "How did you know I was talking about him? I didn't even mention his name."

-Aoi: "Who else have you been in contact with who has those traits and level of charisma? Nene-chan, I know you."

-Yashiro: "Indeed. You know me so well, Aoi"

-Yashiro put her head against the table as she internally cried

-Aoi: "Don't worry~ I'll keep it a secret ♡"

-Yashiro: "Aoi....it doesn't make any sense. He's not even my type."

-Aoi: "Hm that's true. But why not try confessing to him and see how that goes?"

-Yashiro flustered at her words

-Yashiro: "W-wait Aoi! You know what you're saying, right? I mean, he's a criminal."

-Aoi: "You don't have much experience with guys anyways. You always get fooled by a pretty face. I think it'll be good for you."

-Yashiro felt like she was getting stabbed in the heart by Aoi's words. She was spot on.

-Yashiro: [sweatdrops] "Eah well you're not wrong...I wonder if it's too soon though"

-Aoi: "Grab the chance when you can, Nene-chan!"

-And with that, they started talking about other topics and catching up

-Akane was still as usual attempting to confess to Aoi

-The topic of missing people came up in their conversation

-Akane mentioned to Aoi that he hasn't been hearing from Yamabuki-kun lately

-He actually insisted on coming with Aoi to the agency since he was worried something might happen

-Yashiro: "Eh? So, where is Akane-kun?"

-Aoi: "I put him to sleep~"

-Yashiro: "You what now, Aoi?!"

-Aoi: "It's okay. I'll be back to see him before he wakes up. Hanako's escape tactics are pretty useful~"

-Yashiro: [sweatdrops] "Aoi...."

-They finished up their conversations and drinks and headed off to their homes around sunset

-Yashiro was expecting Hanako tonight since a pink Mokke came earlier in the day

-She waited in her apartment until his arrival

-A knock at the window and Yashiro opened it up for Hanako

-Yashiro: [smiles] "You came."

-Hanako: [smiles] "Of course I did."

-Hanako hopped inside but he didn't sit down

-Hanako: "Hey detective, how about we do something different today?"

-Yashiro: "Different?"

-Hanako: "Let's go out."

-Yashiro fought her blush down as she realized he meant to go somewhere else

-Yashiro: "But isn't it pretty late to be going out?"

-Hanako: "Don't worry. I'm with you. And if anything happens, I'll protect you."

-Yashiro's blush surfaced from those words

-Yashiro: "Okay, let me get dressed first."

-Hanako waited down at the bottom of the apartment

-Yashiro finally came out and went to Hanako

-Yashiro: "Sorry to make you wait!"

-When Hanako turned to face her, the first thing he noticed was her hair

-Hanako: "You let your hair down"

-Yashiro: "You did mention it before. So where are we going?"

-Hanako: "I'll take you there. Follow me."

-Hanako took her hand and they started walking

-It took a while before they reached their destination

-The silence didn't bother each other though

-Rather, they felt comfortable in each other's company

-Hanako and Yashiro were now at the rooftop of a building, staring up at the night sky

-There wasn't really anyone around at this time

-Yashiro: "Wow, the stars are so pretty tonight."

-Hanako: "They really are huh."

-Yashiro: "Why this place?"

-Hanako: "You can see the stars clearly from here."

-Yashiro: "You've been here before?"

-Hanako: "Yeah, I held a heist here in the past."

-Yashiro: "Really?"

-Hanako: "Yep. I guess at the time, you weren't an apprentice yet. Detective Tsuchigomori was also at the heist. Good times~"

-Yashiro: "It sounds like you know Tsuchigomori-sensei."

-Hanako: "Haha I didn't mention it before but we had our own little conversations."

-A pause

-Hanako: "Hey detective."

-Yashiro: "Hm?"

-Hanako: "You're not seriously falling in love with me, are you?"

-Yashiro:

-Hanako: "I'm just recalling one of my conversations with the great detective. He told me once that if I kept up my behavior and actions, I may make someone seriously fall for me and hurt them, which is ironic since I'm a gentleman thief haha. Well you can forget that question--"

-Yashiro: "And what if that happened?"

-Yashiro couldn't keep her mouth shut

-Yashiro: "What if I really did fall in love with you?"

