#but overall she's a really cool person and we had a really long discussion about capitalism and white supremacy and work culture

[shikai-the-storyteller]

I'm so glad I like my boss and we get along well and I LOVE that she liked to share petty complaints and listens to mine. Genuinely love when people are like "Hell yeah, complaints are welcomed and ENCOURAGED!"

[duke-daemon]

hazbin hotel redesigns wooooooooo

okay so. i'm gonna discuss my thoughts about them n shit, putting under a readmore bc it's gonna get long and rambley. sorry in advance for the shit formatting, i'm on mobile </3

just some general shit about how i would rewrite it. i think the premise of redeeming sinners is entertaining but is executed horribly. i also am a fan of the "heaven isn't great either" idea but again, executed horribly. i'd make the hierarchy of angels more accurate because it's cool as hell and i have autism about it. the characters from hell would swear still (albeit not as much), but the angels would outright refuse to swear or make vulgar jokes ever. this would be partially to further the gap between heaven and hell and make the differences more stark.

hell would also be more like dante's inferno (again because i think its cool). the ars goetia would get a full redesign and would be more prevalent in demonic society.

now for the characters!

---

VAGGIE VALTIEL:

starting off with vaggie, or Valtiel as i've renamed her because let's be honest her original name sucks. Valtiel (Val for short) was an aspiring power angel who wanted to be an exorcist. she looked up to lute and thought the idea of killing demons was really cool and badass. however when she actually was on the field for the first time she discovered how awful this actually was. she tried to help a few demons but lute figured it out and felled her right then and there. the rest of her story is relatively the same. personality wise she's more stoic and less prone to all-out aggression. she still get angry, sure, but it's in a quieter and more menacing way. you DO NOT want to fuck with Valtiel.

CHARLIE:

next up is charlie! i had two ideas for her. the first one (unsettling drawing) has her as a mannequin/doll type demon. lucifer and/or lilith was unable to conceive and as such they built a kid from scratch. she's overall similar to og charlie personality wise, very kind and cheerful despite her unsettling appearance. she struggles with empathy sometimes but really does mean well. her motive for rehabilitating sinners is so they get to see their family again. being able to see heaven from where they are in hell must make them sad, so she wants to help make them happy again!

the second idea for charlie has her as an angel. specifically i casted her as a dominion angel due to their reputation as holy judges. she was once a demon but has been rehabilitated and has risen into angelhood! she now wants to help her former kin do the same and redeem themselves in heaven's gaze. again, similar cheery personality, but a bit more prudish in this rendition

tangent time!

as a side tangent, valtiel and charlie would have a different relationship in this rewrite. their relationship felt shoehorned in in the original show, like it was just there for the hell of it. we didn't see much development between them and it just felt kinda bland. so in my rewrite, charlie and valtiel are amiable exes. they tried dating when valtiel first fell (when charlie was still a demon in the charlie-angel version) but realized their feelings for each other were much more platonic than romantic. they ended things off on good terms, deciding they were much better as friends. they are still besties to this day! later charlie ends up with emily (or 'ellie' as i plan to rename her)

back to the characters

Alastor:

note: i made alastor mixed-race, which could be seen as bad by some due to vivzie saying he's black. however, as many have pointed out, he has no ethnic features whatsoever and i honestly wouldn't be surprised if she said that just to get away with using voodoo symbols (a closed religion) in his imagery/design. like viv, i am incredibly white and have little to no knowledge of voodoo, and even if i did i would not use it for something like this anyways due to the stigma the religion already has and (again) it being a closed practice. as such i removed it from his concept altogether, but made him mixed race (white passing) because.. why not i guess, i forgor my actual reasoning

with that being said...

alastor is by far my favorite of the redesigns and i'm honestly tempted to turn him into a legally distinct oc. i imagine he's somewhat reserved, along the lines of norman bates albeit a bit more extroverted. during his life he was a serial killer with a day job as a radio announcer. he took pleasure in reporting about his own murders on the radio, but that is eventually what got him caught (ie accidentally letting slip info that wasn't released to the public). as a result he was sentenced to death. upon arriving in hell, he quickly rose through the ranks to borderline overlord status and is a feared presence by demons and sinners alike. why is he bothering to assist in the hotel project? who knows... his motives are a mystery, like the rest of what he does

(he isn't actually alastair crowley i just thought the naming convention was ironic. however he may have also dabbled with satanic magic in lifetime..)

Angel Dust:

TW: brief discussion of SA

this is definitely my second favorite redesign. i loooove insect themes and wanted to do more than just Extra Arms, so he now has fucked up legs and a lot of eyes too! story-wise, angel used to be a criminal mastermind, hated by both the mafia and the feds. he was a gentleman thief, arranging massive heists under the cover of night while also partaking in the occasional drag show. he ended up a cocaine addict later in life, which caused his work to become sloppier. eventually he was killed in a heist gone wrong, specifically shot by the police.

i'm not gonna go too in-depth on the SA part of his story, but he is hypersexual due to being assaulted in both his life and afterlife. it would be something he'd be working on in the rewrite. his reason for coming to the hotel in the first place may have even been for help with this trauma. underneath his sultry exterior is a broken guy who really just needs someone to care about him for who he really is and not for what his body can do.

LUTE:

so lute and adam are some of the characters i have the most gripes about. the biggest one being why viv chose adam as the leader of the exorcists in the first place. if she wants a biblical figure tied to demon killing, Archangel Michael is RIGHT THERE, aka the one destined to kill satan during the events of Revelations. if she wants the first human to die, that would be Abel, not Adam. and i kinda doubt abel would want to do the stuff that HH!adam has been doing. if she wants an angel related to torture, Dumah is her guy! an angel that rules over wicked souls and tortures sinners every day except sabbath. so many better options...

with that out of the way, Lute is still the lieutenant of the exorcist, who are a specially chosen group of powers sent to purge hell once a year. think navy seals. she's pretty much the same as in the show, albeit more muscular and visually different from other exorcists (seriously why do they all look exactly the same?????) she's a very repressed lesbian who hasn't had time to work on that due to her duties

i also redesigned the exorcist uniform/armor because those LED purge masks are fugly as hell and their clothes don't even look remotely like armor.

Adam + Final Thoughts

i did start a redesign of adam but got bored of it. regardless, i think he'd be the head of C.H.E.R.U.B. instead of the exorcists. he doesn't want his children to make the same mistakes he and eve did, so together they started C.H.E.R.U.B. to help lost souls stay out of hell

final thoughts uhhhh i'm tired. show sucks, it had so much potential but viv ruined it by being a shitty writer and an even shittier person. the designs are fine i guess but they all look exactly the same and are in desperate need of variety. the humor is dogshit, saying dick and balls and penis over and over and over again doesn't make it any funnier than the first three times you made that joke. anyways that's it, i hope you liked my inane ramblings. gonna go vanish for another forty years or so, adios

[ravenwitch45]

Could I request Stolas, blitzø, and Loona (separately) with a reader who was a witch when they were alive and still is in hell.

Having SO who was a witch and still is in Hell

Stolas

Oh okay then!

He's surprised but quite happy at this revelation.

He's also a mage, and while every demon can do magic to an extent, the actual techniques to learn most arts are coveted by certain circles. The only exception are overlords granted powers upon reincarnation. Either way Stolas barely ever sees let alone interacts with other magic users.

So upon discovering the fact you knew and practiced magic before death. He's immediately intriqued, asking all about it. Whether or not your powers were granted or there from birth, How they work, What you like to do with them and of course he loves seeing you use your powers.

After his curiosity has been sated a little, he... well we all know he loves to ramble on about his interests. And while with a bit of time it's easy to grasp the basics of botany, Magic is a lot more complicated, Blitz just kind of tunes it out even though he tries, and Octavia is just starting her magic training.

So he starts rambling on about it all to you, unintentionally of course but he subconciously just feels more comfortable about it with you. You notice it but don't mind, having had no one to discuss magic with either for a long time you welcome it, and start asking him about it actively and making sure to listen, which makes him happier then you could imagine.

One thing he really likes to do with you after discovering it, is mix his magic with yours. It's a very intimate, and powerful technique if used agressivley, generally only done with romantic partners and other learned loved ones. He had never done it, considering... you know but when he does it with you, he just melts.

The spell gives a glimpse of the other person's thoughts and feelings, and being able to literally feel all the love you have for him just makes him a blushing mess in your arms.

He loves you so much.

Blitzo

Oh another Magical Hottie? He's down.

He's familiar with magic of course, i mean his other partner as well as his daughter know magic and he himself has learned a bit from using Stolas's grimoire so he's far from weirded out, surprised of course, but cool with it.

But unlike Stolas, he knows nothing about the complexities, so his questions are a lot more wild guesses? He honestly thought you might have been a sinner who got magic due to ruthlessness like The Vs or Al to which he ain't upset at the idea. He would be impressed if that was true.

Also he of course asks what you can do in bed with it, and no he doesn't mean a card trick.

Depending on how you were treated in life, he'll have some buisness to take care of.

