#you can see naruto become homophobic

[sneezemonster15]

Okay yeah this. Gotta share this. So I love watching cute animal vids like all the other thousand people per square mile, and recently I stumbled onto this one. And of course it reminded me of them, like duh, look at them.

Also now look at the comments and how not so eerily similar they are to the dialogues that go on here. @teddywiththumbs is the op, owner of the cats.

Now just to be clear, yeah cats can be gay. Along with most other animal species. Homosexual behaviour and courtship has been widely documented across species. And yeah, there is the issue of anthropomorphism (the attribution of human-like qualities to animals) as well. But I just can't help but notice how people like the commenter simply don't see what they are actually responding to when they get offended with a woman, the owner of the cats, simply stating a fact about the cats she owns. They don't see it so they think they aren't being homophobic but they are.

This is a response that I am sure some of you will relate with.

Hahahaha. No seriously, this is the case isn't it?

Sometimes when I see these posts made by SNS fans here, and in spirit they read like the creation of bards of the yore who crooned graphic songs of eternal, fantastical love about two boys who once were and were made for each other.....and I wonder if the term shipping came from 'worshipping'? Maybe it did.. Heh.

They are talking about the love, the absolute spectacle of the romance of Sasuke and Naruto, aren't they? But all that is reduced to an outcome of the mental illnesses that plague these fujoshis and dirty lesbians. What this says is, this kind of bias doesn't exist just in fandoms, it is simply a reflection of the larger society, fandoms are made of the same people. This gives us a look at how people generally think of homosexuality, fandom is simply one of the many microcosms.

Hehehe accurate. Or friends, brothers, comrades, etc.

No seriously, just to see how quickly reactive people become when it comes to homosexuality, like what a potent trigger it is. How easy it is for people to be so upset at something that is simply natural, a fact of life. And this is just cats they are talking about, but how well it translates to other things...

Like the outrage, the desperate need to explain it away in a 'safe way'......they really harassed the op for talking about her own cats. Like no one even waited a second to google how it is possible for animals to be "gay", just like some fans here who could have saved a lot of trouble if only they had used the internet for things other than reading het smut.

What I am saying is, look how similar the narratives are. It doesn't matter if it's cats or humans, it's not about that. It's about ingrained homophobia. It doesn't say so much about cats and love, it says how uncomfortable it makes people to even consider normalising homosexuality, that seeing it so clearly portrayed or documented in media really triggers their prejudices so unquestioningly, so unerringly, so insidiously, so organically, that they don't realize what they are actually reacting to and how deeply biased they are. Good thing the op was quite insightful.

It really says a lot about people's attitudes and sublimated prejudices. The op knows homosexuality makes people deeply wary, feel deeply wronged, they feel as if they are entitled to their outrage. It results in reiterating the "natural order" of things and showing righteous indignation at what they think 'maligns' it. It is the same blueprint, settings may differ.

#sns #cats #homophobia #gay

[khorai]

This Fandom exhausts me…

I've had more than enough of some (many) of them reducing the characters to a single aspect of their personality and then having the total nerve to complain about it.

I swear to God, if I see one more post about Sakura accusing her of having a personality revolving essentially around Sasuke and then going on to accuse Kishimoto of sexism, I'm going to lose it.

It's certainly not Kishimoto's fault if their messed-up minds have fundamentally reduced a character like Sakura, a young girl with dreams, aspirations, doubts, insecurities, steely determination, and a warrior attitude, to some kind of appetizer for Sasuke.

It's not Kishimoto's fault if they took her insecurities, her pain of always being left out, her low self-esteem, her guilt about her team, her relentless struggle to measure up to her teammates, and minimized it to fit their absolutely absurd headcanon of her.

It's not Kishimoto's fault if they reduced a character like Sakura to her love for Sasuke. It's a part of who she is but by no means all she is.

And it's certainly not his fault if they have fundamentally built a Fanon version of her in their heads that has absolutely nothing to do with her real character. The worst part is that when she doesn't meet their exaggerated expectations, they are the first to scream sexism and bad writing (which always go hand in hand).

The only sexist thing I see here is that they have turned a balanced, credible, and highly interesting character in my opinion into a one-dimensional character who lives only for a guy, and it's more than frustrating.

Sasuke has been the catalyst for Sakura's change, that's an undeniable truth and you'd have to be really stupid to deny it, but so what?

Which important character in Naruto hasn't been influenced by someone at some point?

It's literally one of the themes of the story at this point.

Naruto himself wouldn't have become half of what he is now if it weren't for Sasuke's existence, but apparently when it comes to Sakura fucking Haruno, it becomes "her life revolves around a guy".

I'm sure if it had been Ino (or any other woman for that matter) to whom Sakura had shown such a level of dedication, the tune would have changed.

The Fandom would have been like "aww their love is so beautiful" or "they are so cute" but since Sasuke has a pair of balls, the author is called crappy, sexist, homophobic, and full of other garbage like that because he didn't adhere to their headcanon.

As for Sasuke, it's the same.

The next asshole who talks about Sasuke as a cold, lonely, emotionless individual that half of this damn fandom wants him to be will face my bitchy attitude. Sasuke is not without emotions, on the contrary, he loves too much, feels too much (it's almost a curse for the Uchiha).

And what's with this bullshit about "Sasuke is a bootlicker for Konoha"?!

Because he decided to sacrifice years of his life to keep those he loves safe? (namely his family and his damn best friend?)

Because he didn't meet the screwed-up expectations that some of his fans and antis had/have for him, he's Konoha's dog now?

This fandom has turned Sasuke into at times some kind of non-conformist anti-Konoha rebel, at times into a selfish asshole, abusive and sexist slash shitty father (depends on which part of the Fandom you enter), when he is none of those things. They have removed (trampled on) all the complexity of his character just to advance their own dubious agenda and then have the complete audacity to insult Kishimoto?

Oh yeah, something else…

…In which manga is Sasuke dependent on Naruto? In fact no, in which manga is Sasuke even dependent on anyone…?

At what point is it declared - even implicitly in the manga - that Uchiha fucking Sasuke could be forced to do something he didn't want to do?!

The only person who has managed to manipulate Sasuke, even just a little, is his older brother, but besides him, who else can claim to have this right?

Absolutely no one.

Sasuke is a great character with agency and incredible character development, thank you very much. I don't care about people's ideas about him, I don't care if they ship him with this or that character or if they don't ship him at all, I couldn't care less about their fantasies about his sexuality, I just wish they would keep their personal grudges and their absurd headcanon away from his canon character, in other words his real character.

I don't see why some people are trying to turn his character into something he's not. If they are not satisfied with him as he is, good for them but they should stop twisting the official canon to fit their fantasy.

Sasuke is complex in many ways, but not so complex that it warrants adults to get his character characterization completely wrong. If they really want to overanalyze a manga for 12 year olds, they should at least do it well.

#sakura haruno #sasuke uchiha #anti naruto fandom #naruto shit #pro kishimoto #if you can't be bothered to understand a character then shut the fuck up #they deserve better fandom

[dekusheroacademia]

Why Izuocha works and how it fits the BNHA main theme - An analysis

As said before, I will stop posting Izuocha, I have seen one too many homophobic insult and one too many hateful anti bkdk posts. I wrote this draft before my decision, and the idea of finishing it makes me nauseous. Still, it is almost complete, so here you are, my last Izuocha post.

It will have manga spoilers

WHY IZUOCHA WORKS - THE MAIN THEMES OF BNHA

I wrote this thinking of old shounen I watched, from Dragon Ball to Slam Dunk, Saint Seiya, Naruto and many others. In some cases, we have canon ships, or romances, in some others we don't. In most cases, some female characters are usually relegated to the category of romantic interest and there they end up kind of trapped - mainly in the sense that most of the interactions they have with the protagonist are about that specific romance.

In my opinion, Uraraka almost falls into the trope, before jumping out of it. A change of mind from Hori? Or maybe he wanted to write her like this since the beginning, given that he loves avoiding tropes.

