#so little women and they're all cool... we could have gotten more...

[da-janela-lateral]

Something I really like in the MP100 artstyle is that not all female characters need to be chock-full of traditionally "girly" traits. Not everyone has big eyelashes. Teenagers aren't drawn like they're grown adults just for a weird visual cue. Girls don't need to look all cutesy, nor women need to look attractive, and the story isn't afraid to make them be strange lest they're less agreeable to the audience. And surprise! They still look like women. Goddammit, Tsubomi's first (though mistaken) anime design was used as a storytelling device! The aliens are a parody of the average anime girl! People can complain about the characters looking "ugly" all they want, but it's refreshing to see an animanga that doesn't rely on tired stereotypes to show someone's gender.

[snellyfish]

Why is Angie your favourite character?

This is really funny I just got off call with Glownary and was talking about how much I don't miss Danganronpa discourse. Anyway I hope someone finds a way to get mad at me in this post!

((Admittedly I'd probably actually place Korekiyo above her because he ACTUALLY has a relevant and specified canon story,,, but, y'kno))

Plain and simple, she just has a handful of design and character tropes I super adore in characters! As a base, I'm usually not super into,,, well-adjusted, well-liked , reasonable, and rational characters. LMAO. They're fine but I live for exaggeration. I LOVE when they're little freaks and not watered down at all for the viewers sake/comfort, I love when they (both the writers and the written) just keep twisting the knife for no good reason other than the bit despite how unconventional it may be.

One could argue that her not being watered down and being as shitty to the other players as she is is a trauma response, or just a mentally ill person being mentally ill. It can be neat to think of her that way sometimes! It's of my opinion that almost all Danganronpa characters are super open-ended lore/personality-wise and we as fans are just making up canon as we go because it's FUCKING FUN, and, as such, all the ways that Angie can be interpreted is very interesting to me-- EVEN if that's seen as "the irredeemable annoying religion-force-feeding zealot antagonist." Which is, of course, an objectively awful way to view anyone REGARDLESS of media illiteracy, but, you know! I like weird freaks so this "flaw" they see is simply more food for me. Yippee!!

Whether I think she's canonically A) genuinely malicious and sadistic, B) traumatized from an abusive religious sect, C) honestly caring about the other players, and/or D) none/all of the above? I'll never tell! Oops all bangers!

Tropes I enjoy, whether or not I found myself enjoying them BECAUSE of Angie herself;;

Religion, especially if it's horrifying and...bad! (Most of my own characters deal heavily with religion and religious trauma, I think it's cool to play with, whether or not it's a fantasy religion like I think Angie's is)

CULTS! Cult behavior! Let's live in a commune!! (GUYS I LOVE MIDSOMMAR)

Dark skin / light hair contrast color combo goes hard!!!

+ The pansexual flag palette is literally my favorite color combo ever!!!!

Manipulative little shits!!!!!

Small scary women!!!!!!

Islander stuff, it's very nostalgic to me and I just have a deep love and appreciation for the beach and ocean!!!!!!!

Piercings!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cutesy sunshine character who could and would stab you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BLOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IDK HOW THIS WASN'T MY FIRST POINT!!!!!!!!!!

AND SHE'S JUST FUCKING SILLY!!!!!!!! SHE'S GENUINELY SO FUNNY AND CUTE ESPECIALLY IN HER INTERACTIONS WITH SHUICHI!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE HER SO BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She was an IMMEDIATE favorite when I played V3 and when I found out that, like, everyone fucking HATED her and she's probably the least liked character in the entire class by the fans, my brain immediately went the contrarian route to find reasons to like her even MORE. I tend to do this a lot, but when it's a character I already enjoy, it's even worse, dude.

ummmmm obligatory Shinnaga mention sorry but I frequently tend to appreciate a character a lot more based on potential dynamics alone. Ships, romantic or not, have legitimately gotten me to enjoy characters I hated before, based on interesting interactions unique to them alone. So while Kiyo and Angie's (they're making out btw) ingame dynamic and dialogues aren't REALLY what my sick and twisted mind views them as, it's worth noting that my honest belief and interpretation of the two of them could even give me a sliver of that dynamic being possible .......... means she's fuckin slay ............ it means love wins..... It means Vote For Yonaga 2024

[kyouxa]

Amnesia World: Normal World (Kent‘s END + CG)

Nova: I wonder how Kent's doing. Ikki's teaching didn't appear to help much; therefore, I got a horrible feeling about this.

Kent: …..

Woman 1: …..

Woman 2: …..

Kent: …You princesses over there. Is there anything I might help you with?

Woman 1: Eh, U-Ummm—

Kent: Once you choose what to order, please let me know. Or do you want to call for a certain prince?

Woman 2: No, that's not it. We want you...

Kent: ….. ?

Nova: If someone tells you that, you should get it!!

…Phew. I was so mad that I yelled, which is not like me at all.

Kent, you're just being yourself. Even though you speak properly, you behave more like a soldier than a prince...

...But strangely enough, it seems to be a hit with the women.

Woman 3: That guy looks really cool. He's tall, and his eyes are so pretty… !

Woman 4: W-What should I do? I'm a little scared, but should I be brave and go up to him?

Nova: Look, the female customers are staring at him closely, even though they are standing far away.

—Ah. Look, Y/N. The customer from just now is approaching him.

Woman 1: U-Umm… ! Is it okay if I take a picture?

Kent: …A picture?

Sure, I'll arrange it right away. Who would you want to photograph?

Woman 1: Eh?

Kent: If you want to take a picture with Prince Ikkyu, you will have to wait 30 minutes.

If you want to call for him, please put your name in this form and wait.

Woman 1: H-He's not the person I meant.

Kent: Hm, you didn't mean Prince Ikkyu? I'm sorry for that.

Woman 2: Y-Yes. We actually meant you—

Kent: Me – as in Toma is behind me?

Woman 1: E-Ehhh… !?

Nova: In terms of insensitivity and leaving a negative impression, that man is the ultimate example… !

Ah, geez, I can't watch this anymore. The girls are trying their best over there. We need to step in and help them.

Kent: Ah, Y/N. You came at just the perfect time.

If you have time right now, could you please tell Toma to come to table 4? These guests want to take a picture.

Choices

1) They're not asking for Toma.

2) I can take the picture.

— They're not asking for Toma.

Kent: …What, seriously? But he's the only person behind me.

Nova: Please stop making unnecessary interpretations.

— I can take the picture.

Kent: ….. ? No problem. I had no idea you had to report that.

We are open right now, after all. Even after closing time, you are free to take as many pictures as you like.

Nova: That's not it either. We were simply trying to take the picture for them...

end Choices

Woman 2: U-Um. It's just as she says.

Woman 1: We want to take a photo with you, not with other people...

Kent: …What? With me?

Woman 1: W-We can't?

Kent: No, it's not that…

Is it really okay if it's me? Are you certain?

Woman 2: Y-Yes! We'd love that.

Woman 3: Eh, does that prince also let people take pictures with him? Then I want a picture with you too!

Kent: Ah—

Woman 4: M-Me too! I've been looking for an opportunity to speak with you for quite some time now!

Kent: P-Please wait. I'll take pictures with the princesses in the order they applied for—

multiple women run to his side

Nova: And in an instant he was surrounded by all of the female customers. You look surprised, Kent…

I don't think he'll be able to handle all this by himself, so maybe we can help him… First, we need to calm the women.

Choices

1) Everyone, stay calm.

2) Princesses, your prince is overwhelmed.

— Everyone, stay calm.

Nova: …..

Ah… it's pointless; they can't even hear you.

We can't shout because we're still in the cafe… Let's take a slightly different approach then.

— Princesses, your prince is overwhelmed.

Woman 1: Eh, ah… I-I'm sorry, prince!

Woman 3: I must have gotten carried away...

Kent: I-I hope you understand…

…I appreciate being chosen by all of you, but there is no reason to rush.

I swear to fulfill everyone's requests as long as they follow the proper procedures.

I want the princesses to come to a mutual compromise so that they can fully enjoy our cafe.

…In addition, before we begin our photo shoot, why don't you enjoy our food?

The special menu for today is something I made for all of you. Please take your time and enjoy it.

Woman 4: Eh, are you the one who made all of these creations!?

Woman 2: If that's the case, I'd love to try… !

Kent: Thank you. Well, I'll return to take your orders as soon as you've decided.

I apologize, Y/N. I never imagined you would save me twice in a row.

…But why? I'm not the type of person who becomes overwhelmed easily. Moreover, my build differs significantly from those of the girls...

And yet I was perfectly overawed.

Nova: That's fine. It's a common emotion among men all around the world.

Kent: How does Ikkyu normally interact with so many women at once… ?

I was usually puzzled by his behavior, but this time I can respect how he interacts with women.

It's his natural talent, after all. It's not something that can be replicated with minimal training.

…I wonder if a man like him attracts all women.

Maybe even you—

Woman 1: Excuse me, can I order?

Kent: …Hm, it's the same customer from earlier.

Sorry, Y/N. I'll go wrap this up for now.

…There's no need to look like that, Y/N; don't worry about it.

Next time, I promise to be completely prepared so that no matter what happens, I will not be shaken.

I will try not to make a fool of myself again. Y/N, please pray for my success.

Nova: …He seemed very motivated at the end. I wonder if he was thinking about something specific.

Finally, he was able to complete it on his own. I suppose there's no need to worry so much anymore…

Time skip

Nova: Y/N, good work today. You did really well.

It became extremely crowded in the afternoon, but I'm glad we got better results than expected.

Kent was also doing his best, in his own way. When things got really busy, he was great at dealing with customers.

Kent: Y/N, I finished removing the sign outside. How about you?

Looks like we're finished. I can finally change out of these clothes.

Well, I can't change it right now.

Shin, as the first one, has only just begun to undress, so it will most likely take some time.

This outfit is not particularly comfortable to begin with. It is simple to put on, but taking it off requires a significant amount of time and effort.

Nova: I think it should be easier to put it off than on… What kind of structure do those clothes have?

Kent: …Do you want some tea while we wait, Y/N?

I was thinking about having it with everyone together, but I doubt everyone will still be here. Let's have it early.

Nova: Good idea. Then let's go into the kitchen and prepare—

Kent: Ah, wait. You don't have to go, Y/N.

I will make it this time… It's thanks to you for helping me out so often today.

Time skip

Kent: …..

…Despite everything, today was truly special.

I never expected to be out on the floor. Especially dressed like this.

Initially, I was reluctant to participate, but...

I think it was a positive experience. I could learn firsthand about the challenges of being in charge of the floor.

…However, I would prefer to avoid it in the future.

This event confirmed one of my previous realizations. It's that I'm completely incompatible with customer service.

I was a failure as both a waiter and a prince. Do you think so, too?

