#I've always been horrible in anime style

[arainmorn-art]

Deciphering, pages 70-73 [Previous page]  [Masterpost]  [Next page] Oh wow, bright colors are back! And look what we have here... Uh-uh. I think someone blurted a little yet important thing. It might even boost someone's confidence.

Come one, Phoenix, get yourself together. Looks like this silver-haired dork is so awkward and shy in reality nothing will happen without you taking action. I wanted to post this episode in one pack as it might not be funny being posted page by page :) But I think I can do and post a page a week now. At least I'll try ^^'

Insta - https://www.instagram.com/arainmorn/

DeviantArt - https://www.deviantart.com/arainmorn/gallery

Twitter - https://twitter.com/ArainMorn_art

VK - https://vk.com/arainmorn

[drenched-in-sunlight]

Can I just say how in love I am with the way you draw Marika? Like every art you post of her has my jaw dropping…you add such a beautiful layer of humanity to her with her dynamic expressions and poses—it’s so refreshing to see especially when so many fan arts of her needlessly sexualize her or dial her down to a one-dimensional stone-faced villain (which a villain she is—but she is still complex)

And I adore how you draw her partial nudity as something natural, meaning that you don’t draw her without a top for the sake of objectifying her,

Your art is overall so pleasant and colourful and fun to look at, and your takes of Marika’s character in your fanart is literally what made me more interested in who she is in-game.

Thank you for drawing her the way you do! (And for drawing Elden Ring fanart in general💕)

i've been letting this ask stewing in my inbox for a while because it makes me so emotional 🥲

if you look at how i drew Marika before anything in the DLC was announced, it did fall into the two categories you were talking about, because despite having a little more positive view on her than the rest of the fandom at the time, i still had no idea who she was as a person. and by that time i were more interested in Malenia, so even though i did try to envision how Marika was, it's a very distant and vague image. which is what i love about Elden Ring lore in general: we see Marika via how her children see her.

it was easy back then to conclude we'd never get her, and "mother" is a distant term that will always be overshadowed by "God", so i just went along with the general haha evil sexy girlboss thing that the fandom was doing. but then the DLC teaser dropped the another elusive (possibly firstborn) child of her, with a statue of her holding a baby in his boss room, she started to get more little quirks that's so human in my work (the small smile, the little lock of hair that curls gently) because for the first time, we see her through the eye of a son that evidently adores her, so she gets a bit more human, because someone views her with emotions that are not fear nor distance.

then the DLC drops, and it's not just through Messmer's eye (or the entirety of his being that carry so much of her love it weighs him down and twist into the most horrible curse in the end), it's through the eyes of her family that were no longer there at all. it's the jar innard enemy that huddled in a jar and clutched at a piece of raw meat, it's the Grandmother's gentle smile as she rest among a sea of flowers, it's the solitary minor erdtree that bathed the whole place in the kindness of gold, it's the Fire Knights and soldiers that clearly viewed her as Mother as much as she was God, it's Miquella throwing away his love and doubt because he didn't know how to deal with the revelation that his mother was once a fallible human just like the rest of them, it's Trina's entreaty that Godhood was just a cage that would kill him slowly, it's the final boss music with the female voice belting "Hail, Marika the Eternal" - in the place where she had to wade through a sea of flesh and blood, her family included, to ascend to Godhood. it's finally understanding that to her, Eternity is to live for all her loved ones that have fallen down.

and somehow, it all comes back to this portrait at the base game, right at the Roundtable Hold, of a woman with permanently lowered eyes.

yeah i know after the DLC i've put on such a Messmer-style protective glasses for her, it shows very clearly in my art. now she could cry, looks sad, small smile, big smile, looks silly, looks cute, looks serious, her hair is pulled up in twenty different ways, she jokes and talks to animals and goes back to be just a simple young girl rolling around in the grass, blah blah... im drawing all these with eyes wide open. and i have no intention of stopping lol.

sometimes, things that already come alive will never go back to be a cardboard cutout anymore. if ppl don't like it, block me or whatever, in my space, i'll do that makes me happy. and im very glad that other ppl could find their own happiness and solace with my work too :) thank you for such a thoughtful and kind messages!

[zykamiliah]

hey! i haven't seen mha in a looong time and i've never payed attention to bakudeku (mostly because i'm not the biggest fan of bully romance), but i'd love to see your take/interpretation/analysis on it? i've been a really big fan of your svsss metas and so i just thought, "hey, you know what, i'm curious to see zykamiliah's take on a ship i've never been interested in from an anime that i haven't seen in years! maybe i'll see something?"

not too sure if you already made a post explaining it (so sorry if you did!), but i've seen enough of the sudden rise of bakudeku reblogs on my feed from your account to ignite my curiosity lol

i just really enjoy hearing about ships because they're an amazing opportunity to explore dynamics and perspectives i've never given much thought/thought about before (coming from a rare pair lover... oh gyx/lbg, my sweet...) so i'd love to see bakudeku, a ship i don't quite understand (yet!) in a more understanding, different, and interesting light! and in complete honesty i trust your judgement with insightful character and ship analysis stuff, so... yeah!

heeey jade! sorry for the wait, i've been busy with work and irl stuff :DDD but i'm here now!

where to even begin lol... well, it's important to note that the relationship between midoriya izuku, the protagonist, and bakugo katsuki, the deuteragonist, is one of the main narrative lines of the manga, at the very core of the story. katsuki is izuku's narrative foil, their character developments are intrinsically connected (specially katsuki's!), and the same can be said about the themes of heroism, of what makes a hero, who can be a hero, what type of hero society needs, or if it needs them at all, etc., questions that also tie to the evolution of their relationship.

so from the start i was sold on this dynamic because i really like relationships that are at the center of a story!! i also like relationships with a complicated history with lots of drama and ups and downs, and i like that each character has their own things going on in their lives even if they are connected and one of the most important persons in each other's lives. big big bonus guaranteed to get my full attention if they are obsessed with each other lol

the thing is, deku and bakugo are in a bad place when the story kicks in. bakugo isn't an active bully, in the sense that he doesn't constantly seek deku out to hurt him, but he IS horribly mean and hostile, and that's because for years he's felt threatened by deku (and deku's heroic qualities), and wants to push him away, because he also feels that deku is looking down on him. the story doesn't shy away from showing and acknowledging that bakugo's behavior is atrocious and needs to change, and it works towards it consistently: he eventually atones, apologizes, and changes. on the other side of the coin, deku has always been paying attention to bakugo and, despite how the latter treated him, would chase him, observe him to the point he has bakugo's moves memorized, takes inspiration from his fighting style and even imitates him to give himself courage to do something specially daring and when he wants to "win" more than "save"; bakugo is his image of victory, ever since they were kids.

i scrolled through my bkdk meta tag, since it's been yeeeeears since i was involved in the fandom, lol, and found this post that tackles the bullying issue specifically and makes some very good points, if you wanted to read it! :D

the manga eventually addresses the problems in their relationship in "Deku vs Kacchan 2" (chapters 117-119), at the time bakugo is feeling turmoils for the part he played in All Might's end. to the question of "why does deku chase and care about bakugo if bakugo is so mean to him?" ch 119 has deku answer that himself:

this fight is the turning point for their relationship, and for the rest of the manga their individual and dual development is mostly upwards. reading bnha is worth it, if anything, just for the beauty of bakugo katsuki's development.

another big aspect that got me hooked in their relationship from the very first anime episode (and first opening) is that they are

✨Childhood Friends✨

(strap in this is gonna get loooooooooong)

Childhood friends (Osananajimi) is kind of a huge trope in manga/anime, often as a romantic interest. According to some sources i quickly consulted in the internet, and some of the manga/anime I've watched, in Japanese culture osananajimi is considered one of the purest bond formed between people, with a level of closeness equal to that between blood relatives; formed at such an early age, at a time when societal restrictions didn't apply yet, the relationship is genuine because they still didn’t need or know how to hide their true feelings from each other. As the childhood friends grew up together, this is considered a special connection, somewhat different to those formed after societal norms and perceptions take precedence. Or, as makeste put it:

here we have two very young children who are introduced to each other at an age when they’re still young enough to have absolutely no secrets. they’re young enough to have not yet learned to be shy or self-conscious, or to downplay their enthusiasm so as not to let others know they care. kids that young don’t hide anything. they don’t lie or deceive. they don’t have agendas, and they assume that others don’t either. it is, in short, a very pure type of relationship in the sense that it’s honest and uncomplicated, that it is exactly what it appears to be at face value. their personalities are fully out there with no attempt at reining anything in. Katsuki witnesses the full force of Izuku’s boundless hero-worshipping energy and enthusiasm. Izuku witnesses the full extent of Katsuki’s relentless confidence and Peter Pan cockiness. both boys see each other for who they are in their entirety, and accept each other. this is a fundamental bond. there is trust built between the two of them at a critical, formative age. it’s a relationship formed so early on that it’s likely that neither of them can actually recall a time before they met the other. they are and have always been a constant in each other’s lives. they’re a lot like siblings in terms of that kind of closeness and complete understanding of the other, both the good and the bad. in fact I’d say that Izuku’s use of “Kacchan” (and Katsuki’s automatic acceptance of it) isn’t that different from a younger brother’s use of “Niisan” for his older brother. it’s very revealing of the type of relationship they have. and that includes the typical sibling squabbles as well. it’s very much a relationship that’s taken for granted; there’s no filter, no effort to hold back, no attempt at trying to tone down their behavior around one another. there is whining and bragging and squabbling and name-calling and tears, just as much as there is cooperation and respect and trust. because at the end of the day, the assumption is that the relationship will endure no matter what, so they can go at each other as hard as they can and it doesn’t matter. the other one’s presence is just a given. that’s the kind of relationship that this term “childhood friends” really encapsulates, I think.

