#less of the nostalgia goggles

[lazy-ahh]

Hello, I hope this isn’t a bother but could you please make a list of requests fic? That way, everyone can know in which order.

so many things to write :'] hey everyone, sorry to keep you waiting on your requests, but i’m stepping away from tumblr for four days—gotta focus on assessments and just take a breather. don’t wanna burn out this fast (i only started this blog in april, so imagine burning out before the month even ends LOL). i love writing for you all, but i need to keep it fun, not turn it into a chore. so please hold off on sending asks for now, and please have mercy on me hahahah

i’ll probably start working on requests by sunday or monday (most likely monday), so that’s when the ones below will get posted! sorry again, chat—thanks for being patient with me.

UPCOMING

mohawk! mark grayson x male reader

2. goggle-less! mark grayson x gender neutral reader

3. sinister! mark grayson x (superhero) male reader — reader calling sinister mark bumblebee as a cute pet name

5. mark grayson x male reader — headcanon that viltrumites can purr

6. mohawk! mark grayson x (tamaranean/starfire) male reader — the way tamaranean's learn language! luckily for mark, he's the first person reader meets

7. mark grayson x (shape-shifter) male reader — with the convenient ability to shapeshift, reader uses it for the greater good! by pranking people and causing trouble! it's all fun and games until cecil has to call in mark to take one for the team (if only they knew LOL)

8. mark grayson x male reader — some little fluff where mark accompanies reader to the library

9. mainstream! mark grayson x gender neutral reader x maskless! mark grayson — where reader tries to help maskless mark rehabilitate into a better person, which makes mainstream mark jealous (uhhh i'm not sure who's with who so i'mma just do my own thing unless i get further clarification from the person who requested this teehee)

10. maskless! mark grayson x (kryptonian) male reader

11. mohawk! mark grayson x (kryptonian) male reader

12. mark grayson x male reader — mark having a boyfriend who's husband material and immediately planning their marriage (perhaps maybe a part two to 'THE WAY HOME FEELS'?)

13. mark grayson x gender neutral reader — biting... bow around bicep... kissing his thighs... using mark's other bicep as a pillow... did i mention biting mark's bicep yet? (i love you honey [heheh], thank you so much for requesting this. trust me when i say i SCREAMED and cried from JOY and APPLAUDED cause your brain is so big)

14. sinister! mark grayson x gender neutral reader (+ other variants) — sinister mark is the only one who's reader is alive in his universe, and he makes sure to fucking rub it in the other variants' faces

15. mark grayson x (muscular) male reader — reader who likes to work out, who likes to invite his best friend to the gym to work out together, but mark would be too busy drooling and fantasizing his best friend's biceps wrapping around his neck and squeezing his face

16. invincible variants x male reader — in the main dimension, reader is the only one left alive—every other version of him is dead. reader is also hopelessly in love with his best friend (mark), who doesn’t feel the same. but it’s fine, really, because every other version of mark does love him back. now, with an army of invincible boyfriends from across the multiverse, reader decides they all need a day off at the beach. (dude that art of shiesty mark HAS ME ON A CHOKEHOLD LIKE WHAT)

17. mark grayson x male reader — "fantasy" by bazzi (I LOVE THIS SONG oh my god the nostalgia that hit me when i saw this request)

18. invincible variants x (superhero) male reader — where mark slowly distances himself from his best friend, the two get into a pretty nasty argument during the invincible war leading reader to go help the other superheroes—only to be captured by alternate versions of mark who all want him as their shared boyfriend.

19. omni! mark grayson x (superhero) male reader

20. shiesty! mark grayson x male reader — enemies to enemies (lovers) [i literally love this, this has potential to be my new favourite trope]

21. viltrum! mark grayson x (spiderman) gender neutral reader — just your friendly neighbourhood spiderman who becomes a thorn in the viltrum empire's side; taunting scouts, protecting rebels, and surviving dystopian chaos until mark is sent to forcibly recruit (or crush) them.

22. mark grayson x (daredevil) gender neutral reader — sorry to the anon who requested this lol, i spent way too long trying to decide which mark variant i wanted only to end up choosing the og 😭 please feel free to tell me if you'd like another mark variant for this request!

23. mark grayson x male reader — where mark accidentally gets reader pregnant, wait pregnant?? how??? two words. viltrumite genes...

24. mark grayson x male reader — where reader suddenly finds himself in the world of invincible (his favourite show) during the early start of the invincible war. mark, confused and alarmed, is worried that reader could be in kahoots with angstrom. reader, on the other hand, is too busy having the time of his life because who wouldn't try to enjoy this when your favourite character is literally in front of you?? (lucky >:'[)

UPCOMING

4. jason todd x gender neutral reader — "you stayed." "i'm still deciding if that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever done."

[anthurak]

Hey, same anon from before, thanks for taking your time to answer me. I don't think I understand how would Raven be a mom and a dad, but lol fantasy land or something I guess ? We're balling that's what matters.

But I am confused about Tai and Summer .If they weren't together why would Summer help raise Yang ? And live with Tai (???) but maybe she didn't Ilive with Tai ? I just assumed because Yang said she was her supermom who fought monsters while her dad taught on Signal on vol 2 to Blake , I thought that scene implied they lived togeter at that point at least. If there's future information that contradicts that you don't need to say anything.

PS : Your theory of why Summer would try to get another kid punched me in the gut when I thought about it from Yang's perspective. "Sure a Tai kid wouldn't make her stay but one of mine would" that's harsh , Summer XD.

