#love my fictional trash men

[kurohaai]

Seed

Previous part: Hunter

※This comic contain a very self-indulgent Charlastor. Please use discretion. Read right to left ( ← )

Dinner is ready.

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After 4 years, the comic continues ✨ Thank you for the support of fellow fans on my Ko-Fi; I will post a new goal for the next part around next week! ^^

As for the part 2... it's pretty straightforward follow up from part 2. Seed is planted, now we wait. (did anyone catch Charlie's horny grip get that stag ass girlie)

Thank you for reading as always 🌸🌸🌸

Bonus: Charlie in denial mode after (much to Alastor's delight)

[squishi-bunni]

"I'll always love you."

Howl x Reader Drabble

Hurt-Comfort

Reader has abandonment issues

"Love, what's wrong?"

"Are you going to leave me?" I ask.

His eyes widen at me. "What?"

I felt tears prick my eyes. "Are you going to leave me?" I repeat. "When I stop being interesting, are you going to toss me out? Will my true self repulse you?"

Howl grabs my shoulders firmly, forcing my eyes to meet his. His gaze is stern, but his eyes still have some softness.

"Even when I learn everything there is to know about you--every quirk, every flaw, everything you may for some reason hate about yourself--I will stay by your side."

For some reason, I broke into a fit of sobbing. I don't know why exactly, but at those words--words I've never heard from anyone before--everything I had been holding back broke through the damn I'd built.

Howl pulled me close, pressing my chest flush against his, and he gently caressed my face, wiping away the tears.

He held my cheeks like porcelain pots and made me look into his eyes. "I know you're used to being left behind, but I promise my love, I'll never leave you. No matter what, I'll always love you and always be yours."

There was nothing else I could do but smile into his hands. I held his face in the same way he held mine and said, "I'll always love you, too."

[fae-sodapop]

Man, I love the internet age. I love seeing my friends reactions to literally the most terrible fictional men.

It's just swell.

[t1erradelfuego]

[hypaalicious]

why did i think that was thorns 😭

but damn he's handsome!!!!

I mean they do look HELLA similar LOL! Same hair, eyes, even choice of clothes is super similar they could be siblings!

… and I admit I’d bang both of them so this works out! 😂

That VN looks super promising and I look forward to checking it out! Some pretty reputable folks have made it, so give that tumblr a follow for more updates!

[jerriisspeakingnow]

And I’m reminded yet again that IRL men are absolutely trash.

[spacerockfloater]

Being a female viewer and hating Criston Cole is deranged.

I have to get this off my chest. The blind hatred that Criston is receiving from women is insane and I’m going to explain why.

For context, I am talking about Show Criston, not Book Criston. Comparing two standalone versions of a story is silly.

I cannot wrap my head around the fact that so many women, who are the primary victims of utilitarian relationships, would ever come together and shit on Criston for enduring such a situation.

I’m sorry, but how many of you have been used by men? How many of you have been reduced to one night stands, situationships and placeholder wives? How many of you have been deemed “not good enough” to be an exclusive partner? I log into tiktok and I see NOTHING but stories of broken women who are just used for sex, money, care and whatnot by men, and then they are tossed away like worthless trash while said men continue their pursuit of the ideal woman. Being used by men just for sex and being denied the status of girlfriend, let alone wife, is probably one of the worst plagues women are experiencing in the western world because the MOMENT we were emancipated, men understood that they don’t owe us shit anymore and instead of treating us with respect, they decided to grab whatever they can and give nothing back. Do not tell me that there are women out there that are fine with this arrangement because the multiple “GWM while I tell you about the guy that was with me for 12 years and then married someone else” tell a different story, one of multiple women’s dignities being trampled by hungry men. My heart breaks for every woman (EVERY woman, cis, trans, EVERY woman) who has been called by a man she loves just for sex, for every woman whose man never wanted to be seen in public with her, for every woman who had to hear that her man is not ready for a relationship only to witness him getting engaged to another woman 2 weeks after. I hope you overcome this and become stronger and I am glad that we are finally supporting one another.

How can we then, the women who are helping other female victims rise up and speak out against this kind of abuse, push Criston down and tell him to suck it up and accept being Rhaenyra’s plaything? Have we no mercy? Are we so hungry for revenge against men that we’d want them to endure the same humiliation that we did, as if one fictional man’s suffering would bring us justice? Are we so jealous that Criston didn’t sit down and just take it like the rest of us, but instead spoke up and removed himself from that situation? Or are we so gullible that we accept what the screenwriters shove down our throats and unknowingly support the patriarchic view that if you’re being used by someone you should just accept it?

I can hear some of you arguing that “Oh, this is different because Rhaenyra is royalty!” as if being used and tossed by a powerful person somehow makes the situation any better? Would it be okay if a rich person wanted to constantly use you for sex while he keeps looking for a better woman to be by his side, just because he values his wealth and status more? Rhaenyra straight up sneered at the idea of a simple life with him. She straight up told him that HE is not worth as much as her crown. OUCH. Even though I can’t even begin to imagine the pain of being told you are not enough by your loved one, it was Rhaenyra’s right to choose what her priorities are, but WHY would he have to accept being her sidepiece? “These were different times”: does this make it any less devastating for the victim? And he was a victim because Rhaenyra still used Criston and misled him by constantly complaining about how she HATES her duties for YEARS and then luring him to break his oath. Do you think he would have still slept with her if he was aware that moments ago, Rhaenyra was begging on her knees to be fucked by Daemon and only turned to Criston because her first option was no longer available? Like, the man was contemplating having sex with her and resisted her for a good fucking while, so imagine how quickly he would have turned around and walked out that door if he had that information beforehand. You know why? Because he loved her. He loved her to the point that he broke his oath for her, the oath of a station he FOUGHT FOR IN A WAR. He shed blood and sweat and risked his life for the mere opportunity to gain that position. This was ALL he had, he came from NOTHING and he was still willing to toss it all away for Rhaenyra not once, but twice. It wasn’t just sex he wanted because we never see him have sex again after that. He became vulnerable and gave up everything that he was to be with Rhaenyra. He was willing to abandon his whole identity for her sake. Is this not what the ideal partner is? Ready to abandon everything for your shake? Everything he fought for, tooth and nail? Was he unreasonable in thinking that Rhaenyra was willing to do the same for him? Was he crazy to think that because he was ready to put everything he FOUGHT for aside for her shake, Rhaenyra would also put aside a duty she was handed and actively seem to hate for him too? Fuck no! After hearing her constant talk about how she hates her father, her duties, her refusal to wed other men, how she is trapped as a princess, how people have no idea how much it SUCKS being her, why would he not assume that she’d be willing to give it all up for him, as he’d do for her We never see Rhaenyra even TRY to be a ruler, just complain about it. Of course it would be a fucking shock to him hearing her say “Lol dude, I actually do kinda want this”.

Criston was actually the only person in the series that wanted Rhaenyra for her, not her money or crown. I’m not saying she had to follow him, it was her right to refuse him, but his willingness to lead a simple life with just her has got to mean something. And don’t give me that “he only wanted to redeem his honour by marrying her” crap, because first of all Criston nutted up and admitted everything to Alicent and was ready to face death without EVER blaming Rhaenyra for anything, and second of all, oh no, how dare a human being have ethical values and desire to live with dignity in society’s broad light rather than move in the shadows as the princess’s secret boytoy! Bad, bad Criston for feeling you have to atone for your sins. Maybe we as people have become so corrupt that we envy those who wish to walk a virtuous path in life. Or maybe y’all have become so fond of the unhinged unapologetic character trope because it feels “original” (even if it’s ridiculously overused nowadays) that you’ve actually forgotten what characters with good morals are. Like, picking your fave war criminal and rolling with them because you enjoy good drama, especially in a show that’s meant to provide entertainment, is one thing, but passionately stating that Criston had to submit to that humiliation is something else entirely.