-Hanako's eyes widened in shock

-At first, his chest was filled with happy delight but dread quickly took over his body when his mind registered Yashiro's words

-Hanako: "...You're kidding."

-Yashiro: "I'm not! I think to Hanako-kun, I actually lo--"

-Hanako suddenly grabbed Yashiro by the waist and lifted her against his side

-Hanako: "A phantom thief and detective cannot be together. Not with me."

-Hanako started walking along the roof edge with Yashiro, the wind blowing in their direction

-Yashiro: "AHHH I'M GONNA FALL! I'M GONNA FALL!"

-Hanako: "Let the breeze calm you down. I'll let you down if you take back your words."

-Yashiro: "I won't! You said that you would protect me just earlier!"

-Hanako: "I did but--"

-Yashiro: "Is there a reason why you won't use my real name at all? I've told you before, didn't I?"

-Hanako: "I..."

-Yashiro: "Do you not love me back? ....You never really thought that I was cute?"

-Yashiro's tears were threatening to burst

-Hanako felt overwhelmed by the situation as he stared eyes wide at Yashiro's crying face

-His mind was in so much shock

-He accidentally let go of Yashiro

-And Yashiro

-She was falling

-Off the building

-A moment later, Hanako screamed in horror when he realized what he did

-Hanako: "YASHIRO!"

-He dived after her

-Yashiro was currently feeling like an idiot as she was falling

-She thought she got ahead of herself and confessed without thinking

-Hanako: "YASHIRO! GRAB MY HAND!"

-Yashiro snapped out of her thoughts to see Hanako reaching his hand towards her

-She was pissed that he decided to finally use her name after she called him out on it

-At this critical moment, she decided to be stubborn

-Yashiro: "NO! DON'T TOUCH ME!"

-Hanako: "WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?!"

-Yashiro: "YOU DON'T EVEN LIKE ME SO DON'T TOUCH ME!"

-Hanako was running out of time. They were about to hit the ground.

-Hanako: "LOOK! I'LL PROMISE NOT TO TOUCH YOU AGAIN SO PLEASE FOR THIS TIME LET ME SAVE YOU!"

-Yashiro widened her eyes as she reached her hand up for him to grab on

-Hanako held Yashiro as they floated down safely using his fancy garment as a parchute

-They stayed in each other's arms once they were on the ground, Yashiro burying her face in Hanako's shoulder

-It really wasn't fair

---

-Mitsuba had returned to his apartment earlier that evening

-When he opened the door, he wasn't expecting Tsukasa to be hanging out in his room

-Mitsuba: "What?! What are you doing here?"

-Tsukasa: "Now now don't be like that, Mitsuba~"

-Mitsuba: "I don't have any photos for you. Wouldn't you rather hang out elsewhere like the news department or something?"

-Tsukasa: "Sakura and the other guy aren't there right now. I don't feel like sneaking in. Besides"

-Tsukasa peered over at Mitsuba with his eyes that seemed to be an endless void

-Tsukasa: "I know what you've been doing, Mitsuba"

-Mitsuba felt complete dread and terror

-How did Tsukasa know?! He left his phone off for a reason!

-He thought he wouldn't get tracked that way!

-Unless

-Mitsuba touched his hair clip

-There could be a tracker in his hair clip

-Mitsuba felt like he was sweating his life away

-He was a fool to think he could get away from Tsukasa

-Tsukasa may have been spying on him

-Tsukasa: "You know..."

-Mitsuba snapped out of his thoughts to look at Tsukasa. To what he's holding in his hands

-Tsukasa was holding pictures of Kou that Mitsuba had taken before

-Tsukasa: "I noticed that this guy's important to you and he cares for you. Hey...what if he could experience what it's like to be dying?"

-Mitsuba flinched

-Mitsuba: "DON'T TOUCH THOSE!"

-Tsukasa stared him down

-Mitsuba: ".....please"

-Tsukasa grinned

-Tsukasa: "Don't worry Mitsuba! I like you! So that's why I got someone to make sure you stay safe!"

-Mitsuba: "What?"

-A person appeared behind Tsukasa

-Tsukasa: "Meet Shijima Mei! She's a police detective!"

[positivelypetty]

A REALLY long rant on the Joint Training Arc.