No problem :) And yeah, my personal theory on how Raven could have knocked up Summer is just plain 'magic' XD For one, Ruby being the product of some weird, mystical conception would actually be a nice nod to all of the folklore and mythology that RWBY draws from (just think about how many myth/folk heroes had weird/wacky conceptions)

Regarding Summer and Tai, I do think they were together when raising Yang and later Ruby, just in a platonic sense. Summer did care a lot about Tai, she just didn't love him in a romantic sense the way he seems to have loved her. Ruby and Yang were simply too young to really understand the distinction at the time, and after Summer was gone, well just refer to my comment about Tai's rose-colored nostalgia-goggles.

And yeah, the motivations behind Ruby's conception in this scenario are absolutely kinda messed up, as is Yang's turning out to have basically been an accident. In Ruby's case, it's a case of just how desperate Summer may have truly been to get Raven to come back to her.

Basically, at this point I have no doubt that Team STRQ was actually nothing less than a total dysfunctional hot fucking mess of a team/family XD

[wendynerdwrites]

The best thing about watching Gundam Wing is actually picking out errors, plot holes, missed potential, and general confusing shit because the show actually makes it fun.

Like, the way the whole Sanc Kingdom arc was totally rushed and fucked over created so many problems later on in the show. And you can see how much great stuff they could have put in there.

Examples:

I like wondering how exactly Quatre and Dorothy identified each other during the battle in episode 44 when we've never actually seen them interact, let alone get to know each other well enough to recognize their abilities as pilots/battle tacticians. Like, how the fuck did Quatre guess that was Dorothy? Maybe I could forgive Dorothy identifying Quatre because maybe she witnessed him piloting a Taurus or Sandrock during the final Sanc battle, but there's nothing there for Quatre to draw his conclusion from. Was it even established to the audience, let alone Quatre, that she had skills as a pilot/mobile doll controller? Did they play XCom and Total War together when they were in the Sanc Kingdom? When did we ever witness a conversation between them? Never explained. They just knew exactly who the commander on the other side of the field was because... The Zero System, I guess?

Which Dorothy perfectly controls the very first time she uses it, despite it making every other pilot who tries it for the first time lose their shit. Quatre blew up multiple colonies while using the system for the first time and Heero literally couldn't use it without puking and hallucinating until he went through weeks of training. But Dorothy's a bad bitch, so she can use it to pilot who knows how many mobile dolls without a single issue

"Zechs and the Gundam Pilots are objectively the best pilots---" They demonstrably are not. For whatever reason, Dorothy Catalonia is. She masters the Zero System on her first try, which just so happens to involve piloting MULTIPLE MECHS. Heero can barely manage one on his third attempt.

This is the sort of shit that normally pisses me off in stories but I can't do it with Gundam Wing. Possibly because of nostalgia goggles. But I have way too much fun fleshing out the Sanc Kingdom arc in my head to get mad.

Just the idea of a proper setup for Quatre and Dorothy. The idea of Dorothy sneaking into the holding bay and experimenting with the Epyon's system when Heero isn't around. Her and Quatre playing a bunch of strategy games enough to start recognizing each others' techniques. It would have been SO GOOD AND MAYBE THEY WOULD HAVE DONE THAT IF NOT FOR PRODUCTION GETTING SO FUCKED UP!

Another example: Zech's whole "Milliardo Peacecraft: Goodwill Ambassador" arc that made no fucking sense. He drops the Sanc Kingdom in Relena's lap because his "hands are too stained with blood to lead the Peacecraft Monarchy." Okay, sure. But who gave him the authorization to act as a diplomat on behalf of Sanc after that? Did he clear it with Relena first? If so, when? Why didn't we get to see them reunite and discuss this?

We never actually seen Relena enter Sanc for the first time, or decide to create the institute, or even declare herself as the Sanc Head of State officially. Sanc was still more or less in ruins when Zechs returned and then the next we see of it, Relena's sitting pretty in the castle and the whole city is rebuilt and there's even a special pacifism school for princesses. When did all that shit actually happen? How did Relena manage to do all that shit in a handful of months? With what resources? Was there some Peacecraft Swiss Bank account that Zech passed onto her? Was it the Darlian money? How did she convince so many world leaders to send their daughters over? Why only the girls?

If Sanc was such a problem, why did Romefeller allow the monarchy to re-establish itself in the first place? Why did it take them so long to invade?

When they see each other on the Libra and Zechs hugs her, she says, "I don't know if I'm standing in the arms of Milliardo, the kind brother I once knew, or the bloodstained hands of Zechs Marquise." And it's like... Wait, Relena, when did you ever actually have an extensive interaction with your brother that you can actually remember? You were a baby when Sanc was destroyed (or a toddler maybe? There's a picture of her in the castle where she's like 3, but everything else suggests she was an infant when it happened) and you had no memory whatsoever of being a Peacecraft. Even if we include Year Zero, the most interaction we've seen you have with your brother amounts to handful of sentences, and half of them were when he was trying to murder your sempai in an antarctic dick measuring contest.

I would have LOVED an episode where Noin brings Relena to Sanc at last, and Relena and Milliardo have this extensive, tearful reunion. Where he explains to her why he can't in good conscience assume leadership and has to abdicate to her and handing over resources to get her started. Her asking him to at least serve in some diplomatic capacity as she's getting started and assigning him the task of investigating and circumventing Oz's growing influence in the colonies.

It wouldn't have been perfect but it would have made a number of things clearer and cushioned some of the issues with Zech's character arc. It also would have helped explain exactly why and how the Sanc Kingdom was so problematic to Romefeller. Like, yes, a bunch of countries were apparently joining Relena's pacifist alliance, but how did that manifest aside from a few towns refusing to conscript and getting blown up for their troubles? Romefeller and OZ took over via military coup. What was it that Relena and her allies were actually doing that was such a threat? Were they withholding vital resources? Destroying weapons? Fracturing the foundation itself beyond what the Treize faction had done?

