#and like the gender role reversal moments in this are *constant*

[moonlightsapphic]

getting into this awesome new kdrama called see you in my 19th life and i’ve been losing my MIND screaming into my pillow at the angst and poignance but some part of me is fully flabbergasted watching myself sobbing over this cisheterosexual couple in a kdrama. it’s just so ... 5th grade me. i know now that i’m bi and the continued lgbtq+ erasure in most kdramas feel like pointed straight propaganda in the year of our lord 2023. but you know what there is something so gay about being born again and again (in different genders!!!) looking for love and a home and a happy ending, and then ending up with a handsome soft boyfriend who has never done anything wrong ever who is also a passenger princess that you occasionally must rescue from goons with your mad fighting and critical thinking skills. this is a show for bisexuals change my mind

[buglordsupreme]

Ok, so I didn't want to start discourse about this cos in the end it's fictional and it doesn't really matter and it probably aint that deep but I am starting to get a bit annoyed with the way some people portray Huntlow as a "gender role reversal".

Like, yall will be all about abolishing gender roles and the sort but the moment a man in a m/f relationship is gentle or soft or kind or not as physically strong as the woman, immediately all the "feminine" gender roles are applied to him. I have seen so many people saying that Hunter is "submissive" to Willow or that Willow is the one who "wears the pants in the relationship" or that Hunter is the "girlfriend" and Willow is the "boyfriend" and I know its often just a joke or a game but like...no.

Hunter and Willow are both characters that are shown to be independent. Sure, Willow seems more confident and often physically stronger, but that doesn't mean she is "dominant" over Hunter, or worse, that she is "the masculine figure" in the relationship. Hunter is also not a doormat to her and portraying him as such is completely betraying his character arc, and when you apply these traits to him and then label them as "feminine" it's just so gross.

Again, I know it probably isn't that deep, and sure, you can portray characters however you like, but why is there this constant insistence in shipping to force characters into heteronormative gender roles (and yes, I am talking shipping in general cos we all know this happens with queer couples too). And why is it always the "weaker" one, the "feminine" one, and vice versa? Shouldn't we be better than this already and just enjoy a relationship between characters without having to label them based on how much power one seems to have over another? It's seriously exhausting.

[plounce]

as someone whos played ffxiv for almost 8 years now i gotta say its SO exciting to see youve started playing. i really enjoy seeing you talking about trc and kurofai (unfortunately i know absolutely nothing about xmen so it goes right over my head) and so im excited to see any thoughts you have about the ffxiv story and characters!

HEEHEEHEE. most of my ffxivposting has been in a thread on my twt priv, but after the recent botslaughter im gonna try and move it over here.

im at the beginning of stormblood. here are my thoughts:

as i said previously, in ARR i was very meh on alphinaud. i have a grudge against his ARR va (due to critical role), i was like "WHY are we starting a PARAMILITARY ORG", and i was kind of like hey. im playing a 6ft tall elf lady with a huge axe. you fancy little twerp dont boss me around. the end of ARR was soooo crazy and good though, really kicked the plot into gear for me, and those cutscenes were like WHOA!! OMG THE GUY FROM THE BEGINNING CUTSCENE... and in heavensward he became my little boy. because he basically reversed all the things i didnt really like about him. new VA. constant regret and shame about the crystal braves. and everyone was like awww hahaha youre a nice little boy. and he is. he is a boy. and he's polite. and he got a new outfit that covered his midriff, which i appreciated.

minfillia... im sorry. her VA was so insanely bad. and i never really DID anything with her that made me feel attached to her. she felt very bland and generic. i was like okay cool 👍 see ya. i also think her outfit was so blaaaahhhh like it gave me girl next door final fantasy character, NOT leader of an NGO, which would have been more appealing to me.

y'shtola: one of my mutuals is constantly posting her very cute WoL/yshtola fanart and i thought i would like a bit more than i presently do... i like her! i just feel like she hasnt gotten to do very much that isnt going "hmm.. aether." i think it's delightful that she shares a VA with sera from dragon age. bitches with bangs 4 lesbians

urianger: when i first saw urianger i was aghast. i was like. PEOPLE ARE HORNY FOR THAT THING? but now that ive seen more of his shb/edw outfit im like aha i see. you have gender. you're either like "do not perceiveth me" or "dripping with gold in a lightweight backless gown". i really enjoyed his undercover outfit with the WoD. i don't think he did anything wrong. he was like "yeah i did lie to everyone and help manipulate events to send minfilia to a different data center. i feel absolutely awful about it, i wish my trolley problem principles had not made me deceiveth thou all, i am a horrible villain, pray do not feel compelled to forgive me" and i was like nah youre good 👍 like she isnt DEAD. plus he always tried to help me a little bit when he could. i like his funny voice. i like how in ARR he was voiced by fenris dragonage. take those goggles and hood off again mx tism

tataru: if lalafells didn't look like that. i would be shipping my WoL with her. i think she is so cute and fun and a delight. she is a joy. my girl JUGGLES!!!!! she makes OUTFITS!!!!!!!!! she has A KETTLE WITH A FANCY NAME!!!!!!!!!! and she works so hard. im so glad she got to come with us to ishgard. she is my joy. my light...

thancred: i have heard tell that he really leaves behind his initial lothario characterization, and i really have not seen it in forever, which made ARR thancred perfectly fine to me. i was prepared for him to be much more egregious. i wish i knew him a bit better before he got possessed. i was like oh okay! yeah i guess i havent seen him in a while. which made me sad because i love possession storylines i think they are so juicy. his ponytail and rattee (like a ratstache but a goatee) are funny to me. thancred nakey images were funny. there was a moment towards the end of hvw when he came back and i talked to him in ishgard between convos with nobles and he said stuff that was very commiserating and i was like okay i have decided you and my WoL are complaining friends. sipping the haterade together. i think he's like 5'7". like with alphinaud, the character development in this game has really surprised me with how effective it feels. i look forward to seeing him grimly yet compassionately fail forward even more. and to be a single dad. aforementioned mutual (who i know through klapollo) is into thancred/urianger so im also looking forward to confining them into the yaoi compartment

cid: HE IS MY FRIEND :) i love how he's a short king. i like how he was simply like "fascism and imperialism are bad. i am going to go fight against it by building big airships :)" no qualms no struggle just knew what was right and went and did it. he's like a gay older coworker who you go out for drinks with sometimes and invites you to barbeques. i enjoy him and nero's turbodivorce saga.

alisaie: i completely forgot to do all the bahamut raids in ARR so when she showed up post-hvw i was like oh it's time for the girltwin! and she was like "oh we've worked together already :)" and i was like oh god. we only had one conversation. oops. so far i think she's a delight. i have heard that she's a bit of a lesbo. good for her. love that she gets a sword and she gets to be the mean one of the two twins. i cant wait for her little red jacket. looking forward to more >:)

krile: have not seen much of her so far but i LOVE how she has a cloak with cat ears, so cute. LOVE how she teases alphinaud. im like yes... shared character history... quite fun...

ysayle: I LOVE YOU DRAGON ELSAGARD I LOVE YOUUUUUU BIIIIIIIIITCH... I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU. i love her style. i love her political convictions. i love her gap moe with the moogles. i think my WoL had a crush on her. i think it's messed up that during the scene where the WoL and alphinaud are prying the eyes off of estinien, she touches alphinaud's hand. she should be touching MY HAND!!!!!!!!!!!! all love to haurchefaunt but I BONDED WITH HER.

estinien: i know many people like estinien. every time he spoke a word at ysayle i felt like a barking like her guard dog. DONT YOU SPEAK TO MY GIRL IN THAT TONE YOU BROODYBOY SMELLMAN. SHUT UP. i assume he softens up now that he is retired from All That. i thought his relationship with alphinaud was very sweet - i liked when he taught alphinaud how to gather firewood. i think my WoL only tolerates estinien because alphinaud is so attached.

haurchefant: i was still barely reading dialogue in ARR when he was introduced. so he showed up and was like OMG HI AGAIN BESTIE!!!!!! and i was like oh! that man! one of my friends is gaymarried to him so he's like my gay brother-in-law. i am a lesbian and my WoL is also a lesbian so we were hagging/tyking (dyke tyke) out with each other. the facial animation on the WoL when he croaks was astoundingly good. i call him horsey

aymeric: well he certainly is competent, principled, and nice. one of the more handsome elezen men in the game. i know he's implied playersexual so i really need him to stop inviting me to dinner because i have had conversations with dude friends like that before and it is so painfully awkward. i think it is great that he committed fratricide AND popecide. wahoo!

lyse: i really enjoyed yda. yknow. i thought she was such a fun cockney karate bimbo. i didn't know she was lyse. i've heard about lyse. and how she is conspicuously the only blonde blue-eyed ala mhigan. and how she is a source of some of the collar-tugging politics in stormblood. sigh. so. i am now burdened with her.

raubahn: I LOVE RAUBAHNNNNNNNNNN I LOVE HIMMMM i love how he has a small adult son. i love how he is trying so hard. i love how he is so righteous and hardworking. the misery lolorito and ilberd put him through during hvw made me so mad on his behalf. when lolorito was like "oh, how we laughed at how upset you were!" i was like RAUBAHN. HE IS THE PERFECT HEIGHT FOR YOU TO JUST PUNT ACROSS THE TOWN SQUARE. PUNT HIM RAUBAHN. YOU DESERVE IT. and i love a one-armed king. kurogane swag

lucia: i think she is cool and fun. hahaha dont potentially be in love with aymeric queen youre so hot and cool and butch

matoya: SHE'S SO COOL. I LOVE HER DESIGN. HER VOICE ACTING. AND HER RUDENESS. AND OF COURSE THE FROGS

moenbryda: i thought she was so fun and cool. i was like cool!! new character!! big funny woman i love it!! and then near bluefog she dished about her childhood a little and i was like... is that a deathflag. and it was :(

okay thats all the npcs i can think to have anything to say about.

i was pleasantly surprised by the way that lalafells are not the lolibait/shotabait i had grimly prepared for them to be. they are just short funny guys for the most part. moving past that, i then got slammed into by the giant brick that says "BEAST TRIBES". i heard that the new writer has made their writing a lot better (apparently the alliance leaders acknowledge that they have been basically been doing genocide on these sentient beings, which is helping me push forward through stuff)! i do their quests really regularly because i like helping them out. i would really love to see someone with more expertise on the subject write about the presentation of indigenous peoples in ffxiv, because i think that there is a lot going on that is vital to critically inspect.

i have to go eat dinner now. but i will try to post more thoughts on here as i have them >:)

[karync]

Foucault's Texts (Notes from the Readings)

Foucault The Means of Correct Training

Strict discipline as an art of correct training 

Main function of disciplinary power is to “train: rather than select and levy

Does not link forces together to reduce them

Seeks to bind together in ways to multiply and use them

Trains the moving, confused, organic autonomies, gender identities and continuities, combinary segments

Discipline makes individuals 

Technique of power that regards individuals as objects and instruments of its own exercise

Success of disciplinary power derives no doubt from the use of simple instruments 

Means of correct training make it possible to see effects of power and means of coercion make on those applied to clearly

Architecture that would operate to transform individuals to act on those it shelters to provide a hold, carry effects of power to them, make possible to know and alter them

