#but like... GOSH. why is the standard for female characters: be perfect but not too perfect to be boring and be a badass but don't go

[dylanlila]

let's keep in mind that darcy is not the only character who needs to alter his ways in p&p ♡

[aeoki]

Made Me - Make You: Chapter 3

Location: Seisou Hall (Tetora, HiMERU, Arashi's Room) Characters: Tetora, Arashi, Jun & HiMERU

Arashi: (It seems it’s just girls who are talking about “Pretty Room” on social media.)

(The cafe was designed to be someplace everyone could comfortably enjoy, and Mayoi-chan and the others should’ve definitely liked it…)

(Sales are going well and my friend also said the current popularity is more than enough.)

(But I worked so hard to make it a cafe that would make everyone happy, so I feel like something’s lacking.)

(How can I make it so that everyone would want to visit it…?)

…………

HiMERU: …………

Narukami-san, you’re frowning. Your eyebrows might get frozen in place if you keep frowning like that.

Arashi: Huh?

Oh, gosh. And I’m always being careful of things like that.

Thanks for letting me know, HiMERU-chan. I should relax those muscles. *Rub, rub*

HiMERU: Skincare is important, but the root of the issue must be resolved, otherwise problems may continue to persist.

Arashi: The root of the issue…? HiMERU-chan, can I ask you for some advice?

I don’t think I can come up with a solution on my own.

HiMERU: Sure, I don’t mind. Speak your mind.

Tetora: I’m back~

Arashi: Oh? Welcome back, Tetora-kun.

Tetora: Osu! What’re you two doing?

Arashi: I’m just about to ask HiMERU-chan for some advice. Do you want to join us?

Tetora: Narukami-senpai, you’re asking for advice!? That’s serious. Lemme in on this too!

Arashi: Thanks. To tell the truth…

< Some time passes. >

Arashi: …And that’s the story. I’d like all the people who visit “Pretty Room” to enjoy the cafe since I’m the advisor.

And if I were to be a little more greedy, I’d also like more people to notice it.

HiMERU: Hmm… I know what is the root of your issue.

Can you show me a photo if you have one? I’d like to know what sort of cafe it is.

Arashi: Of course. I’ll send you two a photo on “Hallhands”.

HiMERU: Thank you. …Some may find it difficult to enter if the exterior is designed this way and if there are also a lot of female customers.

They might end up wondering if it’s really okay for them to step foot inside.

Arashi: I see… Come to think of it, I think I remember seeing some people peer in but ultimately leaving.

But that’s not everyone. Mayoi-chan, Tomoe-senpai and Jun-chan didn’t seem to have any issues.

HiMERU: Yes. That’s why I said “some”.

What do you think, Nagumo?

Tetora: Me? Hmm, I’ve never really cared about how a cafe looks.

If I had to say, I pay more attention to what food they have.

…Hmm? What’s this “Burning Heart Marshmallow Stew”? Look, it’s in the corner of the menu.

Arashi: It’s a cafe original dish. It’s apparently the manager’s hobby… The cafe has a lot of interesting items on the menu aside from the standard dishes.

It makes you curious and makes you want to order it, right?

Tetora: I see! How does it taste?

Arashi: That’s a secret ♪ You’ll have to try it out yourself to find out.

Tetora: Ohh. That does sound interesting. It’s late at night, but I feel like eating it~!

Arashi: Ehehe. Then let’s go together sometime. Do you want to come with, HiMERU-chan?

HiMERU: Hmm. I should be able to provide better advice if I get a feel of the cafe and the food there. I’ll go and use the opportunity to learn about the cafe.

Tetora: It all looks so good~ But...

Arashi: But? But what?

Tetora: Uh, it’s nothing. I just can’t tell what it’ll taste like just by looking at the photos.

And I’ll only get to find out when I actually eat it. I’ll tell you what I think when we’re at the cafe.

Arashi: I’m interested in your opinion, but okay.

(...Come to think of it, Jun-chan said something similar, didn’t he?)

(Maybe I should ask him a few questions too…)

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ< Some time passes. >

Arashi: (I hope Jun-chan hasn’t gone to bed yet.)

(...Oh?)

Jun: Oh, Narukami-san. We’ve been seeing each other a lot today~

Arashi: Perfect timing. Now I don’t have to go all the way to your room.

Jun: Hm? Did you want to ask me something?

Arashi: Yup. We were at “Pretty Room” together after school, right?

You mentioned how all the dishes on the menu looked great, didn’t you? Something about the way you said that got me thinking.

Jun: Oh, yeah. I guess I did~

I felt like all of them didn’t have big portions… Sorry if I offended you.

There was actually a lot more on the plate and Ohii-san looked like he had fun, so I’m happy~

Arashi: Oh? You usually eat a lot?

Jun: Not really…

But I prefer something that has a lot to it as opposed to a small plate of food. I prefer set meals too. I find those more comfortable to eat.

Arashi: I see. I thought people would be happy if they could try a lot of different things at once, but I see some people prefer just having one plate.

And there are all sorts of people out there with different preferences. Thanks for letting me check with you, Jun-chan ♪

Jun: No worries. I just explained my preferences, is all~

I don’t know much about running a store, so sorry if I said something arrogant.

Arashi: Not at all. It’s important to get direct feedback from customers, so your opinion is very valuable.

No one knows how other people will see you even if you put a lot of makeup on. It’s the same as that.

…………

…Oh, I know!

Jun-chan, could you help me out as a “Special Pretty Advisor”?

Jun: A “Special Pretty Advisor”? Me?

Arashi: Yes. I don’t want “Pretty Room” to just end as a limited-time cafe.

I want it to be someplace special that the customers will remember. It was a long-time dream of my friend’s, so I’d like to make it a success.

Please help me out, Jun-chan…♪

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚⊹˚ ⚘ ᠂  Next Chapter →

[lady-of-lyon]

So, I made one post a while back about how awesomely feminist the show Wild Kratts was, with how its two main female characters were women of color in engineering and deserving roles of power, female villains who weren’t motivated by spite or quest for youth, etc, but today I wanted to talk about something slightly different, that I’ve wanted to cover for a while now, because I also think it’s very good - and that’s how the show portrays masculinity, in a way that’s really positive!

First, we have our two main characters, Chris and Martin Kratt. Keep in mind these two are basically self-inserts - and there are plenty of creators, especially males, who have used self-insert characters in really scummy ways - all I have to say is Powerpuff Girls reboot and you know exactly what I’m talking about. Even if they weren’t literal self-inserts, male characters, superheroes especially, oftentimes serve the male power fantasy, being just the strong, stoic, all-powerful person so many boys are told they’re supposed to be. I could get into a whole discussion about how the male power fantasy is present even when males are not (ever look through a fashion magazine and wonder why there are so few men? Sure, part of it is that the industry thrives off exploiting women’s insecurities, and men aren’t as concerned for their appearance, but another part of it is so that the guy, looking through it, can feel like he has no competition for these women - there’s a reason so many comedians have jokes about fashion magazines being their sexual awakening as kids. It’s really scummy) but that’s not what this is about. So, the bros had every opportunity to do just that - make themselves these traditional heroes who aren’t actually really good role models, like batman or what have you. It’s certainly not uncommon for celebrity cartoons to do stuff like that. But Martin and Chris chose a different approach. They’re pretty strong standouts for positive masculinity. They’re openly affectionate - both with eachother as brothers, and with their friends. They cry, sometimes over little things - most of the time when big superheroes cry, it’s ‘cause they lost the girl they loved or their mentor or something like that, only in the big, most agonizing moments do they shed a tear. But here, Chris or Martin will cry just because they’ve had a bad day, or because they’re overwhelmed and overjoyed that someone named a mantis after them! In a lot of shows or movies when a guy cries over something little, it’s usually played for laughs, or to emasculate him, but here it’s casual without being unreasonable or overdone. The brothers cry just ad much, maybe even more (haven’t gone back and counted or anything) as the girls do. Not to mention, it’s a very nice depiction of a loving, healthy sibling relationship. As the youngest sibling myself, it’s refreshing to see a pair who don’t abuse eachother with noogies or cruel and snarky remarks. When they do fight, it’s never a screaming match, and also because they had a conflict of interest or disagreed over a fact, not because, say, one of them stole the other’s shirt or is neglecting the other’s feelings. Kids, being very impressionable, get exposed to a lot of abusive sibling relationships played as normal in media, and start thinking this is how siblings are and should act. For instance, my sister (who is now my best friend and has gotten over all these bad habits over time) when she was younger watched a lot of Kim Possible, a show that is great, but has a bad family dynamic with Kim and her little siblings. The “tweebs” as she calls them are always irresponsible, destructive, and making Kim annoyed to no end. My older brother was one of the most polite, reserved, kind little kids, but she still treated him like he was a brat and a nuisance, because that’s what shows like Kim Possible taught her little brothers were. Additionally, I was always treated like a spoiled crybaby who just wanted attention and got away with everything - I was not any of those things, ever, but that’s what shows teach you little sisters are. Sure, Wild Kratts has a smidge of that, with Chris seemingly being the stereotype of the know-it-all little sibling, but instead of being constantly looked town upon for being too “perfect” like with Hailey Long in American Dragon, Martin often praises his brother for his abilities. Sure, Martin gets annoyed when Chris tries to correct him on things, like in the episode Wolf Hawks, but everyone else does too, so it feels more like a take-down of mansplaining than a sibling spat.