Okay, so multiple countries were going "actually, we don't want to go to war." But OZ had already taken down the alliance and was expanding it's influence in outer space through Une's diplomatic offensive anyway. Any and all impediments to their mobile doll production had nothing to do with what Relena and Sanc were doing.

I can come up with reasons why things played out as they did, and I love doing it.

Better establishing Zech's peace ambassador arc and showing us Relena actually re-establishing the kingdom would have gone a long way.

Instead we got two clip shows in a show that was trying to cram multiple wars and complicated politics and philosophy into only 49 23-minute episodes of television.

Sorry y'all the anniversary got me addicted to watching this show again and I'm having a manic phase.

[omegastation]

I've seen a comment that has been on my mind a lot lately, that the fandom was dead and that there was some gatekeeping. And to be honest, I have no idea if it's true or not and I want to reflect on it.

I've been away for two years, and for sure Tumblr is different. It's not about people, because they are always lovely fans no matter what. I also don't think I have nostalgia goggles telling me "things were better back then" lol I think it's just that Tumblr, for all its flaws, used to have more public fandom discussions. For better or worse, because posting a reply could encourage discussions that were better left alone - but now it seems like nothing is really public or fandom-wide. It's no longer the norm. Replies are left in the post itself so you have less reblogs with discussions. It's very self contained, which, in my humble opinion, might lose a bit of a sense of community.

The main tag itself used to be filled, and now it's not, clearly because a lot of people aren't active anymore. But it's not just that? I find that I discover more posts using the search function, so I'm always a bit confused about how people tag or intend their posts to be found. Maybe it's just me, but it's unclear to me. And I'm at fault too, I've been very intent on not tagging the main tag for a while, and I don't know why. It's not like I'm hiding, but it felt like my playthrough ramblings didn't belong there. Which is ridiculous, because I wouldn't feel that way about posts like this made by other people. I would want to find those in the tag.

I have a feeling a lot more discussions are now happening on Discord, which is not for me. I don't have the mental capacity for now to check a server every day, see new messages and reply. I tried and it's too much. I would feel the same about fandom boards, though they're less instant, so who knows.

Then you have other apps, which don't always encourage discussions. I've been trying to find vids on TikTok, some are great, but the algorithm fed me a lot of ranking companions type of vids with character bashing so I just paused the whole thing.

Then the gatekeeping, I don't know. I think I learned a lot and matured a bit, so I hope my own behavior in fandom is better and more chill than it used to be. But if I am gatekeeping one way or another, you have to tell me. I mean it. Just flat out tell me and explain, because I would never try to be like this on purpose, and I would need to know what I'm doing wrong to do better.

Lately there have been some DA fans who are experiencing ME for the first time and I'm happy for them. There's a lot of joy in discovering this universe, and I would hate for anyone, me included, to take that away from them.

I'm happy when I get to fill the queue, when people are involved, when there are discussions, when we have fun. That's what I want for Appreciation Weeks, even if I know it will be smaller than other years. It's in a few days and I would hate for anyone not to participate because they worry about how they will be received. If there are ways I can make it more welcoming, tell me!

[druckkugelschreiber]

Y’all won’t see me criticize Veilguard cause I do not mind whatever flaws people are shouting from the rooftops. I don’t care. I have fun.

The game took ten years not to be the best DA game but because it was fucked over like three times.

I‘m still having a blast, I could not care less about missed opportunities and cut content and whatever else there seems to be a lack of for people.

And the more people complain the less I care about what they are complaining and I love it even more.

It’s my game. My safespace.

I don’t even think the plot timing is bad or rushed or whatever, I actually like it. It’s better than DAI Imo and I have huge nostalgia goggles for DAI.

Only thing is still the insanity of not including worldstates but even that is just like there. It‘s my insanity I work around it with no issues at all because i think they made it work.

Still my own hypetrain

And with the way there is so much useless hate for the game I don’t think you‘ll ever find me saying much negative about it

My blog is a safespace for people who just want to enjoy

[joannerenaud]

The Lady Serena review

I think, quite possibly, this was the first ever historical romance I’d ever read. Little did I know that it was written by Virginia Coffman— yes, THE Virginia Coffman, Gothic novelist extraordinaire, who was to become one of my favorite authors. In the late 1970s, under the pseudonym of Jeanne Duval, she wrote two historical novels set in ancient Rome, specifically against the reign of the Emperor Nero. I was so obsessed with this book, I read it over and over and over again. Years passed, and I lent it to a friend, who was much less enthused about it than I was. Then I read other negative reviews, and I began to think this book wasn’t so hot, and I was viewing it through rose-colored Nostalgia Goggles. Had the suck fairy come for Lady Serena?

Anyway, at last I decided to sit down and reread it. The back copy sells it as a lurid bodice-ripper about a Vestal Virgin, Serena, who has a forbidden romance with Tigellinus, Nero’s dark and sinister prefect of police. It definitely has bodice-ripper elements, but compared to many romances of the time, like The Flame and the Flower or The Wolf and the Dove, it is a masterpiece of subtlety and nuance.

Serena, a proud, practical aristocrat who’s taken vows as one of Vesta’s sacred priestesses, is increasingly tempted by Tigellinus’s masculine charms as she finds herself pulled into palace intrigue— specifically, she is called to tend to a sickly Emperor Claudius, who dies shortly after, from a surfeit of poisoned mushrooms or… possibly something else? Soon, she’s caught up in a shadowy conspiracy and a power struggle between the impulsive, lovable but erratic young emperor Nero, and his competent and frightening mother Agrippina. The depiction of these historical characters is so good, so assured and so accurate, and so free of the usual nonsense from Suetonius, it’s as if Coffman had actually met them. It’s impressive work.

