#like it's not even a tragic doomed by the narrative romance

[sallysellsseashellssundays]

Nine and Ten talking to literally the most random person:

You are so important! Humans oh how I love you!

Nine and Ten interacting with Rose/Martha/Donna like 95% of the time:

🧡 🥰 😀 🧡 🥰 😀 🧡

Eleven talking to River in the episode they get married:

It's not funny, River. Reality is fatally compromised. Tell me you understand that.

I don't want to marry you.

River! River, this is ridiculous. That would mean nothing to anyone. It's insane. Worse, it's stupid. You embarrass me.

[dadvans]

please say more about fast and furious being a romcom lmao

(Tommy voice)

Well, Evan, it’s actually a series of romcoms.

While the series does have actual romances (Dom and Letty—they’re whatever, but post-death evil amnesia Letty arc is fun— and Han and Giselle—do genuinely love them, hate Giselle’s actress for political reasons but will always love Han and Giselle being tragically doomed and then re-writing the narrative), what I’m talking about is Dominic Toretto and Brian O’Conner, okay?

Evan, you know I grew up in a big Italian family. It’s ABOUT the familia of it all. The FOUND familia. And while some see Brian and Dom as brothers, there’s something much more compelling about them as ill-fated lovers, their warring masculinity and Dom seducing Brian away from what is technically the law to the side of vigilante justice. You want on-screen chemistry? Look no further.

And then, you know, down the road you get shit like them driving on a submarine and swinging a car across a ravine on a vine mid-chase and driving a car into space. Ludacris is there.

In the latest installment you get Jason Mamoa doing his best work yet as an unhinged supervillain plotting revenge in unbuttoned silk shirts and he has a—spoiler alert—equally bad, double crossing secret agent boyfriend.

So, yes, Evan, they are romantic comedies. And since you and I have the next two days off, we are watching all of them. Even Tokyo Drift.

[kifkay]

Winx and their Favourite Literary Tropes

Bloom: Found Family. The girl is queer, most likely a fan fiction enjoyer, if not a writer, and has been bullied. She is THE target demographic for this trope.

(plus, she literally went on and created her very own family of Winx)

Musa: Other than the very obvious choice of Your Crush is Mean to Everyone but You (ahem, ahem, Riven), Musa would love the Soulmates trope. It’s very comforting, to believe that there exists a person cosmically tied to you — someone who will have to love you, in spite of your flaws and hurts. Belong to you fully.

Aisha: although Aisha is usually a very calm and compassionate person, I think she would find Revenge narratives cathartic. Let the girlie read about a vengeful princess cutting down her past abusers, she deserves it!

Stella: definitely a romance girlie. I could see her either obsessing over a litany of romantic cliches (Prince in Shining Armour, only One Bed, nursing each other’s wounds (but only in theory, blood is disgusting), forced proximity, enemies to lovers, etc) OR hating them all due to how predictable they are. BUT she would definitely despise any toxic romance tropes Musa seems to love: the Mafia ones, the sunshine x grumpy, the “he’s cold but actually cares”. If both people are not whole-heartedly into each other, she’s not into it.

Flora: she is definitely a fantasy girlie (what is even fantasy for the society of Magix?). Particularly, she loves world-building and lore, brimming with their own unique biomes and freaky little creatures. She also likes Anti-Heroes or Misunderstood Villains. They play on all of her emotional strings.

Tecna: contrary to what you may expect, I don’t think Tecna would like sci-fi very much. What is sci-fi to the majority of the universe, to Zenith is reality. She would most likely find fantastical elements of these books cheesy or over-the-top. Tecna would like Heists: dynamic, fast-paced, high stakes. Puzzle pieces coming together to form a brilliant plan, complete with witty banter and colourful characters.

(I also think she would like Dysfunctional Families. Her parents interacted with her only when necessary; she was an only child. She would be fascinated by messy and tragic interactions between people who should walk away, but just can’t part with each other.)

some other characters I thought of:

Roxy: Supernatural, Talking Animal Companion.

Brandon: Hopelessly Devoted, Mutual Pining, Martyr.

Sky: Reverse Damsel in Distress/Distressed Dude? (the heroine saves his captured ass; he’s into girls that can snap him in half).

Nabu: the Chosen One, the Robin Hood, switch-and-bait.

Helia: long journeys as metaphors for a soul search; tending to the other person’s wounds; cosmic or eldritch horror.

Riven: the Princess and the Peasant, Hero saves the Day, Grumpy Mentor who cares.

Timmy: the Headquarters, Secret World, outsmarting your enemies.

Mirta: a fellow enjoyer of Doomed by the narrative, bonus points if it’s sapphic.

[victimsofyaoipoll]

Round 2

Propaganda Under Cut

Every Supernatural Woman

Supernatural is so mean to women and committed to queerbaiting but it still gives Sam and Dean lovers to kill. The writers kill and villainize them and the fans get the few that remain

wincest and destiel shippers cannot handle the idea of their blorbos having a Woman THREATENING their SHIPS god FORBID

It literally used to be a running joke that if a female character got introduced you knew she was going to die soon because fans would react so negatively to her "stealing" one of the boys away from the big ship, whether it be destiel or wincest

Meryl Stryfe

Specifically in the 1998 anime she was made to be the love interest to the protagonist, Vash the Stampede. However, upon the introduction of the morally questionable gun-for-hire traveling priest Nicholas D. Wolfwood, few people have must interest in letting such a heteronormative pairing slide. Meryl is pushed on Vash, and Wolfwood is pushed on Meryl's coworker and best friend Milly Thompson, and that simply won't DO. Meryl is often depicted as bitchy and uptight, or on the flip side used as a wingwoman to nudge the two boys together. Fortunately they are not too unkind and will pair her with her partner Milly rather than writing her off completely, but it's hard to say she's as beloved as the true tragic and doomed-by-the-narrative romance of the story.

fandom loves to either act like she doesnt exist or make her the wingman friend

She’s sooo spunky and actually isn’t technically even a romantic interest of the male lead in the manga so it’s dumb how ignored she always is. She’s committed to her job, she loves danger, and she has ten billion guns on her at all times

[patchwork-crow-writes]

Kralsei is Doomed (and that's why I love it)

To me, Kralsei is a commentary on the idea of being in love with the idea of being in love - that is to say, being enthralled with the anticipation of courtship and falling in love, without really taking into consideration how the ensuing relationship would... actually work.

