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One of my favorite Elrond headcanons is the idea that he starts out looking very much human and elvish. He has ears too pointed to be a man's, but not nearly long enough to be an elf's, his father's (grandfather's, really) blue eyes and brown hair that shines like an elf's, but gets tangled far too often.

Sure, some weird things happen around Elrond as a child– the birds that seems to follow him, the way some injuries mysteriously resolve in his prescense, the unusual flowers that bloom outside his windows– but really, it's easy to see those as distant remnants of an ainuric power that Elrond clearly didn't inherit. When he comes to Gil-Galad's camp, it's much easier for them to see Tuor or Beren in him than it is to think he's descended from Melian.

But then time passes. The changes are slow enough– happening over decades or centuries– that no one really notices at first. Elrond's hair darkens until it is as black as the night sky– as black as Luthien's was. His eyes leach color until they are gray– not Noldor gray, mind, but a strange, starry gray that some of the Iathrim whisper about. His voice changes, almost seems to take on an echo of itself, sometimes.

The strange things that happen around him only get stranger– the trees bend to shelter him, during storms, and sometimes when he sings, the birds sing with him. Elrond got a cat, right at the start of the Second Age– a gift from Gil-Galad. Somehow, it never seems to grow old or die. The parts of Lindon Elrond most often visits always seem to be in full bloom, no matter what season it is. His healing abilities surpass what is to be expected of a man– an elf– eventually, of what seems possible at all.

At the end of the First Age, it would've been hard to believe Elrond had more than a trickle of ainur blood in him. By the beginning of the Third Age, many have started to whisper about Rivendell– a new Doriath, ruled by a Maiarin lord with all Melian's grace, and her eccentricities.

Elrond doesn't realize just how much he's changed until the day, late in the Third Age, when he finds Maglor wandering on the shoreline. Nothing he says will convince Maglor that he isn't Luthien's spirit, returned from death to haunt him.

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"life is good right now" prompts

running through the rain and friends not shrinking away at a hug

pressed flowers on the windowsill

legs tangled into each other, living quietly in each others' presence

raised brows of acknowledgement in the hallways

curved smiles and side looks

falling into a system without needing to speak

late nights and eager whispers

blasting an album you've tried before, disliked, and now love

late nights and early mornings but with a sense of purpose

talking to strangers over little things you love

seeing your friends do well

talking to an old friend you haven't spoken to in a while

finding conversation where you couldn't before

letting go of feelings and letting whatever comes your away come gently

starting to anticipate things again

starting to feel happy again

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I think I’m going to think about this youtube comment forever

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when I was fourteen I would regularly cry at night because I thought sasuke would never make it home to naruto

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I cannot express how much I adore dappled shadows formed by sunlight in paintings and photography and in real life

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Learn to love reading and research I promise you’ll never be bored again

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Subtext, queer-coding, etc.

breaking off from this post here because it was getting long

so yes, subtle subtextual queer storytelling is a tradition and honestly a solid and important contribution to the history of film. 

But I’m just gonna point out that queer viewers are often not really equipped to read subtext, and not well educated in literary tools and queer coding, especially younger viewers, because these things are not particularly obvious. That’s kind of the point. I’ve talked about instinctive recognition before but that really only goes so far. Especially since queer-coding often uses details of clothing, props, and literary references that seem innocuous if you don’t know the code.

(In my experience, queer coding is learned from either a queer community OR perhaps certain film classes, idk, but point is tons of the most vulnerable queer people do not have access to these things.)

So there are queer viewers ill-equipped to read this subtext, and the most they get is an unexplained “ping” on the gaydar which they are then very ill-equipped to explain, and when they try to talk about it with their friends they get disbelief and maybe ridicule in return - even perhaps other queer friends! Queer people who don’t resist the weight of heteronormativity very well. They’re like “What? No … I definitely didn’t see that. They’re not gay, they’re just [x]. Idunno. Maybe you’re projecting? Don’t make this a weird gay thing.”

^- that would be me talking to my mom (who is bisexual!) and another lady friend (also bisexual) about queer implications between Remus and Sirius. Because my bb queer brain read between the lines and theirs didn’t. (… i’ll probably go on a tag rant don’t wanna take up space here) see also the multiple conversations that take place between various bisexual people who take different stances about Dean’s sexuality.

The result of that conversation is, the perceptive queer viewer becomes convinced that they’re wrong, and they no longer trust their instincts. Because their instincts do not measure up against pretty much everyone they know saying otherwise. And they may have never even heard about queer-coding, and never heard anyone say “trust your instincts, the story is what you make of it.” That’s in addition to any discouraged feelings they might have. 

That is a very real thing and, I would argue, a very real harm done to people. And it’s a harm experienced most by the most insecure and vulnerable people, outside the support of the queer community. Keeping things in the closet of the subtext is bowing to heteronormativity. Please don’t freakin’ venerate it.

(If heteronormativity wasn’t a thing, then yeah, they would just be “vague subtextual elements”, but heteronormativity IS a thing.)

