#this sole concept just doesn't fit in his mind at all

[homkamiro]

Fem spy/Transmasc spy are both really funny to me because they imply that Spy was the one to carry Scout, and Scout would not handle that information responsibly. Or at all, really.

He didn't need to imagine that

[mochinomnoms]

Do you think PTM!Jade would have some sort of size kink?

I’m like, hella frickin short (5’1) and Jade is a fricking MONSTER to me (in terms of height and build) and god forbid I’m gonna have to crane my neck just to look at his face 😭

But what about from Jade’s point of view?

The prefect’s a literal shrimp in size, which makes him want to capture them in his arms even more. Every time he sees them scurry around, it makes him just wanna CHOMP on their neck, lock them in his room and—

Well, ykno hehe

BUT SHDJSJXJS JUST THE THOUGHT OF IT IS MAKING ME BLUSH SO BAD— JADE IS JUST SO TALL AND DEVIOUS AND HEAVEN HELP ME—

shorty squad let's go!!!

I personally think that it can either go one of two ways, and it's not limited to PTM, I personally think this can be applied to Jade and the rest of the trio in general. :

First way: massive size differences in the sea are common enough that most people end up with someone at some point who is massively smaller/bigger than them. It's relatively normal so there's no real kink to develop cause it's just a matter of fact for them.

Second way: Yes lol. It's not just the size that gets to him, it's how vulnerable you are. You are so small, weak even, you need someone to protect you! He does have a bit of a prey drive around you, to be honest...he and Floyd both do around the smaller classmates on campus. But with you, it's a bit more. It's not just the vulnerability and the prey drive, but also the knowledge that you trust him to not harm you.

After all, he's not only much bigger than you, but much stronger, much sharper, and yet ever so positively in love with you. He'd never want to harm you, maybe spook you a bit with a snap of his jaws against your ear, just to see the way your chest rises as you gasp in surprise and your pupils dilate. He wants to trace his claws and see the goosebumps on your skin. He just wants to see you cry out, maybe a bit in pain and a lot in pleasure, as he tries to fit himself in you. He wants to make sure you depend solely and whole on him and him alone, as selfish as that might be.

But he deserves to be a bit selfish, doesn't he? He's always ready to serve everyone else, to be made into a wallflower, and to be seen as the ever dutiful right-hand man. But you're his, his to hold to know to clutch to his body to the point that he might mold your bodies into one to make the idea of being alone but a foreign concept. He knows how to handle something fragile. He knows how to make you feel loved and revered, and only he knows the limits to your mind and body. He's not known for being a gentle man. Polite, yes, benevolent, debatable, cunning, absolutely. But gentle? That's rare, even when comparing Jade to his brother.

He can't trust someone else to be gentle with you in the way you need, or to be just rough enough to make you scream. So, back to your question, yes, he does. He loves the size difference, because he gets to live with the fantasy of simultaneously indulging in his more sadistic and protective sides. Jade gets the privilege of you, inside and out, and he gives himself to you for the same purpose. Only you, romantic as it is exhilarating, no?

[lurkingshan]

Japanese QL Corner

We are up to seven live airing QLs from Japan! Five of these are on Gaga and two are being generously provided via fansubs.

A brief interlude for me to climb on my soapbox: if you are a fan of Japanese queer media who is not based in Japan, you really should be supporting GagaOOLala. They are the sole international distributor of most of these shows and the only reason international fans can watch them as they release. They’re a queer-owned Taiwanese company specifically focused on providing international access to global queer media, and their monthly subscription is much cheaper than other streaming services. They’re not perfect but they are quite responsive to feedback about their catalogue and approach; please consider subscribing if you love these shows!

I’m really loving most of these shows and I highly recommend jumping in to the weekly watch!

Takara's Treasure

I fall more in love with these two every week. We finally got some answers on Takara's backstory, and as expected, it is the mother who abandoned him that has been harassing him. Taishin blazed in to give that lady a piece of his mind before even realizing who she was, and it only made Takara love him more. The revelation that Takara is holding back with Taishin because he doesn't want to be covetous like his mother sent me into a bit of a tailspin. I loved Taishin getting his moment to reciprocate Takara's care, as well as Takara's amusement that Taishin still hasn't pieced together what they are to each other. I'm excited for it to finally click for him soon.

Sugar Dog Life

I'll be honest, this first episode did not hit right for me. I always struggle with copaganda heavy romances, especially when the show is intentionally framing cops as benevolent and explicitly linking that to the romantic arc. But I liked the cooking parts of it a lot! We'll see how it proceeds. This one is being fan subbed, so if anyone is having trouble finding it feel free to hit me up in DMs and I'll point you.

Cosmetic Playlover

This one is coming in hot with two episodes a week, because Japan is trying to kill me. I like the concept and vibe but the execution is a bit all over the place; it feels like they want this to be a dark story but aren’t willing to fully commit to that, so dark things happen but then get treated too lightly. The pacing also feels a little wacky and we’re rushing through plot and relationship development in a way that leaves it all feeling a bit ungrounded. Sahashi went from harassing and threatening to out Natsume to kissing and claiming to be serious about him in the space of 15 minutes, and then suddenly in the next ep there’s a new villain and suspense plot. This one is just not clicking; I’m tilting my head with a furrowed brow.

I Hear the Sunspot

Sigh. I really didn’t need another arc about a third party interloper coming between the boys, but here we are. Maya is a throwback to the bad old femme fatale archetype steeped in misogyny and I don’t love it. She’s arrogant, manipulative, and mean for no good reason, and she doesn’t feel like she fits in this story about decent people trying their best. There was a way to do this plot with a more sympathetic portrayal of her, but unfortunately they didn't take that route. I’m disappointed that she’s with us for multiple episodes, and it’s hard to believe this rude little girl can really come between them. I said last week that it felt like they regressed Kohei and Taichi’s relationship in the time skip and I’m feeling that even more now. Aside from this mess, I really liked all of Taichi’s scenes with his friends this week as he continues trying to work out his feelings for Kohei. I hope we get back to Taichi and Kohei spending time together again soon; that’s the real heart of this show and I already miss it.

Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko

Sigh. Last week I was mad at the characters around Hiroko, but this week I am forced to be mad at the show for how it's dealing with this entire plot involving Hiroko's decisions about her privacy at work, Risa's inappropriate interference, and Ayaka's bizarre conclusion that she should announce her love for Hiroko to the whole office. This whole love triangle and forced outing plot was ill-considered and it's dragging the show down; we should not have had Risa being so wrong and manipulative or ventured into queer workplace politics at all if the show wasn't prepared to take it seriously. On the plus side, we finally got the backstory for Hiroko, and it was surprising in a good way. I hope this show can get back to the zany comedy it was doing so well before it got bogged down in all this mess.

Mr. Mitsuya's Planned Feeding

Episode 3 just went up on @isaksbestpillow's blog, and it's a fantastic one. I was howling watching Mitsuya wailing on his ex and poor Ishida trying to process this new rival on the scene. Shige continues to be the MVP and I loved the way he encouraged Ishida with a mix of sage advice and sexy sass (also loved that Mitsyua immediately knew that gossip ratted him out). And I screamed again when Ishida got worked up and confessed; I didn't expect that to happen so fast and it was excellent! This show feels so mature in the best way; I really feel like I'm watching adults who have lived.

Tagging @bengiyo to add the anime update!

[yanderestarangel]

Just heat me out, step!big brother Kuai Liang x ftm reader. Where Kuai Liang buys a kimono that is too small on the curves of his step!brother and they end up fucking 🥴 `'yes inspired by your J.ai bot.

- 🍓

Urghh I just love this concept lol. This was my favorite bot.

TW: ftm reader, fingering, eat out, shibari, afab anatomy, praise, stepincest, dark smut, use of powers, squirt.

The fabric of the kimono accentuated your curves beautifully, your thighs were creamy and soft while your breasts spilled out of the garment's horizontal neckline ─ you were practically naked and it was Kuai Liang's fault

But after using his voice so many times to show you the results, you decided to go out and show him how it had looked on you, even though you were practically naked in the eyes of anyone there. As you enter the room, Kuai Liang can't help but swallow hard, his gaze lingering on the sight of your skin and curves peeking out from the kimono. His breathing becomes slightly ragged, his eyes locking onto your pussy teasingly exposed beneath the fabric, the thin material barely hiding the enticing view.

"Wrong number indeed," he murmurs, trying to regain his composure. He steps closer to you, reaching out to adjust the collar of the garment, his fingers brushing against your neck briefly before he straightens it out. "Let's find a better fit," he suggests, biting his lip to hide his arousal. He guides you over to his closet, searching for another gi that might suit you better.

