#like the comparisons man. they're universal.

[npdclaraoswald]

Saw someone complain that people who way RTD's first era was racist just don't understand the text because Ten's "Just walk around like you own the place" was supposed to be an indictment of Ten in a "mocking colorblind liberals" kind of way, not in a "that's genuinely a fine way to treat a companion of color" way. So I'm gonna lay out why I think Russel T Davies' writing is racist. This does come with the caveat that I am white person, so you should take my analyses of racism in media with more than a few grains of salt because I do have some major blind spots.

While I'm certainly not a fan of it, my criticisms of RTD's eras are not limited to "Nine and Ten treat Mickey and Martha like shit," because yes, I do recognize that the flaws of the character do not inherently reflect the flaws of the writer. I think the narrative treats Mickey and Martha like shit.

With Mickey, it's easy to point to, especially in series 1 how he's written to be comically pathetic and undeserving of Rose's affection, particularly in comparison to the Doctor. This does get better as time goes on, especially after Pete's World, and I've heard that Mickey was cast with colorblind casting, so you could say that this was largely accidental. Especially since it does get better, it's easy to assume they let up on it once they had Noel Clarke. But RTD's black characters standing in the shadow of white characters is an ongoing theme. And that's not even mentioning the Doctor calling him an ape, because that is a Doctor character flaw and not something that I think is reinforced by the show itself. I just would be remiss not to mention it.

Similarly, Martha is held in constant comparison to Rose and we are left with no shadow of a doubt that the Doctor thinks she comes up short. Which again, you could say is a character flaw of the Doctor's, not reflective of RTD's opinions on the character. But it would have been naive at best for him to believe that doing so wouldn't make the fans hate Martha. She already set up for failure sheerly by being the follow up to the first companion of the revival- fans were always going to hate her for not being Rose. And maybe RTD was trying to criticize that impulse and make fans do some self reflection. But that's not remotely what happened and I do think it would have been stupid of him if he expected that to happen. As is, and as should have been obvious, the Doctor's attitude only reinforced fan impulses to the point that I to this day see people who hate Martha for "taking Rose's place."

But admittedly, the writer can't be held wholly responsible for the fans, he is not them. And if it were just Mickey and Martha being compared to the Doctor and Rose and being told that they're lesser by characters in universe, I might be able to let it go. But it's not just that. It's the fact that Martha has to- not just emotionally as most companions do- literally support the Doctor, having to get jobs to provide for them in both Blink and the Family of Blood two parter with no question of why she's the one that has to do that in Blink and he doesn't. That we the audience are supposed to give a single shit about Joan Redfern to the point that she gets a finale cameo a full season later. That her finale cameo tells us more about her life and wellbeing than Mickey and Martha's does. That Martha's family is enslaved by the Master with no acknowledgement of the different weight that that carries for them versus Jack. That Martha does all of the work to save the world in the year that never was and the Doctor gets all the credit.

And of course, there's Mickey and Martha together. The fact that they had barely spoken to each other previously and that Martha was engaged to a different man the last time we saw her. The fact that their relationship could easily work but there is no work put into it. That we the audience are supposed to just accept a major change in two major characters without question and just be like "of course they'd be together."

You can say other companions went through similar things, but that falls into the same liberal colorblindness that pretends that the same events don't weigh differently given the impact race has on people. Or you can make excuses for each one of these things and say that we the audience were supposed to criticize it on our own rather than being told to do so. But they add up.

And of course, there is the shitshow that is the Fourteenth Doctor. We were told Ncuti would be Fourteen. I was so excited to finally have a main black Doctor. And then out of nowhere, that title was stolen from him and given to yet another fucking white guy. A white guy who had already had a turn. Two turns if you count Tentoo! Before we could let a single black person lead the show, we had to let David Tennant know that he's the most special little boy on the planet. And then even after sucking Tennant's dick for an entire year, RTD still could not let Ncuti have the spotlight to himself. He had to redefine the way one of the basic facets of the show works specifically so he could let the world's most special white boy continue to keep playing the Doctor. Ensuring, just like he did with Martha, that fans would never let our black character just exist on their own, they would always have to contend with clamoring for their white counterpart to return and take back the mantle. And while we're at it, let's not even let Ncuti wear proper clothes in his debut. Those go to Tennant as well.

So yeah. Dot and Bubble was a good episode. I do think his textual treatment of race has improved. I however think his subtext still is, and always has been shit, whether he consciously realizes it or not. Regardless of his trying to criticize racism, he is still absolutely influenced by it.

[polaraffect]

me anytime i'm analyzing a piece of media: but y'know what if. we compared it to the Epic of Gilgamesh

[thegirlsarethriving]

just finished undertale. ok i see the vision. i now understand yall's Sans-to-Benrey obsession pipeline. and the Papyrus-to-Tommy Coolatta pipeline

[crows--den]

The ssum really is just "That tamagotchi is a whole ass man"

[paper-mario-wiki]

Shangri-La Frontier mid-season review

This is by far the best fake video game I've ever seen written in fiction.

Most MMO-centric isekai stories have trouble with providing accurate and realistic depictions of the complexities and minutia that give MMOs the allure they have. I've seen so much handwavey bullshit tacked onto fake-games that introduce unrealistically overlooked mechanics for reasons like giving the protag immense power just because they're the protag and the story is about them. A good example of this is another MMO Isekai airing this season, "A Playthrough of a Certain Dude's VRMMO Life", wherein the main character becomes extremely rich, powerful, and famous by episode 2 because he stumbled into a stealth archer playstyle, a build which apparently no human in that universe had ever conceived of before, and then making a fortune by selling basic potions to everyone after NPCs stopped selling them (another thing he was uniquely able to do because not a single other player had the forethought to spec into alchemy). These lesser, dime-a-dozen isekai add up to be boring fantasy strories with gaming elements clumsily put in so that the author can demonstrate how powerful the world's inhabitants are by showing their stat allocation screen instead of, say, explaining anything about what they do that's so uniquely powerful and how they figured it out. Ya know, stuff you'd hope to hear about from any competent story.

Shangri-La Frontier is a breath of fresh air for anyone who, like me, is sick of authors ignoring the things that actually make video games compelling in service of creating a stock-standard narratives in fantasy worlds because it allows them to get away with bullshit. I've always found it very convenient that many isekai narratives indulge in things like chattel slavery, because it's societally normal enough for the protag to purchase a beautiful, vulnerable girl to add to his harem (dont worry, she is always inexplicably in love with him no matter what because he's SUCH a kind master). And it never really seems to go anywhere. Because the Video Game Isekai, while an interesting premise in theory, is more often than not used exclusively as a means to simplify the structure of a world's power scaling to abide by an arbitrary set of omnipresent universal rules (e.g. what people who have never cared to look into game development think of video games). This anime, by comparison, is VERY clearly authored by someone who plays a LOT of games.

