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OP fanservice problem

❗Keep in mind that all of this is written while I'm on episode ~370 i.e. Thriller Bark arc, pre time skip, so that is the material I'm working with and what I've taken notice of as i was watching❗

I want to preface this by saying that i have a pretty high fanservice tolerance. one of my childhood favourites was fairy tail, so i got used to it quite early on.

The main issue i see with OP is that it has its own, weird, creepy type of fanservice compared to what you'd expect to see while consuming literally any Japanese media.

What i mean is, when someone says fanservice, the first thing that pops into your mind is the image of an girl with crazy bodily propotions and jiggle physics and an unnecessary amount of boob or ass close ups, paired with an absurdly skimpy outfit, but in OP the way they go around fanservice is entirely different.

In OP, the main focus is shifted from sexualising the female body itself(except, of course for the absurd hourglass figures and provocative positions that the girls are often put into) and more onto how the males around them precieve and react to said body.

e.g. during thriller bark one of the main plotlines is Absalom kidnapping Nami as his bride and Sanji going to save her. it's a VERY fanservice heavy arc and it's what made me want to write this rant post to begin with, as it's way more intense than anything shown before.

I have two main issues with this plot line

The bathroom scene (Ep. 341)

Sanji's "dream" (Ep. 359)

1. Felt genuine anxiety watching that scene. Literally came out of nowhere, went on for an uncomfortably long amount of time and was played off for jokes. the way it started is deadass how grotesque rape scenes begin in shitty thrillers and revenge movies, and the music that plays during that scene only intensified that feeling. Chopper and Usopp were right there and not only did fuck all to help but also didn't believe her?? claiming invisible men.... don't... exist??? You've been on so many adventures, live in a world were people have DEVIL FRUIT POWERS and currently are literally on an island full of ghosts and zombies but you draw the line at invisibility? +The whole weird joke of Usopp thanking(??) Nami after seeing her naked as if she didn't call you for rescue??

2. So along with daring to touch his dear Nami, Sanji also hates Absalom because he stole the devil fruit of his dreams, and hear this!! he swore that he would find it so he could become invisible to peek on nude girls. And that's like so icky??? i could write an entire separate essay on how playing too much into this pervert shtick has slowly but surely ruined Sanji's character but that's a conversation for another day.

Now, your could take these instances and say that they don't sound too bad, but i want to highlight that before Thriller Bark, the most fanservice we got was a 2 second blush and an off handed comment made by a side character or Sanji's antics. But most of Sanji jokes are very spaced out and diluted by the fights and the distance between him and all the girls as the crew often lose sight of one another. So the most you'd get up until now are Sanji's heart eyes every 2 episodes. The most extreme thing i could think of that has happened up until now, is the baths(Oda seems to have a fetish of peeping on bathing women specifically) in Arabasta, after they have saved the day and were resting. dk what episode it was but Sanji almost immediately asked where the ladies were and when told that they were over the wall, everyone(except Zoro may i add!! my respectful gay king) climbed the wall to peek, but Nami HERSELF opened her towel and "gave them a peek", saying that it would cost them a shitload of barries tho, so as obviously creepy as everyone including a grown ass man who raised Vivi and the king himself aka Vivi's literal father peeking over the wall where she might be naked is incredible weird, as well as the whole act and thought of peeking being creepy, it's nowhere as intense and uncomfortable to watch as anything going on in Thriller Bark.

Before all this i was fine with the fanservice in OP because as long as the girls had their own destinct personalities, dreams, aspirations etc. and weren't cardboard waifu stands there JUST to be thirsted over, i would be fine. i would accept Sanji's occasional weird comments and their waists shrinking with geometrical progression, but i can't accept literal sexual assault being played off for laughs?? and every time i see anyone talk about the fanservice, all the anibros crawl out of their hole to say "well what do u expect its shonen its for middle school boys and sex sells and dont like dont watch" like first of all yea ik that it's shonen and for middle school boys and i don't think you should be desensitizing middle schoolers to an already prevelant problem in Japan and also all over the world. The whole sex sells thing is so incorrect because guess what's literally one of the most popular and well received, loved and adored shonens of our time? Attack on titan. and guess what AOT doesn't have even a smidge of? Fanservice.