"Maybe something more, covered?..." His brows furrow as he rifles through the selection, his mind racing with thoughts of how seductive you look in the current outfit. Despite the situation, he couldn't help but imagine running his fingers along your exposed skin, tasting your tender flesh.

"But you still look lovely, little prince."

You lightly joked that you looked like Jessica Rabbit due to the red color of your short kimono ─ Kuai Liang on the other hand can't help but laugh softly, his laughter rumbling through his chest. He stands behind you, resting his head on your delicate shoulder, his grip gentle yet firm on your breasts. The sensation of his breath against your skin tickles slightly, his eyes never leaving the reflection of the two of you. "Jessica Rabbit reincarnated as a prince... quite the transformation," he chuckles, enjoying the feeling of your curves in his hands. His grip tightens ever so slightly, giving a gentle squeeze before releasing you.

"However..." His arms wrap around your waist, pulling you close, his erection pressing against your ass as he speaks. "...my prince looks rather... enticing." He whispers the last word into your ear, his breath warming your earlobe as he leans in closer, his intention clear despite his calm tone. You saw his look at you in the mirror in front of both of you, as he with his warm, warm hands traced your body and lifted the thin fabric of your robes, exposing your naked body to him ─ A smile played on your step brother's lips, as you felt him get hotter, practically the comfortable heat of his muscles engulfing you. The pyromancer took some spare strings from his closet, some new ones that were used for his future Lin Kuei training, but now he had other plans for such an object.

"For someone with an angel face like yours, my little brother know how to manipulate situations. An innocent little face that hides a mischievous little devil." he muses, his voice low and husky as he ties the ropes in various knots, preparing them for whatever comes next.

"Don't worry, little angel, I won't hurt you." With that promise, he begins tying the rope around your wrists, ensuring they're snug but comfortable. If you're nervous, he'll reassure you all the while, his focus solely on ensuring your comfort and pleasure. He finishes passing the brown lines all over your body, placing emphasis on leaving your thighs wide open and exposing your pussy for his gaze. As he brings you to the bed, he doesn't waste any time, diving straight into pleasuring you. His tongue flicks out, immediately finding your clit, sending electric shocks through your body as he lavishes attention on it. He watches your reaction, pleased to see you tremble and drip for him. This surprises him, but it only fuels his desire further.

"You're so wet... so responsive..." he mumbles against your folds, his erection throbbing painfully in his pants. He kisses your clit again, then sucks it gently into his mouth before releasing it. "Such a naughty little boy you are, opening that pretty pussy and letting your step brother use you." He chuckles, teasing your entrance with his tongue, exploring every inch of your folds. The fire ninja relishes the sight of your trembles and whimpers, your breasts swaying gracefully despite being restrained. He smirks, captivated by your reactions to his touch.

He removes his fingers from your dripping pussy, causing you to whimper in protest. But as he pulls you onto his lap and spreads your legs, your protests turn into moans of pleasure as he begins to lavish attention on your sensitive clit.

"Good boys deserve to be rewarded." he murmurs, his voice husky with desire. His fingers continue to tease and stroke your clit, his lips and tongue leaving a trail of kisses and hickeys along your neck. He revels in your squirming beneath his touch, the way your body reacts to his every move. Your step older brother's fingers continue their sweet torture ─ his other hand caressing and squeezing your breasts, his touch demanding and gentle all at once.

You feel a heat in your core, made even worse by the shibari ropes on your body ─ He knew what was coming next simply by the way you pathetically begged him to make you cum, a request to which the tattooed man gladly complied. "you're going to give me a fucking squirt aren't you little brother?" He mocked as he used his powers and slightly heated the tip of his fingers, putting perfect pressure on your sensitive spot. You felt your vision cloud as you screamed his name and threw your head back finding his chest, he saw the transparent liquid come out of your pussy and stain the floor making him giving you kisses along your sweaty neck while he still held onto the ropes that bound you.

"good boy... you were my good boy."

[romance-rambles]

concept: in an alternate universe where the three princes arrive in rhodolite after emma leaves, five years after chevalier's coronation, silvio ricci—"mr. secretly a caring brother"—decides to take a stroll around the capital to clear his mind.

he's been trying to find valerio for ages, and he'd briefly thought that maybe his brother is still in rhodolite, but for whatever reason, he can't seem to get any leads. after making the questionable decision to drink, he ends up wandering into the bustling markets of the city.

a pair of brothers catches his gaze. the older one is buying the younger one a treat—and really, they can't be too old. silvio has had little interaction with kids, but he'd guess them to be around the early teens. and it makes him think of how he was never able to do anything like that for valerio.

naturally, in the middle of cursing his brother out, he happens to hear a vaguely familiar voice professing his love for some woman named emma. he has to rub his eyes to make sure he's seeing things right and—

yup, blonde hair, blue eyes. an earring. the face of a man he loathes, though not as much as his mother.

and in front of his kneeling self—

a clearly pregnant woman who looks on, with amusement glittering in her brown eyes as she gracefully accepts the offered rose. silvio thinks he might be going insane.

"emma" then proceeds to pull him up and the lady selling flowers giggles about how wonderful it is that they're so in love. the guy from the stall next door hollers about how, since it's rio, it's to be expected.

they leave and silvio does not follow them.

what silvio does do is go back to his room in the castle and punch the wall, unable to figure out how he should feel about the fact that valerio is married with a kid on the way. one thing's for sure though:

emidio must not know.

so, silvio packs up and leaves for benitoite, and in about two years, even those in rhodolite whisper about how the second prince attempted to commit treason—and admitted, in a fit of rage, that he was the one who sent valerio to die.

(for this, the king begrudgingly thanks silvio and offers to make him king. but silvio pretends he hasn't already found valerio and vows to find him.)

then, silvio returns to rhodolite.

and finds out that the child valerio's wife was carrying was their second child, after a brat who happens to be the splitting image of valerio overhears asking about "rio" and "emma".

this kid is nothing less than a blabbermouth. within thirty minutes, silvio's aware of his history and "rio"'s too. he knows that valerio's second born is a girl, that he's disappointed that neither of his two children look like his wife, and that they'll probably not stop at two kids. he knows that the kid's name is elliott, that he's named to match the first letter of his mom's name—it's the same for his sister, who is named rhys, after his dad.

and yet, despite the fact that being armed with this seemingly useless knowledge comorts him, he's too much of a coward to try and approach valerio. after all, emidio's dead. valerio seems happier than he ever was in the benitoite's court. isn't it selfish to drag valerio back solely for silvio's pride?

(a part of him is also jealous of elliot's long list of uncles, who he suspects to be rhodolite's princes—most frequent are nokto, yves, leon, clavis, and luke. sometimes, jin and licht. chevalier, surprisingly, does ask after him and rhys, but never visits. sariel keeps tabs on them, just in case)

so he runs before his sister-in-law arrives to take elliot home.

and rinse and repeat. days bleed into weeks and he's not keen about letting them bleed into months, even if he views elliott as a "second chance."

but he doesn't have to.

valerio comes to him.

apparently, he's seen silvio hanging around his son. his wife is delighted that elliott's made a friend, even if he is older than she'd hoped for, and also a bit concerned about silvio's identity, so she wanted to invite him to dinner.

unfortunately, elliott told rio about how silvio once told him to cherish and protect his sister. he said that he couldn't protect his brother from getting hurt, and that he hopes valerio is happy.

the names are what tipped rio off.

there was other identifying information too, but rio already had his memories. the names were all he needed.

you see, he'd started having an inkling of his identity when emma was belle. he'd been pouring over some texts about benitoite and he thought some of it felt strangely familiar. but he kept those thoughts hidden because he was afraid of letting emma know. it was when emidio was arrested that his memoried fully started coming back.

