#what's more bromantic than that

[wernerherzogs]

what is tatort and is it always queer subtext or does it ever become text. and compared to the treatment of destiel in spn how deranged would it make me to watch. if that’s a comparison u can make

tatort is like. a german tv show that has been on air for Years, and it has those different installments dedicated to different cities? and tatort saarbrucken is one of the newest installments, or the newest one? idk, it's probably on some wiki somewhere. :D a new episode per each installment comes out roughly once a year, from what i understand, and tatort in general is apparently that sunday dinner with your parents kind of show that basically each country has, and that you usually don't pay that much attention to and don't expect much of it ajjsjd (and those shows are typically kind of "safe" and family friendly in this part of europe). i honestly don't know much more beyond this, my friend @kerasines got me to watch it by suddenly posting about it one day and saying how surprised she was that TATORT, of all things, had kind of become gay all of a sudden, lmao. that got me interested!!!

and no, it's not text, and who knows if it'll ever be text, tbh. but the leads have lovely chemistry (that's being used to bait via the show's official social media like it's 2012 <3), and the relationship is definitely /the/ emotional centre of the show! they're the main draw for me, but beyond them, the show is a decent enough crime procedural. tragically, they're cops 😔 BUT IF YOU CAN GET PAST THAT....... they're FUN

[howlsofbloodhounds]

Hellooo! Can you tell more about Color Sans? I always see stuff about him, but I know nothing??? Like, I know that he has some connection to Killer, but I never undertand it :(

Gladly! I am actually working on a Google Doc for Color and his AU, Othertale, at the moment. It is not complete, but here is a link to the Doc if you’d like to give it a look. Not everything is on there yet and it’s not very organized I don’t think, but there’s some links, pictures, and the creator’s socials.

If you’d like to look up the creator, you can give superyoumna and othertale-blog here on Tumblr a look, or superyoumna over on YouTube.

Now Color’s connection to Killer is that they’re friends, and Color is trying to help Killer leave Nightmare and potentially fix his soul—as Killer has asked him to.

The exact nature of their meeting is left up to interpretation according to Killer’s creator, rahafwabas, and the exact nature of their relationship—platonic, romantic, queer platonic, etc—is also left to interpretation, although Killer’s creator has stated they see it more like bromantic than romantic.

Both Killer and Color’s creators, who were and still seem to be good friends (killer’s creator even helped design backgrounds for Othertale), also were very supportive of shipping them.

Color, according to Killer, is someone who gives him hope. He brings light to Killer’s grey, lifeless world; and Killer feels safe with him. Color makes him feel seen, heard, respected. And Color just really wants to do right by Killer, and help him to the best of his abilities.

Now, on to Color’s AU—Othertale. It’s probably more accurate to say that Othertale was an alternate timeline that, due to a choice, became an AU.

After going through his own sets of Genocides and Resets, Sans made a hasty choice in a moment of desperation—absorb the six human souls. This gave him new, very strong abilities—as you can see in the links in the Google Doc—yet his body is very fragile. Overusing his abilities can and will kill him.

So Sans manages to finally permanently kill the human, but this causes a Reset. Sans is sent to the Void with Gaster where he is forgotten by everyone, Frisk and Chara are erased and forgotten as well. So the world attempts to adapt to the absence of the six human souls and its major players.

This results in Othertale, in which Undyne is actually the main character. In this AU, Undyne encounters a young Papyrus in the garbage dump—dealing with bullying, appearing to be alone and homeless without anyone to take care of him, and only coming to Undyne for help from bullies since they met after “the explosion”—and proceeds to take him under her wings as her baby brother. She finds a passion for playing the piano, and often uses her abilities to entertain the Underground.

Because she was too concerned with raising Papyrus, she never attempts to join the Royal Guard; and so Gerson remains its Captain. As a further result, Papyrus has no interest in fighting or joining the Royal Guard either; instead becoming a math teacher.

The promise to Toriel never happens because Sans was not there to give it, although Color remembers it.

The amalgamates do not exist in Othertale, and so Alphys is a lot more sure of herself and confident. There is no way to break the barrier, although admittedly monsters in Othertale seem a lot more content in the Underground, although they still maintain hope. Mettaton was given his body a lot earlier, and seems more like a weapon than an Underground star.

However, trouble arises when an error suddenly reveals itself—going by the name of corrupted chara, although it seems pretty obvious that it is the Player, here to keep playing by taking other vessels now that Frisk is gone. In an attempt to stop this, Color and Gaster elect Undyne’s help—despite how she has no idea what’s happening.

And that’s the general premise of the AU. I am unsure if it is discontinued or if there’s still plans to continue, but it’s just delayed.

As for Color’s character on its own, we unfortunately don’t get much on him canonically due to him not being the main character and the AU not being finished.

He still has a lot of characteristics that Classic Sans does, however the traits and influence/compulsions of the six human souls he absorbed—kindness, patience, perseverance, justice, bravery, integrity—have an immense effect on him and his life, even to the point potentially being dangerous for him.

He is said to not make jokes as much as anymore, although he still does, and he often is quicker to emotional outbursts or anger. He has an intense fear of being alone or forgotten again, to the point he’d get involved in things that are harmful for himself or stick around groups to avoid being lonely—although his creator said he’s often likely to take on a “voice of reason” role in any group he’s in.

If you look of the effects of prolonged solitary confinement and isolation, it is understandable why he has a harder time controlling his emotions and doesn’t wish to feel that sense of being alone again.

A common interpretation in parts of the fandom is that, not only due to his isolation, but due to a hc that he is Autistic, he is often prone to overwhelm and overstimulation—often needing his alone time anyway, even if he’s likely to deny himself what he needs.

A common HC is that he is a nomad, full of wanderlust, not wanting to feel trapped or stuck in the same place again—having developed perhaps some special interests in traveling and keeping track of the lores of AUs he encounters.

