#all because the male love interest is a (extremely fetishized) man of color

[audhdnight]

I really wonder what goes through some peoples heads to see a post taking about all the reasons someone shouldn’t support a certain author (if they cared about racism or Zionism or literally just had any kind of care for other humans) to then comment “I love her books!! 🥰”

We know. And we know why. Choke.

[epic-sorcerer]

Queer imagery in BBC Merlin

Content warning: kink/fetish, fisting in particular but I show I big image containing a long list of different kinks, homophobia, dom/sub dynamics, sex

Merlin is shown wearing a purple tunic in s4, despite the fact he is a servant and purple(especially with such saturation) was extremely expensive bc purple dye was so hard to make. Gwen also has a light purple dress(or maybe 2? It’s hard to tell). Even though it’s definitely lighter than Merlins tunic, it’s still expensive.

it was illegal for peasants to wear expensive fabrics because of the Sumptuary Law. Basically it makes sure that lower class people are not fashionable. However, BBC Merlin doesn’t seam to care about that law, considering Merlins other bright clothing so take this was a grain of salt.

Basically what I’m trying to say is that there’s no way they could have gotten their hands on these clothes without the help of nobles. Gwen might have, because she works with clothing and could have easily mixed blue and red dye together. Merlin probably not have because he’s never shown to be particularly materialistic or interested much in fashion, despite his bright clothes. Bright Purple would have been much, much harder to get.

It makes the most sense for Merlin and possibly Gwen too to have been gifted such expensive clothing by a noble for being a good servant. I’d imagine Arthur would be the one to give Merlin the tunic and morgana the dresses.

Why does this matter? Lavender(and also purple in general) was considered a queer color starting in the 19th century. Queer men especially were said to possess a “streak of lavender” and a serge of homophobia at the time was often referred to as the “Lavender Scare.” Purple and lavender is still used now to symbolize queerness.

Since Merlin is a modern interpretation of Arthurian myths, it would be perfectly plausible that this symbol was on purpose. Merlin/Arthur and Gwen/Morgana are both extremely popular ships and they are both shown to have a very deep form of trust(Gwen/Morgana being at the beginning of the show). Arthur and Morgana gifting Merlin and Gwen purple clothing could be show them they accept their queerness and/or signaling their own queer attraction to them.

Now, this next symbolism concerns only Merlin/Arthur.

Merlin is shown to have three neckerchiefs.

Navy blue, red, and light grey. Why does this matter? Well, let’s take a look at something called the handkerchief code, also known as the hanky code or “flagging.”

This code has its origins all the way back in time during the Wild West in the USA, but got more popular during the late 20th century in USA and UK gay bars. This code was used mainly by queer men and some nonbinary people to signal to other queers what they wanted sexually. While typically worn in people’s back pockets, a handkerchief could also be worn around one’s neck to show they are a versatile and experienced.

According to this code, Merlin is into;

Red: fisting and getting fisted. This color was hard to get an exact shade from, but the second best option was dark red for double fisting which is honestly so similar I’m not sure if it really matters much.

Light grey: stone topping and getting fucked by a stone top

Navy blue: fucking and being fucked anally

For any one wanting to make their own interpretations of Merlins neckerchief colors(the lighting makes it hard to tell the exact ones) have a look at this handy chart

Not only that, but Arthur is seen wearing a favour on his left arm in s3 ep 4.

What’s a favour? It’s a fabric strip of affection commonly given by maidens to knights before a tournament as a symbol of good luck. It’s often a very important scarf, hankcerchlif , towel, really any bit of cloth that can be tied around someone’s arm. This is also a popular trope in historical media for a female love interest to give a favour to a male one to show chemistry between them.

Regardless of your stance on Merlins gender identity, you have to admit how commonly Merlin is shown to be gender nonconforming(GNC) or otherwise be associated with “womanly” qualities. Especially in a society so heteronormative, the only “pure” option for a knight receiving a romantic gesture would have it be from a woman. If the token was from a queer man, it would also out the noble and cause lots of horrific chaos and destroy both of their reputations.

Even if it was common for women to give knights favours, queer men still existed and with that came romantic gestures—this time hopefully more secret.

Even though the favour on Arthur’s arm doesn’t look exactly like Merlin’s neckerchief, Merlin was the only person to speak with him while preparing for the tournament. Also, the original theorist who I linked in my sources also pointed out that Merlins neckerchief looks lopsided. Almost like Merlin tore off a bit of it and hastily tied it back on.

Although this theory is definitely flawed, it doesn’t matter. Arthur is still wearing a red handkerchief on his left arm. But what does that tell us exactly?

Regardless of wether or not it was Merlin’s, the red is the same shade and also implies Arthur is also into fisting. What about the placement? Sicne it’s on his left, it shows that he is a top/dom, meaning that he prefers to be the one fisting. Since it is worn around his upper arm, it shows that he is simply into the fetish, compared to what other placements mean. In another source, it shows taht upper arm means switch, but because Arthur is wearing it on his left it wouldn’t really make sense for him to signal being a “top-switch” compared to being a top and having the fetish in general.

If you look closely, you can see a different colored stripe on the favour. It’s hard to tell exactly what the color is, it could be yellow, gold, orange, etc. because the color is so dubious, I’ll just leave y’all with a list of color meanings that may apply to Arthur’s favour.

YELLOW: pisser/watersports kink

YELLOW, Pale: spitter/spit kink

MUSTARD: Has 8+ inch dick

GOLD: two looking for one

ORANGE: anything anytime

Also, it’s important to bring up what many in thsi fandom refer to as the “fisting scene.” Where Arthur threatens Merlin by showing him his gloved fist and pulling a bit at the glove.

In the blooper, you can see Merlin’s actor(Colin Morgan) breaking character and giggling as Arthur shows him his fist. Many in the fandom agree that this was a clear innuendo for fisting, and it is very well possible.

Merlin is shown hitting Arthur and saying he was just doing some horse play, but still indirectly convincing Arthur that he needs to teach Merlin a lesson. This is actually a common act in BDSM sex, where the submissive person purposely angers the dominant into punishing them in a way that somehow involves sex or fetish play.

If you look closely, you can see Merlin is wearing at kinky red fisting handkerchief, showing Merlin is perfectly capable of being a submissive fistee. Also, the hanky code also includes other symbols such as latex or rubber gloves that, surprise surprise, also mean fisting. Although it’s more likely Arthur’s gloves where made of leather, it can still further be interpreted as a fisting symbol if you want. Either way, Arthur’s favour still holds water as he is undoubtedly the dom in this situation.

Also, Merlin is very impulsive and a madlad. Tell me he wouldn’t wear his secret fetish symbols infrount of stuck up, Roman Catholics who are none the wiser. He’d probably think it’s hilarious which is probably why he wears them almost everyday. Merlin loves playfully misbehaving(and is also a brat sometimes) so it makes sense for him to have some dangerous fun.

Now, you may be asking. Why does this matter? At the end of the day, it probably wasn’t intentional. Well, there is alwyas room for doupt BUT I do have some ferther proof. One of the co writers of BBC Merlin—Johnny Capps—actually won a Stone Wall Award. You know, an award named after a core part of queer culture?

The award’s website and Wikipedia page say they give the award for art that describes the LGBT experience well. While I am unsure why or what Capps made to be nominated, it still shows he is very much in touch with queer culture. Capp himself even said at an interview about Merlin, “... in the end, deep, deep down it’s about sexuality and things you just can’t tackle head-on.”

Well, what says more about sexuality than the main characters fist fucking each other? That’s a lot of sexuality. While I am unsure of Capp’s age, he does look to be about middle age and it would make sense for him to know about a code popularized in a 70s to 90s. Especially for someone who has made multiple queer oriented stories in his life time.

Sources:

Why is purple considered the color of royalty?

Sumptuary law

How lavender became a symbol of LGBTQ resistance

How Lavender Became a Symbol of LGBTQ Resistance(part 2)

flagging opinicus rampant

Handkerchief code

DO YOU KNOW THE HANKY CODE?

Picspam: The Red Favour (Proof of Arthur Wearing Merlin's Favour in 3x04)

Five medieval love tokens

The Lady's Favour

Hanky codes

Nominees for Stonewall Awards announced

Merlin series 5 spoiler-free launch report

Pls reblog I spent hours on this /np 😭👊

[thatspookyagent]

I wish people knew just how isolating colorism is. There’s just so much dehumanization and fetishization involved in colorism. And more often than not, colorism goes hand in hand with other forms of discrimination such as featurism (the discrimination of ethnic features) and texturism (the discrimination of certain natural hair types.)

It’s really weird seeing Black families on TV nowadays because most shows with Black families are casted so that the female members of the family are light skin and the male members of the family are darker. Tropes like this further reinforce that having darker skin is masculine and that having light skin is feminine (perfect examples being Blackish and Bridgeton).

This can seriously fuck with darker skin woman who want and or like to be feminine but can only see their skin tone represented on males. Meanwhile, light skin men who want to be masculine are torn down or feminized. Either way, even if a darker skin woman wants to be masculine and a light skin man wants to be feminine, neither groups should be told to stop simply because the media perpetuates colorist/racist stereotypes.

Not only does colorism tie into gender roles and expectations. But also stereotypes that are linked to race. Pose is a perfect example of how dark skin women are treated as aggressive and below their light skinned counterparts.

On top of that, seeing light skin people uplifted for being light is extremely ostracizing. Something I need light skin people to understand is that being fetishized is NOT good. Being told that you’re desirable just because of your skin tone or “good hair” is not a compliment. Someone should be loving you for you and not because if you were to have kids with them, your children would come out with “pretty light eyes” and “pretty light skin”. Don’t feed into things that automatically tear down and degrade darker skin people. Just because we’re mad about light skin people getting uplifted for being light skinned, does not mean that we’re jealous and out to get you.

Personally, I’m tired of the trope that light skin people are deserving of love over darker people. Bridgeton is a huge example of this and countless other shows such as Blackish and American Horror Story. Constantly putting only light skin people in the roles of love interests is a huge fucking issue and I’m tired of seeing it. More often than not, the light skin people being casted have loose curly hair and features that would be considered more Eurocentric.

As someone who doesn’t fit any of those descriptions, I want to see more folks who look like me being loved on screen. I wanna see more brown skin and dark skin Black people of all gender identities being loved. I wanna Black folks with aggressive Afro centric features that people watching can’t ignore. Diversity is so much more than just skin tone, race, and ethnicity and I wish that more people knew that.

There's just so many issues that colorism brings and I haven't even gotten into things like light skin privilege.

tl;dr: Colorism is a rampant issue as well as an intracommunity problem. It ties into a lot of different forms of oppression and needs to be talked about. Addressing colorism and the issues that come with it could really help change media representation for the better as well as help those being excluded. Hopefully darker skin people can eventually see ourselves in a positive and healthy light in all forms of media.

Note: I am VERY much aware that colorism isn't exclusive to the Black community. However as a Black individual, I can only speak on my experiences with as a Black person. Here is a post that discusses colorism issues in other communities of color. As well as another. Here as well. ( <<< These links also address the colorism within Shadow and Bone and the erasure of dark skin characters like Jesper Fahey and Inej Ghafa.)

Also if you're light skinned, I ask that you simply reblog this post and leave adding on to it for darker skin people. Light skinned people can only experience featurism and texturism but not colorism. White folks don't experience any of these, so white folks don't add shit to this. Feel free to boost this however (which is very much encouraged.)

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #424

“got no superspeed, but i’m running this town”

What is the first line in the song you are currently listening to/last listened to? "I’m running out of time; I hope that I can save you somehow.” Are you an easy lay? Not in the slightest. What was the last reason you cried? Life and how inexplicably I'm failing at it. What’s hurting you right now? More like what isn't. Do you remember important dates? Only some. I'm awful with numbers. Do you own anything with the Playboy Bunny on it? No. Do you own a bean bag chair? No. Have you ever played Gamecube? At a friend's house. Have you ever played with toy cars before? Yeah, with my nephew. He LOVES monster trucks. Have you ever touched a caterpillar? Oh, definitely. I loved picking them up as a kid. What is your favorite kind of salad? Just plain 'ole iceberg lettuce with ranch, really. Are you any good at Ping-Pong? Holy hell no, I SUCK. What was/is your high school mascot? A firebird. Can you make cute little animals by folding paper? God no, I'm awful at origami. Like, I have zero concept of how to do it. What kind of music do you like? Various types of metal and rock. Do you like apple juice? Yeah. Do you like to draw? It's funny, like I do love it, but I barely ever do it because I get frustrated when I can't get what's in my head onto paper. What do you put on your french fries? Generally ketchup. How many people can comfortably sleep in your bed? Two. Do you want to have a big family in the future? I don't want kids, just pets. Probably a lot of pets. Is Vegas one of your must-see places? No. Pet rat: yay or nay? I've had multiple pet rats and I adore them. I've come to find I'm not the best at keeping rodents because changing the bedding so much sucks ass, but nevertheless they are fantastic pets for people who don't mind the maintenance. Would you call yourself a writer? Written any stories lately? Yes. I haven't written in a while, though. I just have absolutely zero motivation to RP. Are you good at reading people's body language? I probably overanalyze it, really. Ever threatened somebody and actually went through with it? I don’t threaten people. Does holding newborn babies scare you? Extremely. I feel like they're made of thin glass. Piercings: yay or nay? I LOVE piercings. They add an interesting touch to your appearance and to me just (usually) look super cool. There are very few piercings I don't like. Do you have a collage of pictures in your bedroom? No, but I want to make a motivation board very badly. Favorite Nicholas Cage movie? Ghost Rider. Were video games better in the 1980s, 1990s, or the 2000s? Why? '80s games bore me honestly, but I love some '90s and many 2000s games. I've got to say ultimately newer games win, because of graphics increasing immersion (no, I do not whatsoever believe graphics are everything or always make a better experience), voice acting improving immensely, etc. Have you ever watched The Beverly Hillbillies? Yes! Mom loves it so I used to watch it a lot with her as a kid. I'd still watch it. Did your mother ever sing lullabies to you when you were younger? Yes. Are you ready to get out of this town? I HATE THIS TOOOWN, IT'S SO WASHED UUU-UP, AND ALL MY FRIENDS DON'T GIVE A FUUU-UUUUUCK god hell yes get me the fuck out. Do you know anybody that is pregnant right now? Quite a few. What are you listening to? "Superluv” by Shane Dawson. Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket? No. Does your father have any facial hair? Yes. Did your grandparents teach you anything? My maternal grandmother, the only one I really ever knew, taught me I'm a disappointment, pretty much. And a bitch. Do you want/have a Bachelor’s degree? It'd be nice to have one, but I don't, and I'm not pursuing it again. I've wasted enough of my parents' money. Are you into superheroes? Who’s your favourite? Not seriously, but I enjoy them well enough. I like Spider-Man. What did you have for dinner last night? Mom ordered Mexican. I had two shrimp and cheese quesadillas and rice with cheese. Do you think you look similar to your siblings? No. Have you ever played Cards Against Humanity? Did you like it? Yeah, it's fun. Do you know your best friend’s middle name? Yes. Are you close to your father? I am. Have you ever had a serious conversation with your dad? Yeah. Would you rather have long or short hair? I enjoy having short hair way more. Who did you go/plan on going with to prom? I went with Jason twice. Have you ever been to a debate and speech tournament? Hell no, and I never would. Arguing makes me cry lmao. Are you someone who enjoys stand-up comedy? Yep. What’s one thing that scares you about living alone and being independent? A lot of things do, but one thing in specific that I fear is that I let the house become cluttered and messy. I'm so shit at cleaning, especially when I'm depressed. It's why my own bedroom isn't even fully decorated, and we've lived here since I wanna say last November. If someone offered you an all-expenses paid trip to one European country, where would you go and why? Germany, 'cuz I enjoy the culture and would love to try some foods and visit places. Have you ever won anything on the lottery? No. Are you interested in the World Cup? I couldn't possibly care less. What’s the longest time you’ve ever been on a plane for? Idk. Do you let your hair dry naturally or do you towel-dry it or blow dry it? I use a towel to dry it some, then let it really get the job done naturally. How many of the Harry Potter books have you read? None. Who last gave you their number? When I posted on Facebook about going on a mental health hiatus, my good friend Alon messaged me her number if I ever needed to talk. I was really thankful. Are you often the last one to understand a joke? Honestly yeah. I'm slow to grasp a lot of things. Your first black eye: Did you give it or get it? Never gotten or given one. Have you ever slept in a tent, indoors or out? Yes to both. Are you mad right now? I'm annoyed, but not mad. Are you allergic to nuts or dairy products? No. Has anyone ever called the cops on you? No. Do you ever actually drink milk alone? Yeah, I love milk. Do you have a sensitive gag reflex? It is EXTREMELY sensitive. What was the last situation to upset you? I'd rather not talk about it. Have you ever had an online argument? I have been heavily active on the Internet since I was like, 11. Maybe younger. I have been in plenty. Are you at risk for any medical issues? A lot of heart problems run in my family. I'm also suspicious I may develop diabetes, which also runs very heavily in my family. What were you doing at 7:00 a.m.? Surprisingly, I was asleep. Do you own a robe? No. What would you consider your life to be? A wreck. What is your favorite mark of punctuation? I like question marks. Who knows your biggest secret? Nobody. Do you think anyone has feelings for you? Probably not. How do you know? I just doubt it. I'm so unlikable right now. Could you go a day without eating? I don't think I could. I do not react to stomach pain well, and that includes when I'm hungry. How many bracelets do you have on your wrists right now? None. What’s your favorite drink? Strawberry Sunkist, but I don't allow myself to have it. I will DESTROY a can or five of it. Who was the last person that texted you? My mom. What are you craving? Nothing really right now. What was the first thing you ate today? An everything bagel. What was the last type of meat you ate? Pork. Have you taken any medication today? Yeah, I take some prescription meds in the morning and at night. Have you ever been to Hawaii? No, but that'd be cool. Do you know anyone who has diabetes? My mom, for one. Have you ever made a boy cry? Sadly. Who are you talking to? Nobody. Do you think you’ve ruined your chances with someone? Absolutely. Your parents split; would you want to live with your mom or dad? My parents are divorced, and I stayed with Mom. Would you strongly prefer to go out with someone of your own skin color/racial background? I couldn't care less. For you personally, is abortion an option in case of an accidental pregnancy? For others, absolutely. It's your right. For me myself, it's possible, idk. If I was God forbid raped, I probably would have an abortion. If I accidentally got pregnant in a healthy relationship, I'd probably have a "too bad, so sad" outlook where I'd suck it up and go through with the gestation because having sex and risking pregnancy was my own decision. Even if I'm pro-choice, I think I'd feel too guilty aborting, especially with the child being someone's I love. Is it a requirement that you communicate every day with your significant other (via phone, text, in person, whatever)? IF I had an s/o, no. I like to, but sometimes you just want space. Are you fetish-friendly? I'm not gonna lie, some fetishes are just too fucking weird for me. I TRY not to judge, because I doubt you can actually help fetishes, but I inevitably do sometimes. If you're asking would I engage in fetishes because my s/o liked them, possibly, but it would really depend on what it is. Have you ever cosplayed? No. I think cosplay is really cool, though. Do you support the exploration of outer space? If yes, would you consider taking a trip into space, or even to another planet? As creatures who crave knowledge and understanding of our universe, I do support space exploration, but I do NOT believe we should be spending as much money as we do on it. Taking care of the planet we're actually on is far more important imo. I wouldn't personally go to outer space. Is it okay for men to wear makeup? What’s your opinion of male crossdressers? It's totally okay! Guys with makeup can be super attractive. Crossdressers, too. Go for it. You’re in a new relationship and your partner admits that they have had 14 sexual partners. Does that sound like a lot to you? For me personally, yes. I don't even know if I'd date someone with 14 past sexual partners, honestly. I would admittedly question their loyalty. Would you let your children under 13 watch movies with full nudity? No. If someone asked you, “What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?” would you know the answer right away? I would. What is your opinion concerning strip clubs? Not my scene at all, but so long as you respect the dancers, whatever. You do you.

[thehollowprince]

The way Mason Hewitt gets utterly erased by fandom, replaced by Theo to be Liam's friend and anchor. And I think one reason he's left out of fic so much is because as we've discussed he is basically Fanon!Stiles. And to have him around in a story with Fanon!Stiles would look suspicious because... they're the same, except Stiles is actually nothing like fanon. And they'd rather *die* than portray intimate scenes with Mason because they find Black people disgusting to be frank (pt. 1)

and I've seen it in every fandom. They gush about loving ~the gays~ but ignore canon gay/bi boys, esp if they're PoC. And it's all about straight yt boys boning, and what they get off on. And because they don't find Black or Brown ppl attractive, they get no love scenes. Mason was openly thirsting for Brett, but fandom was silent because "eww, canon Black gay expressing lust healthily?" And this is what we mean when white fangirls fetishize gay/bi male ships/dynamics (pt. 2)

And I touched on that yt fangirls will misappropriate progressive language when it suits their agenda. Like dismissing Scott as a "cishet yt boy" yet worshipping Stiles + Derek. And they often try to make that worship seem progressive by claiming Stiles or Derek are nonwhite/Jewish, or claiming werewolves are a allegorical oppressed group (no) yet ignore Scott is Brown *PLUS* he's a werewolf too, so they claim he's an intruder on ~werewolf culture~ and a colonizer (final)

You are not wrong in any aspect.