Every piece of logic used to drive the plot forward, so far, is congruent to a real-world example of video game conventions, and I'm not just talking about levelling up and selling monster parts. Story elements that I've rarely (if ever) seen explored in other isekai are ever-present and genuinely clever and amusingly introduced. My favorite example of this so far has been the way the protagonist has been able to go head to head with so many overlevelled foes in the first 9 episodes. The story of course makes note of how good of a gamer Sanraku (our hero) is, but much like in real life games, being super duper good at dodging attacks doesn't really make up for a 70 level gap in items and learned skills. For that reason, he gets his ass whooped more often than he actually outsmarts others (so far he hasn't beaten a single player in pvp). So how is he getting out of these situations without dying so frequently? Simple: he got access to a later area too early relative to his level (sequence break) and got access to a high level follower NPC that's been carrying him. This is something he acknowledges directly several times, specifically using words like "Emul has been hard-carrying me for a while." This, to me, is extraordinarily meaningful. That's something you can exploit in Skyrim, man. That's REALISTIC CHEESE STRATS. The excitement and wonder I find in this show doesn't come from watching the protag do something unexpected, but by watching him do something that I would think to do.

This knowledge the author has demonstrated regarding modern gaming culture extends further into the actual realistic nature of game design and community. The story exists in a reality where full-dive VRMMOs are the be-all-end-all of gaming, and given the prohibitively expensive nature of developing and designing expansive, immersive worlds, most games are pretty shit. It's been hinted at so far that this is due to a monopolistic megacorp which is one of the only entities rich and powerful enough to make a good game (the game in question being the one that shares the title of the anime), but so far the strife of the characters have been pretty centralized to the happenings of the game world and its politics. By the way, lets talk about the game world's player base politics, which I'm also quite pleased with. It exists in the form of guilds and clans who struggle for power not by participating in seemingly random pvp with other powerful players to see who is the most epic and badass warrior (again, like many contemporary isekai typically opt for), but by gaining actual realistic support from a fictional playerbase with realistic desires and playstyles. Some guilds are interested in lore, some gather for alliance and boss raids, some for things like animal husbandry, and (naturally) at least one is dedicated to trolling and PKing. Each of these factions, through the very little that we've seen of them so far, communicate on forums and only know as much as is reasonable for them to know. The only reason they give a shit about the protagonist at all is because he gained access to a high-level unique scenario quest that they want information on how to access, and the only reason word of that got out in the first place was because someone posted a screenshot of him with a unique NPC onto a forum, asking about it as "where can i find this pet summon, its super cute!" That's real. That's video games, baby.

I like this show a lot so far. I like that it cares about video games, but I also like its writing. I like the main character and how hes less of an ultra badass super cool guy, and more of an earnest challenge-run lets player. Like, a lot of his dialogue straight up sounds strikingly similar to Japanese youtubers. And he's naturally always quick to point out inconsistencies in the game world's logic. I ALSO really like his community of pals from a janky old fighting game, and I ADORE the girl from his school who has a crush on him and also just so happens to be an exceptionally high level player from a top clan, and how she had to spend 9 episodes working up the courage to send him a friend request. I love that so, so much, dude.

I highly recommend this show if you're into a single thing I've mentioned. The animation is great. The world is beautiful. The character design is immaculate. And I'm looking forward to watching it continue.

[rthko]

You ready for a REAL brave post? Between 2015 and 2020 or so, everyone had something to say about a common enemy, "masc for masc" gays. Now that the water has stilled (or come out clear, if my boys want a more familiar metaphor), what is there to be said about fem for masc? I'm not here to moralize, I'm really not. I actually relate, and on a purely libidinal level, god does it make sense. But on a logistical level it does not, and masc for masc has a certain integrity by comparison. I mean, they're willing to hold themselves to the same standards as their partners. There's a certain logic to it, even if we don't like the result. Conversely, remember when Christian Walker, obviously not masc himself, filmed himself asking "where are all the masculine men?" This is not even a particularly unusual complex to have. They don't see it as ironic or hypocritical they really do view themselves and the objects of their attraction implicitly as different genders. I don't think that's universally good or bad--maybe we DO want to acknowledge a diverse range of subgenders--but it comes with its own baggage.

We come to an issue at the epistemological foundations of homosexuality that were present from the moment it was first termed as a form of sexual inversion: lots of gay guys want to be fem and still fuckable, but don't want to fuck fem gays themselves. And sure, we "like our men fruity," we love a little piercing or a fagcent, but gays are frankly more permissive of these traits when they apply to muscular bodies--the ground on which the figure of subtle gender expression can be applied. Baby gays think muscle gays are all masc for masc. Nope! Many will queen out, and I'm not saying this to uniformally redeem them but to point out that they get more allowances if they maintain certain body types. Think of that one gay porn blog with "macho" in the URL that posts uncredited pics of muscular men in thongs: THAT'S how you get a safe degree of irony, without which it's just regular cross dressing.

I like the rest of you was part of the anti masc-for- masc crusade, and I don't think we were wrong for it. Maybe we did have an ax to grind! But this was easier to have a principled stance about when we developed a protective aversion to masculinity. Of course I wasn't attracted to it--I had foreclosed any possibility that a masculine man would respect me or not view my effeminate characteristics as sexually disqualifying. But picture this: a man who is masculine in demeanor without being chauvinistic, who treats you as an equal, who isn't emotionally constipated, and lets you queen out without backing away? The glimpses I've had of this are tantalizing! We can rail against heterosexuality--literal or allegorical--but its promise makes libidinal sense. If we could logic our way out of it, we would, but this "where have all the good men gone" complex is the Sisyphean burden we bear. And that's why to this day gays brunch with their straight women friends to dish about how men are the worst.

[ddarker-dreams]

thinking about the stressful dynamic of being shared by yan kafka and blade.

they're both enigmas in their own ways — a woman who cannot experience fear and a man incapable of dying. you're given the premier seat to witnessing the fall of civilizations by their corrupting influence. you once described the pair as pathogens, a comparison kafka considered most appropriate.

"having been in such close quarters with us... doesn't that imply you're infected too?"

she takes your barbed words and plucks the thorns off, one by one, gratified by each prick of her finger. you're left stewing in acrimony that will never have an outlet. she's cunning, always finding a way to engage you after you swore off all engagement. attempting to understand her is like trying to catch water with a sieve, she's too fluid, never adopting a single form. what you can discern is what you wish you remained ignorant to. playful as she is, there's a fond undercurrent. she'll make your eyes water but she stops short of making you cry. she knows your limits better than you do and never pushes you past them. whether this is mercy or the preservation of a toy she finds pleasure in, you can't decide.

somehow, perplexing as kafka is, you can roughly anticipate what's to come when she enters the room, a singsong rendition of your name on her lips.

should you liken kafka to water, then blade is either fire or ice. occasionally both, in a paradox that inevitably ends with you getting burnt. blade doesn't approach you so much as he stays in your proximity and waits. for what exactly, neither of you know, but he isn't going anywhere until you concoct some answer. blade doesn't outright intimidate you, yet there's this oppressive atmosphere accompanying his presence that's unnerving. you would've thought he loathed you if it wasn't for kafka chiming in that you're his phone background. if you work up the courage to talk to him, he's a better listener than kafka. he won't outright comfort you with his words, considering he's 50% of the reason you're so stressed. he does pick up little souvenirs from his various jobs throughout the universe. they're found on your nightstand, no note, no clear indication of who left it, but you know anyway.

they're both strange, throwing twists and turns your way that make navigation impossible. there is but one definitive rule they share.

you are a being they can't — and won't — do without.

[aestherin]

KEEP MY HEART

goal 09: do you like sweets?