I talked too in the feminist post about how refreshing it is that Chris and Martin more or less willingly put themselves under the authority of Koki and Aviva, two women of color. I don’t think it’s possible to say any one character is the “leader,” they all work as a evenly balanced team, but it’s safe to say that Koki and Aviva make the more responsible decisions. The bros try to get out of their calls a few times, but the show plays it more like they’re being irresponsible, and less like they’re renegade cool dudes who don’t take nothing from nobody, especially not two girls. They are pretty much always punished via karma for their reckless choices, most especially in To Touch a Hummingbird, where their arrogant attitudes blow up in their faces rather spectacularly. We also never see the narrative most present in sitcoms, where the male leads mess up and go out of their way to cover it up and ultimately gets away with it - after all, you have to root for them, right, because sure they messed up and had no consequences, but aren’t they just so lovable? No, here Martin and Chris always have to fix their wrongdoing, and it’s always deserved when they get comeuppance. Another aspect of the show I like is that, many times, when the bros get captured or are in peril, they are saved by the women - and most refreshing of all, there’s never a moment of “wink wink nudge nudge wow I can’t believe I had to be rescued by a GIRL” or even “wow you saved me you’re pretty good honey guess I shouldn’t have underestimated you, you go girl!” No, when the girls save them, it’s just - you know, relief? Because they were saved? It’s never a scenario played as an exception, or any more dire than when the bros need to rescue eachother. The bros are genuinely happy to have them as teammates. The show even did the standard “boys vs girls” episode in the form of When Fish Fly - but instead of being actually girls vs. boys, it’s engineers vs. adventurers. There’s nothing really gendered about it - the girls happen to be engineers, and the boys happen to be adventurers. And the episode doesn’t end with the boys being “wow gosh darn I shouldn’t have doubted you girls are better at everything,” it’s a mutual agreement that both parties have hard jobs. Basically, the bros are very naturally respectful of women. That plays more into their feminist narrative too, but either way, it’s refreshing.

Then, we have Jimmy! Jimmy, the lovable gamerboy pizza man. At first glance Jimmy seems like the stereotypical cowardly, pathetic, emasculated loser. He’s frightened of most things, as of yet has no power suit, and he BAKES for crying out loud! But none of these things are framed as terribly bad traits. Sure, we laugh when he screams and runs from an animal, but though it happens over and over, the crew doesn’t get sick of it. They don’t berate him or belittle him because he’s so gosh darn cowardly. There’s a great scene in Rattlesnake Crystal where Jimmy has to deliver something to the bros alone, in the middle of a spooky desert. He is terrified the whole time, sprinting off after he delivers the goods. When Martin and Chris run into him, they don’t laugh at him for being spooked, they just greet and then bid fair well to their friend. To them, this is just Jimmy, and there’s nothing wrong with it. Jimmy isn’t coddled, but he is reassured many times that he’s a valuable member of the team. I love that little message, that you’re just as important of a person even if you can’t do as much or have greater limits. When his friends do try to get him over his fears, it’s not because they have to, that the day will somehow be ruined by Jimmy’s incompetence p, but because they’re his friends, and want him to experience fun and wonderful things that he would otherwise miss out on. But what Jimmy CAN do is just as important! Jimmy is a gamer, which in a lot of shows, is portrayed as a lazy, useless, mindless hobby. But here, because he plays video games, it makes him essential for piloting the ship and teleporting important items. There’s always the joke that video games improves your hand/eye coordination, but recent studies have shown it has much better effects. It can make you much better at keeping track of multiple moving objects and processing technical but variable information- two traits which, fittingly enough, are really really important for air traffic controllers and airplane pilots! He also demonstrates a lot more courage behind the wheel of the Tortuga, which makes sense - in an impersonal setting, he would have more sense of calm and control and courage, because it’s so similar to a video game world. It’s not all too different with how I feel more emboldened to pick fights with people on the internet, but get crazy anxious if a real person so much as looks at me. So Jimmy’s love of video games isn’t because he’s irresponsible, it has real benefits. A quick last point - Jimmy also eats a lot, but they thankfully don’t make him fat or greedy or anything like that. He never takes food from people, he actually bakes, and shares it with others! Having the baker be a boy is a lovely touch.

I might do another post about the toxic masculinity of the two villains, (or four villains, I guess, if I wanna discuss the minions) but I’ve got other work to do, and this post is long enough already, so I’ll get around to it later. I’ll sum it up with this - Wild Kratts is a show that teaches boys it’s not only ok to be kind, but essential. The brothers protect defenseless animals, advocate for things “icky” and “weird,” like bugs or snakes or worms - not because they’re boys, and boys like icky things, but because they genuinely see the beauty in all life, and are encouraging us to slow down and do the same. The Wild Kratts are heroes who save the world not by being the strongest or smartest or coolest, but by looking after those who are exploited and vulnerable, who are essential to the world, even if they can’t always do everything. In Wild Kratts the only weaknesses a man can have isn’t what he can’t do, but what he does do that he shouldn’t have. Sure, it’s a cute show about two funny guys who have cool powers, but it’s also a show about accountability, compassion, respect and trust. The show says “boys will be boys” in all the right ways - Martin is a lovable goof with a heart of gold, but he still has to get his act together when he messes up, and he’s still creative and smart and openly sensitive. Chris is a bit of a know-it-all show-off, but he can also mess up as much as his brother, and is still bold, brave, adventurous, and can put his money where his mouth is. Jimmy is a cowardly, napping, eating machine video-gamer, but he’s still a valued member of the team, has incredible skills and talents, and will always help his friends, even if he is really, really scared. It is so important to have role models like these, in a world dominated by unhealthy machismo. The Wild Kratts are heroes who save the world - both animated, and real.

All they need now is a canon queer character, and I’ll stan them forever! My money’s on Aviva!!

[demonslayedher]

Hello! I don't know if you've been asked about this before but I love your analysis and reflections and I'd love to know all your thoughts about Zennezu if you don't mind 👀⚡🎀 Thanks so much for this blog!! 😊💝

Thank you again for your patience, as well as your comments on my fics and stuff in the meantime (even on Bird Fic, kya~ thank you <3). All my thoughts, hmmmmn…. Well, clearly I am a fluffy ZenNezu shipper and ship-content creator now, but I sure didn’t start that way. This may be long and rambling and mixed between analysis and personal taste. (Actually, it turned into almost 4000 words.)

So. First a little background. I usually am not much of a shipper. The very few OTPs I have all ended in horrific tragedy, and when romance is a big focus of something I’m otherwise enjoying I usually end up not paying much attention to it in favor of all the other elements I like. This is so much more the case when you can tell they’re going to wind up happily ever after. So what happened to make me so soft and fuzzy about the Kimetsu ships, when I otherwise usually don’t have an appetite for happy fluffy romantic endings?

Three major factors: 1. I’m obsessed. 2. I love these characters and want to see anything and everything about them. 3. Romance wasn’t actually a big element at all in canon, so it left me with an appetite and curiosity for it.

Even though I figured from long ago that ZenNezu would be end game, initially I was somewhere between indifferent and put-off. As much as I love Zenitsu, and I acknowledge that Ufotable the added the “run around and chase Nezuko” bit and removed the part with Zenitsu adoringly talking to Nezuko through her box, and as much as he can be defended for being lonely rather a pervert, the fact still stands that his level of appreciation for girls makes the characters around him uncomfortable. His most cringe-worthy lines at the Butterfly Mansion are all straight from the manga, and even though he was easily one of my favorite characters by the end of my initial watch of the series, I was very put off by his “girls are all queens” surface-level comments and more disturbing pleasure he took in the presence of girls (especially when he could physically interact with them), not to mention his pathetic introduction bothering a complete stranger and displaying that he doesn’t actually take girls’ feelings into consideration.

All this made me inwardly groan, feeling bad for Nezuko, figuring they were going to wind up together because she’s a saint who can find the patience to deal with someone like that, as he clearly wasn’t going to be desirable to any of the rest of the female cast. Enjoying the series well enough despite this, it didn’t bother me terribly much, pairings happen, whatever, I have a history of ignoring them. But one day, well and deep into caring about this whole cast like they’re all my children, I realized something. Isn’t… isn’t it cute how they both get their strength from taking naps? W-wouldn’t it be cute to see them innocently take naps together? Naps to protect each other? Oh. Oh-h-h-h-h. Oh dear. Oh no, it’s cute. Oh no. OH NO.

And that was how my warming up to this pairing started, it very quickly grew into “I love these children and I want them to be happy, being with Nezuko will make Zenitsu very, very happy, I love seeing him happy, happy Zenitsu” but was still a little reserved about Nezuko. Zenitsu was going to make her happy, right? It wasn’t just going to be a case of Nezuko having gotten fond of him over the course of everything they’ve been though, he is actually going to be her taste and make her heart go “kyun” right? Oh Nezuko, oh saintly Nezuko…

Let’s take a moment to pause here and think chronologically, though, as well as analyze their personalities and tastes. Neither of them are particularly picky, we can start there. Aside from fussy busy-bodies like Aoi, as long as it’s a girl, any girl is Zenitsu’s type. He’s desperate, and he’s painted the whole of girl-kind in pretty similar, not always realistic rosy colors. Even though he’s been used and abused by so many girls in his past, it’s his desire to believe that each new one he meets will fit that rosy imaginary color he paints over them that he chooses to let himself be duped, because he really is that lonely. I’ll give him that, sure, he’s a healthy young man with an interest in physical touch, but his dream in Mugen Ressha gives a good indication of what he’s really looking for: companionship, someone who likes spending time with him, someone who will find him useful and believe in him and look to him for protection, someone who likes him enough to spare him the physical intimacy of simply holding his hand. This is all an extension of what Zenitsu desires as whole, hoping he can better himself enough to be reliable and valued in general. Picturing it in the form of a significant other is one very vivid way to focus all those feelings, resulting in that rosy ideal which Zenitsu probably knows in his heart of hearts is too good to be true. That’s why he probably doesn’t think he’s ever going to find it, and therefore why he’s all over any slightest chance of attaining it.

