#jojo uses notion

[akkpipitphattana]

i always headcanonned all fk characters as switches but now i realize we've only ever seen firsts character portrayed as top and khaotungs as bottom yknow with the famous thrusting in ofs and kantbison red room scene. even if they had different dynamic it wasn't explicitly portrayed why is that? i wish we could see a change in the bl industry

oh yeah, it's definitely a thing in the bl industry where they classify one as the top and one as the bottom with zero nuance or change from series to series, and i think that's part of why top/bottom discourse can get so aggressive in the bl fandom. it's almost always the bigger/taller/more "masc" guy that gets the top role and it pushes such a problematic notion about how gay couples "should" interact and it's deeply annoying! especially because people in fandom will then get so attached to these ideas and the way they act about it is like. straight up mean and gross. like why do you care so much that some people think that first's characters occasionally bottom? why is that such a big deal for you?

and in a way it does circle back to the issue with people insisting on bison being a sub despite the fact that he, canonically and explicitly, is a dom. again, people have these fucked up ideas about the way gay couples should be and because bison is smaller and cuter and more feminine and we have also seen him explicitly bottoming, he has to be the sub. which is just extremely reductive and just repackaged misogyny and homophobia! (which, i've actually been thinking since the pilot trailer about how the inherent misogyny that comes from those assumptions also kind of feeds into the way misogyny was replaced from taming to the heart killers and the way those dynamics manifest in the show. like there's something VERY interesting about the lucentio/bianca couple aka the more "traditional" couple having their typical "top" as the man of the couple and their typical "bottom" play the woman vs the katherine/petruchio having the "top" playing the woman! there's a commentary going on there, i think, but unfortunately i haven't gotten to really writing anything about that cause usually there's so much else going on in the show that i kind of forget about that aspect sdkjfsdf)

that all being said, i also don't think fk's characters are necessarily forced into those boxes because of the industry at large, if that makes sense? like i feel like they're one of the few branded pairs that aren't put into those roles just because first is taller/bigger/more masculine. because the thing is, with akkayan we never actually see them having sex on screen, so we can't actually know for sure the positions they use. and while we see it with kantbison and sandray, i also think context is important.

with sandray, i think ray is just meant to be a character that has his preferences, and on top of that he's spoiled and sand is always going to give him whatever he wants. those things are part of their characters even without getting into their sexual dynamics, and one thing about jojo is that sex in his shows are actually a lot deeper than people realize - so, it makes sense that with that dynamic in mind, sand would be more "the giver" and ray "the taker" when it comes to sex, so to speak. and then with kantbison, i again think it's meant to play at the fact that bison is the dom. i think bison in a lot of ways is MEANT to seem contradictory to that kind of idea, and i also think he kind of gets off on that idea. like, i was actually talking to may @deliriousblue about this earlier, but i think it's why we see bison bottom, why we see him lean into his cuteness, why we see him call kant daddy. he likes leaning into the idea of a traditional sub while actually being the one in control! it's like a power thing for him.

i also just think firstkhao have been very lucky in the fact that in all three of the series that they've been main couples for, they've worked with very progressive and very queer directors. i mean, golf, who directed the eclipse, is trans and an activist and i believe used to be a member of parliament before they were forced out, if i'm remembering that correctly? and then jojo directed both only friends and the heart killers and jojo has never been shy about making his characters as queer as possible beyond just the aspect of having sex with the same gender, yknow? he also has never been shy about making his characters switches, either, or having them talk openly about positions, so again, i don't really view fk as being necessarily stereotyped - more that jojo specifically is a director that will use those stereotypes and the way the industry perceives things to his advantage, if that makes sense. like i think about how he chose to use firstkhao and forcebook in only friends for sandray and topmew, and then had neomark, who were an unbranded pair, for the couple that didn't end up together. like people complained about it, but again, i think it was jojo using the way the industry is set up to his advantage while also challenging those norms in other aspects of the show.

this got like. aggressively long for no reason, but basically i do agree that there should be a change in the way the industry puts their branded pairs in boxes, but i honestly feel like fk are one of the few that aren't ACTUALLY in that box, if that makes sense sdkjfhskf

[coiningstars]

🟡 transdivinelight

a transid term for when one relates to or believes they possess the cruelty squad concept of divine light. while this did have cruelty squad in mind, you're free to use this for a non-cruelty squad-related notion of "divine light". use it as you wish, and to your own definitions.

🟡 transdivinelightsevered

a transid term for when one related to or believed they possess the cruelty squad concept of divine light, and then had it "severed" in some sense. in cruelty squad, this is achieved through death and reanimation, and has implications of a loss of humanity to some degree. however, what this term means exactly is up to you.

ID: A banner like those typically seen on coining blogs, reading "No DNI, just be civil, please." The background is of Ogre Street, with an image of Robert E.O. Speedwagon to the right, both of which being from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.

[cassyapper]

as it comes up on five years since ive been into jojo i want to try explaining the like. effect it’s had on my life. and there are a lot of ways i could do this but i think the way that is the most succinct while being the most clear is this:

when i was five, my teacher would have us kids practice our fine motor skills and counting by having us write the numbers 1 through 100 on a piece of paper. makes sense right? good way to get two birds with one stone. however the work is kinda boring once you get into the rhythm of it, so kid me, in order to keep it interesting, began kinda assigning personalities to the numbers.

zero was wise and old, a mentor figure, and one was a studious apprentice to it. two and four were good friends. three was in love with four and was kinda a “nice guy.” five and six were doomed brothers (five became a little evil). seven was shy and in love with two. eight and nine were evil, the villains of the “story.” and so on

as i grew up i stuck heavily to the personalities assigned to these numbers and it heavily influenced a lot of things ive done/thought: my favorite number, how i chew, how i walk up or down stairs, how i shift my weight, my age, the year. even how i play sudoku: to this day i make sure to never end on an “evil” number (3, 5, 8, or 9) cause some part of my hindbrain considers it bad luck

nothing has been able to challenge my original notions of these numbers from bad to good, or from good to bad: not even a god i believed in at the time being associated with three changed my impression of it; not even four being considered a death omen changed my impression of it

all my life ive held onto my original perception. it has been unshakeable all of my life

however, now, jojo is nine parts. part nine is the final part araki will do. as such, jojo is now split in ninths forever

jojo will always be associated with nine now

i no longer hate nine

nine doesnt feel friendly to me like two or four or six are, but it is an ally. it’s changed its tune. i can rely on it now in a way i literally have never been able to all my life before, all because of jojo. i can end on a nine in sudoko now

a god couldnt convince me to change my mind about numbers, a centuries long multicultural tradition couldn’t — but jojo ends on a nine, and i love jojo. so i must love nine. and i do love nine. i will always love it now

hope this makes sense. jojo’s done insane shit to my neurodivergent brain

[duhragonball]

Phantom Blood Liveblog JJBA ch.1-5

🇬🇧🗡️⚰️🩸🧛🐸🧂Yikes! P-part 1!🌭🍫🏰🧟🛳️🎩🥖

Back in May I liveblogged JoJolion, because I've been wanting to do it for a few years and couldn't find the time. Once I finally got into it, I had a blast, and that got me motivated to block out time to do other JoJo parts. I tried to cover the anime as I watched it in 2017, and the manga for the parts that weren't animated at the time. But I didn't really get a handle on how to do it right until later, and I always wanted to go back and read the manga for the parts I only saw in cartoon form.

And since Part 1 is the shortest one, I thought this would be the easiest one to squeeze into my busy schedule of reading comic books uh... important business. Yes, important sexy business. But liveblogging JoJo is pretty important and somewhat sexy in its own right, so let's begin, shall we?

The story opens on an ancient Aztec sacrificial ritual from sometime between the 16 and 12th centuries BCE. I don't want to spend a lot of time on that, since the main purpose of the scene is to showcase the weird, spooky mystery of the stone mask that appears throughout the story. For the first several chapters, it seems to be little more than a curiosity, but it quickly turns into something much more important.

We then jump to 1880, where Dario Brando is trying to talk to his son, Dio. Look at this. Just look at this. This is the very first time Dio has appeared in anything, anywhere, and he's flipping us all off. No one holds a book like that, Dio, you salty, salty bitch. You ain't slick.