Friendship and OFA

The main theme of BNHA, or one of the main ones, is friendship. For Deku, in particular, friendship comes as something precious and scarce. Uraraka falls right in the center of this theme. While Izuku has old friends (Bakugou) and new friends (Iida, Todoroki etc.), Uraraka remains the first person who positively accepts his friendship.

Even Iida and Todoroki are initially hostile to Deku, given that they work in a very competitive environment. Uraraka, instead, is the first one who gives a hand without expecting nothing in exchange and without distrust.

More importantly, she is also placed front and central in one of the main weakness that Deku has: his relationship with his new power, AFO. All Might sees Deku as a hero, once Deku saves Bakugou, but he is the only one. Bakugou himself, after being saved, doesn't really care for Deku's heroic ability. Iida distrusts him, the teachers seem harsh- Uraraka is the first person after All Might who truly believes Deku can be a hero.

And by first (well, second) person I mean in the whole world. Deku saves her at the entrance exam and she believes in him so much that she tries to convince the teacher to let them in the school.

This reciprocal support and friendship can be seen numerous times, for example during the tournament when Uraraka is the one who lifts Deku's spirit at the cavalrly battle, but also is represented by the parallel between Uraraka's speech and Deku's entrance to the school.

Where Bakugou was Deku´s first save on the path to be a hero, Uraraka is literally the gate to the path to becoming a hero, the UA school.

This is not just Uraraka helping a friend, but it is also her making sure that Deku knows she still see him as a hero and that he is still considered a hero. Similar to what she obtained (for him) when she fought for his admission. Horikoshi does love his parallelisms!

Admiration - Inspiration - Imitation

Another main theme in BNHA is the theme of admiration and ispiration. Uraraka is the character who gets the most development out of the ship. Canon crush, in this case, is one of the ways Horikoshi fits another puzzle into his big collection of "admiration" that BNHA revolves around. Starting from the tournament, we have Uraraka admiring Deku's spirit. Of course she wants to be a hero, but we see the difference in seriousness between Deku and her (especially during their first test with AM). So it is at the tournament where we see that Uraraka admires Deku's spirit because he is "always looking ahead to the next challenge".

Deku inspires Uraraka.

This is a central theme in BNHA. It can be found in many other relationships. We see it, of course, with Deku and AM, we see it with Deku admiring Bakugou and Bakugou being inspired by Deku into being a better hero, with Todoroki inspiring Momo by letting her know how much he trusts her, in Bakugou inspiring Kirishima and his unbreakable, etc.

And of course, as said before, the big inspiration being All Might for Deku, Todoroki and Bakugou, all three the only non villain characters to have an "origin" chapter around them WATCHING All Might and the way All Might inspired them. That is why those three are the mains characters who can also inspire others.

In BNHA, we have almost a net that goes from character to character, to inspire everyone. Starting with All Might, and Deku, but also Bakugou and Todoroki, the whole class and more ends up being touched by AM's (and Deku's) idea of being a hero. Here is a little representation of it. For example: Bakugou inspiring Kirishima, and Mina and Kirishima inspiring each others. Deku inspiring Ojiro and Todoroki, Todoroki inspiring Momo etc.

Uraraka is also one of the few relationships where the inspiration is reciprocal. In my opinion it only happens for Uraraka-Deku, Kirishima-Mina, Bakugou-Deku, Mirio-Deku, Tetsutetsu-Kirishima, Jirou-Kaminari.

In the case of Uraraka and Deku, Uraraka can inspire confidence in Deku, and Deku inspires motivation in Uraraka. Of course, the fact that Uraraka's new meaning for the name "Deku" is someone who can do things is the literal explicit representation of her influence over Deku.

Now, these relationships of inspirations all lead to different journeys. For Todoroki it is a journey of self acceptance and acceptance of his family, for Bakugou it is a matter of becoming a better person and a better hero... etc.

In general, these journeys often pass through the theme of imitation.

The biggest one being Deku so blinded by his love for AM that his imitation leads him to... not realize he can use OFA with his legs. Imitation is also pretty common among most characters too. We have Mina who "copies" (affectionately) Kirishima's unbreakable in a new move of hers, we have Deku using Bakugou's anger (copying it) against the villains and then copying his moves, we have Todoroki using a version of Endeavor's move, Deku using his legs like Iida etc.

The obvious one, in the case of Uraraka, is the way she adapts her costume. As for some of the other cases, this imitation is not just practical but comes from her character's evolution.

She initially wants to see people smile, be able to see them happy and she knows heroes can do that. Having a good job could also help her parents and bring a smile to their faces. She starts a bit hesitant, but being inspired by Deku she decides to copy his determination (I believe the reason she wants to be stronger after the tournament is also that). She sees how he saves people, she also herself fails to save people, going through the same hero journey Deku went through (ex. Deku failed to save Bakugou at Kamino).

Hiding her feelings, putting them aside, is just part of this journey. Because in BNHA affection, love, care, often revolves around inspiration/admiration/imitation, we have Uraraka being fit in here with her crush just like a puzzle piece. I'll come back to it in the last part, about Toga, but for now I want to add that the similar path is actually interesting because Deku and Uraraka are then apart for a big chunk of the manga.

And yet they both reach the same conclusion, going from taking hero work seriously, to wanting to save, to move before she can think, Uraraka also arrives at her need to save villains, at being able to see villains as people. This is something that only her and Deku share.

2. Toga

Toga is not there to take Uraraka away from the crush or to be a random villain, and she is definitely not a way to show Uraraka that her crush is unhealthy - the opposite.

Uraraka is not controlled by her feelings. She was able to put them aside, for now, because they were distracting her. And this is part of her wanting to be at least a little bit like Deku, able to focus on the job because the job is important, it is saving lives. I think it is also important to remember that Uraraka doesn't put away her feelings randomly, but she does so during saving-training to get her license.

Toga instead is absolutely controlled by her feelings. She obsesses about them, about her crush for Deku and Uraraka, so much that he hinders her job. She cares little for it, she sneaks out and changes into Uraraka to be able to see Deku, then se uses Deku's blood just to be able to trick Uraraka

Toga wants to be like her crush, in everything, it is possessing them and being them. Uraraka's desire to be more like Deku is still her having her own personality. She is insipired by Deku, she wants to be like him, but when it comes to it... she wants to save people because of her own understanding and experiences, she wants to save villains because of what she is and what happened to her.

Other parallel qualities are the way Toga's crush comes from intuition, one look and she decides Deku is her love (simply because of how he looked similar to someone else), one look and she sees that Uraraka is like her, so she loves her too. Instead, Uraraka's crush comes with time, she actually needs someone external (Aoyama and Mina) to aknoweldge it before she realizes, it also comes from understanding, from understanding Deku's spirit and his motivations... so much that this understanding leads both her and Deku through parallel roads: the need to save heroes.

And when the time comes to confess, Toga is quick to discard her feeling at the first flaws (well, flaws for her). Uraraka instead doesn't let go. Deku's biggest flaw (also said by Bakugou) is that he is selfless, to a fault, so much that he thinks he can do everything if he only pushes through. When encountering this flaw (when Deku leaves the school), Uraraka is the one who is shown by Hori both reading his letter and deciding to find a way to get Deku back. And she follows him, with the class, until he is back and safe.

As said, her love is not as flimsy as Toga`s feelings. But she is also not a copy of Deku, she has understanding of her feelings, of what Toga might be feeling herself, because of her journey, and maybe that is how she could save Toga.

To conclude, I just wanted to show that Uraraka's crush is not just another "shounen crush/romance". It is there because it is Uraraka's piece in the whole mix up of admiration/imitation theme of BNHA. It fits both in the story, and within the rest of the characters. Even if she has less screen time, she is still an important part of the narrative, not only that, but her love/crush is an important part of it.