We've talked ad nauseam about the appropriation of mlm sexuality and giving it to the straight, white characters. And as you said, its almost exclusively the white fangirls who get off to two guys together rather in the same way that straight men get odd to lesbian porn. The fact that they don't see that they're just doing the very same thing that they hate men for doing is... well, sad is the first word that pops into my mind.

I know you don't watch any of the SKAM shows, but I experienced a similar problem over there. By far the most popular storyline across any of the remakes is the season three story, that being a closeted gay man coming to terms with his sexuality and embracing it rather than trying to suppress it. But the thing is, if you actually go through the tags, that's not the sense you get at all. Most of the people that watch these shows, or at the very least the ones who are the most vocal in the tags, are only focused on the romance in the story.

They didn't care the actual struggles of being in the closet and the journey that character has to go on to accept themselves. They just wanted to see two boys kissing. That became very apparent during the last remake to do that story, WTFOCK. They changed up the timeline and didn't introduce the love interest until the third episode, and those three weeks were just filled with constant complaints. This was further compounded when we saw the main character, Robbe, do what a lot of closeted young people do, and he tried to have a relationship with a girl, hoping that it would "make him normal". The tags were littered with homophobic jokes about how Robbe was "secretly straight" and it was extremely disheartening, especially from the fandom of a show that preached acceptance.

And you can't call them out on this behavior. I did and half the fandom blocked me because I, an actual gay man, wouldn't let a bunch of horny fangirls be the voice of a gay man's struggle. I was also bugged down with anons (similar to the one that's haunting my inbox right now) claiming that the reason they were so keen on the love interest showing up was because he was a "healthy representation of mental illness". Of course, they then went about proving how much they didn't actually care about that by spending the entire season trying to diagnose Sander at every opportunity, but the romanticizing of mental illness is another matter entirely.

To circle back to the point, we were given actual, healthy mlm representation on Teen Wolf, but fandom outright ignores it in favor of focusing on a non-existent relationship that was based entirely on negative stereotypes. But that's the crux of the matter, isn't it? They don't care how their behavior actually affects gay and bisexual men, so long as they get their own sexual satisfaction. You point out how having an adult and a minor in a relationship just reinforces the predatory gay pedophile stereotype that the Christian Far Right have tried to categorize us as for decades (if not longer) and they cry "it's just fiction!" But these same people talk about the stigma of unhealthy body types for women because the girls of these shows are skinny and petite while able to run marathons and fight of almost anything.

This is never more prominent than when they continously call for more LGBT representation, always mlm and never wlw, and then go out of their way to ignore that representation because it wasn't what they wanted (ie. completely thowing out their stories for Stiles and Derek and devoting everything to making them a couple, often at the expense of everything else.)

The term double-standards clearly means nothing to them.

And we could shout until our voices are gone about the racism in this fandom, but those who perpetuate it don't care enough to listen. They don't want to hear how them going out of their way to erase or put down Scott, the Latino lead of the show, at every opportunity is racist. They don't want to hear how them taking all of Scott's most prominent attributes (his compassion and loyalty and persistence) and giving them to Stiles to make him more palatable is racist. They don't want to hear how them completely ignoring the canon gay characters, who are also characters of color, in favor of taking straight characters and "turning them gay" is not only racist but homophobic.

They don't want to hear any of that. They want to live in their little fantasy world where everyone recognizes their genius and that they right all along. The real kicker is that I'd be more than happy to leave them alone in their own little world, but they refuse to be put out to pasture, hence the reason Athena is still jumping on pro-Scott posts, or that someone posted anti Scott content in the Scott McCall tag, or the ever present anon. They refuse to leave us alone so we have to rehash these same arguments over and over in the futile hopes that maybe this time it'll stick.

[dabis-azure-songstress]

Dabi x Hero!OC (Please read note)

Hiiii!~ It’s so nice to have been writing again. This time, I am back with a certain favorite villain of mine~ I tried to write something I haven’t before and also give you guys something new to read that I haven’t seen yet. I did use my OC for this because for the beginning I wanted to some quirks for the battle and a few of my own kinks to help make you guys comfortable if you want to make any requests. However~ feel free to imagine yourself as Shinju if you want~ I really don’t mind! I would like to announce that I will happily take requests if you would like a one-shot or anything for reader or your own OC~ I’m most comfortable writing for Dabi because I can kind of go full blast and be the kinky little thing that I am, but I also have huge soft spots for Todoroki and Bakugo and now Suneater, as well. Any other characters, please ask and I will try to research and nail for you, but those were my mains~! She’s probably tired of seeing this, but I always have to shout out my biggest fan and friend here @strawberryandspiceandchocolate​. Thank you so much for your support, advice, and always being excited to read what I write or come up with/help me brainstorm. She coined the term “El-whip” for Shinju’s whip. It means so much to me that you and others loved my Bakugo Naga. Without further ado!~ I hope you love it as much as Shinju did. ;)

Pairing: Dabi x Hero!OC Shinju

WARNINGS: NSFW, pretty kinky, piercings, choking, rough, slight non-con (but Shinju does LOVE it, I promise) 

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED BECAUSE DABI IS A KINK KING. CONTINUE AT OWN RISK BELOW LINE.

The sharp crack of thunder went off as Shinju cracked her El-whip, nearly getting Bakugo in the crossfire and lighting the area up with her lightning, but she had full faith in his abilities. “HOLY SHIT, YOU ALMOST SNAPPED MY DAMN FACE!” King Explosion raged behind his orange and black mask. “Eh, I knew you’d dodge it, Boom Boom Boy.” Electro-Dancer teased and stroked his ego simultaneously. Blue Flame barely dodged the attack of the quick and extremely dangerous periwinkle bolt of lightning from the end of the whip. He watched in utter amusement. That Electro-Dancer or whatever had nearly struck her own teammate in the process of blocking Dabi’s dangerous blue flames.

“My my…You’re either extremely confident, trusting, and highly intelligent or incredibly reckless and desperate.” Dabi eyed the female in her tight black and purple latex suit and a purple mask shaped like two connected lightning bolts. He flexed his hand as the heroine’s crystal blues met his own electric gaze directly for the first time. “I’ve never seen you before, are you new? Here to distract me from your other little hero friend?” The woman continued to eye him down with a hand on her cocked hip as Bakugo stomped over beside her. “Oh, I’m not new per se, just never had the pleasure of taking you down before,” she replied almost flirty with a smirk.

King Explosion snorted beside her, palms already alighting with another fiery blow. “We’re not here to chat, Electro. Hold him off until Deku and the others get the civilians outta here.” Electro sighed and extended her right gloved hand, purple electricity crackling to life. “Ready, Boom Boom Daddy?” Bakugo smirked, but his tone turned deathly. “Don’t call me that! ‘Bout damn time. Thought you’d never ask.” Dabi was preparing and focused on her right hand that he didn’t see the release from her left and combine with Bakugo’s palm explosion.

Dabi’s eyes widened as he dodged, and the lightning exploded on impact. Even managing to dodge, the heat from the bolt made him reel in pain as it burned his scarred arm. He almost couldn’t handle it. Kurogiri suddenly warped to him as he held his wrist in pain. “Fuck.” Kurogiri hissed softly. “So, they have a new hero. We should try to exhaust her and separate them. Then we’ll take her for learning and interrogation.” Dabi laughed.

Electro was rapidly running out of energy, the energy battery on her hip was already used to back Bakugo up and there were no thunderstorms or electricity in the air nearby or Denki. Bakugo glanced back at her carefully. He knew the older woman was running low on juice since she’d already called a storm earlier in the week to charge the battery. “Shit.” he cursed lowly. “Here’s our opening,” Dabi smirked as he noticed Bakugo’s nervous glance and used his blue flames to come between the two.

Electro hissed as she fell back from the flames, tearing parts of the back of her outfit. She could hear Bakugo screaming at her. She was too focused on that until she felt hands roughly drag her up and hold her tightly to their torso. A sharp pinprick on her neck and the woman began to feel dazed as her vision blacked out.

---

Shinju groaned lowly as she started to come around, wrists chained above her head and a spreader bar between her high-heeled rubber boots. “Don’t even think about trying anything. Just relax. I’ve been informed of that amazing quirk of yours and have removed anything that could possibly recharge you. Dabi will be here to interrogate you shortly.” Shigaraki spoke from the low candlelit door. She couldn’t even manage to try; she was beginning to roll from whatever concoction they’d given her.

She was out again before a chair sliding on the floor roused her once more from her slumber. The male with piercings, scars, and spikey dark hair was back and eyed her with interest. “Quite a quirk, babe. Who would’ve thought that cute and curvy petite shell held all that power?” He licked his lips. Dabi? The woman grasped groggily at the name in her head. She tried to respond but only groaned.

“Tell me about it. Because of you, I’ve had to take quite a few painkillers.” Shinju looked up at him as he stood in front of her and flashed a bandage. “Yeah, well, you ripped my suit.” Dabi laughed loudly. “That’s what you’re worried about? When I could just,” he grabbed her by her long lavender braid and pulled her head back forcefully. “just burn your little head right off. Now, why don’t we see the rambunctious woman behind that mask?”

Shinju tried her best to keep turning her head away as he grasped the ties, but it was no use. Dabi stared at her as her face was revealed. Beautiful black winged eyeliner surrounded her eyes and she was beautiful to Dabi. She looked young, but he knew better. The Baku-brat was at least in his twenties now. Dabi got a little irritable.

“Tell me, Electro-girl. A pretty little lady like you, do you find me hideous?” He flashed a menacing grin as she looked at him as closely as she could. It was probably the drugs, but she couldn’t lie to him. “Nah. The opposite actually…” Shinju trailed off. He searched and found nothing but sincerity within her blue orbs.

He was a bit taken aback. “I know you won’t betray your darling heroes, as strong-willed as those eyes are looking at me even dilated. So, is bomb boy your boyfriend? You must have some pretty interesting fetishes to dress confidently like that, princess.” Shinju laughed nervously. “Boom Boom Boy is one of my closest friends and hilarious to get riled up. Maybe. Most heroes wear tight outfits and stuff. Mine works well for my quirk. I can’t exactly fight in a uniform skirt. And you’re asking me about fetishes? What about you, Staple Boy?”

Dabi wasn’t offended but smirked widely and wickedly. “Oh, plenty.” He circled around her slowly, taking note of the rips on her hind end in the latex. “Explosion boy won’t mind if I touch you much then. Y’know, since he isn’t your boyfriend.” He trailed a finger over part of the exposed flesh on the back of her thigh, causing Shinju to gasp. “You’re still a little more conscious and aware, so the drug either hasn’t hit you fully or Overhaul sent you some Swamp-Water.”

Shinju shook as her vision began filtering the world in different colors. “D-don’t touch me…” she sighed out, head dropping forward as Dabi released his hold on her now messy waist-length braid. Quickly, he slid his hand in one of the larger rips within the latex and grabbed a handful of the soft and squishy flesh of one of her rear cheeks. A loud moan released itself from her lungs. Dabi placed his lips close to the sensitive shell of her before he whispered. “Dear little heroine…I’ll show how fun it will be to release your dark side. Since you didn’t want to tell me your fetishes, I guess we’ll play with some of mine and find out if they line up with any of yours.”

Shinju was panting already as his hand began to unzip the back of her suit. Her skin felt feverish beneath his hands as he shoved them in to grab at her perky breasts. “Mmm, so…What do you think of this?” He gave each a harsh squeeze simultaneously and caused the woman to cry out exasperatedly at the pleasure. “Oh, so you are kinkier than I thought. I bet you were such a good girl in school, but such a freak when it comes to being in bed with a man.”

The female was breathless already. “I highly doubt that’s just the drug now. I think you honestly like things a little rough and dirty, huh doll?” Shinju pushed her head back, successfully surprising him by knocking roughly into his shoulder. “Ow,” he grunted. “S-sorry…” the woman muttered. Dabi laughed loudly. “You’re saying sorry to me? That Swamp-Water is really working on you. The first time, I’m guessing. Now, why don’t I just gently help you down from there, huh? But we’ll keep your pretty little legs spread with that bar.”

Honestly, Shinju was just happy that her arms were being released more comfortably, even if they were over Dabi’s shoulders and her wrists were still bound. “There now. That’s better, isn’t it?” Shinju nodded and drooped, resting her head against the villain’s. Dabi was watching her closely for any tricks. “Everyone reacts a little differently. Just like any other drug.”

Shinju’s arms felt heavy and like Jell-O around his neck. “God, I feel so hot.” she panted. “Allow me to help with that, baby doll.” Dabi strategically laid her on the cold hard floor before he grabbed the rope still binding her wrists and set his quirk aflame. Shinju cried out loudly as it burned her wrists. “Whoops. Payback’s a bitch, isn’t it?”

“Don’t move or I’ll engulf your entire body in my flames. Be a good girl, alright?” Shinju felt too drained to care as he pulled at the latex suit, effectively pulling it off and down to the bar between her ankles. “Oh-ho-ho. No underwear? My my, you’re just begging to be fucked, aren’t you? Should just be honest with me. You love the thought of me man-handling you and just ravaging you however the fuck I like.” The woman moaned beneath him, heat pooling up in her loins.

Why was she reacting so much to just his voice? Dabi smirked at her and finally moved in for the first kiss. “You try to bite me or anything and I really will turn you into the loveliest pile of ash on this floor.” His lips met against hers roughly and Shinju moaned at the two different textures. His upper lip was soft and the burnt scars of his lower were pleasantly rough. Taking advantage of the situation, Dabi turned the kiss deeper, careful not to pull at the stitches and piercings in them.

Shinju’s mind blanked completely before she slowly started to come out of her drug-induced haze. She began to push her tongue roughly into his mouth. Dabi was surprised but went along with it. Who was he to deny the woman a bit of control of what he did with her body? Her hands twisted into the dark (surprisingly, very silky) spikes of his hair. “Oh? Now you’re getting into it, kinky girl.” She hissed in pleasure as he pulled at a swollen nipple and circled a finger slowly around her clit.

She jerked beneath him roughly. “You’re so sensitive. I’m going to have so much fun with you baby.” Suddenly he pulled away, much to her chagrin. That changed though as she stared at the hollow needle and metal rings he picked up in his hands. “You’re so fucking pretty. I want to give you something, so you’ll always remember me.”

Shinju began to feel her blood run cold. “Now hold still. This will only hurt for a minute. You’re going to be the most gorgeous and unique woman there is out there.” Dabi grabbed her bottom lip tightly between his fingers and pulled it out tautly. Shinju panted roughly and did her best not to squirm, eyes shutting tightly as he pushed the needle and rings through either side of her lip. She did groan and she felt it, but the burns of his flames hurt far worse.

Her adrenaline rush was expended after the first piercing and by the second, she nearly passed out. “Damn. You look even sexier, babe. God, piercing you was so sexy. It’s gotten me so hard. Now that I’ve given you some real pain and torture, why don’t I bestow you with some real pleasure, hm?” Shinju watched as he came to her, unzipping the bulge of his jeans very slowly. Still a bit blurry from the rush of the piercings, it took her a moment to catch up with his actions.

Dabi’s hand gripped her ankle before he folded her in on herself before the spreader bar was behind his neck and her ankles were at his ears. Shinju flushed brightly at the position. She’d never felt so exposed in her entire life before. She began to panic as she felt the heat of the underside of him and something contrastingly cool pressed directly against her. “W-wait! You’re going to get me pregnant if you do it that way!”

“Doesn’t that give you such a thrill though? I could or I could not. Me, a villain. And you a cute little heroine.” He silenced her by wrapping his hand tightly around her throat as he pressed down into her deeply. Shinju’s face began to turn red from his head holding in the loud moan she would’ve released. The position caused him to go deep. Noticing the danger on the woman’s face, Dabi eased his grip and Shinju coughed and gasped out sharply for air.

As he forced his hips forward roughly into her, he swallowed her cries of pleasure. In the position, she couldn’t help herself. It was mind-blowing. And the extra unexpected ladder of a few barbells on the underside of his girth was a bonus. Shinju honestly wouldn’t have noticed much if Dabi wasn’t a master at using them.

Shinju moaned and panted into his mouth roughly. “God, you really are a good girl taking all of my cock like that and moaning like a little slut.”  Shinju was reaching her peak, the white heat building in her abdomen causing her muscles to tighten. Dabi moaned out finally, snapping his hips forward into the tightening body beneath him. “Now you’re going to be even better and take every single last drop I have to give you and possibly get so swollen. What would your dear best friend have to say about that?”

Shinju’s eyes snapped open wide as she gripped onto the fabric of the arms of his jacket. “P-please, Dabi. D-don’t.” He moaned again, hot breath fanning across her face. “You’re so precious. Stuttering beneath me to not to, but your body betrays you. You got fucking soaked when I said that.” Dabi’s hips quickened into her a bit more and Shinju finally shattered like an explosion of glass.

She literally cried as she came undone around him, and Dabi was overwhelmed by her waves. Shuddering and getting sloppy, he pushed his hips tightly to her before he unleashed like a torrent within her. She shuddered at the feeling of being so full. Dabi sighed heavily in relief. “So, tell me, babe, how many of your fetishes did I hit?”

“The piercings were a bit much…but oh my god…” Shinju’s head fell back against the floor with a soft thud. Dabi laughed loudly as he rounded a nipple softly with his finger. Shinju groaned loudly as she felt a new needle and piercing push through each of them. “Ooo, those are gonna show in that sexy little suit you wear.”

Shinju felt overloaded mentally and physically, her body shuddering and vision blurring. “Y’know, I am supposed to be interrogating you.” Dabi looked down at her with his electric blue eyes. She gripped one of his arms weakly and gasped as she felt the tingle in her fingers. “What the hell did you do!?” Dabi growled as the muscles in his arm began to tense painfully and became immobile. “S-sorry…that’s never happened b-before…I…”

Dabi laughed again loudly. “Oh, I just unleashed a little section of your quirk you never knew you had, didn’t I?” Somehow, she had managed to intercept an electrical signal from his brain as it traveled towards his hand. “That’ll do for now, Electro-girl.” Dabi retreated, stood slowly, and fixed himself before he removed the spreader bar from Shinju’s ankles and helped her slide back into her suit and replace her mask.

“I guess I can let you go now.”

“L-let me go?”

Dabi looked at her, holding his tensed arm.  “Yeah. I did get some useful information about your quirk like I needed to, and you aren’t currently interfering with my goals. I’ll just tell them you pulled a fast one on me with this extensive part of your quirk and I couldn’t move. Just make sure you don’t get in my way in the future, this changes nothing and I’m not going to go easy on you. You fight me like you mean it, and don’t you go falling for me, babe.” He teased.

---

Shinju stumbled, very sore and nearly unable to walk as she followed the directions she’d been given by Dabi. “WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN!? WE’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU EVERYWHERE, DAMN IDIOT!” All her hair stood on end and she jumped at the explosive voice. “Shinju! You’re back!” Midoriya smiled brightly, trotting up to her alongside the spiky-haired blonde. “Thank goodness...geez, you look terrible. You’re so pale…We better have you taken to the infirmary.” Shinju nodded weakly before she finally feinted against Bakugo.

[medea10]

My Review of Interspecies Reviewers

End of January…um, 2020

“Grrr…this day was a crap show! The republicans rat-fucked our country and Brexit fucking happened. I’m gonna write some scripts and call it a night. Let me just check Twitter one last time before I…

Huh?

FUNimation drops newly-added anime, Interspecies Reviewers?

This smells scandalous, I must watch!”

It’s very, very, VERY rare that an anime licensor drops an anime that’s currently airing in Japan and doing it weeks after announcing a full release (no pun intended), plus a friggin’ English dub. And where there’s controversy, I will be there to sniff it out…eventually. I think I can squeeze one more anime to watch on a week-by-week basis. Hell, I shoved Domestic Girlfriend in at last minute in 2019 right in the middle of moving to a different state. I think I can handle a little anime like this. What could possibly go wr…?!

*one week later*

Oh fluffies! This escalated quickly!

So…Interspecies Reviewers is about a human name Stunk and an elf named Zel. They go around to brothels, spend some time with the ladies of the evening known as Succu-girls (because these girls suck you), and review their “encounter” with them for a tavern full of curious males. Stunk and Zel want to go around and conquer as many species, discovering all new kinks and fetishes, fondle all kinds of jiggly-bits and naughty bits from cow-girls, cat-girls, skeleton girls, succubis, fire salamanders girls, elves, fairies, slimes, demons, bird-maidens, cyclops, and oh-so many others. This is a vast world and there’s only so many brothels these men can tackle at a time.