It is due to his nature and being Autistic, but also the fact of wanting to stay near Killer wherever he happens to currently be, that it’s headcanoned that Color takes seasonal or part time jobs.

Enough to stay afloat without having to be tied down to one spot or burn himself out trying to keep up with 9 to 5 jobs.

It is also headcanoned that, due to his fear of being forgotten, that Color develops a special interest in photography. Keeping a camera with him, filling up scrapbooks and walls, and journaling.

Maybe he even takes up baking and gardening sometimes. Color’s creator is also Egyptian I believe, so both he and Killer could likely speak Arabic, and it’s possible to implement parts of the culture and beliefs into his character. And also elements of his physical disability, given one of his eyes are gone and his skull is busted open.

Color is also said to be friends with Delta!Sans and Epic!Sans, forming a group known as the Epic Sanses, and I HC’d that when Color first accepted Core!Frisk’s offer to live in the Omega Timeline, that he and Delta were roommates.

Color also hates Nightmare. For how he treats AUs, innocent people, Color’s friends, and especially how he hurts Killer “the most.” Due to the fact that Nightmare canonically replaces Killer with other versions of himself, it is often accepted by Color!Sans lovers that Color’s PTSD worsens, he develops separation anxiety, survivor’s guilt, and compassion fatigue due to the many times he has tried and failed to save and protect all the Killers that Nightmare replaces.

Color struggles to give up on Killer, he can’t do it, and it very likely comes close to killing him more and more every time. Leaving Color to have to rely on the support of his friends Epic and Delta. Color’s opinion of Nightmare is formed by the absolute cruelty Color has consistently witnessed first hand from him, but also the cruelty he’s been on the receiving end of.

Color is often seen as that burnt out therapist friend, the one who everyone wants to go to in order to talk about their problems and ask for advice, and Color struggles to set boundaries in these areas—not only because he doesn’t want to run the risk of pushing people away and being alone again, but because kindness and justice often struggle to let him to.

Essentially, Color has been completely forgotten by the world he only ever tried to protect. For his attempts to save and protect the people he cares about more than anything, the world seems to just consistently punish him for even trying.

He’s forgotten, he’s alone, he’s pushed aside, he fails. He’s forced to watch everyone go on without him, and when Killer becomes his world, he’s forced to watch as he’s constantly destroyed over and over and despite everything Color somehow still survives.

Yet he refuses to give up. Doing so would go against everything he believes in, everything he is.

(. @qin-qin16 ).

[thebarneschronicles]

The Barnes Chronicles Masterlist

Welcome to The Barnes Chronicles Masterlist!

Hi there! I’m so glad you’ve found your way to my little corner of the internet. Here, you’ll find all of my writing for Bucky Barnes stories, conveniently organized in one place. Whether you're in the mood for fluff, angst, or something a little spicier, I hope you’ll find something that speaks to you.

I also accept requests! If you’ve got an idea for a fic, feel free to send it my way— I'm always looking for new ideas to bring to life. Thank you for all the love and support; your reblogs, comments, and likes mean the world to me!

Now, go ahead and explore The Barnes Chronicles. 💙

ONE SHOTS The Edge of Patience

Word Count: 1.8k

You’re no stranger to the overprotective nature of your boyfriend, Bucky Barnes. After a heated argument about wanting to join him and Sam on their missions, you knowingly push his buttons until his patience snaps. What starts as a battle of wills turns into a raw, unrestrained encounter—punishing, heated, and entirely irresistible.

A Quiet Escape

Word Count: 6.3k

During a holiday stay at Clint Barton’s home, you’ve been desperately trying to steal a moment alone with Bucky—your super-soldier boyfriend—but the Avengers are constantly interrupting. Between Clint’s kids, Steve’s “bromantic” grocery runs, and Nat pulling Bucky into sparring sessions, it feels like you’re constantly fighting for his attention. Frustration finally boils over when you confront Bucky about your lack of privacy, only to discover he’s just as eager for some alone time as you are - and willing to do anything to get it.

SERIES

Closer To Home Series A shared universe of Bucky Barnes x Female Reader stories exploring love, trust, and the journey of healing.

Closer To Home Word Count: 5.5k As you settle into your new role as the team’s “girl in the chair,” helping Sam and Bucky with their missions, you find yourself increasingly drawn to Bucky's intense presence. His brooding silence is matched only by his watchful eyes, and despite his gruff exterior, your kindness begins to chip away at his walls. When Bucky insists on walking you home one night, clyou chalk it up to his old-fashioned sense of duty and think nothing of it. But as the night unfolds, you realize there’s far more behind his actions than just good manners, and your growing feelings for him may not be as hidden as you think.

Just Say the Word (Coming Soon) The next chapter in the Closer To Home universe. As your growing relationship with Bucky begins to shift from stolen glances to shared moments, you find yourself caught in the pull of his quiet intensity. What starts as a tentative understanding blossoms into something deeper, but old-fashioned chivalry and modern uncertainties collide as Bucky navigates a world far removed from his 1940s ideals. When he whisks you away from your office—much to the amusement of your coworkers—for a spur of the moment dinner at your place, the lines between casual affection and something more begin to blur. Amid simmering desires and whispered confessions, you both must confront the fears and yearnings that threaten to undo you. Can two people from vastly different worlds find a way to make it work, or will unspoken doubts keep you apart?

[theoldoor]

a little late for summertime dont you think

just some post-talia bummery from these two i love them to the point that i have to remind myself that one isnt even canon like this is torture.