What Dario wants to tell Dio is that he once "rescued" George Joestar back in 1868. I'm using quote marks here because what actually happened was that Dario and his wife discovered the Joestar family in a carriage wreck and tried to rob their corpses. But George was still alive, and he mistook Dario's actions as a kindness. This naivete pretty much defines George Joestar's whole character arc.

George's driver was killed in the wreck, and so was his wife, but their infant son, Jonathan survived. The anime implies that Jonathan's mom used her own body to protect Jonathan as best she could, but that isn't spelled out here. I guess that's kind of a given, though. I mean, she died and the baby lived, so what other interpretation could there be?

Anyway, George wanted to reward the Brando family, so he gave Dario a bunch of money, which he later used to start a hotel, but kind of blew it. But also, George promised to take care of Dario's son if anything ever happened to Dario. So now that he's dying, Dario tells Dio to go to the Joestar estate, where he can become a rich man.

Dio agrees to do this, but not out of any love or respect for his father. He hated Dario, mostly for being a failure who mistreated his mother, and he vows to become rich and powerful, but not for his father.

On the day Dio arrives at the estate, young Jonathan tries to rescue a doll for a girl named Erina. He doesn't know her, but he just happened to see bullies messing with her and chose to intervene. Jonathan gets his ass kicked, though. That doesnt' matter to him, though, because he considers himself a gentleman, and a true gentleman always has the courage to help those in need, even if he can't win. Especially if he can't win.

And this page might be the throughline of the entire JoJo series. I was watching some Hamon Beat videos a few weeks ago, and I was impressed with his response to the notion that Part 1 is "boring". Part 1 is literally the foundation of the entire series, and establishes all of the themes that run through the Parts that follow it. Sure, the 19th Century setting might be a little off-putting for some, and it takes a little while for the nutty super powers to kick in, but Hamon Beat makes a pretty strong argument. How much can someone really enjoy Stardust Crusaders or Diamond is Unbreakable if they hate Part 1?

Young Jonathan standing up for Erina--even when he doesn't know who she is, even when he's outnumbered-- is exactly the same thing that makes Jotaro advance towards Dio when he doesn't seem to have a chance of winning. It's the same thing that drove Josuke in his battle against Kira. Having preferences is fine. It's one thing to like Part 5 better because you liked the Stand powers or fashion choices more. But it's weird that people got into JoJo and seemed to completely miss the real heart of the story, so much so that they held the origin of it all with such contempt.

So Dio arrives to be adopted by George Joestar, and when Jonathan introduces himself, his dog Danny runs up and Dio knees him in the jaw. Keep in mind that Dio's whole agenda here is to play it cool and get in good with the family so he can score a huge inheritance. All he really has to do is behave for a few years until he's established himself, but he hates dogs, and he's too angry to hide it.

The family dynamic becomes pretty clear up front. Dio's main goal is to demoralize Jonathan any way he can. Presumably he wants to diminish Jonathan in the eyes of George, so that Dio will get the lion's share of the inheritance. And Jonathan is a little too nice for his own good, so he lets things slide in an attempt to get along. And George is still to naive to see Dio as anything but a perfect little gentleman.

For example, one night George scolds Jonathan for his table manners and sends him to bed before he can finish dinner. George points out Dio's impeccable table manners, which is... kind of ironic, considering what Dio will be doing for nutrition later on.

Anyway, the isolation really starts to get to Jonathan, and he wonders in a moment of teen angst if anyone will even miss him when he dies. This always gets to me, because Jonathan is part of this lineage of JoJo protagonists, but he's the very first one, and the second one won't show up for decades. Jonathan's the founder of this thing, but he has no way of knowing that, and it's a very lonely position to be in. If only he could know how dearly he'll be missed after he's gone, and how much his loss will mean to his descendants in the future. Maybe this is why I like Part 2 the best.

Oh, also this scene of him staring at the moon kind of reminds me of Jolyne looking at the moon in prison. But let's move on.

No, wait, let's not move on, because Jonathan's morbid thoughts lead him to notice the portrait of his dead mother that's mounted over his bed. Maybe that gives him some small comfort, the reassurance that if he misses her despite having no memory of her, then perhaps his life can mean something to others as well. Anyway, he forgot he had secret bedtime candy in his room, so he won't go to sleep hungry tonight.

But Jonathan's life still sucks. Dio quickly steals away all of Jonathan's friends by beating him at boxing with his superior fighting skills. Jonathan and his pals box for fun, but Dio grew up on the streets, so he knows all the tricks. He offers to teach the others, but warns them not to share his secrets with Jonathan, whom he says can't keep secrets.

This is sort of the basis of Dio's interpersonal skills. "Everyone wants to be friends with someone who is strong or will do something for them!" By making himself useful to the others, and making Jonathan appear weak and useless, Dio can ingratiate himself to the other boys, and isolate Jonathan further.

Later, George sees Dio checking out the Stone Mask and explains how he bought it at a yard sale in London the day of the carriage accident. Dio is curious about its value, its history, and the Aztec writings inside it, but he denies having any interest in the thing.

Meanwhile, Jonathan hits it off with Erina Pendelton, the girl he tried to help earlier in the story. They ride old-timey roller coasters and swim in old-timey swimsuits and so on.

Here's a panel of Erina chilling out with Danny that I thought was pretty cool.

But Dio quickly finds out about this, and decides to forcibly kiss Erina just to wreck what little happiness Jonathan has left.

You might have noticed by now that Dio is kind of an asshole. Again, this is the blueprint for every other villain in the franchise. Dio's already got a bright future ahead of him as an adopted son of George Joestar, but he wants more, and he believes he can increase his own fortune by oppressing others. Dio wants to dominate Jonathan, Kars wanted to dominate all of nature, Kira and Diavolo wanted to erase all evidence of their crimes to live as they pleased, and so on.

But it's not as easy as he likes to think. For all his cruel tactics and ruthless plotting, Erina can shut him down just by washing off her face with gutter water to show her contempt for him. Dio could just let this slide and appreciate how well his plan is working, but he can't. He knows he's being insulted, and he can't stand that. Deep down inside, he wants something that can't be reduced to a simple display of power. He can hurt and manipulate others but he can't make them love him.

For a while, Jonathan isn't aware of this incident between Dio and Erina, because Erina is too ashamed to go near him or tell him. But Jonathan still has Danny. George tells Dio about Danny's backstory. As a pup, Danny was timid, so Jonathan use to tease him and throw rocks at him and stuff. But then Jonathan was drowning in a river, and no one was there to help him, except Danny, who dove in and pulled him to safety like a good boy.

The moral of Danny is that he had no reason to repay Jonathan's cruelty with loyalty, but he did it anyway, and after that they became good friends, with Jonathan never giving him orders. The bond between them was more like that of trusted friends.

Of course, Dio can't understand any of this. He just sees Danny as another vulnerability of Jonathan's to exploit. It's possible, though, that Dio envies what Jonathan and Danny have together, and he can't have that for himself because the concept is so alien to him...

Later, Jonathan finally finds out about what Dio did to Erina, and he confronts Dio immediately. Dio kicks his ass again, but this time Jonathan refuses to back down. He knows if he loses this fight, he'll never escape Dio's shadow, so he knuckles up and...

BAM! PART 1 IS BORING? BITCH WHERE?

YEAH FUCK HIM UP JONATHAN! FUCK HIM UP!

So as they fight, some of Dio's blood splashes onto the Stone Mask, and it falls off the wall, then a bunch of claws come out of it, as though triggered by the blood. This distracts Jonathan, but not for very long.

Dio actually cries, although I suspect this was just a diversion so he could pull a knife, but before he can escalate things, George shows up and scolds them both for fighting in the house. Being George, though, he leans harder on Jonathan for beating Dio excessively. Dammit, George...

Dio retaliates by locking Danny into the incinerator, and the next time one of the servants uses it, he discovers Danny burning alive. I'm pretty sure the anime didn't show Danny getting out of the incinerator, so here you go.

Jonathan comes home to find out Danny's dead, and he knows Dio did it but he can't prove it or start another fight, so he just goes to bed and has a depression nap. As for Dio...

He finally does enough self-reflection to realize that he's overplaying his hand. Dio's plan is to play the long game and win the Joestar estate, but he underestimated Jonathan's righteous fury and pushed him too far. If he tries any more shenanigans, it might wreck everything, so he resolves to dial it back for a while.