Oh yeah, there’s also an angel named Crim. Stunk and Zel saved Crim, but Crim can’t go back to Heaven since his halo is busted. Although now, I doubt if he’ll ever get entry back into Heaven after being defiled by a cat-woman. I mean who among us haven’t lost our virginity to a cat-eared girl on a whim?

*ahem*

R.I.P. Crim’s virginity

So there you have it! A human, an elf, and an angel walk into a brothel and…that’s the anime!

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUUUUUU…..UH-OH: The sub was fine and I’m gonna leave it there with the subtitle version. As for the dub…What dub? There’s no dub! Dubs are just a myth here! Like I said before, FUNimation DID have this series. Emphasis on “DID”! They released the first 3 episodes in their normal week-by-week fashion, no worries there. They promised an English dub and released one episode dubbed, sounds about right! But then one night, they just drop this series!

Funimation on Jan. 31: After careful consideration, we determined that this series falls outside of our standards. We have the utmost respect for our creators so rather than substantially alter the content, we felt taking it down was the most respectful choice.

*sighs*

BOI!

Did you, FUNimation? Or was it Sony pulling the strings? But I’m getting ahead of myself here. A wide variety of things could have sprung this on! One reason could be that the voice actors felt uncomfortable with the material. I know some voice actors from FUNimation are a little skeptical here and if they voice something that’s borderline Hentai or IS HENTAI, they’ll use an alias name so that no one would be the wiser. I know it’s a job and money’s on the table here, but people are people. They have morals and boundaries! Not everyone can have the bravery to voice act in a Hentai like Dan Green (he totally did, you should look it up).

Another theory, Sony and/or FUNimation were being cautious and don’t want to air something so extreme in the naughty department. But if that were the case, how do you account for your full releases of High School DxD, Panty & Stocking, Conception, Keijo!!!!!!!!, Shimoneta, My Girlfriend is a Gal, and A Sister is All You Need? Then again, these animes were made and released prior to Sony buying FUNimation. But as of recent, FUNimation is streaming works from Aniplex of America that are kinda questionable. Where I’m going with this is that weeks after dropping Interspecies Reviewers, they add shows like Nisemonogatari AND Eromanga Sensei to their site. Ahem! Guys, where were those “STANDARDS” you were talking about earlier? Eromanga Sensei is downright illegal! Then again, none of these titles really reached full-blown bestiality like this series does! I mean, Sentai Filmworks happily released Monster Musume and that was borderline bestiality. But whatever, you guys do you!

Then again, no series has gone the distance by having several sex scenes per episode with the uncensored version going beyond the boundary quite like this.

Yeah…in this “woke AF” time we’re living in, if an anime doesn’t have an advisory stated at the beginning of an episode with lewd or controversial scenes, people lose their shit. Hence, Goblin Slayer’s debut and that one Sword Art Online episode! Whatever the case, now that FUNimation dropped this series, I don’t expect it to get picked up by any other licensor and it’ll probably remain in license limbo forever. There were a few voice actors set up to be in this anime including Monica Rial, Brittney Karbowski, and Amber Lee Connors. Only one episode was dubbed and good luck finding it now! But after this, I doubt these folks would ever finish what they started. And that’s a shame, because FUNimation voice actors have a knack for turning an anime dirty. Especially if you hire Monica Rial or Jamie Marchi (or both)!

I know every season, there’s a fight between American licensors in what animes they’re going to grab and show to their subscribers. FUNimation really could have taken a few extra minutes to do a little research on this one before jumping in a pool where the water is replaced by naked half-species chicks. For fuck’s sake, there’s a manga to this! Although, I’ve heard that the manga doesn’t even go this far! So this is disproving my rant! Let me just finish by saying that FUNimation really fucked up here. You could have streamed the series censored, have an age confirmation to watch the uncensored version, and then release that later down the line! But dropping Interspecies Reviewers has unleashed a fury of pissed off viewers who ended up trolling MyAnimeList and other websites. Yeah, thanks a lot! Those were some idiotic days on the internet! With all of that said, here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

*Stunk is played by Junji Majima (known for Ryuji on Toradora, Ryuunousuke on Assassination Classroom, Kimihito on Monster Musume, Nikaido on Shugo Chara, Racer on Fairy Tail, and Kouhei on Oreimo)

*Zel is played by Yuusuke Kobayashi (known for Subaru on ReZero, Tanukichi on Shimoneta, Arthur on Fire Force, and Marui on Food Wars)

*Crim is played by Miyu Tomita

FAVORITE CHARACTER: God bless this boy, I love Crim.

I know he’s got the short end of the stick in a lot of these reviews. But there’s nothing short about his stick if you get what I’m saying.

Yeah, I said it.

SHIPPING: DO STD’S EXIST IN THIS FUCKING WORLD?!

Look, all you need to know is that real love is not gonna happen in this franchise and just fuck it! Literally!

Actually, I really think the boys have a special place in their hearts for Meidri. I’m only basing this on episode 6 where the boys go to the Golem brothel to “Build-a-Bitch” and out of all the figures, ladies, and ways to build a bitch, their little Halfling friend builds a golem replica of Meidri. Maybe it’s because she’s familiar or they’re curious in case they end up having sex with Meidri in the future or if the Halfling has a thing for Meidri! I just know all four boys ended up fucking a golem in the likeness of Meidri AND gave it a great score.

But aside from that, there’s really nothing more to say except Stunk has a thing for that 500 year old fairy and Zel has a thing for a 60+ year old human.

IT’S FUN TO STAY AT THE…: It’s obvious that Japan has a thing for music made outside of the country. Especially those made in America (and England)! Recent examples are animes like Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Eden of the East, and A Silent Voice actually using songs from groups like The Bangles, Oasis, and The Who. THIS IS NOT ONE OF THOSE TIMES!

The OP song for this series is literally Y.M.C.A. except about getting your dick up to fuck!

And you know what? That was another missed fucking opportunity for FUNimation! This song could have gotten an English dub. Normally I despise it when English companies give an English dub to perfectly good opening and endings from Japan. But this would have been the ONE exception. GOD! Only in my dreams!

OH THIS IS WRONG: I don’t mean aspects of this anime! I’ve gotten used to the sex scenes and the shock factor of watching actual hentai at this point. Surprisingly, the one thing that got my feathers ruffled is at the end of some of the episodes where we get a small segment from a gentleman named Professor Ookina or Professor Poke if you will.

LOOK AT THIS FUCKING MAN!

Pokemon, why haven’t you sued yet? This is a sexual version of Professor Oak’s end-of-the-episode lectures. Unshou Ishizuka’s probably rolling over in his grave either from laughter, disgust, or that he didn’t live long enough to voice this colorful character. I haven’t settled on which to believe in!

ENDING: The last few episodes we saw a few interesting storylines. For one, we’ve got one brothel where all four adventurers gave the ladies a unanimous 10/10. Spend three days with the clones of a powerful woman and just all-around perfect scores. That is just unheard of! Even in the anime reviewing community, a perfect anime doesn’t exist. So stop trying to turn Interspecies Reviewers into the next Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood. OKAY?! Not gonna happen! Just stop it! Stop it.

Then we had a gentleman who has generously been giving previous ladies of the evening perfect scores. This dude loves the ladies and sees the positives in all of them giving them all a perfect score. And I guess that does bring up a good point here.

Different strokes for different blokes! Not everyone is going to have the same taste as you. Stunk might have a thing for 500-year old fairies while Zel finds her old and disgusting. Zel might have a thing for Mitsue while Stunk finds banging 60-year old human whores repulsive. That’s where reviewers come in. They say the good and the bad when it comes to reviewing (insert profession here). In the case of this series, the boys have different tastes and when going to a foreign brothel, some of the ladies customs might confuse and weird out the boys. But in most cases, they had fun (except that afternoon watching girls laid eggs). So I’m glad Stunk and Zel found fault with the dude who gives 10/10’s like candy.

The final episode felt a little nostalgic as we revisit a race we haven’t seen since episode 2. Stunk and Zel find a business card for a demon brothel. They WERE supposed to go over and review the demon girls...

...but got side-tracked by the big-tit cowgirls.

Better late than never, but at least the demon brothel got some decent reviews by the boys. Good since demons are rated quite low in what men want to bang.

Then, the boys celebrate New Years by hitting up a good brothel to start the New Year off right. You know, start it off with a bang! It’s just that a lot of the popular brothels and Stunk’s regular hangouts are all booked up for the night. Lot of horny John’s on New Years! So the boys end up in a dream eater brothel. These girls take on the form of their dream succu-girl and believe it or not, the reviewers were very pleased. Almost like a pleasant dream!

Now conclusion wise, we really didn’t get Crim’s halo fixed nor did we go to Heaven to see Zel and Stunk get it on with some freaky angels. Instead, we get the same intro we got in episode one, reminding us that there are a barrage of brothels out there in this world and a bunch of succu-girls ready to suck your dicks off. And as long as we have succu-girls and brothels, there will always be reviewers like Stunk, Zel, and Crim to bust a nut! And I think Stunk is now going to visit his father’s harem now. Yeah, his old man has a harem. So there’s that! Too bad we’re not going to see that story.

I got to say…this wasn’t all that bad. In fact, I really liked this anime. And I’m usually rough on borderline-Hentai programs (and not in the good way). I am impressed at the creative way these men review these ladies and the brothels they work in. As an anime reviewer, I have to admire this. To take it all in with how these guys approach something such as having a one-night stand with a succu-girl! Each episode was a new experience with a new lady, sometimes two new brothels in the same episode. After their nights with a succu-girl, their reviews…actually, it’s best to watch it instead of taking my word for it.

NOW THEN! This is by no means on Top-Tier levels of Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood. So you people on MyAnimeList better knock it the fuck off! Yes, FUNimation dropped the ball by dropping this series when they’ve clearly licensed and dubbed WORSE. But owning them this way is just going to come off as weird when we look back at this years later and laugh. On top of which, FUNimation wasn’t the only one that dropped Interspecies Reviewers. Amazon Prime and at least three television stations in Japan dropped this series in the middle of its run.

Oh good God this was a fun and bizarre ride and it was fun while it lasted. Come on y’all, face the facts. There is no way this anime is ever gonna get a second season unless they absolutely censor the fuck out of it over in Japan. Look at all the Japanese channels that dropped this series not even halfway into the run! The best I’m hoping for is an OVA release. That way they can show us all the sex and nipples they want. But a season two? You’d have a better chance getting a Haruhi Suzumiya continuation! Yeah, I said it and I ain’t taking it back! Despite it not being available anywhere in the states, I advise my anime friends and followers to at least give this a chance (as long as you’re not grossed out by sexual discourse).

...

Medea, aren’t you going to give a number score like the Interspecies Reviewer lads?

*sighs*

I truly hate giving a number score. But for once in my written reviews, I’ll do it just this once.

If you would like to watch this series legally here in the states, you are shit out of luck unless you’re from Australia or Japan.

And once again…

R.I.P. Crim’s virginity!

[divagonzo]

Unpopular Opinion: many things been said against Romione shippers/Fic demonizing Lavender to make Hermione look better But I haven't seen as much complaining about the demonizing of Dean Thomas in Hinny fics set in HBP and afterwards. I lost count how many times I have recently (and by popular Hinny authors!) read fics where Dean was demanding,pushing and trying to pressure poor Ginny into having sex/was bad at it and then being a petty and bitter towards Harry. it reeks of racism. 1/2

2/2 I mean I feel it's partly JKR fault because she went out of her way to make both Michael Corner & Dean Thomas ''horrible boyfriends' (which in Dean case is BS the only thing in canon showing friction is Dean 'pushing' Ginny through the portrait and that can be just as much about Ginny trying to be a 'strong independent woman who needs no man') but if Lavender can get sympathy in fic so should Dean, who we've seen more in the books and who came across as good decent guy.

PS, also getting tired of the biphobia i've seen in some corner of the Seamus & Pavender fandom about how Seamus-Dean-Lavender-Parvati were really gay/lesbian all along and their m/f relationship was fake. Because of apparently bisexuals didn't exist until now... [eyeroll]

I need my demarcation line.

‘ello Nonnie. Fancy a cuppa?

I guess I’ve not been reading much lately over on the other side of my Canon ship (aka Harry & Ginny) to have come across any Dean discourse much anything that could be construed as demonization. (Then again, I have been busy so...)

Damn this got long quickly. Under a cutline just out of necessity.

If I am hearing you correctly, the fic writers are choosing to paint Dean in a negative light to emphasize why Ginny would want to break it off with him before getting with Harry. I must have my head in a hole because the only one I’ve read involving Dean in the last few months was the lovely one from @floreatcastellumposts and that was how Dean and Harry interacted in DH at Shell Cottage. (I admit I do have some appreciation for the subtle angst and how troubled Harry is and how few people he trusts in his life. Been there, done that, binned the t-shirt.)

I’ll also agree completely how HBP altered the characters considerably to make the plot work, including Dean, who up ‘til they was either a wallflower or a background character turn into a problematic male character (and also one of the few Men of Color in the entire series which I find more troubling but I digress.) because of the forcing the plot to have Ginny make him redundant before getting with Harry.

Fic writers can take those small nuggets of information and expand the ideas for such (even if I find it personally squicky AF to have a 16-year-old and Under 16 having those physical relations. *shudder* (Heck, I have problems writing any Linny Under 18 fic that involves anything more than hand holding - but then that’s my Ace showing there.) but to take it to such an extreme and petty expansion of idea is, well, not my cup of tea at all. (There’s plenty I will nope right out of and walk away without commenting if there is a tag I see that will make me shudder or get squicked.) But him being petty and sullen and bitter that he did (in those fics) have s* with Ginny and was bad at it?

I wish the trope of “immediate sex god” would die a thousand papercut deaths because most guys at 16-19 can barely control themselves, much less think of the other person to make the experience a memorable one. (And let’s expand that to 15-95 but I digress.) There’s a reason it’s called wham/bam/thank you ma’am. That’s about how long it takes at that age for a guy. (oops! Showing my age there.)

I personally have zero issues with Dean and Seamus as a ship even if I will never write it (I won’t write MLM having dated 2 in the closet and one stayed in because of safety reasons) but those who do can do.

I do find that The Author did make a bit of a mess of the characterizations in book six (and I won’t even get into how there is a discord of continuity of ethnic heritage involving Lavender Brown) including how Dean was made to look like he was being possessive when for all we know, he was being kind and Ginny was in a foul mood.

But let’s hit on that PostScript which to me is the enormous hippogriff in the room.

Admittedly, Biphobia and Bise/xual erasure is prevalent and it’s upsetting, even to me, the cranky Crusty Ace Dragon. Telling someone that they aren’t what they claim (either saying their straight, really are gay but in denial, or gonna cheat and would you just pick one and stick with it? absolute rubbish.

(I’m intentionally not touching on Pansexual but I can later if need be.)

I’ve heard of plenty who get told they are likely to cheat because they are bisexual. I’ve heard plenty who get told would you make up your mind? and the ever-present, “You can’t be bi because you’re in a het relationship” like that has any bearing on who you are as a person. Hubs and I are visually in a het relationship but we’re not since we’re both Ace Spectrum (aka not-straight - him being Grey and me being Demi) but no one dares tell him such. No one dares mention that to me, either. (Especially after my repeated diatribes on gatekeeping I experienced in the 90s while wandering the alphabet wastelands.)

Frankly, it’s disgusting. And let’s talk about those who want even more bloody gatekeeping, referring to gay men and lesbian women as “Are you a Gold Star XXX?” which is the most epic bullshit I’ve read this year (and that’s taking some serious liberties but I digress.) What kind of bullshit is this, a damn purity test? Not everyone realized coming out of the womb they were gay. Some came to it later. Some stayed in the closet for safety reasons. Some stayed in because it was a no big deal otherwise.

But to tie it all in.... to invalidate the experiences of Lavender and Seamus (and Dean, too) as calling it fake is rude at best, insulting at worst. Now it could be said as performative (which plenty who aren’t straight do go through ‘til they know for certain - or at least did back in the dark ages) but then there are so many under the LGBTQIA umbrella who have had performative relationships to either fit in, hide, or trying to get another to cure them before accepting they were, in fact, not straight. But then that’s the thing about dating in your teens and early 20s - learning who you are but also what interests you and what traits you would want in a long-term partner (if that is a goal) and also what traits are a hell naw breaker for you.

But to expect some kind of irrational purity from the outset and slandering those who had to find their own way down winding roads to where they are happy and content with who they are (with gender and expression and orientation and preferences) and to have all of those experiences invalidated because you’re not pure enough for someone hateful and vicious and unworthy of someone who has probably gone through hell and back just to find their identity of who they are.

The hypocrisy of it stinks worse than I do after a full day of hiking in 25* temps.

So in short, Seamus and Lavender were never fake. Performative, maybe, but not fake. Dean and Ginny dating? Never fake. Erasing any possibility that Seamus, Dean and/or Lavender are Bisexual? That stinks highly.

Quit fetishizing MLM and WLW single-sex relationship. 

[battlestar-royco]

Ive seen how certain str8 YT dude authors R better at writing diversity&Representation than str8 YT women. I think it's cuz there's nothing giving them a shield. When str8 yt dudes listen & understand their privilege & r willing 2 write & do better they actually (try) 2 do better. But str8 yt women. They can hide behind misogony & keep writing their bland str8 YT girl doing bland str8 yt girl shit & pass it off as EMPOWERMENT.

I think about this all the time, holy crap. While I hesitate to say straight white guys are better at writing diversity than straight white women, I DO think both S/W men and women fall into habits that are differently bad. Men tend to tokenize and sexualize the shit out of women and do the “strong female character” thing (AKA one (1) conventionally attractive white girl in an all-men cast who wears tight clothes while stabbing people and giving off a sassy line every now and then; may have been abused by a father/brother/boyfriend in the past; may be secretly yearning to have a child; may get chained up by the villain and then saved by the leading man). Meanwhile, women will write other S/W women and men just fine and then tokenize and abuse the shit out of everyone else. They also might fall into tropes of internalized misogyny while men will fall into tropes of internalized toxic masculinity. All that said, I do think S/W women are generally held up to a far higher standard for diversity than S/W men are for a lot of reasons, some of which being that a lot of times authors write for gendered audiences or their content is marketed in a gendered way. Thus, S/W men writers end up targeting S/W men while S/W women writers target S/W women. Generally, the audience members that are more invested in diversity are women, so audiences of S/W women end up critiquing the creator more than S/W men do. Also, S/W men often view all material through a very privileged lens (due to hetero goggles, male gaze, white/POC empathy gap, etc) that does not pick up on problematic things. I feel like in men-dominated fandom, calling out problematic things is a much less welcome tendency and will get you harassed and discredited far easier whereas women-dominated fandom seems more accepting of discourse.

To speak to your point, I think S/W women get a pass for so much oppressive stuff they do just based on the fact that they’re women, especially from S/W women stans. Also, their stuff is more likely to be marketed as “SUPER FEMINIST SO EMPOWERING” when really it’s the SAME EXACT SHIT WE’VE BEEN SEEING SINCE 1980. For decades, S/W women have been the lead in high concept rom coms, the most desirable love interests, superheroes, overthrowing the government, the Final Girl in almost every ensemble horror movie, etc. Meanwhile the MCU’s first film to feature a lead WOC in her natural skin color came out LAST YEAR (I believe, with Zendaya), after ten years of the MCU. Star Wars still has never featured a lead WOC and has killed off the vast majority of their lead POC despite having 5 white women leads. All the Barbie movies are literally everything wrong with white feminism, creating extremely gendered notions about society, and promoting conventionally attractive white women’s issues over everyone else’s in the name of empowerment. Similarly, there are only four Disney animated princesses of color and they all have the same body type and gender/sexuality. LGBTQ+ people, especially those of color, are nearly invisible in all media. Disability is barely addressed or extremely vilified in these blockbuster genres/franchises. Marginalized people are all just waiting for these same “feminist” S/W women to acknowledge how much longer non-cishet/white people have to wait to see themselves represented like that and how many of us continually get mentally scarred well into adulthood from severe lack of representation like

Furthermore, it is definitely, DEFINITELY true that a lot of privileged women and their stans use gender as a way to excuse their problematic asses and to act like the victim when someone calls them out. I’m not joking, I’ve seen straight white women write elaborate paragraphs, like ten pages’ worth in one post/article, explaining why people calling them/their faves racist, abusive, or homophobic is actually misogynistic instead of trying to sit back and learn COUNTLESS TIMES in COUNTLESS FANDOMS. For example, every time a white woman justifies whitewashing a character of color in favor of a white woman, or every time a new blond/brunette woman is inserted into a huge blockbuster franchise with fifteen other women who look just like her because “we’re all underrepresented” or “the POC talent wasn’t good enough.”