My gosh, if being abandoned over and over isn’t enough, the fact that none of the girls he dated in the past were ever willing to even hold his hand hurts so much.

Nezuko, though, grew up in a secure family with a good relationship to observe between her parents. She probably always envisioned growing up to be like her mother, the quintessential “good wife, wise mother” (a phrase coined later on in the Taisho period to idealize the traditional roles of a woman). She cooks and cleans and sews and the first fanbook even tells us she was good at using an abacus, so she can handle family finances like a pro. Her traditional values probably made her tastes pretty standard, hoping for a reliable protector, but also someone who might be as kind as her father and her brother. But as for what makes her heart go doki-doki? The extra comic at the end of volume 3 tells us that she does long since have a type, it’s a person who’s like a Hisha.

Hisha: a chess/Shougi piece that can move an unlimited number of spaces in horizontal and vertical directions, and is crowned a dragon when it enters enemy territory.

So, yes, this is the part where we all smile and point at Gotouge and say, “I see what you did there, Wani-sensei.”

I find this reassuring; it tells me that Nezuko can find her heart squeezed at how cool Zenitsu is instead of just coming around and liking him because she was flattered by his affection and learned to see how nice he is and stuff. There are plenty of nice Demon Slayers who are strong and cool protectors, but that ZING that Zenitsu has (when he’s asleep) is something that can make her heart race. I’m all for this. I hinge so much of my ZenNezu feelings on this Hisha comment.

The second fanbook states that Nezuko initially had trouble sorting out her memories, and because Zenitsu gave her two such different impressions, it felt like memories of two different people, but over time the memories overlapped to form one complete person. We could say that she and Zenitsu had two first meetings.

Initially, when she was in the box, her little demon heart did go doki-doki; it was the first time a boy besides her brother had protected her, so even though Oniichan is Number One in her heart for the general duration of canon, this encounter was sure to leave a flattering impression. However, when they met face to face that night, he was just some confusing dandelion yelling and screaming about weird stuff, and then he was just a confusing (and possible bothersome) dandelion wanting to hang around her and give her flowers and stuff. It’s anyone’s guess just how “there” Nezuko was at this stage, as she does seem to gain back more of her own will and thought processes over the course of the series, rather than being guided by very, very simple rules to govern her behavior.

Zenitsu feel in love at first sight, and the second fanbook tells us he asked Tanjiro about her human personality, seeing as she wasn’t fully there. He was initially doubtful that anyone so perfect as Nezuko could exist and figured Tanjiro must had been biased and therefore exaggerating, but can we blame Zenitsu for being a smidge guarded? He’s been let down a lot, after all.

We know from Taisho Secrets and side novels that Zenitsu spent a lot of time with Nezuko during their long recovery at the Butterfly Mansion. Even how much more thought we see Nezuko display in the Train arc, she probably underwent a lot of mental development in this time, and my guess is that due to how much he interacted with her, this is probably when Zenitsu went from being a strange dandelion to a strange companion. She probably focused more on the goldfish and the pretty flowers (which he did take her to see!) and any flattering mention of her brother, though. Zenitsu, I’m relieved to say, seemed to genuinely care about what would make Nezuko happy instead of selfishly assuming something like “she likes me too, she wants to marry me.” But knowing Zenitsu, he probably assumed that her willingness to spend time with him was an indication of being willing to talk marriage once she was more herself again, though.

Let’s pause here and put on our Oniichan goggles, though. Early on, Tanjiro has to insist to just about everyone that Nezuko is still her own person with her own thoughts and feelings. Being a demon has taken a lot of her freedom to act on her true nature away from her, but he knows she’s still in there and he treats her like an equal human being. He had to watch over and over as people see his sister and only think, “demon.”

And then there’s his friend Zenitsu, who looks at her and thinks, “girl. Girl! Girl. Girl. Sweet girl, adorable girl, best girl in the world.” And maybe that’s a little bothersome, but yes, someone gets it!! Someone understands! Even though Tanjiro’s initial concerns are keeping Nezuko from being bothered by unwelcome advances, as long as Zenitsu is willing to respect that Nezuko is not entirely able to speak for herself now, he seems pretty approving of Zenitsu (provided Nezuko decides she likes him back). I’d like to think there was an unspoken promise between bros on what boundaries to follow. Besides that, Tanjiro believes in Zenitsu a lot more than Zenitsu believes in himself, so Tanjiro probably wasn’t worried about the “strong protector” role a future husband should fulfil. Or at least, Tanjiro doesn’t seem concerned once he gets to know Zenitsu, he’d have rejected Zenitsu flat-out on that first meeting. Zenitsu, you are so lucky Tanjiro is so forgiving.

However, for as much as Zenitsu sees Nezuko as “GIRL!! Girl, girl, girl!”, he’s still got his rosy vision that conveniently clouds out any disturbing realities. She is, after all, a demon.

This is something Zenitsu never actually had the chance to struggle with, and I would have really liked to see him challenged by that reality a bit more. He never witnessed Nezuko’s berserker mode, nor did he ever see her struggle to keep from eating someone, he wasn’t even awake to watch her fight like a violent animal/angry toddler on the train. Had there been a scene of Zenitsu forced to face how terrifying she had potential to be, it would had really sold his commitment to Nezuko specifically, instead of only Nezuko as his most likely girlfriend candidate.

On the train, Nezuko has the good fortune of seeing another side of Zenitsu, getting one hell of a doki-doki moment. As she’s gaining more self-awareness back, it probably made those doki-dokis more complex too. While I understand there wasn’t a good opportunity to fit in the pace of the story, I love that Taisho Secret of her concerned about him before he wakes up. Instead of him just being that boy who shows her pretty things and says nice things about her Oniichan, this is when he starts becoming something a little more unique among all the people whom little demon Nezuko has bet and who have been nice to her.

In the months that follow, we don’t get much deviation from this slow development. Zenitsu’s feelings toward Nezuko don’t really change at all, but there’s another thing about this ship: neither one chose the other over anybody else. They sort of just came together, Zenitsu gets hooked on one girl at a time, but what if someone had come along with an interest in him? At what point would he had given up on Nezuko? Probably pretty quickly, if someone was serious enough about him. It wouldn’t have been a break up either, since he was still in the pursuing stages (might be more of a break-up conversation with Tanjiro, who had been tacitly supportive).

Actually, for most of the remainder of the series, the affection that Nezuko and Zenitsu build for each other is done when they’re apart, dwelling on their thoughts of each other. For Nezuko, we see this come out after the Swordsmith Village arc in her sunlit elation to see him again, and her efforts to greet him. She very clearly recognizes him and is happy to see him, a big difference compared to how she was more elated by the sight of a fishbowl before. In Zenitsu’s case, this deepening of his affections and running away with his thoughts and feelings results him declaring once and for all, this is her. He’s found her. This is the girl who he will be committed to his whole life, in his heart she is already his wife.

When human!Nezuko is gaining her memories back, her first impressions are of the boy showing her pretty things and giving her flowers, someone who probably has a crush on her, rather than thinking back to someone who she may have had a crush on. (Those cool impressions probably hit her later, I’m assuming, given the stress of the moment.) Romance is not immediately on her mind, though she does quickly recall having friendly affection for this boy for has always been so sweet to her. And Nezuko, handling his surprising level of affection gracefully, helps Zenitsu off the battlefield while he’s in terrible pain (though she probably was too, my poor girl, that fight with demon!Tanjiro was so rough). But honestly, not only is she probably too overwhelmed by everything to think much about romance, but she probably doesn’t take Zenitsu very seriously initially. She knows he’s got a tendency to overexaggerate, and it’s nice that he’s so sweet to her, but since he acts all fluffy and silly around her she probably thinks he’s not being that serious either. Furthermore, she’s got a lot of people to suddenly care about, Zenitsu has a lot to contend with for trying to get special attention. Hell, Zenitsu was probably awake and causing a racket while she was frantic with worry that comatose Giyuu might die. While she did remake Jiichan’s haori to fit Zenitsu’s later, see spent her time in the hospital mending Giyuu’s haori (Nezuko, baby, doesn’t your hand hurt though!?). While Zenitsu was swept up in happy “Nezuko is human now, we’re totally gonna get married” feels, he probably didn’t even notice that he was only one slice in a very big pie of memories that Nezuko suddenly found in her lap and had to slowly chew and digest.

So… this brings us to the extra post-canon comic in the second fanbook, which I initially did not like very much back when it came out in February. I’ve come around a lot to it, but what really hit me at first was “oh no, Nezuko really is only going to accept this marriage because she’s a saint, he’s not being desirable at all.”