Finally, let’s ditch the Criston being a misogynist bullshit because he had NO issue obeying Rhaenyra before their affair or Alicent. And he is ALWAYS true to himself and his values, because even after everything he endured, he did not use Alicent’s anger as an excuse to take revenge on Rhaenyra and harm her children. Criston never betrayed her, Rhaenyra used him and he walked away and he went towards the only person who seemed to spare him some sympathy and understand him and not condemn him for his crimes even if he hated himself, which is typical victim mentality. And don’t get me started on the Joffrey incident because y’all tore Cole to SHREDS for it. Joffrey had it fucking coming. You don’t go up to people’s faces, especially ones you don’t know, threaten them by telling them you know their secret, a secret that SHAMES them and burdens them to the point they’re ready to commit suicide, and all but directly call them a whore. What the fuck did he think was going to happen? They’d shake hands? Piss off. Let this be a lesson to anyone that doesn’t know how to keep their mouths shut and their noses out of other people’s business. Also, mocking his suicide attempt makes my stomach turn. Just take a moment to consider all the young women who just like him, reluctantly surrendered their virginities to men only to find out they were nothing but sex dolls in their eyes, all these girls whose trust led to their secret being spread and them getting ridiculed and slut shamed for it: how many girls have taken their own lives because they found living with such a burden unbearable?

For the love of everything you hold sacred, please wake up. The narrative that you can be used by someone powerful and you have to accept it because that’s the way things are is a man’s construct. Do not let them fool you.

[hauntingofhouses]

Thinking about the crazy love triangle situation in Blue Eye Samurai and debating heavily with myself on how I'd like to see it conclude. And yeah this discussion can be thought of purely as shipping, headcanons, and fandom fun. But when analysing the show and engaging with it in a more in-depth, almost-literary level, it's impossible to dismiss who Mizu's potential love interests are and how different endgame romances would affect her character arc and the overall story and themes.

So in this post I'd like to look at the love triangle a bit more closely, and speculate on where the story will take this.

DISCLAIMER: It is my personal interpretation of the text that Mizu is non-binary—I use this as an umbrella term denoting any gender that does not adhere to the binary restrictions, norms, and expectations of what it means to be either a man or woman in a particular society; it's not just an androgynous "third gender" that exclusively uses they/them pronouns. Thus, while I personally believe Mizu is not strictly a cis woman, she does still identify with womanhood, despite definitely feeling a level of detachment from it due to living as a man for so long. With that being said, I will be using she/her pronouns for Mizu in this post, but please note that this is purely personal preference. Everyone is free to interpret the text the way they like. That's the fun of fiction. Now, without further ado, let's proceed.

Okay so, thinking about the pairings on a purely surface level, and even before i got into the show, I was pinning my hopes on some lesbianism going on between Mizu and Akemi, and the show does hint at this; in Ep1, during their first encounter in Kyoto, there is the famous slow-mo shot of their eyes meeting, Mizu's lips slightly parted as she is unable to tear her gaze away from Akemi, while sweet string music plays in the background. This is clear romantic framing, and a marker of attraction. If Mizu was a cishet man, there would be no question that this is a potential love interest.

But then, in the same episode, we meet Taigen, who is introduced to us firstly from hearing Akemi's father describe him as "a fierce and undefeated young samurai", the "best swordsman in the best school" and "a fisherman's son from Kohama [...] whose rise reminds [him] of [his] own."

In the next scene, we meet him in person as Akemi's fiance, and he seems sweet enough. He even gives her sweets! In exchange, Akemi gives him gold, and he feels a bit ashamed that he doesn't have anything better to offer her. But Akemi accepts him and his gift wholeheartedly and flirts with him a little, which makes him smile kinda shyly.

When Akemi confirms their engagement, Taigen is in disbelief because he has no status or noble background, but Akemi reassures him.

So from these first few scenes, we're introduced to Taigen as an honourable and strong samurai, but also as a man who is sweet and gentle with the woman he is about to marry, as well as aware of his own inferiority when compared to Akemi's high station.

Our view of him then changes as his true self is revealed: he is an arrogant and smug bastard among his peers, but more importantly, he is the terrible bully from Mizu's childhood.

And it is this side of Taigen--pompous jerk and unrepentant xenophobic bully--that we continue to see as the show goes on, and it's safe to say that this is his real self, sans any pretense of humility and modesty. Around anyone who isn't an outright superior in terms of class and power (ie. Akemi's father, the shogun), Taigen never hesitates to assert his own authority and "greatness."

But as the show goes on, he gets caught by Heiji Shindo's men, and then tortured. And that's when we see, okay, turns out he's not that bad. He's honourable; "honour" is not just meaningless and superficial pedantry for him, but an internalised, guiding principle.

He was a cruel asshat throughout Mizu's childhood, but in a prejudiced and xenophobic society, he was just playing by the rules. As a child, he knew he was at the bottom of society, but when met with someone even lower ranked than him (Mizu), he can project all those prejudices and insecurities onto someone else. This way of thinking--"if you can't beat 'em, join em"--is what allowed him to climb up the ranks despite being some dirt poor kid from an abusive household*.

*Well, that combined with his cismale privilege of course, because this would not be an option for a woman in similar circumstances.

Thus, his upholding of honour also exemplifies how Taigen embodies the ideals and rules of his society. His insistence on duelling Mizu is another more blatant example of this. He doesn't want revenge like Mizu does. He wants to be accepted by society, within the bounds that society has placed, and that means that his only two options following his defeat at the Shindo dojo were to either chase Mizu down and get his damn duel, or kill himself for his humiliating defeat.

Now! Moving on from Taigen, let's go back to the other end of this little love triangle: Akemi.

Mizu and Akemi only properly meet in Ep4. During their first meeting, when Akemi tries to poison Mizu in Madame Kaji's brothel, she compliments Mizu's eyes, calling them "beautiful."

This seems to genuinely take mizu off-guard for a second before she coolly plays along. We know that Mizu recognises Akemi from the get-go, and thus sees through Akemi's ploy from a mile away. It's also safe to assume she'd expected false flattery, because Mizu understands full well that this tactic is how women get what they want: by using their 'feminine wiles' and playing up their naivety and innocence. But even so, it's interesting that Mizu actually seems surprised by Akemi's compliment.

Then, after Mizu subtly taunts Akemi by lying about Taigen's death, she and Akemi have a bit of a scuffle, and then we get to Mizu saying this:

"Women in our world don't have a single good option. Except you, like some magical forest creature. You could have anything you want, but then you beg to eat trash."

(no screenshot because it's quite a long line but you get it)

Here we see Mizu's opinions on the marginalisation of (mostly poor and under-privileged) women stated outright, and underlying her words is also resentment. Because even though she and Akemi have shared experiences of female oppression, Mizu, unlike Akemi, was also poor, from a rural village, and is a racial minority. Mizu is triply oppressed, while Akemi only faces one primary form of oppression, and to someone as embittered by the world as Mizu is, to see Akemi "beg to eat trash" is a slap in the face, practically tone-deaf to the other injustices around her--injustices which Akemi has not shown much, or any, acknowledgement for at this point.