Means of correct training domain of the non-conforming is punishable 

Soldier commits an offense whenever he does not reach the level required 

A pupil’s “offense” is not only a minor infraction but also an inability to carry out his tasks 

The school building was to be a mechanism for training

Constant concern with surveillance is expressed in the architecture by many petty mechanisms

Mechanisms can be seen as unimportant if one forgets the role of the instrumentation, pretty flawless and more subtle partitioning of individual behavior 

Disciplinary institutions created machinery of control that functions like a fine microscope

Perfect disciplinary apparatus makes it possible for single gaze to see everything constantly

Power of the norm appears through the disciplines

Since eighteenth century it had joined other powers - the Law, the World (Parole) and the Text, Tradition - imposing new delimitations upon them 

The Normal is established as a principle of coercion in teaching with the introduction of a standardized education and establishment of the normales 

The means of correct training to us now were of decisive importance in the epistemological ‘thaw; of the sciences of the individual 

Strict disciple : the child, patients, madmank, prisoner were to become with more ease from the eighteenth century and cure of mechanisms of discipline, the object of individual descriptions and biographical accounts

Discipline marks the moment when the reversal of the political axis of individualization 

The more one possesses power or privilege, the more one is marked as an individual by rituals written accounts or visual reproductions 

Foucault’s Panopticism

Measures taken at the end of the seventeenth century if there were to be a plague in town

First, strict spatial partitioning

Closing of town and its outlying districts, a prohibition to leave the town on pain of death, the killing of all stray animals, the division of the town into distinct quarters 

Each street under surveillance 

If he leaves the street, faced death

On set day, everyone is ordered to stay indoors 

Forbidden to leave on pain of death

Each family will have its own provisions

Each individual forced to stay in his place 

If broke this and moved, risked his life, contagion or punishment

Inspection functions ceaselessly

Gaze is alert everywhere

Militia, guards, people of authority in every quarter to ensure obedience from people

Surveillance based on system of permanent registration 

Five or six days after beginning of the quarantine, the process of purifying the houses one by one began

Leper gave rise to rituals of exclusion, which to certain point provide model for and general form of the great confinement, then the plague gave rise to disciplinary project 

Panopticon was also a laboratory

It could be used as a machine to carry out experiments, to alter behavior, to train or correct individuals

To try out pedagogical experiments and in particular to take well debated problem of secluded education, by using orphans

The plague-stricken town, the panoptic establishment - the differences are important

They mark the transformations of the disciplinary programme 

It makes itself everywhere present and visible, invents new mechanisms, separates, immobilizes, partitions, constructs for a time what is both a counter-city and the perfect society

The arrangement of this machine is that its enclosed nature does not preclude a permanent presence from the outside

The panoptic arrangement provides the formula for this generalization

It programmes the basic functioning of a society penetrated through and through with disciplinary mechanisms

[asianhappinesss]

Night Flight (2014)

Summary

Three teenage boys who were once close friends grow apart when they reach high school. Yong Ju lives hiding his true sexuality, Gi Woong becomes the leader of the school gang, and Gi Taek is an obsessive manga fan. Tired of the constant malicious bullying by Gi Woong’s gang, Gi Taek betrays them by disclosing that Yong Ju has loved Gi Woong for years. Surrounded by an insecure boundary of the school and wounded by betrayals, the boys are driven into catastrophe.

Review

An oasis in this wasteland, as Lucien Carr may say, and I'm willing to say it twice. I wasn't even going to write a review, since I'm still overwhelmed and my words may lack the power to describe how painfully touching this movie is. But shall we? What a sweet poster! ... Fooled me. Well, I didn't even watch the trailer. I couldn't anticipate the plot, the atmosphere; nothing. Koreans have this unhealthy habit of using same-gender romance as fanservice, and personally, I'm so sick of it. They bring the sweet part of it and forget how unrealistic that is, especially in Korea, but it's trendy. So, coming from such a harsh society, it's rare to see a realistic and brave movie regarding this matter.

Lately, not only in cinematography, but also music, I've noticed more support and attention in this country. Night Flight is nothing about fetishizing homosexuality and avoiding the truth. This movie manages to show a honest reality, with striking scenes and a solid plot. It explores the relationship between three childhood friends — Yong Joo, Gi Wook and Gi Taek. Yong Joo and Gi Wook own the plot, while Gi Taek holds a meaningful role through the story. The two of them have a complicated relationship, a kind of bitter, one-sided friendship which lacks closeness and words. This already confusing relationship they have takes a new turn when Yong Joo realizes the feelings he has for Gi Wook have been romantic for a very long time.

So he walks further. And everything crashes, in a very beautiful, aching way. Don't expect sweetness, there's no such thing. At least, not how it usually looks like. Let go of your affectionate dramaland and learn to see differently. The emotions can be seen only through gestures, the way the look at each other, the way they don't when they can't see each other (but they wonder about the other) and the words they always seem to share without speaking.

Both cruel and kind words. Thus, the moments they speak, the dialogue is actually complex, behind its simple words. So, it's intense and much honest. I found they personalities very pure, pained and so lonely, bearing their own heavy stories, but they choose to cope with their feelings in completely opposite ways — Yong Joo is the bright, brave and sincere one, while Gi Wook is quieter, violent and doesn't know how to express himself. I thought for a moment, given their situations, it's more expected for their personalities to have been reversed, but this way it's actually more interesting, I really like that.

The acting, with more interest in the body language rather than words, was intense and surprisingly good. I could feel their pain growing under my skin, and all it took was looking into their eyes and their messy gestures. Some scenes are still haunting me. Given how quiet and raw the movie feels, when the music starts, it speaks emotions. Not too much, really, just the right amount of sounds to make it more touching, at the right time.

Visually, there are many important details; sometimes it's bright, but mostly dark. Some shoots are serene, colorful and truly artistic, matching the emotions (love), while some are simply raw, monotone and cruel, matching the reality (pain). A very creative contrast. Do I plan on rewatching it? Of course, probably many times. I'm typing and I can feel the urge to go back and watch some parts, but I'll stay away for a while and let it sink in. Not long, though. I can't wait to see if it's going to hurt more or less (most likely, more). Profound movies always touch deeper the second time. Yes, it's a sad, realistic movie, with sad teenagers in love. Too young to be so damaged, yet very common. And no, the actors don't look like models, their skin isn't godlike. They look human and, also, they fight for being humans, in a world full of emotionless and harmful silhouettes. This movie shouldn't be overlooked or judged before watching. Let go of any previous disappointing experience with gay-themed movies and dwell in Night Flight. It's the kind of movie that should be watched late at night, when the mind is a little tired to analyze, and the feelings are more perceptive. Because it stains, yet it doesn't feel only painful — it's also very sweet. Beautifully tragic.

[wlw-lovestruck-fiction]

Can we get some headcanons for Hazel from Reigning Passions please??? I love my buff trans baby!

Written by: @myqueennadia

General Headcanons

One of the toughest decisions our Hazel has ever made was moving to Altadellys. The Wilds was her home, it was where MC was. MC…her best friend…she really didn’t want to leave. MC was ultimately the one that helped her make the final decision though. Said she wouldn’t ever forgive herself if she let Hazel give up this opportunity.

Adjusting to life in Altadellys was extremely hard for Hazel. She had never felt so alone. I mean, yeah, she was pursuing her dream as a blacksmith, but she was lonely. She had left everything behind in the Wilds. MC had been one of her major flows of support, and that was suddenly gone.

Amara was one of the people that made her feel welcome in Altadellys. Amara was also from the Wilds, even if her home wasn’t exactly the same as it was in this day and age. Still, they liked to bond over memories. Because of this, Amara became one of her best customers to this day. Hazel was her first choice of blacksmith, especially when giving gifts to her soldiers.

She has always wanted to learn something musical. She wouldn’t know where to start though… She thought about asking Amara about it one day, but she doesn’t want to burden the Captain.

She absolutely adores dancing. Not so much the strange and sophisticated dances that the nobility partakes in, no. The crazy and jovial dances in the Wilds, however, is exactly her type of dance. She can jump about, drunk and happy, swinging her partner around happily. No one was as judgy as they were in Altadellys. When she dances…she feels like she could be herself.

Hazel, being a blacksmith, has a lot of work-related injuries. Little burns, little cuts when she was distracted etc. She is a professional, but it goes without saying that even the most experienced people in a trade actively make some little mistakes. Hazel is pretty insecure about these, mostly when she has to be around nobility.

She’s actually pretty tapped into the goings-on around Altadellys. First of all, the floating city is known for rumors flying fast. Second of all, she has a wide arrangement of clients, a lot of which actually work for or are nobility. People’s lips tend to loosen when they think no one is paying attention.

She doesn’t like the Summer Quarter as much as she thought she would. She originally thought she would adore it. A life living through an eternal winter and you finally get to experience something warm? She jumped at the opportunity! But it’s often far too hot for her.

Flowers are another thing she rather enjoys. As you can imagine, flowers don’t often have a chance to bloom through the harsh winter in the Wilds. Some plants persevere, but nothing as lovely and vibrant as the flowers that can be found in the Spring Quarter. Some of her new friends from the Spring corner even taught her how to make flower crowns!

She doesn’t know them that well, but Hazel finds that she greatly enjoys chatting with Galen. She herself knows she could probably never be a pirate, but she enjoys hearing their stories about their time on the sea. And she finds their concept of gender comforting. The people in Lysende are, for the most part, accepting, but there are naturally a few people who are more difficult.

Relationship headcanons

Freckle traces and comparisons. Both Hazel and MC have freckles and they are absolutely adorable. At night, when neither of them want to sleep, they bask in each other’s presence, nothing but the moonlight to illuminate them. But the moonlight is just enough. Certainly enough to help them find each other’s freckles. Comparisons to constellations are not scarce.

MC is her home. Even now, here in Altadellys, she is her home. Her Wildergirl Queen is a constant reminder of how far she has come, of how far they have both come. On this note, they love to dance together. As Queen, MC has established dance halls for both travellers from the Wilds and to teach those who are willing to dance like they do in the Wilds. Hazel and MC frequent it.

As previously mentioned, Hazel sometimes gets little wounds. She absolutely adores when MC takes care of her. It makes her feel adored, and it certainly brings back some memories. Though, in said memories, the roles are reversed. MC was an incredibly rambunctious child. Kind of clumsy too. But Hazel was always there to cheer her up and patch up whatever scrapes she may have gotten. Nowadays the guards hardly let MC do anything adventurous (something MC is sure to complain about).

Doing each other’s hair is another little thing they do. They both love it! Hazel in particular. Often times they are both under quite a bit of stress, so it is calming for both of them. Feeling MC relax as Hazel brushes the tangles from her hair, letting her vent about her day…oh the intimacy of it all!

From the people of the Spring Quarter, to Hazel, to MC. The teachings of the flower crown have now been passed down. Like Hazel, MC didn’t see many flowers when she was in the Wilds. Hazel was happy to share her newfound knowledge.

She gives so many kisses. So many. In the beginning, she may be a little hesitant with giving so much affection at first, but she really does love giving MC all the love she deserves.

Although she loves to give it, it took a while for Hazel to be completely comfortable with receiving so much affection. It’s not that she didn’t like or appreciate it! It just took some time for her to adjust to.

