#i also love how the adults in there are portrayed for different reasons | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

emberwhite · 3 months

Text

Not everyone likes my book, and I'm OK with that. There are many classic children's books some people just don't like because of their message or how they portray it, but I love them because they offer something a little different.

I made something straight from the heart and took a big chance on it. It caters to no one and breaks many conventions you find in children's books. I wanted adults to be able to enjoy the story as well, so it's not afraid to get a little sad. There were a few children's book bloggers I had emailed who wouldn't review it because of that reason. And there were Read Aloud YouTube channels who wouldn't make a video on it because they didn't like the ending.

But there were also many people who absolutely loved the book. They got what I was trying to do, so I know there is an audience for this sort of thing. The more secluded you feel you are from society the better the chance you'll like it. This isn't the case for everyone but just a trend I noticed. Reviews on Amazon have been overwhelming positive, and hey, my mom liked it too. And the book has sold almost a 100 copies in its first month.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But then again, I also get these drive-by reviews from window shoppers. This is just the reality of trying to do something a bit different with a kid's book. People absolutely judge a book by it's cover.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I know how to write things that are guaranteed to sell and make money, but this ain't one of them. Doing what is guaranteed to work gets boring after a couple of years. It's too safe. It's fulfilling work to make a product that people need but also empty at the same time.

This was a complete gamble. I have been publishing on Amazon for the last 8 years now, and I haven't felt this excited since I released my first book. And thinking back on it, that first book was also a bold gamble as well. And it sold very well. Maybe then, that's just the secret to success.

Anyways, the book is on Amazon. You can also find the full story and illustrations on YouTube for free as well. If you would like to support the book, a quick rating on Amazon or Goodreads is one of the best ways to do so.

#books #childrens books #reading #creativity #deer #furry #illustration #artists on tumblr #queer #lgbtqia #art #therian #transgender

4K notes · View notes

deliciousbasementtrash · 7 months

Text

Playing Nurse for the Batfam

Summary: you are a nurse working for Gotham General Hospital. On your way home from work, you encounter an injured superhero. You have seen his secret identity. Now what will he do about it?

Pairing: Slowburn Jason Todd x reader, (maybe a why choose with Dick Grayson as well?? Idk tell me what you guys want)

Warning: Adult language, verbal abuse, parental abuse, severe injuries

Word Count: 1.5k

Note: These characters are not my own they belong to DC. The only character that is 'mine' is the reader. I am going to be as nondescript as possible for the reader as well for physical attributes. This is a continuation series; I’m not sure how long it will be. Also for some reason, my replies to comments are not showing up. I’m not ignoring your comments Tumblr won’t let me respond :( But please, please comment I live for it

Part One: Is that Trash or a Man?

There is calm chaos when working in the emergency room. You get used to the cacophony of beeps and alarms. Of moans, crying, screaming, and arguing. You get used to being on your feet all day and moving from task to task, from patient to patient. You get used to it because there is no other option. People need care and they need it now. You either step the fuck up or switch to a different unit. Or move to a calmer, cleaner, less crime-filled city. Calm wasn’t really my vibe. Maybe externally that’s what I portrayed, but internally my mind craves the chaos of the ER. It craves the chaos of Gotham. And the Gotham ER was an entirely different beast.

I finished nursing school about a year ago. A lot of my peers used it as an out. They went to more stable cities in New Jersey that had better funding and less chance of getting knifed in the staff parking lot. I was one of the only ones that stayed. I definitely was the only one that worked in the hospital. I couldn’t deny the demand for nurses was high, and the paychecks were even higher at Gotham General Hospital. And maybe some small pathetic part of my brain wanted to make the world a better place. I wanted Gotham to be a better place. Every day I worked. I convinced myself that how matter how shitty it got; I was making a difference. Even if it was only a handful of people in the grand scheme of things.

I could convince myself that I mattered. That everyone mattered. That these people deserve more. They deserve better; they deserve a second, third, fourth, fifth chance. If I stopped trying to convince myself of that I know I would give up entirely. Seeing gunshot wounds, stabbings, overdoses, mutilations, burns, crushings, poisonings, beatings, day after day is a lot like erosion of the soul. Little by little it wears you down. You become jaded and jagged with time. Empathy becomes blame. Hope becomes desolate. Love becomes anger. The only thing you can do is gaslight yourself into thinking you’re making a big enough difference. That you’re helping enough people. After all, the brain can’t tell the difference between truth and irony. You tell yourself so many lies, you can start to believe them, right?

Gotham City: 16 Years Ago

“Dad, when is mom coming home?” My small voice asked. I was scared to make Dad yell at me again. I didn’t like it when I made him yell.

“She’s got stage four fucking cancer she is coming out of the hospital in a body bag, y/n.”

I fought the tears that burned behind my eyes. Dad would get even angrier if he saw them. It was stupid of me to even ask.

I felt him turn to me. His eyes bored into my skull. Quickly, I looked down at his feet.

“Have you tried again?” He asked. His tone clipped. I knew he expected a timely answer.

Involuntarily, my fingers ruthlessly picked the skin around my nails. The sting was grounding in a way.

“No, sir. Well yes, I have tried, but I… I failed,” the last word felt like a hot poker being placed through my throat.

“Look at me.” Breathing became difficult, but I looked up at my father. He leaned his face close to mine. I could smell Jack wafting off him. “What good are you? What good is having healing powers if you can’t heal your sick mother?”

The simple hangnail became a chunk of missing skin. I lowered my head. Fighting back tears.

“Sir,” my traitorous voice wobbled as I tried not to cry, “I keep trying but… I don’t think my power is that strong. I can close cuts, fix broken bones, but tumors are… hard.”

My father tilted his head back and laughed. Hard. He grabbed my wrist as quickly as a viper, “If I could put your mother’s cancer in you I would. You’re about as useful as a wet match in a dark cave.”

I couldn’t help the tears that fell down my cheek. It felt like I was involuntarily waving a white flag.

Gotham City: Present Day

I had to be stealthy with my gift. I couldn’t heal every one of the patients to full health right away. That would lead to suspicion. But if I could help it I could stop the major damage. I would heal internal organs. Replenish blood. Reduce ten fractures to two or one. It all depended on timing and if people were watching me.

I was walking home from the hospital. I only lived about three blocks away. I got off shift at around 20:49. I didn’t start my next stretch for another three days. And I was milking my walk home. Stopping to smell the roses or whatever. That is normally not a very smart thing to do in Gotham at night, especially as a woman. But part of me didn’t care.

Earlier, I looked at my phone and frowned when I realized the date.

Thursday, May 19th.

My mom died 16 years ago today. Waves of emotion flooded my senses. Anger at myself for not remembering. Sadness that she had been gone more of my life than she had been in it. Restlessness for what my father might do or say. Some years he likes to reach out. Others he doesn’t. But most of all I was feeling reckless. Like I wanted someone to give me a reason. Obviously, I would only hurt someone to defend myself or others. But there was so much anger living in my body, part of me hoped some idiot would try something with me tonight.

So, I walked home. Slowly.

Normally, you keep your head down and you keep moving. You don’t look or gawk. You listen out of necessity. I was listening just because I could. It was the normal stuff. Men smoking cigarettes and catcalling. Women were offering their nightly services. Random people either praising or damning superheroes. Drug deals. Graffiti artists. Fights. And of course, people who simply were walking home from work. Gotham had range and was never boring that’s for sure.

But something picked up on the very edge of my senses. Despite my better logic, I turned toward the very quiet sound. It could have just been rats, but it sounded so familiar. It sounded like a death rattle. The thing you hear just before shit hits the fan and the patient codes.

Without thinking I ran down the alley toward the sound. At first, it was nothing. Just trash and rats. But then I saw it. He almost blended perfectly in with the shiny black garbage bags. His cape was the same color but reflected the light less.

“Sir? Sir, are you alright?” I walked hesitantly forward, grabbing my pepper spray just in case.

The man did not answer, he only garbled and coughed. My work brain took over my fear. Instantly I rolled the man over and began assessing him. I suppressed a gasp when I rolled him over and a familiar cowl mask came into view. It was cracked down the middle. His face was bleeding from an unknown location. His breathing was labored and staggered.

Calmly, I closed my eyes and pressed my hands against his chest.

Oh yeah. Batman was dying. He had several broken ribs. A pneumothorax. A bruised liver, kidney, and pancreas. His cardiac output was a joke. The man had no perfusion.