You are fully self-aware that you have delusional tendencies, but you know yourself well enough to think that you weren't that far gone yet to the point that you will start seeing your long distance crush right in front of you.

He's probably real.

Taking notice of your presence, Scaramouche then turned towards you. His face was hard to read, other hand holding his phone and the other inside the pockets of his denim pants. His oversized black shirt was tucked, highlighting his good figure.

'Holy. He's got good style too,' you thought. It was simple, yes. But he carries outfits so damn well.

But what is he even doing here in your uni?

Since an eye contact has already been made, you flashed a sheepish smile and a light wave. Your loud personality online was such a huge contrast in comparison to how you're actually behaving now.

He just stared. 'Oh. So he's the cold type. God, he's exactly my type.'

"Aren't you going in?" You snapped out of your musings upon hearing his voice.

"I was about to. I'm starving," you chuckled. He scoffed. "I could use a bit of food, too."

"We should eat at the birthday party then."

"Kazuha's?"

You nod.

He looked away. "Go and eat inside. I'll find another place to eat at."

You flashed a look of disbelief. Scaramouche raised a brow in confusion. "Dude, you're literally already at a restaurant and you still want to go somewhere else to eat?"

"And you're hungry, aren't you?"

He sighed. "Look, I don't know if you know this, but the one holding a party — well, we're not on the best of terms."

Oh. Yeah.

There's that thing.

How the fuck could you forget that the love of your life is from the rival of your brother's team?

"Ah," You nod again. He seemed to take it as you understanding his reasoning and turned the other way, attempting to head off.

If only you hadn't tugged at his shirt.

"What the?!"

You led him to a lone bench at the parking lot, lit warmly by the streetlight just directly above it. "Sit there and wait for me."

"Excuse me?" He hissed. "What am I? A dog?"

"Your words, not mine." You grinned. "Just do as I say, okay? It won't be long, I promise."

He was about to retort but you cut him off by hurriedly entering the lively restaurant.

When you got back, you easily spotted Scaramouche who was sitting comfortably on the bench where you left him. He immediately scooted over once he saw you.

"Wow," he remarked. "You know I actually doubted if you would even come back."

You chuckled as you sat and handed him his plate. "Do you have trust issues?"

"Shut the fuck up."

"Oh, so you do."

He rolled his eyes.

Your late dinner with him was mostly filled with a comforting silence, with some bits of small talk in between. The only ones left on your plate were delectable desserts, as well as the little pieces of food you left out.

"Do you like sweets?"

"No," Scaramouche speedily replied. "They're disgusting."

You subconsciously frown. "Shame. I like them."

"You can have mine then," he says as he picks up his portion of desserts and transfers them to your plate. Unbeknownst to you, his observant gaze failed to miss how your eyes sparkled in delight at the sight of mouthwatering sweets.

As he did so, Scaramouche also spotted some leftovers on your plate. "Do you not like bitter stuff?"

"My tongue can't handle them."

"Give it to me then instead of wasting food, idiot."

You let out a laugh. "Is that your way of saying you like bitter stuff?"

The man just let out a quiet "tch" before taking a bite.

KEEP MY HEART — scara x reader smau

previous . masterlist . next

SUMMARY —you find plenty of guys around you attractive, but there is only one you’re willing to make the first move on: the guy you first saw during your older brother’s soccer game. spoiler: he's a player from your rival university.

NOTES -> a lot has happened lmaoo i was so busy aaa -> i graduated hs finally :P -> i also submitted my requirements for college haha -> also can u guys believe i'm gonna be in college while my college smau is on going omg -> and apologies for ghosting HASDHADHA (also wtf fontaine livestream tomorrow already whaaat time flies so fast omg)

TAGLIST I (closed)

@lady-elodie @krnzysh @syriiina @unsterblich-prinz @xiaosonlybeloved @xiaomainlmao @cindywasneverhere @coquettemaiden @sunsethw4 @lunavixia @calickoh @arealistonao3 @lowkeyivorie @zyilas @mondaymelon @yukiipc @heartswonder @st0pthatsgay @ozzierenato @astreaa-express @shewolfmiko @lovelyycherries @myaaones @countessqin @aloveablechaos @letthewindlead @lunaavity @local-blueberry-boy @luminestars @layla240 @useless-potatho @atlaszi @alatusorrow @lahsram2201 @sakiimeo @user11918163805279 @vqazx @neigesprincess @kunicrush @yoursockstinks @hotgirlshit5 @mikctp @crucnhice @apotatouwu @yuaenri @sammybeefangirls @miko1ly @deffenferofjustice @etherisy @sagegreenthinks

[cocteaucherry]

trials and tribulations

summary- falling in love with your sworn enemy was not something you planned.

cws- p&p au/ bridgerton au, inaccurate use of regency language, 18+, misogyny, talk of pregnancy, foul language, future smut in later chapters, slow slow burn, LENGTHY descriptions

(a/n- the first chapter was running into 2k words so I split it up and edited it <33 I hope you enjoy

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife”

“So it's true that they're rather wealthy?”

“Well ONE of them are rather wealthy, the other not so much.”

“Doesn’t matter if they're both handsome.

“Ugh shoko don't say that”

You sat on the uncomfortable couch stopping your knitting to take part in the conversation, Shoko and Utahime, your lifelong friends sat across from you rather giddy about the wealthy newcomers

“What? It's true.” Shoko grinned her brown hair only reaching past her chin, “Makes the whole ‘being bound’ for life thing much easier.”

Utahime nodded, standing to walk across the small parlor, she sat on the small stool of the pianoforte playing a single note. “That, if men are gonna set the standard we might as well use it to our advantage.”

You rolled your eyes setting your needle and thread to the side, “So by finding an attractive wealthy man is taking advantage?”

“Yeah” they said in unison before giggling.

“Come on Y/n! Who really wants to be married with many children before twenty-five, some women may but not me! I'd like my twenties to amount to more than just my womb.” utahime exclaimed before tightly shutting her mouth when your mother walked in.

While she looked like a term cold woman she was really the best caring mother you could wish for in these times, “Good evening ladies,” your mother nodded with a curt smile, “I'm guessing you all have heard the news?”

“The well-off lads with handsome faces coming to town? No we haven't,” you smirked standing up before your mother’s hands were immediately attached to your shoulders, “This is your time my dear! For you to make your mark and to finally marry!”

Utahime and Shoko had to stifle their laughter.

You looked back with an annoyed grimace on your face as your mother moved to grip your hands, “My dear, you know why I worry, I worry for all of you like my own children.. As you all approach spinster age we mothers grow worried.”

Shoko and Utahime groaned in comparison their mothers had given them the same speech, “Now, I want the both of you to get on home and prepare for their welcoming ball-”

“WE WERE INVITED-” all of your voices rose in a confused squeal before your mother hushed them.

“Invitations were sent out this afternoon-”

“Mother you didn't tell me?!” you whispered yelled as you rushed over to utahime.

“I was going to-”

“Utahime can I please borrow your ribbons?” you pleaded.

“But that's my favorite!”

“Come onnnn pleaseee”

❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀

“So his name is Satoru Gojo?” you and Shoko stared at the invitation, very impressed by the amount of time and possibly money spent into the thick piece of paper.

