#it's also just one of those personal nuanced biases -

[inkskinned]

the thing is that they're so fascinated by sex, they love sex, they can't imagine a world without sex - they need sex to sell things, they need sex to be part of their personality, they need sex to prove their power - but they hate sex. they are disgusted by it.

sex is the only thing that holds their attention, and it is also the thing that can never be discussed directly.

you can't tell a child the normal names for parts of their body, that's sexual in nature, because the body isn't a body, it's a vessel of sex. it doesn't matter that it's been proven in studies (over and over) that kids need to know the names of their genitals; that they internalize sexual shame at a very young age and know it's 'dirty' to have a body; that it overwhelmingly protects children for them to have the correct words to communicate with. what matters is that they're sexual organs. what matters is that it freaks them out to think about kids having body parts - which only exist in the context of sex.

it's gross to talk about a period or how to check for cancer in a testicle or breast. that is nasty, illicit. there will be no pain meds for harsh medical procedures, just because they feature a cervix.

but they will put out an ad of you scantily-clad. you will sell their cars for them, because you have abs, a body. you will drip sex. you will ooze it, like a goo. like you were put on this planet to secrete wealth into their open palms.

they will hit you with that same palm. it will be disgusting that you like leather or leashes, but they will put their movie characters in leather and latex. it will be wrong of you to want sexual freedom, but they will mark their success in the number of people they bed.

they will crow that it's inappropriate for children so there will be no lessons on how to properly apply a condom, even to teens. it's teaching them the wrong things. no lessons on the diversity of sexual organ growth, none on how to obtain consent properly, none on how to recognize when you feel unsafe in your body. if you are a teenager, you have probably already been sexualized at some point in your life. you will have seen someone also-your-age who is splashed across a tv screen or a magazine or married to someone three times your age. you will watch people pull their hair into pigtails so they look like you. so that they can be sexy because of youth. one of the most common pornography searches involves newly-18 young women. girls. the words "barely legal," a hiss of glass sand over your skin.

barely legal. there are bills in place that will not allow people to feel safe in their own bodies. there are people working so hard to punish any person for having sex in a way that isn't god-fearing and submissive. heteronormative. the sex has to be at their feet, on your knees, your eyes wet. when was the first time you saw another person crying in pornography and thought - okay but for real. she looks super unhappy. later, when you are unhappy, you will close your eyes and ignore the feeling and act the role you have been taught to keep playing. they will punish the sex workers, remove the places they can practice their trade safely. they will then make casual jokes about how they sexually harass their nanny.

and they love sex but they hate that you're having sex. you need to have their ornamental, perfunctory, dispassionate sex. so you can't kiss your girlfriend in the bible belt because it is gross to have sex with someone of the same gender. so you can't get your tubes tied in new england because you might change your mind. so you can't admit you were sexually assaulted because real men don't get hurt, you should be grateful. you cannot handle your own body, you cannot handle the risks involved, let other people decide that for you. you aren't ready yet.

but they need you to have sex because you need to have kids. at 15, you are old enough to parent. you are not old enough to hear the word fuck too many times on television.

they are horrified by sex and they never stop talking about it, thinking about it, making everything unnecessarily preverted. the saying - a thief thinks everyone steals. they stand up at their podiums and they look out at the crowd and they sign a bill into place that makes sexwork even more unsafe and they stand up and smile and sign a bill that makes gender-affirming care illegal and they get up and they shrug their shoulders and write don't say gay and they get up, and they make the world about sex, but this horrible, plastic vision of it that they have. this wretched, emotionless thing that holds so much weight it's staggering. they put their whole spine behind it and they push and they say it's normal!

this horrible world they live in. disgusted and also obsessed.

#this shifts gender so much bc it actually affects everyone #yes it's a gendered phenomenon. i have written a LOT about how different genders experience it. that's for a different post. #writeblr #ps my comments about seeing someone cry -- this is not to shame any person #and on this blog we support workers. #at the same time it's a really hard experience to see someone that looks like you. clearly in agony. and have them forced to keep going. #when you're young it doesn't necessarily look like acting. it looks scary. and that's what this is about - the fact that teens #have likely already been exposed to that definition of things. because the internet exists #and without the context of healthy education. THAT is the image burned into their minds about what it looks like. #it's also just one of those personal nuanced biases - #at 19 i thought it was normal to be in pain. to cry. to not-like-it. that it should be perfunctory. #it was what i had seen. #and it didn't help that my religious upbringing was like . 'yeah that's what you get for premarital. but also for the reference #we do think you should never actually enjoy it lol' #so like the point im making is that ppl get exposed to that stuff without the context of something more tender #and assume .... 'oh. so it's fine i am not enjoying myself'. and i know they do because I DID. #he was my first boyfriend. how was i supposed to know any different #i didn't even have the mental wherewithal to realize im a lesbian . like THAT used to suffering.

[musical-chick-13]

"This show is SO good, you should watch it!!"

I gotta be honest. If I look at a character list on Wikipedia and get five characters down without seeing a single woman, it's probably not for me.

#I have no patience for 'there is exactly one woman in the main/supporting cast' anymore #unless the writing is INCREDIBLE and the themes are explored with a type of depth and nuance I can't get anywhere else (like shiki) #(daily media plug for shiki) #then I just. probably will not vibe with it. if there are no women. (also shiki DOES have interesting female characters in it) #and this isn't to say that like. things involving men or talking about men or that have a male protagonist are Not Worth #My Time that is NOT what I'm saying at all. I just want like. several women. who show up and affect the story. like LITERALLY that is all I #am asking for. I feel like that's just. the bare minimum. but alas. #mel screams about fictional ladies again #there are plenty of things that are male-character-focused that I enjoy and even genuinely think are good! but I do want people to #ask themselves why they aren't willing to go to bat for media that DOES have more women in the cast than men. #(I mean. the answer is misogyny. but I want people to be. aware of that. and evaluate accordingly) #(evaluate meaning 'acknowledge I have some biases I need to continue deconstructing' not 'drop interest in everything tumblr #user musical-chick-13 personally doesn't like') #I feel like so many times we get trapped in this space between overcorrection via 'don't like ANYTHING that's pRoBLeMaTiC in ANY way' #and people taking the 'it's fiction it's not that deep' to the conclusion of 'because I cannot actually hurt fictional characters because #they're not real that means I am incapable of hurting irl people when they talk about those characters' #like there is. nuance here. there is a middle ground. and most people have NO interest in finding it lmao #and like...if you carry your biases from irl (which EVERYONE HAS. INCLUDING ME. COURTESY OF LIVING IN A PREJUDICED SOCIETY.) into a #direct and one-to-one evaluation of stories or characters that allow you to exercise those biased ideas. then that reinforces those biases #like. no hating...for example every anime lady isn't the same as structural misogyny like the pay gap or anti-women violence #but if you automatically associate the idea of 'female character' with 'lesser-than' it strengthens the already-present societal idea that #women are not as important or dynamic or worthy of support and attention as their male peers. if you are willing to see every (white) #fictional man as having interiority and depth but struggle to see that in any fictional woman then it adds to the things society is already #telling us about women. it creates an association of 'women' with 'inferiority' and uh. that's what misogyny is. #it is not the same as misogynistic crimes against irl women but it IS a reflection of the rhetoric and societal impulses that lead to them #and even if it's a reflection and not the actual thing. it's still important to break down and examine and reevaluate because #if we don't examine our OWN biases. then even if we tear down the greater oppressive structure we'll just end up building it back up again #no your thousands of words of m/m fanfiction or liking late 2000s shonen anime isn't responsible for misogyny nor are these things #inherently misogynistic. I just want like. some acknowledgement that something being 'for fun' doesn't automatically mean that bias/ #prejudice is nowhere to be found

[maplewozapi]

Hey! I have a question if that's ok with you. I am White British but I am interested in Native American history (I think it's super cool and I love learning about cultures different to my own). However someone I was talking to about it (a bookseller who I bought a book abt native history off) said that i'm committing cultural appropriation by being interested in non-white history. Is it cultural appropriation for a white person to be interested in the history of non-white people, because if it is I will totally stop being interested in it. It's just sad because I find it really interesting, but i totally don't want to perpetrate racism :(

Studying others history is not at all cultural appropriation and not learning can actually perpetuate ignorance and stereotypes believed about a group. And if someone is stopping you from learning history I’d say that’s an underlining way of them trying to get you not educated. I mean there is overstepping when trying to learn our ceremonies and religious practices without permission and I even say it’s odd to do so in another land that doesn’t know those practices.

When reading literature about native history I’d try to stay with books with native authors or help from tribal members and the tribe it’s self whether than one individual member. Many anthropologist would only interview one person and take their beliefs has everyone’s and cause false information. I’d even limit the publishing dates to the later 2000s, so you can find more nuanced literature. (Some of these book below are fiction but show the Native American condition)

I’d think you find a great overview with "indigenous history of the United States", it’s a great introduction to the head space of ethnology of native people has been and recorrecting it.

I would also say to not limit yourself to your idea of "Native Americans" you’ll find most literature follows plains tribes, and instead I’d recommend you research all indigenous peoples spanning north to South America.

Much of the literature you may run into are written from out of context accounts from expeditionists, or missionaries/priests and it’s important not to take everything at face value. I’d just suggest reading accounts from native people before try to describe biased and mistranslated literature.

💖I’d also keep in mind native history is still continuing to today 💖

#books #native books #native american #indigenous #ask

[shiraishi-kanade]

Interactions that I want to see in proseka: An Shiraishi edition

Buckle up, folks. This is gonna be a long one.

New interactions

An & Kanade: this is actually more of a biased one (in a "I want to see two of my favourite characters interact" way), but I really hope to see more of them. An and Kanade are aware of each other's existence through Mizuki and the Twilight Festival event, but it's very surface level and I really want their potential to be explored more.

Despite appearing very different on the surface level and leading very different lifestyles, An and Kanade have been foils to each other basically since launch. They both grew up surrounded by music; they both have, and have shown since a very young age, a prominent talent in it (singing and composing respectively); they're both extremely passionate about what they do and are very hardworking, to the point of sacrificing their own well-being to it (a trait that, interestingly, more like early Kanade, but more recent An), and they also have a shared topic of grief.

Both An and Kanade suffered a loss of a loved one that impacted them deeply, and both of them choose to, at least to some extent, repress their own feelings regarding that. While I don't think their interaction/event should necessarily touch on that topic, I think it would be good for the both of them to have a friend who can relate to something that horrifying and personal.

(Additionally, while we didn't know what killed Kanade's mom, we know it was some kind of illness, and chances are it'll be same/similar to what killed Nagi. If Kanade shared how it was for her to witness her mom slowly fading away... I think that would make for an interesting conversation.)

Honestly, I'd take just about anything with those two, from grief and angst to composing and potentially even light-hearted event like Spojoy Park. I just really want them to meet properly.

An & Emu: Genki girls!! They are very dear to me personally despite not having met properly yet. They're also the reason I'm upset An has moved on from disciplinary committee: missed opportunity for her to catch Emu sneaking in! They would be fun to be around each other, I think, once An would get used to Emu's manner of speech (which she also somewhat shares, as shown in Nuanced Language sidestory. An being able to understand Emu-language from the get go would be a hilarious twist)

On the more serious note! Emu and An have a lot of shared themes, especially those of loneliness and abandonment issues, and also the way they chose to deal with those feelings. A lot of people say they're suppressing their emotions; I'm rather inclined to say they're avoiding them. If faced with each other who are, in a way, a reflection of their flaws, they might not be able to avoid it anymore - I think that would potentially be a very insightful interaction for them.

Moreover, they (along with a couple other characters, like Touya and Kanade, although for them it's much more minor) share the topic of legacy. Both of them lost a close one that has left behind a dream and both of them, voluntarily, stepped up to keep it alive. I think in that regard An and Emu would be able to understand each other in a very unique way. They have way more to their possible friendship than it seems on a surface level.

An & Mafuyu: one of An's most defining character traits is being a good friend and accepting of everyone - more than that, she earnestly believes she could accept all people if she tried hard enough. I think, for Mafuyu, having a friend, or even an acquaintance like that, someone who is put off by her behaviour and overall mannerisms but actively tries to understand her and be friends with her despite that, as well as someone who is so passionate about a dream she has she build her whole life around it, would be very useful.