The sudden change of their statuses when the quirks start to manifest is a major factor that placed them on opposite sides of the social hierarchy, and conditioned the way society and their peers would treat them. But despite this and the misunderstandings that happen between them and the falling apart of their relationship, the subconscious understanding between them remains intact through the years. They always flashback to their earlier memories. They probably didn't interact much in elementary or middle school, and even if they did, they interactions were already tainted by their social status and Bakugo’s hostility. They don't share their innermost feelings with anyone but each other. Like when Deku gets angry or determined to win and to surpass him, or when Bakugo screams and cries out his emotional turmoil at Deku. According to Japanese social rules those are selfish things to do. This relates to the concepts of honne and tatemae.

Japanese society is more regimented than one might believe just from watching anime. By middle school age, and even to some degree in primary school, children are expected to interact with their peers in a relatively professional way. This is especially true of relationships between students of opposite sexes. Such requirements aren't held for family or close friends, but for everyone else one is expected to be polite and not share their true feelings or say things too directly. This concept of dividing people into an in-group and an out-group (内外, uchi-soto) is somewhat hard for non-Japanese people to understand, but is central to interactions between people in Japanese culture. In fact, you can find plenty of examples of this and of the related concepts of honne and tatemae in anime if you look, but if you aren't looking for them specifically it's easy to miss. (source)

So, for example, you shouldn't show your true feelings/thoughts to other people, even more if they aren’t socially acceptable, because that may disturb the peace in the community. But because Deku and Kacchan are osananajimi that have known each other their whole life, that doesn't apply to them. By stating from the very beginning that Kacchan was Deku's childhood friend, Hori put them in a close relationship with each other with a level of intimacy, trust and a subconscious understanding not like any other. Kacchan is, in fact, closer to him than All Might himself.

Like, Deku has been calling Bakugo by his childhood nickname, Kacchan ("Ka[tsu]" from Katsuki + "-chan", which is usually used to address children or females in an affectionate way), even past the age he was excepted it to drop it. When they were 4 years old, the other kids called him "Kacchan" too, but growing up it would be seen as childish or disrespectful so they start to call him "Katsuki" or "Bakugo". This puts a level of distance between him and his peers that, regardless of what happened between them, didn't extend to Deku and Katsuki. And it had to cross Deku's mind at some point ( "Should I start calling him Katsuki/Bakugo too?") but he didn't or simply couldn't. Despite everything, he wasn't willing to put even more distance between himself and Bakugo. He deliberately refused to put formal distance between them, and more importantly, Bakugo just LET THAT BE.

___

Like, this was a great set up from the beginning for me. I knew there was a story there from the first episodes, and then "Deku vs Kacchan 1" happened, showing their childhood flashbacks and the misunderstandings that would persist until DvK2, and i was really into that lol They relationship was one of the main reasons I followed the manga.

i mean LOOK at THIS!

how i could NOT ship it i mean come on

Even their color schemes complement each other, and their costumes have the same/similar colors. they are are complementary opposites that share the same core: to become a hero, their admiration of All Might. Each of them has a quality the other lacks and needs to work on to become the heroes: heroes that win and save, as All Might put it. Selflessness and Selfishness: to help and save others, in one side, and to care for one's personal victory, in the other. Bakugo was obsessed with victory and glory, and Deku was willing to do anything to save others, to the point of self-destruction. These isolated qualities didn't made them good heroes, but combined, as the two learn them from each other, by the end of the story they really become two of the greatest heroes.

This connects with their rivalry, which is richer than any other in the manga because of the many layers to their relationship: they are obsessed with each other, want to compete with each other (for the rest of their lives!!!) and don't want the other to fall behind, specially after their misunderstandings are resolved. They also don't want to be left behind by the other. Because they love each other too much! Whether people interpret it as platonic or romantic or whatever in between (secret third they are like like four different types of greek love categories combined), they are each other's More Important Person outside of family members. Hell, Kacchan getting hurt is basically Deku's berserk button: he punches All Might in the face to save Katsuki during the end of term exam; he goes crazy protective and possessive when Katsuki gets kidnapped by the League of villains(Mr. Compress even calls him out lmao)

he goes crazy when Katsuki is hurt in front of him

and when he thought katsuki had died...

i mean. look at this romantic shit.

_

lol and i feel like i'm leaving many other stuff behind, like Bakugo's apology, and all the little moments after DvK, and all the times in the last arc where Bakugo was thinking about Izuku constantly, and the finale where Katsuki cried because Deku had given up OFA and was going to be quirkless again, and the fact that he was at the heart of the mecha suit years-long project because he wanted Izuku's dream, their dreams, to come true. but tbh I only read them the one time and need to reread the whole manga again to refresh my knowledge. and i already shipped them before all this haha.

they are amazing characters in a really well done shonen manga they have a beautiful story 🧡💚

[monsters-conquer-the-world]

OOZEPUNK

WHAT IS OOZEPUNK?

Oozepunk is the term I'm coining for the microgenre of urban heroic sci-fi horror-fantasy that first exploded in the mid-80s with movies, shows, and comics like Ghostbusters, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Toxic Avenger, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Hellboy, Street Sharks, and others. Lots of natural crossover with Biopunk and Cyberpunk, aesthetically and philosophically.

Your childhood trauma didn't let you forget Roger Rabbit heavily featured colorful nightmare slime, did it?

A ragtag gang of weirdos (often horribly mutated--more on that soon) band together to save a city that doesn't understand them. Grimy sewers, abandoned buildings and graffiti'd brick walls are lit up by neon lights, streams of mysterious, glowing goo and/or the unearthly lights of futuristic particle weapons--ideally all of the above!

Beyond the "cracked concrete and gutters full of liquid plutonium" aesthetic, Oozepunk prankishly asks "What if catastrophic aberrations of science, particularly DUMPING TOXIC FUCKING WASTE STRAIGHT INTO THE ENVIRONMENT created fucked-up monsters... but they're HEROIC fucked-up monsters!" These catastrophic aberrations of science grant the heroes incredible powers, but COST them their place in human society. (Ghostbusters and Roger Rabbit eschew character mutation in favor of discovering that the undead and olde tymey cartoons are real [and exploitable!], respectively. 'Busters and 'Toon sympathizers alike are treated like insane idiots and/or frauds in their respective universes.)

Oozepunk heroes are challenged not only by strange supernatural beings, but by human society itself. The Ghostbusters battle with local politicians as much as they do the undead. In the recent (and delightful) TMNT: Mutant Mayhem, Splinter warns the Turtles of humans and their obsession with "milking" mutants for their blood--on top of the villainous mutants they're trying to thwart!

Crank up the creep factor in Oozepunk and you get awesome anti-establishment goo-horror like 1988's The Blob, The Stuff, Street Trash, and probably a bunch more. Toxic Avenger is a batshit crazy splatter-comedy (i.e. classic Troma)... and still garnered sequels, a kid's cartoon and toyline!

And there's a Shredder's Revenge-style Crusaders beat-em-up coming out next year??

This looks dope as shit

Ghostbusters and TMNT are the only current, "evergreen" (or radioactive green!) Oozepunk franchises I can think of off the top of my head, but Oozepunk elements are buried in almost all of the stories and settings I love the most. Heroic kaiju like King Kong, Godzilla and Gamera paved the way for our freaky friends, but so did comics characters like Fantastic Four's Ben "The Thing" Grimm, The Hulk and Swamp Thing. Hell, I think I blame SESAME STREET of all things for starting me down the Oozepunk path.

Surprise! I've loved screaming trash monsters with secret hearts of gold since I was a fucking baby, and they've ALWAYS been there for me!