Then, after this scene, Mizu kills Kinuyo, and this unsettles her to a degree we've never seen from her before. She is visibly distraught, and the entire sequence hammers the theme of this episode (and arguably, a large portion of the show) into our heads: women in this world suffer. And even though Mizu is well aware of this fact, to commit this act is so visceral that is shakes her to her core, and it's what ultimately leads to the ambush of the Thousand Fangs.

But before the ambush, Mizu and Akemi talk a little again, and during this time Akemi taunts Mizu some more.

Right now, Mizu is exhausted to the point where (I believe) she even downs some sake, despite not usually drinking. Thus, worn down, she cuts Akemi's ropes and tells her, "Just go." Akemi recovers from her initial fear of Mizu's blade and taunts her some more, accurately seeing through Mizu's facade of coldness, recognising the raw anger there, and says this:

"I thought you had to be something special. Your face isn't even so scary. You're just... angry."

At this, Mizu is amused and compares Akemi to Taigen ("I see why he likes you. You're just like Taigen when we were children. A fucking brat.")

The reveal that Mizu and Taigen knew each other in childhood surprises Akemi, but before either of them can say more, everything goes to shit.

That's when we get to Ep5. This episode focuses primarily on Mizu, the central piece of this love triangle, and does the most out of all the episodes to shed some light on her character and goals, fleshing her out to be more than just the vengeful, highly proficient samurai we've seen thus far (symbolised by The Ronin), but also a person who is capable of love, domesticity and gentleness (symbolised by The Bride). But in the end, Mizu rejects both these ideals, instead becoming an Onryo, who is neither guided by pride/honour, nor love.

By 'reincarnating' into an Onryo, Mizu is able to win the day and save the women in the brothel. However, as she has now fully embraced her status as an Onryo, and is exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally, she lets the Tokunobu clansmen take Akemi away while Akemi's screams echo in her ear.

Mizu says this choice is for Akemi's own good, that Akemi's better off; because Mizu is jaded and weary, and cannot afford the luxury of idealism, and thus must always be strictly practical and realistic. So of course that's why, in her view, yes, Akemi should not be wasting her time in a brothel where women are exploited and abused, nor should Akemi be so naive to think that her marriage with Taigen is even still possible. However, regardless of Mizu's views, it is not for her to decide, because though Akemi is privileged in some sense, she is still trapped and voiceless, and deserves the right to choose her own destiny.

But as it happens, in the end, though Akemi did not choose who she gets to marry, she DOES get to choose her next move when Edo burns down.

"I want to be great."

This one line is the key to her entire arc, which is only just beginning. We see she quickly has acquired the affection and good graces of the shogun's son after their wedding night and consummation, and with Madame Kaji and the girls now serving her, Akemi will only grow to become a prominent political player.

NOW, only after analysing the characters as they are within this season, only can we speculate how their arcs will continue as the show progresses.

First and foremost, I will reassert the popular opinion that Mizu and Akemi are foils. The climax (pun intended) of Ep7 illustrates this as it parallels the turning points in both Mizu's and Akemi's arcs:

Mizu melts the steel of all her loves and shames, the people she's collected: the broken blade wielded by both Chiaki and Taigen, Akemi's knife, Ringo's bell, Master Eiji's tongs - this symbolises her beginning to accept herself, and in doing so, also accepting the help of others;

Akemi consummates her marriage with Takayoshi Itoh, gains his affection, and cements her position as a woman in the shogun's palace - this symbolises her taking charge of her situation, no longer playing the damsel, but using her position to her advantage, empowering both herself and the underprivileged women around her.

These are thus two directly contrasting, diverging journeys:

Mizu's arc moves inward (yin). It is an internal path of self-love and self-discovery, focused on finding peace and tranquility inside herself, and this involves allowing herself to let others into her life, opening herself up to friendship and empathy once more.

Akemi's arc moves outward (yang), it is an external path of growth, transforming from a naive, caged princess to a powerful woman and a force to be reckoned with.

Akemi is always dressed in red, even her eyes are a bit of a reddish-brown rather than brown-black like most other characters, and in her penultimate scene she stands against a backdrop of flames. She is fire: quick-tempered, passionate, full of energy. Red is powerful, authoritative, and in eastern cultures, it is associated with prosperity.

Mizu is blue: her eyes, her sword, her clothes. She is also named after water; it's where she goes to recover, reflect and meditate. Water is fluid like a brook weaving around a stone in its path, always changing and adapting, it is graceful, it is beautiful and ruthless, tranquil yet swift.

Thus, in the future, I expect we will see plenty of political manoeuvring and intrigue in Akemi's plotline, where she fully embraces control of her life, and begins to take action to help others as well, realising that her own oppression is just one piece in a much larger picture. Her main conflict is with society.

In direct contrast, Mizu's main conflict is with herself. She must realise that her desire for vengeance is a projection of her own deep-rooted self-hatred. Her arc must move towards unpacking her feelings and trauma so she can be at peace with herself and allow space for love in her heart. Because as we saw in Ep5, Mizu had come extremely close to achieving peace and joy, as she had not only loved Mikio, but also had briefly believed that Mikio had loved her (and accepted her for who she is) as well.

Thus, assuming the story is not planned as a tragedy, Mizu will likely end up getting her vengeance, but it will not satisfy her, because it is not what she needs. What she needs is to let go of the Onryo within her and to reconcile both The Ronin and The Bride within herself, as she is both a fighter and a lover, but not a monster.

(Edit: I recommend checking out this post by @stylographic-blue-rhapsody for a much clearer analysis about Mizu'a symbolism as Ronin, Bride and Onryo!)

And now that we've mostly covered each of the characters individually, we can finally get to the main point of this post: the love triangle.

--

Let's talk about Option A: Akemi.

As I covered extensively earlier, Mizu and Akemi are foils, a yin-yang pair. But while they play off each other very well in a thematic sense, I personally believe that a serious romance between them will be more complicated if they become endgame. This is because Akemi's natural resolution is to embrace a position of power and influence, where she has both freedom and control over herself and to make much-needed changes in a prejudiced society. Meanwhile, Mizu's natural resolution is the opposite; her happy ending would to find a peaceful life where she is safe and free from prying eyes, and able to be her true self.

Thus, it would make very little sense for Akemi to forfeit power and run away with Mizu and start a humble life together. Akemi wants to be great, and that is absolutely what she deserves. On the other end of the spectrum, it would also make little sense for Mizu to dedicate her life in service of Akemi, such as acting as a bodyguard or something similar, because a life in a palace full of court intrigue and conspiracies is far from what Mizu needs to be happy.

With that being said, if Mizu/Akemi is endgame, and assuming their overarching character arcs do not shift directions, their love story would likely be either tragic, doomed, or bittersweet. I do absolutely love this type of story because personally I'm a sucker for catharsis, so it would be very interesting if the writers do decide to take this route.

Also, as a note, please do not take this as me dunking on this pairing. This is just my personal opinion and analysis and I completely understand if you disagree!

--

Then, of course, we have Option B: Taigen.

Between Akemi and Mizu, Taigen is a bit of a free-floater here, because Season 1 leaves off at a point where his arc is very ambiguous as to where it's headed. While Akemi climbs for greatness and Mizu goes on a journey across the ocean to (presumably) discover more about her heritage, we have little clues about where Taigen is headed. And if I'm being honest, I'm sure he has no idea either! He still hasn't reclaimed his honour, so he would be unable to rejoin the Shindo Dojo; he's been rejected by Akemi; and while he showed loyalty to the shogun, the shogun is now dead, and all the shogun's men who had witnessed his "humiliating" death were left to die by Lady Itoh, who is now pulling the strings within the palace.

