#the parallels and also differences between them

[colliholly]

OK SO I have to talk about how much I love the running theme of coming to terms with obsolecence, change and abandonment present throughout Deltarune. It's one of my favorite aspects from the game... This was of course most present with Tenna in ch 3 (who basically beats you over the head with it every 2 goddamn minutes). BUT it's a theme you see with plenty of other Darkner NPCs too.

I think it's hilarious how part of the reason he likely hates Spamton is because he comes from a world that's more modern and relevant than him, but Spamton (who also has a lot of similar themes to Tenna) is also already pretty dated, old and forgotten by this point. The beef between them feels like two crotchety old men fighting over nothing and it's great

We know a Darkner's purpose is to assist Lightners, as well as it being the only way for them to feel truly "fulfilled". Ralsei's aware and accepting of the eventual obsolecence they all face.

ON TOP of this I love the development of how caring Susie is throughout Ch 3 and 4, and how hard she fights to prevent the Darkners she meets from being left behind, without really understanding that she's fighting a losing battle. She even goes as far as to grab Kris' bigass CRT from their living room and bring it the school just so Tenna wouldn't feel abandoned anymore, at least before he's adopted. (And, ofc, when she desperately tries to bring Gerson with her in ch 4, even though he's a different kind of darkner).

But, as we know Ralsei is correct... change and obsolecence are part of life. And there's simply no way to 'save' every object or person that comes into your life, they all have to be let go eventually.

(Not to get all crazy theorist, but it SURE does parallel another piece of media involving inanimate objects coming to life, having secret lives, having to come to terms with abandonment and change, as well as feeling most fulfilled when they're useful and enjoyed... HMMM...!!!!!!!!!!!!)

[vidavalor]

@camdenleisurepirates I think it is a kunik, followed by a boop. [A kunik being a nose kiss-- what people used to call an Eskimo kiss before becoming more mindful about use of that term.] Crowley nose kisses Aziraphale on the way to the wall and boops his nose as they reach the wall. You can see it better slowed down in this gif:

He'll straddle the angel and slam him into the wall and growl in his face but there will be little, affectionate, nuzzly kisses because they're impossibly cute. It's also calling back to Aziraphale booping Crowley's nose with the coin in the earlier scene.

To me, it's wild that people think of their dynamic as an either/or. Both of them to me seem like they'd be down for most options and very compatible because of that. I think that we really see a bit of both of them in gentle, soft dom mode because showing that balance between them helps to contrast their relationship with one another versus their relationships with Heaven & Hell.

I think that we all can see that The Wall Slam is paralleling the angels jumping Aziraphale outside the coffee shop. Everyone sees the main point of it, which is that Aziraphale is understandably feeling threatened by the angels and doesn't feel safe with them, where he does with Crowley. It's the choice, though, to show the levels of trust and safety that he feels with Crowley through The Wall Slam, though, that make the contrasts in the parallels really pop.

By introducing a bit of saints-and-demons-preserve-us-it's-Master-Crowley, they instantly show us that Aziraphale feels completely safe and comfortable handing the keys over to Crowley entirely. He is playfully smirky when he gets Crowley to throw him up against the wall, knowing just what he wants, how to get it, and that Crowley will give it to him. It's nothing new.

Crowley, with a hint of a smile, waits for the magic word-- nice. Aziraphale takes steps back to help Crowley get him up against the wall-- he's not shocked, he's participating. They've done this before. It's already negotiated. It's clear from the details that Aziraphale was asking for Crowley to do this and that Crowley knew what he wanted.

But then there's what we see of what this is in tone before Sister Satanic Nun Nina shows up-- how soft it is. There would be nothing wrong if it weren't because there's nothing wrong about more intense kink. As long as people are safe and it's well-negotiated and consensual, who cares what people get up to. If you want to easily convey to the audience, though, that these two are very soft with one another in general, across the board, one way to do that is to show how gentle they are with one another in bed. If you want to provide this contrast between Crowley backing Aziraphale up against the wall and Sandalphon doing the same and hitting him, as the story does, then you'd do what they did with The Wall Slam, which is to emphasize the gentleness and the non-violent nature of it.