I didn’t think. I didn’t hold back like I do at the hospital. I just healed. And healed. And healed. I healed him down to his bone-on-bone knees, sprained ankle, and fractured wrist.

God, this guy had a lot of injuries.

I was close to passing out by the time I was done. I had done too much, ate, and slept too little. My powers were demanding when it came to energy. If I didn’t eat or sleep within 30 minutes I was about to pass out next to bat boy himself.

I gave him one last assessment. After double-checking that he would live and that I didn’t miss anything I finally looked at his face again.

This time I gasped. Batman was the billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne? I shook my head like I was clearing cobwebs. I didn’t have time to dwell on it. Much like Batman, I didn’t want people to know what I could do. The last time people knew…

Just as I turned and took a few steps I rolled my eyes at my nagging thoughts.

What if someone sees him before he wakes up?

Reaching into my tote bag I pulled out a black medical mask. I not so gracefully MacGyvered it across his exposed face so that it was covered. And with that, I made my way home.

My cat, Hashbrown, eagerly greeted me at the door. I nearly fell asleep locking it. I bent down to pick her up and gave her a kiss on her perfect little cat head. I ripped my gross work scrubs off, threw them in the wash, and crashed on the couch in my underwear before my brain could process what happened.

I healed Batman.

I healed… Bruce Wayne?

Part Two, Part Three

486 notes · View notes

a-cure-for-hysteria · 7 months

Text

Crowley attracts neurodivergents because he smells like us.

(Expanding on my previous rant about how we see ourselves in him). No, not saying he's autistic coded or anything like that, just that - and you probably don't struggle to see where this is going - he kinda portrays several very common autistic experiences. 1: First, he's a naïve 'kid', clearly with a special interest (machines and building things), something he's very skilled at. He assumes he's allowed to ask questions about Creation, not trying to hide his frustration when he doesn't understand why things are the way they are. He does not mask. 2: Then, he's cast out of Heaven with the rest of the angels who asked questions, after them having waged a war on Heaven (?). He fights for good, he wants justice no matter what. 3: After the Fall, his naïvety is gone, replaced by bitterness and cynicism - but even on the walls of Eden, he's still nice to someone who presumably never hurt him. 4: We see him turning into a snake at will in Eden. He slithers around, tempting Eve, pulls strings - still, for justice. He has started masking, and does it well, but believes he does it for good. 5: Throughout history, he mostly spends his time alone or in situations that don't offer connection with others, completing tasks for Hell, gradually losing his sense of self. He still cares, he still want's to be a good person, but he doesn't know what "good" is. Everyone's a hypocrite, and he feels all alone. All he has is his sense of justice, and he comes to believe that he can only trust himself. 6: Aziraphale, arguably also portraying several common autistic experiences, is the only person who understands Crowley. Possibly because he has a different trauma to that of Crowley's, but definitely still a trauma caused by Heaven. Aziraphale knows WHY one masks in Heaven, something Crowley learns too late. 7: Crowley wants to isolate from the world, is angry, traumatized and wants nothing to do with Heaven or Hell. At some point, this requires him opening up just a little to that other weirdo he keeps running into, and they form a partnership - initially only because of common interests. I might be reaching here, but a lot of autistic people have "common interest acquaintances" morph into friendships, they often can't be friends with just anyone. They need a good reason to. And Crowley and Aziraphale's shared desire to do as little as possible (and later, save the world) is such a common interest. 8: Via engaging through their common interest, Crowley opens up more and more. Again, we see the naivety we witnessed earlier (In The Beginning, S2E1) - that happy kid who just enjoyed seeing his machinations take form. For him to dare a romantic relationship with Aziraphale, it is essential for Crowley to (at least begin to) heal the trauma caused by Heaven. Him allowing himself to experience pure, naïve excitement is a prerequisite for love, I think. Without this change, he will be on his toes at all times, never letting his guard down. 9: He finally reaches a point where he forces himself open, out of desperation. It wasn't done right - it was done with fear and anger, but he was vulnerable enough, and finally naïve enough to try. This was immediately punished by Aziraphale, who abandoned him (not necessarily what happened, but definitely what Crowley feels). 10: And so, Crowley might retreat back into his hard, cynical shell, having lost the only person who gets him. Better just self-medicate, with alcohol and whatever else not shown on screen that I can promise you Crowley does. It's the "autistic, care-free kid to bitter, cynical, functional addict/goth-adult"-pipeline.

#good omens season 2 #aziraphale #aziraphale x crowley #crowley #crowley x aziraphale #good omens #ineffable spouses #innefable husbands #neurodivergent #neurodiverse stuff #its the neurodivergency #neurodiversity #audhd #autism #asd

195 notes · View notes

strangestcase · 1 year

Text

For the people that are going to do Dracula Daily this year:

One of the subplots that Dracula covers, and arguably the most important subplot, is one centered around a psychiatric patient confined to an asylum- it touches upon the way he sees the world, his relationship with his doctor, and how he relates to and perceives the villain VS the heroes, since for most of the plot he believes the villain to be good and strives to serve him.

Both the patient and the doctor characters (who are part of the main cast and very important to moving the plot foward in their own ways!) are portrayed as sympathetic victims to the main villain and mostly on the side of good, but in different ways, and, of course, the way they are written is informed by the beliefs of the time.

I won't spoil anything too important about it, just warn you that this subplot depicts Victorian Era ableism, which is... pretty extreme, and forms of medical abuse (specifically, psychiatric abuse) that still exist today!

This plotline involves:

-depictions of hallucinations, delusions, and irrational thinking

-medical malpractice: delusions being encouraged, patients being dehumanized, prolonged use of dangerous restraints

-unsanitary behavior (eating live animals)

-ableist attitudes from most of the hero characters

(other Dracula fans pls tell me if I've missed something)

What do I make of this? you ask. Well...

Do not excuse medical abuse, even if it's fictional. The doctor character is, for all his medical malpractice, depicted as a complex person that has some likeable traits and he undergoes a pretty sad arc relating to loss and trauma, like most of the heroes of this novel. This doesn't make him any less of an abuser, nor makes his patient any less of a victim!

Refrain from using ableist language or rethoric. The patient character, being written for a very old horror book, is often depicted as "unsettling" and his strange behavior is sometimes played for horror. This 1) doesn't make his situation any less deplorable 2) doesn't make him any less sympethetic and most importantly 3) doesnt give you a free pass to treat him as a scary horror monster. He's a victim of both the real monster of this story and the system he lives in.

Listen to psychotic fans. Research the history of Victorian asylums. Understand the historical context. Look at this subplot from a holistic perspective instead of treating it as a horror story within a horror story (although, it is a horror story, but not for the reasons some think it is!). Just don't be a dick to disabled people.

If any part of this subplot triggers or squicks you, you are not obligated to read it, just be aware that it exists and that it is important to avoid perpetuating ableist stereotypes, be they present in the original text or not. (Hell, you are not obligated to read any part of the book if you don't want to do so. Dracula Daily is supposed to be fun. Analyzing literature is supposed to be fun. Enjoying literature is supposed to be fun!)

For the love of God, don't get angry if some fans dislike the doctor character for what he's done and take the patients' side. This was an issue during the last Dracula Daily run. He's literally the victim in this relationship. I'm not saying you can't like or dislike either character but I have to reiterate: do not erase either character's contribution to the plot, do not demonize the patient character for being mentally ill in an "ugly" way and beliveing the villain is good, and don't woobiefy the doctor character because he said a funny thing once. Both are complex adult human beings so don't expect them to be caricatures.

Do not be afraid to call out ableist behavior from other fans, but also be careful to not overstep or talk over disabled fans, especially psychotic fans.

During the Dracula Daily run, some blogs will warn about the entries in which this subplot takes place, and what triggers apply for each one of them. If you need those warnings, don't be afraid to reach out for them!

Happy reading!