But it's not just Oscar, Sesame Street as a whole is a proto-Oozepunk utopia, years before the big Ooze-splosion of the 80s. Muppets, monsters, talking animals and chill humans all live and work together to scrape by with a little dignity in a gritty-but-wholesome urban world!

Sesame Street, a decades-long reminder that educational childrens' programming can and SHOULD be cool as hell looking and loaded with all kinds of friendly mutant freakuloids.

OOZEPUNK! Whaddya think?

[yourantag]

Rises the Moon (Ithaqua×Reader)

AN: 3 posts in a row? More likely than you'd think! The next is probably gonna be dropped on New Years since I heard if you post too much at once, you can get shadow banned. Still, gotta feed you guys the few things I've written before I'm dragged back to school. This fic was actually written in August for the Ithaqua server's Ithaugust. The prompt was "you forgot, but I remember." I was between hitting the reader with a car k-drama style or this, but luckily I ended up with this. Enjoy! Word count: 2.0k words TW: Mild violence, death, and yandere themes. Summary: The sun god has always loved the deity of the moon. Even as galaxies collided and the stars died, he has loved them. But fate is not kind, ripping you away from him. Again, and again, and again. So, even if you cry, he can only apologize. He'd rather confine you in these walls than lose you ever again.

"What do you think of mortals, my sun?"

"They're selfish fools who yearn for more than they need, so easily consumed by greed."

"My, such cruel generalizations. Not all of them are like that."

"Perhaps, but can you truly claim that most are innocent?"

"I suppose not, but I believe in it."

"Believe in what?"

"The good in humanity. I'm willing to bet my life on it."

-

The ebbing and flowing of time was as inevitable as the pushing and pulling of the tides, taking with it lives and memories of the past. With each rotation of the sun, the rise of a new moon, and the occasional visits of comets and asteroids from beyond, life continued. Regardless of the pain and suffering of those who lived on, the world continued to turn, just as time continued to march on. Sometimes, Ithaqua wished it would just stop.

Thirty million, two hundred two thousand, and twenty three years have passed.

Twenty five human lifetimes have come and gone, each one leaving him more grief-stricken than before.

Every encounter with you was as devastating as the last, leaving Ithaqua yearning to see you again while praying he didn't. Every time he met you, you'd steal his heart again, as if you could steal something that was already yours to begin with. Yet, still, he'd fall in love with you again and again, lifetime after lifetime, like a fool.

Each life only really started when he met you, held you in his arms, and loved you. Then, tragically, horribly, unavoidably, his life ended when you died.

The first life had been fine, the two of you born as commoners in some civilization long past. It was a hard life of surviving the elements, fending off wild animals, and trying to just live in a world humans had not yet adapted to. Still, however difficult it was, Ithaqua treasured the memories of that life as it had taught him so much about humans. 

Such resilient creatures, capable of persevering and creating. He saw just how brilliant they were, and just how stupid as well. They could take down animals twice their size and weight yet couldn't figure out how to navigate. 

Incredible. 

Regardless, sitting around campfires, singing songs, running in the fields and just living was invigorating. Ithaqua came to appreciate life and the small things within it; from the crunching of leaves to the chirping of birds, the blue seas and the cloudy skies. The views and experiences he'd never get to have as a god, the ones he'd never get to know or love as an immortal, even the very essence of fleeting lives became so, so very beautiful to him.

Humans were nothing compared to the gods, but when Ithaqua sat among them, talked to them, laughed with them, he came to find that you were right. Despite how difficult it was to live in this world, humans still held kindness for each other. They offered him food despite not having much for themselves. They offered him shelter despite not having much room. They offered him help despite needing help themselves.

Such complicated, foolish, yet oddly kind creatures they were, but that made them all the more charming. Ithaqua genuinely considered that the humans in this world were unlike the ones from the last, that they were truly good. They treated the two of you so well, and taught him so much.

The last lesson they ever taught him was just how far they'd go to ensure their own survival.

It wasn't something Ithaqua ever expected to experience, not when he had been a god his whole life. The rumble of the earth as it trembled under the stamping feet of hundreds of cattle shocked him. Fear bloomed in his heart as he saw animals he'd only ever regarded as sacrifices before becoming deadly, stampeding through the small village the two of you resided in.

He was lucky, or so many had said. Surviving such an experience by not being too close was a blessing. Yet, how could Ithaqua feel that way when you hadn't made it out safely? When he saw, from the cliff that watched over the village,  that a man pushed you in front of the charging cattle to save himself?

The bitter taste of betrayal lingered on his tongue for a long time, even after he had killed the man and everyone whose negligence led to the incident.

The next life was kinder, as though the world itself understood he needed time to process things and feel better. When he met you once more, you had given him a warm smile and a hug.

Ithaqua held you for a long, long time. He breathed in your scent, listened to the steady beat of your heart, and slowly started to compose himself. He hadn't even realized how distressed he was until he found himself calm once more.

The two of you caught up, explaining what had happened in this life, what you wanted to do in this slightly more advanced time, and more. At some point, Ithaqua had to ask you if you still believed in the good in humanity.

"Of course I do! Why wouldn't I?"

He wanted to say the obvious answer. He wanted to point out the fact that you died in the last life because of humans, because of their selfishness, their incompetence, their betrayal. Yet, when he looked in your eyes, seeing them clear of any feelings of hatred, Ithaqua let it go. If you forgave them, he would too.

Really, it should've been more obvious to him that it was a warning.

The gentle days of sitting in the sun, playing in the river, and feeling the pure relief of having you back had made Ithaqua blind to such a hint. He simply went on with this life, living happily with you by his side.

Though extremely wary, Ithaqua came to trust humans once more. Naively, he came to believe that perhaps, the humans of this time period were better. Perhaps, they were more civilized. With less of a focus on surviving and more so on improving the quality of life, things were more peaceful than before.

Ithaqua relaxed as he once more laughed among humans, sharing new jokes, reciting old poetry, and learning new things that had recently been discovered. You always smiled so sweetly when you saw him interact with mortals, so he tried his best to be more social.

"Talking with humans is crucial! It helps stimulate the brain and be happier. We're humans now, so we need to keep in mind what they need to survive."

Ithaqua would've loved to disagree, claiming that this vulnerable mortal shell was not who he was, therefore his needs were not the same, but his stomach would always disagree. Still, he vehemently denied being human, even as he ate whatever you had made for him. At the least, Ithaqua knew he didn't need to spend time with others. You were more than enough.

The moments he had with you were treasured more than any others.

He shared the first snowfall of his life with you, the soft specks of ice fluttering delicately in the wind. They swirled around you two as you danced, laughing as the surroundings became blanketed in white. Ithaqua thought, once again, that the world was beautiful. But, perhaps that was just because of you?

However, it seemed like only when the wounds of the past had healed that tragedy would strike once more. This time, it was a more targeted murder, one where they were out to kill you specifically. Poisoned to death because of jealousy, because of someone who apparently loved him and thought that, somehow, he'd love them if they killed you.

The first winter of that year was tainted by the blood on his hands, soaking into the snow. Red seeped into the ice and polluted the otherwise serene beauty of the frost covered land, painting it in ugly colors that seared itself into his mind. However, compared to the sight of your cold, lifeless, glassy eyes, the once comforting and kind ones that shined like stars in the sky, it was no travesty.

No words in the world could express the pain in his chest or the severity of this crime. Not even if the heavens fell or if the world itself turned its back on its inhabitants, nothing, nothing at all could be worse than the sin of robbing you of your life.

Ithaqua's heart ached more than his frostbitten fingers realizing that, this year, he wouldn't get to dance with you. Not this year nor the next, or the next, not until he died and was reborn to start the cycle anew.

Even after the first betrayal, the first death, Ithaqua felt incredibly hurt that he was betrayed again by humanity.

Still, he pushed on.

For you.

Yet, with each life that passed by, you recognized Ithaqua less and less. You forgot things about him, be it his godhood or the memories you shared. You were starting to forget yourself, not remembering that you weren't human, that this wasn't how you were supposed to be.

By the tenth life, you didn't recognize him at all.

You remembered nothing about your past lives, nothing about your godhood, not even his name, nothing, you remembered nothing.

You forgot.

Still, he desperately sought you out. In each life, Ithaqua tried to get you to remember your past lives, the happy memories, the bad ones, even just his name or the stupid bet, anything. It would be fine if you remembered that time he slipped and fell like an idiot. It would be fine if you remembered how he tried to drown a fish. It would be fine if you remembered anything, anyone, just as long as you remembered.

But you didn't.

And, every time, you'd die.

Again. And again. And again.

You fell for the trickery of humans time and time again. To their cunning, their cruelty, their evil. No matter how he tried to save you, how hard he tried to convince you not to trust them, it never mattered. Everything he did was futile, only ever allowing him to miserably watch as you died again.