(this is also the reason I hold a grudge with 2024 White Day event. It's beautiful and fun and all but An's not had a limited card for over a year and haven't had neither Valentine's nor White day, I thought FOR SURE this one. We could have had it all :( )

An & Saki: similar to An and Emu, both of them have a lot of both serious and comedic potential. They're lively, they're athletic, they're passionate about music - there is no feasible reason for them to not hit it off right away when they meet. I don't quite imagine the rest of their groups being able to keep up with their energy.

Still, underneath that energy, there is an underlying topic of loneliness that they both went through, and although An's is incomparable to Saki's, I think there would be this kind of understanding between them, too. While being extroverted and having a lot of friends, An has spend years searching for "her" person without success up until main story. I don't think she had any actual, deep bonds with peers going on in her life aside Haruka. Having a close-knit, big friend group might just be what both An and Saki have missed out on in middle school. That's an interesting observation, isn't it?

More of That, please (Already know each other but I want to see them More)

An & Haruka: in terms of Haruka and An, I really want to see more backstory for them. I know we've already seen it briefly, but there is so much more to it. How close were they? Did Haruka know Nagi in person or from description? What is Haruka's relationship with Vivid Street? Did she go to WEG to sort her thoughts out because An was there, or because it has a connection to her, too (The Non-Idol Me sidestory)? Did they grow more distant throughout Junior High? There is much to unpack here still!

And also, I just like their friendship overall and think we're really lacking their area interactions and accidental meetings, stuff like that. There should definitely be more.

An & Rui: the sillies. Now that An isn't a hall monitor I expect her to take absolute delight in Rui's antics.

They've performed together a total of three times (if we count the New Year show, even though it was more of a Tsukasa stage) and all of them went spectacularly. An is just the right amount of impulsive and reckless to be someone who's able to meet Rui's ideas halfway and match his energy, even though she's normally skeptical about it when she isn't a part of the performance. Hell, An even jokingly mentions becoming an actress!

I think they definitely should interact more and I want it to be utterly ridiculous. It's a shame it didn't happen a little earlier in Rui's story, but, for example, An (together with some other characters) doing acting gigs for Rui could be extremely fun.

An & Tsukasa: both the comedic and the serious angst potential is there; An's and Tsukasa's recent arcs do align quite nicely even though they're not exactly the same. They could probably have a nice conversation about it.

I think it's also fun to see An not realising that she comes off just as loud and pushy to other people as Tsukasa seems to her. But they definitely do have the same energy! I really liked Let's Study Hard and the New Year's Show for that; they're extremely passionate and Tsukasa admires An's passion and skill - I wish they elaborated on this more!

Also, An should definitely have something going on with Tsukasa with her passing the role of the hall monitor to him, especially with Rui around. No way they won't even mention it.

An & Shiho: they had an awesome time together during the In The Corner of Resonant Town and I'm BEGGING for them to get closer as friends. From fashion sense to music to their personal issues, they have a lot in common. I think they've had their share of deep talks and I'm not exactly looking for that anymore; something more relaxed like a jam session or just hanging out is another thing, thought.

An & Ichika: I'm biased in a way that I love them and I also think it would be very funny for Ichika to have a second vocal teacher. Ichika & Nene are very dear to my heart, but as things stand, An should canonically be more skilled in vocals (while Nene is definitely a superior actor) and her skillset probably fits Ichika's genre better. And An was teaching Kohane at the start, so we know she knows how to! There is no particular motive behind it other than I want to see them together more and I think that would be a perfect way for them to get closer.

Additionally, Shiho mentioned how An must be experienced in MCing and how there must be a lot they can learn from her. That. I want that to happen so badly.

An & Nene: no thought head empty just please more of them. Especially singing. I want them to sing together again, I loved hearing Nene's little monologue and I like the way Nene was able to give An tips on acting and singing while acting; they're extremely sweet, they're polar opposites while also being similar in a bizarre way, and I really want the writers to go all in with the classmates thing.

#project sekai #prsk #puroseka #pjsekai #do I tag it with every individual character? maybe #an shiraishi #kanade yoisaki #mafuyu asahina #emu otori #tsukasa tenma #rui kamishiro #ichika hoshino #nene kusanagi #saki tenma #shiho hinomori #haruka kiritani #sorry if this is annoying anyone in tags #also I wrote this at 5am so I'm not responsible for typos #jaysthoughts.txt

[purgemarchlockdown]

I told myself not to interact too much with the voting discussion because of how much it bothers me, but due to how her votes are going I will talk about it. I know the idea is that to protect the other prisoners we need her to be voted guilty. That's the theory, I'd argue that not only would that not work out the way people expect it to and I'd also argue that voting innocent is the better option overall.

But let's talk a bit about a dichotomy first.

Something I've noticed in fandom when it comes to victims of abuse and trauma is that there's a want for easily digestible abuse victims. There's a want for victims of abuse that are easily infantilized and woobified. In other words, there's a want for a very sanitized depiction of abuse. One where the characters who are being abused did nothing wrong and are morally pure completely righteous characters.

On the flipside, once an abuse victim steps out of those bounds of sanitized digestibility the audience reactions shifts. You tend to find these characters demonized and portrayed in ways that showcase how horrible, toxic or...dangerous they are. If you are an abuse victim in fiction you have to be an incredibly idealized version of the perfect abuse victim who does nothing wrong because if you aren't people will find ways to demonize you and erase any sense of nuance from the story.

You can either be a good abuse victim, or a bad one.

Now of course not everyone voting Amane guilty is doing it because of this...like I've seen a lot of posts from people who just don't know what to do or people who just feel that the consequences of Guilty Vote Amane is worth it in the end or people who just vote her guilty cause they don't like her much. I'm biased in this regard because I love Amane Momose! I'm very much biased towards her.

However it is troubling to me that I see this sort of bias, a lot of people have talked about how this also happens with Mikoto and I'd argue there was a bit of this also involved in Haruka and his voting.

It's something In this fandom and it's something that troubles me personally because I care a lot about this stuff, stories like Amane's are important to me, and I don't like seeing people react like this to abuse victims in fiction just because they aren't palatable.

I doubt most people in real life would act the same way if Amane was real, but also I'm unfortunately very familiar with people ignore someone who is suffering just because they feel uncomfortable. So I do think it's important to mention.

And I think Amane doomed by Milgram! I think Milgram is exactly the kind of place that would trigger her trauma! But even so I don't think Amane is doomed completely. I think viewing her as someone who can never change, who's stuck forever as a devoted cult follower is frankly a disservice to her character.

The power of cults come a lot of factors, manipulation, isolation, perpetuation of abuse and abusive cycles and way more things that I can't even mention. It Does Not come from magic unbreakable brainwashing! We have accounts from former cult victims! They exist! You can google them! There are people with stories like this out there!

I'd argue that Milgram's guilty system emulates Amane's previous abusive situation. It emulates that system of rules and punishment and torture. I don't think voting guilty would help, because voting guilty means Amane has to deal with something that closely emulates her horrible abusive situation, it would drive her further into isolation and trauma. She'd be reliving the situation she just escaped.

"But the other prisoners are at risk-" They're still at risk even if Amane is voted guilty! I'd argue their more at risk because Amane would be driven further into her isolation! Cults tell people that the outside world is dangerous and out to get them! It's one of there methods of control!

If we prove that to Amane, if we prove that yes, the outside world is out to get her and there's no one out there that can actually help her, then we give her The most righteous reason to attack.

Amane from what I can tell usually attacks if she feels like she's justified, if she feels like she's in danger. It's a defense mechanism born out of the torture she experienced. It's not wild swinging at anyone and anything she hates as it seems like people think it is.

I think voting Amane Innocent actually has the better chance of really helping people out. I think Amane being innocent would help crack this image she has of the outside world which would be fantastic actually! Would she be fully deprogrammed? No, you can't deprogram someone with one choice, especially if you validated their beliefs beforehand but it certainly changes things.

I don't like the idea that Amane is completely hopeless, I Feel like it treats cults and the Real Harm they do to people as something that no one can come back from and makes it feel weirdly mystical. Like the cult gets their hands in ya and now their brainwashing is just unbreakable. There's Real Ex-Cult Survivors in the world! They Exist! They aren't an impossibility and I don't think we should treat Amane's growth as a person as an impossibility!

#milgram #amane momose #008 #milgram amane #milgram meta #milgram analysis #cw torture #cw child abuse #cw cults

[anistarrose]

Lup's terms of endearment

[Plain text: "Lup's terms of endearment". End plain text.]

Lup is a character that it takes a lot of practice for me to write, but there's a particular calling card for Lup that jumps out both from her canon dialogue and from fanon, right? We all know it: Lup absolutely loves to call people "babe".

But... when I'm writing her, I also end up wondering if I'm overusing any given signature vocative, or other element of her speech. After all, fanfic writers, myself very much included, are always looking for quick effective ways to make characters sound like themselves — and in a case of a character like Lup, peppering in a "babe" often seems to work like a charm in terms of making her more Lup-like, especially if you're writing Blupjeans.

The thing about this vocative-centric, vocabulary-centric approach to character voice is that it can, at least theoretically, lead to us overdoing it, and overshooting how the amount that Lup would use "babe" in canon. Which isn't a big deal, it's just fic — but I'm very hyperfixated and I love Lup very much, so I wanted to break down a some of when, where, and why she uses "babe" and other terms of endearment, as well as other little nuances I noticed.

Continuing under the cut, but the tl;dr is: Lup absolutely calls people "babe" a lot, but it's not exclusively romantic, it can be either sincere or teasing in tone, and she tends to do so more as time goes on, not so much at the start of the century.

(Partially inspired by and overlapping with the contents of this post (link) by @keplercryptids!)

"Babe"

[Plaintext: "Babe". End plaintext.]

Lup (to Barry): Don’t blow yourself up, babe, I’m sure your beautiful body’s gonna get killed by the Hunger soon enough.

-Ep. 67: Story and Song Part 1.

Lup (to Barry): Babe, I love you more than life and undeath itself, but let’s get somewhere safe first, so we can really savor this tender reunion.

-Ep. 67: Story and Song Part 1.

Lup: Taako, Barry and I got this. You gotta keep trying babe, I know you can do this.

-Ep. 68: Story and Song Part 2.

Lup (to Barry): Hear that, babe? We're legends.

-Ep. 68: Story and Song Part 2.

Lup (to Barry): I’m about to smooch your fucking brains out, babe.

-Ep. 69: Story and Song Part 3.

Lup (to Barry, during heist planning): We’re good, babe.

-Live in Nashville!

The first thing that jumps out at me is how back-loaded, for lack of a better term, the use of "babe" is among all Lup's appearances. It's part of one of her most iconic lines from Story and Song, but she doesn't drop a single "babe" throughout the whole The Stolen Century! Go up and read those lines again — pre-Story and Song, there's not a single one!

I have a few conjectures here that might explain this. First, on a Doyalist level, one could attribute this to small sample size (Lup just doesn't have that much dialogue relative to her thematic presence), and/or to Griffin himself still feeling out her character in the first few episodes that she appeared in.

But on a Watsonian level: I'm purely speculating, but I wonder if it was a nickname she that first started using (or at least, using with regularity) for Barry at some point well into the establishment of their relationship, and from there, it bled out into platonic contexts too. Speaking of which, the fact that she predominantly uses it for Barry doesn't stop her from using it for Taako — in fact, though it only comes up once, it's in a very sincere moment of encouragement (as Taako struggles to transmute all of Phandalin into sapphire).

On that note, if there's anything I'll personally admit to wanting to see more of in fic, it's more of Lup using "babe" in platonic/familial contexts! It's hard to extrapolate from canon if this is a "just Taako" thing, an "any close platonic bond" thing, or an "anyone whatsoever" thing, but I just think it's so cute! (And I'd personally vibe check it as realistic for her to say to other IPRE crewmates, for example — but I'm possibly biased, as a Lup and Magnus friendship writer/enjoyer.)

Lastly on the topic of "babe," it comes up in a variety of contexts, but as alluded to above, it can be sincere or teasing — of which the teasing can, but doesn't necessarily, overlap with flirting.

Specifically, Lup uses "babe" twice while gently, lightheartedly questioning Barry's decisions or priorities, like his intent to blow himself up. It also comes up in teasing or flirtatious moments within emotionally charged moments, like the reunion, or when she gets her body back. It's just not exclusively used for deflating tension — see her sheer confidence in the "we're legends" line and how she revels in it, for example.

All in all, "babe" is clearly one of Lup's go-to all-purpose words, and I like that it shows her voice evolving over time, whether or not that was intentional by Griffin. "Babe" is by far the most worth analyzing of Lup's terms of endearment, but we'll also talk about:

"Dear"

[Plain text: "Dear". End plain text.]