Honestly just watches you in awe if he ever sees you kill with it, probably would run up to you and kiss you after it's over, whispering sweet nothings into your ear and calling you a beautiful badass

He runs on like one braincell most of the time so he might ask for a bit of help with stuff, like if he misplaces one of his horse figures or something, you honestly saying you should just teach him these spells but you never do, he just likes seeing you do it.

He is always impresed by every bit of magic you use, mnot matter how much he sees it.

Had to apoligize profusely when you glared at him for buying a pointy hat, assuming you'd like it, though you both laughed it off

Overall he doesn't care too much, he think it's cool and might make fun but cares more on how you treat him and his loved ones, and if that comes with some magic he's good with that.

Loona

Oh she is interested, in every part.

Her favorite top has a pentagram on it, this girl loves magic. And while officially she's just a receptionist, she's generally the one who handles the grimoire plus she knows how to disguise herself so she's a bit of a mage herself.

While she is very curious about how being a witch is, she's someone who understands how it is to be treated diffrently when you don't want to so she'll generally let you talk when you feel like it.

Eventually will ask for help with some magic stuff if she feels like it's needed. Like asking for help on memorizing spells, and asking her step dad or sister feels daunting to her.

Will totally get you witchy fashion from Stylish Occult if you like that stuff.

One time asks if familars are a real thing, getting the response that she is kinda your familar, a deep and intended to be life long bond a witch has with someone special and she just becomes a blushing mess from that.

She likes it a lot, and is very happy to learn about that side of you, but overall loves you as before

(Sorry for the few here, I've never done Loona before.)

Okay there you go! Sorry this took so long, my birthday happened and I got distracted by a lot of stuff, but I finally finished it! And I'll get to more soon enough!

[soupdots]

Hey, I haven’t posted on here in a while, but! I read Azula in the Spirit Temple (finally) and I wanted to give my thoughts on it.

Overall rating, 7.5/10

Things I liked:

• These two panels:

I love how her humanity is shown in both of them. I don’t know if we’ve EVER seen Azula given the humanity shown in the second panel— fear, specifically trauma-motivated fear (and a traumatic experience not frequently discussed, her institutionalization). It’s significant because she’s showing fear without anger, which is rare for her. And I was blown away by the first panel. I didn’t expect them to be so explicit about it. It’s almost too explicit, but honestly, it’s needed (because people clearly don’t pick up on subtext). It made me very happy to see what we’ve all been saying stated outright and in canon. These two panels pushed the comic up from more of a 6/10.

• I liked the idea of spirits and avatars (no pun intended) of Azula’s past friends and family talking to her (This is something that’s planned for my fic, if I ever get that off the ground again). It allows Azula to directly confront what has been done to her and what she has done, which is important for a redemption arc. It also allows for some healing, because she’s able to talk to those who hurt her.

• Azula is not given a quick redemption arc in 80 pages. Thank god. While of course she deserves a redemption arc, a rushed Kuvira-style redemption arc would be awful.

• I like that, true to her classic hair symbolism, Azula has her hair down throughout her time in the temple but puts it back up when she goes back to meet her Fire Warriors.

• She looks like a child in most of the frames. It’s good.

• This may have been unintentional, but I like that it’s Zuko who yells at her about how she’s hurt everybody, she’s a monster etc; then he turns into something of a monster himself. This shows that Zuko has hurt her, that he’s not perfect.

• I think the writing in general was better than past comics (definitely better than Yang’s writing) and it bodes well for the future. I think, all things considered, Faith Hicks did a remarkable job with the barely salvageable remnants of Azula’s character.

Things I didn’t like:

• Azula is still hung up on her “rightful place on the throne!” She never showed any real desire for the throne in the show, and yet for some reason that has become a key piece of her identity. It really doesn’t make sense. Also, didn’t she drop that in S&S? She is still seeking to destabilize Zuko in AITST, but appears to also have regained the desire for the throne. It’s confusing and weird.

• I think Azula could’ve been shown being a little nicer to her ‘Fire Warriors,’ given that she doesn’t have the same pressure to keep them by her side as she did with Mai & Ty Lee, but it’s fair that she’s not. In S&S she’s a pretty terrible person and takes several steps back in her redemption arc (several extremely OOC steps), and while I want to forget the Yang comics ever existed, Hicks still has to adhere to them and that means not suddenly making Azula a lot more chill.

• It felt rushed, but of course it did, it’s 80 pages long. Still this did affect the satisfaction I got from it.

• Azula ought to have been more distressed when she found out that her friends left her given that that’s literally her biggest wound. However I also kind of like that she wasn’t, especially at the end, because it hints that she’s getting tired of the whole friendship through manipulation thing.

• I wish Azula had gotten to talk to the spirit in its monk form a little bit; we could’ve had an Iroh moment for her which would’ve been cool to see.

• In general Azula’s character has really been through the ringer so it’s hard to get anything good out of it, but again I’m impressed at what Hicks has been able to pull off. Still, it felt kind of unsatisfying that at the end of the comic Azula said that she would “find new followers, a new place to rule,” which is like, oh okay, so you kinda haven’t really learned anything? It would be nice to at least get a bit of an idea that she’s on a path towards redemption and healing.

Again, overall, 7.5/10, I really enjoyed this, honestly. There were some parts that made me roll my eyes but ultimately I was surprised at the amount of kindness given to Azula (not a lot, but more than usual). I’m thankful to Faith Erin Hicks & the rest of her team for doing the best they can with our girl. I hope this means she’ll get more good content in the future.

[soo-won]

Hi!! I’ve been following your tumblr and Twitter for a while now and I love all your akayona analyses. ❤️ I remember your rambles about headcanoning Suwon as transmasc/transfem? Could I hear more abt that? It’s rlly cool cause I feel he’s portrayed in an incredibly gender neutral light, in comparison to many other male leads :)

Thank you so much for wonderful ask! I'm glad you like my analysis :') Idk who you are but thank you for the support!!

And yeah! I headcanon Suwon as non-binary and there is a lot to unpack about his gender imo...I very much believe akayona has a lot to say about gender especially through Yona and Suwon's characters, and in that Suwon being a man and Yona being a woman is thematically important. But the way the story presents this theme in Suwon's character in his struggle (or lack of) with balancing between "masculinity" and "feminity" can make him easily readable as trans. Transfem or transmasc and every nuance in between.

I've also been headcanoning him as non-binary from before the manga truly explored these aspects only because I'm non-binary and I related to him too so it's not that deep. But as you said he is portrayed more gender neutrally than most male characters of the cast from the beginning and I think it's worth exploring. Whether he's gender non confirming in universe is interesting to discuss too, because you have other characters like Joon-gi for example, but he's at least not really traditionally masculine from our standards when you first see him.

(Long post under the cut)

But as much as it doesn't have to be that deep, I'm also convinced it actually is and that's why I'm entering character analysis territory here, so please stay with me ahah. When I think about Suwon's gender, I just can't not think about his parents and what they represent to him and how that ties to his overall character arc. Yuhon and Yonhi are pretty much the "ideal" symbols of traditional masculinity and feminity we have in the story in their gender roles and the values associated with them. Suwon is one of the rare character we have a glimpse of both parents that lived long enough for him to remember and be impacted by both. This sounds silly but basically Suwon's gender is like,, if a man and a woman had a baby to me fnbkjhbgkjhbgh.

In universe, Yuhon represents strength, courage and reason. He is the traditional and ideal male. He is bold, brash, dominant. He is the parent Suwon deeply admires and longed to be like, and that he then took upon himself to replace after his passing. He's the figure everyone in Kouka remembers positively as a competent and strong leader. He's the parent that taught Suwon to see people as pieces on a chessboard and to always be pragmatic, to make the most effective and straightforward decisions. Suwon inherented some of these traits himself, but the entire struggle of his character is that he isn't and cannot exactly be his father, that he can't follow in his father's footsteps (or what he thinks they are) as much as he and the people around him would like. This ideal masculinity represented by Yuhon is not something Suwon is able to achieve and that we should wish for. The other side of the coin is dominance and violence, it's stealing the agency of others with no regard to their person, it's causing a chain of pain and more violence. Suwon, ultimately, cannot and shouldn't respond to all these expectations. They're not him. Because he is also Yonhi's son, which he tried to cover as much as he can as a King.