“Yeah, I've never seen him but I've heard things. Like how he's conceited and doesn't exactly rub people the right way.” Utahime scoffed at the frill on her delicate dress.

“Oh so your ideal husband?” you grinned jokingly as you felt Shoko flick your forehead, “Ow!” you hissed in pain, whining , rubbing your forehead.

“Thank you Shoko, how far are we?” Utahime peeked out the carriage window to immediately be star struck, “look look!” she pointed, and you a shoko to foot to look out.

You all had passed by the manor countless times, nothing was particularly jaw-dropping about its size but that was it, looking at it from a new angle it was glorious. The overgrown fauna had been trimmed and lights took over all the dark areas, different flowers had overtaken the walls and it was truly breathtaking.

“This is..”

“Amazing, yeah,” you said breathtakingly as the carriage came to an abrupt stop, you heard the voice of your mother and father ahead of you (the adults had opted for a separate carriage) the door to the carriage opened as she quietly ushered you out, “Come come!”

Once you all had approached the entrance you were hit with the strong smell of flowers and expensive perfume, your nose scrunched as you all stepped through the wide open doors. marble statues and flowers hung everywhere, “Think they have enough flowers?” you whispered to Shoko with a grin as you tried your best to not bump into any of the guests.

“We just arrived and I'm already overstimulated.” Utahime groaned before getting stopped by your mother, “Before you leave remember you are here to make a marvelous impression, don't disappoint me.” she stuck a finger out before placing a kiss on your cheek and disappearing into the crowd of people.

“Well, ladies.” Shoko hummed with a grin, “I say we go dance,” she grinned wrapping an arm around Utahime’s neck, “Actually, I'm going to find the wine, you two have fun.” she quickly walked away leaving Shoko to scoff and immediately grab your hand, “C’monnn y/n.. Please..”

“Fine! Fine! Let's go!” you giggled,

As the band played loudly you and Shoko continuously danced, eventually forgetting the whole reason you had come, “Shokoo, how are you not tiredd?” you panted continuing to spin around your dance partner, “goodness you're too weak.” she grinned at you spinning around her own dance partner.

The music had halted and Shoko immediately fell to your side, “And I'm weak?” you laughed smirking as you gripped onto the brunette's arm.

The room suddenly went quiet, hushed mummers filled the room as the guests around you stepped back. “He’s here he’s here!” Shoko whispered quietly tugging on your hand to strap back, “Gojo?-“ you were shushed immediately as your attention was bought to the wide opened door.

A tall slender frame, a beautifully dark blue tailored suit was complimented by his snow white locks, his bright blue eyes scanned the room as a small smile appeared on his face. Accompanying him was a person who you hadn’t seen before, long jet black black hair tied into a bun, his jet black suit offsetting his amber eyes.

“Who’s that?” You whispered to Shoko keeping your eyes on the men as they began to walk towards the cleared aisle everyone had made, “One with the white hair obviously Satoru Gojo, the one next to him I’m guessing is his trusted friend Suguru Geto.”

You nodded confusingly as people bowed next to you, you and Shoko bowed in tandem as they walked by, Geto spared a small glance to you before hurriedly looking away the same stoic look taking place on his face.

“Hm-“ you sighed quietly taking your hands off the fabric of your dress as the two men made their way down the walkway, once they reached the end the music resumed and the breath you didn't know you were holding came out. Were you that nervous?

As you were lost in thought you were quickly bought out by the hands of your mother gripping your soldier, “Did you see how handsome he was? We must introduce you immediately!” your mother pleaded, grabbing your hand, you turned to Shoko with pleading eyes and a smile appeared in her face, “Yeah come on!”

Oh this woman-

before you could release a string of insults you were being pulled away by Shoko, your mother following suit. “Shoko! Please please please-” you shut your mouth as you stood in front of the infamous man known as Satoru Gojo and his friend.

You felt your palms begin to sweat as you were placed upon the beautiful man, your nervousness only skyrocketed as you felt the suffocating glare of Suguru Geto cast over you.

“Mr Gojo and Mr Geto.” your mother bowed with a smile, “My daughter y/n l/n and her friend Shoko Ieiri.” as you and Shoko began to bow you were met with a laugh coming from the white-haired man.

“Please, there's no need for bowing.. I'm not that formal,”

“Satoru..” his black-haired friend began as Gojo quickly shushed him.

“So Miss Shoko and Y/N.. Oh I almost forgot about my wet blanket here, Mr. Suguru Geto, careful he doesn't care for lively things.”

A vein appeared above Geto’s eyebrow as he clenched his jaw. “I'm the one with actual sense.” he quickly retorted which caused Gojo to frown.

“Well I'll leave you both to it,” your mother interrupted, placing a kiss on your cheek before whispering, “Don't mess this up.” she plastered on a smile before walking away into the crowd of people.

Shoko cleared her throat before looking at the two men, “So, how are you two settling into the town?”

“Lovely-”

“Horrible-”

Gojo looked over annoyingly at his friend flicking his arm, “What he means is-”

“No no, please enlighten me Mr. Geto” his body tensed at you saying his name, “What is so horrible about this town?” you questioned a sickly sweet smile taking over your features.

“For one, the architecture is overly simplified-”

“Oh, what a surprise a small town doesn't fit Mr. Geto’s standard.”

Gojo grinned a small laugh leaving his mouth, “Well, you both sound lovely with a great sense of humor.”

“Well thank you, I think it’s time me and my friend get going.. we enjoyed talking with both of you.” Shoko curtsied as you did too, you turned and left Shoko following after.

Once you were out of earshot Gojo looked towards his friend with a grin, “they’re both rather cute aren't they?”

Geto scoffed, shaking his head, “Miss. Ieiri seems a rather pleasant Miss. L/N I’m not so sure.”

The white haired male laughed, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder, “Maybe I’ll try my luck with her then?”

A vein appeared in Geto’s neck as his fist tightened and Gojo pointed it out, “Got you, you’re too easy to read my dear friend..” he smirked, walking away into the crowd.

Suguru shook his accusation off his eyes searching for your hair but couldn’t be found, he DIDNT want anything to do with you.

At least that’s what he told himself.

[drunkenskunk]

So I've been playing a lot of Helldivers II, and it's really fun!

(at least, it is when the servers are working lmao)

However: there is one thing about the game that annoys me. It's the same thing that always annoys me whenever drop pods are mentioned in science fiction.

Nobody ever seems to get them right!

Whenever drop pods show up, they always seem to depict each pod as a single projectile rocketing towards the surface of a planet, usually behind enemy lines. They're the logical sci fi evolution of airborne infantry dropping in by parachute, because a lot of military sci fi tropes have trouble moving past WWII. And, y'know, that's fine. That's not the issue I have.

The issue is the single projectile part.

It's almost like every writer who includes drop pods forget that anti-aircraft weapons and SAM sites are currently a thing in the real world and would almost certainly still exist and be better in the science fiction space future. Those drop pods rocketing towards the surface would present the juiciest targets imaginable and would almost certainly get shot out of the sky before they even got close to impacting on the surface.

Annoyingly, the only sci fi that I know of to ever get drop pods right is the first one to ever do it: the Starship Troopers novel by Robert Heinlein.