Lup: We need to make sure our friends in the ethereal plane aren’t listening. Taako, could you do the honors and shoo them away? Taako: Go away! Lup: Dear, you need to Blink.

-Ep. 66, The Stolen Century Part 7.

Lup: Lucretia, dear, I’ve already forgotten about the whole thing. Oh, uh! [Smiling] Sorry, bad choice of words.

-Ep. 68, Story and Song Part 2.

With the obligatory caveat that we have an even smaller sample size here, it jumps out at me that Lup only ever uses "dear" in teasing contexts, reacting to mistakes both big and small. But it's also a word she uses to emphasize love and forgiveness — especially communicating that she won't breeze past a mistake like it didn't happen, but also isn't going to maintain hostility over it, which we see with Lucretia.

(You can even make an argument that Lup teasing Taako with a "dear" is at least a little tension-defusing too, because that scene happens in the leadup to Lup and Barry presenting the Relic plan. But it's less clear there if she's using it consciously with that purpose.)

Miscellaneous: "Honey," "Bud," "(My) Man"

[Plain text: "Miscellaneous". End plain text.]

Barry: I mean um… the Conservatories, I guess, for obvious reasons. Lup: Oh, oh sure, honey, that was a… that was a good one but, man, the food in Tesseralia though, like. It's hard to beat that.

-Ep. 66: The Stolen Century Part 6

Lup (to Magnus): What are you- why? [Laughs] We need to get- we need to- we gotta bounce. Look up. Look up, bud. It’s, it’s the Big H. It’s time to roll.

-Ep. 64: The Stolen Century Part 5.

Taako: Am I…? I’m not going to lose you again. Lup: Never. Never again, bud.

-Ep. 68, Story and Song Part 2.

Lup: So, uh, Davenport, bud, kinda curious why you’d, uh, decided to come back out here after you wrote us about all the ghost-based dangers you encountered, my man, didn’t you consider that we’d be coming to collect for, you know, the goddess of death?

-Live in San Francisco!

Now, a few more odds and ends for the sake of completeness! The first thing I noticed is that she calls Barry "honey" while teasing him a little bit, as they compare their favorite cycles (though I don't think she's necessarily lying, either) — overall very similar to how she uses "babe" in playful contexts sometimes, or how she uses "dear" with Taako or Lucretia.

"Bud" is for Taako, Magnus, and Davenport! Like "babe," it seems to be a very multi-purpose vocative — ranging from questioning her friends' judgment, all the way to deeply sincere moments. (Taako seems to bring out the sincerity more than anyone, unsurprisingly.)

Lastly, "Man" is used both as a general filler word/emphasizing word without necessarily filling in for a name or subject, or alternatively, transforms into "my man" exactly once when talking to Davenport. That one's interesting to me because "my man" is something associated a lot more with Taako — and specifically, used by Taako with people he likes and trusts (link), though it may or may not actually be a serious context.

Merle (giving Taako some shitty kelp shoes):  There’s a lot of give in kelp and if they’re too small, get ‘em wet and they’ll get bigger and these— These are for you. Taako (pretending he won't immediately cast Levitate on them): Oh, well, thank you, my man. These are just beautiful!

-Ep. 62: The Stolen Century Part 3.

Taako: Barry, I— You got all the time in the world, my man.

-Ep. 62: The Stolen Century Part 3.

To compare and contrast, Lup's only known "my man" is deployed against Davenport when she's kind of questioning his judgment, but he's obviously a person she likes. If you'll let me speculate, I wouldn't be shocked if Lup overheard Taako hit Davenport with plenty of "my man"-s over the course of the Stolen Century — just a guess, but it's something I'd really like to believe in, because the twins influencing each other's speaking styles is just so cute.

And that's all! This was an exercise I undertook to get better at writing Lup, but I always really intended to post it too, so I hope it was interesting and insightful — I knew it definitely left me with a new appreciation for how Lup's way of speaking evolves over time, in particular!

#taz #taz balance #taz balance spoilers #lup taaco #blupjeans #taz meta

[siflshonen]

Eijiro Kirishima: Positively Reclaiming National Identity and Making Masculinity More Inclusive (featuring surprise guest Mina Ashido!)

Link to the Bakugo presentation 2.0: Part 1 | Part 2

Link to the Bakugo presentation 1.0: Part 1 | Part 2

Link to the Kirishima presentation 1.0

Link to the Todoroki presentation

Link to the Deku presentation

Link to the Uraraka-Bakugo-Toga presentation

Link to the Shigaraki-All for One presentation

Link to the Spinner-Shigaraki-Bakugo-Deku presentation

Link to the BNHA presentations masterpost

Welcome to the Kirishima presentation 2.0!

What you are about to read combines manga analysis, meta analysis, trope breakdowns, watered-down Japanese history as explained by an outsider Westerner (please take it with a grain of salt), and thematic parallels with other characters. Beware of spoilers up to manga chapter 383.

This “presentation” post discusses Eijiro Kirishima’s character and arc as well as the real-life references his character’s aesthetic and “manly” actions and credo are meant to communicate. This post includes a discussion of Japanese delinquents and bosozoku, a brief and simplified history of the relationship of Japanese hypermasculinity and military and naval power, a brief discussion of kouha and nanshoku, and a brief general analysis of how Kirishima's early-series insecurities reflect those of an “emasculated” and outdated Japan in relation to Mina’s “effeminate” Japan of today. It also compares Kirishima and Mina’s history and character growth to Deku and Katsuki. Some of the Wikipedia links are also mildly NSFW, so be careful.

If you take whatever I say about the story personally, or get upset about spoilers that’s on you. On the flip side, if you have something to say on context and history, tell me more! If I offend or misinform in the context of history, please let me know! I have only one perspective, and it is my own.

The color key will make sense in time. I promise.

Who Is Eijiro Kirishima?

Personally, I love Scorpia. I also love Kirishima. But I do not like it when Kirishima is portrayed to be just like Scorpia in fandom works. Sure, they have similarities (some of which may or may not have been intentionally chosen for Scorpia’s part), but they do not have the same character arcs.

In particular, Kirishima’s arc is very pointedly about his pride and identity as a modern Japanese boy unlearning his internalized toxic masculinity and biases as he grows into a man.

But let’s start with the basics.

In case Kirishima’s association with his nation of origin wasn’t clear, his name is a dead giveaway.

Ei: sharp or keen

Ji: kid or newborn

Ro: son

Kiri: jagged or to cut

Shima: island

Eijiro means, as this kind person on the internet puts it, “sharp boy”. They also point out that the “Ei” is written in a way not ordinarily associated with names (which is usually “sharp” like “keen” or “intelligent”), so his name subtly “blunts” his intelligence while still pointing (ha) out that he’s a guy made of sharp rocks. And while that’s cute, it’s his last name that gives us more mileage for interpretation.

Kirishima. “Cut island”. Japan is a nation made up of multiple islands.

Kirishima is meant to be, very literally, a fresh-eyed child of his nation. He is emblematic of masculine heritage and identity. That’s a little more nuanced than saying Kirishima is Japan, but he definitely represents a significant pre-World War II slice of it. And he is on a mission to improve himself, and therefore the country, through a new and improved kind of “manliness”. Plus Ultra, bitches.

Kirishima is a truly wonderful guy and a unifying factor for the class.

One of the first people Kirishima forms a friendship with is Bakugo. I pointed out some of the similarities between Bakugo’s chosen presentation inspiration and Crimson Riot’s background in the Bakugo presentation. I’ll explore that extensively later on, but just keep in mind that it’s not exactly surprising that Kirishima is one of the first to find a common understanding with the class’ resident foul-mouthed, delinquent, western-style-military-costumed bomb.

One of Kirishima’s most notable qualities is his tendency to describe anything he thinks is positive - the ability to show emotional strength as well as physical, shed tears and show sensitivity, do something competently, show consideration for others, act heroically in a general sense - as “manly”. The gender of the person performing the admirable action is irrelevant.

That last part is a big deal for his character, so I will say it again. The gender of the person performing the admirable action is irrelevant.

Crimson Riot, Japanese Delinquents, and “Manly Codes”

Kirishima’s penchant for calling admirable things “manly” isn’t random - it comes from someone else. His personal hero and role model, Pro Hero Crimson Riot, inspires him to use the language and associate it with positive things not limited or defined by gender. Crimson Riot’s dress, speech, and mannerisms, from which Kirishima also draws inspiration, also tell us a lot about him and his beliefs. Basically, we know he’s a Japanese delinquent/Yankee or bosozoku (which is basically a delinquent on a motorbike.)

Crimson Riot’s “manly” credo is rooted in the values and presentation of this real-world delinquent subculture.

If you read the Bakugo presentation, you’ve seen this slide before.

The term “Yankee” was brought over by US soldiers (if you are from the States, you likely already know that a Yankee is someone from the northeast part of the country) and became synonymous with someone from the United States. Japanese delinquents are called “Yankees” because they walk around like a GI from the United States would - rudely, without consideration for others or the existing culture, and with a seeming need to flaunt their status as foreigners (and, more nastily, “winners” over the Japanese.) I talk more about the origins of the Japanese delinquent subculture in the Bakugo presentation, but the subculture’s origin comes down to this: dissatisfaction with the current society and a desire to express individuality born from something that can best be described as Western envy.

In appearance and attitude, Bakugo is also very obviously a Japanese delinquent boy, though he doesn’t use the same iconography of national pride. For the most part, neither do Crimson Riot or Kirishima. There’s a reason for that.

Interestingly, Bakugo lacks these visual markers of the “classic” delinquent look while Kirishima embraces some of them (the color red, the dyed hair with its wild styling, and the modern Japanese flag.) Instead, it seems Bakugo’s chosen delinquent visual identity markers are taken exclusively from the filter of shonen anime delinquents rather than the real world subculture! Their differing attempts to separate the things they like from its historic baggage is fascinating to me, personally. 

Bakugo’s outlook and personal presentation leans more towards a fictionalized version of the delinquent than Kirishima and his “manly” mentor’s, but the connection between their masculine presentations and implied personal conducts – or the fact that an underlying code of conduct is central to both identities – is still present.

If you read the article on delinquents I linked, you might notice that it emphasizes that a sense of community and closeness is a probable reason for the delinquent subculture’s enduring existence simultaneous to its rebellious and individualistic slant.

Kirishima and Bakugo are good representations of those two seemingly opposite poles, no? Kirishima focuses on creating a sense of community with himself as the unifying factor while Bakugo initially seeks to separate himself through his individuality.

The Yakuza framing of chivalry is not exactly the same as bushido, but rather the idea of “acting chivalrously” through what they refer to as ninkyodo, or the “way of humanity.” There’s still influence from and elements of bushido in this, however.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably a weeb, so you have likely heard of Way of the Househusband/Goshufukudo. The series’ tagline, “housework without honor or humanity!” is a play on the main character’s status as an ex-Yakuza because he left the Yakuza - or strayed from his ninkyodo/path of humanity - to be a househusband. It’s also a play on the Battles Without Honor or Humanity movies revolving around the same sentiment – except without the househusbandry part, of course.

(Also, the Yakuza created a recruitment website called ninkyodo. Considering the bigger discussion of social unrest and subdued envelope-pushing inherent in this manga, this wacky little blog post is worth a look since it pivots around the Japanese mob being upset with the government’s social programs.)

Delinquent codes draw from the Jingi, or Yakuza code and ninkyodo, which draws from bushido. You know what else draws from bushido? Most forms of contemporary and historic Japanese government.

Bushido has seven core values: gi (justice), yu (courage), jin (benevolence or another word for humanity - and yes, this is the same character as the “Jin” in Twice’s given name, Jin Bubaigawara), rei (gratitude - and no, this is not the same character as Rei Todoroki’s given name but it sounds the same), makoto (sincerity), meiyo (honor), and chugi (loyalty).

Why is this important? Because there is one VERY big difference between Kirishima’s presentation and aesthetic and that of Crimson Riot and Bakugo’s, and it also involves bushido and its masculine, militaristic associations.

In addition to Crimson Riot and delinquent culture, Kirishima blatantly includes kouha as one of his inspirations. Bakugo does not, and it is unclear if Crimson Riot pays attention to them specifically.

What Are Kouha?