But, treating it with a little more patience and sympathy for Zenitsu… he’s just gotten what he’s always wanted, of course he’s going to stop striving a bit and get blissfully carried away in it. And Nezuko, the ever sweet, isn’t going to stop him.

Some of the other commentary in the fanbook states that Zenitsu, for a time, found himself terrified of how girls could be sweet to his face while hiding their true thoughts about him. But, finding that Nezuko was not at all two-faced, he nearly “died and went to heaven” as the exaggeration goes. He doesn’t like to work hard in the first place (but does, because it will make people like Jiichan proud), so getting away with being spoiled is too big of a temptation to resist. Nezuko is sensitive to what makes the people around her happy or uncomfortable, so she never makes any request of Zenitsu. She’s so grateful to have their new little family that her happiness is everyone else’s happiness, she doesn’t really desire a heartthrob romance, even if being a wife and mother is an eventual goal. And, without being under any pressure to make someone proud, Zenitsu gets swept away and indulges.

Thank you, Tanjiro, for putting a stop to this.

He’s still rooting for Zenitsu, since this is his friend and he knows it would make his friend happy to wind up with Nezuko, but he’s setting himself up for failure, or setting Nezuko up to be cheated out on a good match at this rate (if she were to accept out of being nice). Very, very thankfully, Zenitsu responds well to pressure. By this point Nezuko has gotten so used to sweet but indulgent Zenitsu that he seems she totally accepted that his Hisha side didn’t exist anymore, if it even existed in the first place.

Good for Zenitsu asking for her response a year later (when they’d be getting to the legal marriage ages for the Taisho period anyway), he knew he still had shaping up to do to earn her affection. And Nezuko probably needed time to build some admiration for him again, since the doki-dokis were so gone. Even if he couldn’t use that super cool Thunder Breath anymore, it would probably catch her attention to see him strive again, to put effort into being manly, specifically for her. It wasn’t just the Thunder Breath that gave her doki-dokis, it was the Hisha knight-like attitude too, whether asleep and acting on his inner potential, or awake and bravely defending her based on his own goodness and faith.

I hope that in their married life, Zenitsu will retain that sort of manliness in being a provider for her, even he does get indulged a lot at home.

Now for how this plays into some of my fanwork and headcanons:

You know how I said all my OTPs were tragedies? Yeah, I love a good dose of angst. I did start writing a single-scene fic one time of injured Zenitsu desperately trying to cover Nezuko from the sun while waiting for Tanjiro to find them, and in Nezuko’s panic about the sun she starts losing her self-control over her appetite, and Zenitsu is forced to confront that the girl he loves could very easily kill him. I never finished it, though, and it was embarrassingly self-indulgent.

For my big favorite AU of a monster fanfic, I did add more ZenNezu on the massive edit, because by this point I just enjoy ZenNezu so much that I wanted more of it. But!! What I really like about working with it in this fic is that there’s a conflict: Demon!Tanjiro. In this canon divergence, Human!Nezuko and Zenitsu get to interact more than they ever did while she was a demon, and they both already have affection for each other, but the lingering fact that Tanjiro is technically their enemy gives me some tension and angst to work with.

Yes, I wrote a One Shot of Zenitsu and Nezuko as fresh new parents, but it was a bit of a dark dive into Zenitsu’s feelings of inadequacy. But domesticity comes with some inevitable fluff anyway, and likewise it felt embarrassing indulgent, and I can’t write fluff without a little bittersweetness. M…maybe the reason I’m not a shipper is because I’m easily flustered???

I’d like to think that Zenitsu got a desk job that he worked hard at because he wants to be a provider, and Nezuko does find his hard work attractive. I headcanon it was at an electric company, because hahahaha, electricity. I’d like to think he had a long career in that company (and although his colleagues know him for having a bit of an extreme personality and being obsessed with his wife, they sometimes catch glimpses of a very, very strong side of Zenitsu—like, scarily strong), and that when he’s old and retired in the Postwar Economic Miracle, he buys a fancy camera to take pictures of Nezuko (instead of “say cheese” it’s “Thunderclap and Flash!”), and he takes Nezuko to Paris because that’s the romantic thing to do. Also, I don’t like moustaches as a rule, but I totally approve of old man Zenitsu having a fluffy moustache.

World War Two, though… I’d like to think that if his job had him in the city, he was extremely reliable when it came to protecting his family in case of bombing. I’d also like to think that this was when the Kamado family moved to the city, because Nezuko was worried about Kanao and her nieces and nephews, so Zenitsu made sure they were all together. Inosuke might had taken the opposite route and taken his family to the mountains to shelter out there in the wild.

AAAAHHHH, listen to me being so self-indulgent with headcanons, I pride myself on sticking close to canon in my fanwork, I will never produce this, AAAAHHHH, I’m embarrassed~~~~I---I’m not a shipper! No! I don’t have a shipper’s bone in my body! Who needs romance, it means nothing to me, I don’t get swept up in happy fantasies about young newlywed Zenitsu and Nezuko, really I don’t, I take what canon gives me and I stick with it, I’m here for bromance and comradery and fights to the death, I—I don’t need disgusting fluffy feelings, ew, ew, no, really-----ahhh, too flustered, too flustered, too flustered, no, no, no, no, no, no, WHEN DID I BECOME A SHIPPER, nnnnnnnnhhhhjjjj

Which is all to say that Zenitsu and Nezuko as a pairing really grew on me, even though it is essentially a fluffy happy pairing that only got surface-level interaction and was never seriously challenged. It’s got some shadows lurking in there, especially diving into Zenitsu’s heart, but in general this was a slow build-up of mutual affection between two characters with pretty simple desires of their own, and most of all, a desire to see each other happy. That makes it a good comfort ship.

And they’re both are sleepyheads, hNNNGGGHHHhhhhHHHHHHHHHHH

[fatui-harbingers]

I don't think some anti Dany Sansa stans understand that when Dany stans compare Sansa feeding Ramsay to the dogs to anyone else's kills (especially Dany’s) that they’re not excusing or even forgetting what Ramsay did to her and we totally supported what she did. It was awesome! I loved seeing her get justice for herself like that. Especially bc both in universe AND irl, most women don't get justice in any form.

I cheered for Sansa killing Ramsay just like I did Dany killing the Khals that were threatening to rape her to death. They were both super awesome girl power moments imo.

Even Dany stans that hate Sansa don't blame her for killing Ramsay the way she did! None of us liked watching her get hurt by him. None of us wanted to see her go through that! We were all very happy to see her kill him. I even loved her smile afterward!

The reason we even make the comparison is to point out the fandom’s hypocrisy. We don't care that she killed him but we do care about sexism and double standards within the fandom coming from mostly women that claim to be feminists. You can't go around saying “She burned the Khals! Mad Queen!” about Dany but then turn around and shout “YAS KWEEN!” about Sansa.

Another thing I don’t understand is why anyone would want these two women (with so much in common!) to hate each other, especially feminists! Even Dany stans that hate Sansa (which, btw, usually only happened bc of crazy Sansa stans. Most of them say they loved Sansa till encountering certain Sansa stans) were hoping they’d get along and be friends too. Some of us were even shipping Daensa and making Daensa edits/gifsets! Pitting two female power players against each other when it wouldn’t even actually make sense is anything but feminist. It’s crazy we even have to say this in 2019!

Sansa isn’t pure and perfect and flawless like some of her stans want her to be and I’m not sure why they have to hate on Dany to make themselves feel better. I understand wanting your fave character who is a secondary character with less power than a main character to have a main characters power and awesomeness too (even though secondary characters are very cool on their own!) but that doesn’t make it okay to hate on characters you wish your fave was! And sending hate on anon and threats to people that disagree with you? IMMATURE! How very hateful of you! (Seriously reminds me of Trump supporters and anti choice people. Yuck!)

Oops, got a little off track.

Like many very skilled meta writers have pointed out time and time again, you can’t call Dany mad and a war criminal if you’re not going to say the same about literally every. other. character. They’re all mad by your standards then!!! And don’t forget, Jon is half Targaryen! He’s destined to go mad, just like Grandpa Aerys!

And I’m not sure why Dany using dragon fire to kill is so bad? Tyrion used wildfire to destroy Stannis’ fleet and no one questioned his sanity. And Stannis, he and Melisandre burned innocent people alive as sacrifices to the Lord of Light and even his own daughter but he’s not mad? Iirc, Jon used fire on the Wildlings during the battle of Castle Black. And no one seemed to even be calling Cersei mad when she blew up the sept! But Dany is mad bc she said “dracarys” and her babies listened. I guess it doesn’t matter that dragon fire can melt stone and kills sooooo much faster than the fire we know! Never mind that death by dragon fire is waaaay faster than say, bleeding to death after losing a limb, or getting stabbed, or getting trampled, ya know, stuff that happens when you use horses and swords.

And don’t even get me started on the anti Dany crowd crying for the slavers and rapists Dany killed. Didn’t think I would need to ever say this but SLAVERY IS BAD! There is no way to “peacefully” abolish slavery! It’s impossible! And if you try to gradually rid of slavery, it’s EXTREMELY inhumane and you obviously don’t give a damn about the enslaved people at all, bunch of slavery apologists.

Most of us don’t think our fave is perfect. We know and admit they make mistakes, whether they learn from them or not, bc the reason we all love these characters is that they aren’t perfect! They seem so real! So relatable! And we love them anyway bc that’s how love works okay. No one is flawless in any way! It’s impossible!

If you’re gonna hate, AT LEAST hate equally will you? Gosh!

