#I don't have doubts because I know how to read subtext and what they're doing with their queercoding

[wheelercurse]

I have so many thoughts about byler and how their love for each other is represented by their love and wish to play d&d. They're queercoded using this game. 

Playing games is used as a metaphor to their wish to be together, and not just in a platonic way. It's confirmed that Will's feelings for Mike are beyond friendship, so why would it not apply the other way around?

The hidden meaning in Mike's question was: "What did you think really that we were never get girlfriends, that we would spend the rest of our lives together?" "Yeah, I guess I did; I really did." 

And in the end, we know that Mike still wants to play. That's why he looked worried when Will put his game in the donation box. Will told him they would use his when he returned if they still wanted to play. And Mike confirmed that he still wanna play, but what if he joined another party, Will told him, "not possible." Mike was worried about Will moving on, and that's impossible (so yeah, this story isn't ending with Will moving on from Mike and finding a new random love interest at the end). 

Another significant mention was Hopper's letter's voiceover when he said he was missing playing board games every night. It also illustrates Mike's feelings for Will, as you can see here. Again I don't think they're using d&d as platonic feelings for one and the other romantic. And also, in a scene before that, Mike could not say ILY, and he still couldn't do it until Will pushed him. 

In s4, we got more confirmation that Mike still wants to play d&d because he joined Hellfire Club. He's embracing more his nerdy side, but still, he's insecure about it because he feels like a random nerd next to El. 

Mike's arc is about accepting himself for who he is, including his queerness. Trying to leave d&d behind comes from his mindset that he shouldn't be playing games because he has grown up, but also he mentions that they have girlfriends. Can you see the heteronormative perspective? He thinks he can't play games with Will for the rest of his life, aka he can't be with Will, because he has to date girls. I don't think he wanted to change to impress El. But another reason he was dating El was that he thought it was cool to date a superhero; he didn't want to be just random guy. Not that he wanted to be cool for El. It goes deeper than that because his actions are coming from his insecurities, from him not being able to accept himself for who he is (yes, he's a nerd, and he's also queer) 

In s4, Will painted something d&d related to express his feelings for Mike. He's in love with him because he knows him. He describes him as this boy who leads the party and inspires them. He's the heart of their group friend and also his heart. But those feelings are still disguised. Yeah, the audience knows the truth, but inside the story, they are still a queercode to be deciphered. 

And the last thing, Will also told Mike in the van that he wants to play d&d for the rest of their lives. And when he's saying that, he's being illuminated. Because that's Mike's light and his wish for the future, he wants the same thing, but he responds with an unsure "Yeah Totally," because he isn't there yet. He hasn't embraced that truth about himself. But he’s also reaching through the light, he’s almost there. 

My point is that Will and Mike are gay and in love with each other. And their love has been queercoded through their favourite game because they're two big nerds. (just as the creators of the show) 

#byler #byler analysis #or kinda #d&d used as a queercoding is so fucking funny and it's so on brand for the Duffer Bros #I don't have doubts because I know how to read subtext and what they're doing with their queercoding #but they aren't going to leave this in just subtext like they're bringing to text #Will's turn was in s4 #Mike is coming out in s5 congrats king <3

[greatwyrmgold]

After finishing Dungeon Meshi, I had a lot of thoughts. Most of them were thoughts I'd seen echoed by other people, but there's one thing I don't think I've seen anyone else say:

Everyone hates Laios.

Obviously Kabru makes hating Laios his whole personality for a while, and the western elves think he'd be a dreadful dungeon master Lord of the Dungeon, and half of his party gets annoyed by his enthusiasm for monster cuisine. But I'm not talking about that.

Let's start with how almost literally everyone thinks he'd be the worst possible Lord of the Dungeon.

(cut this down)

This isn't just Kabru being in his "hating Laios is my entire personality" phase; everyone assumes that Laios's desires being fulfilled by the dungeon would be bad for humanity.

To be clear, they're wrong. Sure, Laios is susceptible to the Winged Lion's temptation, but so is everyone. At least Laios's stint as ersatz dungeon lord didn't have a body count! (Unless you count the Winged Lion's clones.)

But that doesn't matter, does it? People hated him before he reveals his obsession with monsters, and they have no shortage of reasons. Laios keeps talking about monsters and asking unwanted questions, he can't hold a normal conversation, he can't read the room or understand social cues, he doesn't fit in anywhere.

Laios does his best to act normal (most obviously when he pretends not to notice the Golden Country spirit because no one else sees it), but it's not good enough. People can still tell that he's different. They hate him when he acts weird and they hate him when he acts normal. Don't take it from me; take it from Chilchuck.

The left panel is the whole reason this post exists. It states in plain English that Laios would still be ostracized even if he only said "reasonable" things. People's distaste and distrust of him isn't rooted in how he acts or what he says, but in who he is.

...

Pretty much anyone who knows what they're talking about accepts that Laios is autistic. Probably also Falin, maybe also other party members, but Laios is definitely the poster boy for Dunmeshi autism. And the reasons people hate him are pretty closely aligned with his autism. That's usually subtext, but Shuro says the quiet part out loud.

Shuro doesn't know about the monster-eating or think Laios is gonna destroy humanity. He just can't stand Laios's eccentricities. And he's far from alone.

We don't see a lot of Laios's childhood, outside his interactions with Falin...but the subtext isn't great. You don't need to be a seasoned dungeoneer to recognize that someone is "different"; any kid can do it. And from the sparse glimpses we've seen of the Thorden parents—Laios's nightmare, the little indications that he shaves to avoid looking like his father, etc—they don't seem to have accepted their son's differences, either.

I doubt anyone in the Dungeon Meshi world knows the word "autism". If you tried to explain it to the Thorden party, their reactions would probably range from "Are you sure that's a thing?" to "Come on, everyone thinks like that sometimes, right?" But you don't need words to recognize difference, or to loathe it, or to make different people's lives hell. To make them want to escape their lives, by whatever means are necessary.

Is it any wonder Laios identifies with monsters, when so many people already treat him like one?

#dungeon meshi #laios thorden #characterization #autism #ableism #essay

[olderthannetfic]

A common anti talking point is that "problematic" content is fine as long as it's portrayed in a bad light, and I know this is mostly a way for them to say "porn bad", but, like... if we exclude stupidity, is this even a common issue at all?

I try to think of what they could otherwise mean, because I read a lot of things they'd hate, but even the cutesy stuff has dark undertones, or is clearly done with the reader meant to understand that at least one character involved is a freak. Even with porn, I'm not sure I've seen many that didn't lean into how taboo it is. The closest trend I can think of is age gap romances where the protagonist is 16 and going for someone in their 30s, but even those make sure you're extremely aware of the age difference the entire time since that's the appeal. Or an anime where the siblings are REALLY close and no one comments, but as a viewer I can still clearly pick up that these are codependent freaks.

Is this a me thing? Do I just not see these swarms of insidious positive portrayals and they're actually everywhere? I don't doubt there are bad writers that fumble their stories, and I'm less likely to read those long enough to find out, so is that what they're referring to? Or is it really always just porn is evil?

--

No, people being dumb as a box of rocks and not grasping that weird internet porn is not a how-to manual is not that common a problem.

However, being traumatized and having zero useful mental health support is.

A lot of anti talking points are coming from a place of toxic coping. mechanisms where someone thinks that if they can just control everything around them The Bad Thing can't happen again, to them or to anyone else.

Blaming the influence of bad fiction is a very common step for people who haven't had enough time or safety to accept that, no, actually, the person they trusted hurt them on purpose because they felt like it, not because Media Made Them Do It.

Or that maybe their dumb teen self handled some situations badly, but it's because teens often do that and/or because no decent adult was around to ask them why they seemed upset, not because it was fiction's job to teach them boundaries. It's a lot easier to blame the concrete experience of reading something that modeled bad behavior than the highly amorphous negative space where good offline role models who paid attention and gave a fuck should have been.

--

Some people are self-medicating with a rage high. A few are nasty ringleaders trying to power trip. Lots are just scared dumbasses who haven't grasped that it's okay to have dark fantasies.

A lot of it is just people with the hubris to say "Well, I have decent reading comprehension and can spot subtext, but what if all these other people can't?"

[amethystina]

I'm waiting so excitedly for your updates, old and new, I can't begin to tell you! You are the fandom treasure! And as I'm waiting and biting my nails I wanted to ask something, what do you think about the final scenes of episode 8 where Gaon has dinner with his professor and tells him he chooses Yohan's side. How come Yohan knew where to find them and the precise moment to come in and pick Gaon up, was he following them or did he and Gaon had a deal?

And what's with leaving his car to stand next to Gain and look at professor? I love this scene so much but I don't know if I understand its message right. Was it posturing, laying a claim on Gaon or what? I tend to feel that Yohan was possessive of Gaon when it came to professor and his police friend and I think I feel some of it in this scene but I'm not sure, I just don't have a clear grasp on it. Would love to know your thoughts!

Aww, thank you so much, sweetheart! This is definitely the first time I've been called not just a fandom treasure, but the fandom treasure. Thank you 💜

Ah yes, the "Ga On runs off with his new sugar daddy" scene. Or, as I sometimes like to call it, the "You just don't understand, dad professor — I love him" scene.

I'm joking, obviously.

(... or am I?)

I would say that Ga On and Yo Han made an agreement beforehand, yes. They probably talked about Ga On's choice to switch sides and while Yo Han would no doubt have loved for Ga On to continue on as a double agent (feeding Professor Min intentionally faulty information) Ga On is way too honest for that. So he probably insisted that, no, he'll call Professor Min, meet up with him, and just flat out tell him that Ga On's spying mission is over. He's now going to elope work with Yo Han instead.

And I find it hilarious to think that, most likely, Yo Han was just sitting in his car, perhaps scrolling through his phone, waiting for his newly acquired sugar baby to finish telling his semi-father figure that he's going dark side. Because Ga On gets up and starts walking before Yo Han drives up, meaning that it's not like Ga On saw the car coming and went "oh, better wrap this up now." It was probably the other way around, where Ga On leaving the table was the signal for Yo Han to come pick him up.

So yes, they definitely had an agreement, especially since Ga On seems to know in exactly which direction to walk, even before the car shows up, and doesn't look the least bit surprised by Yo Han's arrival.

They planned that shit.

Brutal.

