#commit to the bit with me. has to get somewhat homosexual at times too but that's not thr main part

[trlvsn]

"romantic partner" "platonic partner" literally all i want is for someone to play imagination games with me. i tell you an evil witch has cursed the town mid-conversation and you start picking up leaves off the ground to make us a magic-repelling elixir. we play stupid chess where neither of us actually know how to play chess and eventually the board gets flipped and we bring some dice into the mix. can we exist in our own dimension

[love-toxin]

I hope you don't mind me asking but is there anything you could share about Momo? ^^ ik he's an Umi fan (as he should be) but I really wanna know more about him!! :3

OHO!!! yes of course <33 (adding sum azumako family lore in here too cuz why not >:)...and also its confusing LMAO)

here's a reference for his visuals! (both eyes are supposed to be blue, i went to go remake it but i think the picrew maker was taken down rip o7)

(cws: murder/suicide, death, a healthy sprinkle of generational trauma and homosexual guilt)

Momo is Makoi's blood-related cousin on his mother's side; Yuya Azumako and Hinata Watanabe are Makoi's parents, and Kira Watanabe was Hinata's sister, who married one of Yuya's younger brothers, Yuji Azumako. Kira and Yuji had their eldest daughter Yuriko, closely followed by Momo and his twin sister Orihime, before later adopting Shura Roanoke after his mother was killed. So altogether, Momo has two sisters and one brother, and he and Orihime are the youngest in their immediate family--though he's older than Makoi by 2 years. Yuriko isn't very present in the clan because she's studying and working overseas, and Shura is of course part of Makoi's inner circle, but Orihime is a bit of a free spirit and completely opposite to her brother. She likes to tease him and doesn't do much in the clan, but being the youngest daughter she's spoiled by their father and her uncle Yuya in a way that Momo isn't, so he definitely has a mild inferiority complex from growing up with that. Add that to the fact that his family has suffered tremendous losses and tragedies over generations, his grandfather was a refugee of the war who carried their legacy to safety from his homeland, and there are plenty of clans who would love to see the Azumako name ground into ash, and he's got plenty of trauma to pick from.

Their mother Kira is also no longer with them after committing suicide when they were very young, a couple years after the murders of her nieces and nephews and the death of her older sister, Hinata. Despite some finding it somewhat shameful to leave her children behind, the vast majority of the Azumako clan have provided support and love towards their family to cope with her loss over the years--but even so, her death is something Momo has struggled with well into adulthood, as he carries feelings of guilt and harbours an unconscious grudge towards Makoi for it, however non-responsible he may be. In the back of his mind, it angers him that Makoi's birth caused his aunt's demise, because if not for her death, his own mother might've lived a full life. Being a kid and dealing with his grief led him to that conclusion and made him an angry and spiteful child, but he's reconciled it to some degree in adulthood despite still finding reasons to criticize Makoi out of habit.

With all that said, Momo is generally a person who keeps to himself, but he has quite the temper when he gets riled up. He likes what he likes and hates what he hates. He doesn't like his routines disrupted and he reacts pretty dramatically when people poke fun or tease him, which just leads to the people he loves doing it all the time to mess with him as a show of affection. Orihime is definitely the worst culprit for that and she's always coming up with ways to make her brother's head explode. For those reasons and plenty others, even though he's (begrudgingly) one of Makoi's inner circle members, he rarely hangs out with the gang and only swings by when there's business that needs taken care of.

There's also the matter of his...particular tastes. Momo may seem like a standoffish prick that makes fun of anything and everything he deems dumb, but if there's one thing he can get excited over, it's his internet crush. Practically everybody knows about his spending and browsing habits, but it's not worth dissuading him because he'll deny even knowing who this "Umi" person is.

Which is, of course, a bold-faced lie. Momo never misses one of Umi's streams and fights for their top donor spot like his life depends on it, he's sent them gifts in the mail, paid for private messages and curated videos--Umi knows him by his handle, government name, address, and credit card details off the top of their head cause Momo's practically obsessed with them. But the benefit is greater than the downsides of Umi's usual borderline stalkers, because he's one of the rare viewers who has no intention of breaking into Umi's apartment and sniffing their socks. In fact, he vehemently opposes other viewers who overstep Umi's boundaries or spam their chat, and he's actually gone to the length of tracking down the people that have stalked Umi in person and beating the shit out of them--if they're lucky that's all he does. He's caused the clan problems in the past when they've needed to cover up a murder for him, after he killed someone who tried to kidnap Umi from their apartment or planned a hit to kill them on stream.

And yet, if he's commended for his actions or thanked for keeping Umi safe, he just brushes it off and acts like it's no big deal. He hates being acknowledged for his efforts and even if Umi has thanked him personally, he's polite but still insists against any reward or special treatment. It's really weird to consider him a gentleman when you see how he is in his daily life, but against all odds, he really is. He just wants to put all his love on someone without feeling like they have to reciprocate.

However, despite that, Momo has a really deep-seated anxiety about being perceived as "weird". He's lucky that Umi doesn't identify as a boy or he'd be in much deeper shit, but acknowledging the fact that he's even slightly into dudes is way too much for him to handle. He's become so fixated on making sure nobody thinks he's gay and not being gay that he's the type to make fun of Makoi and his friends for being in a "boy's club", constantly making snide remarks and jokes about what they do at their meetings and how they're all fruity. It never works out for him cause Hayao always plays into it for laughs and to turn the discomfort back on Momo, while Shura knows his brother well enough that he can spot the projection from a mile away, so he never takes it seriously. It doesn't even matter that Orihime is an open and out lesbian and the family has made it clear that they'll love him no matter what, he still tries so hard to be "normal" and not bring more perceived shame to his family. Overall, Momo's a...unique character for sure, and not one that's easy to warm up to, but if he's got a connection to you he's a ride or die until it kills him.

[wawamouse]

[sprints to your inbox to bother you about your fic] HI. ⭐️ for any of your Miguel/Chico fic or scenes that you feel like talking about? (I was going to say the bit with Miguel praying in Light On Water, but then I realized that leads directly into the smut and might be weird to ask you to expound on.)

Hehe, well I don't mind expounding on that, smut in fiction is the same as an action scene to me.

Writing the prayer scene in "Light On Water" was reaaally fun, altho it also involved a fair amount of research, me not being Catholic or growing up around Catholicism. I mentioned it in response to one of your comments, I believe, but I was writing LOW at the time that I started writing "Saving Sympathy", the soulmark AU. Specifically, I started writing SS on break from writing the post-prayer smut of Light On Water. So, the Catholic elements threaded into SS are a lot due to the fact that I already had Miguel's religious hang ups in mind. But, with "Light On Water", I didn't really want to make Miguel's main conflict all "~oh no, homosexuality is a sin~". I feel like that's too obvious. No, in that fic, Miguel gets assigned penance because he expresses that he's not sorry he engaged in fighting/violence on Chico's behalf (tho he doesn't name him). I think Miguel's real conflict should be that he isn't repentant for some of what he's done, and this bothers him because in the back of his mind, he still wants to be rehabilitated, and on the right path, but obviously if he's committing what are seen to be sins, that's not happening. And still, even more, he's not sorry because it just doesn't feel like something that's wrong to him. Of course he's going to commit violence if it means helping Chico—they're friends. (Yes, he does also vaguely want to bone Chico at this point, but at the heart of it, LOW is a friends to lovers take on Miguel/Chico, so I wanted to develop something between them that was also a platonic love) (Chico saving he loves Miguel in that fic, while, yeah, he does also, if he were to go from his perspective, also want to fuck Miguel at that point, when he says "I love you" he does also mean it in an entirely brotherly way, imo).

Looool, but yeah, but yes, the prayer scene! The prayer scene! Another thing I think is that in this fic, Miguel does wish Chico was more godly or religious than he is—he's not going to push it because he's not zealous or anything, but in this fic, I did try to write him more in the vein of someone who holds faith close to his heart and at least subconsciously thinks it's truly a loss for Chico that he doesn't really attend mass or go to confession as he once did (although Miguel completely understands why, and feels conflicted himself, once they kill Skinny Mike and he knows he can't in good conscious go to Confession anymore, either). On the flip side, as we've talked about before, Chico is someone who values community so I think while in the Speak Low universe, he is to some degree actually agnostic or doesn't think about it much anymore, he still remembers that aspect of mass. He also remembers the prayers, and imo (bc I didn't explicitly write this observation anywhere, so this is somewhat of a headcanon), even tho he dismisses the whole thing later with jokes, when he starts to join Miguel in praying, even prompting Miguel, it's like half for horny reasons and half trying to comfort Miguel? If that makes sense? Like Chico's completely aware that it means something to Miguel (and he appreciates that it does?) so he's not actually trying to mock. And even after, he's praying the Spanish version of Anima Christi as a joke, but I chose that prayer because not only is it a common one, from my understanding, but I read that anyone who prays the Anima Christi receives a partial indulgence (Catholic indulgences are "a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for (forgiven sins)" according to Wikipedia. Maybe I am wrong about how I understood/wrote the prayers and whatnot, but my goal was to make the moment feel intimate, not just in a sexually charged way, but spiritually as well? Even though Chico turns around and leans into the sexual part of it? Lol. I also wanted to make it clear that even though Miguel observes that Chico doesn't really partake in practices of the Church or anything anymore, the rituals and significances are still completely etched into his psyche, and that he understands that part of Miguel.

The intimacy of Chico praying with him (and also the other factors of Miguel being on Destiny, and them back to the established cuddling) give Miguel the kick to then propose what he does. His Catholic guilt and related cynicism also plays a role, of course. IMO, this is the closest that Miguel gets to fretting over the actual Sin of Homosexuality aspect (until he places some blame on it in "Fugitive Light")—when he's feeling that clock ticking (Chico potentially leaving him) and realising he can't go to Confession after killing Skinny intentionally and without his previous self-defense reasonings… The longing and conflict of the fic so far all comes to a head here —> Nothing lasts, and good will can crumble with the barest touch. / That recklessness comes over him again. Hellfire licks at his soles. … and Miguel bends to that Need To Know :)

…Look, I can expound on this scene without even really dipping my toes into the ensuing smut! 😆 Hopefully my rambling commentary here makes an iota of sense.

[terrence-silver]

What if someone questioned terry's, john's, and beloved's poly relationship?

― I think 80's Terry would have no shame and he'd literally flaunt that he's with two people regardless of what anyone said. Heck, he'd even taunt society at large in a 'Hey, look at me, you can't do shit about it' kind of way, because it is both amusing and it turns him on. His power in the matter has an erotic quality to it which gets him going. He’s in charge and there’s something sensual to that in his eyes. He is at the top of the food chain. People as rich as successful as he is are the makers of rules and convention whether the world likes it or not. If Terry fucking Silver wants to have two significant others, who's to say he cannot? Sure, the press might have a field day, but fuck the press, they can be silenced and swayed in whatever way he pleases with a hefty bribe or by merely suing them for his own entertainment. At the same time, it is the height of the decade and he'd literally be out and about in LA with his two partners and he's already known as that eccentric, daunting Billionaire who lives on The Hills who has a bit of a reputation where Playboy sexual antics are concerned. But, Terry feels no hesitation in showing off what's his; namely John and beloved. He relishes in it, actually. He loves seeing people being scandalized, overly curious and shocked. The only reason Terry would ever hold back is, yes, you guessed it, John and beloved's own limitations. Why? Because he is ever so devoted. But, where he himself is concerned? No. He'd step out on a Met gala carpet with both of them on his arms and French kiss them maintaining eye contact with the cameras.

― On the flipside, some years earlier, Twig would be hesitant and far more discreet, because it is the 70's, he's unsure as of yet of his place in the world, he's at the crossroads between growth and self-discovery and he doesn't have the same cocksure bravado bordering on absolute arrogance he'll develop in the near future. He does still care what people will say. He's cared in the army. Before the army. Now, after the army. He cares, because he wants to be something people will fear and admire instead of a wreck and wimp and someone who was supposed to die in the war if he wasn’t continuously saved by John. Doesn't diminish his affections, devotion and attachment in any way, though. He is simply a bit more private about them. He is young and somewhat uncertain, but still exceedingly possessive. The only thing he absolutely is certain about is that he adores John and he adores beloved. The Summer of love comes along, people are living in hippie communes, outright cults and in travelling van communities, practicing freedom of expression and ironically, the Terry in this era being committed to two people might be the least strange thing about him when you really think about it. Of course, there is always that occasional asshole from an old fashioned stock who not only thinks returning veterans are freaks, but they're homosexual freaks living with their third --- and my god, what has the world come to! This is precisely the type of attitude Twig wants to shelter John (not that John feels he needs sheltering) and beloved away from because he fears he'll snap and do something he'll regret.

― As for old man Terry? In present day, a great many people in LA would seem as the accepting, progressive type, but they aren’t and it is a great, big elaborate virtue signal and if it isn’t, it is fronting that comes with way too many questions (Terry should know --- he’s hanged out with individuals like that for reasons of fronting and hiding himself too) he quite frankly wants to avoid it because he’s aged and his patience runs thinner than ever and for a lack of a better word, it annoys him. He gets explosive when pushed. He dislikes people prying, judging and being amazed or any level of shocked at the relationship like it is something unusual or alien. He loves two people. Two people belong to him. Quite simple. He doesn’t suffer fools lightly. People won’t even get to the stage of questioning his relationship (they’ll probably never even discover the details of it), because he won’t let them. Knowing is power and he won’t share that power.They’re given a big, threatening stare if they try and they legitimately conclude that this guy’s gonna beat them to a pulp (he will) if they keep being smart. Much like 80′s Terry, he’s grown into his authority. He makes and breaks the rules with absolute ease. The norms. The everything. Whatever he says goes. At first, everyone might just assume he’s either with John. Or just beloved. But, gradually, people will realize he’s with both and he’ll treat it like the most nonchalant, casual thing in the world because that’s what it is. Stops being nonchalant when it is prodded at. That’s when he’ll pretty much get in someone’s face. This Poly relationship is his life and he’s fiercely protective of it.