But I won’t go any further bc this rant is already longer than intended.

[marshmellowtea]

hey!! im gonna send you a lot of charas, you can answer them as you want, I just wanna make sure you have enough to answer all you want!! seishi, nikei, ayumu, marin maki, komaeda, makoto, mikan and sayake, please!

aaaaaaaa anon ur so sweet ilysm ;o; 

i’ll probably have to divide these into a couple posts so i can break it into chunks for myself but i’ll start off with seishi, nikei, and ayumu here :’0 

also putting this under a cut so i hopefully don’t break anyone’s dashes 

seishi 

favorite thing about them 

he’s just,, baby?? he’s just baby hdfjaslkdfsdf i don’t even know how to describe it. i was attached to him the moment i saw him and the more i watched of him the more in love i fell he’s such a precious dork,, 

least favorite thing about them 

idk if this actually counts because this is more of a criticism of his writing than anything but it’s so annoying how people just default him to “standard evil villain” after the katagiri zen reveal like no,, there’s so much more that can be done with him,, how dare you,, 

favorite line 

tbh as much as i’m disappointed (read: angry) with the direction voices was going to go, “did you just call us horny?” is still an ICONIC line fhaslksdfjlksdf i love it so much 

brOTP 

him and marin! also him and mikoto,, and him and nico,, tbh him and any girl is good he just vibes “let’s go wlw let’s go!!”, y’know? i also like him and nikei being like. adopted brothers or adopted cousins tbh it’s really cute 

OTP 

seishi/akira/ayumu/saiji. yes that it as an ot4. yes it counts come at me bro. any seishi/rebirth boy ship is good tho 

nOTP 

i,, really don’t like seishi/girls fjadsklfjsadf feels bad man 

random headcanon 

he has TRAUMA dammit!! i hc that he has a backstory similar to maki’s in that he was forced into being an assassin at a young age so it wasn’t really his choice to get involved in all this. i’ve kinda ran that idea into the ground at this point though so here’s a lighter headcanon: when he was 14, he reeeaaaally wanted to be a cat. like, to the point where he’s embarrassed to look back on those days because oh my god he really straight up tried to act like a cat 24/7 huh? kinda ties into another headcanon of mine that he’s less mature than he lets on and tends to go through periods of feeling kinda childlike but ssshh shsh shsh shush

unpopular opinion 

he’s a good boy with a morally dubious job and that doesn’t make him automatically evil. y’all are just unimaginative, uncreative and mean >:( 

song i associate with them 

coughs at my seishi and zen playlists uhh there’s a lot tbh but the songs most strongly connected with him in my mind are “this is how you spell haha we destroyed the hopes and dreams of a generation of faux romantics” by los campesinos! and “i’ve got all this ringing in my ears and none on my fingers” by fall out boy (and yes those are two songs with very long titles i know hdfaklsjdflsd ;w;) 

favorite picture of them 

aaaa rebirth doesn’t have a lot of good cgs to pull from across either of its canons and idk if fanart counts so,, but gosh i really love his surprised sprite. he’s like :o. he’s so baby i love him so much 

nikei 

favorite thing about them 

he’s so interesting. it’s clear a lot of work went into his character, and it’s always a fascinating struggle to try and write him. i think it might be a bit easier after chapter four is fully translated but still there’s a lot of complexity to him and it’s interesting trying to break down his outer shell and get inside his head, y’know? also, he’s adorable. i wanna squish his cheeks. 

least favorite thing about them 

oh my GOD does my boy stress me out. i hate seeing him being mean to my other favorite characters and i’m always just like baby why are you like this please don’t ohmygod?? i’m gonna have to watch chapter four with my hands covering my eyes hasdfjslkdf i hate betrayal plots :’) 

favorite line 

this is kinda hard actually hasdkflsjdfk but “and she threw them away just like that? girl, are you a genius or an idiot, make up your mind!” from the third trial is reALLY GOOD FHKJDFLKDSF on a more heartbreaking note though him apologizing before he dies is just,, god. god.

brOTP 

him and the other voids!! they’re a family fight me. and him and seishi, ofc. i also like him and setsuka a lot though,, after chapter six i’m doubling down on my “she’s his mom!!” stance okay. i also like him and yoruko because i think they could have a fun dynamic (and maybe a soft dynamic with older yoruko,, maybe,,)(what i’m saying is that he gains another mom okay. let me project my mommy issues in peace) 

OTP 

i,, actually largely headcanon him as aro so there’s not a lot of ships with him i’m super passionate about?? i still kinda like him and setsuka in aus and such but other than that i mostly dropped all my ships for him after chapter six cuz it’s no big loss to me. though,, i’m not gonna lie, i still have a HUGE soft spot for sorakei. after seeing his free time events they just,, grew on me and i’d think they’d be really cute together c’mon guys can we make it happen- :’0 

nOTP 

nikei/mikado nikei/mikado nikei/mikado LIKE CAN WE PUT IT TO REST ALREADY I ACTUALLY HATE IT 

random headcanon 

his hair is actually naturally super curly and he straightens it every morning so other people don’t realize this. the other voids think it looks really cute pre-straightener but he thinks it makes it hard for others to take him seriously which is why he goes to such lengths to try to hide it basically he does NOT appreciate the cooing he gets from emma, thank you very much. hgalsdjfadlfkl

unpopular opinion 

i’m not actually sure if this counts cuz i don’t see this on tumblr at least but i don’t think we should take what he says to emma and hajime in the void theater at face value. i think despite what he says he actually does care about them in his own way, he just doesn’t really show it well because he doesn’t like to be vulnerable around others. he’s an asshole sometimes (actually a lot of the time hadsflkjsdflk), but that doesn’t mean he’s unfeeling or unable to care about people. 

song i associate with them 

once again side eyes my nikei playlist ahdfslksdfjslkfd a part of me doesn’t want to spoil one of the songs on it because i do eventually wanna release it to the public but i really just,, i really gotta go with “are you satisfied?” by marina. it’s just too perfect and i think of him every time i hear it now 

favorite picture of them 

honestly? his first tts avatar. no talk him. him angy his last tts avatar upsets me though LEAVE HIM BE LINUJ

ayumu 

favorite thing about them 

AAAAAAAAAA BOYFRIEND BOYFRIEND he’s so sweet such a good boy!! i like that he’s empathetic towards others cuz of his luck and he cares about how it affects them. i like that he’s soft and definitely a good cuddle partner. i love that he’s a trans icon even if that’s not really the intent i don’t care he just vibes trans so well (gal or guy or nonbinary but i tend to stick with the trans guy headcanon cuz haha i transmasc-)  

least favorite thing about them 

i kinda wish he had more of a canon sarcastic side? i mean i’m gonna continue to write him that way lol but c’mon there had to have been times where his luck is just so wildly terrible that his inner hinata jumps out and he makes a quip about it hfkajsdfksdf 

favorite line 

aaaaaa his little hope speech during in voices’ chapter one trial makes me soft,, i love him so much,, i also like him shutting aruma down when she’s being too horny hdlkajdsflksdf it’s really good 

brOTP 

ngl i tend to ship him with most of the class so,, like,, i also brotp him with the whole class,, dalfksdlfkasdf 

OTP 

see above but my favorite of those pairings are ayumu/seishi, ayumu/akira and ayumu/mikoto 

nOTP 

when i’m headcanoning him as a trans guy: nico, misuzu, and kasumi cuz i hc them as lesbians. when i’m headcanoning her as a trans girl: seishi. kind of a nonissue when i go with a nonbinary headcanon though 

random headcanon 

he plays minecraft with akira a lot, but they always have to play in create mode where you can’t really die otherwise it’s just a montage of ayumu dying over and over again, pfft. even with unlimited life though he still usually ends up stuck somewhere and akira has to come dig him out and since akira’s a rude boy he’s always laughing his ass off as he’s doing it smh >:0

unpopular opinion 

it’s,, silly to be mad about his “secretly a boy” twist on the same level as you’re mad about the v3 protag twist,, it’s a fangan and not even that well known of one at that like it doesn’t really have the power to “break down barriers” like that or whatever tf you’re expecting hdsflkajsfdlksdf 

song i associate with them 

he’s another character i have a playlist for ahdflaksdjflaksd but “this is home” by cavetown and i cry every time :’) 

favorite picture of them 

once again there’s not a lot of canon art to pull from but i do adore the promo art of him with his “male” and “female” versions :’0 

[glitchlight]

I was writing a joke  post about how critical theorists would approach monster factory and have the worst takes and the punchlines were “take it to the bank boys” and “in a post-monster world, we are all like bart” but genuinely mcelroy humor is very genuine and i’m glad they’re successful 

moreover, there is a genuine like, anticipation just waiting for one of them to be deemed problematic in a way that sticks so people have an excuse to trash their work, which you see in a lot of culture consumption these days. things can’t be liked or enjoyed on their own merits, they have to fit into a framework of problematic or valid (note that this is about like, innocent people and not nasty creators don’t take this out of context lmao) 

like take cmbyn for example, a story with a huge age gap written by a cishet woman and which has quickly turned into a punchline based on the infamous peach scene yet is sacrosanct to some, because it’s positive gay representation (tm). but stuff actually put out lgbt creators has to be held to an impossible standard? 

