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yourpintilts · 10 months

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Only Friends and Genre Theory

Well - I guess I'll start this blog off with post about everyone's (my) favorite series (it literally has not aired yet) of 2023: Only Friends.

Recently, the nominees for the ContentAsia awards were released, and my friends and I were celebrating the nomination of The Eclipse for Best LGBTQ+ Show (yay!) when a really interesting topic arose. Someone pointed out that Jojo Tichakorn's Never Let Me Go was chosen over The Warp Effect, which they felt was his better work in 2022. Regardless of your opinion on that (though, I agree), we wondered if The Warp Effect is even eligible at all. Of course, the category is LGBTQ+ Shows, but every single nominee is a BL.

I've noticed, in my perusing of BL Twitter and Tumblr that most fans seem to differentiate between BL, lakorns/dramas, and the LGBTQ+ genre, but nobody seems to define them. They are designating the genre by, for lack of a better word (although I consider it pretty accurate), the vibes.

I've seen the off-handed "I wonder what genre it will be" or "It seems like Jojo is leaning away from BL with this series" comment more than once about Only Friends. And really, it's hard to say at all when all we have is a trailer and cryptic social media posts from the cast and crew, but, uh, I'm gonna try. Sort of.

So, let's get into it: Is Only Friends going to be a BL, drama, an LGBTQ+ show, or something else entirely?

Alright, before we get into trying to put a label on the series, let's talk about the labels themselves: it's Genre Theory time!

So, what is genre? Well, most of us would consider it to be the category that we put a type of media or art into: country music, romance novels, etc. Genres help us differentiate amongst the huge sea of art, find patterns and create links between work, and, most practically, help us decide if we will likely enjoy something or not.

Normally, it's not much more complicated than that. Sci-fi, drama, noir, biography - each of these gives you a basic idea of what you're getting into, what tropes you might expect, or how you might feel while consuming it. But film theorists will be film theorists, and it's not actually that simple.

Let's take the horror genre as an example. At its face, we define films as horror because they follow certain tropes and patterns: things like jump scares, the final girl, dark and saturated style, slashers and paranormal, etc. But what about movies like Parasite or Get Out? These films rely less on jump scares and physical horror - it's their concepts themselves that are so scary. And so this is where sub-genres come in, in which Parasite and Get Out are labeled as psychological horror to further define them. And then there are films that just... don't seem to be anything at all. Something like (because I recently watched it) In Bruges, which mixes crime, drama, and comedy, but also never fully leans in to any of them. It sort of defies genre altogether.

So, that's the gist of genre theory. Basically, the point is that sometimes you can put a film or other piece of art in a category, and sometimes you can't.

But, let's be honest. We don't care about other movies. Let's talk about sexy, spectacular, groundbreaking masterpiece that will be Only Friends, and how we can apply genre theory in order to try to figure out what label best fits.

There are several different indicators of a BL, and Only Friends does fit some of them:

Most straightforwardly: the primary story in a BL is a relationship between two male characters. Of course, in this case there are six male leads (and who knows how many different pairings... TopSan, NickSan, RayBoston, and more have their advocates, some even seem likely), but the point is that the series is focused on their relationships together. Along with this, two of the three primary couples - ForceBook and FirstKhaotung - featured in the show are official pairings at GMMTV. BLs nearly always feature couples who have worked or will work together in multiple shows.

The series is also being produced by GMMTV, a company well-known for its stake in the BL genre, and it follows the logistical style of a 12-episode limited series.

But in several other ways, the show is in direct opposition to many of the components of BL. Some may not be intentional, or hard and fast "rules," but they occur so often that they are undeniably associated with BL as a genre.

As mentioned above, two of the lead couples are official pairings, but the other isn't. In fact, Neo and Mark both auditioned for their roles in Only Friends, and Director Jojo Tichakorn has spoken about his intention in casting them: to divert the expectation of clear masculine/feminine and top/bottom roles in queer relationships. The "seme" and "uke" trope, designating who gives and receives sexually (and usually indicating personality and relationship dynamics), has been pervasive in BL. It panders to the homophobic notion that queer relationships must still follow heteronormative standards. With NeoMark - and, as I believe, with all of the relationships in the series - Jojo will subvert that standard.

Also, Only Friends has a not insignificant amount of openly queer people writing, directing, etc. for the show. This certainly isn't the first time this has happened, but since BL began as a genre made by women and for women, Only Friends seems determined to be a series by queer people and for queer people.

And, because we've already established genre is not black and white, there are other aspects of Only Friends that blur the lines of its BL status. Only Friends seems to be much darker, grittier, and realistic the typical dramedy BL. We already know we will see smoking, drug use, sex, cheating, and according to Jojo, this is only scratching the surface. But, of course, the BL genre has evolved as of late, giving us shows like KinnPorsche, which also delve into such topics. So, while BL is largely more comedic and lighthearted, a darker series still can fit the genre.

Of course, there are many other characteristics of BL that Only Friends exhibits and opposes - I could be here forever if I wanted to list every single one, but we have less than a week until episode one, and personally, I want to watch the trailer a thousand more times before Saturday. So hopefully these examples gave you enough of an idea that Only Friends sort of straddles the line of BL (but also that BL itself is incredibly difficult to define, especially as it continues to evolve).

What about the LGBTQ+ genre - can Only Friends better be defined by this? Likely, yes, but my answer is so because the LGBTQ+ genre itself is even vaguer than BL.

(Some even argue that it isn't a genre at all. That's a post for another time.)

Shows labeled as LGBTQ+ are often done so because of a few defining characteristics, usually occurring at the same time: the show features LGBTQ+ characters, depicts LGBTQ+ themes (coming-of-age, acceptance, found family, etc), and is broadly accepted as such by the queer community. Only Friends certainly does the first two, but the third might be a bit trickier than it seems. With the divide between the LGBTQ+ and BL genres, some audiences will argue it fits one over the other.

And perhaps there are some important differences: the LGBTQ+ genre exists on an international scale, with media added to the queer canon from all over the world. Comparatively, I'm not sure I can think of a show outside of Asia that has been labeled as a BL. The LGBTQ+ genre does tend to be more diverse in gender and sexuality than the typical gay male leads in BL, too - BL does stand specifically for Boys' Love while LGBTQ+ encompasses any form of queerness.

But if we're focusing on these standards, I think Only Friends checks these boxes as well. The show seems to clearly be a test for a less conservative international market. And it is more diverse than just gay male leads; Namchueam is sapphic, Jojo has indicated that Ray is bisexual, and Yo is played by Jennie, a trans woman. Sure, there can always be more diversity, but this is absolutely a step forward compared to past, and many current, GMMTV series.

After positioning Only Friends next to the BL genre, then the LGBTQ+ genre, I would love to be able to make a judgment and wrap this all up in a neat little bow.

Actually, that's a lie. I don't want to do that - I am the complicated film theorist I was talking about before. So, it's a good thing I can't, isn't it?

Ultimately, Only Friends is a show that is here to break boundaries, to subvert expectations, to give us something we've never seen before in Thai, or maybe even international, entertainment. It would be an injustice to the series to try to put it in a box, to ignore its little nuances out of convenience.

It doesn't matter whether Only Friends is a BL or LGBTQ+ drama. We should be looking at the show holistically, taking it in as it is rather than through the lens of the things we come to expect from a specific genre. Genre can be useful, yes, but we can't get too held up on applying it where it may not be productive.

And yet (plot twist!), it sort of... does matter? It matters, not in the sense of changing what the show is, but changing the way we perceive and discuss it. The implications that come with a BL series are different than those of an LGBTQ+ series, even though both genres are difficult to define and are ever-changing.