The first half of the book has this languid, beautifully written atmospheric slow burn going on, which is very typical of Coffman— but the ending is exciting and cinematic, complete with battles at sea, riots, chariot chases and a gripping palace showdown. As for Tigellinus, the hero— he’s fine. He felt a bit undercharacterized— I felt that he and Serena needed a few more scenes together, but given how abysmally low the standards of romance heroes from the 1970s were, I didn’t mind him. The sex scenes are pretty short and not especially detailed, but that also seems pretty typical for the time. I did not especially buy the romance at first, but I felt much more convinced by the end, after the couple had been on the run together (which is always one of my favorite tropes).

As for Serena, at first I found her underwhelming, but I grew to like her a lot. She’s pretty naive at first, but over the course of the book she proves herself to be tough, clever, observant and in some respects, ruthless— she fends off two attempted rapists, and towards the end she coolly rescues herself from a particularly sticky situation in a way that had me pumping my fist into the air. I found her arc satisfying. She does have a lot of internal conflict, about betraying her religious vows for a relationship with a man; but she still loves and reveres Vesta. How can she reconcile these two parts of herself? The senior vestal priestess, Lady Maxima, plays a key part too: it’s great to see an older woman play a major part in a historical romance, and I loved seeing how her and Serena’s relationship developed. I thought it ended in a rewarding place— and I don’t want to spoil too much more! But yes, this aspect is definitely something I could not have appreciated as much as when I was a teenager.

The Lady Serena is also interesting in that it walks a fine line between historical-novel-with-romantic-elements and historical romance proper, which I liked. There’s a lot of Gothic elements too— misty temples, flickering torches, ominous villas and cabals of sinister senators abound— which I found to be a treat. This approach is so unusual for this setting. Also, the fact that the author is really affectionate towards Rome as a place and a culture really stands out, and the research is mostly well done.

As for the downsides, the writing is lovely, but there are some repetitive bits that could have been trimmed. Some of the plotting also can feel a bit redundant. For example, there’s two attacks (one on Serena, and another on Tigellinus) by two separate guys who lost all their money betting on some sports event and who became deranged as a result. Once is fine, I guess… but twice? Really? There’s also a few typical Roman tropes that came from old movies that have since been debunked, like galley slaves (not a thing until the early modern era), or people using chariots to travel from one place to another (they were only for races and ceremonial use, not for ordinary use). There’s also all the borked nomenclature, but that’s so typical of 90% of ancient Roman romance out there, that my eyes skim over it at this point.

Anyway, even with all that said, I love this book, and I recommend it! It’s an engrossing Gothic epic set in the ancient world with a cool and competent FMC, a respectable hero, a vibrant supporting cast of characters, and some incredible action. Sadly, there’s no ebook of this available, but paper copies abound, and the curious can find it on archive.org.

[shrimpanzee]

Winx Reboot......

I've been eyeing the reboot for a while and I have to say I'm really disappointed. I've been trying not to view it with nostalgia goggles and I know I'm not the target audience (I'm literally college aged). But it just looks kinda bad????

Now it does have really nice effects n stuff but the designs?? And the (alleged) AI use??? It's giving polished turd. The designs really bother me because they're too busy imo. Afaik one of the benefits of doing 3D animation vs hand drawn or 2D is having your characters on a model. I think they tried to take advantage of this by adding a lot of details to the outs, but honestly it looks too busy to me. I'm not an expert on character design, but I do know the "less is more" thing still applies. I keep comparing the reboot magic winx to the OG and man. It kinda hurts.

I'm not a huge fan of their wings either. The shapes are fine (and very cute) but they're a little distracting. Like The OG magic winx had VERYYY simple wings and I think that worked really well.

Also uhhhh the hair. oof. Musa and Aisha's hurt me the most. I wish for Aisha's transformation she had a more afro-centric hair style? I LOVE that her normal fits have her in braids but it looks like rainbow went for a looser style for her fairy form. If they still wanted long hair, they couldve went with boho braids, bubble braids, fulani braids (or any half up/ half down braid style). OR if they really loved this style, they couldve given it more texture to appear more like a blowout yknow?

Speaking of braids actually, uh, why does BLOOM have cornrows but not Aisha???? I'm not even mad it's just really goofy because what are we doing.

Musa's hair being two twig braids is just underwhelming, like her hair doesnt give magical, or anything. That's a hairstyle I have under my bonnet when I'm trying to sleep </3

Despite this I'm still gonna watch the reboot, I'm curious and maybe it'll exceed my expectations! The AI stuff is really disappointing though, I might actually pirate it....

also let's pretend i didn't abandon this blog for almost a year while i was in school

[faulty-writes]

Hey I hope it’s not something that’s already been requested before but could I request headcanons of Mei, Mirio and/or Toshinori after a breakup where they would still have to be around their ex partner (because of school or work) and they’re still pining over each over :(((

Thank you !

[ Honestly, I can't recall if it has because this blog is about 3 years old. But even if it was, kudos to you for choosing characters that need some nice secondary love. I hope you enjoy these headcanons dear anon. ]

It still hurt, but Mei was used to wearing a poker face. Why the two of you broke up didn't make sense. She gave up her love of invention for you or rather spent less time with her 'babies' because of you. Now that you two were separated, she felt lost. She also couldn't focus with you just a few feet from her every day at school and that made her angry.

"So, how's your latest baby?" She finally managed to speak to you after a few weeks and as awkward as the butterflies in her stomach were, she felt relieved when you replied. Although she didn't care about your invention, she cared about your voice and being close to you again.

Naturally, she was determined to keep you to herself despite the breakup. This meant she was also willing to let certain inventions go awry whenever she witnessed someone else flirt with you. When this happened, she'd smile. "Oops, guess this baby needs more work!" She knew you knew it was intentional, but you never did anything about it.