#dracula daily #dracula #dracula daily 2023

368 notes · View notes

professorcalculusstanaccount · 1 year

Note

i absolutely lost my mind discovering your blog this morning. i absolutely adore your style and your story/concept ideas SO MUCH. i love your love for chang and i adore how you draw him and just the love and care you have for the characters and their stories, their history-just everything. oh my god your art and animations are incredible thank you so much you made me so happy this morning 😭😭😭

Thank you very much! I just feel like the Tintin universe has a lot of potential for deep dives. Herge often drew inspiration from the real world so that naturally brings a lot of richness - I'm just lucky to have the privilege of having nearly a century of hindsight and an Internet connection for my research!

also fun fact, I draw Chang the way I do for multiple reasons. I ramble so here's a Read More:

The first is just to update how Chinese people are depicted in this style - I'm Chinese myself (British Chinese) and while I do appreciate Chang's original appearance was basically modelled off a real guy and Herge really did try his best with depicting Chinese people sensitively I wouldn't be comfortable sticking exactly to those original portrayals (tbh it’s mostly the eyes and the skin colour I have an issue with, I liked the weird rubberiness of early Herge!). I also would like to update how the Japanese characters were portrayed too as man those designs are viscerally uncomfortable (like those characters were villainous because they were doing imperialism, not because they're Japanese man come on)

The second is - Chang is a fucking shapeshifter. I swear he looks different in every appearance he makes in official materials. You're telling me these are all the same guy??

From left to right: Chang from a postage stamp that uses artwork from The Blue Lotus, the middle is from the 90s cartoon and the one on the right is from a... cheese sticker??? His nose, hair and face shapes change quite a bit

To get his design I mixed together the 90s cartoon version with the original. People have mentioned The Cheekbones Chang has in the 90s cartoon but I actually like how they give him a distinct shape, it helps differentiate his shape language from Tintin who's all round and soft.

For his young adult design I initially thought to reference Tintin in Tibet but he's so malnourished and close to death his portrayal there probably wasn't intended to represent what he's normally like. I just took my design for Chang and pushed the shapes more. I thought it would be cool for him to look pretty different when he grows up as a contrast to how static Tintin is as a character.

The third (and funniest) reason why I draw Chang the way I do is I actually look a lot like Blue Lotus Chang to a frightening degree, like to the point where it looks like my likeness was stolen 70 years before I even existed. I do not like thinking about my physical existence! I do not want to draw myself! No thank you!! my self insert is haddock if we’re being real

#asks #fanart #animation #2d animation #tintin #adventures of tintin #chang #gif #well that was a ride #ive got a bunch of asks i am working through #there's a lot in my drafts!

506 notes · View notes

ninjakk · 2 years

Text

The symbolic meaning behind A-Yuan's butterfly toys

There is such a beautifully poignant moment during the Yiling date chapter, where A-Yuan is playing with the two grass butterflies that LWJ bought him. The minute I read it, it made me smile at how sweet and innocent it all was. But it also pulled at my heartstrings a little, due to the symbolic meaning of the butterflies and what I felt like it foreshadowed.

Chapter 74

Knocking his bowl, Wei WuXian called a couple of times, but Wen Yuan was still looking down, holding two butterflies and mumbling. At times he pretended to be the one on the left, saying shyly "I… I really like you"; at times he pretended to be the one on the right, saying happily "I really like you too!" Being two butterflies at the same time, he seemed to be having lots of fun.

- ExR translations

To me MXTX uses the butterflies to express the unspoken feelings that WWX and LWJ have for each other. I think this small, yet sweet scene, could also show A-Yuan may have picked up on WWX and LWJs true feelings for each other - perhaps on a subconscious level. Children are incredibly perceptive and can pick up on things adults often miss. He may have only seen them together for a few hours, but he's spent a lot of time with WWX and could possibly see how he acts differently with LWJ. Either way, I don't think it's a coincidence MXTX chose to have A-Yuan play with the butterflies - he also has the clay dolls he could have used for his little directorial debut!

The fact A-Yuan is making the two butterflies confess they 'like' each other, echos how WX truly feel for one another. It's almost like the unspoken words they could have, and should have said so many times before. It is certainly allusive of the opportunity they had to confess their feelings during this particular scene as well.

The fact MXTX (or indeed A-Yuan) has made one shy and the other happy, draws parallels between LWJ and WWX's personalities. Much like the WX bunnies with their quiet and energetic personalities respectively. Personally I think it's quite clear MXTX deliberately made A-Yuan portray the two butterflies in this way. Especially if you take a closer look at the original version of MDZS, where the 'shy' and 'happy' personalities are not mentioned - so it's evident that MXTX later added this to enhance the scene, for a very specific reason.

If we look even deeper into this, there may even be more meaning behind the use of butterflies - as I said earlier, MXTX could have used the clay dolls instead. Butterflies are often used as a symbol of love in Chinese culture. More specifically, it can symbolise an undying bond between lovers. They can also represent death and rebirth. Which all fit with the theme of the novel perfectly.

MXTX likes to use little references and pay homage to poems and Chinese culture within the novel. And personally, I think the use of butterflies could be a nod to a particular classic Chinese love story. According to some, this is one of the reasons butterflies often symbolise love in Chinese culture.

There is a tragic yet romantic, Chinese legend known as The Butterfly Lovers (梁祝). Coincidentally (or perhaps not?), there are a few parallels between MDZS and the story as well. Much like our lovely WX, the two lovers in the legend met while studying together, where they develop an instant chemistry. The two main characters even experience misunderstandings that prevent them from becoming a couple. Eventually one of the star-crossed lovers tragically dies and the other follows soon after - which is where our duo obviously deviate, thankfully! The lovers spirits become butterflies and they fly off together, never to be separated again. Which somewhat echoes WXs own ending, where they elope and pledge to be with each other forever.

Something fell from Wen Yuan’s pocket. He called out, “Butter… Butterfly!” With him in his arm, Wei WuXian had already rushed outside the restaurant. Soon, a white shadow swept by him. Lan WangJi seemed to have followed them out as well, walking beside them. Wei WuXian, “Lan Zhan? Why are you following us?” Lan WangJi put into Wen Yuan’s palm the butterfly that he dropped.

Personally, I don't think the above scene is just a means for LWJ to follow them, because he would have either way! It's also symbolic. The two butterflies are suddenly separated, much like WWX and LWJ are later, for some 13 years. Eventually (or two seconds later in the above scene!) they are reunited, just like the butterflies above. It also represents A-Yuan's loss. He loses one of his butterflies, just like he will soon lose WWX - only to have them both reunited, together with him, eventually. It broke my heart when I noticed this tiny moment.

Just like the two frisky male bunnies used as a metaphor for WWX and LWJs true feelings earlier in the novel. The butterflies are used to foreshadow the path their entwined fate will eventually take as well. MXTX's writing style is just absolute poetry and I can't get enough of it.

🦋❤️🦋

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #mdzs novel #mdzs meta #mdzs analysis #A-Yuan #wei wuxian #lan wangji #a-yuan and his toy butterflies #Yiling date #the butterfly lovers

610 notes · View notes

mirai-e-jump · 8 months

Text

Hero Vision Vol.55 (2015/Winter) Kamen Rider Blade 10th Anniversary Reunion Interviews Discussion on the Blade Drama CD (translations below)

Publication: February 23, 2015

Takayuki Tsubaki (Kazuma Kenzaki/Blade) Ryoji Morimoto (Hajime Aikawa/Chalice) Hironari Amano (Sakuya Tachibana/Garren) Takahiro Hojo (Mutsuki Kamijo/Leangle)

Tsubaki: I know that since Kamen Rider Blade is celebrating its 10th anniversary, the fans have been asking if we could do something for them. It reminded me that this show is still loved by so many people.

Amano: We talked about how it'd be nice if we could do something together. Kindof like how "Ninpu Sentai Hurricaneger" celebrated its 10th anniversary, and released a new project.

Tsubaki: Yeah. Then, we were offered to do a Drama CD. It made me really happy. This is the first of its kind in Kamen Rider history, and I think the only reason such an offer was given, was because the fans, Toei, the sponsors, the staff, and the cast all came together to make it happen.

Amano: For me, at first, I honestly wondered how a 10 year old production would be revived, and whether anyone would buy it.

Morimoto: Yeah. For me, my first impression was that this was a new beginning. Honestly, I was happy, but I was also worried about whether I'd be able to portray the role I played 10 years ago in a convincing way.

Hojo: I felt the same way. However, when I first heard about it, I was more happy than worried. Blade was the work I was most attached to, and had the most vivid memories of during my acting career. Now, in a brand new drama written 10 years later, I was really looking forward to it.

Amano: But, I also thought it was a story that I couldn't accept if all four of us weren't here.