I've seen a lot lf people say that it only gets worse from there, especially after the time skip, but i can't yet comment on that as i haven't gotten there, so this post may get edited later idk. As long as the girls retain their personality and they don't entirely ruin Sanji's character for me, I think I'll keep watching, but if it truly does get as bad as some people say, i might just take the anibro advice and drop ts to protect my peace.

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how embarrassing, they wore the same outfit to the party.

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if I was a musician I'd never include the name of my songs in their lyrics so that people couldn't make those annoying "(insert song) but it's only the song's name" compilations

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KCD Memes

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oh i LOVE the outlast series. i just dont think YOU would lol like i dont think you would enjoy it.

and whatever makes you think that, random stranger?

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i dont think you would like outlast tbh and you would probably hate the fandom so overall i advise against playing lol

man i was into anime in 2020, no fandom can annoy me anymore. but whats abt the game to not like?

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i hate people who ship isterik. HATE. DEATH TO ALL OF THEM.

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i COULD play outlast. the real question is, should i?

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gay rep in gaming and in kcd2: A Rant

Ok, I'll try to make this as cohesive as possible, but remember that this is a rant after all, so excuse any possible mistakes or typos.

The gay representation in KCD2 is genuinely the most well-done, realistic representation that I've seen in gaming so far. There are multiple types of representation that I see in games, so let's break down what they are, why they do or don't suck and how exactly the KCD2 Hansry romance is superior.

Type N1) forced mechanical bisexuality.

In most RPGs, or really any games where you choose your own romantic interest, there is no gender-based limit on who can romance who, to allow a fully immersive experiance, tho I feel inclined to point out that this mechanic was introduces to gaming quite accidentally during the early era of gaming, when everything was still pixilated to all hell, they js didn't think to add a code prohibiting same-sex relationships cz developers didn't take their existanse into accaount at all, but then some players discovered it was a possibility and that's how mechanical-bisexuality became an almost industry standard, scince it opens up a wider market for the game without feeling "threatning" to the true consumers which everything was marketed towards(str8 white men).

Now, why do I call it "mechanical" bisexuality, u may ask? Well, bc it truly is just that. Mechanical. No character in that game i truly bi, it's solely a mechanic that's easier for developers and more convenient for gamers.

A good example of that would be Stardew Valley. I don't remember which bachelorette it is exactly, but as you romance them, you meet their ex, and the sex of the ex is the same as that of the player. So if you're male, the ex will also be male, if ur female, the ex will also be female. So no bisexuality for you. But ig you could still count it as "gay" rep, even tho for me even that feels very technical and mechanical, as none of it feels actually gay, there is no discussion or reference to sexuality and the weight of being in a gay reletionship is never brought up even if the setting of the game is on earth and not some fantasy world where being gay is considered totally ok and gay ppl arent treated any differently from str8s.

And well, since I brought up fantasy worlds, let's talk abt type N2) gay rep in fantasy.

This can be very well done or absolutely terrible, depending on the writing and premise, and I feel like we can use Dragon Age as the perfect example for both ends of the spectrum.

So I actually haven't played Dragon Age, so my wording or explanations may not be perfect, but bear with me. 

So from what I've heard and know abt the game, the gay rep in old games is great and the way they treat gender is very tasteful and generally well done, at least I've never heard anybody complain. Tho is the newest game, it's... well, let's just say it's not the best. You get this nonbinary character and they spend a lot of time bitching and moaning abt coming out to their mom even tho nothing up to that point has made them feel like their mom wouldn't support them or anything. and look, you may call this good rep cuz oh hey its a real life struggle that they are going thru right? But NO! bc it's the very fantasy setting where being gay is totes cool and ok that i mentioned a second ago and it's not treated the same way as on earth, so taking this character from a utopian fantasy world where even the lable "nonbinary" shouldn't exist bc there is no binary in the first place and projecting this earthly struggle onto them as a sorry excuse for representation feels forced and increadibly boring. Also, some other conversations in the game abt gender were incredibly cringe and also felt very forced, but maybe they were out of context or smth idk but whatever the case may be, it's a separate issue, so let's move on.

type N3) canon gays

So, most of the time, I love all the canon gays in gaming and any media in general.