Therefore, Taigen has very few options here.

And when considering his role in the story is as Mizu's begrudging ally, his arc will undoubtedly be focused on unlearning his xenophobia and misogyny, the latter of which we have not seen yet, but is surely present. Now, whether he will do this in Mizu's presence or absence will be unknown until we see Season 2. Following the Season 1 finale, he might return to Kohama and wait for Mizu there as he learns humility and remorse over his past cruelty; or maybe he will follow Mizu to London, and the two of them will continue to butt heads until he finally admits to himself that he cares for Mizu more than he would like to admit. There is no room for doubt that his growing feelings for Mizu are more-than-platonic, because we all saw him get turned on by sparring with her in Ep7 lol. Thus, regardless of the exact choice he makes, I am sure that his overall arc will be focused on redeeming his character.

Now, when it comes go redeeming him, I know there are many who simply don't want him redeemed because he was such a jerk to Mizu, and while yes I agree he was awful, I do believe there is also nuance to his character.

Previously I've discussed in great detail the colour and elemental symbolism with Mizu and Akemi, but have yet to touch on how they relate to Taigen. So, let's talk about that for a second.

While Akemi is red and Mizu is blue, Taigen is green.

Green is a complementary colour to Akemi's red. Complementary colours are directly opposite each other in the colour wheel; when mixed, they neutralise each other, but when put side-by-side, they form a pleasing and impactful contrast that boosts the brightness and prominence of both colours. This mirrors Taigen and Akemi's relationship. They are an "ideal" pair because they complement each other very well, and bring out each other's most prominent traits. Mizu's comment about their similar "brattiness" comes to mind here.

Green is also an analogous colour with Mizu's blue. These colours are sitting right next to each other on the colour wheel; their natural similarity makes it easy for them to form a cohesive overall appearance, but using both in equal amounts will make a design overwhelming and too busy. Thus, the best way to use analogous colours is to make one the dominant colour, while the other will serve as an accent. I feel this also speaks to the dynamic in Taigen and Mizu's relationship. They came from the space place, both from nothing; they're both strong fighters who love the sport, and work well together when fighting side-by-side; however, they butt heads too easily, mirroring how analogous colours can be too overwhelming when used in equal amounts. Thus, to work together in harmony, one has to be the dominant colour, while the other serves as the accent. In this case, the dominant force would be Mizu, as she is the protagonist of the story, while the accent would be Taigen.

By fulfilling this role as an "accent" to Mizu, Taigen's character would easily be slotted in as a the love interest. This is in contrast with a Mizu/Akemi relationship, whereby Akemi is Mizu's foil before she is Mizu's love interest. This is because, by being a love interest, a character usually takes a backseat in the story, serving the plot and the themes by playing a purely supportive role, and this is not possible in Akemi's case because her character exists to parallel and contrast Mizu (red and blue), and not to support her.

It is possible to serve as a supporting love interest in Taigen's case however. And this is because he, unlike the other characters, does not currently have a definitive place within the story. He initially served the plot as an antagonistic force, but now as he is slowly unlearning his prejudices and becoming a better person, he can no longer serve the story by acting purely as a rival.

Instead, he will serve the story by literally supporting Mizu. And this relates to Taigen being earth, which is steady, firm and reliable, unwavering in loyalty and principles, hardworking and rooted in stability, which is seen in Taigen's staunch and inflexible obedience to the traditions and rules of society. These traits are what make him a perfect samurai, but not a good man. However, unlike most people in their world, Taigen is still capable of change and redemption, which is why Mizu says that he has the potential to be great. Not great by way of power or glory, but great in character. Already, he is honourable to a fault, and does not betray Mizu even after she technically robbed him of everything he was striving towards. And when he was shot by an arrow in the chasm, he did not hesitate a second to tell Mizu to use him as a human shield and save herself.

The trigger for his redemption is Mizu. If she had never beat him in that duel, Taigen would live on to become a man like Akemi's father. Cruel, power-hungry, controlling, conservative. But through Mizu, Taigen's sharp edges are ground down, much like water that wears down the stones in a river.

Where Mizu and Akemi's possible love story would be a clash of wills, full of passion and even heartbreak, a possible love story between Mizu and Taigen would be the wearing down of souls. Mizu would make Taigen a better person, and in turn Taigen would dedicate his full respect and support to Mizu as his equal, thus getting her to slowly open up and love herself. Already, Taigen has grown enough to admit (begrudgingly, and in his own Taigen way) that Mizu is better than him; though, clearly, he still has a long way to go, as he still calls Mizu a demon shortly after that.

But basically, Taigen is a very simple man (his main goal now is "to be happy"), and Mizu has great depths that he cannot yet fathom. For this love story to work, it has to begin with Taigen changing for the better. If he succeeds in that, and is able to accept Mizu for all her complexities, I believe that they will make a formidable pair. And though he'd likely still throw a jab or snarky remark at Mizu every now and then, I think he'd come tl wholeheartedly admire Mizu as a brilliant swordsman and a kind soul. Thus, should things work out and this be endgame, Taigen would be able to provide Mizu with what Mikio could not: an idyllic life that is not built on a lie, but mutual trust, respect, admiration, and equality.

Or hey, maybe they could both make their own dojo together! I don't know.

(Edit: This post by @rinandsketches does a great job at delving into Taigen's character and a potential Mizu/Taigen relationship if you'd like to read more about this angle!)

--

Now, as I move on from Taigen, there are a couple more options on how to resolve this love triangle and that includes Option C: Ringo.

In this option, Mizu does not have an endgame romance with either Akemi or Taigen. In this route, she finds peace and love through friendship, solidarity, and a found family between herself, Ringo and Master Eiji—a bunch of outcasts in society who make a strong trifecta of sword-makers.

Also, as an aside while I'm talking about Ringo, I'd like to point out that I believe his element is air and his colour is a neutral grey; he is talkative, easy-going, wise, curious, light on his feet (stealthy) and free-spirited, which are all traits linked to air, and traits that complement Mizu nicely, as he is capable of getting Mizu to open up and trust others again, while Mizu helps him reach his true potential for greatness.

--

And finally, there's Option D: Polyamory.

This is basically an "all of the above" option, in which everyone wins and it's a super duper happy ending. It would also be awesome to get some polyamorous representation, and seeing the dynamic between Akemi/Mizu/Taigen play out would be very entertaining and refreshing. So, you never know, this just might be the true endgame!

--

AAAAND with that, I close my extremely long analysis of what is essentially Mizu's love life. Whatever the final outcome of this love triangle though, I just hope it will be well-written and satisfying to all the characters' respective arcs. (Also I just want Mizu to be HAPPY goddamn it because she deserves the world and her coochie eaten out)

Now, I highly doubt anyone will read any of this (especially not until the end!) but that's fine. I just have so many thoughts and feelings about this show and I just needed to get this out of my system lol! But if by some miracle you did read this far, I wholeheartedly welcome any sharing of thoughts and ideas because man am I obsessed with this show! But of course, if we have an opposing opinions, please be respectful when letting me know; I am very open to friendly discussions.

[arcadiabaytornado]

To be honest with you, Rachel’s death continues to haunt me after all of these years. It may sound silly since she’s a video game character, but she was one of my favorite life is strange characters next to Max, Dana, and Kate. It could be due to the matter of her murder, as well as her being so young, and not being able to achieve her goals of leaving Arcadia Bay.