[bunni-bino]

Yes! Some male reader stuff! How about some nice and easy (bc I feel embarrassed lmaoo) just Monster Trio with a Male s/o! Little random ideas that you have lol. I don’t really mind if it dosent follow a story!

The Monster Trio With A Male! S/O

A/N : haha, don’t be. Thanks for requesting, and hopefully in the future, you have some more specific requests in mind. :DD hope you like this.

note : these are pretty general relationship headcannons. These are also short and quick, so I’m sorry ;-; hopefully, next time, you can give some more.. specific details? 😅😣

Summary : what life would be like if the monster trio had a male significant other.

-

Luffy

Luffy does not give a shit about your gender.

He really doesn’t. He just wants someone who can share the same energy as him and be strong, willing to put your life on the line.

He just loves the danger and loves someone who’s willing to challenge life and death with him.

Luffy hadn’t really thought about having a significant other, so he didn’t really think of a preference of gender, but then again, to him, it didn’t matter. Does it matter what gender you are? As long as you love the person, it’s fine and it doesn’t matter.

So when you admit to him your crush on him, he’s a bit dense of course, so he says the same until you clarify what you mean. When you do, Luffy comes to a realization and thinks a bit. Makino had told him confessions like these were important, so he decides to confess to you properly.

And properly.. in Luffy’s way. Which is him, standing on the Sunny’s head and facing the upper deck where the whole crew sat, and he shouts at the top of his lungs. He’d be staring at you as he shouts to the world that he wants you to be his. That he accepts your confession and he wants to be with you as well.

Regardless of your reaction or the crew’s, Luffy would just laugh and have a wide grin across his face as he hops down to in front of you and wraps his arms around you, his smile becoming softer and warmer.

He’d place his hat over your head and ignore the shouts and grins of the others towards him and his action and become so cheery when you thank him and hold his hand or something, however you react—

To Luffy, the benefits of having a male significant other, is that you two can bathe together without worrying about.. bodies being seen. Of course, only if you’re comfortable with it, but he likes bathing with you.

His favorite activity though, is just playing pranks on Usopp and Chopper, even Zoro, together. Just playing jokes and making each other laugh by doing stupid things with each other whilst getting reprimanded by Nami for being loud and messing around too much.

And he loves exploring. He’s naturally curious about most things, so when the crew comes to a new island, the first thing he does and wrap an arm around you and jump off to run into what he hopes is a new adventure.

But then again, anything that he gets to do with you and learning new cool things is always an adventure to him. As long as he gets to spend time with you anyhow, makes him joyful and happy. :D

“*inhales* [NAME]! I ACCEPTING YOUR CONFESSION! I LOVE YOU! I WANT YOU TO BE MINE AND BE WITH ME, WHEN I BE THE KING OF THE PIRATES! *exhales*”

-

Sanji

Honestly, Sanji would be the most.. iffy? About being in a homosexual relationship. But after quite a bit of bonding and actually getting to know you, Sanji would be head over heels.

At first, Sanji would question himself a bit, since he’s always grown to love women, so this change is sudden and overwhelming for him.

Then he might question you a bit, because he naturally assumes that all men would like females like him, but he doesn’t judge.

When he hears about your interest in men, or even your crush on Sanji, he becomes a bit flustered and extremely confused and avoids you at times.

But soon enough, the support and assurance from both you and his crewmates will let him know that this is okay and you’ll be there waiting when he’s ready.

Eventually, Sanji becomes pretty glad to have a male significant other. Like Luffy and Zoro, his instinct tells him that since you’re a man, you’re quite strong and he’s glad he doesn’t have to worry too much about you getting hurt,

But that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t drop everything for you. If he sees even a scratch on your, asses are getting kicked with his diable Jambé.

His way of confessing when he finally gets the courage, of course, is during the night, where he can really just enjoy his time with you and give you a candlelit dinner before taking a stroll around the ship, or around the coast of an island they docked at.

He’ll apologize for thinking and taking so long, before pulling your hand to his lips and admitting his admiration for you and list all of your amazing traits and even the flaws that he adores.

Sanji would treat you as he does with every woman, maybe even more or even less. He’s not afraid to stand beside you and tell everyone you’re his. Sanji loves you.

He loves to teach you cooking, and seeing you wear his apron when he’s teaching makes his heart beat quicker, because it’s so cute. If anyone even dares to tease you about it, he’s going to kick ass before you can even blink.

Actually, Sanji would be even more glad to have a male significant other, because you would be like his best friend too. With women, he feels like he has to constantly be showing affection for them,

But with a male, with you, Sanji can actually be comfortable and enjoy long talks and jokes late at night together. He can just share a cup of tea or two with you and talk all night about anything and just truly be close and comfortable with one another, instead of how he acts with women.

“I feel like I can talk about anything with you. You make me feel comforted, safe and loved. Thank you for choosing and being with me, even if I took a while to take in your confession.”

-

Zoro

Zoro doesn’t give a damn about your gender either, he’s just never thought about it. His mind is never on a relationship, but his goal, his swords, his sake, and sleep.

So when it comes to having a significant other, a male one at that, he doesn’t give it much thought so he doesn’t really care.

but I will say, he does like having a male significant other.

He understands both men and women are extremely strong, you can’t compare the two genders, but seeing you and having a male s/o reassures him just how tough you are and sees it as a challenge, especially if you’re willing to spar with him.

Training sessions are a breeze, depending on your personality. If you’re a fighter, he does not hold back a bit, and he doesn’t want you to either. He’s going all out and if he loses? He’s annoyed at first before he finds it as a challenge and several more rounds happen after that.

If you’re not so much of a fighter, Zoro respects that but you have to be somewhat strong right? Otherwise Luffy wouldn’t really have invited you on board... if you need help and want to train, Zoro is there. He doesn’t go easy on you at all, but he encourages you in his own way, the best he can.

Zoro would confess to you bluntly, while you two are out patrolling or out hunting for whatever on a island the crew comes by. The two of you would be alone and he’d just say it.

Of course, he may also be awkward about it since he’s actually committing into a relationship, and he doesn’t talk about the details, he just straight up confesses, and the two of you are together.

Zoro actually rather likes having a male significant other, because one, he’s not quite.. good with ladies. He’d be awkward, unsure of what to say but with a guy, he feels more comfortable and relaxed.

He’d love sharing a cup of sake and just drinking and talking the night away, cracking jokes whilst sitting by the window or just out in the open air late at night. If he’s really drunk, you’ll find him talking about some deep stuff with you, and maybe professing his admiration and love for you. DON’T mention it in the morning.

Zoro’s favorite activity with you would probably be attacking enemies, if it wasn’t sleeping. Just any time the crew comes cross an enemy, you and Zoro are side by side and brutally slicing or knocking them down swiftly. Partners in crime, always up first to volunteer to take care of it.

Although Zoro does enjoy having the fun time to himself, he enjoys it even more doing it with you, because you two really compliment and work with each other, which he loves. It’s always a fun workout and challenge for you both, and plus, he’d make a bet on it, on who takes down the most.

“You up for a challenge, [Name]? There’s about 50 of them. It’s winter, so how about the loser sleeps on deck without any warmth?”

you take the challenge and either way, you’re both going to sleep together with a blanket anyways—

-

A/N : hope you enjoyed!! :DD I’m sorry if this is a bit messed up or like, not what you wanted / expected.. sorry for the delay too ;-;

This was pretty difficult. Ngl, because these seem more gender-neutral than male, 😅 so I’m really sorry.

[ladykissingfish]

Under The Mistletoe with the Akatsuki // Part Four // Deidara

Deidara

Ah, so it’s his turn under the fragrant green spotlight. He readies himself and stands underneath the plant, ready to endure (or perhaps enjoy) whatever is coming his way. It’s odd; when he was a young kid he always thought that kissing was gross. But now, as he waits for the first person to come to him, he finds himself almost ... excited.

Tobi

“Ooh! Lucky Tobi! Tobi is first for Senpai!” Oh, God, or Lord Jashin, or whoever it was that made things happen: Deidara does not want to kiss Tobi. Tobi is already a bit too hands-on for Deidara’s liking, a bit too attached to his Senpai. Also, it bothers him that at the moment, nobody else is in the room; the two of them are totally alone. Still, though, this should only last a few seconds, and everybody else is going to be having a turn, so why not? Tobi gets close to Deidara and, to the blonde’s shock, he pulls off his entire mask. Deidara’s brain is able to register small details about Tobi’s face, but only for a split second. After that, suddenly, everything went ... strange. He’s being kissed; he can feel ((surprisingly soft)) lips touching his own, but ... he barely notices this. Deidara is flooded with bizarre imagery, of vividly bright flowers and aggressively emerald fields, none of which are in the little room they’re standing in. Is this ... is this genjutsu?? After his first encounter with Itachi, Deidara has trained his eye to counter such illusionary tricks; he quickly snaps out of it and comes back to reality. But Tobi ... his mask is on, and he’s shaking Deidara’s shoulders. “Senpai?! Are you okay??” Tobi claims that Deidara fainted, and tells him to sit down while he gets him some water. Deidara does as suggested, confused. WAS that just a ... a dream? Had he fainted? Had he and Tobi kissed at all? He starts to write the entire thing off, but then he realizes that his mouth has the taste of dango in it. Wasn’t Tobi eating Dango earlier? Wasn’t — and then Tobi is back with the water, and Deidara drinks, his mind still jumbled. He hopes the rest of his encounters aren’t this bizarre.

Kakuzu

Deidara is an immature kid that reminds Kakuzu a lot of his own partner, Hidan. He can’t begin to count how many times in the last month he’s had to RE-reattach Deidara’s arms, because the guy kept doing reckless things with that damn “art” of his. Still, though; even Kakuzu has to admit that Deidara’s antics provide a steady stream of lighthearted entertainment, in an organization that could be very depressing most of the time. When it’s Kakuzu’s turn, he puts one hand on Deidara’s face and gives him a light kiss on the forehead. He smoothes back his bangs as he does, informing Deidara that there are many people who would pay good money for hair Deidara’s length, and if he’s ever interested in making a bit of money, to come see him (and his scissors).

Konan

Thinks of Deidara as being like a little brother, in a way. And a good friend; despite the loud and temperamental way he acts with the others, with Konan, he’s always been one of her biggest supporters and confidantes. There was even a time in the past when the entire group was traveling somewhere new, and Konan twisted her ankle in a concealed hole in a field. Deidara immediately lifted her off her feet and carried her the rest of the way to their destination. She approaches Deidara with a smile, leans in, and kisses the tip of his nose. Deidara responds by putting his hands on her cheeks, and giving her two smacking kisses with his hand-mouths. The two laugh and then Konan leaves to make room for the next participant.

Hidan

Surprisingly less objective than he was with many of the others he had to kiss. Even goes to the trouble of using a minty breath freshener beforehand. Makes absolutely NO comments beforehand about homosexuality or how “stupid” he feels this to be. “Ya ready for me, blondie?” He grabs Deidara around the waist, tilts him back, and gives him a brief (but impactful) smooch. Deidara blinks, surprised. This is ... oddly nice, but — why in the world does he suddenly taste blood on his lips?? Did Hidan just come back from a sacrifice? Did he do that completely unhygienic ritual of his where he licked the blood of his victims off his scythe? Hidan looks proud of himself, and, as he’s backing away, he tells Deidara that he reminds him of “a bitch in my old village that never let me kiss her. Now I feel like I have!”, to which Deidara gets angry and throws an explosive at Hidan’s face. “I’m a MAN, you stupid prick!” The two start fighting before Hidan is dragged away by Kakuzu, and Deidara goes to scrub down his mouth and lips before the next person comes up.

Pein

Ah, the youngest of his “children”. He’s happy that Deidara is so open with his feelings and being part of the group now; when he first came to the Akatsuki, he was a very secretive and somewhat shy young man, who had no trust in Pein or in any of them. Now he was so comfortable around his new “family” that it was like he was meant to be with them from the get-go. Pein goes to kiss Deidara’s forehead, stops, reconsiders, and kisses his cheek instead. Afterwards he smiles and gives him a friendly punch on the shoulder, before going back to his room.

Zetsu

Deidara may be the only member of the Akatsuki that Zetsu doesn’t really want to kiss. With everyone else, he likes to get close to them because they smell like delicious food. But the blonde guy ... he has a smell to him very much like clay, so much so that it masks the more desirable aroma of human blood. Zetsu is the only one who’s olfactory senses can detect this subtle difference, and it’s enough to deter him from ever trying to devour the kid. Nevertheless, he leans in, gives Deidara a quick smack on the cheek, and dashes away so fast that Deidara has doubts whether or not anything actually happened.

Itachi

Is very, very hesitant to approach Deidara; no matter what he says or how he acts, Deidara just radiates with hatred for him. He’s watched several of the others exchange kisses with him, but thinks of just skipping his turn and going to his room. However, Deidara spots him and, folding his arms in front of his chest, asks, “So now the mighty Uchiha is too good to kiss me, hm?” and Itachi sighs and steps over to him. “Where do you want it?” “Huh?? It’s a KISS, you idiot. Where the hell do you think I want —“ but Itachi interrupts him by yanking him close by the forearms (so hard that the stitching weakens just a little) and lays into him with his lips. He kisses him so intensely and so long that Deidara actually starts to feel light-headed. Right before he thinks he’s going to pass out, however, Itachi pulls back, and to Deidara’s surprise he’s SMILING at him. “How was that? That good enough?” Deidara is still so shocked that he can’t think of a smart ass answer back, all he can do is nod. Hidan, who had been watching, comments “Jeez ... after a kiss like that I think you have to marry him, Itachi.” Hearing this finally snaps Deidara back to normal, who scowls and snarls and barks out “As if I’d ever become a low-life Uchiha scum, hm!” Itachi, still smiling, walks away as Deidara shouts insults after him. Things are back to normal.