The conversations we have about how innovative Only Friends is, its place in Asian versus international culture, whether it can be considered a success or not, if it's "good" representation and who gets to decide that... all of that is a product of the genre we label a series with. And I'm not really here to argue whether that is a good or a bad thing; like I said, genre can be useful, and fun - there's a reason specific genres remain popular! What I hope this post sparks is external and internal conversation about why we label, and how that might do a service and/or disservice to the media we engage with. Think about the way that you, personally, want to interact with Only Friends and shows like it, accept it, and then challenge it.

#thai bl #firstkhao #forcebook #neomark #only friends #only friends series #gmmtv

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dormarunt · 5 months

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When the trailer and promo stuff came out, I thought keila was gonna be the most annoying character, but to my surprise, i kinda liked her, and the only love story i cared about a little bit was keila&bruce (yes, it was a big cliché, but they were cute imo). what are your opinions about her? anyway, the show had way too much romance and too little heisting.

I wasn't the most positive about the spinoff (it's all here on Tumblr in my whiny posts about it from last year when it got announced) yet Keila is the one I was curious about from the start - one nerd gal to another, I guess. I kinda like her too! Maybe I'm projecting but the horny, nerdy girl isn't a foreign concept to me - although I'll tell you what is (no, not just that particular level of horniness) -- the fact that everyone takes her seriously. Unless I missed something, I don't think anyone ever questions her competence. Not only that, but she did stuff that's, for all intents and purposes, impossible (didn't she "hack" into something from a boat somewhere? Still behind on the rewatch, sorry) Anyway, LOVE the idea of a woman in STEM not having her skills or intelligence questioned (not my experience, or many other women's in STEM). Her terminal horniness is a series-appropriate level of camp and okay, I guess I can buy a 36 yo hot, virgin nerd girl? I also love the fact that she's older than the rest of the team, although I'm basically her age and I wouldn't have been able to go past her initial instinct of, "but he's 26, a baby!!"

As for the too much romancing and too little heisting -- welp. I think it was one of the first ways Alex Pina described the series - literally the first things we knew about it was that it would be about love and heists. (pls excuse the hastily done screenshots during that Tudum event back in 2022)

That said, yes, I'd have loved a lot more heisting, although I was kinda prepared for this I guess.

#asks #Berlin netflix #Berlin LCdP #Keila #no offense to Andres but we all know all his relationships crash and burn #i'm more interested in all his heists that he does NOT fuck up #far more entertaining I bet #unless they give us a rewritten history of Berlermo consummating their love in which case YEP more love pls

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stormyoceans · 3 months

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monica! i need your best slow burn pining recommendations, i feel like you're the right person to ask <3

TURNS OUT THIS WAS ACTUALLY A WAY HARDER QUESTION TO ANSWER THAN I EXPECTED AND IT SENT ME INTO A DEEP EXISTENTIAL CRISIS ;;;;;;;;;

the thing is. i feel like 'slow burn' is an extremely subjective concept. for example, the only criteria a lot of people take into consideration to define a story as slow burn is when the characters enter an official romantic relationship, but to me it's also a matter of the characters' awareness when it comes to their own feelings: i personally have a hard time labeling a story as slow burn if the characters are attracted to each other from the first episode, or if one of them is already in love with the other at the beginning of the show, even if it may take them the rest of it to officially get together. and on the other hand, just because the characters aren't attracted to each other right away that doesn't automatically make it a slow burn to me

if i went with my idea of slow burn, tho, this list would be REALLY SHORT (like.. probably only 3 series would fit that ;;;;;;;), so first and foremost i’ve tried to pick shows that i think are the closest to my personal view of what a slow burn is and that have a good balance between pining, awareness and official romantic status, but after that im also gonna give you some different options just to cover a bit more ground, so here we go!!!!!

CLOSEST TO MY IDEA OF SLOW BURN

a tale of thousand stars. what could i even say about this show that hasn’t already been said. it simply has everything: great story, great characters, great chemistry, great slow burn and tension and pining that will make you scream at your screen.

enchanté. this show isn’t half as bad as most people say it is and this is a hill im willing to die on. features one of the best childhood friends to lovers romances with levels of tension and pining that are honestly out of this world and that made me want to punch through a wall in multiple occasions, which is why im willing to put it in the slow burn section even if it’s obvious that both akk and theo are aware of their own feelings for the other since the beginning.

i told sunset about you. it’s hard for me to call a show with only 5 episodes a slow burn, and yet it still very much feels like one. i don’t talk much about itsay because it speaks to the queer experience in a way that hits a bit too close to home for me, but the chemistry and the tension are truly unparalleled (in this house we do not talk about i promised you the moon tho).

my ride. kind overworked doctor meets broken-hearted motorcycle taxi driver in one of the softest, sweetest, most underrated slow burn romances ever put on screen. i don’t really know what else to say except that this is one of my comfort show and that it never fails to make me feel all warm and fuzzy.

SOTUS. look.. im fully aware this show has its issues. aside from the hazing (which personally doesn’t bother me, but i know it can be triggering for other people), it belongs to a generation of BL where the concept of any other sexuality aside from straight and gay did not exist, so you will have to bear with now thankfully outdated tropes like ‘gay for you’ and a certain amount of sex negativity. despite all this, it still does many things right, including giving us an enemies to lovers slow burn romance that to this day no other BL can compare to.

triage. TIME LOOP + MEDICAL MURDER MYSTERY + SLOW BURN = A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN. i know this show isn’t for everyone – for some it’s too slow and complicated, for others there’s not enough romance – but it is made for me specifically and i will never stop recommending it.

the untamed. okay so.. i guess technically we can’t call this a BL because the show has been edulcorated by chinese censorship, but even if there are no kiss and no actual declaration of love in the series, this is still very much a romance, and it’s also the perfect example of what slow burn is to me: excruciating and with the power to reduce you to a rabies-ridded violent little gremlin.

vice versa. IM THE MOST PREDICTABLE WOMAN ON EARTH IM SORRY. and alright, this may be a little bit of a stretch because if i put vice versa here then it’s fair to argue i should put other shows as well, BUT IN MY DEFENSE. episode 6 and episode 7 caused me irreparable damage with how much i was screaming at my screen for puen and talay to just kiss and get together already. these two idiots also confirmed their status only in the last part of the very last episode, and just for that they deserve a spot here. ABSOLUTE BUFFOONERY.

other shows that fit this and that are not my cup of tea but maybe they’re yours:

stay with me [cw: sad ending]

SHOWS THAT I THINK COULD BE CONSIDERED SLOW BURN (maybe. possibly. perhaps? ;;;;;)

dear doctor i’m coming for soul

i will knock you (is this show good? no. did i watch it until the very end laughing my ass off and having the time of my life? yes. it is EXTREMELY cringey and pretty low quality tho, so be aware of that ;;;;;;)

ingredients

light on me

my tooth your love

our dining table

unintentional love story

other shows that fit this and that are not my cup of tea but maybe they’re yours:

minato shouji’s coin laundry

step by step

MORE OF A NICE SIMMER TO A ROILING BOIL BUT THE PINING IS DELICIOUS

2gether

my school president

old fashion cupcake

we best love: nr. 1 for you

other shows that fit this and that are not my cup of tea but maybe they’re yours:

plus and minus

NOT SLOW BURN TO ME BUT THE RELATIONSHIP IS DEVELOPED NICELY AND/OR THERE IS SOME GOOD PINING

bad buddy

blueming

the eighth sense

history 3: trapped

laws of attraction

love tractor

not me

semantic error

#IDK IF I ENDED UP PUTTING TOO MANY TO COVER MORE GROUND IM SORRY ;;;;;;;#i swear i also tried to do research on what people consider slow burn but it wasn’t really helpful ;;;;;;;#i also feel like all of these shows are already well known so idk if i were helpful at all ;;;;;;;#if you give me your definition of slow burn i could try and be more specific tho!!!!!#just let me know and thank you for asking me this!!!!!#hope you're having a wonderful day!!!!! 💜#bl recs #show recs #m: ask

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andsalttheearthbehindyou · 6 months

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November reading wrapup

hmmm pretty good month for quantity but hit or miss for quality, i either loved or hated almost all of these. 💆🏻‍♀️

1. the lover, marguerite duras — tumblr girl classic, ur fav web weaving posts almost definitely feature a snippet of this. like woah 😭 ok very timeless very vivid and real. I did cry.