Now, say what you will about Heinlein - and I do, quite often. For the most part, he's not that great of a writer, and his politics are terrible. The man was an asshole who loved writing wet farts of fascist porn, and the novel absolutely pales in comparison to Paul Verhoeven's 1998 masterpiece of satire, where he took one look at the book, rolled his eyes, and started making jerk-off motions.

But when I first read the novel when I was, like, 6 years old, I was a dumbass child and didn't notice (or care) about the... I mean, I'd call it "fascist subtext" except that it's literally just The Text. No, what drew me in was the one singular thing Heinlein was actually good at writing: technical sequences, written from an in-universe lens.

The way he described how the drop pods actually work in the first few pages of the novel - and, more importantly, how they don't immediately get shot out of the sky - is great! It makes sense, it's easy to understand (because Johnny Rico is, let's be honest: an idiot, he's not going to give you a complicated explanation), and it fills in a plot hole you never realized was there.

For as many faults as the man had as both a writer and a human being, and for all the many problems the rest of the book has, that first chapter - and specifically the drop pod sequence - is a great hook.

Like, this is the template for drop pods. This is The Thing that people are referencing whenever drop pods show up in sci fi, like in fucking Halo, or Starcraft, or Warhammer 40k. And everyone always seems to forget the single most important thing about this infantry delivery system: the countermeasures.

I dunno. This is just one of those things that's always annoyed me.

[weebsinstash]

I talk about two different fandoms in this kinda long post but, you know, we've been talking about a lot of the more negative, angst heavy ideas that usually revolves around being burned or betrayed and them having to grovel for your forgiveness, the special catharsis only those stories can bring, but I've been having a lot of ideas on... what if Reader straight up vanishes/leaves their yandere group because they feel like a fucking loser

Like, we keep talking about Spiderverse for example. There's a scene in My Adventures With Superman where Lois Lane finds out there's a multiverse society of other Lois Lanes and she's going through a computer and finding out that, by comparison, she's actually kind of a "failure". She's seeing records of versions of her that were Nobel Prize winners at 19, extremely accomplished, hell it's just meant as a fun reference but one version of her is even a Keyblade Wielder

Imagine being you in the Spiderverse and slowly over time you just start feeling. Bad. All of these other Peter Parkers and their variants are usually so talented, inventors, engineers, technicians. You can't gracefully somersault and perform intricate acrobatics like Gwen Stacey, you can't invent your own tech, you're not some super genius, you're just. A normal person. I can only imagine the absolute fucking punch in the gut of being in the Spider Society for an extended period of time and, feeling like you fit in just a little bit, you fit in here more than your home dimension, you even have nice conversations with Miguel from time to time (which are more significant to him than you know), and suddenly, more Yous start getting scouted, Yous with their customized costumes that are so flattering and chich and mech suits and degrees and accolades and partners and children. You're just in the lunch room one day feeling depressed and they all swarm you trying to eat with you and be friendly, "so what are YOUR studies in? I'm a molecular physicist!" "I served in the army as a lieutenant before I was bit!" "I'm a gold medal Olympic gymnast! What sports do you have medals in?"

And you just. Blink at them, feeling tears well up in your eyes. "I'm just a normal person." before leaving your tray and your food you've already paid for behind so you can run off to cry. Later on you see a bunch of Yous gathered around giggling and you can pick up what they're saying with your super senses and they're all standing around talking about what a fucking loser you are. "They don't even have a degree OR a date!!" just standing around fucking LAUGHING at you

You realize you're no longer needed in the Spider Society, that you're literally just a warm body, there's nothing unique or special or needed about you, you're literally just another body who can be swapped out with hundreds of others whenever needed, like, like a glorified retail employee. You wind up going to Miguel's office when it's empty and leaving your bracelet on a counter without a note or anything before warping home without any intention of, not only coming back, but ever being a Spider ever again (but uh little do you know he IMMEDIATELY notices when you go missing. You're here assuming you're so unnoticeable and unremarkable and the man flips his shit the second he finds out you just QUIT QUIT, he literally won't accept, he'll kept visiting your universe until you accept your watch back even if it means he has to force it back onto your arm and lock it in place. Don't you EVER try to go where he can't follow you or see you 🥺)

And then an idea for Batman because he's the other one we've been talking about off and on. I've been kinda writing blurbs for an idea where Reader is a small time Gotham hero who Batman runs into a few times, maybe starts considering you as Justice League material, and he eventually sees you're, completely alone and really going through some stuff and, after you get injured saving him and are left without a place to live, he lets you stay at the manor to heal up and you slowly start bonding with every member of the Batfam. Damian who is relatively new to the family is still being really outward and hostile and nasty and Bruce is starting to consider military school until he sees you two cuddling on the couch watching the news while the boy calls you big sister/brother/etc and later on the youth actually apologizes and, magically starts explaining his feelings (because you and him have had several heart-to-hearts where you've told him he needs to communicate better and how). Dick sees you bonding with Damian and starts spending time with you as the boy's favorite brother, starting to get attached to you as well, offering to teach you gymnastics. I can just see him taking you and Jason on a really fun parkouring run through the property or the city all costumed up, just to have fun and watch you smile. You open up to Jason about your childhood and the things that made you want to be a hero and he feels kinship with the anger in your heart, the urge to punish those who commit these atrocities, maybe do something even worse to them in return.

You're seemingly integrating into the Batfam EXCELLENTLY but, your demeanor slowly changes. You start seeming uncomfortable. You start mentioning how you feel like you've overstayed your welcome and start bringing up how, you've had enough time mentally and physically recovering, you need to get a job again and move out. Complete silence at the weekly family dinner as someone asks you how your day is and you reply you had a really good job interview that you hope to hear back from soon (you wont, not anymore). You're gradually getting worse, more antisocial, not wanting to join them for events or outings, not even spending time in the same room with everyone, holing yourself up in the room that was given to you. The Batfamily starts worrying and talking amongst themselves, conducting their own research and surveillance to try and figure out your mental state, but you don't want to talk. It's like you don't trust them with your feelings.

One night someone goes to fetch you for something and no one can find you: you left the manor without anyone seeing you and didn't leave any sort of note to let them know where you're going, and even left your cellphone behind, maybe suspicious that they could use it to track you. After a couple hours of frantic scouring the city, Bruce finds you smoking a cigarette, standing out in a park, just trying to get some fresh air, some space, some privacy, acting completely nonchalant and even annoyed by the man's concern as he tries to ask you what's wrong, and you're extremely reluctant to tell him, the man basically badgering you and wearing you down until you answer in the hope he leaves you alone

"Your entire fucking family makes me want to ACTUALLY KILL MYSELF, ok?! I'm not some, genius savant who knows acrobatics and dozens of martial arts! I'm not a gifted programmer! I'm not good at solving puzzles and riddles! I've never read Dickens or Kant, I can't just quote off all these famous references, I'm not some well-read computer with an eidetic memory who hears something once and basically remembers it forever! I can't rattle off the uses for polyurethane foam and the chemical compositions of the gas in your Bat grenades! I can't even pick up a new skill or new hobby or game without YOUR TEN YEAR OLD literally INSTANTLY being better at it than I am! I'm NORMAL! I'm not like you! I'm not like any of you! I'm a LOSER! So, so, I'm starting a new job on Monday and I'm going to start saving money to move out, ok? It's been MONTHS, I want OUT"