Kouha are, as Kirishima’s middle school classmates might say, “old school”. They’re even more old school than delinquents (or Crimson Riot), and they are also deeply nationalist. Kouha were a cultural phenomenon born from the student populations of Japanese military schools (the establishment of the Japanese Imperial Army is considered the first formal step of Japan’s westernization, by the way!) during the Meiji era. They held specific beliefs about male supremacy, masculinity, and national pride. To kouha, these concepts were inseparable from one another. They, and their resulting legacy as soldiers and Navy members in subsequent wars, are the main reason that quasi-nationalist or outright nationalist symbolism is so thoroughly entrenched in Japanese presentations of hypermasculinity even in the modern day.

Basically, kouha = Japanese Nationalists. This is an simplification, but you can read this entire Wikipedia article if you want a better picture of what I mean or need a starting point for your own research.

But don’t freak out! Kirishima’s admiration of kouha is, mostly, for the sake of a pun.

Horikoshi lists one of Kirishima’s favorite things as kouha (called “manly men” or “just manly things” in the most commonly circulated English versions), which means, more or less, “hard school”. It’s a pun on Kirishima’s hardening quirk. However, it also refers to Kirishima’s penchant for historically manly things and hypermasculine presentation.

Kirishima’s “Manly Look” and Japanese Identity

So, to review: Kirishima’s Crimson Riot-inspired philosophy and aesthetic is drawn from delinquent culture, which is a subculture that takes its cues from bushido –  literally “warrior way” but sometimes called “samurai code” in English – which is in turn associated with Japanese pride and even nationalism. This association is very clear in Kirishima’s aesthetic. Look at his room. The Mount Fuji and ocean wave iconography, his hachimaki (admittedly this is relatively common among modern Japanese students, but it still carries a history), the tacky flames in representation of a “burning soul”…

But you know what he doesn’t use? Red sunbeams. This is really important.

The specific “tackiness” and “kouha look” Kirishima enjoys can definitely be indicative of outright nationalism, but it is also associated with other hypermasculine subcultures that are not necessarily nationalists, including delinquent subcultures (though modern ones don’t often use the sunbeam-laden rising sun flag anymore. Modern delinquents usually stick to the modern Japanese flag as part of their uniforms or flags)

The fact that Kirishima’s “kouha look” does not include the sunbeam-laden Rising Sun flag (which, from the perspective of non-Japanese, is associated internationally with war crimes and, for related reasons, the Japanese Navy. Consider it a Japanese swastika—not to be confused with the Japanese manji, which is actually a totally different thing) or red sunbeam motif. This could be because My Hero Academia is set 200 years in the future and the rising sun imagery has fallen out of public memory. But personally, I think it is more likely that Horikoshi (and therefore Kirishima) wants to signal that Kirishima doesn’t hold the same beliefs as kouha and Japanese nationalists.

Even so, Kirishima’s “look” still suggests kouha and still associates his masculinity with his national identity.

This isn’t a perfect one-to-one localization, but, for us in the West, we can sort of think of it like this: the difference between Kirishima and a neo-nationalist is not unlike the difference between guys who authentically really like Viking iconography and neo-Nazis who appropriate Nordic iconography for their beliefs. It’s just that Kirishima seems to be reclaiming these symbols in reverse. (It’s probably a really good thing Mina knows Kirishima from his time before UA, or else she might have given him a way more intense and judgemental side-eye over what’s in his room.)

I suppose if one really wanted to, one could use everything I’ve written as an argument to say, “If you like Kirishima, you fell for the Japanese militarism and neo-nationalism apologist ploy”, but I don’t think portraying him as an apologist was the intent. I choose to see this as a shonen comic about superheroes and connecting the past with the present in pursuit of a better future because that’s all I think it is trying to be.

Again: Kirishima and Crimson Riot’s “manliness” philosophy departs from that of the kouha, Japanese nationalists (and neo-nationalists) because it is inclusive. The use of elements of their aesthetic preserves Kirishima’s personal pride as a Japanese guy - specifically as a “masculine” man - while his take on “manliness” is modern and geared towards celebrating the intrinsic goodness of humanity that isn’t defined by gender, sex, skin color, or even nationality, really, except as it applies as it being a thing for each individual to celebrate about themselves.

There’s other stuff kouha did and didn’t do that Kirishima doesn’t seem concerned about, either.

As I’ve said, modern Japanese sociopolitical (and masculine) identity is strongly associated with bushido. Bushido and kouha, particularly during the Meiji era and Russo-Japanese war (y’all ever read or watched Golden Kamuy?), is consequently associated with the Japanese Navy and nanshoku (THIS WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE IS MILDLY NSFW), or the practice of male-male relationships ranging from ritual pederasty to what one could interpret as “just plain gay” by modern western standards.

Whenever the Eastern or Western fandom discusses the possibility of Kirishima being gay-coded, this association between his kouha aesthetic and nanshoku is almost always at the heart of it. Well, that, and Kirishima’s dogged telegraphing of how much he’s into the kouha aesthetic and other “manly” things. To the modern Japanese, a high degree of overblown hypermasculine presentation and speech can come across as performative overcompensating.

However, there’s one big detail that’s usually missing from these discussions in fandom: generally, the display of hyper-masculinity that is associated with performative overcompensating from closeted gay men includes constantly talking about how much heterosexual intercourse they have (which, according to them, is a whole lot) and how much they love women. Carnally. Sometimes they may even hit on women to an absurd and almost cartoonish degree – but usually only performatively in front of others or to try and fool (or repulse) the woman on the receiving end! The goal of a closeted gay person telegraphing heterosexual stereotypes to such an extreme degree is to either:

1. fool other people into thinking that they are not gay (which is often not very successful)

or

2. Keep themselves in denial by playing the part of an ultra-straight dude.

So, if I am using hypersexualized hetero behavior as the main parameter for how gay-coded a character is, I could argue that Mineta is more gay-coded than Kirishima is. He’s not, but I could make the argument.

But why would a gay person feel the need to do either of these things? Oof. Ain’t that the question. Masculine fragility has different nuances between cultures, but it isn’t exclusive to English-speaking countries. Modern Japan (read: Meiji era to post-World War II Japan that did its damnedest to Westernize as rapidly as possible) is relatively homophobic and views homosexuality as, well, “unmanly”. You can read more about that in the kouha and nanshoku Wikipedia articles I’ve linked. That’s the power of comphet!

That said, I don’t think Kirishima is gay-coded based on his affinity for manly stuff. He’s not using it to compensate for his sexuality. If anything, at his lowest, he used his “kouha-manly” presentation to compensate for his self-perceived lack of heroic and “manly” spirit. True heroism is what defines Kirishima and Crimson Riot’s perception of “manliness”, not sexuality. In fact, that’s the core of why their ideology is so progressive and why it flies in the face of its kouha-presenting packaging.

I mean, Kirishima could have any sexuality out there, but I don’t think his “kouha-manly” look is meant to be indicative of it, whatever it is.

Mina Ashido: A Portrayal of Power in Modern Japan

Mina is a major foil to Kirishima, so this writeup would be incomplete if I didn’t talk about her. If Kirishima is the “manly” Japan of a bygone era questioning how he can be relevant, Mina is “effeminate” modern-day, westernized Japan. Also, Kirishima’s key color is red. Hot damn, that’s flashy! It’s also the color of the sun on the Japanese flag! How fitting that Mina is represented by pink, or “light red”.

Simplifying the characters of Mina and Kirishima primarily by gender categories like that is a little more charged than I would prefer, but let me explain my logic.

During Japan’s occupation by the Allies after World War II, women gained, among other things, the right to vote. To quote Wikipedia directly: “It has been argued that the granting of rights to women played an important role in the radical shift Japan underwent from a war nation to a democratized and demilitarized country.”

They also were no longer bound exclusively to the home as wives and mothers, but could also take employment. Got it? Good. While I needed to explain this to set the stage for the stark difference in gender politics between the kouha’s heyday and womens’ standing after World War II, this is only loosely related to Mina and her portrayal.

Much like Kirishima, the biggest tells are evident in Mina’s look. In simple terms, traditional Japanese femininity isn’t flashy, isn’t westernized, and women don’t take the lead. Mina is flashy, westernized, and she does lead. In the manga, this is framed as a positive by her peers and something Kirishima admires and envies. (I have no idea how the older generation feels about it. We don’t know much about Mina’s personal life, unfortunately.)

Mina is a very modern girl. She stands out because of her natural appearance, but she also dresses ostentatiously whenever she isn’t wearing her high school uniform. Her look favors an updated spin on the gyaru subculture. In fact, while part of her natural appearance rather than intentional choice, I could argue that Mina’s startlingly black eyes and “unusual” skin is meant to indicate the yamanba (spinoff from ganguro) fashion subculture, but I’m not sure I am meant to go that far. Regardless of the specifics, everything about her appearance implies the largest commonality between most modern young Japanese women and every female-specific fashion subcultures (including lolita or kogal – Toga is a kogal): rejection of traditional gender roles and presentation.

I’m gonna sum up Kirishima’s own personal plot and backstory for the sake of reference.

Kirishima is a guy with a hardening quirk. It’s not flashy or particularly suited for offense or rescue, and he’s self-conscious about how “worthy” he is to be a hero not just because of his lackluster power, but because, in the past, he’s avoided stepping in situations where, if he were a true Hero, he would have stepped in and offered support without thinking about it!

Sound familiar?

Instead, his childhood friend (that he secretly admires very much but also feels very insecure around) stepped in to be capital-H heroic while he stood and gaped uselessly! And what’s worse? She is a GIRL. A WESTERNIZED GIRL did what he couldn’t do. So, obviously, if he can’t be more heroic and “manly” than a GIRL, he isn’t manly at all. And he’s scared of that.

Sound familiar?!

In high school, Kirishima puts on an outgoing persona (complete with a new hairstyle) inspired by his childhood hero (and also, lowkey, the childhood friend with which he associates the same kind of true heroism) to cover for his insecurities!

SOUND FAMILIAR?!

But that’s enough about how Kirishima and Mina’s story parallels Bakugo and Deku’s for now. Allow me to throw the other parallel in your face - the one between Mina and Kirishima and Japan and the US’s policy changes after WWII.

Mina, the modern, westernized Japanese girl, was first to act when “foreign power with old loyalty” Gigantomachia threatened their classmates. She solved the confrontation – and solved other confrontations with her peers – nonviolently. Meanwhile, kouha-aligned (militaristic and masculine Japan) Kirishima was not only unable to act (aka did not have any military influence), but felt completely useless and superfluous in both of these instances. (But later, when Gigantomachia re-emerges in a context that Mina cannot possibly solve on civil terms or with misdirection, Kirishima is able to defend her and do what she can’t. Even later, Mina learns the best ways to kick someone’s ass with her acid. She acts as the sword - or perhaps more precisely, the spear - to Kirishima’s shield.

If you didn’t know, the “sword and shield” analogy, or more commonly, “spear and shield” analogy is, or, at least, was, used to describe the US and Japan’s relationship after WWII. Whenever Kirishima talks about being the “ultimate shield” or “ultimate spear”, this means something.)

So, yes. This story is about the modern and traditional; the feminine and the masculine; the West and East. Just like Bakugo and Deku.

There exists a complicated relationship between national shame over losing the war, shame from Japan’s own war crimes, shame in Japan’s continued political ineffectiveness without a strong established military, and outright Japanese envy of the West for not only winning the war but epitomizing prosperity and modernity (or appearing to do so, at least.) I really don’t have the background to talk about this in-depth or respectfully. The point is that overt pride in the Japanese identity is a complicated issue, but particularly as it reflects in expressed Japanese masculinity. For Kirishima, his early relationship with Mina and the envy he feels towards her is a succinct crystallization of these feelings in allegory form.

In the Bakugo presentation, I mentioned that the shonen genre was “born” after World War II and the art form still incorporates postwar baggage. This includes the aftermath of the nation reeling from its lack of military power after the war. I’ve already drawn a clear line between Japanese military might and its masculinity, so I don’t feel I need to elaborate much about why I make this next statement: a significant swath of the Japanese felt the loss of military power emasculated the country (which, as discussed through Mina, made it “effeminate”. Or, depending on the perspective, it “infantilized” the country. This introductory course examining shojo manga and identity touches on the infantilization of Japan through media exports and branding if you’d like to read another perspective using this terminology.)

I feel I should mention that Japan’s current crisis regarding declining birth rates is often associated with the lack of “properly masculine” men and the growing ability of modern Japanese women to put off or refuse marriage.The first observational piece about male subgroups discusses how masculine identity and neo-nationalism seem to be closely associated or even conflated for one another by the individuals in the neo-nationalist subgroup, but also alludes to the fact that a lack of clearly defined masculinity is being treated as a national crisis since it is seen as a prohibitive factor for Japan’s current generation to start families. To that end, Prime Minister Shinso Abe pushed for a variety of measures to encourage people to have kids.