If I took a shot for every time a white woman said to me “you can’t judge x for its time” to excuse lack of diversity in a movie/show/book (AND OFTENTIMES IN THINGS THAT CAME OUT LITERALLY 5-15 YEARS AGO, LIKE THE MCU MOVIES, DISNEY MOVIES, SEX AND THE CITY, LEGALLY BLONDE, OR HBO GIRLS????), I would be dead. I’ve also seen them excuse fetishization of mlm/MOC (and often vilification for MOC) by saying that it’s women “expressing their sexuality” and “supporting rep.” This comes from the same women who wouldn’t touch LGBTQ+/MOC rep with a barge pole if it wasn’t hypersexualized, stereotypical, and/or cis/white. S/W women writers/fans have a huge problem with brutalizing POC and characterizing them overall as violent or abrasive, and giving  Z E R O  F U C K S  about characters who are WOC unless they’re conventionally attractive/light-skinned (and even then it’s very dubious). Time and again they’ll refuse to feel any compassion for POC, write any positive meta on them, give them any benefit of the doubt, draw them in fanart, or ship them with other characters (especially with white characters). Some other age-old excuses are “we’re not ready for [x representation] in a mainstream movie,” word for word “I’m not racist but I just don’t ship it :/” when talking about an interracial ship (especially if one of the characters, usually the man in a m/w ship, is white), “I don’t want to read about gay people/poc lol,” and “race/sexuality shouldn’t matter.”

TL;DR many S/W women have a lot of shit to sort out amongst themselves and it’s really disingenuous of them to act like they’re empowered and they’re fighting the good fight for all women. Their representation isn’t perfect and they do deserve great rep, but so does everyone else, especially because when it comes to diversity white women always come first.

[coffeedrivenfiction]

I’ve Always Wanted To Do That (The Incredibles fanfic)

He wasn't actually sleeping, more like lounging. Lounging on the living room couch on a lazy Saturday with a magazine resting on his face and virtually nothing to do. His homework was finished, the chores were done, and the house was vacant. Since turning eighteen, Violet had taken to enjoying the slight slack in the leash that pertained to dating that kid Tony, who she was miraculously on her third year with; Jack-Jack was at Aunt Edna's, being treated like the surrogate son he so obviously was to her and no doubt being forced into a bevy of different costumes suited for his powers; and Mr. Incredible, free to be himself to a certain degree, was out with Frozone.

Being a teenager was really no different than being a kid. So he was fourteen now. Big whoop. Literally nothing had changed besides the length of his flyaway hair, his school, and the suffocating amount of homework he was given every day. He and the rest of his family were still under witness protection while the government dragged feet in weighing the exact worth of Supers against a cost analysis following the destruction they were sure to cause 'saving the day'. The fall of Supers in no way meant the fall of villains—an occurrence that should have been painfully obvious from the onset—and so certain ones were being allowed back into the line of duty to combat the increasing wave of unrest.

Slowly but surely, Supers were being accepted again.

Winston Deavor was still a prominent figure in the integration of Supers, from back when his sister went rogue to this very day, and the betrayal at the hands of his own flesh and blood had only spurred him on further. The process was plodding as hell to be sure but not without its benefits. His mom, Elastigirl, was still the face of the program, and she was making extraordinary strides toward proving that 'saving the day' could be done with as little collateral damage as possible thanks to her elegance and natural battle tact, and it didn't hurt that she had a massive fanbase backing her.

Back in the day, Elastigirl was already considered a household name, but now? Four years later? She was virtually infamous. Everyone knew her, people all over the world loved her, countries wanted her to make guest appearances, there were parades and parties, endorsement deals and sponsorships, she had apparel everywhere knickknacks were sold—there was even an Elastigirl videogame called Elastigirl: A Stretch In Time. To this day, Dash still found that to be the most stupidest name attached to the most stupidest gaming premise ever. Why they chose to make his mom this time-hopping superhero, he would never know.

Still, beyond all of that, beyond the numerous press releases and public events and award ceremonies, not a single soul outside of her family, Mr. Dicker, and Winston knew Elastigirl's true identity, which was a testament to the statute of secrecy concerning not only her but some of the other high profile Supers in the field. Mostly because trying to figure out Elastigirl's true identity had reached astronomical levels of interest, to the point where people adamantly theorized on who it might be based on hair length, eye color and other characteristics. Not that his mom cared—she found the whole fascination over her ridiculous—she only cared about creating a better, villain-free world for her family. She didn't care to relieve the 'glory' days that she consistently tried to talk his dad into letting go. Her only priorities pertained to being a devoted wife and raising her children; Super'ing around the world was just an unwanted side-effect to accomplish that.

On the other glove, Mr. Incredible was over the moon with the steady integration of Supers and gladly took on whatever jobs his wife didn't want to, even the ones that led him to other continents. Occasionally, after some extreme begging and pleading, Helen would relent to letting either Dash or his sister join in, depending on the severity of what needed to be done; sometimes they even went as a family. Those journeys turned out to be the perfect bonding adhesive, the stories told between them, the laughs shared, the dangers crossed….

It was fun, being able to just be themselves every once in awhile. Being bottled up as an ordinary citizen was no longer such an arduous task thanks to frequent outings that let everyone stretch their wings.

And that meant the most annoying aspect of Dash—always whining about not being able to be free, to be himself—melted away, leaving behind a far more levelheaded speedster.

"Ohhhh, Daaaaash…."

The sweet songbird-like tones of his mother calling tickled Dash's ears and he felt his cheeks begin to burn.

Damn it….

It was no secret that Dash loved his mom. Leaving the shoes of a kid behind and stepping into those of a globetrotting teenage Super had given him a new appreciation for this auburn-haired woman who had taken care of and loved him even during his most unbearable moments. Whenever his dad stepped out to handle Super business tailored to him (that Winston figured wouldn't yield too much cost damage-wise), Dash would self-proclaim himself as man of the house, and he took that role to heart.

His mom, Violet, Jack-Jack—even if they were all accomplished Supers in their own right, save for his little prodigy of a brother who everyone already expected to herald the end of villainy when he grew up, Dash placed their well-being over whatever trouble the world at large happened to be suffering through. Not that any of them took him seriously: Violet nearly pissed herself from laughing, his dad gave him the most patronizing pep talk about responsibility and knowing ones role, and his mom… well… she'd called it the cutest thing he had ever done, bar none.

"Awww, look at you, momma's little hero," she had said back then, eskimo kissing him into a void of embarrassment. "Well then, I'll be counting on you to keep me safe, okay?"

That much went without saying. It was a pledge Dash carried with him as he grew, year by year, remaining ever vigilant. So there was no denying that puberty was a bitch—all the growing, the danglings, the new bells and whistles—especially when surrounded by others going through the same awkward motions and having to deal with the unending comments his schoolmates made concerning his mom whenever she came to pick him up and actually got out of the car. Not only did his mom have the entire male populous unknowingly under her finger, there were quite a few girls who were quite keen to get to know her as well, even going so far as to try and invite themselves to his house under the pretense of dating or needing a study-buddy.

Contrary to popular belief, Dash was well aware of just how unrelentingly sexy his mother was; he had to deal with it every blessed day he saw her walk around in pajamas, in shorts, even in a bathrobe. He knew that for a woman in her very early forties, her coke-bottle figure was nothing short of perfection. He knew that if he looked up the term 'slim thick' he would see a picture of his mom due to the way her pinched waist opened into a pair of succulent hips that she loved to playfully bump him with. He knew all of that and more, and eventually, he grew sick of others using his mom in their weird fetishes.

It only took about three major fights for the message to get across that Helen Parr was off limits for anyone to so much as speak about in his presence. Since his super speed basically guaranteed that he could doge every hit, in order to keep his identity a secret, Dash allowed himself to be struck a couple times just for the sake of appearance.

"Dash, are you in the living room?"

When she called out a second time, Dash lazily replied, "I sure am, mom," but didn't bother removing the magazine from over his face. He still wasn't ready to 'do things' yet; it was too nice, the warm, natural lighting streaming in through the glass roof. He was more than content to spend the rest of his weekend right here glued to this spot. If the other family members didn't mistake him for just an oblong shaped couch cushion he would be highly surprised.

Though not nearly as surprised as he was when something incredibly soft and plush nudged the arm he had hanging over the side.

Did she just…?

"Wakie, wakie, my little super hero, I need your opinion on something," she chorused, and if her previous hip bump wasn't enough to bring about a barrage of suspicion, her suspiciously energetic tone certainly was. When he made no immediate effort to give her attention, she hip-bumped him again. "Come on, Dash, I need your help here."

Wondering when and how he had fallen under his mother's thumb as well, Dash very hesitantly began to lower his Super's Monthly magazine just far enough for his pupils to peek over the edge.

Oh dear Lord….

Another thing about his lavish mother that Dash was having some trouble dealing with was the fact Mrs. Parr didn't put much stock in her figure—none—she mostly considered herself to be quite average despite the numerous compliments and fansites devoted to her, despite the vocal minority that downright worshipped the very ground she walked on. It was the most innocent display of immodesty that Dash had ever seen; she cared so little that she frequently, obliviously, showed it off in the most provocative ways.

Like now, as she nervously shifted weight from one foot to the other in this lavish white blouse with a plunging neckline and the tightest pair of yoga pants Dash had ever the pleasure to see wrapped around her body. That apprehensive stance clearly showed the effort she was putting forth to be eye-catching was new to her, but her naturally lustful figure seemed right at home being on display; it was this perfectly tantalizing mixture of timid and precocious. His eyes were tracing her curves before he could even begin to stop himself, rolling over those criminally wide hips, those thick, creamy thighs, and that ass….It was only thanks to her that Dash even paid attention to that part of a female nowadays.

Not even trying to being subtle, Dash sank deeper into the couch, making sure to keep the magazine firmly just below his eyes. There was no way he could let her see his face; he was blushing far too hard, it practically invited teasing.

She cleared her throat. "Well, since you're the man of the house while your father's away, I wanted to get a man's opinion on these," and she gave the most beguiling smile, that kind that effortlessly coerced Dash into doing whatever she wanted.

"I—me?" he blustered. "Really? D-don't you think Violet would be a better choice—"

The ease at which she cut him off was as simple as lifting a single finger, her smile growing coy. "That's why I said I needed a man's opinion, buster. C'mon, your honest take—does your momma look good in these?"

A hearty "yes!" was the obvious answer but Dash was summarily left with his jaw hanging when Helen twirled on her heel to give him a full, uninterrupted view of the back. Never had he seen her rear so perfectly rounded, so magnificently framed—it jiggled ever so softly as she continued to shift from foot to foot, almost as if she could physically feel his eyes probing here, prodding there, taking it all in. Every wobble of those perfectly rounded twin cheeks caused Dash's breath to hitch, his grip over the magazine subconsciously increasing to the ripping point. The outlines of whatever dark pink panties she had chosen to wear underneath were excruciatingly visible, hugging her ass tight and admirably keeping both cheeks contained.

"Well?" she questioned, twirling back around. "Thoughts? I'm really feeling the blouse—my chest can breathe, but personally, I'm not a huge fan of lycra. Good fabric and all it's just kind of tight around the, uh… around the back region, don't you think?"

Thinking wasn't really a function that Dash was capable of at the moment so he remained silent, and his lack of an answer caused Helen to glance down at herself, curious to see what had so thoroughly captured his attention.

Then her eyes widened, followed by a very short chuckle. "Annnnnd, dang… did not realize they were see-through…."

Of course she hadn't, and Dash could wholeheartedly believe it, given how her cheeks lit up like a Christmas tree and she brought her hands to her face, probably wishing she had Violet's power to vanish at a snap. Honestly, it was the cutest thing, watching her shrink in on herself, the way she tried squeezing her thighs together like that was in any way going to hide the fact that her very visible panties had a bear face print on the front.

"Mom…pft, what in the—"

"Shut up, just… shut up," she ground out, peeking at him from between her fingers and, wow, was the blush riding high. "Dash, I swear, if you even so much as breathe a word about this…."

It came out as threatening, albeit the embarrassed quivering marred the effect somewhat, and Dash was quite keen to hear her finish that sentence, to hear what she would do to him, but when she fell silent, he couldn't help but grin, fully lowering his magazine and running a hand through his hair.

God above, if the world loved Elastigirl then knowing the woman behind the mask would likely cause heart-attacks all around. Whatever arousal her figure had shamefully brought out of Dash, much like it always did, was bowled over with an all-consuming urge to protect. He needed to protect this 40-something-year-old woman who apparently still wore printed panties.

"I really hope you don't wear those when you're out as Elastigirl," he chuckled, patting the spot next to him invitingly. "Imagine bending over and splitting a seam—bam, secret's out."

The glare Helen leveled him with as she approached didn't sting as much as it could have thanks to her smirk. "Excuse me, Mr. Man, but you aren't insinuating I have a big butt, are you?"

Dash's reply was as quick as his running speed. "I was insinuating that accidents like ripped clothing and Supers go together like white on rice. How many times has Auntie E had to repair dad's suit? A dozen? Couple dozen? Pictures of his underwear are still circulating the internet, God knows why."

She sat down next to him with a scoff, crossing her legs. "I'm impressed, Dash, you said that so smoothly I'd almost believe you thought it up on the spot."

"Well, when you're a pro at sticking your foot in your mouth like I am you learn to have certain replies loaded up," Dash admitted with a shrug, and the sound of her giggling was still just the sweetest thing.

"And he's funny, folks," Helen quipped, idly kicking her aloft foot and brushing back her bangs. She regarded her son like a newly found specimen, staring him up and down appraisingly, moving his hair about, then finally gave his cheek a teasing pinch. "Ah, you make me sick."

The insult was said so lovingly that all Dash could do was chuckle.

"Sorry?"

"You should be. I still can't believe you don't have a girlfriend yet, I figured I'd be beating off girls left and right by now, honestly. It's one of the few things I was actually looking forward to as you grew up."

"Er, well… you know how it is," he said, clearing his throat.

There was a very good reason why Dash didn't have a girlfriend, but it wasn't a reason he was mentally prepared to share with his mother just yet. Diligence required sacrifice, and the rise of villains as of late was beginning to eclipse the speed at which Supers were being allowed to do their job. Elastigirl might be a verifiable symbol of peace for now, but she was still only one Super and the world was rife with nefarious individuals who were beginning to see that she couldn't be everywhere at once.

"You get your looks from your father, you know—the both of you are just riddled with handsomeness. That's how you trick us girls, get us to lower our defenses; you just flash a smile and we go all weak in the knees. It's not fair," she joked, winking. "I swear, to this day I'm almost certain that's the only way your father got me to marry him. The big idiot… the big handsome idiot…."

Chewing on his thumbnail, Dash barely heard a word his mother said; he was beyond lost in thought, his brow furrowed intently. The growing villain contingency had long since filled him with unease and it seemed to worsen every time he turned on the set, which was primarily why he had chosen to read his magazine today. Just once he wanted to go a day without the same question running laps around his mind: how long until her identity was blown? He had seen more than his fair share of movies and shows, mostly as research material, to know how that particular scenario played out and he would be damned if he let some random girl, who was almost guaranteed to be more interested in his mom anyway, distract him from protecting his family.

"It's… I guess it's just not my time yet," he said after a few seconds' silence, rubbing behind his head. "Truthfully, I'm not in any hurry to see you hospitalize whichever girl I bring home."

"Oh come on, sweetheart, look at me—would I do that?" she asked with a faux look of hurt.

Dash stared at her and she stared back.

And then they both started laughing.

"You'd slingshot her across the city!" he said, clutching his sides.

"Without a moment's hesitation," Helen agreed, patting her lap with an inviting glance at her son. When he merely stared at her, confused, she rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth, grabbing his head and bringing it down onto her legs. "There we go."

Even before the cushiony soft sensation of her thighs could fully hit home, Dash was bombarded with the sweet, almost ambrosial scent wafting from his mother's skin. He didn't know if it was some sort of perfume or if that's just how she smelled naturally but it was having an immediate effect where he didn't want it to.

"Um, m-mom? What're you—" he started, trying to push himself back up, but she shushed him, running a hand through his hair.

"Sweetie, I know you don't feel like talking about what you're going through, but… I wouldn't be much of a mother if I didn't say something," she started softly and Dash froze, eyes widening, growing numb to the soothing dance of her fingers.

There was no way she could be hinting at… could she? No, of course not, how could she know? Outside of the usual mood swings, Dash had made sure to be as discreet as possible with his mission in life. He left no stone unturned, erased any tracks he made—there was nothing for anyone to catch, much less his mom.

"If you're talking about that pair of panties, I can explain," he started hastily.

"I really don't think any son can explain how a pair of their mother's underwear wound up under their mattress," Helen began inertly, and it was the evenness of her tone that caused Dash's jaw to tighten. She didn't sound at all like how he'd figured—hoped—she would have, she didn't sound upset or confused or disgusted; she sounded like someone who had seen through his plan, and easily at that. "I've been in the game a long time, Dash, so I know a decoy when I see it. If your plan was to throw me off, you should have grabbed a dirty pair—that's what the true perverts do. After all, what good are panties with no scent?"

Okay, wow.

So many questions slammed into Dash's mind following that statement that it almost hurt trying to decipher them all and so he remained silent, barely breathing, taking in only the faintest whiffs of her natural aroma.

"I know you've probably got a dozen other distractions lined up to keep suspicion low but I'm your mother, Dash," she said matter-of-factly and he could feel those maternal, all-seeing eyes boring into him. "The least I can do is tell when one of my kids is pushing themselves too far, and you, kiddo… you've been pushing yourself too hard for too long."

It flew out of Dash's mouth before he could stop it: "We're safe, though, aren't we? You, dad, Violet, Jack-Jack… we're all safe."

"Yes, honey, we're safe, but it's not like we've got danger lurking around every corner either," Helen argued gently. "You're only fourteen, you should be out there enjoying yourself, living life, making mistakes and crying back to me for help—look at your sister," she said with a snort. "The moment she was old enough to drive you'd think the car was her natural home."

"Vi's not all there in the head, we all know that," Dash said, making a swirling motion with his finger. "I'm different from her—I have goals, I have people I need to protect—"

Helen nodded understandingly. "And don't think we don't appreciate it, honey. All I'm asking you to do is to just… let us adults shoulder most of the burden, okay? It's why I took up this whole Super deal in the first place, to give you and Violet and Jack-Jack a better life than what your dad and I had, a more carefree life."

When she took him by the chin, Dash allowed her to steer his gaze upwards so that he was staring directly at her, so that he could fully see the concern in her eyes.

"Let me be the parent, okay? I don't care about the love of all those people out there, or the Superhero initiative, I don't care if this whole operation goes or blows, I really don't," she said genially and Dash found it astonishing how true her words came across to him. "Like I told Winston, like I told your dad… and like I'm about to tell you now: I only care about keeping my kids safe. So let me do that, okay? Let your mother do her job. Your only job is to be a kid for as long as possible."

The firm pout Dash had fixed across his face broke away into a groan when she kissed him over the nose.

"Don't pout, I find it adorable," she said.

"Awww, mom—c'mon," he fussed, rubbing at his face. "I'm fourteen, what teenager still gets kissed on the nose?"

"You do," she said easily, and gave him another, smiling at the way he turned deeper into her thighs to hide his face. "And so does your sister. She gets at least two a day. And Jack-Jack? Until he shifts into another dimension. Resistance is futile, you know, you all might as well just give in to the momma kisses—they always win."

"Maybe I've been protecting us from the wrong side since you're clearly the most villainous thing around here," was what Dash tried to say but it came out a muffled mess against his mother's thighs, and he caught the way she shuddered against him, no doubt feeling the rumbling vibrations his stifled words caused.

When his mother's hand came down over his head, he tensed, half-expecting her to give him a good thumping. What he didn't expect was for her fingers to wind their way back through his blonde locks again. "Any time you want to get your face outta there would be fine with me, buster," and her tone was full of a teasing mirth even as she playfully squeezed her legs together, "before I start thinking you stole my underwear for another purpose."

Dash sat up so quickly he nearly went tumbling off the couch and Helen laughed, watching him scramble to catch himself. "Calm down, calm down, Dash, sheesh—I was just kidding," she chuckled, waving a dismissive hand his way, "but now that your secret's out, feel free to put them back, those are one of my favorite pairs."

Pushing that little tidbit to the farthest reaches of his mind, Dash's perked up like a dog sensing danger when the doorbell rang. When he made to move, the palm that met him squarely on the forehead kept him seated. "Relax, it's just the door," said Helen, standing in his place. "I got it. Here, you take care of this." She picked up the remote, picked up his hand, and joined the two. "Find something fun for us to watch on TV when I get back. I'm gonna start making sure you enjoy yourself, buster."

The idea of enjoying himself did sound like something pleasant, if wholly foreign, Dash figured as she strolled from the room, unknowingly taking his gaze with her, but he also knew it was something he would never allow. Despite what his mother said and the way her calming words offered a much-needed sense of tranquility to his frayed nerves, this was the path he had long since chosen. There was no alternative so long as the villain contingency continued to thrive on the lack of Supers.