#izuocha #dekuocha #toga himiko #ochako uraraka #uraraka ochako #izuku midoriya #mine #meta

[luffythinker]

IM CRYING, IM GLAD YOUR OPEN TO MY SHIKANARU CAUSE EVERYBODY I TRY AND TALK TO ABOUT THIS SHIP DOESNT CARE I actually am making a story i just got to get it all together. IMA SHARE IT WITH YOU WHEN I GOT IT TOGETHER it's really just me changing some events in the story and making it where Naruto and Shikamaru end up together. My plans are to have Naruto end up with Shikamaru, I love Sai/Sakura but Ino loves Sakura and i don't understand the Ino/Sai i'm still watching the anime it's just i never finished my run so i started reading the manga back to the part im at and im at ep 145 of shippuden i think? I'm not allowing myself to finish watching it until my story is caught up to where i am. Back to what i was saying I'm thinking of making it Ino/Sakura/Sai but it's more of "This is my girlfriend Sakura and her boyfriend Sai" my reasoning for this is when Ino witnessed Sasuke pull that guys arms out the socket as a kid it traumatized her, made her scared of him and Sai apparently looks like Sasuke, they were saying he looked like Sasuke a little bit in the anime if i remember correctly. it just creeps her out. I don't think Ino really ever liked Sasuke she just liked him cause that's what was cool when she was a kid so the whole rivalry with Sakura was just built on that idea. I was rewatching some scenes and i think, ok i gotta back track a little bit. I headcanon Ino's famliy is the most chill with same-sex stuff, so like if their daughter was gay they wouldn't mind. Ino puts this thinking in Sakura's head but Sakura's not as understanding as a kid and thinking it's weird cause different households (Not saying her parents were homophobic, it's just never been brought up to her before) Ino finally realizes she's in love with Sakura after she comes to her rescue when he hair gets cut that's the whole of what i wanted to say. So from that point on Ino likes Sakura, Sakura still has her feelings for Sasuke and Naruto's crush on Sakura has gone. I noticed he still asked her on dates but ultimately before and after Sasuke leaves it really hits Naruto that Sakura holds something special to Sasuke. Tsunade even notices it when she watches him leave the room to give them a moment after she heals him, Naruto walks out the room and says he wants her to look at Lee but his body language said "Oh im not needed here" and his feelings looked a little hurt. Another thing Neji developing a crush on Shikamaru before and during the timeskip because those two are the smartest in the group meaning they must work together alot even if they weren't in the same squad, Chunin Neji and Chunin Shikamaru being paired up alot is something i look at with shining eyes. But Neji, he notices Shikamaru's crush on Naruto so backs off, this leads him to back to Lee cause i'm a huge Neji/Lee shipper as well. Now, i've been reading this fic i'll include it here (Love Is A Battlefield by MadamZenobia on AO3) my endgame ships are

Shikamaru/Naruto

Ino/Sakura/Sai

Sasuke/Suigetsu

Kiba/Shino

Lee/Neji

As for Hinata i'm not throwing her away, just changing her motifs a little i guess? She has a crush on Naruto yes, after him being away for so long she has time to work on herself and find herself more. She does like him but it isn't what's going to make her happy. It isn't because i don't like Naruto/Hinata it's cute it's alright but it doesn't make sense even if i haven't seen the movies or episodes that show it. I feel like Hinata needs to do some self reflecting. Naruto is a huge inspiration to her, she's watched him train, become who he is but those two with a family together isn't something i can see happening even if it canonly happened, when i first got into this i didn't see it coming. So in my story Hinata is happy living her best life being single, watching her friends be happy together has brought her so much peace, even watching Naruto be happy with Shikamaru. (I wanna plan a talk she has with Shikamaru about his crush on Naruto and them discussing their feelings about Naruto so Shikamaru doesn't feel like he just took Naruto from her since from his point of view it looks like she liked him first but Shikamaru's had a crush on Naruto since he meet him, Shikamaru met Naruto first. ) I also have an idea of Hinata just wanting to be a single mother in Boruto, and Naruto/Shikamaru adopting and teaching a orphan both their Jutsu's turbsdfuvbhrsu IT'LL BE SO CUTE

i'm not finished with my story im writing but i can give you my fic i'm rewriting, the original version it's Shikamaru and Naruto what a troublesome love story by ZerosWaifu (I don't have a tumblr im using my friend's account they said it's fine so don't worry )

THIS ONE IS SO LONG IM SORRY

I'm so glad you're into shikanaru as well, I have never really found someone to talk to about them!! Please do share your story when it's done, I would love to read it <3

I feel pretty neutral about Sai/Ino, not because I think they are madly in love or anything but in Boruto I like the dynamic I saw of them, plus inojin is my favorite kid so I'm biased here… But I'm also super down for a Sai/Sakura/Ino, with mostly Sakura being the bridge between them!!!

For me, Ino would be a lesbian who had to deal with a lot of compulsory heterosexuality, so she forced herself to have a crush on Sasuke when they were kids because that's just what girls are supposed to do, but after a small breakdown after a fight with sakura she talks to her parents and surprisingly it's them that tell her that she might have a crush on her and they tell her that it's okay if she feels that way and that there is nothing wrong with her.

I think it's pretty accurate that Sakura would be a little reluctant to accept that, but eventually, she does understand that she's bisexual and things become a little easier for her to figure out what she wants and who she wants to be! [Discovering non-monogamy/polyamory is a whole other can of worms so I'm not gonna get into that here unless you want me to!!]

I'M SO GLAD YOU BROUGHT UP NEJI AND SHIKAMARU. Okay I know they're not your main pairing but a few years ago I read a fic of them that to this day has a place in my brain, I will leave linked it here if you're interested

But yes, for our shikanaru endgame purpose, Neji is very perceptive so he kind of always knew he never really had a chance here, he backs off, and eventually, his feelings for someone else grow which is how we get to neji/lee!!

Also thank you for the fic rec, I'll try to give it a read soon <3 Sasuke and suigetsu is such an interesting ship, I never got into them fully but their dynamic is so fun!

I like your take on Hinata, for me, i ship her with Kiba, he was so in love with her it's crazy, I don't know if you noticed the signs but they would have so much potential, honestly a throuple with shino would work too. But I also really like your take on her talking it out with shikamaru and realizing that her feelings for Naruto lean more toward admiration than actual romantic love, would love for her to have a happy life, would also really adore seeing her become the head of the Hyuuga clan and start making the changes Naruto promised Neji he would do it (and he never actually did it)!!

I think that's all i have for today?? do hmu whenever you want cause i'm super happy to explore more about naruto <33

#shikanaru #naruto #shikamaru #hinata #sasuke #sakura #ino #sai yamanaka #inosai #sakuino #sakuinosai #naruto rarepair #nejilee #kibahina #rei replies

[sukuna-lover]

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Bungo Stray Dogs: Any characters (besides Kenji, Kyouka and Teruko)

Black Butler: Sebastian, Snake, Claude, Undertaker, Joker, Grell, William, Agni, Mey-Rin and Ronald

Haikyū: Any Characters

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Any Characters

Jujutsu Kaisen: Megumi, Gojo, Itadori, Toge, Maki, Getou, Nanami, Mahito, Mai, Sukuna and Toji

My Hero Academia: Preferably Shigaraki, Dabi (Toya), Twice, Toga, Aizawa, Hawk, All Might (True form), Chisaki, Shinso and Amajiki. But I’ll do any :)

Naruto: Itachi, Pain, Kakashi, Shikamaru, Madara, Gaara, Naruto, Sasuke, Minato, Neji, Kiba, Sasori, Temari, Deidara, Zetsu, Tobi, Izumo and Kotetsu

Attack On Titan: Erin, Jean, Levi, Hange, Sasha, Mikasa (Maybe), Erwin, Armin and Connie

Angel Of Death: Isaac

Diabolik Lovers: Shu, Reiji, Kou, Laito, Yuma, Subaru, Ruki, and Ayato

Chainsaw Man: Denji, Makima, Aki, Power and Angel

Demon Slayer: Giyu, Rengoku, Akaza, Muzan, Ubuyashiki, Sanemi, Iguro and Tengen

HunterXHunter: Chrollo, Hisoka, Illumi, Feitan, Kite, Ging, Meruem, Neferpitou and Shaiapouf

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• Dribble

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• Incorrect quotes

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Do:

- Angst: Major character death, breakups, happy ending, arguments, cheating and unrequited love

- Fluff: Getting together, proposal, first kiss, confession, first holiday together, anniversary, birthday, comfort, etc.