I mean, Crowley is growling puns in Aziraphale's face when Sister Mary rolls up. 😂 "Nice is a four-letter word" is an etymology joke. All the humor tells us just how much of a soft dom Crowley is. Aziraphale is no different. Showing this to us helps to show that they have a sense of humor and playfulness to them, which speaks to great communication and emphasizes their feelings of trust and safety with one another.

Just as The Wall Slam is showing that Aziraphale trusts Crowley more than the angels in Heaven, the various scenes that show us that Crowley lets Aziraphale restrain him and has a thing for Aziraphale soft dom dirty talking him into an orgasm tells us just as much about how much Crowley trusts Aziraphale. We're not just given this information for no reason-- it serves as a contrast to how little Crowley trusts anybody else, especially Satan and the demons of Hell.

The story that establishes that Crowley is a rape survivor who is assaulted by a being who takes control of Crowley's body away from him and speaks directly into his mind is then also establishing just how much trust and safety and good communication and patience and humor and warm intimacy it would take for Crowley to then feel comfortable enough to hand over control of himself to someone in bed.

The story does that and then it gives a whole bunch of scenes that show that Crowley has been able to get to a place where he can explore that side of his sexuality comfortably with someone because Aziraphale has proven to Crowley that he's safe with him. He goes from a place where he's "never eaten an oyster"-- euphemistically, from how they're using it in the scene: never been able to have an orgasm with a partner*-- to how do you take me to Heaven, you ask, Inspector Constable? lol well you just put on the cuffs and say blah blah blah blah. [😂]

*It's a common rape-adjacent mind-body disconnect problem where mindfulness can be very effective in helping someone overcome it and what shows up in a bunch of scenes between Crowley and the Angel of the Eastern Gate? Yeah. 😇

By showing us both The Wall Slam and The Apology Dance, I think they're really showing us that these are two people who feel comfortable with one another to explore things with one another that they wouldn't with other people. They know each other well enough to know the difference between how they project themselves to the outside world and who they really are.

They don't make the same assumptions about one another that I think some of the fanbase does sometimes. Why don't we think that the pretty gender fluid ducks aren't also pretty sexually fluid, too?

I saw you agree with the soft dom stuff in Aziraphale Defenders and I just don't know where you guys are seeing that.

For starters. 💕😇😉

[starsreminisce]

Lucien:

His jaw tightened. “As the youngest of seven sons, I wasn’t particularly needed or wanted. Perhaps it was a good thing. I was able to study for longer than my father allowed my brothers before shoving them out the door to rule over some territory within our lands, and I could train for as long as I liked, since no one believed I’d be dumb enough to kill my way up the long list of heirs. And when I grew bored with studying and fighting … I learned what I could of the land from its people. Learned about the people, too.”

Elain:

I debated not saying anything, shaking too hard to dredge up speech, but … “She loves her garden. Always loved growing things. Even when we were destitute, she managed to tend a little garden in the warmer months. And when—when our fortune returned, she took to tending and planting the most beautiful gardens you’ve ever seen. Even in Prythian. It drove the servants mad, because they were supposed to do the work and ladies were only meant to clip a rose here and there, but Elain would put on a hat and gloves and kneel in the dirt, weeding. She acted like a purebred lady in every regard but that.”

One of the few things Lucien offered to tell Feyre about himself was how similar yet different he was from his brothers. He shared how he had the chance to study longer, which led him to go out and learn what he could about the people Beron considered beneath them. A few pages later, when Lucien asked Feyre to tell him something about Elain, she offered that Elain was similar to him in that she also enjoyed being outside and was deeply involved in gardening. It was something she loved, even though it was considered beneath her and her status.