FINALLY I reject the idea that queerbaiting has to be intentional. I just reject that definition of queerbaiting, that formulation of the concept, because intent is fundamentally unknowable and the harm happens independent of intent. Any working functional definition just cannot include that.

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Matching icon for you and your friend.

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Replaced.

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Boruto is a Gay Manga! Is that so hard to admit???

So, today I emailed one of the most prominent YouTube Naruto/Boruto commentators an email with the subject line: "Boruto is Gay Manga! Is that so hard to admit?" Now, I admitted in my email that my subject line is clickbait, and I didn't go into intensive well-supported detail. However, I did say, "Why do you keep ignoring Mitsuki's (queer) feelings for Boruto?" The interesting thing about this content creator, and many other individuals, is that he wants Boruto x Sarada to be endgame. However, he doesn't want this because he likes the pairing. He wants this because he actually wanted Naruto x Sasuke to happen, and this is the next closet thing.

Which is crazy right? It's crazy that so many people wanted Naruto x Sasuke to be together. However, I'm sure Kishimoto knows that these same men would swear off Naruto forever, if the main character was revealed to be queer.

So, then you end up with Boruto x Sarada, where Sarada is not Boruto's equal. No, in a patriarchal society she is not Boruto's equal, she is instead the BALL for which men choose to play with and measure their own masculinity. Don't believe me? Sarada is the last Uchiha, and in the first chapter, she (an Uchiha) had to be rescued by a no name male ninja that we literally never hear about again.

Sarada's anime design looks like this pre-time skip:

And this post-time skip:

I want to take the time to remind all of you that this is a character design of a 12 year old girl and a 16 year old girl. Both of which are under age, any sexualization of the two is pedaphillic in nature.

Men's sexualization of children goes into their rampant and obsessive need for control at all costs, but I digress.

You know who thinks this character design is awesome and doesn't question anything about it, despite the fact that both outfits are completely impractical for an active duty shinobi? Men.

You know who thinks this character design is disgusting and a complete miss? Women.

Someone who should have been positioned as an equal to the main character in Boruto has become nothing more than an object of men's perverted fantasies both heteronormatively and homoerotically. What do I mean by homoerotically? Remember, the real reason that people want Boruto and Sarada to be end game is not because they think these two have a ton of chemistry. Sarada is a level 10,000 nag that could bring her mother to shame, and men hate being nagged.

The real reason men want Boruto x Sarada to happen is because their pairing is the realization of Naruto x Sasuke.

I, also, need you to realize that a large part of Sarada's character development is the fact that she has a crush on Boruto. In contrast, as far as we know so far, Boruto has a crush on nobody.

Which highlights this underlying ideal that many women have realized for a long time. Men DON'T like women. I don't care where you go in the world. An overwhelming number of men don't like women. I'm not even convinced that many men enjoy having sex with women, because let me tell you something... Having sex with the only goal being to climax is the least enjoyable sex that anyone can experience. Orgasming becomes boring after a while. Try to enjoy the ride.

Yet, climaxing is often the sole frame through which men see sex and sexual completion, while completing discarding the pleasure of women. How do I know, because only 50-70% of women have orgasmed from heterosexual encounters. I imagine that number is 100% for men who have orgasmed while having sex with a woman at some point (probably most points) in their lives.

Men are taught from a very early age and are socially conditioned to NOT like women. Even within the Naruto series this is evident. I mean think about it, the woman that Naruto had the most chemistry with (and probably should have ended up with) was a flat-chested nag who didn't appreciate Naruto until he became strong. It's giving incel, red-pill mindset.

Now, who was that woman? Sakura.

Who was she based on? Kishimoto's wife.

Shocking right? Many of you may have had no idea that Sakura is based on Kishimoto's wife. Now, do I think Kishimoto secretly hates his wife? No, but that's irrelevant.

Yes, Sakura is based on Kishimoto's wife, and Kishimoto wrote a female character that men HATE!!! Sakura is undeniably the most hated character in all of Naruto (male or female). I wouldn't be surprised if she is the most hated female character in all of anime.

Sakura is, also, the strongest woman in the entire show (next to Kaguya) and yet, she always needs to be saved. She is stopped and under minded constantly by the most miniscule thing, and then she needs to be saved by Naruto, Sasuke or Kakashi like clock work. Why, because they need their hero moment, and women are but an object. Women are the ball, and the enemy is the opposing team.

Here's the thing: You all need to understand that according to the light novels, under Naruto and Sasuke, Sakura is the most powerful shinobi (male or female) in the entire Naruto Universe (pre-Boruto). However, you wouldn't know that from watching the anime or reading the manga.

Then who is the most beloved female character in Naruto, the one that Naruto ends up marrying and having two super powerful children with? The woman who has large breasts, always cheers for Naruto despite him not knowing she exists, always needs to be saved, and largely keeps her mouth shut: Hinata.