Morimoto: That's the minimum requirement. After all, "Blade" is only possible if we're all together.

Amano: That's why I thought the most important thing was whether Joe (Hojo-san's nickname), who had retired from acting and returned to his hometown Nagoya, would be able to appear in this work. If they said, "He's retired, so just drop it," then there's nothing we can do about it. But, when Joe said he was sure and wanted to continue to be involved with the Kamen Rider series, it was then that I realized for the first time that this story would actually be happening.

Tsubaki: In Joe's case, locating him was quick, but contacting him to finalize the deal was the hard part.

Hojo: Just as we were talking about it, my cell phone died......(laughs)

Tsubaki: It was the first time I saw him in awhile, but he suddenly brought me a box with his new smartphone in it and said, "Baki (Tsubaki-kun's nickname), set it up for me."

Amano: You're better off with a flip phone! (laughs). I sent you an e-mail the other day, but when I asked, "Why didn't you reply?," you said your screen had broke.

Tsubaki: Those kinds of things usually makes me nervous, but it's different when we're working on Blade. The other day, I asked him, "What would you do if you were offered an acting role for something other than Kamen Rider?" He said, "I won't do it. But, if it's Kamen Rider, I'll definitely do it." I'm so happy that Joe still feels that way even after 10 years.

-10 years later, the four of us are just as you imagined-

Morimoto: I was happy to see that the Drama CD was a continuation of the story up to episode 49, which we had performed over the course of a year, all while creating a new story.

Amano: I was happy to see the presence of Kenzaki (Kazuma), how Hajime (Aikawa) had grown as a human, and how Mutsuki (Kamijo) had become an adult.

Morimoto: And also, Tachibana-san is more like a gentleman.

Tsubaki: I think Kenzaki was as I expected. I was told by Director Ishida (Hidenori) in the film "Missing Ace," which takes place 4 years after the show, that, "Kenzaki will not change even after 4 years." I thought that even 10 years later, Kenzaki would still be the same.

Morimoto: It was the exact image I had in mind, or rather, what I wanted him to be like.

Amano: On the flip side, the most unexpected thing was the conversations between Tachibana and Hajime. After 10 years, It seems that Tachibana was now able to talk with Hajime.

Morimoto: That's for sure. At the time, Garren (who Tachibana transforms into) and Chalice (who Hajime transforms into) were enemies.

Amano: Now, Ryo-chan (Morimoto-san) and I are having deep conversations.

Morimoto: Just like me and Amano-kun, I was happy to see that after 10 years, Hajime and Tachibana had developed a strong relationship. That's why I felt that the scene had to be a condensed version of their 10 years together.

Hojo: There's a line from Mutsuki in the TV show, where he says, "I want to protect the smiles and tears of people."……Going along with that, Mutsuki's choice of an event company as a place of employment in order to make people smile had me thinking, "That makes sense." It also makes him happy having junior colleagues. In his mind, Mutsuki's senior is Tachibana-san, but it's not enough to just imitate him. Therefore, I think I was able to play the role of a senior in my own way, although not as strict as Tachibana-san.

Amano: By the way, how are Mutsuki and Nozomi-chan getting along 10 years later? In the Drama CD, it's only brought up alittle bit.

Morimoto: What's more, "Mutsuki," you slurred your words! (laughs)

Amano: I'm very curious. How about in Joe's mind? Do you go for it? Or…..

Hojo: Nozomi……I wonder if we're done.

Amano & Morimoto: What!!? You guys broke up?!

Tsubaki: Nozomi-chan...maybe she married someone else? (laughs) No, no, I'm just joking. What I left out just now, was foreshadowing for the next part.

Morimoto: You left it in!

Tsubaki: I'm sure that in the next part, Nozomi-chan will be in trouble, so Mutsuki, trying to save her, will finally transform into his Jack Form.

Amano: I don't think they (the scriptwriters) put that much though into it!!

-Because we understand each other's roles-

Morimoto: Hajime isn't the type to show his emotions, but during the recording, I was so emotional, that I actually started to cry.

Amano: It was the final scene. When we finished, I said, "This isn't it," and re-recorded it.

Morimoto: Yeah. If Hajime honestly expresses his feelings and becomes 100% human, that's where the story will end. But, after seeing Kenzaki for the first time in such a long time, the thought of never seeing him again made me so emotional. I though, "Hajime should act like this too," but then I realized, "maybe I'm being alittle too feminine." When I asked everyone about it, both Amano-kun and Hojo gave the advice of, "Definitely don't cry." The reason we can share our opinions like that is because we all understand our roles.

Amano: That's right. It's the same for me, I remember other people's roles more than my own.

Morimoto: In a way, it's like looking at it from the Director's point of view. A scene where I tell Amano-kun, "These are the only friends I can trust!," seems strange.

Amano: Now that you mention it, you were very quiet about it at first. But, that scene was also in the TV show, so when I asked Ryo-chan, "What were you doing before?," Ryo-chan remembered it well.

Morimoto: You said I was quite loud at that time

Amano: That's why we re-recorded it. Everyone remembers what Hajime was like, what Mutsuki was like, and what Kenzaki was like.

Tsubaki: When it comes to "that kind of thing" Kenzaki can only speak the "Ondul Language" right? (laughs).

(Everyone laughs)

Morimoto: For better or for worse, the image I have of Kenzaki has never changed. It was the same in the Drama CD. I remembered almost immediately that, "Kenzaki is just like this."

Tsubaki: "Like this," in a good way? (laughs).

Morimoto: Ofcourse. On the other hand, it would be strange if Kenzaki could speak as fluently as (Kenichi) Suzumura-san (laughs).

Tsubaki: Come to think of it, during the dub recording for "Super Hero Taisen," the staff members said, "We have high expectations" So when I asked them, "Which are you expecting?," they said, "Whichever!" Well, from the very beginning, I started chewing as I spoke, and they all started clapping……

Morimoto: You also chewed in the Drama CD (laughs).

Tsubaki: Yeah, I chewed on the first take. Then, a nerve struck in Amano-kun, and he said, "I can't take this anymore…."

Morimoto: Then he left (the recording room).

Hojo: When he came back, he kept laughing like this (he holds his hands over his mouth) (laughs).

Morimoto: It was insanity. I also laughed at the beginning exchange with Kenzaki. In the flashback scene of the main story, he says, "Hajime, you can continue to live among other humans!"

Tsubaki: It came out more, "You can continue to live among other humans….."* (laughs). It's because that scene once traumatized me. *(said slightly slurred towards the end)

Morimoto: Were you actually hurt or something?

Tsubaki: I don't know if it's because people think that my lines with Ondul elements are the correct ones. I was wondering which expectation I should meet, but in the end, I ended up going with Ondul.....

Amano: I was entertained by it though.

Hojo: Another new saying will be born (laughs).

Morimoto: That part of him is what Kenzaki's all about.

Tsubaki: Just so you know, I usually speak very normally. But Kenzaki, he's just different! (laughs)

-We're now eagerly awaiting to visualize it!-

Tsubaki: Thankfully, I heard that the number of pre-orders for the Drama CD exceeded expectations, and Blade, which was broadcast on "Nico Nico Douga" late last year, was also quite popular. So, if we can get a little more support from the fans, I think a video version may be possible.

Amano: I'm glad that we were able to do a Drama CD, and that we were able to appear in Super Hero Taisen with all four of us, but, we mainly did dubbing. Next time I want everyone to appear in a film. By the way, I've confirmed that all four suits of Blade, Chalice, Garren, and Leangle still exist (laughs).

(Everyone laughs)

Tsubaki: Leangle's Jack Form figure is also available!

Amano: No way! I never thought it would actually release….!

Hojo: Come to think of it, at the time of Missing Ace, Baki and Amano-kun lied to me by saying, "I heard Leangle gets his Jack Form……" (laughs)

Amano: Now that it's become a figure, the visualization will also become a reality! So, first of all, we need everyone to support the Drama CD and push for this visualization. It'll be difficult to do something like this in another 5 or 10 years!

Hojo: Kenzaki and Hajime will grow old (laughs).

Morimoto: I'll become a wrinkly Undead! (laughs)

Amano: The Undead don't age, which means we'd have to change the original setting……

Tsubaki: Then it should be within this year. The filming period will be from April to May, and the release will be around August.

Morimoto: That's way too specific! (laughs). If that's the case, we'll have to get a new cards made…..(laughs).