Am I crazy for feeling this way?

No, you're right, because EVERYTHING about Rachel's death is tragic.

A: She never got to escape Arcadia Bay. All she wanted was a chance to escape her small town and make it LA, but she never got there.

B: She was so ambitious. She wanted to do so much with her life and she was so confident she could do it all. The fact that she never even had a chance is devastating.

C: She was only eighteen. I'm 20 years old and I've changed so much from who I was two years ago, the person I was at eighteen doesn't exist anymore. Rachel never had this chance to look back at who she was at eighteen and only find a ghost looking back.

D: She was photographed by her teacher who groomed her, and then was murdered using drugs from a man who has been implied to be interested in her when she was fifteen and he was in his thirties. She couldn't escape being victimized by these men even in her death.

More Undercut

E: IF (and that's a big if) we believe what Mark tells Max, then Rachel was never even meant to die in the dark room. Nathan overdosed her on accident. She could have lived.

F: She never got to say goodbye to Chloe. Or Steph. Or Mikey. Or anyone who cared about her.

G: She likely didn't find peace in death, because it's implied that she comes back as a ghost deer. And while she does fade away once her body is found, she was still not at rest for six months.

H: The girl who loved the spot light was thrown away like trash and no one could find her for six months. The curtains were called and she didn't get that final bow.

So you consider all of that and her death is one of the most tragic in fiction. I don't even know how they could make Rachel's death worse because every aspect of what happened to her just seeps with tragedy.

[lovemyromance]

ok what the hell since when did we start caring more about MEN in a book than women???

What happened to "I support women's rights AND wrongs 😤"??

I thought we all collectively wanted to see the MEN grovel??

Why tf should a woman have to grovel (ever) but now grovel for a man she doesn't even want??

Tf?

There's a different between being a normal, rational person irl vs reading a romance book written by a woman for other women. Like, ofc I treat men respectfully and I have men I care about in my life that I want the best for. For example, If someone broke my little brothers heart or something, I'd hate that person! It's on sight!

But in a romance novel?? Nah, all bets are off, I'm always siding with the women.

Idk maybe I missed the memo when we suddenly started babying fictional men and liking them more than the FMC??

Trust me babygirl, Lucien & Azriel do not need you to fight for them 🤡🤡 They're fine.

And you know what? Even if they're your absolute favorite character - that's fine! But to like them SO much that you're trashing other women?? Be so fr rn. These are fictional men. They're not gonna hear you defending them with your life 🙄 they're not gonna be like:

Lucien: thank you my love, for neglecting the will and actions and explicit words of Elain saying "she doesn't want me" and calling her stupid and boring and undeserving of me. I love you for that. Now let's fuck?

Azriel: thank you for calling Elain annoying and a cheating home wrecker. You are so right, I only just wanted her for sex. Now I'm gonna go fuck Gwyn, because she reminds me of you??

Like?? Idk what y'all are expecting.

[b4mpyre-k1zz3s]

Can you do where Y/N and Johnny are in a secret relationship, but Ryan is yn's brother, and he fines about her and Johnny relationship,

And ryan is so mad at Johnny because he thinks Johnny will take advantage of you.

If you're comfortable with writing 🤗🙂

Impulse

It was all whirlwind- first that party, now Y/N ran into her brother’s hot friend, Johnny, on a daily basis. But she saw something in him, and in Ryan’s eyes that’s the worst part of it all.

Johnny Knoxville X Fem!Reader

(Fluff, angst)

2.1k Words

Warnings: Suggestive content, alcohol, parties, overprotectiveness, unplanned pregnancies, lying, flirting, making out, bribes

An: Thank you so much for this request! While doing research for this fic I finished reading Serious as Dog Dirt and went down an unrelated rabbit hole of transgressive fiction, so I’m sure the prose of this fic is some horrible mixture of Bam and Kerouac XD Anyways, thank you for sending in all of those requests and please keep them coming!! Fun fact, tomorrow marks my one year anniversary of writing Jackass fics! 200 followers later, I just want to thank you all for all the friends I’ve made and the love I’ve received from this community :)

This whole mess started when you ran into him at a party your brother dragged you to. “Cmon, Y/N- you never get out. It’ll be fun, I promise!” The house parties Ryan frequented weren’t really your scene, so in your mind you didn’t see the use in showing up to some release party for that skate video he made with his dipshit friends because it’s probably the same bag. But he could drive a pretty convincing bargain when he wanted to and you eventually gave in, deciding to tag along (albeit half willingly).

That’s where you were introduced to him- one of Ryan’s friends: sweet, charming, polite in a way you only see in men from the south and with this accent that seemed to slip out after a few drinks. Fuck, he even called you ma’am. Nothing like the Philly-trash assholes who only want to hump and ditch that you thought you'd be running into. For that night, it seemed your whole world revolved around this handsome stranger. but by the next morning, he was long gone, and all that was left was this longing for something you thought you would never see again.

But, as you’d come to find out, that video Ryan was in became bigger than you expected. In fact, MTV wanted him on this new show of thier’s called Jackass- mainly due to his friend, Bam, who you only really knew as the guy who came by from time to time and who seemed hellbent on fucking with you. That meant there would be filming in Westchester, and as you would come to find out, that hot stranger happened to be the leader of the merry gang of weirdos that your brother introduced you to. And to think, you were sure that by this point you would be over him…now, it seemed the bug was on you again, and that bug’s name was Johnny Knoxville.

Part of you was kind of curious when it came to how the whole tv thing would work, so you started tagging along with Ryan while they filmed under the flimsy guise of seeing how the sausage was made. Even though, at the party, he was both aware of and cool with whatever was going on between you and his buddy, Ryan was also pretty damn wasted at the time, and after a lifetime of living with him you knew he may not be as welcoming with one of his bros hitting on his sister. You had to be slick about this.

Knoxville knew this too, waiting until most of the guys were busy with the cameras and setting up whatever stunt they were working on to step off to where you were waiting on the side and start chatting you up. “Y’know, I never caught your name, ma’am.” Your heart jumped a bit, kind of shocked that he recognized or remembered you in the first place, but you played it cool. “It's Y/N. You're Johnny, right?” Of course you knew who he was, but it was the first thing that came to mind, okay? Well, that blush that was creeping onto your cheeks and the tips of your ears kinda gave it away you weren't really as nonchalant as you let on. The amused grin that crept onto his face let it slip that not only did Knoxville notice your skittishness- he liked it. He chuckled, glancing you up and down with this amused little spark in his eye, “Yes, ma’am.”

“Y’know, ever since that premier, I was kinda hoping I’d run into you again.” He glanced towards you over the tops of his sunglasses. God, those glasses- they really aided to the hot, mysterious stranger thing he had going on. “I was gettin’ pretty hot that night, and the only thing I can really recall was running into you.” In your eyes, Johnny was probably the one guy in the world that could use cliches and cheesy pick up lines like that and not sound like a total moron.

Fuck it, you thought. Fate was giving you a second chance and you were going to take it! “Maybe we could get dinner some time? Uh- together, I mean.” The auditable tension in your voice gave away how much mental psyching yourself up that simple act took, and you knew it once the words came tumbling out of your mouth. In contrast, this whole situation was getting more and more entertaining in his eyes. Johnny took this distinct pleasure in throwing you off your game, and maybe that’s what drew you towards him so much. I mean, you’d seen him on Jackass- it’s not a surprise that the guy who goes prancing through LA with a strap-on under his basketball shorts enjoys making people just a bit uncomfortable. Knowing his influence on the situation, he couldn’t help himself, “That sounds great! How does tonight sound?”