Meanwhile the Stone Mask... uh... doesn't do anything. Patience, folks...

[eyeballtank]

I honestly think the current use of "Nazi" only undermines the actual atrocities of the Holocaust and WW2. Because at the end of the day, you're comparing actual horrors that affected people's lives to stupid culture wars and everyone going crazy. (Or worse, you're forgetting them) Like imagine someone saying they never got to meet their grandparents because they died in the 1940's and they're told "shut up, I had to put up with someone that disagreed with me on the computer". In fact, I except a Breadtuber to have a "mask off" moment where in a video he says "unfortunately, you hate Nazis the wrong way" or some shit like that. Because even people that are left leaning can still be labeled "Nazi" over specific opinions, since the word is used in a very black-and-white way. Even though the Nazis' actions do come from their politics and ideology, I feel like people need to remember other ideologies that also caused suffering and death, because of how they're established. (Looking at people who idolize Communism even though there's still people that were affected by it in recent times). Or even some historical context because there was always a time when Hitler wasn't thinking of hating Jews or when some people didn't know what would happen.

Basically, think of that time travel paradox of going back in time to kill Hitler: The Hitler before he became Hitler may be different enough that if you managed to kill him before he was Hitler, you didn't really kill Hitler... know what I'm saying? I know that HP Lovecraft thought "they just wanted to preserve their culture I guess" but felt disgusted hearing what happened later (Same guy that technically got less racist over time, whose cat got his name from his dad and only didn't change it because he felt it would be unfair to a cat). But Charlie Chaplin did dislike the Nazis and even got some people upset at him before he had a "I told you so" moment, sort of. (Again, research well what I'm bringing up). I'm also sure people will look up Miyazaki drawing fanart of a Nazi tank and I guess even meeting the guy that drove it, but not realize that his stance of Nazi villains in media correlates with his stance on Orcs in LOTR (Compare that to Extra Credit). What else can I mention? Azov Battalion? Kanye West? Israel? Stroheim from JoJo? We know Nazis are fun to have as villains in games and movies but the way how stuff lately makes a specific point of being "anti-Nazi" is goofy when you realize our current sociopolitical context.

(Specially with Millenials, who are noticed for being struggling adults, essentially getting into politics in a way that comes off as "TAKE ME SERIOUSLY I'M A GROWN UP"). Nazis have become historical characters to us and you're also giving too much credit to mister 1944BasedMAGAGroyper guys who talk about how anime is degenerate while making shitty comics with Wojaks, using AI art to replicate the "good Christian artworks" (Because they never took arts seriously, cuz I guess arts are a liberal thing to them) and maybe they do an "Anti-Woke" cover of a popular song.

And as for Musk, I do wonder if he did that salute just because he simply wanted to "own the woke for the lulz" without realizing it'd make him look worse than he already is. If nothing else, it distracted people from bringing other shit up like that photo of him with Ghislaine Maxwell or H-1B visa. He still has diehard cultist fans but I expect his stupidity to lead to more people turning against him. But I see people posting fictional characters beating up Hitler and it's not like you're doing this to respesct Holocaust victims or the Allies. It's because of a fat fuck in office who could probably die of a heart attack before he finishes his second term. Or maybe I've been exposed to too much Trump shit that part of me is like "heh, whatever" and forgetting how bad it can get. Perhaps it's the notion that most politicians have so much dirty laundry, it feels like people are going "we should've had this corrupt reptile instead" like dude, Trump was a buddy of Epstein and Biden's got a whole mess of a son. At that point, just bomb all of them, even the "lesser evil" ones.

Colonel Sanders gotta get it too (I honestly expect a point in 5 years where some people will go "uh yeah we always knew he was cringe" because nobody is honest or consistent anymore). But anyway, I see people bring up Superman and I'm like "are they aware of how most comic book companies used to screw up the creators of these characters?".

Years ago, we had Picasso coming up with Guernica or Orwell with 1984 and nowadays, some celebrity will post their brave opinion about Trump before checking how much they earned through NFT's.

At some point, John Oliver must've watched that Linkara bit on OneyPlays and feel jealous that Zach Hadel did a better Trump parody.

What else happened? The Netflix Castlevania "Apu, why do you sound like that?" guy likes Henry Kissinger?

[cafecourage]

"oh my god– are you... jealous?” “jealous? no, just curious.” *with a clenching jaw, in between teeth*

This is dragon warriors, it's canon I am Enno and also Jojo from the hit series linked universe.

He would never forgive himself if he were ever the reason for reader getting hurt. This is what he tells himself when he stumbles across his beloved engaging in a conversation with a soldier that's a bit too close for his comfort. He tries to convince himself that the stifling feeling welling in his chest is due to worry over reader's wellbeing, as opposed to a feeling of possessiveness.

Warriors would be one of the more opposed links to his dragon nature. He prides himself on being a captain and having the discipline needed to be on the same level of the humans around him instead of being side-eyed simply because he couldn't get a hold of his instincts. He is a knight, a captain, such vile emotions should be kept at bay for the good of the people, for them. That's why he got rid of all of his stuff once Cia got a hold of it.

There's the other reason: Cia. Warriors views displaying any non-neutral or positive emotions as him becoming similar to Cia, especially if it's in regards to reader once they come into the picture. One of the last things Warriors wants to do is hurt them, but man does it stung when he sees you with someone else.

On the flip side, Warriors' Hyrule is also dangerous, especially if you're in relations to the guy that a) essentially started the war of eras, b) was boosted to captain way too quickly, and c) is a literal dragon shifter. This is primarily the reason why Warriors was so hesitant on courting Reader in the first place; and while there's not a day that goes by where he isn't thankful to have them by his side, he can't help but hover over them when around others. Warriors is all too aware that anyone at any point in time could turn around and stab him in the back, or worse, get him while he's vulnerable. Wars can handle himself just fine, it's reader who he's truly worried about.

Safety over comfort, at least that's what he tells himself as he slides next to reader. The soldier in question was one he was familiar with, as he had recently increased warriors' workload due to a premature retreat resulting in the soldier in question being discharged, and judging from the widened eyes of the solider, warriors can guess that they remembered it too.

The conversation that ensued was nothing short of polite (Warriors did have a reputation to uphold after all), however the very air around the two weighed heavy with tension.

"It's a shame really," Warriors brought Reader closer to his form, an unspoken message to that soldier that they're taken "I got so comfortable with the notion of them being mine, I almost forgot that other people wanted the same thing". An awkward laugh and an equally as awkward goodbye later, the two of you are left alone.

IM TIRED USE YOUR IMAGINATION

Bro I forgot you sent this.

Thank you bee for the food. I am sorry for the time I took to get to this Q w Q.

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

//Our 5th Round, with 37.9% of the vote, will be Sakura Ogami Vs Jonathan Joestar, the titular OG protagonist of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.

//We really do have some strong heroes in this series, huh?

//How about a more villainous touch to things?

//Reasoning under the cut, as always:

Mika - Mika served as the main insipiration for Narumi's combat abilities and prowess; with both of them wielding blast gauntlets that allow them to propel themselves sound-fast through the air and destroy anything in their path. Both are fundamentally similar characters as well, with both of them being young girls who love a good tussle and live entirely off passion, among a group of fairly stern and serious agents (Organization Zetsubou and the Licht Kreis)

Nina - Both of them have been shown to be twisted and crazy to an extreme, and both have done and said things that have heavily perturbed their respective audiences. They also share the notion of being unhealthily obsessed with their hero (Makoto for Narumi and Euphimia for Nina)

Yang - Both wear blaster gauntlets and use fire and explosions as their main weapons. Both are also known for their durability, despite Narumi's small size. Their personalities also contrast quite a bit, which could make for some playful banter.

Jacqui - Similar characters on opposite ends of the moral spectrum. Both are typically battle hungry and passionate about their interests and loves, and will do whatever it takes to see their mission through. However, Jacqui is morally righteous while Narumi is twisted and crazy. They both also punch with explosive gauntlets.

Toga - Reasons are obvious, but both of them are crazed yandere's with a lust for blood and an obsession with the main protagonist of their series (Makoto and Izuku) due to admiring their strength and power. Both are also shown to be very manipulative, sneaky and cunning, despite their hard-hearted and cold-hearted personalities.