[we now take a brief intermission to talk about how rio married the love of his life:

emma, whilst fretting over her uncontrollable feelings, is looking at the "engagement ring". rio comes in, and for a moment, they simply stare at each other.

then rio correctly guesses that this is something he had on him before. emma confides in him that she thinks it's an engagement ring, which causes rio to realize why she would push him away.

he tells her that he has no interest in returning home. he wanted to die, after all. it's likely nothing was waiting for him. and, if it is an engagement ring, he probably bought it because he knew he'd be meeting the love of his life soon (this makes her hit him on the shoulder). rio thinks he likely wasn't engaged at all.

this causes emma to decide that she wants to be selfish, even if it means living with that kind of guilt.

the rest is history.]

rio: "i really don't want you to meet emma...what if you fall in love with her? she's so pretty, i can see it happening."

silvio: "huh? why would—"

rio: "...but i need someone to testify that i wasn't engaged before i lost my memories. i didn't have a lover either. my wife's been holding onto this misconception, so i want to clear it up immediately."

silvio takes it for the olive branch it is. everyone and their grandmothers know that he's been searching for valerio. it's really no surprise that rio would realize his intentions.

the next night, he joins rio and his family for dinner. silvio brings flowers for emma and gifts for each of the munchkins, and for rio, he shoves a bottle of wine at him. his reddened ears don't have the luxury of returning to normal because elliott starts pointing out how his ears are super red. they have an enjoyable dinner, after which emma reintroduces herself as his sister-in-law and they confirm that they'll hold off on telling elliott, like silvio wants them to.

silvio is a coward though, so he tells elliott on literally the last day of his stay in rhodolite. elliott makes him promise to come back soon, and rio and emma, who are there to pick elliott up, reveal that they might go visit silvio instead.

[this is because someone manages to spill silvio's secret to the king. which means rio would need to establish himself to better protect his family.]

[persnicketypomelo]

I don’t mean to trouble you, but do you think you could do kissing headcannons for CharlesDance!Erik, Leroux!Erik, and Musical!Erik? Like for example, what it’s like to kiss them, where they like to be kissed, lip headcannons, etc? Thank you for reading my ask!! :) I hope you are well!!

Kissing the Phantom

Why are you so kind? ❤️

I kind of touched on this in some ways in another post.

Implied kidnap, mentions of unwanted contact

Leroux's Erik

I don't think he has a conception of romantic love as much as the other renditions of Erik

In his relentless pursuit of you, he really chases over the fantasy of domesticity

For this reason, I don't really see romantic physical touch to be fit with him

He craves the love and validation he missed from his mother, and subconsciously craves affection reminiscent of this

If you kiss him at all to begin with, it would truly break him

He has lived a life believing love to be beyond his reach

More than anything, he treasures when you kiss him on the head and the face

There is something so tender and loving about this kind of affection that is so alluring to Erik

He craves your acceptance and reassurance, especially in regards to hs face

Kissing him there would make him feel like the luckiest man in the world

Showing Erik this love would make him your loyal guard dog: he would do anything for you as long as you stay by his side

You must be careful, because if you show him even a taste of your compassion, he will do his best to ensure that his fantasies of taking you as a spouse will come true

His sole dream in life is that of domestic bliss: strolls in the park, playing the piano for you, buying you jewelry

Erik dreams of the normalcy that comes so easily to so many

In his life, it is all he wishes for

Charles Dance Erik

Having at least one parental connection, albeit unusual and strained, sets this Erik up to be much better off

Whereas Leroux's Erik craves a more maternal display of affection, the Charles Dance is keen on a typical romantic relationship

For this reason, I believe he would prefer to kiss you on the lips

This Erik is realistic--he would understand how you might resent him or find him a creep

That doesn't mean he will change his mind though

He is convinced of the moral righteousness of his actions, and you will not convince him otherwise

Erik is not so twisted and evil that he would force you to receive his affections, though that is quite a low bar to set

He would prefer that you come to love him of your own accord, and voluntarily kiss him

Until then, if it ever happens, he can only dream of the day you tell him you love him

Musical Erik

Like the Charles Dance version, he will most certainly want a romantic connection

Kissing doesn't really even cross his mind, but being kissed at all would take him aback

This Erik is confident in his ability to seduce you with his musical ability, but beyond more intimate touches, he won't try to advance upon you

If you kiss him, you will encounter the rare scenario of catching him emotionally off-guard

Erik would be very pleased with this affectionate, but rather overwhelmed by the gesture

Even the mysterious phantom has his weaknesses

You just happen to be one of them

[thatgirl4815]

Loved these tags from @fromthedepthsandbeyond on this ask so wanted to use them as a jumping off point for a discussion about Sand in Ep7. (I hope you don't mind.)

Sand as a 'pathetic' character

I've seen quite a few folks on Twitter up in arms about how pathetic the narrative is painting Sand to be which, in my mind, is all relative. Because if we're comparing him to Nick, then Sand seems to have quite a bit of self-respect. But all these comments got me thinking how Sand does have self respect in so many aspects of his life; aside from Ray, he would seem to have everything put together. And Ray is the one thing he can't reconcile with his lifestyle, the one thing that doesn't fit. Up 'til now, he's allowed that.

Also got me thinking about this discussion I had with @waitmyturtles last episode regarding the woobification of certain characters. Looking back, I wonder if having Sand finally act out in Ep6 was all leading up to this moment, as Sand's revenge on Top quite literally is a major catalyst in bringing Ray and Mew together. After getting revenge on someone he thinks deserves to be punished, Sand is also being punished too. In some way, I wonder if that is a commentary on the cyclical nature of vengeance--how no matter how justified you are in your payback, you will pay for it too.

Regrets

What is Sand's personal plot? Clearly it's all tied up in Ray. But what do Sand's ties to Ray say about him? It says he's a natural caretaker, likely due to his upbringing, but it also says that caretaking plays a major role in his self-concept. What Sand is learning is that he does not demand exclusivity in his caretaking role--though he might want that, he hasn't demanded it from Ray, because he doesn't think he has a right to do that. Sand has a very acute awareness of morals and what is within his own bounds to demand. In this case, I think it goes back to what First said about Sand handling his emotions on his own; Sand wants Ray to care for him only, but he knows that's not a requirement of their relationship. Ray, on the other hand, demands Sand's sole attention, even though he doesn't deserve it. Despite Sand being burned near-constantly by Ray, he is the one who still feels like he can't demand things of Ray because of the pre-set terms of their relationship.

It also makes me curious...for all the pain it has caused him, how much does Sand regret getting his revenge on Top? Was it worth it? Because if he truly loves Ray, then we would assume that he does harbor regrets. (Which brings me to another question: Does Sand truly love Ray? What stage of infatuation is Sand at right now?) Looking morally, Sand likely thinks he was doing the right thing for exposing Top as a cheater, regardless of the consequences. But knowing if he has regrets about this could be a major clue in to just how down bad he is for Ray.

One of the reasons I'm loving this show so much (despite that crapshoot of a part 4/4 in Ep7, ugh) is because it's putting characters like Sand, who aren't even center stage, in an uncomfortable position. Sand has to confront his own values by pitting his morals and his feelings against each other. Going back to Ep3, is Ray 'just an exception'? Or has this kind of value-bending happened to Sand before?

And, in going back to the tags, is Sand going to change because of Ray? Personally, I think the Joker/Harley Quinn dynamic between Ray and Mew suggests that they will be making major changes for each other, which could stand in direct contrast to Sand. Ray is satisfied that he has finally gotten Mew to adapt to his lifestyle and be with him the way he wants, so why won't Sand give in too? Why won't Sand remain the person Ray wants him to be (as in: someone who drops everything the moment he calls)? Why can't Ray be in control of the people in his life the way he can't be in control of himself?

[ilikekidsshows]

For the drip game: Ladybug (both the main one and the paris special version, since they aren't too different)

Rate the Drip ask game

“I need eye bleach” | “ Garbage! Just straight trash” | “That aint it” | “I see you are a background character.” | “ The sex appeal of a celery stick” | “Mid” | “ Not my style, but I respect it.” |“Solid fit.” | “Understood the Assignment” | “Straight Fire fit” | “ Main character Drip” | “ Dripped out of his mind” | “Stealing yo girl/man and all your friends. |

I think "they aren't too different" isn't all that true, because when it comes to a simple design like Ladybug's, a little is actually a lot. The main Ladybug look works. It's solid and it looks like a Ladybug. It doesn't do enough for it to have any major missteps in terms of style, but that's exactly the problem according to a lot of people. There just isn't a lot to it that makes it interesting by itself.

Now, the Paris Special iteration of Ladybug shows us that, with just a little tweaking, you could actually add a bunch of pizzazz to the basic concept of "ladybug-superhero". The altering colors on the outfit give the impression of a stronger stance even with regular Marinette literally striking a power pose next to her. It also helps that Alter Ladybug has actual soles on her feet so she looks like she's on more even footing, literally, too. Bold hair stripes are a personal favorite of mine, so I'm glad Alter Ladybug kept hers even when Paw Noir was made to get rid of his dye job.

Yes, you can guess from my preferences that the Shadybug look with the red eyes, dark lipstick and a bun hairstyle that really makes her ribbons look like antennae ranks the highest of all Ladybugs.