SJM gave us that parallel between Elain and Lucien within a few pages, and throughout the series she has emphasized how important that kind of compatibility is to her.

Lucien was willing to pull back and listen to Rhys about what happened in ACOMAF. Elain showed the same kind of consideration when she gave Rhys space to ask for the Book of Breathings from the queens.

If SJM is a huge Pride and Prejudice fan as she says she is, then the quote from Elizabeth telling her father that she and Darcy are so similar she wants to marry him for that feels like a clear reference. She could be laying the groundwork for Elain and Lucien to have that same payoff moment, especially for a couple who never met before they were mated.

It becomes even more meaningful when both of them have already shown they are capable of setting aside their assumptions to consider something new.

[under-my-pillow]

As an avid reader of romance novels and narratives with romantic undertones, I'm making an assessment without falling into traditional clichés. If you want to be hipster, good for you, but if we view Suwon and Lili as an atypical ship, it also lacks strength. And Suwon isn't the deuteragonist. He's the third main character in the work. Kusanagi and Hana Yume say so.

Hi anon,

We share different opinions is all I can say.

I do not believe Su-won and Lili as a ship lack strength at all. The way I see it, they have all the qualities of a good, stable, equal relationship. Neither falls behind the other.

I don't think a stable relationship is something hipster and neither of them is lacking in character to pull it off interestingly as long as Kusanagi wants it.

I love that all their interactions so far although minimal have shown us a side of them that makes them more real and interesting.

Not all couples have to be based on romance. I like the notion that from an existing bond they grow to love each other.

The manga akagami no shirayukihime has something similar as well. I adore the relationship between Izana and Haki. Their dialogues are ordinary, it's a dull political marriage and they hardly have any panels, but small things like Izana turning around one more time to look at Haki tells so much about their relationship.

Similarly, I feel it's quite romantic in itself the process of Soo-won learning to love someone. Lili is the most ideal choice because he has the most chemistry with her. Sometimes best friends make the best partners.

Secondly, I am aware that Kusanagi and the majority consider Hak as the deuteragonist. After all, this is officially a shoujo romance manga, but dude hasn't had a personality development since the third chapter. We are now in chapter 269 and there are side characters that have had more development than him.

Personally, while I still consider it shoujo, it's a historic political fantasy to me. So romance has been secondary. I believe that was the essence in the original chapters. Soo-won and Yona are direct writing parallels. And after Yona, the second important driving force for this story has been Soo-won, so I consider Soo-won the deuteragonist.

If we are going just genre wise- shoujo romance, sure, let's pick the dude that Yona loves.

[milkmynk]

Munto, small HC

Quick sketch...

The night all of the Heavenly Realm celebrated the return of the cycle of Akuto, Munto slipped away from the celebrations

Yumemi found him in his throne room, standing in darkness, gazing out at the twinkling lights and fireworks (precious Akuto being spent, an unthinkable extravagance just a few days before) in the distance of the ongoing celebrations

He looks tired but his eyes soften as she steps over to him. She can tell that he doesn’t wish to talk, and truth be told, neither did she

They stand together in comfortable silence for a while, before she glances up at him and sees tears spilling silently down his cheeks

Nearly all his life, he had been walking a tightrope of despair

Teetering between having to be strong for his people, honoring his parents by bearing the duty he had been born to shoulder, fulfilling his destiny as the one to save them all…

All the while frustrated by his weakness, hiding his powerlessness behind a veneer of authority, praying that somehow, some way, he wouldn’t fail his people, his loved ones, his parents.

Things were far from over, there were a million things left to do

But for now, he could finally have a moment of respite

True rest, without imminent destruction snapping at his heels

Yumemi has seen his memories, felt his fears as her own

She hesitates before reaching out and sliding her hand into his

Slowly, almost as though he were in a trance, he turned his head to look at her

Before gradually taking her into his arms and burying his face in her hair

She can feel wetness on her scalp

All of a sudden, he sags onto her as complete exhaustion overtakes him, his full weight bearing down on her petite form

She startles and calls his name in alarm

He manages to rouse slightly, slurring reassurances as she helps him to his throne

She's about to pull away, promising to find help, but he grips her wrist and effortlessly hauls her into his lap

She lets out a squeak, but he simply cradles her in his arms and lets his cheek lay against the top of her head, breathing her in

"... Stay. Just... stay."