Choices

1) You were a brave and lovely prince.

2) I wish I had a prince like you, Kent.

— You were a brave and lovely prince.

Kent: …..!!

…Sorry. I dropped my cup.

That was close. If there had been anything inside, the situation would have been disastrous.

Mine said the other day… that black and green tea stains require bleaching over time.

Although, from what I can tell, bleach cannot be used on this type of costume.

If she discovers a stain, she will undoubtedly leap upon me, leaving no room for recovery. I shudder just thinking about how much this costume costs.

…..

…In any case, I don't want to talk about it anymore. I was so shaken up that I must have changed the topic by accident.

I never thought I'd hear you say those words...

— I wish I had a prince like you, Kent.

Kent: …Hmph, I won't be angry over this type of teasing. It's not for nothing that I'm Ikkyu's best friend.

If you truly want to surprise me, you'll need to plan more carefully—

…..

…Or maybe it wasn't a joke?

end Choices

Kent: No, well... I apologize. It's not like what you said offended me in any way.

Nevertheless, I'm still not used to your open emotions and words.

In the past, whenever we met, we would debate… no, argue. I suppose that feeling hasn't left me yet.

Nova: Eh, you guys didn't get along? …I mean, you wouldn't know.

We were having nice conversations, though. It's kind of strange to hear this…

Kent: Now that I think about it, I might have a lot to reflect on.

No, I apologize. I deeply apologize. I made several remarks that were not considerate of you. Even if I say so myself, they were terrible…

…It was that time that stood out the most out of all of them.

You may remember it; it was when I stopped tutoring temporarily.

Nova: ….. ! This feeling… !

Flashback

Kent: …What's the meaning of this?

Y/N: Um, is it really that weird that I want to give you a gift?

Kent: Yes, it is. I would even call it impossible.

Are we in a relationship where we can give and receive gifts from one another? You don't have to respond. Because there is no other option than no to begin with.

…I see. So, this is it.

It's to express how relieved you are not to see my face again, isn't it?

If so, that's a wonderful expression. The irony hidden behind a pleasant-sounding word like "gift" is painfully obvious.

In fact, the relief I felt after finishing this pointless part-time tutoring job has now been completely ruined.

…You should be satisfied now. I'm already busy, as you can see. I don’t have time to spend with you—

Y/N: …I like you.

Kent: ….. ? Did you say something?

Y/N: I feel so stupid…

Kent: Eh… ?

Y/N: And I feel so lonely…

So you're saying I'm the only one feeling sad… that we might never see each other again?

Kent: Wha—

Y/N: I know we fought every day, but over time — you started to pay attention to me and what I had to say.

I kept thinking that maybe we're getting closer... I was so happy about it.

But it was all a misunderstanding on my part…

Kent: …That's not—

Y/N: I'm sorry to still be a bother. You can keep cleaning up without having to worry about me; I'm leaving now.

Kent: Wait, Y/N! I… !

door closes

Kent: …..

Flashback ends

Nova: It's a lot worse… than I thought it would be.

It looks like Kent used to work as a part-time tutor at your school. That means you didn't meet him at your part-time job.

But was that really Kent? He was acting so prickly that I can't imagine it now.

What can we do to make such a cold relationship more positive… ?

Kent: After you left, I started to regret everything. How we parted ways… and how I made you feel that day.

That's why I was so surprised and pleased to see you when I started working here.

The person I thought I'd never see again appeared right in front of me.

From then on, I was desperate. I tried to apologize to you in some way.

Well, actually, I was afraid of rejection, so I didn't try talking to you at first…

And after a long time, I've finally made up my mind. When I bowed deeply…

…You finally smiled at me.

Instead of me saying, "I'm sorry," you simply stated, "I'm glad to see you again."

At the time, I felt as though you had saved me.

That's when I realized it. I've always wanted to speak to you like this.

Nova: …I see. So that was the turning point that changed your relationship with one another…

Kent: …That was the only time I was able to fully express my true feelings.

I'm still unable to express all of my feelings to you.

Every time I try to communicate with you, my brain doesn't work properly…

I open my mouth and spew out a slew of meaningless theories and arguments, concealing my true feelings.

…That's why… Sometimes I feel envious of Ikkyu and Toma.

Their feelings for you are quite straightforward. It's as if you can feel it.

Even if it was only a tenth of that amount, it would suffice... How many times did I wish for that kind of integrity?

…..

An ideal prince who can express genuine love...

I don't think I can imitate all of Ikkyu and others' behavior, but...

I'm still dressed in the costume, so I might as well stay in character for a while longer.

Kent: —My beautiful princess.

You are probably unaware of it. But I'm always thinking about you.

Your eyes, your voice, your smile—

Ever since we met, I've been captivated by all of it.

Knowing your existence has made my world more beautiful, colorful… and precious.

…Ah, am I dreaming?

I never thought the time would come where I could touch you like this…

…At least tonight, just for this moment, would you allow me to be close to you?

Princess, I love you more than anyone else in this world—

Kent: …..

…No… that's…

…If you make such a face, it makes me feel perplexed as well, princess…

O-Okay? Don't leave just yet. We're now getting to the important part.

Y/N, I want you to—

You…

….. !

No, I can't say it anymore… !

Kent: Haha… It's always the same in the end.

…I'm not sure why that is. When I try to convey the most important information, I find myself at a loss for words.

Perhaps it's because I'm attempting to express myself to you, Y/N.

Emotions really don't work the way you expect them to.

…But until now, I didn't even have the courage to get in touch with you.

When you think about it, this could be a significant step forward.

Just a little... No, it's quite embarrassing.

I am able to express emotions that I would normally suppress. If it brings you happiness, then...

Maybe it's not so bad to dress like this once in a while.

an hour later

Nova: Hmmm… seems like you can just about see me.

As I expected, one memory wasn't enough to separate us. I thought it was a really important memory for you... But perhaps I was wrong.

Well, for the time being, we can be happy that one of your memories returned and that the event was a success.

We definitely hit a strong trigger. It was probably why the memory returned by itself before I could use my magic powers.

…But, to be honest, I feel a bit lonely already.

When I think about the fact that the time to say goodbye to you is getting closer… I just, you know.

Place: Heroine‘s home

???: —Ah, are you awake?

The End

[bogkeep]

more high school reminiscing

i remember the moment when i was first labeled a Feminist (tm). it was my best/only friend in middle school, we were working together to build a small catapult in carpentry class, and due to illness he was absent a lot and i built most of it myself. he called me a feminist for that, somewhat derisively, and i couldn't understand the derision because Yeah. Obviously? also surely i'm misremembering this event because it was a weird thing to call me for finishing our group project, but like. sure. catapults are feminist.

in high school i had fully embraced my status as the Annoying Feminist. weaponised it, even. if anyone said something really shitty and gender essentialist, i was gonna make it sooooooo annoying for them. one guy was gonna make a presentation about some videogame topic, and during a rehearsal for it, his intro talked about how the games women play don't count because they're all casual mobile games or the sims. not on my fucking watch you don't!!!! especially not in *this* class where literally every girl was a hashtag gamer playing hashtag real games by anyone's standards. in my feedback i just straight up told him that if he doesn't scratch that out, i'll be breathing down his neck. maybe not changing hearts and minds, but it worked. (also i hated that guy sooo much. he acted like he had a crush on me, but it was like, some kind of Idealised Version of me, since he clearly had no clue who i even was as a person. maybe it was an elaborate bit he was playing - wouldn't have been the first time someone did that to me.)

so i liked to think of myself as this radical outsider who didn't give a damn about what anyone thought of me, which was obviously not true, it just... manifested in weird ways. we had a new guy in class at some point, and he was like, a Cool Dude. he really did have the vibes of someone who didn't care what others thought of him. he also very early on identified as Not A Feminist, because, as he put it, feminists just want women to be on top instead of men. so i made it my Project to 1) Teach Him What Feminism Is Actually About And How It Benefits Men Also, and 2) earn his respect to prove that feminists are cool and not the man hating stereotype everyone in the early 2010s thought they were!!!!!

anyway it was actually going quite well, i think, like we were kind of friends though never close, and i would have breakthroughs sometimes - like he would say something about "idk why they're making such a big deal about a woman doing X" and i'd be like "no i agree actually" and he'd be like "you do????????" and i'd be like "yeah i think it should be super normalized and expected, it's just a shame that we haven't gotten to that point yet" and i could FEEL the feminist-meter increase. like yes. yes...!!!!! by the time we part ways he will respect the movement...!!!!!!!

except, of course, i put a lot of energy into this Project and he probably didn't give it any thought at all. i'd like to think i made at least a tiny difference, but. who's to say. during a school trip to berlin in our last year, i was in a very animated conversation with some other classmates about the differences between a song of ice and fire and game of thrones, and all the ways the tv show adaptation (which i liked at the time!) was much more sexist, Because Of Course I Was, and then cool anti feminist guy walks past and is like "are you bitching about game of thrones again?"

and that's all it took!!! that's all it took for me to just immediately shut down and leave and sit down in the hotel shower and feel deeply humiliated. just a single moment of being kinda rude to me mid-conversation he wasn't even part of. the worst part is that i had barely been bitching about game of thrones up till then!! i think that's why it stung so hard - no matter how little i 'preached' about my silly little sjw topics, it would always be Too Much and Too Annoying.

that was the moment i gave up on the Project as far as that guy was concerned. BUT THE THING IS. this weird need for respect from guys who clearly didn't see the need to give me any, i kept having it. it's a bit hard to pin down the exact genre of guy, but it was like, someone who didn't Hate women outright, who had female friends and acted chill, but had a Misconception about feminism and social justice. it was like, oh, i can bridge that gap for sure. i just need to prove myself to him!!!!!!!!! show him what a cool girl i am!!!!!!! as if i was not this extremely awkward autistic egg flailing around. EMBARASSING.

and yet! and yet. i still believe in the value of having friendly, humanizing conversations with guys i don't fully agree with - up to a point. the overton window has moved quite a bit in the past decade. and i think i DO have more legit self respect now - even if i still sometimes find a flicker of the same yearning for Some Guy's Validation, but the flavor is less "please respect me even if i'm a girl" and more "please respect me even if i'm trans". i'm just better at not getting hung up on specific Guys.