You didn't realize how much you missed her until you found her goggles in your bedroom. When you returned them to her, a tremble coursed through your body when her fingertips brushed against yours. The urge to hold her hand was strong, but you walked away before she could say a word.

You'd toss and turn at night, unable to sleep knowing she was in the room next to yours. You missed lying on her chest and feeling the warmth of her body against yours. You also missed how her hand stroked through your hair until you fell asleep.

A few times you awkwardly found each other in the forest near Yuuei High. The feeling of nostalgia overcame you when Mei reminded you of a few funny stories from your time together. The memories made you laugh and yet wonder if it was too late to rekindle what you had.

He couldn't smile for a week after the breakup. Although it was unlike him, he avoided you which you immediately noticed as did your shared friends Nejire and Tamaki and sadly, this only added to the pain of your broken heart.

To think you'd break up with him because he was quirkless now was definitely a hit on his ego. However, in your defense, you thought it was better to give him time to sort his life out and not worry about you. But you realized you were wrong and regretted what you had done.

Nejire and Tamaki took it upon themselves to find out why the two of you broke up. While Nejire was disappointed that you broke up with Mirio because you thought it'd help him, Tamaki managed to get Mirio to agree to stop avoiding you.

The first time the two of you talked since the breakup was when you were assigned to address one of the first-year classes and there was an awkward tension in the air when Mirio actually greeted you with, "Oh, hey there sunshine," which was something he called you when you were together and it was then you realized how much you missed that nickname.

It was a nightmare to focus in class. To make matters worse his desk was not too far from yours, and the fact you could feel his stare, or at least thought you did made your stomach twist into so many knots that you weren't sure if you were still falling in love with him or continuing to feel that regret.

"I don't know how I'll do it, but I'm sure I'll win their heart back someday Tamaki! And I won't stop trying! After all, don't you think Y/n and I belong together?" Of course, he'd first have to figure out a way to get his quirk back and when he did, he'd convince you that no matter what happened, he'd never need space from you.

He thought breaking up with you was the only way to protect you. Heroes were particularly known for avoiding relationships because of their busy schedules and the fear that their loved ones would become the target of an attack. But he quickly realized he was wrong. While he tried to convince you to get back together, you suggested focusing on your teaching careers.

You never thought you were the jealous type. However, when Ashido made a comment about Nemuri and Toshinori on a date, even if it was in good humor and Nemuri shared that old men weren't her thing, it made you furious, and without thinking you lectured her on inappropriate jokes. The strangest thing was you knew Toshinori was free to do as he pleased but hated the idea of him being with anyone else.

Everyone including the students and your fellow teachers noticed the awkward tension in the room whenever you and Toshinori were near each other. "I can't take this anymore!" Hizashi screamed one day. "What is with you two kit kats!?" he demanded. "I'm afraid things have been a bit strange between us since the breakup," Toshinori confessed after you walked out of the room.

"Hm, I see so that's the problem, isn't it? Most men never know what they want, and they drive the people they hurt to do things like this," Nemuri stated as she entangled her fingers in your hair. You were currently lying on her lap, intoxicated. While she didn't blame you for drinking after you confessed how much the breakup hurt you, she was concerned about both your and Toshinori's well-being.

"I know it's not much but, I remember how much you like flowers so…" You knew he was attempting to make a conversation, but your anger got the best of you and without thinking, you used your quirk to destroy the flowers in front of him and while he was shocked by your reaction. It also reminded him of that fierce nature you held and why he was so attracted to you in the first place.

"No, nothing's wrong sir!" he insisted although he knew it wasn't wise to try and fool Principal Nezu so with a sigh, he glanced down with a determined look on his face. "There's not much I can do at this point. I know that Y/n and I may still have feelings for each other, and I don't blame them for acting the way they are. But...I'd like to find a way to become their everything again, not just their hero."

[billyvell]

Life is Strange 2 thoughts/feelings/review

So, Life is Strange 2. I finished the game yesterday and watched the other endings today. Things are not as fresh in my mind as if I had just finished and I talked a bit about it in other places so this feels a bit hard, but I'll try to lay down all my thoughts...

First of all... All my homies love LIS2, fuck you if you don't like LIS2! Seriously though, for years I've seen people say that the game wasn't good, that the characters weren't as good as the ones from the first one, that the Sean/Daniel relationship wasn't that interesting... I kinda did suspect it was just nostalgia goggles or whatever, but now I know for sure. I don't think there's anything wrong with connecting more with LIS1 and having a deeper relationship with it, but in this case I think you shouldn't even be comparing them and expecting the game to live up to that to you in the first place.

Now, onto the actual game. God, this was so fucking heartbreaking. I think I cried in every single episode. The very core premise of the story is just so sad, so unfair, and despite the powers so rooted in reality that it left me legit feeling uncomfortable with how fucked up their whole situation was. There are good moments, sure, but honestly every single thing that happens from the moment their dad is shot is just... Not how their life should've had to be.

Sure, LIS1 and BTS had dark themes too. But here, it's like, they lose everything from the beginning. Sean doesn't get to go to his party, to hang out with Lyla, to continue his normal life in any way. Daniel loses a part of his childhood. They're both forced to grow up so much faster than they should. There's a line Sean says in episode 3, and it's just a little idle VO, but it fucking crushed me, "Stop overthinking. You're not a teenager anymore". Even though he's fucking 16... He's 16 and he has to essentially become a parent. I knew what the game was about and lowkey followed it a bit when it was releasing, knew a few spoilers, but that didn't make anything any less heartbreaking.

I thought it was beautiful how the game took the opportunity to showcase and celebrate alternate lifestyles. The "family", Away, their freedom and how they interacted with society brings so much into perspective. I'm still a bit conflicted about Karen tbh, but I'm glad that at least they did show something beautiful through her story.