In fact, Shinso Abe has achieved meme status in international otaku circles because whenever an anime or manga encourages or portrays sex for the purpose of procreation and raising a family as expected and singularly correct, the community wonders if it’s anime propaganda aimed at encouraging Japanese viewers to go have kids. This, combined with the fact that Shueisha/Shonen Jump upholds certain beliefs and gender/sexuality power dynamics in their company policy that is reflected in their published titles, will be important later in this series of presentations. For now, it’s just something to think about.

In shonen manga, including this one, the focus on men/growing mens’ identity (and the Japanese-specific flavor of masculinity) in a modern and changing world comes up a lot. While not directly related to Kirishima’s chosen counterculture influences, here’s a link to download an observational piece describing three notable cishet male Japanese subgroups struggling to define (or redefine) their own masculinity and identity: herbivorous men (kind of like western hipster metrosexuals), otaku (you know what these are), and Japanese petit-nationalists (basically neo-nationalists. And yes, they share elements from Kirishima’s aesthetic. If this were about Spinner and any heteromorph characters, this particular group would be much more relevant to this discussion.) Here’s another piece focused on “genderless” danshi and masculinity. Both of these pieces discuss the precarious correlation between male identity, community, presentation, and values. That, and I think they’re neat topics – though I do suggest you think critically about what you read in them.

Anyway, let’s get back to talking about this damn manga.

If you ever asked yourself, “How would Bakugo and Deku’s relationship differ if Deku had a quirk?” or, “How would Bakugo and Deku’s relationship differ if one of them was a girl?”, here’s your answer: it would be very similar to the relationship between Kirishima and Mina. Most of the relationships between pairs or sets of characters is meant to reflect off of the relationship between Bakugo and Deku in some way as either a compare/contrast exercise or to show how different things could be if fate had conspired to make one or two small differences in their lives.

This is thematically crucial to understand for almost every moment in the story.

Reflections of Kirishima’s Feelings of Inadequacy and Powerlessness

Kirishima and Bakugo have a lot in common. It’s not terribly surprising they became friends even when Bakugo was at his worst, since Kirishima could likely relate to where he was coming from and how he was feeling on some level.

If you thought Mina being a girl was inconsequential to Kirishima’s feelings of inadequacy, think again. Luckily for everyone, Kirishima isn’t as much of a sensitive, fragile, and dramatic bitch as Bakugo about his insecurities.

Kirishima also hadn’t been explicitly stewing on them as they applied to one specific person for roughly 11 years of his life, either, so. There’s that.

Bakugo’s relationship with Kirishima is an introductory course for him on how to have a positive relationship with Deku. For Kirishima, Bakugo is a proxy for relating to and helping the person in his life that he admires most: Mina.

But the Kirishima-Bakugo parallel isn’t the only parallel we need to draw.

Arguably, Kirishima shares more similarities with Deku than Bakugo (but, of course, Deku and Bakugo are also very similar, too.) Kirishima is not confident in himself, mimics his idol very closely, is very concerned with upholding the status quo (through interpersonal harmony), got into UA through his effort rather than because he has a well-suited quirk, is quick to act “heroically” and put others before himself, is quick to throw himself into danger on others’ behalf (he’s got a hardening quirk, so unlike Deku he doesn’t mangle himself repeatedly with these stunts), and has an I-won’t-admit-it-for-most-of-the-series-but-I-will-broadcast-it-in-other-ways object of admiration in his childhood friend Mina.

Also, Kirishima feels woefully inadequate when compared to Mina because, in his eyes, she already has the appearance of a hero (and professional Hero.)

Kirishima’s outgoing attitude is a product of him pushing himself to be more like Mina in charisma and approachability. The horns of his hair are also inspired by her, too. While both of these things can be framed as parallels to Bakugo’s admiration of Deku as I did earlier, they are more on-the-nose for Deku’s penchant for intentionally talking like Bakugo when he wants to psyche himself out and copying all of Bakugo’s moves in order to best harness his quirk. And, of course, when Kirishima and Deku don disguises to go save Bakugo, they choose outfits with exaggerated horns (like Mina) and a Yakuza/delinquent persona (like Bakugo) respectively.

Kirishima seems to be able to “read the room” when it comes to the relationship between Deku and Bakugo - and in both directions. Personally, I am not surprised that he chooses to quietly support both of them when it comes to the other.

But perhaps the more interesting parallel is the one drawn between Bakugo and Mina.

When Mina uncovers Kirishima’s “secret” (he dyed his hair and changed his outward persona to make a good impression as a friendly and outgoing guy with his “high school debut” rather than come off as a shy fanboy), it’s analogous to Deku telling (albeit vaguely) Bakugo about One for All at the beginning of the manga. Both scenes even take place at the start of the school year with cherry blossoms in the background and stuff. Later in the series, after Bakugo figures out the full secret of OfA (much like Mina figures out that Kirishima wants to be popular), he even explicitly says he’ll keep Deku’s secret.

Mina and Bakugo are both described as “amazing” and both imply significant discomfort over the generalized compliment. It’s a huge expectation to carry.

Mina’s “Alien Queen” is denied as a Hero name just as Bakugo’s “King Explosion Murder”. Huh. Funny, that.

Kirishima and Mina are constantly improving using the other as inspiration, just as Deku and Bakugo do. They learn from other sources, too, of course, but these two sets of characters have an established feedback loop.

While Bakugo doesn’t struggle academically like Mina, especially during the training camp, his personal failures, many of which are social, are often broadcast on television. Both of them look like idiots in front of their respective foils.

Also, Bakugo and Mina both kicked ass at the school festival - Mina with the dancing and Bakugo on the drums. Deku and Kirishima were, you know, support. Extras.

During the festival, Mina and Bakugo were also both demanding taskmasters - Mina expected the best of her dance crew while Bakugo always had something to say about the pace and technique of his band members. Ha!

When Kirishima saves Mina in their confrontation with Gigantomachia, he does it without regard for his own safety (after initially hesitating and panicking like Deku did for the first part of the sludge villain incident!) Gigantomachia is also, interestingly, a shared past foe of Kirishima and Mina much like the sludge villain is for Bakugo and Deku.

Considering how they parallel one another and how Mina’s Acidman Alma is inspired by Todoroki and Bakugo, I like to think that her win against the sludge villain was an inadvertent moment of revenge on Bakugo’s behalf, even if her character didn’t intend for it to be.

Chapter 383′s initial fan title translation of “A Small Heart” is also interesting, considering how the turn of phrase relates to the figures of speech used for Bakugo’s ego in the manga’s early chapters (inflated heart.) Viz translated it as “Meek Spirits”. A “small heart” seems to indicate cowardice or fear on Mina’s part (or the Sludge villain’s.) Despite Bakugo’s inflated ego (heart), his was also rather small in terms of facing his secret fears of inadequacy and, well, Deku.

The point is, even when Mina and Bakugo’s hearts were “small”, they saved Kirishima and Deku respectively.

Someone who knows more about Japanese could say more on this, as well as share more disambiguation between whether the English or Japanese connotations of the word “heart” are at play here. There’s some discussion about that in the Uraraka-Bakugo-Toga presentation.

For all her confidence, Mina gets scared and nervous, too. But she doesn’t give up!

Mina gets it done!

Will Bakugo and Deku accomplish what Mina and Kirishima have? I dunno. But even so,

Kirishima rocks on his own and alongside Mina!

#bnha #bnha meta #bnha manga spoilers #kirishima eijiro #mina ashido #kirimina #bakugo katsuki #izuku midoriya #bakudeku #kiribaku #mha meta #mha spoilers #my hero academia #kirishima presentation

[ultrasonicbath]

as the u.s. tour comes to a close, i want to take a moment to talk about a phenomenon i’ve seen taking place within mcr internet fan spaces these last few months, my thoughts on it, and how i think it relates back to digital media literacy.

(before we start, i want to make it clear that i’m just some guy and i am definitely not the most qualified person to talk about this, but i think some of the things in this post really, really need to be said. my hope is not necessarily to change your mind or to “get you on my side,” but to encourage you to think critically and independently, even during your daily scroll on social media.)

————

so, what is this ominous phenomenon i’m talking about? i’m referring to some of the comments i’ve seen mcr fans make regarding gerard’s gender—specifically the public, speculative, and seemingly unironic ones that attempt to put a label or a semblance of a label on his gender nonconformity.

(i think now’s a good time to mention you should read this entire post before engaging with or commenting on it. stay with me. we’re in this together.)

here is a post that i think does a good job of explaining this a little more in-depth for anyone who’s out of the loop.

regardless of my personal opinions on all of this, i understand why it’s happening. much of mcr’s fanbase is trans and/or non-binary, and seeking out representation from familiar, comforting figures is not out of the ordinary. i don’t think anyone involved means harm, and this isn’t a callout post. i’m just adding to a discussion i think has been largely one-sided up until recently.

————

what is the point of me making this post? to put it bluntly, i disagree with how much of the discussion around gerard’s gender identity and expression is being conducted.

(again, please stay with me.)

what is it, specifically, that i disagree with? is it the celebration of gerard’s gender nonconformity? is it the possibility they might not identify, partially or wholly, with their gender assigned at birth? is it the joy their gender expression has inspired in many mcr fans?

no. it’s none of those things; not even close. i can’t even put into words how i, a gender nonconforming trans man, felt when gerard wore his cheerleader dress in nashville. it was a special moment and i was so happy to see him happy.

but something that bothers me about the “gender wars” narrative is the idea that anyone who’s not all-in is, if not an outright transphobe, someone with deep-rooted biases they need to work through. i haven’t seen this from everyone, but it’s floated around here and there.

nuance in conversations like this is incredibly important. the human experience is rarely black and white. and i believe the notion that it must be, especially when it comes to topics such as queer identity, largely stems from closed-mindedness and fear, conscious or unconscious.

i have certainly witnessed people online assert that gerard must be cis, and there’s no way he can’t be cis, implying if he ever identified as anything other than cis that would be bad and gross and weird. i strongly disagree with that viewpoint because it’s transphobic and gerard is a real person who none of us know personally who can do whatever the fuck he wants. in the same way, i disagree with the viewpoint that gerard must be trans, and there’s no way he can’t be trans, implying anyone who disagrees is a transphobe who refuses to pay attention. because gerard is a real person who none of us know personally who can do whatever the fuck he wants.

i’m aware gerard has also made comments in the past about his journey with gender identity, the connection he feels to women and femininity, and even his experimentation with drag while he was in college. he’s said he should be referred to with either he/him or they/them pronouns, he’s an earnest supporter of the trans community, and he’s historically rejected the sexist shithead rock-dude stereotype.

i’m not here to downplay any of those things, nor am i trying to invalidate anyone who has taken comfort in or identified with those things. just a couple of points i would like you to think about, though:

some cis people also question their gender identity and/or use multiple sets of pronouns for a multitude of reasons (i’m not saying gerard has to be cis, i’m just giving you an extra viewpoint to chew on);

i’ve personally met plenty of men or male-aligned people who strongly identify with women and femininity. i strongly identify with women and femininity and i’m still 100% a trans man and will throw anyone who tries to tell me otherwise directly into the sun (again, i’m not saying gerard must be a man or male-aligned);

gender nonconformity and transness are complex, nuanced topics. labels can be useful, but they are not a be-all-end-all;

and i’m going to be blunt here—assuming and/or declaring someone is transfem when they haven’t publicly referred to themselves as such, just because they are comfortable discussing their own femininity and sometimes have a feminine presentation and feminine mannerisms, is basically an upgraded form of gender essentialism and completely disregards the existence and experiences of amab cis-passing queer people and gender nonconforming people. i understand it’s a tough pill to swallow, but intent doesn’t always equal impact, and just because someone may not see it that way doesn’t mean that’s not what they’re doing.

even if gerard is transfem, he’s still a real person who has a right to privacy and autonomy, and he never has to publicly label himself if he doesn’t want to. no one is entitled to seek out the details of his identity, but least of all us, a bunch of strangers on the internet who will probably never have a full conversation with him.

not one of us is an “authority” or “expert” on gerard way or my chemical romance. we can learn about the band’s history and public personas or laugh at the funny, quirky parts of their lore or cry when we think about how far they’ve come in the public eye, but what gives us the right to dig into every tiny crevice of gerard’s work and interactions and public existence searching for “clues” as to whether or not he’s trans? what gives us the right to label his gender identity for him—a process that is incredibly personal? i know “parasocial” is basically just another hollow internet buzzword at this point, but let’s not forget the very real consequences that parasocial relationships can certainly have.

do i think it would be fucking awesome if gerard came out as trans tomorrow? absolutely. do i also think it’s fucking awesome that they’re an older gnc person? that so many queer people have discovered and accepted themselves in part because of them? that they now exude joy onstage and bravely dress and act the way they do? one million times yes. and we can celebrate those real, concrete, factual things without tinhatting, overstepping boundaries, or jumping to conclusions. if they were to come out as trans tomorrow, that wouldn’t invalidate any of my arguments or make the behavior i’m critiquing acceptable, because the point isn’t about whether or not gerard is trans, the point is about how some of mcr’s fanbase is treating them.

gerard has uplifted and respected us time and time again without even knowing us as individuals. so i want you to take a moment to sincerely reflect and ask yourself this question: where is our respect for him?