The depth of longing that is evident in Ralsei towards Kris is indeed intoxicating, and as I've mentioned previously, the game itself seems to push this pairing in the way that certain events are made to happen - most notably the acid tunnel of love running parallel to Noelle and Susie's heart-covered ferris-wheel ride. And add to that the whole nature of dark worlds as synonymous with dreams, fantasy and imagination. From a narrative perspective, the relationship seems almost destined to occur.

But I think Ralsei might find himself a bit adrift if and/or when he actually succeeds in wooing Kris... or the player, or whoever is predominantly in charge by that point. Like a dog chasing a car, I'm not certain he'd know quite what to do if he got what he was after, because at that point it stops being a flight of fancy and becomes real... which is very much the domain of the light world, and outside the darkness's purview.

And when getting swept up in the thrill of romance stories, it's easy to forget that the "struggle" does not end just because the couple share a tender kiss or whatever. Reality can, and often does, quickly ensue, and questions of long-term compatibility in the face of waning desire can spell doom for any relationship, no matter how "destined" it might seem in the run up to it.

This does not even take into consideration the biggest obstacle to this relationship - to exist in a form that we as players might recognise as reciprocal, it'd have to either be entirely confined to the dark world, or there'd have to be some way to bend the rules of Deltarune's reality to allow Ralsei to manifest in the light world, which... presents entirely new problems, not least because of the whole "Roaring" shindig.

Indeed, the more likely scenario, aside from the whole thing fizzling out or otherwise coming to an unfortunate end, is that Kris begins wearing the horned headband that is supposed to represent Ralsei, which as romantic a gesture as that might be, does not exactly live up to the promise that the pairing hints at... although in a strange way, such an outcome might end up strengthening the fantasy element of Kralsei, as a nascent relationship brought to a tragic end by the unflinching and immutable rules of light and dark. Such relationship never has to be actually tested by reality, which allows it to exist in a sort of crystalised state, a seemingly-perfect snapshot of a love that can perpetually exist in an idealised form.

It might be worth watching in future chapters to see how Kris and Ralsei's friendship develops, as it might give hints as to how Deltarune itself might end. Should the above come to pass, and the two come together only to be tragically wrenched apart by outside forces, it will suggest that the dark worlds will not be completely closed off, as the fantasy of Kralsei will be allowed to persist unchallenged by reality. If, however, they drift apart, or decide to remain friends only, or perhaps even if they break up mid-game, it would allow for a cleaner break between light and dark, suggesting some sort of sundering of the bridge between the two.

This, of course, sidelines any other interpretations of their relationship, such as an extended metaphor for self-love and acceptance, or of a coming-to-terms with the past, though I don't see that these can't co-exist alongside the above.

One final note: much of my focus has been on Ralsei rather than Kris, and there are grounds to argue that Kris does not wish, nor will they ever wish, to pursue a relationship with Ralsei. However, the fantasy of Kralsei's potential that exists both in Ralsei's head, and in players receptive to the game's suggestions, almost renders Kris's feelings and opinions on the subject moot. In other words: the reality of what Kris might want, even if that DOES end up wanting to be with Ralsei, is supplanted by the fantasy of their potential thrilling romance story.

In this, the core themes of Deltarune are again reinforced - Kris's choices do not matter, even if their choice would align with the fantasy-romance being suggested. This is not to suggest that I do not care what happens to Kris, but it does highlight that there is a narrative reason for Kralsei, or at least the idea of Kralsei, to exist in the game, and lends further weight to the idea that it is ultimately doomed to failure, regardless of the wishes of its participants.

[mulherrviado]

Over the years my feelings towards Madara and Hashirama as a couple changed a lot, especially since 2021. I feel kinda dumb for only gaining this idk incredible conscious about them only tem years after shipping them, but here we are.

In the beginning, I thought they were the perfect couple, no flaws, just pure and incredible tragic romance. A japanese romeo and juliet. I had that pretty cliche Madara fandom type of love for him, and believed he was wrong and Hashirama was trying to save him.

Now I see what was going on. Madara and Hashirama are doomed from the start. There is no way they would have been happy together, as a couple or as just friends. Both had this enormous hero complex, in their own ways. Madara was (rightfully) upset by how Tobirama was treating him and the Uchihas (and we don't have to say that he was right about it and a big part of the Uchiha genocide is Tobirama to blame), but we forget that Hashirama was complicit with what Tobirama was doing. He didn't stopped him, he only hoped nothing bad would have happened.

Hashirama was a naive dreamer, that took a good thing and made it rot. He shattered Madara's trust when he said that he would kill even his own for the village.

Madara was feeling betrayed, trying to warn other Uchihas how the treatment they were receiving would only worse, and he was right in the end. Madara was a dreamer, a melancholic one. He had hope, and he tried to hold onto it for as long as he could, until, well... Everything.

What I'm trying to say, is that I fucking love when a shipp is doomed by the narrative. Make me suffer for them, make me cry and scream and beg for the author to make them a good ending, at the same time I know it could have never happen.

I love them so much. With their flaws, and their rights and their wrongs.

And I know there are a lot of Madara and Uchiha fans who hate Hashirama and his couple with Madara, and I get it. You should be mad, I will never hold it against you. God, I'm mad as hell. It's just that I like to suffer from fictional love.

[most-datable-datable-bracket]

ROUND 3 MATCH 10

Alistair propaganda:

“I love his puns and sarcasm. He may be kinda dumb and like the epitome of boring white boy to some people, but i just love the humour he brings to the party.”