My biggest problem overall is probably how they handled the Finn romance route... I knew back when the game was releasing that despite adding a male LI, they pushed the female one more onto you and gave her more content, while locking the option to kiss him with a "bad choice" (I didn't know what exactly it was). And yeah, that is still true. I still think it was a mistake to lock the kiss with accepting the heist, and while I kinda understand the writer's explanation for that, I still think it could've been handled in another way, or they could've just let him kiss you and "betray" you by doing the heist anyway, since he still does that when you're friends lol.

I see people complaining that because they moved from place to place each episode, there wasn't enough time to connect with the characters... Idk if I'd say I disagree, but it just wasn't really the case for me. I was very invested in all the relationships, in Finn, Cassidy, Jacob, Chris, Karen. Everyone at the farm was cool and everyone in Away too. Lyla. You get so many tidbits about the characters even when they're not there on screen. The only thing I have to say which is kinda related to that, is that I think the time jumps were maybe a bit too big, and that the way they handled Mushroom was... weird.

I got the Parting Ways ending, and I'm satisfied with it. I kinda planned to get it, but only in the sense that I was spoiled that you get with Finn there. I didn't know that the whole morality thing had anything to do with it, and I played the first two episodes without even knowing that there was a points system about that and about brotherhood. I just made all the choices that were high morality (besides killing the cougar and the heist) because it was what I would do, and tried to be a good brother for Daniel. I figured that choosing to cross the border would most likely give me that one, but I just couldn't accept Sean having to go to prison for 15 years for something he didn't even do. If we were able to choose between Parting Ways and Blood Brothers, then I would actually be conflicted about which I wanted.

With the way the game's system works though, where you need to have low morality to get Blood Brothers, I couldn't really do it. I can't imagine myself teaching Daniel to be selfish and not care about killing people. I actually think it's super cool to watch Daniel use his power offensively and fuck shit up, but it just wouldn't be my version of the story. It's funny because, if we just played as Daniel, I wouldn't mind going that route. But since we play as Sean, with it being our job to raise Daniel, I feel a different kind of responsability towards leading him to become a good person. I also think it's beautiful that he gets to have the rest of his childhood, teenagehood, and live a "normal" healthy life with his grandparents. He does it in the redemption one too, but as I said, that just screws up Sean too much.

So, I'm a little disappointed that they're separated (and maybe can't ever see each other again? I'm a bit confused about Daniel's situation and whether he could visit), and that it's a bit shorter than the others (at least than the redemption one), but it IS the ending my playthrough led to and in that I'm satisfied.

I think this story is just incredible. It touched me so much, and the fact that some people can't see it genuinely frustrates me. The people complaining it's too political in particular can just go fuck themselves. It might not be perfect, but like with all things I appreciate, I'm just so glad it exists.

[saintmeghanmarkle]

When you say that Meghan is "manipulating" Harry you are giving her too much credit and him too little agency. by u/OldMenAreGross

When you say that Meghan is "manipulating" Harry you are giving her too much credit and him too little agency. I know some of you Brits (and many non Brits too) might have some feelings of nostalgia because you saw this man grow up and had all kinds of hopes and well wishes towards him but I think you need to be a bit more rational. He never saw you as anything other than paypigs for his lifestyle. He never had any intention to dedicate his life to the wellbeing of your country. He "served" in the military for just a few months 10 years ago and even then he was left in the camp playing Call of Duty while other soldiers put in real work in the field.You need to get over the fact that "old Harry" is not coming back because he never existed. "Old Harry" was a petulant spoiled brat that just didn't yet realise he could make money by airing his dirty laundry in public. Even before Meghan entered the picture he always had envy towards his brother particularly in the matters of money and privilege. When you say that Harry is being manipulated by Meghan you are giving her too much credit.Meghan could not manipulate herself into having any meaningful career in the showbiz (despite being part of it for more than a decade and having all kinds of connections) but all of a sudden she is able to masterfully manipulate one of the most protected people on the planet? If anything her failed career is a testament to how little she could manoeuvre the people around her.I read a lot of comments that go more or less like this: "Poor Harry is forced by Meghan to be an axxhòle! He's just an innocent victim!! If he divorces her he will go back to being a good person!!!" Guys you need to remove your rose-tinted nostalgia goggles and realise your opinion of him was wrong all along.The truth is it wasn't Meghan that "manipulated" Harry into being an idiot. He always was and idiot, Meghan is merely the catalyst for this newly revealed side of Harry. It isn't new, it's just newly revealed. She is a grandiose narcissist who happened to find a fragile narcissist. Two peas in a pod. post link: https://ift.tt/emul1Iq author: OldMenAreGross submitted: November 21, 2023 at 08:38AM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit

[thessalian]

I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but it needs saying.

This article outlines how Rowling is setting up a fund to defend "gender-critical" legal campaigns. This means she will be supporting any individual or group that's taken to court by, or takes to court, a group that stands up for trans rights.

Keep in mind that in this country, they've effectively said that your birth sex is all that matters. As in, their legal definition of a woman excludes trans women, their legal definition of men excludes trans men, and gender neutral individuals don't exist. While they work out guidance on how to deal with single-sex spaces, they have set an interim ban on trans people using any single-sex space - including the one for their assigned gender at birth. They also want to force trans people to carry their passport or their Gender Recognition Certificate (or any documentation that discloses the fact that they're trans) whenever they're in public, in case someone wants to check. There is going to be a lot of legal bullshit going on in the wake of all this.

And this TERFy bag of nonsense is putting her significant money into defending the transphobe side in court when that happens. It's not even a charity - this is coming from her own significant assets.

Her money is funding and supporting transphobes - like, any and all transphobes. It's making it more and more unsafe for trans folks in this country. Supporting her endeavours in any way is a way of giving her money. Yes, even fan-made merchandise, because you have made yourself into a walking advertisement for her stupid fucking wizard books, which made and continue to make her all the money, which she is now using to torture trans people in the UK by defending their oppressors in court.