Tsubaki: Talking like this, there's no end to our desires. I still want to make it into a video!

Hojo: When that time comes, I'll come back from Nagoya!

Amano: That's good. I think an adaptation would be fine if Joe actually answered his phone (laughs).

Morimoto: I won't break my cell phone or say that the screen died (laughs). That much is important. But, this year is the anniversary of Blade……so I'd be happy if we could end this year on a good note.

69 notes · View notes

licorice-lips · 25 days

Text

You know, one thing that really bothers me about how people view Bunny and the whole point of The Secret History is that they seem to think that because Richard is an unreliable narrator, that makes him a complete liar and everything that he says happened to and with Bunny was completely twisted into portraying him as bad as Richard can to justify Bunny's murder.

Although that's truth to some extent, I refuse to believe everything about their interactions is a lie, because that would be just lazy writing to justify things you don't want to think about very hard instead of really putting an effort into explaining the open ends to your reader. And I don't believe Donna Tartt is this kind of writer.

Anyway, I saw a post here on tumblr where op says that Bunny is the person that connected the rest of the group to ground reality and that's why his death is so tragic. Even agreeing with this person, I have some thoughts I still want to vent to you guys.

The point of TSH is that knowledge just for aesthetics is dangerous, but that's the thing: our characters have so much knowledge and they are still absolute idiots because they don't see their knowledge through the lens of reality. Their knowledge has no material grounds and therefore, it doesn't even occur to them to be aware of the things they are ignorant about because our minds have trouble understanding how much we don't understand.

(Which is ironic, considering Ancient Greece were the very first Occidental civilization to bring the notion of ignorance to the conversation, but anyways...)

But my point is, as much as Bunny is their link to their humanity, it's not like the humanity Bunny shows is anywhere near the kind of humanity they should be craving, sorry not sorry. From their very first interaction, I hated Bunny because although he's human in his rawest form, he's also just as ignorant as the rest of the group, just in a different way. My problem with Bunny as he's portrayed even early on is that he prides himself on his own ignorance and that, in my personal values, is way more worrisome then not understand how much you don't know.

Because the second case still has space to grow, to learn — albeit with mighty hardship, as exemplified by the very story — and the first one (Bunny's ignorance) is just stasis. And humans don't thrive through inaction, it's just not how we're wired. We are our best version when we're acting to be better — you can perceive this in Bell Hook's All About Love (Chapter 4), in psychology (my therapist has almost emphasize the need to act on my emotions instead of just feeling it and be locked up on them), Theodore Roosevelt has a speech about it too (the man in the arena).

So when I look at Bunny's character through the critical thinking of Richard being an unreliable narrator, it's still inconceivable to me to see him as some people do and be sad about his murder like he didn't deserve to die. Now let's be clear: he didn't deserve to die but it's not like the world is a worst place because of his death. Bunny is insufferable, entitled (although not because of the reasons Henry and the other point out later in the story to justify his murder), bigoted and overall just the epitome of a middle-class American white man (which to me is his worst characteristic), and his death is not that tragic in the overall sense.

His death is tragic because it brings the rest of the group back to reality, where what they do has weight and consequences. And don't even get me started on Julian and how much I hate his ass because it was his responsibility to provide these young adults with an education that was at the very least, grounded in reality. And let me be clear, when I say "grounded in reality" I don't mean common sense. He could still reflect upon Beauty and Terror and all of the stuff he wanted. The problem is that there's a why. We don't study things (specially not philosophy) in a vacuum, the things we do study are real, palpable, material. It has grounds in reality because science, Social Science in special, is about the truth of reality and how it's viewer and how it shapes our very foundations as individuals and as society.

But I digress, I'll do a commentary on Julian and his teaching methods later on.

So in a sense, Bunny's death was tragic because he was the anchor, even in death, of a reality none of the characters wanted to face. A reality that isn't pretty, nor it is good. So Bunny is not good, he was never good. He was just real. He was a real human being and he lived in the world the rest of the group avoided in a mistaken sense of arrogance, of being above "all that". And that's charming, but it doesn't mean Bunny represent anything near the kind of reality we should aim to live in.

Bunny, just like the others, was ignorant and arrogant about it. But as I said, he prided himself on his ignorance. He studied because he was killing time until he was ready to do something else, something he thought was the "real" thing. And that's just as dangerous, or even more so in a collective sense, than not being aware of our own ignorance.

To deny knowledge and the importance of it, to deny all there is behind the aesthetic, not because you don't see it but because you don't want to see it, is just as dumb as just seeing the looks and thinking there's nothing more to it. And in a collective sense, it's just as harmful. The reality he represents is a reality without knowledge, it's studying and not absorbing anything, not even the aesthetic. The one thing that makes me hate the rest of the group a bit less than I hate Bunny is that they at the very least allow themselves to be influenced by knowledge, although in a idiotic way. And that's not even completely their fault.

Bunny, on the other hand, is just, stasis. He's the same person throughout it all, and based on his family and his general behaviour? He could've been an okay person (the kind you tolerate in family dinners because it's not worth the drama), but he was very far from being a good person because to be a good person requires action, it requires the very knowledge he despises — because if you act without knowledge, you're just as blind as any ignorant (that's why we study).

So I don't get why people get so invested in defending Bunny because his death was just as meaningless as his life would've been. And I get that that sounds mean, but it's true exactly because Bunny's whole thing is his own brand of ignorance is inaction and no one changes doing nothing.

37 notes · View notes

doctorcanon · 3 months

Text

I kinda love that oot!Link is the Cryptid of the timeline.

I've been eating Links Meet AUs like candy and I've noticed that each characterization of each Link has it's consistencies.

Original!Link: Spunky, Determined and friendly but lonely and kinda rude. Fairly consistent with his portrayal in the 80's cartoon without the gaslighting and less overt dickishness that was "cool" during that time.

Alttp/Albw!Link: Prefers magic, has an attitude. Usually consistent with the 90's American cartoon "lancer" archetype to play off of Original Link. Usually the one most comfortable with explorations of gender and/or sexual orientation.

WW!Link: The mood maker, the most outgoing but not necessarily the most well-adjusted. Hidden tattoos, sometimes wearing an eye patch. Loud. Usually curses the most. Often Has the best sense of humor.

FS/MC!Link: The Changeling. Wise beyond their years and a bit of a mystery as far as the others go. The Voice of Reason who often works as an adviser to the "leaders". Not A Kid even when he's one of the older ones.

TP!Link: Troubled but cute. Usually one of the tallest in the group. The Survivalist and animal whisperer. Quiet, responsible and sometimes even the emotional heart of the group. Usually knows or has already befriended oot!Link and/or botw!Link.

SS!Link: Sweet, kind and a little insecure. Loves his Zelda and is pretty open about it. A leader in the making, but not quiet there yet. Has this inner rage that shows itself in battle or when someone shit talks Fi.

HW!Link: In charge but not really. The "back up" leader, sometimes even second in command. More self aware than the others give him credit for. The Big Brother, sometimes reluctantly or bad at it. The pragmatist.

Botw/Totk!Link: The Wild Card of the group. Has a complicated relationship with anything regarding being a hero. Blunt. The most ruthless as far as fighting goes. Kinda scary.

Then there's oot!Link: Maybe a leader? Also maybe not. Also maybe he's a child? A teenager? A full grown adult? Has he grown as a person or is he still kinda of a child? Kind? Mean? Rude? A prankster? Or a dad? Or just a straight up antagonist????

Seriously out of all the portrayals, oot!link is the most varied. Now it could be because he has 3 different portrayals, one of which where he actually loses and the other where he goes through a three day time loop and the next time we see him, he's just a straight up ghost. Honestly, how to portray Time is pretty much the only reason I haven't come up with my own AU.

#Linked Universe #Bonus Links #loz #tloz #Links Meet AU #Linked Maze

35 notes · View notes

grimogretricks · 2 years

Text

Gender, power and predation in Dracula- why do the vampire women feed on children?

I have, like most of tumblr it seems, been reading Dracula Daily of late and was pondering the reason why it is that the female vampires in Dracula, and in particular, Lucy are portrayed as preying upon children, first and foremost, whereas Dracula himself seems to primarily, though not exclusively prefer to predate upon young women.