[goldenkamuyhunting]

Is Yuusaku's ghost a product of Ogata's imagination, or his hallucinations, or he's really some kind of ghostly presence near him (the last one is all up to Noda if he wants to play with supernaturality of course) because to my sense he's a manifestation of Ogata's subconscious therefore closest to being a product of Ogata's imagination/mind.

My theory is that Yuusaku's ghost is a manifestation of, or representation of Ogata's conflicts in mind (his moral conflicts, especially his repression of guilt vs what he thinks and persuade himself to think he feels) and I see this fitting with Yuusaku being a flag bearer (and therefore an icon) like he's there to represent something, to stand up for something.

So we all know Ogata's mind enormously repressing his feeling of guilt by persuading his own self into thinking he has none and it's normal as a coping mechanism and then here's the hauntings of dead Yuusaku who was the exact opposite of him with thinking and morality and the existence of guilt, as if appearing in manifest of Ogata's own inner conflicts in his subconscious. Because Ogata knows he feels guilt and it is real, just can't release it out. Basically what he's thinking represents what he's saying to himself, and dead Yuusaku is what he's saying against himself someplace in the back of his mind › the inner conflict

I just loved this as a concept, that's all, and wanted to share it with you to see how you'd react because I love your way of thinking, wording and observations. Thanks for taking your time for reading <3

Canon never quite said.

The closest we have to canon implying what Yuusaku is can be found here when Ogata says there's something he always refused to face... and then we're given the answer with this visual of Ogata facing Yuusaku...

...so you can see Yuusaku as the personification of his guilt.

I personally do prefer this implication but this doesn't exclude the fact Yuusaku can also be an akuryō (悪霊 “evil spirit”) as Ogata calls it or a variation of some sort as in Japan there's the belief things and feelings can take a life of their own and become spirits.

So having Ogata's sense of guilt... take a life of its own would make sense for them... even though not so much for us as we, instead, view ghosts solely as the spirits of DECEASED PEOPLE, not as spirits of objects, feelings or whatever.

So yeah, I'm on your same page with Yuusaku being the personification of Ogata's sense of guilt from that far chap 164 in which he started to see him in place of Asirpa.

I find it more interesting if it's all psychological and there's no supernatural involved... but for Japanese people it can very well be that both are at play.

As I'm mostly out of the fandom I'm not sure if Noda even revealed something else about the scene so I fear I can't help with it.

Thank you for sharing with me your theory, which matches quite close with how I also prefer to interpret the scene and sorry if I couldn't be of more help.

[fallout4-reacts]

Can you do a companions react to a sole who hums or gets watery eyes when super comfy? I used to get stuff like that when i was a bit younger...

This one is adorable and nice. I hope it will be pleasant to you. I like doing them; it was like navigating in a flow of bliss, and I must admit that it made me smile Thank you very much! PS: If you want to know somthing, I tear easily, especially when I'm happy, therefore I absolutely relate loool

Cait : They've been wandering through the Commonwealth's ruins for a few weeks now, looking for all the robots sent over the world by the Mechanist, and Sole is tired of it. They tell Cait that they are going to Sanctuary for a well-deserved time off in the safety of their home. Cait has no concept what this string of words may mean: security, home.

Sole also omitted to include comfort. She literally crushes on the couch, feeling safe for the first time in her life. It appears that one cannot be appreciated without the other, and Cait can now appreciate both, knowing that guards stand patrol outside and that the couch is so cosy inside. It's almost as pleasurable as a decent rotgut.

And she can't stop laughing, maybe because of her second state, as she hears Sole at her side, letting out a soft sound like an animal too adorable, too at ease.

"What exactly is that?"

"Hm? Aaaah, sweet home. I'm sorry, I... there."

They shrug, looking innocent, and sink lower into their chair, humming some soft notes as though savoring the most delectable of meals.

Codsworth : He has often witnessed these sorts of things. But that was in a different time. Sole would occasionally make these noises in the evening when his mistress and mister were wrapped up on the couch after a long day. Codsworth has always been touched by these moments, and he can't help but be delighted to hear Sole feel well and at home again. As if it were a reminiscence of the past...

Curie : She literally squeaks when she hears Sole's beautiful hum as they sit at the bottom of their clinic bed. They worked hard all day to make this place sustainable, and she is quite pleased of it, but when she hears the sound her friend make as they roll in the blankets, her smile practically fills the darkness surrounding them, and Sole can see her gaze beam.

"You look like a gentle little mouse," they observes, referring to the squeak she made.

"As long as the cat doesn't eat me," she says, laughing despite herself.

"Hm. That is not a bad idea." But instead of continuing in this way, they roll up and close their eyes, exhaling a happy sigh.

Danse (post-bb, romanced) : To say that the trip has been drawn out in every sense of the term is an understatement. Danse can't help but feel relieved when Sole puts the blanket over the makeshift mattress they've set up on the floor of the Red Rocket. And a lot more. Much, much, much more. Sole looks at him.

"I'm still sorry that there's only a mattress. It's thin, but... But, before we face Sanctuary, I believe a decent night's sleep won't harm."

"I don't care if it's just a mattress. I don't mind. Do you understand why? Because in that storm that erupted and wrecked my world, you stood by me, strong and robust, and you helped me keep my feet firmly planted in the new reality that is unfolding before me. You encouraged me in seeing only the best. It makes no difference whether there is only a mattress. All that matters is that we're here now."

They snuggle up together in comfort, and Danse stares down at Sole with as much contentment as any other person. That's when his heart breaks.

"Are you...crying?"

"No! Sure, but don't be worried. Sorry about that... it's silly, but when I'm really good... I mean, really, very good, I... I'm crying. Not fit for a great hero, is it?"

Danse laughs gently, tightening his "great hero" against him even more.

"I believe that your commander would have raised an issue. He would have felt it was a sign of weakness, just like the rest of his snide ideas. Thank you for giving me the strength to recognize that this is simply... great."

"Wow. Okay, now it's my chance to make a statement on your newfound awareness of existence: "Outstanding."

Deacon (romanced) : They dug a hole and curl in it. Deacon knows exactly where to hide. He knows a few, some of which are larger than others. This one is worth another but being the extremely well partners that they have become in every way, they find themselves rather pleasantly entwined to wait till the next morning. Deacon breathes contentedly, and his partner does as well. Looking up at them with a grin, he suddenly feels a lump in his throat.

"Are you crying?" he wonders.

"Ah, yeah, I know. Sorry. Hm. Dust in my eye."

"Liar!"

"You're the liar!"

"Yeah, but you're now lying."

Deacon can't help but clutch Sole even more in his arms, desperate to get them away from whatever is causing them such distress.

"All right, I may have a few tears in my eyes. But that is not what you think."

They raise their hands and lovingly caress their beloved spy's cheek.

"It just happens when I'm really good; I don't know why. I just have tears in my eyes."

"Aww, that's so cute! So, I can brag about having moved you to tears!"

Don't you dare. Who do you think they'll believe if I claim you're lying?"

"Not even a game. But then, let me tell them how I saved your ass during this shootout with the gunner unit."

"I saved your ass."

"Tears or gunners, it's up to you."

"Gunners are very good."

They scowl a little, but only for the sake of the gallery. In fact, they take advantage of the opportunity to curl up a little more comfortably in the arms of their lover, tears again welling up in their eyes due to their happiness.

Dogmeat : His owner huddles himself in his fur and softly whines. In response, dogmeat whines. It's amusing. His owner, who makes the same puppy noises as him. Then he replies cheerfully, pleased to communicate in his language.

Elder Maxson (romanced) : This is one of those truly unique moments. He managed to free himself and join Sole in his rooms. They curl up against each other in their intimacy after a fantastic session of sex that Maxson has never dared dream of in his life. He can finally unwind with Sole in his arms. That's when he thinks he hears a howling animal. Finally, something approaching this. He leans over his bed's mattress, peering beneath it. There was no cat or dog; nothing. Sole giggle.

"What is it that makes you so happy?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Being in your arms and feeling your love make me feel good."

While they rest contentedly, Sole emits a gentle hum, which Maxson recognizes. It's a touch softer, but it's nearly identical to what made him look for an intruder. His face gets lit by a smile.

"I didn't know I had a personal musical instrument."

"I'm sorry, I'm so good..."

"I'm pleased. This music is superb."

Hancock (romanced) : Leaping into the bed, he approaches like a predator on the hunt, but he muzzles Sole's neck at the last time. This one lets out a happy hum as they wrap their arms around their lover.