If you still want anything to do with Harry Potter, that is your choice. I would ask you to unfollow me, however, because I personally want nothing to do with you. It doesn't matter how you slice it or how much "separate the art from the artist" you want us to do or how beautifully rose-coloured your nostalgia goggles are - you are supporting a woman who wants to make us not exist. It's not an abstract like in the US - she is not just helping set policy. This is her actual money, thrown to transphobes who want to win cases that will further oppress us.

If people's lives are less important than your childhood nostalgia? I'm very sorry for you, but I'm also done with you.

[filmbroandy]

this is going to sound insane + i don't think i've seen any other post about this but i do think it sucks that the people who make children's media/cartoons today seem to have way less background in art, history, philosophy, and culture than the people who made children's media/cartoons a generation ago. this isn't even a nostalgia goggles thing, most of the stuff i'm talking about is from before my childhood.

it's most clear in small things like garfield being named after a mostly unnoteworthy president or calvin & hobbes being named after philosophers or spongebob referencing nosferatu (1922) in that one episode or structuring its first feature film around the odyssey or the teenage mutant ninja turtles being named after renaissance artists despite being from the era of children's cartoons when they only existed to sell as many cheap toys as possible. they all seem so banal now because we're used to them, but i do think each example highlights a love from the creatives behind them for the art/history that they're referencing.

you just don't get stuff like that anymore because the people who are making this kind of media don't have the kind of educational background that allows for these kind of references, they only know how to reference the cartoons that they grew up with.

[khentkawes]

Avengers: Doomsday predictions...

To be clear, this isn't necessarily what I WANT to happen. Just my expectations (some of which are quite low).

RDJ is charming and funny and even people who thought it was a bad casting choice are charmed, but...

Comics fans are still furious over the way he portrays Doom because it's not what thw envisioned in their head (which is impossible because they all have their own vision and insist that anything else isn't comics accurate).

Ticket sales are huge. Marvel is correct that RDJ and the nostalgia of old X-men will draw crowds. This is also why fan favorites like Loki were specifically included/announced.

RDJ is actually Tony Stark who has taken on the mantle of Doctor Doom. This probably isn't revealed until somewhere near the end of Doomsday.

Tony Stark antis use this as "proof" that "Tony Stark was the villain all along" (because of course they do 🙄).

This whole debacle does tarnish RDJ's legacy as IM for MCU stans, but for normies/general audiences, there's no change. They always loved Iron Man and that's still true.

Loki has less than 3 minutes of screentime

Loki dies again (if it's in the opening sequence as an exact retread of IW, I swear to god, the Russos should never be allowed to work in Hollywood again. Why are these unoriginal hacks still here?!).

The X-men get a little bit of screen time. Not tons. But more than a cameo. They probably all die or get sealed off in a separate universe (if the Russos finally get tired of killing off fan favorites).

Sam and Bucky actually have minimal interaction with one another and fans have to reach a bit to see the chemistry they want/expect (but as always, shipping goggles let fans see just enough to write fic with)

Chris Evans has a cameo or scene. I hope it's as an evil version of Cap, but I doubt it will be. The Russos love him and Cap is a power fantasy for them. They won't be able to resist including him. But if there's one casting choice that won't be officially announced and will be intended to be a surpsise, it will be this one.

No Spiderman. Or very limited Spiderman? Maybe just a cameo at most. I think this is only partially because the characters all forgot about Peter Parker, but it's more because Tom Holland is taking a break. He doesn't seem to want a huge role right now. (Just my opinion, but i could be wrong, since I haven't followed his statements that closely).

That's all I have for now. And I haven't been following any spoilers or leaks because I've been out of the MCU fandom for a while (but currently reading Iron Man comics and will try to get to Infanous Iron Man soon... since I think Doomsday will be a remix of that, with Tony trying to be Doom instead of Victor trying to be Iron Man).

[abnormalpublishing]

Episode 5: The Mighty Bear God Prepares a Raid

"Where one hand enters, and the other follows in suit shortly thereafter, brace yourselves; make your stance wide, relax, and prepare for more than just a fistful of justice. For He is the lawbringer!"

—Justicar Justice Magi-Straitum, Anal Bum 5:00

Day 40.

Ah, yes, a day to look forward to—Wednesday, as usual. Once upon a time, my comrades and I would ransack and slaughter the many tyrants who dared try to rustle our skivvies. In typical fashion, we’d shoot fire (or frost . . . or light . . . or shadow . . . or whatever kind of magic we had) from our asses, swing our swords, and lop off limbs with glorious precision. Sometimes, we’d even accidentally cross swords. It wasn’t too uncommon for two fellas to climb onto one another and—[the rest of this passage has been heavily blacked out in ink, rendering it indecipherable].

While the “DPS,” or Diligent Probing Specialists, attacked from behind with unwavering determination, my partner in crime—“The Canadian Finger Banger”—would launch his surprise attacks on the big bads of the world. His signature move was to go for the legs or ankles, forcing the target to grab their own ankles in desperation, before he unleashed the legendary “Five-Knuckle Power Fist of The Big Oh!” right in the ass pants. Direct hit. Right in the puckered starfish. Sometimes, we had to dislodge him. Sometimes just to the elbow . . . other times, all the way up to the shoulder.

Others of note included Kiwi. He could choke a bitch from 50 yards out and draw in any others within a 20-yard radius. Unfortunately, he lacked any defensive capabilities. His protection always failed—condoms, armor, dignity—you name it. He was a walking STD. Plus, he had a weird thing for the undead. “Five minutes is all I need,” he’d say.