"alistair was literally forced to live in the stables growing up because the man who had stewardship of him remarried and she didn't like him; he's a bastard prince and tries to keep it secret but is almost identical to the king and you meet those two within 5 minutes of one another; he finds a rose in the middle of a battlefield and thinks how impossible it was to find something so beautiful in somewhere so terrible and it reminds him of finding you - so he saves it to give it to you; he's 20 and if you tell him to he will take the throne (even though it's always been his greatest fear - he'll do it if you're at his side); he doesnt know he's a half elf and its possible for him to live in the same castle as his mother later; he notices she looks at him strangely but he never finds out why; he's doomed to die young and so are you"

Shinjiro propaganda:

"shinjiro is leaps and bounds ahead of any of the other persona romance options. sorry NOT sorry literally jerk with a heart of gold taken to the nth degree his romance is BEAUTIFUL it's TRAGIC it's ultimately DOOMED BY THE NARRATIVE. literally a guilt-ridden man who despite his death wish reluctantly opens his heart to the MC and it's so touching and despite his struggles he still finds beauty and kindness in love and the small things. he's a great cook he's a lover of animals he is one of the only romance options that gives a shit about how the MC is doing. he TAKES a bullet for a kid but is saved literally by the PC romance/power of love in an ironic twist of fate that depends on the player liking his romance SO MUCH that you keep trying to hang out with him AFTER COMPLETING THE ROMANCE LINK.... he wakes up from a COMA at the end of the game because he feels the MC about to fade from this plane of existence (doomed romance alert) just so they can spend a few last moments together. Fucked up. his romance accomplishes more in his one month of gameplay time than any other options have in their whole runtime."

[gooselycharm]

hi there! i'd just like to say that your kris and noelle "something else" comic has been driving me insane /pos and i'd love to hear more of your thoughts on those two!! their relationship is one of my favorite things in deltarune and your comic just got everything about them so right 🙏

thank you for reading "something else"! oh man, [more of] my thoughts on kris+noelle.... i sure got some of those.

this was one of the first tweets i made after finishing chapter 2 nearly... freaking 2 years ago. and basically i've just been saying that over and over again in different ways because i'm still not tired of the concept yet and probably wont ever be LOL. i'm obsessed with how badly the narrative wants to force them into an easily categorizable dynamic, especially the romantic one in snowgrave. the literal THORN RING, the more possessive dialogue options, spamton calling noelle a side chick LOL... it all creates this unnerving visual novel bad end atmosphere that feels manufactured by someone who's only ever learned about romance through secondhand sources. they're two queer teens trying to navigate their changing relationship with the only role models they know being their parents' own failed heterosexual marriages. they're so divorced² (divorced children of divorce).

i also like that for being so tragically doomed coded they can be funny! both in a dark humor way and also like, genuinely funny, like the stories of them as kids with kris covering themselves in ketchup and hiding under noelle's bed lmao. i mean there's even something funny about the romantic trappings of the snowgrave route, like trying to put wedding cake embellishments on a crime scene... you know, funny like kids trying on their parents clothes but they're too big and for some reason they're also crying and covered in blood? um.

i'm also SOOOO interested to see how snowgrave will continue in chapter 3! i really liked the hopeful note chapter 2 ended on (well. i took it as hopeful anyway). there's that bit where noelle is talking to herself and she says something like "recently kris has been acting so strange and no one else has noticed... i have to figure out why" and then kris jumpscares her LOL but i think i took that one line and really ran with it. noelle really is the one who knows kris best and despite how scared she is, she's still determined to help them... i like the little subversion of victim/hero going on, the implication that kris might be the one who needs rescuing.

the additional story/lore that came with the spamton sweepstakes made me CRAAAZYYYYY like my GOD... it's cute that noelle likes glitches/creepypasta when kris is kinda a walking creepypasta <3 also, god, noelle falling asleep listening to kris playing piano in the other room... there's so much like. wistfulness and nostalgia and this like... distant/detached intimacy packed into how noelle narrates that scene. it's kind of funny how much there is to dig into when like on a surface level they're just fairly regular childhood friends who grew apart LMAO they're extremely deep to me okay...

on another note i guess i do ship them? i like their dynamic whether it's platonic or romantic (the best is a weird mix of both 👍). it just can't be boring LOL like... this is one ship where trying to apply cookie cutter tropes to them really falls flat and the game is ahead of you on that anyway. in terms of romantically shipping them, i honestly don't think they're doomed to repeat patterns forever... i think they could actually be good for each other! but that's not really the aspect of their relationship that interests me akldjf;alk;sdg maybe i will make 60 page comic of kriselle going to couples counseling some other time

ANYWAY i'm going to cut myself off here, because i really could go on forever lol. i'll give you some links for further reading though

hellspawnmotel's deltarune art

lula pillowbug99's deltarune art

this art by raspbearis which features prominently in my internal kriselle bible

my own unfinished kriselle playlist

my own essay on gender & allegory in deltarune if for some reason u are not tired of hearing me talk yet

okay bye now & thanks again for reading my comic!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[wardevilwins]

What is the point of a hero?

Anticlimax in Chainsaw Man Part 2

Part 2 is garnering more and more criticism as it extends its excruciating middle portion towards the inevitable collapse. There are talks of Fujimoto losing the plot, skipping over important details, the story not making sense, Asa being flattened into a supporting character for Denji, and more.

To my mind, these criticisms center on the same thing: anticlimax.

The Falling Arc ends with the first major anticlimax of the entire Chainsaw Man series. That moment turned out to be a sendoff of many aspects of the series which had defined its identity in part one: the breakneck pacing, the grotesque monsters, the ultraviolence, the detailed rendering, and most significantly, the cycles of catharsis.

Part One was a face up rendition of the heroes journey: the cathartic cycle. This cycle was paralleled with the hedonistic cycle of consumerism. From the very origins of the series, Fujimoto was critiquing the heroic narrative by exploring a different perspective on the hero’s existence. In the lineage of Devil Man, Evangelion, Utena, etc. Fujimoto considers the harm that heroism does to the hero.

However, in part one, we don’t understand this dynamic until the final arcs of the series. The hero’s journey is played mostly straight, with exciting adventures, a lovable cast, a host of creepy monsters, despicable villains, cosmic fantasy. On the surface, this is normal Shonen Jump. The walls are closing in behind the scenes.

This is the mechanic behind the Makima turn. It is a reveal, but not a twist. We are well aware that Makima is not human, is suspicious, and has some malicious intent surrounding Denji. The reveal is what those intentions are, and what makes it so compelling is the nature of her intentions.

We learn that all the events of this story — the job, the romance, the organization, the friends, the family, the adventure — were being manipulated with the express purpose of destroying Denji. His cycle of catharsis was always leading him to his doom. It was made to destroy him. His tragic flaw is ignorance: he didn’t stop to think about what was going on.