It was more plea than request

She's rigid in his arms for a moment, then relaxes cautiously.

"... Okay."

Munto promptly blacks out into a long, dreamless sleep, into which Yumemi follows him not long after

[the-blue-fairie]

@alexa-santi-author Indeed. I wish the sequel had explored those nuances more deeply, because I feel F2 venerates Agnarr and Iduna so much for the "two cultures coming together" aspect of their relationship (they even get a statue at the end; they're that idealized within the narrative) that people can easily ignore those nuances and use their good intent to defend the harm done. The tragedy is, with Iduna being such a huge part of Elsa's arc in F2, the film could have made more explicit parallels between the way Iduna had to hide her Northuldra heritage and how this influenced her fear for her daughter. It would have drawn attention to the parents mistakes while also putting them in a more richly-defined context, humanized Iduna, and strengthened the themes of generational trauma and healing the past.

As it stands, I can make that connection from the text, but the film itself doesn't draw attention to those nuances. I have to seek them out for myself. F2 just kind of makes the parents saints - and I get why F2 would make that decision. It's a children's film, it's loaded with different plot elements already, etc. But Encanto, after this, is still a children's film and it is able to approach its characters' nuances more cohesively. And it's disappointing to me that F2 shies away from that complexity.

I'm not asking for F2 to hate Agnarr and Iduna (particularly not Iduna) or for the sisters to hate their parents. I just wish the sisters' feelings towards them (and the film's) were more complicated. Because I've seen people put more blame on Elsa than her parents in the past and... I don't like that. She was a child.

Wait, there are people arguing that Let it Go is secretly toxic because Elsa is using an unhealthy coping mechanism of self-isolation?

Why aren't these same people arguing that Elsa's upbringing was toxic in itself? (Because it was.) You know, the upbringing where she was TAUGHT by her elders TO isolate herself and limit her contact with people?

Why have I spent ages debating with people who argue that Elsa's parents were right to teach Elsa to isolate herself to protect others (even though that isolation ultimately taught Elsa to hate herself and had far worse consequences in the long run) but when she isolates herself after being called a sorceress and a monster (it makes SENSE to run; can she expect them to suffer a witch to live?) suddenly it's a bad thing?

SUDDENLY it's a bad thing when she's finally able to take hold of her own life on her own terms, when she's finally BREAKING THE CYCLE of the toxicity she has learned?

Nah. Fuck that. Good for her for taking her first steps into freedom.

[rivalmelty]

listen if the existence of the book means there are an infinite number of realities then there’s at least one where fukuzawa took in the both of them and the ada was born on two pillars instead of just one

(pls do not tag as beast)

[5-pp-man]

no you don't get it. i literally love stories where they dive into people's hearts/minds (literally or figuratively) sm it's my favourite type of storytelling.

[addamvelaryon]

When you stand in front of me and look at me, what do you know of the griefs that are in me and what do I know of yours?

— Franz Kafka

Corlys, Addam & Laenor by Imperiat

[vidavalor]

Hi @soleilpirate💕I saw your page asking for thoughts about your post. I agree with pretty much all of this but for the "Aziraphale doesn't know how to conduct a courtship" bit. Tracy & Shadwell are definitely contrasting parallels. They're not antagonists but they are definitely contrasting parallels, like most of the supporting characters in the story. Many of them are split-parallels, too, in that they basically have split Crowley & Aziraphale down the middle when it comes to story and characterization and are paralleling aspects of both characters, sometimes at once.