Firstly I think it was Bram Stoker going for something that would be shocking, and anti-thetical to Victorian ideals of womanhood, yet not as salacious as going out and actively hunting down men, or indeed other adult women. Thus the female vampires will go for men if the men cross their path, but they do not go out of their way to chase them down the way Dracula does with women (and Jonathan who is a bit of a special case).

The vampire women in Dracula feed upon children to show they are corrupted opposites of everything a Victorian ideal of woman should be- they destroy what it is they are supposed to love and protect. In Lucy's case, it underlines that Lucy is not Lucy any more, without going so far as to depict her as voracious in a way that could be construed as salaciously, promiscuously predatory towards adult men and women.

However, as I was thinking over this and how of course, this is very much a sexist idea rooted in Victorian constructions of gender, it struck me that the same thing applies to Dracula, in that Dracula is a corrupted opposite of the Victorian ideal of a good man. The fact that people have idealised and romanticised this does not make it less true.

He too, destroys and corrupts what he is supposed to love and protect. He is supposed to love and provide for his wife and family, and yet instead, he stalks and preys upon multiple women, corrupts them, and feeds children to them, rather than providing for his children.

But I think another factor in it is that it reflects where men and women have traditionally been seen as being able to legitimately exert their power and influence.

Dracula, being a man, and a rich man, too, is expected to and granted leave by society to exert power and agency over many others in the public sphere as well as the private, domineering over people in business with him (Jonathan), and those who he sees as beneath him (peasants, the men on the boat), but also over his household, women and children. Thus all are predated on by him, in different ways.

Meanwhile, women have generally been treated as not being able to legitimately wield power in the public sphere, and especially not over men, not even in the private sphere, excepting in the stigmatised and limited way of exerting 'feminine wiles' over them. Yet, women have been seen as having legitimate power and influence over children. Thus, the vampire women, while they may take advantage of a man that crosses their path, exercise their most active predation on children.

It's an interesting thing to note, given how sexualised the predation has been generally portrayed, there are in fact different types of power - and the corruption of that power- that it could be said that the vampires are exerting over their victims.

They each, in a gendered way, are exerting a corrupted, horrifying reversal of what they are supposed to be, according to society, but within the spheres of influence and power they are legitimately considered to have.

This could even be said to work as an in-universe explanation for why Lucy and the vampire women predate as they do- they are still latently influenced by where they feel their own power can and should be exerted, and also where they feel they should or shouldn't go.

#dracula daily #dracula #vampires #lucy westenra #female vampires #vampire brides #gender #dracula analysis

425 notes · View notes

quibbs126 · 11 months

Text

I did another one that no one was necessarily asking for, but I still wanted to do, this is Vampire Shrimp Cookie

I’ll be honest, I’m not really sure if this is even a ship, or if anyone but me ships it (and maybe @bellatheinkdemon considering they made darklobster comics this morning? But that might have just been because I requested a fankid for this ship and they decided to do more afterwards), but I think it’d be neat. I know in canon they haven’t interacted, but their backstories seem similar and I would really like to see them interact at some point, and see how they’d work off each other. Okay, I don’t think that’s very solid of a reasoning, but I just thought shipping them would be kind of neat, and put them on my list. Then this morning I had a bit of a darklobster kick, so I made this one

So does anyone remember that one time when I went on a bender looking up shrimp and then posting about them? Well okay, I only made one post, but I did still do that. Anyways, so one I particularly liked was the vampire shrimp, and I was considering using one for a darklobster kid, since shrimp and lobster are related, plus they’re big (for shrimp) and rather bulky, and also they apparently give off the impression of being scary, when in reality they really aren’t, which seems to fit Dark Choco’s personality (also they aren’t vampiric, so I’m not sure why they’re called that). So I thought “good enough” and put it as a candidate, and to be honest I just wanted to make this into a Cookie, so yeah

Vampire shrimp:

So I’ll be honest, I definitely put more Lobster into her design than Dark Choco, though I’m not entirely sure how to fix that. I gave her a grayish color because I remembered some vampire shrimp having blue-grayish shells, but I think they were more blue than I remembered. Lobster’s tone probably could have worked fine, but I mean, it makes her look more like a mix. And I gave her black hair to give her some similarities to Dark Choco (as well as me thinking it’d work good with the grey). I also put in some reds like Lobster, though I think it helps with the whole “vampire” part of her name, as well as the fact that she’s supposed to have an at least somewhat crooked mouth that resembles fangs. Though again, vampire shrimp aren’t vampiric. I gave her normal hands instead of claws because vampire shrimp don’t have claws. Also I gave her a little shark plush because she’s supposed to be shy, and I thought her hiding herself behind a toy would sell that, and I made it a shark to match Lobster’s sea aesthetic. Though maybe I should have chosen something different, as it does still lean in to the “more emphasis on Lobster” thing

I’ll be honest, I just sort of made something up for her dress. That’s something I’ve noticed, if I make a character where their torso is largely obscured, I’ll have no clue what to do for the outfit. Ah well

Also I don’t know why I drew her as a child. One thing I wanted to portray is that vampire shrimp are bulky, but I can’t really do that with a young child. Maybe I can draw her again as an adult, because that’s definitely something I wanted to keep, she’s supposed to be large. But for now at this age, she’s very small, which I guess works with her shrimp thing. Also don’t know when I decided to make her a girl, I think I was originally going to make her either a boy or non binary. Ah well

So as for her character, there’s not too much, she’s pretty basic. She’s a very shy young girl, who often hides behind her parents (or in Dark Choco’s case, usually within his capes/cloaks). She’s rather timid and has a hard time opening up to people, but if you get her to open up, she’s a very friendly individual who likes to play with others

I’d also imagine Mocha Ray to be like an aunt to Vampire Shrimp, and someone she loves to play with

Growing up, I don’t imagine her to be a warrior, as she’s very non aggressive and would rather settle things peacefully. Not sure what she’d do though

(I may or may not have just taken her personality from what I read about how vampire shrimp behave, but shh. Also I felt like it fits)

Anyways yeah, not much to say on that end. I know at one point I said part of my issues is that I wasn’t able to flesh out these fankids’ personalities in time, but now I have all the time in the world and am able to come up with very little. Though then again, it could also be the lack of creative juices flowing while I’m at home

But regardless, I hope you like her!

#I think this is the one time I really like the inspiration and use it for most of the things #but like I think it works #anyways #cookie run #cookie run ovenbreak #dark choco cookie #lobster cookie #darklobster #fankid #fanchild #cookie run oc #my art #there was something else I was going to say but I don’t remember what #vampire shrimp cookie

91 notes · View notes

dropthedemiurge · 4 months

Text

Got prompted by @pinkkop but also partially this might end up as the controversial Thai BL post because the range of characters I'd defend with the passion is very wide for me:D

8 BL BOYS I WILL THROW HANDS FOR

Uea (Bed Friend)

This show isn't jokingly called 'A Tale of 1000 Traumas' for no reason, I mean – there is only so much one young adult can go through, and Uea has been through... well, almost everything. Tagging hurt/comfort fics on AO3 will result into red triggers all around. What fascinates me in this character is his resilience, too. He managed to go through everything with the sheer will power and knowing his own worth, what he deserves and what he does not. I am so glad the show made an active choice to send him to therapy and give him a considerate and loving boyfriend! He really needs both.

Sky (Love in the Air)

Again, no surprise that everyone would want to protect Sky. The acting was also chef's kiss in this show, I know I shouldn't be but I absolutely enjoyed seeing Sky getting triggered and sent to the red-lit room in his mind because this was pure cinematography, but irl I would just hug Sky with consent and never let him go. And kick Gun until he never rises up again too. I think Rain should've been given full freedom to avenge for his best friend. But this is also why I'm writing all these skyrain fics – because they are safe space for each other and I want to keep seeing it.

Rain (Love in the Air)

Ehem, like I said– the show has not declared it loudly but he's one of the most ADHD characters in Thai BLs if I ever saw one. He does not deserve to be mocked for his struggles and airheadness. I wish we saw more of him playing into his strengths beside taming a dom, instead of being infantilized by the show sometimes. Don't ask me to dive into full analysis though, I only could watch the PayuRain half of the show once so I'm going off vibes I remember, but I absolutely adore Rain and love reading fics that focus on his ADHD headcanon and how others understand and help him. And also those platonic BDSM tendencies he has with his best friend Sky.