- TextFic: Angst, Crack, Fluff

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- AU: Soulmates and University

- Mental/Physical Health: Any

- Tropes: Enemies/Lovers, Friends/Lovers, Rivals/Lovers, Grumpy/Sunshine, Fake relationships, Fake relationships/Real feelings, Forced Proximity, Love Triangle, Forbidden Love, and Everyone can see it

- Other: Stalking, Stockholm syndrome and kidnapping

•NSFW:

Bondages, Blindfolds, Dominance, Asphyxiation, Face fucking, Humiliation, Impact Play, Mirror Sex, Masturbation, Voyeurism, Breeding Kink, Exhibitionism, Praise Kink, Edge Play, Orgasm Control, Somnophilia (Constantly), Over Simulation, Dumbification, Dom/Sub, Spit Kink, CockWarming, Branding, Sex Toys, Dacryphilia, Size Kink, Oral Fixation, Threesomes, Temperature Play, Knife Play, Daddy kink, cum eating, degradation, mind corruption and cockolding

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This is mostly for the NSFW but I will not do any type of body fluids (besides spitting), nothing that isn’t consensual but that also includes CNC rape, any type of date drugs, age play, foot fetishes, fisting (It’s not my cup of tea), necrophilia, incest of ANY kind including step siblings. I will also not do any minor/adult stuff ESPECIALLY NSFW and romantic! I’m sorry but I will not do Mommy kink either! Also I won’t do AOB (Alpha, Omega, beta) and Mpreg.

Maybe:

• I understand that many people have different type of coping mechanisms and like to read things that helps with it! So these are some of the things that I MIGHT write!

- Abuse: Mental, emotional and physical. If you request any type of abuse just know that it will NOT end with you staying in the relationship!

- Suicide: If you request for the reader or a character to die for Angst reasons I MIGHT write it. But if you want it to be where the reader or character is suicidal and someone comfort them please write it so I know!

- Ships I’ll Write -

Bungo Stray Dogs:

Dazai/Chuuya

Dazai/Doppo

Rampo/Poe

Atsushi/Akutagawa

Tetcho/Jono

Black Butler:

Sebastian/Grell

Sebastian/Claude

Snake/Joker

William/Grell

William/Ronald

Haikyū:

Kuroo/Kenma

Hinata/Kageyama

Oikawa/Iwaizumi

Nishinoya/Asahi

Tsukishima/Yamaguchi

Daichi/Sugawara

Akaashi/Bokuto

Wakatoshi/Tendō

Tanaka/Kiyoko

Hinata/Yachi

Ukai/Takeda

Yaku/Lev

Kiyoko/Yuchi

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure:

Jotaro/Kakyoin

Dio/Jonathan

Abbacchio/Bucciarati

Narancia/Fugo

Weather/Anasui

Jujutsu Kaisen:

Megumi/Itadori

Gojo/Getou

Gojo/Nanami

My Hero Academia:

Shigaraki/Dabi

Aizawa/Present Mic

Hawk/Dabi

Kirishima/Bakugo

Momo/Todoroki

Deku/Todoroki

Deku/Bakugo

Denki/Jirou

Aizawa/Midnight

Denki/Shinso

Naruto:

Naruto/Sasuke

Izumo/Kotetsu

Attack On Titan:

Levi/Erwin

Levi/Hange

Sasha/Connie

Jean/Erin

Chainsaw Man:

Denji/Aki

Denji/Power

Aki/Angel

HunterXHunter:

Hisoka/Illumi

*Note: This does NOT mean I will not write for any other ship you might have! This is just ships that I like or is really popular :)*

- The End -

Thank you so much for reading until the end! If I didn’t mention anything that you might have questions about please don’t hesitate to send an Ask and I’ll answer it as soon as I can!

Also please be aware that if you send an ask/request all the characters will be age up to be 18+ since I will NOT write NSFW Content for minors!

#first post #anime #anime ships #x reader #lgbtqplus #fanfiction #relationship

[ricanvvas]

And this HAD to be said. I cannot express how much it triggers me and makes me lose interest or faith so quickly. Makes me believe that you understood absolutely nothing through what the given relationship between the characters was trying to portray. Are you even properly watching the show?

Like it or not, by the way, fetishizing gay people has become so common that not only are weirdos fetishizing gay men, they’re starting to insert sexualities of their choice INTO a character that does not belong to them in any form. Go, turn tf back, and watch/read your yaoi stuff, don’t drag it into anime that has nothing to do with it + people genuinely want to enjoy what is canonically given (indeed, I’m a canon freak). Straight up disrespectful to the original author when you really try to twist characters or their relationship with another character. Disappointing.

Babes... why would it trigger you when people ship two characters? You need to understand that queer people exist in a world where there is a severe lack of queer representation in different genres, so we have to accept bits and pieces wherever we can. And frankly, I think you're a piece of shit for the way you speak about us. "Are you even properly watching the show?" "Don't drag it into that has nothing to do with it" Excuse me? The fuck do you mean by that? Queerness is not limited to "yaois". Queer people are not any different from straight people. I can tell that you have a stick up your ass about "canon" but frankly, most people don't. People ship non-canon ships all the damn time but why is it only such a big issue when they're gay? And you can say it's because you think it's "fetishing gay people" but it only comes across as homophobic. Queer people can't sexualise their own sexuality (and if you're talking about straight girls, most queer people have explicitly stated that there are nuances to everything).

As a writer myself, and hopefully a soon-to-be-author, I’d be damned if I ever opened a phone and saw some no-lifer trying to ship the two characters I put in specifically to show their deep friendship—it sounds so absurd.

I'M SORRY WHAT??? Why would you call your non-existent hypothetical readers "no-lifers" if they choose to ship two NON-EXISTENT HYPOTHETICAL characters? That's actually crazy to me, babes. I disagree with most of the things you've written on that post but I specifically wanted to say something about this. you need to understand that while yes, you are the origin of said hypothetical characters but once said hypothetical book is published, you no longer have creative liberty of said characters. think about harry potter for example. the author is a terf and yet trans people and allies headcanons some of her characters as trans. do you think jk r*wling's okay with that? i highly doubt it. (And babes, if you want to be an author, or at least one that doesn't get cancelled, a small advice would be that if people are shipping a ship that you don't want them to ship, you might not be as good of an author as you might think. Think about Naruto. No one particularly enjoys the ending. Some find Naruhina to be forced and Sasusaku were done so wrong in Boruto. And that's mainly part of the reason so many people ship SNS. Think about JJK. Geto and Geto have been explicitly written to be foils of each other. While I do understand why straight people might not be able to see the blantant queercoding but I would suggest that you start reading into things more deeply rather than just accepting whatever is presented to you on a silver platter by the author. But also think about AOT, why do you think most people don't ship Armin and Eren while they do ship Eremika? Because for once, there is a well written ship WITH a well-written female character? (Yes, I agree it's not perfect but much better than most ships)).

Small note that I forgot to add: Most female characters are horribly written (which is no fault of their own and lies heavily with their authors). Think Hinata. Why would I ship something when one part of the ship has no fucking personality other than the main male character??? I'm in no way hating on Hinata but more so on how Kishimoto writes female characters. I ship things based on chemistry and canon. I can still ship things if it's not canon but not if there is no chemistry.

This may have come across as rude and I do not apologise and I'm sure you understand why (your original post was rude as fuck if you didn't lmao). I ranted a lot so it might not make sense but feel free to ignore if you're only going to get "triggered".

Quit it with the “babes”, I don’t know you personally and it makes me gag.

Like, 98% of this message is indirectly saying I’m homophobic. I’m not.