but that’s not entirely true either. when the dream daddy discourse was going around I remember a lot of people dismissing criticism as “let lgbt creators breathe you wouldn’t do this to a cishet lmao” but the thing is I would? I point out the flaws in everything but that doesn’t mean it’s inherently bad? like, there is no perfect work, or perfect creator, but discussing a flaw doesn’t make the work bad. 

take overwatch for example. I’ve been immensely critical of Brigitte in private conversations the past week because her design was consciously slimmed down and lost her muscles compared to her cinematic model, her gameplay elements add nothing to the game competitively, and her lore only makes the clusterfuck of ow lore even worse, somehow, while d.va and lucio still have nothing. But I still really like playing her? She may just play like Rein-lite but Rein is a team anchor, and her addition has also caused a resurgence in Doomfist play since she combines well with that, and while her shield bash isn’t great tech, it does add a level of complexity, and she’s just fun too because blizz knows how to make a game fun even if they have no idea how to design female characters

i guess the summary here is that i actively engage with media that I am interested in, and part of that is criticism, which I can focus on because a) i’m a sad person in general but more b) criticism is inherently a little bit more weighty and nuanced than effervescent praise. I don’t talk about the things I like much because of trauma but also I can literally just babble for hours about dumb shit and it can get old. Criticism to me has a beginning and endpoint hwere i pick up and leave off, while praise is more freeform, and when I’m on social media i can just say 

“Gosh into the breach is a good game and makes me feel smart even though i’m bad at t-rpgs usually” but then i’d play three more rounds and not say anything else, or I can say “hey into the breach has interesting story elements shame the plot is superfluous” which is kind of an open and closed thought

idk, this started with a direction and meandered into nothing guess that’s why they call it a bog post

that’s the jokes folkds gn 

[rirururu]

hi i don't know if it's fine to ask this question but how did you start shipping komahina? and why do you like it so much ? it's fine to ignore this ask if you don't like talking about komahina.

Hello! Sorry for how long it took me to reply. I hope a late one is better than none. I absolutely love taking about komahina. In fact, I won’t shut up about it. Anyways, I think that everyone ships things differently and there is no one real answer so that’s a really good question. The best way to respond to this is for me to share a little bit about what I look for in a ship.

The first thing that comes to mind is that I have to actually like the characters who I’m shipping together individually. They must have their own goals, their own ideals, and their own arcs of change which are completely separate from each other.Nothing keeps me from supporting a ship more than when one or even both characters are only relevant because they like another character. This kind of situation upsets me greatly, as the romantic feelings become something that hinders their development rather than coincides with it. When I watch/read a series where a girl or boy suddenly becomes interesting to the plot again because of feelings for so-and-so, I couldn’t roll my eyes any further without snapping several nerves. (I am lowkey upset that this trick was used on Uraraka when she didn’t freaking need it) (This is also why I hate Ash/Serena in case anyone wants to know)The second thing that I think of is conflict. You’ve probably noticed it, but most of my OTP’s on this blog are what we call “problematic” ships. The ships that aren’t necessarily as easy to like as it is to skip through a field of flowers while chewing on ice cream. People who have fought, disagreed, maybe even hurt each other at some point but have grown because of it. Romance is more than just getting jealous, blushing around someone, getting teased by peers, and having cute dates at the pier. It’s about connecting with each other when no one else can, disagreeing but working through it, and seeing the other at their worst but loving the other despite that.When you have two people who do nothing but agree with each other, it’s not only unhealthy but unbalanced. One person becomes passive and never changes while the other gives too much without ever being challenged. This is probably why I’ve been favouring the “pure” ships less and less the more I venture into the fandoms. (Which is also why Hajime/Chiaki got stale for me after about five minutes into the game)Thirdly, and this one is important, the relationship has to be dynamic. It has to actually go somewhere. Romances where two characters take 200+ episodes to confess to each other and we’re left with this awkward hanging-about where nothing really changes between them just doesn’t sell to me anymore. Because, in the long run, when two people are around each other so much without their relationship ever changing, what does that say about their compatibility? Listen, you’d be just as skeptical of a relationship’s true depth if it were between, and I give a random example, a single mother and her newly adopted son if their feelings regarding the other never moves at all despite how much both are changing. The romantic relationship between two characters shouldn’t be any different. (Using my own OTPs as a reference, look at how much Sora and Riku’s interaction has changed, look at how much Komaeda and Hinata’s way of handling each other has evolved, look at how Midoriya and Bakugou’s feelings regarding the other can’t stay still for more than 40 chapters without something shifting, look at how Kageyama and Hinata’s relationship never really leaves the spotlight of the series because of how it’s always subtly moving forward)Finally and gosh, this point is probably the silliest one on here; I absolutely hate heterosexual pairings where the girl is literally just a female version of the boy or vice versa.The reasoning behind this kind of coincides with my second point regarding the lack of conflict, but I just don’t see the appeal of shipping a character with him or herself. I know this is from a psychological theory that we are naturally attracted to those with similar traits and interests to us, but we’ve seen it so many times. We’ve seen it so many times because it’s standard for a tall, ditzy, blonde chick who tans on weekends and reads Twilight before going to bed to hook up with a tall, ditzy, blond boy who tans on weekends and reads Twilight before going to bed. I don’t want to see a perfect romance between two people with the exact same ideals dance into each other’s palm because it’s the easiest thing to do. There’s nothing wrong with a pairing like this, but if I wanted to see someone like Shinichi Kudo or Tsunayoshi Sawada hook up with the female version of himself, I would’ve invested into becoming a purebred dog breeder.Hopefully this helps to clear up the mentality I tend to have when approaching ships. You can see quite clearly why Komahina is such an addicting pairing for me. Gosh, I’m sorry that this turned into a huge essay. If you have any more questions, feel free to shoot them my way!

[littlebitofbass]

Hey Jen, did you see that article from Playboy declaring Ed has a "case of toxic masculinity"? I was wondering what your thoughts are on it because I found it very frustrating as a long-time Ed Sheeran fan that some people have such a low opinion of such a genuine person.

Yeah, I did see that. I was actually hoping we could pretend that article didn’t exist because I’m getting so tired of talking about the internet slamming such a good guy. But someone messaged me privately about it a few days ago, so I’ll just copy/paste some of the things we said.

Her: Jen I’m so frustrated! and I want your take on this stupid Playboy article. I’m a raging feminist, for the record, but this is just so poorly researched and written, I’m debating sending the author a hand-written, strongly-worded letter arghhh.

Me: That was painful to read, thanks.

Me: Ed’s not perfect by any means, and his attitude toward women isn’t perfect either, but I agree that the article was poorly researched. Deeper research would show that Ed is so much more progressive and self-aware than the neanderthal-cum-“Nice-Guy” picture this author paints of him.

Me: He writes songs like Don’t and Love Yourself (and The Man) when he’s been freshly heartbroken and insulted. It’s a knee-jerk reaction, a brief loss of temper, the exact same emotional state everyone has when they’ve been dumped, not just men. The issue here is that by creating art of that moment, he essentially freezes it in time and it exists forever, even though for him it may only have lasted for the time it took to write the song, and then he’s over it. So I don’t think it’s fair to assess his true character simply by looking at the art he’s made during these brief angry moments.

Me: A clearer picture of who he is as a person would include an analysis of his other songs, some that were written after the fact about the same events, which show his more enduring attitude toward them. For instance, the song Happier is a much more mature look at the breakup that spawned the song The Man. If you really want to see the kind of person Ed is, it’s only fair to look at how he’s come to terms with that situation in the long run, not what his immediate reaction was.

Me: I also think it would be relevant to look at the types of things he’s said about his female friends, particularly someone like Taylor Swift, when she gets bashed in the media for dating lots of men. He’s always sticking up for her and pointing out that it’s perfectly okay for women to date as many people as men do, that there’s a double standard when it comes to judging the love lives of female vs. male celebrities.

Me:I think if the author of that article had been presented with a list of all the times Ed has made comments about the importance of gender equality, she may have been a little more forgiving of the glimpses of anger and hurt feelings he gives in his breakup songs. He’s not lashing out at all women, you know? He’s lashing out at one person, who happens to be a woman. If he’d been dating a man, he would say the exact same things to the man who hurt him.

Me:To me it sounds a lot like this author was personally offended by Don’t and has been looking for reasons since then to dislike Ed and take the first chance she could to vent about him.A little astounded by the poor research though, not gonna lie. She thinks this is his first US headlining tour? Whose tour did I go to in 2012? Why is she attributing Taylor’s quote to Ed?Did you see the note at the bottom? They had to correct her because she got the title of Thinking Out Loud wrong. Thinking Out Loud! How on earth?

Her:YES to all. Ok. I thought I was possibly just being overly sensitive because I’m a fan hahahaha. I mean, the author says she wanted to publish this three years ago and her editor told her no. If that’s not grounds for a grudge, I’m not sure what is.

Her:I’m just concerned because I see this tide turning in the media of people evaluating Ed based solely on songs like Don’t or even Shape of You, which of course don’t give a full sense of his thoughts and opinions, and then write these think pieces calling Ed the latest example of systemic sexism (which 1000000% is a thing!!! But is Ed Sheeran where we should be directing our ire?? Imma say no.)

Her:I mean, you’re a writer..I’ve written stuff in the past. Can you imagine if  someone took the most rashly emotional thing you’ve ever written and was like “This clearly gives a full picture of who this person is” ?? Good lord.