As for the fact that Yo Han gets out of the car? Well, buckle up, my darlings, because I think we should take a detour to discuss intent.

Now, intent isn't necessarily important when you want to interpret a scene, but I like the extra nuance it can offer. And by intent, I mean what the scriptwriter/director might have intended with a scene. Why is this scene here? What was the plan behind it? How is it supposed to impact the overall story? How does it tie into the rest of the plot?

Which is never something you can say for sure, of course, unless there are interviews expressly stating it, but, a lot of the time, we can guess.

The intent behind this scene, in its simplest, purest form, is to show that Ga On is switching sides. And, with that in mind, it makes sense that he crosses that road to Yo Han's car (if you know me and my metas, you know how much I love lines, characters crossing said lines, and the symbolism of that) and stops to stand next to Yo Han. It's a very simple yet effective way to show Ga On's choice and where it will take him.

Into Yo Han's arms.

NOW. Intent is very useful because, depending on how skilled the person writing is, you can hide a lot of subtext and leave room for a lot of interpretation with a cleverly formulated intent. That's how censored shows get away with so much, because they can point to the perfectly reasonable, heteronormative intent behind a scene and pretend that there aren't also a lot of subtler nuances to the reading.

And, if they're extra bold, they also add hints in the presentation and execution.

The scene where Yo Han invites Sun Ah to the house is a perfect example of this, where the intent is to make her feel lonely, like an outsider, as she's invited to observe this warm, comfortable family. Not a bad tactic as far as manipulation goes, I have to say. So, in other words, very reasonable intent — makes sense with what they're trying to achieve.

The fact that it ends up looking more like Yo Han is proudly showing off his doting, doe-eyed househusband who's passively-aggressively and not-so-discreetly staking his claim is... well, that's just an accidental side effect, isn't it? Not intent at all.

And that's true. It's not intent that makes it look gay.

It's the presentation of the intent.

(Sidenote: To be a fly on the wall when Yo Han and Ga On came up with this strategy. Because, clearly, they were both in on it and, I mean, how did that conversation go? Inquiring minds need to know.

Like, how did they go from: "We need to throw her off balance. We'll invite her to the house, show what she's missing out on, but also give her hints that she could have it all, if she's willing to surrender" to Ga On going: "I'll cook a fancy dinner. That'll make her jealous."

I mean, he's not wrong but, like, Mr. Sugar Baby. What? x'D

Also, imagine Yo Han's face. Transcendent.)

Anyway. Intent can also ruin a story. I think most of us have read a fanfic and gone: "... that character wouldn't do that. This makes no sense." That could be a sign that the author's intent is clashing with the characters or the story they're trying to tell. Or, put more bluntly, that the author is so focused on forcing an idea that they don't realise that they're going against the logic of the story or characters' personalities. Things happen because they want them to, not because it makes sense, meaning that the intent isn't tied to the story or characters, but what the writer wants. This is badly planned intent.

And, most of the time, readers can tell when the intent is off, even if you might not be able to put your finger on it while you're reading. But if you're feeling a niggling doubt at the back of your mind, wondering why this scene is here, what this scene even means, or why this character suddenly seems to act so strangely, it could be that the writer didn't plan it well enough.

That's not to say that a reader must always know the intent behind a scene. Ideally, the story should be good enough that they don't have to stop and think about things like that. If the intent and internal logic are sound enough, it should just flow naturally.

Because, when it comes down to it, pretty much all scenes in a story have an intent and that intent should be in harmony with the characters' personalities and how they would choose to behave. And I don't mean that there can never be conflict or that characters can't disagree — I mean that all scenes should have a reason for being there. It doesn't have to be a deep or complex reason, but there should be a reason that ties into the overarching plotline. And characters shouldn't be forced into a scene they have no business being in. Intent is very important from a crafting standpoint.

And intent is one of the things that makes The Devil Judge such an absolute joy. Because while there is always a perfectly reasonable — and very heterosexual, we promise — intent behind most scenes, they often choose to present the scenes in a way that leaves room for a much queerer reading. Now, that can happen with almost any story, but what sets The Devil Judge apart is that it seems to be entirely intentional.

The presentation is by no means subtle or accidental.

Like, they didn't have to make Ga On shuffle up in a soft, comfortable sweater and greet Sun Ah like a caring househusband, but they did. That was a conscious choice.

And this scene you mention, with Yo Han getting out of his car when he's picking Ga On up, falls into a similar category in my mind. The surface-level intent is clear — show that Ga On is switching sides — but he could simply have said so. He could have borrowed a car and driven himself. Yo Han didn't have to come pick him up. And he certainly didn't have to get out of the car.

But he did.

And that might be what you're picking up on when you're saying that you're not sure if you're understanding the message correctly. Because in a drama this clever, that puts so much effort into details and, again, intent, it feels almost a bit odd to leave this gaping hole, doesn't it? Yo Han stepping out of that car should mean something, right?

And, once you've gotten this far, you've got a couple of options to choose from to fill in the blanks. Either you can assume that it was just something the creators chose to do because it looked/seemed cool and therefore might not mean much at all. And considering that this drama does that a couple of times, this could honestly be the case. Maybe they just thought it would be more effective to have Yo Han to step out of the car? To really hammer it home to Professor Min what's happening?

Your other option is to bring in the harmonisation between intent and characters. Because, if the writer is good and their characters consistent, you should be able to pick up on secondary layers of intent, running parallel with the main one. Because while each scene has an intent, each character IN that scene also has one (though perhaps it would be more comfortable to call it purpose at this point?).

In other words: If "it looked cool" isn't the answer, could we find it in the character's behaviour instead? What is their intent, based on their personalities and previous actions? Does that give a more satisfying answer?

What reason would Mr. Kang "Abyss" Yo Han have for stepping out of that car?

I, personally, think that the answer is pretty simple.

He is absofuckinglutely staking a claim.

He's stepping out of that car because he's a Possessive, Dramatic Bitch and wants to rub it in Professor Min's face. He wants to show that he's won, that he's turned the spy Professor Min sent, and that he's, quite literally, taking Ga On away.

Yo Han is basically going: "Thanks for the sugar baby — I'll make sure to ravish savour treasure him."

So while the main goal of that scene is to establish that Ga On is switching sides, the intent Yo Han adds with his actions leaves room for a very gay reading. In fact, I'd argue that doing so only makes the scene more believable, since Yo Han's actions are otherwise kind of... unnecessary? He has no reason to step out of the car and make himself known, unless it's for the dramah.

Again, the presentation of the intent is where the magic happens.

So, why this long, godawful rant about intent, you ask? When I could just have answered the question right away?

Because while I know that I'm preaching to the choir in terms of this drama being gay as hell, I just want to highlight the importance of intent and how it can change the reading of a scene. I think intent — or specifically the harmony between characters and intent, and the various layers of intent — is absolutely fascinating, especially in this drama.

Especially if you want to argue that it's gay.

Because there is, in fact, some scenes where I just... I can't. The intent and characterisation don't match at all — unless you add a queer element. Like, this drama is so clever. Not perfect, mind you, but so clever. And so careful with especially Yo Han and Ga On's characterisation. Very little is left to chance.

And so, if you keep everything I've said about intent and characters in mind, and I ask you to explain the intent behind this one, singular shot, can you do so without making it gay?

I'm not joking when I say that this scene, right here, was the one that definitively made me go "oh fuck, this is gay gay."

Because in most others — if not all — I can find that safe surface-level intent which means that the people behind this drama can claim plausible deniability. Of course it's not gay! Look at this perfectly reasonable, heterosexual intent!

Except this one.

There's no explanation for this. Ga On has no reason to look this jealous unless his jealousy is the main intent behind this shot. There just isn't. And it's only made worse by his huff and the way he clenches his jaw a couple of seconds later. Not even the argument that Sun Ah is their enemy so letting her fix Yo Han's tie might be dangerous can justify this, since that's not a look of concern or alarm — that's jealousy.

The intent is jealousy. Plain and simple.

And that's why intent is important. Because, if push came to shove, the intent behind this one, singular screenshot could, theoretically, be the only evidence you need if you wanted to defend a queer reading of this drama.

Because there is, quite frankly — in my humble opinion as the fandom treasure — no other way to explain the look on his face in a drama this meticulous and obsessed with details.

In this scene, unlike all the others, the queerness isn't just in the presentation anymore — it's in both the intent and presentation.

So, if you want the scene that says "this shit's gay, fam"?

This is the one.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

#Amethystina Replies #Anonymous #Dear LORD I went off on a tangent here #Sorry about that #But I also stand by it #That screenshot of Ga On keeps me up at night #Because THE INTENT #TELL ME WHAT THE INTENT IS #By the way #I feel a need to point out that I don't actually NEED Yo Han and Ga On to be canon #But it drives me ABSOLUTELY INSANE that some of these scenes exist #Because now they're just messing with me and my hyper-analytical mind #... filed under things going on inside my head I guess #It's never quiet or boring #That's for sure

[emblazons]

I think the thing that makes me sometimes "doubt" Byler endgame is how the writers seem to treat Will in the narrative by either making him nonexistent, sidelined and unimportant overall with often minimum screentime. Idk. A lot of ppl tried to explain why it was necessary for him to be sidelined but that resulted in the audience thinking that Byler has no chance of becoming canon and that Will is just a useless background character. Add the monologue moment in S4 and Mike constantly talking about all in S4, how do you explain the duffers will make the narrative fit in what they have showed so far in the show? Most ppl will think Byler came out of nowhere and if Will gets a huge moment regarding fixing/saving the world ppl will think it came out of blue and there was no buildup. It takes really pains to prove Will's importance and Mike's love for Will. And not sure if the writers will manage that.

—so I’ve answered some version of this kind of doubt several times on this blog before, so I’m going to direct you to those posts, so as not to reinvent the wheel:

Will's Taking a Backseat in S3 + Dustin companion piece

The Duffers, Show v Tell, and people missing subtext

The Duffers Aren't Writing "Casual TV"...they're writing for themselves and people like them

Why people assume ST is written poorly (like other shows)

General Audiences, Media Literary, and "Catching" Byler

Why I Don't Understand "Duffer Doubt"

On: "Objective" Byler (and ST) Commentary

The Duffers, the "GA," and how your value system affects how you go about interpreting (or missing things in) media

Mike & Will's 3 season arc (and how it fits in the wider narrative)

On: M&R being "2 Straight White Guys" writing a queer story

+ a cut for more thoughts about how Will really wasn't all that sidelined lmao

That said: if I’m honest, I fundamentally disagree with the premise that the duffers somehow need to “make the narrative of Will fit into s5,” as though he hasn’t been integral to the Hawkins connection to the UD since literally day one.