2. icebreaker, hannah grace — this is EMBARASSINGGGGGG i was going to a hockey game and was like woah let me get into this mindset... into this world… THIS BOOK WAS MISLEADING i thought itd be equal parts hockey world ice skater world equal parts romance and no.. it was nothing of the sort... this was just tooooo porny like WAY too much, even for me. AND I USED TO WRITE SM- *gunshot*

3. throne of glass, sarah j mass — does anyone have any good fantasy series recs that arent this?? like this is what years without winds of winter will do to a woman. im settling for this subpar garbage. but i am gonna keep reading it bc what else do i have, george???

4. mickey7, edward ashton — been on my tbr since rob pattinson was announced to be the lead in this in the bong joon-ho movie… i feel like with the creatives behind it thisll end up being one of those rare bones and all situations where the adaptation is wayyyyy better than the book. but idk. book itself was whatever good concept but didnt even really go anywhere. i thought that i had guessed a twist lie 3 quarters of the way thru but there was no twist literally nothing happened. therefore MID

5. blood meridian, cormac mccarthy — the only other time i had like a visceral tummy churning reaction to a book like this was when i read theons chapters in a dance with dragons 😭😭😭 anyway i like the lack of quotation marks and i also find it easier to write without them SHOOT ME

6. death valley, melissa broder — im really endeared to broder as a writer because i feel like she can only do one thing really well and shes very self aware of that.. which i respect.. also what the protag is going thru here at the start of the book is something ive also gone thru and it felt very strangely accurate and bizarre as a real person reading about a fake person going thru it. and literally within the book the protag references how writers poorly portray their characters accurately 'going thru it' (i keep saying going thru it bcoz im trying not to spoil even tho no ones gonna read my recs ALTHO this one deserves to be read i think) so that was cray and meta but umm what im trying to say is.. melissa i wanted to go to ur book signing i literally had my day cleared in my planner for u. why did u have to cancel the event.

7. indelicacy, amina cain — public announcement i guess but hey girl @noumenongirl i think you would love this one i dont know why but the whole time i was reading i was just like woah she’d love this😭 i liked it a lot

8. the penelopiad, margaret atwood — this is what circe by madeline miller wanted and tried to be but failed tremendously at.....

9. crown of midnight, sarah j mass — was better than throne of glass in the beginning actually but then they halfway thru lost me again..

10. the assassins blade, sarah j mass — im just hate reading at this point like i dont have anything else to do. Celaena youll never be daenerys girl like stop

11. elvis and me, priscilla beaulieu presley — ohhhh…. :,(((( my fav celeb memoir yet i think.....

+ bonus — im gonna add this to my december list but im like 75% of the way with fourth wing rn, good fawking heavens i wishthat grrm could trademark copyright the concept of dragons like i dont think anyone should be allowed to write about DRAGONS only him. like mini spoilers for fourth wing SORRY but WHY DO THE DRAGONS SPEAK ENGLISH, WHY DO THEY EVEN SPEAK AT ALL....cringe. but better than throne of glass at least😭 but it doesnt take much to be better than throne of glass to be fair. OK reading wrapup over.

#technically read lover at the end of october SORRRYY... SORRY FOR CHEATING.... but had to mention it bc it was the best of the lot imo #and if u have any recs lmk😸!#booklr

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goldenheartstudios · 1 year

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I wanna talk about Bart's sexuality in the comics

Disclaimer 1: Just the good ol’ reminder that this is based on an opinion and shouldn’t be taken as a fact. This post is an analysis/interpretation/reinterpretation based on a headcanon, so I don’t want to pretend that this is the only right way to see the character or the story, because that’s not the case at all

Disclaimer 2: This post is long because I like to explain and go into details about things. You’ve been warned

With that out of the way, I can now give some actual context

You see, I said this in a post once, but my way of headcanoning something is by building from canon, without necessarily contradicting what we’ve seen or know. But there is a kind of exception of that

Which is me headcanoning some of my favorite characters as aroace. Why, do you ask? Because I’m myself aroace, simple as that

And well, Bart is not only a favorite character, he’s one of my comfort characters. He’s quite a blorbo, if you will

But, as I’ve read through many of his comic appearances, I noticed that this headcanon fits actually quite well with his behavior and things we’ve seen (so far), so i decided that a discussion on how Bart would be aroace could be a fun thing to do

Without further ado, I guess I can start!

First thing first, if there are people who don’t know what aroace is, I’ll give a simple explanation:

Aroace is being aromantic asexual. Aromantic means having little to no romantic attraction, and asexual means having little to no sexual attraction. Simple, right?

There are some more factors about it, like the person’s attitude towards romance/sex and how there are different ways to be aromantic or asexual, but I’ll not delve into that because otherwise this post would get too long. There are however some quick videos I recommend to watch if you want to have a bigger understanding on those orientations (and this youtuber is pretty cool too):

For aromantic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u50eURBqG-k

For asexual: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM-nKODEL_

In the course of many comics, Bart showed a lack of interest in the two, especially at the beginning. This was tried to be explained with his fast aging situation, that his lack of emotional maturity meant for him to not be ready to have romantic feelings

But it doesn’t quite make sense because here’s the thing:

Children are fully capable of developing crushes

Ever since primary school you can see kids giving love letters and choosing to hang out with someone because they have a crush on them. It’s true, at that age they don’t understand the concept of romance that well, but they can feel attraction towards someone. The amount of videos you can find of people talking about their childhood crushes are a pretty good proof of this, along with personal observation

There are many opinions and interpretations on when can someone fall in love, but a general agreement is that emotions develop far sooner than cognition or other elements, and the problem that rises is how you should deal with emotions rather than you growing to have them

Another thing is that body wise, Bart has the body of a teen. Beginning of the teen stage, to be exact, which is the time when hormones kick in

And hormones are the thing that greatly influence a person’s love life, which is the reason why the majority of people start falling in love around that time, but Bart didn’t, because he frankly did not care

And the few times he showed that he did can be interpreted as not actual romantic (or sexual) attraction, which is what I’m gonna delve into

But before I do that, I need to address the elephant in the room, that being Flash: The Fastest Man Alive comic

Which I have to say from the get go that I will not talk about it in this post because it’s not just an elephant, it’s a freaking dinosaur full of bad choices made by people from the DC team. I do have interpretations for the relationship from that series, but I can’t share those interpretations without addressing some things about the comic and stating my opinions, which… they’re not really positive. So, I will share them only if there are people interested in me talking about it or if someone’s trying to diss this headcanon by shoving this comic in my face like a sore thumb

But I’m letting you all know that I’m aware of this comic’s existence, and still consider Bart as aroace with that series in mind. Cool? Cool

Also, if there’s something that I missed by either forgetting or not knowing about it, do let me know! There are a lot of comics made throughout the years after all

Anyway, let’s begin with the first relationship: Bart & Carol

Which is actually one of the reasons why it would make sense for him to be aroace, since their relationship seems to be more like queerplatonic than a romantic relationship, at least on Bart’s side

What is queerplatonic, you may wonder? To put it simply, it’s a relationship that doesn’t fall into a normal friendship, nor into a typical romance. It can have romantic elements, but overall it’s not read as a romantic relationship

Here’s a 10 minutes video that goes into details about it if you want more clarification: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIMAca8iWoc

And frankly, this is how they acted with each other. Or how Bart acted towards Carol at least

In Impulse #20, there was someone else who implied that Carol had a crush on Bart, and when she kissed him, they both laughed it off and settled on being friends