I dont have much to say for this post as ive said pretty much everything about post-talia them posts prior, I DO however, have a lot of talia rambling to do- which will be saved when i doodle enough stuff for it

They still have that little bickering and bantering thing going on, passive aggressiveness with one another and being the one who gets the other into silly troubles despite both being elites. Like how Jade said Topaz and Aventurine bickers like kids, these two however, bicker like those alt older brothers in coming of age movies and his bromantic bro bestfriend (ive said this before so manu times but i cant find a better way to describe them)

mayeb something like todd and wallace but theyre vashwood if you get what i mean - i’ve also been subconsciously projecting vashwood onto these two considering fenrir calls aventurine “vasha/vash/vashu” while aventurine calls fenrir “that wolf/wolfy/dumb dog” and ive yet to realize that until very recently when i was writing something for fenrir that goes like “he valued life as others and he also bets it on me.” and i get reminded of “he feared death twice as others” and it just hits “ive been projecting vashwood onto these two oh my god”

fenrir cares for aventurine more than he wants to, but he does regardless.

"You should never ask anyone for anything. Never- and especially from those who are more powerful than yourself. They will make the offer and give it of their own accord."

It’s something that Fenrir live by, is that genuine help would come without the need for obligations afterwards. During Talia, Fenrir actively create scenarios around him that make people that he’s dependent on rely on him, out of obligations or respect. So whatever help Fenrir gives, he calculated them all so that they’d be beneficial “technically” to him.

Yet for certain individuals, those he love dearly such as Hermia, Boothill and Aventurine- He was willing to suffer a loss for them, which, for a person all for survival like Fenrir, is a tough decision to take. He broke his own ideals and virtues so that he could protect and satisfy these people, his family and he hates whenever he does that because it showed him that someone is having control over him and he’s at their mercy, which means they could just leave him and he’s very vulnerable to them. To put trust in these people so much that he’d voluntarily help them is like to trust them with his life.

i also like the concept of Talia recycling everything, even people considering some people would see that they’ve been “used” beyond so they were given a chance again. that’s why i felt like aventurine was suitable for this considering his past and his potential inferiority complex there.

the foundation between aventurine and fenrir relies on a lot of trust, and gamble as they could not read one another. it connects back to aventurine’s eidolons being game theories and avidity’s being about desires and non-co-operative game theories (one wins at expense of another while game theory is both party wins through trust and cooperation). fenrir’s eidolons are still in writing, but i want it to be based on 7 deadly sins or something, he does have a lot of religious references for the new lore rework.

fenrir was created before i know of aventurine, but i did tweaked a lot of things about him when aventurine came out. though the fundamentals still stayed, they were just made for each other rurururouuouogugh….

[firefliesintheskyline]

TUA and its inherent problem with bromance

I know this post won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I need to take it off my chest because it's been bothering me for a few days

Has anyone noticed which exactly are the existing bonds from the past seasons that were never addressed in the last one?

Let me mention them to you :

- Five and Diego

- Five and Klaus

- Klaus and Ben

- Ben and Diego

- Klaus and Diego

Now, why do I find this incredibly sad and slightly problematic? Because all of these bonds had very strong bromantic vibes (please let me emphasize this : I'm NOT talking about relationships or shipping, I'm strictly sticking to the definition of "an exceptionally tight, affectionate, male bonding relationship exceeding that of usual friendship") and none of them were even barely acknowledged.

All we got were Luther and Diego moments, cause they never really did have a strong bond, they are just a comic duo (which is to what they were both basically reduced to in this season), we had Allison and Klaus (safe cause girl/queer character), Allison and Lila (which came out of absolutely nowhere and while I thought it could be interesting, at not point was it explored) and Viktor and Ben (with Ben existing only to obsess over Jennifer, so another safe bet here).

Please feel free to disagree, but it really saddened me to see beautiful relationships between male characters, which bathed in this familial love and bond, being forgotten or shoved aside, only to concentrate on straight relationships with characters that we don't know (hi Jennifer, how I wish you were more than squid girl) or on cheating storylines (sorry Five and Lila, your story went in a way I could never be on board with).

[nightfal1n]

Thinking about Kafka and Mina: Where she's at

Maybe Kafka is now walking the path Mina has been through in past years,...

Manga spoilers up to the very recent chapters below including some panels as I rambling while figuring out how to write

not much romantic just in case that's what you're looking for (more like bromantic? i can't do much rereading...)

*reply, tagging that includes mina hate (or any form of hate in general) get instant block. i've seen too many on internet already*

having unknown power thusted on to them and feeling increasing responsibilities being placed on their shoulders

You're the only one who can put stop to all this, but you can't save all of them, in fact, many has died already...you need to act to obtain the best outcome, even that mean letting people dies in front of you

For Kafka he got Reno pulled up to handle the threat. but Mina...

...and she's been in this until she learned to step out and get a comrade who she can trust, all by herself. And tbh if Mina has more pettiness in her she can feels more resentment toward Kafka who decided to catch up to her after she finally convincing herself that she doesn't need him anymore

She does call him liar but she never let that out, and ever since Kafka joined the defense force, she never brought that up again

Then why she put a distance between her and Kafka? Aside from their difference in ranks, there's the fact that she remember what kind of person he is

If she let out that she wants him by her side, simply having him makes her feels invincible. Of course Kafka will rush to her side in heart beat, instead of admiring her from far away thinking wow Mina has made it big. If she decides to tell him how her power doesn't really feels like hers and she simply put a lot of effort to utilize it so people can rest assured, he will realizes that she is still the same Mina underneath the JAKDF idol everyone looks up to.Then why she refuse to show that? Why she maintain their distance, sticks to the military rule whenever she has to deal with him in front of people.

Because people who suported her...a good portion of them, ended up like this:

She knows even with her power that no one can explains that scared even Mina herself, Kaiju threats are bigger than she can carry alone. She's very objective about choosing Hoshina to be her next-in-command (There's some similarity between Hoshina and Kafka that might influence her decision but thats my headcanon for now). She still want Kafka, his presence alone can pull her out from the depth of despair she's in, but she learned hard way how great it cost to simply stay with her. Her childish self feels betrayed by his absent, calling him liar just to be strong enough to pull the trigger as people around her are dying, begging her to end the threat even a second faster so no more people dies.