Still… watching something together….

"That… that'd be okay, right? Yeah, course—but just for a little while," Dash told himself firmly, and he nearly leapt out of his clothes when the phone rang. "Not cool, Dash, c'mon…." Grumbling, he dove to the other end of the couch and snatched up the cordless. "Parr residence, Dash spea—"

"DASH—Dash, listen, it's Dicker—" Instantly, Dash's breathing faltered, his stomach clenching with dread. Mr. Dicker hadn't contacted them for quite some time, and whenever he did it was never anything good. "Listen to me, son, you have to leave your house—right now!"

"What? Why?" There was a panic in Mr. Dicker's voice and it transferred to Dash, setting his heartbeat into overdrive. "What's going on—did something happen?"

"There's no time!" the older man yelled and for the first time in a long time, Dash was afraid. "Evelyn Deavor escaped prison during a riot and we think she's making a beeline straight to your position—we don't know exactly when she escaped but it's highly possible she's not alone—she could be bringing accomplices, Dash—you have to get out of there!"

The phone clattered to the ground, everything was suddenly very dreamlike.

No….

It was the slowest Dash could remember ever going even as he pushed his legs past the normal limits of his ability. He didn't know how… he didn't know what could have possibly pierced him with this overwhelming feeling of loss, but he could feel his eyes beginning to blur with tears, he felt his mouth opening in a scream that didn't reach his ears he was running so fast.

No, no, no, no—

The force of his halting skid left blazing scorch marks in the carpet and he rounded the corner just as Helen pulled the door open.

"Mom—WAIT!"

Two hooded figures stood in the frame, silent and still—and Dash was in motion before his brain could give a command. It seemed the larger of the two figures was waiting for precisely that and flung out a hand comprised oddly of stone. The floor underneath Dash liquefied itself and he gave a surprised yelp when he began to sink, first his feet, past his ankles, up to his knees; it wasn't until the one with the hand of stone snapped their fingers that the floor solidified again, causing Dash to pitch forward and bash his forehead against the tiles, cracking several.

No, no, no, no, not now—

Everything was happening so wretchedly slow it was like a switch had been flipped. Breathing was problematic, Dash's head was throbbing unmercifully, each pulse sending a trickle of warm blood splurging down his face, but the pain was lost on him as he struggled, desperately reaching out for his mother.

"MOOOOM!"

The second figure pulled off their hood and it was over before the yell could fully leave Dash's throat.

Looking every bit as unhinged as she had four years ago, Evelyn Deavor struck out a hand, gripped Helen by the back of her head and snatched her forward, roughly mashing their lips together. It was a terrible kiss and the shock that contorted Helen's face only intensified when Evelyn rammed something sharp into her stomach.

It was a new type of terror, one that Dash never thought he would experience, one that robbed him of everything as he watched Evelyn drive that blade deeper and deeper still into his mom, holding their kiss until it was buried to the hilt. And when Evelyn broke their embrace, her mouth was smeared with blood; it was dribbling without end over Helen's lip, the sounds of her strangled gurgling causing the bile to churn hot in Dash's stomach.

"I've always wanted to do that," Evelyn cooed with a sickening tenderness, continuing to grip the wobbling Super tight by the hair. She inched closer, placing those filthy bloodstained lips next to Helen's ear. "Tell me, Elastigirl… what do you do when you want to destroy the very fabric of the people's nerve?" she whispered gently.

His legs were broken, Dash knew that much, he could feel that much, but that didn't stop him from struggling; he clawed at the ground like a trapped animal, gaining purchase over nothing, fingers slipping, tearing his throat to shreds with the strength of his yells.

Yet Evelyn's deadening voice conquered all. "The answer's simple: you take away their symbol of hope."

And Dash was rendered mute when she forcibly snatched the knife from his mother's stomach, spilling a copious amount of blood down her front, over the floor, splattering droplets in an arch that flew from Evelyn's blade.

It was relatively easy to pinpoint the exact moment Dash felt his heart die. He had stopped breathing, stopped thinking, stopped feeling—eyes unblinking, he could only see, could only watch as the woman he had sworn to protect fell… and fell… the shock never quite leaving her face….

When she collided with the ground, it was the most painful scene of Dash's life, watching as his mom brought hands to her wound, hands that shook, hands that were instantly saturated in blood, hands that were, even now, determined to shield Dash from what he knew was there. She didn't want him to see it, she didn't want him to see the wound causing the unbridled agony distorting her face.

"Don't worry, Dash," said Evelyn softly, bending down to wipe her knife over the front of Helene's blouse, further staining what was once such a beautiful and pristine white, turning it into a scarlet mess, "when your mom dies, and when they find her… she'll be regarded as a true hero. You should be proud."

His mom was gasping horribly, struggling to hold on even as blood continued to spill through her fingers; she paid no mind to Evelyn, that wasn't important… her eyes found his, they found her son's, and she didn't look away. "D-Dash…."

Like a baseball through a window, Dash felt all of his willpower, all of the strength and resilience he had built up over the years, shatter into nothing. Hearing his name gurgled out with so much pain from the one person he thought would never fall had instilled something terrible in his heart—and he started crying, he started crying like he had regressed back to his toddler years, the days when his mom would drop whatever she was doing and come running to him.

Except now she couldn't, and the hollow realization of that caused her face to scrunch up, caused tears to well in her eyes….

Sighing, Evelyn made the climb back to her feet, the look lining the sunken groves of her face displaying just a flicker of regret. "I… don't think I thought this through well enough," she admitted with a tired shrug. "This sort of thing might just galvanize the people instead of break them apart." The revelation of her actions didn't seem to be cause for worry, on the contrary, it was like watching withered parchment paper crinkle when her lips curled into a sinister smirk. "If anything, I probably just accomplished in three minutes what every Super has been trying to do for the past four years. I should be thanked, right?" She snapped her fingers at her larger companion. "Let's go. We've sparked the flame… now it's time to watch it all burn down."

Wiping his eyes on the back on the back of his hand, Dash watched them go, he watched them stroll uncaringly through the puddle of blood pooling out from his mom….

"Dash…." His eyes shot to her the moment she inhaled, the very act of talking causing her mouth to form a painful rictus. "Sw-sweetheart, I… I'm s-sorry…."

No matter how hard he swiped at his eyes, the tears wouldn't leave him be, they constantly blurred his vision, blurred his mother. "Mom, don't talk—please, just… h-hang on, I just gotta get my legs free and then—then I can get help, I swear, if I can just…."

His voice shook so bad he could hardly understand the words tumbling out of his mouth as he tried to move his legs, but he already knew he was hopelessly stuck; the floor had reformed around his knees, it'd take a construction crew to get him out and he'd be lucky if his legs survived.

Not that cold reality prevented him from struggling his absolute hardest.

"C'MON! Stupid—please, please, why won't… I can't get… m-mom," he fumbled, turning to her for guidance, and it scared him at how quickly the light was fading from her eyes. "Mom! No, no, no—damn it, c'mon! Don't leave me! I'm coming, if I can just—it's my legs—I can't get them… I can't get them free, I'm trying!"

Her smile was so soft, and so weak. She understood, she knew he was trying his very best, and that was enough. "I'm s-sorry, Dash, I…" She winced, inhaling sharply. Every word lanced her body with pain; every syllable only caused more blood to pulse over her bottom lip. "I…I tried… I wanted you t-to… to be happy…."

"Don't talk, please!" Dash begged, and he reached out for her, stretching his arm as far it could go.

The last time Helen had cried, in front of him at least, was a couple years ago after Jack-Jack had bumped his head on the coffee table and cut himself. That one moment had been the deciding factor to Dash committing himself to the protection of his family. The look on his mother's face, those heart-wrenching sobs as she cradled Jack-Jack and apologized over and over… he swore to never see her like that again.

"I… I couldn't do my job as… as your mother," she whispered to him, and the tears glittering down her cheeks, the regret that poisoned her smile… "I'm sorry, sweetie…."

The ground around Dash's legs gave an ominous crack, almost as loud as the one that he felt reverberate somewhere in his shins. He was pulling with all the might he possessed, grasping out for all he was worth, but it still wasn't enough to reach her. "HELP!" he screamed shrilly, blistering his throat. "SOMEBODY—ANYBODY HELP! PLEASE!"

When something soft grazed his cheek, he jerked, momentarily stunned into silence; his mother had stretched out one of her hands, past his own, and was busy brushing away a tear. He instantly nuzzled into her, ignoring the crimson fluids that caked her fingers, unable to keep his sobs at bay long enough to shout again. "D-don't leave me, momma… p-please…."

"It's okay… it's okay, sweetheart," she told him, her voice growing weaker, fainter, "I'm f-fine… I'm not… I'm not going anywhere, I'm st-staying right…."

He heard her exhale, then nothing.

"…Momma?"

The sudden silence pried Dash's eyes open and he saw his mother staring back at him. Except… she wasn't blinking; her fingers had fallen still, she wasn't moving, she wasn't… she wasn't breathing. She stared back at him with eyes that had lost their light, with a smile that was barren.

"N-no…"

The world seemed to drop away into nothingness leaving only Dash and the woman who had shielded him since birth. He didn't want to believe, he didn't want to accept the fact that his mother was gone, but it was her expression… that loving smile… she was telling him that it was okay, that everything was going to be okay, even if she wasn't around for it.

And that made him cry. He buried his face in the warmth of her palm and cried, grabbing her fingers with both hands. The grief hurt, it burned from the bottom of his soul, it gave fire to his sobs until he had no more tears to give, until his throat was too hoarse to make a sound, until all he could do was collapse, worn with pain and broken with sorrow.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he heard it… voices… a multitude of voices on the peripheral of his hearing. They were coupled with the sounds of rushing footsteps—Dash didn't know what was happening and he didn't put forth the slightest bit of effort in figuring it out; so long as he kept hold over his mother's hand then nothing else mattered. Perhaps Evelyn has seen the folly in letting him live and had returned with more flunkies to finish him off?

Please. I'd be grateful for it….

The voices were coming in clearer as Dash's hearing gradually returned.

"KEEP THOSE PEOPLE BACK! I need a perimeter shut down—RIGHT NOW!"

"Dash! Dash, wake up! Is he okay? DASH!"

"Please, stay back—he's alive, he's breathing—"

"HELEN—is she… she can't be…."

"WE NEED A FUCKING AMBULANCE!"

"Clear a path, clear a path, what's happened? What's the… oh my God…."

Who was talking? Better question, why were they talking? Nothing said could undo what had happened, nothing could—

Every nerve in Dash's body sparked to life when someone tried to pry his hand away from his mother's and a piercing yell burst from his throat. He swung without thought and felt his knuckles collide solidly with someone's jaw, knocking whoever it was to the side. Tears blurred his vision, he couldn't make out a single person from the swarm surrounding him; they were moving too fast, nothing but hazy, faceless mannequins; all he could do was growl, increasing the hold he had on her, daring a soul brave enough to step forward. They would have his life before they took—

"Dash…."

He froze. That last voice sent a familiar shudder down his back and he turned in its direction, frantically reaching out with his other hand. A wave of sobs erupted around him but Dash paid it no mind, continuing to reach, gasping when a larger, rougher hand took his own and held on tight. "Dash, it's okay. We're here… you can let go, son, we're… we're here…."

Dash sniffled, fervently shaking his head. "I… but if I do, she'll… th-then she'll really be gone," he choked out and there was a massive shift as several people moved to hug him at once. He felt it, he felt their warmth, their pain, he felt it all and hung his head, shoulders trembling with the urge to cry again. "I can't… I c-can't lose her again, I—"

Another cheek, slick with tears, mashed itself against his and the hug tightened. "You won't, Dash," he heard Violet gasp and she sounded stricken. Her entire body shook but she clutched him like a life raft. "Sh-she's still here—I s-swear she is." She nodded as strongly against him as she could, her jaw firming. "It's okay, it's g-gonna be okay…."

Many voices, many recognizable voices, were echoing in agreement, several that Dash could immediately place a face to and several more that existed only on the fringe of his tired mind. They were all telling him that he was safe, that it was okay, that he could let go….

And when he finally did, when he reluctantly relaxed his grip and felt her fingers slide away, there was no force on earth that could have kept Dash from passing out. Her touch had been the last pillar keeping him conscious and he quickly went limp without it, succumbing to the darkness that had been steadily, incessantly, tugging at him; and as he mercifully began to sink into that nothingness, he heard a hurricane of furious yells from his dad, from Mr. Dicker and even Winston, all three of them shouting to get his legs freed immediately.

My legs…? If Dash weren't so dangerously depleted, he would have laughed. He didn't care about his stupid legs. Whether they managed to pry him free or not, whether he woke up whole or to a pair of bloody, bandaged stumps—it was the farthest thing from his mind. Everything was growing startlingly dark, the ache that gripped his body was slipping… and then he felt it.

A hand so soft yet so warm rustled his hair, soothing him in a way he knew he was never going to experience again. Her touch hurt… it hurt so bad, the most excruciating pain of his short life, but he couldn't help the way her loving motions caused the corners of his mouth to quirk up in a silent smile. It was for her, only for her… and it was probably the last genuine one he would ever give.

I hope… wherever you are, I hope you're safe, mom. He couldn't speak it, he lacked the energy, the motor skills; this was nothing more than the last few synapses of his mind firing off into the gloom. You were the light of my world and I… I…

He struggled against himself; it was all fading so fast but he desperately fought to hold on. The warmth of Helen's hand moved from the top of his head to cradle his cheek, giving him the strength to finish.

I'll always love you, mom….

XXXX

Sixteen months later, the world was a very different place. The news of Elastigirl's death spread like wildfire throughout very major news network across the globe, and the reaction was deafening. Elastigirl monuments were erected, marches were held, it was nearly a collapse of order as the public found blame against those who had previously dragged their feet on allowing Supers to do their job. Due to their rampant negligence, the world had lost its brightest symbol of hope to evil—and it was a day that would forever be a blight against justice.

Not long after, there was a major seat-shuffling in the government—several people resigned, many quit, and some vanished without a trace. It paved the way for a new era, one spearheaded by Winston Deavor, who, after severing all ties to anything related to his sibling and her existence, was quick to give Supers back the power that they should have had years ago.

The name of the operation was 'revenge', pure and simple. There was no point in hiding it, no one even tried to suggest otherwise—contrary to being crushed spiritually, the populous was ablaze with rallies against villains that numbered in the thousands and persisted faithfully to this day. The entire world knew what had to be done, any other plan of action was unthinkable. One of the most loved souls to ever protect had been taken from them… and a heavy price had to be paid.

The nations came together to organize a strike team comprised of some of their most prominent Supers to hunt down Evelyn Deavor and bring her to justice. It was unanimously decided that Mr. Incredible take the helm and he accepted the role with a blazing resolve, leading them from one lead to the next in a flurry. The public was on their side, the government was giving them aide, the resources were near limitless—it was only a matter of time before Evelyn Deavor was found, before the world could rest.

Before he could rest.

Hands in his pockets, Dash trudged up a hill he had traversed more times than he cared to remember. He could have made the journey blindfolded, letting his legs lead the way. They were what brought him here after all, that familiar throbbing in his knees. When he was excavated from the ground all those months ago, they told him a normal person's legs would have been reduced to mush, but due to his power and his unnaturally granite-like leg muscles, he would make a full recovery pending a few months of physical rehabilitation.

And that… was certainly good news, good enough at least to bring Violet to tears since she had been worried sick over him, but even as his dad cheered and snatched him up in a rib-cracking hug, what was there to really be happy about? So his legs weren't a lost cause, did that bring her back? Did that somehow retroactively make him able to save her life? Or did it just remind him that he was alive while the one he failed to protect wasn't?

The frustrated tears he shed that day, smothered under his dad, went by unnoticed.

The further he walked, the more he allowed himself to enjoy the day. Clouds dotted an otherwise marble blue sky while the sun laid down an enjoyable haze of warmth. Gentle drafts of wind rustled his hair and he almost smiled as he carefully stepped between the graves of fallen Supers. Some of them he knew, others he didn't, but all he respected.

So many of them had died within the past half a year—so many had gladly thrown themselves in the line of fire if it meant getting them one step closer to finding Evelyn Deavor, and Dash would forever keep their names with him until it was inevitably his turn to join them on this hallowed hill.

Before his mother was taken from him, Dash always figured he would follow the typical motions of life: get a wife, have some kids, adopt a dog, live a full life spoiling his grandkids, the whole nine yards. With her gone, he got the feeling that path had been lost to him—not that he cared much, it was just obvious that her death had thrown him onto an entirely new track. He didn't expect to live very long, not with how he planned to eradicate villainy, so if he somehow saw the age of twenty then he would take that as a nudge from his mother to keep living. And if he didn't… well, that would be less time wasted wondering this world aimlessly, wouldn't it?

By medical standards, so long as his heart continued to beat, then Dash was deemed alive, but he had never felt so taciturn, so disconnected from the everything; and oddly enough, it was a feeling that comforted him as much as it tortured him. He welcomed the trauma that woke him up so violently he had to clutch his mouth with both hands to keep from screaming, and he reveled in hearing Evelyn Deavor's snake-like voice erupt from whatever shadow he passed, whispering the very line that was forever seared into his brain: I've always wanted to do that.

Even now, it brought his blood to a boil without fail and his walk turned into a forceful march.

Metroville Super Graveyard was where Dash spent a majority of his time whenever he wasn't at school or being forced to endure therapy for his night terrors. It was a specially crafted graveyard that existed in secret, away from the public, where only Supers both alive and deceased were allowed. It helped conceal the identity of the heroes who perished in the line of duty—to protect their friends and family, mostly—while also ensuring they received a burial befitting their service.

It was the weirdest thing... the first time he was called to publicly speak about his mom, only he couldn't be seen as Dash Parr, no, that would have been the equivalent of painting a big red target over himself, his family, and anyone who knew them. He—all of them—had to appear in their Super suits, the anonymity of which made the entire thing feel disgustingly impersonal, so much so that halfway into his prepared speech, Dash just walked off stage, leaving his father to quickly blame his abrupt leave on the grief. It was a necessary precaution to keep their family safe, Dash knew that, but from where he stood, it was also a stupid one, at least where his family was concerned. Evelyn Deavor already knew them pretty well beyond the costumes—hell, he was genuinely surprised she hadn't ousted them to the public yet or sent some of her flunkies to knock down their door.

Maybe she was enjoying the chaos that followed killing his mom… or maybe she knew that breaching the statue of secrecy surrounding Supers would immediately get her the death penalty. Oh, how he wished she would be so brave… but so far, aside from a few personally written letters threatening more deaths and a couple glimpses through pictures, Evelyn herself might as well have become a shadow in the world of villainy, a shadow that stretched far and consumed whatever it touched.

The grass crunched under Dash's shoes as he came to a stop in front of a massive statue depicting Elastigirl in one of her trademark hero poses. Commissioned by Winston and crafted by some of the most talented sculptures money could buy, it was a marvelous feat, filled with all the love everyone held for the fallen hero. Even now, as Dash noted the little distinguishing features he had noted a million times before—like the separate strands of hair or how lithe her fingers were—his chest tightened to the point where breathing was a chore, but he forced a toothy smile.

It was a quivering one to be sure, lined with the tears that trickled down his cheeks, but still, he smiled.

"Hey, mom."

A watery chuckled left him and he sniffled. Already, he could hear her scolding tone, wondering why he wasn't in school since it was technically a weekday. Not that it mattered. Despite a surprising uptick in his grades, Dash regularly skipped classes, or, like right now, the entire school day. It got to be such a problem that Mr. Dicker, while wholly sympathetic, couldn't take anymore and decided to get one of his subordinates hired at Dash's school so they could deliver a mind-altering flash whenever it happened. The only stipulation was that Dash's grade had to maintain themselves, and they did. Originally, Dash had planned on going to school, if only to get his sister to quit nagging him, but when he woke up with his old leg wounds throbbing, any plans on receiving a higher education went out the window—he knew where he was truly needed.

When he took a knee next to the headstone, his eyes traced the gold lettering that spelled her name and he had to swallow hard to keep himself composed. He bowed his head for a moment of silence, then looked up with a smile. "Um, hey, look what I got…took a lotta effort but I still did it," and he pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his jacket pocket. After some smoothing, he lifted it up high. "See? Remember that English test I had? Well, bam! Took Vi' forever to drill the basics into my thick head but I passed!"

It was always painful, the silence that followed, the lack of reaction, but he was well used to it and, after stowing the test sheet back in his pocket, plowed on ahead with what his morning consisted of. He told her how Violet had burned his eggs (again) and how when Jack-Jack stubbed his toe he let loose a screech that wound up summoning a plethora of eagles.

"—so we're not sure but that's probably 'beast tamer' added to the list now," Dash continued, shaking his head with a simple shrug. "I dunno how many powers that kids gonna have but whatever, as long as he doesn't get super speed then we'll still be best bros'. Can't have my little brother edging me out on my own territory, ya know?"