[love-killed-the-superstar]

The Last Ronin 2: Re-Evolution Issue #1 LIVEBLOG

SPOILERS ABOUND. I'M NOT GOING TO BE NORMAL ABOUT THIS IT'LL PROBABLY GET SUPER LONG

Okay so Casey Marie's muscles are something I'm never going to get over. SHE LOOKS GOOD!!!!! Her getup is feeling a little too reminiscent of a cape-wielding superhero for my tastes to be honest - I really loved the more practical outfits she wore in TLR Lost Years, especially in issue 4 when she was running the training mission for the kids. But ah well, I'm sure this will grow on me. It may not be practical (edna's law of no capes is coming to mind, also PLEASE TIE YOUR HAIR UP WHEN YOU'RE FIGHTING GIRL!!!) but it's very cunty anyway which I appreciate

Straight up thought she killed this guy - what was that sound effect if he's still able to walk??? I fr thought she snapped his neck

IDK if we needed a whole 8 pages of punching and kicking to exposition dump what we kinda already knew from what's been shown in the lost years (esp the lost day special) but IT'S FINE IG... NOW ONTO THE BABIES

SORRY, SORRY. TEENAGERS NOW.

GIGGLING KICKING MY FEET. We're ALREADY getting the leo-v-raph adjacent dynamic with these two and I'm living for it. if one of them drops a stone cold 'fearless leader' jab i will lose my shit

HI? HELLO, EXCUSE ME, MIND-TALKING? PICTURES IN HEAD? ARE WE A FAMILY THAT LUCID DREAMS OR SOMETHING?!?? I DON'T REMEMBER THIS BEING SOMETHING THEY COULD DO?? every new speech bubble here is like a punch to the gut, wdym telepathy wdym secret lair wdym honouring everything master splinter taught you???? (although i'm proud that when this panel dropped on news sites i was immediately like THAT ISN'T THE KITCHEN FROM LOST YEARS. turns out it was a Secret Lair TM)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Seance -- TURTLES COUNT IT OFF!!

not gonna screenshot the whole backstory but they're basically doing a telepathic puppet show explaining the backstory and it's pretty much the mirage origins with a bit of extra tlr flair. as always it HURTS ME seeing the turtles dying so thanks for that tlr2 :'')) icb these kids watch a mind movie of their uncles dying every fucking night. yall are messy

SOBBING AND CRYING,, I WISH YOU'D ALL HAD THE CHANCE TO KNOW HIM TOO!!!!!! I WISH YOU'D GOTTEN TO KNOW ALL OF THEM!!!!! (tlr splinter doesnt count tho because hes a dick)

there was a cool sequence of them rooftop hopping n stuff but i wont cover it bc we already saw it in a bunch of news articles weeks ago

i just did the SHARPEST INHALE. casey marie you and your beautiful muscular arms have aged like the finest wine

YI NO!!!!!

lmaooo moja is JUDGING your taste in women u two

lots of text... blah blah blah jobs, crimerates, blah blah... jiro in pig uniform jumpscare.. casey marie i thought u were going to fix him :(((

YESSSSS KIDS ARE GOING ON A MISSION WITH THEIR MOM, LETS FUCKING GOOOOO

MY BABIES ARE KICKING ASS!!!!!

....,.HUH

WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO MY BABY BOY ODIE!!!!!!!!!!! WHO DID THIS TO HIM!!!!!!???? WHAT??!???? HUH/1?!!? EXCUSE ME????

I'M . LIKE WHAT DO I EVEN SAY TO THIS. IT CAME OUT OF NOWHERE??? WHAT IS GOING ON!!!

FINAL THOUGHTS:

dude that first issue was wordy but the kids were ON POINT. they were so fun!! their dialogue is fun and they kick ass.

i loved yi announcing the punishment for casey while the others were like NOO SHE DIDNT MEAN THAT DONT LISTEN TO HER. we're getting more of their personalities and it's great!! it was a nice throwback to issue 2 of lost years when they were cleaning - yi refused to help because of how strictly she was following instructions. im picking up that she might be neurodivergent but i did get that from the lost years too - only doing things within strict instructions, getting frustrated at teaching odyn chess, not because of him playing horseys with the knights but that it was Against The Rules Of Chess - and now not picking up on some social cues. It's nice to see!! I love her very much, but it feels like besides rehashing the origin story she took a bit of a backseat to the other three.

i want to know more about why uno said being a rebel was moja's 'thing', since she didn't seem to be any more rebellious than the other three in this issue. we didn't get any unique interactions between her and casey marie which is what i felt was lacking from lost years but i wonder if this is hinting towards a more turbulent mother-daughter dynamic with them... I REALLY HOPE SO!! her and uno butting heads in a leo-raph way is very fun - i don't mind one or two prior group dynamics leaking into the new turtle siblings because they're all so different from the original 4.

uno seems to be taking on slightly more of a leader role than moja so i think he won the title of fearless leader. which is fine, i think it'll be fun to see and he's definitely less of an asshole now than when he was growing up in lost years. still picking on odyn a bit but seems to snipe at moja just as much. even when he was commenting on yi's storytelling he didn't make fun of her, though - i think she may have inherited the 2k3 don ability of being Completely Unbullyable.

i was really pleased that odyn felt more involved!! i feel like he took the backseat a few times in lost years - it was fun seeing more of his personality shine through! he and yi seem to get on the best, and i giggled at them rolling their eyes at moja and uno's raph-leo schtick. i didn't expect him to TURN TO FUCKING STONE THOUGH, so i'm nervous about that. WHAT DOES IT MEAN? WHO DID THIS TO MY BOY? IS HE GOING TO TURN BACK NEXT CHAPTER OR IS HE OUT OF COMMISSION UNTIL THE END OF THE RUN??? (if it's the latter i'll be a bit annoyed - don't take odyn away from the equation please!!)

I do wonder if by introducing casually that they can PSYCHICALLY CONNECT, the turtles will use that as a technique to reach odyn's mind to make sure he's still in there and piece together what's happened to him. i mean, their casual telepathy has gotta be some sort of chekhov's gun right?

and shit.... april was so fucking mad casey took the babies out so she's going to EXPLODE when she finds out what happened to her baby boy, her beloved favourite, her baby odyn :''(( im giggling rubbing my hands together waiting for the fallout but also if she cries i might cry too. speaking of april, she seems to be working on a new project and i saw nano particles mentioned - are we going to have a roninverse version of nano in this run???? I NEED MY ROBOT SON

as always, casey marie... u have aged like fine wine. u are stunning. disappointed that ur still believing that jiro can do good as a cop when their entire police force and government is corrupt as fuck. just feels very naive of her. i'm excited to see her break down at the concept of losing odyn - in fact i need everyone to mourn this beautiful kid. they tell us so much that shes a super clingy helicopter mom and i am picking up on the strict part, but it would be nice to see more of her just... hugging her kids. holding them. i get why she didnt in this issue but id love more mama casey squishing their cheeks and kissing their foreheads.

i have zero fucking clue what's going on with odyn. im wondering if it's somehow related to nano, or to whatever project April is working on - she says it's to do with clearing the tunnels, but I''m not convinced. who knows, there might be some ulterior motive happening.

Anyway, that's the end of my liveblog!! thanks for reading all the way to the end... go read it wherever you read ur comics!!!

[lavenderslace]

more butcher than man ♱ rockstar!eddie munson (reader goes by cady brocks, it’s her middle & last name!)

He'd known you weren't that bright the second he met you at that party in the hills six months ago. And no, he doesn't mean bright in the way you think. You’re smart, so damn smart. He means bright in just the way that you are. You're not a very happy girl.

Anyone who knew your insides could tell. If they’d taken the time to slice you open and personally talk with your organs, they’d know. You repulse at just about everything you do, and it makes him kind of sad. But he doesn't know how to tell you that—tell you that you’re the best and he kind of cares about you. No, he does care about you crazy, he just doesn’t know it yet. It’s so out of character for him, being serious with one girl.

He’s not going to tell you. He definitely won't. He has a reputation to uphold.

He's big bad Eddie fucking Munson.

He's been around the scene since he was twenty two—clawing his way out of Indiana with two guys he called his best friends, he's almost twenty seven now and has just about seen it all and more. At this point, it's like Corroded Coffin is never going to die.

He hopes they won't.

There's five of them now. Gareth, he's grown out his baby face, finally, has gotten ridiculously taller and more lean. Jeff, the tallest of them all, which hadn't been the case back home, his jaw as sharp as butcher knives. And Eddie, he’s everything and everywhere. He’s as quick as those butcher knives. Eddie likes to joke that all the drugs they did made them grow up all big and bad. They’re fucking rockstars.

The ones who didn't come from home, Tatum and Brooks. They're cool guys. Tatum's everyone's fuckin’ heartthrob, him and Eddie's names are always clashing in magazines at who's better with the ladies and occasionally guys. But it's Eddie, only because Tatum's got a chick who's been a soft secret for the last year and a half. They wonder, the media, what Tate's been doing recently. Why he’s been so silent with his night rendezvous that just randomly stopped. He doesn't give a minded fuck, he's keen on making sure the world doesn't dig its nails into Stella. She's a real sweet girl, Eddie knows, she's almost too sweet for Tate. Brooks is a different story, he's as loose as they come. He doesn't pick fights, he plays his music—get his job done, does the drugs, has the girls, and still manages to be at sound check early. Eddie doesn't understand how he does it. Really.

Crystal wishes he'd take some notes from Brooks.

Crystal's a dear. Corroded Coffin's all too dedicated manager, a woman who couldn't have kids and somehow ended up with five too old son's. Eddie loves her, she reminds him of his own before she passed.

But all of that’s besides the point. Right now is about you and how you’re a ticking time bomb he’s been trying to disengage for months now. He likes to think he’s made some progress.

Brooks thinks he’s stupid as fuck for getting caught up in a girl like you. But Eddie’s stop listening to Brooks around year two. So…

You play the guitar in a girl band called Bitten Lace. The names a bit much for you, but you didn’t have a say in it. It’s a four women show, one that makes you feel queasy and really silly. This was a stupid high school thing you guys did for some extra cash to get out of high school and into college; Boston wasn’t fun. But at one particular, silly, wedding—an all too rich man from New York was there and he liked what he saw.

You weren’t ready to pick up and leave, your little sister was six and your mother worked too much at the hospital—and your college essay was almost done. But Mave, a too powerful lead singer was persistent, full of guilt trips and gaslighting. Cady, c’mon! We’d be nothing without you! Don’t do this to us, we need you. With two pleading girls behind her, Trixie and Adina, what were you supposed to do.

You left home, with them.

You weren’t even sure if they really would’ve needed you to get by as a band, but your manger, Summer Lovewell, has said otherwise. You’re good at what you do, even if it’s not what you wanted to do.

It’s why Eddie notices you so quickly the night of that party. Everyone looked more than pleased to be there. Sex on walls and couches and unknown beds. Drugs on skin. Music in ears. It was his scene, his favorite fucking scene.

But staring at you on the balcony by yourself with a sparkling water down by your small kitten heels made his chest feel kind of funny.

Why were you alone?

Of course he knew who you were. You were younger than him and the media loves younger things. You, twenty two and new to fame. Cady fuckin’ Brocks! Beautiful and a little too soft by the media’s words and digs, they were awfully mean to you.