Once upon a time, Ithaqua believed. He thought it was possible that, in another world, another place, humans could be kind. They gave kindness so freely, offering assistance and support with smiles, but in the end, the results were always the same.

Humans could never be trusted, not when he- you had been betrayed in every lifetime.

…

Twenty five. 

Twenty five lifetimes with you. Watching you get betrayed, watching you suffer, watching you die.

And yet, you remembered none of them.

It's no different this time, you see him and feel a connection, yet you don't remember him. You sometimes remember things about him like his favorite color, his favorite foods, even the things he hates, but it's always chalked up to instincts, nothing more and nothing less.

Ithaqua is tired. Tired of being forgotten, tired of being betrayed, but most of all, tired of losing you. So, there's really only one thing he can do. If you won't listen to his warnings, and if all of his efforts to protect you are futile, then the only logical option is to keep you away from humans.

It's not hard to get you away from them when you trust him with your life.

Delicately trailing a finger down your face, Ithaqua smiles. Blindfolded, chained, and trapped you may be, but you're still radiant in his eyes. Ever so brilliant and glowing, even within the confines of a dimly lit room.

"It'll be okay, my moon, all will be fine. Here, you are safe. No one can hurt you, and no one can take you away." Ithaqua drags his hand down your arm, watching you shiver. He pulls up the blanket on your lap to cover you more, humming lightly.

"You know, I'm quite a jealous man." He says off-handedly, rubbing a thumb over your knuckles, the chain around your wrist clinking at the faint movement.

"Death has had you for so long... would it be so selfish of me to ask you to stay with me for eternity?"

If you don't remember, it's fine. After all, he remembers, and that's what matters. Ithaqua can remind you as many times as you need. After all, you can't leave.

[yolli-es]

StarGuardianAU!Jinx × FemReader. Part 2💫💫

I COULDN'T FIT IT IN 1 PART, SORRY 🙌🏻

I've read these posts a thousand times already, but I'm still not sure about the content. English is not my native language, thank you for understanding

After that, you couldn't tear yourself away from each other. Jinx wasn't afraid to go anywhere with you anymore. Again, she doesn't give a shit about the opinions of idiots around her. The main thing is that you know the truth.

Jinx wasn't embarrassed when everyone stared at your duet in public places. You tried to imitate her in this.

Damn, you were addicted to her.

You started spending time together outside of school. Jinx constantly drags you to her house.

You especially remember the sleepover when Jinx first showed you her Kuro and Shiro! Those chubby guys were just as in love with you as you were with them. Even Shiro, who doesn't express any emotions, can smile at you on your first meeting.

Jinx, by the way, doesn't know what kind of animals they are. She likes to think they're a rare breed of alien cat-dog. You support her in this.

These cuties could become invisible at any moment. This is necessary to always be close to their owner and in a moment of urgent need to help her save the universe.

Only their owner, Jinx, could see these animals at any time.

After your acquaintance with the chubby ones, you ask Jinx to show you them every time

Things were great between you two, but you hated the slander against Jinx. People kept thinking she was horrible, which you really didn't like.

That's why, when Lux and the others couldn't handle Zoe's new pet, you convinced Jinx to step in.

Jinx wanted to help them, because despite the harsh words she still considered them friends. However, it seemed to her that everyone would turn on her again because of the explosions and other things. She did not intend to make things worse for them. That yours admiring look and short conversation finally convinced her to intervene.

Well, her spectacular appearance did not go unnoticed. Magic and glitter didn't help the Star Guardians, so heavy magical explosions saved not only the girls, but the entire city.

People finally shut up and recognized Jinx as worthy of the powers of starlight. Lux also apologized publicly, which helped a lot.

They discussed everything later, alone. Lux was truly ashamed, but Jinx didn't seem to care. She wasn't angry anymore, not when that fight allowed her to meet you.

So, Jinx is back on the team, and no one is whining about her little love of destruction. Still, she does all this work to protect her loved ones. Even if in such a weird way.

You were proud of her, and, believe me, she was no less proud of herself. You're dealing with Jinx, after all.

Sometimes you spoil her with too much attention.

You also learned that Jinx is incredibly strong. And that's a hindrance. Of course, you felt it during your first embrace, but under the surge of feelings, you did not pay due attention.

She herself didn't know about it. Until you have a huge bruise on your skin from her weak push on your shoulder. She is ashamed of it, and she won't stop apologizing.

The power of starlight made her much stronger than any human, and her fighting style allowed her to compete with other Guardians in this.

Now she has to control the force of her pressure. When she took your hand, she did it very carefully.

Your relationship began spontaneously. You found yourself not far from a Star Guardians brawl. Noticing you in the crowd, Jinx's blood boiled. She had never been so serious and careful.

As the creature headed your way, you learned another amazing thing. When Jinx has a lot of adrenaline in her blood, wings appear behind her back. Just for a few seconds while her little animals merge into one giant rocket. One black and one white. You knew her tattoo was there for a reason!

You have never seen anything more beautiful and dangerous. No threat to life could ruin this moment for you.

It ended well, as always, but not for Jinx. She went into hysteria when she found herself next to you, right after everything had calmed down and the danger had passed. She looked at you over and over, breathing heavily.

You said you were fine, but she wouldn't calm down. You couldn't think of anything better than to grab her face with your hands and pull her closer.

Jinx kissed you without thinking twice. It came out a little rude, even though she tried not to overdo it, but you didn't care. You answered with pleasure.

And so, in the light of flashing cameras and the embarrassing glances of her team, you "announced" the beginning of your relationship.

After such a hot start, your couple was not left alone. You were often photographed and filmed, and something stupid was shouted at you. 

Tell Jinx you hate it, and they'll be gone in a few seconds.

Otherwise, your relationship has been unusually calm. Jinx is very active and inquisitive, but if you want silence, she won't mind. Will you tell her something, like at the very beginning of your relationship?

She still loves listening to you and can't stand other people's chatter.

You also take pleasure in taking care of her hair.

Your first time having sex wasn't planned.

You were brushing her hair when you suddenly thought that riding her was a good idea.

Jinx held on for quite a while. She wanted to touch, taste, and listen. It was only a matter of time before her desire overcame her fear.

You found yourself under her.

Jinx started out very confident, very in her style. But then she started to lose her head, blush, and huff and puff awkwardly.

This is as much a first-time experience for her as it is for you.

She was very careful with you. Every movement of her hand was controlled.

Jinx couldn't relax at first due to excessive control of one's movements. It was bad, but you didn't mind.

The friction against each other, although so awkward, was pleasant.

When you were able to cum from this, Jinx was delighted.

You definitely liked it, until it dawned on you that Jinx hadn't finished.

She said it was okay, but you just had to make her relax.

She didn't let you finish what you started that day.

After that, struggling with your embarrassment, you pestered Jinx when you both were alone. Not too pushy, and the girl could always say "no" to you.

Jinx never said this.

After a couple of months of physical contact (not always a sexual type), Jinx was able to relax.

You definitely won't be prepared for such a high libido. Jinx won't leave you alone. She's been holding back for a long time, and now she wants to take hers back.

Her hands did everything themselves, gently and easily, just the way you like it.

She loves to slowly run her fingers down your stomach, but she never touches your pussy so fast.

Try to rub yourself against her hands, and she will remove them from your body.

She also didn't forget about your breasts, often "accidentally" running her fingernail over your nipple.

When she undresses you, she can't help but let out a quiet squeak. Your body is her second blessing. No, starlight be damned, you were the first.

Jinx also loves kissing. It's always dirty, she's very impatient.

Speaking of which, Jinx starts with two fingers at once.

The pace is also not kind to your body, get ready to squirm and beg for her to be slower. She won't listen.

But if you hug her around the neck and gently rub your cheeks against hers? Okay, she'll slow down. 

She melts at any tenderness yours offers her. But this does not mean that she will be unhappy with rude treatment. 

Don't be shy about scratching and biting Jinx. Her body regenerates quickly, so forget about restraint and just grab her like it's your last time.

Don't pull her hair while she's between your legs.

Forget it; Jinx will let you do it. But please, not too much. You're unlikely to be able to pull them out, but it's a big distraction from her lunch.

She also doesn't mind if you choke her for a short time.

Jinx won't do this to you. Don't even try.

Any other even slightly cruel games in sex on you are also prohibited.

Want to take the initiative? She will be happy to obey you.

But don't even try to tease her longer than necessary or tell her what to do.

Her pride will not allow her to torment her longer than she wants.

Sorry, but even in this position, Jinx is dominant.

Her weak spot is her back, right on the spot of her tattoo. Stroke, scratch, or kiss; she will respond to everything very willingly. 