Okay, so since the Joint Training Arc is basically done, I thought I would share my various opinions and adress certain issues that A LOT of people had with this arc.

But, before we get into the actual rant, I think I should distinguish the difference between an opinion, criticism and just plain antagonism.

Here is an example of just misinformed toxicity:

This is just being TOXIC!!! You can’t shelter these horrible comments by saying “it’s just an opinion.” Please don’t act like after 4 years of really enthralling writing, he’s now the worst writer ever. Instead, explain why you don’t think this was the best story choice, instead of being clearly misinformed. It’s nothing absolutely terrible, but just a simple example on how people can be so demanding and completely inconsiderate to the creator.

“Forbidding” Horikoshi from writing is actually ridiculous. He WROTE AND CREATED your “precious sons” that you love so much. So, if you claim that the manga is now utter trash because it doesn’t personally cater to you, please abandon or take a long break from the manga/anime to maybe clear your head. Thank you.

We don’t need any more toxicity in this fandom than we already do.

Now with that said, let’s talk about the arc! (Also keep in mind that these ideas spurred from Reddit so, I decided to expand on it)

1-B vs 1-A situation:

I've been reading a ton of comments too, the good, and the bad and it's fine, everyone has their opinions and that's cool, but for me, it didn't seem it was about who won or lost, it was more about how each class was taught. And this boils down to both Vlad and Aizawa.

Vlad has obviously been pushing his students and their quirks to the max in regards to working in teams. This shines through in all of the fights they all work together very well and know the strengths and weaknesses of each other as well as their enemies. They go into a battle with a plan and are ready to execute the plan flawlessly.

Whereas Aizawa I believe has pushed for more individualist thinking style, and I think this comes from his basis of fighting villains. No one will come to save you, you have to be able to handle yourself whether escaping or defeating. He doesn't coddle his students, and he does push them to the brink as well. What's interesting is Class A has had more hands-on experience. With Aizawa’s teaching style I think they sometimes have a harder time working with one another and they can fall apart with their teamwork. HOWEVER their real-life experience has taught them that the best-laid out plans can not go as plan, and they are able to utilize their 'individual' thinking to fight regardless of a plan falling through.

I found it really interesting and I think there's value in both ways of thinking for Vlad and Aizawa. For Class B, they will have to learn how to abandon a plan that's not working and strategize on the fly, and Class A will have to hone their teamwork for long-running battles.

And let's be honest, these are just kids, pushing their bodies and minds to the limit, I don't find Class B to be 'trash' just because they lost, they still fought hard and worked better together in the long run then Class A. Class B didn't have any dead weight with their battles, everyone was utilized and contributed to all their fights. People are so set on who “won” or who “lost” the battle, that people overlook everyone’s overall individual quirks and techniques. I personally believe that many of the 1-B students were amazing and are forces to be reckoned with. It’s just that 1-A knows how to handle themselves when things don’t to go to plan rather than 1-B (as mentioned before) which gave 1-A the upper-hand in most of the battles, but I can definitely name a few fights where Class A's members were carried by their team.

Now to address the Shinsou thing:

To everyone who was PRESSED that Shinsou didn’t win....

What do you expect from Shinsou? I feel like people were overestimating him. Even with those cloth bindings and his quirk. All you need to do is shut your mouth, grab his cloth bindings (at best he has a few months training) keep focusing on him,restrain him, and boom you're done.(I obviously know it’s not that simple, but basically) I love Shinsou, I really do, but he’s basically Aizawa (I love Aizawa too don’t get me wrong). Aizawa mentioned that it took FIVE YEARS for him to truly master his quirk, and even though since this is the younger generation, so he’ll probably get the hang of it sooner, how long as he really been “training” his quirk under Aizawa? Definitely not long enough for him to go 1v1 with someone who is a close combat fighter. (It really isn’t that shocking that Deku won, he could probably win without Black Whip). Don't get me wrong Shinsou has improved MONUMENTALLY but not to the extent of 1-A who has direct experience in fighting villains. I just think people are mainly mad that 1-B lost is as because they think Shinsou won’t get into the Hero Course. Like chill. One of the main reasons 1-A won in the first match was because of Shinsou, so I think that proves that he is MORE than capable to get in to the Hero Course.