Kisame

Kisame truly enjoys being around the young artist. He finds Deidara’s sense of humor to be entirely refreshing, which was needed when working in an oft-depressing organization like the Akatsuki. He walks up and kisses Deidara on his chin, just beneath his lips. When Deidara asks why he picked such an odd spot, Kisame replies that everybody has already kissed the other places, and he prefers to not catch germs from the others (especially Hidan). Deidara laughs and agrees with him; after he goes, Deidara leaves and goes to brush his teeth and wash his face, to prepare for his final kiss of the night.

Sasori

Sasori approaches Deidara like he would approach a wild animal; slowly and cautiously. Deidara has been his partner for some time now, an Sasori is never quite sure what he’s going to get with him. Sometimes he’s loud and obnoxious, other times he’s quiet and thoughtful. Some times he acts like he can’t stand the puppet master, but sometimes ... “Hey, Danna.” “Good evening, brat. Looks like I’m last.” “Yeah, hm.” Sasori gets close to him. He cups Deidara’s face, stares into his eyes, and leans into his lips. Deidara’s eyes close but Sasori’s stay open, taking in every minute detail of this kid, no, this man in front of him. Unable to help it, he moves one hand and gently puts it in Deidara’s soft hair, fingering the silky golden locks. He’s again struck by how warm he is, how wonderfully human. After some time has passed, Sasori breaks the kiss and steps back, straightening out his robe. “Was that acceptable?” Deidara nods, although the expression on his face is somewhat unreadable to Sasori. Recalling what Hidan said earlier about Itachi, Deidara says, jokingly, “After kissing me like that, now you have to marry me, hm.” He’s kidding, but oftentimes humor goes straight over Sasori’s head. He replies, in his quiet, analytical way, “I’ve always found the concept of marriage to be a waste of time and resources. People in general fare much better, and accomplish much more as individuals, wouldn’t you agree?” Deidara nods, and Sasori turns to go. Halfway down the hall he stops, turns slightly, and says, softly, “Deidara?” “Yeah?” “If I ever was to take that step, if I ever was to marry somebody, to fully commit myself to another person; well, it could only be to —“ but suddenly Hidan bursts out of his room, loudly yelling and cursing at Kakuzu’s door about something. The mood broken, Sasori bids a quiet Goodnight to Deidara and continues on to his room. Deidara stays where he is for a long time, wondering what Sasori had almost said.

[hawkinsschoolcounselor]

Why I stop short of hope

I’ve found that I tend to reel myself in when discussing Mike and Will. I will argue in favor of the legitimacy of the signs and foreshadowing. I will passionate argue about the strength and closeness of their bond. I will point out how the show has gone to great lengths to depict their friendship as being unique and special compared to other relationships on the show. I’ll bring up how all of Mike’s story arcs have involved Will from the start. I’ll write a long post on how hard it would be for Will to grow up gay in a time before the internet. That last one in particular is currently my most popular post, surpassing others in likes and reblogs by far. They give people hope, or, at least, I like to think they do.

Then, sometimes almost immediately, I will turn around and counter myself. I’ll say how there’s alternate explanations. I’ll say that we’re seeing what we want to see. I’ll say that Stranger Things has heavily marketed the show around Mike and El, as unhealthy a relationship as it is. I’ll say that they barely ever mention anything about Mike and Will. I’ll mention how El was originally supposed to die for good in Season 1, but they decided to bring her back in an increased role. I’ll argue that it’s likely that they’re setting Will up to be gay, but that his feelings will be unrequited. This has made people sad, even mad at times.  How can I be so positive about this on one hand and yet so negative on the other hand? How can I be so pessimistic about something I so firmly see evidence for? It’s because that’s how I’ve been conditioned. Buckle up, you’re all about to get an insight into hawkinsschoolcounselor’s life.

I was born in 1982. For reference, this would make me about a couple years younger than Holly Wheeler. My early childhood was in the 80s, and this is what drew me to Stranger Things in the first place. I came of age in the 90s, which, despite only being a few years later, was a radically different time in some aspects, but alike in so many others. What I didn’t know yet back then was that around 1997 I would realize I’m bisexual. It was not an easy admission to make.

I’m not from a particularly religious family, but we were all raised Catholic, which included attending a Catholic elementary school through the 8th grade. My hometown wasn’t exactly a small town like Hawkins, in fact it was a suburb of a major eastern US city. Still, there was little talk of homosexuality. I really knew next to nothing of it for the longest time. There were insults and references that I barely understood, even into my early adolescence. I laughed at the Blue Oyster Bar scenes in the Police Academy movies, not realizing that gay bars were a real thing. That gay people were real people. Gay people were played for laughs, at best, in the 80s. 

The 90s brought a bit of a larger perspective, both for me and the country as a whole. Cable TV and the blossoming internet resulted in a wider range of ideas being available. However, LGBT representation in the media had not really gotten better. In fact, they arguably got worse. The 90s seemed to be the decade of gay tragedy. Now gay characters seemed to be shown for something other than cheap laughs at times, but they very rarely got anything resembling a happy ending. Some more progressive shows were somewhat sympathetic to gay issues, but even then they were played for laughs to be “palatable” to a mainstream audience. Movies and TV shows often depicted gay characters committing suicide or being beaten/murdered. Gay panic was a big thing then, both in media and real life. Then came October 1998.

Matthew Shepard was a young guy, early 20s. He met a couple of other young guys while at a bar. The men offered him a ride home. Matthew Shepard never made it home. A cyclist found him bound to a fence. He didn’t survive The men were arrested for his murder, and the “gay panic” defense was used. Everything that was seen on TV was now very real. I was 16. I had maybe only acknowledged my own sexuality for about a year at this point, and very few people even knew. The fear was real. This could happen to me. 

This was a time where I needed hope, but there was little to be found. For every Birdcage, there was a Philadelphia. Even then, Birdcage’s comedy often came on the back of gay stereotypes, and Armand and Albert’s relationship isn’t really depicted as healthy. The message I was receiving through my formative years was that gay people don’t get happy endings. Granted, representation in the media has gotten so much better, but, at least for me, it’s too little, too late. I’m old and jaded. Years of internalized homophobia and fear have left me cynical. One of the reasons I took up counseling was to help young people get through difficult times without losing their hope like I did. I don’t enjoy being this way, but the damage is done. I am so sorry if anything I’ve posted or said in a private chat has made people feel that I want them to give up hope. Please, have the hope that I find it so difficult to hold on to. 

I want so badly for Mike and Will to be happy together. It would almost seem like a personal victory, like everything that I went through would have been worth it. I can nearly feel my younger self brightening at the very thought that two boys, especially in the 80s, can find love and be happy. But that same younger self is terrified at another sad ending, or, possibly worse, another example of gay-baiting. But, please, don’t let my fear of hope, of disappointment, ruin your own hope. I do believe it’s a good thing to have a devil’s advocate, but if I’m ruining anyone’s good time then I don’t deserve to be here.

[nicnacsnonsense]

A few days ago @whiteleyfoster did some lovely The Birdcage AU art and @poetic----nonsense decided we needed a full AU figured out, so they tagged me. Because I am now the person who figures out fusion AUs., Which honestly, that’s fantastic; I love it. Unfortunately I hadn’t seen The Birdcage before, but it’s available to watch on Prime, so I just took care of that. The bad news is I didn’t actually like the movie all that much. The good news is my problem was in the execution rather than the premise, so I do think there’s a good Good Omens AU to be had with two adjustments. One, lean into the wacky hijinks more -- this is definitely a wacky hijinks comedy kind of plot, but the tone of the movie was oddly serious a lot of the time. And two, I want to really feel the love between all the members of our little queer family. The movie tells us they’re a happy and healthy family, but what I was seeing was a lot of Val being mean to his parents, a lot of Armand being mean to and dismissive of Albert and a lot of Albert being overly dramatic and sensitive to everything.

Moving on to our characters. In Whiteley’s drawing they had Aziraphale as Albert and Crowley as Armand, which I get that, but I want to switch it. Aziraphale as the small business owner cismale who is obviously gay (I didn’t get any obviously gay vibes from Armand, but the movie told us a couple of times he was giving them off, so *shrugs*). Meanwhile Crowley is amab and typically presents male day-to-day, but also presents female at time and is slightly ambiguous in terms of gender. I also feel Crowley’s dramatic bitch energy is a better match for Albert’s than Aziraphale’s is. 

For Val and Barbara, Whiteley suggested Adam and Warlock respectively, and while I like each of those choices a lot individually, it doesn’t work for me once you put them together. Partially that’s a personal thing -- I know Adam/Warlock is somewhat popular but it squicks me out -- but also unless you want to genderbend one of them female, you have a gay relationship which kind of undermines the whole “gay couple has to pretend to be hetero to fool the super conservative in-laws.” I still think there’s a way you could do it, but it would take a lot of work. So instead I propose Newt as Val and Anathema as Barbara. (which weirdly makes the second time I’ve had Aziraphale as Newt’s dad. I swear I’m not trying to make it a thing).

I realize the immediate impulse there is if you’re going to use those two you should flip them: Newt as Barbara and Anathema as Val. But first of all I think if Anathema was Val she wouldn’t stand for lying about who her parents are; sucks for you Newt, but you’re just going to have to come clean. And if you put aside political views, these are actually really good matches for each of their families in canon. Anathema was a “professional descendant,” her entire life was mapped out for her by her many times great-grandmother, which is something of the ultimate extreme Barbara’s controlling family. Meanwhile’s Newt’s mother seemed very loving and she supported and encouraged his enthusiasm for computers no matter how many power outages he caused. Plus I do think there’s a great parallel in Crowley and Aziraphale having to hide their homosexuality from Anathema’s parents and the idea of Anathema being a liberal, occultist, environmentalist, feminist, general social activist, probably met Newt at an LGBT+ support rally, who goes home to her family and has to hide all of that and pretend to be a good little conservative Christian girl.

For the other major characters Anathema’s parents would be Anathema’s mom (obviously) and Gabriel I think. The idea of him as Anathema’s dad is a little weird, but you can’t deny Gabriel fits the super conservative senator mold really well. You could also use the Dowlings instead if you wanted, but c’mon, Gabriel fawning over femme!Crowley? That’s too funny, guys. For Newt’s biological mother I think Michael. She could definitely pull off high-powered exec who isn’t the least bit maternal, but is willing to show up for her son in this because of a sense of duty. In this version Aziraphale and Michael would have actually been dating because Aziraphale was still in the closet and in deep denial at that point, but they broke up when she got pregnant and Aziraphale wanted to keep the baby and Michael wanted to put it up for adoption the instant that baby slid out of her. (I also totally picture that after they agreed to break up Michael said it was probably for the best, seeing as Aziraphale was just super gay.) And finally for Agador I think Madame Tracy. Admittedly as a character she’s not much like him, but looking at it in terms of the function of the character as a comic relief zany housekeeper type, I think she could do a really good job as her own version of that.

A few other changes. The whole argument about “who’s the white whine for?” still happens, but it’s playful banter, rather than any sort of serious accusation of cheating. Then after the show Crowley and Aziraphale go upstairs together and surprise! Newt’s here for a visit. He tells both of his parents about his engagement at the same time. Then again when the issue of Anathema lying to her parents comes up, Newt approaches both Crowley and Aziraphale together and presents it not as something he’s demanding they do for him, but a problem to be solved together. Then Crowley and Aziraphale are totally extra enough to be like, zany hijinks, we’ll just fake like we’re the very straight cultural attache to Greece and his woman female wife. 

Except after a bit of prep work Crowley suddenly backs out as the wife, claiming he can pull of woman sure, but he can’t pull off housewife. That’s where Michael comes in. Crowley is the one who chooses not to go into her office -- he resents her for what he considers to be her abandonment of Newt -- but when he gets impatient waiting he coincidentally barges in at just the wrong moment to what looks like flirting/cheating (but we the audience know was actually something completely innocent) and storms off. 

Aziraphale goes to talk to Crowley once they both get home and his shocked and even a little hurt that Crowley would ever think Aziraphale would cheat on him. Crowley says, no he knows that’s not what was going on and he knows Aziraphale wouldn’t, especially not with a woman. So Aziraphale is like what’s up then, you’ve been acting weird ever since Newt got home. And Crowley admits that he is jealous, but not over any sort of fictitious other lover, but of Newt. Because Newt is getting married and Crowley and Aziraphale can’t (cause 90′s). And that’s why Crowley backed out of the wife role, because tt was too close to what he wants and can’t have. The two of them have a heart-to-heart about how much they love each other and how committed they are. This also means when Crowley does show up to the dinner dressed up as Newt’s mom, it’s a heart-warming moment where Crowley is silently communicating that Aziraphale is right, that it’s real in their hearts, and that’s what matters. 

[strawberry--souda]

Kaede Akamatsu Character Analysis (Spoilers!)

So, I know this isn’t the kind of thing I normally put on my blog, especially since I don’t exactly make content anyway. But inspiration struck me to do an analysis on one of my favorite characters of all time: Kaede Akamatsu from Danganronpa V3. I hear a lot of people say that Kaede is just Makoto and/or Chiaki 2.0, and I feel that this could not be further from the truth. So I’m hoping that this analysis gives somebody a new perspective on my favorite DR character. Needless to say, Danganronpa V3 spoilers abound.

Obtained Truth Bullet: The Protagonist of DRV3

So, let’s get the big one out of the way first, shall we? Kaede was heavily advertised as the protagonist of V3, and many people (myself included) were very excited about this. As opposed to the generally weak/easily pushed-around Makoto and Hajime, Kaede is a go-getter. She was considered new and refreshing, and even now there are still many people who would consider her more interesting or a better protagonist than Saihara.