That, combined with the fact that he was barely even in season one outside of flashbacks (and yet still managed to carry all of S2) + hasn’t really been sidelined at all if you know how to read emotional beats and not just “action” ones? Like, sure, him not being front and center was true in S3, but given that he is the center of all of Mike’s emotional decisions across all of S4 and is now quite literally holding the “main relationship” (which it’s not, but we’ll let that go) together…saying he’s not central to what’s to come given his active connection to El, Mike, every single Byers, the rest of the Party and now Henry/Vecna as we file back into Hawkins is insane.

IMO, the real problem (and at the risk of sounding like every byler critic on the internet) is that the show is made of an ensemble cast who have all had their rounds in the spotlight over the seasons…which means that Will is not going to always be at the fore front of the action, because this is not The Will Show and not every season is written with his story as its primary narrative core. That said, if you are paying attention to the emotional and even supernatural beats of the show, you can clearly see where they’ve set Will up to hold an important and even critical role in the final season—

—especially given that characters like Henry and Vecna didn’t even technically exist 2 seasons ago, and yet now hold primary weight in the story and in the minds of this “general audience” people love acting like matter most to the Duffers (even tho they have repeatedly said they don’t lmao).

I personally do not give a damn about what “the GA” thinks is possible given that half of them were mad when Will was central to the story in S2 (the 'S2 was my least favorite season / the season I don't watch much of people) and half of them couldn’t even tell he was gay, despite being plain as day to anyone who doesn’t need every single beat of the story spelled out for them….and that the duffers literally and repeatedly make fun of people for doing I throughout the show.

All that said...I respect your right to doubt, but…of all the things I could doubt The Duffers being able to pull off in the minds of this nebulous “GA” everyone thinks is so stupid they haven't picked up on any subtext or plain narrative (which I could make a strong case they aren't...which is why they pitch such a bitch lmao), making Will central to the 5th season after all the pains they’ve taken to flesh out both his connection to the UD and his romantic feelings/sexuality is not one of them.

It's not as nearly "blindsiding" as people seem to think it is—because the second you stop thinking everyone is heteronormative, you realize a lot of people who just aren't as loud as the naysayers on the internet see it plain as day.

#finally getting to the marathon of asks in my inbox lmao #that said... I'm not sure how many more asks like this I'm gonna answer tbh #I don't know how many ways I can say the same thing like #its giving someone trying to evangelize a person who has made up their mind not to believe LMFAO I'm not gonna convince you #not if you're not open to being convinced...or want to tunnel in on your doubts to protect yourself #I can't reinvent the wheel lmao #asks

[yurisorcerer]

What an incredibly frustrating piece of fiction this is shaping up to be.

Where do I even start.

OK, on the one hand, the needlessly esoteric and vibey storytelling is kind of a plus. That's not a thing many anime do anymore and I kind of miss it as someone who was first exposed to the medium in part by very high-concept sci-fi anime. Also the action is great; any time a fight happened I was at least consistently having a good time, the choreography and animation are really good and I absolutely love the combat theme and find it weird how rarely they use it. In general I love how the show looks and it will remain watching for its visuals alone even if nothing else comes together.

Which is good, because everything else is a huge mess at this point. Add it to the list of anime I regret giving the benefit of a doubt.

Everything Metallic Rouge does or tries to do is held back by the fact that Rouge Redstar herself has the morality of a gradeschooler. In the early episodes, this was kind of cute and it seemed like the show would be in large part about her shedding that idealism to become....I don't know, pick one; a hero to the Neans? Some kind of cosmic avenger bound to neither side in this conflict? At least someone who has SOME kind of convictions beyond "I hate fighting!" ?

Code Eve is here revealed to be the work of Rouge's mom(?), a biophysicist, and assistant to her surrogate father, named Dr. Eva Kristella. She is the one who installed the Asimov Code in Neans in the first place, which means that in this universe, all of the oppression that the already-wonky analogue for minorities face was the work of a single person. If you disregard any stab at symbolism here, this is a fine plot twist *in a vacuum*, but when put back in the context of the show it completely defangs anything Metallic Rouge has done or seemed like it wanted to do with this material. Systemic oppression happened because Dr. Kristella did an oopsie and ended up regretting it. That regret was what caused her to make Code Eve, which can somehow disable the Asimov Code, but she didn't activate it herself (maybe she couldn't? This isn't elaborated upon) and instead planted it within the "soul" of Rouge and the other Immortals.

It's kind of impressive how thoroughly that strips out any applicability. There is no way to read anything as subtext anymore, because this is purely a genre thing and has no connection to anything real. Any bite this series might've had is gone.

But OK, fine, let's ignore that and just take it as a weird sci fi thing. Surely at least Rouge recognizes that the Neans are being oppressed to shit is a bad thing and joins the resistance, right? Especially now that Naomi has betrayed her (a plot twist that comes out of fucking nowhere btw) and revealed her true colors? Nope! A decent chunk of episode 8 is taken up by mealy-mouthed moralizing more or less dismissing the Neans' situation because, well, The Immortals Are Violent, so it's impossible to say if they're justified or not. Gene, Rouge's brother, says something to the effect of this not being "the right time" to liberate the Neans and that the inevitable violence of a revolution would only make things worse for them. I'm not crazy for reading this as complete fucking lib shit (a term I don't use lightly), am I? The show seems dead-set on playing Rouge's naivete as something admirable instead of something deeply offputting and inappropriate to the situations she finds herself in.

Like, I'm being A LITTLE uncharitable but honestly not particularly so? I'm mostly just confused, like, what even is the point of any of this? A thing I suppose I had conveniently forgotten about some of those sci-fi shows I mentioned in the opening paragraph is that they're occasionally not actually about much. Sure, the GOOD ones are, but there are plenty that have been mostly forgotten because they don't use the genre to do anything or say anything of note. Metallic Rouge's mix of aesthetics is still interesting---all of the Immortals look really cool, for example---but I would be VERY surprised at this point if the series pulled anything coherent together in its last four episodes.

Then again, who knows, I thought I had this show figured out once before and then episode 5 happened, so honestly who can say. Maybe it WILL find some way to justify its milquetoast politics and Toynbee Tiles-ass worldbuilding in a way that's actually coherent and interesting. I really doubt it, though.

The worst part is that through all of this I STILL don't actually think the show is outright bad. It has enough going for it that I'm going to watch the remaining third of the series and I will probably not completely hate those 2ish hours of remaining story, but it has JUST enough going on that the ways in which its deficient are hugely frustrating instead of being the kind of minor flaw that it's easy to brush off.

At this point my favorite character is probably Cyan, who shows up barely-foreshadowed in these episodes to try to kill Rouge for no obvious reason, but she has a fun design and a clear motive, so that makes her easy to root for, in my book.

#Metallic Rouge #genuinely like sorry if you like the show and find this post there are things I like about the series and you can go read my prior comments #on it for proof of that #but I REALLY didn't care for where these last 2 episodes seemed to be taking the show #yurisorcerer talks about media

[crossdressingdeath]

Actually one thing that really bothers me with the whole "No one hated you for being the son of Hades, you just pushed everyone away" thing is that... well, first off as I've said before we know it isn't true because every single POV character we've had since Titan's Curse who's interacted with Nico except Hazel comments on how creepy Nico is for being the son of Hades so it doesn't work even slightly, but also. I mean. Nico spends so much time being told "This thing that you are and cannot stop being is wrong and evil. It's wrong and evil because we've decided it is. Your father, the one adult in your life you can even sort of depend on? He's bad because he's the god of the dead. No, no, it's nothing he's done exactly, in fact when we accused him of a crime before it turned out he was actually a victim in said crime, he didn't do anything; it's what he is and how that's caused him to distance himself from the people who vocally hate him and don't want him around that makes him untrustworthy, and you should also know better than to trust him. He's Hades after all. That makes him bad," with the subtext that Nico very clearly picks up on being "and you're bad because you're like him". Now, if you think about that, you may pick up on a little bit of applicability in there for the story of a kid struggling with internalized homophobia! Just a teensy bit! It was a perfect way of getting into how awful it is to have people you like and care about openly think something about you that you can't change makes you wrong even if they don't realize they're doing it and even if they really do love you (and in fact how in a lot of ways it's worse when you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they do love you aside from That Part) without having to make any characters actually homophobic (thinking the Underworld's creepy is significantly more sympathetic and easier to justify and get characters to work through in a fictional setting than them being real-world bigots would be, after all), and Rick fumbled the ball at the finish line!

If you're reading the whole "Hades and Underworld stuff is Bad And Creepy so Nico is Bad And Creepy" thing as being a metaphor for homophobia (or honestly any other kind of bigotry, but given Nico's problems homophobia fits best) as is really easy to do even before he's revealed to be gay the way that plot point gets dropped in favour of "Well actually it was fine the whole time and Nico just decided that everyone hated him with no evidence other than every POV character except his sister openly thinking he's creepy and at least one person telling him to his face that he shouldn't have trusted his own father who up to that point as far as we know had never lied to him solely because his father is the god of the dead but never mind that, it was all in his head!" kind of feels like Rick's going "Oh, it's not that serious" when uh. incorrect. Which I'm sure wasn't his intention, Rick does try to be sensitive about these things, but it is very much a thing that insisting that a character (whose arc features a huge aspect of overcoming internalized homophobia developed by growing up in the 1930s) saying in no uncertain terms that he's been made to feel unwelcome because of who his father is when we know from the other POV characters' views of him and responses to him that his view of it is correct doesn't need to be taken seriously because "Oh it's all in his head" is... a little uncomfortable! And made worse by the fact that while Will learning to see that the Underworld isn't an inherently awful place is an excellent subplot and we love to see the character growth (and I still firmly believe that Will is infinitely better about it than basically any other character for the primary reason that at least he has a specific reason for thinking the way he does, being in the Underworld is literally killing him and also he's the only character who does learn he was wrong to think that way, so no one start shit about it on this post) he hasn't had that character development at the end of HoO, and the fact that we hear this "You pushed yourself away" viewpoint from someone who also has issues with the Underworld and it's still allowed to stand without argument makes it so much worse. Rick, there's an entire subplot in TSatS about how Nico does in fact still hear even people who genuinely and deeply love him and hate the thought of doing anything to harm him talk shit about his home and how that hurts him and they need to learn to do better. Why are you still trying to say it's all in Nico's head when you keep hammering home that it isn't?