Because in contrast, Yonhi represents the "ideal femininity" that is passive, sentimental and kind. Her assigned role was only to serve Yuhon and Suwon, and had no power for much else. In appearance, she's the ideal wife and mother. She is conventionally very feminine, we see her with different garments, accessories and haircut in every scene, hinting that it's something she likes (especially when you compare with Kashi)... She's kept in the dark about Yuhon's secrets and all he does when he leaves the castle and fights on the battlefield. She has no agency. She is the parent forgotten by all, never mentioned even by Suwon, who died with nothing to her name. She is the parent that didn't want Suwon to kill Il but to think about Yona, she is the one who taught him about kindness. (i also mentionned yuhon and yonhi's respective legacy here)

And the irony is, physically Suwon is almost a copy of his mother. At first glance, Suwon is in general much more like her than he is like Yuhon. Suwon is pretty and cute, and is assumed to be weak, passive, and lacking in general as a warrior. Suwon, who wishes he was like his father, looks "nothing" like him and actually looks like his very feminine mother. And the thing is, what makes him so gender ambiguous is that he actually embraces that. Suwon uses his appearance and plays with the perception others have of him so they underestimate him (Geuntae, Soojin, Li Hazara,...) he has a very similar haircut as his mother, is interested in swordfight, tactics, but he's also into flowers, tea and sweets, he wore clothes with flower and butterflies patterns before his coronation (which is not supposed to be only a women thing of course but in universe I don't have any other example of male characters having those so I take it into account), he interacts with other female characters like a peer that share the same interests, too. He is first perceived the same way as Il and the opposite of his father or warriors like Geuntae, Mundok or Hak. He isn't like Il or Yonhi though, and that's what makes him not entirely feminine either, he actually proves himself as a man to these people after all.

But even as a child, Suwon took up the role of a mother for Yona like it was the most natural thing in the world. And in a similar fashion he also took up the role of Yuhon to "take care" and "protect" his mother, and to lead Kouka. Suwon is able to navigate both feminine and masculine roles depending on what is the most fitting to the situation at hand, and he achieves that with little struggle. This is probably the point that makes him so gender fluid? He's fine with both, it feels natural to him, this is what differentiates him from his parents' image shackled by very stereotypical gender norms. It's definitely what makes him so unique and himself. Suwon is always described as having equal interests and curiosity for everything and everyone, and it plays a part in this as well. In a world where interests are gender divided, where women are encouraged to have interest in love, fashion, luxuries and where the men are rather into sword training or studies, Suwon who can jump from one to the other with ease, like gender doesn't matter feels especially liberating.

But Suwon is actually still shackled and not immune to patriarchy and it all ties to the meaning behind the position of a King. Suwon loved his mother, and he sincerely loved Yona before the coup just like she was for being cute and kind and bringing him warmth. "Feminity" isn't a sin or bad to Suwon, he even values it. However, for him and many others in universe, all these things are unfitting for a King, like...he likes it, but he thinks he doesn't need it for his goal. Which leads us to King Il.

Suwon values "feminity" and is aware of that part of himself, but rejects it when he has to act as a King. "Masculinity" is about being strong, strong enough to protect, and being "feminine" puts you in a position of weakness and powerlessness. I don't think it's a coincidence that he inherited his illness from his mother either, which literally puts him in a position of vulnerability and weakness that he absolutely hates and tries to cover up. Feminity is fine for women and the roles assigned to them, they are lovely as they are, left behind but where they can keep being kind and sentimental while the strong men go to battle and manage affairs, basically. Kouka is a patriarchal society with all these norms being continuously enforced, and where being King was exclusively a masculine position until recent development. Before Suwon ascended to the throne, Yona was the first heir, yet the position of next ruler after her father wasn't to be given to her, but whoever would be her future husband. Yona would have been only a Queen, not one with particular ruling power, but in the sense of being the wife of the King, the same way Kashi was.

So then, Il appears as a failure as a King. He's the example and proof to Suwon that "feminity" is not compatible with the position and that he has to differentiate from him in every way. Suwon liked Il for his kindness and believed in him until he killed his father and proved to be uncompetent as a ruler. Il's kindness and reliance on the divine are unreasonable and based on emotionalism for Suwon. His refusal to use any weapon makes him a coward and weak, and waiting for the gods to save them makes him passive...It's what led Kouka to the sad state it was at the beginning of the story.

To Suwon, feelings, kindness, traits associated with feminity as we've seen, make him weak. He doesn't need it. It's what makes him reluctant and risks to deviate him from his goal and duties as a King. He can't afford to feel for Yona or anyone, he has to take the most efficient decisions with no remorse for people's feelings and especially not his. This is why Yona is so important and the lead of Akatsuki no Yona. Yona redefines what we associate with either masculinity and feminity. Strength, kindness, sentimentality, reason...They're all needed, they don't have to, and they shouldn't be divided so strickly and imposed on people based on their gender and roles. (Especially when it's obviously girls and women suffering from it the most). This divide between Yona and Suwon doesn't have to be, Suwon takes time to accept it, to accept Yona to enter his chessboard and value her as an equal and not just because she's kind and cute. And in doing so, it opens the door for him to also accept his own feelings, his own "weaknesses". Feelings and kindness actually hold so much power, they can actually make you stronger, that's what made Yona and Hak so bright to his eyes from the start, even if it took him long to fully realize it.

I feel like I deviated from the initial topic, but it's all important I swear. It doesn't mean Suwon gave up all his old ways either, he still embraces what he learned and admired in his father, not everything was forced upon him and I believe he genuinely connected with his father's vision. But it's about balancing this with the things he was convinced he had to reject and discard all this time.

That said, here are some examples of how it opens the door for transmasculine and transfeminine interpretations of Suwon's character arc, there can be others of course, but those are the ones I naturally came up with thinking about all this:

If you read Suwon's story as a transmasculine experience, it clicks. From how he was "cute as a girl" in his childhood to the experience of feeling like to be a man, to pass as a man, you have to reject everything that is associated with feminity and force yourself to accept masculine values that are just not your real self, to then realize you don't have to do all that to be a man and it's fine to embrace your "feminity" too. (Btw I really encourage you to read the Requiem of the Rose King manga that is explicitely about this topic!)

If you read Suwon's story as the transfeminine experience, it clicks too. Suwon feeling like he has to and being pushed to follow in his father's footstep when that's just not his real self. The way that he represses his self, the metaphor of closed box and how he locks his true self and feelings into them, until it becomes too much and he can't ignore it anymore. That being a man is not for him, and he doesn't have to be.

Of course, you can also read him as a cis man that is more or less gender non-conforming, or in any nuance of non-binarity in between, but in conclusion, that's what makes Suwon so gender to me. (and again, you don't need any of what I wrote in this post to headcanon him however you want)

There is also something to say about how he's "lacking as man" in how he has no romantic or sexual interest in women, if you take into account all the junctions between gender and heteronormativity that I didn't really bring up here. This point always made him really stand out to me, but Suwon's sexuality is such a Topic I didn't want to adventure myself into today ahah.

[moonshotsx]

keep painting me with more memories - sashentra (flower shop au)

here’s a little birthday gift from me to all of you for all the support i’ve received over the year 🥰

-

Sasha wouldn't call herself a nervous person and yet, she could feel an unusual jitteriness as she waited for Anetra to prep everything for their tattoo session.

Perhaps, it had to do with Anetra's hands gently adjusting the stencil over her thigh, her gloved hands carefully patting it against her freshly shaved skin.

Just, maybe.

"Got this bad boy up," Anetra let out once she removed the paper, revealing the vibrant purple lines, "You can check it again to let me know if the placement it right for you".

Sasha gave it a quick glance over the floor length mirror, she was still in love with the stencil as she had been with the sketch. She appreciated the addition of a few leaves behind the hibiscus' flowers to frame it around her thigh.

"Looks perfect to me," she simply replied, earning two thumbs up from Anetra.

"That's what I love to hear!" She walked back up to the saran wrapped leather chair and went to sit down next to it on a smaller stool, "Get yourself comfortable, and we can start".

The sun illuminated just across from behind Anetra, giving her an unintentional halo.

Sasha wished she could snap a pic to relive this moment.

She laid down, careful not to mess up the stencil as she took a deep breath.

"I know the first tattoo can be a little scary, but I know you got this.

"Oh," Sasha swatted her hand, "I'm not scared, just... nervous, yeah".

"And that's cool too," Anetra said as she dipped the pen in the ink, "You know... I almost punched the dude who gave me my first tattoo".

"What?!"

"Yeah, Sixteen-year-old me thought it would be really cool to get a massive rib tattoo as my first one..." she continued with a laugh, "Let's just say sixteen-year-old me was a fucking dumbass".

"How is that supposed to help me with my nerves?" She raised a brow, but the smile on her face was contagious.

"Well, are you nervous now?" Anetra replied without missing a beat.

Sasha shook her head, "Alright, you got me there".

Anetra threw her a little wink before reaching to rest her hand on Sasha's thigh.

"Okay, giving you a heads-up, I'm about to go in," Anetra warned her as the buzzing of the machine took Sasha off guard, "I'm going to do a few strokes, and you tell me how you feel, okay?"

Sasha nodded, she turned a bit on her side - the thigh with the stencil on fully facing Anetra.

"So, let's get this pretty flower on a pretty girl," the tattoo artist muttered before zeroing her focus on the job in front of her.

Sasha inhaled sharply when the needle touched her skin, expecting it to hurt, but she was met with just slight discomfort.

"How is it?" Anetra asked with a soft tone, "All right?"

"I'll be honest, I thought it was going to hurt much more," Sasha let out a chuckle, finding herself relax under Anetra's knowing touch. She could get used to that.