In gaming, canon gays r mostly in big story games. Like, the first most obvious ones coming to mind would be Ellie and Dina from The Last of Us, or Mileena and Tanya in MK1. Tho those are the only straight up gay gay all up in ur face gay couples that I can think of from AAA games that I've played, so there isn't enough of this type of rep out there. Tho I feel it is the best and most "true" rep in gaming that is the most enjoyable for players AND could be more eye-opening and redeeming for any homophobes playing the game.

So now that all of that is out of the way, you may say, well, aren't Henry and Hans just another case of the so-called mechanical bisexuality? And to that I'll say a very confident no. 

Let's tackle Henry's sexuality first. In both the first and second game, he can get with various women, not even mentioning all the trips to bathhouses, and the only men Henry can get with are Black Bartosch and Hans. The sole existence of the Black Bartosch option is, I feel like, an argument enough to Henry's true bisexuality, but if you choose to turn him down, you need to choose an option saying "I prefer women", so some may argue that there! He said it himself! But there is a second piece of evidence in the game that confirms his sexuality to be canonically bi. When you get to Kutttenberg, one of the first side quests you can do is "A Good Scrub" in which you help the new bathhouse owner Betty safely transport her bathhouse wenches from some inn to the bathhouse. While on the road, you can talk to them and at some point they'll ask you if you prefer tits or ass(game of the year type convos am i right?) and u could either staight up answer ass or tits or you could try to evade answering the question, and if you choose the last option, the girl will joking ask henry "are you sure your don't prefer boys?" and that gets Henry INCREADIBLY flustered, he starts stuttering and can't fully deny it and just mutters a quiet, frustrated "fuck" at the end. Yall that's not a reaction of a str8 person, it's a reaction of a queer man that's just been clocked. Don't even try to deny it.

Now onto Hans. We do see terribly little of him and his interactions with other ppl, but there is still very strong evidence for his bisexuality, which is a book that you find under his bed in the Devil's Den, titled "A Collection of Somewhat Bawdy Poems". It's literally just a book with a bunch of homoerotic poems in it, I'm not ever kidding. Here are all of em so you get the full picture:

"My love for you is heartfelt.

You can tell from my unbuckled belt.

My mind is troubled badly

by one question above all:

When will my lover fondly

caress my left ball?

"Love thy neighbour", saith Our Lord.

And I took it to heart.

I started to fulfil His word,

at least in their southern part.

My heart is mourning dejectedly.

Even my hand rejected me!

By day and night I think of you,

I shall love you always.

My heart is faithful, loyal and true,

Though my body sometimes strays.

A knight in battle attire

got into bed with his squire.

Instead of conquering forts,

They played with each other's swords."

That last part I highlighted is literally them ARE YOU SERIOUSSSSS. Now I did see someone on Reddit saying that the book appears in the room before Hans ever moves in, but let's be so honest for a second, in a game as detailed as KCD2, that book being specifically under HANS'S bed is no coincidence, even if it appeared earlier than Hans himself. The devs knew what they were doing. and that book is still there whether you romance Hans or not, so call me delusional if you want, but for me, that's evidence enough.

Now, onto the most important part: why is Hansry so good?

In my purely subjective opinion, I think that if KCD2 was a story game instead of an RPG, it would be a type N3 representation, and Hansry would be the canon couple. Henry undeniably has the most connection and chemistry with Hans. He doesn't interact with Katherine much and it does feel like they're more good friends-at-arms than anything, and at the end of the game, Henry himself jokes that she's too old for him, and ugh don't even get me started on Rosa. Henry literally barely interacts with her, her romance option is so weird to me fr.