#riordanverse #all this talk about tlo has me VERY UPSET ABOUT THIS #rick set this up as a thing that PERCY never really considers and that's fine because percy misses these things #but we see the way he and the rest of the seven treat nico. and we see the sort of attitude nico's gotten at camp #it is ABSOLUTELY AND CLEARLY NOT IN NICO'S HEAD #hey maybe instead of the constant 'hey the underworld sucks' thing the subplot about acceptance #(which side note is mostly very good i don't dislike it on its own. it's for a middle school book. it's fine judged by that standard) #could've revolved around will realizing that just because HE didn't see anyone being an ass to nico about being a hades kid #didn't mean it wasn't happening #you can either claim it was all in his head OR have it constantly proved to not be in his head #and at this point the former is kind of no longer an option on account of how he KEEPS BEING PROVED RIGHT

[daxieoclock]

Tactica Impressions Part 6, No Plot Spoilers

Toshiro continues to bring the entire plot down. I need him to stop being here. Please. Please, I'm dying and the only cure is No More Adult Man Party Member In Persona Game.

Erina is a fantastic character and her development is fantastic but it DRAGS that she's so fixated on being nice to Toshiro and sucking up to him and giving him unearned authority over her rebellion and the Phantom Thieves.

They've even co-oped Futaba into buddying up to Toshiro and it sucks so bad. Futaba. Futaba, cyber criminal and prodigal hacker, compares her being autistic and talented to Toshiro's...having experience deescalating cabinet battles. It's SUCH mischaracterization.

Complaining aside. All The Girls (And Ryuji) Love Erina's Flag and I feel like that's very gay of them. Everyone likes the cool girl.

RYUHARU SIDE QUEST with bonus Futaba and Haru sister moments, and Ryuji calls Haru "senpai." It's fucking amazing. Haru fans keep winning.

Even though Yusuke and Makoto are my least fav Thieves on average, I do love how they're animated this game. They both have fantastic poses, and there's even some good bits of characterization, though Makoto gets really robbed by most of the big planning stuff being handed over to Toshiro instead so he can show off. Stolen valor tbh.

There's one random moment where it looks like Haru and Makoto are holding hands. Yay! :)

The marriage fantasy scenes kinda sucked on average? The Makoto and Yusuke scenes were deeply unfunny jokes, the Ann scene felt like it was copy-pasted from Lovers 10, and the Ryuji scene was surprisingly earnest even through the attempt to play it off as a joke. Like...it felt like yet another case where Atlus accidentally wrote them into genuine bi subtext, as opposed to the "my friend is a weirdo" of the Yusuke scene.

The Haru scene almost made me tear up. Yes I'm a Harufan, yes I'm biased towards Shuharu. Don't care, it was so fucking genuine and played into her themes of overcoming romantic/sexual abuse and it was just AGHHGG I LOVE THESE STUPID KIDS.

How does Joker STILL have the grappling hook from Royal, what the fuck. We're playing X-Com over here, you didn't think that would have been useful EARLIER???

Anyway Erina continues to be an absolute badass, it's unreal how cool she is.

...I wrote most of these points as I experienced them, and now I may need to take a step back. Because the projection room scene in the castle has left me genuinely reeling. I'm not sure what to say beyond...that I am taking another look at Toshiro as a character. Because I might be starting to appreciate him. Metatextually, his role as a pseudo-party member is a fucking nightmare, and his writing is so inconsistent and uncharismatic that the most entertaining parts of his presence so far has been other characters dunking on him. His personality sucks and I don't like WHY Atlus put him in this game. But as a character, as a foil to the Thieves and an individual narrative...I am starting to be compelled. There is absolutely an opportunity for Atlus to absolutely dumpster this good faith they've got from me, but...I said "if they want to make Toshiro compelling, they need to do these things" and like fucking clockwork, they did. So now I'm putting my money where my mouth is. I don't have to LIKE Toshiro, but I will give his arc the benefit of the doubt. (Also if people want to read my specific thoughts on the scene, let me know, I'll definitely write them up if there's interest.)

Anyway pls look at this meme from @lilyhoshikawa

Haru / Ann Close Read Lines: 21 (and boy fucking howdy what a handful of good ones we got this time)

#persona 5 tactica

[siflshonen]

Sometimes I think people project too much about the effects of Bakugou's bullying on Izuku's mental health/thoughts in general

And most of that stems from them considering both Izuku and Katsuki as one dimensional characters and ignoring that it's a manga set in the Japanese society

I'm not here to say that Katsuki hasn't done anything bad or that Izuku was totally unaffected!

But it's so fucking annoying how people talk about Izuku as if he's only the sweet and too good victim and Katsuki only as the violent kid who doesn't care about anything and anyone (which imo has always been a false statement, Katsuki always thinks about what happens around him (sometimes even too much))

And I don't understand if it's about people lacking reading comprehension skills, not wanting character development/characters with more than one personality trait, or (more likely) using online takes and moral compass to decide which character has to live happily and who doesn't

Anon, I don't know exactly why folks like to paint Katsuki and Izuku into a black-and-white villain dynamic, but I have a few general guesses. Though I'll admit I don't find that the most interesting thing to point out regarding this.

Katsuki and Izuku are like a litmus test for their whole society.

Their relationship is one of the most central to the manga not just because it's compelling (or at least detailed), but because almost every other character story or character dynamic is reflected off it or related back to it in some way - be it a compare/contrast, in the main text, in the subtext... you name it. You've already pointed it out by considering the circumstances and factors surrounding Toga (and her parents and classmates), Dabi (and his family), and Twice (and his clones. But do you think Twice corners the market on having a breakdown over his identity being a constant question? All of these characters I've mentioned so far, as well as Ochako, Shouto AND ENJI Todoroki, Shinso, Monoma and Tenko/Shigaraki, among others, are struggling with their individuality and ego as part of their main, non-subtext plot on some level! It's probably the other biggest thing to pay attention to in their arcs even if it isn’t the main point of contention! But less on that now.) People don't just "do bad things" without other factors at play. In fact, you can't even label what they do "good" or "bad" without a society to make that framework.

I think a failure to grasp the intricacies and implications of the Katsuki-Izuku dynamic is a failure to grasp the point of BNHA. Not because they are the most important part of it, but because they're the constant compendium and illustrative example of the central problem and the in-story universality of it. How does one understand the Todoroki situation without also understanding the Katsuki-Izuku situation? The Tenko/Shigaraki-AFO situation? The Toga-Ochako situation? Somehow, I doubt one would.

I've expressed this sentiment in schmoopy poetry and I'll say it again in fanfiction and also here: When the world is in balance, Katsuki and Izuku are not afraid to love one another. Their society is not in balance if the two of them aren't also in balance and in sync.

#bnha #bakudeku #ask #bnha meta #bakugo katsuki #izuku midoriya #thanks for the ask

[cellsshapedlikestars]

hi! I havent been keeping up with fics lately because...life. but i read your new chapter this morning and it was so gripping. and then I commented. and hours later I was like damn I hope I didnt sound demanding. so I go through your comments trying go gauge if I was in fact demanding and I started judging other commenters 😩 I have to ask you: do you ever get annoyed by the tone of comments?

Anyways, theres so many question that need to be answered in the fic! so exciting!!!

An interesting question. The short answer is "yes", but the actual answer is "very rarely"

Please know that every author is different, and I have seen other authors complain about comments that would never bother me. Like people asking for more of something usually doesn't bother me, unless it's demanded or asked in a shitty way. If it's just "oh, I want more!!" I take that as a compliment.

I'm the sort of person who likes to give everyone the benefit of the doubt (to my own detriment, sometimes). I am also aware that tone can get lost in text very easily. So when I get a comment that I'm not sure the tone of, I assume the commenter meant well.

Unless, of course, it's blatantly mean, but those don't necessarily bother me all that much? Mostly it makes me sad cause I'm like... bby, why are you so angry over a free story on the internet? Like I'm genuinely sad for people who are so unhappy in their own lives that they take it out on strangers on the internet over fictional characters, you know? I tend not to respond to these, although sometimes I do when one is particularly annoying, and then I regret it. I know better than to feed those people.

Oh, and sometimes they make me laugh because the person is SO angry. Like the one who got mad on my Jon/Cat fic about how my "anti-military bias oozes all over this". Like yeah buddy. Guess you're new here. Or my favorite comment ever:

(what does this mean? Who knows! I still quote it every once in a while.)

Sometimes comments get under my skin when people fall into POV traps (since I tend to write from a single, limited POV), but I also feel like my irritation is usually with myself - like, was the subtext not clear enough?? Did I not do a good enough job hinting at the non-POV character's motivations??

Oh wait! There are comments that bother me, full stop: I hate when people think they're complimenting my writing/story by putting down other authors/fics (like not specific ones, but in a generic way). Its only happened like 2 or 3 times in the years I've been writing, but I remember them

So basically, I'm pretty easy going lol

(also I went through the comments on my new chapter and none of them in any way bothered me so I literally do not know which one you're referring to haha)

#cellsshapedlikeasks

[blorbosexterminator]

I believe a lot of fanfic writers would be massively disappointed if they were to try and publish their fanfics (having changed the most identifying characteristics to present it as original work). bc one of the reasons why we never say anything when someone's writing is full of spelling mistakes or bad grammar or, imo the most serious flaws - plots, characters, the low quality of the story itself, the themes, the subtext, the deeper meaning, etc - the reason, besides the whole participating in fandom communities and the fact it's free, is that we easily overlook some of those things because we get to read more about the characters we already love. I know my ff standards are fairly low. and who hasn't found themselves in a situation where they've read through everything they initially wanted to read and then started reading even the fics they first disregarded bc they can't get enough of their otp. do you know how many times I've scrolled past some especially cringy parts of fanfics, but I still love them. when you publish it, you immediately lose that aspect and most reviewers and readers won't be particularly generous. I just think publishing ff has a very high chance of being a mistake, and if publishing houses are approaching ff writers, I don't think they're looking for high quality and I wonder how much they'd invest in serious editing. IMO those who write ff and want to be published should consider working on an original piece of work, or at least reworking their ff significantly. thanks for reading through my message.