"I'll remind you of that when I'm doing the white ink touch ups at the end, then we'll see!"

Sasha let Anetra work for the next few hours without much trouble. Her skin felt sore, but she had felt worse in her life.

She loved the way the conversation just seemed to flow flawlessly with Anetra. She felt as if they could talk about anything and everything without getting tired.

It felt refreshing, new, exciting.

The conversations only briefly stopped when Anetra passed over her sensitive skin but overall it didn't impact their discussions.

"So, who else works here? Just you and Loosey?" she asked just around four-hours into the tattoo

"So far, yeah, I've been advertising around for any apprentice. I've yet to hear back from most of them though".

Anetra lifted her head from her work to glance up at Sasha, "Why? Are you already looking for a new tattoo artist?" she joked.

Sasha's cheeks reddened for a brief second, but long enough to not go unnoticed by Anetra.

"I'm just curious! I don't know much about how to run a tattoo shop, as you can tell".

"I'm just messing with you," She chuckled, lowering her head to get back on working in the color.

"Have you known Loosey for a while?"

"Yeah, she helped me out when I was first starting tattooing, she's kind of a mom to me, making sure I'm not too focused on work to skip lunch or that I'm not staying up too late trying to make a sketch work. Don't let her know this... but I'm really thankful I got her annoying ass around".

Sasha smiled softly, "I promise I won't tell. Still, that's really sweet you got someone like her around"

The room felt silence for a moment before Anetra's stomach made a loud noise as it got reminded of food.

"Wait, what time is it?"

"Almost 8PM," Sasha checked her phone, noticing a few messages coming from Marcia.

She fired a quick reply over text as Anetra spoke up.

"Ah, that explains it, this is taking longer than I had planned for" Anetra sighed, "I think I can finish it up in an hour. Is that okay with you? I can order food for us in the meantime, anything you want, I wouldn't want you to get hungry on me".

"That sounds good to me" Sasha replied, as if she would mind spending more time with Anetra.

"Alright then, the final stretch it is. Time for the white, baby. This is going to be a bit of a bitch, I'm sorry in advance".

"I'm sure it's not going to be that- Fuck!" Sasha let out as the pen went against her skin, already sore from the past four hours.

"You can't say I didn't warn you!"

Sasha let Anetra work in silence, watching as the tattoo artist zoned into her work, determined to finish everything impeccably.

After a few more strokes, she got accustomed to the new pain, occasionally letting out a few curse words.

The last hour flew by as Sasha started to doze off, the comforting buzzing from the machine lulling her to sleep.

Before she realized it, they were done.

"And... that's a wrap!" Anetra lifted her hand from Sasha's leg and went to turn off the machine before setting the tattoo pen down, "Go check yourself out in the mirror while I get the stuff ready to seal that bad boy away".

Sasha fought the urge to stretch out as she tentatively got up from the tattoo chair but still taking a few moments to assess herself after having laid down for the past five hours. She carefully made her way up to the mirror to finally get a full view of the piece.

Her mouth opened in a gasp, it was even better than she could imagine, despite the expected reddened skin around the lines.

The way Anetra had perfectly captured the different shades in the flowers - it ended up being even better than the sketch had promised.

"So? Worth all the whining from earlier?" Anetra teased as she admired her work through the mirror, smiling at the colorful language Sasha had adopted when she broke out the white ink.

"It's perfect," Sasha managed to let out, "I... I can't thank you enough for this".

Anetra's heart skipped a beat when their eyes met through the mirror, "You're always welcome".

"I'm just..." she turned around, "Can I hug you?"

Anetra seemed taken aback by the request, her heart beating faster. She didn't master a reply, but she opened her arms, letting Sasha slot in perfectly.

They stood there for a moment, taking it in - neither of them wanting it to end.

"About that dinner..." Anetra was the first one to speak up, "How does pizza sound to you?"

"Sounds just perfect".

[scribblestatic]

Well, I was playing around on Picrew, made another trans girl Izuku from the pretty short singer AU, and with another song on her album with the rest of the band.

Denpaku has become more popular for Izuku's unique style of singing, accompanied by very talented musicians in Velma and Riku. People make fan AMVs and stuff with their songs. Instead of using her name, Izuku goes by Denpa-chan or Dii-chan.

Because of that, Denpaku fans call them D-chan, V-san, and R-kun, or DVR. Izuku, thinking that could be cool, learns some editing to make some of the videos look like they're recorded from analog video cameras and played back on a DVR screen.

Of course, fans who know about vintage recording equipment love it because it fits. Other folks learn more about old recording stuff because Izuku starts getting fancy with the different styles they use. Riku also starts playing around with using more crackly sounds in some of their songs. With the crackle came Velma's desire to put a bit more funk in what they did.

The single that came out a little after the USJ incident became one of their best.

// Flash Warning for Video //

A song about throwing caution into the wind and living life to your fullest. To push forward and give their efforts their all.

When members of Class 1-A listened to it after their harrowing ordeal, they felt more motivated. It was as if Denpaku was cheering them on.

And, of course, the teachers and staff at U.A. noticed the positive influence. So, one day, a bit after Izuku finished her homework for the day, she logged in on the web and saw a bunch of messages from V-san and R-kun, telling her to quickly read a recent email they received.

It was from U.A., asking if they'd like to be musical talent at the upcoming Sports Festival.

Of course, being a little indie group, they never imagined such a huge publicity break. If more people picked up their music after this, they could very well become mainstream. But...

R-kun indicated he wasn't really interested in that, liking their little, manageable community. V-san was anxious about it, but overall, was ambivalent, regardless of the choice. However, they both knew how much D-chan loved heroes and had wished to get into U.A. when she grew up before, after an incident she didn't really talk about, she decided to do all of her schooling from an online school.

If she wanted to go, they'd follow.

And yeah, Izuku wanted to go. But she was very scared about it...

Still, their most recent single was about throwing caution into the wind and moving forward, wasn't it?

So, she said she'd like it if they could talk out the details with U.A. to see if it was a good fit. If so, then maybe they would all agree on going.

As they usually did in their email responses, especially since they weren't really professional, they signed off on their answers individually:

["Hello. Thank you for reaching out, Mr. Nedzu. Before we agree, I'd appreciate it if we could discuss some of the details, if that's okay?" - D-chan

"We can decide as a group, so I'd also like to discuss the details. Preferably in person, if possible." - V-san

"As long as it's safe, I'm cool." - R-kun Denpaku]

The principal's response? A list of dates and times he'd be open for discussion.

Izuku was already vibrating out of her skin, and she hadn't even met him yet.

[maaikeatthefullmoon]

I was discussing with a friend how I've often been a 'fandom mum' since I became active within the fandom world just over a year ago. Both in-person at convention spaces and online, I'm more than happy to fill that space for anyone who needs it.

It is, essentially, because I am all too aware that you cannot choose your blood relatives. But I fully believe that you can choose your family.

I've just passed my second anniversary of disowning my parents. I'm 40, turning 41 in a few months. Cutting ties is one of the best decisions I ever made. The damage, however, had long since been done. And I'm still working on reversing it all. But I started about a year ago, and I'm working on it. Which is all that matters.

I was raised in a very everything-phobic household. Which was...interesting, seeing as we moved all around the world. Living with racist, homophobic, judgmental parents in a new country every 6-18 months was certainly a challenge. Especially as a genderfluidy queer person (I'm pansexual), with a slew of mental health issues (mostly due to my upbringing) and neurospiciness.

I wasn't allowed to hyperfixate. Wasn't allowed to watch the majority of TV shows/channels. Couldn't express myself in ways that made me happy or comfortable, or weren't approved of. Was mocked and manipulated in various ways that I won't go into but suffice it to say it was all Not Very Nice At All. I was essentially not allowed to be myself, express myself and be interested in the things I wanted to be interested in.

Fun! I finished off 2023 by having trauma therapy, which helped tremendously, and has helped me put a lot of things into context, including my wish to support others.

I've been an advocate of mental health awareness since I was hospitalised for severe peri/postpartum depression (PPD) with symptoms of psychosis after having my second child. I was very ill after my first child, but slipped through the net mostly due to lack of beds, and essentially had continuous PPD the entire time from being pregnant with my first child until long after my second child was born. Probably until around her third birthday. But, regardless, I resolved to be open and honest about my mental health, and to encourage others to look after themselves.

And I have continued to do so. My daughter is now 8. My mental health is, overall, pretty stable. It has its peaks and troughs, 2023 was rough; I lost a close friend who was younger than me to cancer and the grief destroyed me. The trauma therapy was another thing that was extremely difficult, but ultimately very rewarding.

But regarding the fandom mum-ness.

You can't choose your relatives. But you can choose your friends. And your fandom family. I can't really talk about my fandom stuff with my family here at home. But I can with my fandom family online. I learn fandom speak and facts from my fandom kids. And I'm here to be a fandom parent to anyone who needs one.