The protagonist swap was (and still is) highly controversial, and the wrong opinion around the wrong people can cause quite a debate. The general consensus, however, is that it was an extremely well-executed twist, no matter who you favor as the protag. It was a true gut-punch even to people who may not have been that enthusiastic about either protagonist up until that point, and is typically considered one of the saddest moments in the series. The revelation that Kaede died for no reason really twisted the knife further, at a point in the game when many may have moved on and fully accepted Saihara as protagonist.

The twist was controversial for the aforementioned reason of Kaede being vastly different from the other protags personality-wise. Kaede is a natural leader. Friendly and cheerful, but fully capable of being assertive. Saihara, meanwhile, is shy, somewhat of a downer, and can have a hard time expressing himself. Both characters have their strengths as the protagonist, but after V3 people started getting tired of the standard Danganronpa formula, and Kaede continued to be viewed as new and refreshing. This is one of the strongest and most common arguments for why she should have been the protagonist. While I do recognize Saihara’s strengths, and I like him quite a bit as well, I ultimately agree with this point, and I think Kaede as the protagonist would have been very interesting.

Obtained Truth Bullet: The Murder of Rantaro Amami

This is, of course, the other big one. It’s impossible to discuss Kaede as a character without bringing up her actions. As we know, in Chapter One, Kaede and Saihara set up a scene in the library made to discover the mastermind and end the game before any murders took place. However, Kaede altered this trap, fearing that catching the mastermind before the time limit would not be enough. To assuage her paranoia, and at great risk to herself, she set up a trap of her own. Something of a Rube Goldberg machine that was designed to kill the mastermind rather than trap them. This trap was set up at the same time as Saihara’s original plan. For those who may not remember, the trap involved rolling a shot-put ball along a carefully-aligned staircase of books, until it came down on the mastermind’s head.

Unfortunately, as we know, this trap failed, killing someone other than the intended target. Rantaro Amami, the Ultimate Survivor (initially known as the Ultimate ???) was killed in the midst of his own investigation, having known about the mastermind’s secret lair (and its entrance in the library) as well. And yet, the truth was that the shot missed. Rantaro survived, only to be killed by the mastermind right after. Nonetheless, Kaede, Saihara, and the others were thrown into a class trial to find out who killed the amnesiac Rantaro. Kaede initially used this as a chance to find out who the mastermind was, reasoning that the mastermind must have killed Rantaro. Ultimately, however, the case closed in on her, primarily due to the machinations of Ouma. Ouma was as unaware of the truth as everybody else, but called Kaede out on a lie she made. After trying to prove her lie, she ultimately had no choice but to admit to her crime, lest Saihara be convicted in her place. This is when the protagonist switch takes place.

And eventually, Kaede gets executed for her crime like every other blackened in the series, unaware of her innocence. So ends the story of Kaede Akamatsu, and begins the story of Shuichi Saihara. 

Obtained Truth Bullet: Ultimate Pianist

As anyone reading this probably knows, Kaede is the Ultimate Pianist. In other words, one of the greatest piano-players in the world. This has a large impact on who Kaede is, as any such major talent would define a person. Kaede is protective of her hands/fingers as a result, preferring to avoid cooking and sports for fear that they might damage her ability to play piano. During her trial she says her hands are only strong enough to play piano as a defense when she is accused of murder. Her talent is a part of how she dresses (skirt and hairpins), her habits (avoiding certain activities), and her conversational habits (casually mentioning piano songs and concepts in conversations). It is a substantial enough part of her that at the end of chapter one, what is heavily implied to be her ghost appears to play piano for Saihara in her Ultimate Lab.

Obtained Truth Bullet: Kaede’s Personality in the Game

As demonstrated during the events of the game, Kaede is a cheerful person. She is bright, friendly, and pleasant to be around. Overall a helpful person, and considered likable by all but her most troublesome classmates. However, she does tend to get too helpful at times. She can be quite pushy about her ideas, to the point of stubbornness. For example, in one conversation with Miu Iruma, Iruma discusses doing drugs. While Iruma is easily-distraught, Kaede pushes the idea that she shouldn’t do such things to the point of upsetting the inventor. In a more serious context, she refuses to doubt her plan to kill the mastermind until it actually fails, believing that it is the right thing to do beyond any doubt. This is one of Kaede’s greatest flaws; when she gets an idea, she convinces herself that she is correct, and can become very pushy and stubborn as a result.

Kaede is also shown to be a pragmatic and goal-oriented person when necessary, in accordance with her stubbornness. She loathed the idea of killing anyone, and hated herself for the time she had left after killing Rantaro, angrily declaring that she would never forgive his killer. Nonetheless, she still planned to kill the mastermind, despite the heavy toll that committing murder would take on her. Additionally, despite being uncomfortable with it, she lied in the class trial to protect Saihara and stall for time, making a claim that would make herself look suspicious. So despite her kind personality, Kaede will do what she feels she has to, even if she knows it is wrong.

On a lighter note, Kaede is shown to be silly and even perverted at times. She makes remarks a number of times about how ‘cute’ or ‘sexy’ other girls are, such as when she first meets Tsumugi and says she has a sexy aura. Saihara even comments at one point that she sounds like a creepy old man sometimes. She also does things such as poking Tsumugi’s cheek or touching Kiibo’s emergency button, showing that perhaps she is not the best with physical boundaries. Despite this, she tends to be fairly oblivious; during her Free Time Events with Tenko and Himiko, she doesn’t seem to realize what they mean by ‘playing for the other team’, nor does she really seem to comprehend the idea of homosexuality. Additionally, as shown in just about every interaction she has with Iruma, she is sensitive to and dislikes large amounts of vulgarity.

Interestingly, despite being an overall friendly person, Kaede has somewhat of a temper, and can get easily riled-up. Shortly after meeting Saihara, she told him to shut up in order to stop him from panicking, and later on even slapped him when he wasn’t responding to anyone. Additionally, she tells Himiko to shut up after the latter keeps talking about magic during the investigation of Rantaro’s murder. She tries to be patient with the more troublesome/hard to get along with classmates, such as Iruma and Ouma, but does lose her patience with them sometimes. She frequently calls Ouma out for being delusional, and after a particularly vulgar insult by Iruma, snaps back with an insult of her own. So while pleasant to be around, Kaede does have a short fuse at times, and can be easily agitated.

Obtained Truth Bullet: Kaede’s Personality Before the Game

Kaede’s personality before the game is shown to be more or less the total opposite of who she is now. She is shown to be a pessimistic person with a bleak outlook on life, and a hard time trusting/believing in others. She says she’s perfect for a killing game. Interestingly enough, some of the above-stated traits can be seen in the Kaede from the game to some extent. Kaede is paranoid enough about the time limit to doubt Saihara’s plan, enough that she would alter the scene to kill rather than expose the mastermind. And she is considered perfect for the killing game in-universe, with her leadership and forward personality having been intended to keep the game going. However, it is incredibly debatable how much of this is true, since the information about pre-game Kaede is revealed by the mastermind, a known employee of the greater-scope villains of the game, and therefore somebody with reason to lie and/or forge evidence if needed. This part is ultimately up to interpretation, but I personally believe that the mastermind was lying, albeit with some sprinkles of truth.

Obtained Truth Bullet: Kaede’s Interests

Kaede’s chief interest, as we know, is the piano. She cares deeply about music, and has been playing piano from a young age, even to the point of winning competitions. However, she does enjoy other things. For example, in Love Across the Universe, she expresses an enjoyment of manga, particularly when the plot involves music. She also enjoys drinking tea, and likes to relax in the sun, despite her hardworking and driven nature. In regards to her dislikes, she doesn’t have many shown or stated, but she seems to dislike bicycles. This is never actually elaborated on, but it is a strong enough dislike to be stated in her bio.

And that’s about all I have to say about the Ultimate Pianist, Kaede Akamatsu. My favorite character in Danganronpa, and one of my favorite characters of all time. I hope this gives anybody who didn’t like her much a new opinion, and that people who do like her enjoyed my analysis as well. I sadly don’t see myself doing another analysis like this, but this was a lot of fun to do. If you’ve read this far, thanks for reading, and I hope you had fun!

[utilitymonstermash]

Okay. Let me try to spit out a short version of this. This will be slightly glib and graphic for expedience / emphasis.

A lot of vocal pro-lifers are incredibly earnest about the infanticide and souls and all that jazz. I don't mean to besmirch them, but I also think many of them have another social/moral intuition that is re-enforcing those beliefs and this intuition may be an even larger driver for less vocal (but also less committed) members of their caucus. Maybe you've seen some of those inforgraphics or articles about how Republican attitudes and policy preferences are more consistent with hating women for having sex than wanting to stop killing babies. I think this intuition can explain a lot of that.

I think a clever technological innovation may not solve the fight over abortion if the underling split between people who believe "adults make children" and people who believe "children make adults" is unresolved.

Let's start with "adults make children." This is water. Our society is steeped in it. It sounds so obvious. You reach physical sexual maturity and you put your parts together like they taught in health class and you have babies. Well you reach physical sexual maturity and social maturity and emotional maturity and financial stability and you "pull the goalie" and you try to get pregnant and hopefully everyone is still under 35-ish or at least the uterus-haver hasn't hit menopause. (I guess if you’re all-in on artificial wombs, two birds with one stone.)

This has not been the norm for most humans (I know this is the gay teenager/20-something website--historical homosexuality is very much a thing but is also a bit different than 20th/21st century identity sexualities) in most civilizations, including the USA prior to about 1970. (Interestingly prior to around that same time, Republicans were the "adults make children" party via Calvinism.)

The narrative (at least for other somewhat complex somewhat urbanized societies) goes a bit like this: Youths tend to be a bit reckless and they also get horny. They stay out late. They drink they dance. They fuck. Some manage to be a bit more responsible and hang on until engagement or marriage--this is the original marshmallow test--they were going to be fine regardless.

Sooner or later pulling out doesn't work boom we have a pregnancy. Baby needs food. Baby needs diapers. Baby needs clothes. Baby needs bedding. Baby needs a car-seat (jk jk but car seat laws seem to have a fun effect on fertility in "adults make children" culture). Maybe not all at once but eventually. Grandpa would like baby to be somewhere warm and dry where it's not waking him up in the middle of the night. (All that youthful all-nighter energy for disco and cramming--that's really for your baby who can't sleep the night.) So Grandpa and his brothers and going to go find the prole dirtbag responsible and make him marry her. (He hopes it's a local prole dirtbag and not a more sophisticated cad.)

So dirtbag has two people depending on him now and he needs money. He goes to the local factory, the local docks, the local shops, the local tradesmen, the local construction sites (I hear they are building a ziggurat downtown--complex society you got there it would be a real shame if something happened to it) and finds job. What's the most important thing your new boss man wants? Being on time. Turns out in a growing economy you can really get away with only giving 70, 60, 50% as long as you are where you are supposed to be when you are supposed to be there.

So dirtbag's got to get up in the morning. He's gotta be at work on time--five days a week. Maybe he cuts his hair so it doesn't get caught in a machine. Maybe he cuts his hair because it's cold in the morning and it dries faster that way. Dirtbag has to dress appropriately for work. Dirtbag is too tired to stay out late between baby crying at night and being at work. And wife's gotten pretty okay at cooking, he wants to come home after work. Maybe he doesn't click as much with the wife and kids and he goes bowling and to the bar, but he's still gotta be home at a reasonable hour if he's gonna show up to work tomorrow. Before you know it, this guy isn't looking like so much of a dirtbag. He's kinda looking like a contributing member of society.

That's "children make adults". There's a bunch of holes in the narrative. It requires some lucky bounces. It can go off the rails pretty badly in a number of ways. But I also think it's somewhat representative of urban proles in America prior to 1970.

This is all a very long and roundabout way of saying without responsibility a lot of people barely as self-indulgent spiritually and drug addled wasteoids. There's a lot of ways to go find responsibility: a career, the military, a religious order. But sex means babies foists it on people who haven't found it. That's "children make adults". Yes it's coercive but kind of in the same way that having a metabolism is.

Sorry for not editing this better but I'm needed at the ziggurat and I don't want to make boss mad.

Main reason I'M hyped about artificial wombs is as a big stick to hit pro-choice people with. Hmm, it seems the universe has handed you another "choice" besides ritual infanticide. Care to try it?

I didn't mention this in my post, but yeah I did notice the pro-lifers in the bushes with baseball bats labeled "artificial womb technology."

I wouldn't push for that, personally, but can the pro-life side wring out enough support to impose it via a state legislature?

[lordofsunshadowandsailor]

replies (long)

These include some replies from months ago, the last one added just before I left on my vacations. Sorry for having taken so long to answer.

Also, four attentive friends have alerted me in PMs about Apollo Tim/Jim being a probable misspelling mistake -- I’ve already explained them, and make it now public, that it is his professional name and he alternates between both -- we still don’t know his real name yet.

For the new followers, I do try to reply at least every end of the month, or after each update, and offer the most thorough answers I can -- so please to ask and comment!

declarations-of-drama replied to your photo “Tobio’s rude command slapped Alvar, his spitted words like sharp...”

Oh my god! I knew this would be how it would end for that day :/ I love how you made Alvar the proud shameful one here who regretted it all after being such a forceful partner earlier ^^

Alvar, pretty much like Tobio, got carried away by the heat of the moment -- and they are both now reflecting about what has just happened, what has been done -- and mostly, how, and where. To Alvar it seems properly bestial, and he deeply regrets it. For Alvar, it would have been fine if it were in the privacy of one of their bedrooms -- but then, Tobio, who wants no commitments, who can’t bear the idea of being homosexual, wouldn’t have been talked into making it in a love nest... They are a complicated pair, going opposite directions in their longings and desires.

simblu replied to your photo “Tobio’s rude command slapped Alvar, his spitted words like sharp...”