Now, I can’t fully say that Carol didn’t show any sign of crush at that time, but it’s safe to say that the speedster didn’t. Heck, there was a moment when she stood still and did the classic “falling in love realization stare” thing, and all Bart was thinking at that moment was flying birds because he was just hit with a ball in the eye

Ah, I love this kid

From that point, their relationship was not challenged until Carol got a toxic boyfriend. At that time, Bart showed displeasure not because he was jealous, but because Carol didn’t deserve to have such a bad boyfriend (which is clearly shown in Impulse #70). It came from genuine worry towards his bestie, and that worry got assumed to be romantic by the others, not him

And only after that he started to think of them being together, which left him mostly confused

And Carol was the one who initiated the relationship, while Bart was still uncertain about what he’s feeling

This whole situation is interesting, because throughout the comic, Bart shows to understand the concept of love. What he’s showing is not really romance, more like confusion caused by having feelings that were not only friendship, and he takes it as romance when he’s pressed on by the others and told that this is what he’s feeling, which it’s developed from issue 71 to issue 75

This pressure of being in a romantic relationship and not only friendship can be interpreted as amatonormativity. What is amatonormativity, you may ask? Well, it is described as such:

“Amatonormativity is a word coined to describe the widespread assumption that everyone is better off in an exclusive, romantic, long-term coupled relationship, and that everyone is seeking such a relationship.”

Here’s a 14 minutes video that goes more into details about this concept: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYgniujXJNE

But basically, because of the belief that everyone is seeking romantic relationships, some people have the tendency to consider that a feeling other than typical friendship has to be romance, and when you’re not familiar with other kinds of attractions like queerplatonic, aesthetic etc. or you’re not familiar on the concept of lacking romance/sexual attraction, you will fall to believe that what others are saying about yourself is true

And this comes from personal experience. I’ve never sought a romantic relationship with someone, and when I was getting along with someone (or I was friends with a person of the opposite gender), the others around me told me that I had a crush on that person and even pressured on it. I didn't think it was true at first, because I just really liked hanging out with that person, I just liked being good friends and getting along well. But because what I was feeling was a little different than normal friendship, and I didn’t know about queerplatonic being a thing, I fell to believe that what I had were romantic feelings because that’s what I’ve been told from others, in a society where being in a romantic relationship was the norm

So that’s why I think that Bart’s feelings were not romantic, because his behavior didn’t follow the romantic norms (even though he understands what romance is), and he believed that his feelings towards Carol were romance after he was told and pressured by others

And his attitude after Carol leaving is interesting as well. In Impulse #78, he shrugged off the fact that they kissed and focused more on the fact that he misses her. Actually, from Bart’s side, there was little to no importance put on the fact that they were a couple in the time Carol left in a future timeline, and his sadness came from the fact that she wasn’t around him anymore

And in Impulse #89, when Carol settled up on being friends, he was basically unphased by it. He was more that happy on being friends and he was just glad that she was back

So, this can be interpreted as aromantic behavior, with Bart having an indifferent attitude towards romance

Don’t get me wrong, I love Bart and Carol’s relationship, and it’s one of the healthiest and cutest relationships I’ve read in superhero comics. But you can’t deny that the way it formed and it was presented doesn’t quite fit with being a romantic one. At least, romantic from both sides

I also have to make note on the fact that White Lightning, a character who has the ability to make men fall in love with her and follow her orders, admitted herself that her powers never worked on Bart

This was in issue 76, when she tried to get away with a theft, and after she pulled out her charm powers Bart was quick to snap out of it (which it also happened in issue 80, thus showing consistency)

So basically, from his main comic series I can easily interpret Bart as aroace, but what about the other comics? Well, in Young Justice from 1998, he showed no attraction towards anyone, so that one’s easy to interpret. It also has one of his most aroace moments ever:

This comic is a treasure

Actually, a lot of comics don’t have him showing attraction, which makes my analysis job way easier

But, another notable comic that showed the potential of him having romantic feelings was Teen Titans from 2003, which this is where I’m gonna continue with my interpretation

Okay, to start with a quick one: In issue number 2, when Bart told Cassie that she’s the one who made him like girls, the only possible explanation is that she’s the one who made him admire girls, especially since he then said that she’s Wonder Girl, which he also said those things to convince Cassie on not leaving the team

Because otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense at all if it was supposed to mean that she’s the one who made him love girls. Because:

1. He didn’t show any romantic feelings towards Cassie in Young Justice 1998

2. He didn’t show any feelings that may be considered as romantic until his relationship with Carol was questioned

3. If he had a crush on Cassie after the events from Young Justice 1998 out of screen, the statement would still not make any sense because it would have been after Carol and Bart were a thing, so Cassie wouldn’t be the one who made him love girls

If the writers tried to make any romantic implications there, they totally failed because of Carol’s existence from the Impulse comics. Because even if I interpret Bart’s feelings towards Carol as not being romantic, Bart himself is not aware of the possibility of being aroace, nor is aware of the possibility of his lack of romantic/sexual attraction. Because this is something that you can’t easily learn from reading books in early 2000s

And now we’re going with the second relationship: Bart & Rose

Which this one’s fairly easy because of how little it was shown/developed

From Rose’s side, the only sign of attraction was in issue 11, where she admitted that Robin is not as cute as Kid Flash, aka Bart

And from Bart’s side, the only sign of attraction was this from issue 12:

Which is vague as hell

Okay, let’s first go to the moment they initially met for a second, which was in The New Titans 1988. In issue 126, Bart asked for advice on how he can get Rose to talk to him, since at that time she had… some issues with communication, to say the least. When it was questioned if he had a crush on her, he rejected the idea and said that he doesn’t know what he’s feeling

From the way he talks about her, it looks more like he has that kind of interest, or “zoning out”, that some people have over someone they feel compatible with, without necessarily having romantic feelings towards them (which honestly, I recognize this behavior from personal experience)

It makes sense for him to want to get along with her and be friends, since compared with the other team members from that time, I would say that she would have been one of the closest to his age, and it’s easier to communicate and be good friends to people around your age. But I have to admit, this is more of a guess because the comics are very bad to keep up with the characters’ age continuity and in The New Titans almost everyone is drawn to look like a big or small adult anatomy wise, so it doesn’t help with figuring it out

And after one failed attempt of him trying to talk with Rose, the comic didn’t focus on this dynamic anymore

There was afterwards a comment from Tara that implied he had a crush at that moment. Once again, the romance implication came from someone else, and Tara only has the perspective of an outsider. Also let’s be fair, her attitude on romance is not… quite typical to say the least, or at least from what I’ve seen, so I wouldn’t take her opinion on someone else’s feelings as a fact

And the things the comic presented are not strong enough evidence on the possibility of romance because it shouldn’t have been this… vague, or it should have been shown more than one single instance in this comic series (and believe me, DC is more than capable of showing more romantic moments between characters in order to ship them), but that’s just it. Plus, it makes more sense that in this instance the thing he wanted to suggest was for them to just hang out and listen to her, because he was following the advice he was given

So basically, this subplot ended with Bart trying to befriend Rose, but he failed and it didn’t go anywhere

And now, we get back to the moment from Teen Titans issue 12, which shows his current opinion on her

The way he talks about her can be considered as more of an admiration than crush, plus genuine worry for turning into something unrecognizable to him. The term “kinda” also shows uncertainty in his emotions

And in this comic (Teen Titans 2003), aside from these two instances from #11 and #12, it wasn’t shown anything between them until issue 18, where their versions from an alternate future were in an established relationship

Which it can be interpreted as anything, because the only thing we know is that they were together. We don’t know how they became a thing, when they became a thing, and we don’t know the full nature of their relationship. We just know that they’re a thing, which is not even something certain for them, as we were told in issue 19:

And after that, you know what came out of their relationship?