Both Hazel and MC are very curious by nature. So, in order to spend time together and to satisfy their curiosity, they like to learn a lot of new things together. So far their favorite thing was knitting. Neither of them are particularly good at it, but both of them somehow managed to make it hilarious.

Hazel isn’t exactly an introvert, but since she came to Altadellys she’s been a bit more focused on business rather than friendship. Since her and MC were reunited, she’s gotten to meet so many new and interesting people. She’s even come to think of some of them as family.

Hazel doesn’t have a lot of nicknames she likes to use. She usually just refers to MC as ‘Freckles’ like she’s always done, or just her name. But occasionally she’ll let a ‘love’ or a ‘hun’ slip out. She likes to save these for special moments though, mostly because she knows how much it makes MC blush.

[hqprotectionsquad]

Hi! I'd like to request headcanons for noya, kuroo, bokuto and aone please. Fem s/o beats them to the punch and proposes to them first (they're already in a long term relationship), how would they react and what happens next? etc thank you! Also i included gender here for role reversal purposes, girls are usually the ones being proposed to so yeah

Nishinoya Yuu

You’ll never meet someone more enthusiastic in romance than Nishinoya. He’s just so excited and happy to love you.

In your relationship, sure, he enjoys spoiling you by taking you out for food and drinks, but the two of you have equal roles in the relationship and sometimes you spoil him.

It really comes to a point where it’s totally okay if you’re picking up the slack because you know he’ll pick it up next.

Well into your relationship, you’ve both discussed the future and your ideals pretty much align. You both want marriage and children one day but the conversation doesn’t go much past that. You’re dating to marry him one day, but he’s not really dropping any hints.

I think it really just comes out of nowhere one day and it’s not the conventional way of asking, but when has anything you do with Yuu conventional?

“We’re already living together, why don’t we just get married?”

“(Y/N)?” He has to ask if you’re being serious or it’s just your morning brain talking.

“I’m serious!” You laugh. “Let’s just get married.”

He lifts you up into the air and spins you around. “Yes!” He’ll say over and over again, as if you’ll revoke your proposal if he doesn’t say it enough. “I can’t wait to marry you!”

Kuroo Tetsurou

You’re always in a constant push and pull with Tetsurou, but it’s in a good way. You’re constantly tried to impress him, which he’ll try the same but take it up a notch. Of course, this makes the relationship better because you’re just so in love with him, no matter what happens.

Everything just seems right with him. Everything just falls into place and whatever happens, it just feels right. He messes up often and he can’t count his mistakes in a day on both of his hands, but a kiss and a hug make up for it.

With this “trying to one-up one another,” it’s made a competition of who will do thing’s first. You were slightly upset that he kissed you first, but you grinned in his face when you said I love you first. (He most definitely tackled you because he’s always been wanting to say it, he was just nervous.)

Marriage talk and baby talk aren’t really things you often speak about, until you have dinner with both sets of parents. Both of your moms are really eager to ask when you’ll get married and have children, but Tetsurou brushes it off and says it’ll happen when it does.

There was something that kind of bothered you about that, but you realize it bothered you because you’re so sure that you want to marry him. And so you propose to him during a family party.

“Will you marry me, Tetsu?”

With the smallest tear to his eye, he says, “Kitten, damn it. You beat me to it. Of course, I’ll marry you.”

Bokuto Koutarou

Bokuto’s always been smitten by your drive. He loves that you take charge, and he also loves that you appreciate his enthusiasm and spontaneity.

Since moving in with him, you’ve gotten to understand all parts of him, like at night, when he’s trying to sleep, he’ll begin with blankets on him, but he’ll end up kicking them off. (It’s not the best feeling when you wake up shivering, but you end up dealing with it.)

Bokuto’s also a simple man. From the beginning, he’s expressed his future goals with you. He knows he wants to be married, have children, and play professional volleyball. That’s been his plan since the beginning of high school. Of course, your paths align and he feels lucky that you have similar ideals.

Now, you’ve been dating for a while and been living together for a while. Soon, you both fall into a routine and it feels like life isn’t moving as fast as it used to, in a good way. To be able to wake up and fall asleep next to the man you love is extraordinary.

You feel like you need to take a step forward, but he isn’t noticing any hints you drop, like when you drag him into a jewelry store to check out rings, but he ends up looking at necklaces that would look nice on you; or when you tell him that your hands look lonely without anything on them and he laughs and interlaces your fingers.

You end up taking matters into your own hands, and with the help of Akaashi, you propose to him after a huge win at a close-knit gathering.

“Marry me, Koutarou?”

He’s just about two seconds from bawling his eyes out. “Of course!”

And while everyone at the party is aware that you proposed, he does not wait to go around to each person and tell them that he’s getting married to the love of his life.

Aone Takanobu

From the moment he’s seen you, he’s known you as the person who has taken every single personality trait and its opposite, and somehow be both at the same time. You can be timid, but you stand up for yourself. You can be lazy, but you’ll get the job done. He appreciates that you are the best combination of traits.

You balance out with Aone quite well. When you can be impulsive, he’s your voice of reason, but that he’ll sometimes wait for you to act in the spur of the moment because you never know if it’ll actually be a good idea. An example of that would happen to be asking him to go out on a date.

A relationship with him is more physical than verbal, as you expected. It’s harder to gauge what he really wants out of this relationship and you end up getting into a bit of a fight with your brain on this. He notices this and he puts your insecurities to rest.

Out of the blue, you ask him during breakfast one day, “What if we got married?” The words just come out of your mouth without even thinking about it. While you are completely red all over from your sudden question, you wait for him to respond.

“Are you proposing to me?”

“Yes?”

“Then I accept.” And he continues eating as if nothing happened.

He’s not super open with sharing the big news, but his former teammates either hear it from you or he comes around with a ring on his finger and everyone freaks out about it.

[atendersun-archived]

𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬

FULL NAME. Mason Uri Thompson

NICKNAME. Muu 

GENDER. Male.

HEIGHT. 5′9″

AGE. 25

ZODIAC. Pisces

SPOKEN LANGUAGES. English is his primary language. Japan is secondary and verse dependent.

𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬

HAIR COLOR. Blond

EYE COLOR.  Brown-Green hazel

SKIN TONE. Fair, but with a pink, rosy undertone.

BODY TYPE. Mesomorph. His legs, back, and chest are the most muscular, while his arms trail behind as the leanest parts of his body.

VOICE. Is of average deepness at his normal speaking level, but raises when he’s nervous, or sad. His defense mechanism in stressful situations is to make himself appear smaller for safety purposes, but he’s working on being more aware of it.

DOMINANT HAND. Left

POSTURE. Somewhat arched. Having spent a lengthy amount of his time hunched over in an effort to take up less space as a person has had some life term effects on his posture. He does wear a bright blue brace for about thirty minutes a couple times a week to train his back to stay more upright, but he still finds himself slouching in the presence of people that unknowingly intimated him.

SCARS. He has a round shaped scar on his left arm from an incident with a colleague nearly from about five years earlier, so it has a lot time to heal to the point of being far less noticeable than it was when he first acquired it. There are also some very, very faded scars along his lower back from being unintentionally attacked by a dog as a child. He’d startled it when trying to retrieve a toy from a neighbor’s yard, and instigated a chase when he ran away. It was a small poodle.

TATTOOS. On the inside of his right arm is a tattoo is of very cartoony version of the character Oh from the movie Home. When he was very lonely, and down on himself, it became it his comfort film. He related a lot to the alien character of the film. When on a whim, he decided to get a tattoo, he knew he wanted it to be of something with a lot of meaning to him, but also something that would strike a sense of familiarity to those who also felt like they were an Oh in the world too.

BIRTHMARKS. On the side of his upper left leg, quite close to his butt in fact, is a small, circular mark with tiny, darker colored dots within it. If looked at the right angle, it almost appears to a smiley face. As kind of odd as it is, he really likes his birthmark, and the location it resides on. For a very long time, he held a lot hatred for his lower body for things that took a lot of counseling to come to terms with. Nowadays, he’s far too comfortable pulling down the back of pants just enough to flash his birthmark to people.

MOST NOTICEABLE FEATURE(S). In the sunny, warm seasons of the year, he tends to get freckles that scatter primarily across his nose and his arms. They cease to be noticeable come late fall only to reappear after the rainy parts of spring.

𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝

PLACE OF BIRTH. From what he’d been told by his grandparents, he had been born while his father and mother still resided on a military base somewhere within the outskirts of Phoenix, Arizona. After circumstances leading to the questioning of his mother’s parenting abilities, both him and his brother were relocated states away to live with their paternal grandparents once their father released custody to them in order for him to join the Navy.

HOMETOWN. Verse Dependent

SIBLINGS. An older brother named Matthew who is about two years older than himself.

PARENTS. His mother is entirely absent from his life after a string of broken promises that she’d gotten her life together enough to be a good mom to him, while his father and him are just distant from having very little in common with another. They can hold civil conversations with one another when they interact for brief moments at family get togethers, but he still is far closer to his grandmother than he is with any other parental figure in his life.

𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞

OCCUPATION. Preschool teacher at a daycare center for children between the ages of 6 weeks old to 6 years old. He never imagined himself as ever working with children, because quite frankly they kind of scared him at one point, but he loves his job more than he would have ever expected.

CURRENT RESIDENCE. He lives alone in a very spacious home that was actually leased to him when the man knew the younger was seeking out a place to live after an end to a relationship. His favorite thing in all of his home is the very large bath tub. It is far more comparable to a pool than a tub, but he has not yet had anything occur where he questioned downsizing it.

CLOSE FRIENDS. All of ‘em. Every last one of them. He has been especially grateful for the opportunities to reconnect with Hisao @angstiism, Hannah @kannojo, Alex @dis--parity, Pchan @nvrcmplt​, and Yukio @silvxcs. Someday, when he grows the guts to meet with and check up on some old, familiar faces, such as Archer at @sonderrow, and Nicole @gamenu, he’d like to just listen intently in regards to where life has led them. He also is blossoming in the new friendships he is forming with new people.

RELATIONSHIP STATUS. Verse Dependent.

FINANCIAL STATUS. He falls somewhere on the back end of middle class, yet he doesn’t really mind. It is familiar for him enough that he has learned how to make do without having a lot of money left over. It is for the best, really, because he still remembers very much so the ridiculous amount of money he’d spent only on pudding and snacks many years ago.

DRIVER’S LICENSE. No. He’s terrified to learn how to drive, so he just makes do with either walking, riding the bus, and sometimes even riding his bike if he has the energy to do so.

CRIMINAL RECORD. Clean. He’d like to say he’s done some wild things that have gone untraced, but the most adventurous he’s ever gotten was the time he stole a Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal from a store in the mall. He later went back to pay for it out of guilt, so even that one doesn’t particularly count.

VICES. The constant need to be busy doing something to give his brain far less of a chance to dwell on things he is not satisfied with dwelling on. Maintaining an active and creative lifestyle are very important to him. Otherwise, in the event he does sink to an unexpected low, he tends to build himself back up by indulging in activities that brought him peace as a child. Doodling, watching cartoons, buying random things online from things he watched a kid to boost serotonin. His latest thing is to actually read poetry. He finds it really enjoyable to see something on a page that artistically expresses thoughts he can relate to, and has since started to collect an abundance of poetry books.