And because Gotham weather is notoriously awful it starts suddenly pouring down so now you're upset and sobbing AND wet as Bruce manages to usher you into the Batmobile, kicking on the heat as you're shivering like a soaked stray cat, and he doesn't say much outwardly to you, mostly seeming to just lend an ear before immediately taking you back home, but in his mind it's like "so what you're saying is... you need us now more than ever. You've been extremely depressed and hiding suicidal thoughts and feel alone without any proper purpose in life. I can work with that" and now they're up your ass now more than ever and, I'm growing steadily attached to the idea of a Bruce who actually MAKES you be not just a member of the Batfamily, but a crime fighter to help give you purpose and discipline, so. My man hears you essentially say "I'm jealous I'm not as talented as you or your family and I feel like a loser because I can't do cool things too so I want to leave and never see any of you again. I'm not even good enough to do hero stuff so I'll just go back to being a normal person :(" and he deadass replies "bet, here's your own hypercustomized Bat-themed costume that i already made for you, your training starts tomorrow 7am sharp"

[sciderman]

I know nothing of comics really, and all I know for Spideypool shit is that run really. I know you posted a short list of your recommendations and I read those, but are there more? Teach me your ways.

there's really honestly such slim pickings for spider-man/deadpool team-ups, @psychoticflyingdragonbunnies my beloved... if you've read my recommendations and you've read the sm/dp series then i think you've basically read all there is to read when it comes to spideypool! there really wasn't much in the way of canon spideypool content when i started here - and you'll actually find a LOT of my early stuff was influenced by fanon just as much as canon. because there really wasn't much canon. there really wasn't. in fact, there's fanon pieces that are so, so influential and have lived in my head for so long that - if you saw them, you'd instantly say "ah. yep. that's where sci got it from."

thinking of you, that one spideypool doujin illustrated by brian.curry that lives in my head and will never leave no matter what i do no matter where i go will always always always revolve in my brain never ceasing never stopping never ever even on my death bed this is what i will be thinking about always and forever for the rest of time always forever infinity until the heat death of the universe

HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH.

yeah. this doujin irreversably changed me. it was so perfect and wonderful and i've done everything in my power to continue whatever this is because i think the world needs more of it.

so! when it comes to spideypool you'll have to lean more into the fanon stuff. the canon stuff isn't great. and there's not a lot of it. but there's so much really really good fanon stuff. if you know where to look. it used to be much easier to find, before the mcu ruined everything. the japanese do it well, though. sometimes. they do it better than we do. i think the west pales in comparison. even in their freaking anime!!

i think a lot of the spideypool things i consumed around the time i started writing the blog was from pixiv and japanese artists. so all of that fell into the pot. i was very well-read and researched in the world of spideypool, once upon a time. not so much anymore. i have no idea what's going on with the spideypool fandom right now, it's so scary to me. so i keep to my little corner, with my cozy little personal wade and peter, whomst i love so much. they're the wade and peter i want to see. so i stick with them, and hide away from the spideypool fandom at large. i've seen so much spideypool content that i don't want to see. so i stay in the safe little corner i've created for myself. it's a shame though - because pre-mcu, the spideypool fandom felt like a much nicer place. it just got weird when the mcu got involved.

spideypool is a very prolific beast. it's travelled the world. and fact is, the american comics really aren't even the best place to get it. go forth. explore!

[sidekick-hero]

(steddie | mature | 2.1k | cw: major character death (temporary, as in reincarnation) | tags: soulmates, starcrossed lovers, reincarnation | summary: In every life, in every universe, they will find each other again. What's a lifetime if you measure it in eternity? | @steddielovemonth prompt Love is a fire that never goes out | AO3)

1

Troy, 13th century BCE

Achilles often marveled at the serenity of the sea at night. His mother is tempestuous by nature, unpredictable and untamed, and most days the sea reflects her nature. But not tonight. Tonight the waves are shallow, a gentle rocking of their ships that had lulled Patroclus to sleep in his arms.

The lone candle on his bedside bathes the room in a warm orange glow, casting shadows across the naked skin of his lover. He can see his marks on the alabaster skin, pale as the moon to Achilles' sun-kissed skin.

Many people have said that they are a study in contradictions, one the perfect antithesis of the other. They're not entirely wrong, but they miss the point. The most important fact of all.

Patroclus is the other half of his soul, and they only make sense together.

The war rages on, and deep down Achilles knows he can't sit this one out forever. Everyone thinks he refuses to fight out of spite, a bruised ego and a prideful, stubborn nature, much like his mother's, that keeps him away from the front lines.

Sure, it feeds his ego to know they're losing without his sword, but it's not pride that keeps him from joining the Greeks in this senseless war.

It's fear.

He's not afraid for himself, never has been. Achilles is a hero, he's destined to die at the hands of another. It's a cold comfort, this knowledge of the path that awaits him: Glory, honor, death.

It's what will make him a god one day.

No one ever asked him if he wanted that. No one but Patroclus, half his soul, all his life. Being a god, worshipped and admired by the masses, pales in comparison to the feeling of dark brown eyes looking at him with nothing but love and devotion. They don't see a half god, Achilles knows that.

They see the lonely boy who only ever wanted someone to see him and love him for that. For what he is, not for what the prophecies say he will be.

Tomorrow he will take up his armor again. Not to win a war for a man blinded by pride and greed and stupidity.

For the man whose love burns as warm and bright as the fire on Mount Olympus, and only for him.

2

England, 15th century

Public executions are Stephanos' least favorite of his princely duties.

He hates to see men and women die by his father's hand, no matter who ties the knot or sets the stake on fire. It might as well be his father's hand swinging the axe. The only thing he hates more is the cheering of the crowd, the spectacle. How they enjoy the suffering, the death, being played out before them. They're probably glad it's not them, but that's no excuse in his eyes.

Stephanos vows that when he becomes king, he will be a more just ruler.

It hasn't always been this way with him. When he was a young boy, he wanted to be like his father. There had never been any question in his mind that the people who were executed for public entertainment deserved their fate. They had it coming, bad people needed to be punished.

Edmund showed him that wasn't true.

Disguised as a commoner, he had taken Stephanos out of the castle and into town. He had shown him how the people of the kingdom really lived, and who the villains really were: his father's men, who tormented and abused and exploited the people they were supposed to protect and serve.

Edmund, who had lost his parents to King Richard's cruelty and still retained his kindness and warmth, and who had shown Stephanos what true love really meant.

Love for his people, who deserved a king who would rule them justly and kindly.

Love for the friends he made along the way, as Edmund taught him about the suffering that was happening right under his nose.

Love for another man, a man who found it in himself to love the son of the murderer of his parents.

It's the only thing that keeps him upright when he's forced to watch his love burn at the stake for having bewitched the young prince. Witchcraft, the only acceptable explanation for what they had caught Stephanos and Edmund doing in Stephanos' chambers.

As the flames die down, long after the painful screams of the only man, the only person, Stephanos has ever loved, the fire within him burns brighter than ever. He vows to avenge his lover and honor his memory by being a ruler Edmund would be proud to call his king.

3

Normandy, 1944

"God, they tell you about the bullets and the bombs, the blood and the death, sure. But they never talk about the rain and the cold and the bloody mud, do they?" Stephen knows it's a rhetorical question because Edward loves to ask them.