Of couse she also respect Kafka's decision to chase after his dream. So she can only hope that when Kafka reached where she is, with helps of all people around him, he will still be the same Kafka she knows

[peppertaemint]

The other day, an Anon for @reflections-in-a-critical-eye asked about SHINee 2Min lore, and Anon was referred here for further info, lol. Well, I'm not sure there is lore per se, but I can give a mini rear-view mirror take on 2Min.

Spoiler: here's 2023 Minho staring at Taemin.

The early years give a beautiful vibe of dongsaeng/hyung puppy love. They're just absolutely adorable. Minho is Taemin's closest hyung in age, and Minho has mentioned that until Taemin showed up, he was the baby.

Shippers call this moment c. 2010 the "Koala Hug." 2Min were celebrating Minho doing an extreme vaulting challenge. Yes, you read that right.

However, that vibe eventually gets tinged by SM playing with Taemin's gender presentation.

When Taemin is given extensions and suddenly bombarded with men telling him he looks like a woman etc, Minho is one of the people to confidently say that Taemin is "pretty to begin with" so there is nothing to be done about it. I always read that as him almost being prideful over it; Minho definitely likes the idea of Taemin being prettier than girl groups or his work beating out that of girl groups (read into that how you want, lol), but I think he liked Taemin exactly how he was from the get go, which is cry-inducing really.

Here's Taemin wearing Minho's father's scarf c. 2012. Okay, I guess that's pretty "lore" -ish.

If you were to go back and look at shipper blogs and live journals from 2013/2014, you would see some 2Min fans getting upset that their ship has sunk. There was this idea that when Taemin became an adult, he put away childish things (and non cis-het things) and that included Minho (lol). Many perceived Taemin had switched to a more manly look/concept, and/or that he really wanted to shed his gender neutral or ambiguous traits/looks.

Dream Girl was uh, really something.

It's true that in 2013, we see a more boyish Taemin versus Sherlock Taemin. He's also older and filling out and indeed, becoming a young adult. Interestingly, he does We Got Married (let's not go there) and goes on to start his solo career in 2014.

But I think what this "lore," or shipper narrative, reveals is how easy it was for shippers to slot 2Min into a sailing ship because they perceived Taemin to be more feminine to Minho's masculine, thus upholding heteronormative ideas of romance even in a supposedly gay "couple" - a common trait of same-sex shipping that although nuanced by certain cultural factors is still often a staple of same-sex shipping and related fanworks.

Fast-forwarding to mid-2018, we have a clingy if uneven 2Min. By the end of 2019, we have a somewhat wistful 2Min who like to attend each other's events and make grand gestures in front of the crowd.

In late 2020, we have Minho driving for hours on the day of his discharge, in uniform, to head directly to Taemin's taping for Idea at one of the TV networks in Korea. The rest of SHINee are there, and they treat us to an IG live of their reunion. 2Min are cute and a little cuddly - it's clear they missed one another. 🥹

2018 2Min have great hair colors.

What were 2021 2Min like? Friendly, feisty, and in the end, a little romantic/bromantic (pick your poison). 2Min fighting or annoying one another happened, but by the time Taemin enlisted, it was clear Minho was an emotional rock for him to some degree. And when Taemin was unwell, it was Minho who spoke to us first and then began updating us at the 14th anniversary party, with Key and Onew also speaking.

2021 2Min was also this level crazy

So, we reach the present. What are 2Min's vibes these days?

A little hands-on. Rather comfortable. Even Steven. Affectionate.

They're getting along so famously everyone is noticing.

And they're just very very cute.

There's so much more I could say, but I hope this is a good welcome aboard the good ship 2Min. The ship has strong winds and calm waters after 15+ years at sea.😌

[mechazushi]

🕯Here lies the Jawlines🕯

🕯of the main cast of🕯

Kaiju No. 8

One Like = One candle in memoriam for those character designs lost in the animation translation

THAT BEING SAID.

HOLY SH*T!!!!! ITS HERE!!!!! KAIJU NUMBER 8!!!! LETS F*CKING GOOOO!!!!!!!!

I also want this to be a warning/ call-out post and addresses two major things that I think people are going to have a problem with.

1) I get it. The Character design wasn't what we asked for. I don't know who thought it was a good idea to get the guy who did Naruto and give him the reigns over character design, but they should of given that another few seconds more thought. (I guess they picked him because he's kinda famous and they wanted some of that "Big Three" luck to rub off on this?) But that doesn't mean that the show would be judged on this alone. The animation seems to be big budget Fluidtm for most of the shots and we might be getting some expositional filler/ big ticket action sequences to flesh out the story more than it does in the manga. I, for one, look forward to them ( hopefully) adding on to the training montages because they don't really feel as important as I think they should be in the story. We could also have been living in a time line where this never got animated in the first place sooo..... there's that.

2) To those of you who have no idea what Kaiju No. 8 is and are only watching it because everyone keeps telling you "Oh, Its just like Attack on Titan." And you are looking for something similar to fill the void, DO NOT get it in your head that this is anything more than "Get Strong, Fight Monster, Repeat." This sounds like an insult, but it isin't. Kn8 is a very simple show and that should be its biggest appeal for it. Ya'll spent 11 years watching an intense political thriller disguised as a monster fighter. This is supposed to act as a palette cleanser and filler untill something more complex decides to air. Like a piece of pickled ginger after sushi. Something simple, bright, and exciting that you don't have to think about too much.

I see so many people say that the manga is falling off and I'm sitting like "Yes it lacks a little in the sustenance department, but you came for monster fights... are you not still entertained?" I just think people are going to come into this with higher expectations than normal, thinking this is going to ride off the coattails of a very well loved/vaguely hated franchise that set a high bar for anything that might come after it and I don't want people to walk out of this fandom thinking its just a cheap imitation. Its Bromance and Monster Blood. That is it, nothing more, and that's why its good.