[mybreadsmybutters]

Summer Goals 🌊🌴🥥

Embrace monastic lifestyle and chop dick off

Rid self of possessions and transcend all notions of "identity"

Buy gun

Go to beach and swim in the waterrrrr

Yaoi

Become pseudo-Buddhist faux-woke freegan and begin posting Tik Toks documenting my health journey (thinning hairline and brittle nails)

Raunchy and public affair with Jojo Siwa in which i forcemasc her and lowkey she breaks up with me because of it but then comes out as ftm two months later so i won

Assassinate prominent political figure using controversial methodologies. Release elaborate but ultimately fictitious manifesto anonymously.

Restart affair with Joseph Siwa

Get Tik Tok cancelled for being pro-ana

Get Tik Tok un-cancelled when authorities inevitably arrest me for assassinating a prominent political figure and everyone starts turbostalking me

People discover the wincest fanfiction i wrote when i was 16 and i am re-cancelled

I am placed in women's jail and Joseph publicly denounces me. Due to my dickless lifestyle I'm eating mad butch pussy in women's jail. My cell is bare. The food bland, flavorless. I have won.

[booksinmelody]

The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes: A Timeless Tale of Love and Longing

Love letters are magic in themselves—words written with raw feelings, yearning, and the sort of love that transcends time. Jojo Moyes, the mistress of heart-wrenching romance, weaves this magic perfectly in The Last Letter from Your Lover, a tear-jerking novel that weaves two love stories over decades, showing that true love, though lost at times, can always find its way back.

A Love That Transcends Time

Written in a dual timeline, the novel oscillates between the 1960s and the early 2000s. Jennifer Stirling, a rich socialite, awakens in 1960 in a hospital following a car accident with no recollection of her past. As she fights to regain her identity, she discovers secret love letters signed only with the enigmatic initial "B." The letters tell of an affair—one of undeniable passion, but bound by circumstances. As Jennifer reconstructs the pieces of her past, she is confronted with a hard decision: a life of ease or a love worth risking everything for.

Flash forward to 2003, reporter Ellie Haworth, herself struggling with her own love affair, stumbles upon Jennifer's letters in the newspaper morgue. Fascinated and touched, Ellie sets out to discover what became of this doomed romance, all while challenging her own notions of love and commitment.

Why This Book Stays with You

Jojo Moyes has an uncanny ability to get readers invested in her characters, and Jennifer's conflict between love and duty, and Ellie's discovery of what love is about, make this novel more than a romance but an emotional journey. The letters themselves are among the most breathtakingly lovely things in contemporary fiction, and they have an old-world quality to them that reminds us how love was once articulated before instant messages dominated.

In addition, the book leads us to question—how many love stories are lost to time? How many letters lie unread, to be found by one who still loves? The Last Letter from Your Lover is a book that makes you ache, hope, and believe in love's endurance.

Final Thoughts

If you like epic love tales with a hint of sadness, then this book is for you. Moyes weaves romance, mystery, and self-discovery into this novel in such a beautiful way that it makes for an unforgettable read. Whether you are a hopeless romantic (like me!) or someone who just likes a good story well told, The Last Letter from Your Lover will leave you with a nagging ache—the kind that only a good love story can give you.

A playlist for The Last Letter from Your Lover should be filled with longing, romance, and nostalgia. Here’s a selection of songs that capture the emotions of the novel:

"Love Me Like You Do" – Ellie Goulding (A song that echoes passion and yearning)

"Unchained Melody" – The Righteous Brothers (A classic for timeless love stories)

"Back to December" – Taylor Swift (Regret and longing in a haunting melody)

"Your Song" – Elton John (A heartfelt declaration of love)

"I Will Always Love You" – Whitney Houston (An anthem for enduring love and loss)

"Can't Help Falling in Love" – Elvis Presley (A song that embodies the inevitability of love)

"Somewhere Only We Know" – Keane (A nostalgic tune for lost lovers)

"Yellow" – Coldplay (Soft, emotional, and full of admiration)

"Just the Way You Are" – Billy Joel (A song that speaks of love beyond perfection)

📖 Loved this review? Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog, Books in Melody, for more book recommendations, reviews, and literary discussions! Let’s connect over our favorite stories. 💕✨

Areeba Ahmad

@booksinmelody

[consumed-by-cringe]

Obligatory Intro Post

Hellour!! My name's Liir(they/them), Welcome to my blog!!

About me:

(how old are you?) I'm 20!! (agh!)

my fav colour is RED

I'm studying content creation and film neowz🤓

emoji overuser🥰🤡✨🔥🙏🥲 but also emoji forgetter

I have ADHD if you couldn't tell

I am suuper introverted but also a yapper so... please talk to me 🥺

oh, and my fav pokémon are Shinx, Golisopod and Giratina

I'm currently into:

The Starlice Expret (and other musicals)🚂

Animal Crossing

Fixing and Modding old consoles

borat voice "mah dawg"🥺

Been making kandi bracelets recently(but I should stop the beads are exp)����

Inline Skating(but I'm too scared to learn tricks 😔)

Erm... I'm into other random stuff like singing(but I'm not that good at it), video editing(but I'm also not that good at it(for ref, I got a B for my editing assignments)), I used to do ballet and kinda miss dance? What else....

What else list(cuz i really do enjoy too many things to count):

Anime and Manga(it's been awhile though)

Love Nintendo games(I grew up with Kirby on the Wii)

Unfortunately a disnee adult(but I pirate as much of the Rat corporation's media as I possibly can)

Planning my Notion(and not using it)

Planning D&D campaigns(but never remembering the rules I just vibe in a google doc)

All time favs💖💖:

Musicals: Anastasia, Shrek, Starlight Express, Book of Mormon, Legally Blonde, Twisted, The Lightning Thief, Trail to Oregon

Film: The Boat that Rocked(it's my guilty pleasure), Fantastic Mr. Fox, Howl's Moving Castle, The Cat Returns, When Marnie Was There, The Addams Family(and Family values), Angels and Demons, Encanto

TV: Inside Job, The Sandman(booooo neil gaiman), Steven Universe, Sket Dance, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Owari no Seraph, Hetalia..., HunterxHunter, Death Parade

Books: The Series of Unfortunate Events, Percy Jackson, The Land of Stories, Neverwhere(once again, booo neil gaiman), The School for Good and Evil(but only the first 3 books)

Games: ACNH, any Zelda game, FIRE EMBLEM!!!, Tomodachi Life, Bandori, Love Live: School Idol Festival(rip), Persona 3(followed by 4 and 5 obvs), any game with Hatsune Miku in it(except sekai), Genshin(but only for my bbg diluu), Infinity Nikki, BG3

Music: Queen, The Beatles, Chappell Roan, Abba, Starlight Express Soundtrack(all 4 of them), UNISON SQUARE GARDEN, FLOW, Kenshi Yonezu, Anime Openings(lmao), DECO*27, Sabrina Carpenter, Wicked Musical Soundtrack(sorry cynthia and ari), Trolls 3 Sountrack... and Encanto

Others(?): please asktell me about literally anything 💗

goddamn i yapped a lil too much

DNI:

people who bring morals into fictional space(like idgaf man as long as it doesn't involve real people)

Shipping real people (lowk traumatised by the 1D fics on wattpad)

pedos/zoophiles/maps gtfo

just don't be an ass yeah?

(and idw to see anybody's body parts so keep that to yourself tq)

Okii das all!!

sorry if i come off as cringe I am literally consumed by it 👍👍

[philosophicalparadox]

You are right 👍

And honestly it is SO refreshing to see someone explain this better than I ever could. Zabuza/Haku gave me the HC about Wakashudo-esque relationships being a Thing in Kiri, (as opposed to just being a thing between them) which when looking at the presented culture overall makes complete sense.

And honestly it’s one of the things that reallly frustrates me about not only Naruto, but anime/manga in the west in general. WE ARE NOT THE INTENDED AUDIENCE. At best we are a by-catch, except in some rare exceptions.