————

alright. i’m glad you’re still here. let’s talk about what can actually be done about this.

i think a lot of this problem boils down to a lack of critical thinking. yes, that’s thrown around a lot as a clapback on this website, but i don’t mean it as an insult. we’re all guilty of not thinking critically, myself included. especially in the age of the internet, it’s impossible to be perfect all the time, when we’re bombarded with information from every angle.

this is why learning about and consistently practicing media literacy is so important. it’s something i’m passionate about because i’ve seen firsthand, time and time again, how it can make or break a person and their worldview, to the point that i spent hours writing about it for my upper-level journalism courses (before i dropped out lol) and worked for two semesters as an editor for a college newspaper.

if these conversations about gerard were happening in private group chats between friends who already know one another, my opinions on the topic itself would still stand, but it wouldn’t be any of my business and i obviously wouldn’t think to write an entire post about it. but everything changes when these discussions are had on a public platform with little regard for nuance.

“misinformation,” or the unintentional spread of false information—not to be confused with disinformation, where the person spreading it knows what they’re saying isn’t true—might not be a totally accurate descriptor for some of what’s going on here, honestly. none of us can prove what gerard is thinking or feeling. but based on what we do know, what he’s publicly and concretely shared with us, i think it’s as close as we can get. a lot of the posts i’ve seen don’t read to me as “hehe funny celebrity headcanon that’s obviously just for fun.” or even “i relate to this person’s art and/or publicized experiences, but i understand i don’t know them and at least some of that is just projection.” rather, they seem to make invasive leaps and use inaccurate vocabulary while simultaneously taking themselves very, very seriously, and that concerns me more than if a random tumblr user was just trolling to start fandom drama or something.

to put things into perspective, this is why every single one of my journalism professors drilled it into my head that you have to get your news from multiple sources. those sources must have differing perspectives and you need to look at every single one with a critical eye, no matter how trustworthy they may seem (listen, i get it’s way more complicated than that and i could go off on a whole other tangent about the glaring problems with mainstream news media in the united states and not in a cringefail right-wing way, but this is an mcr blog, so let’s just focus on the basic principle here).

obviously, i don’t think anyone should engage with transphobes unless it’s for the sake of making stronger counter-arguments, because their beliefs are provably harmful and false. but someone making good-faith criticisms of speculating about a stranger who has not publicly come out as trans and/or non-binary is markedly different. i’m not the only person who’s written something like this, and i encourage everyone to seek out similar posts and think about the points they’re making, even if you don’t agree with every single one of them.

this speculative commentary on gerard’s identity has spread like wildfire and created a polarizing echo chamber, from what i’ve seen. i understand why. but it’s still deeply worrying to me. seeing as this is primarily happening on tumblr, i’m concerned less because i think gerard will ever see or care about these posts (that’s obviously still important, though), and more because of what this says about how people in mcr fanspaces view celebrities they feel strongly about and engage with information they see online at large.

please do research on digital media literacy, and please use reputable sources with authority on journalism and communications to do so. don’t take what you see on social media at face value. don’t trust any one social media user to feed you commentary or shape your viewpoints, and that includes me. read with a critical eye. think about the possible implications and intentions behind the words other people use, big or small, and why those might be there. be aware of your own biases and blindspots. remember that you’ll never be perfect, not even close. and while you’re at it, learn more about the experiences of gnc people, and the experiences of queer people of all different ages, backgrounds, cultures, races, identities, perspectives, lived experiences, etcetera. if you can, engage in diverse irl lgbtq+ spaces. they put things into perspective in a way the internet never will.

but i still use tumblr in 2022, so what do i know?

————

if there’s anything you think i overlooked or misconstrued in this post, tell me! i want this to be a living, breathing conversation, not a monologue. these are important issues and they deserve our time and attention. thank you so much for reading.

#terfs and truscum don't fucking touch this post btw you're not welcome in this conversation or anywhere near my blog #tumblr like fucked up the spacing between words for some reason but man idc anymore i've already been working on this for way too long #mcr #my chemical romance #gerard way

[minu-moni]

What I think is interesting to analyze when looking into a character portrayal is to notice how the author influences in the character’s actions.

Let’s compare Gamzee to Jevil, from Deltarune.

Both characters are essentially “character who came in contact with someone that gave them more knowledge than they could handle and they went insane because of it” but how Hussie and Toby run with this idea is majorly different.

While Hussie writes Gamzee to be an irredeemable monster, an abuser and overall a shitty person, Toby goes the other way with Jevil.

Throughout Deltarune’s chapter one if you’re going to do the hidden boss, you get some information from Seam about Jevil. He speaks about Jevil mostly with caution, but he never villainizes him. And while Jevil is implied to have hurt people, so much so that he had to be locked up, Seam never treats him as a villain. He treats him as an old friend and even speaks fondly of him after you beat his fight. There is no instance where Toby writes Jevil to be inherently evil, abusive or a shitty person overall, and the fandom mostly sees him on a positive light.

Gamzee however, is the opposite. His encounter with Lil Cal turns him into a villain with no redeeming qualities and strips him of any personality and nuance to the point he doesn’t even speak. He is also retconned to always have been an asshole and then Hussie goes out of his way to villainize him and treat his situation as something that turned him into a villain, instead of a character with flaws who was manipulated and used in some way.

And how does the fandom treat Gamzee? They absolutely despise him. There’s a pretty vocal bunch in the Homestuck fandom that thinks Gamzee is just a shitty person who chose to serve Lord English and kill all his friends, and part of this is because of how he’s portrayed in the comic.

Let’s not also forget about how Gamzee is written as neurodivergent and black-coded, while those characteristics are missing in Jevil’s character (at least in any major way). And while maybe not intentional, I absolutely believe that this influenced Hussie’s way of writing Gamzee. There’s too many influences of this to not be so.

People, specifically people of color and disabled people, have said this for a long time now, but this discussion goes unaddressed and recognized by the part of the fandom that hates Gamzee, which downplays these concerns, and Hussie, who doesn’t address them at all and even makes fun of people for thinking of Gamzee with more nuance on the epilogues.

Comparing those two characters and the way they’re written, we can see that it’s clearly an author problem. Hussie writes Gamzee so poorly that people have actually found instances of possible racism and ableism in him, meanwhile there’s way less of an issue with Jevil, who is written as nuanced and the fandom absolutely loves him for it.

Y’all need to stop talking about characters like they actually chose what they did. They’re not real. Someone wrote them to act the way they do. They’re not independent, they’re not conscientious, they don’t choose anything. It’s the author that chooses what they will do, and their biases absolutely influences the writing of such.

#deltarune #homestuck #gamzee makara #Jevil #writing analysis #moni speaks

[mumms-the-word]

tbh i'm actually kind of pissed at larian. regardless of if it's sticking it to hasbro or not, they're leaving the game in a potentially awful state and not delivering on promises they made, like the upper city. You also have SWEN talking about shit that could have been like ketheric's recruitment and what not, which stirs the pot even more and makes me angry. Like stop talking about it. we're already upset enough.

These are all very valid critiques, anon! I have many thoughts but I’ll put everything under the cut since I got a little long-winded because I’m passionate about video games in general.

I do play a bit of Devil’s Advocate here but please note I am not attacking you personally or trying to direct any hate towards anybody at all! This ask honestly gave me space to vent some thoughts I’ve had for months about this game. I did my best to offer nuanced perspectives and acknowledge my own biases. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, including their own disappointments and praises for Larian, Swen, the actors, and all involved in the making/maintaining (or lack thereof) of BG3.

TLDR: We shouldn’t put Larian on a pedestal as the Best Studio Ever, but we don’t have to grab our pitchforks and say they’re the worst studio ever either. If BG3 is a disappointment it might be because Larian flew a little too close to the sun trying to squeeze 80% of a functional D&D experience into a digital video game package, when (in my opinion) those two game genres are almost inherently designed to not mesh well, disappointing one fan while satisfying another.

———

Point #1, Idk how much Larian is sticking it to Hasbro but Hasbro IS a greedy corporation who has no idea how to make video games and I very highly suspect they’ve been making demands of Larian’s team that are impossible to meet without destroying the work ethic (and health/mental health/financial stability, etc) of Larian’s team. Hasbro just sees dollar signs. Larian isn’t necessarily as interested in milking BG3 for all it’s worth.

If they were, we’d be paying for Upper City in a DLC, and we’re not. Instead they’re choosing to pivot to a fresh new project that isn’t beholden to Hasbro or the demands of WOTC. Does it feel like they’re abandoning the game? Yeah, kinda. But if Swen says that his team looked visibly relieved to move on to something new, that gives me warning bells. Not against Swen, but about the crunch standard of games industries as a whole and possibly against Hasbro or WOTC. I’d much rather his team take care of their very human selves than grind themselves to ultimate burnout working on a game that is functionally complete, if buggy in places and not satisfying for some players because they didn’t get the content they wanted.

There is no perfect game, after all.

And honestly I’d say the same of any AAA studio too. I am consistently frustrated with game studios firing whole departments for the sake of retaining profits and treating their employees like content robots. Games should not be made at the expense of anyone’s physical or mental health, but unfortunately that’s The Industry Standard. (And personally I think Larian or at least Swen is uncomfortable with that.)

(Also I think people forget that making a game the size of BG3 requires the talents and hard work of hundreds of people. Larian was working with, what, 400 people? And that was after they hired like 250+ to even rise to the challenge of making BG3. Who are we even pointing the finger at for all these issues? Swen? He’s one man.)

Should they have promised something they couldn’t deliver? No. But also, I have no idea what issues led them to cutting the content, either. What’s done is done.

BG3 will be an obsolete game in a year or soon anyway, not because Larian isn’t working on it anymore, but because the games industry is just So. Freaking. Big. and pumps out thousands of games a year. Like, I hate to say it, but people are already dropping BG3 for other games like Dragon’s Dogma 2 because DD2 is shiny, new, and has a bonkers character creator.

And there’s nothing wrong with that! We’re not built to play (or work on) a narrative-focused game for 5-7 years, regardless of what any die-hard Destiny fan tells you (note: multiplayers without narrative get a pass purely because the focus isn’t on the narrative, but on collaborative play).

If a game is no longer fun to play, move on and find something that scratches your itch. Go back and play old games! There are so many things out there to explore. I have a To Be Played pile literally right now, a backlog of games I haven’t tried out yet. I’m sure many others do too.

Point #2 (and here I could be wrong, if I’m not already wrong in my opinions above), but they’re not entirely abandoning the game like…at the drop of a hat. They’re still promising at least a handful of hotfixes and at least one more patch with new evil epilogue endings (among other things).

Does that get us Upper City? Likely not. Does that add enough content to give Wyll a more well-rounded storyline, elevate all the romances to Astarion levels of cutscenes and dialogue, and finish Karlach’s questline with an actual solution for her heart? Also likely not. Is it precious to be mad about these losses? No! Be mad!! Wyll deserves justice!!!

I’d love to explore Upper City. I’m a huge advocate for Wyll getting more/better representation. If I could save Karlach without throwing her into Avernus I would in a HEARTBEAT. But these things aren’t in the game, and they likely won’t be. Larian made decisions to meet a (self-imposed? Hasbro imposed? Industry-relevant?) deadline that are ultimately disappointing. We can absolutely acknowledge that we’re disappointed.

But I don’t necessarily think Larian is just being lazy about these decisions, though. At the end of the day we have no idea what contracts Larian is under, what hell the developers have been through, either from the game industry, Hasbro, rabid fans, or excessively cruel critics, or what technical/gameplay/scheduling/financial issues they ran into at various parts of development.