Bitten Lace had popped up like a firework and repeated sending colors to the sky. You guys were fuckin’ good. You were fuckin’ good.

He doesn’t remember what he said to you that night, too coked out. Sometimes, when he simply observes you—he wishes he had been sober that night. He wishes he remembered talking to you. He’s not even really sure how it escalated from there, but now, your like this all too big scarlet secret he’s trying his very hardest to keep away from flashing cameras and attention seeking tabloids.

He knows you, but he wants to know you better.

“Eds. Do you think I look silly in this?” Your voice is soft and your sitting on the hotel floor of Eddie’s room. He’s on tour, again, in Chicago—Bitten Lace happens to be here for press on a new world hit single.

He’s just gotten off of a show, shirtless, jeans a little too big in the waist, black socks, smudge makeup, and a bit of a smell.

He can’t find the wipes to get the glitter and black liner off his face. He’s still a mess. “Silly in what?” He asks with a mumble as he goes through another black book bag. Unlike his band mates, he doesn’t fuck with suitcases. He travels the world with three Jansport book bags that have kissed hell and back about six times. You tease him for them.

“In this..?” Like he’s supposed to know what you’re talking about, he doesn’t even know what you’re looking at—but he let’s you talk. He can’t find the damn wipes— “I don’t know, I didn’t like the shorts. They’re too tiny and the top was even smaller. Like I get it, we have an image, but the image only seems to look decent on Mave. I don’t have strong muscles in my stomach like that.” He hasn’t looked back at you but he gets what you’re talking about now.

He pauses with his bag and looks at you from over his shoulder. Your peering down at Blitz Magazine, Bitten Lace making the cover and a pretty thick section in the pages. The photoshoot for that had been agonizing. Mave’s judging looks to get your shit together and stop tweaking and Adina’s complaining was enough to have you crying in the shower after you’d gotten back to your small apartment. Trixie is much kinder and actually a friend. She’d been pretty silent throughout the whole thing, saying her thank you’s and giving her kind smiles when she needed to. You had tried to follow that method, but it hadn’t stuck.

You guys are big now, a year and a half in and Mave would kill someone if you guys started to slip in relevance. You’re tired and this isn’t what you signed up for in the slightest. But you don’t complain, you send your mother too much or your money, one might think, so she can work less and you call your little sister way too much. It’s really all you can do from here, where ever that is at the time. You don’t get a lot of free time to head back to Boston every now and then and see them. Eddie knows it bothers you. Unlike you, he hates going home and hasn’t been in four years. Hawkins does not need him. Plus, Wayne just likes to chat on the phone. Letters are cool too.

Eddie’s forgotten about the wipes now. His eyes on you as your fingers drag over the photos of the magazine. He hadn’t even been aware you were going to be in it, you hadn’t told him, of course you hadn’t. Brooks had, smacking the article into his chest after the show an hour ago—check out your chick, Munson. Goddamn. It had been moments before you arrived. He hadn’t even been able to look at it yet or give Brooks shit for his foxy words and tone.

He’s standing before you and looking down at the page, he spots you instantly. You are in tiny clothing. You’ve got white and tan cowboy boots on, small-small denim shorts that are tight in the waist and loose around your thighs. There’s a silver chain around your left thigh with a heart charm, it’s cute, Eddie thinks. Your shirt is indeed even tinier than the shorts, tight to your skin and flattering. It’s knitted and triangle shaped around your breast. It’s a nice tank top. You’ve got jewelry everywhere, much more than he’s ever seen you wear. Your hairs blown out and looks lighter—has your hair gotten lighter? He hasn’t seen you in almost two months, this shoot was almost a month ago.. His eyes drag to your hair now, pulled back in a very loose ponytail, you’ve got strands falling and framing your face. Your hair does look lighter. He wonders why you hadn’t brought it up? He kind of wants to kiss you.

“You look killer,” he says softly. He means it.

Your eyes flicker up to his, your chin now aimed up at him. You look so clean. Your lips are parted. “Seriously?”

Eddie smiles and sticks his hand out for you, you take it instantly as he yanks you up too aggressively. You slouch into his chest a little as he leans down to snatch up the magazine. He has a hand still on your arm and the other is holding up the pages. “I think the outfit is fuckin’ cool.” And he’s not just saying that too make you feel better, he really does means it. You look good and it’s all flattering, despite how you see yourself.

“Are you yanking my hair?” Eddie rolls his eyes at your weird phrases and drops the magazine on his made bed. “No. I am not yanking your hair. You look hot, killer.”

Your rolling your eyes now, shoving away from him as your cheeks go all red. He beams like a schoolboy at your sweet reaction.

You’re a slice of heaven.

You slouch into his bed, the sheets creasing under you. Your face is lined with his waist now. You lean forward and let your head meet his bare lower abdomen. It flexes for a second before a hand of his gently cups the crown of your head. “The wipes are by your first bag, by the way. You’ve missed them twice now.”

Eddie scoffs and laugh a little mean, he messes your hair. It is lighter. They’ve add more highlights to you. “You’re so mean.” He says as he pulls away from you to get the wipes, sticking out from under his first bag.

You smile and slide back onto his bed. “I’ll make it up to you and take off the glitter for you, rockstar.”

Eddie smiles, it’s faint and he’s glad you don’t see it. Not very metal of him. “Deal.”

[gamerdog1]

Ms. Marvel Review

Ever since Avengers: Endgame (2019) , there's been a noticeable shift in opinion towards Marvel Studios. Before, new releases were showered with fanfare, and fandom sites (like this one) would buzz about anything new for months. Now, it seems, audiences have grown bitter, disillusioned with the MCU and it's more recent ventures.

Despite this change in reception, Marvel has continued to put out quality work, starting in 2020 with their slew of Disney + exclusive series. These shows take a closer look at some smaller parts of the greater universe, focusing on character who haven't gotten the spotlight, and giving them their time to shine. Shows like Wandavision, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Moon Knight are excellent examples of this.

One show that doesn't really get talked about a lot, though, is Ms. Marvel. Released around the same time as Moon Knight, the short series follows a plucky Pakistani girl getting powers from a magic bangle, and uncovering secrets about her family's past. While its not the most grand, most spectacular, or most ground-breaking of the Disney+ series from Marvel, it shines in its own way, and discusses topics that haven't been touched on yet in the MCU.

Throughout the 6 episode run, Ms. Marvel talks a lot about Pakistani culture. The main character, Kamala, is a second-generation immigrant, with a Muslim family. We see her attend services at a mosque, go to an Eid festival, and celebrate a Muslim wedding. The series really does a good job at showing Kamala's culture, while having things like religious gatherings be there for more than just show. And when characters like Kamala push back against parts of it, it never paints her culture as bad or wrong.

It also helps that the show's characters are fun to watch. Kamala herself is a spirited nerdy girl, who might remind some viewers a bit of Peter Parker or Doreen Green. She hits a perfect balance between 'competent super hero' and 'just a teenager', that a lot of shows like this tend to overlook, and it really can make or break the character. She has big dreams, and wants everyone to see them, whether they're realistic or not. Iman Vellani does a fantastic job in this role, showing all the ups and downs of teenage life, while keeping away the snark that could've made her character annoying.

Kamala's friends are also stand-out in this. Bruno, her tech-obsessed friend, is a great support, and is undoubtedly any non-Pakistani viewer's stand-in in this culturally-steeped series. Nakia, Kamala's more religious friend, really stands out for her side-plot about women's rights in her religious institution. One could read these two as Kamala's dueling loyalties: one that wants a more Americanized life, and the other that deeply loves her culture.

While not the strongest friend trio in television, Kamala and her friends are certainly more stand-out than some of the other characters in this series. The antagonist group, the 'Djinn', are a group of normal-looking people with vague motivations, one of which has a romance subplot with Kamala. These bland villains really only make sense because of the show's scale, and clearly Marvel wanted something quick and cheap for such a limited series.

What's really cool about this show is it's creative visuals. Kamala is a daydreamer, and her imagination comes to life on the screen sometimes, for us audiences to see. The opening scene of the first episode, for example, is an adorable stop motion cartoon about Captain Marvel, narrated by Kamala herself. It encapsulates the vibe of the main character perfectly, in less than two minutes, and looks really cute doing so.

Other parts of the series use background and sets to show character's text conversations, forgoing boring speech bubbles for posters on walls, neon signs, and quilt patterns. Kamala and her friend's conversation about cosplay is illustrated in moving graffiti on the buildings behind them. Its little things like that, that take this show from good to great.

Ms. Marvel is a great show, plain and simple. I can only imagine how many South Asian, or Muslim kids saw themselves on the screen when watching this series.

[jjba-smash-or-pass]

Who are your top 5 favorite JoJo characters and why? Who are your least favorite characters?

Alright I'm gonna go into more detail because I love talking about characters <3

1: Foo Fighters. Like I've said before, Kakyoin and them have some similar motifs, namely the motifs of feeling othered from the world and not really having friends until they become a part of the main Jojo group of their respective parts. As a (probably) autistic person and a (definitely) ADHD person, I heavily relate to this message, as I never really feel like I belong unless I'm with my tight-knit friend group. What I like better about FF, though, is that this "otherness" is a key aspect of their personality and characterization, instead of being shoehorned in right before their screen time ends. That, and their overall personality is just more fun. Also nonbinary representation is always cool in my book.

2: Josuke Higashikata. He's the manifestation of my favorite things about Jojo all put into one character. He's got a snazzy outfit. He can switch from silly to serious at a moment's notice. But most importantly, he has a heart of gold and won't stop fighting for peace. The fact that he's a former fictional crush of mine definitely kicks him up a few places as well.

3: Yoshikage Kira. I know I said Josuke includes all of my favorite things about Jojo, but Kira is a manifestation of all the minor things I love about Jojo. He "looks normal" in canon but wears a Bright Purple Outfit. He has really unique dialogue. He's insanely smart. And, of course, he's a needlessly cruel villain. Araki seems to love creating villains that like to kick puppies for fun, and I love seeing them in his work. The funniest part is that Kira would actually just be a normal guy, if not for his urge to kill women. There's a lot of other things about his character I like, but none major enough to mention here.

4: Jolyne Cujoh. I really appreciated seeing her character growth throughout the story of Stone Ocean! Jolyne, like Josuke, has a lot of that fighting spirit and willpower, but instead of fighting for the sake of others (although she definitely does that don't get me wrong), her story is about fighting for the sake of herself. She's been through a lot. She grew up without a father figure. And now, she's stuck in prison for a crime she didn't commit. Her story is about fighting for her own future, fighting to make amends with her father, fighting to free herself and her soul. And in the end, it was her decisions that ended up defeating Pucci.