𝐬𝐞𝐱 & 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

SEXUAL ORIENTATION. He identifies under the queer label. He doesn’t really know for certain where he falls in terms of sexual attraction, since frankly he went years without even getting close to it, but he does know that he has deep feelings for all kinds of people underneath other categories of attraction. A more descriptive way of describing himself would be to say demisexual panromantic, but he prefers to use queer.

PREFERRED EMOTIONAL ROLE. Honestly, he really just thrives on fulfilling whatever role his partners request. He loves to care for people to immeasurable bounds, while shifting to a relaxed, or sometimes needier side of himself when the roles are reversed.

PREFERRED SEXUAL ROLE. He’ll tell you he’s a switch with a preference for topping, but in reality he is a switch with a preference for literally doing whatever the person he feels comfort and admiration for enough to get to that level with them in the first place. He does get a tad bitter when people make suggestions that he doesn’t have the assertiveness to be the dominant partner in those types of relations, and is therefore trying to education himself as much as he can on the overall process before he can even consider taking the reigns like that in real time.

LIBIDO. For the most part, very low. In his main timelines, he has gone seven years without going completely all the way with another person out of a fear of what could follow after that level of intimacy. He doesn’t necessarily have those same fears, but he does feel completely out of the loop in comparison to peers of his who have far more experience than he does. He is at least putting a lot of effort and thoughtfulness into being a more sex positive person, so in time he believes he will reach a point where he will have an average adult male libido.

TURN ON’S. Words of encouragement and affirmation, undivided attention, and playfulness are the primarily ones. Even if it doesn’t always sound exciting in its application, Mason actually finds it really helpful when a partner either verbally describes why and where they are touching him, or how they want him to touch them instead, because it gives a complete sense of clarity and consent. He’s admittedly very inexperienced and clueless, so being shown AND told are clearer in his mind than just being left to try and plan out his next move with limited reference.

TURN OFF’S. Dirty talk. Being called things like whore, slut, or other demeaning names while having sex not only turns him off, but it also really hurts his feelings even when it is jokingly implied that he is being labeled something bad. He also does not really like being referred to things such as little boy, bitch, baby boy. He doesn’t mind being called Baby when it is used to be an affectionate pet name, and he is so much of a sucker for being complimented on, that he’d probably not even bat an eye if someone playfully called him Princess. Just not around other people, because he takes his pride in being a top-man very seriously.

IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIP TENDENCIES. His main two love languages are words of affirmation and physical touch, while the others typically fall not too far behind. He also really just loves the ability to spend time with another person where both people are doing their own thing together. Those moments when he can just glance over to see the twitch of his partner’s lips, or the squinting of their eyes when they get seriously invested in their passion are very meaningful to him. He is also aware that he comes with things that are not always the easiest to love, such as heavy subjects spoken only about in serious conversations, and in the days that are harder to get out of bed than others, so he tries to actively make up for it in the ways he knows how. He’ll often take over the bulk of the work around the house and yard. As a man with a little bit of knowledge about a lot of topics, and a lot of love to give around to make up the difference, he seeks to love and be loved unconditionally by putting in all of his effort to doing whatever he knows will bring the people he is dating complete happiness. 

𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬

CHARACTER’S THEME SONG.  Here I am Alive, by Yellowcard and Way Less Sad, by AJR.

HOBBIES TO PASS TIME. Learning how to play the ukulele, drawing, listening to music, playing videogames from time to time, and texting his friends.

LEFT OR RIGHT BRAINED. Right.

PHOBIAS. He really doesn’t have any of the same intense, yet irrational fears as he did as a young man, so it is a lot more difficult for him to pinpoint whether or not he has any remaining phobias. In some ways, the fears of rejection and abandonment still linger at the back of his mind from time to time. Otherwise, he would likely only become of just how terrifyingly ingrained something was to him at the exact moment he was face to face with it. Additionally, he does not hold any trust towards demons, and would scream profusely if he was locked in a room with one, but he refuses to admit that he finds them scary out of spite.

SELF CONFIDENCE LEVEL. For the most part, it is pretty comparable to the self confidence level he had as an innocent, wildly curious teenager, and is a thousand percent better than when he was experiencing the complete lack of self esteem that came with the depression of his very early twenties. He still wrangles with moments of issues of self worth and blaming himself for things that he is slowly becoming to terms with being the result of other people’s problems instead of his own, but they are at least only on very few occasions. Saying he necessarily loves himself would really likely come down to who he is present with at the time, because in some circumstances he believes saying such a thing would lead to him being punished for reasons he might not be able to explain.

VULNERABILITIES. Expressing his feelings to people. He spends a lot of energy dreading the possibilities that can occur by him being anything but kind and happy around the people in his life. He takes no pride in thinking that he’d some way be passing on his troubles onto another person, thus making them take on part of his low as they go about their own day. Logically, he knows that the likelihood of someone physically striking him for expressing his emotions are low, but internally he knows why that sense of fear is there in the first place. He’d rather be a person who is openly loved and feels internally than be someone who feels openly and is not loved at all. It is very telling of his complete trust in another person when he cries around them.

[historic-old-guard-lover]

The emperor has to be god-king Andy. Also like since nicky and Joe obv have to have the lovers why not have andy and quyhn kissing as the empress.

Another related ask (potentially by the same person):

Also since the fool is a journey's beginning I'd almost want to pick Nile for it. As well there are four characters who commonly have swords (or an axe but close enough) and cards have four corners. So one sword each corner, nicky, joe, andy, and quyhn.

So. Someone has good ideas. Here’s the post that prompted these asks. This made me pull out my tarot deck and go through the cards. Below the cut is a break down of the entire tarot deck. There will be an explanation of the (standard) interpretation of the cards, good then less good, and then my associated headcannon (or more than one if I couldn’t decide). The source is my experience with tarot. I’m trying to minimize repeats, but historic and modern Old Guard members are counted separately. Enjoy.

The Major Arcana (aka the cards most people have heard about)

0. The Fool - the seeker. Naivety. Courage. Living in the moment. Journey’s beginning. All paths available. Folly. Apathy.

Nile. Anon convinced me. Though Booker has got the folly, apathy, and madness down, Nile is ultimately the beginning. She’s naïve but headstrong, and quite frankly a perfect match.

I. The Magician - the trickster. Power, skill, talent. Mastery, self-control, willpower. Subtlety. Divine connection and inspiration. Self-reliant.

Modern Nicky. Definitely Nicky. Just. He’s a formerly very religious man who just says these things. Also sniper.

II. The High Priestess - the moon goddess. Intuition, wisdom, foresight, divination, prophecy. Enlightenment, understanding, intelligence, education. Pride, emotional instability, unforgiving.

Historic Quynh. Her name means “night-blooming flower”, which is very moon goddess vibes to me. Also, I’d say over 500 years in a box turns understanding and enlightenment into emotional instability and unforgiveness.

III. The Empress - the queen. Feminine power, matriarch, mother. Fertility, pleasure, beauty. Success, evolution, movement. Marriage, wealth. Overattachment, domestic upheaval, delay.

Quynh. The counterpart to Andy’s emperor card.

Nile. Let’s be honest, she’s going to take over from Andy some day.

IV. The Emperor - the king. Masculine power, patriarch, father. Authority, leadership, proficiency. Wealth, stability, effectiveness. Perseverance, logic, endurance, experience. Lack of ability, weak character, immature, rebellious.

Modern Andy. She is the leader who’s short-comings effect her entire team. And who doesn’t love a little gender bending? (and her film look is already soft butch)

V. The Hierophant - the religious leader. Tradition, convention, ritual symbolism. Ceremony, religion, morality, philosophy. Mercy, goodness, forgiveness, humility, vulnerability, Impotence, Religious tyranny.

Historic Nicky. I mean, former priest (enough said).

Historic Andy. “I was once worshipped as a god” (enough said).

VI. The Lovers - the lovers. Love, attraction. Compatibility, harmony, choice.  Triumph over trials, vacillation. Entanglement, enmeshment. Infidelity, moral lapse, vice, separation, quarrels, inadequacy, failing tests.

Andromaquynh. *peeks out from behind barricade* I know that most people would just put Kaysanova as this card, but look at all the negatives it is associated with. Sounds a lot more like our immortal wives can really cover the gamut. They have the range....I am a sucker for Kaysanova, though. Even though the beginning of their relationship is rocky, I’d like to think it’s been fairly constant over the years. But let’s reverse the uhaul lesbians and fickle gay men tropes! Sorry, Book of Nile fans. That ship just isn’t established enough for this, I’d say. Maybe one day?

VII. The Chariot - the journey. Ordeal, obstacles, competition. High stakes, ambition, discipline. Conquest, victory, greatness. Right action prevails, overwhelming odds, sudden defeat.

Merrick and/or Dr. Kozak. I mean, this is literally their characters in a nutshell. Merrick is the journey/ordeal for the old guard. He is driven by his ambition, thinks he’s won over impossible odds, and then has a sudden defeat.

VIII. Justice - the balance. Equilibrium, equality, symmetry, harmony. Integrity, honor, fairness, neutrality, moderation. Vindication, self-righteousness, bigotry, prejudice, favoritism.

Nile. This is the woman with a sword card. She brings a balance to the team, she clearly moderates conflict, and I’d love to see BLM art of her in this style. Just sayin.

IX. The Hermit - the seeker-sage. Wisdom, inspiration, contemplation, discretion, understanding. Safety, protection, spiritual quest. Seeking truth and justice. Self-denial, timidity, fear.

Historic Joe. The idealized warrior poet? Definitely just a form of the hermit. Helps explain why a Magrebhi trader/artist fought at the Siege of Jerusalem: spiritual quest. I also like the idea of Joe having a secret reserved side.

X. The Wheel of Fortune - cycles of life. Destiney, evolution and progress, advancement. Manifestation, unexpected events. Success, sudden luck. Ups and downs.

Modern Quynh. There is nothing that better encapsulates her storyline than the wheel of fortune. One day you’re roaming the world with your immortal wife. The next, you’re drowning for over 500 years. The next you’re in Booker’s shitty Paris apartment.

XI. Strength - fortitude. Resilience, courage, resolve, confidence. Integrity, moral victory, endurance. Energy, action, vitality. Power, force, violence. Abuse of power, disgrace, impotence.

Lykon. Do I love this character beyong measure and reason? Maybe so. We have so little to go on about him, however, that the only things we do know bely his strengths. Also, he becomes ultimately the weakest when he dies and encapsulates both “extremes” of the card.

XII. The Hanged Man - the tested. Delay, sacrifice, abandonment, rejection. Betrayal. Reversals, restrained or bound, limbo, trials. Falseness.

Booker. If the fact that his first death was by hanging didn’t convince you? Read that description again. His character arc is literally working through being the hanged man.

XIII. Death - the loss or parting. Alteration, transformation, transition. Boredom, depression, stagnation, failure or disaster. Bereavement, recovery, immobility.

Lykon. He literally represents the fear of death to the remaining immortals. It is HE that they invoke when they discuss it. Also, I’m still mourning my favorite underdeveloped character.

XIV. Temperance - the moderation. Self-control, economy, patience, coordination. Consolidation, harmony, friendship, recuperation. Unfulfilled desires, discord, stubbornness, hostility, clashing of interests. Time, seasons, and climate.