When he laughed, he imagined her laughing with him. It helped keep the encroaching loneliness at bay.

"Oh—OH—and I almost forgot! Today marks a full month since my leg—"

His lips continued to move but a series of sharp beeps had drowned him out and Dash immediately froze. All at once his stomach dropped into a void and he started to tremble where he stood. His throat was suddenly very dry, too dry to swallow, and he slowly glanced down the front of his shirt. Around his neck was a necklace made of some of the toughest alloy the world had to offer, and on it dangled a silver pendant in the shape of a heart.

Frantically, Dash pulled it free, hardly daring to believe. The beeping had subsided into a flashing red light like that of a fire truck, a beacon easily spotted regardless of distance.

Really…?

Paralysis wiped the feeling out of Dash's legs and he hit the ground on his knees, pursing his lips together to keep silent. He clutched the pendant in both hands until his knuckles turned white and lurched forward, slamming his forehead to the dirt. He knew he was crying, the painful sound of his uneven sobs carried far in the surrounding silence.

Two weeks after burying Elastigirl, Winston Deavor had approached the Parr family with a set of specially crafted pendants, each one tailor made for them and only them. He felt that before anyone else, they should be the ones to receive closure concerning their loss and told them that on the day their pendants were activated, it would be the day that Evelyn Deavor had been captured.

Relief and elation flooded Dash so quickly that he grew lightheaded. Somewhere, he knew the pendants of the rest of his family were going off as well. What were they doing? How did they feel? Were they like him, numb with joy? He fought to breathe properly; every breath came in with a rattle and left as a wheeze. All over again, he felt as drained as he did on the day his mom died, except this time he punched the earth with a fist, refusing to stay grounded.

"C'mon, Dash, get up….It's not over yet," he muttered shakily to himself, making the arduous climb back to his feet and wiping under his runny nose. Standing as straight as his trembling form would allow, Dash narrowed his eyes in the direction of his home. Right now, he knew everyone was racing there, from his family to Winston to Mr. Dicker—it was the rendezvous point for this exact moment, the moment they had all been waiting for….

Tensing his leg muscles to a dangerous degree, he glanced back up at the statue of his mom, still standing over him, still protecting him, and smiled as wide as he could.

"I love you, mom, but I gotta go, alright? There's some, uh… unfinished business we have to take care of, but don't worry. I'll be back soon," Dash promised, and he blurred out of sight.

A/N: Great way to begin the new year, yeah? Hahahaha....

[genesisarclite]

Lately, I’ve been pondering Adam Jensen’s overall appearance. There’s been plenty of discussion elsewhere about various facets of it, but there’s something else that’s been nagging me. This meta is a bit messy, but here we go...

(I get a little rambly. in my defense, I was getting loopy from being really tired.)

It’s easy to explain Adam’s looks out-of-universe. The staff in the end credits of both of his games is pretty evenly split between male and female (quite refreshing). He was obviously designed to be attractive, as a combination of a power fantasy and attractive man. Not only is he immaculately put together all the time, but his augs are high-end and beautiful, and he always wears classy and usually expensive clothing. That coat alone costs over two grand in real life.

But, in-universe, I consider HR’s opening sequence of Adam being torn apart for the sake of technology, and it got me thinking. A lot.

Adam is Sarif’s apex of augmentation capabilities, at least as they stood at the time. Everything from his skin to his other organs have been heavily modified. It also looks like most of his ribs have been replaced with metal. I don’t have an image of his spinal column as shown in MD handy, but it was completely replaced, and there’s support bars visible across his chest.

As you can see, there’s a network of support structures. Besides the obvious ones across his pectorals, there’s evidence of bolting to a chassis below the clavicle, plus connecting struts from the clavicle up to where his skull connects to his artificial spine. They can be seen on either side of his neck.

Honestly, it looks like Sarif’s engineers peeled back the skin, replaced bones, tendons, and muscle with artificial equivalents... then put the skin back. If you think about everything that was done to his skin alone - the Rhino armor, the cloaking system, and later things like the Titan - it makes no practical sense to put the skin back. Can it be chalked up to Sarif arrogance? Probably. But it got me thinking: why not just replace the skin outright? Was it just to show that Sarif could integrate powerful technology without wrecking a person’s individual beauty?

Because, honestly? Adam is noted numerous times to be attractive. Not every woman is attracted (refreshingly and thankfully, because that’d be straight up weird), but enough are that perhaps even Sarif’s techs and the LIMB Clinic they worked with noticed. Why butcher such an attractive man? They tore off healthy limbs and practically mutilated his body, affixed retractable lenses to his face in an extremely noticeable way... but they selected a color scheme that worked, all deep blacks, charcoal grays, and gold finish. It’s all such a steep contrast to his very pale skin, but works in perfect tandem with his dark hair.

We know Sarif Industries, and other augmentation manufacturers, had other colors and styles available. They specifically chose something that wouldn’t hinder his looks, but work with them. Even the shields retract into sheaths that emphasize his eyes (to the point that he usually just keeps them hidden). His eyebrows (models would kill for your eyebrows, Jensen) run right into them, drawing attention to his eyes (which are artificial and sometimes unnerving, but also quite beautiful).

They also give him perfect “bedroom eyes”, but, ah... I digress.

In my discussions with @trulycertain in recent days, we agreed that Adam sees himself something horrible, a mockery of humanity, his healthy body torn apart for the sake of an experiment and Sarif arrogance... and yet, he’s beautiful. The augs are the most high-end in the world in terms of form and functionality, being quite practical while also being nice to look at. He might even be fetishized to an extent, which wouldn’t surprise me at all (from the way the bartender at the Red Queen talks about him, she seems to be expecting this sort of response).

You end up with four types of people: those who are indifferent, those who are scared, those who fetishize his augs, and those who are attracted to him.

Sarif Industries turned Adam into a corporate experiment, having been chomping at the bit to do so ever since Megan handed over his DNA and they saw what it could do. They say it was for “the good of mankind”, but in the end, he was an experiment, a PR stunt, and practically a living mannequin. Those who were against human augmentation might be swayed by his beauty, while those on the fence or for it might be giddy at the thought of getting augs just like his. Almost no one treats him as a person - they either pity him for being augmented, hate him for being augmented, or want to jump his bones. He keeps everyone at arm’s length, but what else can he do? It’s not like he can stop anyone from looking. Over and over.

Even Eliza is doing the computer equivalent of drooling over him practically from day one, and she’s an AI.

My point is, Sarif Industries and LIMB could have chosen to go all Namir on him, but instead, they worked with what they had, went through the effort of peeling his skin back over the chassis and sealing it back on free of scars, gave him their most beautiful, functional, state-of-the-art augmentations, and let him indulge in his expensive tastes. Seriously, Adam, you got those coats on Sarif’s salary. You did not get them on a SWAT salary. Not in Detroit.

And who wants to bet Sarif encouraged him to do so?

And they could have stopped there. But no. Not only did they give him all those fancy augs, but also took care to give him quite lovely arms and legs...

...and, uh... they might have torn off (almost) everything below the waist, but at least they did, well, this.

I find the idea of Sarif Industries being so arrogant and full of “good of all humanity” vibes that they go out of their way to make Adam a literal model of their best high-end augs really interesting. They skillfully combined technology and biology in a way that didn’t mar his natural attractiveness, stepped back, waved their hands, and said, “see? He’s still pretty! You too can still be pretty, as long as you buy our stuff!”

Seriously, that’s probably what they did.

(also in my defense, Adam becomes a major weak spot around... ahem, this time, and that is all we shall say about that.)

[anthionsoulshade]

Anthion’s Interview

1. What is your name? "Lord Anthion Soulshade of the San’Dorei Kingdom”

2. What is your real name? “That was my real name, I don’t lie, I merely allow people to hear what they want. It’s not my fault if they are idiots.”

3. Do you know why you were called that? “Obviously my parents named me. And I work in the San’Dorei Kingdom, are you half witted?”

4. Are you single or taken? The Darkfallen just smiles peacefully. “My heart is offered to another, if they take it or not is up to them, but it will always be theirs to take.”

5. Have any abilities or powers? “I don’t think that is information I should pass to anyone, please stop.”

6. Stop being a Mary Sue.  "My Earlessa mentioned this, I don’t see how I would be a ‘Mary Sue’ since I am obviously male, oh, there is that Gary Stew nonsense. But let us be reasonable, the person who writes me actively takes the Mary Sue tests and I have ranked far below the norm. I have ego issues and get trounced because of it. I believe a Mary Sue is more someone who can do no wrong, but I do do wrong all the time. I pay for my mistakes. Please, take your fanfiction phrases and tell me if you would say the same about whatever your favorite book series is.”

7. What’s your eye color?  “Black, when I was a high elf they glowed blue, but now they are just black.”

8. How about your hair color? “Also black, and rather well maintained if you must know.”

9. Have you any family members? “My parents passed away years ago... My son died last year. I still miss him.”

10. Oh? What about pets?  “You do mean experiments?”

11. That’s cool I guess, now tell me about something you don’t like. “People.”

12. Do you have any hobbies/activities you like doing? "Oh I enjoy reading. Long walks in the wood, well made dinners that the mortal companions can eat while I watch.”

13. Ever hurt anyone before? “.... You have got to be joking? Do you know me?”

14. Ever… killed anyone before? “See to last question.”

15. What kind of animal are you?  “I... don’t understand the whole animal is your trait thing. Some kind of cat probably. I’m too surly to be anything else.”

16. Name your worst habits. “... I have no worst habits.” He looks over to the illusions he made of the woman he loved and randomly starts talking to her not thinking she’s not actually there... The man doesn’t socialize well.

17. Do you look up to anyone at all? “My King, obviously. My Earlessa for her mortal trials and strength she puts forth into everything.”

18. Gay, straight, or bisexual? The Darkfallen laughed deeply. “You do not know me do you? Pansexual. If I can get consent and figure out how to get pleasure from it and give it pleasure I see nothing wrong in sharing that.”

19. Do you go to school? "I am a scientist, I never stop learning.”

20. Do you ever want to marry and have kids one day? “I feel that is utterly impossible. I am undead, all method to procreate are many years dead.” He then paused and let out a sigh. “I enjoyed raising my son. If I ever had the chance again, I would enjoy it. And I do want my mate.”

21. Do you have any fanboys/fangirls? “I have no idea and really don’t care.”

22. What are you most afraid of? “....” He just looks over to the illusion he has of his chosen mate and thinks of what it will be like if he can’t find a way to make her immortal.

23. What do you usually wear? "Robes, they are extremely comfortable and it’s not like heat or cold bother me”

24. Do you love someone? “Yes, and if anyone hurts her I will peel their skin with a butter knife.”

25. When was the last time you wet yourself? Blinking, as if this was a horrible question the Darkfallen doesn't even answer it.

26. Well, it’s not over yet! “Please stop these cute questions.”

27. What class are you? (High class, middle class, low class) “High, obviously.” 

28. How many friends do you have? “I have very few friends, they are ones I know I can go to if things are needed and they come for me for the same reason.”

29. What are your thoughts on pie? “There are many ways to make that. My Earlessa is fond of meat pies and I have been trying to prefect the dough. Though sweet pies are good too, I cannot eat so my favorites is My Earlessa’s favorites.”

30. Favorite drink? “I have become utterly fond of the blood of... Fae. It’s not spicy like a light welder but there is a buzz to it. I do miss it, i need to finish my work to get more.”

31. What’s your favorite place? “My home. I hate travel.”

32. Are you interested in someone? “Didn’t I already answer this? I have my Beloved, she might not know we are each other’s mates, but she will, one day.”

33. What’s your bra cup size and/or how big is your willy? “If you really want to know, how about you come over here and find out. I’ll warn you, I play with my food.”

34. Would you rather swim in the lake or the ocean? “Either, I prefer and indoor pool. I once had a glorious bath that was big enough to swim in... I miss it.”

35. What’s your type? “Before my mate, anything that said yes. My Mate though, she is a predator with out needing to speak. Her eyes are constantly taking in everything around her and using it for her conversation. She is smart, beautiful, a lover of books, a protector of monsters, and... beautifully chipped. Her wrath knows no bounds and her wit-” This goes for twenty minutes as he explains in detail what he loves about Lady Alle Beithloch

36. Any fetishes? “Please...” Anthion laughed. “I am well knowlagable in the Kink life. I myself am... rather dull in my fantasies. But I am always interested in other’s... growth.”

37. Seme or uke? Top or Bottom? Dominant or Submissive? “I have been a Dominate all my life in all my relationships.” Again he looked over to the illusion of Alle and gulped knowing he was not the dominate in that relationship.

38. Camping or indoors?  “Indoors thank you, better for my books and my skin.”

39. Are you wanting the interview to end? “Since the moment you made me have to make sure I was who I said I was.” He locked eyes with the interviewer and pulled them into a trance. “Come here, you are going to forget everything I told you and you are going to be my lunch.”

40. Now it’s over! Tag people.

Tagged by: @wardennerd

Tagging: @karrista, @alas-ward

[plunder-heaven-and-devour-god]

Tropes!

My brother and I are discussing how to put out tropey indulgent media out there while still making original content that is aware of its environment. 

We were looking at tropes and stupidities that we never get tired of in movies/books/games and why we still kind of want them in our content. For example, I can’t get enough of Enemies to Lovers and the bro loves the Jerk with a Heart of Gold Trope. How do you incorporate that into new original ways to stories that still feature a socially conscious voice?

You cannot slap on traits of that trope and expect it to work. You cannot frame the shortcomings of the trope as ideal and you cannot gloss over the ramifications of the trope. Discard what is harmful, take what you love, and run with it. 

EDUCATE YOURSELF, really though, figure out the shortcomings of this trope. Where does it fail? Where does it succeed? I know that my Enemies to Lovers falls through A LOT! How many times do you find  they’re battling each other and clearly the writers weren’t aware of the rules of said trope and they end up being ultimately flat and abusive? The Byronic Hero being the other one people get wrong A LOT. How do you tread that line with elements that can easily run into abusive and violent (or fucking stupid for that matter)? Same for the Jerk with a Heart of Gold  trope, which done properly is great. How many of us have fallen prey to any character who cracks wise and makes bad decisions but ultimately loves and cares? If done badly it treads into dismissive/belittling/abusive 

To give examples of two shortcomings and two successes with these tropes I’ll offer up:

Byronic Hero:

Good: Mr Rochester 

Bad: Literally any bad YA love interest

“Byronic heroes are charismatic characters with strong passions and ideals, but who are nonetheless deeply flawed individuals who may act in ways which are socially reprehensible because he's definitely contrary to his mainstream society. A Byronic hero is on his own side and has his own set of beliefs which he will not bow nor change for anyone. A Byronic hero is a character whose internal conflicts are heavily romanticized and who himself ponders and wrestles with his struggles and beliefs. Some are portrayed with a suggestion of dark crimes or tragedies in their past.” THE LITERAL BYRONIC HERO TROPE PAGE

I feel like that biblical paragraph sums up the Byronic Hero. Where lets say Rochester and Frankenstein or their modern equivalents never have their behaviour or actions framed as good, we still find ourselves engaging with them. It’s indulgent in its admission. It has to be your bag, and it’s that you have to be here for. You have to like engaging with a character that has done bad things but still has enough emotional relatability that instills fascination. 

What is not fascinating/enjoying/attractive is watching bad YA that frames these bad qualities as ideal or go as far as to fetishize them. For instance, the possessive boyfriend angle ‘cause it’s hot is one of my PET PEEVES. YOU WILL ALWAYS GET MORE TRACTION WITH FRAMING THEM AS BAD THAN HAVING THEM DO CREEPY SHIT AND BANKING ON US EMOTIONALLY ENGAGING WITH THEM POSITIVELY. (Looking at you Tiger’s Curse)

You have to be aware where the trope works and where it doesn’t. The authors of bad YA have the intent to make them conflicted/tragic/flawed but don’t really want to examine what made those byronic heroes enjoyable. Instead they take surface attributes and slap them on. Byronic Hero is hiding a wife in the attic (BAD and framed as such)! Bad YA Love Interest is demeaning and patronizing to flirt (BAD and framed as good!) Challenges God and Nature and is NOW A FATHER (Not So Great Frankenstein and not framed as such) . Bad YA Love Interest is physically possessive because that is what this demographic finds sexy (BAd and framed as Good)

Here is an alternative! YA Love interest does bad shit and its not framed as anything good! The protag can react with more autonomy than :Oh that’s hot and my reader’s will think so too! The protag can be dismissive, angry, or shitty right back! No one is absolved! But you can still engage with them on a more nuanced level. You can suddenly make connections with the Byronic Hero because you understand their fear or their conflict, rather have it be a lazy flashback to explain why your bad YA Love Interest is being shitty. 

How to be indulgent: Make your awful characters awful and frame them as such! IF you’re able to create a subtle character that warrants the trope then clearly they have what it takes to be engaging! 

The Jerk with a Heart of Gold trope:

Good: Iron Man (I know people with debate this but we like him in this house so go with it) 

Bad: Any sitcom husband ever

“A person you would expect to be a big Jerkass has some redeeming qualities behind their tough demeanor. Occasionally, they'll try to make it a Hidden Heart of Gold.” - The Jerk with a Heart of Gold TV Tropes Page. 

Awareness is a big factor in incorporating this trope into new ideas and new content because I don’t think this one is ever going away. It obviously manifests in different capacities and genres. But I chose the above examples because they’re familiar, and can be played for drama and laughs. 

Tony Stark is a good iteration Jerk with a Heart of Gold because his actions aren’t framed as harmless or irrelevant. He is a hot mess, he says it himself. He makes bad decision after bad decision and endangers himself and others in the process. Why does he still have a heart of gold? He still gets the “save the cat moment” and he is given time to show his conflict and reasoning as relatable.  He creates Ultron, sides with the UN in Civil War (I still see a lot of his motivation as valid which to each their own when it comes to that movie). He does so out of guilt and the desperate need to hold himself accountable. Being the only person on the avengers who fights by ways of inventions he has understood the consequences of bringing this technology in the world and stepping up an arms race. And yet he continues to fight. To an audience we see his shortcomings as an individual. And yet we feel for him. He is framed with a more subtle dialogue, he is flawed, he tries to be heroic, but he has no clue what he’s doing, and continues anyways.        

I bring Sitcom Husband up because so often show writers will create Sitcom Husband with harmful and toxic male coded traits in mind. They are:

Callous, lazy, clueless, domineering, stupid, always wrong, uglier than their partner, enforce toxic gendered norms, homophobic, transphobic, and/or racist? 

You are not framing your Sitcom Husband’s actions as shitty and bad and worthy of changing. They are being framed as commonplace, expected, and normal. These are not just “jerk” things to do, they are emblematic of larger social issues that many sitcom writers shouldn’t be allowed to tackle. There is the opportunity to have characters that evolve and change but they aren’t allowed because they represent you, the male viewer, and you are shitty and unable of changing. And to all the other genders out there: this is your lot and life, this is how people will treat you. 

Flawed Superhero sides with the UN (Not Ideal but Framed with Good intentions). Sitcom Husband cant remember anything relevant about children’s lives (NOT GREAT but framed as commonplace instead emblematic of a larger issue).

To give an example of Sitcom dads who don’t hit this bad note: Bob from Bob’s Burgers is great, he’s tired of his family’s Shenanigans, but loves them and would do anything for them. An example of Jerk with a Heart of Gold that doesn’t have his shitty actions framed as okay but is still likeable (sounds a bit Byronic Heroish but he’s not trust me). 

The Lens:

Gender

The Byronic Hero and the Jerkass with a Heart of Gold are very gender laden tropes as well. The moment you apply these tropes to people who are not cis men, they transform in meaning, and not to mention, there are BARELY ANY OF THEM. Just trying to find villains who are just cis women with proper writing is a task in 2018. These terms get applied to men and their definitions are validated by their interaction with heroines or other men. 

The failed Byronic Hero is aimed at “female audiences”. It’s a tangled snare of a male content creators guessing at what “women” want and women who have fetishized and internalized the failures of this trope. All come to the conclusion that “chicks dig bad boys”. Not to be that person, but it also vastly misunderstands the appeal that Byronic Heroes have for all genders. It is extremely difficult to create new content that pays homage to this trope without hitting the pitfalls of most media. 

The failed Jerk with a Heart of Goal is aimed at a gender dichotomous audience. It’s a snub of content creators of what they think, you, man or woman, are. The faults are framed as inevitable manifestations of gender and yet still excusable because these jerk related tendencies are just part of being man or a woman, and not a vast social system that favours few and marginalizes many. This extends to race and sexuality as well. Your jerkishness is thanks to your identity, and therefore, unchangeable. 