Again, I can't say I disagree at all. Fanfiction doesn't hold a grasp in all of those aspects you mentioned against actual published books [and of course nothing at all against the few of those books we would actually dare to call literature] and we allow it and are fine with it, not just because it's free and about the community and about the basic delight in sharing more of the characters we care about, but because none of those things are the primarily function of fanfiction. You don't judge Ikea and an apartment you're going to rent in the same mannar. Ikea isn't a house. At least to me, fanfiction is only about the source material. If there is a fic that has a well-thought out plot and decent prose, but the characters are mischaracterized and/or the dynamics are inherently misunderstood, then it still fails at being a good fic to me. Because, simply, if what I'm looking for is a good plot and decent prose, then I'll just pick any, even a mediocre, book [and it'll be better than said fic]. So not only does fanfiction fail by large at competing in those elements, in the average ratio of good to bad fics, it's also the fact that even a good fic that does all of those things decently still won't hold a chance against an actual good book.

It's the same from a writing's perspective too. It's not exactly about effort but what sort of effort it is. If I feel like it, I can just post a fic because I want it out without spending millenia editing it. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. But the point is, with fanfic I have the choice and it won't matter. And it's not just about the editing, the grammar, etc.

Anyway, yeah. They aren't looking for quality. It's still a capitalisic endeavor. Bad books, unfortunately, do sell. Fifty Shades of Grey made millions to an average fanfic writer. Doesn't make it a good book [and I doubt even a good fic before that]. And it's understandable with this current twitter and tiktok book market; honestly the things twitter authors write and tiktokers promote aren't at all that much better than fanfics. They are well aware of what makes them money, and if they're pursuing ao3 writers then they know the money they'll put in editing, they will get back tenfold. But if anyone thinks that's a win for fanfiction, they are mistaken. It's just an insane downgrade in published literature. And dare I say [while risking sounding like a Harold Bloom-like boomer] it's an insane downgrade in the generation/public's reading taste.

#people can do whatever they like though lol #and I'm not sure whether 'blaming' Twitter Tiktok and the only-fanfic reading public swarming out at all once for this shitshow is the righ #move #I'm sure the reasons and explanations are much more complex and those might only be the apparent symptoms but not what lies underneath #but they sure are making things much worse #least of what's truly insipid about this is that it's making people mostly teenagers really really comfortable with complete #anti-intellectualism and selling to them that is this is the good thing actually you're doing so great. go burn those terrible books your #hc teachers made you read #and no you're not #there is a world of difference between grappling with difficult texts because you understand that the grappling is worthwhile and between #manipulating yourself into thinking they aren't worth anything just because it would be easier for you to believe though #but anyway obviously there are exceptions #nothing is without exception #and I do believe a lot of fanfic writers [at least in my own experience my favorite ones] are more than capable of writing publishable work #but the point is fanfiction loses the one thing that makes it actually standout by getting published. and then it'll be put in a horrible #comparison with other works and get torn down #like writing a fanfiction most of the time you take a readymade situation [whether canon or a specific au] and what you do is put different #characters in #and you don't really have to do anything other than that. the twist and spin IS the characters #but publish that and those are just regular characters inna regular situation to readers and critics #and since we're talking about most fanfic s not the rarities; there won't be much to the book that excuses its lack of originality in plot #it's a pretty complex topic anyway #this is in no way a disregard of fanfics though #I love both writing and reading it #as its own thing #not as a replacement of or as literature #this is the bottomline

[cuchufletapl]

I want your personal opinion. We see a lot of shipping controversy when it comes to MHA, but none of the ships have actually been confirmed, just teased. And I find that the biggest tease is Tododeku, honestly. Do you think there is even the slightest possibility that Horikoshi could just bless us with this ship? Do you think there is something there, genuinely? I want this ship canon, and honestly I'm really not feeling it with Ochako at all. What are your opinions on her? I dont know if you agree, but her character revolves around the main character in a way that makes it annoying and unbearable and I cant stand the interactions, yet it seems that Horikoshi seems to have given up as of recently. Do you think so?

Please don't take this as hostile because I don't mean it as such, I just struggle with tone. But.

This ask is kind of strange to me because 1) I don't write meta that often; 2) I've never written meta about BNHA; and 3) actually, in the past four months I've reblogged a grand total of nine posts about BNHA.

It's a fandom that I'm a part of but that I barely talk about on Tumblr — if you only followed me on here you'd think that I'm barely into it.

So what on Earth would make you ask me my opinion on this, anon?

Like, you see a profile with a Fullmetal Alchemist icon talking about Sonic, Ladybug, and Spy x Family and go: "Yeah. This is the person I'm gonna ask about Boku no Hero shipwars"?

Besides, considering how this ask is worded, it looks to me like you have a fully formed opinion and just want some sort of validation for it.

And I checked the recent stuff in the tododeku tag and I saw at least one more person responding to a very similar ask to this one, so there's that.

I'm prefacing with this to clarify that I'm aware that this is some sort of bait (even if I'm not completely sure what you're baiting for, anon) and that you probably went through a bunch of people that had posted/reblogged tododeku stuff recently and sent them similar asks.

However, I do have an opinion, and my ego can't resist sharing it, so here we go. Buckle up, I started rambling.

Honestly, I'm not entirely sure of what you are talking about when you say that tododeku has been the most teased ship.

Their dynamic is solid and well-written, and they've had a lot of page/screen-time to develop together. They're close friends (Midoriya is Todoroki's best and favourite friend, without a doubt), they're at ease around each other, understand and trust one another — in sum, they care and there is a lot of proof of that over the nearly 400 chapters of the manga (plus spin-off media).

This would be a good basis for a romantic development in their dynamic, it'd make for a good love story, but I don't think Horikoshi has ever intended to go in that direction, not even in subtext. I don't think he would even if a gay/bi protagonist was allowed in a battle-action shonen.

I think the "tododeku teasing" is the inevitable outcome of having two characters impact each other's narratives in such a way. Of course there are a lot of Moments™ between them that can easily be read in a romantic light — fighting Izuku in the Sports Festival was literally a turning point in Shoto's life! But Horikoshi just wrote them that way because he wanted to advance their character arcs through their friendships.

(It's a huge theme in BNHA, in my opinion. Class 1-A constanly inspire each other, make each other better. They don't just develop on their own, it's with the support of other people that the characters move forward. Deku is the epitome of this: his gifted power born out of the sacrifices of eight other people, his fighting style inspired by his mentors and his friends. And he's not the only example: Tamaki and Mirio; Kirishima with Bakugo and Ashido; Uraraka, Iida, and Todoroki himself of course. Horikoshi is good at writing admiration and friendships.)

And after all, good friendships tend to (although not always) make for compatible romantic pairings.

Listen, if tododeku ever became canon, I'd end up in the ER because my heart wouldn't be able to handle the joy and the surprise bursting out of it. I don't hope it to, nor do I particularly want it to be canon (romantic subplots are not my priority in BNHA), but it would definitely make me very happy. I've been on this boat for, what? Five years, give or take a couple of months? Tododeku is probably my actual OTP (as in the meaning of the acronym, my one and only true pairing).

(And that's without taking into account how massive it would be in terms of queer representation in Japan. The male protagonist of a top Shonen Jump nekketsu manga, bisexual and in an overt relationship with another major male character? Kohei Horikoshi would make history.)

But back in 2017 I went in fully expecting it not to be endgame, and that hasn't changed in 2022.

First of all, because regardless of Horikoshi's intentions, this is shonen manga, c'mon. It's Shonen Jump Magazine. The only gay action we see in this demographic is questionable yuri pandering to male audiences.

Although to be completely fair, BNHA does have confirmed queer characters: Tiger, Big Sis Mag, and Toga. However, you'll notice that none of them are gay men, only one of them has any relevance whatsoever, and not all of them are handled with the same care (Magne is... oof. People make excuses for it but I'm too familiar with Japanese media not to recognise that her design looks just like a transmysoginistic charicature, and the theory that Horikoshi is doing a social critique by making medical transitioning not accessible to her due to marginalisation is utterly fanon interpretation. It's not anywhere in the text, it was made up outright. It'd be amazing if it were true, but considering how unsubtle Horikoshi is with the politics of BNHA, as manga tends to be, if it's not there, it's because it wasn't supposed to be).

Second, because if Horikoshi wanted to make his main characters boy lovers and was allowed to... Well, in all honestly, I think he'd go for bakudeku (if, ya know, Bakugo makes it, which he probably will). They're one of the central dynamics of this story, their arcs don't make any sense without each other. They're not up to the level of, say, sasunaru, but they're not that far off. It's the most popular pairing in this fandom, both in the West and in Japan, for a reason.

(And if not bakudeku, I think kiribaku would have the biggest chance. Mostly because there's quite a lot of evidence to support a queer reading of Kirishima, and I'm not entirely sure it was accidental.)

Of course, if anyone gave me the reigns, I'd make Bakugo and Midoriya queerplatonic and make Todoroki and Midoriya marry but alas, 'tis not the case.

Nevertheless, there might be no canon ships whatsoever.

I'm still holding out for a time-skip and a sequel, despite what Horikoshi said earlier this year about ending the manga — a lot of things feel unfinished in ways that can't be resolved in one single arc. So hey, maybe he'll surprise us and pull a Shippuden.

But if he keeps his word and this is the end of Boku no Hero Academia, then he definitely does not have the time to include a romantic subplot of any kind. Not at this stage, not so near the end and with all characters in the middle of battle like this.

So, yeah, maybe you're not feeling it with Ochako because you're not supposed to. Midoriya had some mild interest in her at the beginning and she used to have a crush on him, but that was that. Which would be a nice subversion, to be honest, since an izuocha endgame is what everyone and their mother expected ever since their first interaction, based on the usual romantic tropes of this genre.

But, another thing, because this interpretation of Uraraka ("her character revolves around the main character in a way that makes it annoying") is one that I see echoed everywhere in this fandom and it does annoy me a little. It's a parroted opinion at this point, because the absolute lack of nuance implies that most people saying it haven't actually analysed Uraraka's character and are just repeating what other people said before them. Not saying that you're in that group, anon, maybe you did think it through and just disagree with me, and that's fine.