Nothing

It didn’t go anywhere

The writers dropped that subplot as fast as they brought it up, and these two never developed into something more than friends

After that, there are only two other notable instances that never got anywhere

In issue 83, Bart made a one-time comment to Aqua Girl that he’s complicated but 100% available, which it was quickly brushed off and never brought up again, so there’s no point in interpreting that really

And in issue 93, he showed an interest in a new girl named Kiran, of which Rose was the one who took it as a crush and nudged him to help the girl in order to impress her. And after that moment of Bart being excited about doing something for Kiran, this whole thing was brushed off and never brought up again. Like… that whole situation is strange because you can’t really take it as a romance, more like an admiration which was considered to be a romance

The Teen Titans comic leaves me intrigued, because I’m left with the feeling that the writers wanted for Bart to be with someone, but it never got anywhere because they realized that it doesn’t work with his character, so anything they tried got quickly thrown away

And in the current comics, after Bart came back from the Speed Force as Impulse again, he showed even less romantic interest than he did in the past. He actually didn’t show any attraction at all, with one exception that was made aware to be out of character in the comic itself

That exception is from… Young Justice Dark Crisis, which I’m gonna try to do a brief description for context:

Tim, Kon and Bart were trapped by a stereotypical gen Z fanboy in a version from their past as Young Justice, but that past was filled with all inaccuracies like homophobia, sexism, and more stereotypes (and the world being off was constantly questioned by Bart himself). That world also influenced them at some level, which led to Bart making an out of character comment about fake-Cassie fighting a woman with huge boobs up in the air in issue number 2

This was explicitly made to be inaccurate to his character and to show more of the fact that this world is off. The only one who didn’t see it as something wrong (even though he showed at first a reaction of confusion), was Kon, which I would argue that this is out of character for Kon as well

That whole comic is a big whole mess for different reasons not related with this post, but from that I can at least have more evidence on Bart being aroace. Yay, I guess?

And with that, we reach the present of this post. Now the question is, do I think that the writers intended for him to be aroace? Not in the slightest

Do I think that he’ll get into a romantic relationship in the future? Kind of, because the comic industry finds it popular to put their characters in couples

But I have to make something clear: it is possible to be aroace and have a romantic or sexual relationship with someone, because there are many kinds of identities in the aromantic and asexual concepts. To put it in a different perspective, the terms aromantic and asexual are relatively as specific as the term homosexual

This post is one interpretation based on one kind of being aroace that fits with the behavior Bart presented in the comics, and you can have your own interpretation that’s different from this one. Heck, you can even have your own different headcanon of his orientation, the limit is your imagination! If you want him, or any other character, to have an orientation similar to yours, you can fully go for it

All I did was to use the canon to fit with my headcanon, but you’re not obligated to fully follow the canon. After all, if there are writers within the DC team that disregard things from the canon and change the characters in ways that don’t fit them at all without any reason whatsoever, what’s stopping you from doing your own thing for personal entertainment?

As a final note, I’m gonna say this:

Since Bart was in the DC Pride: Tim Drake Special comic, the only logical conclusion is that he’s also LGBT, and this applies to every other character presented in the comic/hj

Have fun with that!

#dc #dc comics #bart allen #impulse #young justice #teen titans #I put more effort and research into this than I put into many of my essays which I don't know how to feel about it #but what I do know is that I had a blast writing this and this is what matters #gh rant

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sitp-recs · 2 years

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Hidden Gems by @sorrybutblog

Happy happy birthday iota! Today we celebrate two of my favourite fandom people, the power that you guys hold 😌 This list was supposed to be published later on in the series but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to scream again about your wonderful work. It’s been lovely to share this fandom space with you, and to get to know you better in the last few months. I’ve been in love with your fics ever since I read Waiting for that Feeling and now I finally get to share a proper reclist with your hidden gems!

I’ve told you this before but the first word that comes to mind when I think of your writing is “refreshing”. Your characters are a charming mix of open and tentative, a bit bold and a bit shy, and I can never guess what they’re doing or saying next, which is really exciting because it keeps me engaged at all times. I love how your Harry and Draco have such unique and interesting personalities; considering so many authors focus on Draco’s POV, your Harry has quickly become one of the most captivating takes I’ve seen on him lately.

Whenever I’m reading a iota fic I’m surprised by an unexpected joke that makes me snort out loud, or a subtle confession that makes me take a deep breath and go back to reread that line a few times. I love your brand of slice-of-life, light and fun but also contemplative and so so sexy (honestly, I haven’t seen someone make T and M content this sexy in a long time!) with low key angst, clever humor, engaging dialogue and A+ purposeful flirting. Your delicious UST and fab sense of humour got me immediately obsessed with both Heartlines and A Truth - I remember thinking “Wow iota has such a cool VIBE and I love it!”. Being in such a big fandom surrounded by many talented authors, I think it’s impressive that you found a strong, unique voice and are able to come up with original ways to approach these characters and tropes.

I’m always excited when I see you’ve posted a new fic because I know it’s gonna be a lovely treat perfectly crafted to meet my tastes. My picks probably aren’t a surprise to anyone - least of all iota 😂 - as I’ve been praising these gems for a while now. These are my 7 favorites but everyone should also go check her drabble collection. May I suggest Ephemera, Curiosity and Blue as a starting point? You’re welcome. Happy birthday my darling, I wish you all the nicest things and a lovely day! It’s a privilege to share this fandom with you :)

Eavesdrop (2021, T, 1k) - technically a microfic but I like it so much I wanted to include a small review. I love this concept and how iota gives them so much character here, jealous Harry is so hot! They come together nice and easy, and the hopeful ending left me wanting all the 8th year sneaking around (sorry, Michael!)

The walls at the Leaky Cauldron were paper thin. Harry knew this because he could hear Malfoy next door.

Market Saturdays (2021, M, 3.2k) - you know what they say, market romance is peak romance!!! This domestic fluff is everything I didn’t know I needed, I’ve read this fic multiple times and it never fails to make my heart ache with sweet tenderness for them. This gentle short story will cleanse your skin and cure your anxiety, results guaranteed or your money back 👌🏼

In which Harry is an accidental part-time cheesemonger, Draco is an organic farmer and they fall in love. Not an AU.

Waiting for that Feeling (2021, T, 3.8k) - road trip my beloved! This is a breathtaking and immersive friends to lovers tale with light angst, a perfect Ronald Weasley and soft contemplative vibes. It was my very first iota fic and it became an instant fave, I’ll always have a special spot for it inside my heart.

Draco Malfoy has a car and Harry Potter is on the case! Featuring Muggle car repair, a road trip to Cornwall, and falling in love in a Ford Fiesta. Read my rec here.

Postcards From Italy (2021, E, 6k) - the CMBYN AU we deserve! This fic combines delicious summery vibes with the gorgeous Italian aesthetique and a sexy, organic and quite charming acquaintances-to-lovers get together. I wanna live inside this pool party/nightclub/bathtub perfect universe, please and thank!

A pool party, a nightclub, a bathtub. Draco Malfoy is the last person Harry expected to run into the summer before his third year of university, but he's not complaining (at least not anymore).

Not Nineteen Forever (2022, E, 6k) - I still can’t believe this wonderful de-aging goodness was written for Liv day! This is a perfect Auror partners romance with the BEST sassy 19yo Draco, pining Harry, sweet friends to lovers with adorable flirting and a nod to Daddy kink 😳 basically everything I love in one place, sweet and clever and smutty as all lovely things iota creates.

A rogue charm hits on a mission and suddenly, Draco is nineteen again. Harry is still thirty-five and doing his best to look after his de-aged Auror partner (and forget about his long unrequited crush) until St. Mungo’s can brew the antidote. Only, Draco insists on wandering around Harry’s flat wearing nothing but Harry’s pants, flirting like his life depends on it and in the end, Harry’s only human after all. Read my rec here.