"Oh! Is that the case? Make this lovely sound for me again."

Sole can't help but giggle as they gaze fondly at Hancock.

"You make the strings of my happiness vibrate."

Hancock responds by purring, snuggling himself against them. The two undoubtedly complement one other, like two harmonics singing the tune of their delight in their hearts.

Gage : "Fuck, the boss floods."

He attempts, sarcastically, to recover control of his panic. Sole weeps! Porter can't tolerate it when his Overboss is crying. Of course, he blames his weakness.

"Idiot," says the other. "It's just... I'm really good here. When I'm truly comfortable, it always makes me a little emotional."

"Well, then, I'll make sure you're not too easy. Because, believe me, if Nisha sees you with tears in your eyes, she'll tear something else out of you."

Sole scowls, rubbing the back of their sleeve across their eyes.

"Sure. Anyway, you have a knack of lowering the comfort zone down."

MacCready (romanced) : Mac sobs as Sole hums. He is unable to assist. This is a lovely sound. It's like a wave of pure happiness, and he can feel it. It brought up memories in him. Back on his farm, Lucy joyfully humming as she cooks for him.

"Hey now, do you cry?"

"It's fine; keep doing what you're doing."

Sole nods, then back to sewing, humming with a small smile on their lips. Mac's eyes well up with tears once more.

Nick Valentine (was not romanced but now…) : "Did I... do something wrong?"

"Not at all," Sole replied, sharply wiping their eyes.

"I did make a mistake. I regret. I know... well, we won't disguise the fact that this old bot doesn't have what it takes to... I mean, I'm sorry I touched you. I didn't want to do it. I... I thought. I'm not sure why I did it. I just had a strong craving to hold you."

"Nick…"

"I know I shouldn't have done it. I regret. It's something I'll never do again. I can't believe I touched you. It's simply that I feel so comfortable with you; you sometimes make me forget I'm only a synth. I'm sorry."

"Nick!"

"However, as I previously stated, I will never do it again. I assure you. I'm going to keep my synthetics place and not try to... play a role I shouldn't and—

Sole is at a loss for words, so they hug the detective, lean in, and kiss him passionately. They silenced him once and for all, for sure.

"I wasn't crying for anything bad, Nick. I was just incredibly comfortable in your arms."

"Oh… uh. Hm."

Nick looks uneasy, having been caught off guard. He winks several times while trying to figure out what has just occurred.

"You... kissed me? I mean, you just kissed me. A... genuine kiss."

"You want another one?"

Nick is once again taken off guard. He has no notion that Sole has their arms around his neck, all against him, but something inside him is more acute, and he closes his arms around the other's waist.

"I… Are you certain I didn't do anything wrong?"

"Nick, when I'm really good, I can't help it; I have tears in my eyes. But you did nothing wrong, on the opposite."

"Oh."

Sole gives a small smile before kissing their friend again to help him understand where they want to go. And this moment, Nick is ready to follow suit, having finally realized that it's true, that Sole is good with him, that they're good with him in their arms, and that they're so good that they want to push things a bit further. Damn it. It's something to proceed.

Piper (romanced) : "Oh my goodness, Blue!"

Piper, like her companion, has tears in her eyes. She can't help. She senses Sole's happiness and is carried away by it, causing tears to well up in her eyes. Sole tightens their embrace on the reporter a little more.

"Wow, we're quite a pair."

"At least none of us will have the nerve to mock the other."

Sole laughs. They would never have mocked Piper in the first place but knowing that they are not the only hypersensitive person in the place helps them accept what has always made them ashamed. The two lovers snuggle closer together, sighing in contentment.

Preston : "General, you... it's beautiful."

Sole raises their head and smiles at Preston.

"Please, give the General thing a break once in a while."

Their colonel gave them a friendly smile before returning his focus to the fire. Sole resumed polishing their weapon and eventually continued humming. The sound is lovely and nice, and it brings back very ancient memories in the man's mind. It transports him to a past era when his mother hummed gently while cooking or sewing. A long time ago, before Preston joined the Minutemen and very before the Quincy massacre. He then shuts his eyes and lets the sound carry him away to these faraway recollections, and for a few time that evening, he feels perfectly relaxed.

Strong : "Stop making noise."

"Sorry, Strong, but I felt safe."

"Puny humans not safe if make noise."

"It's humming, not noise. When I'm happy, I do that."

"Strong make human happy?"

This time, the super-mutant is shocked rather than annoyed. He was so taken aback that he forgot why he was irritated. Sole nods and smiles.

"Strong is a nice pal. Sole can't help but hum when Strong makes them feel safe. I'm sorry if this is disturbed you."

Strong appears to think about it for a moment before growling quietly.

"Puny humans can make a lot of noise. Strong protect them."

X6-88 : X6 casts a keen glance in their direction.

"Ma'am/Sir, such a display of contentment in front of civilians is inappropriate. They may make the mistaken assumption that you are overly sensitive and exploit your vulnerability."

Sole sighs and raises their gaze to heaven.

"I regret if my happiness bothers you, but I'm not going to change who I am to please a... Courser."

X6 scowls despite himself. The blow is hard. Sole has been more at ease in his company for a while now, and they frequently take the time to explain to him things about life that offer X6 a lot to think about, but the reflexes of his programming are tough to forget. He's a little ashamed.

"Please indulge me, Ma'am/Sir, for being disrespectful. I now realize I should not have let myself make such an observation. You might... resume."

As they watch the synth retreat, Sole can't help but laugh. They place a hand on his shoulder.

"No, I think that's fantastic. You're still making progress, you know. You couldn't if you weren't expressing anything."

A weird feeling rises in X6's heart. Not enough to get him one of those stupid-looking smiles, but something good. It happens occasionally when Sole appears to be proud of him, and this is mostly what motivates him to put more effort into opening his mind to Sole's way of life and thinking. When this one begins to hum again, X6 doesn't make any comments. On the opposite, he closes his eyes and listens to the sweet sound of his companion's satisfaction, and the peculiar warmth in his heart come back.

[688199]

Why (pre canon) Felix's character potential makes for a better Chat Noir than Adrien Agreste

the whole concept of miraculous ladybug, during pre-canon, is that it's running on "opposites". ladybug, the hero of good luck, is an average, unlucky girl in her civilian form while chat noir, the bringer of bad luck, is a rich, lucky boy in his civilian form. at first glance, the current marinette and adrien seem to fit this role, but do they really? for this post, i'll be ignoring marinette and focus soley on felix/ adrien.

adrien. he's a popular model, rich, but he has a controlling life style that causes him to be very miserable. all he wants to do his be a normal kid, except his father doesn't allow him to. now, do you call this lucky? in some aspects, yes. but to himself, he is not lucky at all. this part is extremely crucial.

felix on the other hand, is in all aspects very lucky. in one version, he's handicapped, but does that bring him down? no. he doesn't consider himself unlucky in that aspect, because he is solely focused on achieving his dream, which in his eyes is possible. here is why i talk about "potential" rather than felix's actual character as written in the earliest show bible.

the earliest show bible is a little strange, as chat noir's power is repairing, with no clues to it being a negative power like in the even earlier concepts.

anyways, it's ironic how felix, the luckiest character with the perfect life (not seemingly, like adrien, but with an actual perfect life) would want to wish to become unlucky. or going with the curse concept in mind, would be cursed with such power. the most crucial part here is that felix himself knows he's lucky, while adrien considers himself unlucky. (though i do prefer the concept of felix having a desire to be unlucky, showing that there's always small imperfections and disatisfaction no matter how good of a life you lead.)

so felix thus properly fits the "opposite" role much more than adrien. while marinette wants luck, he wants misfortune. or while marinette was blessed with luck, he was cursed with misfortune. either way, contrast and the use of irony for these characters is much more prominent.

i agree to an extent that adrien's character and story does have potential if handled well, but if you want to hammer into the main concept of the story (which is one of the biggest reasons why i am obsessed with pre canon and it's potential), adrien's character doesn't fit at all.

furthermore, again playing into the idea of opposites, what words would you use to describe the heroes? for chat noir, it's cocky, outoing, impuslive, immature, flirtatious, witty, etc etc. now think of the direct antonyms for those words. humble, aloof, mature, cool, dull. oh man do those words describe felix much more than adrien. and this is just a personal opinion but i would much prefer to see the hero persona and their civilian form start out as complete opposites, but over time, because both are still part of his personality, will slowly blend together, so you'll see aspects of felix's character in chat noir, and chat noir's personality in felix until it becomes indistinguishable.

again, it makes sense that adrien is more wild as chat noir due to restrivetive upbringing sure, not denying that. but me personally, i prefer for felix to be the one restraining himself from doing whatever he wants because of how much he cares about maintaining his perfect lucky life. so in a sense, he is bringing misery upon himself, instead of having an outside factor doing that. it makes for a more complex inner conflict, where felix has to realise that no one else but him can change his misery.