Thats it for this disclamer. Hope y'all enjoy the opening of this Homoerotic I mean, bromantic rendition of Pacific Rim, filled to the top with lovable characters, heartfelt moments, and intense action.

[honeybeegarden]

August Reads

After a feral four months of constant alien smut & acotar fanfiction I ventured back into current contemporary romance this month for the first time in years and wanted to share what I read. I was going to vaguely attempt to put them in order of how well I liked them, but if a book is pretty good I don’t really rate them - so this list is just in the order of date read.

Offside - Avery Keelan (my first hockey romance! I had just finished reading all of the @headcanonheadcase acotar hockey fics and needed more lol)

Happy Place - Emily Henry

Book Lovers - Emily Henry

Beach Read - Emily Henry

People We Meet on Vacation - Emily Henry

Love, Theoretically - Ali Hazelwood

The Love Hypothesis - Ali Hazelwood

Love on the Brain - Ali Hazelwood

Vixin - Tana Stone (c’mon you really think I can go more than a few weeks without alien [redacted]???)

Under One Roof - Ali Hazelwood

The Bromance Book Club - Lyssa Kay Adams

Undercover Bromance - Lyssa Kay Adams

Crazy Stupid Bromance - Lyssa Kay Adams

Isn’t It Bromantic? - Lyssa Kay Adams

Out on a Limb - Hannah Bonam-Young

Practice Makes Perfect - Sarah Adams

Morbidly Yours - Ivy Fairbanks

That Kind of Guy - Stephanie Archer

The Wrong Mr. Right - Stephanie Archer

In Your Dreams, Holden Rhodes - Stephanie Archer

please offer me some more recs or tell me about your favorite book/fic of the month !! i am always looking for ways to procrastinate at work… 😇

[psychewritesbs]

I have to say, it's disheartening to keep seeing the Megumi slander on the internet and the way they don't give credit to where credit is due. I especially dislike that people think Megumi is so weak-willed just because he can't regain control of his body against Sukuna and compares him to Yuji, a result of Kenjaku's experiment, who was designed to be a cage for Sukuna. It's definitely not just a matter of will power.

Did they honestly just forget that despite Megumi being broken over finding out Tsumiki's gone he still managed to interfere with Sukuna's cursed energy output? Definitely putting up a fight? Did they miss that Sukuna had to take a dip in the Bath of Evil just to further sink Megumi's soul to ensure he wouldn't be interfering as much? But even then, he still had to go and kill Tsumiki for further insurance. Like, this is a normal kid (as compared to a specially-made vessel) we're talking about. His body wasn't made to host Sukuna and yet even Sukuna recognizes that Megumi have the potential to suppress him as well. Heck, Megumi even surviving being possessed is already a miracle in and of itself. So I think in terms of will power and strength of the soul all of these ought to account for something.

I'm so sorry if I ranted. I've missed my boy and the odds of him being x'ed rising each chapter is making me bristle whenever I see people shitting on him (I really got to remove myself from the toxic spaces for a while). But onto my ask, on the possibility that Megumi's coming back, do you think he'll overcome Sukuna alone or will he get help? Personally I really want him to breakout on his own. That would be such a nice F U to Sukuna. And I want my boy to take back the mastery of the 10S. The recent chap leak (that I couldn't avoid for the life of me) revealing Sukuna's motives with the 10S and Maho gives me a bit of hope that Gege has yet to show us the full extent of this technique. And there's still Chimera Shadow Garden. I'd like to think Gege would be kind enough to give us a pay off for the deliberate progression of Megumi's character and abilities. Essentially another Origin of Blind Obedience pay off. Cause my boy deserve it so much 😭.

HOLA anon!

Preach.

Rant away anon. This is what jjk Confessions Sunday not on a Sunday is for 😂. Even if I disagree with some of what I am sent, I always try to make it a point to understand where others are coming from. Otherwise Squishy calls me out on it ;)

Onto your question under the cut...

So I totally get how bromantic it is for Yuji to save Megumi. I do. It's an absolutely beautiful statement about the love these two have for each other.

With my recent realization that jjk is about... dun dun dun... DEATH, came a deeper understanding about how Gege is executing on this theme.

What I mean by this is that Yuji, Megumi and Nobara (the entire cast, really) have a shared experience of what it is like to face death as part of their everyday experience.

I know, I am late to the party. I can be dense like that.

Anyways... I think it's important that we agree on what it means to face your mortality. Most especially if you are young.

Spoken from experience, when you are young, unless you have had a brush with death or some sort of debilitating illness, death isn't something you think will happen to you.

When you are young, death is some foreign concept that happens to others. Never you.

Now, I'm not necessarily advocating that people contemplate death, but, also spoken from experience, there is a paradoxical truth about death that deepens the experience of the self--and that is that becoming aware of your mortality, if approached with the right mindset, becomes an invitation to live life more fully and with more intention.

So I imagine Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara, due to being the only 1st years, have developed a much deeper, unspoken bond than they would have with many of the other people in their lives.

That said, Megumi asking to be saved is such a desperate but beautiful expression of his vulnerability, which we hardly ever get to see by the way.

Not only that, it's bromantic af, mate! Ship or no ship, asking to be saved has deep implications on a soulful level.

To this point, Kiri by Monoral, the Ergo Proxy op, is one of my favorite songs ever because it captures the essence of love as a religious and aspirational experience in which someone asks to be saved.

But saved from what?

What does salvation even mean?

Come and save me

I am kind of obsessed with this theme of redemption as of late because Gege is framing Sukuna as a religious figure redeeming and releasing characters from their existential woes.

Which is kind of what Megumi is asking of Yuji in asking to be saved.

Like in the lyrics to the song, Megumi is metaphorically saying "I need you to 'refill my place' and to 'complete my fate'. Come and save me".