I love how eloquently you capture their internal conflicts.

Thank you! Because this is mostly what the story is about -- and all of my stories, I should say. Though I’m planning to have a whole bit more of action in LoSSS, with crimes and mysteries to be solved, it is always the characters’ inner lives and internal conflicts I write mostly about. My stories happen inside, and not outside, more in thoughts than in actions (that are often contradictory), and relying a lot on flashbacks. 

declarations-of-drama replied to your photo “In that parting moment it seemed prophetic enough, though – the...”

I would say "Poor Alvar!" but then I would be reminded how he acted like a virgin all innocent and unknowing which in itself sort of felt like a trap for Tobi. 

Maybe that is Alvar’s way of seducing guys? 

He doesn’t do it consciously, though, I guess. It’s like -- after sex, during which he really opens up and wide, but once it is through he closes himself again, not just his legs but his sexuality. It’s always a somewhat long way back into sex for him each time, as if he truly were a virgin every occasion he has to get into doing it again...

declarations-of-drama replied to your photo “In that parting moment it seemed prophetic enough, though – the...”

Also - I love the description here - makes me want to tell Alvar to go and bathe :D lol

I hope it is not too graphic or shocking, but it sounds true and probable to me, a few nasty details thrown in that add verisimilitude to the scene.

declarations-of-drama replied to your post “story replies”

Looking forward to more from your story - enjoy your holiday! X

Thank you, dear. And after wonderful vacations in which I wrote just one paragraph of a different story, we are back at LoSSS!

simblu replied to your photo “Still, though Tobio turned his head to look in Alvar’s direction, he...”

Good questions...

I am pretty much asking these myself, and sharing them with he reader, since it took so long between updates...

tyrellsimsoficeandfire replied to your photo “Tobio!” He exhaled the name more than called it, and finally seemed...”

How much I love these icarus scenes! Interesting how you play with the two levels of storytelling : Victorian and greek fantasy

Thank you dear! I started planning this to be a steampunk story, having that as the fantastic element of the story -- but in the end it’s a style I know very little of, and before I realized it I had included Greek elements in it, or the idealized -- and often kitsch -- Victorian ways of regarding classical Greece. It is of course an even stronger tendency once I’ve again vacationed in Greece. :) I’m glad you enjoy it, and be prepared for more!

tyrellsimsoficeandfire replied to your photo “Perusing the room, Alvar did notice a shelf full of flasks, and...”

Classy decor!!!! Adorable style

Thanks! I admit it is not a style I am familiar with, so it involves a lot of references to make it appropriately dated... So thankful, really, to all the wonderful CC creators who enable it!

tyrellsimsoficeandfire replied to your photo “The portrait, though having captured both her unique beauty and spirit...”

Recently you wrote your own writing skill's development surprised you: As no native speaker I am always fascinated. Don't think I could write that fantastic in English. Praise to you!!!!

Thank you for you kindness and support! It really comes as a surprise each time I read my own text. How did those words come together, I ask myself? But it is as if they have a need of their own, and I just obey it and write as they like.

And yet, there you are, writing your own beautiful version of Romeo and Juliet! Praise to you too! :)

willky12 replied to your photo “Perusing the room, Alvar did notice a shelf full of flasks, and...”

What man indeed.

This is my perception from what I’ve read and watched about the period following the end of WWI. It damaged irreparably an entire generation of men -- and women! I believe the stats say that only one in ten women did marry after the war, the rest having remained singletons, and widowers. This is actually one of the themes of LoSSS.

willky12 replied to your photo “The portrait, though having captured both her unique beauty and spirit...”

I agree entirely, you write like an Englishman! The second paragraph in post #11 was really well done I thought.

Thank you dear! I am indeed trying to give a British accent to this story, but how could I really differentiate? Of course I had to reread the paragraph you mentioned to try to understand what you perceived... Your feedback is beyond important to me, and I am so thankful really!

willky12 replied to your photo “I hadn’t seen him until this morning.” Alvar sounded out of breath,...”

This is a surprise!

It is! 

I was going to hold it for later, but decided the story needed some shaking. Thing is, now I recall why I was going to introduce it only later, and shall have to modify some future scenes I had planned having now shared this information. My problem to solve only, though. :)

jepensedoncjesims replied to your photo “With a sharp sting across his chest, Alvar deposed Apollo Jim on the...”

The second paragraph very wonderfully expressed. Such vivid images of the warm colors of Autumn with the anxiety or death lurking about. Beautiful work.

Thank you, dear. I oscillate between letting the image speak for itself or describing it and pointing at specific details... I tend to think not many people have seen Death hanging there on the other side of the window, right behind Alvar. Thanks for having noticed it!

simblu replied to your photo “With a sharp sting across his chest, Alvar deposed Apollo Jim on the...”

You do write so beautifully.

Thank you for your kindness, dear. I do try my best to honor a language that is not mine and that therefore I respect even more.

simblu replied to your photo “Tobio could tell why, but he wanted to listen it from Alvar. Lost Boys...”

So well told, really.

Thank you! Since it is a long post, I did pay special attention to the flow between sentences and paragraphs, and it seems to have turned out well.

simblu replied to your photo “You are taking him to your ancestral lands? To live under the same...”

Wow, Tobio is rather harsh in his assessment of that Lost Boy, isn't he?

According to the post you mentioned just above, he seems to be well versed in Lost Boys, having frequented parties where they were the main attraction -- and maybe even having hunted them in Pennington Park. He must know better -- certainly better than Alvar!

tyrellsimsoficeandfire replied to your photo “Tobio could tell why, but he wanted to listen it from Alvar. Lost Boys...”

It's always fascinating how deep you go into character building and how developed yours settings/backstories are. That's pure realism with every nasty detail included. It interests me, how much of research you do and how?

Thank you for asking.

This passage, specifically, demanded some research, yes.

I Google a lot, I read lot, and I even try to watch movies or documentaries on the themes I am writing about -- so that it is not just fun, but entertainingly learning at the same time. I do have many boards of references of images and links to texts on Pinterest, and not just a few file collections in my own laptop. 

What I don’t want with this story, though, is to be specific about dates and places, otherwise I’ll have to be specific about facts and events -- and that is beyond this project.

danjaley replied to your photo “The boy stood clearly not for a sailor, though the hat could have been...”

I wonder if Alvar has the remotest idea how his attempts to be distant and reserved make Tobio imagine the most colourful scenarios.

I really don’t think so, since they don’t communicate a lot, do they? There are entire paragraphs for their thoughts and perceptions, that they keep to themselves though sharing it with the reader, while only a few lines with dialogue. They each live in their own world, and see things from very different perspectives and through diverse experiences and backgrounds.

[deborahdeshoftim5779]

Responses- The Marvel of Trelsi (Part VIII)

By BoltonEvans post here. 

Believe me, I’m in the same boat as far as my OTP goes. While there is a bit more of a variety of fanfiction to explore, the majority of it is grossly out of character (self-loathing homophobic asshole Troy, and Ryan with Sharpay’s personality who refers to Troy as “Bolton” are everywhere), and resort to using extreme traumatic scenarios, such as rape, for cheap drama.

I used to be in another fandom where the homosexual ships involved exploitation of rape as a plot device, which is quite frankly disgraceful. As for Troy being “homophobic”... Is that why he decided to make friends with the most flamboyantly gay... Oh, never mind. I truly believe so many fans were watching a different film altogether. 

Even worse, I’m the only person still actively writing for my ship, these days, with the very rare exception cropping up and taking me by surprise every couple of months, or so. It’s a very sad state of affairs.

Sad, indeed. They have far more in common: 1)- A love of the Performing Arts and corresponding commitment, 2)- Strong work ethic, 3)- Kindness, generosity and thoughtfulness, 4)- Humour. The honest viewer doesn’t need to ship them to see this. Gabriella by comparison only meets ONE of the above criteria-- being a hard worker, and that only relates to her academic pursuits. When it comes to Troy or Ryan’s hard work, she’s happy to flush that down the toilet when it doesn’t suit her. (She’s also happy to play the two against each other to get emotional revenge, which is obnoxious). 

A few more notes/additions, because I’m both obnoxious, and incorrigible:

- My Tryan bias results in my perspective of Troy seeking Sharpay out and agreeing to perform with her and save her “sinking ship” of a talent show only if she also allows the Wildcats to perform, revolving around Ryan persuading him to do so. Troy was hellbent on dropping out of the show and resuming kitchen duty as a show of solidarity with his friends. It was only because of Ryan that he ultimately changed his mind. So, even though Troy absolutely does uphold his commitments (he is a textbook people pleaser, after all), I view that instance as the one exception where Troy had to be talked into keeping a promise. Thankfully, it was by someone who was actually looking out for him, for once.

That’s a good point. Thanks for pointing this out. 

- One minor correction: Gabriella transfers to East High after the new year begins. In the American school system, this would be the start of the second semester, or halfway through the school year, and it’s questionable just when, exactly, she and Troy began officially dating after the events of the first film. In all likeliness, she and Troy dated for about half of their junior year, broke up several weeks into summer vacation, got back together (after Troy was willing to throw an opportunity for a scholarship out the window because of Gabriella’s reaction to him prioritizing his future over giving her a summer worthy of remembering), managed to stay together for most of senior year, then broke up, again, when Gabriella unceremoniously and callously dumped Troy over the phone a week before the year was out.

Correction noted, thanks. 

“When Troy tries to show her a golf course in HSM II, she tells him “I don’t play golf”, which is harmless enough. But given that she should have known by then that her boyfriend was on the school’s Golf Team, it would have reflected better on their relationship had Gabriella taken an interest in his golfing, whether she liked it or not. Particularly since Gabriella was later bitter that Troy didn’t ask HER opinion on the much-derided “Italian golf shoes”. If she doesn’t play golf, why does she care?"

This is a brilliant point, even though I believe that Gabriella telling Troy that she doesn’t play golf when he was obviously setting up a date (since he’s the sole half of the relationship tasked with planning every single date they go on), was rude. I’m assuming that Gabriella, contrary to what sense and logic would dictate, doesn’t take any real interest in Troy’s golfing because it was nothing more than a plot point for the sake of the narrative in the second movie, and never comes up, again, afterward. Her general apathy toward him is also a factor, though, of course.

I also want to add that, as far as their lack of a “common thread” goes;

-Gabriella seems unable to commiserate with Troy’s financial woes, and, indeed, never expresses a single concern about how she’s going to afford her own college tuition- another disparity.  

Oh, this is a VERY good point. Thanks for noting this one. Contrary to what popular romances like to claim, financial disparities can often harm a relationship, with the lesser fortunate partner feeling inadequate (particularly if they are a man) and yet steadfastly refusing any financial assistance. In Troy’s case, he never envies Gabriella’s financial position or asks for anything from her (although she bums freebies off him ALL the time), and expects to resolve all his financial issues himself through hard work and personal responsibility. This is one of the things I really like about him. However, his flaw of worrying so much also comes to light, which is where, as you say, Gabriella comforting him at the very least would have helped somewhat. Of course, what she ACTUALLY says is that they should “focus on right now”-- in other words, herself. 

Whenever Gabriella pulls attention away from his relatable issues and back to her own First World Problems, I tend to think this would have the psychological effect of making Troy feel as though he were complaining too much, if that makes sense? Because he always invests SO much in alleviating Gabriella’s worries whilst sidelining his own. So he would be internalizing a LOT of anxiety, which is extremely unhealthy. In conjunction with the fact that Gabriella makes him feel and look like a toddler in their relationship, his financial woes would make him feel even more inadequate for her as a partner. When his truck breaks down whilst he takes her home, he looks embarrassed, even though the reason is perfectly normal: he needs a new fuel pump. But it’s almost as though he anticipates her mockery, which makes me think that she regularly mocks him when things go wrong-- even if those things went wrong due to circumstances beyond his control. And let’s not forget the fact that he feels so obliged to impress Gabriella by spending his own limited resources on her, even though she can clearly afford to not only provide for herself, but also do nice things for him. What was stopping Gabriella from buying herself a pizza and inviting Troy round for once? Why couldn’t she pay for dinner and a movie sometimes? Why couldn’t she use her mother’s car or help buy her own, since she clearly has the money? Why, as you have already said, could she not help Troy out with his truck woes? (As I’ve said, I’m almost POSITIVE that she would have gotten irritated with him on the ride back from California, because his truck is unreliable. She has no concern for anything that troubles him. I bet she didn’t help pay for petrol, either). He eventually spends/borrows money to attend Berkeley for reasons beyond my humble comprehension. 

It’s very unhealthy and Gabriella’s lack of sympathy makes it even worse. 

-Gabriella’s bedroom decor, behavior, and wardrobe choices suggest a childlike innocence to her personality, and she talks about wanting things to be "like Kindergarten”, but, as you mentioned, she pokes fun at Troy for holding onto boyhood playthings. Watch her face when Troy takes Robo-Rob from her, worrying that she’ll break the toy robot.

That doesn’t strike me as the face of a girl who finds her boyfriend’s dorkiness and sentimentality for an aspect of his childhood endearing. That’s the face you pull when a person says or does something crazy and you’re trying to wrap your head around it.

You seem to have all the right gifs! Christ. There’s rarely ever any genuine affection in her eyes when she’s around Troy, as I will discuss later. Maybe in HSM I with the rooftop scene, we saw some genuine affection as she was opening up to Troy. That vanished not long later after the webcam stunt, in which her expression was NOT hurt/disappointed, but cold and almost hostile. (Maybe she didn’t want to appear weak or hurt by his words, given that she DID shed tears earlier). And yes, the hypocrisy is staggering in the way she treats Troy’s childhood interests. 