As someone in the Berserk fandom where there is an absolutely terrible deficit of people who have any cross-cultural understanding of the work at all, (maybe because it’s taking place in a pseudo-1420’s Europe, reasonably reliably at that, and DOES include references to a lot of western history and media, because Miura was a global literature professor) it’s just sooooooooooo frustrating to see western centric takes that completely ignore the fact that these series were not made for a western audience and don’t draw from the same well most of the time.

Mind, Shonen over the years has definitely made alterations to its tropes and modality to be more western-receptive, which is how we got My Hero and other very americanised “baby Shonen”, but Naruto ain’t one of them.

It’s also refreshing to see the authors own frustration, which is palpable in the work itself — Naruto really SHOULD have been a seinen, and it comes SO close at times that it blurs the lines a little. (Tree of death anyone?) But because of how media laws and other media related things work in Japan it’s not actually that easy to just dive in from one to the other; plus manga that have, in precedent, made that dramatic shift in genre don’t tend to do well, JoJo’s notwithstanding. In general, switching up your target audience is not a wise decision and no publisher will back you unless you’ve got serious clout. JoJo’s is such a long running manga/light novel series that there was less pushback on that, plus Araki just flat out didn’t give a shit.

Kishi couldn’t have been that flexible if he tried.

But besides that, Naruto came out right at the beginning of a counterculture movement in Japan, a renewed “westernization” that sought to bring feminism and equality notions into Japan which hadn’t been there prior. Social justice progress wise, Japan is about 20-30 years behind the US, which puts it about 50 years behind most other “developed” western nations. (See, Western Europe).

Unfortunately homosexuality is not very accepted in Japan; yes their attitude is different, but that’s not acceptance, just a different kind of prejudice. Japan is exceptionally xenophobic (racist) especially towards other Asians, but their idea of treating others differently looks more like indifference to a westerner, and indifference looks a lot like tolerance when violence is your primary frame of reference. Homophobia is the same.

(It’s not indifference at all, just a kind of passive aggression, which is really common in Asia at large, because of how the Shame/Honour culture thing works).

Don’t get me wrong, I would have loved for Kishi to go whole hog in a more modernish way, but as OP said 1. That’s not the reference material he was using and 2. He would almost certainly have been eaten alive by his fans and publisher for trying anything too obviously “Gay”.

I mean ffs have y’all ever looked in on the Japanese forums around this show? Or twitter? (Back when it existed in Japan). There’s always the Japanese version of a pearl clutcher in there whenever Naruto and Sasuke do anything remotely gay, and I remember perusing the internet after the anime added a filler arc in which Naruto and Sasuke end up “accidentally” kissing Again, (and get stuck to each other while needing to pee, which was arguably the worse infraction because “omg they have to look at each other’s peens????” ) and the Japanese fans went insane. Some in a good way, but man, some of those people were just mean. Homophobia on full display in there.

Nowadays it seems to be not as bad, but Japan still has a long ways to go before they’ll be as accepting as some of the 2020’s west. (Though with America running backwards that notion of overall western tolerance probably won’t last too long).

I get annoyed with the series and Kishimoto too, mainly because the worldbuilding in Naruto is objectively a hot dumpster fire of contradictions, but I also acknowledge that part of the reason for that is because Kishimoto got stuck trying to continue making a shonen series about some VERY not shonen topics, which limited his ability to be expansive, and that he was also working between the culture he grew up in (the 70’s-80’s) and the culture he was making the series in, AND trying to incorporate references that made a lot more sense to use in the 80’s when he was developing, which is when TV came to Japan as a household commodity and EVERYONE was working historical fiction and memoirs into TV dramas, making the entire notion of Samurai very popular, which additionally makes those references more obscure to a western audience, AND also trying to “disguise”, sort of, behind an acceptable, if slightly homophonic lens, the homosexual tendencies so his publishers could stay happy. (Which is why gay shenanigans are usually a source of comedic effect in Japanese media if they happen at all, because it’s safe as long as you’re making fun of it. Or they go the typical US route and only make the villains gay. Kishi arguably does this to Itachi and definitely presents that vibe with Orochimaru, though he comes across significantly more deranged and perverse, as does Kabuto, who is implied to be somewhat necrophilic, and even gets a “ew, but you do you” look from orochimaru himself about his habit of collecting bodies)

Point being, as I’ve said before, it’s very disingenuous to ignore the background and context behind the media you are consuming if you’re going to criticize or even analyze it. Mind you, I accept that not everyone had access to references to help understand any of this (I didn’t know about the references to Saikaku, though now that I see them presented like this it should have hit me in the face because I’m familiar with his works!), plus Naruto as a series looks VERY different to someone in its intended age audience than it does to adults with more experience and context for its contents, but still. Consider the angles. I see that crap ALL the time in the Berserk fandom, even the good non-dudebro side that acknowledges exactly how gay it actually is, because they miss the fact it was written in the 80’s by a man who grew up in the postwar period of the 50’s and 60’s, where attitudes towards homosexuality, women, war and other things I’ve seen fans tie themselves in knots about was very different than today.

(Not an excuse for the blatant sexism, but for its time berserk was actually quite progressive in a lot of ways.)

Thank you for the insight and letting me rant lol.

https://www.tumblr.com/weepingnightmarenaruto/775649233787387904/the-way-kishimoto-handles-narutos-trauma-is-so

What are your thoughts on this?

Hello anon!

Ngl this is one of my favorite ask I've ever received because it allows me to discuss something I've been meaning to for quite some time now.

Before I get into the topic that interests me the most, I'll give my observations on this:

Honestly Narutos childhood before the start of the manga needed to be explored more and Kishimoto should’ve given a bigger focus to how Naruto is because of it.

It was explored. Since chapter 1 and throughout flashbacks over the next chapters of the series, Kishimoto efficiently established and explored Naruto's childhood which explained why Naruto behaves the way he does. Kishimoto does not need to grab the readers hand and explain exhaustively so people understand Naruto's character. This manga is not hard to get to need all that.

But the way Kishimoto constantly shows how okay Naruto is with being mistreated as long as he feels they acknowledged him, is so sad. And I wish Kishimoto awknowledged how unhealthy this is.

This is where it gets interesting. It is true that Naruto isn't allowed to get angry at Konoha and is quickly resolved in the manga (although that particular paragraph was in reference to Sasuke). However, this has more to do w/ the fact that Naruto is a shonen and the power of friendship and loyalty overcomes everything, even Kishimoto himself expressed frustration at how naive the resolution of problems in shonen manga is, maybe if the series was a seinen he would've written with more nuanced about Konoha as a political and military entity that also happens to be the home of the child soldiers.

This is also part of the reason why the Kage summit arc pisses me off so much. Naruto lets himself be beat up by Karui over Sasuke, has a panick attack, rejects Gaara, gets on his knees to beg the raikage to pardon Sasuke etc. Like he should be able to emphatize with the Kumo ninjas over what happened to Killer Bee and he should value his friendship with Gaara more. Honestly Sasuke joining the akatsuki and trying to capture Killer Bee should have been a deal breaker to Naruto. And to top that off Naruto witnessing Sasuke trying to Murder Sakura should at least be one. Naruto forgiving people who mistreats him makes sense, but people mistreating the people he cares for should not be. The way Naruto treats so many of his friends over his obsession with Sasuke is so disappointing.

And this is what I wanted to tackle the most. Naruto fans do not understand Kishimoto's writing AT ALL. Idk if the op of that post is Asian or not, but it's become clear to me that Naruto fans don't know and have shown zero interest in getting to know Kishimoto's writing influences. And no, I'm not talking about Dragon Ball.

Kishimoto has shared with fans his interest in Samurai and the Edo period Japan several times, to the point the first manga he wanted to write when he was a highschooler, before he even won an award at Shonen Jump, was about Samurai but scrapped the idea because at the time mangas like Rurouni Kenshin and Blade of the Immortal came out and he felt there was no longer space for him in the highly popular sub-genre and also that he's own writing wasn't as good compared to the aforementioned works.

But that does not mean that we don't see Kishimoto's nerdy side come out in Naruto about Samurai even if it's a manga about ninjas. There's the obvious, we see during the 4th war arc an actual battle between two samurai warriors, we also know Naruto is established in a fantasy universe of feudal Japan with damyos (feudal lords) and all. The themes of honor and loyalty, quests for revenge, the overall kinship is present as well.