He's saying "we're not heroes" but at the same time elevates Yuji to the role of one who can redeem.

It really is as simple as Megumi asking for help on a surface level, and as complex and deep as asking for salvation on a soulful level.

After all, as I said in a previous ask, when Megumi asked for salvation, he had recently learned Tsumiki has to take part in the Culling Game, meaning Megumi is likely feeling insecure and anxious.

"Come and save me, I am at the lowest I could ever be."

Now, I LOVE that Megumi is asking to be saved because, in doing so, he's showing character growth, you know, that one thing people say he doesn't have. For one, he's asking for help, and second, he's showing vulnerability, which I will never get tired of saying he normally suppresses.

So anyways, all of that to say that, the problem with this mentality is that, even if it means Megumi has grown, it absolves him of responsibility for himself.

He's basically saying "here you go Itadori, your character archetype is Pisces, the redeemer, so here are my existential burdens, go die on the cross for me".

Ok, not exactly. I am exaggerating to get a point across.

My point is that, in asking Yuji to save him, Megumi is absolving himself of the responsibility to develop the qualities he admires in Yuji or to acknowledge said qualities in himself.

In retrospect, there's something about how Megumi having no qualms scoring 100 points is really about how he's willing to tarnish his soul and become irredeemable for the sake of saving Tsumiki.

And isn't it ironic that Megumi is on quest, just like a Knight, to uphold and protect the ideals of a Sleeping Beauty and yet he himself needs saving?

I am having a hard time verbalizing the paradox here, but Tsumiki's death is SO deeply symbolic.

idk, I don't feel like I'm doing this answer justice because I feel like I can go deeper with this because there's also something at the core of this idea about how Megumi is giving up on himself by waiting to be saved.

Which is relatable af.

What I am trying to say is that if he gets saved in the sense that other people yank Sukuna out of him or wtv... then Megumi didn't learn his lesson, and that just means it is prone to happen again.

If Gege decides to go for the bromantic outcome, I am sure he'll show us the train of thought he took to get there. Maybe there is a way for Megumi to be saved AND for him to take responsibility for himself.

Whatever the case, like you dear anon, I need him to stop feeling sorry for himself, to stop doubting himself, to see himself as good enough, and to take back his agency and take back his life. Because in doing so, Megumi is taking responsibility for himself.

Something like that 😂.

Thanks for the Megumi-love anon!

[godsstrongestwhmfucker]

A while ago, I had a conversation with one of my closest friends in regards to mistranslations or misinterpretations in the Bible. In trying to find mistranslations, I also found some really gay shit in the Bible. I mean, some just absolutely "Yes, homo" stuff, which is pretty much what I'm going to be covering right now.

I'm not going to go over all of them in one post, but let me go over the story of Jonathan and David, the story is found in the Book of Samuel, but one phrase, in particular sticks out and it is from a Mishnah:

“Whenever love depends on some selfish end, when the end passes away, the love passes away; but if it does not depend on some selfish end, it will never pass away. Which love depended on a selfish end? This was the love of Amnon and Tamar. And which did not depend on a selfish end? This was the love of David and Jonathan. (Avot 5:16)"

Before we get into the Bible text, lets study this for a second. The Mishnah does not differentiate between the different forms of love as established by the Greeks (Philia, Pragma, Eros, etc.) so we cannot say with 100% certainty in regards to how they may have viewed each other, but we can safely assume that their relationship was of the purest and truest form of love wherein neither sought anything else from the other and you know, this is your typical bromance kind of thing.

Then it gets really fucking gay.

"As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2 And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father's house. 3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. 4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. 5"

I don't think I need to go too deep into this, but like, yeah. We're gonna do something here. This is from Samuel 1:18, if you were curious, definitely check it out, but for now, we're going to cross reference this with Genesis and the story of Adam and Eve.

I'm not going to 100% copypaste it down like I have the other Bible phrases, but I do want to touch up on that story, in which Eve was created from a "tzela" of Adam. I'm going to be using that instead of the common English translation of "rib" as the word is used in the Torah (Exodus 26 and Ezekial 41) to refer to the sides of a building or a structure. Now, in the context of the Torah, a tzela means just that, the left/right/North/South sides of a building, so we can just look at the original and assume that Eve was created from an entire half of Adam. So, they get together, bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh and they become of one flesh. While this may seem like a bit of a tangent, it's important to look at the words being used here.

Adam and Eve's relationship is stated as being the rejoining of flesh and bone, yet, Jonathan and David's relationship is the binding and conjoining of two souls into one. This is consistent with even a literal translation of the Bible, somehow, these two dudes had a purer and greater form of love than the two original humans. So much more purer, that it was used in the Mishnah oral traditions as an example of what a true love is like. It's absolutely impossible for me to see their relationship as just a bromantic friendship, the wording is just simply too strong to keep it at that. Look at "La Somme le Roi" from AD 1290, these dudes knew, they read the Bible way more than I have and were just "Yeah, no, these guys were like, holding each other in this incredibly just raw and tender way." Like, I've had some homies I've hugged with, but you know, I'm not looking them dead in the eyes with the burning passion of a supernova like I'm about to tongue punch their throats like these two are. I never even held any of my exes like this and you're telling me these dudes are straight? At the very least, they're bi, but come on. Here's my favourite part, though. It's all too often I've seen reports of people using the Bible to spew homophobia, but while researching this, I found nothing of the sort. I found condemnations for "malakoi" and "arsenkoitai" which is used in the context of weird dudes that spend their weekdays hiding in elementary school bushes. The mistranslation of those words to mean "homosexuals" actually started sometime in 1946-1948. You can read up on it here. Anyway, I'd like to close this by saying that it was an incredibly amazing journey for me to find actual pro-LBGT (I might cover the T part some other day, but yeah, Jesus actually acknowledged the idea of gender being more than just binary). Even more so to actually be able to cross reference some things with Torah and Hebrew oral traditions.