Then there was “Perky Tits”—a wolf-man hybrid who got aroused by pretty much anything. If there were a butt party within sniffing distance, he’d be there in a blip. He was particularly fond of the mysterious sandy sauce spread. That culinary horror came from a woman who had a pastrami on rye so dried out that—[this part, too, is illegible due to ink streaks]. He’d occasionally inquire Kiwi just how he’d “get into those britches,” too. Classic.

He was also Canadian. Fucking Canadians . . . they have all the fun.

Let’s see, ah yes, there was also one of my favorite cameos who’d show up whenever he’d feel like it, New Jersey’s very own Billbert Claws. He was a helluva salesman and looked good while doing it, too. He had a knack for sponsoring our raids with the OK-But-Not-So-Bad-But-Not-Good-Dragon Company, pulling phalluses straight from the void and would shove them up trash mobs’ and boss asses. Sometimes, divvying out the loot would get confusing. Ha, I remember one of the lines he’d bark, “Use code REVOLT50 to get 50% off your order and free shipping.” A real NJ class act. Perfect.

Laysplooge hailed from the Deep South. The real Deep South. Like, up-your-ass-and-squirt-in-your-moonshine south. Good kid, though. Always had a snappy comment, a saddle, and some reins ready. Probably had a thing for spicy sausage, too.

There were plenty of others: “HealingTwat,” “Slitrax,” “Laysplooge,” “The Hootser.” Ah, yes, and “Caviar” and his phone-sex buddy “Ka-ka-Khemo.” They were inseparable until Ka-ka-Khemo found a new flame. Caviar was never quite the same after that. No one else quite fed him fish eggs and love in the same breath.

Ah . . . memories. The nostalgia. The rose-tinted goggles. The blow-ups.

It’s been a while since I’ve gone on a proper raid. My current minions don’t have the same firepower. These days, it’s all whistleblowers, flamethrowers, grenades, dildo shooters, and nuke cannons made for Fat Men. At least we have mechanical shells for protection—less chance of infection, or herpes, or herpagonasyphilaids. I remember when that outbreak started. We had to cull a whole town. Some still came back as zombies. The world was never quite the same after that.

So, I’ve decided to relive the glory days. I’m taking my minions on a field trip. Sure, I’m still pissed about Simon, but that fat cuntnugget had it coming. NEVER DEFY THE ALMIGHTY BEAR GOD!

My canine companion tore Simon’s ankles to the bone, then mounted him. To muffle his screams (of agony? pleasure? unclear), the beast proceeded to, ahem, destroy his throat, until he expired.

I don’t enjoy culling my flock, but choices have consequences. I also don’t enjoy wasting good meat. So I let the others pick over his remains and gear. Some . . . had their way with the body. Others took to it with saws, saving bits for the road ahead.

The Raiders are amassing in a nearby fortress. It looks like they plan to strike the neighboring settlements. Ha! Jokes on them—I already took care of those. Look, it was an accident. But have you ever had a fart build up so bad it hurts your gut and ass? You have to release it. That’s nature. And sometimes nature purges towns.

For now, we gather supplies, weapons, and calculate whose ass is the tightest. Because let’s be honest—some of these little bastards are gonna pucker up and run. They needn’t die for me or the reformation of The Wasteland. They only need to watch as I obliterate the enemy.

I’ve added some upgrades to my mech suit—Gatling lasers, Fat Man launchers, and even a fusion core ejector. A true work of art. And of destruction.

Tomorrow, we strike. The Raiders will know fear. I will ransack their so-called Lost Ark and leave only ash behind.

[scribbled in the margin: “Jones has the tightest ass. Shana, Tata, and Tara are tied for next. Stickler is so loose, he could sit on a bowling ball and not even notice.”]

Stay tuned for the next episode and the commentary post! Until then, be sure to click below, or don’t. That’s democracy, baby.

[jasmancer]

reeling that apparently some ppl think btvs is LESS misogynistic than whedon's later work and he just got worse over time I truly think it's just nostalgia goggles talking or something bc like. girl btvs is the show that is constantly violently punishing women for gaining any form of power or (checks notes) having premarital sex

[elecballoon]

Being a new fan of Yu Yu Hakusho and going on the comments of YYH clips and videos is the most funny yet frustrating thing

You got people arguing whether or not Yusuke Vs. Toguro was meant to challenge toxic masculinity (personally i believe it was. If Toguro choosing to harm himself and others, including loved ones, instead of choosing to accept his pain and vulnerability, isnt toxic masculinity, then what is it?)

(Edit 3: and no, you don't have to live in a day & age where "wokism"/"wokeness" is a buzzword to write stories addressing human or societal tendencies. Just because a term like "toxic masculinity" gained popularity only recently doesn't mean that people weren't already aware of these social patterns and tackled them in their work back then. The lack of a coined term doesn't negate the existence or understanding of these issues, being conveyed in stories even earlier - or what, do you mean to tell me that the issues of racism only began once the term "racism" was coined? Sorry to go that route, but hopefully you get my point.)

You got some people saying that the transfem demon proves that trans people are demons (like bro it's a piece of fiction there aren't corporeal demons irl let alone trans ones. Edit: using a piece of fiction as a basis for your argument about real life is wild Edit 2: should clarify, using fictional material portraying certain themes to make certain arguments about life is fine, it's when you disregard any nuance entirely just to fuel your hate towards certain people, thats when it becomes wild)

(Togashi's choice of placing representation where he placed it is something that I want to talk about some time, but not now)

Then you have the out of nowhere comments like "Sensui foresaw feminism rising in the west... he was trying to save us"

Seriously, did we even watch the same anime

And also people giving some names and addresses (are people trying to doxx others??)

Like I get it that YYH is a 90s anime and therefore people more or less have their nostalgia goggles when talking about YYH

But like damn who hurt you