-Troy knows his future is coming at him full steam ahead, and even though he has no idea what he wants to do, after high school, and is “being pulled in a hundred different directions”, he acknowledges, “We’re going to graduate. That’s going to happen. Nothing is going to slow down”… while Gabriella laments, right in front of him, life not grinding to a standstill, just for her, so she never has to leave East High. This suggests not just a disparity in priorities, but in maturity levels, as well; something that would have caused an eventual rift between a real life couple that nothing could have patched up.

Absolutely. 

Imagine, years down the road- if they managed to stay together- Troy fretting over steadily accumulating bills and taxes while Gabriella rolls her eyes and tells him to just push for a promotion at work. Then, imagine Gabriella finding out that the electric bill hasn’t been paid and their electricity is about to be shut off. Do you think she’d take a stressed out Troy aside and promise to find a way to get them out of this rut, or angrily confront him and demand to know why the bill hasn’t been paid and if he wants them out on the street?

Shaking with laughter! :D Please God, let it not get this far! 

Imagine how Gabriella would respond if Troy sustained an injury, in college, that ruined his shot at a career in professional basketball, or if he got laid off from his job. Do you really think she’d stay by his side and try to work things out? Or, do you think Troy would come home to find the engagement ring he put his entire salary toward, sitting on the kitchen table beside a note from Gabriella explaining that she “can’t do this, anymore”?

That dialogue... :D That is JUST what Gabriella would say. I’m laughing because of the sheer irony. We are told that this couple represent “Relationship Goals”... I just can’t! *wipes eyes*

Based on everything I’ve seen in canon, I heavily lean toward the latter.

The Wail Fest in HSM II epitomises Gabriella’s philosophy in a nutshell: “I gotta do what’s best for ME.” She really knows how to play the scorned lover in every one of her Wail Fests. What’s even more insulting in this song is when she sings, “You’ll be okay!” This is AFTER she: 1)- quit the job he secured on her behalf, 2)- mocked and derided him for his promotions, 3)- flirted with Ryan to manipulate his emotions, 4)- dumped him, 5)- and eventually rejected his necklace. She has some audacity! Every time she is about to drop kick him, she constantly makes the presumption that he will understand her behaviour: (HSM I)- “You’ve got your team, and I’ve got mine. It’s WHERE WE BELONG.”, (HSM II)- “I just don’t belong here, I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND”, (HSM III)- “I can’t be a little adult right now, Troy. I’m hoping you’ll understand that.” It makes me sputter with rage. Meanwhile, when it comes to HER turn to show some understanding in the following situations: (HSM I)- When Troy is clearly being pressured to avoid the Musicals, (HSM II)- When Troy is under pressure from Sharpay’s harassment and his fast rise to fame, (HSM III)- When Troy is worried about his future--- hey, what do you know? Her “understanding” vanishes. It’s like she never heard of the word. 

*angry sigh*

I’ll discuss more of this in later posts. If you don’t mind, I’ll add some things you’ve said here. (Giving credit, obviously). 

Thanks for the responses! 

[renaroo]

Wednesday Roundup

The late but always reliable reviewer Rena is here today. I sat on this one for a while considering the... internet-wide discussion we all are a part of now given Marvel’s recent revelations from this particular Wednesday, and the fact that I have a Marvel comic (even if only one) on my Roundups today made me somewhat reluctant to fully get into this, but I had, personally, a good Comic Day and I would hate to waste the opportunity to share the good in comics going on right now with all of you. So we’ll see how everything stacks up, and just how I’ll be handling Roundups in the future as a result of the current... nastiness, we’ll call it.

DC’s Batwoman, Image’s Descender, Marvel’s Invincible Iron Man, DC’s Super Sons, DC’s Superman, DC’s Superwoman, DC’s Trinity

DC’s Batwoman (2017- ) #2 Marguerite Bennet, James Tynion IV, Steve Epting, Jeromy Cox

As worried as I was with the Batwoman: Rebirth issue -- and I think I laid out my concerns pretty fairly, I have to fully admit that my worries have been almost entirely subsided as we go forward starting with this issue. 

I always have this concern when there’s a continued revisionist history of a character’s origins that we’re going to be falling into a Donna Troy affect -- where every author is more interested in retelling and retconning her history than actually allowing the character to be who she is and moving forward from there. A problem in comics that disproportionally affects female characters if you’re sharp enough to notice such things. 

This issue really helped me to put down that worry mostly because while, yes, we are revisiting Kate’s past for the hundredth time in the last ten years, the story proper is actually pushing us and her forward rather readily while not shying away from the aspects of Kate that make her Kate. 

Her loyalty, her issues with commitment, her homosexuality -- everything comes into play this issue and leaves us itching for more involving these Many Arms of Death plot overall. I’m very excited about this comic and am so glad that Maguerite Bennet is becoming such a good fit for it. 

Image’s Descender (2015- ) #21 Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen

So I just recently got caught up on Descender in time to review the newest issue the week it came out, so I have to give major thanks to @feministbatman for recommending this comic to me. What can I say, you know me so very well and my love for robots and sci-fi has been incredibly rewarded for it.

This issue was another brilliant one, we had Tim-22′s reveal and takeover of the ship, but we also got to see a lot more development of Andy and Effy thanks to Bandit’s little vision quest of sorts for us. 

But of course the most anticipated and worrisome part of all of this is worrying for Tim-21 who is still in Psius’ hands and at the heart of the Havester plot that keeps on thickening.

It’s hard to say much else. 

I will say that while I’ll always be a fan of Nguyen’s signature style, I do find at times the choice to make this entire comic watercolor rather than more inked and refined does do some disservice to certain moments I think could benefit from having stronger color and more definition to them, but that’s a general criticism I’ll probably dive more into with the wrap up of this arc. 

Marvel’s Invincible Iron Man (2016- ) #6 Brian Michael Bendis, Stefano Caselli, Marte Garcia

An entirely all-female supporting cast to a female Black superheroine Ironheart with our token dude (Tony) being a computer AI. It’s the setup dreams are made of and I love how much love Riri is getting in the media and the world for her choices here. 

It’s also incredibly relatable how she reacts to being in her idol’s workshop, the idea of her “using it as her base” is unfathomable and her geeky cries of “THIS IS HOLY GROUND” had me literally laughing out loud. I loved it, and I loved how much agency and voice is given to Pepper as Rescue. So often when a young new hero takes over an identity, the trailblazers before them get left out (looking at you Captain Marvel, though you did make up with it in a pretty good issue yourself). 

There’s just so much to love in this comic and I’m glad that at the end of the day, even with all the Women in Science, it doesn’t diminish Riri’s single mom who works a 9-5. That relationship, you can already tell, is going to be monumental moving forward.

Great issue, great introduction to Riri. Am looking forward to seeing more of her. 

DC’s Super Sons (2017- ) #3 Peter J. Tomasi, Jorge Jimenez, Alejandro Sanchez 

To put things simply: This book might be one of the most amazing things that DC is putting out right now and if you have absolutely any interest in it at all, I would highly, HIGHLY recommend you pick it up because this is some a-grade fun. I adore having this book to look forward to and the antagonism as it comically plays out between Damian and Jon is easily some of the best stuff I’ve read with Damian’s character since the Robin: Son of Batman comic. 

Which, if you know how much I flatly adored that comic, should obviously be taken as pretty high praise.

That being said, there’s some issues. Damian’s skin tone is not being protected enough by the editors and the whitewashing, especially compared to how good DC’s Rebirth comics have been about it in other series, is very distracting and supremely disappointing. 

Jon has grown on me very quickly and while I will continue to talk about my longing for Chris Kent and my apprehensions about the continued theme of biological kids erasing the bonds of adopted kids, this is a good comic overall.

DC’s Superman (2016- ) #21 Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray, John Kalisz

In this episode of “how is an evil cow taking down Batman” today, we get no such answers to no such questions, but we get a giant octopus monster fight with Superman, Superboy, and Robin and -- really -- isn’t that the content anyone really comes for in a Superman comic. 

Once again, Jon’s heat vision is out of control and kills something, but rather than it being another moment of horror and reflection for him, as his father was trying desperately to save the creature’s life along with the citizenry of Hamilton, but the entire town seems to turn on Superman and praise Jon over him for “doing what is necessary.”

Now, this might be me reading too much into this (and read: it is) but this seems honestly like a huge commentary on the values of classic heroes like Superman being put in stark contrast to the blood thirsty and fear mongering of the public today. Too often we praise the most immediate and final of reactions rather than the harder and grayer solutions which Superman is supposed to be able to give us. 

And considering how awkward the praise heaped on Jon feels in this issue, and the surprise revelation at the end, I’m pretty sure we’re not supposed to like that a life lost unnecessarily is being celebrated by everyone around. 

Damian and Jon are still a ruckus and everything is still very intriguing. This is definitely my favorite Superman run in a long time.  

DC’s Superwoman (2016- ) #9 K. Perkins, Stephen Segovia, Art Thibert, HI-FI

So here we are starting off with a new creative team and resetting my Rule of Three, which for anyone new means that I give new runs and new comics 3 issues to hook me before deciding how to handle the series moving forward. And considering that I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the last two or so issues of Jimenez’s run, I’m not completely objecting to a bit of a change up in the creative team. 

This issue is dealing with the fallout of the Superman Reborn storyline and mostly about Lana dealing with once more being powerless, and how that makes her feel conflicted. I felt like this dealt with Lana’s emotions in a much more respectful and loving way that the last issue did, definitely, but mostly the issue read as filler before we get into the next arc which’ll be starting with #10. 

So here we go into curiosity. I’m very interested in where this new team is deciding to take us. 

DC’s Trinity (2016- ) #8 Cullen Bunn, Emanuela Lupacchino, Ray McCarthy, HI-FI

Another issue, another tie-in, another creative team change. Now, I’m going to be flat honest with you: I have absolutely no explanation for what happened in this issue. And I’m not doing that for comedic effect, it’s just honest. 

This definitely felt like more filler before we get to somewhere beyond all the crossover events and can instead return to Trinity’s desperate attempt to find its own status quo. Something that positively worries me because its predecessors in spirit, Superman/Batman and Batman/Superman, never really cohesively found that groove for themselves. 

For the time being this feels like after the first arc, this series has become something of a place for reactionary storytelling -- basically paid advertisements for bigger events going on in the rest of the DCU. 

I desperately hope I’m wrong, I really liked the first arc and would like to see more friendship-centered adventures between DC’s Big Three, but I’m going to officially move this series to trade-wait if things don’t change by the next issue. We’ll see.

So this has been a rough week for comic fans, there’s no getting beyond that, and this Roundup was at least in part held back due to my own concerns about just how much the fallout of some truly bad decisions over at Marvel was going to play into my own feelings toward comics this week.

I feel, overall though, I had a good pull this week, and while some were a little lackluster and have gained my reservations, I overall really loved my Super Week. And of my Super Week I definitely have to give my favorite issue to Super Sons, which has just turned out to be a spectacular gem to follow and I’m very glad for it existing. 

But how do you all feel about this week? Any comics I missed you think I should try out? Any disagreements with me on this week’s picks? I’d love to hear from you!

[renepmartineztravels-blog]