But for those who have read Japanese literature works from the 17th century, you would have noticed that Kishimoto borrows A LOT from them when he's writing his manga, especially for Naruto and Sasuke.

It's funny because SS and NH shippers, as well as Naruto stans who hate Sasuke and Sasuke stans who hate Naruto and even fujoshis who are used to cookie-cutter stories where seme and uke do nothing but fuck after a couple of meetings in a corporate setting or high school or whatever boring shit they like to read, use the following examples to show how toxic and unhealthy Naruto and Sasuke's relationship is, not caring about Kishimoto's literary references as usual.

Kishimoto writes a love story the way they used to be written centuries ago. He draws a lot of inspiration from at least two writers from this period Ihara Saikaku and Chikamatsu Monzaemon.

The first example is Haku and Zabuza's relationship, I'll speak about them before moving to Naruto and Sasuke to give more context on how homosexual love stories were written around the time. Although Zabuza is not a samurai but rather a ninja on the run, the relationship is clearly inspired on the wakashudo practices where an older man would take a child from ages 11-16 as his protégé to train him, feed him, give him shelter and take him as his lover until the child came of age and became a warrior at the service of the lord of the land himself. Those young boys must be of great beauty, Saikaku is constantly writing about how their beauty is what grants them the better masters over the ugly boys.

This is what Zabuza and Haku do. Zabuza takes Haku as an apprentice and they swear loyalty to each other till the death, because that's the other thing, if the circumstance presented, both master and apprentice would fight alongside each other, kill for each other and if necessary die for each other.

Many Naruto fans feel uncomfortable about the real nature of Zabuza and Haku's relationship and delude themselves into believing their relationship is actually one of father and son, lol how stupid.

Because Naruto is a shonen, we never see sexual acts being performed so Kishimoto instead shows us the attraction these characters feel for one another through suggestive dialogue and flushed faces.

Even Haku's sacrifice and Zabuza's final words are totally inspired in the works of Saikaku, where both lovers hope to meet each other in another world. Foer exambple, in one of Saikaku's stories The Boy who Sacrificed his Life in the Robes of his lover, the boy, Senjuro, who had pledged to love Sazen in this world and the next and knowing his lover was at risk of being ambushed and killed, disguises himself as Sazen sacrificing his life for him getting slashed from the back, after learning about Senjuro's death Sazen kills himself as well.

Very dramatic right? This other post also discusses briefly Haku and Zabuza and Kishimoto drawing inspiration from literary works from the Edo period [LINK]

Let's move onto Naruto and Sasuke. Is their relationship toxic and unhealthy? By today's standards it sure is. But by the standards of the 17th century is one of the greatest stories of male love ever told, I'm certain if Saikaku could read Naruto he would commend Kishimoto on his work. But this is something Naruto fans don't know and quite frankly most don't care about.

In the post you linked, OP expresses the arc that pisses them off the most (and most Naruto fans hate as well) is the Kage Summit arc where Naruto states his fierce loyalty to Sasuke no matter what, and I must laugh because if there's any arc that resembles the male love stories of the Edo period the most, it's that one.

It bothers most fans Naruto wanted to commit double suicide so he and Sasuke escape the burdens of their world and be free of them in the next one. This is a common theme in literature of 17th century Japan. Two lovers making up for their Confucian failings in this world seeking redemption in a Buddhist paradise (at the time Buddhism had made its way into Japan and it was very different from China and India's Buddhism, you can read more about it here).

Kishimoto has referenced Chikamatsu in Naruto, so he is familiar with his plays where lovers commit double suicide as the ultimate showcase of love. I believe Kishimoto felt more comfortable and had more freedom to reference Chikamatsu and not Saikaku because the former wrote heterosexual romances whereas the latter focused more in homosexual romances and Kishimoto was already walking on a fine line by this point.

These other blogs have written great posts on how Kishimoto incorporated the double suicide trope for Naruto and Sasuke [LINK], [LINK], [LINK]. So I don't think I need to delve any deeper into it, they did a great job themselves.

But this is what OP doesn't understand. Kishimoto is writing an epic, a love story for the ancient times. Sasuke doing all that and all this is kind of like a test, Naruto's devotion is being put through highs and lows and they must overcome them. It'd be good fanservice to some if Naruto would give up on Sasuke but that'd be pretty boring and writers of the Edo period would be rolling over their graves if Kishimoto did that, HA!

Another element Kishimoto borrowed from Saikaku's literary works is the willingness to commit seppuku for your loved one. We see this with Madara and Hashirama.

In Saikaku's story Nightingale in the Snow two young boys, Naiki and Dannosuke, seek to become the lovers of the samurai Tonai. When Tonai demands proof of their love for him the boys show themselves willing to commit seppuku in front of him, Tonai shocked by their devotion accepts them as lovers.

The scene is similar to Hashirama also being willing to kill himself in front of Madara per his request, hoping Madara would accept him and trust him and his clan. Madara just like Tonai, is shocked by Hashirama's actions and stops him just in time, accepting him and joining his clan with Hashirama's, just like Tonai accepted the boys.

Which leads me to Kishimoto's *actual* finale for the Naruto series, the chapter he had planned and envisioned for 15 years, chapter 698. It's also been discussed by another blog how the theme of the battle Love vs. Power and the panels are a homage to Devilman's own final battle [LINK]. But what interests me in particular about chapter 698 in relation to Saikaku's work is how mutilation of your own body has also been a common trope in Japanese male love literature as proof your devotion.

Kinda like Naruto willing to lose his arm to Sasuke hoping to finally reach his heart (and did!). Sasuke would also go on to refuse a new arm, keeping himself mutilated as a reminder of Naruto's devotion for him.

Something that surprised me at first but then it made total sense to me is the brotherly troth found in Saikaku's works. Usually when a Samurai took a young apprentice, the samurai was old as shit (40-60 years old) and the young boy would be anything between 11-17 years. But there were times when a younger man would engage in a relationship with another man close in age, (although for us in modern times a lot of them would still be considerable age-gaps).

Saikaku for example, wrote the love story between Sazen, a 28 year old and Senjuro, a 17 year old, because of their not so big age-gap, these two lovers considered each other "brothers". They formalize their relationship by having sex, considering it the consummation of their brotherly troth.

When Sazen believes Senjuro had betrayed him for another man he's heartbroken Senjuro might had broken his vows of brotherly love.

So in Edo Japan homosexual relationships between two men close in age were considered similar to that of brothers, or at least brought the men so close they would consider one another brothers. Something very important to keep in mind is that none of these men are actually blood related.

In another of Saikaku's stories They Waited Three Years to Die, Kikui the younger man, considers his lover, Uhei to be his elder brother.

It seems that in this period of time there wasn't a clear divide in the type of love a man might profess another man with whom he is in love and has sex with, and the type of love two blood-related brothers felt for each other. Again, this is not condoning incest, it's more so how they saw male-male romantic relationships as deeply intimate they rivaled the bonds of blood-related people.

I had already made a post on what I believed Kishimoto meant with his whole "more brothers than blood-brothers" deal he has going on with Naruto and Sasuke [LINK]. But now I understand where it comes from. It really has nothing to do with actual incest (or pseudo-incest or spiritual-incest or whatever the fuck antis come up with) but him drawing inspiration from centuries old literary works on homosexual relationships. After all Naruto being set in what's clearly fantasy Edo feudal Japan, it makes sense Naruto the character would have a similar view on his feelings for Sasuke.

Finally, another thing I found very interesting is how in Saikaku's works he always makes sure to let the readers know how beautiful a man (usually the bottom of the relationship) is by comparing his looks to those of a girl. For example, in his story Implicated by his Diamond Crest, Saikaku writes Tannosuke is so beautiful people thought he was a girl when he was seven years old.

So funny how Kishimoto does the same with Haku and Sasuke, such pretty beautiful boys people think they're girls.

Kishimoto is so insane, this old man really thought he could get away with all this, uh? or maybe he was hoping people would notice.

So going back to OP's post linked, what they and most Naruto fans complain about is that Kishimoto writes seeking to emulate the writing of 17th century authors rather than a 21st century one. So a lot of things that for us are toxic and unhealthy, were symbols of passion and loyalty back then and that's how Kishimoto sees them and seeks to express them in his own work. This is why it's so important to keep in mind author's intentionality when engaging with some art or media work. What is Kishimoto trying to say with his manga? what are his references, influences and inspiration? which works parallel his own? There's a reason why every creative is always telling us the media they consume and their favorite art, because we are seeing pieces of them reimagined in their own new work.