I'm not the perfect parent. My kids are 8 & 11 and will confirm that. But in this house we are LGBTQ+ proud and supportive. We ask people's pronouns (mine are she/they). We support our friends and stand up for them, when others put them down or bully them. We believe in ourselves and our interests, even if they're not necessarily 'popular'. We think gender is an arbitrary societal construct. We buy clothes from whatever department we want. Etc.

And we all think the Metatron is a wanker. Well, actually, no. It's just me and the 8yo. The 11yo hasn't watched GO. Neither has my husband, because he refuses. But my daughter is cool. ;)

So if you need a fandom parent, I'm here. I may not reply straight away, because I do have an 8 and 11yo. But I will try!

[maleyanderecafe]

hi hi! Have you heard of Ghost Detective? It's a pretty good short vn (although the translation isn't the best but it's not bad either!) where at least in one ending the male lead is a yandere. Although a case could be made for him being a yandere in general but it's for sure in one ending.

Hello Cherry! Ghost Detective is a really fun game that we played together. It is actually pretty spooky despite all appearences and the good ending essentially has the MC reverse uno Ghost by making him into a yandere, which I really like and the MC in this one is pretty proactive as well.

The story starts with the MC late for her first day at work as a detective. Her boss Harison tasks her to a five missing person's report that has gone unsolved for a long time. He ends up teaming up with another person named Ghost. The MC and Ghost end up meeting up at a cafe to talk about the case. The case consist of five different missing people: Giselle, Hayden, Olivia, Sam and Tim. While leaving the cafe, Ghost almost gets hit by a truck but is saved by the MC. The MC starts to realize that Ghost is connected to the five missing person's case as he's wearing one of the missing person's headphones and the fact that he briefly mentioned when he was saved that the hand wasn't his. She decides to confront him about it at his house.

If she decides to confront him about it directly, Ghost will cause her to pass out and end up in the basement. Ghost reveals to her that he didn't kill the five people but rather took something from them because he loved them. He took their skin, hair, clothes and other things from them because he always wanted to see himself with those pieces of them, even taking the first letters of their names to make his own: Ghost. He plans to add the MC since he loves her so much.

In the good ending, the MC makes a deal with Ghost in that she will give all of her to him and be his one and only if he lets go of the other people, returning them. He accepts this and takes the MC. The other five are found later and the last scene is Ghost talking to the MC, happy that he has her heart and it gave him emotions just as humans have.

In the bad ending, the MC investigates Ghost's room and finds pieces of the missing victims, like their hair, clothes and pieces of skin from a bandage. Ghost catches her and is furious, stating that he would have revealed everything to her if she had just asked. Ghost ends up kicking out the MC and the MC goes straight to Harison to present the evidence. However, Harison and everyone around her don't know or remember who Ghost is and she is cursed forever to be the only one who remembers him.

In the true ending, Ghost ends up taking the MC's eyes and she ends up meeting the other five people, all with their respective body parts missing that Ghost stole. He introduces the MC to the others, promising that they will be together forever whether they like it or not.

Starting off, Ghost can actually be rather frightening when he wants to be, having jump scares and unnerving moments like when he asks if the MC is afraid of death or while the two are discussing about the five missing people. I was pretty stupid and was mind blown when I realized that he took the name from the five different people that he he took the parts from. We don't even know what exactly Ghost is- not even the people he took his various parts from seem to know what he is, but he has a lot of different powers like causing people to pass out, taking different body parts for his own and even erasing memories from others.

I really like the MC in the good ending. Not only does she realize that Ghost was related to the five people rather quickly because of detective skills, she also was wiling to bargain her own life for the five others, essentially turning him into a yandere. I think it is pretty cool that she also resists his delusions for a while longer. Plus she has a rather cute design.

Overall, it's a pretty fun game that's short. The only big issue I have with it is that the translations are a bit wonky, but that's only because I assume the translation was done with someone who's first language isn't English. Still, I think it's really cool and the good ending shows a pretty neat idea for what a yandere could be.

[firendgold]

Ok so bc anything i do in this fandon is specifically to piss that woman off, i gotta ask:

Do you have any ideas for fic scenarios for trans!albus and/or trans!Harry? (time travel harrydore or not, you pick)

so funny story anon, my instinctual answer for this question was "no, I've never thought about it, sorry"—but as I was writing that reply a while back, I actually started getting ideas. It was wild. (That's also why this took so long to get out, sorry!)

trans!Albus is easier for me to imagine for some reason. I had this idea where his entire early life could be rewritten just to do a deep dive into the Dumbledore family dynamics when the firstborn prodigy half-blood son is AFAB instead. How that might change Percival's actions on Ariana's behalf (or not), if he doesn't have any thoughts in the back of his mind about leaving his family in his "eldest son's" hands. How that could change the rivalry between Albus and Aberforth, who might not be super tolerant of an uppity older sister who's also queer. We still don't know much about Kendra somehow, after 1 billion years of Pottermore, but whether or not she's accepting of Albus' gender identity and sexuality could be their own spin-off fanfics, they're that fascinating. Her own Native history could then be touched on as well.

All these things together could be a point of personal conflict for Albus, who's already a living embodiment of a taboo Native/European union and might have to wrestle with what's accepted from him as a Good and Proper Woman of English society re: marriage and carrying on some (other) pureblood's line, along with protecting Ariana's secret and "making up" for his father's crimes.

I don't know if Albus' sexuality changes. If it doesn't, I can see him being briefly confused about What Elphias Is To Him when he gets older, and Elphias is getting his own messages from home about How Much Time He's Spending With That Dumbledore Girl. I imagine there would be a lot of conversations between Albus and Kendra, and Albus and other peers, about who he was going to marry and what his "prospects" were since his father's a known criminal. And Albus, beyond not identifying as a girl at all, would find all this discussion about such trivial sexist matters frustrating as hell.

Unfortunately, I see everyone at Hogwarts misgendering Albus while he's a student, or pretty much everyone. Like, he eventually tells Elphias who accepts right away (and is confused about What That Means for Him in private), and maybe a few other students, but none of his professors are Getting It. His stellar academic record probably keeps him from being bullied as much, but doesn't entirely protect him from rampant transmisogyny and slurs when he outperforms people.

But regardless, assuming the "major beats" of history play out the same way, I can see Albus being a lot more proactive re: marginalized rights than he already was in canon, and perhaps moving the overall British Society Needle way further to the left, because it's one thing to talk shit about the powerful, progressive, weird old man that no one really knows is gay but can kick your arse without breathing hard, but another thing entirely to talk shit about your trans, out and proud, progressive Supreme Mugwump who has already freed all the elves, speaks all the magical creature/Being languages, is raising your kids at school better than you are at home, AND is still gay and can still kick your arse without breathing hard.

This is all, of course, imagining that Albus is AFAB and identifies as male. If it's the other way around and Albus is AMAB and identifies as female... I can't even imagine. I'm not cool enough ig

As for Harry, it's weird but I don't have any trans headcanons for him during his Hogwarts years. It's kind of similar to how I don't read many genderbent!Harry fics unless I adore the author, because even though I'm a girl I can't imagine Harry IDing as one for some reason. (I'm very limited, I know.) BUT. For some reason this changes when you bring in time travel harrydore.

With the ship as the parameter, I can imagine an AFAB Harry who's spent his whole life chafing at the clothes Aunt Petunia gets him—because 'unfortunately' (for her), even pre-puberty, she can't just give Harry Dudley's cast-offs unless she wants The Neighbors to start lifting eyebrows and asking questions—because they're girl clothes and along with just not fitting in to the Pristine Pretentious Family with her messy hair and tight clothes and taped-up glasses, Harry has never felt like a girl. He insisted on having people call him 'Harry' as soon as he could talk and get away with it, and only has to hear his deadname from his teachers and with the Dursleys.

This all of course changes once McGonagall is reading names on the Sorting List in 1991 and just barely doesn't stumble over Harry's preferred name being on the list instead. (She is surprised only because Harry is famous. By the time Harry goes to school, there have been many other out trans students in this headcanon. But probably very few under her eye have been quite this famous.)

I've always personally headcanoned Harry as bisexual, but I don't know if that would be the case in this particular headcanon. I can still see him going after Cho, and perhaps even Ginny. I can see him having the same confusion about What Are Ron and I To Each Other that a trans!Albus had about Elphias a century ago, without ever living his Hogwarts life as a girl to anyone but his enemies (and having a lot of friction with canon!Hermione and/or Lavender as a result). I can see Draco hating Harry even more, because he always kept "her" in the back of his mind as a Dark Lady he could serve under in all ways, only to have this... boy being his rival and Quidditch better and wanting absolutely nothing to do with the Malfoys or purebloods or knowing her place.