"Ever wonder if our commanding officer has a map, or does he just like sending us on scenic tours of enemy territory?”

" Wonder if the rats in the trenches have formed a union yet. Bet they're negotiating better living conditions than we are.".

"Do you reckon the General's war strategy involves a magic eight ball? I mean, that would explain a lot."

At first it had pissed him off. It was bad enough that they had to fight alongside a British battalion with soldiers who talked funny and were trained in ways Stephen didn't really understand. Most of what they did didn't make sense to him and he just wanted them all to fuck off back to where they came from. Maybe take some Germans out on the way, because even in his irritation he could admit that they could use all the help they could get.

That didn't mean he had to like the hand attached to that help.

It's just that during the last two months they've been hunkered down somewhere in the north of France, with rain pouring down almost constantly, he's gone and fallen in love with an Englishman.

How embarrassing.

Even the accent kind of does it for him now, all thanks to Edward ("Would you just call me Eddie for Christ's sake, you literally saved my ass.") and his charming, if slightly odd, ways. He was infuriating, but kind and funny, always trying to cheer everyone up even when he was barely holding it together. Eddie made him laugh and blush and curse up a storm and roll his eyes fondly and cry exhausted tears into his surprisingly strong shoulders.

Eddie makes him feel alive. He makes Stephen want to be alive, too.

Most of all, he wants Eddie to be alive.

The gaping bullet wound in his chest tells Stephen that he may not get what he wants.

Eddie's hand in his is wet from the rain and too cold, as if the life has already begun to seep out of his limbs and with it all his warmth. Which is ridiculous, because no one burns as warm and bright as Eddie, even on the darkest days he would be their beacon of light. A roaring fire of life and love and hope.

A fire that couldn't be put out just like that. They needed him, all those young soldiers, barely 18, if that, who looked up to Eddie and worshipped the ground he walked on. Who would look out for them now? Who would keep their spirits up, their will to fight and live?

Stephen couldn't do it, not without Eddie.

"I can't do it without you, Eddie." He is not ashamed of the way his voice breaks as he holds the love he has just found in his arms, only to lose it again.

Eddie's eyes are warm and soft as they gaze into his, even with the pain clearly visible in them. "Yes, you can, sweetheart. They need you."

"I need you," Stephen sobs, his tears mixing with the rain that falls on a face he knows will one day be a fading memory. The thought hurts. It fucking hurts.

With the last of his strength, Eddie squeezes his hand. "You have me, Stevie. You'll always have me. My love will keep you warm long after my body has grown cold, I promise. I'll always be with you, in every life to come."

4

Hawkins, 1987

"Hey Eddie, it's me. Steve." Rubbing his hands over his face, Steve sighs, a sound as tired as he feels. "God, this is so stupid. You barely knew me. I barely knew you. I shouldn't be sitting here mourning you like we were anything more than two strangers thrown together in this fucking mess. Not that you don't deserve to be mourned, man. It makes me so fucking angry how they still refuse to see who you really were. A hero. A friend."

It's cold where Steve sits on the ground in front of a slab of stone that reads "Edward Munson".

"It's just... I don't understand why it hurts so much. It feels like, fuck, like there's a fist in my chest, in my stomach, squeezing so hard I can barely breathe some days. We all miss you. Not just the kids, although it hit Dustin the hardest. He's not the same and I don't know how to help him. Christ, I can't even help myself. I sleep with your vest under my bed, right next to my bat, how crazy is that? Most nights I can only sleep for a few hours if I touch it."

He runs his hand through his hair and grips it tightly, as if the pain helps make sense of everything he's feeling.

"You'd probably call me crazy, a fucking nutcase. Or maybe not. I don't know you well enough to say for sure, but I feel like maybe you wouldn't judge me too harshly. What I'm trying to say is this: I feel like when you died I lost something I didn't even know I had. Like, ugh, I dunno, I'm not good at this, you should have seen my college essay, Nancy told me it didn't make any sense. But it's like your death should be the period at the end of our story, right? The sentence is over, the story is told. Only it feels like it's just a semicolon and part of the story is still coming. That doesn't make sense, does it?"

Sighing again, this time because he's annoyed at himself for not finding the right words to explain himself, he climbs to his feet and slaps his hand on the cold stone.

"Right. Sorry for disturbing your rest. You deserve some rest, Eddie. Thank you for saving us. For saving Dustin. And for, y'know, saying those things in the woods. I never told you that, but it still means a lot to me."

The you still mean a lot to me swings in the space between the living and the dead, the thread that holds both worlds together.

5

Chicago, 2023

Steve knows they should go inside. They're too old to sleep out on the cold, hard ground, even if the night air is mild at this time of year. Steve and Eddie aren't 20 anymore, they're twice that age, and he knows they're going to regret not sleeping in a real bed in the morning.

"We should go inside, it's getting late," he says to Eddie, but his husband just hums where he's nestled into Steve's side, his cheek on Steve's chest. Right over his heart, where he's carved out his own space in the two decades they've been together.

"Just a little while longer, love. I don't want to miss it."

Eddie sounds wide awake, as excited to be lying in the garden outside their little house on the outskirts of town as he is about anything else in their lives. It's one of the most endearing things about him. Every day with him is a new adventure, even if it's Sunday morning reruns of Friends.

"Miss what, babe?"

"The shooting stars. Didn't you listen to Dustin when he said there was a meteor shower tonight?"

Steve chuckled. Of course his little brother would know such things. He has to admit that he didn't listen to his ramblings when he stopped by for lunch, too distracted by the way the autumn sun had cast shadows on Eddie's face. Not that he'd say it out loud.

"Mhhh. Must have slipped my mind. So, what do we wish for?" It comes out more earnest than he intended, his teasing feeling oddly displaced in the face of the pure love and adoration on Eddie's face as he leans up on his elbow to look down at Steve.

"For another lifetime with you. What more would I want than more of what we already have, preferably an eternity of it."

Out of the corner of his eye, Steve sees the first shooting star streaking across the night sky, and as he pulls Eddie down for a kiss, he wishes for just that.

[anti-katsuki-lounge]

What I think is annoying with how critics are handled in universe they are painted as straw men, and that is SO bad when you are trying to prove your point in an argument. Instead of trying to see the other side, and look at your OWN argument with a critical eye, and trying to see the other side's point. Or they get "called out" for what they're doing or it's a comedic moment. Like, Monoma could have been an excellent character. Monoma calling out 1A's shit, and getting them to rethink their stances is an interesting idea. Like, what if one of them has a not so great moral idea, and Monoma calls that out. He can still act weird, but just to paint Monoma as basically 1B's strawman against Bakugo critics and just dumbshit he sees around him is just wow. Like when Kendo was telling Dekusquad a vantage point that 1B could have used to one up 1A, dude was literally right???????????????????? It's like those fan comics of character A defending character B while the one in the wrong is portrayed via a speech bubble or gray humanoid thing. But it's just in canon format. God, it's so annoying. Why do people only get called out via characters Horikoshi likes?

Oh 100% agree with this. Rather than actually try to engage with the arguments/criticisms the other side has, he loves painting them as straw-men and belittling them.

One big example is that furry fat cat guy who mentions that it’s over for Endeavor when Dabi revealed what he’s done. The dude’s drawn to be such a caricature of a stereotypical loser that we’re not supposed to take what he says seriously.