5: Danny. The bestest boy. Little ouppy. He deserved better.

okay but really my number 5 pick is Iggy. He's a dog who gives absolutely zero shits about humans unless they're giving him coffee gum. But underneath that shittiness is a tenacity that's almost human-like. He reminds me of my own dog, in a way. She's a grumpy old lady who doesn't listen to a word you say unless there's food involved, and she refuses to die. Seriously, she's gotten her little paws on SO much chocolate during her lifespan, and she's had to take a medicine that was supposed to give her leukemia years ago.

And for the sake of not making this any longer than it needs to be, I'll just list my least favorite character from the main cast and then overall.

My least favorite Jojo character from the main cast is Giorno. I feel like there's a lot of missed potential with his character. This is a 15-year-old boy who has both Joestar and Brando blood. There was so much Araki could have done with Giorno that he didn't, and instead created a character with very little personality who was supposed to be the driving force of his part. I think he's part of the reason Golden Wind is one of the most forgettable parts to me.

My least favorite Jojo character overall is Forever the orangutan. His Stand fight could have been really interesting but instead we got a child's bare ass on screen because Forever was a creep. I actually watched the Jojo OVA from the 2000's, and they cut Anne's character out entirely but keep the Strength fight. Because Anne wasn't there they altered how some of the events went down and honestly? It was super cool. I liked it a lot more. And do keep in mind that I don't think Araki was trying to write this as a sexy thing. I do think he was trying to incorporate shock factor though so it's still not very redeemable.

[apocalypticavolition]

Let's (re)Read The Dragon Reborn! Chapter 18: Healing

It's been awhile but you still know the drill, don't you? Don't read this if you haven't read the entirety of The Wheel of Time, including the prequel novel, the comics, all interviews with the cast and crew of the show, the New Testament, the Frank Herbert Dune novels, the Mahabharata, and the Big Book of Awful Art or whatever we're calling it now.

Don't lie. You haven't read all of the stuff on that list.

This chapter begins with a heron-marked sword because Mat's having a past life flashback, I guess???

The Black Ajah had struck at those storerooms. And if some of the Black Ajah were lying in wait in one of those dark side corridors, if Sheriam were leading them not to Mat, but to. . . .

Egwene's being a bit paranoid here (who can blame her after the Seanchan?). After one obvious attack failed, the Black needs a little more time to get another one going.

“Do not think of it,” Sheriam said, and for once she sounded like the Sheriam of old, kindly if firm. “The Black Ajah will not be your worry for years to come. You have what the rest of us do not: time before you must deal with it. Much time, yet. When we enter, stay against the wall and keep silent. You are allowed here as a benevolence, to attend, not to distract or interfere.”

Sheriam of course doesn't want any of her charges thinking about the BA unless she's recruiting them.

The Amyrlin Seat stood at Mat’s head, and Leane at his feet. Four Aes Sedai stood down one side of the table, and three down the other. Sheriam joined the three.

So that's ten total. I'm surprised they're not pulling out thirteen under the circumstances.

Despite the outward calm of the women around the table, Egwene thought she saw signs of uncertainty. A tightness to Anaiya’s mouth. A slight frown on Alanna’s darkly beautiful face. The cool-eyed woman kept smoothing her pale blue dress over her thighs without seeming to realize what she was doing.

Egwene's ability to read the body language of the very controlled Aes Sedai is a nice bit of setting up for her being in charge.

From its nest in the red silk lining, the Amyrlin took out a white, fluted wand the length of her forearm. It could have been bone, or ivory, but was neither. No one alive knew what it was made of.

Probably not plastic, considering the AoL's general vibes.

Egwene fought the urge to open herself to saidar and add her flow to the tide. It was a pull so strong she was about to be jerked off her feet. Elayne tightened her hold on her hand. Nynaeve took a step toward the table, then stopped with an angry shake of her head.

Mat's lucky none of the girls joined in and promptly got him killed.

She paused as if she had just heard her own words—that she could channel half of what ten full Aes Sedai did with a sa’angreal—and her voice grew even fainter. “Light help me, I want to.”

And she will and it will be amazing and also really horrible!

That much, she knew; but in some way it seemed for a moment that she should understand the rest, too, as if the meaning were just out of sight, and all she had to do was turn her head to know.

While this is probably just explicitly supposed to be about Egwene having plenty of the Old Blood like Mat, I do think part of it is the likelihood of her having been the Queen of Manetheren in a former life as well.

Anaiya bent again for a set of tongs such as a goodwife might use in her kitchen, and grasped the floating dagger in them as carefully as if it were a poisonous snake.

Poisonous snakes are much less dangerous if you think about it.

“Only time will tell. Carrying something with Shadar Logoth’s taint for so long . . . who knows what effect it will have on him? Perhaps none, perhaps much. We will see. But the bond with the dagger is broken. Now he needs rest, and as much food as can be gotten into him. He should live.”

I think the effect is relatively minor (because Mat's lucky): merely the holes in his memories that he will report. However, Mat being ta'veren means he'll get quite a bit more out of the experience than someone else might have.

“For a time,” she said finally, “I believe the past and the present were one. He was there, and he was here, and he knew who we were. He commanded us to release him.” She paused again. “ ‘I am a free man, Aes Sedai. I am no Aes Sedai meat.’ That is what he said.”

I suspect this is an immediate effect of the holes in his memory forming. He was so close to death (and Old Blood besides) that he was more connected to past lives than the living usually are and so while he stayed on the threshold older memories could come rushing in to temporarily fill the gaps. Possibly this affects his later power development, possibly not; I'm so far into headcanon that it's not worth saying one way or the other.

“Mother,” Egwene asked anxiously, “could we not stay with Mat? If he may still die. . . .”

I just want to highlight this to again show that the Egwene hatedom is a little overstated. She's definitely got flaws, but she's the one who seems to be most worried about Mat at this particular moment.

Anyway, next time: Mat gets a POV of his own!

[g1deonthefirst]

for the character meme: our lady of the passion OR aim OR we suffer and we suffer hehe

aim for you my love 🌹

favorite thing about them:

aim's entire deal drives me nuts i'm obsessed with them. i love the way they talk especially they have such distinctive dialogue that makes them really fun to read and write but also the queerness in how theyre described — using she/her pronouns with the kids but also being called sir because the other teacher is ma'am, the way they dress, and ofc the inherited they/them pronouns. also their whole backstory or what we know of it is sooo interesting to me.

least favorite thing about them:

i think they could stand to treat nona a little more like an adult to be honest.

favorite line:

their whole speech to the kids about how they should judge people by their actions rather than what they say is both a really good line and also i think very relevant to how you're meant to read ntn.

brOTP:

aim and we suffer i think they should've gotten to sit around and shoot the shit.

OTP:

aim/pash. like i said in my pash post no way they didn't fuck staying in such close quarters all the time. there's something about aim being half of The Message and seemingly quite revered and pash snarking at them the way she does with everyone that gets me too.

nOTP:

aim/any man. i haven't seen this but i just believe in my heart that aim's attracted to women.

random headcanon:

because aim is specifically described as a little person at one point iirc, i like to imagine that they have dwarfism. whenever i write them i imagine they have the ability to tap into memories of previous messengers because i think it's cool. maybe i also think that they had a partner they lost on lemuria.

unpopular opinion:

i don't know if people have enough opinions about aim that i can have an unpopular one. uhhh. they were probably right to call merv wing in given the chances that they were in the room with a lyctor even though it meant nona got shot in the head. i think they're deeply attractive like that scene where nona says "every furtive, fleeting, mercurial spark had gone, leaving something hard and old, something that touched light to some paper deep within nona." 🥵🥵🥵

song i associate with them:

HM!! maybe old ocean or bathed in sound by cosmo sheldrake given their whole zoologist who possibly has memories/knowledge of the earth before the bomb deal. although bathed in sound (and cosmo sheldrake in general) is also a very nona song to me. also holocene by bon iver i think.

favorite picture of them:

there's so few aims out there in the world tlt artists please im on my hands and knees. oh but i like the one from this art.

[tobiasdrake]

We have a plan. I have it on good authority that it's a bad plan. But it's a plan and I'm going with it.

Here on the ship, or out at sea? Because I have a bunch of questions but they're going to be different questions based on the geographic location of the rods.

Out at sea, gotcha. So, did he construct them himself? I guess if we're in a pocket dimension then he probably, like, manifested them or something.

Ghost physics are like that.

Oh, sure. I catch your drift.

You want a little payment up front. You want to see what we're made of. This will be a piece of--

FIRE IS HOT

I don't know why I did that. Sometimes you see an obstacle that is clearly hazardous and yet you still have to touch it to find out how hazardous.

...

She's looking at me sideways, isn't she?

Judging.

Man, it's a good thing for us that this wind mage's torturous maelstrom dimension isn't very windy.

Then again, maybe it is and I just have a warped definition of "windy". Could be all that acrobatics training in the turbulent upper atmosphere with no guardrails affecting my perception. This might actually be really hard, and I owe Moraine an apology.

Alright. Team meeting. I'm gonna be honest, I'm pretty sure Hortence is expecting us to die horribly. We may have fumbled this first impression somewhere along the way. For that, I am willing to accept a small portion of the blame.

YES, second impression is a win! Garl, fistbump me.

We get to drive the ghost ship? SUCCESS. It's halfway to ours!

Garl, Zale, you two drive the ship. Serai, Teaks, and I will be in the captain's quarters with Hortence. Because Serai's been professionally dine-and-dashing me since we met and Teaks always has her nose in a book. This is the first chance I've had to spend an extended period of time with other women in TEN. YEARS.

I love you guys but it's Girl Time. Knock on the door when we reach the first island.

Oh yeah, that's definitely a lightning rod. You can practically hear it whispering in a ghostly voice. "Please break me. I'm so smashable."

Less sure of what these coins are for. Maybe we use them to buy our way into smashing the crystals. We pay off the curse in cursed pirate gold? It's curse logic; It doesn't have to make sense.

Yep, works just like that. The curse is a capitalist.

Wonder what these platforms are meant for? We're going to use them to break the crystals but that's obviously not their intended purpose.

Kinda looks like maintenance platforms, to me. Like you send someone up there to shoot magic into the crystals or something to charge them or repair them or something. Basically the opposite of what we're doing.

Oh no, your barrier disappeared. However could that have happened? I was just doing what the crystals told me to. Honest.

Alright guys, here we go with the final push. Everyone ready to teach a whiny little undead shit how to respect women's agency?

Personally, I hope we see an actual maelstrom inside Maelstrom Point. Because I've been promised a maelstrom but so far all I've gotten is thunderstorm. Stormcaller's gonna have to do a lot better than this to wow me.

And yet doesn't drag them down into any sort of maelstrom. Fancy that.

I like your fire mane. It's green. That means that when we cut off your head, we can pay the ferryman to take us to Roro and plunder more soulstones.