Race

From a race perspective? They’re all white. We are at a point in Western Media, at the very least, where diversity is becoming an increasing demand. But with media content creators still being part of an out of touch racial group, it’s difficult to see any character, let alone anyone with the discussed tropes represented. We are at the point where your diversity, if a larger role, is going to be portrayed as perfect. This is a major issue I take with creating poc, and woc characters, not to mention characters of different gender and sexual identities. There aren’t enough diverse content creators to get us past this block of creators making them perfect because they don’t know how to make a human character who is also of color. 

This makes the Jerkass with a Heart of Gold impossible to tackle. We are starting to see more fleshed out characters nowadays. It is still a fairly recent sensation to HAVE A SELECTION to chose from.

I would love it if Byronic Heroes and Jerks With A Heart of Gold came in color. We are meant to watch white guys do bad shit and engage with the conflict of their character. And as a mixed race women it is definitely a weird place to sit when one does enjoy tropes like that. IT’s even more unsettling when we can’t extend that empathetic engagement  to men of color, or woc, or god forbid, trans people. (let everyone have a byronic hero honestly)

And in a world of hate crimes and deplorable race relations, what is the relevancy of this trope? What is the relevancy of this trope in a visual mass media already saturated with badly written YA Love Interest or Not So Deep Byronic Heroes?

I’m not an expert, but as a  consumer of books/tv/movies/etc I don’t think fiction is the root of all mankind’s evil and I don’t think fading this trope out of visual mass media is going to get rid of it. I, personally, think we need more content creators of color, of different gender identities, and different sexualities reinterpreting Jerk Ass with a Heart of Gold and the Byronic Hero.

Gender Binary and Sexuality

I chose these two tropes because they’re traditionally VERY gender related. And I mention this to clarify that the market is aimed at a gender binary: straight girl or straight boy. Gays, Bis, Non Binary, Gender fluid, or trans folk, for example, are left out of the equation of: what do they want to see in media?

I do know that for as long as evil has existed there has always been a very clear coding as to what the villain’s sexuality might be. It’s clearly deplorable how literally the only representation a huge marginalized community get will be in the form of a morally or sexually debauched villain. Which is why I will never forgive LeFou being made gay (you couldn’t have picked any other character from your 600000 other features Disney?). 

Also as a Cis woman, I don’t feel like I can do an accurate run down of how indulgent tropes fail or succeed with a LGBT lens. I have a base idea of WHAT NOT TO DO but I would rather see other people talk about it! 

 So PLEASE! Add to this discussion! I would love to hear about which tropes you love but where media fails you and in what capacity! Or where they’ve gone right! 

But as someone who loves their tropey enemies-to-lovers and villains I will keep returning to them in my media consumption and I be subject to paying them homage when the time is appropriate! 

That being said! I had no clue this would get so long.

[azianxpersuasionwrites]

HOW TO AVOID ASIAN STEREOTYPES, APPROPRIATION, AND WHITE WASHING

Since May is Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month, I wanted to take the time to sit down and write a guide about Asian Americans. Mainly, this guide is about how to not be offensive with casting roles and stereotypes. The guide is super long (because it’s also sort of a rant), but it is broken up into different topics. The following topics are stereotypes, appropriation, and casting & whitewashing.

I hope that you find this guide helpful!

CHECK OUT THE GUIDE UNDER THE READ MORE

INTRODUCTION

I am an Asian American woman and I was adopted about twenty years ago. I started working on a documentary last year about Asians in the media. I wanted to bring some of the material I learned to the roleplaying community in one large guide. There is still a lot of problems with the media and Asians are severely under and misrepresented. 

To start with, I want to discuss some terms. East Asians generally refers to (surprise!) East Asia which includes China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam*, Mongolia, and Taiwan. South Asians includes people from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and many more. This guide mainly deals with East and South Asians. Please take the time to research other smaller Asian countries in Southeast, Central, and West Asia like Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, and many more. Also take the time to research the Pacific Islands. Here’s a reminder that Asia is a continent and not a country, just like how Africa is a continent and not a country. 

I’m hoping that this guide will help you learn about Asians and their culture along with avoiding offensive stereotypes and appropriation. Hopefully, when people become more aware of these issues and we can start fixing the representation of Asians.

*For Vietnam, I did some research as to whether it counts as a Southeast Asian country or East Asian. I found a source that talks about the topic. “Vietnam is geographically Southeast Asian, but culturally leans much more heavily toward East Asian, specifically Chinese, which is arguably the “mother culture” of East Asia.“

STEREOTYPES

There are a ton of stereotypes for both Asian men and women. There are different stereotypes for East and South Asians. Overall, Asian characters are seen as best friends or sidekicks, but they are hardly ever cast in the lead role. I can think of only a few shows and films where there is an Asian lead. 

Generally, Asian men are not seen as attractive. They are seen as more feminine, often times because they are seen as more sensitive because of a close relationship with their mother. White women often times want to pursue an Asian man because they believe that he will treat them right. Despite this, Asian men are hardly ever seen as the romantic interest in romantic comedies or television. In fact, John Cho was the first Asian American romantic interest on a television show in Selfie (2014).

If an East Asian man is not feminine, he is the martial arts guy only meant to do that. He is a ninja who never talks and is only meant to do kung fu (and his face may never be seen). Asian martial arts are often times not distinguished from one another. Martial arts are described as karate, kung fu, or taekwondo but there are so many more. There are Aikido, Judo, Jujutsu, Tai Chi, and more. Also, not all martial arts are used for fighting. Don’t have your character whipping their fists and legs around to pretend like they’re practicing martial arts either when they damn well know they aren’t and just want to pretend to be a “ninja.” One way I’ve learned about more Asian martial arts is by looking up videos on the creation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, which uses different and distinct types of martial arts for the different elements. (Toph uses an entirely different type of martial art for her bending than the other earthbenders.) Take time to learn and appreciate these incredible and beautiful martial arts.

Sometimes, the Asian man is portrayed as funny and not intelligent, used for comedic relief, or they are the quiet nerd who is good with computers and math. This may be seen in many of Jackie Chan’s movies where he is not very intelligent on the surface and when his intelligence is shown, it is displayed in a comedic way. Asians are also frequently portrayed as the IT guy or a doctor. South Asian men are often times portrayed in the media as terrorists because they may have similar features to Middle Eastern men. 

Asian women are always portrayed as thin, pale, and attractive. They are also submissive and are hypersexualized. Their job may be as a prostitute or nanny. Many white men have a fetish for Asian women (”yellow fever”), which is offensive and extremely creepy. With this kind of a story line, Asian women are mail to order brides from poor families and she moves to America and gets married in order to get her citizenship. She may also be the nanny or a maid who doesn’t speak English. If Asian women are not meant for sex, they are quiet, weird, and the nerdy type. They are the nerdy girl that no one wants to date. South Asian women are often shown as being involved in an arranged marriage. Asian women in the media are oppressed and often times need to have a white male save her. 

Asian women are frequently portrayed as pale! A lot of Asian countries want women to be pale to resemble white people. Some Asian women prefer more European features, which is a huge problem and damaging for younger girls. In fact, in India there is a cream for women that is meant to lighten their skin. One of my friends, a Chinese adoptee, went to South Korea and they photoshopped her ID photo to hell to make her thinner and paler. Promote positive body image! Not all Asian women are naturally thin. Also, support Asian girls and boys who have a darker skin tone.

Another trope for Asian women is the “Dragon Lady” stereotype, which is generally reserved for East Asian women. This harmful stereotype shows a woman “as strong, deceitful, domineering, or mysterious.“ Wikipedia also mentions that the Dragon Lady is “also used to refer to any powerful but prickly woman, usually in a derogatory fashion.”

(Rebellious) Asian women are many times described as or portrayed as having colored hair in TV or movies. For some reason, Hollywood loves to have Asian women with hair that is dyed whether it’s the whole head or just streaks. Hollywood wants a cool, rebel girl appearance that gets old. I love to dye my hair and do enjoy having different colors, but seeing it all the time as the only representation gets old. 

Older Asian characters like a character’s parents are seen as traditional, strict, and uptight. Most of the time, they don’t speak English. They are generally the primary force behind their child’s decision to be a lawyer or doctor. The parents are hardly ever supportive and are mainly concerned with finding their children spouses. 

There is also a stereotype about Asian languages. A lot of people think that Asian countries speak the same languages or one language. In China, most people speak Mandarin (standard Chinese), but they could also speak Cantonese which is very different. There are also many other dialects, so Chinese can mean different things. In India, there are many, many, many different languages. The main ones spoken are English, Hindi, and Urdu. I recommend that people read up on the national languages and dialects in Asia here. Please be aware that not all Asian people can speak an Asian language. I’m Chinese and I don’t know any Mandarin other than “hello,” “goodbye,” and “thank you.” (Also, just because someone is Asian, don’t assume they know how to use chopsticks.)

Obviously, it’s okay to have a smart Asian or to have an Asian character who does in fact know martial arts. The problem is when those are the only defining traits of your Asian character. Don’t let these stereotypes become the sole defining part of your character. 

APPROPRIATION

There’s a lot of cultural appropriation, period. This appropriation doesn’t stop at clothing but also the countries themselves and language.

With Indian culture, much of the traditional clothing and Bollywood is appropriated. Women (who are not Indian) are wearing sarees (or saris) and bindis without really knowing what it means. This can be seen in Selena Gomez’s Come and Get It (and all of her live performances), with Katy Perry, and in an episode of Fuller House which shows a Bollywood themed party.

The clothing of other Asian countries are also appropriated. The Japanese kimono is frequently worn and appropriated in very sexual ways. Examples of this are Rihanna in her Princess of China music video with Coldplay, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, P!nk, and many more. This also occurs with traditional Chinese and Korean clothing. Women may also tape their eyes to have narrow eyes or fake a hooded eye. This frequently happens with cosplaying or dressing up as one’s favorite K-Pop band. Symbol from Asian cultures or characters from Asian languages are also appropriated and used for tattoos. For example, the om symbol ( ॐ ) or the yin-yang symbol is seen on necklaces or tattoos.

Please note that the term hapa, used to describe someone of Asian and/or Pacific descent, is an appropriated term. Originally, the term is from Hawaii from the Hawaiian word for "half", "part", or "mixed.” Hapa is an appropriated term that I would not suggest that people who are not Hawaiian use. Asians are also often times approached with either gibberish that is supposed to sound “Chinese” or “Japanese” or another kind of Asian language. Or, Asians are approached with a “Namaste,” “konichiwa,” or other terms and phrases. Again, not all Asian people can speak their language.

Asian countries are often times used in movies as an “exotic” backdrop for a movie or story. A white character will visit an Asian country for self discovery, healing, or to learn a mystical ancient martial art. This is a massive problem because Asian countries will only be seen as exotic locations for self healing and martial arts. Stop letting your white characters go to Asian countries to heal or discover Asian magic. In case you don’t think this is a recurring theme, let me give you some examples! Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins (2005) goes to an unnamed  Asian country to learn how to fight with the League of Assassins. In Doctor Strange (2016), Stephen Strange goes to Kathmandu, Nepal to learn about ancient magic. In Eat, Pray, Love, both the book and film, the woman travels to India and Indonesia on her “quest for self-discovery.” In Lucy (2012), parts of the film are in Taipei with a white female lead. This trope is insensitive and boring as well as offensive because Asian countries are not just “exotic” and “mystical” for your plot.

All of this appropriation needs to stop because people are exploiting Asian culture without truly knowing and understanding what it all means. Yes, it is possible to learn about Asian culture without appropriating it. Yes, it is possible for you to wear a sari or a kimono if you are making a conscious effort to learn about the culture and reasoning behind the clothing, but you can’t make an assumption that everyone is okay with it. Some Indians or Japanese people may not be comfortable with you wearing their traditional clothing and you need to respect that. Asian cultures are not meant to be a quirk or something exotic and mysterious or a money grabber. 

CASTING & WHITEWASHING

Casting for Asians in film and television is another issue. Asians are not getting lead roles and that is because these roles are going to white actors. This is known as white washing. To properly define whitewashing, it is the casting of white actors in ethnic roles such as the majority of the cast for The Last Airbender (2010), Emma Stone’s character in Aloha (2014), Rooney Mara as Tiger Lily in Pan (2015), Johnny Depp in The Lone Ranger (2013), Tilda Swinton in Doctor Strange (2016), and many more. Let’s not forget Scarlett Johansson in Ghost in the Shell (2017)!

Whitewashing often occurs with yellow face and brown face. Yellow face is for East Asians while brown face is for people of Middle Eastern or South Asian descent. It is exactly how it sounds. It is similar to black face and it is where a white actor will wear prosthetic and/or be airbrushed to be a specific skin tone (usually more yellow) to appear more Asian. This has been going on for a long time, dating back in cinema as far back as 1915 (and definitely further back before film). Recent uses of yellow face in film include Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), Cloud Atlas (2012), and Pacific Rim (2013).

What does it mean when there is whitewashing and no Asian characters in the media? It means that we are not being represented. When Asian characters are not portrayed, they are not being represented and people don’t see themselves in the media, which influences our every day lives. Very few Asian actors have won Oscars and other acting awards because there aren’t any roles for them. Roles that are for Asian actors are going to white actors, meaning Asian actors are robbed of a job and experience. If they can’t get these roles (especially Oscar winning roles), then they will never have the chance to win or enhance their skills and practice their art. Kids want to see a Japanese Captain America, a Chinese Jessica Jones, an Indian Jason Bourne or a Korean Hawkeye because it means they are seeing themselves. It inspires them and shows them that they can strive to be their role models. 

When casting your characters, be aware of your faceclaim’s ethnicity. It is not hard to look up a celebrities ethnicity. The best places to look are ethnicelebs.com/ and a celebrity’s Wikipedia page. This is especially important when casting part Asian characters. Some people may not seem like they are part Asian, like Katie Findlay, Janel Parrish, Lydia Graham, Kate Beckinsale, or Rob Schneider. And then there are people who are part Asian who also look part Asian like Ryan Potter, Chloe Bennet, Shay Mitchell, and Kristin Kreuk. Also note that there are plenty of people who may seem like they have Asian ancestry but do not such as Ezra Miller, Steven Strait, Max Schneider, Jodelle Ferland, Daniel Sunjata, and Emma Stone. 

Don’t just keep casting the same Asian actors in roles too, such as Dev Patel, Avan Jogia, Jamie Chung, John Cho, Arden Cho, or Priyanka Chopra.  There are a lot of lists and directories of other Asian actors who deserve attention such as Gemma Chan, Constance Wu, Karen Fukuhara, Lewis Tan, Ludi Lin, Ross Butler, Riz Ahmed, Cassie Steele, Deepika Padukone, Daniel Dae Kim, and so many more! There are also a great deal of Asian actors from China, Japan, Korea, etc. from Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc. media who should be recognized as well. 

Lastly, on the topic of casting Asian characters, do not cast someone who is Chinese as a Korean character. Don’t cast someone who is Korean as a Singaporean character or a Malaysian actor as a Japanese character. Asians do not all look the same and there are so many countries in Asia. This is similar with the issue of having someone who is Mexican playing the role of a Colombian character or someone from Brazil (FYI, Brazilians are Latinx but not Hispanic) portraying a Venezuelan character. Cast the correct specific Asian ethnicity for your roles.

If you ever need help finding an Asian faceclaim, go to RPHs and ask. Never be afraid to ask! 

ASIAN ADOPTEES*

Asians are adopted from Asian countries all the time. Many of the Asian adoptees I know personally are adopted form China. Chinese adoptees are girls because of the one child policy that was in place until it recently became a two child policy in 2015. All Chinese adoptees I know are girls as there is a higher demand for baby boys and so they are kept while girls are put into orphanages. It is possible that there are boys adopted from China, I just haven’t met any cis-male Asian adoptees. (I have one Chinese adoptee friend who is currently transitioning from female to male). Here’s some more things you need to know about Asian adoptees. 

Generally, adoptees are adopted by white (middle class) families (at least all the Asian adoptees I know). In this case, these Asians (including me) are culturally very white. This can lead to a difficult conflict within one’s self because you feel white, but you are seen as Asian. Unless you learn about your Asian heritage, you won’t know about Asian culture. Because of this, Asian adoptees may feel too white for Asians who are raised by an Asian family surrounded by their culture but too Asian because of their physical appearance around white people. Sometimes, Asians who are trying to explore their heritage feel strange and sometimes feel like they are appropriating their own culture. Some part Asian people also feel this way as well because they may look too Asian to be considered white, but they look too white to be truly a part of their Asian culture.

It is also difficult for Asian adoptees to figure out their identity because of several reasons. We don’t know where we were born specifically. We don’t know our real birthday. We don’t know our parents or the reason why they gave us up (although it’s usually assumed that families wanted a boy and/or to give us our best chance with another loving family). We don’t know if we have siblings or not. We will most likely never find our birth parents or siblings if we have any. We won’t be able to trace our geneology. We assume we are 100% from the country we are adopted from, but we could very well be part Korean or Vietnamese. We just don’t know these things and Asian adoptees can struggle figuring out their identity because of this.

Often times, Asians are asked “Where are you from?” The person asking this often times expect a specific Asian country. I always give them the name of the place where I grew up. Asian adoptees are Asian Americans (if they’re in America and/or are American citizens [you could be Asian Canadian, for example, if you’re not an American citizen]). Not all Asians have “Asian sounding” names, even if someone is not adopted. I have a friend whose parents are from China and her name is Wendy. Some Chinese people will choose an English name to go by, but there are plenty of Chinese people who will continue to go by their Chinese name. Some Chinese adoptees may keep their given Chinese name as their middle name.

All Asian adoptees I know have very loving families. Some have siblings who are also adopted from an Asian country or another place or have siblings who are the biological children of their parents. Some families may have two dads or two moms, the family may be a nuclear family with a mom and dad, and there may be single moms who have adopted. One thing is very important when writing an Asian adoptee character. Their adoptive parents are their parents. They have birth parents, but their adoptive parents are their parents. I have a birth mother, but the woman who adopted me is my mom. It is incredibly offensive to an Asian adoptee and their parent(s) when people don’t acknowledge that they are their parents despite not sharing the same DNA.

Asian adoptees are not (always) tragic or traumatized by their experiences. However, some people are uncomfortable talking about themselves and their adoption. Respect their decision to not tell you about their experiences. 

*Note that this does not apply to all Asian adoptees, but it is a common occurrence that I have noticed while interviewing other Chinese adoptees. 

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, stereotypes, appropriation, and whitewashing are all incredibly harmful things that need to stop. Obviously, not everything I say in this guide applies to every Asian person. Chinese people have different experiences than Indian people. People of different Asian ethnicities have different experiences. The best thing I can suggest is to talk to these people about their experiences and what to avoid. 

To wrap things up from the guide, don’t say “Namaste” to anyone who is Asian. Don’t ask Asians “where are you from?” Don’t use the word “hapa” to describe yourself or others of mixed Asian heritage. Never use the words “Chink,” “Oriental,” “Jap” or any other offensive racial slurs. Never call an Asian brown or yellow. Don’t wear kimonos or saris without understanding the meaning. Don’t make your Asian characters’ defining traits be “smart,” “good at math,” or “a martial arts master.” Don’t keep using Asian countries as a backdrop for your characters to be in because the countries are “exotic” and “mystical.” Don’t make assumptions. Don’t whitewash your Asian characters! There are plenty of Asian faceclaims to use.

I’m hoping that this guide has helped bring some attention to these issues. Asians are severely underrepresented and misrepresented in the media. Don’t be afraid to ask me some questions or ask your Asian friends questions. Just don’t be an asshole about it. Really make a conscious effort to be respectful and learn about Asians and Pacific Islanders!

[interracial-datingproject-blog]

Film Portrayal

Oriental images are still with us today. They are reinforced through power systems, institutions, and media, which affect how Asians and Asian Americans are viewed. In her article, Getting the Message, Teresa A. Mok states “Asian groups are often lumped together as one...and regulated to peripheral roles, fetishized as objects, or portrayed as one-dimensional stereotypes.” This is still prevalent in media today. Asian women are often fetishized and hypersexualized. The “Lotus Blossom” and “Dragon Lady” stereotypes are particularly dominant in past films. The “Lotus Blossom” stereotype portrays Asian women as submissive and obedient while the “Dragon Lady” is portrayed as the sneaky and untrustworthy. Asian men are emasculated and portrayed as asexual, passive, docile, and undesirable. These stereotypes impact the relationships they are in. In fact, we have learned that in past films, an Orient male could never have consensual sex with a White female; it was always nonconsensual and ultimately, a White male would come to rescue the White female. Furthermore, in past films, the White man was always saving the Orient woman in some way. We specifically look at examples of these stereotypes when analyzing the films Sayonara and Sixteen Candles. We look at the influence these stereotypes and oriental images have on interracial couples and the different power dynamics within the relationships.