This critique of Uraraka comes from a larger criticism of Horikoshi's writing of female characters — criticism that is not undeserved. He is capable of writing good three-dimensional female characters (look at Rei Todoroki, or at Himiko Toga), and I think Momo Yaoyozoru's character arc is one of the best that he's written for a supporting secondary character of any gender (it's simple but well-executed!). But it's true that he has way fewer female characters than male ones, and a lot of them are underdeveloped and underutilised to boot.

(Part of that has to do with a more general problem. Horikoshi ended up biting way more than he could chew with his gigantic cast of characters, which is a conversation for another day, but long story short: it's not easy to juggle that many plotlines and character arcs, and sometimes he pulls it off but a lot of the time, particularly in the later half... eh. But it just so happens that a lot of the characters he's unable to give the time and space needed happen to be the few female ones that he has. Well.)

I do feel this is somewhat the case with Uraraka, because considering how she started out, she should've pulled more narrative weight than she has, at least for the arcs that she participated in (the Overhaul Arc did her dirty, let's be honest here). And she's the main female supporting character, it makes it more evident.

But I think that people get so focused in looking for what should have been there that they miss that already is there. People will criticise her arc for revolving around Deku and then completely ignore the parts of it that have nothing to do with him, funnily enough. You guys don't look past Deku's shadow either.

Midoriya inspires Uraraka in a similar way that he does the rest of his classmates and his friends specifically. That's what he is to her — an inspiration, a friend. Much like Midoriya himself does with Bakugo and All Might, she decides to go on her own hero path while taking some of Midoriya's determination as an incentive for her.

Her childhood in poverty shaped her desire to be a hero, and the kind of hero that she wanted to be — she wants to make people happy through helping and saving them. And when she starts the race towards her dream, and she sees her teachers and friends hurting, she's the one to ask the question no one else does: who saves the heroes? Who heals them? Who makes sure they're okay and happy?

And now she's going one step further, and she's trying to save a villain — Toga. And this has nothing to do with Midoriya. He isn't even in the picture right now! Hell, their last conversation before the final battle was about Toga (and other things, but it was obvious Toga was at the forefront of Uraraka's mind)!

Yes, her relationship with Deku is important (he's the protagonist, c'mon), but not the end-all be-all of her character arc. She sees Iida decline Midoriya's offer to join his team in the cavalry battle and decides that she's not going to be all dependent on friends either — and then comes up with a better strategy to fight Bakugo than even Midoriya had thought of. She catches feelings and immediately tries to shake them off because they're a distraction she can't afford for the sake of her own goals. She becomes an inspiration for him, as much as he is for her.

Their friendship is pretty neat, and while Uraraka could be more, let's not act as if she was nothing but Deku.

So.

To conclude.

Look, anon, from your words I can tell that you're obviously very invested in tododeku. I understand that, I really do, but I'd advise you to get over it. At the end of the day, it's just ink on a page. The emotions that they make you feel are real and valid (that is what art and storytelling are for) but if it gets to a point where it genuinely upsets you that two characters don't end up together, that it feels like a need that they be together in canon, it might be the time to take a step back.

I say this as someone who still gets angry over klance lol. But it's true.

I think you can find a lot more joy than you realise in simply not giving a shit about canon. And while shipping is very fun, I don't find it recommendable to look at all media only through that lense.

As I said before, all the "tododeku teasing" you mention is just one particular interpretation of their interactions, and at times it can be one that removes the actual themes written into their dynamic.

#if there are any typos or some of this doesn't make sense I don't care #it's almost 2am in my time zone and I have class tomorrow good night #my commentary - sort of meta? #boku no hero academia #bnha #tododeku #midoriya izuku #todoroki shoto #uraraka ochako #my original post

[littlestarprincess]

Reading chapter two before work because it looks short. These are also gonna be really long, so I'm putting it under a cut.

It's interesting to me that we start with an excerpt of Addie's grandma being intrigued by her own stalker, who is not her husband. I think in Very Straight Discourse, there's a tendency to see a woman cheating as empowering (even though men cheating is Very Bad and the Worst Thing They Can Do, but also a thing that they will ALL do) -- which essentially is a reaction to being inundated with the idea that the man she invests herself in WILL cheat on her with someone younger/easier to take advantage of/etc. Him doing that can't hurt her if she does it to him first, right? And possessive husband cheating also can't be too bad if there's a more possessive and alluring stalker right outside the door ready to punish him for you.

Anyway, after this we're introduced to Zade officially as he's in the middle of torturing someone. He makes sure to use slightly pretentious language so we know he's an Elite and he also describes himself both hacker (smarts) AND enforcer (tough & aggressive). It falls a little flat for me, personally a) because I never take the heros of these books seriously and prefer when they're desperate wet cats meowing piteously from their cardboard boxes and I'm already biased because of the Q-Anon thing, but also because b) he's describing himself as a lackey?

Zade claims to be patient right before whining about how the thing he's trying to do is taking too long. Pretty typical macho man behavior.

There's a description of gratuitous violence and him being threatening that I think is meant to carry most of the emotional tone of the scene, but Zade isn't showing enough personality to really make it work. This is boring for him, so it's boring for me, the person sitting in his head and observing. There's a vague list of all the things he's already done that I think is meant to show that he's powerful but lacks emotional involvement.

Everything Zade is claiming to have -- patience, eloquence, even enjoying the suffering he's inflicting on bad, bad men -- seems like all talk. It's kind of rough.

Oh. We're about to see him snap, though. I might like him when he snaps -- we get a cool little big font moment when the guy he's torturing "looks at him like a goddamn stray puppy dog."

. . . Eh, no, I don't. He's vaguely mocking but it's muted, and then he whines about how the violence turns his stomach and that's annoying. The exaggerated disdain for everything he's feeling is kind of depressing. He's very Edgy (tm) and not very well grounded in his own narrative. It would be interesting to me if we ended up getting beneath this very affected apathy to what's going on in his subconscious (this man is why the word subconscious exists, I think), but I doubt we'll get that.

(So far, I've come away with the following subtext: Addie was heavily abused by her mother AND her grandmother, she's surrounded by toxic friends who reduce her to a sex object and only knows assholes to date. Zade is Fighting The Good Fight against a conspiracy of child rapists and cultists, but dead inside and probably way more sensitive than he likes to believe. This feels compelling to me, but I feel like the book itself is going to glide over it.)

He goes to get a burger (Masculine!! He's so manly!!!) and passes by the bookstore Addie is signing in, and it's all warm and cozy and he immediately is like, "I only read Useful Things." This man is so repressed. Maybe he is a wet cat in a cardboard box.

Damn, this guy simps hard. I'm here for it. He's taken one look at a promotional image of Addie and is like o///w///o. Suddenly understanding why people like him so much. I'm invested.

Big emphasis on "natural beauty" that we see in Straight Dating Discourse -- she's absolutely the fantasy a "pick me" girl has about herself. "She doesn't need makeup or photoshop to meet all these beauty standards" he says of a promotional image that definitely features both photoshop and makeup (and good lighting), even if she's an author and not an ad.

Random allusion to him fucking a lot that kind of feels just as pathetic as everything else about him. Do you fuck a lot, Z? Does it make you feel better? Less empty inside? I'm sure it only lasts until the afterglow. We know your type.

I like how he references being a creepy by describing himself like someone in the Exorcist. He's so close to self-awareness and yet so far. (Not that he's being a creep yet, but he's about to be.)

Thank god he's not a flat earther. It's the little things, you know?

Also, I GUARANTEE ADDIE IS WEARING MAKEUP IN THIS SCENE. I KNOW YOU CAN SEE HER FRECKLES BUT THERE'S NO WAY SHE DOESN'T HAVE MAKEUP ON AT A PR EVENT.

What do you mean you don't know if mankind has walked on the moon. . . you're not a flat earther, you were SO CLOSE, bro. . . . SO CLOSE.

. . . Her voice is the kind you hear in porn videos. . . That's. . . Zade, go back to your room :/

I think there's something inherently telling about the next bit:

"All I want to do is break her. Shatter her into pieces. And then arrange those pieces to fit against my own. I don't care if they don't fit -- I'll fucking make them. And I know I'm about to do something bad. I know I'm going to cross lines that I will never be able to come back from, but there's not an ounce of me that gives a fuck. Because I'm obsessed. I'm addicted. And I will gladly cross every single line if it means making this girl mine. If it means forcing her to be mine."

This isn't just, "I will do anything to have her." This is very specifically about forcing her -- it's not presented as an if. It's not, "if she doesn't fit with me, I'll make her" it's "I want to force her. I want it to be a struggle that I win."

I think there's a big tendency for romance to be presented as a battle between the sexes -- women are presented as trying to force men to treat them right, and men are presented as outright hunting women like prey. In real life, a man who thinks like this isn't doing it to fit a girl into his life. In real life, a man who thinks like this is doing it because he doesn't see that girl as human.

But in this fantasy version, all the shit we're spoon fed about how men are predators can be about us. It's this specific girl who makes him want to act like this. It's because she's special that he wants to hunt her. People like to call this rape apologism, but it's not, becuase it's fundamentally not about making Zade more likable (that's what the Fighting The Good Fight thing is about) -- it's about making Adeline special rather than a statistic.

#min haunts adeline #haunting adeline #dark romance

[tolkien-feels]

I've been looking forever for some who isn't anti-shipping but doesn't look st everything through shippy lenses... What IS up with Melkor and Mairon do you think? I know Tolkien didn't mean for them to be read as romantic and I don't actually ship it, but if I remove that angle I don't understand why is Melkor so indulgent and Mairon so devoted? Can Ainur even have romantic attachments?

Oh anon I'm the worst person to ask this to because I spend a surprisingly tiny amount of time thinking about either of them. I definitely understand where people are coming from in shipping them, though yeah, it's probably not canon even by subtext, and it's not something that really interests me.

Ainur can get married, so I presume they do have a sense of romance. Though I have no idea what that looks like. Do Manwe and Varda go on little dates when they aren't running the world? I'm tempted to say Ainur marriage is a matter of spiritual partnership more than romantic attraction (and it certainly can't be physical attraction since they aren't physical beings), but of course, Melian straight up falls in love with an elf, so I'm clearly wrong. (Then again, I always forget Ainur aren't canonically aroace. I genuinely don't remember.)