I also think that Hansry was planned, or at least thought of and acknowledged by the devs from the very beginning of the franchise. The way they interact in the first game can VERY easily be interpreted as flirting and they're literally your textbook example of the enemies-to-friends-to-lovers troupe. So with the foundation that the first game gives us, their eventual romance is very believable and realistic, it doesn't feel like one of those gay relationships that was never meant to be but was basically "pushed" into canon by fans, ykwim?

So for me what makes their couple such great rep is how even without the gay relationship, they remain queer men, their sexuality isn't purely mechanical. Their relationship doesn't feel flat or forced, like it often happens with optional gay romances. And even without ever acknowledging the weight of their relationship, it feels natural and not like the devs didn't wanna discuss gay stuff yk? Like in early game Henry can literally fuck some girl (i dont remember her name srry:3) out in the open - in a forest, but he specifically locks the door before kissing Hans. After the kiss, Hans looks worried and scared and apologises bc he knows that he, as a man, literally just kissed his dear friend, another man, and he doesn't know how Henry will react to it, and that's why he's so worried. And through these little details, the game acknowledges the weight of their relationship without them ever having to sit down and talk abt it, or the game having to address it, and that's what good writing is! It's refreshingly realistic.

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best unhinged study or like concentration tip i can give - layer music/sounds!! ive never heard anybody talk abt this but its gen the only thing that helps me concentrate and makes my mind quiet. like I have nyan cat theme and lacrimosa loop playing in the background rn and my brain finally stfu! usually nothing works like white or brown noise or nothinggg so this is actually groundbreaking

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every time i search for a game and it turns out to be PS/console exclusive it takes 10 years off my lifespan

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fuck steam

so since there are such big sales on steam rn i finally caved and bought the castlevania collections bundle which has the castlevania anniversary collection, advanced collection and dominus collection….. tell me why the anniversary collection isnt fucking launching. and i did my research ok? like i watched every video under the sun and visited every reddit thread to try and figure out what the problem was and tried every solution thats been offered and its STILL NOT WORKING. WHAT THE FUCK.

i also bought alice: madness returns cuz it literally costs 99 cents rn and when trying to launch what do i get? error code 51. WHAT DO YOU MEANN FAILED TO LAUNCH. WHAT DO YOU MEAN ERROR. also tried some solves for that but none worked so idk what to so atp like windows should be paying me a monthly salary with how much time ive saved them providing myself tech support.

whenever i pirate games i never complain if something goes wrong, cause like yea its pirating what did you expect right? like nothing is ever guaranteed, but here i spent ACTUAL, TANGIBLE MONEY on these games and im STILL HAVING SO MUCH TROUBLE? WHAT THE FLIP.

and i also bought hylics, which works fine thank god. so with that we have a 3/5 success rate and id say when youre SPENDING MONEY! a nearly 50-50 ratio isnt good enough

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whats with the uprise of fucking fujos bro why r u proud can we go back to bullying fujos pls? and im literally saying this as a person who reads bl but

1) theres a world of difference between yaoi and bl

2) you should not be proud for fetishizing gay men idc if theyre fictional or not

and it be the same ppl who criticize men for watching lesbian porn and then log on and be like “kyaaa:333 im such a rotten girl>~<!!!11!!1!” n think theyre cute like stfu go back to ur hole

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i actually HATEEE starting really long shows bc i can’t engage with the fandom before i finish it all to avoid spoiling myself, but the most fun part of starting long shows that have been running for literal decades ISS the rich fandom with a bunch of inside jokes that i dont understand DONT KILL ME IM NEW GENN😞😞

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thanks @naturecalls111 and their zosan fanart for finally convincing me to start one piece lol

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how do yall expect me NOT to pirate games when half the games i wanna buy ARE NOT AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE⁉️⁉️⁉️ OR LITERALLY COST AN ARM AND A LEG‼️