Jinx will moan loudly and expect the same from you. 

"Come on, you can be louder. You don't want me to press harder, do you?"

The sounds of your pussy excite her no less.

She teases like hell, but she would never do anything that you wouldn't like.

Due to Jinx's work and hard studies, sometimes you can't see each other for a long time. She can't stand it and fucks herself with her fingers until her hand gets tired and and her throat will start to hurt from moaning your name.

She tries to mimic your movements, but it almost never works.

Jinx doesn't like doing it, but the itch of dissatisfaction slowly eats her from the inside.

She'll never tell you, but her biggest sexual fantasy is having sex with you near school. In the very place where you first met.

In her head, it's mostly romantic but also very creepy. You won't do it.

She also has a little secret that she has never told you about: Kuro and Shiro saw everything you did with each other. Every time.

Jinx tried to chase them away, but they just don't understand what she wants from them.

At the same time, it never bothered her.

But you will definitely be embarrassed, and after this confession, you will definitely not be able to fuck anymore. 

You might die of shame.

She adores you, loves you, and cares for you. In a variety of ways

PART ONE: StarGuardianAU!Jinx × FemReader

THANK YOU FOR READING! I understand if you couldn't read even 1 of my posts about this. You might think it would be easier to write a fanfic about it. No, it's not easier to me 🥹🤚

I didn't plan to become an author here, but I have a couple more ideas 😋

[bryce-bucher]

.50 Caliber 3D Platformer Post #5

(Flashing Lights Warning near the bottom of the post)

UI UI UI UI UI:

I've been working on UI mostly the past couple of weeks. It has been, as usual, both very cool & fun but also hell and evil. To be more specific, I really like designing the visual aspect of UI, but implementing it is always so horribly tedious and boring that it is really hard for me to focus on doing it. Without fail, I always end up getting UI done very slowly because of this. I am really happy with what I've got so far though, and it has brought me one step closer to getting to the point where I can just start hashing out levels.

Making the Health UI:

The health UI was something I was extremely excited about implementing, so I eagerly decided to decide that it was time to make it. Let me step u through the process 4 fun.

For me, it always starts with sketching out something crudely in pen. I've had this sketch done for months now, so it was p cool to see it finally come to life in game.

Next I hopped into blender and began trying to make some kind of cool y2k-era greebled out shape, but making detailed machinery (or details in general) is not my strongsuit, so I ended up with this kinda neat smooth shape that I wasn't entirely happy with. It looked cool, but I really wanted to challenge myself to make something closer to the windows media player skins I was inspired by.

More Specifically, I referenced this Half-Life 2 windows media player skin heavily, and started with a ring that I could build little pieces and wires off of. I hope u can forgive me if I maybe made it too similar lol, but I tried to get creative and put my own spin on it. I think the shapes on the top left are the most similar to my reference, and those are not-so-coincidentally the first bits that I modeled. This is my first time modeling something in this style, and I suspect that I'll get better at it if & when I do it again.

Finally, I slapped some materials on, made a texture for one of the faces I had sketched out, and rendered out a few frames of it gently(ish) flashing. I then went into affinity photo and made little speedometer components to slot into the small circle in the top right and programmed some functionality to it. The plan is to have the face represent the player's current health, so I am going to need to make a few more and then animate it rotating into a different face. But yeah, I am super happy with it, and I think it is lookin p sick!

Other Stuff What I Made:

Other than the health UI, I also added in functionality and UI for completing a level and selecting a level.

I was very much inspired by killer7 for the sequence that plays when you shoot your target, and I am addicted to intense flashing lights, so I included a lot of that. There are already accessibility options to turn that off, so if it's something that could harm u or if you just hate it (coward????!!!11) you can disable them. I've always found intense effects like that very cathartic, so I'm probably gonna include similar visuals in a few different things I make. That being said, I do also always want to make the alternative visuals (when the accessibility options are enabled) to also be cool af and get the point across. The level select screen was also really fun to make, I basically just slapped together some textures of warn-out paper into a little files situation and placed that on top of an abstract background that I made in jwildfire.

Conclusion:

I have honestly really loved working on this so far, but there has been a lot of anxiety about money in my life lately, so I really do hope to get this out in a reasonable time. I feel like I say that a lot about this game, but it is because it's always on my mind unfortunately. I don't want to make it sound like I am making this game entirely for money or w/e though, it is definitely a labor of love. Anyways, I hope to get to a point where I can get some environment art done soon, and I cannot wait to show off whatever this game is gonna look like. Have a nice day every1!

[the-english-student-studyblr]

Book Recommendations (from a lit grad student)

So, as I have come to the end of my MA in world lit, I thought I should give you a list of some of the best books I've read, or learnt from. I ignore established canon and give to you recommendations from across the globe and across all genres. Books that defined their genre, or made an impact, or are just really cool and enjoyable to read. This list is not all dead white men.

I have split the list by era/year of publication primarily for easy reading. A lot of the sections are arbitrary. Some of them are not.

Note: This list is not conclusive! This is based on my own readings, and my own, personal, opinions. You have the right to your own opinions and preferences. If you have any suggestions, add them on below.

Classic lit (pre-1700)

Aristole - Poetics (c. 335 BCE)

As much as I hate it...this one is actually pretty important. I know I said 'contributions to literary canon don't matter', and here I am, immediately doing the opposite. But! Aristotle's Poetics is the earliest treatise on literary theory that has survived to the modern day. You want to know where our ideas of comedy and tragedy come from? Poetics. Three act structure? Poetics. Plot and character? Poetics. Key terms like catharsis, hubris, hamartia? Poetics. We had to read this for creative writing, and did I hate it? Yes. Am I a better writer for having read it? Also yes

Plato - The Republic (c. 375 BCE)

Plato is quite easy to read, of the classical philosophers. His works are mostly dialogues between characters, which makes them more engaging that some other dry philosophy texts. I wrote out a longer post with an explanation of Plato's Republic specifically here.

Genji Monogatari (pre-1021)

The first novel ever! Originally written in Japanese, be careful of your translations because most are of questionable quality. I've only read the first one by Suematsu and that's uhhhhh Bad™ but I think the current waterstones edition is decent?

The Völsunga saga OR The Vinland sagas (early 13th century)

Ah, how to choose just one Norse saga? These are both pretty solid examples of their style, and short (always a plus). The Völsunga saga was the inspiration behind Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen (famous for the piece The Valkyrie), and most likely Tolkien's works. The Vinland sagas supposedly have an anime/manga series inspired by them, though looking at the synopsis I cannot see where the inspiration was other than time period. Norse sagas - especially the Icelandic ones such as Vinland - are actually pretty good guides to real historic events, which is very cool. I could go on for hours about this, but I'll spare you the rambling.

Thomas More - Utopia (1516)

Lovely little sarcastic book about tudor politics and human nature all wrapped up in the original 'utopian text'. Surprisingly funny for something written so long ago, and very easy to read. I wrote a longer post about it here

Aphra Behn - Oroonoko (1688)

Hated it, but the themes are interesting and wow did the author lead an interesting life. Widely considered to be the first novel written in English, deals with colonialism, slavery, and honour, and Aphra Behn was a spy? I'm sure some of you will eat that up. Be warned, very 'noble savage'-y book, but less racist than it could've been so cool, I guess?

Early Modern Drama

Christopher Marlowe - Edward II (1592)

Gay. So gay. We're not supposed to call it gay (because of a whole host of reasons that I can and will explain if anyone shows up in my askbox complaining about academics) but it is a very very queer play and Kit Marlowe was too which is even better. Also our one and only history play on this list. Anyone who already knows how Edward II died (thanks horrible histories) do not spoil the ending.

Shakespeare - Twelfth Night (1602)

As with any Shakespeare, watch a performance if you can. I highly recommend the National Theatre version that was up on youtube in 2020. Very gay, no one is cishet. Lots of singing and dancing. Prime example of Shakespeare's comedies with added gender shenanigans.

Shakespeare - Hamlet (1609)

Yes I'm basic. Yes I like Hamlet. In the same way that Twelfth Night is a great example of Shakespeare's comedies, Hamlet is a good example of his tragedies. Mostly, though, I'm recommending this because the castle it's set in in Denmark (Elsinore) a) actually exists and b) does an amazing educational programme, with live actors performing scenes all across the castle! Watching the 'to be or not to be' soliloquy in the banquet hall just adds a whole other level to the experience of reading the play.