A thought that sticks in the back of my mind is that JKR (otherwise known by me as That Woman (derogatory)) specifically wrote Harry as a boy for a lot of reasons, and the main one being that she always planned for him to live and pass on his line in the "traditional" way, and having her titular character be a girlboss would've derailed that status quo. In a universe where Harry is AFAB, I can imagine a lot of related conversations with and around Harry about this. How "she" is "the last Potter" that there will ever be, because naturally she'll marry into one of the families and the name will be lost forever. I can see this being a real bone of contention with Harry and radicalizing him, along with Voldemort and the discrimination against werewolves and house-elves and centaurs and veela (which I doubt even one dedicated Dumbledore would be able to get rid of), making him take his place as the next generation leftist magical powerhouse.

And so how does all that change his relationship with Dumbledore? I... don't really see it changing much. If both characters are trans, that's another point of connection for them that bonds them through all the mess the government and society puts them through. It makes Albus a figure for Harry to admire as a young boy ("look, the most powerful wizard in the world is just like me!") and to still anguish about as a young man ("all the choices he made that I don't agree with, all the secrets he kept from me, how do I know I won't make the same mistakes or make no better progress than he did?"). Their relationship could be all the more painful or distant if one of them is out and one is in the closet, like an Albus who never came out or transitioned and is seeing in Harry the upright boy he could have been, or if Harry is resentful of Albus living his truth because he, a knobbly-kneed adolescent girl, doesn't have the power, freedom, or influence to be who he truly wants to be.

But focus! I'm focusing! Time travel Harrydore. The specific scenario I was imagining was one where AFAB Harry never comes out to the general public. His loved ones who are his peers know, but all the adults in his life (yes, including Remus and Sirius) never get to meet him properly. They die thinking of him as "James' daughter". And after defeating Voldemort, Harry just can't take the idea of spending any more time not being the person he wants to be. He's done being the Girl-Who-Lived so he writes goodbye letters to Ron and Hermione and does some ancient ritual without anyone knowing, and instead of changing him at the molecular level it flings him back to the past.

And so unlike a lot of time travel fics (including mine lol) where Harry is grieving his true time and desperate to get back home, this Harry misses his friends terribly, but it doesn't take long for him to see being an unknown in a different time as a golden opportunity. Sure, it would have been better if he'd been flung into the future instead and maybe had more tolerant people instead of less, but no one knows who he's "supposed" to be here. So he can grow into the man he truly is!

And so while Harry is setting up his new life for himself (maybe as some personal tutor, or a backup Quidditch player, or something that keeps him out of the limelight for once?), he runs into trans!Albus who doesn't have many friends and not much else going on for him (depending on who or where Grindelwald is right then), and Harry's nervous but they hit it off and become close friends, and one thing leads to another, and...

*cackles*

Also also, and sorry for sticking this all the way at the end lol, but MUCH RESPECT for hanging around in HPF just to stick in the craw of That Woman. I think I'm adopting your philosophy for the future. ^^

[yomiurinikei]

tsurugi for the ask meme?

god the cws for this damn boy. uhh neglect and also i can’t see kinjomae as healthy w/what happens in the game and that’s discussed so. yeas

- My identity hc for them

gay little beast. he and kouhei had Something going on btw. anyways i also hc him as trans, it’s not one of those things i feel could actually fit into canon. but idgaf!! to me he is trans because i’m trans and so is my boyfriend (do u know him?) and every cool person is trans. tsurugi isn’t cool but i think he deserves a win once so he can have one in the form of getting to be trans!!!

- Thoughts on their home life/family

ogh. im using this bullet point as a chance to talk about stuff i’m not otherwise able to/which i don’t think i’ve shared? but like. agh…. how can anyone put into words literally anything about this little worms life. my hc for his mom is currently that she walked out when tsurugi was fairly young and isn’t interested in. any of it, so it’s just him and juu? so i think tsurugi started being left home alone Very Early, and going with his dad to work was like.. a nice treat away from being by himself for the majority of the day. which probably helped contribute to tsurugis entire identity and existence and everything revolving around his work as a police officer. aaaaaaa.

- How i feel about their canonical writing/handling

i don’t like what linuj did to him in sdra2 because amidst all the other controversies that arose with that game it really just felt lazy and like icky stereotypes. there was better ways to handle a tsurugi who had gotten worse/wasn’t doing well/etc past what happened in sdra2. i don’t like it and it doesn’t feel accurate to what should have happened if we were going to go the route of “tsurugi didn’t magically decide to go to therapy and heal”. i completely understand that people and especially fictional characters can get worse and have negative character development. but it’s the way in which tsurugi acted that felt lazy and ooc to me.

so anyways to retreat into the dark recesses of my brain. he’s so scrunkle… wet dish rag i am wringing all the water out of. i like him in dra i like the narrative role he plays i honestly think he’s v fun. i’ve waxed poetic before (not publicly i think? not about the thing i’m thinking of rn) about the tragedy of what happens to him and how u can read things as all being set up to screw boy over. but it’s just very interesting. i want to squeeze him so bad.

- The one thing i’d want to make canon about them

he and kouhei had frequent sleepovers at kouheis place. i don’t CARE if it doesn’t fit with tsurugis childhood i think kouheis parents were nice to him and cared about him. overall i just think all my thoughts on kouhei and tsurugi should be made canon. i should write a fic…

- My number one favorite ship for them

mmmm… right now it’s tsuhiko but all of the chatting about kouhei makes me wanna say tsuruhei. tbh i’m very versatile in who i ship tsurugi with i think he fits well with a lot of people (in non despair) and so long as there’s someone by his side i don’t really care who it is or if he holds hands with them or not.

- …Now everyone else i ship with them

mmm. kinji obviously, i still like teruya w/tsurugi in some aus, yamato but i’ll be honest i’m kinda weird about them. i think they’re separated. not divorced but separated. but also they’ve never dated they’re just besties. but also they have the most tender interactions. not to use this line but i think they should just have a weird very queer coded friendship where they both Know what the underlying vibe is and both choose to not broach the subject of how charged things are.

- The thing i will NEVER ship

tsurugi undeniably had feelings for yuki and while u can argue about how authentic yukis feelings were (ie were they just there to incentivize him to get closer so as to further damage tsurugi) it was definitely mutual. just again. how Real things were for yuki depends on how separate u view him from utsuro. uhhhhhhm. but just because feelings were there doesn’t mean it’d be good or healthy for them to date !. 

- a dynamic/relationship i wish was explored more (in canon, or in fandom)

on my hands and knees fucking begging u all for more kouhei. if i make a p2 of my kouhei hcs will that be enough propaganda. what do u all want from me. uhhh also if there’s one thing i miss from old sdra fandom days it’s tsurugi + kizuna worsties content.

- thoughts on their design (appearance-wise)

ah… i definitely prefer his dra color palette over his sdra2 one but that could be because something about his look in sdra2 just feels very off to me. that in mind i fucking hate his pants why are they that shade of blue linuj get off ur knees for that shade of blue. it’s too fucking bright it stands out so much. anyways i understand the uniform but i’d like to see him in like… maybe smthn professional/more formal, but not? the dress shirt and tie. 

- A music-related thought- a song that reminds me of them, or what their music taste is, etc

oh god oh fuck if i don’t find a good song this is going to be. so miserable for me and i will get cyber bullied again. uhhh. wires - the neighborhood bc lol make sure u tell him the right wire to cut tsurugi! don’t fuck it up lol! haha it can’t be that hard surely this is the same as all the other bomb diffusals right? right tsurugi? im the ceo of intentionally misinterpreting songs to fit my vision. mkay that’ll work. damn i need to listen to more music before i go do more ask memes

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 11/22/22

yes of COURSE there is a cat update

listening

this portion sponsored once again by my sister, who keeps sending me tiktoks with good background music. this is Tezeta (Nostalgia) by Mulatu Astatke off the 1998 release Ethiopiques, Vol. 4 : Ethio Jazz & Musique Instrumentale (1969-1974). super mellow and comforting, very closely tied with the other one i’ll drop below for my favorite off this album.

there are thirty of these volumes btw. very good to listen to while i work. the lead track off this fourth album, Yèkèrmo Sèw (A Man of Experience and Wisdom) sounds very like much, much later group The Black Keys for the first few seconds. in the cool-toned guitar and the reverb. in the production i guess? like sure there’s a discussion to be had about where jazz and blues and rock overlap and how much, but it did startle my brain. i don’t have music words in my brain, just some math words

-

reading

fallow week. have some mack: right on the fucking tit/fruit bat hours.

she's started doing this thing where she rubs BOTH sides of her gums along my hand when i drape it off the couch. i would like to think this is the cat version of a kiss on both cheeks

-

watching

look i tried really hard to rewatch Goncharov (1973, dir. Scorsese) but my cat wouldn't let me. like of COURSE ive seen it before, i have a dad who was home on federal holidays and watched scorsese marathons on spike tv. fun fact i didn't know there was a bisexual threesome or cucking involved until i watched it for a college film class on villains, bc of course that was not shown on american daytime marathon television!

anyway. my cat. we have watched so many spaghetti westerns together. much gunfire. several gatling guns. i don't know what it is about the Guncharov that woke her up out of a deep sleep and had her fleeing from the room. like okay, it was a partially handmade (the stock is from the actor's mother's wedding chest) AK-47 made specially for this film, further underscoring how time has passed goncharov by and the gas operation subtly foreshadowing the later flashback of the mustard gas in the tunnel attack, but i don't think that should have affected the relative loudness of the Guncharov, and i think the gatling gun in A Bullet For The General (which we rewatched last week) was MUCH louder. my cat is too interested in headphone cords, and i'm trying to teach her that cords are boring and uninteresting and extremely not for cats, and i didn't really have the heart to finish the movie on mute with subtitles still up. the lovely score is so integral to all the sofya scenes.