Neito’s another example. When he criticizes Katsuki he’s always painted in such an exaggerated light when doing so to the point no one’s supposed to take him seriously, and is always proven to be “wrong” despite being right in his dislike for Katsuki.

The journalists and civilians who criticize the heroes and U.A are seen as pests, vultures, ignorant, and people who believe/dish out straw-man accusations. As a journalist, this offends me. Yeah, there are journalists/companies that are vultures looking to push one side of the story, but to treat a profession that’s not only saved lives but uncovered corruption with such sustain makes the “good guy” look worse in comparison. In addition, despite Hori trying to paint them as in the wrong, all these journalists were asking the right questions and all the civilians had very rational thoughts about the heroes who’ve failed them. Rather than acknowledge these points, Hori has Shota or whoever’s his mouthpiece of the chapter make them look like idiots… even though it backfires and anyone with half a braincell can tell Hori’s arguments collapse when even slightly challenged.

When Rikido and Fumikage harp on Katsuki for not changing, it’s treated as a “haha funny” moment rather than an actual callout.

The prison guard who questions AFO about something and tells the man to actually give him an answer instead of the typical “AFO knows everything” is also treated as a gag despite that being a good criticism of AFO as a villain.

In conclusion, rather than meaningfully engaging with the arguments against his themes and story, Hori relies on painting critics as straw-men and cartoonishly stupid people to make a point. This would be fine if he was pointing out how dumb racists are or something along those lines, but when trying to convince us that the your side is right, this strat fails spectacularly against anyone with somewhat of a brain.

[lillybearrie]

Guys- guys! I need to talk about this because omfg arararara

Ok so I was watching sherb's most recent hardcore stream, or more accurately got not even a minute in and ran to Tumblr because I have thoughts, and maybe it's because I just binged Icarus's pov post-centross death but the first like 30 seconds or so of the hardcore stream made me realize the difference between someone like hardcore!Sherbert and Icarus.

Icarus is in a deep state of self loathing and needing to grief so so many things so many people they need to process so so much but their own father has convinced them that it's pointless that it's not worth it that they should just focus on other things like helping him in his endeavors and so they don't and instead they bear the weight of this feeling of guilt and dread that they carry it around all day every day and they use it like armor because they don't have much else anymore. They pour all of the doubt they used to have into blind faith in fable's cause because they will not process and they will not grief over the fact that in only the past 4 months they have either indirectly or directly been at fault for 2 of their friends deaths and that their very existence prompted the destruction of so many peoples lives fable caused the resets for them to save their life fable destroyed reality over and over and over until the universe was delt what is likely irreparable damage all for them and honesty we really don't talk enough about the guilt they must carry for that. Icarus wakes up and even if it's been a few weeks is immediately so so tired the weight of everything going on in their life waking up with them waking up with the voices that constantly tell them what they already know the voices the yell and scream that their wrong that their hurting people again that their acting corrupted The voices that never shut up day in and day out. And they stretch because sometimes keeping a routine in times like this is key to keeping sane and yk stretching is just generally a good habit. Their alone except for the emotionally distant basterd of a previously immortal man that dares call himself a father ( we're not gonna talk about how the stuff he instilled in ick when they were little influenced a large part of how the corruption presented itself in them during season 1 because this is not that post but if it was I would have so many words you don't even know) life right now is one big distraction and when it's not they either have a break down or they're chasing the next distraction and you can see that when they wake up because you get 2 kinds of Icarus in the morning angry Icarus who will take it out on quixis or us because they need that emotional release and we're easy targets or planning Icarus who is only thinking about what they need to do today they do mindless chores or talk with co-workers or are figuring out how to complete task fable asks of them.

Hardcore!Sherbert on the other hand is for better or worse alone completely and utterly aside from the things their's not a single actual person in their life. they farm they build they vibe and weird shit happens around them sometimes and they hear voices, they wake up and look forward to the next day even when they've been asleep for months they look in the bright side "not a bad thing tho it's important to get your sleep" they are so... free in comparison with Icarus and you can hear it in the way they talk its lighter you can see it in they way they move it made me realize how little Icarus actually truly smiles nowadays hardcore!sherbert has their fair share of struggles don't get me wrong but at they end of the day they're happy they enjoy life for the most part.

And Sherb does such a good Job acting out this fundamental difference between these two variations of the same guy. I go ababababa it think it's neattt anyway go appreciate Sherbertquake56's phenomenal acting after this long ass post psychoanalizing they way their minecraft characters wake up which is a total sane and normal thing to make a Tumblr post about at 4 am mhm

[muffinrecord]

Some rambling about the event

Hmm so I'm not taking screenshots but:

Asahi goes out to hunt a witch. As a cover-up she shoots a rabbit and says that it's for the upcoming festival, but her family sees through it as she previously said that they had enough meat for it.

Her father proceeds to slap her (which man I don't have the spoons to go into that discussion) and say something along the lines of "how dare you take this life for no reason." He calls her out for killing a living being for no good reason and then says that he knows she's hiding something and that she must have killed the animal because of internal anxiety / something along the lines of her not valuing life.

It's interesting to me, because the Folklore girls keep getting compared to rabbits. Her killing a rabbit must be directly related then, right? I'm not sure how I feel about the comparison though.

For one, her father is both correct and also wrong. She did kill the rabbit for a bad reason and it's true that she didn't value its life, but the reason for her anxiety is directly because of her complicated feelings towards life right now. She's just found out that magical girls turn into witches, and witches are what she hunts. She watched a pair of magical girls turn into witches right in front of her, and she wasn't able to kill them at first. So to say that she doesn't value life is... I dunno.

Next, a big theme so far (and I'm only like thirty minutes into the video) is loneliness and isolation. The Folklore girls are heavily burdened by the knowledge of what magical girls become and feel like no one will understand them or what they're going through. They're desperate to be understood but afraid that people will fear what they don't understand.

And then you come back to this dad, and it just feels very painful, even excluding the slap. Because Asahi's reaction to this talk is that she hates herself. Which... what if that led her to becoming a witch eventually? I know it doesn't, but what if it led her to isolate herself even further?

The father is angry that she's taking her anxiety out on a rabbit's life, but his actions could lead to her death.

I think it also troubles me that he didn't attempt to reach out before and talk to her, but I think there's subtext that this is a very stoic family that doesn't talk about those kind of feelings.

Back to the rabbit imagery... I dunno how I feel about it yet, but that's also probably because I'm still only thirty minutes into a 3 and a half hour long event. Magical girls are rabbits, magical girls are sustenance. They keep the universe going with their deaths. You need to respect their lives...? Is that what we're going with here? Hmmm.

I'm curious as to what other folks think of this scene and how it relates to the event as a whole. I might just be stupid as fuck right now (insomnia is killing me as per usual and I feel like I'm at 15% battery for my brain) but the whole thing feels a little loose in my head. Again, I probably just need to like. finish watching the event lmao.

Oh hmmm. I do know that eventually magical girls get hunted down in the city later by regular folk. I wonder if that's supposed to be the rabbit comparison? Magical girls being killed uselessly by people because of their anxieties. Oof though, I don't really like that. Kind of hard to explain why... Hmmm...