A Truth Universally Acknowledged (2021, M, 17k) - the ultimate P&P-inspired Drarry with perfect enemies to fuck buddies to friends (and lovers). Harry’s voice and want for Draco! The urgent sneaking around! The countryside romance! This fic is so so good it left me a bit incoherent, please expect a proper rec as soon as I stop screaming about this.

A year out from the war, Harry agrees to accompany Hermione on a historical walking tour of Pride and Prejudice. Not in the itinerary: running into Draco Malfoy, setting off a summer of stately homes, lavish parties, resentful shagging, and maybe, falling in love.

Heartlines (2022, T, 22k) - my favorite Cluefest this year, excellent and intriguing case fic with sentient Houses, competent Auror!Harry, surprising and brilliant sense of humour, delicious slow burn with clever dialogue and tons of UST! This fic is sexy, mysterious, funny and charming all at once, definitely a must read.

Just as Draco Malfoy's life seems to be getting back on track, the magic at Malfoy Manor is spinning out of control. Auror partners Harry Potter and Angelina Johnson are assigned to the case and quickly find that nothing about the situation is obvious. The flare ups are unpredictable at best, downright dangerous at worst, and why has a Hogwarts first year gone missing at the same time? Read my rec here.

#hidden gems s2 #happy birthday iota!!! 🎉🎉🎉

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fereldanwench · 10 months

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so i finished act 2 and started act 3 this afternoon

i'm pretty sure this is the only playthrough of da2 in which i did not have a high enough relationship with my bb isabela to get her to return with the tome which feels a little wrong, ngl. but i have been playing rhiannon a lot more on the lawful good side (vs the more chaotic good during her initial conception when she and isabela were friends with benefits) and I've mostly been using varric and sebastian as my rogues so i guess that's how the cookie crumbles

i even had rhiannon offer to find isabela and turn her over to the arishok which AHHHHHHH that obviously isn't a path if isabela doesn't return, but just the thought of it hurts me

i have been having a lot of fun playing rhiannon as a sort of a "I'm not like other apostates" apostate, which was somewhat there with her first iteration, too, but not to this extent. tries extra hard to be a model citizen, overly eager to help templars to curry their favor, is kind of a fucking asshole and did send a few mages back to the circle (she eventually let feynriel go to tevinter, but he had to go to the circle the first time around, sorry bud).

it's been an interesting blend of cognitive dissonance and a certain degree of delusion that she'll never wind up in the gallows because she's such A Good Mage (although that does start to crack come act 3)

anyway, i think her friendship with merrill is gonna tank in this act as well--initially she empathized with merrill having to leave her home to go live in the shithole that is lowtown (i mean obvs their situations aren't identical but there's a connection there), but rhiannon was never cool with blood magic and is extra uncool with it after what happened to leandra so... 😬😬😬

but the fenris romance! omg it has been such a treat. it is a friend-mance, and fenris showing his tender side just makes me djfhgjdkgdfgfd the little cheek stroke he gives hawke if you choose the "I'm always here for you" option after danarius is so fuckgn cute and his soft "i am yours" when you click on him in your party IT'S TOO MUCH

it's been fun having a canon ship, too, because it's been a while since I've been this fond of a character i can properly woo, lmao. i love the freedom of a non-canon ship, but sometimes it is nice to just have the romance already done for you

i think i'm gonna start the legacy DLC tomorrow (i did MOTA during act 2) and I guess I'll have this wrapped up probably by next weekend. it's also been really nice to play a smaller-scale RPG and get through the whole thing in just 20-30 hours versus close to 100 lmao

and it's been so nice enjoying a dragon age game this deeply, because it's been a while. I've tried replaying DAO and DAI in the past few years, but could never finish either, and I've just felt so cynical about the series' future (and I still am tbh) but goddamn DA2 just hits so many chords for me.

#t: wench games #g: da2 #s: dragon age #oc: rhiannon hawke #c: fenris #ship: fenris x rhiannon

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filmmarvel · 2 years

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Thoughts on Wednesday

🚨spoilers ahead🚨

Characters

Cast: Wednesday was delightful, her dialogue in particular was a lot of fun, and Jenna Ortega did a fantastic job. Much of the supporting cast simply filled the roles of teenage stereotypes, I found 1 in particular to be incredibly irritating, and the others simply didn’t stand out to me (it didn’t help that the majority of these character’s plotlines involved unnecessary romances).

Acting: Jenna Ortega carried. She was GREAT but the majority of the side actors were rather mediocre (ranging from bland to actually cringeworthy). That mainly applies to the teenage actors. Gwendoline Christie, Christina Ricci, and Fred Armisen were good too, fun to watch, but nothing particularly remarkable (either due or a lack of screen time or simply a lack of interest).

Dialogue: Similar to the rest of my notes, Wednesday had fun dialogue but the rest were more than subpar. The supporting character’s dialogue definitely landed on the negative side of the ‘how do you do fellow kids’ scale (again, looking at one character in particular), which was pretty cringy, and made it difficult to watch at times.

Plot

Concept vs Execution: The concept was really fun. Everyone loves a good escapist mystery. The execution was very entertaining. However, it ended up way too formulaic and cliche for my liking- all of the twists were predictable. So predictable in fact, that I was able to predict all 4 supposed antagonists, both the decoys and the actual villains. And I say that as someone who’s admittedly terrible at guessing culprits in mysteries. I can almost guarantee you’ve seen this exact type of thing before.

Pacing: Pretty good! Definitely kept me engaged throughout the show, and the twists were enjoyable despite being a little obvious.

Depth: In the end this was still a rather shallow and stereotypical teen series, just with a fresh coat of paint.

Creativity and Visuals

Sets: I really loved the design for the school, it gave the show a great environment.

Costumes: Some were really good (Wednesday), others weren’t super noticeable (understandable, this is about teenagers, you can’t expect a full on fashion show), but some were more than a little ugly.

Style: Tim Burton’s approach was, per usual, really fun to watch, a classic mix of gruesome and playful. However, I feel like I should add that it was just that- classic Tim Burton. Don’t be expecting anything overtly out of the box in this department either. If you don’t like his style in every other movie he’s done, you’re not gonna like it here either because it’s exactly the same.

Overall Attraction:

Memorability: Again, in the end, this was just another cliche. As much as I appreciate the differences in tone and style from your average teen tv series, it wasn’t enough to mask the similarities plot wise.

Entertainment Value: Honestly still quite a lot of fun to watch (hey, if you’re gonna watch a shitty teen tv series, it may as well be one like this).

Did it achieve what it set out to achieve?

Honestly this is one of those cases where I’m pretty mixed. I believe this series goals were to establish a new era of Wednesday Addams and create an entertaining and fresh new teen series centering around a unique character. This was certainly entertaining and Jenna Ortega did a great job at establishing a new version of a character we all know and love. While that makes it sound like a great success, this series simply wasn’t as unique as it thought it was. Just changing the aesthetic of the stories we’ve heard a million times doesn’t make them any different at the core, or any more exciting than the other thousand times we’ve seen them.

Overall Thoughts: Disappointingly cliche and predictable, but still an entertaining show perfect for a guilty pleasure watch thanks to Jenna Ortega’s performance and Tim Burton’s style.

#wednesday #wednesday thoughts #wednesday show #tim burton #wednesday addams #jenna ortega #gwendoline christie #christina ricci #fred armisen #wednesday review #wednesday netflix #the addams family

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vergina-spva · 2 years

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WIP tag game

Concept of the game is that you post the titles of your current works in progress – if someone sends you an ask about one of the titles, you can either post a snippet/sketch or share the concept of that wip!

I was tagged by @yana125 Thank you so much for the tag!

Okay, the ones I’ve been working on most recently:

- Obviously, Crazy Little Thing Called Love - which is ALMOST FINISHED!