Shakespeare - Measure for Measure OR The Tempest

Shakespeare's problem plays. I couldn't pick just one, because they're both fantastic in different ways. Measure for Measure features what can only be described as the early-modern version of an ace protagonist - Isabella - who I adore. The Tempest has a really interesting portrayal of early colonialism and slavery. The reason they are 'problem plays' is they check all the boxes for a comedy...but they're not funny. At all. And they also check some of the boxes for a tragedy. They're certainly interesting reading

Ben Jonson - The Alchemist (1610)

Just a really good, solid play. Very funny. Bunch of con artists set up an elaborate scheme to rob rich people. Also very good for showing class structures of the time. Shakespeare gets all the recognition for this era but Jonson is just as good really, and definitely as clever.

Regency and Victorian lit (1700-1900)

Jane Austen

Literally anything by Austen. She is just so funny, so witty, and I wholeheartedly believe she'd be a feminist today. Master of the female gaze in literature, but beyond that she is basically credited with the invention of free indirect discourse, which is super cool. I have only read Pride and Prejudice, but I have heard good things about most of her books, so I don't feel bad recommending all of them.

William Blake

There's one poem by Blake about a London street urchin that breaks my heart every time I read it and that is the sole reason behind this recommendation I hate Romantic poets.

Mary Shelley - Frankenstein (1818)

You knew it was coming. First sci-fi, gothic horror, teenage girl writer. Gotta love Shelley.

Frederik Douglass - Narrative of the Life of Frederik Douglass (1845)

You know those books that are horrifying because they're real? That's this book. Doesn't shy away from the horrors of slavery and for a reason. This is an autobiography. It is not fiction.

Gowongo Mohawk - Wep-ton-no-mah (1890s)

My favourite play of all time. You will need to do a trip to either the British Library or the Library of Congress to read it because there are no other copies, but I did do a whole podcast episode about it because I'm apparently the expert? You can find it here.

Bram Stoker - Dracula (1894)

I know here on tumblr we adore Dracula, and for good reason. It's horrifying, it's got a blorbo, if you haven't read it already, go with a dracula daily read-through or @re-dracula for the best experience. (Re:Dracula also has episodes where they get scholars on to talk about things like racism and gender and queer theory surrounding the text which is SO COOL as an ex-lit student I love listening to those episodes.

Post-1900

Oscar Wilde - De Profundis (1905)

We had to read a snippet of this for A-Level and I wish it had been more because wow. Most lists like this will recommend Dorian Gray because it's a novel, but De Prof is so heartfelt and beautiful and sad and deserves to be read.

Baroness Orczy - The Scarlet Pimpernel (1905)

First masked vigilante/superhero! If you like comic books or superhero media, this is where it all started (funny how all the firsts so far have been written by women 🤔)

Erich Maria Remarque - All Quiet on the Western Front (1929)

If you only read one book in your life about WW1 make it this one! It is heartbreaking and beautifully written and makes you feel so many things. It was banned in...a lot of places for being anti-war (especially as WW2 came closer) and also because it was written by a German who was anti-war which was apparently impossible to comprehend. The prose is truly something to behold.

Modern lit (Post-war era)

George Orwell - 1984 (1948) OR Animal Farm (1945)

Which one you should read depends a lot on how long your preferred book is and how metaphorical your tastes are. Both are very good explorations of corrupt governments. Animal Farm is an easier read and shorter and is much more allegorical. 1984 is very in-your-face about how much authoritarian governments suck. Do not discount 1984 just because Winston is a terrible person. Everyone knows he's terrible. That's the whole point. He is a normal terrible person, not a cartoonishly evil terrible person, or an angelically perfect revolutionary. All the characters are realistic for their situation.

Maya Angelou - I know why the caged bird sings (1969)

Another one with some beautiful prose. She's a poet and you can tell. It's an autobiography, plus there's a lot of clever stuff going on with how it's written. You could write an essay about this. I did.

Ghassan Khanafani - Return to Haifa (1969)

A short story by a Palestinian author - we were given this by our Palestinian lecturer as an intro to the conflict and the terrible things that colonialism has done to the region. Additionally, there are notes throughout that help explain the significance of things and background and all that jazz. There is a play version that is probably easier to find because it was published more recently but it's not as good.

Ben Okri - The Famished Road (1993)

I did not read this book for uni and I think that may have influenced my opinion of it slightly but I still credit it as one of the reasons I got interested in world lit and translation. It's a really beautiful exploration of Nigerian mythological tradition and its effect on family and politics in this kind of fascinatingly weird style that's both magical realism and modernist? I hate modernism but love magical realism more so.

Carmen Maria Machado - In the Dream House (2019)

What a book oh wow. It reads like poetry. I cannot think of anything coherent to say my brain is screaming. The novel explores abuse in queer relationships, which is something people don't normally talk about, through some very interesting motifs and I love it so much. It is hard to read, but very rewarding.

[betterbemeta]

You know my biggest disapointment with breath of the wild was the Shiekah, they turned the VERY indian inspired group into bland ass ninjas and in the story that most revolves around the shiekah's agency that feels off, i suppose an indian group being servants of a european monarchy sucks but the erasure still leaves a bad taste in my mouth, what do you think?

I've never heard that the Sheikah were inspired by Indian art. Which does not mean it can't be a read-- I just haven't encountered it before. I WILL say that I noticed a LOT of architecture inspired by South Asia and India in Skyward Sword. But the dungeons and ruins in that game are rarely associated with a specific people, only 'the ancient past' and 'the goddess Hylia'. I wish we actually got confirmation that ancient Sheikah were associated with those ruins, rather than the only direct clue to Sheikah culture in that game being a time traveling exposition lady.

We had really few direct depictions of Sheikah architecture and customs before BotW, and in that game the 'ancient' Sheikah features were designed with the Jōmon period, the earliest known Japanese art and culture. The 'modern' Sheikah features were also very Japanese in aesthetic.

This kind of brings me to the point I want to bring up and reply to in your ask, which is that I take slight issue with the idea that Hyrule is a 'European monarchy.' I think it could be easy to read it that way where I live, because we tend to trust the aesthetics of stuff in a story to match up to locations in 'real life.' If we see a guy wielding a 14th century straight longsword we tend to assume the guy, within the bounds of style, is a medieval European dude. We don't expect him to lift his helm visor and reveal he's Japanese.

But for the same reason we look at anime characters and assume that many of them are probably intended to scan as Japanese to a Japanese audience, I think we need to extend that to Legend of Zelda. Even though the Hylian monarchy isn't wearing fashions that look Japanese, their nationalist myth throughout many games is set up to be extremely familiar to the domestic Japanese audience. Link and Zelda may be Blondes but the Sheikah analogs to a 'japan' themed culture are given white hair.

(Somebody else than me might have better insight into Anime Hair Colors.)

I live in the USA, 'the west', so by default narratives about imperialism and orientalism most accessible to me are going to assume whiteness and euro-centrism. But I feel it would be wrong to frame a piece of Japanese media as about whiteness, especially when it's clear that we can see the same type of stuff happen wherever racism and imperialism intersect.

There's only so much detail or nuance I can really have, given that I'm a white person in the anglosphere who's able to take Asian Literature in college, and Use Wikipedia, and Compare mythology, history, and news out of other countries to Video Games.

But yes, with all that said. It does put bad tastes in my mouth. Basically any depiction of entire cultures existing in some way to ensure a monarchy's security will do that, and the recent installment TotK extends to other fantasy races the horrible fate that has always been slapped onto the Sheikah: bound by an oath to serve Hyrule, Zelda and by extension, Link who paradoxically exists to both be the nation's tool but also the inheritor of everything in it.

[randomlonelymusician]

Giving "problematic" BL a chance - Love Stage!!

I've been watching (or rewatching) some BL anime that have been deemed problematic to see really how bad they are... or if there's anything good in them!

Warning for the unfortunately usual BL tropes! And some spoilers!

Synopsis

To those not familiar with the anime, Love Stage!! follows Izumi, a guy who was a stand-in for a female actress in a commercial while younger, and Ryouma, his counterpart in said commercial. The thing is, Ryouma believes Izumi is a girl and holds feelings for him for ten years after the shoot. And during a ten year anniversary for the commercial, Izumi and Ryouma are reunited... only for Ryouma to learn Izumi is a guy. Chaos ensues, and the problematic romance begins.

The Good

Overall, I actually enjoyed the series. It's very hard to take seriously and somewhat cringeworthy at times, but it's ridiculous enough to keep me coming back. I genuinely enjoyed watching Izumi and Ryouma bounce off each other in all their ridiculousness. While their romance didn't feel especially natural to me (especially due to some events I will mention later), they definitely had chemistry in other ways. I also found Izumi to be a likeable lead who had a story besides just the romance. He's an otaku and has a dream of being a mangaka, despite his parents wanting him to get into show business like them. He's also pretty clearly bisexual, which is always nice to see. There's also a real discussion about s*x that wasn't too weird or awkward, which was really nice to see in a genre this ridiculous. Also, they're adults? Low bar, I know, but this is BL from 2014.