A Safehouse. I don’t think any of the people really capture the tempered essence of this card, the constancy throughout all seasons of life. An actual physical building that rises and falls with (regular) humanity, though, seems to do the trick.

XV. The Devil - the arcane. Magic, strange occurrences, prophecy, fate. Catastrophe, downfall, negative attitude, Temptations, sins, obsessions. Enslavement, bondage, misplaced loyalty, violence, fatality.

Honestly? I’m so torn. I feel like a major commentary of the movie is that our demons are the way people react more so than the people themselves. Maybe the armored van?

XVI. The Tower - the House of God. Disruption, expulsion from an earthly paradise, divine wrath. Punishment (of pride), loss, destructive rivalry, plans ruined. Need to start again, bankruptcy.

The Iron Coffin. While this doesn’t capture the religious undertones quite right, the coffin is the Tower for Andromaquynh, It is (divine? or very human?) wrath brought on by pride since the two probably thought that they would be fine. It is loss and painful new beginnings.

XVII. The Star - the bright promise. Hope, faith, light of the spirit. Recovery, symbols of immortality. Gifts, good prospects, new dawn, frustrated expectations.

Nile. The new immortal, enough said.

Historic Andy/Lykon. In a way, the first immortal would also be a great choice of representation.

XVIII, The Moon - the hidden forces. Twilight, illusion, deception, trickery. Dishonesty, danger, uncertainty, terror. Developments, particularly somewhat concealed. Errors, powerful feelings.

Copley. I know, I know. “He’s the moon when I’m lost in darkness” and all that jazz. But look at this card’s interpretation and notice it’s pretty negative. Copley’s entire role is to pull the strings behind the scenes. He makes headway on problems in secrets, he lies and deceives everyone in the film at some point.

XIX. The Sun - the work’s rewards. Daylight, co-creation, union “of male and female”. Peace, joy, pleasure, love, contentment. Accomplishment, achievement, success. 

Joe. Not only is he the sun, he also fits this card perfectly. He is creation and happiness. Enough said.

XX Judgement - the rebirth. Judgement, sentence. Rejuvenation, renewal, resurrection, call to the new from the old, rehabilitation. Creation, promotion.

Historic Booker. I feel like his backstory with his family helped highlight the theme of rebirth for the Old Guard. They must be willing to give up what they have left behind to move forward. Also, there’s the more literal play as well since Booker was a conscripted criminal.

XXI The World - the long journey. Perfection, completion, conclusion. Power through intelligence and wisdom. The universe and the material world.

A group photo, of course! Beyond that? Who knows.

Historic Andy? She’s seen so much of it. Like just her eyes portray the history of the world.

The Minor Arcana (aka the rest of the cards)

Since most people are only familiar with the major arcana,  I’ll just briefly explain it. The minor arcana are actually the majority of a tarot deck. There are four suits associated with the four elements. Each suit has ten number cards and four court/face cards (traditionally modelled either based on one person or different interpretations of similar costuming). Each number or face has its own meaning, each suit has its own meaning, and their combination mostly explains what the card should be interpreted as. Quite frankly, the minor arcana are vastly underrated in popular understandings of tarot.

Suit of Wands - fire. Spontaneity, action, passion, adrenaline, life force, stroke of genius.

Guns? It’d be a bit of a niche take, but I associate guns with fires.

Staffs? More traditional in shape.

Suit of Coins - earth. Solid growth, material interests, possessions, profit, business, labor, slow and considerate.

Historic currency. Enough said.

Suit of Cups - water. Heartfelt involvements, imagination, spirituality, love, friendship, family.

Fountains around the world. Enough said.

Suit of Swords - air. Worry, trouble, boundaries, objectivity, the power of truth.

Obviously, their weapons of choice. I would go into more detail about who best represents each number, but I don’t want to bore you.

Court of Kings - mature men. Leaders, authority, status-quo, taking responsibility.

Again, most tarot is very gendered. But members in tuxes?

Court of Queens - mature women. Reflective and active, concerned with security/foundations, supportive, focused.

Members in dresses/gowns/anything that glitters?

Court of Knights/Cavaliers - young men. Dynamic, adventurous, intensive, revolutionary.

Tactical gear. Or historical armor. But it’s easier to do tactical gear right than accidentally draw a 15th century helmet on a 14th century suit of armor.

Court of Knaves/Pages - younger women, teenagers, and children. Students, apprentices, trainees, messengers, new opportunities.

Casual clothes.

[babyybitchhh]

Thotty Thursday: Part 2

The second installment of Thotty Thursday is upon us. Rejoice, heathens!

Now, let me just say that I’m picking dudes at random while trying to keep things balanced between old shows and new ones but ... y’all really bout to notice some patterns the more we do this so I’m just gonna wait for someone to call me out tbh. 😰

FYI, I like to think of myself as an equal opportunist thirster and if a dude is hot then he’s hot. I’m not one to question this shit. But when you get right down to it I have like four types: high IQ smarty pants, dummy thicc, dad and bad boy bastard. Our next snack belongs in the last category, without question.

He’s honestly prettier than me and that is not an exaggeration but don’t let his good looks fool you

This Arabian Nights styled dime piece has a mean streak a mile wide. Because of Reasons, ofc, but that don’t change the facts

Not only did he once punch a child in the face for no other reason than to assert his dominance (fact) he also pretended to cry in front of the person he hates most just to laugh about how they fell for his (flawlessly executed) act

He honestly may or may not have a few screws loose but that’s part of the appeal, you see. It adds a dash of spice to the meal

And you know what they say about crazy bitches in bed 😏

Full disclosure, I started reading Magi: Labyrinth of Magic before the anime aired and his name was originally translated as Judal so that’s what he’s always going to be in my mind. The official translation is Judar, and I respect that, but at the end of the day I do not know her

Judar who?

Can I also just take a moment to point out that gloriously long, thick braid he’s sporting tho

This man has hair for days and there’s just something I find incredibly attractive about that

I want to take it all down and carefully comb through it, play with it and style it again 

Really show him the attention he deserves

If he decided to suffocate me with it, well, I guess I wouldn’t complain about that either

Now, the setting alone had my interest PIQUED right out the gate because I love Middle Eastern inspired aesthetics and I truly don’t think it’s utilized as a setting half as much as it deserves to be. It’s very beautiful imo and the anime team did a pretty good job of capturing that vibe but if I’m being honest I think the manga was better (up to a point)

However there ain’t nothing quite like seeing your man move on screen or hearing his voice with your own two ears and when I say Judal put on a show each time he showed up ... 🥵

I think I can safely say my pussy clenched whenever I got so much as a whiff of him possibly making an appearance, PHEW

He’s just so pretty and mean

My favorite combo tbh

“But why do you like mean boys so much 🤔?” You ponder aloud and my answer to that is “I don’t know. I just do.”

Judal gets my kitty purring for a variety of reasons but the biggest is probably that I can’t look at him without imagining myself as his feisty little slave girl, wearing nothing but sheer silk and delicate gold chains, completely at his mercy ...

Oops, did I say that out loud? 😳

I mean, can you really blame me when he’s running around in those baggy harem pants though?? Can you really???

So the first thing you probably thought was: damn. This guy kinda dressed like a thot 👀

And you’re not wrong

Does he HAVE to dress like that? Strictly speaking, no. But I am definitely not complaining about his fashion choices

His titties are so close to popping out of that tiny little shirt that we’d be getting nip slips left, right and center if he had any more meat on his bones than that and trust me when I say he did that shit on purpose

This boy is SUCH a fucking tease and he loves the attention it gets him - first and foremost because he’s used to being the CENTER of attention but we’ll get more into that a little bit later

Hes just a tad 👌 narcissistic, loves to show off, definitely bipolar and is in a constant state of feeling himself so he’s hitting all his marks as far as I’m concerned

In short, he’s perpetually oozing big dick fuck boy energy and I live for it

That’s why he’s always showing up with that stank ass attitude, he knows damn well he can pull the baddest bitch around AND her man too

He’d fuck you and your boyfriend at the same time just to prove a point, that’s actually how petty he is

Honestly though I’d like to see ANYbody maintain their resolve when he’s laying on the charm and Judal’s just cruel enough to do it for shits and giggles

Probably wakes up in the middle of his sprawling imperial bed at two in the afternoon and says something like “damn, I need a little pick me up today” and then proceeds to manipulate and harass his lucky unfortunate victim of choice

He’s relentless too and will stop at absolutely nothing to get what he wants, even if that means breaking you in the process

Again, I like the challenge he represents

But also I just like a man who can make me cry 🤷‍♀️

And I don’t doubt he absolutely would. Tears probably turn him on tbh and I’m positive he’s got a bit of a yandere streak too

Are y’all seeing those patterns yet??

So did you guys notice that wand he keeps twirling around like a goddamn baton?

He’s a magic user, or in this case a magi which means he’s literally at the top of the food chain in this universe

He’s special special

Every ounce of confidence he has is rightfully deserved and even tho he’s not the strongest per say, he IS extremely powerful and his destiny as a magi is to influence the world

THE WHOLE ASS WORLD YA’LL

That’s why he’s got such a big fucking ego

I promise these aren’t major spoilers, so you don’t have to worry about that

When he was still a (too precious for words) child, he was abducted by an evil cult so that they could manipulate him and use his powers to influence shit in a bad way. The exact details of what they did to him are hazy, but based on the snippets we did get it seems like they basically put Judal on a pedestal and raised him as if he were some kind of god or a king

I’m talking waiting on him hand and foot, giving him whatever he wanted, essentially worshiping him and using persuasive mind control magic to convince him that he’s the best thing to happen since sliced bread

And it worked

Can you tell exactly how fucked up this kid is right now

Keep in mind here that I’m not saying his screwed up personality isn’t the result of some seriously bad mojo

Magi are supposed to be what tips the scales of fate in this setting which, generally, means for the betterment of the world and this whack ass cult pointedly steered him down a path he otherwise would not have gone

But it’s this tragic past of his that really brings the whole package together

He could be a mean pretty boy for no other reason than because he wants to and I’d still drop into a split on his cock

I like mean for the sake of mean too

It’s just that knowing what made him the way he is gives us the perfect amount of insight to truly feel sympathetic despite all the bad shit he has done and will continue to do

Personally, it makes me want to be the one to show him genuine, tender affection no matter how much he’s initially appalled by the mere suggestion so in a lot of ways it’s similar to how I feel towards Hiei

But that doesn’t mean I want him to change and start being n - 🤢 start being nice - 🤮

He’s perfect just the way he is and there’s just something about big, confident egos that gets me going like little else

And Judal seems to truly believe he’s the greatest gift the world has ever received and he’s not wrong about that imo so yeah he definitely has an attitude problem

But that also means he’s a spoiled brat tho and he’s definitely one of those dudes who needs to be dommed on occasion to really get the full experience 👀

I am not too shy to pin him down and milk his cock for all it’s worth, that is all I’m saying fam

And can I just point out how breathtakingly gorgeous he’d look all flushed and sweaty, whimpering like a needy little bitch in heat while having his prostate relentlessly teased for hours on end?