We saw that for Asian women in interracial relationships, representations of them has progressed much more than for Asian men in interracial relationships. Today, there are many films in which Asian women in interracial relationships break the controlling images that have been reinforced time and time again in past films. However, we had a much harder time finding a film that had an Asian male in an interracial relationship that didn’t reinforce some aspect of the stereotypical docile and undesirable Asian male. In fact, It was difficult to find a film that had an Asian male in an interracial relationship at all, which shows that the stereotype that Asian men are undesirable still lives on to this day.

White couples are still seen as the normal, ideal pairing, especially in media. Interracial couples are stereotyped often in ways in which the white partner would be seen as dominant. However, there are films and TV shows that break these stereotypes. TV shows, such as Grey’s Anatomy and The Walking Dead, show the complexity of interracial couples. These shows provide a counternarrative to how interracial couples are typically seen ( with a dominant, often heroic, white partner and submissive person of color or oriental partner). While there are much more films with Asian women in interracial relationships breaking their own stereotypes, the representation of Asian men still has a long way to go in films. There are not as many films that break the Asian male’s docile and undesirable image, but there are many films that empower Asian women in interracial relationships. In this post, we will look at how these portrayals have evolved over time.

Interracial Couples Stereotyped in Films

Sayonara. Directed by Joshua Logan, Performances by Marlon Brando, James Garner, Miiko Taka, and Miyoshi Umeki, Warner Bros. 1957.

http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/483917/Sayonara-Movie-Clip-The-Air-Force-Is-Not-Responsible.html

In 1957, the film Sayanora was released to critical acclaim. It followed the love stories between US Air Force Major Lloyd “Ace” Gruver and Japanese actress Hana-ogi and US Airman Joe Kelly and Japanese woman Katsumi. Although it garnered four Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actress for Miyoshi Umeki, her character, Katsumi has little depth and perpetrates the “Lotus Blossom” stereotype. In media, the Lotus Blossom is often an Asian woman who is submissive, docile, and obedient to the white man’s will. Katsumi is submissive towards Joe, who is depicted as the white American soldier saving her from her life in Japan. In the clip above, Katsumi is quiet and doesn’t make eye contact or speak until she is spoken to. During the ceremony taking place, all questions are directed towards Joe. When asked if she vows to stand by Joe’s side in marriage, she states “I will” only after Joe answers for her. This reflects the power dynamic between the two as Joe is seen as more assertive, and Katsumi is seen as more passive as she goes along with the ceremony. Despite modern day portrayals of Asian women in interracial relationships, films during early Hollywood portrayed Asian women as exotic and demure objects serving their husbands. Katsumi’s portrayal shows her less of a human and more of a static object with little complexity who is saved by and stays by Joe’s side.

Sixteen Candles. Directed by John Hughes, Performances by Molly Ringwald, Gedde Watanabe, and Deborah Pollack, Universal Pictures. 1984.

https://youtu.be/FTBL1BhSJCo

Preview YouTube video Long Duk Dong & Marlene ("Lumberjack") @ "16 Candles" (1984)Long Duk Dong & Marlene ("Lumberjack") @ "16 Candles" (1984)

Although the film Sixteen Candles (Hughes, 1984) is well known as a classic, it is an example of a film that portrays an extremely stereotyped interracial relationship between a young Asian male and a young white female. In the film, Long Duk Dong is a foreign exchange student who lives at the main protagonist’s grandparents house. He is emasculated when he enters a relationship with the taller, more athletic Marlene, who is commonly referred to as “Lumberjack” because of her size and masculine attitude. The relationship that Dong takes part in with Marlene has a gender reversal dynamic, where Dong takes on many characteristics of how a female would stereotypically act in a relationship. This is shown by the body language of the couple, and how Dong is commonly comforted by Marlene and is usually shown under her arm when they are together. The portrayal of this couple is significant because Dong is extremely stereotyped as a feminine Asian male who plays a  submissive role in the relationship in an attempt to make the film funny. This is juxtaposed, in the story, to the white female protagonist’s love interest in a white male, and the eventual beginning to their relationship which is idealized and framed as the norm.

Modern Interracial Couples Breaking Stereotypes in Films

“Unaccompanied Minor.” Grey’s Anatomy: Season 7, written by Shonda Rhimes and Debora Cahn, directed by Rob Corn, ABC News, 2011.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5lng3K7Dzg&frags=pl%2Cwn

Grey’s Anatomy’s Cristina Yang and Owen Hunt are one of the many examples of interracial couples on the show. In this video, Cristina and her husband, Owen, get into an extremely difficult and heartbreaking argument about whether she should keep her baby. Cristina has always known that her career was much more important to her than building a family. While Owen is adamant about her keeping the baby, he knows that she does not want children. Instead of submitting to her husband’s desires, Cristina fights for her right to choose what to do with her own body. Cristina and Owen break the stereotype of a dominant White husband and a submissive Asian wife. They openly fight for what they want, while still loving each other very much. They both have very different visions of what their life together would hold, Owen wanting a family but Cristina not wanting to have children, but at the end of the day, they are very important to each other. Although it is not shown here, Owen ultimately chooses to respect Cristina’s decision and accompanies her while she exercises her right to choose. Like any other couple, Cristina and Owen fight and hurt each other, but they also love and respect each other. It is not a situation in which Owen is saving Cristina. Instead, they depend on each other and grow together.

Grey’s Anatomy, written by Shonda Rhimes and Debora Cahn, directed by Rob Corn, ABC News

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwu0Js1FoRk&frags=pl%2Cwn

Cristina Yang is a cardiothoracic surgeon. Her job has always been her passion, therefore it has always been her priority. Cristina breaks the “lotus blossom” stereotype in which Asian women are often portrayed as subservient, quiet, obedient or calm. Instead, she is ambitious, loud, intelligent and headstrong. Her husband, Owen Hunt, is a trauma surgeon. Their careers require a fast paced, challenging, and chaotic lifestyle. Just like Owen is a very skilled trauma surgeon, Cristina is arguably the best in her field as Head of the Cardio Department at Grey Sloan Memorial. Cristina and Owen break the stereotype of the white man’s desire to save the “exotic” Orient. Just as their careers are equally challenging, their respect and love for each other as equals has pushed both of them to grow together, both learning from each other and leaning on each other. In this video, you see their most vulnerable moments together, but also their strongest. We see the complexity of them as individuals and as a couple.

“No Way Out” The Walking Dead: Season 6 Episode 9, written by Seth Hoffman, directed by Greg Nicotero, Performances by Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, AMC Networks, 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT-9J1C70x0

In the beginning of the series Glenn starts as a simple pizza boy thrown into a zombie apocalypse, but later becomes one of the leaders of the group. Glenn serves as a strong character that breaks the negative Asian male stereotypes. Glenn’s racial background does not define or justify his presence on the show, nor did it hinder any of his accomplishments.  His loyalty, intelligence, and compassion for others made him a vital part of the group’s survival. He is also in a interracial relationship with Maggie, a white woman,  which is rarely seen in film and television. In this scene, the two are in Alexandria, which has just been flooded with hundreds of walkers. Maggie is on top of an outpost completely surrounded, and Glenn starts to lead the walkers away from her by screaming and shooting at them. This shows his love for Maggie and how he is willing to sacrifice himself for her. It displays the masculine and powerful side of his character, because he is doing everything he can to save the woman he loves. In his final moments Glenn is only concerned with Maggie’s well being. His last words “Maggie, I’ll find you” shows he will love her even after death.

“Cherokee Rose” The Walking Dead: Season 2 Episode 4, written by Evan Reily, directed by Billy Geirhart, performances by Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, AMC Networks, 2011

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj7nMXRNkiY 

Videos to Watch:

Unaccompanied Minor (0:09-2:03)

Walking Dead (1:20-)

[spotlightsaga]

Kevin Cage of @spotlightsaga reviews... I Love Dick (S01E05) A Short History of Weird Girls Airdate: May 17, 2017 @amazonvideo Ratings: Privatized Ratings @amazon Score: 9.75/10 TVTime/FB/Twitter/Tumblr/Path/Pin: @SpotlightSaga **********SPOILERS BELOW********** The more I watch television... The more I write, review, observe, soak in, and immerse myself into what I'm watching the more I drop certain series, and cling to ones that stir up a thunderous rumble of emotions inside of me. Like Dick's art, sometimes those emotions don't have a name. Maybe they're new, maybe their not, but I feel those emotions with such a surging intensity that I know what I'm watching is beyond just a tv series and literally a piece of moving art, cinematic wonders that maybe aren't for everyone, but sure as hell should be. Amazon Studios' 'I Love Dick' is a special series, one of those rare entries that match and sometimes even surpasses its original source material. This series is literally the equivalent of females embracing their very fiber, their sexual being, and shouting out loud on the top of a mountain, echoing through a massive valley, stirring up birds and wildlife... As if to say, 'I'm here and this is who I am. I will not be shamed.' Although I'm a male, and my sexuality is of a different multi-colored variety, I connect with these women and somehow understand them on an enormously supreme level. 'A Short History of Weird Girls' is 'I Love Dick's masterpiece. As you may have noticed, and as I mentioned earlier, Ive changed the way I watch television. I've been holding onto this series, as I have with others... I actually have watched, documented, and written nearly a hundred unreleased articles. I review them, tweak them, add to them, sculpt them... Because much like this show, my writing has evolved, the way I watch tv has evolved, and the way I release these pieces I've written on these shows have evolved. This episode is somewhat in the vein of last years 'B.A.N' from Donald Glover's FX masterpiece 'Atlanta', in the sense that the core narrative takes a back seat and we are given a whole new point of view from the female characters within the series. Not everyone will see this for what this is, and some may even ridicule my interpretation & impressions, but 'A Short History of Weird Girls' is high art and should be viewed, handled, and studied as such. The more I watch 'I Love Dick' the more I see it's many different layers... It's hyper-feminine POV is Jill Soloway & Chris Kraus' alternative to HBO's hyper-masculine lens we see the show 'Ballers' through. Both shows are under appreciated, and besides that fact, the only thing that they have in common is their extreme opposite handling of how we see their worlds. Maybe 'I Love Dick' is actually less of a feminist masterpiece and more of a honest, existential, tribute to an open, bold, unchained and aggressive look at female sexuality... Sexuality in general, and where embracing it can take us. It makes me long for a truly honest look at the male take on sexuality, but 'Ballers' and it's earnest admissions that masculinity can so easily drive towards toxic levels with a snap of a finger, I know my wish is probably losing its way in the wind... At least for now. What if everyone wrote Dick letters? Chris Kraus (Kathryn Hahn) poses an interesting question at the very beginning of the episode and then suddenly that reality comes to life in one of the most vibrant, sexually charged and sensual episodes of television not only in 2017, but ever. Yes, people are throwing around the word 'Revolutionary' when it comes to 'I Love Dick' because that's exactly what it is. People as a whole never quite grasp 'revolutionary' at first do they? Chris starts off her letter at the beginning, as all characters do, and we join them on their individual journeys of sexual awakening & personal drive. She talks about her time in high school, her willingness to literally give herself to anyone, male or female, but never having any takers. Finally during her College Years, she's taken, fucked. That first encounter intoxicates her... What is it that made this man want her so badly? What was it that he found beautiful? Her mind wonders to all the things he doesn't mention, after all, we are insecure beings... Even the most confident person in the room has something in the back of their mind that they compensate for. We are imperfect... But for me, that's exactly what I find so perfect about the human form.... Imperfections, Sadness, a little bit of crazy, 'cuz, aren't we all? Chris, Devon (Roberta Colindrez), Paula (Lily Mojekwu), and Toby (India Menuez) all share their letters to Dick, chronicling his particular effects on their lives... Sexually and otherwise. They recall past lovers, current ones that they feel strong disconnect with, and that disconnect is chronicled with images of both positive and negative experiences. As the experiences head into more heartbreaking territory, or difficult memories to interpret, their sexual escapades are shown and the women are erased leaving a fading, cartoonish like presence of each woman as they are entangled with their lovers or the confusion with their burgeoning sexuality... Much like the short film 'Removed' that this very episode opens with where Tribeca Film Festival 'Jury Award' Nominee & experimental filmmaker, Naomi Uman, creates a series of clips of vintage porn and erases the women's images using fingernail polish remover. Each women's entry is captivating for separate reasons and encapsulates the Bright Eye's brainchild and this generations' Bob Dylan, Connor Oberst, idea that 'every heads a different world'. Sexuality is unique to every one person, male and female, and it's so goddamn refreshing to see, hear, and feel the lusty, powerful force of honesty in approach when it comes to sexual identity. Chris strikes up the dialogue as straight forward as it gets, "Dear Dick, I've been horny since I was six. I used to press my crotch into the belly of my stuffed rhino in the family room of our duplex in Cleveland, Ohio. I loved to hump him in front of our sitter Karen Harris. I used to say that Rhino was hungry and that I needed to feed him... And then Karen went away to college and I didn't feel like doing it anymore." As humans, we ARE sexual beings... Aren't you tired of feeling ashamed of certain impulses that occur naturally within your body? Even before I was six I had these feelings. My situation may have been unique and incredibly polarizing to the majority, and most likely this isn't the show, or should I say segment, to discuss every detail as to how I got to that point so early. It wouldn't exactly be considered a natural occurrence... But even my situation is more common than most people would like to admit, or flat out refuse to admit. All I know is that children should not be punished for acting on these impulses in an innocent manner. We should be asking more questions as to how they got there, but unfortunately people don't want to hear that answer. We are not disgusting or wrong for thinking about sex. Creating a taboo around certain subjects just catapults those very subjects into a high number of internet searches and 'behind-closed-doors' fetishes. Relationships are not as easy as everyone wants them to be. Monogamy might not exactly be obtainable the way most will it to be. Our desires for inclusiveness may just stem from a melodramatic inherited human trait of selfishness, an unwillingness to let those grow around us, because we want to own something. Whether its a relationship or a person within that relationship, the idea that it's "yours" is actually absurd. We can devote ourselves to someone, but in the end we are human. There are certain voids that exist in this life that we need to fill, as animals, as human beings. That's not to say someone can't sustain a healthy relationship with another for 50+ years, its just to say that we all have our own paths. Even if as people our paths are destined to intertwine... Like Devon and Chris... We still must continue to grow and move forward at our own rates, careful to not become codependent. Devon talks about Dick's strong masculine energy as something she embraces and emulates (unlike Chris who wants to take it in any which way she can), turning bits and pieces of it into her own. She uses that 'Dick Swag' to woo other women for sport, but when she falls in love away at college and her heart is broken she drops out of school and tosses her dreams out behind her on her way back to Texas. But it's there where Devon meets Chris and suddenly becomes inspired, tho briefly distracted by the free spirited, India. It's India who sees Dick as or through yet another color of light, Chris' is glowing red, Devon's an iridescent indigo, India's color is much more difficult... A damaged, slightly cracked, creamy shade of yellow... She had an intellectually and creatively stimulating home in New Mexico but her father, John Willis (played by People of Earth's Luka Jones) is a writer of children's books, so therefore felt like he could touch her. India doesn't seem too affected by this as she rattles it off like a cold, but natural fact of life. And here is where I once again am inspired to tell you, the reader, who may or may not know what that feels like... Suddenly the place where I talk about 'my situation' and deem Chris' experience close to mine, but an insufficient place to explore even a second of my experience becomes much more real... And much more appropriate. You see, like India, some of us are taught how to act on sexual behaviors at a young age. We all don't just experiment naturally like Paula, who talks about how seeing her mother's tampon string suddenly pushes her away from her youthful obsession of her mother or how masturbating at a young age became uninteresting once she learned there was a name for it... Hence Paula's infatuation for Dick's massive protruding, structural masculine art that has no name, no specific identity, no title... Some of us have a bit of a push, or an inappropriate 'class', if you will. India seems to be a 'victim' of non-violent sexual abuse as a young child. This is where things get very fucking confusing, because you see... As I mentioned before, India quickly rattles off this fact and sweeps on to the next. Why is that? In my own personal experience, it's extremely difficult to decipher just what sexual abuse is, especially when one isn't physically hurt or 'traditionally forced' into anything. I've written on the subject before and was met with polarizing responses. One young woman asked if she could take me home recently and drove me through the busy intersecting freeways, highways, backroad byways, and long winding ramps & roundabouts from the west end of Miami all the way to the tip of coastal Miami Beach, all the while with tears in her eyes relating to my written experiences, giving me a vivid account of her own. No one wants to see themselves as a victim, not REAL victims anyway. This idea of 'victim culture' is scoffed at by those who have been through it. Some of us may be victims, but we refuse to let that define us, or use it to try and gain sympathy or attention, applying it to causes or whatever it may be, because then suddenly we are admitting defeat or are forever trapped in those moments. The same moments we rarely tell anyone, or ever express. So when my words were recently met with disdain and accusations that I was trying to define sexual abuse in any way, I simply had to laugh. Once again, 'Every head is a different world'. The spectrum is huge, but I personally will not allow myself to be a victim, just like India it's a passing fact, it happened, it's part of my story... But you can't have it, it can't be more than what I'm giving it now... And my experience is simply one example, as is any other. Although slightly damaged, and beautiful in that fact, India captivates all in her presence... Unfortunately she leaves them a bit broken, just as she is. Trudging on, she turns porn into art at Columbia University, even centering her final undergrad thesis around the shapes of a woman's face as she sucks two cocks. For her PHD, she presented a written & visual presentation of what's known as 'gaping' in pornography. If you don't know what that is and you haven't watched the show, I'll let you explore that one at your own discretion. Her professors are a bit horrified and one even suggests she moves towards Gender Studies, much like India I would have laughed that off. I've always found such subjects to be pretentious and divisive, but hey, that's me. As a male, and according to one troll on the #BoilerRoom's comment section who took offense (and hammered down my context) to comments I made during an Oakland, CA show where one of the worst DJ Sets I've ever seen took place on a grand platform (that most people would kill to have) by some wealthy, frankly bored looking hopeful (whose passion and talents self-admittedly lie elsewhere), "I'm a 'washed up raver cis-male' who can't accept females in positions of power" (boy, he got that one comically incorrect, welcome to the 2017, age of the Internet). My comments were light and I was even trying to be supportive, saying that maybe that DJ could get better in time, my point was that she had gained that opportunity through either knowing someone or good looks. Men have created that opportunity for women to use, and I'm not saying that it isn't a legitimate way in... But my comments were taken out of context. You should be able to perform however you want, looking however you wan... But without passion, you are simply taking up an opportunity for the next person in line. A bit of research indicated she has had the opposite road of some of my strong, female musician acquaintances and friends of whom I list as fierce inspirations of my own work (however I do not and would never take away the common denominator of the grand, all-relatable human struggle). I have called upon & channeled the inspirations of women like long time Indianapolis & Midwest treasure, Techno Powerhouse, DJ Shiva, or now worldwide success and frankly G.O.A.T. House Music Legend, The Black Madonna. These women worked so hard & sacrificed so much & never rested on their laurels. I am inspired by strong females, but I don't necessarily see them as just females, I see them as human beings, who like me, have had to work a little harder to get where they're at. No one has handed me anything, and many times when I had something, I blew it. We are all working against something, someone, ourselves, time... My inspirations in life are a direct product of my environment, just like the different presentations of myself over the years. And no one will take away my freedom of speech, right to an opinion (whether it's agreed with or not), or use a term like 'cis-male' to insinuate that I don't understand what it's like to be discriminated against, to be confused about who and what I am, the complexities of human sexuality, and so on and so forth. I often tell people about my first experience in Chicago at the age of 12. I went to the Art Institute of Chicago with a large group of my fellow schoolmates, but i broke free from the pack and wondered into rooms unaccompanied. I found myself suddenly surrounded by 'Impressionist & Post-Impressionist' Paintings, peppered with Medieval & Renaissance Art. My eyes centered on this massive painting that literally popped out of the wall, surrounded by a low lying rope, to keep people away from its magnificence, but their view unobstructed... It was Georges Seurat's 1884 pointillist painting 'A Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte. I felt small and insignificant, like one of the pinpoint dots that made up what seemed like a million little dots that made up the painting. I've always had trouble describing that memorable moment, but Paula knocked it out in one line while describing how Dick's art made her feel, "It evoked in me a feeling of boundlessness... It was fucking terrifying." Yes, that's exactly it. 'Dear Great Man, Genius, Loner, Cowboy', India lists off Dick's accomplishments in the most condescending tone she can possibly channel. India had previously known of Dick through the Art History books her parents had lying around the house. Dick's was her favorite, not in the normal sense. She is young. She has known pain. She has worked hard to get where she is at. India is beautiful, but she doesn't use that to her advantage to succeed. She takes the hardest route possible, because she simply doesn't want what everyone else wants and she knows that anything worth having in this life doesn't come free... And that's something I can connect to. 'Dear Dick, We are not far from your doorstep.' Yasss, Queen! Jill Soloway just directed a fn' knockout... And the all female writing staff, this one headed by Annie Baker and Heidi Schreck deserve a Spotlight Saga nomination for Achievement in Writing... And Soloway for Directing. India's final words to Dick sent a surge of electricity through my body. This is exactly how I look at the AV Club. Knock Knock.