So these are our thoughts on the subject, and for the record I totally agree with the things she said too. Ed is not a rational target for the types of accusations lobbed at him by Playboy (of all places). He’s just a guy, a normal human being who has feelings which can occasionally be negative when he’s been hurt but who is actually a pretty damn good person who was raised right by a good family and who believes in gender equality and is respectful of women and minorities and is definitely not an accurate representation of “toxic masculinity.” I mean good grief, if you want to attack a celebrity for toxic masculinity, you should probably aim for one who hasn’t gone on record that he wants to be a stay-at-home dad. 

I am also starting to become concerned about the media focusing on songs like Don’t when they write about Ed, though. Gosh I remember hoping so hard that song wasn’t going to make it onto the album. This is what entertainment media like to do, latch onto the most controversial thing they can think of about a person and then exploit that thing. It’s frustrating and unfair, and the sensationalized image they create is what people begin to associate with that person as if they know the full story when they clearly don’t. And it definitely makes it more difficult to encourage other people to listen to Ed’s music when what they know about him is that he writes songs about hating women and one time he sharted on stage. -.- 

But this is always how it’s going to be, people spewing uninformed opinions on the internet. I guess that’s why communities like ours exist – so we can remind ourselves of how things really are. 

[frankierising-blog]

Lair review for raiikyuu!

@chillarch

First Impressions:

God damn, even your friends list is blue! SO MUCH BLUE, DAVE! SO MUCH BLUE! Wait… your profile is hella blue, but your lair is mismatched! I LOVE THAT!! I saw the profile and thought I was going to be punched in the face with Ice and white but dayum… I’m excited!!

Chi

Ohh dayum! Yes! Good, yes! This is goooood!!! I love me some Plague goodness! (No, YOU’RE BIAS, shut up!). I LOVE how well the Magician’s hat matches the Blood Peregrine! Sooo nice! My only qualm with Chi is that she’s a little bit cluttered. I like the lightness that the Autumn Breeze brings, and it matches the Halloween hatchdate (that’s in Autumn/Fall, right?) but I just feel like it doesn’t match overall. I love the Herb pouch, but the leaves hanging down really annoy me. Overall, though, if there’s no major character to be considered, I can dig it!! Also, did you make the banner at the bottom? It’s really cool!!

Oh wait, the green in the Herb Pouch and the Autumn Breeze do seem to tie it in nicely with the Deadland Disciple! I get it!

Yuki

Ohh, right… I get it! The goal is, pick a flight to represent and then just CHUCK ALL THE THINGS ON, RIGHT? IT’S AESTHETICS!

No, but actually I REALLY like Yuki! The Antlers and the Herb Pouch tie him in with Chi really well! Your dragons are all about de herbs ;) I feel you, friend ;). Alright, enough.

Yuki is a little bit cluttered but it really works with ice, It essentially works as icicles forming all over his body. He seems so regal and fancy, the eyes kind of work with that too, in this outfit they look kind of glazed over, like he’s too distracted by his own inflated sense of self importance, haha.

I like the pairing with the Cragward Custodian, especially compared to the Ice Sprite, this works waaay better! And that banner! Hecking YES!!!!

Cassiopeia

OH GOSH YES, THIS FUELS MY SOUL!!! You’ve matched the blues and purples PERFECTLY with the illusionist! And the pinkish hues (hues, is that the word?) in the Alchemist tools work really well as a focal piece of the whole outfit! I’m really digging it!

I love how the female Guardian turns their heads, because it looks like she’s actually annoyed with the Gloomwillow guide, like it sort of pesters her, following her around. The trail it leaves look like it just darted around in front of her and Cassiopeia is like “DO YOU HECKING MIND!?” and the guide is like “Shit! Sorry!” haha, maybe it’s just the red eyes which make her seem kind of pissed off?

I absolutely love this whole thing! My favourite so far!!! <3

Isaye

Is this a dragon or a big brown and green blob!? A COW THREW UP ON YORU SPIRAL, FRIEND!

But seriously, I really like how you’ve utilised the chocolate and ginger instead of the standard browns, and the Ethereal Flame cloak really compliments the Ivory well! It definitely looks like a big flowery bush, and I like how the horns from the Naturalist Adornments and the Witch’s Cobwebs tie her in with the other representatives!

Ooooh and the flowers on the Lace wristlet and the Herb pouch DO match really perfectly with the Sapling Speaker!! I see what you did there!! I think my only problem with this is the Leafy Glades… It’s just so big and puffy, which is the problem I have working with it I’d love it if they did a more subtle version for the next festival or something!

Cadell

 Okay, I’m super bias because I HATE Orange. HATE IT! HATE, HATE, HATE! IT’S THE CHIA OF THE COLOUR WORLD!

I do like how you’ve used White/Obsidian instead of the orange/yellows you normally see! And love me some use of the Clawtips! I don’t see those as often as I wish I would!

The blue will forever annoy me, I hate that there’s blue in the Solar stuff, but it does add some variation to the piece which is nice! Overall, I like this! It’s cluttered but with the whole fire/lava thing going on, it really makes sense! The whole thing reminds me of flowing lava or like… a …. Foundry? Is that the word? Well, I guess that matches perfectly with the Molten Marauder!

I feel like I’m just repeating myself a bunch here, I’m sorry!

Sol

Ooooh yes, good! YES! The Obsidian/Gold thing is freaking AMAZING!

Fun fact though, at first I thought the solar blade behind her head was actually her head! I forgot how Wildclaws work and was like “Where are her eyes!?”. I thought she was bending her head down and wearing like a black feather headpiece or something. Anyway, I realised what a fool I am pretty quickly!

I really love this customisation! I especially love how discrete the Brutal Banner is underneath the Solar Blades and against the Obsidian! You’ve really matched the yellows and golds well! The only thing that shits me is the gold in Sunbeam Soldier is slightly different to the gold in the solar blades BUT THAT IS UNAVOIDABLE! Sol is freaking awesome and I love the name!!!

Astral

MY EYYYYESSS… MY EDGY, EDGY EYEEEESSSS!!!

But seriously, very cluttered, but overall very, very cute! The golds give her this sense of royalty but the Arcane elements of course give her the mystic feel! Again you’ve matched the purples nd pinks really nicely with the Stardust Scholar!!! <3

Letherii

Mmmmmm yes. Good… mmmm this is so perfect! The accent is so freaking perfect with the blues in the Skink! Hnnng, yes! I love that the accent covers most of the Violet as well, because the violet could have totally ruined the whole ensemble… but the little peeks where the wings fold over is absolute perfection!

THIS IS SO NICE BUT WHY DID YOU USE THE NATURE (I think?) EYES AND MAKE HIM SO PISSED OFF? WHY WOULD HE BE PISSED, HE LOOKS AMAZING!!!

Sabori

THIS IS SO FREAKING NICE!! I know he’s not properly gened yet, but holy heck, you’re really good at matching Skink highlights!! The Jade looks fantastic even without the Peregrine, but dayum, he’s going to look a-may-zing!!!! Sabori is so fantastic, I love him! This custom is absolutely PERFECT!!! <3 <3 <3

Beta

Mmmmm yes, this is perfection!!!! I know she’s going to be a gened Bogsneak, but she looks great as a Tundra!! I loooooove the Magic Cards against the Seafoam, and it’s going to look hecking AMAZING with the Glimmer! My only issue with this is the Pale Roundhorn, but I’m not a huge fan of how they look on Tundras so it will probably look hecking gorgeous on her as a Bog!!

Monsoon

Mmmmm this is beautiful!! You’ve matched the familiar perfectly yet again, and heck the Brambles look fantastic with the Saphire!!!!! He’s going to look SO GREAT gened up! I’m so excited to see how the finished product looks!!!

MoldyBurito

OH MY GOD, I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS! THIS IS THE MOST FANTASTIC THING I’VE EVER SEEN! THAT PHOTO! AHAHAAHAHA! THIS IS ACTUALLY AN AMAZING CUSTOM BUT I CAN’T STOP LAUGHING ABOUT IT!!!

[Sorry it tapers off at the end, I started to caffeine crash lol)

[bookreadalongs]