I'm really proud that I managed to make this post only considering Japanese works and not adding Western ones for direct parallels between Naruto and other pieces of literature. But this sentiment of wanting to fight alongside your loved one, killing for them and dying by their side is pretty much universal in homosexual literature, especially from the ancient times. You can also find this celebration of homosexual love in Ancient Greek and Roman literature too, Achilles and Patroclus being the most famous example.

The lyrics of Taylor Swift's song You Are In Love, fit pretty well this same sentiment those men centuries ago were trying to describe as well.

Like yeah, imagine you've been sent off war, women stayed in the city and you're left with nothing but the company of the men you're gonna fight alongside and quite possibly die alongside too. Of course you'd love them, in every way a person could possibly love another one, because those men are your brothers.

The screenshots I used for this post are from Ihara Saikaku's book The Great Mirror of Male Love.

[anthonymanyumbu]

Blog post 10

On the next page of my sketchbook, I go deeper into the exploration of outlines, employing/using a variety of different techniques and materials to enhance the visual complexity. Using black ink, I create bold and defined lines that contrast with the soft, flowing textures of the watercolour, adding a nice layered effect to the composition. To push this exploration further, I again included two male JoJo's Bizarre Adventure images along with their female model or magazine counterparts to make sure the positive masculinity agenda is captured effectively. This deliberate pairing not only highlights the origin and influence of the iconic JoJo poses/outfit inspo but also includes the relationship Hirohiko Araki has with fashion. Moreover, I integrated two cutout images of Dennis Rodman, whose distinctive style and persona epitomise positive masculinity. Dennis Rodman's presence on the page serves to challenge conventional notions of masculinity, celebrating self-expression, individuality, and confidence. I aimed to produce a captivating, multifaceted narrative that reflects the interplay of different cultural and artistic influences.

[jojospeachtree]

app recommendation: Notion

ok so here we go:

starting this off with my current favourite productivity app, Notion !!!

it is so so pretty and very interactive and right now, i’m currently using it to plan out study schedules, syllabi, my revisions, as well as budgeting and my job applications. i initially downloaded it as a note-taking app, but i don’t think i will be doing that (even if i did, it will only be condensed, quick revision notes). after watching a few youtube videos on studytube, i have completed adapted into notion. what’s great with it is that it is 

F R E E

for students !

just sign up with your university/school email, and let it guide you through it. for my experience, i got the education pro thru random pop ups, but if you need a tutorial on how to get this payment plan, just message me directly!

Some Notion Pros (aside from it being free):

1. A little lost on where to start? That’s okay, use templates!

Notion, when you begin, already prepares templates with different functions and purposes. There are for personal purposes (budgeting, agendas, planners...), education purposes (lesson plans, grade calculators, thesis planning...) and even for design management and engineering! Using templates is a great way to explore this app if you’re not quite sure how to use it yet or how to personalize your pages. For me, I downloaded templates from studytube (I will link the ones I used), and then made my own changes to it depending on how I want to use it. With Notion’s many different features, it is easy to get lost and to be overwhelmed, but use these tools to guide you!

2. See everything in many ways!*

I will be honest that I don’t know how to order this list, but my second favourite thing about Notion is that it gives you different perspectives on a list that you create. Example:

Here is a quick look on my Math Self-Prep for the next two weeks. This is a table that includes the dates I want the chapters finished by (because I’m crazy like that), my comfort level for each topic, which units they belong to, etc. But! There are so many aspects to this list that it can be a little too much. 

See the little arrow beside “Table View” above the table? Well, that’s a drop-down list on the different views you can have. Here is my “Comfortability Board View”, so I can easily see my comfort levels on each topic.

Now you can see it in a different perspective! Because sometimes, tables aren’t right for everything

3. Tags! Filters!*

Okay, so you know how you can have different views for a single table or list? Well, you can have another column on this table for “tags” to categorize your stuff. 

Here’s a look into my budget for this school year. See those colourful boxes? Those are the tags. And when you change the view, you can filter those views to only show specific tags. 

Example: So what if I only want to see my loans so I can know which ones to pay off? 

Filter one of your views to only include your loans! 

EZ

Better yet, you can filter a new list to only show loans you’ve paid for, loans you haven’t paid for, etc! Whatever! Filter them however you want!

4. Subpages!*

Do you want a wholeass section in your page dedicated into one topic, but a small part isn’t enough? Do you want a whole notebook in your page? 

W E L L 

Each new section in Notion is called a page. But ! You can include subpages in it that is dedicated to more things, and you can just click on this subpage link and it will direct you to it! You can have deep, deep notebooks with many twisting sections just because you need a new section for everything! YOU CAN EVEN HAVE PAGES DEDICATED TO THE THINGS ON YOUR TABLE.

5.. Use it e v e r y w h e r e. 

Like most software, Notion is available in desktop and mobile, Android, iPhone, Windows, whatever. It synchs your notebooks in all of your devices, and !!! THE MOBILE VERSION ISN’T UGLY. One of the huge turn-offs I always get from apps is that mobile versions are always so compressed because it is in a smaller device, but Notion !!! Notion makes it work !!! I can actually look at my phone to check through my planners and not cry while looking at it. 

I wish I can go deeper into this app because there is so much more to talk about, and I wish I was more descriptive. Unfortunately, I can’t provide a lot of photos because I am just starting to use Tumblr and I’m not that comfortable with it yet, and I don’t have a lot of examples to show you since I am also just starting with Notion as well. But! I will do my best to update you about things I discover so that you can draw inspiration for your productivity and journalling purposes. 

I hope this helped you in some way! I will be talking more about Notion in the future and how I use it, so this is my introductory piece for it!

*I will be posting videos about these steps in Tiktok to show more of it, so make sure to follow me on there too (@ jojospeaches)! I am on private, so just request a follow! 

[lemmetreatya]

photographer!jotaro whos used to taking photos of industry professionals, actors, singers, nepo babies — the lot! it’s almost second nature to him.

there’s never a doubt of how to do his work because the lens photographer!jotaro sees people through is contrary to how his eyes do. photographer!jotaro finds everyone fickle; it’s the camera he has to give credit due when given accolade.

but when you, his personal muse, tells him that maybe he should try being on the other end of the lens in order to broaden his view of photography, he gets defensive, almost grumpy about the suggestion.

“dont piss me off.” he mumbles at the computer screen, albeit with no bite to it.

you playfully huff because you know photographer!jotaro well enough by now to know he wasnt angry at you. with a hand that aimlessly plays with the hairs on his neck, you pout down at him as he does his work.

“but i’m being for reeeeal. you gotta try it so that you have something over other photographers. have the experience of being a subject.”

photographer!jotaro moves his chair back so that he can retrieve a file from underneath his desk. an implicit notion for you to unhand him and dead the topic.

“i already have something over them and that’s my skill. i dont need to be on the other end to get more of it.”

rolling your eyes, you move away from the man. if it was one thing that frizzled you about photographer!jotaro was his lack of inquisitive spirit.

“jotaro, why should i let myself be your muse if you cant even be one for yourself? honestly, if you dont wanna take pictures for you at least do it for me.”

there’s a whine in your voice but photographer!jotaro knows you’re being serious. hes had a taste of your wrath before and he wasn’t a fan of it. still, photographer!jotaro was a man of peace before he was a man of resilience. maybe if this was back when he was much younger, he would have shrugged you off and told you to get on with your day. but photographer!jotaro’s tasted a bit of life and you’re one of the only sweet things in it. he’d be an idiot to throw it away because of pride.

reluctantly, photographer!jotaro lets you pick a location for the shoot but he’s already regretting giving you the reigns on such a delicate art process. of course you’re picking your bedroom with low lighting and neon lights.