Part 2 picks up on Denji in this same state. He is still chasing the cycle. He goes out, defeats the monster, everyone praises him. It’s great. However, we see the same lingering signs that something is off. The people he abandons in his fight against Cockroach. Corrupt government institutions using him as a popular spectacle.

But in the first Asa-focused section of the story, we the readers are also locked into the cycle. Asa follows the same journey — literally the same, from bat devil, to the eternity devil, to a final climactic battle where she faces her childhood trauma and arises an actualized hero. Or did she?

Because that isn’t what happened to Denji. The cycle of catharsis was not a journey of self discovery; it was a trap. A distraction. A cover for the underlying intentions of the state as embodied by Makima. Even the idea of Chainsaw Man as a hero was a part of the plot to destroy Denji’s life.

But with Asa, as we approach the apex of her story, right as she has asked Chainsaw Man to save her, and she herself is using her own powers to save him as well, overcoming her fear of the other to risk her own life, plummeting towards certain doom! How will they escape!

They don’t. They get eaten. And somehow Nayuta is there and she just saved them. ??????????????????????????????????????????

It’s like their powers didn’t even matter! What about all that character development? They just lose? And then it doesn’t even matter that they lost? Then what was the point?

What is the point of a hero?

Asa’s introduction ends with the series’s first anticlimax, but that will not be the last. In fact, it is only the beginning. Because for the rest of the series, it will be constant. Every single tension will be diffused. Every single horror will be dodged. Every build will break.

Let’s go down the list:

Denji is forbidden from being Chainsaw Man, and his identity is stolen. He isn’t Chainsaw Man anymore.

Denji thinks about rejecting Fumiko’s advances, but can’t.

It appears Fumiko and Denji will fight, but then they don’t.

Asa becomes a minor celebrity and cult figurehead, but we never see any of it.

It seems like Miri will be Denji’s friend, but he’s an insane cultist.

It seems like Miri and the other hybrids will go on a spree, but Quanxi stops them.

It seems like Denji, Nayuta, and Fumiko will have to fight a mob of monsters, but Quanxi saves them.

It seems like Yoru will fight Yoshida, but he runs away.

Denji fights and defeats the hybrids, but is attacked and captured by a random mob.

Nayuta is in danger, but we cut away.

Denji gets chopped into pieces, and is quickly put back together.

Quanxi appears again, defeats everyone, but immediately surrenders.

Asa’s time as a hero is explained away as a passing fad.

As a reader, I can’t lie, it is annoying. And aggravating. And it is so blatantly intentional that it pisses you off. Fujimoto is refusing to give catharsis. Even the climactic moment of Denji’s arc — facing down Barem in front of his burning home — is not catharsis. It is torture. More building trauma and tension. Never any satisfaction.

Basically, he’s narratively edging his audience. And face up telling you that this is what is going on too. He even does it as a gag during Fumiko’s introduction. He gives a little peek at the catharsis that he knows we all want to see, but he won’t do it. He can do it — he was doing it all through Asa’s development — but he is deciding not to, and showing you that he’s deciding. He’s playing with his cards face up, but folding every hand.

Asa’s celebrity being totally sidelined is by far the most controversial of these instances. Her introduction fully engages us in her hero’s journey — a true hero’s journey. She isn’t a hedonist like Denji; she has ideals. She is fighting to save people. She actualizes. She becomes a real hero of the city.

But we don’t see it. Instead, we leave her story and look at Denji, who explicitly can’t be a hero. And through Denji’s story, we see the other side. Asa’s heroism is Denji’s downfall. She is getting everything that he was after. We understand what Asa has by what Denji lacks.

Asa’s catharsis is hidden. Or rather, her heroic catharsis is hidden. We got to see her journey to becoming a hero — to taking Chainsaw Man’s place — but not what happens when she is living that life. The same kind of life Denji lived under Makima.

Denji had Makima rooting for Pochita, manipulating and deceiving him. Asa has Fami rooting for Yoru, manipulating and deceiving her. Makima made Denji a hero to manipulate the public. Fami made Asa a hero to manipulate the public.

So in some sense, there’s no need to show it because we’ve seen it all before. But you still could. And it would be fun. Everyone would like it. It’s fine to, right?

Right?

Running parallel to the anticlimax is a long winded critique of popular culture. Particularly fandom culture. That is to say, hero worship.

The members of the Church worship Chainsaw Man because he saved them. The media uses Chainsaw Man and Asa as distractions from the horrors of life under threat of devils. Fans of a certain idol are driven to stress and conspiracy by a scandal. Meanwhile, wars are breaking out, government facilities are being invaded, people are turning into monsters.

Their love of Chainsaw Man turns them into monsters.

Barem and Fumiko are a notable skewering of the real-world Chainsaw Man fanbase. Fujimoto roots his critique of hero stories in a critique of his own hero story. While it is a reckoning for his fans, it is more so a reckoning for himself and the impact that his story had on the world. What was the point of what he did? What did it accomplish?

As of writing, the story isn’t finished, so the ideas aren’t complete, but at least at this point (chapter 164) it doesn’t look good. We see Fumiko is lost in her sexual obsession, abusing her target. We see Barem is completely insane, overwhelmed by a glorification of violence. We see a vast mass of fans whose obsession is harnessed to turn them into mindless killers.

You cannot help but think about the Chainsaw Man fandom in the wake of the anime. Harrassing the series director, constant asinine opinions all over the internet, the discourse around MAPPA — not around Chainsaw Man at all. Egregiously horny art. Legitimately disturbing sexualization. Popular response focused on the action and violence, not on the meaning of the story.

Is this what he wanted? Is this what heroes inspire? Is this what happens when you give people catharsis?

Is this what heroes are?

So, for Asa, he doesn’t do it. He won’t do it. He won’t create a cycle of catharsis. He won’t make a heroic tragedy. Instead, he will divert, avoid, hide, pause, deny. When she follows the path, we look away. When we want the hero, we get nothing instead.

Fame — heroism — isn’t a triumph. It’s a flash in the pan. An illusion. A tool of distraction. A vector of misogyny — society. A corruption of the self. For the hero and the fans.

Denji’s long arc is the positive exploration of the negative space Asa’s story leaves. Look away from the hero at hand and look at the hero that was. Look at what it did to him, what it does to him. Think about what this story does to you. Think about what it does to the world.