Kawi (Be My Favorite)

For this guy, I would not fight the show or narration because they treated both characters and viewers with care, gentleness, wise teaching and love (Max is a harsh brat but that's his personality). I would actually fight the fandom: from people who hate-watched this show and refused to acknowledge it was amazingly done further than 'i might've liked it but ew screw this actor and novel the show was inspired by amiright don't judge me for liking it jk lol' to some individuals who missed the beautifully developed and portrayed close bond (aspec on at that, I'll stay firm) that spread across >10 years and different timelines and reduced Kawi to immature whiny weirdo who's scared to fuck Pisaeng ten times a day instead of one, idk. This show is a gem with many life-lessons and Kawi has one of the strongest and fascinating character development in Thai BLs that I've seen. Hands are being thrown.

Boston (Only Friends)

The creators of the show said the series didn't have any intentional message, but considering how many long discussions and poured out frustrations we had with some people, Only Friends definitely did Boston wrong. So what if he's a proud slut, should the show punish him for it while praising 'righteous' characters high on their horses? I don't think so. My guy was constantly filmed illegally and threatened by his hookups and friends, he's very hesitant about falling in love but he tried his best with clearly spoken offers, poly views and limits. I also see Boston kinda neurodivergent and/or demiromantic based on many lines he said about himself and his own view of people and relationships in the series. Nick might not be fully compatible with him, and I would throw hands for both of them, but if those two would communicate better, there would be no need for the OOC "twist" at the end. Their story could be beautiful, sad and realistic, instead Boston being kicked down in the street dirt by everyone after opening up about his heart and fears made me angry.

Akk (The Eclipse)

These descriptions just keep getting longer and longer? Oops... I don't think I need to explain the desire to protect Akk – this guy has not stopped crying since a mischievous and passionate newbie managed to break through his 100m thick wall of composure, pokerface and sheer will to survive. And also through all the manipulation Akk faced from the people he looked up to. Akk and everything that he went through managed to rip my heart out, and I'm not kidding. If you're repressed, oppressed and/or struggling with money, desire to make your parents proud and can't help but feel 'disapproved' feelings for someone – meet Akk, he's very relatable. I'd protect him and you too.

Thua (The Eclipse)

*clears throat* I did say this post would get controversial. I can and I will consider 90% of the people who hate Thua as lacking media literacy :D But without getting into useless fandom discussions, Thua is a poor teenager that needs love and support to be able to find himself and his own voice. He's stressed out by a harsh step-father, constantly facing homophobia and mocking in school, has suicidal intentions and the only good friend who opposed homophobic students and teachers, who showed him safe space and helped reach out to his mother, encouraged him to speak out loudly... went behind everyone's back, started dating the main "bully" of the school who threatened every queer for months and decided to support him while silencing students' and Thua's voices. At least that's what Thua experienced from his POV. Would you throw hands? Thua did, and while I may not agree with how he handled the situation, I can't hate him. He finally stood up for himself and his own, tried to change the system, and I'd fight Suppalo school for him too.

Black (Not Me)

There's someone who doesn't need my protection at all! A second before turning into bloody merciless activist-fighter who doesn't shy away from murdering capitalists and cops, I would still want Black not to think he's better off alone. While antagonistic sexually-tense exchange of comas with his ex-best friend can count as one of the most delicious type of romance that happened in subtext not text, he still deserved to seek solace in his ex-girlfriend and (ex? they were so close, why Gram does not care about him at all when he returns? we'll never know) other activist friend's company. Also, fighting with his life to change something in how the country works and hearing 'nah, your twin is better, he knows how to fight with social media so we achieved more with him than with you' from his mentor and Black deciding that he should again ditch everyone he cares about...noo:( I need spin-off about him where he gets everything he really deserves.

#I think I could've picked up 2 more but I can't think of anyone else right now #writing these 8 has already filled me with fire xD #thai series #thai bl #gmmtv #let's say pat and pran are the 2 left and i won't need to explain anything #dropthemeta

49 notes · View notes

olderthannetfic · 9 months

Note

Jeez, this entire drawn out convo is embarrassing and done to death. BL is romance. It's bound to the same romance tropes as MF and FF, id-driven as many of them are. If you don't like how a male character is written, that just means you don't like the story; move on. A lot of romance and horror both function on the premise of "romanticizing" and "fetishizing" things that wouldn't be desirable in real life. Yes, horror movies do portray murder as something fun for the audience. That's why people like slashers flicks from the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. It even became a trend that people would watch the intro of the slasher to see which teenagers are the most annoying, so it's fun when Jason or Freddy or Michael Meyers, or whoever kills them gruesomely. That's why we love the Final Destination films! That's why we like Saw! It's why we like The Evil Dead! It's why we like Wrong Turn! It's why we like Scream! Friday the 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Child's Play, Halloween! They're tropey horror slashers with elaborate, gorey murder scenes that become such spectacles of themselves that by the end of the franchises, there's so much blood and viscera that the scenes are parodies of themselves. They're beloved all over the world. And people cheer for the murders in theaters! People love cheering for Freddy Krueger and Michael Meyers, and Jason when they disembowl some 15 year old who was probably just off drinking illegally with their friends. People love cheering for them so much, that there're are crossover films so we can cheer as they fight each other. These are such well-known tropes in horror that they've become cemented in popular culture, so movies like Cabin in the Woods are made. It's popular, extremely so, and I don't know how someone can go 20 years of life and not realize this. Just like how people like reading Twilight wherein Edward basically stalks Bella. Women don't want to be stalked in real life, but they like Edward because it's just a story. No one wants to date a man like Christian Gray in real life, but he's hot in a story. No one wants a guy like Ryouma Ichijou in real life, but it's fun in a tropey BL. The audience is supposed to like him because they want the main couple to get together. If it's not your thing, just don't watch it and move on to something else. The world will keep spinning.

And a lot of people like stories from the antagonists' perspective because it's interesting. This doesn't appear often in things made for children because it's for children, so it has some small responsibility of modeling behavior... because it's for kids. Things for adults don't have all these restrictions because as an adult, you should be able to judge right from wrong in real life, so you can just relax and watch Hannibal Lector abuse and manipulate Will in Hannibal without having an existential crisis about the moral fabric of society decaying. If you can't handle it, you should leave the training wheels on because genre fiction for adults will not always hold you hand--because you're an adult, and you should have common sense to know "murder/sexual assault/stalking/harassment/etc is bad in real life." Children below the ages of 4-5 aren't supposed to watch things like Spongebob for this same reason: they can't tell the difference. If you're an adult, you should be capable of that much, at least.

BL studies is an established academic field that discusses and examines BL across the world in different media forms: manga, manhwa, manhua, anime, donghua, live action, etc. from different countries. Read articles from professionals. Learn about BL and geicomi since apparently it also has to be reiterated that the characters in BL--yes, even the thin, waifs--look like straight men in East Asia. They're ikemen. There are different stereotypes of what queer men look like all over the world, wild concept, I know. The stereotype of what gay men look like in E. Asia are chubby bears, like plumbers, or super ripped men, like the body types typically featured in geicomi, the stories made by men for a male target audience.

Yes, many popular youtubers/breadtubers say convertly puritanical talking points in their videos. Few, if any, actually have media literacy. And few are actually transgressive or nuanced in their discussions of fiction or fandom. If they were, Google wouldn't promote them. You should try reading up more about radfem/TERF theory to recognize these talking points. Everyone who thinks these things isn't walking around around with a neon sign. You should know, since you actually share many of their harmful beliefs, but I doubt you'd call yourself a TERF or a radfem. Read Nancy Friday books like My Secret Garden to learn more about taboo sexual fantasies are how normal they are.

Read BL studies articles to actually learn history, read some Nancy Friday books to get over this weird projection of morality and kink in fantasy, and actually listen when people are correcting you because there's decades if not centuries of research refuting all your "points." No one is saying you have to like these stories for yourself, but you do have to realize the world doesn't revolve around you, and other people will always like different things and that's fine. These stories and discussions have always happened and they're fueled by misogyny and homophobia, as well as a desire for censorship. Read some Oscar Wilde essays too or even more recent BL manga/hwa/etc. BL anime doesn't get produced often because animation is expensive. It's 2023. Why are we pretending that Love Stage is representative of current trends in BL across different countries in different mediums, genres, magazines/publishers since Love Stage came out in the early 2000s?

98 notes · View notes

teeth-cable · 10 months

Note

Im the CSA victim from UniformedArtists blog and I agree with you 1000% dropping everything Vivziepop.