The scene you're talking about where Tracy tells Shadwell about wanting to go live in a cottage, for instance? I agree that it is definitely a conversation foreshadowing Crowley & Aziraphale's ending with a combination of the South Downs Cottage & a proposal but Tracy is Aziraphale in that scene to Shadwell's Crowley.

The aspects of performance that you're talking about as a parallel between Madame Tracy & Crowley? I love that, yeah. Definitely. For Tracy, the show is to keep her and Shadwell fed & housed so there's an element of protection happening there, contrasting with Crowley's different reasons, since he and Aziraphale are not lacking in money & resources.

Shadwell is a great contrasting parallel to Aziraphale because they're showing different types of mental health struggle. Shadwell is miserable and repressed and going after these witches and being scandalized about sex and all of that because he loathes himself. He is the Doomsday Option-- what happens when someone internalizes the patriarchal bullshit they were taught and denies the parts of themselves that don't align with it for so long that they turn into a guy who puts "defy the foul fiend" on his front door.

Unlike Shadwell, Aziraphale's queerness is not the source of his own self-loathing and he is more of a free-thinker. He doesn't seek to harm others but to lift them up. He doesn't let others tell him what is a sin but decides that for himself. Where he's similar to Shadwell, though, is in the negative thoughts about himself and how much they can bring him to his knees sometimes.

For Aziraphale, it's anxiety and perfectionism and imposter syndrome that eats away at him and, when it runs amok, it can get really bad.

They both, though, as we know, have a kind and non-judgmental redheaded lady who helps with this and looks after them.

<<Madame Tracy is Crowley. She spends considerable time honing an image of a very desirable courtesan to many men. (We will ignore FOR THE MOMENT Crowley's possible probable sex work under duress) Crowley certainly does present himself as alluring and desirable.>>

I very much agree with the comparison between Madame Tracy crafting an image of being whatever her clients might find desirable and Crowley cultivating an Asmodeus type of reputation for himself that isn't actually all that real. (And both of them finding it all a bit exhausting.)

For Tracy, it's a business strategy that will keep her and Shadwell fed and housed, which will keep them alive. For Crowley, there are some elements of it that relate to protection and safety for him and Aziraphale. I think it's also a factor, though, of the parallels you were setting aside.

Crowley's whole image is carefully crafted to give him a sense of control over a situation over which we can see that he actually has had very little control for a very long time. He'd rather everyone believe the reputation he's cultivated because it's better than them knowing the truth.

Some of them (Gabriel & Beez) can see through the act but others of them (Shax, calling back to Madame Tracy with Miranda Richardson) buy what Crowley's been selling them.

I think the contrasting parallels there are not comparing sex work to abuse so much as they are just about people in different positions that cause them to create a sexual perception of themselves to sell to others for different reasons that really isn't true.

It's showing a contrast between how Tracy and Crowley will be vulnerable and honest and open and more themselves with Shadwell and Aziraphale because they know they can trust them in a way that they don't trust other people.

Sergeant Shadwell and Madame Tracy are foils to Aziraphale and Crowley.

Shadwell follows rules he barely understands as he persecutes women who wear pointy hats and pick herbs by moonlight as he ignores real acts of wrongdoing.

Aziraphale tuts over people's actions but he doesn't look at the hearts or deeper motivations. The way he handles the two women in S2, he just pushes them at each other bc he thinks that's all that's needed. Aziraphale doesn't know "how to conduct a courtship."

He even indulges as Aziraphale does; the angel loves food and sweets, Shadwell loves his tea with nine sugars (!) and a lot of condensed cream.

Madame Tracy is Crowley. She spends considerable time honing an image of a very desirable courtesan to many men. (We will ignore FOR THE MOMENT Crowley's possible probable sex work under duress) Crowley certainly does present himself as alluring and desirable.

Madame Tracy also poses as a medium, speaking to the dead. She spends a good deal of time and energy to make it all very convincing.

This metaphor falls apart a bit as we've seen Crowley do some significantly impressive displays of power. But my point is (dolphins) that Crowley presents himself as a fearsome and skilled demon that controls a lot of power, and also is a sweet cuddly kitten.