The whole OP Deku thing:

First off, I honestly don't expect him to ever match All Might at his prime in terms of consistent pure raw strength. Deku isn't a giant man of pure muscle, so I don't think he'd be able to go 100 and maintain it like All Might could. Deku is more of a person of different techniques and strategy, rather than brute force. Like, I don't know if Deku is going to be throwing punches that can blow away a city block.

That being said, each generation is getting stronger. Like, Endeavor will be surpassed by Todoroki by the time he graduates (if it even takes that long). Iida is already faster than Gran Torino. In the very beginning of the manga, they mentioned Deku will be the strongest holder of OFA, since it gets stronger each generation. Deku will have formidable rivals if the other strong students also reach their full potential. Hell, those rowdy kids we saw at the makeup exam already had really strong quirks at their young age. Generational power creep means that everybody around Deku will get way stronger than the current pros.

I understand the sentiment that Deku doesn't need more quirks, but Deku's quirk development was already approaching a plateau in terms of being able to fully control what power he could handle. He'd just work on his technique and slowly get stronger and stronger. Sure, he's gonna eventually be able to punch/kick hard enough to shoot himself around in the air, but we've already seen that stuff (plus Bakugo does that too). I know Horikoshi is creative and will develop some cool moves for Deku, but Deku's struggle to control OfA was mostly over. All he had to do wast master OFA steadily and he’ll be good. More quirks means that he may unlock more quirks when he's able to use more %. So instead of reaching 30% and just being X amount stronger physically, he may unlock a new tool to try and master/incorporate into his combat toolkit.

If this is a negative turn for the story, we won't even be able to tell until many, many more chapters are released. We may look back and decide that this was a bad move, but we shouldn't assume that's the case when it was literally introduced TWO WHOLE CHAPTERS AGO. (even though I don’t think it was a bad move AT ALL)

What I hope to see in future Arcs:

I think what fans would really enjoy and we could all use some real Deku character development. Deku’s my favorite character, but I feel like people can’t connect to him as much as someone like Todoroki, because his lack of emotional development. He’s indeed way more confident then he was in the beginning, I still feel like he has low self esteem. Someone needs to tell him that he’s worthy of this mega powerful quirk. ( he needs it 😭)We know so much about him, but rarely see him living his day to day life outside of training, costume updates and the occasional villain attack. Last time we got anything close to development in was only told through Aoyama's development.

These next few chapters will definitely give us something, but only as it relates to One for All. I'd honestly like to know Deku's thoughts about his situation, he seems determined that's for sure. Does he feel stressed, uninformed, unprepared, scared...resentful? We can infer a bunch, I'd just like to see him talk to All Might, Bakugo or his mom about it.

In Conclusion:

Honestly, to me,It never seemed to matter who won or lost any of these matches people were gonna complain regardless. When Class A wins they call it predictable and when class B won they say call it BS or plot amor. Even when it’s a draw people got upset saying Todoroki was disappointing. Some people wanted the matches to be fleshed out over a couple of chapters rather than rushed, then a few weeks later complained that it was taking to long. Bakugo wins his match quickly and those same people lose their minds about how they wanted the match to be longer. People complained about Horikoshi not letting the girls shine in battle after the second match, but conveniently forgets Tsuyu was the MVP of the first match and Kendo and Mushroom girl made 1-B win the second match. (AND WE’RE NOT GONNA FORGET HOW URARAKA AND MINA DOMINATED THE MATCH)Then you have the people who say all of 1-B is worthless and then Juzo and Tetsutetsu prove otherwise. Now we have people think Deku is OP but in this new chapter it seems that he much has a limit to using these other abilities but I’m sure that won’t stop the myriad of complaints. Every week the same people come to see the spoilers and complain based off of a fragmented non-contextualized summary of the chapter and wonder why they enjoy the chapter itself less. Maybe going into a chapter with a negative outlook will do that. The part that irks me is that virtually everyone whose binge-read this arc seems to enjoy it only seems to be us week to week readers with a issue. Either way I hope the discussion going into the next arc are far more level-headed constructive than they have been.

I think this will be one of the arcs that played out better once it was animated. Individual panels maybe favored over the anime, but overall pacing will surely favor the anime. Waiting week in and week out, over analyzing every short chapter has really done no favors for fans and Horikoshi.