- Also, the CLTCL KidLaw date - which doesn’t really have a title yet I guess

- Also the CLTCL epilogue 😂 (almost finished as well)

- Untitled Shachi/Killer/Penguin smut fic: Shachi and Penguin are friends with benefits. The benefit often comes in the form of a third person. (canon compliant)

- Untitled Shachi/Law/Penguin smut fic: Shachi and Penguin are friends with benefits. The benefit often comes in the form of a third person. (So, these two might be posted as one story, since they’re technically the same (canon compliant) Shachi and Penguin)

- Untitled Law/real-human-dildo-collection smut fic 🙈 (not sure if I’m gonna finish this, but uhm... Law has a drawer full of dicks on his ship which he likes to play with whenever he feels like it. The fact that the owners of the dicks still feel what’s happening to them even if they’re half a world apart is part of the charm, of course 😛)

Some older ones that I haven’t worked on for years but I intend to finish some time:

- Boys will be Boys: a modern football/soccer AU focused on the eleven supernova’s with themes as toxic masculinity, sexism, homophobia. Got a hint of one sided LawLu and a hint of HawkinsBonney (though not sure if I wanted that to become a thing), and I believe it had intentions of KidLaw as endgoal, but romance was not the main focus of the story.

- SPVA (yep that’s what my username comes from): The original story I’ve been working on since I was 12, about a spy-vampire agency. Was supposed to be 7 books in total. I’ve come as far as writing 3,5, but I’ve rewritten the first one a few years back, and might do it again. The main character is named Vergina (so that’s the other half of my username). The titel of the first book is ‘Dromen zijn bedrog?’ which translates to ‘Dream are deception?’ but it works better in Dutch than in English, I guess. (SPVA is the series title).

- Untitled Nami/Vivi Alabastan Nights sequel: I wrote a MarcoAce fic called Alabastan Nights years ago. I started on a sequel focused on Nami and Vivi, but didn’t write more than the first (half?) chapter, in which newly freed genie!Thatch goes to visit Vivi. I’d love to finish it some day, but I don’t remember where I wanted the story to go anymore 🙈

I’m tagging @braindeadmaggot and @aerle

#tag game #writing #I guess I shared the concepts already anyway :P #but if anyone wants to know more or read a snippet you can ask ^^

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sofipitch · 1 year

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Would a 32 year old gay man be able to enjoy the locked tomb series

If you like Sci Fi and Fantasy I think it's worth giving a try. I get the apprehension, some recent stuff under those genre that heavily market the queer aspect have no substance to them other than "basic concept but queer now! :D". It actually took me a while of seeing posts about this series by mutuals and ppl I follow to convince me. (So now it's time for me to do the same to my followers 😈)

The diversity is really unique bc it's effortless, this is the kind of story that normally would only have white straight male protags, but it doesn't and the author acts like that's normal, she isn't clearly patting herself on the back. It reminds me of VC in that way, Louis and Lestat are gay bc what else are they supposed to be? Same for Gideon and Harrow (also like VC romance is not a main component in the book but it's the only explanation as to why the characters have that dynamic. Like Louis Gideon claims to hate Harrow yet does a lot of things for her that would indicate the opposite 🤔) But if you are worried about a gooey romance novel this isn't it, fanart is always mostly ship oriented

The humor may be a little juvenile, I don't remember catching many in Gideon but the author has said memes are jokingly woven in. But if you are already on Tumblr you should be fine 😂 I said this in a last ask it's not marketed as YA and I think if the publishers thought it could be they would bc that is one of the biggest book markets right now. Adults will read YA but teens won't necessarily read adult books so shooting for YA makes sense in terms of $$$. Sci/Fi Fantasy is considered a less serious genre (all genre works are which is why lots genre authors/directors/etc will say "well I don't see myself as a horror/romance/fantasy/etc author") but genre book =/= YA

You could not be into VC but with my followers it's statistically less likely so Gideon's POV in book one reminded me of how it felt to read TVL in that you're like "oh this book is being narrated by a dumbass, got it". For me this was a plus 😂

I hope that all makes sense! I had to kind of guess what your concerns would be. I obv enjoyed it so I'm gonna be biased in saying give it a try but I basically only read things other ppl with similar taste have liked so maybe see if other ppl with taste similar to yours have read it

#asks #tlt

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thegodcomplcx · 2 years

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For the Doctor Who themed ask game:

I want to hear all of your incredibly detailed and thought out opinions on all of the questions 👿🔪

300 word minimum per question (lol jk)

oooooo boy. strap in for a long one boys. i answered a couple already, but i'll do the rest here.

(2) what was the first entire series you watched/remember ?

series 1. the revamp, baby. the first ep i watched was from series 5, but i was a completionist even when i was 11, so i started the series from the beginning. (didn't know about classic who back then, or i would've been in for a ride lmao)

(5) any complaints about the show? (20) if you could change anything about the show, what would it be?

i'm gonna combine these two bc i feel like theyre the same kinda. i kinda wish it had a more consistent lore? sldkjfds okay i know this is a ridiculous request and like obviously if something shite happens ppl want to retcon it. or just the fact that it's been going on for 60 some odd years and things slip through the cracks. but i think SO much about the show changes when the showrunner changes, and i know thats a good thing that keeps the show fresh, but it would be interesting to see it all weave together just a tad more cohesively. idk i don't have any REAL complaints overall. doctor who, my beloved.

(6) nuwho or classic who ? why ?

nuwho only because i haven't seen enough of classic to have an informed opinion.

(7) the tenth doctor or the fourth doctor ? why ?

ten. see above.

(8) favorite outfit of the doctor's ? why ?

literally a flawless outfit. it's simple but so fucking effective. first of all, it just looks good. it's reflective of twelve as a character i think, and it has a charmingly classic feel. twelve's era really felt like we were maturing and taking a step away from the doctor that was a young, foppish, dandy, and this outfit SHOWS it. that flash of red in the coat makes me go FERAL. stunning. showstopping. thirteen also looks good in it. (second place goes to eleven's first outfit tho. cus of the nostalgia)

(9) least favorite outfit of the doctor's ? why ?

i like all of them tbh! is it cheating to say six's technicolor dream coat?

(10) favorite companion ?

martha jones. i'm so normal about it, though. (uhhh i've spoken about why i love her at length, and i don't feel the need to elaborate on it here. if you want to hear more thoughts about martha tho lmk i'll make another post)

(11) favorite romance involving a doctor? (12) what is your favorite romance involving a companion?

i'm also gonna answer these together. OBVIOUSLY tenmartha takes the cake. hence the url. i love their fucked up little relationship. i love the way the characters parallel each other and the narrative implications of this. i both think it was depicted perfectly in canon AND that martha jones and the doctor should have fucked on screen. the unrequited aspect is so gutwrenching and compelling. i love it and hate it. i also think ten was in love with martha for real in canon, so i must be fucking delusional. tenmartha hits too good tho.

i'm also a fan of thoscei in all iterations bc i love narrative foils <3

(16) who is your favorite doctor/companion duo ?

take a fucking guess. (tenmartha, my beloved) (11amy close second)

(17) what is your favorite alien species ?

hmmmmm. i don't have super strong opinions on this. maybe those like record keeper boys from demons in punjab? it was a super interesting concept for the doctor to be making assumptions that these guys were evil just to have the script flipped on her.

(18) what is your favorite alien planet ?

gallifrey, i suppose. that burnt orange sky.

(19) cybermen or daleks ?

daleks! they're lowkey kinda funny. there's that scene in daleks of manhattan where two daleks have a little office gossip moment in the sewers talking about how dalek sec is off his shits. it's hilarious. i also own a couple dalek shirts lmao.

#mailbox #doctor who #ask game

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todayimgonnaplay · 23 days

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Today I'm Gonna Play: Baldur's Gate 3

Welp, it's finally time for me to try this one out! I've been wanting to try a DnD-esque video game for a while now. I've played an irl session a handful of times albeit short, but it was pretty fun! So I was curious to see how a CRPG would hold out.