The Bad

Like an unfortunate amount of BLs, there are multiple cases of SA and harassment. There's an earlier scene where Ryouma tries to force himself on Izumi, playing into the "I just can't help myself" trope. There's another scene in the latter half of the series that involves Izumi and a group of men. Both scenes are incredibly uncomfortable to watch, especially with how casually they're played off. To give credit where credit's due, Izumi is traumatized by both occurrences, but they fact that they're both played off as no big deal by everyone around him and he later gets into a relationship with his abuser is just not okay. On a far, far lesser note, it does play into the "tall masculine" and "meek feminine" tropes. And there are definitely some intimate scenes that do feel more like fanservice than natural relationship buildup.

Final Thoughts

Besides those seriously horrible aspects... I did have fun watching it. While the episodes with the assaults were very uncomfortable, most of the other episodes were just funny or enjoyable. I do really understand why people would avoid this. Also, side note, like a lot of BL, I really did not like the art style, but at least it's not a big offender of the Yaoi Chin™. And while I can't really comment on the overall f*tishy-ness of the whole thing, it just felt... really mild? I thought it would be a lot worse with the amount of hate it gets. Honestly, there's a lot of series that are worse offenders of these tropes that get a lot more love.

TLDR: Love Stage is problematic and has some really gross moments, but besides that is genuinely entertaining and quite funny. Overall, it's a lot more mild than it's often made out to be.

Do I recommend? Not really. Unless you really want some trashy shoujo to cringe and laugh at. Is it good representation? No, but it's no where near the worst I've seen.

You can find it on Crunchyroll or Hidive, btw.

[ridiasfangirlings]

So I've been rewatching and re-reading K stuff (yet again) and there was something that really really irked me the wrong way. When Homra are discussing "the new Blue King" in R:B Yata says "if only those Blues dare to try something with Anna again".....while they are actually the ones hiding the twins (who were involved in Anna's torture from Mizuchi to make her into the new Blue King alongside Shiotsu) from the new Scepter 4 under Reisi, since he wanted to bring them to justice. This is actually soo hypocritical and annoyed me to no end!?! The audacity to make Reisi out to be the bad guy when, let's be honest, he's the one person that always had everyone's best interest in mind and tried to always do the best possible thing for everyone and in every situation, yet the majority of people (both characters from the anime and irl fans) give him so much shit, totally undeserved! The truth is all of Homra should be thanking him for saving them again and again.....the ungratefulness is off the charts! But that line from Yata was the last straw for me!!! So I wanted to ask what are your thoughts on this matter?

I do think Munakata gets some undue shit from Homra’s end of things but most of my irritation on that point is like post-S1 with people blaming him for Mikoto’s death (and annoyance with the narrative itself that tends to paint S4 as in the wrong), I think the hostility makes more sense in the early part of the story. In this specific case, remember that R:B takes place before LSW, so Homra hasn’t helped the Minato twins at this point and their only interaction with S4 was the whole deal with Anna and the Center. That being the case I think it makes perfect sense that Yata would be distrustful, from his point of view these are the guys who did horrible things to Anna and now they have a new head. Yata’s not exactly the deepest thinker so I doubt it really occurs to him that there might be differences in leadership style between the old and new clans, and the idea that the previous S4 were doing what they did at the behest of Mizuchi and Shiotsu felt backed into a corner and that there was no room for argument isn’t something Yata would even consider. To Yata it’s just very simple, the twins were from the Blue clan and they were the ones harming Anna, so now that they have a new King he’s suspicious. 

Similarly at this point it’s not like Munakata’s done anything that should make Yata trust him, in fact at that point he was trying to interfere with a Homra member and Yata’s whole natural tendency to see things as ‘us vs them’ certainly makes this seem like the work of a hostile adversary. I don’t have any issue with Homra and S4’s hostility pre-S1, they’re clearly different groups with different goals, and what Munakata wants is not necessarily more correct than what Mikoto wants — and obviously this changes more with S1, where Munakata gets painted by the show itself as being a bit more villainous, early on at least, even though at that point he really is right and is trying to save Mikoto, and then after when everyone keeps bringing up that he killed Mikoto as if he had any choice. I don’t blame Yata for being on edge about a new Blue King, to him all of Homra’s interactions with the Blues at this point have been bad and why should he show any special deference to Munakata, Munakata isn’t his King and Munakata’s way of Kingship is different than Mikoto’s.

Also as far as Homra hiding the twins goes, LSW actually makes note of this. No one’s super happy about sheltering them, that was Kusanagi’s decision because he’s on good terms with Shiotsu and was doing him a favor. After Akito fights at Homra’s side Yata basically immediately switches to seeing him in a more favorable light because Yata’s the type who sees someone fighting at his side as a sign that they’re comrades now, something Fushimi gets notably irritated by. I feel like could be seen as one of Yata’s good points honestly, he doesn’t hold grudges if it seems like someone’s stopped being his enemy and he’s happy to invite Akito as a comrade. Also on the end of  Character Development, Yata has a lower opinion of the old S4 members who would go to the new King because he can’t imagine ever serving another Red King besides Mikoto and so in the moment he’s more sympathetic to the twins because he thinks this is what he would do if his King was gone, not submit to the new one (and then when confronted by the actual reality of that situation in MK he sees that it isn’t so simple and changes his mind, because Yata has grown up a little). 

[omegothic]

i've watched 21 episodes of kill la kill in a day so. might as well write something about it.

when i just started watching it, all i knew about it was sawano hiroyuki's music, the main character and her very revealing outfit.

the first episode was really confusing but i liked it. in general, the first episodes make you fear the higher-ups in the school, they could do anything to ryuko and nobody would've been able to defend her. the stuff was heavy there.

i liked ryuko and satsuki from the get-go. not a lot of anime have female characters like this. what i don't like in female characters in most anime is how their behaviour often depends on what is feminine and what is not. they simply are not allowed to do cool stuff most of the times, and if they are, they should stay feminine, either cute and girly or seductive. both ryuko and satsuki are not like that. yeah they fight while being practically naked, they don't care, they're gonna kick ass and it's gonna be fucking metal.

what made me go like "ugh i don't think i like this show anymore" was when there wasn't much important stuff going on and the big bad villains became closer to the main crew. like, why are we getting these jojo golden wind style backstories? are we supposed to support them? why are they not scary anymore, i thought there was a dictatorship going on? and we were getting glimpses of satsuki acting like a normal person and i was so confused. like, she is always so polite with her butler. she always says "please" and "thank you". i liked that in her but i kept thinking, why is she doing that. she doesn't seem to be hungry for power or blood, she does not stab ryuko in the back when she has an opportunity to. this was fascinating but i couldn't find an answer.

then they gave us a glimpse of what her mother's been doing to her all this time and i felt sick to my stomach. i thought, maybe she is brainwashed and that's why she doesn't rebel. needless to say, i was surprised when she betrayed her mother but it was a positive feeling.

and then i learned that ryuko and satsuki were sisters and. well i'm gonna be honest i felt like shipping them and was like "HUH" when it was revealed. i mean them being sisters is cool too but i thought there was a different dynamic 😅 like thank you guys for ruining my fun but it was a good plot twist nonetheless. funny that i haven't expected any of those.

now there's 3 episodes left for me and i hope there's gonna be a satisfying ending. that child r#pist bitch should die a horrible death.

and god, this show is so weird.

p.s.: i just found out that mako and ryuko are a thing and i'm like dawg 😭😭😭 because mako's family took ryuko in i completely missed the possibility of them being into each other 😭😭😭 i was like yeah they are like sisters 😭😭😭 i got everything mixed up

[pterostar]

Oooh i see, okok that makes sense. Thats cool!! I also play MC & SDV! Do you play java or bedrock? If both do you perfer one over the other? Also! Do you have a fav romanceable NPC + Who's your fav Non romanceable NPC?

Its been a bit since I've played sims and ngl when I did play I just had fun building stuff haha. What abt it do you enjoy most?

D&D is cool!! I've only been in 2 games but its tons of fun!! Whats the last character you played? Alsoalso what the most recent board game you've played? Sidenote sorta but what got you into the yandere community (subculture?)?

I play on both for Minecraft and Stardew for Minecraft I currently prefer bedrock as I have a realm with my friends (even if they haven’t really gotten on :( ) that’s the world I was talking about before. I mainly use Java for mods. And for Stardew I mainly play on my computer when out of the house as I play on my laptop then on my Xbox at home, but I took a break from playing until the update comes to console too.

I love Haley as my marriage candidate npc very stereotypical of me I know. And I also love Caroline she deserves so much better than Pierre. Who are your favorites?