Goodness, it suddenly got HOT in here, is that just me??? 💦

Ofc the only way that’s gonna happen is if he allows it - which I don’t see being a common occurrence - but that’s why you gotta take advantage of that shit when it does 👀

On the topic of Judal being spoiled, I want to mention that there are actually TWO very different backdrops that I can thot around with him in, and I like that

There’s the fantasy Middle East setting ofc which I personally can’t get enough of

I’m wearing the slave girl Leiah outfit in my mind right now btw

But he also spends a lot of time in this worlds version of ancient China complete with all the dramatic robes and elegant architecture to really set the mood

He has an entire imperial palace on lock and if that doesn’t get you even a little bit horny then idk what to tell you

The royal family for the most part treats him like one of their own despite not being related in any way, if that tells you exactly how much clout he pulls in this setting, and even tho they’re essentially using him for their own gain Judal doesn’t seem to mind it one bit

He likes being at the top and having the freedom to do whatever he wants so if that means doing a little dirty work for the Kou Empire then so be it

And I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be a ride or die on these little errands

Like, just imagine this pretty boy pulling up to you on his flying carpet (that’s not a joke or something I just pulled out of my ass btw) and asking if you want to come back to his crib for some fun

You say yes, because you might be a thirsty slut but you’re certainly not STUPID

And he straight up takes you to a fucking palace

Be honest with me guys, how fast do the panties come off tho?

Be real with me here

This is actually just the plot of Aladdin but with the gender roles reversed 🤣

Fr fr though, A Whole New World plays softly in the back of my mind every time I think about this dude, except it’s much darker and ... explicit 😏

But my point here is that Judal’s got basically everything he could ever possibly want so he really just needs a pretty little concubine at his side to complete the picture

And I dead ass feel like it should be ME

When I say this man could get it ....

OOF

He is TROUBLE in its purest form and I regret nothing about my choice in fictional men

Absolutely nothing

He could honestly fuck me up seven ways to Sunday and I’d thank him for the honor

Spit on me, king. Please. I don’t need nothing else to sustain me

Unless you want to throw some of that choice dick in for free? 👀

Lord  have MERCY

[everydayhybridity]

Re-entry Culture Shock: Pedestrian Crossings Revisited.

Recently I returned to the UK to take up a new post. It is my first time living back in England in twenty years. In essence things are enormously familiar. I returned to my home country, my home county and the area in which I grew up. I know my way around, I have strong memories of many of the places I pass by and visit. I am also a fluent not only in the language, but also the vernacular and local idioms. Yet I continue to experience various elements of culture shock. What is more rightly referred to as re-entry shock when one returns to their home setting after years abroad.

Yesterday morning I had a distinct moment of this shock when my car was stopped by a Lollipop Lady. Essentially a British Crossing Guard. Children crossed from one side of the road to another while she stood in the middle of the road with her Lollipop sign up commanding the traffic to stop.

I was bemused by the sight which seemed entirely foreign. It was a quaint situation and one I had not witnessed in at least twenty years. It seemed at odds with the road rules I had become familiar with and normalised to in Hong Kong. Yet, one of my earliest posts on this blog tackled the issue of a Zebra crossing in Hong Kong’s Lai Tak Tsuen estate.  Like the Lollipop crossing a Zebra crossing relies on drivers to defer to the needs of pedestrians, and not the traffic system of lights. I noted how it was uncommon for Hong Kong drivers to respect the rules of the Zebra crossing, seldom stopping if people were waiting to cross.

The civic duty of the pedestrian crossing has been proposed by Ghassan Hage as a social gift. This had all become quite foreign to me and I have spent the last day dwelling on it. This was underlined this morning once more when I failed to stop at a Zebra crossing. I only realised afterwards that three teenage girls were waiting for the traffic to stop and I simply saw an empty crossing and proceeded. I had once been so smug about my attention to these crossings in Hong Kong, yet I appear to have changed. Would I now still stop at the Lai Tak Tsuen crossing?

What was perhaps the most odd thing about my encounter with the Lollipop Lady was the contradiction it created in my mind. Firstly I was struck by the unusual scenario, then I was surprised to recall my own vivid memories of being a child walking to school and chatting daily to the Lollipop Man who provided safe passage to my primary school. In short, something I had grown up with now seemed out of place. The gendered term also struck me as peculiar, ‘Lollipop Lady’ seemed at once perfectly correct and yet antiquated. 

This rather banal episode is just one of a series of re-entry shocks I have had. Naively I thought I was prepared for them. I had seen it happen to many friends over the years. I reminded myself in advance that this was no longer the country I left shortly after the turn of the century. I am now able to report that this reassurance was rather poor preparation. There is a good deal of research that makes reference to ‘re-entry shock’ and ‘reverse culture shock’. These works refer to students returning home after a year abroad, expatriates returning ‘home’ after years abroad, and ‘Third Culture Kids’ settling in the country of their parent’s birth. In one article the term was even used to refer to IT workers re-entering the job market after the completion of a project. 

The re-entry shock is well documented from novels to Facebook groups that offer support. But at its heart the issue is about hybridity and the tension between the exotic and the banal. People are more apt to prepare for a journey to somewhere new and align themselves for novelty. Yet, they don’t expect an adventure on a return to familiarity. Return deceives in its promise of the familiar and the consistent. 

What my brief foray into the literature on ‘re-entry shock’ highlights is the validity of Bauman’s Liquid Modernity in which re-entry is just as much an issue for the career expatriate as it is for the temporary contract worker. It is relevant to all of us navigating a changing society with new rules about recycling, health and safety, bureaucratic policies, gender, and social distancing. In some measures my shock at seeing the Lollipop lady is congruent with a changing Britain. I learned there were many transformations for Lollipop men and women in recent years. One report about their new role as lookouts for domestic abuse, and another report about their dwindling numbers. Modern Britain and its austerity policies have meant local councils have cut funding to Lollipop workers. 

So much like the student returning from a year abroad, and the workers adapting to being furloughed, we are all in a constant state of re-entry.

[jlf23tumble]

Ooooh yes please do an alpha harry rec post ! If you have time and you feel like it of course :)

Helllllllo, and I’m taking a break from annoying job applications to fulfill something I never figured anyone following this blog would ask for, but I *do* have my favorites!!! Here are some outstanding alpha Harry fics for you (and please note, one of the absolute best by @littlelouishiccups is in the midst of HOPEFULLY being reinstated; it’s not here only because it was deleted, and not by the author, argh, but when it’s back, I would absolutely put it on this list). Enjoy!

Into Always, by jaerie, louis/harry, 4k, E. Harry finds his ex's knotting dildo and gets a little curious. Louis is more than willing to help out. (a/a, my girl jaerie’s so notorious I can’t even tag her here, but yeah, some toy-related gorgeousness)

Soft Like Circles Strong Like Squares, by disarm_d, louis/harry, 4.7k, E. The producers took a risk putting an alpha in the group, but alpha exposure in the media had been increasingly trendy and Harry was sweet for an alpha. They always said it like that -- sweet for an alpha. Polite for an alpha. Smart for an alpha. (a/o, per request of @setsailtomorrow, and she’s not wrong, but ouch, that ending)

violence of my own touch, by 14hrflight/ @silverfoxlouis, louis/harry, 5k, E. Harry’s rut had ended a few days ago, and Louis had kept him under as best as he could. (a/a, plus some gender and dom drop, SO GOOD, I hope they keep writing this one!)

Woke Up Feeling Knotty, by jaerie, louis/harry, 7.9k, E. Beta Louis has a kink for knotting and the secret aesthetic porn blog he runs about it is more than proof. When he accidentally finds out his alpha best friend Harry is one of his biggest fans, he knows he has to come clean. (b/a, godddd, do I love camboy fics)

Only One at the Finish Line, by objectlesson/ @alienfuckeronmain, louis/harry, 9k, E. “I want to be another alpha’s omega,” is what he says, and it comes out like something reckless, something wild. (a/a, part of the fantastic @1dgayboficfest, nobody nails prom angst like Phoenix!)

Louis/Harry Role Reversal series, by orphan_account, louis/harry, 10k, E. Harry doesn't like the things that most alphas do. (a/o, a lot of ideas packed into this entire series, like the collaring/claiming)

With love comes strange currencies, by mediaville, louis/harry, 16k, E.  He can move to Costa Rica and forget that Harry Styles popped his first knot inside him. Until then, he's going to have to deal with this. (a/o, i’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I’m such a sucker for canon a/b/o)

here i am (stuck in the middle with you), by yeahloads/ @harryseyebrows, nick/harry, 18k, E. Harry's a little lost. Nick helps him find his way. (a/a, and another one from that fantastic fic fest, kinda ouch, given the rip gryles status)

Constant Debauchery, by blake/ @newleafover, louis/harry, 19k, E. He’s shaken to the core, even though he shouldn’t be. For so many reasons, he shouldn’t be. But this is the moment that he realizes what he’s known, on some level—what he has smelled—all night. Harry is an alpha. (a/a, distant sound of muffled screaming, THIS STORY, too bad we’ll never get a sequel, sobbbbbb)

Just Let Me series, by @helloamhere, louis/harry, 19k, E. Looking back on it, Louis could divide the whole tour into before and after. (a/o, listen, I love a series, but I think about part two at least once per quarter, the cinematic scenery of that party!!)

Alpha Louis/Alpha Harry series, by 14hrflight/ @silverfoxlouis, louis/harry, 22k, E. Louis is an alpha and so is Harry, but Louis helps him through his rut anyway. (a/a, GOD, is this a great series, college AU, really gets into the particulars of what a/a is)

Amor Victorious, by HappyPrincess/ @pattern-pals, louis/harry, 38k, E. They're definitely not like other tourists and he definitely doesn't have a crush on his best friend who happens to be an alpha, too. (a/a, who’s gonna help me form this prayer circle to encourage Nina to write again slash fight shitty commenters??)

A/B/O ‘Verse, by sarcasticfluentry, louis/harry, 71k, E. Harry frowns, thinking that he shouldn’t have to be glad about what gender he is, just like omegas shouldn’t have to be scared and nervous that anyone they meet might want to hurt them. He wonders why none of this occurred to him before, how he possibly could’ve just sailed through life before this without realizing how fortunate he was being born a beta. That seems a bit too serious of a conversation for Simon Cowell’s waiting room, though. (a/o, SPOILER, he isn’t a beta, and CHRIST, do i love this author’s writing in general and here in particular, gimme that sweet, sweet canon a/b/o, I want to relive tour moments through alpha/omega eyes, plus mpreg!)

[the-beskar-alchemist]

All you Billy haters preaching about toxicity, yet you conveniently leave out the part where you more than likely participated in other fandoms featuring "toxic" characters that were given ample redeeming arcs and eventually became better people.

Daryl Dixon? From the very beginning he was established as a racist bully who seemed like he was not above getting violent with a woman. He and his brother were planning on robbing the other survivors, he defended his racist brother who beat the shit out of a minority character, and he came close to hitting Carol. Now he's a beloved character who people obsessively hope will get together with Carol.

Dean Winchester? I love my dorky hunter, but let's be real, he was initially prejudiced towards ANYTHING supernatural (usually prior to any incriminating evidence, or lack thereof), and he had absolutely NO PROBLEM punching his brother when he was upset. Now he's a hero with sentimental relationships with various supernatural entities, and he's learned to use his words more than his fists when it comes to a disagreement between himself and his family.