A NIGHT TO TRANSGENDER - PART II (Scare-BNB) I woke up early this morning to get my 'Dear John' letter ready to write to Kaska so I could make my escape. I woke up the two of them and said they could take the bed as I saw they were shivering on the floor with the window open. I hurried my packing, got clean, and even placed the note in a somewhat hidden spot behind the TV. I could hear Kaska rustling about and she came out of the room 15 minutes later and said, "We were off our tits last night weren't we?. Did you sleep ok?" I was nervous and must had that guilty look on my face when I responded, "Nah, it was great". Her eyes immediately started staring in the direction of the TV, "What's this?", she asked. Christ! She picks up the letter and begins reading it: " Dear Kaska, thank you for this amazing time, I feel like I have been an inconveinence and so I think it's best that I go and explore the city on my own. I thank you for everythng you've done and wish you and your art career the best. Signed, Rene". She looks up at me and says, "Were you going to pull a runner on me?". For a second, I thought this is where she snaps and mystery exposes itself; fattened for the kill, I was ruining her plan to sell me into that Polish sex ring. "Oh no...." I nervously responded, " I just didn't want to take your bed, and doesn't seem like you really have the space...". "Nonsense", she replied, "You're staying", we were going to make art like we said." Just then, Jezebel tears through the room, "Has anyone seen my bloody skirt and bra, I have to get to my electronics class!" I was defeated and told Kaska that I would stay another night but I'm going to go out for a bit and then meet her at the studio. I left thinking that I just ruined the whole thing and this may cause a new awkward energy. Who knew that a girl that had been drinking since the morning before would have the wits to detect a 5x7 notecard from across the room. Her senses were impeccable. I met Kaska at the studio around 4pm where she had already been working on her newest piece. It was nice to know this place was actually real and that it wasn't another hang out for the dead end boys or a sex hostel. My mood was apprenhensive and a bit annoyed at this point. I went under the rolled top door into the studio thinking I would just stay for a short time. It was cold and debris was everywhere, it felt like a squat, and I shouted to see exactly where she was. She yelled from up the stairs and that is where I found her painting and smoking. There was loud dancehall music coming from one of the studio spaces below, but for the most part the place was empty. She said, "Do you want to meet my favorite person?" We went downstairs towards the dancehall music and past the huge clouds of marijuana smoke which were hiding a thin Scottish man in his 50's working on editing photographs. This was Stephen, and he was an artist and a very nice man. We had a great talk about art and Los Angeles and New York. We even discussed Francis Bacon's studio which Kaska had never seen. He quoted Picasso and mused about how dumb it is for artists to be fearful of modern tools like Photoshop to help them make their pieces. I agreed and this talk settled me; I was feeling inspired now. We went back upstairs and Kaska says, "So you want to paint?" "Yes", I replied. Originally Kaska and I were going to colaborate on a portrait but I was more inspired by Jezebel - she was such a character. Kaska gave me an old canvas that had a dumb bird that Liam painted on it and I began working. We painted in the cold air of the room with only one dim light and some ambient glow that came in from the overscast outside. We painted for about two hours and I finished my piece. Kaska was nice enough to let me use all of her paints and materials to do this piece. This was good. I had paint on me and I was smelling linseed oil....and I was happy. We decided to take a cab back to her place and on the ride we started to talk. Sober, Kaska and I had more in common and were able to discuss things like showing our work and the inspirations of artists. It felt more like a give and take between us and the madness of yesterday had washed away. On our way home she asked if I wanted to see the Necropolis (cemetary) and I said "Sure". We strolled through the cemetary as the clouds and sun sunk into the dark. It was raining in the distance and the gravestones looked amazing. I had not been inspired to paint anything with Kaska until we were in this cemetary. I started getting ideas and was upset that I hadn't bring my gear. It started to rain, and so we left for food. She asked if I Jezebel could join us and I told her i can't really do another night of debauchery. She said, "Don't worry, I feel sick, and I know Jezebel has Jury Duty on Monday." Jury Duty?! She is a busy one isn't she? Jezebel joins us and despite having a her third hair of the dog, she was quite tame. We sat and talked about the differences of living in Glasgow vs London; Jezebel says, "I love London, but there are far too many immigrants" Kaska goes, "You're a tranny and you have issues with accepting immigrants?" At this point, I was glad that I stayed. There were both present and I felt connected to them. I even said, "Wow guys, this has been great to meet the two of you, how long have you know each other?". Laughing, Jezebel says, " I only met this b**tch a week ago. I started going out to pubs after my girlfriend commited suicide." Kaska and I were shocked. Me, because I thought they were old friends, and Kaska because she thought he liked dudes, and they'd been spooning all night. Let alone, the fact that he girlfriend recently died and he seemed as normal as anyone you'd meet. Kaska goes,"I'm sorry, wow you seem not affected, are you ok?" Jezebel responded with telling us it had been hard and started to pull up a picture of his girlfriend, the first one of her face, and then the second one of the gaping slice to her wrist. Kaska jumped back and said, "Why the hell do you have that?" "Because she sent it to me before they found her." Kaska and I couldn't speak. Right there, In that moment, I saw a relfective side of Jezebel; a deep sadness was on her face as she stared at the picture. I could tell she drank to cover the pain she'd endured in life and that the picture she carried around, while morbid, was somehow comforting to her and the last intimate connection with her ex of 3 years. I think we were all exhausted at this point. We went back to Kaska's and they decided to watch some TV while Jezebel talked about how she advertises for Johns and how it's a lot of straight men who request her. Kaska put on Taggart for me, a famous Scottish detective show like our Columbo. They both told me how popular it was and i was happy that it was unintentionnaly hilarious. The acting and the people were so bad in it. The plot line was about a bunch of murders happening in the gay community. The show runners obviously took these episodes as a chance to comment on homosexuality. Everyone in the show seemed to come out of the closet, the policemen, the old businessman and his lover, the kid stealing boy porn in the shop, and the erotic way the dead bodies were arranged. We kept making jokes that there was no actual plot and they just wanted to show gay things. They both started falling asleep, and so they went to bed, leaving me to find out who the gay killer was - I was entranced. The killer was revealed to be the one American they put into the show. Of course, that is perfect, the American dude hates the gays because he fears he may be gay. Was this all planned? Kaska said if I don't watch out, I may turn gay. Then the friends, Jezebel, and this? Even thoughGlasgow didn't turn me gay, it did surprise me. We woke up that next morning and did some filming back at the Necropolis. I hugged both Kaska and Jezebel goodbye and told Jezebel she could keep the painting I did of her - she was elated. As I walked away, I thought how amazing this whole experience had been. Will Kaska become a big artist, will Jezebel convict whomever she has on her jury, and will I ever seen Tranny Nun Bangers? No one knows, that's what makes life worth living. Next stop, Edinburgh.

[southguardelite]

S03: Day 54

Had insane bouts of crying yesterday. And the night before girl basically told me that she has no future for us in sight... no trust; and I heard people talk behind my back about how I was being creepy about other girls.

This is remarkably sad.

I know it already destroyed a series of relationships. The sexting was a huge problem; already my first gf basically led me into this pattern of asking for stuff via chat. I wonder why this developed. If I remember all the way back, the first time I truly chatted I already kind of manipulated a girl over chat. Why?

I’ll try to figure this out. A reason might be, so I’ve heard, is that I was never very successful with girls when I was young. I was “not a man”, or “different”, or “nicer”, or “too nice to be a guy”. There was this one girl who told me that straight to the face on a goodbye from a holiday exchange.

Now I think the problem is that others got girlfriends, were more sporty, attractive... I had acne and huge rings under my eyes. I was smart, but not attractive. I had friends, but I wasn’t cool.

I already used porn to quite some extent then. It gave me a safe haven, a place where I could get the affection I couldn’t get with girls.

Even then I had a first girlfriend, and I started finding her less and less attractive, and listened to that she wasn’t so attractive even though I in the beginning when this was all private did think she was. Then sexual stuff came in... I was afraid. Basically then I asked another girl if she would kiss me - and this is where the sexting habit started. I hid this.

So maybe one aspect about this is that I did not have success with girls, and sought reassurance in porn, which never judged (btw I already noticed back then that I was significantly more irritable after O). Another thing is that I did not have a good grip on my sexuality. I cross-dressed, a fantasy I apparently had from a younger age, but again something I could never talk to anyone about. Sexuality in general was not talked of. We didn’t have boyfriends or girlfriends. My parents didn’t show a loving sexual relationships, they were more like siblings. Bickering, and it appeared that they were mostly co-habiting instead of actually loving each other.

That changed a bit later, at least they started showing a lot of platonic affection. They were good parents, but maybe they had no clue what type of problems they created in me.

I think fundamentally I just didn’t know how a good relationship, sexuality, and all of this go together. For instance, I distinctly remember telling myself and believing in the fact that one needn’t have a girlfriend around 20, or 23, because one isn’t done with studying. That’s for later!

In essence this kept us too close to our parents. For too long, they were our emotional centers, and yet they couldn’t give us the type of emotions we longed for so much.

For instance, I now begin to realize that if you want to marry someone, that person is your life center. You both have parents, but those parents cannot stand in between you. Yes, this is a comfortable nest, but truly, you need to move out, and on, and become independent. You can visit and have them part of your life, but you cannot make them the center. My mother always complained about this because my father’s parents were at home and they put a lot of pressure on their relationship. My dad never left completely, he was then though living in the same place and was angry at his parents, probably because there was always something to do, attention to be had.

In church, we were told how sex is bad, how relationships should be such that you need to marry eventually, how homosexuality is weird, how love is romantic and cutesy and holding hands. What nobody there really told us is how we have to develop a healthy sense of self, how we have to learn to love, and how a boy that had never had any real success with girls, being covered in acne, socially a bit of an outsider, uncool, not very sporty, and surely not within the attention range of all the hottest girls (which was!! so important and portrayed by those, even the religious folks, as a win! you need to get this and that girl, they make out, they do. All there.)

So stifled in developing a healthy attitude, I always looked at porn. The videos probably escalated around 18, the tube sites when I was 21 or so.

And the creeping continued. Essentially all girls were one after the other addresses, and asked for stuff... and then I moved out and was alone for three years. Why? Well you cannot have a relationship if you don’t know how to even approach it, and how to even want someone. I dated my second girlfriend then and believed we were together when we were not, and her feedback was essentially that I was pretty unemotional, and no good action was happening. Well? I didn’t know how to kiss - awkward, never had a good conversation about that - and I never went further, because I didn’t want to or see how. I was a kid, fapping away, not growing up.

So the rejections and disinterest continued piling up, I moved again, was lonely for three years. Moved again - again same type of rejection, quite embarassingly, with a girl I really liked but didn’t have the guts to tell.

Well, I moved again, and finally I thawed a bit. In a good social circle, the best I had had till then. I also felt more accepted. I saw a girl for a while, but again, rejected on the same grounds, while I thought this was going somewhere. Well, a year later, a cute girl ... same thing. AGAIN. I thought we’d come together or be together, and I ran after her, was by that time extremely clingy I think. The weird thing is we made out, which for me meant sitting on the bed kissing, while she clearly expected more. But nothing came. I didn’t know how to proceed.

Oh I continued looking at porn btw, all throughout.

I had one depressive breakdown then for other reasons, but I connected it to a medication I was using back then. Not to P, that was obviously all right. I think back then I already numbed myself with it; the prospect of moving I just blended right off my radar covering it in P.

Then I had sex the first time. It was awkward. Did I mention my PIED? I couldn’t get it up. Initially, at least, and then I came within seconds. Twice. Oh the third time she came too. But clearly it wasn’t great, and I was ashamed and left.

I then had a longer relationship that I had already talked about, the one that broke down after three years. It was, in retrospect, a bit abusive. I was giving up too much, and the situation was unfortunate. I continued using porn. The comfortableness kind of cured the PIED part, but its ugly head showed again towards the end.

By the end of it I was so depressed... you know the story, I tried to reboot. Oh a girl was showing interest then, and it was good for a while but then I panicked. I returned to fapping, and got depressed again, and numbed my desires. I got to know a girl then and fell for her a bit. She was good for me and fell in love with me. I got scared, again, and pushed her away. This was when my parents were visiting; I was comfortable in their presence, and fapped, and thought “oh why would I want a relationship if I can be in this situation”. Oh we broke up.

An entire year thereafter I was basically focusing on work, and apart from another hookup nothing much happened. Of course apart from sexting, and P. Which kept me “healthy”, I would work lots, and then in the late hours browse and fap. Or, then, even in the morning hours. I slept quite late, and was looking forward to leaving, always, thinking it must be the place. I was literally travelling with the intention to hooking up, and then never did it, because I was afraid. There was one girl but she was terribly depressed and a bad match. But on top of it I was pretty afraid of even moving towards a stage of kissing her. But at the same time I was asking her for pictures.

Then last spring I started dating again. Went out with a series of girls, noticeably more successfully then. I still P’d, but not so much anymore. Less frequently. Things were... somewhat looking up. I realized I needed to practice to go out, otherwise that would not work well.

So last summer I met the girl. And: still did P, and that meant I really didn’t want to let her get close. Had severe PIED - hard to stay hard, hard to not come within seconds, almost impossible to get it up again. But I really really liked her. So I kept her at bay. Weird that I didn’t know that I really REALLY needed to stop looking at porn. I think I realized even then that I can just numb myself through the period of decisions on where to go, and smooth that sailing. It worked. I was afraid of falling for someone to have another external factor in this decision.

Well I was, by the way, caught out a few times by girls for the sexting. They called me sleazy and creepy. You need to change, I told myself. And I didn’t.

Girl probably felt my dishonesty. That there’s something below I didn’t tell her.

Well over Christmas I was home and things with her went downhill as I talked about before. And I finally, finally, made the commitment - for the wrong reasons again, but I did it - to stop. And I think this time it really stuck.

[pod7]

Summer Anime* 2017 Lightning Review

*Just the shows I watched, of course

I’m leaving out shows that I dropped, so if you remember me talking about a show but it’s not listed here, I was either bored by it or just didn’t enjoy it anymore after a certain point, and that’s really all there is to say~!

Shows Included: 18if, Action Heroine Cheer Fruits, Aho Girl, Boku no Hero Academia 2nd Season, Centaur no Nayami, Classroom of the Elite, Clione no Akari, Gamers!, Hajimete no Gal, Isekai Shokudou, Kakegurui, Keppeki Danshi! Aoyama-kun, Knight’s & Magic, Koi to Uso, Made in Abyss, Nana Maru San Batsu, New Game!!,  Nobunaga no Shinobi: Ise Kanegasaki-hen, Pokemon Sun & Moon, Princess Principal, Teekyuu 9, Tenshi no 3P!, Tsurezure Children, 

Reminder that there are spoilers in the reviews below

18if I didn’t quite get what they were trying for with this show until about half-way through. This felt like more of an excuse to explore and experiment stylistically than to actually tell a story at most times, but because of that it got to tell lots of varied and unusual-for-anime stories, including an episode exploring the culture of the hearing impaired/deaf population of Japan, which was really cool. The ending just ended up being kind of wank, but since there wasn’t really that big of a reveal set up, it wasn’t that disappointing. If you want to see some interesting visual styles and some cool Twilight Zone style reveals, you might give this show a shot. 7/10

Action Heroine Cheer Fruits This was quietly one of the better shows of the season. It had the same framework story-wise as Love Live; girls end up banding together to save a building from being demolished and help support the town by buying into the newest fad sweeping the nation. Only instead of idol groups, it’s “local heroes”, live stage shows portraying sentai and superhero like characters beating villains with the goods and virtues representing the town they’re from. The girls are all really cute, even the really cliché ojou-sama~ Shimura had her moments. I will also give this show all the praise in the world for not only including a handicapped character but also making her a central figure to the plot. The ending of the finale where she is included in the show after working behind the scenes for so long tugged on my heart strings a bit. Plus, there is a not so vague relationship between Misaki and Roko, with Roko probably being my favorite character in the show. It’s not as moe as Love Live and the comedy isn’t as quality as something like Yuru Yuri or Wakaba Girl, but it’s still a great show. 9/10