November 9

17:16 5/9/2017 I should've waited until 11/9 to read this. It did not escape me that those numbers were 9/11 in a different order. This is not that kind of book at all though. Was. It a huge fan of the first part. It was not relatable , unbelievable, and just full of instalove. It was interesting that Fallon pointed out a lot of the shit. They both pointed out a lot of it, actually. It just felt weak...yet here I am, unable to put it down. Second November 9 Also, I did appreciate that he could not articulate his thought spectacularly. I appreciated that as a writer (and a person in general) he knew the importance of digging beneath the surface, finding motivation and truth that cannot immediately be seen. 87. A manic episode? So...he's bipolar? - also, doubtful now...but I thought he could possibly be a prostitute when his room mate was like yoooo where ya been 99. He seems to be the only one (okay, only Fallon and her dad are the other people I took into consideration) emphasizing her life in the whole...ordeal. 104. haha that's Kyle's girlfriend, right? Who's living with them now? I went to go back and check, but then I stopped myself. I should just read on. - Ah...so Fallon is what he wished his mom was...weird phrasing. I meant, alive. Hey, Fallon also compared Ben to her mom. 111. Yeah, as soon as Kyle came in and acted like that I was 10% more intrigued. Now, it's been amped up to 25% more 112. I don't get it. Is Kyle...it can't be Fallon in particular that he had a past with. CHoover has already done that shizz. 127. He's so loaded... 133. She so isn't going to be able to do all that with him. It's too perfect...too planned. This book is about things- reality- stopping plans from coming to fruition 138. You got a last minute plane ticket for her. Her dads not rich, but she seems well enough off to see you. And this book will be weird if one of the only times you see each other in five years is a phone call. 152. All of her nakedness and he hadn't even been shirtless yet. I've a feeling his jealousy is no match for what hers should be comparing his romantic endeavors with hers. I'd like her to keep the shirt 168. This is good. I like this. It's just not as compelling as LJ...maybe I'm just not grown up enough...but this is just... wry clearly a romance novel 171. Did he cause his mom's death? I have noticed (obviously) CHoover's method of having a character have some deep dark secret. Blaming himself for something that is not his fault is...not it. I don't know. 176. I appreciate CHoover's consciousness of people (okay, admittedly frequently females read her books) are quick to blame the female character. I'm kind of glad I didn't. I used to be that way. Such double standards... 180. Oh my gosh. HOW DID SHE DO IT? I TOTALLY FELT THAT WOULD HAPPEN? WHAT FORESHADOWING DID SHE DO? Like how it was obvious that one guy was deaf. She just gives out these subtle vibes. That's what really impresses me. I was thinking how it would be weird if brother thing...THEN IT HAPPENED. But it's also like...they were at their weakest ever...surely it couldn't have continued...yet her we are. Talk about bad timing, huh? Always. @LJandJohnAmbroseMcClaren 182. Wow. That's what he thinks? That's really what he thinks...that's what t alluded to I suppose. 183. I realized why it seemed like he was with Jordyn. He was being a dad. I mean...that had to been all there was...but, hm. I don't know. Those vibes, man. 184. I'm dying. This is it. This is why. I can feel so enamores and captured by the book even if I feel kind of a tinge apathetic and a little not connected to the characters...yet also tear up at these moments. 185. Obviously you can't leave like this...on the off chance you both decide to come back next year. "Off chance"...but for them it could be the last time they see each other. I guess she just makes weirdly real characters even though they also feel so fake...I really do admire her as an author. I feel like that admiration isn't coming through enough. I do love her work. 186. WOOO LOVER BOY NOTICES. This just makes for such a fucked up family. Like, the future? After they've had se x? Like...no. What the heck. Uncle...uh...Ben? And mommy? Ewwww! 188. Ohhhhhhh! Ben was with Jordyn first? Maybe? Interesting! I just read about Fallon not wanting to take him away from a woman who has been through so much. How did that cause me to think that? How does she write like this? 189. AH THAT WAS GOOD. That was SO GOOD. Fifth September nine 193. I bet this is the first one that started...not about one of them thinking about the other. The fire. I want to read Slammed. She says that...because she's afraid she'd lose the race of love. 198. "I'm studying the probability of soulmates" I love it. I hands down love it so much. That is my favorite sentence in this whole book. Because, of course he's studying that. That's just...him. I love it so much. Especially after Fallon began this chapter not believing in fate. It's great. 199. Okay, maybe I'm completely being ignorant here, but I feel like vibes were to be given off that Theodore was being a like...I need to find another word...rapey. 200. He never loved her though...did he? See, if I as the reader don't know, it's completely fair for her not to know. Did amber tell him? 202. They. Not we. Home? Surely he lives somewhere else then? But...that house is too big for only the two. 206. STOP SHE IS KIND OF A LITTLE DRUNK INSTEAD OF ROOTING FOR HIM FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE NOVEL I WAS LIKE WHAT THE HECK 207. So, Amber did not tell Ben.... 208. Haha cue the scene where you're meant to love Amber 209. Ahhh! So it was Glenn! Obviously. Good job, dude! 210. I want her to say no. But that tomorrow-yes, that would be good. She needs to feel bad for how he felt too. 211. HOW DARE YOU!! Awww her friends....plus Ben 213. Agreed. Very agreed. A million times agreed. I hope the epilogue is like November ten -year six A year needs to pass OF them being a couple for an epilogue 214. He never told her he loved her. Not in those words, sure that he was falling in love with her, but not actually there. 215. See? That's what I knew would be really weird and bad and icky for a long time. 219. Okay, when is his bombshell going to drop though? It's always in these last few pages. 221. AHHHH HOW DID HE DEPICT HER? Maybe that's it. I feel like it'll have to play a role. Maybe after she broke his heart? I don't know! I'm so excited! 224. Honestly, better restraint than me. 227. Wow. I imagined he was the cause of his mother's fire. This is...not what I really thought. Awkward. Weird. Very secretive. Not poetic. 228. He did evade that one question early on. It was before I started taking notes. Mental notes though...Amber, I think asked when they met-no. That was how long they were dating. Fallon said something? I don't know, oh wait! About the first time he saw her, I think? Then he was like "well when I first saw you in that booth an hour ago..." and I was like that's so not what she said. But he didn't know the accident or...I guess just the situation she was referring to...oh. Welp. 228. Why would he incriminate himself by telling everyone? I'm confused by that. 230. I thought he commit arson for so long. How does she do this? 232. I like it. Like, that's what he dad instilled in her for so long. She had so many walls built up. For the one to help her take them down to hide this...and do it. Woah there. 234. I came into this book thinking it would be the fact that she didn't know he was writing about her would be the breaking point. Then, she knew the whole time, so I stopped thinking that...well...assumptions will be the death of me. 236. Wow. I like it. Ah, yes. Another year. 241. Okay, we all know it wasn't Amber. 243. Okay, even though she won't read it obviously her mom would. Or else, how else would their love story progress? We see his perspective to understand it's true. It weed out the fabrications imagined by a girl who has only seen him 5 days over the course of her life. 249. What? Was Fallon's father the cause of it? 250. Apparently...she went through with it. So, no foul play. Her tattoo, how does t relate to his? I guess just the fact that she was a poetry major. What about the fact that it was on a staff? 251. I see now. Something to do with his father, maybe? Uhg. Please don't let them be siblings...unless Fallon's mother was also unfaithful, but that would just screw up HER character. 252. I guess he did say music was important. Well, he only said that because of his mother. I need to go to that first time he went home. I need to reread that. 53-54. Where was he last night? 254. No page numbers is making this difficult. This is...obvious, right? 258. Oh, was he outside of their house that night? I want to go back to when Fallon talked about the girl who married for the money Donovan didn't have. I want to see Ben's response. Again. Not now though. Not right before the arson. 265. Panic attack? What does he have? Anything? Definitely something. Counting down? Ah, DEFINITELY something. 273. So, when Kyle died...he lost. He lost everything. 276. Wowza. This is long. I feel like my suicide letter- woah. Like, hypothetically. Completely hypothetically, would be super long too. Because I ramble. This note is very inappropriate. Did not realize that when I began it. Welp. What can ya do? WOAH WOAH WOAH PLOT TWIST. I saw the others coming, this? Not so much. 278. Had Kyle read the letter? He tossed the money on the table like he knew what he was doing. If Ian had to go to the station, and only just picked up a copy...Kyle couldn't have read t yet. WOW LOOKY THERE! BEN DID KNOW! That date was important for Ben too. That's why he was at their house the night before. That's why he was so unkempt. That's why neither of them slept much. 280. What do you mean half the manuscript? That was three chapters, none of which had you. Oh, she must have read more. Must have, right? 281. Oh. So, he wasn't visiting their house. He was with someone. Just as I thought earlier. Who the heck is it? How did Jordyn know? 382. He said once he met and talked with and did everything that day with Fallon, actually, it was in the middle. Because that's when he saw Kyle. But he said to himself, in his inner monologue, that he would change now...because of her. 283. Uhhhhhhhgggg fuck. That's exactly what I thought. Kyle. Kyle knew...that's fucking kid. Oh my gosh. I'm so blown away right now. Kyle was such a fricken trooper. Oh fuck. Goodness gracious that was such a trip. Good. I'm so glad. 287. Ahhh! Then you follow him to wherever he goes because you want to talk? 296. Ahhh! After all those spin offs of the story from the guy's side, this is the best. Well, she always alternates. She tries to make them more...masculine with boobs and whatnot, but they're always sensitive. Not just her, a bunch of writers. That's okay though. Because they're so dang lovable. Wait wait wait. Half way through the manuscript? That isn't that long. Certainly not enough for a novel...hmmm... 298. Ah, yes. Fate was in that little poemy bit hat has been before each action. HEY MY EPILOGUE IDEA OF NOV 10 IS LIKELY...or they'll just finish things up on the ninth like usual. I'd actually, again, prefer a flash forward...so Year 7. Like Harry Potter! But...why did they always wait so long so solve any bit of their problems? Interesting. "Last". Wasn't the fifth the last? Is it one in the same? It must be. Obviously they must make up...now. 305. Throwback to before when I started writing notes and she was like and there's this awesome guy who's practically a fictional boyfriend in front of me and I was like hah eye roll. 306. Aww that's actually quite cute. Could've gone straight to him though...and just gotten it together. You really scared him. But, it's fine. 307. Haha spoilers. I love it though. It's just as cutesy as one would only expect. Also, it's good that it didn't end on the twelve thing. I like that. It's cause of the whole author thing and her love of reading. Can we take a second to adore that she opened up a whole new genere to him? That's huge! A whole new world of possibilities were introduced. That's so sweet. I mean...also that they saved each other, but details, you know? 20.57 read straight through for the first time in a while 4 stars