My original message was blunt and straightforward, if I preached canon friendships and you found it rude, I do wonder who really has a stick up their ass. I mean, I’m not the one dissatisfied by canon givens and twisting platonic relationships anyway.

Frankly, keep your advice. It’s crappy! I don’t need a drag down. I’ll do what I damn wish to do with and speak my book, my characters, and my story.

None of you have convinced me of absolutely anything because there is nothing to convince. I’m not bothered by general shipping, I’m bothered by shoving it down people’s throat or attacking them when they disagree with your ship. Might as well as attack the authors, tbh, for keeping the characters platonic. Nasty.

Also, unnecessary use of profanity really does show how literally all of you resort to pure insults and attacks.

Peace and Sincerity （＾ω＾）！

[0skyheaven0]

Hi Sky! I looooove your fanfics! I've read so many of them non-stop and wow you really have something special going on with your writing! I saw that by the end of Eclipse from the Heart you said that if we had any sort of plot idea for fics we should let you know well... I've been brewing this in my head for a bit. There's a blank space between Sasuke getting arrested after the second fight on the valley of the end, and his last conversation with Naruto before leaving the village to "atone for his sins". You're very good with Angst so I thought you could have fun with the scenario of: after Naruto says "When you hurt I hurt" Sasuke cry, realizing that Naruto loves him and that he loves him back, but what happens is that Naruto has internalized homophobia besides the weight of his mom's wishes for him to marry a woman, he's so inside the closet he doesn't fully grasp his feelings for Sasuke. There's also this off-putting feeling Naruto feels about people joking regarding how much of a man he is, like constantly bringing the kiss between Sasuke and him, Sai's penis jokes, like that somehow would imply he's less of a man, and that bothers him. (fragile masculinity). So he over-reacts whenever the possibility of him being attracted to a man comes to the spotlight. Possibly reproducing some homophobic biases to over-compensate. The struggle would be that in that blank period, Sasuke would reveal to Naruto that even if no one questioned his masculinity, being popular with girls and such the truth is that Sasuke is in fact a gay man and he's not less of a man for it. So Naruto is forced to think about the subject as, he doesn't want to hurt Sasuke (after everything they've been through, never giving up on Sasuke would that be the thing that breaks them apart? That can't be it. No, not after everything), he opens the door to explore his own thoughts and reflects about homosexuality as he navigates his feelings for Sasuke (since now the possibility of being a mutual attraction is on the table.) the heteronormative pressure about him finding a girl, having children and the expectations of him becoming the next Hokage. (can he become the next Hokage if he was openly gay? would the villagers ostracize him again after finding that out? would he sacrifice everything he accomplished as a hero of the village to be with Sasuke? ) - IDK I think Shikamaru is a sensitive guy and he would pick whatever was going on between the glances of Naruto and Sasuke and would push Naruto to think about these questions. I don't want to say how to end the fic, but in the original when Sasuke leaves the village he says to Naruto "I didn't think you'd come to see me" or smth like that which could imply that their last conversation didn't go well, perhaps because Naruto chose duty ( his life was not just his own, many people sacrificed for him to scrap everything and not become the Hokage) over love ( assuming Sasuke as his lover ). Sasuke on the other hand would support Naruto's decision whichever it was, because he loves Naruto regardless. But he needs time away from Naruto. ( there's also this panel in Gaiden when Sasuke brings up the 'wasn't this the collaboration you wanted?' which sounds like his drilling Naruto a bit about whatever agreement they had in regards to how their relationship would be defined ) Naruto could experience disassociation once Sasuke leaves, which would explain his OOC's personality in "The Last" events. I always thought he was somehow out of it, like he lost touch with his own feelings and passion (Sasuke), acting in semi-automatic mode. Anyway, this is way bigger of a suggestion than I thought it was, you don't need to do it but I thought it would be interesting to see what you'd come up with.

Oh lord I can feel the angst dripping from all over here! Yes I definitely like to bring my boys through pain and I can see this as a longer one-shot absolutely...multi chapter? I'm currently writing on a fic so I won't jump on this right away, bit I am intrigued, absolutely! Thank you so much for the suggestion and the details of it all :D

[lameartist69]

Introduction thing

I don't know how this works 🥲

🌸Name i usually go by: Ace (not my real name lol but i like that name) but you can use any name you want 👍 you can even come up with a name i don't mind

✨️Pronouns: Any are perfectly fine i don't mind :)

❤️Sexuality: still a little questioning but i mostly like girls soo yee

🤩Things I like: Video games, drawing, Anime, Cartoons, Cats, Manga/Comics, Memes, Art, Music, movies,

😍Specific things i like: One piece, Dragonball, Naruto, Yakuza, Overwatch, Tf2, Monster High, Flamingos, Assassins creed, DC, Marvel, Pro Wrestling, My hero academia, Jojos bizarre adventure, Danganronpa, Haikyuu, Creepypasta, Demon Slayer, Undertale, Undertale aus, Saiki K, Jjk, Csm, Oyasumi Punpun, Vocaloid, Ddlc, Hazbin Hotel, Helluva Boss, Detroit become Human,

(I might add some stuff lol my tiny brain can't remember my favorite things)

🟪Favorite Color: Purple! ourple is cool :] but i still like all colors

❌️DNI IF YOU'RE: homophobic/racist/sexist/etc. , if you're just here to be mean to others, a proshipper, a ped0 or anything like that, so yeah pls get off my page if any of those things apply to you :[ thank you👍

If you have any questions you wanna ask feel free to do so 😊👍 or if you just want to talk about random stuff then i don't mind that either 💪 just keep in mind that I'll probably respond late bc either i didn't see the notification, im asleep or bc my phones off

That's all for now sooo yeee🤔

Have a nice day/night/afternoon/etc. lol 🫂

:)

#just a little introduction thing for my page #sorry that it's so long i just wanted to make sure i didn't leave anything out #tho i probably did lmao #:]

[niverins]

I want your honest opinion — we see how inclusive Horikoshi is when it comes to the LGBT community and was wondering if you, personally, thought that there was any possibility that Tododeku could be a thing, even if it was one sided? If so, how do you think Horikoshi would go about it when Shonen jumps sort of is homophobic?

I honestly think shonen mangas are doing LOTS of queer baiting. Not only that, but extra content such as movies, OVAs, CD dramas, light novels, etc based on the original source is taking fan service to the next level. I would be thrilled if TodoDeku would become canon but I know it won't. Either we end up with the most basic het ships or we gonna have an open ending. From these two options, I really hope for the second one. I still believe tddk has a great chance of becoming canon but as I said, it really is queer-baiting like *cough* Naruto *cough*. I still hope we won't get any of these things, to be honest, the best option for me would be tddk & kacchako endgame lol but an open ending is a great option, too, because I don't really care what becomes canon in the end. I will still ship tddk and kacchako. I like to separate my shipping obsessions from the overall plot of the mangas so I can be unbiased when it comes to analyzing and making opinions on the source material.

#ask

[psy-ay-ay]

Hello fellow humans!

Since my blog is quite a chaotic place (when seen at the timescale spanning months, my hyperfixation changes become clear), I have decided to put a pinned post about my interests and what you can expect here so you do not face disappointment later on [no guarantees about the lack of disappointment still]:

List of fandoms you might come across here:

Naruto, One Piece*, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Bleach*, Skip and Loafer, HxH, Harry Potter, Spy x Family*, Avatar the Last Airbender, Fruits Basket and the next thing I hyperfixate on.

*not caught up yet, still watching/reading so no spoilers please

I do ship a lot, and the ships tend to be polarizing ones so you might wanna stay out if you don't wanna see reblogged fanart posts of Dramione, Spuffy, Sasusaku, Zutara and such (Suikarin, Akigure, kakaobi lmao). [Thinking that this is making me sound like people that I don't like so like I also ship queer ships of similar flavours like fuffy, sasunaru, zukka, tyzula, inosaku and also idk neutral ones like kyoru, kakagai, gaalee, sukka, korrasami, linny, twillow, etc etc i ship a lot]

And please DNI if you are anti any of the main characters in these shows (anti-Rileys are welcome although i wouldnt even call Riley a main character); why are you even watching if you hate Sakura or Katara or Hermione or Ron or Aang so much?