We are done with the spectacle. We’ve left catharsis behind. We’re living beyond the high. So, what is there? What can there be? What other story can you tell? How do we relate, exist, outside of saved and savior? If the hero is a lie, who will save the world? Can the world be saved?

We’ll have to find out.

[chaifootsteps]

saw a post saying something like "you guys are just doing catradora again because you can't handle toxic yaoi/yuri"

and like one, this is kinda saying the quiet part loud to compare these two. like it's admitting Stol1tz is fundamentally toxic and abusive

but more than that, I have no problem with toxic relationships. I'm fine with writers exploring messy relationships and the way hurt people hurt each other. in fact I love that stuff, when it's done well

But that isn't what Stol1tz is, is it? we're supposed to want these two to get together, not in a "it's a car crash but I'm going to bring the popcorn to rubberneck way" but in a "it's so sweet and wholesome that after 25 years the 'childhood friends' got back together! it's true love! thank goodness Stolas taught Blitzo how to love and broke his spirit utterly"

and more than that, Viv can say on X all she wants that they both did wrong, they're both messy individuals etc etc

but the show isn't written like that. it's written to be the story of a poor misunderstood prince who's just a little oblivious to his flaws (after having 5 dozen opportunities to grapple with them) always loved his messy, toxic childhood friend (while giving him no grace for his own trauma whatsoever) who was just tragically too late to have a real romance with him because he was too blind to see what was under his nose all along (I'm hoping you can hear the sarcasm that was implied there)

it isn't framed as "look at these two toxic spike balls bouncing off each other, we won't woobify them, just let the story play out"

it's framed as "look at poor woobie prince who was the real wronged party - if you wanna see him do character development you're gonna having to sit through episode #3433 of 'it's all Blitzo's fault, Stolas is perfect and sensitive, get all the characters into the Blitzo pile on while we insult Striker some more!"

that's not how you write a toxic relationship. that's how you write a creator's pet and the poor victim who's doomed by the narrative to be stuck with him forever

"Look at these two toxic spike balls bouncing off each other, we won't woobify them, just let the story play out" is the argument some Stolitz fans are still holding onto, still insisting is the case. It would make for an interesting story if it were true, but the fact is that Viv's never going to hold Stolas accountable for anything more than being a silly little guy who's bad at reading the room. Blitzo will spend the rest of the story "earning" Stolas and the rest of the time jumping through hoops to prove to an audience that's increasingly out for his blood that he deserves to keep him.

The way Viv views Blitzo, I don't know why she even wants him anywhere near her precious self-insert bird.

[astramachina]

Do you like spooky stuff? Do you like cringefail MCs who are both pathetic little men and the worst people imaginable? Do you like anti-colonialist narratives and gothics featuring POC characters desperate to break out of generational cycles of abuse? Then let me tell you about my novel.

The Unbinding of Wicked Things

Mile High Paranormal struck it big as one of YouTube's premier ghost hunting shows of 2021, but following the tragic death of one of its beloved hosts, sibling producers Nick and Kim decide to pull the plug on their beloved post-college project. Determined to go out in a blaze of glory and amidst the throes of internet notoriety, Nick devises the perfect plan for the perfect series finale: an investigation at a location so remote and obscure not even locals dare speak of its existence. Beyond the idyllic hills of Moorwich, England stands Blackthorn Manor, an ancient manor house whose shuttered doors keep the still-festering secrets of the Middleton family locked inside. Rumors of missing children, witchcraft, and illicit familial affairs plague the manor grounds and the neighboring village, dooming any family who dares take up residence on the land where blackthorn bushes grow. Fortunately, the MHP Team does not believe in the paranormal. Unfortunately, vivid nightmares of burning alive and episodes of misplaced time begin to affect Nick during their stay. Phantoms now stand outside the inn's windows, and bipedal hounds chase him towards a monster that screams its lament in the dead of night. The thing about Nick Miller, however, is that he would do anything for the content.

COMING SOON.

I hope you also like unreliable narrators, gay shit, trans shit, and general ghost hunting infodumps. More info under the cut.

The Unbinding is an Adult genre fusion of gothic horror, dark romance, and "epistolary prose". It is also a fake memoir. Kind of like a burrito wrapped inside of another burrito.

Some influences behind the story include Crimson Peak, House of Leaves, Demon Theory, and I hesitate to list Episode Thirteen because that book actually came out after I wrote this, but it has a very similar style (which is in part why I ended up shelving this project for so long). Some less serious influences are Ghost Adventures, Grave Encounters, and a bunch of other ghost hunting related media. I'm just a huge sucker for that kind of thing, okay? I also love fucked up family dynamics, hence why gothics are just so *chef's kiss*.

The cast is mostly QPOC which means the story includes instances of homophobia, transphobia, racism, and general bigotry. Other trigger warnings include themes revolving around suicide, dysphoria, and plenty of death. But this is an Adult Horror, so like, bad things should be expected. Bad tings can and do happen. Explicitly.

Lastly, the tag for this project is "wip: the unbinding". Mostly for my sake.

[littleeyesofpallas]

They're long buried in the asks I never touch but I've had a few people ask me about if i ship anyone in bleach and for the most part I never answer because i don't, or the ones I do I do only very tepidly, and theyre all canon anyway so thats boring. But also the reason I don't is that I have a sort of broad distain for shipping as a practice --not as like some deranged antishipper horseshit(fuck those people) but just because I don't feel the impulse, and the impulse I do see in others always tends to seem predicated on grievous misreadings of the characters-- but that's a snooty beef to have with people so I don't voice my disagreements with specific/individual ships. That'd be rude.

But all that aside Bleach in particular does have one added layer to things... I think Bleach's narrative is kind of antithetical to shipping.

All of Bleach's canon relationships have this tragic and/or one-sided component that gives this really consistent tone that to love to to lose and to hurt. And honestly, given my personal opinion of Kubo's writing talent, I do think that's mostly incidental BUT I don't think there isn't some really interesting theming to take away from all that.