[flansterthefilm]

Wokeness

One of the most mind altering cringe things I've seen my entire life is a grown men, maybe in his thirties, losing his shit over the option to select your pronouns in Starfield. He yelled at the screen, he turned the game off, you could see the fires of rage in his eyes burn with the fury of a thousand suns. And one of the most captivating things that I saw said in response to this was that what he was facing mentally had to be some sort of cognitive illness. Holy shit, you're right.

I think that now more than ever there's a strong pushback against the inclusion of any type of marginalized group in media unless they submit to extremely tight standards: Women are fine as long as they're beautiful, black people are okay as long as they aren't too present and don't overshadow the white main character, and the LGBT community are tolerable permitted they aren't at all present. When media doesn't submit to this they face review bombing, unsuccessful boycotts, and even real world threats.

Most commonly we see that these aforementioned qualities not being stuck to birth Twitter rants made by people who paid $8 for a blue checkmark to appear next to their name. They'll write as much as the character limit permits about how whatever studio is responsible for the downfall of the West because some movie had a gay kiss scene or a video game let you play as a deaf black girl.

What you'll see as a pattern in a lot of cases of apparent "wokeness" is that the issue isn't so much what a character says or does but rather a character's inclusion in the first place. In a game like Horizon Forbidden West the main character, Aloy's, sexuality was met with harsh waves of criticism. She wasn't straight and that was an issue. The game didn't make a statement about gay validity vs straight validity, Aloy was just bi or lesbian, end of story. And in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 we have Hailey, a deaf black character who has an OPTIONAL side mission where things were as down to Earth as possible in a game like Spider-Man. She didn't save the day in the end, she didn't use her powers of being black and deaf to overpower the Spider-Men, she just existed. Both of these instances were met with controversy from former FASD babies who accidentally tricked themselves into thinking their opinion was worth hearing.

This criticism, however, goes beyond just dipshits on Twitter. A lot of the time we see major news outlets like Fox News take any given instance of non white, non straight, non male inclusion and turn it into a news story. Most common when Mr. Carlson was on the air, stories about the Little Mermaid being black or the Green M&M no longer being boner fuel because Mars doesn't want people to make their own salty M&Ms before they get their recipe right flooded the air. Tucker doing this unleashed the concept of wokeness unto his millions of fans, and from there conflation began.

Tucker's framing of wokeness made it seem as if any inclusion that didn't fit his ideal standards was inherently bad and worth fighting against. And his ideal standards often made it seem like marginalized groups aren't welcome when compared to straight white men when it comes to their involvement in media. Both are true. And when you have a man like him, the former most watched news personality in America, not only make it seem like the devilish concept of wokeness was just the inclusion of minorities but also validate those who already thought that way, disaster will and did strike.

(I don't believe Tucker is solely to blame however it stands to reason that he certainly didn't help the spread.)

So now we have the mere act of including and in some cases simply acknowledging these minority groups being framed as woke, and woke=bad if you haven't sumised by now.

This rather easily paves the way for any and all representation of marginalized people to be labeled as woke, and when it's labeled as such a pushback from a larger group of people is easy. Those who begin the pushback are simply angry that someone who doesn't look like them are in media they want to enjoy, that's what they see as woke. By using the word "woke" they enlist the help of the uninformed, those who think that the issue is the presence being forced or pandering, that is their version of woke. What they don't know is what they're rallying behind isn't a simple expression of proper inclusion, it's the erasure of inclusion.

From there and with repeated pushbacks the uninformed begin to conflate any inclusion with wokeness. They get mad that a gay person was on Sesame Street or The Simpsons is pro BLM. They think they're at war with pandering. This is not true, they've been radicalized.

Large, public, and vocal outcry leads to executives listening. If they believe that having a black main character is going to drop profits whereas a white one wouldn't, guess which path they'll take. And this will continue with two outcomes for each instance: the minority is replaced with future media or the minority stays and further radicalization happens.

With those who fall into the bigoted category of warriors against the "woke mob" in congress and various positions of power, fighting against what boils down to minorities being present in anything, with them being radicalized just as the uninformed had been or being radical to begin with, I hate to see what's on the horizon for my friends and I.

[aroaessidhe]

Hi so!!! Sorry if this is a really impossibly ambiguous and vague request, but I just had to ask for recommendations. I've really struggled to find aro/ace fiction I relate to, because almost all that I've read fit into one of 2 characters: fantasy story where the character is only incidentally a-spec and it doesn't seem to affect them at all, or extremely 'realistic' modern contemporary fiction where everyone's super neurotypical and comfortable with themselves. Do you know of any aro/ace (1/2)

books that go for a more... artistic tone, if that makes sense? Really sorta trying to think about what it means to be aspec, and how it affects your life, and create something really emotional with that? Because that's what I'm really missing, and what makes me feel so lonely as an aro/ace. For example, I really enjoyed Loveless, vol 2 of the Jughead revival, and Todd Chavez from Bojack Horseman. And... that's sorta it. I want an aroaceness that is weird but Meaningful, I guess??? Maybe...?;;;

Hi! I will try my best!

I guess I sort of know what you mean about being 'artistic' but am not sure if there's much that truly fits that - some that are introspective about being aroace, maybe not so much on the weird side though. (I agree that we're severely lacking in deep complex books About being aroace)

To be quite honest the very first thing that comes to mind is Koisenu Futari, which is not a book* - it's a jdrama about two aroaces deciding to live together and how being aroace affects their lives, and finding their passions in life. absolute comfort show, have watched multiple times, obsessed w it. (*well, it it originally a book but isn't translated to eng)

Am thinking more in the aro/aroace direction here, as there are definitely a bunch of ace books that go into detail a lot about how being ace affects their life - but it's often in relation to dating, which I assume you're not looking for. Most of these are still like, aspec-ness is just one of the aspects of the narrative, not the sole focus unfortunately

Mostly-contemporary stories, that deal with amatonormativity/aroace experiences:

Other People's Butterflies - this is similar to Loveless imo, in terms of being about a teen figuring out she's aroace

We Go Forward - novella about two young women who meet travelling in europe and become friends, one is aroace [this is free to read]

The Rhythm of My Soul - YA about two aroace dancers wanting to get into a prestigious romantic-ballet company; goes into their experiences of both figuring out their sexuality and experiences quite a bit. a bit of a thriller with a lot of ballet-school-drama , and the writing is a little messy imo but I did enjoy some aspects of it

Breasts and Eggs - adult literary fiction, the MC is ace, maybe arospec? (there is a bit of an almost-romance in one section) while it doesn't go deep into directly addressing aspec experiences, a lot of it is about the MC considering donor conception, and people not liking that she wants to have a child without having a partner, and similar experiences of womanhood/motherhood while not being interested in sex/relationships. I have mixed feelings about some aspects but it may be the closest to what you're looking for!

Summer Bird Blue - the main focus of the plot is family and grief, but part of the MCs journey is questioning if she's aroace

Funeral Girl - the MC is ace (and implied aro), her main journey is dealing with her extreme anxiety about death and the future, and while her being aspec is not really a focus, it feeds into that a little and is brought up from time to time. (this book emotionally destroyed me a bit lol)

Every Bird A Prince - this is middle grade, so it's focused more on the tween self-discovery side of being aro and amatonormativity, but I really loved it. (about half the plot is this, half is fantasy-ish)

Goddess Of The Hunt - this is a poetry collection about an aroace Artemis. obviously not super comprehensive since it's short and poetry but might be of interest! (it's been a while since I read it)

a few fantasy/genre books with aro characters that talk about aro experiences more than average, though of course it's still not the focus of the plot:

Fire Becomes Her - has a demiromantic MC who's getting out of a relationship and finds a QPR, so there's some discussion of aro experiences in the narrative

Royal Rescue - fantasy story with a tower-rescue matchmaking system that the aroace MC is forced into, but escapes and dismantles the system, so his experiences with amatonormativity are at the forefront (if a little dramatised)

The Grimrose Girls - contemporary fantasy, one of the 4 MCs is aroace and her storyline deals with her experiences and how it effects her, moreso in the negative so far (which I actually like, because as you've said so many books just have it incidentally mentioned)

Baker Thief - one of the two MCs is aro bi, and they get in a qpr with the other MC, so there's some exploration of identity there. there's other aro characters too. (see also the author's City of Spires series, which is high fantasy & has various aspec characters discussing their identities and life)

Not Even Bones (trilogy) - they never self-identify as aroacespec, but both MCs clearly are by book 3. it seems like they get together in book 2 but in the 3rd they're both like, actually lol I'm not attracted to you like that, I've just never been able to have a friend I care about this much before, lets stay together as friends, and talk a bunch about amatonormativity

there's definitely a bunch more of this kind of thing but my memory is hazy as to how much things are explored, and it's probably not quite what you're looking for, but hey!

hopefully there's something here that seems like it might be of interest! and if anyone else has suggestions please add, I'm not great at remembering fine details of how identity is explored and discussed if it's been years since I've read it

[rhysmademedoit]

So...