Shadwell and Tracy's story ends with dinner, a proposal, and retiring to a little cottage.

(AKA the third time that Crowley asks, Aziraphale will absolutely run away with him)

[kbsd]

eugene sledge & robert leckie // "station to station"

it's too late to be hateful the European canon is here

-> WATCH ON GOOGLE DRIVE

(i've been thinking about this video for a long time, but this gifset by meg @ww2yaoi really inspired me to finish it. i also drew a lot of inspiration and themes from where to begin by ama @warriorgays. thank you both!)

some content warnings under the cut:

i wanted this video to be a really comprehensive dive into both leckie’s and sledge’s arcs, which meant including the particularly horrible parts of the war: namely the dehumanization of japanese people, the way the marines used that dehumanization to justify their actions, and how it eroded their own humanity in turn. as such, i included a lot of elements of the show that i wouldn’t normally put into a video and that i don’t often see in visual fanworks, so i wanted to content warn accordingly. this video includes (in addition to the usual canon-typical violence and discussion of ptsd):

canon-typical racism including racial slurs, desecration of corpses, animal cruelty, frontal nudity, and suicide

[momentomori24]

Something something about the way Eva could only ever see herself as a victim even in situations where she wasn't, whereas Grace never allowed herself to be a victim even in situations where she was. Something about the way Eva plays the role of "the bullied" and "nerd" whereas Grace plays the role of "the bully" and "mean girl". Something about how Grace proudly flaunts her name and talent, demanding those around her to not forget it when Eva shamefully tries to hide her true title in any way she can, even when it comes to the detriment of herself and others. Something about Eva being a liar and someone clings to calmness and composure where Grace remains ever explosive and defensive yet utterly honest to a fault. Someone about how Eva clings to the idea of having no agency and how Grace fights for agency and keeps it tight within her stubborn grip. Something about how Eva aligned herself and submitted to the whims and wills of a man in a position of power over her, whereas Grace chose to punch him down in unrelenting defiance and reject his ideals all together from the start. Something about that subservience getting Eva killed, and something about that defiance allowing Grace to survive.

[loopyarts]

Young adult Robin Dick Grayson and his Umbreon partner.

[amelikos]

Something, something about Gibeon and Friede being the two characters who fell at Rakua.

[all-our-turf]

🎀+ all of the warriors for the hc prompts?

[ 🎀 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat is their main love language ?

cochise: i think quality time, she just likes being present with the people she cares about, regardless of what they're doing. she's versatile yknow.

cowgirl: physical touch. she's constantly linking arms with someone when walking or grabbing onto someone when she's excited and leaning on the others on the couch or fidgeting mindlessly with someone's fingers or hair. i feel like cowgirl is very physical even in small gestures.

fox: i have zero evidence for this but i want to say gift giving. like i think fox constantly finds random trinkets and such that she loves giving to the others. she’s scarily good at stealing from stores or talking a stranger into getting her something or convincing a cashier to lower a price (all of which partly inspired her name) and so she’s constantly collecting things to give to the others. and they’re always for specific reasons or reminded her of a specific person.

cleon: i'm thinking words of affirmation but like. in subtle ways. she always makes sure her warriors know that they've done good. she knows she asks a lot from them and its important to her that they know how valuable they all are to the gang.

ajax: acts of service for sureeee. ajax is most comfortable expressing herself through action and will go to unimaginable lengths for the people she loves.

rembrandt: i'm also thinking quality time for her. rembrandt just loves existing in the same space as the people she cares about - she likes to watch them and hear their voices and idly sketch while her favorite people are around her.

swan: also acts of service. she's similar to ajax in the way she protects and cares for the people she loves.

mercy: definitely physical touch, we've all seen the photoshoot content right?

send a character + hc prompt from this list

[gothicrepetitions]

Revolutionary Girl Utena: Ep.22//Ep.34