I've prattled on before about the Sun imagery in Bleach and how it seems to align with a lot of classically archetypal sun and light symbolism, as well as a few of its own unique symbolic uses: the sun gives light and warmth, its an icon of enlightenment, its the center of the galaxy around which other celestial bodies orbit, it's thus a power of attraction and order, and it's the brightest star in the sky. All of these aspects are either embodied or directly contrasted with major villains like Aizen and YHWCH as well as in Ichigo himself, and to much lesser degrees his mother, Masaki, and Shiba Kaien.

Masaki's death motivates Ichigo.

Rukia and Ichigo have a specifically platonic relationship built on mutually changing each other's lives

All throughout the body of the actual story, Orihime's feelings for Ichigo are one sided.

Uryuu's obvious unspoken feelings toward Orihime are likewise.

Renji likewise and even more explicit.

Rukia's with Kaien doubly so, with the added drama of him already having a wife AND her having to put him down herself.

Tousen's unspoken one sided love for his unnamed dead friend.

In a way Komamura's kind of sadly underdeveloped feelings about the whole Tousen betrayal.

Hinamori's tragically misguided adoration of Aizen.

Hitsugaya's one-sided puppy love crush on Hinamori.

Rangiku and Gin's fascinating, somehow mutually one-sided(?) romance.

Sui-Feng's beautiful "why didn't you take me with you?" tragedy with Yoruichi.

Ulquiorra's fixation on Orihime.

Riruka's extremely straight forward weaponized toxic love.

Even Ginjo and Tsukishima's lightly touched upon history together suggests a mix of overzealous devotion and deliberate grooming.

Aizen's forced obedience and abuse of his power over the Arrancar as a false Sun icon, generally more abstract but most literally manifested in Loly's jealous fangirl shtick.

And YHWCH's sinister manipulative exploitation of his followers devotion as an extension of the Sun symbol being its own kind of love, in the rather on the nose christofaciat/cultist sense.

Heck even Bazz-B and Juugram's melodramatic but kind of inconsequential relationship fits this.

Kanae and Ryuuken too I guess, but that's such a nothing romance b-plot inside of a nothing flashback, inside of nothing training arc anyway...

Like, the primary defining feature of all those relationships is the ways they don't work. The moment you make any of them reciprocal they lose the only point of interest they have. And consequently the whole of Bleach is fueled by the attractive force of one sided, unresolved, and otherwise doomed relationships.

And like I said, I don't actually give Kubo credit for that, but I think it creates a very apparent trajectory of a boy(Ichigo) forever changed by the loss of a loved one, his mother, the center of his universe trying to find a power that will allow him to hold onto those closest to him so he won't ever feel that loss again. And the power he's given is Rukia's, a power not just to fight and protect, but a power to influence and inspire. It's the power that bleeds out into Orihime and Chad, and even Tatsuki and Keigo, and Karin. It's the power that attracts them to him, and holds them in orbit as he unknowingly becomes that missing Sun, the center of a new universe all his own. And that creation of a new system of the divine around his solar self is the ascension toward godhood, both in that pseudo spiritual symbolism sense as well as literally in the story(at least until it abruptly and without explanation/clarification just isn't).

Point being, Bleach's only sensible reciprocal ship that I see is that of Ichigo as an ascended god shining a universal light of love and protection on all living things and their returning love for their God experienced/achieved in the flickering moment of my own headcanon climax of the series right before his friends all yank him back off the god throne and some deus ex machina(Urahara) solves the cosmic puzzle for them. That and Ikkaku×Yumichika.

[victimsofyaoipoll]

Round 1

Propaganda Under Cut

Megaera

She's the First of the Furies, which means she's in charge of punishing tormented souls in Hades. She is canonically the ex-girlfriend of the playable protagonist, Zagreus, and one of his three love interests he can romance in the game. Despite the fact that Megaera and Zagreus canonically had a very messy (but passionate) relationship prior to the events of the game, in fanworks she's often shoehorned into the role of wingwoman and/or Mean Lesbian (tm) in favor of the pairing up Zagreus with another of his love interests (the grumpy but affectionate Death Incarnate, Thanatos). The Thanatos/Zagreus pairing is massively more popular than any pairing featuring Megaera...despite the fact that in the game, Thanatos/Megaera/Zagreus is not only totally plausible, but entirely possible to achieve within canon. Literally, a throuple situation is achievable in game, and she still gets sidelined. Fanworks also have a tendency to paint the Megaera/Zagreus relationship as purely sexual and therefore not as "deep" or "romantic" as Thanatos/Zagreus, despite, again, plenty of in-game dialogue and events that indicate both Megaera and Thanatos have fallen in love with Zagreus on their own terms. Justice for Megaera.

she's one of two romanceable characters by the bi male protagonist and the other one is a man. people will write literal essays about the protag's relationship with his male love interest but she is reduced to "haha she pegs him. step on me" despite being an extremely interesting and multifaceted character in her own right. also people try to claim her ship is incest because in original greek myth she was the daughter of nyx who raised the protagonist and he believed she was his mother for a long time but their relationship was changed to be a boss/employee one in hades. and the protag's male love interest actually IS the biological child of the protag's foster mother but nobody wants to talk about that lmao....love you meg

There's so little fan content of her or the canon ot3 she's in because everyone just focuses on the 2 dudes 😔

Meryl Stryfe

Specifically in the 1998 anime she was made to be the love interest to the protagonist, Vash the Stampede. However, upon the introduction of the morally questionable gun-for-hire traveling priest Nicholas D. Wolfwood, few people have must interest in letting such a heteronormative pairing slide. Meryl is pushed on Vash, and Wolfwood is pushed on Meryl's coworker and best friend Milly Thompson, and that simply won't DO. Meryl is often depicted as bitchy and uptight, or on the flip side used as a wingwoman to nudge the two boys together. Fortunately they are not too unkind and will pair her with her partner Milly rather than writing her off completely, but it's hard to say she's as beloved as the true tragic and doomed-by-the-narrative romance of the story.

fandom loves to either act like she doesnt exist or make her the wingman friend

She’s sooo spunky and actually isn’t technically even a romantic interest of the male lead in the manga so it’s dumb how ignored she always is. She’s committed to her job, she loves danger, and she has ten billion guns on her at all times

[mirumirumin]

Found this under a clip of Nanako and Rei's first date ever. The second comment says "they are not lesbians, it's just admiration since nothing is confirmed". This just made me think, how can you watch the show and get those conclusions?