Sherlock Holmes? You can argue that his social handicap was to blame, but let's be real.....half the time he knew EXACTLY what he was doing when he made snide comments or put his friend's personal lives on blast. He was smart enough to know that his words could be hurtful, it was just easier to hide behind his status as a "fully functioning sociopath". Let's also not forget that he committed treason against his own country (and his brother) because he was too wrapped up in his own selfish goal. Granted he eventually learned how to balance empiricism with sentiment, but not before he caused a number of problems.

Tony Stark? Love my sassy tech geek, but he was definitely a work in progress. Narcissistic, no regard for the role he played in another person's personal life, self-absorbed, and often callus. It took being held prisoner and tortured before he finally saw the truth about his role in the world, and how much influence he had in other people's lives. Now he's a beloved hero who sacrificed himself to save the universe.

My main point? Each of these characters were given a genuine opportunity to learn how to be better people. Sometimes it's trial and error, but the bottom line is someone was showing them a better way.

The song "Jim's Theme" from Treasure Planet sums it up perfectly:

And how can you learn what's never shown?

Yeah you stand here on your own

They don't know me

Cause I'm not here

Until Billy is given a proper chance to LEARN, until someone steps in and teaches him to be better, and shows him that he has value outside of his degree of usefulness to others, he's not going to be redeemed. But if no one steps up to take on that responsibility, then what? Should he be left to his fate because it's more convenient?

Billy grew up in a violent household, he's been conditioned into thinking that aggressive behavior is normal and that obedience is mandatory. His only parental influence for so many years was an abusive father. He's become an extension of his father's personality, and he hates himself for continuing the cycle, but he has no idea how to break it.

Let us also keep in mind that his attempt at getting any level of maternal affection involves some Freudian bullshit where a middle-aged woman only shows interest because she's a bored housewife who is excited about the possibility of riding a teenager's dick. Billy's been led to think this shit is normal and Karen Wheeler gets off scott-free because she's a woman and women can't be sexual predators right? If she was half as smart as she thinks she would've seen right through that facade.

But if the genders were reversed, and it was Mr. Wheeler and his buddies checking out Heather......you all would've lost your goddamn minds. But since Billy is a boy than it's not that bad.

Also.....she fucking enabled her middle-aged friends to ogle a teenage boy.....just let that sink in for a moment.

We stans are not romanticizing abusive behavior, we're looking past the exterior to get to the root of the problem. We see Billy for what he truly is: scared and in constant pain.

Side note: Hes not a goddamn racist, the evidence does not support, and no I will not take constructive criticism because most of you are just fixated on a hollow argument because that is your ONLY argument.

[seriouslycromulent]

Initial Thoughts on The Witcher (Season 1) -- Yes, spoilers below

So I finally finished my binge of the first season of The Witcher. Thankfully, most of the spoiler images I saw on Tumblr didn’t really give away much of the story -- perhaps because a lot of you are only watching to see Henry’s body. Oh well, to each their own. 

I’m not going to review the entire series, but I’ll simply share my initial impressions. Warning: I have neither played the video game nor read the books, so I’m coming into this as a full-fledged newbie. 

Also, these are random and in no particular order:

I have no idea what voice Henry is using to play Geralt, but it took some time getting used to it. A part of me couldn’t help but laugh when I first heard him speak, but after an episode or two, I got past it. I’m not sure why he went the Christian-Bale-as-Batman route to sound so menacing. He doesn’t really need to do anything to make himself sound intimidating with an American accent. His voice is pretty intimidating as is.

After watching all 8 episodes, I can fairly say that my favorite fight scene is the one from the first episode between Geralt and Renfri’s men in Blaviken. I don’t know why, but there’s something about the way they shot that fight that made it come across as more artistically fluid. It wasn’t just brutality and efficiency at work. It had a kind of artful approach that made me wish more of the fight scenes were shot that way.

So, um, yeah. I’m slow. It took me until the banquet episode (Ep. 4) to fully recognize that they weren’t telling the story in order. I’m sure plenty of others caught on much faster than I did, or learned of it through the press tour for the series or spoilers, but I was unaware. No complaints though. I’m just surprised at how long it took me to realize that each main character’s story isn’t happening at the same time. Well done.

I wish we had a chance to see Geralt interact with Renfri more. I found her character far more interesting than some of the other characters that were given more screen time, but maybe that’s a self-fulfilling issue. Perhaps if she had been afforded more screen time, I might not have thought she was so interesting after all. 

I’m a big fan of esoteric spirituality and the supernatural, so The Witcher technically is right up my alley in terms of subject matter, but I found it left me wanting more interactions with the supernatural characters overall. Sure, you have a lot of info on the mages and the Brotherhood, but oddly, precious little info on the Witchers and their society. I suppose part of that is because Witchers are so tight-lipped about themselves anyway, and people are scared to death of them (sometimes). Maybe this is the series' way of saying that if you want to know more details, go read the books. Fair point.

My favorite episodes were Ep. 3 - “Betrayer Moon” (the one about the Striga) and Ep. 6 - “Rare Species” (the one about the Dragon). I told you I like the supernatural, so of course, I identify each episode by the creature highlighted in it. 😊

I really appreciated the complexity of the storyline in Episode 3. It had more twists and turns to it than most of the other episodes, and nothing you were told about in the beginning was the truth by the middle, and had completed changed again by the end. Plus, the townspeople, their ruler, and their mage all had a level of detail to them you wouldn’t normally expect for characters who won’t show up again for a while in the story. I appreciated that. I like it when storytellers don’t underestimate their audience, and are willing to create tales that aren’t written for audiences who want everything to be written for an 8-year-old.

I liked Yennefer better when she wasn’t whining about her life all the time. To be fair, she complained a lot in the beginning, but she had plenty to justify it. But after she got the life she wanted, and it turned out to not be as perfect as she’d hoped, she just kept kvetching about her lot in life and the way of the world. She had 10 times more freedom than the average woman alive on the continent, but she never seemed satisfied. She only made me miss Renfri more.

And I’m just going to say it: Henry Cavill and Anya Chalotra don’t have a lot of romantic chemistry. I think they played well off of each other in terms of equals in the story, and I bought that Geralt and Yennefer cared about each other. But when it came to sexual and romantic chemistry, I just wasn’t feeling it. Maybe it’s because Geralt is so stolid. Unless he’s punching Jaskier, slicing people’s throats, or is deliriously angry at the memory of his mother, I assume he’s in a constant state of indifference. That may make it harder to convey affection within the tone of the story. Either way, whenever they were sharing a moment, my thoughts wandered and wondered about Ciri’s storyline or something else. 

Geralt is clearly not a cuddler either. 😏 I've never seen 2 people so far apart after sex in a TV series unless one is a prostitute.

I loved the reveal at the end regarding Geralt’s location when the Nilfgaard attacked the city. 

Yennefer also pissed me off when she yelled at Geralt, claiming he was refusing to take responsibility for his child because it was clear she either wasn’t listening or refusing to understand what he said about his way of life being no place for a baby. As a witcher, the child would’ve been in constant danger. He was actually being incredibly responsible by allowing the child to grow up with her family who could provide for her and keep her safe. Ugh. I just wanted to smack Yen when she said that. 

On the flip side, I did like Yennefer’s moment where she “released her chaos” upon the Nilfgaard soldiers. That was pretty sweet. Although I couldn’t help but wonder how many of the Brotherhood would still be alive if she had been told to stop bottling her chaos when the fight first began.

I also like the juxtaposition of the leading woman of the series is the one fighting a massive battle in the final episode of season 1, and the leading man of the series is navigating a much smaller one, fighting delirium while being laid up with an injury, and experiencing a family moment. Well played in the reversal of gender roles.

Happy to hear the series was picked up for another season because I was kind of ticked off with them leaving us hanging like that in the end. Just saying.

One last thing: I liked it any time Geralt said, “F*ck.” No explanation. I just liked it. 😁

OK. That’s it. Sorry if I ruined anything for anyone by spoiling it for you, but I did warn you in the headline to the post. I’ll likely go back and watch my favorite episodes multiple times, so forgive me if you see me sharing gifs from Ep. 3 and Ep. 6 repeatedly here. And well, Ep. 1 because ... you know ... Renfri. 😏

[storm-driver]

Hi! Do you have any writing tips for Roxas and Ventus? :D

I am about to bash heads in with this, you might wanna sit down.

I’m known to be particularly brutal when it comes to analysis and judgement of others’ works, so asking for my advice might lead to me being very harsh about it. I also just typed up a bit of shit and one misclick on my keyboard deleted literally all of and I’m PISSED the fuck off at Tumblr for not having an AUTO SAVE FEATURE ON POSTS. But whatever here we go

I’d qualify this as a character’s study, because that’s honestly what I’m doing. I’m gonna cite to you my character studies for Roxas and Ventus. I’ve spent literal days analyzing their archetypes and who they are as people. And all I’m gonna do is cite it. Below the cut because oof I got a LOT TO SAY

Ventus is one character I see people get half right and half wrong in their fan works. Many characterize him as a bubbly and upbeat, naive child with hardly a copious sense of what it means to be the kind of child warrior that he is. A Mary Sue, to use a term. And to an extent, Ventus can seem very Mary-Sue-like, being such a young person and such a caring and, at times, gullible child.

In the story of BBS, we see Ventus progress through the worlds in search of his friend, deliberately defying his Master’s wishes in the process. When he finds out one of his friends, Aqua, was only out looking for them to drag them home, he called her an awful person. From the moment he met Vanitas, he was flat out rude (though with reason).

Point being, even if Ventus’ heart is literally made from pure light, he is not a pure person. He makes mistakes. He has choices he regrets. He’s not happy with everything that’s ever happened. He has his dislikes, things that make him uncomfortable, things that he hates. He’s not a saint. He’s not without flaws. So in my honest opinion, he cannot be written without them.

One of Ven’s most defining character traits is his personality being a near polar opposite of Roxas’, the character whom he most resembles. Ventus is upbeat, he’s outgoing, he wants to see new places and meet new people. He wants to protect those people and he wants to call them his friends. And sometimes, that’s his downfall.

His overtly strong care for Terra, as his brother-in-training, led him to defy his Master and go out on his own. This led to Ven going about and protecting people from the “monsters” (Unversed) that plagued all the worlds. A good outcome, yes, but it led to Ven’s doubts about who Terra was and what he was capable of. And that led to a falling out in their friendship. To a point where Ven was so hurt by Terra not letting him come on the journey, Ven kept going just to find new friends. A hint of jealousy.

As the series has progressed, though, we find Ventus is acting a bit more mature after he woke up in KH3. When Aqua started to feel down that Terra was still missing, Ventus held his Wayfinder to the stars and assured her that they would be able to bring him home. A role reversal that showed how much Ven has grown as a person, given that it was usually Aqua, one of the most mature characters in the series, who would support Ven in his times of need.

All in all, Ventus remains a very kind-hearted person who I’d hope is still eager to make new friends. Though he’s matured just enough to realize that the world may be a bit more complicated than the black and white views that Eraqus taught him. I.E. When he told Vanitas that he didn’t ask to be split away, that their split didn’t define them. And you can visibly see Ventus get upset when Vanitas insists that all he is capable of being is darkness.