Terfs, homophobes, biphobes, racists, misogynists and the likes can fuck off as well.

#long-ish post #ignore the cringe atmosphere i create #i like knowing a bit about the blogs even without going through a hundred of their posts so i thought i would extend the same courtsey #going through kinda shitty grieving process rn and i am coping in questionable ways of trying to shout in the void here #dw tho i do have a therapist #and yotsuba is sunshine #and it's not a dark tunnel #give me a mic

[koroart]

Long time no TobiMina raise Naruto AU , have two retired dads embarrassing their son! 🕺🏻✨

#they’re embarrassing him in front of Hinata and the others LOL #cuz now it’s their only job and you know what ??? #they’re proud of it !! #in that frame right there #you can see naruto become homophobic #jk he loves his dads #but CAN THEY NOT???? #:: my art #naruto #naruto shippuden #tobirama senju #senju tobirama #minato namikaze #namikaze minato #naruto uzumaki #uzumaki naruto #tobimina #minatobi #tobimina raise naruto au

[sneezemonster15]

🥴 in the fic naruto says sakura and ino were the prettiest girls in their class and somehow sasuke has the balls to ignore them following him around like puppies. he says hinata is really pretty lol. itachi is apparently the second prettiest after sasuke and he thinks it might be a tie between him and kakashi. gaara, neji, tsunade, tenten, kiba and lee are all apparently pretty to him too. there's this scene where he gets drunk and kisses ino, kiba, sai and lee, no internalised homophobia in sight. sasuke goes on and on about sakura and how he has a deep love for her, longs for her and feels affection for her, though he admits it's not in the way she wants. he even thinks she sees through him lol. but the really weird thing is how sasuke doesn't understand how he feels about naruto in the fic. he can admit he loves sakura in the start of the fic (and he can tell that it's not romantic on his end), but he has to have this big epiphany about loving naruto only at the end lol. and sakura obviously becomes so much more understanding lol. I think they're talented and i did enjoy reading the story, but they said they were writing everyone in character so this stuff bothered me 😞

What has always bothered me about fanfics is how they simply do not get how closetedness functions in a homophobic and heteronormative society. I don't know if the writer is American or from some other western country. But as long as you are claiming to be canon compliant, maybe actually research how homosexuality or coming out of the closet would look in societies where it is not acceptable. Konoha/shinobi world is not only heteronormative, but downright homophobic. I mean, Sakura thinks they are brothers because she doesn't know what else to call it, she is homophobic herself, and she knows Sasuke and Naruto are just way too close for being just friends, she could have told Sai they were very good friends, but one of the problems in this world is also a lack of terminology, resulting from a lack of familiarity and comfort with the topic of homosexuality but which is essentially required in order to assign names to certain feelings and relationships and dynamics that are seen as unconventional or different from the norm. Developing a certain terminology is important in order to understand interpersonal issues that are deeply embedded in the socio political fabric. You need a certain level of comfort with the idea of it to introduce and develop this terminology. I have a few gay friends in my circles and one of them has been in a long term partnership with a much younger man. The younger man is closeted and they live together, but he hasn't come out to his family or close friends. Although his family does stay over and they think their son lives with his Teacher. And they are fine with it. They are deeply conservative people and staunchly heteronormative, which is why he hasn't come out and I am pretty sure they have an idea about his sexuality, even if it is unsaid and full of obfuscation. But they don't wanna take action because being with the Teacher has been good for his career and he is able to send money to them to contribute to their household. There isn't just one reason of course, but invariably, whenever his friends or family come over, they never acknowledge their relationship even though it is so obvious. They call it a teacher student relationship who incidentally also cohabit. There's a lot of denial going in there, but it's understandable in their circumstances.

I get the feeling that they aren't totally comfortable with the idea but they are also under certain obligations themselves and they are grateful to the Teacher. But you see, the terminology is missing. There's also a major class difference.

Often in homophobic societies, and I live in one, there is so much taboo, prejudice, obfuscation and lack of information/comfort/familiarity around the idea of same sex relationships, that it's difficult to carry on a dialectic with the proper assignment of terms. Gay or homosexual is not a word anyone will use here. They will use a slang word, which denotes something derogatory. Or if they wanna deny it altogether, they will use some other word for it. Like brother or sister. Or best friend, or room mate, or Teacher. It's such a common phenomenon to reduce, invisibilise and trivialize homosexuality by giving it names that are incongruent with the actual nature of the relationship. It's almost criminal how much this invisibilisation is normalised.

I remember when I was very young, like 12 years old, I was in the car with my mother and her friend. And her friend was crying because her sister was not agreeing to marry. Marrying here invariably means heterosexual, heh, it's just a social reality. Because she had shacked up with her 'best friend', another girl, her college friend. They lived together and she would keep rejecting offers that the parents suggested to her. She was of the perfect age to marry and they were worried her golden age would pass her by and she would become a spinster, of course they blamed her best friend for it. Lol.

Now the thing is, there was a strange tonal quality to the term 'best friend' in her voice. She was weeping and I just couldn't understand why it would be a problem if her sister wanted to stay with her best friend. Lol. I thought it would be so much fun. Hahaha. I was very young. I remember asking my mother about it later and she shushed me telling me it was none of my business and not to talk to anyone about it. And it puzzled me even more.

Make no mistake, language is an inherently important and indispensable part of postulating and hence comprehending socio-politico-cultural issues and concepts, and as a result, navigating interpersonal dynamics and understanding. It's not a coincidence that this manga stresses so much on the importance of 'communication', and Naruto's character is point blank shown to stress on it, it's one of the most important lessons he learns in the course of the manga. You can't understand emotions without verbalising them in your head. Linguistics is an inseparable part of comprehension, whether it's about computing internal or external data, or both in conjunction. And when it comes to storytelling, it becomes one of the most important building blocks of expression and getting the story across to the readers or viewers. Naruto is shown to stress on communication in Boruto as well. And we see throughout the course of the Naruto and Shippuden manga, how Naruto comes to learn about and understand different characters' and especially anti heroes' feelings and resentments directed towards their dystopian world. In the kage arc, he says to Sasuke on the bridge - Sasuke, we will never be able to understand each other by words alone, we can only communicate properly by using our fists. Maybe if we can understand each other, I can change all that hate, like Iruka sensei did for me.

And yet, in the climax of Shippuden, at Sasuke's insistence, it was Naruto's words that finally resulted in Sasuke's resolution, which finally broke through to Sasuke. Because those words showed his understanding. His feelings. His love. For Sasuke.

Kishi is a well read, well informed author. It shows in his work, even the different sources he takes inspiration from, such as Monzaemon Chikamatsu and acclaimed seinen mangas. Stories and characters don't come out of oblivion.

Homosexuality having the status of taboo itself means that there will be a dearth of conversations around it, there will be a lack of normalisation around it. It will carry a weight of malignance around it, something unnatural, something dirty, shameful. There is a lot of shame attached to this topic, which explains the lack of terminology around it, or appropriate wordage around it. Calling them boyfriend or girlfriend is not so acceptable in conservative societies. Or lovers, same sex partners. 'Partners' is something that I have noticed to be more prevalent in current times around me. But it's also evident that it is vague. Purposely so. It's to minimise judgment.

And this is something I see consistently in this manga. There is so much going on throughout, as to what term to assign to this relationship between Naruto and Sasuke. Sakura calls them brothers but she knows they aren't. She is suspicious of Naruto when he says Sasuke is much better looking than Sai and then backpedaling about it. She fake smiles. Also, if she thought they were brotherly, she wouldn't have felt so threatened by Naruto. She tries to create distance between them, all to no avail sure, but she is obviously insecure about her own position in their equation. She doesn't stand anywhere in it, but she does think Naruto comes between her and Sasuke, and their special relationship threatens her intentions towards Sasuke. Similarly, Kakashi thinks it's because they are 'rivals' and tells the same thing to Jiraiya, who compares Naruto and Sasuke with himself and Oro, when Naruto and Sasuke's relationship is not really like theirs in essence. We also know that Kakashi is not the most reliable person when it comes to understanding emotional and interpersonal nuances. Just like Sai isn't, who thinks Naruto loves Sakura. Similarly, Minato tells Naruto that his 'best friend' is about to arrive on the battlefield. People in Konoha give so many names to their relationship and yet, Sasuke insists Naruto define it for him in chapter 698, because he wants to hear it from Naruto.