Nanako's first impression of Rei is a direct give-away; she was infatuated by her on their first encounter in the bus. Then, when she found out that they went to the same high school, she became her "fan" instantly... She looked out for her in her free time and took the time to understand her. Interest is a sign of affection, she was so adamant on knowing more of her that she even went to her house and looked after her when almost no one else did; she made her food, cleaned her appartment... She would leave the house at night and stay with Rei just so she wouldnt be alone.

This is one of my favourite episodes: their first date ever. Here, Rei and Nanako decide to skip classes since they missed their bus stop. They go for a walk and she is just so happy with her presence that she wishes she could stop time, to make that experience a timeless memory. They go sit down in the shade, under a tree, just chilling. Rei smokes a cigarette and tells her how a junior wanted to save the ends of the cigarettes to smoke them later; that is something that Nanako did too... And since she didnt want to stay on the same lane as a simple junior, since she wanted to be more than just a fan that liked to smoke her crush's cigarette butts, since she wanted to be seen differently, Nanako asks Rei to let her smoke, saying that "she smokes too". What an obvious lie, she just wanted to impress her. She was about to smoke a cigarette just to get her approval! She wanted to feel validated so bad that she was willing to burn her lungs for Rei... And so she tried, and failed miserably. And I personally think that it was cute. Charming, even. Romance is about trying so hard to impress your loved one that you end up making a fool of yourself.

Rei tells her "Now you know, you shouldn't smoke; it doesn't suit you. I want you to stay just the way you are, always". And that is just so wonderful to me. Telling her that she doesn't have to try hard to look cool because she is just precious the way she is... just like her "Ma chérie la Poupée". The fact that she compared one of her most precious belongings to Nanako just tells me enough (she caught her attention).

And then, Nanako confessed her feelings... She explicitely says "I love you". She doesn't get a response in that moment, just a "Let's go back". Rei couldn't give her a real answer in the moment because her heart wasn't clear yet. I don't mean transparent but, she was so depressed and troubled that she couldn't even consider Nanako's feelings. And that's just her character. She is such a tragic character, a beautiful girl who is given love but can't give it back. An ethereal being doomed to live loveless and miserable, and the moment she breaks that seal (by this, I mean when she finally reciprocates Nanako's feelings, plans a date with her, and her relationship with her older sister gets a little bit better) she has to pay for the consequences. A tragic character doomed by the narrative, who can only suffer and negate any type of positive outcome. That's why she had to die, that's what she had to pay for getting a little bit of happiness.

And Nanako, who is just a ball of sunshine. I wouldn't say she is the opposite of Rei (and that is, by saying that Nanako is a hero and Rei a tragic hero), but she is so different from her. She brings joy to almost everybody who she encounters. She is her parents' reason of joy, her friends love her, her older brother loves her too... She has so much love to give, and Rei was just doomed from the start. It's interesting how Rei was considered an illegitimate child (she was supposed to be Miya's half sister) and later on revealed to be legitimate, and Nanako on the other hand thought she was a legitimate child just to be revelaed to be the daughter of her dad's second marriage. Nothing relevant to say about this I just wanted to point that out.

I'm just blabbering things at this point I'm sorry, I just love NanaRei so much. I think I'll rewatch the series just to keep talking about them haha.

Also wanted to note that the comment mentions "lesbians", but they are not talking about the sexuality of the characters, it's obvious that they are trying to deny the romance between the girls, by how they say "she just feels admiration". girl dpmo

[silviakundera]

Love for Love's Sake (2024)

Extremely Spoilery Meta about the Finale

A drama that really REALLY worked for me. Just like "A Journey to Love" is my exception to a hate for tragic ending romances, "Love for Love's Sake" is an exception to my burning hatred to unclear endings.

In this case, I think the ambiguity is fine for me because it's not "open" and unsettled. The ending is definite. It's how the viewer personally interprets the ending that is open. And the director/screenwriter earned the multiple interpretations every step of the way. I felt satisfied with my own answer (and the protagonist's peace at demanding no answers), which is all that matters for my enjoyment.

The whole drama is set up to reward a rewatch and it's intended to be enjoyed more the 2nd time around. There are subtle clues from the start that the protagonist has died & it's an AU "adaption" of his own backstory that he's been dropped into. (for example, not just the mirrored history he has with Cha Yeowoon, but also multiple settings we see from the flashes of his Real Life show up in the Game World. The world is being populated with places from his repressed memory. omggggg guys when the game is 'glitching' and he appears damp [SCREAMS] )

"He suffers so much from beginning to end. ..The perfect happy ending you're talking about might just be an inescapable tragedy for others."

"It can't be helped that some people's lives are like that."

This could be referring to Cha Yeowoon, from the storyline The Senior has introduced. But more I think it's directly referencing Tae Myungha and the tragedy of his short life. Even with altered memories of a truth he isn't ready to face, he feels an injustice. In the liminal space between life and death, with a blurred recollection of what came to pass, he faces the author.

The whole opening has an unreality feel as they discuss death and how some people get left behind from others' happy endings. How dark and unfocused the background is just emphasizes that this conversation is occurring in no place & time.

Then he drops into The Game, unsettled and unmoored.

The sense of urgency they give the character is interesting. It plays 2 ways. The drive to save your favorite character from his doomed narrative. And the secret, hidden drive behind the wall holding back his memories. That last second desire not to be extinguished.

So what do I ultimately think is the meaning of what Tae Myungha experienced and of the ending? 🤔 I think there's no 1 truth. The drama's narrative is intentionally ambiguous. And so I don't want to tell anyone what their interpretation should be.

But what I ended up believing is that this is Tae Myungha's journey to make peace with his regrets, forgive himself, and find love & happiness like he failed to do in his life. He is given an opportunity to seize these things (by death, by buddha, by some god-like author idk) but he has to go through a journey to solidify his place in this next life. An afterlife of sorts - call it The Good Place. ;) Many different theologies have the concept of a mid-place waiting area and it's not guaranteed that you will cross over to what comes next.

"Please carry out the missions and build the world."