But this is all just a distraction - fallen Ainur are different from the other Ainur in many ways, so even if Ainur don't have X experience, Morgoth at least might have. He feels pain and fear, for instance, and he's tied to his physical body. The feelings and experiences which are natural to Ainur might just not be relevant.

But even if you put away the question of romance, what is up with them, indeed? Forget romance: is the embodiment of evil capable of experiencing love of any kind, even the love between king and subject? Given how Catholic Tolkien's worldview was, and how he portrays love in general, I highly doubt it. But Morgoth and Sauron are certainly Weird - for one, I have to assume at least some of the balrogs are Maiar who once served Melkor, but his second in command is Sauron, who served Aule. Is Sauron just orders of magnitude more competent than the other Maiar? Is he more trustworthy? Can evil be trustworthy?

My best guess is that Morgoth sees Sauron as uniquely useful, while Sauron sees Morgoth as uniquely powerful. I do think they're attached to each other, but in the way I'm attached to like, a favorite shirt. As in "This is a superior shirt and if I were to move or even travel, I would want to take it with me if possible. I will readily admit I'm attached to this shirt and get angry if anyone damages it. But if my house was burning down I wouldn't even consider for a split second going back inside to try and save it." This is a very stupid analogy, but it's the only way I can conceptualize it. Like, yeah, they sure do have a relationship in a way I don't think Orc #478 has with either of them, but it feels weirdly anthropomorphizing to assume their thing is something we would even have a name for? The pack-bonding instinct which makes humans love everything they have a relationship with is probably entirely absent in them, given how they routinely miscalculate the love felt by the Free Peoples.

But like I said, I don't think much about them at all so I'm probably not the best person to answer such a charged question 😅 Also I feel like answering it would require understanding why exactly Sauron leaves Aule's service, which I can't say I fully understand, so. Like I said. I'm not qualified to have this discussion.

#if anyone has better or different thoughts feel free to jump in

[verobatto]

Unrequited Destiel...

The Legend of The Sun and The Moon

I just wanted to explain in a few words to those that are asking why Dean didn't reply to Cas or why is Jensen talking about angelical way to feel things.

I know they're a lot of post saying WE TOLD YOU THIS AND THAT, and is true. Because if you read my Destiel Chronicles from the beginning, you will see I ALWAYS CALLED THE UNREQUITED LOVE FROM CAS AND DEAN'S POV.

Some of you disbelieves this idea, but is the only way to intepretate why Destiel is the slowest slow burn ever.

No more intro, let's suffer together...

Season 4 and 5 JUST A FLIRTING GAME

Once Dean was pulled out from Hell, Castiel wanted to talk with him. He didn't wait a second. Things blew and it was messy, and even Bobby was scared that that thing would hurt his idjit. But it was just Cas, trying to speak with Dean, desperately trying to reach him in his true form. Why? Because he wanted to talk with him. He had to explain Dean's mission but also, he felt fascinated. And even more after their first meeting face to face when he was finally able to find a vessel.

And Dean just it took him just a little of his time to feel the same fascination. The almighty angel, that could see right through his soul.

But also the angel that said things like...

And we have the handprint too, such an intimate sign between these two.

Castiel showing him, honestly showing him with words and actions, his special interest on him:

"My superiors begun to question my sympathies. I was getting too close to the humans in my charge. You."

How would Dean take this here? The poor guy just decided to check out the angel, and speechless as he was at that moment, couldn't reply to it. "Is he flirting with me? Does he know how gay this sounds?"

Then Cas rebel against Heaven for Dean. Dean pushed him, the whole he pushed Cas to help him. If you rewatch season 4 Dean is constantly asking Cas to help him. Because he already know Cas was different. Because he felt Cas was his friend, his ally, and something else it was growing up in his chest.

While Cas pushed him against the wall, cut his forearm and drew the sigil, Dean's face is full of awe. He can't believe this soldier powerful angel is doing this for him.

And then... "We're making it up as we go."

Gif credit @cyxnrose

The beginning of season 5 is a very busy Cas searching for God, but also, the flirtation begins. Dean is like a cute boy flirting with his crush. The second meaning jokes, trying to figure out if Cas catch it is hilarious. But he will understand 'Cas doesn't understand that reference.'

From Dean's POV in these two season, we coul under he thinks angels are junk less.

Season 6: The profound Bond and the Longing

The romantic feeling from both sides began to flow even more when Castiel goes into the black side, and the first Destiel break up appears infron of our eyes in the middle of a very romantic scenes.

Gif credit @starlightcastiel

Gif credit @inacatastrophicmind

The last gif is out of discussion, bot men looking at each other with sad eyes, longing and as if their conversation isn't over. Dean being disappointed at Cas and Cas trying to make him see his point. Everything he does, he does it for Dean.

And now we know why it is.

Season 7: Mourning Dean and the Jealousy

Even with Showrunner Sera Gamble trying to focus Dean's morning into a Wincest subtext, we had put king Ben Edlund came to the rescue in episode 7x09.

Putting things in order, we were faced with Dean's source of depression: Castiel's death.

So, after that, when Cas really comes back, the reunion is another romantic movie. The MEMORY LOST trope.

And then... Castiel's pseudo wife...

The trope is getting better with the spicy Jealousy in Dean's eyes.

Gif credit @impalaofgrace

So he can't completely enjoy Cas is back because:

1) He doesn't remember him: so, how can be mad or anything else if Cas doesn't remember any details of their break up?

2)The guy has a wife! Okay, so, he has a wife, he easily got a wife from... Nowhere?

And then Meg comes and he is Jealous all over again!

Dean is a really mess of feelings, but in the end, when Cas recalls everything, and when I say everything, i mean Dean, because the majority of his memories was him, Dean just pulls out from his car Castiel's bloody trenchcoat and gives it him back!

So, if there was any doubts about why was Dean mourning and depressed for, we have the confirmation!

Then, let's turn the page, because now is Cas the mess... Depressed and suffering, because he almost destroy heaven, but, do you know what cares the most to Cas and when he cheers up? Yes...

When Dean says... "I RATHER JAVE YOU, CURSED OR NOT" Castiel immediately changed his face, he smiles, and kept staring at Dean with heart eyes. He was happy because Dean was forgiving him. Because since he recovered his memories, the biggest cause of it was Dean's rejection. Dean not being able to forgive him. That was the main cause of his sadness. That's why he avoided reality, he didn't have a cause, because his cause was Dean and Dean was mad at him. But now? Cas is happy again. That's why he decides to come back to battle. "I'll go with you."

Season 8 Purgatory of love and Pining!Dean

Okay, is in this season, Carver era, when Dean's POV has a turning point about Castiel and his true feelings for him and is in this season, when Dean starts pining strongly for the angel, and feeling his love is unrequited.

The cause of it, is Purgatory. The Purity about Purgatory resided in the capacity of that place to resides in abolish every human necessity to let the mind to focused in what really matters. In this case for Dean was SURVIVE AND CAS.

So we can say that what remained pure in Dean's heart was TO FIND CASTIEL.

That's why he prayed to him every night, and that's why in the moment Cas CONFESS he ran away to protect him, something in Dean changes forever.

Gif credit @agusvedder

If you pay attention to Dean's face reaction here, is the expression of the man that realizes in that precisely moment his feelings for Castiel. Even Cas stares to a side, because there was Benny watching them, and the thing he was about to say it was too intimate. I did it to protect you.

Dean, the Big Protector, is being protected by Castiel. So, in Purgatory, Dean Winchester find out his not platonic love for his best friend.

Then we had the entire season with pining!Dean and deception.

Dean's mind invented one excuse for Castiel running away from him because thinking his best friend abbandoned him, was just too painful. He does this again when Cas pushed him inside the gate and he stays in Purgatory. Dean just rewrote in his mind the whole sequence. Imagining that Cas was defeated. But the reality was, Castiel wanted to stay. And when Cas reveals this truth to the hunter, Dean's face is a mix of deep sadness and deception. He felt really rejected by his friend. He felt his unrequited romantic love for him. But he will feel it more stronger in the crypt scene, with the brainwashing and how Castiel's love for Dean broke th connection. But he left. That was a real rejection the hunter barely could handled.

Season 9: Pinning!Castiel and Human!Cas

When Cas became Human, he has to face all the intensity of human's feelings. In this season, is time for our angel to realize his romantic love for the hunter.

Castiel will mirroring Dean's pining in season 8, and he will also feel rejected by him.

Just like Dean in season 8, Castiel will feel his romantic love is unrequited, after Dean kicked him out from the bunker, being this the parallel to the crypt scene.

But then Cain's mark comes, and everything gets worst.

Season 10: Castiel is Dean's Colette

The whole Cain's mark was the visual sign of the Destiel handprint (profound bond) attempt of break.

With Cain and Dean going through a perfect parallelism in which Crowley was placed in the friend's spot, Sam in the brother's spot and Castiel in Colette's spot. Blatant and canon exposure of what Cas means for Dean.

But now, is time for Dean, after came back for being a demon, to feel unrequited again. And this is a detail that could be not seen, but it caught my attention.

CASTIEL: At least temporarily. It’s a long story. Crowley, stolen grace. There’s a female outside in the car.

This is what Castiel says when he goes into Dean's room and after Dean praises him...

Gif credit @inacatastrophicmind

Dean had been with Crowley when he was a demon this whole time, so Cas was heartbroken. Even this season opens with a very depressed Castiel in the bed just let himself die because Dean was gone. So, that's why Cas says this.

So you went with Crowley, i have a female in my car. See? I don't need you.

He was Jealous, and now Dean gets Jealous, but he also gets the sensation again of his love for Castiel is unrequited.

The episode that followed this one, Dean goes into a blind date with random chick he took from a date app (very ooc, but he did it because he had his heart broken and because he thought CAS had cheated on him while he was gone as a demon.)

Season 11: Dean resist a forced bond with Amara because he's bonded with Castiel

Season 11 is a blatant exposure of Dean's feelings for Castiel. There a lot of hints throughout the season telling us Dean is in love, just like in season 9 there was hints of this with Castiel. (Again, mirroring each other).

Dean resisted Amara because of his love for Castiel. But Cas is oblivious about this.