When you really think about it, the entire Naruto series is about Naruto (a loser) chasing after Sasuke who hates him, but what does Sasuke represent? Sasuke represents the pinnacle of athleticism, skill, sexiness, cleverness, fame, and aloofness that a man could ever dream of having. When Naruto chases after Sasuke, he's chasing the idea of masculinity itself. In Naruto's adulthood, he has a more emotionally intimate relationship with Sasuke then he does with any woman: Hinata or Sakura. Naruto surrounds himself with men. He's always around men: Shikamaru, Konohamaru, Sai, and Kakashi. He solely asks for the opinions of men when it comes to major decisions that effect the fact of the entire Leaf Village and World.

The whole Naruto series is a celebration of men at the expense of women. These men have hard-ons for each other.

Now, some might say that it's not sexual, but it is! How do we know that, because Kishimoto created Boruto x Sarada to be endgame. He is approaching the fulfillment of a homoerotic relationship in a societally correct way, when the truth is that he (and all men) want to skip the middle man and have Naruto and Sasuke be together. Yet, at the same time, none of these men want to be gay and be giant fans of something that is gay. Why, because being a fan of something gay makes straight men feel gay, and a man is not supposed to be gay in a patriarchal society.

I watched a whole video where a straight man talked about watching a gay male anime, and it made him wonder for a second if he was gay, simply because he thought it was a good show. Once again, I digress. In a patriarchal society, a man is supposed to gain the respect and admiration of other men all while subjecting, conquering and controlling women. Once again, to reiterate, women are the ball. Women have no thoughts, feelings, autonomy, or rights? Women are not human. After all, why would a ball represent anything other than being a tool of the sport used for the purpose of scoring points?

The Naruto series is a mirror reflection of society, and how men value men, men want men, men desire men, and (straight) men don't give a damn about women. Of course, some do, but many men don't. Women are nothing more than trophies to be shown off and touted around.

All that matters is the male gaze. We see this all the time. Do you know who likes 6 ft tall men, with 6 pack abs, 6 pairs of shoes, who make 6 figures? The giga-Chads if you will. I'm going to give you a hint: It's not women.

Men lust over this stuff, men get hard over this stuff, they salivate over this stuff, and obsessive over creating the perfect male body either for themselves, someone else, or a fictional character. I need you all to realize that ALL of those Marvel action shots of Chris Evan's and Robert Downey Jr's bulging muscles, and Chris Hemsworth's nakedness are shots written for men by men.

Have you ever stopped to think what kind of men women drop their panties over?

They are men like Pete Davidson, Dylan O'Brien, Timothee Chalamet, Tom Holland, and Harry Styles (sorry that I only listed white men). This men stand in direct contrast to everything men say that women want.

Look, this post is going long, so I will say summarize with these two points:

Naruto has always been gay, so of course Boruto is going to be gay. Even if Boruto ends up with Sarada, it will still probably be a gay series. The series idolizing, romanticizes and sexualizes the idea of all things masculine from the male perspective.

I think it would actually be the most beautiful ending if Boruto x Mitsuki becomes romantic endgame, because at least Kishimoto will be honest with himself about what his motivations really are. He wants to live in a world in which he can be in an emotionally intimate, vulnerable, and transparent relationship with a man that he admires who admires him in exchange. I think that's what most men actually want (whether that involves sex or not), but men don't ask for that because, well: No Homo. So, instead, we have a male loneliness and despair epidemic.

Now, you make ask justhoughts1310, is it wrong for men to like each other?

Of course not! I am a woman who loves women, values women, admires women, and thinks women are so amazing and beautiful. I am blown away by all that women are.

A large part of the Barbie movie, was the admiration of the amazingness of women despite all odds and obstacles. What I have a problem with is men denying their true desires and motivations, and in turn treating women as a prop in the games that they play to win over the approval of other men. Basically, men. If you want to have a dick measuring contest, leave all of us women and the rest of the world out of it.

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The wanna be nomura 🙄

Mikio Ikemoto's designs are bland.

Apart from Boruto's designs, all of the Two Blue Vortex Designs are bland. Empty. They can be dumbed down to oversize and belts. That's it. It doesn't feel like Naruto anymore. Yeah okay we get it, it's not Naruto's story anymore. It's not the same era anymore. We've seen clothes change different time periods in Naruto. Starting with robes when Kaguya arrived on Earth, then kimonos and armors in Madara and Hashirama's period then what we had in Naruto and Naruto Shippuden. Yeah I know it's more modern now but it doesn't mean it should be this bad. There's nothing to look at, it's just baggy clothes with belts and that's it.

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Y'all make fun of the outfits from Kingdom Hearts (2002), but fail to realize that they were PULLED FROM THEIR HOMES on a day that they were playing at the beach.

They HAVE normal clothes. They were wearing beach attire. Imagine being pulled through a dimensional portal while you're swimming and building sandcastles. Congrats! Your only clothes are these now:

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man.

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from the archives of octavia butler