Johnny wasn’t at the bar, and that was the only thing that tipped any of the guys off to the fact something was amiss. “Seriously- he couldn’t come have drinks with us?” Ryan said what everyone else was thinking. Well, everyone except Steve, who was the one person Johnny had confided in the fact he was taking one of their friends’ sisters out to dinner, because you don’t tell just anyone that kind of thing. It's not like he was gonna go out there and rat on his best bro like that, so the only option he had was to run cover for him,“I mean- maybe he isn’t feeling good? Knoxville took some pretty hard hits today…” He was a piss poor liar, and if it wasn’t for the fact the rest of the crew was half shitfaced, they probably would’ve called bullshit. But the guys seemed satisfied with that explanation, going on discussing the stunts of the day and not noticing the sigh of relief for Steve once the conversation topic changed.

So, as always, the bar crawl began, and guess where the guys happened to show up next? Yep, just your luck. Sure the restaurant Johnny invited you out to had a bar, but you didn’t think people would go there for the express purpose of getting drunk. See, you thought through this, but clearly not well enough. Peering around the crowd, Bam squinted a little through drunk goggles to try and get a better look at two oddly familiar people sitting at a table. “Hey, Ry. Isn’t that Knoxville and your sister over there?” Ryan’s neck should’ve broken with how fast he turned around to where Bam was pointing who, speaking of, found this whole situation hilarious, “Dude- it is! We gotta go fuck with ‘em- c’mon.” Well, he didn’t need any more convincing- your brother was already storming over to the table, but you didn’t even notice the two were there in the first place until Ryan spoke up with forced nonchalance, “Hey, what’s goin’ on with you guys?” In contrast to your immediate panic, Johnny seemed so relaxed compared to you as you stammered out a response, “Oh! We were just, uh- I was out, and I just ran into Knoxville!”

“Since when do you go to the bar by yourself?” Finding this whole situation purely hilarious, Bam leaned to your brother with this shit eating grin, “I think they’re on a date.” Ryan scoffed disbelievingly, “No fucking way-“ The tension seemed to thicken as he turned back to you and Johnny, who was getting more and more smug about all of this, “No, no- you two are not on a date. Screw this-“ And your brother abruptly up and left with his little cronie trailing behind, snickering and leaving Steve as the child of this divorce. “Should I, uh- should I go?” While you were still trying to mentally work out what the hell just happened, Johnny turned to him, still not taking any of this seriously, “You into threesomes?” Before Steve could actually consider it, he replied for him, “Yeah, I think you should go.”

This is the kinda thing that makes a guy sick. Ryan knew he had to bring it up to you sometime, so he gave you a call the next day while he was off filming while you decided to stay home even though you had time off work because of obvious reasons. “We need to talk about Knoxville- about you and Knoxville.” Your heart stopped for a second. I mean, what you really wanted to say was that you were a grown woman who could manage your love life very well on your own, but he sounded like he was really concerned for you, so you shut up. “I know these guys better than anyone and I’m just- I’m trying to look out for you here.”

Even though this whole conversation was happening over the phone, you could practically see the mix of frustration and concern on Ryan’s face as he spoke. He didn’t want to see you get hurt. Sure, none of them were exactly known for their stable lifestyles, but Johnny sweet. He was charming and made you laugh, so maybe that was enough for you to ignore a few red flags. You wouldn’t say that to him, though. “I get it, Ry. I’ll be careful, just- let me give him a chance, okay? It’ll be fine.” There was something about the earnestness in your voice that made your brother bite back his nerves and decide that he would have to try something else. “Alright. But he even breathes wrong in your direction and I’ll kill him.”

When the guys took a break in the middle of the day while filming, Ryan got a chance to pull Johnny aside and confront him about all of this, “Hey, man- what’s goin’ on with you and Y/N?” He didn’t want to hear that you were going out because no guy wants to hear that kinda thing. Johnny took a seat in one of the lawn chairs they had set up outside as he told his side of the story, “All I did was take her out to dinner. That’s it!” That was the same explanation you gave him when he grilled you on this- it was only a dinner.

“But it’s never just dinner. C’mon-“ Ryan was never a staunch believer in whatever the ‘bro code’ was, but he knew there was something in there regarding it being frowned upon to date and or be fucking your friends’ sisters. “It's weird, and you know it!” The rest of the cast had been pretending not to be secretly listening in on all this drama since the beginning, but with the way things were heating, it was harder to do it on the sly. But neither of the men involved noticed or really gave a shit about the gawking at this point. Johnny reached into the slushy cooler and grabbed himself something to drink, “Listen, I’m not sure what you’re gettin’ so upset over- I didn’t do anything with her.” Cracking open a can, he looked up at Ryan over his sunglasses and added for the express purpose of being an ass to him, “Not yet.”

After that, you and Johnny kept seeing each other in secret. It was like you were a pair of teenagers sneaking around together- all you were missing was a pair of bleachers to make out under. You had to, given the fact he was only in town for a couple weeks. There was a thrill to it, trying to avoid the other guys by slipping behind cars while you were pretty sure nobody was watching (except that one time with Bam, that sneaky little shit- you had to pay him off to promise not to tell on you) or having quickies in bathroom stalls. I mean, you had to make the most of your time together, right?

If you didn’t think your brother would actually follow through on that death threat he made earlier when you told him you were interested in one of his friends, you certainly did now that you told him you got pregnant from one of them. “Seriously? Like, actually Y/N?” Ryan’s voice was a muddled mess of emotions after you broke the news, but he pulled himself together, “Alright…who fucking was it?” Swallowing, you got an idea on how you could make sure Johnny would be keeping his head on his shoulder after you hung up the phone. You needed to phrase this carefully. “Uh, it’s PJ’s.” PJ, PJ…holy shit that’s Knoxville. Given the fact he usually referred to him by his stage name, it took Ryan a second to connect the dots.

You didn’t tell Johnny- you hadn’t decided what you wanted to do yet, and even though you really, really liked him, you weren’t sure how the hell he would react to finding out one of his hookups got pregnant, but you knew eventually you would have to come clean to him. Ryan wanted to ask how the hell all of this happened since Johnny left Westchester for LA months ago, but he didn’t wanna think about how that happened because he knew fully well himself and didn’t wanna have to hear it from you, much less imagine the two of you screwing. Fuck. He needed a drink…

[sassydefendorflower]

For some time now I've harbored the suspicion that Ao3 and fandom in general is pretty anti-abortion. Not in a conscious, malicious way - hell no. I think it is an unconscious thing, something that sneaks into a lot of fiction in a way that isn't actively harmful, but has an accumulative effect.

And i get it.

Fanfic and fandom are escapism. They are there to present happy stories and happy endings, big What-ifs and endless coffee-shop AUs. It is easy to imagine these worlds as perfect enough that no one needs to have an abortion because only people who want children only ever get pregnant.

And on an individual level that is absolutely fine. Nobody has to deal with topics that make them personally uncomfortable, or deal with delicate discussions such as this in their free time entertainment. It's just...

A world without abortion isn't a happy one for everyone. Partially because it is a human right that is being threatened all over the world by conservative governments who want to take away the bodily autonomy to have one. And since such is the state of the world, there should be a room in fiction to explore the implications of this. The horror of some government having this kind of control over your body, but also the fantasy of a support system that is there for you should the need for an abortion arise.