[pinene]

When you talk about the 'allowed homosocial model', what do you mean? Aren't gay friendships already something that exists outside the allowed homosocial model? What's with the fixation on bros? Isn't it a loaded term in terms of the required gender performance to be a bro?

I mean the way that men are in some sense allowed to form really deep emotional bonds with each other but in a way that's described to be unique and different than the way they connect romantically with women

I have no clue what you're referring to or asking here. If you mean strictly ~platonic~ gay friendships, I never even mentioned those in the post? But.. sure?

There's no fixation on bros. I understand that a lot of gay men are foaming at the mouth over heterosexual dudes because of some weird inferiority complex, but that's not what's happening here, there's just a passing resemblance. I just genuinely like connecting with other men in a way that's usually described as broey and I'm adding my homosexuality into that. It's like a grafted citrus tree

If bro is a loaded/problematic term for you because there's a required gender performance, I wonder how you'd feel about "butch", "femme", "twink", and "bear", lmfao. I hope you understand that it's literally fine to categorize people and patterns as long as you aren't enforcing them and being weird about it. The angle I'm working from is not "gay men! we must renounce our femininity and rejoin masc society!" but rather "hey if you like wearin boots and you'd rather connect with other men in a more bromantic way but with emotional safety and sexuality vs a traditional idea of romance/relationships, youre valid and this is how it's been working for me"

[howlsofbloodhounds]

Hey ! I’ve seen that your blog contained a lot of canon Killer stuff (which is really interesting) so I’d like to ask a few questions if it doesn’t bother you !

It’s about interpretations and what’s canon and what’s not. But mostly about shipping I guess ???

My questions are :

About that « Good person » comic, what is your interpretation ? I’ve seen Driller Shippers claim that it meant that their ship was canon (And I can’t tell if they said that because they’re shippers or because it’s true) so I wanted to know, is it really a confirmation that Driller is canon or is it just Dream being himself and helping Killer remembering that he’s good inside without shipping involved ?

Does Killer has a canon partner anyway ? I know about his past crush on Toriel when he was Sans but is there anything else ? What is his actual relationship with Color ? Are they like friends or a found family ?

And, I’ve seen a post of Rahafwabas stating that « everything is canon », does that mean we can have our own interpretation of Killer and use him how we want?

I’d like to use Killer in my stories, so I’ve been researching his canon informations to use for my interpretation !

Have a nice day/night and sorry if my questions are bothering you !

Alright, so. As far as I can see, the “A Good Person?” comic is mostly just Dream being himself and trying to help Killer. I’ve heard rumors that Joku once tried to force Rahafwabas to make Driller canon, but I’m not sure if that’s true or something that was ever actually made canon.

Other than his crush on Toriel when he was Sans, Killer doesn’t have any canon romantic partners. And when asked if he liked anyone, he simply said “no.” And when asked what he thought about being shipped with someone specific, I don’t remember who right now, he said, “The same way I feel about every ship. I don’t care.”

As for his relationship with Color, they are definitely friends and a found family. Are they romantic? That’s up to your interpretation. When Rahafwabas was asked if she views them as romantic, they answered, “I see them more as BROmantic than ROmantic.”

That being said, both Rahafwabas and Superyoumna have shown support for the romantic ship and have encouraged others to ship them if they want to. I personally see them as found family / a QPR.

As for everything being canon. It’s quite possible that Rahafwabas didn’t have much of Killer’s story planned out after the Something New comics, so they have decided to leave things up to interpretation. So I think Rahafwabas just wanted people to have fun with their character, and not feel obligated to stick strictly to the canon.

[madebycoffee]

Hi, hi! Hope you are doing fabulous!

What are some things your oc likes to do with their partner(s)?

i am vibing today thenk u-

I'll answer for Gian since he is my best boy huehue

His no. 1 love language is quality time together- so his favorite thing would be participating in their favorite hobby together. With Dreama that's baking, and since he's more than competent in the kitchen he's happy to assist (or simply sit out of the way if she's in ~the zone~) Past that Gian is not really someone to stay inside all day, especially living in Del Sol there is always something going on. He likes being able to walk around with his favorite person holding hands :3

Also since Gian and Keith are Bromantic Partners in game: They like to get up to trouble. Well not really but trouble will undoubtedly find them eheheh

[theraininthestars]

Isn't It Bromantic Review

Welcome back my darlings, I'm here to deliever the on-going review of The Bromance Book Club.

In the fourth installment, we delve into the mysterious relationship between the hockey player Vladimir, nicknamed “The Russian,” and his reserved wife, Elena Konnikova. Their relationship started out as a sweet childhood friendship who later got married after Vlad was selected to play in the United States. But once they arrived in there, they drifted apart to the point of being strangers. Now after suffering an injury in training, Vlad finds himself writing a romance novel to unravel his feelings, which become more confusing with Elena’s attentive care. What mysteries does Elena hide? Will Vlad and Elena be able to resolve their problems before she returns to Russia?

Warning: Kidnapping, death of father, mention of human tra--icking and slight xenophobia.

The strengths of the novel are:

The Russian writing a romance novel. I think it's a great idea that Vlad writes a novel (so beautiful that I would love to read it instead of this one). It's innovative, it breaks with what we're used to, and I feel like it works great as a tool to analyze the progress of Vlad's romance and character. Plus, I think it makes the book club more intimate and united, since they're the ones giving feedback to their friend. And believe me, sharing your texts is vulnerable to do. Great idea and execution.

The isolation of the main characters. I think that reducing the spaces and focusing on one, provides many opportunities to create intense intimate and confrontational scenes that advance the plot to essential points.