Honestly, I wasn't sure if I'd like the game or, at least, feel motivated to play to the end. I did play a little bit of the Dragon Age games on Game Pass, but it seemed like I needed to be in the mood to play this kind of genre. However, I've been utterly proved wrong. Long has it been since a game would get me so hooked, I'd jump on it every chance I get, spending all my free time, depriving myself of sleep while being completely immersed in another world.

Although a number of games that have released over the years that have been choice focused, I haven't found much of them have really nailed how they impact the characters and world around you. A common complaint is that they tend to just impact the endings you get. I didn't mind this, as choice-based games were a fresh experience for me and are still fun if I want something traditionally non-linear. BG3 really showed me how much choice can actually cause consequences, to the point that sometimes my analysis paralysis would come up and I'd sit and REALLY think on what my character should do. The best part is, all of this creates a unique playthrough, leaving you to a treasure trove of what-ifs for future playthroughs. I find that quite commendable!

Another great aspect of this game is the overall story and characters. I'm weirdly not into traditional fantasy settings for some reason?? (although I loved them as a kid) But after playing this game, I can see the appeal of having different races, classes, and having a myriad of systems and concepts in this type of fiction (maybe that's why I couldn't get into the Dragon Age series?). Each character you party with (companions) have personally crafted stories and personalities that I felt emotionally connected to, wanting to see their stories to the end. Admiteddly, I didn't care much about them (except Astarion who drew me to the game for being the supposed ''poster boy'' I guess?) at first when everyone was acting distrustful lol, but over time I gave them a second chance, finishing the game like I went on an adventure with friends. I noticed that each of them had some heavy themes of their own, it was really nice to see how the game treated it with such nuance! Now feeling more intrigued, I'm hoping to dive into these settings more often in the future with an open mind. My only gripe is that the romance aspect seemed to come up a bit too early for some companions but I think I'd chalk this as a programming issue. And although the companions are designed to be playersexual, a sexuality filter would also be beneficial to suit player preferences/playthroughs better.

Another aspect I love is the music! Again, I weirdly don't get into medieval style music much for some reason, but Borislav Slavov really knocked it out of the park! I didn't find a single track to be annoying or boring, even the ambient ones. Each track really helped fit the mood of what was going on and would play in my head even after a session. In fact, I'd love to attend a live orchestra if I get the chance!

I don't have a lot of gripes with the game, other than just minor visual and UI bugs. Overall, I'm really happy I got to finally try out the game. It definitely deserves all the praise it gets! I'm already on a second playthrough via co-op and found so many things I didn't see in my first playthrough. I hope that future games can put in this level of care to make their worlds and characters much more immersive to be in. Also I chose Bard in my first playthrough thinking I'd jokingly be a deadweight, it's now my favourite class. I can proudly say I'm no longer a ''bardcist''.

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#game analysis #game review #game reviews #baldur's gate 3 #baldur's gate iii #bg3 #crpg #youtube #Youtube

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misty-wisp · 2 years

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top 5 smt/persona characters? :3

YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME THEY'RE ALL WONDERFUL-

okay uh. uh uhhhh. there's gonna be a lot of favoritism in this, like a lot a lot...

funnily enough, i did make a personal tier list for persona characters, but i can't find it anywhere...i'll remake it if anyone asks.

anyways, onto that top 5-

5. Yukari Takeba/Yosuke Hanamura

I can't choose between them for this spot, I love them both too much 😭

What can I say, Yukari's my girl. I feel like she's one of the most realistically written girl's in the Persona series, especially in the Answer, even though that's where most people have problems with her.

I really don't get those people, like...c'mon. She's a human being, not a "waifu" who can't experience the emotions that come with grief. lmao.

And Yosuke...Yosuke resonates with me. I, too, am a lonely bored bitch living in a small town...Or, I used to. I'm no country kid these days. lmao.

Seriously, Yosuke is a WHOLE mood aside from the anime trope-type stupidity forcibly written onto him in certain scenes. Moving out of the city and slowly losing contact with your old friends except maybe one? Wow...he's LITERALLY me!

4. Ann Takamaki

Ann's also my girl. I love her to pieces and I will never forgive ATLUS for their butchering of her entire character past her introductory arc.

I've already made a post about this a long time ago, but her social link rank where she talks about the loneliness she felt from moving around so much really resonated with me, and the fact that she managed to befriend not only Shiho, but the other thieves is kind of inspirational to me. I hope to find my own thieves someday, as cheesy as that sounds :)

3. Isamu Nitta

I bet'cha weren't expecting an SMT fella to be on this list, huh? Jokes on you, I actually really like the self isolation enjoyer!

...But I also hate him. And the entire idea of Musubi. I have a very complicated love/hate relationship with this boy. On one hand, I love him, he deserves happiness, but on the other, he's a stupid idiot. I distinctly remember just yelling at my TV "nO-" when he was going off about his bullshittery, because I've been in that kinda spot. I've been isolated from people for years. It's a hell I want to get out of.

But I still love him, he deserves so much better than what life and the Conception dealt him :(

2. Ryoji Mochizuki

Surprise, not surprise! The moon boi himself at number two, who would've guessed?

Honestly, Ryoji's such a tragic character. His characterization in P3 is pretty bad, with a severe lack of screentime in the game. Luckily for me, though, that's improved in not only the movies, but P3P!

I watched through the P3 movies while in the middle of playing the game so I could hurry up and get info on his character, because I wound up spoiling myself somehow(deadass i don't remember how. i just did. i think it was bc i browse the megaten wiki a lot), and lo and behold, I wound up really loving him! He's just...such a sweetheart...gently holds

...And then I played through the rest of P3 and got severely disappointed by how much screentime he got in comparison to the movies.

like. my god. this man got less screentime than Haru did in vanilla P5.

So then I looked through his P3P social link because I learned he was romanceable! And then I nearly cried at how tragic it is. I just...the fucking RING, man...brb crying

so there's no wonder that i ship ryoham and ryomina lmao

1...even though it's unsurprising as hell...Goro Akechi

If you weren't expecting him, then you deserve a gold medal because you actually failed at predicting the most predictable lady on this Earth. Applause.

Akechi's like...like an onion. He's got layers. A lot. Too many. I still can't understand this bastard's character and have to look through analysis after analysis to gain a better understanding because I'm big dum :(

Funnily enough, though, before Royal was released, I was part of the Akechi hate bandwagon, because how DARE this guy mess up what the gang is doing >:((((((!!!!! He's BAD, I DON'T like him >:(

...I didn't play P5. I was only going off of shitposts and discussions whilst severely spoiling myself. Oh, and the limited amount of game footage I got from watching my (at the time, not) boyfriend streaming himself playing through vanilla P5.

And then Royal released! ...And I didn't play it because I did not own a PS4 at the time, like a fool.

Fast forward a few years. I got majorly spoiled (again, forgot how) and I barely have an opinion on Akechi. I have just finished playing through P4G, and just began playing through P3.

And then in comes Christmas, and I get a PS4 along with P5R!

...And then I took a solid year playing the game on and off to finish it, and finish it I did...but only the vanilla story. By then, I really liked Akechi. He was on a similar tier to Isamu. He's a tragic boi for sure...and he needed some more screentime, goddammit!

And screentime he got, with the addition of third semester, which made him even more tragic! Boy oh boy, my favorite flavor of character!

His navigator lines are the funniest shit I've ever seen. I was genuinely pretty salty that he gets replaced with Futaba pretty quickly purely because she's not as entertaining.

Yeah, I cried at 2/2. Ever since I beat the game, my discord status has just been "2/2 broke me" and I think that says enough about how much I love Akechi. lmao.

#thank you for the ask!#i had fun writing this #ask

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