Why am I typing all this? Because I just got a lot of hate on one of my fics dealing with abortion. And I think it is a symptom of a larger problem.

[ID: screenshot of an anon Ao3 comment saying: "Why do you worthless,brainless feminists try to tarnish this perfect stor y with your feminist baby murder propoganda? Why do you try to project your brainwashed,indoctrinated whore behaviour on characters as great as Edward and Winry? An abortion is NOT your decision. It is NOT your body and no amount of feminist screaming will change that. It is the fathers child too and your opinion is irrelevant. Abortion is murder, that's a fact. And no, I'm not religious. This entire story and your propoganda is utter TRASH. Rejected."]

[ID: another screenshot, also from anon: "NOT her body,NOT her choice. Different human being altogether. Keep wishing. Men will fully stop this practice of infanticide." Posted: 2023-06-18 05:09:47 UTC]

[ID: a third anon message that reads: Anonymous responded: "NOT her body,NOT her choice. That's a different, innocent human being altogether. And Ed is a strong,free man with a working brain. He's not your idea of "supportive husband" (aka spineless beta) who will support infanticide. This is not Edward and mlst definitely not Winry. She knows the value of life and exactly how hollow abortion arguments are. It is NOT a womans choice ever. NOBODY gets to decide to murder an innocent baby." Posted: 2023-06-18 05:08:24 UTC]

The fact that you should never send someone these kind of messages non-withstanding, this showcases a lack of respect and understanding that is simply baffling. There is so much hate in these comments. So much ire at women and people capable of having children in these words... it's frightening.

And I don't want to lock these stories behind moderated comments and limited access, because let me tell you something... these stories are for the people who need them most, the people who need positive and loving stories about making a hard choice and sticking with it. And often these people will only tell me about their own journey, their own struggle while on Anon themselves. And looking at the kind of response I've garnered... for a good reason.

Because it still isn't safe to openly talk about abortion.

Apparently not even on a website like ao3, which is generally assumed to be pretty liberal considering the general nature of online fandom.

Abortion is still seen as a taboo topic - in fiction and in real life. And this fear of openly discussing abortion makes people who visibly do vulnerable for attack. Be it authors like me who want to explore the bodily autonomy inherit in a fight for abortion, or the women and people who've had an abortion and are still frightened to talk about it.

If writing fiction dealing with abortion has taught me anything--- it's that people need and WANT these stories. Because no one else is writing them, but I really think some of us should.

The perfect world in which no one needs an abortion is useless, if people in the real world get hate mail for contemplating having one.

The next time your character has an unwanted pregnancy or is already surrounded by six kids or is very focused on wanting success and a career... think about why abortion isn't an option in your story.

Is it because it wouldn't make sense in your perfect fantasy? Is it because actually wanting kids is very inherent to this character? Or is it because deep down some part of you still thinks that having an abortion is some sort of sin?

It's no moral judgement I am making here - but you can only deal with an unconscious bias by examining it.

[lucky38-2077]

OC Interview: Vincent Ibarra & Naota Vasile

Tagged by @dreamskug It was really fun to do this and thank you for tagging!🖤🖤

NICKNAME

V: Most people call me V. Some people I've known since I was little still call me kid, but I guess I'm not a kid anymore, am I? Naota: My family and friends often call me Nao.

GENDER

V: Male. Naota: I am a demiguy.

STAR SIGNS

V: Don't know my exact birth date but I heard it was middle of December. So the thing with the archer? Sagutti...something. Naota: It's Sagittarius, V. (yeah that it!) Mine is Capricorn.

HEIGHTS

V: Why do people even care about the height? I don't know, haven't checked since teenager. Naota: I'm about 5′ 7″ and V is a little taller than me. I think... he could be around 5′ 9″. V: WOW. I'm learning about myself here.

ORIENTATION

V: I like men. Naota: I... I think the closest one should be Pansexual. Do you have preference? If you don't mind talking about. Naota: I really don't know, and it doesn't matter to me anymore.

NATIONALITY / ETHNICITY

V: Nobody knows who my parents were at all. Valentino is my thing. Naota: My father was Italian and mother was Japanese. I feel close to both. V, have you ever tried to look for your biological parents? V: Nah, have my family already. I've got old man Padre and Mama Welles. But don't you even think about a thing between them. They are good friends, nothing more.

FAVE FRUIT & FAVE SEASON

V: Green grapes and lemons. Well I don't enjoy eating lemons, but love lemonade. Naota: It's hard to choose... apples, oranges, cherries... V: And season? Summer. Not because of the weather, because I can play in water a lot. Naota: I like winter. I feel cold easily but it's still my favorite. Warm clothes, soft blankets and hot... Wait we have another question for that, please save it! Naota: Oh.

FAVE FLOWER

V: Not really interested in, but red or yellow ones are pretty. Naota: I do love flowers. Peony and hibiscus are my favorite. V: Don't forget a desert rose, D-rose. Desert rose- Adenium? Is there a story about it? I'd like to hear. Naota: Um... my partner gave it to me as a gift before. I still have the pot and it means a lot to me. And D-rose? V: The whole family calls him D-rose because of it. (Looking at Naota) You're blushed, amigo. Naota: ....

FAVE SCENT

V: Hmm never really thought about that. I think my man uses kinda perfume. No clue what it is, but he smells good. Naota: Fresh ones such as herbs. I like the smell of flowers, too.

COFFEE, TEA, HOT CHOCOLATE

V: Soda. But coffee is also good. Naota: Hot chocolate... oh this is why you stopped me earlier. Yes, I like winter and I like hot chocolate.

AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP

V: 6 or 7? I'm not a morning dude so probably wake up later than most people. Naota: I used to have a sleeping problem but it's getting better. V: Thanks to the biiiiig cuddly teddy bear. I have some plushies on my bed too. How big is it? Naota: No! It's... not... a plush. Let's move on.

DOG OR CAT PERSON

V: I like both, but with my baby Nibbles I'm currently a cat person. Naota: I've been always fond of cats.

DREAM TRIP

V: I want to go to the most beautiful, clean beaches in the world, not ones that are full of trash. Not sure if there is any left. Naota: I haven't thought about it. But with my family now, wherever will be great.

FAVE FICTIONAL CHARACTER

V: Rocky Balboa. If you want to talk about this with me, we should make another schedule. Naota: Unico. He's a baby unicorn who has a power making people happy. He's also very cute.

NUMBER OF BLANKETS YOU SLEEP WITH

V: Do you need more than one?? Naota: Yes, V. I usually have two blankets, more in winter. V: What? I mean. WHY? Naota: It's warm, comfortable... V: Man. I don't get it.

RANDOM FACT

V: I can hold my breath pretty long in water. Without any gear or cyberware. My record is 6 minutes 28 sec. Naota: That's amazing, V. Indeed. Do you train for it? V: Maybe a little? Think I was born with it. I just feel comfortable in water. How about you? Naota: I can't think of anything... I'll pass. OH.