Naruto himself struggles so much in this regard. It always bothered me why Sasuke was not affected positively when Naruto wondered if Sasuke was like his brother. Sasuke had a brother and then, he almost as good as lost him in a way. He was certainly very fond of Naruto, if he thought of Naruto as brotherly, he should have been pleased, no? Narratively, even if he tried to deny feelings that might potentially weaken him, he is pensive or annoyed or even displeased when Naruto says they are friends or brothers. Never pleased, not even a smile. And he is capable of smiling when it comes to Naruto.

But he never does. He keeps asking Naruto to define the relationship, he isn't happy even when Naruto says they are friends. Which is why Sasuke is PUSHED, albeit with reticence, to ask - You have said that before but what does it exactly mean to you?

This is so nuanced and so understandable. He wants Naruto to assign a term to it. It's significant, it's important. A term that explains their feelings accurately so they both know. They live in a world that doesn't have the terminology to support same sex relationships, they have no frame of reference as to how to talk about it. They struggle with talking about their feelings in the first place. Their communication game is lacking. Their world only taught them how to exchange blows, not words. So a perceptive Sasuke demands a term that rightly defines it. Because 'brotherhood' or 'friendship' is not cutting it. Obviously. Naruto had been calling him a friend all this time.

Even here, the dissonance. The words Naruto uses feel incommensurate with the term 'friend' no? Like seriously what other friends in this manga act or talk like this for the other? Sasuke is his 'friend' and a bond like that can Never be broken. But we as readers, know from context that bonds of friendship were broken in this manga, what with Oro and Jiraiya or Sakura and Ino (for very frivolous reasons too), and later, with Kakashi and Obito. If there were no nuances to their relationship, I would have gladly ignored it. But then Naruto goes on to say what he would do to Oro (shivers, lol) to protect Sasuke. Like just the lengths he is ready to go to. And it fits with the idea that Naruto's feelings for Sasuke are way more intense than just friends, consistent with how they seem with each other in part one, especially vote one. Naruto dilly dallies between so many terms for Sasuke. A friend. A rival. A comrade. A brother. On the one hand, Sasuke consistently uses very emphatic terms for his feelings for Naruto when he says Naruto is his closest friend or his one and only friend, Naruto's terms for Sasuke are always a lot incommensurate with his actions towards Sasuke. And it invariably creates a dissonance in the reader's mind. Kishi manipulates the reader very successfully. Also, we all know that Kishi uses his kanji for these two characters very carefully, as he has said in his interviews as well. Apart from visuals, this is also written media, language and wordage is indispensable to storytelling.

But AT THE END, Sasuke gets mad, and asks him point blank, as to what exactly it means to him and right on cue, given this is a conclusive chapter and Naruto can't say the same shit he has been saying before this (which DID NOT satisfy Sasuke), that even if Sasuke were ask him to explain it, he doesn't know either.

He doesn't know. He has been going through the motions for such a long time. We have seen him getting insecure about his sexuality many times. Like Kishi made so many of his scenes layered, just to point it out to the reader. That he is a closeted homosexual, he suffers from comphet and internalised homophobia as a result. This panel, which is towards the very end, explains so much.

Kishi is not a fool. He is a very clever author. This depicts Naruto's struggle about his sexuality so much. He obviously wants to make sure that his LAST conversation with his father is meaningful and that everything his parents wanted Naruto to be and achieve, Naruto will satisfy. Naruto wants to assure Minato, and he doesn't wanna lie. But he also cannot make himself say it. This boy who always wanted family, finally met them through a stroke of luck (or fate) but his was still a special case. He goes into such detail about everything, everything Kushina asked him to do, all the ninja taboos, but he broke down at that moment, about women. That it should be a woman he must marry is pretty much implied no? More than implied, it's a heteronormative society after all. Kishi is NOT stupid, this was a very smart way of layering his internal turmoil, his struggle with his sexuality because he loves a BOY. Not a woman.

And thing is, all this is very realistic. Very. It has been a persistent element/trope in most coming of age films that I have seen about homosexuality. Except for films like Love, Simon (very surface level and simplistic) or 'Call me by your name' because Elio has very forward thinking parents and he lives in a very affluent and liberal society. He doesn't have the same kind of hangups about his sexuality. But films like Esteros (Brazil), Eternal Summer (China), Beach Rats (America), Giant little ones (Canada), Posledice (Polish), And then we danced (Georgia), The Blonde one (Argentina), Brokeback Mountain (America), Free Fall (German) and more, all of these films are about sexual coming of age drama or sexual awakening and have the same tropes. Comphet. Denial. Internalised homophobia. Emotional turmoil. Dilemma. Burden of societal expectations. Pain. Misery. Confusion. Even rage.

And these are really good films too. Very thoughtfully made.

There are so many complex facets to homosexuality and coming to terms with or even acknowledging it is such a complex and difficult process for young, naturally insecure, and dilemma ridden (moral dilemma included) individuals in a conservative society. Naruto always wanted to be acknowledged and not shunned from society, he didn't want to be ostracized, not after everything he went through, and certainly not to disappoint his parents. In fact, kage arc was very definitive for Naruto. But throughout Shippuden, he has been going through the motions. When Sai seems like he has defected to Oro, Team Kakashi, Yamato specifically, confronts him, and Naruto is like - Who cares what he has to say, Sai is a traitor.

He has strong feelings about Konoha.

But when he hears about Sasuke joining Akatsuki, he is worried. Puzzled, in a quandary. So many people, people he likes and respects, tell him to make the right decision, it being to capture or kill Sasuke. But he cannot do it. He goes through a very terrible time, he is wracked with worry and conflicting emotions and internal struggle. He takes his time to come to terms with all his emotions. And then finally, when he hears that Sakura is out to kill Sasuke (lolol, sorry couldn't help it), something snaps in place inside him and he makes his decision. No matter what, no matter what, Sasuke will not be hurt. Naruto will take care of it. The idea of Sasuke being hurt imminently makes the decision for him and it just clicks to him where his priority lies. He will not kill Sasuke. And if it comes to that, that it's between killing him and protecting Konoha, he will protect Konoha but also, die with him. He is not your typical hero in that sense. He takes the middle path. A hero would typically let go of his personal wishes for the greater good. But Naruto's personal wishes are for Sasuke to live and be happy, no matter what happens. He told Itachi that when the time comes, and if Sasuke attacks Konoha, he will make the right decision. This is his decision. The point is, he will simply not live in a world without Sasuke. He refuses. He will remain a fool and die but not live without Sasuke. He doesn't care about any fucking thing if Sasuke isn't in his life.

Kage arc made him realize that his feelings for Sasuke were bigger than being hokage and Konoha. And so he chose a path where he didn't compromise with the safety of Konoha's people and yet, didn't let Sasuke down. Sasuke must live or he will die.

So by now, Naruto certainly knows that his feelings for Sasuke are not 'normal', even if he didn't say it, but that's the feeling the reader gets. And because we know the context of shinjuu, we know it's supposed to be romantic. The idea of double suicide carries a lot of heft in South East and East Asian literature, classic and popular, whether it be Chikamatsu, the greatest Japanese dramatist who wrote almost exclusively on the subject, and South East Asian stories such as Heer Ranjha, Mirza Sahiba, Sohni Mahiwal, Sassi Punnun, etc. And these stories are part of the popular romance lore, they are extremely popular.