On the contrary, the weaknesses are:

The appearance of the cheese man. I didn't like him, the jokes about him and the gastric problems of other characters are unnecessary and not funny. I don't understand why the author insists on adding a character that all women (married, with a partner or single) fall for him in front of their respective partners. Yes, jealousy is an amazing tool for romance. But, as a jealous person, it's not fun to feel the insecurity of seeing your partner flirt with someone else or let themselves be "seduced", I feel it's offensive. Now, if they were just friendly, it wouldn't cause me any problems. But the book describes how they look at him with lustful eyes, laugh at double-entendre jokes and get fed by him. Jealousy doesn't work here, it's disrespectful.

In this book it's very apparent that Vlad and Elena live in different worlds, and it's not a good meaning. When you read Vlad's perspective, it's a sweet and "funny" romantic comedy book, you switch to Elena and you're following a human tra--icking case. There's one more important than the other. It doesn't help the central story, it just creates conflicting perspectives in tone. Also, I have a hard time reading this book considering that the author made a joke about the kid-napping and abduction of journalists and other people (Undercover bromance, pg. 113, ch. 11).

I personally enjoyed that it was another romance between friends coupled with fake marriage. I liked it, it added a different kind of tension and dynamic to the tropes. Is it well done? Debatable. But the marriage scenes are adorable.

On the other hand, I am conflicted whether or not I like the final scene about Elena's problem. It's not badly written and if it was its own separate story, it would be a great ending. But it goes back to the weakness of having a fragmented world. Again we have Adams' problem of putting strong themes that are only superficially seen.

One piece of advice to the author is to write stories like this that aren't in the rom-com genre. There is potential, but it's important to find the space to discuss them.

Finally I would give the book 3 stars. It's not a bad book, I feel like it's a decent read to waste time on. I would waste time on other reads though.

Have you read this novel or the series? What do you think of these books? Do you think a romance novel should discuss such serious topics or should you just refrain from them? How are you doing with your November readings?

[j2memories]

ET Online article (November 11th 2014)

EXCLUSIVE! Jared Padalecki is a Nerd, Jensen Ackles is a Fashionista and More 'Supernatural' Secrets!

By Leanne Aguilera 2:00 PM PST, November 11, 2014

Raise the curtain — it's time to celebrate 200 episodes of hunters, monsters, angels and demons!

In honor of tonight's landmark episode of Supernatural, ETonline is spilling exclusive scoop from everyone's favorite brothers Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles and it's guaranteed to make any Winchester fangirl absolutely freak out.

The guys were more than happy to share not one, but two hilarious secrets that you never knew about each of our demon-hunting actors.

After all, when a show has been on the air for ten years and the plot centers on the trials and tribulations of two brothers, it's only natural that the co-stars would become incredibly close. Even better, when it comes to Padalecki and Ackles, the word "close" doesn't even begin to describe their bromantic bond, making their secrets that much better!

First up: Ackles revealed an unknown fact about his gorgeous-haired best friend: " I out all of his flaws to everybody," the actor spilled to ETonline in Vancouver last month. "It's his strengths that I don’t tell anyone about, and that's just because he's a buddy of mine, and you never brag about your buddy."

"But if I was going to reveal a secret I would say that he is the nerdiest mathematician that I have ever met in my life!" Ackles continued, "This guy throws out like percentages, and decimals, and numbers, and it's just like, 'Jared what's 16 percent of 4200?' and he's like, 'Boom! Number!' And I'm like, 'You're such an idiot — I guess idiot is the wrong word — you're such a nerd!'"

Now it's time to turn the tables! Padalecki exposed that when it comes to his co-star — fans should always look twice at what Ackles wearing. "He love to dress up," the former Gilmore Girls star said with a laugh.

"Not like fishnets and make-up, but I think when he heard that we had a 200th episode party, he was the happiest guy on the planet," he explained. "He got to go try on a nice suit, and any excuse to buy a suit and do Ocean's 11 is his wet dream."

Woah! TMI, Jared? Naaaah!

The Supernatural stars also revealed that their close-knit bond was instantaneous — they fell into a bromance the very first time they met! "We were just children," Ackles reminisced of their first encounter at a Warner Bros. chemistry read in 2004. "I walked in and expected to see five other guys reading for the role of Dean, and I see this one gangly-looking, long-haired frat boy, with his long hair and his hoodie."

After bonding over their home state of Texas, and realizing that they both were huge fans of the Dallas Cowboys football team, Padalecki explained that they were confused as to why no other guys were at the audition. "Finally they walk into the room and they were like, 'Hey guys follow us,' and we walk into this room at Warner Bros. and we do this scene," he said, "It was in front of 20 or 30 super high powered execs and it's a terrifying room."

"We walk out and we're like, 'F-ck! I thought that went well but no one said anything,' and then we're thinking, 'And where the fuck is everybody else?!'" Padalecki continued, "So we get back in and everybody stands up and starts clapping and they go, 'You've got a TV show.' — I get chills thinking about it."

Ackles agreed that it was of his biggest life-changing moments. "That was it. And then it was so easy," he said. "It was like immediately, 'Oh I've got best friends that are exactly like you!' and vice versa so good job, Network, on pairing us up together." Awww!

Over the past ten years Supernatural fandom has always been wildly supportive of each and every episode of the series, so it's only natural that the 200th would be a love letter to the fans in the form of an all-girls school play.

"It's just so cool," Padalecki gushed. "The fans have been asking for a musical for many, many years. It was a nice was to kind of give a salute to the fans and keep it true to Supernatural and true to Sam and Dean but give you what you wanted."

Ackles on the other hand, was not too excited when he first received the script. "Reading it I was holding my breath. I was like, 'Oh no, here we go — we are tipping the hat way too much to the fans,'" he explained.

'But then after seeing what Phil [Sgriccia], our director, conceptualized and what he was doing, I really became excited about it," Ackles said. "The guest cast they had really knocked it out of the park and I think it's what's going to make it a hit."

The 200th episode of Supernatural airs Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 9 p.m. on The CW.

Link to the article