Cha Yeowoon starts out as his mirror but Cha Yeowoon isn't a version of Tae Myungha. I might say he's the RPF AU version of Tae Myungha lmao. [my meta on this topic here] Once the world begins to take shape, the core people our protagonist interacts with become real and gain autonomy. Tae Myungha's actions could stabilize & help build out this new world he's entered. But he couldn't make Cha Yeowoon act as he wished or be happy exactly when & how Tae Myungha wanted & expected it. Myungha can't predict him.

What does it mean to be 'real'? If the core people who are built out in this world develop their own feelings and thoughts, can hurt & care, then they're real enough to love and be loved back. Cha Yeowoon picked up the pen himself at the end and decided not to accept Tae Myungha's erasure. Ultimately, they were both able to wield the pen. It was by both of them joining hands that Tae Myungha got to stay.

In the end he is in a warm & bright room, almost hazy with light. His grandmother is there with him, looking healthy & happy. His friends and the boy he loves are waiting for him. They're going to the beach, young and careless. It looks like an endless summer day. The game is over, a reward offered: the happy ending.

Episode 1: "So is this reality or not?"

"This place is better than the real world. Should I just stay here?"

Finale: "In the daily life that is too ordinary to be called destiny but too beautiful to be called a coincidence, I finally realized I have all the answers I want. Our days are filled with unquestionable happiness."

[ge]

what do you like about rotmhs? like what draws you in?

GAHH IM SO GLAD YOU ASKEDDD at the top of my head thhe top three things i felt really drew me into and made me fall in love w rotmhs is the found family/bonds before blood narrative, the action/fight scenes, and the comedy..

rotmhs is not a romance and i feel like that really pushes people away from reading it, especially folks who were first introduced to east asian novels through bl (specifically mxtxs novels like mdzs tgcf etc etc) which i feel is incredibly disappointing because yallre missing out on a certain depth of writing and nuance you otherwise wouldnt get in a romance focused novel. (orv is another extremely popular knovel with no romance.. if you like orv PLEASE give rotmhs a shot)

rotmhs is about a dead man resurrected a hundred years into the future having to come to terms w the fact that everyone he loved is dead and that the only home he ever had was destroyed, its inhabitants and centuries worth of teachings burned to the ground, and that it was partially his fault these things happened, so in order to prevent a future catastrophe he knows is on the horizon, he trains the youth of this new generation and finds a new home surrounded by ghosts in the wreckage of his home of his past

⬆️…very dramatic but somewhat accurate barebones synopsis of rotmhs which is fairly faithful enough methinks.. rotmhs doesnt make a point of going ‘heyy these guys are family nowww theyre brothers and sisters and love each other like familyyy’ LOL the growth is very subtle and before u can really blink ur like ‘oh man.. chung myung would kill for these kids. obliviously though. i dont think he knows he even likes them’ all the while hes still aching w the loss of his loved ones before.. if we’re being really really honest chung myung, the mc, truly is the star of the show and a character i got attached to incredibly quickly.. hes so stupid but so smart he has so many issues i want to hit him with my car then nurse him back to health just to hit him again

chung myung himself is a whole other thing i could get into but he has so many layers.. so much depth.. on the surface ud look at him and think what a punk but look a little closer and then ud think oh this punk has depression ptsd survivors guilt hallucinations etc etc LIKE DAMN.. I THIUGHT HE WAS JUST A FUNNY LITTLE GUY WHYD I GET SUCKER PUNCHED

what was i even talking about. OH right romance. please please dont let the lack of romance dissuade you, imo it is soooo refreshing to read something that isnt focused on romance like i love yaoi like the next bl reading bitch but damn.. ive always been into found family and while the bl novels i have read did always have a little hint of it, i always wanted more and rotmhs fills that void

(that being said i cant stop yall from shipping if yall want LOL im guilty of shipping charas too despite everythiing i just said… if yall want yalls yaoiyuri fix may i direct yalls attention to the ‘doomed by the narrative, tragic best-friends-to-almost-lovers tangchung’ & ‘love at first sight sweethearts iseolsoso’ ….. :SMILES: I LOVE TANGCHUNG..!!!!!!)

NEXT, the action and fight scenes in rotmhs, even in written text form, are sublime to say the least.. my fail cis dudebro trait is that i love crazy insane adrenaline rushing heart pumping shounen-esque battles so much that i could typically care less for the rest of that specific piece of media as long as the fights are good.. FORTUNATELY FOR ME rotmhs is crazy good at balancing its comedy, action, and otherwise more ‘mundane’ scenes together so harmoniously that its such fun read even when theres no swords crossing or heads being beaten in

also important to note, despite being a knovel w korean naming of characters/places, rotmhs actually takes place in ancient china in a wuxia setting so jumping head first into it wont be all that confusing for first time readers/cmedia fans and u can use ur knowledge of cnovels to fill in the gaps.

theres not really much more i have to say on the topic of fighting, im just personally a huge fan of the crazy spectacles rotmhs brings to the table.

saved this for last but THE COMEDY…!!!!!!!! after being soo dramatic w all my previous points and comments ur probably thnkng rotmhs is heavy and somber w no breathing room.. WELL YOURE WRONG. ROTMHS IS FUNNY AS HELL quips and jokes and simple funny actions and scenes litter nearly every page. i mentioned this novel balances its action and comedy well and im NOT LYING youd think maybe the heavy action and light comedy would awkwardly clash but u cldnt be more further from the truth.. rotmhs wears action and comedy like a pair of twin gloves

rotmhs handles its action and comedy in equal doses and it all fits together like matching puzzle pieces, like i really cant stress enough how fun it is to read. not every fight scene is somber, most of the time its chung myung oneshotting someone by hitting them across the head so hard they pass out..

unfortunately im not really the best at listing instances so its be better for u to go read it for urself but this scene from one of the later chapters is soo funny every time i read it i start giggling

(LIGHT/MINOR SPOILERS FOR THE NOVEL it probably doesnt even matter u wont even remember this when u start reading)

right so i think thats most of it.. too lazy to read through everything i just wrote so if nothing makes sense… well. …well!

rotmhs deserves to have the same amount of fame as ORV and MDZS and TGCF have and it is my civil duty as one of the oldest mxtx novel outlets on tumblr to put yall on it..

my thumbs hurt from typing so im done now but if u have anymore questions PLEASE ASK IM SO DESPERATE TO TALK ABOUT ROTMHS ok byyyeeeeeeee