When Castiel is possesed by Lucifer, Dean switch's into desperate mode. If he was worried about his attraction for Amara, now the only thing he cares was Castiel, exposing again WHO DEAN IS IN LOVE WITH.

But when Dean wanted to rescue Castiel, and Cas didn't want to come back to him, it hurt him worst. Again, just like in season 8, Dean can't handle Cas doesn't want to come back with him (first from Purgatory and now from being possesed). Again Dean feels rejected and unrequited. That's why when Cas is back and the end of the world is close... Dean says these words...

"You're our brother, Cas. I want you to know that."

And Cas' face...

Gif credit @mad-as-a-box-of-frogs

That's a man with the heart broken, mostly because we know now he was in love with Dean CANON FACT! (sobbing louder).

Season 12 and the confusing I LOVE YOU

This season was full of married couple situations, but mostly, we had Castiel's I Love You in the barn, before "dying".

At first Dean thinks the angel was saying this as goodbye, expressing into words his feelings for the Winchesters. Because as and angel, maybe Cas was feeling he has to protect them all. But then he says this singular I Love You to Dean, and the guy doesn't know how to take it. It was a platonic ILY? A non platonic ILY? Does angels feel the same like us? Does he sees me as a brother? Dean was truly a mess, so he decides to respond to that with a Mixtape.

But, when Castiel disappears for days, he sinks again into that sensation of unrequited romantic love.

Then Cas comes back, and then he goes away again, and then he dies.

Season 13: The reunion and the meaning of Castiel coming back

Dean's mourning for Cas can't be interpreted otherwise than LOSING THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE.

And the longing for his angel plus some Nougat powers, brought him back.

The thing is, Dean didn't expr as his feeling for Castiel and when the angel asked him that he needed to believed that he came back for a reason, Dean goes...

Gif credit @inacatastrophicmind

This sound like if he was recruiting Cas for war. And Cas' took it as that. So he came back to soldier angel mode. Because, okay, if Dean and Sam needed him to fight, he will fight.

Unrequited Love again.

Season 14 Healing Dean and the prelude of the break up

Post-possesed Dean is a follow up of self knowledge and self growing. He was healing the whole season.

But in episode 14x04 we heard Dean being Jealous or hurt because Castiel didn't go to rescue him and then because he goes into hunts with Jack. Unrequited love again.

Did Cas miss me as I missed him?

Is the first time Dean will actually name the word LOVE talking with the kid.

And then Mary dies and everything is a mess.

Dean yells YOU ARE DEAD TO ME, and how sad that sounds now that the angel had died again. Saving his life.

Dark clouda over our ship...

Season 15: And Maybe is not too late...

In season 15 we lived the angst of the Destiel break up, but then their reunion in Purgatory was beautiful.

Again, facing the fact that he could lost Cas one more time, Dean went down on his knees and prayed to him, and because he was in Purgatory, his heart and mind were released from any distraction, and he was plenty focused in the love he feels for his angel.

He cried, and begged for him to come back.

And he found him, following his heart, the profound bond he has with Castiel.

But, when he was about to say something that he hadn't said in the prayer, Castiel cut him off. So... Again the hunter had to swallow his words and the unrequited love punch him again.

Then... Castiel's romantic love confession took Dean by surprise, because, now that you read all the clues i gave you and i convinced you that Dean and Cas thought their love were unrequited, you will understand Dean's reaction.

Gif credit @spnsmile

Dean didn't can't believe Cas had loved him the way he does this whole time and now, he will lose him again. Is too much pain he can't handle.

For a lot of reasons we had analyzed so many times (Dean's arc has to have a closure expressing his ILY to the angel, the Empty plot is not ended, Etc) Is logical to think Cas will come back in the last episode, and this slow burn story will end with them being together, finally.

To Conclude:

The legend of the Sun and the Moon talks about two lovers that can't be reunited but they love each other deeply.

Is accurate with Destiel, because these two men had always being pining for each other but never be able to be together as they wish.

Castiel always thinking Dean doesn't reciprocate his romantic feeling for him and Dean thinking because Cas is an angel, he doesn't love him back romantically.

The Sacred Oath always playing in Castiel's POV as an impediment too and Dean's love clocked in shame too.

The deal with the Empty had been settled as we suspected in season 14, as a romantic plot. So, it has to have a closure.

These thoughts are based on the volumes from my assay "The Destiel Chronicles", currently in it's 87th volume.

See you soon! Have faith!

Destiel Is Forever!

Tagging @gneisscastiel @emblue-sparks @magnificent-winged-beast @weird-dorky-little-d @michyribeiro @maleansu @legendary-destiel @a-bit-of-influence @thatwitchydestielfan @misha-moose-dean-burger-lover @lykanyouko @evvvissticante @savannadarkbaby @dea-stiel @mybonsai1976 @anarchiana @angelwithashotgunandtrenchcoat @trashblackrainbow @mishtho @dancingtuesdaymorning @feathered-cas @bre95611 @zoerayne2426 @justmeand-myinsight @that-one-fandom-chick @proccastinate @studio-hatter @pepevons @poorreputation @mrsaquaman187 @dizzypinwheel @jawnlockwinchester @dwstiel @ladygon @shippsblog @la-random-fangirl @lets-try-this-again-please @mychemicalobsession514 @destiel-shipper-11

@asphodelesauvage @2musiclover2

Buenos Aires November 17th 2020 8:33 PM

#destiel #destiel meta #destiel love #unrequited love #dean winchester #castiel #destiel is canon #parallels and mirrors #season 4 #season 5 #season 6 #season 7 #season 8 #season 9 #season 10 #season 11 #season 12 #season 13 #season 14 #season 15 #15x20 spec #supernatural #supernatural meta

[secretmellowblog]

unpopular opinion: tolkien knew about gay people and deliberately put them in his books

(Unpopular Opinions meme!)

strongly agree | agree | neutral | disagree | strongly disagree

As a gay(tm) who has loved Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit since I was a babey, I have very Complicated emotions about this lol.

On one hand: yes, Tolkien knew and praised many of his gay contemporaries, and a lot of the homoeroticism in his books is based on legends/folklore that were Even More homoerotic. The idea that Tolkien just didn’t know homosexuality existed because gay people were apparently invented in 2003 is ridiculous. Etc, etc.

And I deeply empathize with the desire to prove that the gay subtext in the original books was intentional. Like: there's a bit in the commentary of the PJ films where gay actor Ian McKellan talks about how he deliberately tried to ensure the homoerotic elements of the book were preserved, like the scene in Rivendell where Frodo wakes up and Sam immediately rushes over to take his hand. And when I first heard that bit of the commentary, it changed the scene forever for me? There was something really special about knowing that the gay subtext in that scene wasn't just there, it was Intentional(tm).

So I really understand wanting to prove that Tolkien intended for the story to be gay-- that he wasn't just a conservative catholic who stumbled into gayness by accident, that he wrote it intentionally. That he was creating this world with you in mind, that he WANTED you to be there, that he wanted you to see your own experiences in his story and feel like you belonged in Middle Earth.

But at the same time my Real attitude is this:

Fuck Tolkien's intent! lol.

I do not care what he intended.

He has been dead for decades!

And he was Just Some Guy. Some random sad guy with a lot of Baggage who wrote a lot of things.

My personal attitude is that I don't need this conservative catholic dead white guy's approval, and while I understand how impactful it can be to find evidence that I was “intended” to be part of a story that means a lot to me I'm not going to scrub through Tolkien's biography and letters searching for a scrap of this random sad dead man's Validation.

And even if all the gay stuff in Tolkien's world was intentional, it wouldn't fix most of the problems I have with his work-- like the virulent racism/colonialism and the patronizing sexism.

So if Tolkien wants to stop me from writing my dumb gay hot takes he'll have to crawl out of his grave and fight me over it!! asdfksdfs. But if he did crawl out of his grave and fight me I'd let him win because he is a Sad Man and I'd feel sorry for him. ;_; However  I doubt he will.

Idk, I feel like a lot of LOTR fans (including me) have gotten anons complaining at them about how "reading gay subtext into Tolkien is against the author's intent" or whatever excuse they're using to be homophobic now. And it's so tempting to respond to those anons by arguing "no, it isn't against Tolkien's intent! Tolkien DID intend it!" And as I mentioned before I do think there’s value in analyzing authorial intent; I do believe that knowing the author’s intent *does* change the feeling of the story.

But honestly like.......I think there's more value in tearing down the assumption that Tolkien's intent is the Only key to interpreting his work, that you are obligated to Agree with everything Tolkien intended, and that all adaptations/fanfic/headcanons need to be "true to Tolkien's intent" to be good or meaningful.

My Hot Take is that the only one who benefits from obsessing over the Inherent Value of Tolkien's intent are whatever corporation currently own the rights Tolkien's intent, lol XD. If Amazon is the only one who is legally allowed to profit off of Tolkien's Vision, then it's in Amazon's best interest to insist that Tolkien's Vision is the only correct way to interpret his work. So gay people won’t exist in Middle Earth until Amazon decides it’s more profitable for them to exist. But eyyy

#asdfkljsdfsdkfj sorry I have a lot of feelings about lotr #(you seem like a nice anon! Im not arguing with you at all. I just have feelings) #(I dont mean to sound combative!! I just used this as an excuse to ramble lol ) #(using this as an excuse to yell feelings into the void) #idk I feel similarly about Tolkien as I do Victor Hugo #they were weird traumatized flawed old white dudes #they wrote some nice stuff!!! and a lot of stuff I disagree with #Idk i don't think either of them are good Authorities on the Meaning of Life. They're both just some guy #But I think Les Mis has really benefitted from being in the public domain #being fREED from Victor Hugo's intent #while the Lord of the Rings Franchise(tm) has sorta become...a monster? #a monster shackled to the corpse of its author? #In large part because of the way the studio system/film industry/games industry works #instead of trying to unshackle Lord of the Rings from Tolkien #people try to retroactively change who Tolkien was #idk there's a trend in the lotr fandom of trying to retroactively make Tolkien a better person than he was #and the Lord of the Rings books more progressive than they were #to the point of denying or erasing some of the most vile elements of the series in a way that makes me uncomfortable #there's a difference between reinterpreting lotr to be more progressive #vs #'there was never any racism in lotr! there was never any sexism!' #the les mis fandom is generally more willing to acknowledge the author was a Hot Mess #sdkfjsdfdsf thats a tangent though