"My ship" he says even though we've sailed her more in the last several hundred years than he has.

And Serai wanted to buy her off of you. Tell you what, I'll pay you to jump off that cliff instead. Not with a Coin of Undeath Accord; We don't have that any more. I mean with the other currency.

You know what, credit where it's due. That is a raw line.

But I still don't see any maelstroms so you only get half-credit.

Okay. There it is. I wasn't. Actually expecting you to call my bluff like that. I. Uh.

It's very cool. I'm wowed. Good. Good job. You can put that away n--

Yeah, that's fair.

@_@ No wonder Hortence was laughing at us for thinking we can take this guy. He lives up to his reputation. He is a beast.

But not beast enough.

Oh goddammit, he vaporized. I had plans for his head! Do you know how hard this fight was? I earned that head. Fuck!

[rebl0g4myfics]

KHALEESI / GAME OF THRONES...

Blood of the Dragon

The small stream bubbled over smooth stones, creating a peaceful melody that carried across the otherwise silent plains. You and Daenerys had discovered this hidden spot a day's ride from the main khalasar—a rare luxury of privacy in a life lived constantly surrounded by others. Steam rose from the natural hot spring that fed into the cool stream, creating a misty veil around you both.

"Your hair has gotten darker," Daenerys observed, her violet eyes studying you as she helped untangle your long locks. The Dothraki sun had burnished your silver-blonde Targaryen hair to a warmer hue, much like it had darkened your once-pale skin. "You're beginning to look like one of them."

You laughed softly. "Is that so terrible?"

"No," she replied thoughtfully, scooping warm water to rinse soap from your shoulders. "It suits you. This life suits you now."

The admission surprised you. In the beginning, Daenerys had adapted more quickly to Dothraki customs, while you had struggled against them. Yet somehow, the roles had reversed—you had found your place as khaleesi, while your sister still seemed to search for hers.

"Irri told me the women have a wager going," Daenerys said casually, though her eyes sparkled with mischief. "They're betting on when your belly will begin to swell with Drogo's child."

Heat rushed to your cheeks. "What? That's—they shouldn't—"

"Oh, don't be such a proper lady now," Daenerys teased. "Not after I've heard the sounds from your tent at night."

You splashed water at her, both embarrassed and amused. "Dany!"

She giggled, dodging your splash. "The favorite bet is before the next full moon. Apparently, Qotho's wife thinks the way Drogo looks at you is proof enough that you're already carrying his heir."

You sank deeper into the warm water, letting it cover your shoulders. The thought of a child—Drogo's child—wasn't unwelcome, but it terrified you all the same. A silver-haired, bronze-skinned baby with Drogo's fierce eyes and your Targaryen blood.

"What if I can't?" you asked quietly. "What if I'm not meant to be a mother?"

Daenerys's expression softened. She moved closer, taking your hands in hers beneath the water. "You will be. The same way you weren't meant to be khaleesi, yet here you are, commanding respect from warriors who once terrified you."

"I still don't know if I'm doing it right," you admitted.

"None of us do," she said with a wisdom that sometimes made her seem older than her years. "But the gods don't give us burdens we cannot bear."

You looked at your twin, so like you in appearance yet so different in spirit. "When did you become so wise, little sister?"

Daenerys smiled. "Four minutes younger hardly makes me the little sister."

"It always will to me," you said, hugging her close.

As you both dressed after your bath, you noticed her watching the khalasar in the distance, where Viserys could be seen arguing with one of Drogo's bloodriders.

"He's getting worse," she murmured. "More desperate."

You nodded, knowing she was right. Your brother's quest for the Iron Throne had taken on a feverish quality lately. "Drogo sees it too. He won't let Viserys harm either of us."

"And what of Westeros? Of home?"

The question hung between you. Home—a place neither of you had ever truly known, only heard about in Viserys's increasingly grandiose tales.

"I don't know anymore," you answered honestly. "Sometimes I wonder if this is home now."

---

### Lessons from Irri

"No, Khaleesi. Like this." Irri's nimble fingers demonstrated again, weaving the leather straps together into an intricate pattern. You sat cross-legged in your tent, surrounded by furs and silks, trying to master the Dothraki technique of braiding horsehair and leather into riding gloves.

Your first attempt lay discarded beside you—a lumpy, misshapen thing that would protect no one's hands from saddle blisters.

"I think I need more practice," you sighed, examining your second attempt, which was marginally better.

"Yes," Irri agreed bluntly, then smiled. "But you learn fast for a woman who once couldn't even mount a horse without help."

You couldn't argue with that. The first weeks with the khalasar had been brutal—your thighs chafed raw from riding, your fair skin burned and peeling from the relentless sun. Now, you could ride from dawn until dusk without complaint, and your once-soft palms had developed calluses that marked you as a true rider.

"Here," Irri said, setting aside the gloves and reaching for a bowl of fragrant oil. "For your hair. The sun makes it dry."

You leaned back as she worked the oil into your locks with practiced hands. The scent of almonds and some unfamiliar herb filled the tent.

"May I ask you something, Khaleesi?" Irri ventured, her voice dropping lower.

"Of course."

Her fingers never paused in their task, but her voice grew hesitant. "The women wonder... if you know how to please the khal properly." Before you could sputter a response, she hurried on: "It is only that... a happy khal makes for a prosperous khalasar. And a happy khal requires a khaleesi who knows the ways of pleasure."

Your face burned hotter than the brazier in the center of the tent. "I... we... that is..."

Irri seemed to take your stammering as confirmation of her suspicions. "It is nothing to be ashamed of. You were not raised as Dothraki. How could you know our ways of love?"

You weren't entirely naive—your marriage to Drogo had long since overcome its awkward beginnings—but the directness of Dothraki women regarding intimate matters still caught you off guard.

"Among my people, such things aren't discussed so... openly," you managed.

Irri laughed. "This is why your people make such boring lovers, Khaleesi."

Despite your embarrassment, curiosity got the better of you. "And Dothraki women aren't... boring?"

"A Dothraki woman rides her man as fiercely as she rides her horse," Irri said matter-of-factly. "She is not some trembling fawn beneath him. She meets his strength with her own."

You thought of Drogo—his power, his intensity. You had learned to match him in many ways, but perhaps not all.

"What would you suggest?" you asked, your voice barely above a whisper.

Irri's smile was knowing but kind. "First, you must eat more. You are too thin."

"What does that have to do with—"

"A woman with meat on her bones has more strength for love," Irri explained, poking at your ribs. "And men prefer something to hold onto during long nights."

You laughed despite yourself. "I'll try to remember that."

"Good. Now, about the mounting..."

What followed was perhaps the most detailed and explicit lesson you had ever received. By the time Irri finished explaining various Dothraki techniques—complete with unembarrassed hand gestures—your face felt permanently scarlet. Yet you had to admit, her advice made a certain practical sense.

"The khal already looks at you like you are his sun and stars," Irri said, finally releasing your well-oiled hair. "But after tonight, he will look at you like you hung the moon as well."

Later, as you shared a meal with Irri and several other Dothraki women, they plied you with extra portions of spiced lamb and honeyed mare's milk.

"Eat, Khaleesi," they urged, practically forcing another flatbread into your hands. "You need strength."

"And fat on those bones," added Irri with a conspiratorial wink that set all the women giggling.

You ate until you could eat no more, listening to their tales of Dothraki life, of childbirth and child-rearing, of the old songs and older magic they still whispered about when the men weren't listening. They treated you not as an outsider now, but as one of their own—a khaleesi who had earned her place among them.

That night, when Drogo entered your tent, his eyes widened at the sight that greeted him—his khaleesi waiting not meekly on the sleeping furs, but astride them like a rider ready for battle. The oil Irri had worked into your hair made it shine in the firelight, and the confidence in your eyes was not feigned.

"Moon of my life," he murmured, pleasantly surprised by your boldness.

"My sun and stars," you replied, using Irri's lessons to guide your next words—words that made even the mighty khal stop short in surprise before a slow, appreciative smile spread across his face.

---

### Silver and Swift

Dawn broke over the Dothraki Sea, painting the endless grass in shades of gold and amber. You were already awake, slipping out of Drogo's sleeping embrace with practiced silence. Outside the tent, only a handful of the khalasar were stirring—mostly guards changing their watch and women preparing the morning meal.

You made your way to the temporary paddock where the horses were kept, your steps light with anticipation. At the edge of the enclosure stood your silver mare—smaller than Drogo's massive red stallion, but swift and spirited. She whickered softly at your approach, recognizing your scent and footsteps.

"Hello, Swift," you murmured, stroking her velvety nose. The name had come to you after your first true gallop across the plains, when she had outrun even some of the bloodriders' mounts.

She had been Drogo's wedding gift to you—not the docile, compliant mount that might have been expected for a foreign bride unused to riding, but a horse with fire in her blood. Just like you, Drogo had later explained.

You had learned to ride properly on Swift's back, suffering falls and bruises until you found your seat. Now, the two of you moved as one, understanding each other's rhythms and moods with an almost uncanny connection.

"Ready for morning ride?" you asked her, offering a piece of dried apple from your pocket.

Swift took the treat delicately from your palm, then nudged your shoulder impatiently, as if to say, "Less talking, more riding."

You laughed and quickly saddled her with the lightweight Dothraki saddle you had finally mastered. As you worked, you heard footsteps approaching and turned to find Drogo watching you, his massive frame silhouetted against the rising sun.

"You left bed early," he said in Dothraki, his voice rough with sleep. "I missed your warmth."

You smiled, knowing that just months ago, such an admission of vulnerability would have been unthinkable from him. "Swift missed me too," you replied in his language. "She gets jealous when I spend too many mornings in your arms."

Drogo approached, his hand joining yours on Swift's neck. The mare sometimes still shied from other Dothraki, but she had accepted Drogo from the beginning—perhaps sensing that he was important to you.

"She grows stronger," he observed. "Like her rider."

"She taught me more about being Dothraki than anyone," you admitted. "When I learned to trust her, I learned to trust myself here."

Drogo nodded, understanding. For the Dothraki, the bond between rider and horse was sacred—a connection that went beyond mere transportation. It was communion, partnership, freedom.

"Ride with me?" you asked, swinging yourself into the saddle with practiced ease. How far you had come from the trembling girl who had to be lifted onto horseback that first terrifying day.

Drogo's eyes crinkled at the corners—his version of a smile. Without answering, he turned and whistled sharply. His red stallion broke free from the herd, trotting to his side with proud, powerful strides. In one fluid motion, Drogo mounted bareback, not bothering with saddle or bridle.

"Try to keep up, moon of my life," he challenged, then urged his stallion forward with a shout.