-

playing

i have never played a pokemon. i have been bullied into horking up sixty three american dollars, or just barely under three hours of post-tax work. i am having an all right time so far but my best friend and her husband are so fucking thrilled we finally have 1) a game in common and 2) a game we can play together. sixty three american dollars is a pretty small friendship maintenance price in the grand scheme of things and it's not like it's really going to make an impact in my overall debt HA HA.

this game has also given me personally a great many gifts in the form of SO many buff women just floating about.

why are so many pokemon Just Guys? a worrying number of bipedal twinks i can keep in a box. anyway look how cute i look!!! yes i named my starter after my cat. i am legally obliged to do so.

i wanted red hair to go with the school uniform bc at my heart i am a weak and vain woman. where the fuck does a bitch get new shirts and pants instead of just new accessories tho

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making

now when i flipped this frame over to the right side at goodwill, i fully expected there to be a pic of jfk. instead it was jesus, and now it has thigh high johnny cash. ty @dvar-trek for the excellent suggestion.

this is the worst framing and matting job i’ve ever done using my favorite trick of “flip the art already in there around for a double mat" but it just needed to stay together long enough for a gif. every time I moved the cord the light flickered on and off independently of the switch in the cord so we will be replacing that. probably repainting it too.

[g4rchomp]

sorry for being the billionth person making a post abt barbie. also sorry this post is sooo long I have a lot to say. disclaimer: I am saying words recreationally, don't take any of this too seriously pls!!

a strongly anticapitalist feminist friend invited me to see the movie in a theatre. I was intrigued as to why she would suggest that so I accepted. she said she invited me bc she wanted to see how I would react and what I would think, which I find funny lol

good movie to discuss with friends and people you know in real life around a drink etc. but NOT on the internet. (this is perhaps the most important point I really want to stress that)

any criticism of mattel by mattel (who pockets revenues from the movie) has no value to me

great movie to practice your hater skills. the balance of good stuff and bad stuff is amazing to keep your haterism skills sharp lol

my biggest gripes with the movie

I don't like how Sasha's character (pre-teen who hates barbie and seems to dislike her mom but gets closer to her during the movie) was handled.

First, her very factual and true concerns over capitalism and self-image related to barbie are never explored or taken into actual consideration. throughout the movie she's urged to understand her mother more but her efforts are not reciprocated.

Second, I am sooo deeply tired of teens being depicted as angry for no reasons. like wooow you're growing up and now you hate me, your super cool and understanding mother :((( it's always deeper than this if your kid dislikes you. this stuff always get an eye roll from me sorry

overall the feminism sucked so just quickly: patriarchy is presented as an individual force rather than a systemic one, no mention of race/age/class/sexual orientation etc. etc. etc. only misogyny but the world doesn't work like that

on that topic btw I didn't like how weird barbie (virtually the only gnc barbie) is only here to repair other barbies and make them whole again and doesn't exist outside of that. how fitting lollll

also seeing sasha go from 'I hate barbie and societal expectations' to 'barbie is my friend I'm wearing pink now' was kinda sad. gnc girls and girls who aren't girls I love you. in itself this trajectory isn't necessarily bad but on a personal level it just felt wrong.

it is an ok point of entry/conversation starters for feminist concerns if you're really on ground 0

forever my biggest gripe with the movie is how marketed it was and how it's made to sell me products. any feminism that attempts to grab my wallet isn't feminism I'm interested in

three really distasteful moments that stood out to me:

indigenous catching smallpox joke -> just shut the fuck up incredibly inappropriate and violent.

'to show how our character becomes human, we show she's going to the obgyn hihi' not funny didn't laugh it felt bioessentialist and to have it be the closing scene of the movie was just a bad move (to me at least but more on that later lol)

'margot robbie might not be the best person to deliver a message about how women shouldn't feel pressure to feel beautiful hihi' yeah she's not. congrats on making money by centering a beautiful skinny white woman and telling the audience you did it on purpose

lighthearted stuff

the music was fun I like how they used it throughout the movie

the costumes looked good, the film was pretty and I liked the acting it looked like they had fun filming

it was a real 'oh I get it now' moment when I saw 2ft margot robbie on the screen. she is attractive I can see it now

not related but it was kinda like straight people camp lol

the final scene (aka my other biggest gripe with the movie but it gets a section to itself)

women go to the obgyn hihihihi. ok first of all cool welcome to one of the most central sphere to violence against women. second going to the obgyn isn't a universal experience for women for many, many reasons. third ig it was a joke that fits the humorous tone of the movie but it didn't land for me.

ALSO. they already had the perfect ending (imo) with the pink birkenstocks!! early in the movie she has to make a choice between pretty pink heels and ugly brown sandals. we see her at the end wearing pink sandals. having her picking her new shoes would show she journey she's been on much better than the obgyn joke imo!!!

Anyways here are my thoughts. I'd be interested to know what you think abt these points or if you felt this way when watching the movie too, although honestly I feel like online settings are less than ideals to talk abt that. I wouldn't say I hated the movie (despite what the post might suggest lol) I don't regret seeing it. at least the movie made me want to talk about it and clarify some feelings I have after watching it, which is always something even if I disliked many things abt it!

[tonberry-yoda]

Hi! May I please get a romantic matchup for stranger things with the wedding option from the extras? I hope that's not too much trouble! I'm a straight female, she/her and I'm 20!

Personality description - It takes me a while to feel comfortable around new people but once I do, I become really talkative and outgoing. I love helping out and I'm the therapist friend, people come to me to vent or for advice and comfort. I'm smart and ambitious; I love being the best at everything I do. I sometimes struggle with the hardwork and conviction needed to get there though, and I'm deathly afraid of failure and disappointing the people I love. I'm quite the hopeless romantic and I love being in love! I also daydream a lot and I can get lost in my own world for hours. I can be quite dramatic and stubborn and I tend to be withdrawn and distant at times. I get frustrated easily and I'm competitive.

Hobbies/likes - I love reading, my favorite genres are poetry, Russian lit, and mysteries! I also love true crime very much. I love learning about new things and knowing a little bit of everything, I'm very interested in psychology, history, mythology and folklore, and fashion! I adore adventures, witty and playful banter, pulling harmless pranks, joking around and having indepth discussions on anything and everything! I adore all forms of art and I have quite a few creative hobbies!

Physical description + fashion - I'm 5'9 and I have long and curly dark brown hair and brown eyes. I have a fair skin tone, I'm slim and I've got full lips and slight dark circles under my eyes. I wear glasses and I these dimples I really like. I dress mostly in relaxed suits, blazers and coats and I love the occasional dress or sweaters layered over a white button down! I love wearing makeup and I almost always have a red lip on. I think my aesthetic is dark academia with a little bit of 90s mixed in?

Music taste - I listen to a lot of modern and indie rock, I love classical music and I also enjoy dreampop a lot.

Love languages - quality time and physical touch

What I want out of a relationship -I think my ideal relationship would be kind of where we're also best friends? I'd really like some tooth rotting sweetness, having a lot of fun together, being loved deeply and feeling seen and understood.

Thank you very much! I'm sorry for how long the description got <3. I hope you're keeping well and are having a great day 🌟

hello love!! you seriously sound like a really cool gal!!! we have a lot in common lmaooo. i already had the perfect man in mind for you the moment i read this, so im just going to get right to it!!

the character I chose for you is...