It’s such a strong sign of maturity that Ven also calmly accepts Vanitas’ answer. He doesn’t try to fight it like Sora does. He’s aware that he can’t change what some people think, and he just needs to live with it. Giving up on an argument, especially with someone as stubborn as Vanitas has shown to be, is an insanely strong sign of maturity that not a lot of characters show with such a collected grasp on the situation. Ventus knew exactly what he was saying. And that’s amazing growth from when he tried to argue with Terra and Aqua in BBS.

I would say he’s a kind person. Still a bit childish around the edges, as he’s shown he’s capable of being. But he isn’t quite a child anymore. He knows what he’s supposed to be, what Vanitas is supposed to be, and how this development affects him as a person. He’s very mature for his age, but still very caring. And maybe just a little naive.

Roxas, on the other hand, might feel like a polar opposite.

Consider first that Roxas is just over a year old. He’s almost as close as you can get to an infant in this series, besides the literal children Sora, Riku and Kairi from BBS. He probably doesn’t have a fantastic grasp on even the most simple concepts like gender or friendship. That second one should most especially be true to Roxas.

Something I tend to see people do very wrong when writing Roxas is making him emotionally driven by nothing but sheer anger. Yes, Roxas’ most defining trait is his remarkable ability to dual-wield, something he learned through the unbridled rage of watching his best friend die in his arms. But think about why he’s angry first and you start to unveil who Roxas really is.

First and foremost, he’s a tragedy of a character. Everything about his existence is tragic and leaves the viewer with strong pity and condolences for Roxas. He even pities himself and the fate he’s forced to face by end of KH2. Why, though, is it all so tragic? How come Roxas’ story hurts more than, say, Riku’s or Aqua’s?

Part of it comes back to Roxas being born a literal blank slate. He had no grasp on reality for an entire week after he was born. No sense of purpose, what was right and wrong, self-preservation or care for other things. He needed to be taught what all of that meant, and it was only after he made the mistake of following Xemnas and joining the Organization. It’s akin to a child being adopted and immediately put to work for the efforts of the homeowners. The child knows no better than to do so. Especially for Roxas, who has literally no memories or cohesion of who he is.

Furthermore, the person who taught him what it was to be alive, to be friends with others and to experience joy, ended up betraying his trust and flat-out lying to him for most of the time that they were friends. Axel may not have enjoyed lying to Roxas, but the point being that he did. And it gave Roxas trust issues from that point onward.

Now that’s not to say that Roxas isn’t capable of liking other people. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. We know that Roxas wants to be friends with others. In a way, it mimics Ventus’ wishes to make new friends, and maybe even has some deeper meaning to it. (We do know that Ventus’ heart was with Roxas for some time, so who knows, maybe it was overflow?) We know for a fact that Roxas would’ve liked very much to be friends with some kids he saw in Twilight Town. There’s even a point in the manga where Roxas says that he was jealous of their friendship.

Now I also wouldn’t put it past Roxas to be a little cold towards people. For someone who’s gone through as much tragedy as he has, he has a right to be cold. But it’s not like it was every random stranger’s fault that he had such a shitty start to his life. Roxas has shown he’s capable of being compassionate and kind to others, even to people he doesn’t know too well. I know the Roxas we met in the data Twilight Town wasn’t exactly genuine, but the little mini-games you did during his segment? Just proof that, if Roxas didn’t have his Hell of a life at the constant front, maybe he could’ve lived a bit more calmly. Been a helpful person around town and just an overall calm and chill person.

Of course, he probably has his gripes. I think he’d be playful and teasing with his friends. Maybe give Riku a cold look for that time he stole the munny pouch. Stare at Ventus oddly for a few seconds before realizing that it wasn’t a mirror he was looking at. But he wouldn’t be 99% anger and 1% “ice cream!” Everything Roxas has gone through doesn’t lead directly to rage mode 24/7, despite how much we as a community joke about it.

Roxas is a compassionate and loving person, but because of his numerous trust issues in the past, he might hold some friends closer than others. He can be nice to anyone he wants to, but only so few people know what Roxas is really like. He has a playful side, but he’s also capable of being very aggressive, stubborn-willed, and flat rude when he wants to be. He might even have a bit of a temper problem. But that doesn’t define him. He is Roxas, nobody else.

[wolfromtheisland]

Xantunsia Riveresiana - Monster Hunter

Sole Survivor

“I have to grasp it for all of you! I cant waste it! All our pain, our dreams, our regrets, fears, anger, sadness, I’m the only one left who can carry it! So a little more is nothing compared to all the happiness you lost! I’ll keep gathering it! I promise! “

Raised since the age of 5 on a monster infested island, Xantunsia has seen her fair share of death In fact, it seems to follow her and she had to come to terms with that a bit younger than most do.

Life didn’t get much easier after escaping that cursed place, but pushing through all the pain and loss, she buries herself in training to cope with her trauma and protect what she cares about, which just happens to be the world at times.

The young miqo’te has no memories before her airship crash that sentenced her to six years on that hellish land. With vicious Monsters she hasn't seen the equal of even in her current age roaming in hoards and her only allies being children as young as four, she learned to steel herself in the face of the death of allies. Or she tried rather, but each one was a dagger in the softhearted mewling. What she really learned was to cope with the pain of it. Besides the children, she did also have Leader, the only fully grown survivor on the island. Though he was cold and pragmatic, his instruction generally kept the most people safe. That was until the Calamity struck. In the wake of the Monsters rampaging about at that time, Leader was lost and Xantunsia took his place. She managed to even lead the few surviving children off the island and live a half decade with her modest little clan. But the specter of death would take that from her too, she would even argue she tore it apart with her own hands. It was in that state she would leave the wilds and arrive in civilization for the first time, if you can call Limsa Lominsa such a thing.

The Basics ––––

Age: 22(?)

Birthday: 26th Sun of the 1st Umbral Moon (A Date she chose randomly)

Race: Miqo’te : Keeper of The Moon

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Pansexual

Marital Status: Single

Crystal Data Center : Zalera

Physical Appearance ––––

Hair: What used to be a scruff shag of white hair, has been warped by exposure to feral aether and monster blood. Died golden by the energy of her Inner Beast and how often she released it, it was splashed red by the ample amounts of Monster blood she would get coated in. Eventually, it became even more red than gold. It also went from scruffy to very spiky, to the point it feels jelled almost and can prick unprepared hands. She has to tie it up just to keep  it under some semblance of control. 

Eyes: coincidentally like her hair, a golden color, but change blood red when enraged.

Height: 4″10′

Build: she has packed more muscle into her tiny frame than one would think humanly possible. deceptively petite clothed, she could handedly defeat even  a train Roegadyn in a test of strength with a body seemingly made on Tungsten Steel which is toned to match.

Distinguishing Marks: Though heavily scarred all over her body, they have mostly healed to the point of being barely noticeable without looking intently. Outside of that, most of her features are pretty eye catching in their own right. She also always has the scent of blood on her for those who can notice that.

Common Accessories: Not exactly forward on fashion, she typically simply chooses the accessories that have the most combat use. She does however glamour her accessories with certain ones that have been gifted to her by friends like the Namazu Necklace.

Personal ––––

Profession: Monster Hunter (more of a hobby but people pay her)

Hobbies: All forms of Craftiing and Gathering, Reading, Learning new information

Languages: Most Languages (And when she finds a new one, she studies it obsessively)

Residence: Wherever is a deemed a safe place to camp

Birthplace: ???

Religion: Agnostic

Patron Deity: Oschon, The Wanderer

Fears: Death, being weak or unprepared, something befalling those she cares about, the unknown

Relationships –––

Spouse: N/A

Children: Gilberti Rivesesiana (Son, Deceased?), Extorris Riveresiana (Daughter, Deceased), Vigilis Riveresiana (Daughter, Deceased) (Adopted and appointed children by Xantunsia, they are actually only a few years younger than her)

Parents: Leader Riveresiana (Father, Deceased) (Appointed Father by Xantunsia postmortem)

Siblings: Noir Panthere (Sister) (Adopted and Self-Appointed)

Other Relatives: The other 54 members of Riveresiana Clan (Deceased)

Pets: Clarent (Chocobo) Throw Pillow (Amaro) Coalumu (Ufiti), Arthur (Black Chocobo), Maggie (Magitek Armor), Parrie (Magitek Predator), Dekie (Magitek Deathclaw), Sqwiggles (Ahriman), Betty (Behemoth), Piko (Yol), Pointy (Unicorn)

Traits –––

* Bold your character’s answer.

Extroverted / In Between / Introverted

Disorganized / In Between / Organized

Close Minded / In Between / Open Minded

Calm  / In Between / Anxious

Disagreeable / In Between / Agreeable

Cautious / In Between/ Reckless

Patient / In Between / Impatient

Outspoken / In Between / Reserved

Leader / In Between / Follower

Empathetic / In Between / Apathetic

Optimistic / In Between / Pessimistic

Traditional / In Between / Modern

Hard-working / In Between / Lazy

Cultured / In Between / Uncultured

Loyal / In Between / Disloyal

Faithful / In Between / Unfaithful

Additional information ––––

Smoking Habit: Never Drugs: occasionally tests drugs on herself to build up resistances Alcohol: Socially (and to build up a resistance)

RP Hooks

✔ - Xantunsia’s main coping mechanism is training, which she is doing near constantly and is always up for joining in, having others come along with her’s, or learning new forms of training. On that note, Her main form of training is Monster Hunting. She’s always looking for stronger and stronger prey and if you need a Monster dead, she will never say no.

✔ - Due to her constant hunting, she always has the scent of blood on her, maybe this would catch your characters attention in some way good or bad (She has been attacked out of the blue by strangers because of this and is rather understanding about it, thinks it makes for good training!)

✔ - Xantunsia has mastered all forms of combat in her personal training, as well as healing, if you need a role filled or a job done, she will not withhold her help. conversely, if youre someone who would challenge such a person, she never says no.

✔ - Xantunsia doesn't have a location exactly she would call home, and her hunts and training have her effectively wandering constantly. Should she find herself in a new place, she may need some help, but the reverse can also be true

✔ - Her anxiety manifesting in a near perfect memory as well as obsessively collecting any information that may be even remotely usable for survivability or battle, Xantunsia loves little more than simply learning new things. You have some unique information, knowledge, or skills? You will likely have her attention.

✔ - The Main Scenario is also part of Xantunsia’s personal story. If the same can be said about you, then it’s likely she has met your character in some capacity (specifics such as “who is the Warrior of Light” or mentioning big events by character name such as “Haucherfaunt” are usual a bad idea for mixing characters that are also canon Warriors of Light. Typically it will just be passing references to such characters and not by name, and Xantunsia never refers to herself as The Warrior of Light anyway)

Player Information

The information on this page is not allowed to be used unless spoken about with me. Either on Tumblr, Discord or /tell.

I am okay with some mature content in RP, Xantunsia is a generally happy, even silly character despite her past but with major themes of ptsd and coping with death, she can fit well into most darker themes. Sexual themes however, she doesnt fit well with. Generally her experience with the darkness of the world is of a more forward brutal nature and she has no experience with such things. She doesnt even actually know where babies come from and assumes they all come from airship crashes. At most she can get into humorous moments where she doesnt understand when something sexual is attempted to be explained to her. I decided to keep her perpetually unaware of such topics mostly just because I find it funnier that way, but it does take serious situations involving sexual themes off the table.