Like the Ketheric thing (Point #3). Was it bad PR to bring up that Ketheric was a “kill your darlings” decision late in development around the same time you’re openly promoting the end of your relationship with BG3? Yeah. Totally. But I’m not surprised they had to cut something like that. Games, movies, books do that all the time. How many deleted scenes from movies have we seen where it could have changed the whole narrative (maybe even made it better) if it had just stayed in? I can think of a handful. It sucks, but trust me, it hurts the writers and developers way more to cut content they’ve poured money and time and heart and soul into than it hurts us, the players who would never know the wiser if they hadn’t said anything.

But also, the game is ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE. On PC you have to have 150GB free just to install it. Can you imagine how big it would be if they had shoved everything they wanted into it, even if they had delayed the game a while to make it happen? 150GB is a lot.

For perspective, that puts it on par with a very, very, VERY tiny sector of PC games at about the same level (or higher) of GB requirements, including Red Dead Redemption 2 (a fantastic open world game that still holds up in 2024), Microsoft Flight Simulator (which requires 150GB because it’s literally just flying through high quality renders of actual Earth), Forspoken (everyone says all the GB went to graphics here and I believe them), Star Wars: Jedi Survivor (which only has about 50 hours of playable content, allegedly), basically any VR game, and ARK: Survival Evolved which comes in at a whopping 400 GB mostly because of DLC. In other words, games that big get that big either because of graphics or like a hundred DLCs.

BG3 manages to fit in gorgeous cinematics, a super complex spell-combat system, a more or less streamlined video game build for complex D&D combat rules and mechanics, 10 potential companions, 8 romances among those companions, several large maps to explore, and branching narratives that would take you days to read every scrap of dialogue for (I’ve downloaded the datamined files for Patch6, and there are whole leagues of dialogue, encounters, and bits that are in the game, unbugged, that most of us pass by because we don’t explore enough). You want to know where most of the GB goes? It goes towards sustaining a D&D combat/narrative structure that was originally never built with video game constraints in mind.

Do you know how many conditions/status effects there are in the game? Over 1100. 1100+ unique descriptions and titles for conditions that debuff or buff your character or your enemies, granting hundreds of actual gameplay affects. Do you know how many spells there are across the 12 playable classes and all unique spells for enemies and allies? Like 400, if we’re getting picky and splitting hairs over stuff like Rolan’s Magic Missile being different than the usual Magic Missile or if we’re splitting out something like Disguise Self into its 32 different variations. Each spell needs a different icon, a different graphic effect, and it needs to do the right kind of damage and cause the right kind of condition or effect, some of which are immediate, others which linger.

We can speak with dead with hundreds of characters. That’s a lot of dialogue. We can talk to ANY named NPC. That’s a lot of dialogue! We can talk to any animal, with or without speak with animals enabled. That’s a lot of dialogue!!

A single playthrough where I try to explore as much as possible takes me 150 hours or more. I have 500 hours in this game and I’ve only got 4 characters and I’ve only finished 2 of them. This game is mind-bogglingly big. Even if it’s not the biggest game in history ever, or even the biggest game by the time of its release, its BIG.

The biggest critique I would have here is one that I’ve had since I first started playing the game, and it’s that D&D systems and video games don’t mesh comfortably well. I think that Larian got distracted trying to make the ultimate D&D experience, catering to a demographic that is known to ignore plot and pursue shenanigans, and Larian felt the need to build in a lot of shenanigans.

I think they got a little overzealous about it, and that’s where we have missing content, and a lot of fluff that isn’t always plot-relevant. If the game feels unfinished, it’s because Larian started too many threads, and while there are endings to all of those threads, many of them feel rushed or unsatisfactory. Why do they feel unsatisfactory? Because we’re offered so much freedom early on, only to be pulled back into the much more limited narrative constraints of a video game at the end. Because the game has to end eventually, unlike a D&D campaign which could go on or explore many other possibilities. But by act 3 in a 150 GB game, we’re running out of time and space.

And yes that’s disappointing as hell and Larian could and arguably SHOULD have made different decisions on what to focus on.

But ultimately, you just can’t fit a full-on, any-choice-goes D&D experience in a game that needs to be packaged neatly enough to run on most PCs or consoles, and Larian was ambitious as hell to try. Contrary to popular belief, I think they did pretty freaking well given the challenge, and no, it isn’t perfect, and no, to confess to my own bias, I don’t have the same complicated history with the game that early access or release day players have because I bought the game like 2 months after it was out and patched twice. But they’ve clearly built a game that people love so much they’re upset there isn’t more of it, or at least upset it isn’t the best it can be.

But sometimes we have to be realistic too. I can only imagine how many more bugs or render issues we’d get if they did try to shove in Upper City at this point. Games can only be so big before they start to become too much for the systems that try to run them and I don’t want the games industry veering towards making games an elitist hobby for only the rich and elite who can afford expensive rigs and $100 games.

(And also, I’m not at all upset that for $70 bucks I got 500 hours of gameplay and I’m not 100% sick of it yet. When EA and Activision are getting players to pay hundreds in micro transactions and DLC and dangling extra maps and new missions behind paywalls? Bish, please, I’m good. You want to talk about an unfinished experience? Dragon Age: Inquisition made us pay for our epilogue content as a DLC. At least Larian built theirs in for free from the start.)

Anyway.

All that said, I’m sure if Larian could turn back the clock and start over, they’d make different decisions about what to keep, cut, and refine. But we’re here now.

If I want to see anything from Larian right now, it’s a dedication to fix ongoing bugs that make the game unplayable or that block the narratives that they have built so that they play correctly (like with the Minthara romance). IDEALLY I’d like to see them add more content for companions other than Astarion, to equalize the romance experiences, but I’m not holding my breath (again, considering things like game development, actor schedules, contracts, etc).

While I’m sad about the permanent loss of stuff like the Upper City and disappointed by all the rushed questlines, I’d rather them fix the bugs that make the game un-fun to play and bow out gracefully once they’re sure the game won’t need constant supervision.

Besides, they’re working on cross-platform mod support, and mods are gonna add and mess with the game for many years to come, so we can pivot to support them instead while Larian works on its next game (and hopefully learns from its mistakes with BG3).

#bg3 critical #bg3 #my thoughts #super long post #long post #larian critical #op/anon I appreciate you and your ask #my hyperfixation triggered and I almost didn’t post this :’) #anyways feel free to ignore

[captain-amadeus]

Do you think Cedric is overrated, or just given so much attention that the fandom forgets the other characters exist? /gen

Also, I couldn't agree more about how wrong it is to put Cedric on a pedestal to make Roland look terrible; the man is an amazing father, and I will die on that hill!!

My opinion on Cedric in the fandom isn't as interesting as my opinion on the fandom's one-sidedness with King Roland.

I know I talk about Roland a lot, but man, I have so much to say about him that just doesn't get said enough.

I have so much to say about how the fandom is so biased with him and Cedric. The fact that he can't be a character who makes mistakes and learns from them is insane, especially since Cedric isn't a perfect person himself.

Even if Cedric's motives to take over the kingdom are sympathetic, it doesn't justify his actions. He was wrong in wanting to take over the kingdom and in hurting others like Sofia in his attempts, but people like Roland were wrong for doubting him for so long and believing the notion that he's not capable of great things.

Although Roland wasn't the main driving force in Cedric wanting to get back at everyone, those rightfully go to Goodwyn and Cordelia, he failed in being a needed support for Cedric because of how he was raised off the idea that Cedric isn't capable of being like his father.

There is so much grey area where Roland has a reason for thinking and acting how he does, just like Cedric in how he thinks and acts. There is nuance to both of their characters that the fandom neglects with Roland in favor of making him this black and white character, and it ultimately makes him unrecognizable to how he was in canon to the point that I could mistake someone's depiction on him for Roland's father. That's what they all remind me of: his father, whose been said to have been a great king but not a great father.

I feel there's so much untapped potential in regards to Cedric and Roland having their fathers be emotionally absent and growing up to give their next generation what they didn't. It's more interesting than having Roland be a bad father without considering the things he did as a father in favor of Cedric being the only one to care for Sofia. (There is a difference between making stuff mainly about Cedric and Sofia and making Sofia's own family useless with Cedric being the only one who can help her. Really, Sofia loves her family and her family loves her.)

People just haven't thought about it as deeply with Roland as they do with Cedric when it comes to reasoning, and at worst, they intentionally interpret his actions in bad faith.

It is so easy to interpret Roland as someone with good intentions. I just don't get why people would willingly make a character bad in their heads, but it always circles back to Cedric because it's always him that replaces Roland as Sofia's father.

It's never Sofia being comforted by Miranda, or spending time with Amber and James, or even talking to her animal friends or visiting her best friends, Ruby and Jade.

And even when it is about them, they're always overshadowed by Cedric. It is so rare to see something focus on anything other than Cedric to the point where I wonder what's the point in having any of the other characters present when they are just props for Cedric.

And there's nothing wrong with liking Sofia and Cedric's bond, no matter how you view it (except if it's in a romantic way, in which you need to reconsider why you feel that a full grown adult and a child would, eww.) I just feel there could be more to having Cedric being the only focal point in things, and even have him be a supporting role instead of the main focus. Having him accompany Sofia but focusing more on her interactions and relations with other characters would be so refreshing. Even exploring Cedric with other characters (cough maybe with Roland) could be a good change of pace.

All in all, I don't have anything against others or how much Cedric is focused in the fandom because some people may just like Cedric better. And if I don't want everything to be about Cedric, then I can just make my own things about other characters. It just bums me out the things I've mentioned, and I hope to make it to where there's a bit more diversity in the fandom when it comes to other characters.

Also I love Miranda ok bye

#stf #sofia the first #sofia the fandom #cedric the sorcerer #king roland #answrs #obviously no hate to anyone at all #these are just my opinions heidjdhsisjdh #captain txt

[duckiemimi]

Its interesting to me how Gojo's english VA rejects or simply doesn't see the subtext StSG has but he's so open about his admiration for GJHm because he apparently pulls the same pranks on his wife like Gojo messes with Uta. And he even went as far as to say "C'mon guys, they're best friends" in regards to people being vocal about StSG relationship.

i’m gonna be honest, i’d rather listen to what the Japanese VAs have to say about anything jjk related (but especially about geto and gojo’s characters and relationship) considering the English Dub’s blunder with toji in season 2.

if u aren’t aware, the English Dub scriptwriters took liberties with a certain translation—in the manga toji says, “oh…i remember now. megumi. the name means blessings. and i’m the one who gave him that name.” meanwhile, the english dub of this scene became, “oh, speaking of blessings. that’s right, i almost forgot. i named my cursed spirit megumi.”

to twist a translation so badly that it takes away from what the actual scene was supposed to portray (toji remembering his son, megumi)—of course, whoever wrote the script is at fault here, not the actual VA, but it makes me doubt their commitment to the story’s authenticity. i’m not sure if this happened bc of lack of research or if they were trying to paint toji in a certain light.

i mean, language is fickle anyway; there’s so much cultural subtext that gets lost in translation and perhaps that could be the case here. but it could also be internalized homophobia, or just blatant homophobia.

i’m a big advocate for shipping whatever u want and respecting ppl’s boundaries! if someone dislikes or is uncomfortable with a ship, then don’t talk to them about it. in a similar line, if u dislike or are uncomfortable with a ship, filter, mute, and block! but to try and pass off ur biases as canon? bc of ur own lived experiences/personal values/trauma? c’mon now. preferences are preferences—none of our ships are canon, anyway (at least for now, but even then, that’s never stopped ppl from shipping characters in a confirmed relationship with other characters—and that’s fine!)

there is some nuance in situations like these, if we really wanna get into the nitty gritty. men can be close friends, sure! but if u bring a woman in to counter someone’s gay ship/hc, then u’re doing it in bad faith and ur obviously biased. queer subtext will almost always be ignored by a straight audience anyway, mainly bc they’re not familiar with it, and they might even be uncomfortable with exploring concepts that don’t fit their worldview.

again, if u a wanna ship gjhm, by all means, go ahead! just don’t be headass about it. don’t deny the possibility of other ships, either—specifically stsg bc that ship alone has more canon “proof” (that’s what they call it) than any other ship with their characters. don’t go and pull dumb excuses or justifications out of ur ass to dismiss other ships (or ship dynamics) bc u’re gonna look stupid. like what u like and don’t go to war with other ppl for liking different things!

(also, i’m using the universal “u/you” here, anon! i’m not accusing or addressing u in these paragraphs!)