I recently rewatched the 1997 movie Batman and Robin, which was a mistake, but probably not in the way you'd expect. I have a lot of opinions about this movie now. In fact, I have so many opinions that I need to make a tumblr post breaking them down before I go crazy.

Let me say that I went into this movie with an open mind. It's a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad, movie, but I do genuinely think it has some interesting points. I'll start with the casting.

George Clooney is legitimately the worst Batman ever put to the silver screen. He's just playing George Clooney. I've seen him do a good job in other movies so I have to assume he read the script and decided to just phone it in.

Chris O'Donnell actually does a much better job as Robin in this movie than he did in Batman Forever. He and Batman feel like an actual team this time, even if Clooney could be carrying his weight more. The actual character O'Donnell plays in this movie is fairly over the top, but I think he does a good job grounding him in the reality of this movie.

Arnold Schwarzenegger actually really fits Mr. Freeze in a weird way. His cold, mechanical delivery evokes the Terminator, proving he still has what it takes to play a villain. The problem is that Mr. Freeze himself is TERRIBLY written. EVERY LINE HE SAYS IS AN ICE PUN!!! He's probably the single worst part of this movie, but I don't blame Arnold for that, he did a good job with what he had.

Uma Thurman is another actor I've seen do a great performance in other movies. For some reason, she decided to play Poison Ivy like she's Rita Repulsa. That might work for Power Rangers, but it feels really out of place here. It's a shame since I think Poison Ivy in this movie had a lot of untapped potential.

Alicia Silverstone is an actress I haven't seen in anything else, so I don't want to judge her too harshly. She's just... not very good in this. Not bad necessarily. I don't know if she wasn't given enough direction or didn't understand her character or what. Batgirl is actually a kind of interesting character who, like most things in this movie, doesn't get fleshed out enough. She does have some sweet moments though. Most of them are helped by the real star of the show...

Michael Gough delivers what has to be the greatest Alfred performance of all time, and definitely HIS greatest Alfred performance. And why shouldn't he? By far, he has the best scenes and the best lines in the entire movie, elevating the entire thing from a cheesy kids film to something that actually has a little maturity. Singlehandedly he becomes the sole reason to rewatch this movie. The "soul" of the movie, if you will.

I guess now it's time to talk about the plot of this movie. I'll be covering it in very broad strokes so I don't end up writing this forever.

From the get-go, two things are VERY apparent: (1.) This movie's visuals, lighting, and set design are awe-inspiring and (2.) A lot of the dialogue is absolutely HORRIBLE. It feels unfinished. Mr. Freeze looks jaw-droppingly epic in his suit with pitch black eyes and a glowing blue mouth, but it's all downplayed by the fact that he never has anything even remotely interesting to say. When Batman is saying lines like "Hey Freeze, I'm Batman" I just picture a little annotation next to it in the script saying *write a cool opening line here.

After an admittedly good fight scene with Mr. Freeze, we're introduced to one of the main conflicts of the movie: Batman doesn't trust Robin. I actually really like that premise. It feels true to the characters while also making for some interesting drama. Hopefully we see that same concept taken on by a better movie one day.

Next up, we're introduced to Pamela Isley, who gets turned into Poison Ivy... somehow. The movie really doesn't make it clear. I think they wanted to do a similar thing to Catwoman with Dr. Woodrew being her Max Shreck, but they plow through it before you even have time to think. Oh, and Bane is here too. I didn't mention him because he's just a strong henchman for Batman and Robin to fight, and honestly might as well just be a giant plant monster. In fact, he kind of is a giant plant monster, since Venom in this movie comes from Poison Ivy's plants. Whatever, on to the next scene.

At stately Wayne Manor, the movie does a really good job setting up that Alfred is getting older. He's a lot slower to respond, gets tired faster, and all around just looks much older here. We're also introduced to Barbara... Wilson?? I actually think making her Alfred's niece instead of Commissioner Gordon's daughter makes a ton of sense for this movie. After all, what better way to flesh out Alfred as a character than showing him interact with family? And as I said before, these moments are genuinely very touching! I love this stuff!

Gotham Observatory, another gorgeous set with a giant statue holding the observatory in the air. Pamela says some really interesting things to Bruce here, and in many ways she's right, the elite should be focused on saving the planet rather than exploring the stars. I think she could've used her hypnotism on this entire room and gotten what she wants immediately, but then the next scene wouldn't happen. Also Bruce Wayne randomly has a girlfriend now? She's only in two more scenes and is really forgettable. I don't see what the point of her is.

This is probably the scene most people think of when they think of this movie. I don't actually have anything to say about it that hasn't already been said, but there were some lines I do genuinely find funny, like when Batman says "You don't have the money," and Robin replies "I'll borrow it from you!" Batman having a credit card is dumb but in a fun way that I can appreciate.

Mr. Freeze shows up in his tank and steals the diamond, and a car chase ensues. The scene of Batman actually capturing Mr. Freeze is actually pretty funny, but more importantly, that point of conflict between Batman and Robin is brought up again. It's actually a really interesting moment because although Batman was genuinely saving his partner, the entire reason Robin wanted to risk his life was to prove himself, an attitude which came about because of Batman's overprotectiveness. It's pretty complex stuff considering the movie it's in.

I like this scene in Arkham because it shows how the patients detained here are treated inhumanely, but the movie doesn't do anything with that which is another huge missed opportunity. At least we get a nice little nod to the last movie's villains.

Plot twist! Barbara isn't actually the sweet uni student you thought she was, she's actually a street racing punk who wears leather and despises authority! The visuals of the street race are stunning as always, but the part that sticks out to me the most is how she completely slams Bruce and Richard for their treatment of Alfred. They've always thought of him as family, but in reality he's just their servant, and now we have his actual family member coming in to challenge them. It would be super compelling stuff if they actually focused on it for more than two seconds.

I can't find a good picture, but something about the set design of Mr. Freeze's lab feels really cheap. The set itself is cool but the lighting design feels oddly bright, almost washed out. It gives off a kids TV show vibe, not helped by their encounter with Bane and Poison Ivy which is really cheesy. There's a good moment of banter between Batman and Robin to let us know they've reconciled, and Arnie does a good job showing the stress Mr. Freeze is under, but that's about it. If you saw this scene on TV with no context, you'd think it was a made for TV movie.

This next part is really silly. Why would Poison Ivy want Mr. Freeze to freeze all of Gotham? Wouldn't that kill all of her plants? The part where she seduces Commissioner Gordon is probably my favorite scene of Gordon in this entire quadrilogy, he really does a good job playing up the goofiness. The biggest problem is that the plant-infested GCPD headquarters looks really cheap. It's like the opposite of Mr. Freeze's Lab: the lighting is beautiful but the actual set looks so fake. Speaking of things that look cheap, what's with that Batgirl costume? It doesn't even look like a bat! This is probably one of the dumbest scenes in the entire movie, but it's still kind of sweet that they show Robin still trusting Batman after everything that's come between them.

I've been leaving out a lot, but the fight against Poison Ivy and the fight against Mr. Freeze actually are back to back. The Gotham Observatory is a beautiful set to stage the finale on, even if the actual plan makes no sense. There's also some nice moments of teamwork between the trio where you see how well they work together... or at least they would be nice moments if the three of them had any chemistry together at all. Seriously, this needed another draft. The fight scene isn't anything to write home about, but I do really like Batman's speech to Mr. Freeze at the end. It really shows the evolution of his character. In Batman 89 he was a hard edged antihero and a bit of a psychopath. In Batman Returns he became more bold and confident, but was also willing to open up emotionally. In Batman Forever he gave up his vengeance streak to become a more pacifist hero who only kills in self defense. Now, in Batman and Robin, he's willing to reach out to a man who almost killed the entire city, and to say to him that there's still a good man buried deep inside him somewhere under all the ice. It's too bad George Clooney is still phoning it in or it would have a lot more impact.