Aho Girl The comedy reminded me of a mixture of Saiki-kun and Plustic Nee-san; very off the wall slapstick kind of stuff, but still really clever and you could tell there was a lot of love put into this show. I don’t know that I would say I laughed the most while watching this show this season (more on that later), but I would say it’s the comedy of the season for sure. Was really easy to forget the episodes were only 12 minutes long because it was just jam-packed with gags. Definitely a must watch for 2017. 10/10 Boku no Hero Academia 2nd Season I definitely feel like the girl characters are getting more screen time in season 2, which is always good. I still don’t see what people see in Bakugo, even after reading ahead in the manga, I don’t feel like his attitude is “redeemed” or “explained” much at all. Hero Killer Stain definitely stole the show; he’s so grungy and RAW, and Go Inoue delivers Stain’s final lines so passionately he almost had me convinced he was the real deal. Like I said earlier, I’ve read ahead, so some of the moments to come are exciting, but there are also some that I can feel will take up waaay too much time, or even have filler put in, which I’m not looking forward to as shounen manga stretches things out enough as it is. Will certainly get another season, it’s so popular it would be stranger for it to not get a third one. 7/10

Centaur no Nayami It’s been a while since I have read the manga, but I feel like they got many of the voices down exactly the way I imagined them. However, it also felt like there was a lot of stuff that was anime-original, or at least were out of order. As much as I can remember, this was the only anime this season with a confirmed-in-show homosexual couple, and while the explanation to the kids in the scene left a lot to be desired, considering the overlying theme of “zero-tolerance tolerance” towards discrimination, felt kind of odd, and felt like maybe the studio made it a little more conservative than it was in the manga. It was a shame that a lot of the everyday life moments from the manga were cut out in favor of more tropes per minute. What I’m trying to say is that while the show is good, it isn’t the best representation of the manga that it could have been in my opinion. 8/10

Classroom of the Elite This show was almost trash, but was saved by the revelation of Ayanokoji’s true self at the very end. Right as Horikita is seemingly spilling her tsundere guts out to him as well. This, in a similar vein to Kakegurui, was really unintentionally comedic to me. There was zero tension at all, mostly because you could see where it was going in most cases. I think it was a bit cheap to have the solution to how Ayanokoji would win the survival test come from a rule they never mentioned about the classes losing points for guessing other class leaders wrong. It would be like having a multiple choice question A/B/C/D and then saying the answer was E. I also think Kushida was a dud. Every time she tried to buddy up or get closer to Ayanokoji, I kept waiting for him to say “At the risk of you blackmailing me again, I agree.” Especially when she asked him who would he choose between her and Horikita it’s like... gee, do I pick the super effective mark I just procured or the girl who has blackmail on me and is asking me this? I wonder... A show that thinks very highly of itself unjustly. 5/10 

Clione no Akari This was kind of bizarre series; it was pretty obvious from the beginning that a certain character would die or was already dead. It felt like a series aimed at like 10 year olds, in an effort to teach them about bullying through entertainment. I don’t really have much to say about it, it had an obvious message with a miserable ending, I’d say pass on it. 5/10 Gamers! I’m not as enamored with this series as most people seem to be, but it has it’s charms to be sure. Karen and Aguri are really great, and in a close third Uehara-kun, but I’m not a fan of Chiaki and Keita, which is kind of bad considering they are the ones we’re meant to be rooting for. I was also pretty shocked at how well received this was considering it is almost entirely a love-pentagon rom-com; any other series with a love triangle or more seems to be met with “ugh, why does this shit have to be in here.” I suppose if it’s meant to be poking fun at the trope as a whole, then I can see it, but if that’s the case then it was so blunt I immediately dismissed it as being too likely to be the case. Karen is probably my fav in the show, and I was kind of annoyed that the rest of the actual game club didn’t really show up much at all despite the early hype for each member. Aguri is a late favorite, mostly because of how she was in the finale; a person who genuinely doesn’t understand the appeal of video games but is still willing to hang out with gamers and tease them about gaming’s darker sides. 8/10 Hajimete no Gal This was basically what I thought Galko-chan was going to be, but it also had it’s own uniqueness to it. The show knew what it was, and didn’t take itself too seriously, but wasn’t a slouch either; it made an effort to make the characters get to know each other and come together somewhat organically, considering how big the cast was. Obviously I’m drawn to Eri Kitamura’s Ranko; the misunderstood childhood friend with a gay crush on her best friend beating up any guys that try to get in her way is something I can get behind as a protagonist, let alone a side character. I think this show is actually more interesting censored than uncensored because they did it creatively and on-theme instead of just mysterious beams of light or clouds of steam. A fun show if you don’t mind sex comedies. 9/10

Isekai Shokudou The “comfy” show of the season to be sure. A great lesson in evolving narrative as well; it starts of with seemingly one off stories each week, but begins to intertwine the stories of the patrons that come along, which was done quite well. The only real problem with it is that, it’s called a western restaurant multiple times in the show, but almost everything they serve is Japanese; it was a real missed opportunity to introduce food from around the world to the Japanese audience, who would be able to relate even more to the bewildered fantasy characters coming to eat every seven days. That being said, if you just want to relax and enjoy something really just pleasant, or need to make yourself hungry, too, this is the show for you. 10/10 highly recommended 

Isekai wa Smartphone to Tomo ni It’s kind of a misleading title, to be honest; it’s meant to convey how powerful his smartphone is in this new fantasy land devoid of most technology, but it’s actually more that God gave him affinity to all elements that makes the protagonist so OP. If that wasn’t enough, he can also learn all null magic, which is meant to be like character specific spells... He doesn’t even have to be taught them, he just have to read about them in a book and he can use it, which is crazy ridiculous in any other show, but because you are expecting him to be over-powered from the start, it’s actually quite enjoyable, in my opinion. The harem stuff was tedious but at least they acknowledged that a) in a medieval setting and time period polygamy being normal makes sense and b) protagonist is still holding on to his previous world and life’s customs of monogamy, and won’t commit to marrying all of them, not yet, anyway. I don’t know that I’d watch a second season of this to be honest. It would have to go one of two ways; either an actual challenge shows up, or he ends up similar to One Punch Man, and begins working on a way to go home or something. 8/10

Kakegurui I said earlier that Aho Girl is comedy of the season, but that I didn’t laugh at it the most this season. This show (and another) would be the reason behind that. I don’t know if I’m just too jaded for it or what but the fact that this show was billed as “psychological” slays me. How anyone could take any of these characters or situations seriously, in the most obvious hentai setting on the planet, is beyond me. The style and animation was all ready pretty and well done, as were the expressions. It’s hard not to compare it to Prison School visually. My main complaint would be that Yumeko isn’t fleshed out enough; they tried to make her this force of nature type character but so was the student council president, who was far more mysterious (naturally), so she just ended up feeling underdeveloped. Since this probably won’t get a second season, I would have liked for the finale to be more in jeopardy by having the second to last episode end with the “president” denying Yumeko’s challenge with a smile, which would have been devastating to Yumeko. If you would like an edgy version of over the top characters rivaling the Phoenix Wright series that take themselves a bit too seriously, you might give it a watch. It’s hysterical. 7/10

Keppeki Danshi! Aoyama-kun I’ll be brief about this one; it’s basically Sakamoto Desu ga, Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge, and DAYS!! mixed together. Make of that what you will. I loved the coach and the girls’ basketball star character. 7/10

Knight’s & Magic FINALLY another mecha show I can get into! Just had to make it wizardy and junk, I guess. Another show this season where the protag is OP and it ends up being just fine, honestly. A slight complaint would be that they bother to mention how much time passes between scenes multiple times, some of which are “many months” long, yet none of the characters visibly change with time. It kind of reminded me a bit of Arslan, in some ways. I would have liked to see more about the mysterious race that guards the secrets to the mech engines as well. If you’re only kind of sorta into mecha like me and want something different, this is a great show just for you! 9/10

Koi to Uso Really should have dropped this one, but there was just a glimmer of hope now and then that this would actually have an ending. It didn’t though, and now I feel like I wasted six hours of my life. There wasn’t even any big reveal in the finale that would be a hook to get me to read the rest of the story, just “he loves both and well I guess that’s it.” I liked how genuinely awkward the protagonist was; these days in anime they’ll say the protagonist is weird, otaku, awkward, but then he’ll be the least nerdy of his friends, or “borderline weird”, which when he’s with his friends makes him look normal (see Hajimete no Gal), which defeats the purpose. The guy friend who was in love with the protagonist was really interesting, and it felt like they didn’t do enough to make it feel like he would ever actually confess. The show isn’t particularly funny or poignant either, it’s just kind of there. The thing I will remember most about this show is that it had a catchy opening theme. 4/10

Made in Abyss It’s a crying shame that this isn’t a 24 episode season; who knows how long it will be until a second season, though apparently it’s pretty likely to happen. Don’t let the cute characters and pleasant background masterpiece artwork full you; there is some pretty gnarly shit in this show, particularly Mitty, a formerly-human blob of body parts that is functionally immortal, despite her friend Nanachi’s best efforts to put her out of her misery. You get to see, fully on screen, how this 10 year old became a puddle of skin, or basically the eldritch version of a pokemon. It’s fucked up. I honestly had to look away. Still, it’s a great adventure show filled with real peril and very, very dire consequences. My favorite character was Ozen because of how creepy she is but also I love her voice, it stands out from every other voice in the show. 10/10 must watch

Nana Maru San Batsu I have participated in quiz bowl in the past, but it was never this hardcore, yet still managed to have the elitist bullshit attitudes, so I wasn’t too sure I was going to like this one. However, Mari Fukami and Akira Sonohara kept me around. It’s rare to see a girl in a setting like this that is shown to have earnest and ambition separate from revenge; sure, she wants to redeem quiz bowl for her brother so she can play him again, but in general she just really loves it and wants to be better at it. Akira is fantastic, I empathize with them (for the sake of brevity, gender neutral pronouns will be used) on a lot of levels when it comes to games. Whenever I play canasta with my family, they just want to play to the bottom of the draw pile, which, when you want to play multiple games, can take HOURS, so I started playing where I would keep all of my cards in my hand, and then “go out” all at once to end the round. They stopped asking me to play because of it, but it sure was fun to throw a wrench into things while still “playing the game”. Also, Akira is really cute, I really loved the side ponytail wig. ANYWAY, I had low expectations, but this turned out to be pretty good, though there were some points I was skimming through. 8/10

New Game!! Anime of the season. I just can’t get enough of these ladies and their interpersonal dynamics. While things were once again switched around from the manga, it still feels very much like its right off the page, and a lot of that has to do with the fact that Shoutarou Tokunou, the creator of the manga, sat in on script meetings and even wrote the script for some episodes! Which is pretty unheard of I think. He even started bringing a tablet with the script on it to make changes to the script on the fly. I’m really torn on the ending; they just about all but said Rin and Ko are lovers, which was actually more than what happened in the manga, but didn’t pull the trigger. I also feel like Ko leaving is a hell of a cliffhanger, especially considering the anime is basically caught up to the manga already. Tokunou has said that Ko’s time in France will be included in the next volume, so maybe in a couple years there could be a third season? That’s being greedy though; it got a second season, and I was already reading the manga before the anime so continuing to read it won’t be an issue. I just love them so much. 10/10 highest recommendation

Nobunaga no Shinobi: Ise Kanegasaki-hen Continues to be one of the better short form series I’ve ever seen. The comedy is always extremely clever and the historical accounts and the sarcastic take on such revered figures is always great to see. If you are interested in the time period or Nobunaga specifically but don’t take them too seriously you should really be already watching this. 9/10

Pokemon Sun & Moon I haven’t been this into Pokemon for a LOOONG time, and it is 100% to do with this series I think. It’s just so fun and energetic, there’s no world-ending threat (yet), the kids are all just hanging out and discovering new Pokemon stuff together. Lillie is of course the show stealer, and it would be great to see her travel as a full time companion with Ash eventually, since she essentially leaves at the end of Sun/Moon games to become a Pokemon master, just like Ash. I may have missed about 400 episodes of the series, but I don’t remember ever seeing any of the companions as like an apprentice to Ash, so that would be a new take for the series to use I think. I said Lillie steals the show, but Musahi/Jessie is still my number one gal; she is outstanding in this season, and is honestly becoming one of my favorite animated characters ever. Which covers a lot of ground. I know some people are down on the character design and over-exaggerated reactions, but I think, like the Sun/Moon games did for the game series, this was the breath of fresh air that the series needed to stay relevant. Continues!

Princess Principal The finale felt really flat/anticlimactic. They are definitely planning on a second season, or some way to extend the story like a game, which hurt it in my opinion by leaving too many things open-ended. Also seemed really hackneyed to have Princess and Ange just immediately back to lovey-dovey mode, despite Princess telling Ange to never let her see her again after a pretty hardcore betrayal. A begrudging thank you from Princess after being saved and a stern re-establishment of their relationship as mutually beneficial rather than romantic (or extremely platonic) that would build back up to it’s previous height in a continued story setting seems like it would have been a better choice. Best girl was Dorothy easily, for me. She seemed the most like a spy out of the whole group, and was kind of the Dick Grayson to Ange’s Batman; for raw ability she may be a bit behind Ange, but Dorothy has the heart and the willpower to really become a legend in the game, while holding the group together. Even though the show felt like it fell on it’s face at the end, the rest of it was crazy good, especially the episode where they confront the double agent and former classmate. 8/10

Teekyuu 9 Speechless. How do you describe perfection. Mandatory viewing. 10/10

Tenshi no 3P! Despite the pedo alarm sounding on nearly a weekly basis for this show, it ended up not being too bad. It was kind of like Ryo-Kyu-Bu but if all of the girls were professional level athletes already. To be able to play like that at age 7 or 8, and “not know what to do” with it seems really silly, but it’s more of a story about dragging the protag out of his room after becoming a shut-in from bullying. I feel like in the end the protag will end up with the age appropriate older sister, but then again I thought that way with Usagi Drop and Listen to Me Girls! I am Your Father! so who knows where this will go. Not to a second season, most likely. 6/10

Tsurezure Children I’m sure many people on tumblr were aware of this series without actually know the title, so it was nice to see it make the rounds every week with a decent amount of popularity. There’s not really one couple I would pin down as my favorite, it’s all just really clever gag writing that is couple with great visuals, another great short form series. 9/10