(also also, if this VA pulls the type of “pranks” gojo pulled on utahime on his wife, i’m a little concerned. those aren’t pranks. gojo genuinely thought he was better than her in the hidden inventory arc. in gojo’s case, he wasn’t wrong bc he was and still is the pinnacle of jujutsu, so he would’ve called anybody weak regardless of their circumstance—he’s much more tactful about it nowadays, anyway. in the VA’s case? umm…but that’s none of my business.)

#jjk #asks #gojo #utahime #gjhm

[cantstayawaycani]

The last thing I would wish is for it to seem as if I fancy Tenoch simply because he's Mexican and is beautiful to look at.

I fancy Tenoch because he's intelligent.

I fancy Tenoch because he has more to say than inconsequential nonsense.

I fancy Tenoch because he has talent.

I fancy Tenoch because he is an activist, in practice, not in name only.

I fancy Tenoch because he is a loudly, visibly, defiantly anti-racist feminist.

I fancy Tenoch because he seems kind, but also bluntly honest.

I fancy Tenoch because he DOES NOT look like Predro Pascal and Oscar Isaac. Because of how hard it must have been and still be for him to even get to the point where opportunities for him will (hopefully) now come as they do for those actors.

I fancy Tenoch because he's my age, and as a woman in her 40s, I can appreciate a man who is just as goofy and serious as I am about certain things at this stage in life.

I don't know that man in real life. So if he isn't truly all of these things, I wouldn't know unless he puts that on display somehow.

His Mexican-ness, his browness, his accented English, these are tropes to some, to others they are simply a part of his being that fold into the wholeness of his person. All that he is and all that he shows us is a great deal more complex and nuanced and admirable than simply: pretty brown man.

But this is one of the few times I will go on a diatribe here, or on any social site. It's not something I care to do often.

I just want to let it be known: my tags say pretty baby and honey skinned man, but please don't get it twisted. He's a human person not just a skin color/ethnicity to me. I don't view him as "exotic". I view him as unique in that he is a man of a certain age who is doing the work of dismantling his own biases and chronicling that journey verbally and demonstrably for us and the public at every turn, so that he may be an example. And THAT is why I fancy Tenoch.

If he seemed like a vapid, clueless FUCKBOY, honey I would not be bothered.

#tenoch huerta #on fetishism #just to be clear #no one asked but I'm telling #yes he's beautiful but not just physically #and he is talented #he deserves success and appreciation

[shitswiftiessay]

ALSO another thing that I can’t stop thinking about: if swifties are right and joe never loved taylor and just tolerated her all those years then why the fuck did it take taylor SIX years to figure that out? why would taylor stay with a guy who supposedly couldn’t stand her all those years. is she stupid? i certainly don’t think so. she’s supposedly such an emotionally intelligent person (according to swifties anyway). so why did she stay with a man who didn’t like her and made her miserable all those years?? you really think taylor was “led by blind faith” all those years? what a pathetic view you must have of her.

i’m so fucking tired of swifties and their constant victim narrative surrounding taylor. she is not only a grown ass woman but she’s incredibly rich and incredibly powerful. she also has more security than the goddamn president. if she was truly miserable or god forbid held hostage in the basement as many swifties claim, she could’ve ended it much sooner. she’s also had plenty of experience with relationships, good and bad ones, and if she’s really unhappy in a relationship, then she knows how to end it.

she obviously loved joe as you can see from all those songs she wrote so why are you so fucking desperate to paint him as this HORRIBLE man? why are you shitting on taylor’s judgment? just because he didn’t publicly scream from the rooftops that he’d die for her means he never loved her? just because he isn’t a clout chasing narcissist like that one football player who drops her name every 3 seconds? fuck off.

but hey, if you REALLY wanna start judging relationships by songs, let’s look at how much SHE sounds like the problem in certain songs: stay stay stay, renegade (being an unsympathetic bitch), afterglow, the great war (both songs about accusing him of cheating when he didn’t, knowing she hurt them, and then romanticising it in songs) bejeweled (threatening to cheat), false god “daring you to leave me just so i can try and scare you,” even that line in ME! is a red fucking flag, telling your partner that no one will ever love them like you do is a tactic used by abusers.

i am NOT claiming that taylor was abusive, for the record. but DAMN, if we’re going to hyper analyse song lyrics then we can certainly look at them in a way other than your biased “taylor is perfect and can can do nothing wrong ever” perspective.

i mean the woman literally said “it’s me, hi, i’m the problem it’s me” but swifties are incapable of having a nuanced view of adult human relationships. sometimes things just don’t work out and it doesn’t mean that anybody has to be a villain. swifties always want to make it to where taylor is always a VICTIM of all her exes and every ex is always a MONSTER. it’s all so fucking tiresome, and it’s a very childish way of thinking.

and if it really makes you so sad to listen to those songs taylor wrote about joe then maybe you should try listening to someone other than taylor for once.

#rants #shit swifties say #joe alwyn #parasocial relationships

[who-the-fuck-knows-blog]

holy christ. this fandom is fucking exhausting about mental health and mental illness and abuse. i dont want to directly engage with people saying this stuff because i am pretty sure they wont change their minds or really listen to me, but Ed can be mentally ill and abusive/toxic (<-those aren’t necessarily interchangable but I’m going to be using both in this case).

Ed’s actions can be a result of his trauma, he can hate that he does it, it can be within his own justification a result of previous threats or negativity from others, and they can still be not okay or justified.

The majority of people who have been abusive in my life have been struggling with something. Mental illness, addiction, trauma, all of the above. Trauma and trauma reactions can lead to further abusive behavior.

When you have personality disorders or mental health issues that come with extreme cognitive distortions (everyone has cognitive distortions, but mental illnesses and trauma tend to lead to more extreme examples or more cognitive distortions than you would have otherwise), it can lead to you continuing with dangerous/manipulative behavior in a more unaware manner. Many are aware it is manipulative, though. and I suppose that’s where the distinction can be made between whether or not this is a toxic or abusive relationship. One comes with more of an intent to control, the other is more about mutually lashing out/having disproportionate emotional reactions to situations.

This post, to me, isn’t about determining whether Ed was Abusive or Toxic, but moreso about conversations around abusive behavior. The way it has been described, Ed’s behavior towards Izzy in S2 has been deliberately controlling and manipulative, as Ed has been towards the entire crew in that season. Does it matter if he’s doing it because he is spiralling and wants to push everyone to their breaking point to kill himself vs just to be a dick? Yes, to a degree. It means he likely just needs help and is capable of changing. On the other hand, no. The behavior is terrible and not justifiable, and having mental illnesses that caused it doesn’t make it suddenly not his responsibility.

I guess I’m more annoyed at the overjustification and removing Ed from his own autonomy and responsibility for his behavior than anything. There can be reasons behind why someone does something, and those reasons can be very sympathetic and understandable and make a lot of sense, it just gets to a point where people seem to be using that to excuse the behavior and remove Ed’s agency in the harm he himself has caused deliberately (even if the intention wasn’t to make people miserable but to kill himself, the goal and method through which he did it was to cause emotional and physical damage and torture to ensure this would happen, with little to no care for the wellbeing of the others.)

If people are upset about Ed’s behavior and lack of actual personal accountability for what he’s done, that’s fine. The same way that it’s fine for people to be upset about the emotional harm Izzy has done to Ed.

I know a lot of posts are not super nuanced when it comes to Ed and abusive behavior, I’m not gonna say hes iredeemable, and in fact he’s already ahead of other people who display this behavior in that he realizes he needs to change and puts in an effort to do so. He’s still sympathetic to most folks, and I personally still love him.

I also acknowledge I, like everyone else, am not immune to personal biases and lack of insight and emotional reasoning. Many folks have been having trauma reactions based on the events in the show or have had their trauma triggered or have fallen back on (understandably) emotional responses that are due to trauma. Some people have been applying their personal experiences with people that behave similarly to characters on the show to their analysis and impressions of the characters. I’m not gonna say that’s morally good or bad. It just exists and is unavoidable when you have a ton of people with trauma discussing things. But it can skew perceptions, as trauma does. so it’s just something to be aware of, because it doesn’t feel like you’re being skewed it feels either like you’re being attacked or you are more aware of/closer to/have a better understanding of the emotions and responses of the characters you are projecting onto.

I dunno. maybe I’m full of shit! Who knows! I just wanted to ramble more about this stuff bc it’s very upsetting to me (<-could be a trauma response I am not adequately handling or aware of or acknowledging) to see the way ppl have been defensive of Ed via “he’s not doing it because he wants to do it/live like this, he’s traumatized, he’s mentally ill, and Izzy pushed him into it” because those can be explanations of his actions but not justifications of his actions.

#idk. idk. #izcourse #edcourse #lol #ofmd s2 #izzy hands #ed teach #abuse discussions #please dont like. come at me about this i just want to be ranting for a bit #im always like ‘might delete this’ but maybe i will this time. idk #i feel like i got all of my anger and upset i started with out whilst writing it so it was beneficial to me at least #god should i even post this. yikes

[xxlovelynovaxx]

screenshot:

(screenshot of a tumblr post which says: watched some video about a shitty kid yesterday and caught myself thinking "my god the kids these days are out of control" and praise the Lord I immediately reflexively scolded myself like "you were exactly this stupid when you were 13, stupider probably, here's a memory of you doing and saying something so completely terrible because you were a kid and kids don't know better" you cannot let up your vigilance even for a moment, you must constantly fight against age related conservatism and never stop internally interrogating your reactions)

Okay but I feel like maybe you should in fact interrogate your second reaction of "oh kids are just completely unintelligent and never know better, I was a kid who made mistakes and didn't know better and therefore kids in general are simply Not Bad for having these beliefs because they're incapable of having thoughtful and nuanced understandings of topics or Good Views on them".

Like it's still age-related conservatism to treat kids as basically animals who lack all capacity for critical thought or knowledge around a subject, especially teens who are specifically often at a developmental stage where they've learned some amount of critical analysis and are now learning to effectively apply it. You don't magically become capable of Having Good Views at 18 or 25 or whatever arbitrary magical number people have decided makes your Brain Work Good, as evidenced by plenty of shitty adults with awful opinions and amazing kids working hard to change the world.

And sure, OP may not have intended that when writing that post. In fact, I'm rather certain they didn't. But that's exactly WHY you have to question your thoughts around how you react and respond to children. That's exactly WHY you can't just stop at the "you kids get off my lawn" levels of extremely obvious childism and actually analyze the deeper ingrained biases you have against children.

Because even setting aside the casually ableist language (though ableism against those with cognitive/intellectual/developmental disabilities is so intrinsically intertwined with childism and youth oppression that it can't really ever be fully set aside), "oh well it's fine because they're young and therefore are incapable of being anything but shitty about this" and specifically "because they are not intelligent in a meaningful way here" is still very much ageism.

The reason it's acceptable for kids to mess up is in fact related to the fact that they're in the process of learning, but it's not because they're just intrinsically unintelligent or incapable. It's because people are allowed to mess up when they're learning new things.

Adults who only escaped extreme conservative religious upbringings as adults and are then having to do all the work of unlearning what they were taught and learning new things to replace it, people with developmental disabilities or who have to relearn things due to cognitive trauma/injury, someone who simply has a knowledge gap around a certain subject and is clumsily learning it for the first time... all those people are allowed to make mistakes and accidentally say harmful things.

There are also ways to safely and compassionately hold every single one of the groups accountable for doing so and help them when they do accidentally do harm, without punishing them for trying to learn, but unfortunately people don't often acknowledge that. And often as a result, unfortunately, people either jump to punitive treatment which can itself be harmful (driving religious abuse survivors back to their abusers, discouraging people from attempting to learn, teaching children not to trust you, etc) or infantalize the person in question (which is itself inherently harmful).

The intentions were good. "I made mistakes at this age so I should be patient with kids and give them grace and the space and whatever level of help is appropriate on my part to help them learn from those mistakes" is what I suspect the OP was trying to convey.

I just think it got lost in "Kids are stupid, I was a stupid kid, kids say stupid shit because they're stupid", or in nicer terms, what very much reads as, "kids make these mistakes because a kid being shitty is just an inherent part of their nature as a kid".

That's the part I take issue with. The statement was not "kids sometimes act stupid" or "kids sometimes say stupid shit" (with an implied or explicitly stated "because they're learning"). It was "kids are stupid" as a state of being, not even with a temporal qualifier such as "sometimes".

While I'd still take issue with the specific language used, at least the former treat the lapses in good judgment as what they are - temporary behaviors or chains of reasoning made in error as a result of learning to move through the world as an analytical, thinking person. The latter, well, however unintentionally, treats kids as none of those things.

#childism #youth liberation