I know this movie has a lot of problems. I know I have a lot of problems with this movie. I know that one of my biggest problems with this movie is its cast. And yet somehow, watching the end of this movie, where Alicia Silverstone, Chris O'Donnell, and George Clooney put their hands together and agree to be partners, I couldn't help but feel excited to see them return. I want to see them come back in Batman Unchained. I want to see them fight Coolio's Scarecrow and Joker's daughter Harley Quinn with Batman hallucinating about Jack Nicholson's Joker. Heck, throw Man-Bat in there as well! And Tim Drake as the next Robin! And let's stunt cast everyone because why the heck not.

But that movie's never going to happen now. Even if they made a movie with that exact plot and everyone reprising their roles, it wouldn't be the same. It would just be nostalgia pandering.

There's one scene I left out, but it's arguably the best scene in the entire movie.

Alfred's lying in bed, dying. Bruce says to him "I've spent my entire life trying to beat back death. Everything I've done... Everything I'm capable of doing... but that can't save you." And Alfred responds by saying "There is no defeat in death, Master Bruce. Victory comes in defending what we know is right while we still live." They embrace. Bruce says "I love you, old man." Alfred says "And I love you, too." They smile. It's a beautiful scene on it's own, but it hits even harder because of Barbara's rant to Richard before. When Alfred says "I love you" to Bruce, it resolves his entire character arc in the movie. His search for his family has come to an end. Bruce is his family. Richard is his family. The Wayne's were his family. Batman is his family.

In short, this movie sucks, but I've come to appreciate the little strands of brilliance that live on inside of it. I may even like it a little more than Batman Forever. Just a little though.

Here's to hoping we see the trio of Batman, Robin, and Batgirl return to the big screen in the future. Have an ice day!

[mymainwastoocluttered]

NO FR BB HAS SOME VERY CRINGE OLDER EPISODES

It’s gets way better later but like yhctg

The ‘training’ scene (completely inaccurate and even for the tone outdated)

The disgusting overly sexulized scene of Sebastian putting a girdle on Ciel

The count. I don’t need to say shying wise he’s selling children/woman into trafficking and gets released on bail in a day

Pluto outright being in a intimate relationship with ‘Angela’ (he’s just a fucking dog with a human body who the fuck thought this was ok??)

Sebastian fucks some lady 20 feet away from Ciel where he can hear it TWICE

I was thinking a bit more along the lines of: while Kuroshitsuji does not shy from ridiculousness and exaggeration (as it's common in anime, specially 2000's anime), some parts of the original anime are excessively cartoonish to the point it feels like I'm watching something else entirely

It's particularly jarring when outside those moments of fun shenanigans, the story takes itself very seriously, and keeps the overall tone of suspense/mystery. And then, suddenly, there's Pluto hugging Sebastian, or Grell appearing for no apparent reason.

Grell doesn't even get a theatrical entrance worthy of the Queen she is, the absolute disrespect.

I believe in the Viscount Druitt being out of jail practically the next day because ✨noble and rich✨. Not once is Kuroshitsuji interested in saying nobles are good, so... I think it's interesting that he sold people and organs and stuff, wish they did more with that (particularly, I wish the whole "the Phantomhive family is not one for justice and honor, they just keep the balance between the overworld and underworld as the Queen wishes" was better explored. I mean, why were none of the other nobles present at the auction punished? How did a Viscount (one position lower than Earl) manage to do all of that for so long under Her Majesty's nose? Why is Ciel not hunting down other human traffickers? Lot's of strings to pull here)

Honestly, the whole Pluto–Angela plot to me is terrible and I'd gladly have it completely erased. In fact, let's just delete most of the latter part of the original anime. I hate how that ends, I hate the plot, I hate hate hate it. I don't mind Pluto as a concept, but I wish he wasn't just "giant dog that keeps being a dog when he turns human". Can't he just be a guy with dog traits? Like how Snake is a guy with snake traits? Also, why a giant dog??? That fits literally nothing of the story so far. I thought the point was to make non-human characters to be "human but off", not "fantasy rpg party"

The sexual undertones within Sebastian and Ciel's interactions are 2000's anime trope that I have trained myself not to pay attention to. It was a bit funny with the corset joke, and only then. Then again, can't blame them for trying to please the shippers, Western cartoons also do that a lot, except with less "sexy sparkle kyaa" and more "and they got together despite making no sense". Still hate it, please stop. Get some help

(though, ugh, that "sex scene" is also so stupidly cartoonish and ridiculous, I want to hit something. This is the beginning of the last big arc, why are we still flip flopping between the mystery and the shenanigans? Get serious, damnit. I'd rather just have a quick scene where they show Sebastian leaving the place while buttoning up his pants while Grell bites her handkerchief in jealousy. There, it's implied what happened, no need for an entire uncomfortable scene that ends in an unfunny joke)

I think it's kinda funny how Ciel is supposedly innocent but he doesn't react to Sebastian fuckin that nun. And Sebastian absolutely gives no shits about who's hearing, he's a demon, remember? Can't be angry at him for being immoral, that's the sole reason behind his existence. Also, Ciel himself stayed there, it's not like his legs don't work, he could've left and waited for Sebastian to give him the information after. I'm just thinking, did they forget Ciel is heavily traumatized? Is he ok with hearing sex noises so near, considering what he has gone through?

[puppy-phum]

Soldier, Poet, King with the main trio of 3 will be Free? 👀? (for the edit prompt)

hello ♥

here is what you asked for!

tbh this request was one of my absolute favorite ones out of all the amazing ones i got. this instantly spoke to me, and i was soooo excited to get to this. so thank you very much. i am in love with this ♥

some more about the process of making this edit plus my own thoughts on it under the cut!

first of all, i am not quite familiar with the whole soldier, poet, king -concept. i have seen it around and know it's somehow related to a quiz but i have never seen anything more about it. so, when i first started thinking about this edit, i only thought of soldier, poet, and king as simply those and nothing else.

like that, my first instinct was to assign poet to shin. that was the easiest choice out of the three. he's the calmest one, a quiet and shy guy who likes arts and soft things. i felt like it was obvious and even once i learned what being a poet was really about, i thought this one was perfect.

bc shin IS the poet of the trio. he is the heart of them, the warmth of them (i included so many hugs bc of this). he is the one who fights with words and his mind rather than with his fists. it's a continuous theme in the series; why shin clashes with his father, why he connects with pp (and saves him), why he works so well with neo and miw. he was easy to place bc he was so loud about where he wanted to be placed.

and then came the problem of the other two. my initial plan was to make miw the king and neo the soldier, probably bc i liked the thought of miw being their leader while neo was the protector. miw is so strong it felt the king's title was something she deserved while i could clearly remember neo putting himself always between the others and any danger. but then i read a bit more about this whole thing and well, here we are.

miw is the soldier of this trio bc she's the one who always wants to fight. she has been hurt enough in her life to regard everything and everyone with suspicion. she doesn't trust ppl, doesn't let them close to her, and always tries to survive on her own first. she's prideful and hates to get emotional about things.

she's not afraid to confront others about the things they're doing wrong either. we see her fighting for others as well as for herself so many times in the series. especially fond she is of fighting for other oppressed women; a quality i thought fit the soldier personality very well as that shows how easily she sees everything as a battle. there is always a new fight to get into. there will never be peace.

with these thoughts, i was not sad to eventually give the king position to neo. it is... kind of obvious, now that i think about it. he's the glue that brings the trio together. he's the one who pushes into motion this whole chain of events and he's the one who leads the others through it. this is his crusade - and so he's willing to be the one who gets hurt or even killed during it. as i read from somewhere, the kings are there when no one else wants to be. they ask themselves, "if not me, then who else?" it seemed to be neo's continuous theme too. he was willing to put himself in harm's way just bc he thought it was something he needed to do.

so these are my thoughts! this is how this edit came alive. i tried to show all these sides of them, tried to show them happy and sad and struggling. tried to show miw being the fighter she is, shin the rational one he needs to be, and neo the heroic one he always jokes about being. i hope it shines through as well as the bond between them i adore.

idk if you had similar thoughts about their roles or if you disagree with my choices :'D but i had a blast with this edit! thank you once more for allowing me to do it ♥

(also as a final side note, i have zero knowledge about chess. my choices for those are solely based on vibes and what seemed cool; other than the king of course. also there's a very big difference with the vibes that come off of the english vs the finnish names for the pieces and it made choosing them even more difficult haha)