I think most of people I know have already been tagged, but if there's anyone interested please go ahead!🤗

And this is Unico Naota mentioned, in case anyone was wondering. The idea just came up with when I saw the question. It was pure coincidence Naota has pink hair like Unico and I like it🤣

[olderthannetfic]

I've just read an article (in Gazeta Wyborcza) about a very popular series of books among young teens in my country, Poland, called "Rodzina Monet" (Family Monet). The author gained popularity while publishing on Wattpad lol. The article basically said that it's problematic because these books are read by young girls, even 10 years old, and it glorifies violence. Plus it just isn't well written - there were some fragments in the article and yeah it's not well written lmao. A woman in the comments said that her daughter is reading this book and asked if she should forbid it. Since no one answered her, I replied that I don't think forbidding the book is a good solution and suggested talking to her daughter about it, showing her the article and asking what she thinks about it. But I don't know anything more about that situation, for example how old the daughter is. I don't think I'd worry if my child were to read this book, I read trashy stuff too. But I started wondering if maybe there should be some control in such a case? The thing with the books from what I gathered (I haven't read them) is that they are about a 14yo girl, who suddenly lost her mother and grandmother, is sent away to US from Britain where she starts living with her 28yo (handsome) stepbrother and his 3 (also handsome) brothers. She lives in a beautiful villa since the stepbrother is super rich. He's also cold and distant and doesn't understand that she has issues with food (she has some kind of eating disorder). Some of the things he and his 3 brothers do can be described as domestic violence but they apologize, buy her expensive stuff and are all adult handsome men. Yeah it's a young adult fiction. The thing is that it's just not well written so none of the bad behaviours is commented upon.

--

Sounds like typical godawful id trash that people eat up. Making a rule against it will just make it more tantalizing.

It would be far more valuable to kick any worthless partners out of one's life and demonstrate not putting up with shit to a tween girl than to ban her from reading trashy books.

One could always try buying her something better, but IME, people who try that always do it wrong: they buy books that are better written, yes, but the vocabulary and sentence structure are a thousand times harder, there's zero iddy wish fulfillment, and the plot is something fucking depressing and supposedly edifying.

Readers can smell a tryhard "your taste is bad" gift a mile away.

I think it's also important when trying to find replacement trash to understand what the kink actually is. Why is it age gap? Well, have you seen 14-year-olds? They're awkward and covered in zits. Of course the protagonist is young like the readers and the hotties are older.

More importantly, why is it abusive? Absolute idiots will be like "Because society taught girls wah wah wah wah wah", but the actual reason is obvious if you've read trash romance for adults:

It's so the love interest(s) can be in the wrong.

The self inserty protagonist of this type of story has very little power. Not only is she usually younger, but she's poorer, a fish out of water in a new situation, etc. The way she gets power is by the love interest doing something absolutely horrible, realizing they have erred, and then groveling forever. Their guilt is an effective way to manipulate them. And yes, retail therapy is usually the next step from this particular trash classic all the way back to The Flame and the Flower.

You can try giving a teen girl a book about a teen girl action hero who is awesome and whose love interest likes her because of that... But if the reader doesn't feel awesome, she's still going to prefer a book about a loser with a destined, fated love or a misunderstood woobie whom other characters have to grovel to after not initially realizing she was special.

You can't fix self esteem by handing someone a book they don't identify with and telling them their id is wrong. And if self esteem does improve, that doesn't mean the lizard brain is going to switch trash fiction tastes anyway.

One can try leaving other fun books around, but that's about the most that could be helpful.

[gojos-thot-patrol]

Another year, another Dear, we are Now Presenting...

The masterlist for my 23rd birthday game! Honestly, when I announced this event, I really didn't expect the reaction I got. It's been a little over a year since I started running this blog, and you guys have made it such a fun year. I feel so thankful and so lucky that you all enjoy my writing. consider this my gift to you 💙

Kento Nanami

A Flight Away

After the death of your best friend, Nanami give you a way out. Prompt: angst/comfort "We'll Burn Those Bridges When We Get There."

Green Eyes

This party is trash and to top it all off, you just showed up with some strange guy. Nanami isn't gonna like this one. Prompt: Jealousy, "Isn't Your Boyfriend In The Other Room?"

Alien Jellybeans

Nanami had no idea what to expect when you moved from the states back to Tokyo after only two months away, but he couldn't be happier with the reasoning. Prompt: Hopeful, "Is It Mine?"

Suguru Geto

Sparkle Boys

Suguru may not agree with your taste in movies, but he agrees with your taste in fictional men even less. Prompt: Humorous, "It's Because I'm Not A Vampire, Isn't It?"

Bedfellows Ft. Satoru Gojo

One bed, three idiots. What could go wrong? Prompt: Humorous, "What Do You Mean There's Only One Bed?!"

Last Chances

A smutty one shot about reuniting with an old flame, and all of the heartbreak that comes with it. Prompt: Pining, "It's True Romance Is Dead, I Shot It In The Chest And In The Head."

Satoru Gojo

Hold Still

You're angry. At yourself, at the world, at everything. But you're physically hurt right now, and that's all Satoru is worried about. Prompt: anger, "Hold Still, You're Hurt!"

I'll Be There

After losing everything and being banned from Jujutsu Sorcery, Gojo assures you, he'll be where ever you are. Prompt: Stressed, "Well don't just stand there, do something" And "They don't deserve you"

Jailbirds Ft. Nanami Kento

It's 3 am, and Satoru just got a call from inside the jail. Prompt: Funny, "You Landed In Jail How?"

Ryomen Sukuna

Deserving

Ryomen has never been one for love, never one to crave romance. Now that he finds himself feeling these emotions, he has no idea how to react other than with violence. This one is dark. Prompt: Mean, "I Love You And You Don't Deserve That."

Healing Waters

Sukuna tries (and fails) to relax in a hot springs, that is until his favorite concubine shows up to entertain. This one gets spicy! Prompt: Funny "You Seem Thirsty, Want Some Water?"

What's The Difference?

One the way home from a party, you start to make some connections about your boyfriend, and he likes none of them. Prompt: Funny, "Oh Fuck You're A Demon, Aren't You?!"

[candlecoo]

Lemme just expand on the incubus dumpster thing.

Changelingzuku seeing a news report titled "Mount Lady goes bezerk after PR team fails to control flood of internet dumpster love memes. Blames escaped vigilante Changeling": What

Hitoshi, caught up with all this drama: Oh yeah Izuku didn't you hear?

Izuku, playing dumb: Hear what?

Hitoshi, whipping out his phone: Changeling used his powers to make her fall in love with a dumpster and a video someone got of it went viral. All day they've been trying to take down the clip but its spreading so much that it got to 1# trending in Japan. Here, look-

Phone: (Displays a picture of mount lady crouched and hugging a dumpster, Mount Lady is captioned "me", the dumpster is captioned "the entire box of eclairs at 3 am".

(And after that, the hashtag #ChangelingVS continued to trend for three days as a ressurgance of Changeling vs Endeavour memes were paired with the Mount Lady dumpster memes. Rumor has it that Mount Lady tried to reach out to Endeavour about the situation but recived no response. Aizawa said nothing about the report, but he had to admit he personally thought that a spotlight hero who can't deal with a bruised ego was ever so slightly funny. It helps that he no longer has to deal with Midnight being exasperated that Mount Lady is trying to steal her brand. Because nobody enjoyed the memes more than her. Thank you for coming to my TED talk u_u)

YESYESYESYES TO ALL OF THIS!!!

Another caption I thought of for the Trash Mount Lady meme is where she's captioned "me" and the dumpster is captioned "my taste in fictional men"

This also causes Midnight to become part of the Changeling fan club.

Plus imagine when Mount Lady comes to UA to help the students practice interviews, and its Izuku's turn. But she doesn't know his hero name cause he's a recent transfer and hasn't debuted yet. So she asks him his hero name and Izuku with the smuggest, shit eating grin leans forward and calmly says Changeling.

All hell breaks lose!!!