“jotaro, you’ve got to at least look relax! right now you just look constipated.”

photographer!jotaros struggling to relax because you’re pointing the lens right at him but he tries his best to adhere. however, no matter what way he turns, twists and folds, you’re seemingly unimpressed with his form. leaving the camera on its tripod, you crawl up your bed

“you’ve gotta…” you huff as you move his limbs around for him, quickly removing his signature hat from his head. “seem like you want to be here. act like you’re lazy or something i dunno…”

photographer!jotaro grunts as you alter his look but he doesn’t protest much. hes more enamoured by the sweet smell of your perfume that infiltrates his nose and the warm heat from your body that flushes onto his. automatically his hands have rested on your waist and suddenly photographer!jotaro is very aware hes got you ontop of him in your bed.

you dont even realise photographer!jotaro‘s advances until hes flipped you onto your back and begun leaving damp kisses up the side of your neck.

(un)surprisingly, you have no qualms about the situation yourself as you’re mewling for the man to do more, touch more

photographer!jotaro ends up slow fucking you into the plush of your bed, his strokes long and languid as he never fails to leave you full of him.

“j-jojo…” your arms encase around his large frame and so do your legs. everything about him is all just so big. “the…shoot…”

“dont care.” he grumbles into the blunt of your ear shell, his teeth biting at the soft bone.

your moans call upwards between the four walls of your bedroom, the sounds mesmerising to photographer!jotaro as he hilts his cock deep inside you. he wasnt much of a loud guy, bar for his soppy pants of your name, but his hand never failed to find your as he entwined them both.

photographer!jotaro pulls out with enough time to spare. hes a careful man nowadays — learnt from a lot of prior experiences — but he doesn’t fail to keep your lips connected as he fucks his cock in the fist of his hand and over your stomachs with a solid grunt.

although photographer!jotaro knows that you’re still yet to reach a high and so he brings his fingers down to pet and rub at your clit. he swallows your every mewl and worships you with “well dones” once he feels you clench and pulse over his pads.

no pictures of any kind were taken that day, but photographer!jotaro knows its a memory he’ll forever keep with him.

[waitmyturtles]

I love this conversation. @emotionallychargedtowel's addition is a bow on this gift of dialogue.

I'm thinking of the tension between:

1) the attitudes of "morality" from the real-life fandoms/show viewers, and/or

2) the attitudes of "morality" towards sex that we see emanating from the characters themselves.

And: I'm wondering how these internal (to the show) and external (to the show) tensions are spilling out in our interpretations of the stories that Jojo and team are telling.

I 100% agree that there is no team that I trust more than Jojo, Ninew, Den, and Best/Ninepinta to STRUGGLE with the morality that fictional characters like Boston have to receive when it is projected on them by characters like Mew and Cheum.

And I think it's also fair for real-life fans to ask WHY these struggles are being written into this story into the first place.

I think 3 Will Be Free and The Warp Effect were so brilliant because they contained almost No Judgement towards the sex that the characters in those shows were having. The Warp Effect EMBRACED the sex. Sing in the dog mask! Brilliant. The show itself (internal) embraced it, and we, the fans (external) embraced it, too.

We see sex being judged within (internal) Only Friends. Mew and Cheum nastily judge Boston's sex. And we, the fans (external) are struggling with the meaning of that. What does it mean? What are Jojo et al saying about the judgement-in-fiction that we're watching?

I trust Jojo and team that they're not the ones doing the judging. Fuck no.

But I believe they're leading US, the audience, to struggle with our own, very real, internal and external biases towards sex.

It's why I got moody about themes of monogamy that I saw (speaking for myself!) being teased in episode 10. Because, call me selfish -- but I hoped/expected to also see a theme of No Judgement Against Sex in Only Friends, as I saw in TWE and 3WBF. That's on me, my bias, my ho heart aching for more No Judgement.

And we're getting something different! Quite different. This story is full of internal struggling characters who are grappling with their own written-into-the-story, preconceived notions about sex.

And I do think that Jojo and team mean to DO exactly this, AND HAVE US, the external audience, deal with our own emotional fall-outs of what that means by way of our own individual reactions (moralistic or otherwise) to fictional characters having sex.

(Speaking of Jojo's other shows, I want to note an excellent response to my post today from @fromthedepthsandbeyond that notes that much of what we're talking about here was grappled with in Jojo's Friend Zone series, which I have not seen, and which I am going to add to my Jojo playlist.)

I agree with @wen-kexing-apologist and all for our trust in Jojo that the CREATORS are not the ones judging the sex. And I agree with @twig-tea that the very show itself, the story unto itself in its fiction, is depicting judgements of sex -- very much for US, the external audience, to struggle with as we attempt to interpret the art. I think that's exactly the point that Jojo and team wanted to make, and are making.

It's fucking brilliant, and I am wowed by the fact that this episode 10 has engendered such unbelievable conversation about sex and pre- and post-conceived notions of sex. Whew.

Since we are talking about Boston and his unfair treatment by the narrative for his promiscuity, I just want to throw out a quick message to say I hope people aren't out here thinking that Jojo and Ninew think Boston deserves what has happened to him. I very much hope people are able to understand the commentary of the narrative.

[rakruined]

The Religious Implications of GotG vol. 3

So, it's Easter, and while I've got a lot of stuff to work on and things to do, I wanted to take the time to discuss the utterly insane things Guardians of the Galaxy volume three has done to my brain chemistry. After seeing @adamwarlock's post here, I've been thinking about just how many religious themes there seem to be in James Gunn's magnum opus. From a villain with a god complex to Rocket Raccoon becoming my new favorite satanic archetype maybe, this is gonna be a deep dive into everything I've picked up from the trailers so far.

So, let's start with the implications of that post I linked: "some corners of the galaxy consider (The High Evolutionary) God".

Now, the High Evolutionary has always had a theme of 'playing god' in the comics, what with his whole deal being creating sentient life from animal experiments, but in the MCU, his connections to Christian notions of religion are a lot more fascinating. For starters, his goal is stated to be wanting to create a "perfect society", which you'll notice looks a lot like suburban Bible Belt America, albeit with a lot more hybrid animal-people.

Now, in the comics, he uses Earth animals as a basis for his new lifeforms because he was once a normal human named Herbert Wyndham. He eventually traveled into space to continue his experiments on his own world, later adopting Adam Warlock (this will come back later). Given his desire to make himself more powerful in the movie, this makes him an interesting counterpart to MCU!Peter Quill, who was born with Celestial (ie. godly) power and left Earth not by choice.

Now, there are a few things they changed from the comics, his connection to Rocket being the most significant in the context of this story. While Halfworld performed similar experiments on Rocket and the other uplifts, the H.E had nothing to do with the planet. And while I'll get back to why his connection to Rocket is significant, as well as what I said about Adam, I want to get into another major change: his design.

Here we have the comics design on the left and the movie design on the right. But isn't his movie look almost priestly? Almost... familiar...?

IT'S FUCKMOTHERING ENRICO PUCCI WITH THE STEEL CHAIR

Okay, JoJo references aside, the High Evolutionary's connections to Adam Warlock definitely add to the whole religious overtones. I mean, a guy who's considered God has a perfect creation literally named "Adam", trying to create a perfect world? This shit writes itself. But if you consider a few additional facts, this takes on a pretty wild meaning. For starters, Adam has been stated to be relatively naive and innocent, unknowledgeable of the universe.

But where this gets interesting is that, based on Rocket's absence from most group shots during what is clearly being billed as the midsection of the movie (spacesuits scene, that fight where they're all in orange, the team arriving on Halfworld) that he possibly is captured by Adam and brought back to his creator for additional experimentation. Shots of someone implied to be Rocket on the operating table and Gamora carrying him to the ship half-naked serve as further evidence of a rescue mission.

But if he's captured by Adam Warlock, that means he has the opportunity to tell Adam what his creator is really planning. He has the chance to tell him how he was made and what the High Evolutionary's "perfect society" is built upon: the blood of innocent creatures he'd deemed imperfect. This could be what changes Adam, what makes him turn against his god and his Garden of Eden.

The voice of the devil on his shoulder.

Edit: I forgot to mention this wild coincidence! Gunn once said Rocket was inspired by Frankenstein's monster. It makes sense on the basic level of a tragic science experiment abandoned by his creator, but it gets even more bizarre. In the novel, the monster identifies with Satan in the book Paradise Lost, making him the same sort of tragic figure as Lucifer. Rocket too was an imperfect creation cast out by the "god" who made him. In this light, it's undeniable that yes, Rocket Raccoon is as much a satan figure as Adam Warlock is space Jesus.