Like I only watch Helluva even after the shit she's done to see how far it would sink but jesus christ.

You know her just saying the counselor is 18-19 isn't fucking good enough because the show says a different thing.

Like before people bring up the argument counselors can be adults... Most TV shows in media actually have minor counselors and we know Vivziepop doesn't research shit about hell or actual royalty so why the fuck am I supposed to believe Adam or her researched counselor age ranges.

Also nobody should have a twitter to figure out if you did or didn't make a grooming subplot.

You know in Curse of Strahd there's a controversial character Gertruda who 50 (500) year old Strahd is implied to planning take as another bride because of where you find her and in the book it states she's recently a teenager. However as much as I hate this plot line due to trauma I understand why it was added because WOTC portrays Strahd as a piece of shit. Like his goal is to chase down the reincarnation of his brother's fiance throughout time until he catches her, makes her a vampire and possibly brainwash/assault her to make her love him. Strahd is meant to be a gross creep. I as a DM and many other age Gertruda up to 18 because we don't want a pedo plot line and it keeps the predatory nature of Strahd intact.

Barbie seems to be portrayed in a significantly more positive light and her grooming behavior is never called out as a bad thing. Like Moxxie should say something at god damn least since he has morals.

There are so many things wrong with the EP. What gets me is writing has multiple stages, first the person needs to come up with the EP pitch, get the directer or network's approval, finish the first draft, then revisit it for grammar mistakes and continuity, then revise it a few more times for a stronger script, and send it to the directer or network again to approve of filming the finish script and that's not even counting how long animation takes too. So during the process of writing to animating, did no one at SpindleHorse see how weird and problematic the script was? The camp for pre-teens is called, "IWannaKumMore"(Their logo being a cum splat), Millie and Moxxie's human backstories of being siblings then making out at the end was unnecessary because they could have just been good friends whose mothers sent them to the same camp, Moxxie this grown ass adult who pretending to be a pre-teen is acting sexual and wants the kids attention, Millie who everyone else thinks is a young boy is getting sent nudes from kids and adults, and Barbie saying how easy teenagers are to manipulate then flash her ass to a boy is implying she grooms kids.

To be clear, I don't have a problem when a dark comedy make these types of jokes as all as they portray the topics and groomers as bad and show they understand that. SpindleHorse did not, like you mentioned they portrayed Barbie in the positive light and Moxxie never calls out her behavior despite being the voice of reason. In fact the tone of the Barbie's scene was supposed to funny but not in a dark ironic way. I don't understand why the camp couldn't be for college students and the consolers are stated and look like actual adults. Everything about the canon camp is childish and filled with teenagers, it's very uncomfortable to see them in sexual situations. In America the youngest a camp counselor can be is 15 y/o but that changes from states to states so no body has a clue, also with the camp counselor having a pitch voice, Barbie referring to him as kid and teenager and him, not once trying to correct her about his actual age, I'm convinced he was kid but Viv had to age him up for damage control.

I'm sorry if this response is all over the place because I'm having trouble describing my thoughts but the writers are in their 30s, and they saw nothing wrong? The writing for HB has been going down for a while now and it was fun to see how the writing could get worse but never in my years of watching awful shows did the writing get so bad, the writers had to resort to terrible jokes about sexualizing teenagers, making an incest joke, and a minor getting groomed unironically. I can't support a person or company that are fine making content like that.

"Unhappy Teenagers" was the first time, I have watched a show and felt a sinking feeling in my gut so much so it still lingers even a day later. I never felt so sick from watching a show and I'm sorry writers and companies think making this type of content and jokes of your trauma and abused experience is okay to do.

#꧁rambles꧂#➥asks #helluva boss criticism #helluva boss critical #helluva critical #vivizepop criticism #vivziepop critical #spindlehorse critical #spindlehorse criticism

108 notes · View notes

sukunasbabygirl · 10 months

Text

Despite not fixating in the Owl House much, It’s only natural for me to occasionally think about the Wittebane story because I am in fact a nerd.

I also realise that there’s been stuff on twitter again about how it’s immoral to like Philip’s character which… that’s a story for another day, but trying to understand his character is nowhere close to condoning his actions, and when it comes to the witch trials, we have real events we can analyse to try and understand where the roots of Philip come from. I know they likely weren’t allowed to go so far in the Owl House’ case, but I would love if media in general explored the mania surrounding witches in a more nuanced way than how it’s usually portrayed, this being in regards to the New England Witch Trials mainly, but it would be interesting to see other witch crazes explored and what not.

Back to Philip Wittebane though, I think what people fail to understand about the mania surrounding witches, is that at the time the threat was very real, and there’s typically a disconnect between these events and now due to the centuries of difference. We often villainise and even dehumanise the accusers without realising that this is a phenomenon that still occurs today - on the internet no less. People accuse and create false evidence and then we turn our backs on people, even when the evidence doesn’t always make sense. That is, in a simple manner of speaking, what the trials were, bouts of paranoia and false accusations leading to more and more deaths and imprisonments and fear amongst the masses, and this nature would be highly influential on children who can’t yet grasp what’s really happening.

It’s hard to understand Philip when we can’t connect to what he went through, but if you think of it as something you’re familiar with, it does become easier. He’s still a terrible and vile person, but when he was a child, he grew desensitised to the death around him, and even associated it with being accepted. As we know Gravesfield was a dangerously paranoid town, and a child is going to be influenced by the adults around them, and family too, gestures to Caleb. And if you want to call young Philip a heartless murderer, then I’m afraid you’d have to do the same for Caleb, because we see in the Hollow Mind portraits that Caleb joined in and encouraged the deaths of supposed witches. The difference between him and his brother is that he changed, and Philip did not, but that is a discussion for another day.

And it’s always worth noting the fact they grew up in a strictly Christian environment, and even though I was a Catholic not Protestant, the same principles apply when it comes to Christianity messing you up, and lord above, it can really mess you up. Top ten reasons why he’s like me. Seriously though, Christianity was a focus point in a Puritan’s life, and they would keep journals and devote their lives to God for the most part. The fear of damnation was very real and these pacts with the devil even moreso, and when things went wrong, it would be so much easier to blame the devil and his servants than to believe in the cruelty of God or in the idea that they themselves were doing something wrong to anger him.

And that’s exactly what Philip does later down the line. He blames a servant of the devil for his brother’s fall rather than believe that he’s in the wrong, and that his brother has strayed from the right path. While this isn’t explicitly said, it’s again something we can infer from historical context and vague hints in the show, I mean Philip does call the Isles another word for hell. Interestingly, he doesn’t seem to question the fact he’s in a place that is essentially hell, and instead takes it as a mission to rescue his brother and cleanse hell.

Side note on that actually, I’d have to double check but this purging of a hell-like place reminds me vaguely of the Book of Revelations and how when Jesus rises again, Hell will be like a second death and those who have not accepted salvation will cease to exist or be cast into a lake or sulfur… I’d have to double check that though. It’s definitely not an intentional thing, but you know, it may be something running through Philip’s mind. Also it paints him again as similar to the anti-christ or the false prophet, taking the place of Jesus as saviour but really leading them all to damnation.

Before you ask, yes I am reading way too much into this and finding things that probably weren’t even the point but you know.

I guess in summary: it’s hard to understand Philip’s character without the historical context, and it’s even harder when you twist the historical context to be black and white, in this case the witch trials and Puritan society. Understanding his character will never be condoning his actions. I find his character fascinating because he is a display of what would happen if you put a devote Puritan man into the modern world. Did I think it was done well? Not really. Did I still enjoy seeing his character unfold? Yes! He’s a despicable man, but it’s completely acceptable to look at a despicable fictional character and wonder ‘what made you this way’?

There’s also a whole other discussion about how his control over the Isles reflects colonialism and how he converted people with their own beliefs and culture to what is essentially Christianity, using a belief they already had (The Titan) to spearhead this, something I’ve touched on before a few times but an in depth analysis would be interesting. The show touches on this directly once I think? And there are clear differences is the isles before and after, so I believe this was very much the intention.

I’m starting to get off track now, so I’ll end it here, but hello again Wittebane fandom, I make my brief return and now I won’t exist again for five thousand years.

#the owl house #toh #toh analysis #emperor belos #philip wittebane #wittebane brothers

79 notes · View notes