You laughed and leaned low over Swift's neck. "Let's show them what silver can do," you whispered in her ear. She seemed to understand, surging forward with such sudden speed that your braid whipped behind you like a pennant.

Together, you and Swift flew across the grasslands, the mighty khal and his blood-red stallion only a few lengths ahead. The horizon stretched endless before you, and for a moment, you felt truly free—not a daughter sold into marriage, not an exiled princess, not even a khaleesi with responsibilities to her new people.

Just a woman on a silver horse, chasing the rising sun with the man she had come to love.

Later, when you finally slowed your mounts at a small stream to let them drink, Drogo reached across the space between your horses to touch your wind-flushed cheek.

"My father once told me," he said in careful Common Tongue, clearly wanting you to understand his exact meaning, "that a great khal chooses a wife who can ride at his side, not one who follows behind."

You covered his hand with yours. "And did you choose me because you knew I could?"

Drogo considered this, his dark eyes thoughtful. "I chose you because I saw fire in your eyes when you were afraid. I didn't know if you would ride beside me." He paused, his thumb tracing your cheekbone. "But I hoped."

Swift nudged your leg impatiently, ready to run again. Behind you, the khalasar would be breaking camp, preparing for another day's journey. But for now, this moment belonged just to the two of you—the khal and his silver-haired khaleesi, finding their way forward together.

"Race you back?" you suggested, your eyes bright with challenge.

Drogo's deep laughter rang across the plains as he urged his stallion forward in answer. And when Swift shot past him, her silver coat gleaming in the morning light, his proud shout told you everything you needed to know about how far you had come.

[cordelianewman]

You got me, I married you for your skills to get me a big ol' house and tons of land. Which means I keep you around for the maintenance of said big ol' house. Don't think the kids would have appreciated a cardboard box, it would have gotten very cramped, very fast. Thank you but you know I always expected more out of myself, guess we'll just say I was waiting for the right time. Mean we've handled donkeys, chickens, and everything else we've brought home. Don't think we couldn't handle a puppy, and I was planning on waiting till a litter shows up to be adopted because they always manage to get litters of different puppies especially spring and summer there tends to come a lot. Even a corgi mix, they can be used as herders too, they were breed for that originally. They can be very good with kids, but like anything, they need to be trained properly because they have a lot of energy. If not, maybe I'll stumble upon the right one if I go and look, just think the boys would love a puppy and they are old enough that they could also take a puppy on walks besides just you and me, but also help the girls who would get probably over excited. It will be weird, I'm so used to buying a massive grocery list that him going will mean having to adjust a little bit, and it'll just be ... weird. It will be good for Colton to have the girls too because think he may take it harder even than Cienna. She had spent some time away from her brother, you know? Colton and even Rosalyn are now used to him being in the house that they might struggle a bit. Know it's complicated when it comes to his mom, and it infuriates me that she can go on to have more kids and not even think about her first born. Doesn't have to have a relationship with you to have one with her son, but it doesn't matter. I will happily step into that roll if he wanted me to be apart of that. Just never want him to feel like he needs to knowing that he has a mom out there. Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't. Guess that's another talk to have at some point because maybe all the kids deserve to make their own decisions. Think the hardest part with giving him that box isn't the idea he'll want to seek her out, it's the fact that he'll be able to understand when things started getting less and less, and I don't want him to ever think that is when he became less valuable because he's not. Well you kept going for feet things and I had to set a hard stop because no toes will be tortured in the making of anything. Even though I do enjoy using you to warm up my feet when they're cold but that's very, very different. With as hot for me as you seem to be you better hope if/when I get pregnant that I am the type of women that it amps everything up and not kills the vibe totally or you are going to be a very grumpy man. If you want to alternate running or jogging with yoga and pilates, I can go with that. Would say spin classes but those I believe at some point they frown on them but we don't have to worry about that yet given nothing has happened yet. Do not go making fun of the boys, they're the big cool thing right now. Yes teenage boys are hanging them off their backpacks, girls off their purses -- even adults are into them. I won't let you shame them for enjoying something that brings them joy, life is too short. You can dress them up in football outfits, basketball outfits, little dresses, all kinds of outfits so it's not a stretch for both males and females to enjoy them. They're not universal to one gender, so I won't hear you making fun of them. Not insane, the girls were asking so I did what I had to do, and they'll have plenty of little ones to play with. They're actually kind of cute in a very weird tiny monsters taking over the home. They open a rare one I'm already calling dibs because I won those suckers fair and square. So just giving you the heads up now, so you won't freak out when you find one on our nightstand! Just don't look at the credit card bill to see the cost, that's between me and God.

That's actually why you married me, is because you knew that getting into bed with a carpenter and construction worker would mean that you'd get a nice house of the deal, huh? Ignoring the fact that we lived in that little suburban house for a while and I'm pretty sure you would have lived in cardboard boxes with me if I asked you to. That's besides the point. But for what it's worth, I think you've always been something, whether you were living in that tiny apartment and working two jobs, or now that you're starting a new career and happily married. You've always had something. Just had to wait for the right moment to tap into it. A corgi… I mean, I feel like I would be a major hypocrite if I tried to say no, I sort of came with ducks, chickens, a dog and a cat already attached, so as long as you feel like we're up for the responsibility, go for it. Just make sure they're good with kids and other animals, maybe they'd have one up at the shelter? I'm obviously very 'adopt don't shop' about the animals, I think dad instilled that in us with all the strays we ended up taking in. It'll be weird, though, when he does go to college. You know, getting used to having him around and adding another kid -- and then another kid -- to the house only to have him turn around and head off for college is going to rock the boat a little bit, but I think that makes it an even better thing that Rosalyn and Cienna get along as well as they do, it'll make it easier when her brother isn't here in the house. He will, I trust him. I'm just going to let him feel it out, tell me what he wants to do. I went right into the work force after high school, and I might regret it for personal, Cordelia-shaped reasons, but I don't regret it in terms of wishing I'd done something else, so he'll figure it out. The thing with Colton, and moms is just… it's complicated because of his mom. Not that he thinks of her as his mom, I don't even know if he thinks of her at all. When he thinks about a mother figure that makes him dinner and tells him goodnight and helps him with girlfriend advice, he thinks of you, period. But I've promised myself that when he turns eighteen, I'll give him that box in the closet. The one that has all the letters and cards and little gifts that she's sent through the years. Which, admittedly, there haven't been a lot of in the past few years, last I knew, she had another kid and things just … stopped coming in. Guess the third one's the charm when it comes to forgetting your first born. We'll talk to him. Figure out what he wants, he's old enough that he can trust us to trust him, you know? I do not have a foot fetish! It was an example since we were already talking about shoes, thank you -- I could have said that your bra is a fuck-me-bra, or your ponytail holder is a fuck-me-scruncii, but I didn't think fast enough. I love you from your head to your toes, but I can honestly, safely say that your feet will not be coming anywhere near me unless it's you trying to warm them up in the middle of the night, you have my word. I have to run to keep my calf muscles, have you seen those babies lately? Jesus. Still keeping my good ole thunder thighs, though, I think that's just genetics. Lumberjack genetics. But we can take it easy, and maybe throw in some yoga or pilates to go more your style, too, I'm give and take. … I -- what? Hold on, the girls I understand, but the boys wanted stuffed animal keychains? Do you mean that the boys wanted them for their girlfriends and they're being sweet, or are you telling me that I should go out and buy them footie pajamas tomorrow and ask if they want to watch Bluey with me and the girls? Also, you're insane. I love you, but you're insane.

[zeroar]

So I watched this video...

And the essayist suggests a major part of it is due to the fairly positive representation of a queer couple in Sailor Moon in the form of Sailors Uranus and Neptune. (That's only part of it, very good video, I just want to write out my thoughts in a word-vomit style while drinking some coffee so here we are)...

I think it's a little more than that though. Now, I'm fond of being overly reductive sometimes and saying something like "Sailor Moon made me gay" (and I'm using "gay" in its umbrella queer sense here).

But, whether someone can be turned gay aside (which, for the record, I come down somewhere around they basically can't unless they're bisexual), it wasn't the positive representation of Uranus and Neptune that did it. It was Season 1 of Sailor Moon.

It wasn't just a positive queer relationship in whatever season Uranus and Neptune came in (they were portrayed as cousins so until I went to the Internet to learn the truth there was nothing there for me even ignoring it was a later season), and it wasn't even the bisexual wonder girl that is Usagi/Serena who freely adored and went lovestruck over competent and beautiful women. With Mamoru/Darien kidnapped/brainwashed for half the first season anyway (and also inexplicably much older than he was in the manga), the relationship between her and Rei was so much more interesting and one where the characters could actually speak to each other, but it wasn't even thinking that Serena should be with Raye...

Aside: if you don't think Usagi is bi then I don't know what to tell you. Yes, Mamoru is her true love or whatever, but the girl's main characteristic is how freely and deeply she loves. She was interested in Sailor V way before she was interested in Tuxedo Kamen / Tuxedo Mask. (I'm half-joking because there's no explicit canonization of Usagi being bi—AFAIK—but I really cannot imagine her being any other way. I just see her as a bi girl in a heterosexual relationship).

Even beyond all that, the series Sailor Moon was possibly the first series I saw which treated women/girls as people and portrayed women favorably, let alone portrayed queer relationships and queer characters favorably (which was not done in the original American edit of the first season).

The women of Sailor Moon could be boy-crazy and ditzy, but they could also be heroic and self-sacrificing, studious, strong, smart, cool, collected... and yes, they were all beautiful. Even Zoisite—who I only later found out was a man—was gorgeous.

Sailor Moon loves women, and there's not much gayer than loving women.

Specifically, in the society of toxic masculinity / hegemonic masculinity / "the patriarchy", valuing women as people goes directly against how women get portrayed. It's not that valuing women is inherently anti-cishet, it's that the concept of being cis and heterosexual itself has gotten wrapped up in the toxicity so anything that rejects that norm is gay.

I'm not saying anything new here, though academic sources tend to default to "queer" instead of "gay", so I'll switch to that umbrella term now.

Valuing women as people is queer in the same way that the Addams Family is queer. Morticia and Gomez's relationship is a queer relationship in that it is a rejection of the patriarchy and a rejection of the cishet norms of hating your spouse and treating them as a burden you're saddled with.

There's a common sentiment in analyzing cishet men's relationships with women of saying something along the lines of, "do straight guys even like women? You guys can be gay. You don't have to pursue women romantically if you don't like them" and beyond what individual cis and heterosexual men may think about women, it is 100% true that the patriarchy and hegemonic masculinity don't like women.

At least part of the fear of "AI" is that hegemonic masculinity would lead to a conclusion of rejecting women in favor of love-bots. This only makes sense if the people doing the rejecting don't actually like women and just see them as objects, but that's what hegemonic masculinity teaches.