STEVE HARRINGTON!!!

since you're the therapist friend, you need a way to vent, right?? well this is your man. he will listen to you and be completely loving and understanding about it

sure, it takes you a while to be comfortable around other people, but you two just hit it off, which is rare

he loves that you're smart. he admires you for it. please help him study lmao

to get you from overworking yourself, this man will literally pull you away from your work lmaoooo

he doesnt want you to feel exhausted, you're too amazing for that

he will constantly tell you that overworking yourself can be bad for you and that you would never disappoint him no matter what

you're a hopeless romantic?!?? SO IS HE FRRRR

daydreaming about him? no honey, he's daydreaming about you

you two are so in love it's honestly adorable

and seriously super healthy and amazing for you guys

he's not super into reading, but tell him about the books you've read/are reading and he will be all over that frfr

just overall he loves how smart you are and loves listening to you talk about your interests

he is the perfect boyfriend for you to joke around with

like y'all are always goofing off (and getting in a little bit of trouble for it lmao)

HE THINKS... no let me rephrase that HE KNOWS YOU ARE STUNNING

like literally a goddess

kiss him with your red lips and you'll have him over the moon for you

will run his fingers through that gorgeous curly hair

loves the aesthetic you have going on

like literally obsessed with it

totally jealous of how amazing you look all the time

definitely vibes with your music

he will absolutely be that best friend you want like you two are totally in love and who cares if it makes other people roll their eyes, you two get to kiss and cuddle in peace knowing how much you care about each other fr

will just hold you, cuddle you, and spend tons of time together it's amazing

and per your request lovely, here are those wedding headcanons :)

WEDDING HEADCANONS

HE WILL BE CRYING

just a warning

mans totally proposed to you in your favorite spot

will probably slam the cake in your face

if you're down for a big wedding so is he and if not, he's also okay with that

probably in a super romantic spot

like a nice garden or something

or like dark academia wedding?!?! that would be awesome

his hair is perfect ofc

will read you the cheesiest vows that he wrote and then yours are like all poetic and beautiful

the kiss will be AMAZING

like he will pull you into his arms and hold you in the air

will dance the night away laughing with you and telling you how happy he is

already prepped for the honeymoon lmao

i really hope you enjoyed because this was a lot of fun! thanks for the request and thanks for making it long because it gave me a lot to work with! have a great day dear!! <333

~~~~~

matchup rules --- pinned post

@tonberry-yoda

[megaboy335]

Weekly Anime and Manga Log [06/11/2023]

This was a quiet week overall. I read the new volumes of Komi Can’t Communicate and Call of the Night. My goal is to catch up to Viz’s simulpub chapters later this year when the gap is closed. I finished the most recent Conan volume on the Viz Manga app. There was a new series from Jump+ this week. Next week starts a round of 2 new series from Jump. Mashle likely ends for 1 slot, and the other slot is a good question right now. Discussion and spoilers for the following titles below: One Piece 1086 Blue Box 104 Nue’s Exorcist 5 Cipher Academy 27 Marriagetoxin 50 Magilumiere Co. Ltd. 73 Demon Lord Exchange!! 1 [NEW] Pokemon Horizons Ep.10

One Piece 1086 This chapter concludes the second half of the Reverie arc with a few major reveals. We first learned the names of all the elders, which has been a long time coming especially given that we found out about Saturn several months ago. Secondly, we saw the leader of the Holy Knights and the Figarland family. This name was first revealed in Film Red because Shanks belongs to that family too. Overall the mid-arc intermission was longer than I expected for sure. Its cool to get all the background to why characters are where they are right now, but at the same time the Reverie was 5 years ago. It feels like we should have already known everything about how it resolved. We haven’t seen Luffy since March. One Piece will be on break on a month while Oda recovers from Eye Surgery. Hopefully it’ll go well for him! Blue Box 104: Well folks it actually happened. Taiki confessed at the end of last chapter and.... Chinatsu successfully heard it. She took a moment collect her thoughts and responded in the affirmative. Taiki and Chinatsu are going to be going out now. This is where a typical Jump rom-com would be ending because the love triangle is over and the main couple is going out. However, this very much feels like the mid-point in the story. I hope they don’t keep it a secret from their friends if the series continues. It would be really interesting to see how they balance their sports and love life. Chinatsu and Taiki still haven’t won anything notable in their respective sports yet either. I’d like to think we’re simply moving into a new phase of the story. Nue’s Exorcist 5: My goal is never to be overly negative if I can help it, but I also want to share some thoughts on Nue’s Exorcist. When the one shot was published last year I thought it looked promising. It had striking art and enough personality to make want to see more. Well now we’re 5 chapters into the serialization and its been an endless string of disappointment. Nue is a boring character outside of her design and the male mc literally no reason to exist in this story. In the first chapter they had to use the same flashback panel 4 times to get you to care. There’s also an exorcist character who I can’t figure what her purpose is because the story can’t define any character traits. The art striking from the one shot is largely gone. Not a single spread page yet. Jump usually likes to have an exorcist series around at all times, and this one is the weakest in recent memory. It’s surprised that someone is approving such bland chapters. Tokyo Demon Bride Story had personality despite its mostly unoriginal concept. Sorry Jump, this series is a miss. Cipher Academy 27: Coming off the heels of Tayun’s overwhelming win last chapter, we enter the second match of this code battle. This time staring the bandage girl Shutan. The theme of the game is a password guessing battle where everyone needs to be on the same page about the correct response expect for the enemy “spy”. Using Jojo examples and a character speaking upside down are both very Nisio things. I was actually able to understand the punchline of this code match for once. It relies on Japanese having multiple ways for people to refer to themselves in the first person. Next chapter promises a 2v2 match to speed things up. Just maybe our class can walk with a clean sweep of victories.  Marriagetoxin 50 I figured now would be a good opportunity to discuss this series since its been licensed by Viz and reached 50 chapters this week. Marriagetoxin is about an assassin named Goro who is looking to find a marriage partner. Throughout the series he meets many potential partners and helps them in some way. After a battle heavy arc that culminated in the classic shonen mc power up moment, the newest arc comes back to the series roots. Goro’s family will never allow him to be happy. It would go against the traditions this family of poison users is built upon. I think the art and direction are both fantastic. Its the kind of series that’s entertaining to read with some heartfelt character arcs. I just don’t think it has a lot of depth for week to week discussion. Anyhow, I think the story is in a good place right now. A lot of manga serializations tend to feel better about fleshing our their characters at about the 1 year mark. Magilumiere Co. Ltd. 73 Similarly, Magilumiere was also licensed by Viz this week. Its an adult magical girl series where this is a full fledged job profession. Think Symphogear but they do this for a living. The story focuses on corporate big business vs. start-ups and Regulation vs. Deregulation of technological innovations. I wouldn’t call this a mature title by any means, but the business commentary can be interesting. The current arc is versus a man made Kai that was planted to show the public how dangerous they are. The enemy is looking to deregulate magic technology by scaring the public. While our main characters argue that regulations are a necessary tool to keep peace and stability. At the core of this battle is a rivalry where a girl in a rival company has to overcome her long held mentality that she is nothing more than a tool for her company. I enjoy the series for being a different take on magical girls that is more than a kids show while not being mature and edgy like the late night anime versions of the genre. Demon Lord Exchange!! 1 [NEW] Let me start by saying I’m that into stories of RPG style parties beating the Demon Lord. I find them to be very often uninspired and too close to video game logic. But, I’ll always give everything Jump+ publishes a try. The spin for this series is the Demon Lord is bored and instead of killing the hero’s party he offers to switch souls with the heroine character. The Demon Lord wants to experience the human realm for a year to get a different view on life. I didn’t find the premise nor its characters that interesting. It might have some funny moments here and there with the almighty Demon Lord reacting to mundane things he’s never seen before, but overall I am pretty sure this series won’t be for me. Surprisingly its not perverted for the time being. The artist does a good job capturing the sense of scale for both the size of the creatures, and the wider world near the last page I plan to give it a few more chapters to see what happens before making a final decision about whether to follow it or not. Pokemon Horizons Ep.10 This week was the long awaited debut of Nemona from the SV games. She is the exact same down to the mannerisms and constant desire to battle everyone she comes across. Nemona is also voiced by the amazing Eri Kitamura. The plot of this episode was meeting the grass gym leader Brassius to find out what he knows about the shiny Terra Rayquaza. They helped him overcome an artistic slump and Roy battled him. I was somewhat surprised to see Roy lose (I was worried for a moment that he might display Ash behavior). That likely means Roy might re-battle him later or possibly Riko takes a turn. Nemona was mostly here to add commentary and nudge the story more into the gym leader route from SV. Regardless, they’re off on a mini adventure to the nearby forest to investigate the information they learned. It seems we’ll be in Paldea for a little bit based on the upcoming episode titles. 

[morganroof-nyc-studytour]

9th Blog Post- In Class Nordstrom Speaker

Hello! This week, we had an in class speaker from Nordstrom come talk with our class. Jamie is a long time worker at Nordstrom and also was a student of our teacher, Professor Piazza. It was really interesting to hear about Jamies career and all the different sectors she has worked in. Furthermore, Jamie conveyed to our class how her relevant experience helped her get to where she is now. More specifically, Jamie works at Nordstrom Rack and helps build there website each week!

I attached a screenshot of the website that Jamie helps curate. She explained to us how intricate every little detail on the website it, and how her and a large team of people make it look flawless every time it is updated. It was really interesting to see the different graphics she worked on, and how they came to life!

Every week, I find it very interesting to learn about all the different jobs that are in the fashion industry. It is very beneficial to gain knowledge of all the possible avenues and how one step leads to many open doors. Part of Jamie's experience was discussing the new rebranding of Nordstrom Rack! I thought this was very interesting as it is a pivotal time in their company. I enjoyed learning about all the behind the scenes work that goes into building a website. I personally do not have much knowledge on the topic so it was cool to hear everything that goes into it.

Overall, this study tour experience was great. I learned a lot about Jamie and her experience with Nordstrom and it was very eye opening. It made me excited to get out in the real world and work in the industry.

Thanks for reading! Bye!