For the Sims I really enjoy everything I like making sims and really detailed houses, and I like putting them through horribly traumatizing situations because it’s so much fun! Also absolutely fair I love building what’s your favorite style to build in for the Sims? I like doing cozy cluttered houses as that’s my ideal living place.

My last character was a Druid moth girl from a cult I wrote a like 10 page google doc on her and the campaign ended after one session and I was so upset. It ended because the dm had a falling out with one of the players because she was a shitty person, so fair enough but still sad. I always play druids because I love plants and animals and magic so it’s just perfect, what about you what class do you like?

The last board game I played was monopoly I love monopoly it’s so stupid but to me that game is so much fun, I love it playing monopoly any version of it is amazing.

What got me into the yandere community was just getting recommended yandere posts on here and just kind of recognizing my own thoughts in there and then I started following a lot of Yandere blogs and now I’m posting about it.

[paperandhis-paper]

Arc-V Month Day 3: Duetto of Duelist and Spirit

I'll be honest, I don't have many thoughts on the cards themselves. As much as I love Yugioh, I've always been more interested in the duelists and their drama, and while I love myself a good duel, that's usually more due to the format being a cool take on a standard Shonen Battle-System. Plus, I am absolute garbage at the Card Game. Most of the time, I focus less on the Monsters and their designs and more about what they represent in the story.

SO, I thought it'd instead talk about an underrated aspect of Arc-V, which is the way it uses the cards as an element of the narrative and characterization.

Arc-V, moreso than most, ties the Deck every duelist uses to an element of their personality and their role in the story. Some are really obvious, such as Sora's cute monsters turning into horrible abominations when Fusion becomes involved. Others are more subtle, like how Phantom Knights are much like Yuto after fusing with Yuya. In a few cases, they even use cards as foreshadowing: Dark Rebellion seems like a card that would suck in the Xyz Dimension due to the Level restriction—until you realize it was originally Zarc's card.

This also results in some of my favorite archetypes. Lunalight, Fluffals, Cardians, Abyss Actors, etc. My favorite example, however, gotta be Superheavy Samurai. The concept of monsters that use no Spells or Traps and attack via Defense is already pretty interesting, but it ties perfectly to Gongenzaka's character. His stationary playstyle means he isn't picking up Action Cards like the rest of the cast, which he wouldn't want anyway, making his dueling stand out. But the writers can subvert this to create big moments—Gongenzaka picking up an Action Card to save Yuya in the Battle Beast duel carries a lot more weight because you know it's basically a death sentence for him.

Action Duels had problems in execution, but the concept meant that monsters became more than just ATK plus effects. It made each monster more unique, as they each affected the field in interesting ways. Yuya using Whip Snake as a grappling hook or Shun using his birds as carpet bombers are the kind of action the other Yugioh shows lack. It was a pretty natural way of incorporating motion into the series, and if it wasn't for the writers abusing Action Cards more than was called for I'd happily say Action Duels were the best "alternative" dueling style in the Anime.

@arcvmonth

[zoobus]

Types of manga on the all time bestseller list, grouped by how surprising I found their various rankings:

Completely expected

00s shounen that became the face of anime. They might be good, they might be bad, but you know who they are.

Post-2010 popular action shounen you may or may not have read but you've definitely heard of. Globalization and the increased cultural acceptance of anime mean lots of recent record breakers. I just found a Spy x Family surprise toy at Five Below.

Rumiko Takahashi

80s coming-of-age baseball romcom in what we might call a "soft retro Rumiko Takahashi art style" because none of these are known outside of Japan. Their super high placement only seems bizarre if you haven't been a weeb your whole life

Old classics (astro boy, rose of Versailles)

Horny classics (much of the lowest tier)

90s or older gag comedy built on dudes contorting their faces like silly putty

Silly little kid adventures

80s sports manga that starts off realistic but gradually descends into madness to raise the stakes

Sports manga that doesn't start realistic and there's no way any of these moves are legal but the characters are all passionate cute boys

Cooking manga that only me and Japan know about. Cooking Papa should be even higher.

Pleasantly surprised

Horrible violent delinquents beat the fuck out of each other to determine who's the Worst. Cover is a sneering teen in a gakuran with a slick pompadour if it's near the 80s or shaved if closer to the 00s

Horrible violent delinquents beat the fuck out of each other but it's funny. Be glad it was made back then because "lol couldn't make this today" is something you'll think often

Realistic slice of life depiction of Just Some Guy

Vagabound? What are you doing up here?

Objectively knew of its popularity but still shocked by it

Visceral, anatomically unusual 80s-90s manga about muscular men committing increasingly bizarre acts of violence on each other. Always a favorite with 2000s gammer sites obsessed with proving their hobbies' manliness and those who liked posting contextless pages to freak people out. I don't have a problem with this so much as I can't grasp how stuff like Baki the Grappler isn't hyper niche.

Kid detectives. Another example of the "I already knew this was insanely popular but I'm not sure why" genre except unlike Baki the Grappler, I've read Conan and Kindaichi Files.

The first shojo appearance for miles, Boys Over Flowers. Did these books come with opium dusted on that shit or what

Unpleasantly surprised

Mediocre shonen you kind of knew was popular simply because the title popped a lot but YOU'VE never heard anyone talk about it, you're pretty sure you've never met a fan, and all the anime forums you wasted your time on wouldn't even bother insulting it, it was so low on the radar

All the big shojo names are lower than you'd think

Why is DEATH NOTE lower than the fucking SLIME ISEKAI?!?

Futari Ecchi 👎👎👎

[kquil]

🧁- Hiii, I've never done one of these before but here I am.

I'm a 5'3", pansexual, Cis girl, and I'm open to many relationship dynamics (poly, non-sexual, stuff like that). I have shoulder-length wavy blonde hair. My style of clothing is sweatpants or ripped jeans with lots of graphic T-shirts. I don't do makeup very often but I love to dress up femininely with cool makeup looks (that cosplayers do) every so often.

I'm a super awkward nerd, who has anxiety and ADHD, but I can be pretty funny (sometimes) once you get to know me. I've been sorted as a Hufflepuff. My patronus is a deerhound, which I love because I love dogs.

I love all sorts of animals, horses & wolves especially. I love reading books, drawing, and listening to music (country, rock, old hits, 2000s, and pop). I'm not a big sports fan, but I enjoy watching American Football. I'm not very active but like walking with my dog. I grew up around car guys so cars interest me. I prefer hanging out with a small group of my close friends (or a quiet day with animals - like horseback riding alone or snuggling with my dog) over large crowds of people even if I know them all.

---sorry that was a lot, but I love your writing, I love your series heroes in tattoos! it's an amazing story!! Thank you for doing this, you are an amazing writer!!

no no! that was the perfect amount darling, not too much, not too little, thank you for celebrating my 1k milestone with me! and for enjoying my writing so much! ahhh! im so flustered! ໒꒰ྀི ∩ ⸝⸝ ∩ ꒱ྀིა but im so sorry this took me such a long time to write this for you, i hope it's to your liking

i ship you with, Sirius Black

i. as a dog lover, you love it when sirius is in his animagus form; he loves it too because you cannot resist the urge to cuddle and kiss him and since he’s so touch starved he never gets tired of it. He will happily spend the entire day with you in his animagus form, in fact, you spent many weekends together with him in his animagus form just soaking up your love 

ii. sirius finds so much comfort in you and the two of you have so many memories together just spending time in silence or with music playing in the background, him doing his thing and you doing your thing and, most of the time, you two start or end up cuddling each other. he’s never felt so at peace and he loves you so much for it; you’ve become his safe space and him, yours. 

iii. he understands that you don’t usually like being around big crowds but you try to be there for him at parties because he’s such a social butterfly. Every single time, he kisses you as thanks and doesn’t leave your side when at the party, even when you encourage him to spend time with the boys, “you’re here with me, why would i want to spend time with the boys?” was always his response

iv. when he found out how much you like horses, he went out of his way to book a session on a ranch where you can take horses out on trails through forests and mountain landscapes. he was horrible at horse riding and was constantly getting overwhelmed by being with them but you were a natural and befriended your horse quickly. He loved seeing how gentle you were and how well you got along with them, it was as if you were a real life princess and he felt so lucky to have you in his life. you two had the best day together, you got to be around horses and sirius and sirius got to be around you and see you smiling and happy

v. he loves your not so feminine style of clothing, he thinks you look hot and the two of you easily borrow each other’s clothes. when you dress yourself up a little more, however, he is weak-kneed, faint hearted and red faced because “fuck, you’re so pretty,” you would laugh at his flustered response and eventually smile in thanks, which was just the final hit! next thing you know, he’s on the ground, unconscious but with the goofiest, love-sick smile on his face.

1K MILESTONE EVENT : CLOSED | NAVI.