So yes, whether you're a cis man or something else entirely, loving women is queer. And Sailor Moon loves women.

It probably doesn't stand up to modern sensibilities, but my pre-teen mind only ever saw how incredible it was to be a bishoujo senshi when I was watching. The "camera" definitely highlighted how beautiful the women were (especially in their transformation scenes) but it only ever felt glorifying and exultant, and it did not feel exploitative or creepy.

With the exception of comic characters (Melvin/Umino, Chad/Yuichiro, Rei's grandfather, etc.), ALL of the characters were slender and long-limbed. That came off as simply the style of the show and not something about sexualizing the characters. Loads of issues with the lack of body diversity, but it was always so firmly celebrating these characters (who were all women/girls).

And, loving women is queer.

I honestly don't know how I would have turned out without having Sailor Moon in my life. Especially, so many incredible fanfiction stories that were even better than the series (though loads of exploitative and misogynistic ones too, which was always such a shock to stumble across).

Growing up in the 1990s, I was in social settings where the default was to be openly derisive and misogynistic towards women. (It's probably still broadly that way, I just am able to curate who I'm around now in a way you can't growing up). But having the example of positive women character representations (and also seeing how pretty people can be, both inside and out) was such a solace to child-Me. I'm grateful for having that representation even if it wasn't the queer representation I needed, it was the positive women representation I was desperate for back then.

Anyway, as much as I love the idea of Rei/Usagi, my favorite stories kept Usagi with Mamoru and had Rei with Minako. I get that Minako gets characterized as a Usagi clone/replacement (which is ironic), so it may seem that I'm just filling in, but in-text, Usagi and Mamoru are basically always together / in love with each other romantically and I never really questioned that so seeing so many incredible Reinako stories made that couple pretty solid in my head. I'm honestly not opposed to Usagi being in a poly relationship, but those fanfiction stories tended to be more lemons than character exploration.

TL;DR: Why are magical girls so gay? Because they portray women positively and that's extremely, extremely gay (in the sense that it is aligned against hegemonic masculinity and the patriarchy).

[cupcake-hearts]

Clone Simps in the Star Wars Universe Part 2

I'm glad people liked the first one so I decided to add to it. Yes the simps in this galaxy are much like the simps in our galaxy, but where's the fun if the clones don't know about it?

The council tries to keep the whole 'clone simps' on the down-low (typical government).

But the clones eventually do find out, but each battalion finds out in a different way.

Shock Troopers

Thire is tackled to the ground, and what they thought was an act of assault actually turned out to be a girl unable to express her love in a healthy way.

She even managed to yell "take me, daddy" at the guard restraining her.

Needless to say the Corrie Guards won't ever forget her.

501st (& Anakin & Ahsoka)

The 501st found out because two civilian men somehow managed to get clone trooper uniforms and sneak into their ranks.

They were being complete dumb asses at the time so Rex almost didn't notice them.

They would have gotten away with it, expect one of them sneezed and took off his helmet to clean it out.

After they were found out, they were questioned by Anakin.

"THE GENERAL SKYWALKER!"

Anakin is use to women fawning over him, but having two fan boys telling him how cool he is, is almost too much.

...almost too much.

After an hour of "interrogations" (most of the questions came from the fan boys) Ahsoka has to intervene.

Expect for "IT'S AHSOKA TANO!"

This goes on for a few more hours with various clone troopers coming and going.

When the day ends, they are released and told not to do it again. Because-

"How can we punish such caring and supportive citizens?"

212th

Shipping is a thing and Cody and Obi-Wan are the last to know about it.

The rumors fly around the Negotiator.

No one knows who started them or who found out first, but they are everywhere now...

"Did you hear about the commander and the general?" "Is that allowed?" "Is it even true?"

And with little else to talk about (they have little to no social life away from eachother) the rumors only grow.

"You know, they do stand awfully close to each other." "Did you hear how he told the commander to 'take care'?" "I thought jedi couldn't be in relationships." "I heard someone say they saw Cody coming from the general's quarters the other night." "No, you're making that up." "I'm serious. I over heard it in the cafeteria."

"Well, I'm happy for them." "Yeah, I think they make a good couple." -seemed to be the final thoughts about it.

Of course, no one thought to ask either of them if it were true.

They're not dating, but Cody is a little more than mortified that his secret crush got out, and is currently all over the internet. Last time he tells Rex anything in confidence.

Obi-Wan has a completely different reaction when he comes across the ship.

"You're real name is 'Kote'?"

"Yes, sir."

"Huh. Interesting."

104th

Any clone in steel grey is automatically howled at.

Anyone not part of the wolf pack is confused as hell.

But Commander Wolffe doesn't realize how popular he is until he gets fan mail.

Wtf?

He was going to throw it away, but Plo Koon stops him.

"I think you should write her back," the jedi says when he finds out the sender is only 12.

Wolffe complies but immediately regrets it when-

"Oh my force! Wolffe replies to fan mail!"

"Remember, you did the right thing, and that young lady will always look up to you," his general tells him.

Still Wolffe wishes he didn't have a 1000+ letters to respond to.

Luckily he doesn't have to answer them alone since over half of them are addressed to the Wolf Pack as a whole.

327th

There's fanart of Aayla pegging Bly. (No, I'm dead serious. Its real and on Twitter somewhere.)

Bly spends most of his day worrying that one of his men, or worse his general, will see it.

He tells himself that if anyone sees it, he'll just deny its actually him

"We're clones. That could be anybody."

"I DON'T CARE IF WE HAVE THE SAME TATTOOS! THAT'S CLEARLY SOMEONE ELSE!"

Little does he know, Aayla's already seen it.

No, she didn't screenshot it. She did.

[alleecatblues]

So the new trailer for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse just came out, and because I'm a fucking enormous nerd who loves Spider-Man, I'm going to go through that big zooming shot with all the Spider-People and try to figure out where they're all from. If I can't figure it out and you have a better guess, let me know and we can figure it out together.

Even blown up on my 75 inch monitor, these first ones are hard to see, especially because of internet video compression, but I can kind of make out the color scheme of a suit that a version of Spider-Man who was in the Avengers wore. He was just called The Spider and he was kind of an asshole.

Some of these I can't find anything about even though they're pretty distinctive. I might have to go back and read through my Spider-Verse comics to see if any of them made appearances there. For instance, this guy in the red with the glowing blue chest symbol:

The one facing the camera could be a 2099 suit variant but the last one has basically no visible distinguishing features so it's impossible to tell. I also have no idea who this purple guy is. Could be a design based off the Prowler, especially ItSV's version of the Prowler.

The guy he's talking to though appears to be wearing Spider-Man's classic comic book suit. This one seems even closer to the original design than Peter B's suit, which is based off the more modern comic redesigns. This is the OG.

Again, I can't figure out who the big guy is here but the other one might be Ben Reilly:

Specifically Ben Reilly wearing an advanced suit given to him by the Beyond Corporation, which isn't really a corporation per se, more a collection of entities that exist between universes and decided to start multiversal capitalism. Based on the weird extradimensional corporate aesthetics of the film, Beyond Corporation or at least the Beyonders might have something to do with the plot of Across the Spider-Verse.

There's Insomniac Spider-Man chatting it up with Superior Spider-Man, who was Otto Octavius's mind in the body of Peter Parker. Not an alternate universe character, by the way. This happened in the main comic series. Spider-Man was just being possessed by Doc Ock for a while.

Here's the Mk II Armor suit hanging out with another guy I can't place. Spider-Man's Mk II armor was created by Horizon Labs to help Peter out when he lost his Spider-Sense for a little while. If you can't dodge bullets anymore, might as well get a bulletproof suit.

There are three others on this bridge I can't place. They all look to be women, and they've got color schemes that have been on Spider-Man suits before, but in different patterns, so I'm a little stumped. I imagine not all of these are going to be references, and some are just created from wholecloth, but if you can figure it out, let me know!

This is probably Mary Jane and Mayday Parker, although I'm not familiar with the suits. Mary Jane has gotten spider powers in a few universes, and when Peter and MJ have a daughter in most universes, her name is Mayday, and she usually has spider powers.

Which is a lot better than that one universe where MJ got cancer and died because Peter had radioactive cum. I'm not kidding, that's a real thing that happened in an official comic series.

The red and white is another Scarlet Spider variant suit. Not sure about the red and yellow next to him.

This one with the clockwork arms is Lady Spider. She appeared a few times in the latest Spider-Verse event and comes from a cool steampunk universe. She has no powers, just her spider arms and web shooters, and is technically an alternate universe version of Aunt May.

This guy looks... naked??

It could be Savage Spider-Man? Or Kraven the Hunter Spider? But it looks like he's not wearing pants, so it might just be a weird skin-toned suit. I dunno.

Anyway here's Spider-Clan from the Spider-Man manga dabbing

This guy's pretty prominent. I think he's supposed to be a reference but I'm not sure to what. It could be Spider-Cop, but he's missing his hat, sunglasses and mustache.

This might be the original Iron Spider suit from the comics. Tony Stark made it for him after he came back from being dead for the, like, 3rd time.

This looks like Miles Morales's PS4 costume, but it swings by pretty fast, so it's hard to make out much detail.

Bombastic Bag Man! This is a little different to his appearance in the comics, but there have been a couple times Peter needed a spare suit on short notice and had to borrow one from the Fantastic Four. Their suits don't have masks, though, so he wore a bag on his head instead.

The first iteration also had a "Kick Me!" sign on the back, because the Human Torch thought it would be funny.

Here's werewolf Spider-Man in the back. During a crossover event, Ash from the Evil Dead comics ended up going to a few different universes, one of which started the Marvel Zombies series (which is actually a pretty good series). Another one he went to had a bunch of superheroes turning into werewolves, and Spider-Man was one of them.

This looks like a suit Spider-Man wore when he was part of the Future Foundation; a version of the Fantastic Four that formed when the Human Torch died.

This looks similar to Spider-Punk. He's got the jacket and the pants, but instead of his mohawk spikes, he's got some kind of camo baseball cap or something, and what looks like a face mask of some sort.

In this shot, Miles is fighting with the Mk I armor and something similar to the Mk III armor, although it's definitely different. The lady with six arms is a mystery to me.

Yo, is that Jessica Drew Spider-Woman? Jess Drew gets overlooked a lot despite being the first Spider-Woman. I hope she gets some kind of role in this movie.

Spider-Monkey is from the Marvel Apes universe. Yeah, there's a Marvel Apes universe.

I'm getting tired but I remember this one from somewhere. A cartoon maybe? I think I remember seeing a Spider-Man suit with a cape as a kid and thinking it was dumb because Spider-Man doesn't wear a cape.

Anyway that's all I could find aside from the main characters. Again, if you can track down any other references let me know. I'm too much of a nerd to let this go.