So when Sasuke asks him angrily and insistently (the kanji that Kishi uses here depicts Sasuke to be emphatically triggered), Naruto knows what Sasuke is referring to and he knows he cannot lie about it. But he also cannot say it. He has a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders. But he also cannot lie to Sasuke. Of course, this being shounen, Kishi also had to navigate carefully. But the BIG difference is that Naruto stops lying. Lying probably is not the right term. Misstating. He owes it to Sasuke to tell him the truth. And he tells him, that he doesn't know what to call it, but he knows how it feels. So what he essentially does is that he explains the underlying sentiment to Sasuke by telling him that he hurts when Sasuke does, but that he won't name (explain it) it because he doesn't know it himself. It's such a feeling that Naruto cannot name it. Now, we as readers ALREADY know that he has already used terms like brother, rival and friend. But he deliberately moves away from all of those. Let's not forget that Naruto's most important strength was his talk no jutsu, his ability to connect and put it in words that finally affected the antagonist or anti hero archetypical characters in such a way, that would lead to their resolution. Naruto is different from others in this very sense, to be able to communicate in the right way. But Sasuke was his greatest test in this manga. And he couldn't convince him, he kept misstating the nature of their relationship, but towards the climax of the story, it was important for him to say the right words to Sasuke, especially after Sasuke asked so insistently, so passionately. Because he owes it to Sasuke to tell him the truth. He cannot deny it anymore. Not after all that has happened. So we know from context that it isn't any of those terms or feelings that he used before. But it's something else altogether. What else could it be? Sasuke obviously suspected it. Or else he wouldn't have gotten triggered like this. And with exactly these heavily heartfelt words of Naruto's, when he tells Sasuke that he hurts when he sees Sasuke carry his burden, so much that he just can't leave it alone, and that he would keep fighting for Sasuke, no matter what it takes, Sasuke is finally, finally also led to his resolution, no? He says with such a peaceful expression on his visage - I have lost.

He finally accepts Naruto's love, he finally lets the love in.

Dialogue is very intricately linked to narrative and visual language, but it's so evident, it doesn't need to be said.

We also cannot ignore the way they speak to each other. Kinda like, in codewords.

When two world class shinobis trade blows, they can read each other's thoughts. So tell me, did you see what's in my heart Sasuke? How I really feel? We are not the same kids who fought here once, you know my heart, and I yours, right Naruto? If you know, then why are you doing it? That's exactly why i am doing it. Don't make me repeat it Sasuke, you already know, don't you? Now that I think about it, you were always stupid. Those feelings, those things you once talked about, now I understand what you meant by them, Naruto.

The point is, by the end of chapter 698, Sasuke knows Naruto loves him. Naruto also knows Sasuke loves him, he had known to a large extent since vote one, but his feelings got solidified as he went along his life journey. This is the resolution of this story, this is also a story about their coming of age. It wouldn't make sense for both of them to be oblivious of each other's feelings at the end of it, it will be a failure of both their painfully developed character arcs and the narrative itself. And 698 highlights how they both come to know about their feelings for each other, after so much that they both went through. Properly this time. Explained in more words that they were ever able to use before. This isn't a topic that they can talk about so freely. They don't have a terminology for it, but they somehow managed. This is what all this narrative development led to. This is how storytelling works.

Chapter 699 gives the reader a hint of what's to come after this resolution. The nightmare. Everything that went wrong. Everything that left the resolution of their character arcs awry. Not meaningless but certainly disparate. Naruto and Sasuke talk to each other like they have talked more about what transpired with them in 698. And both have come to a position where they are going to capitulate to the circumstances.

Because at the end of the day, they are shinobis. The motto of a shinobi is to endure. Shinobi is a well established phenomenon, it's not just meant for shounen or otaku. They are real. Not like Naruto world ninjas, but Naruto obviously takes its inspiration from this phenomenon. The implications of being a shinobi is very well established in the story itself. Kishi made Naruto to deviate from its conventional meaning from the start so he was written as very unlike a ninja, loud, visible and non conformist, at least initially and for the most part, except towards the end. Shinobis/ninjas are supposed to endure. Following are screenshots from an acclaimed Japanese ninja series of films called Shinobi no mono.

Happiness and pride are not for the ninja. He doesn't live for himself. He lives for others. A collective is more important than the individual. He is born in darkness and he will die in darkness. He is literally a tool. That's what a shinobi is, from a modern ethical understanding, which is valid.

But Kishi couldn't have shown a happy ending for the boys, not with the sequel that essentially required their capitulation to this world to be able to make the new gen happen. The ending has shades of existentialist themes, which are pretty much present throughout what with the cycle of hate and revenge and infinite tsukuyomi, but that the manga ended it on the same note doesn't come as surprising does it?

Kakashi, a loyal, unawakened and complacent slave of the system climbs the rungs of power and becomes the hokage. Suck up to the right people and you will get places. Top administrative power. And he never really changed, he tells Sasuke at the end that it was because of his and Naruto's efforts that he didnt end up in jail and then proceeds to tell him to be good and careful not to regress, but still never acknowledged his mistreatment and insensitivity to Sasuke's feelings and motivations and very valid reasons. Sakura expected Sasuke to apologise and repent when it was she who was clearly in the wrong, who never understood him. She keeps pulling the same shit she always does, neither her nor Kakashi are made to pay consequences for their actions, instead, they get rewarded. Itachi is venerated, his truth is still hidden and Uchiha clan never got justice or even vindication, given they never summoned the kyuubi, its secret still being kept under the shadows.

( *Note - Nobody start with me as to how it was the right thing to do, you do NOT want to get me started there because you don't know what you are talking about. )

And how will any vindication happen when the world they live in doesn't really celebrate individuality? In fact, supresses it. It was funny to me when Bee reprimanded his brother telling him he was not his tool, that he was an individual who couldn't be suppressed but then Darui tried to convince himself that he was Raikage's left hand (or right) and that he wasn't a tool. Heh. Sarutobi is still revered as the ideal leader, when he himself admitted his complicity in Uchiha massacre, Tobirama was glad Uchihas were shown their place, and Oro, the outlier, the one who is objective because his reasons are revolutionary in his own desensitized way, a result of this heartless corrupt system that gives birth to undesirables like him, who collects other undesirables, the wretched, outliers and rejects, and makes his own village, is shown to be under surveillance, but he supported the war effort crucially, deviating from his objectives (even if only because of his interest in Sasuke and not because of the village), so he gets his redemption. So does Kabuto. Neji dies as a slave, something he was determined to fight against, and Hinata got her win, she got rewarded when she didn't work for it even a little bit. But she is rich, from a major clan, an heiress. A princess. The daimyos were shown as entirely privileged, uncaring and blasé about the war, carefree, playing cards or whatever, while the shinobis that were guarding them grumbled but then just accepted their fate, to the way of this world. Because that's what happens, doesn't it? It's very realistic.

Kishi didn't write his world as an ideal world. He essentially wrote it as a dystopian world. And his influences are pretty much based on dystopian ideas themselves, featuring major existentialist themes. Ghost in the shell, Jin-Roh, The Matrix, Berserk. Including introspective films about xenophobia and socio political inequality such as District 9 and Elysium. Same director. The part where seeing Itachi's predicament that greatly affected his own and his entire clan's, Sasuke is moved to think of fundamental questions such as - What is village, what is shinobi, what is the purpose of it all? underlines his existentialist despair. His answer to it did not come out of the blue. Like many fans think. But he was written to give up his goals entirely.

And Naruto. Well Naruto said goodbye to Sasuke. He gave Sasuke his hiatiate back. And this boy, who moved the sky and earth to bring Sasuke back, bid him goodbye with a certain meditative, contemplative stance. But not unhappy. Not his usual chirpy self. Not his usual spirited, chatty and loose tongued self. But introspective, pensive. Like they had reached a decision together. Later on, he married someone like Hinata and took a job that killed his spirit. Don't even think he isn't paying for his loyalty for Konoha, where he had to kill all his individuality and murder his zest for life and adventure, and become another cog of this unforgiving, relentlessly cruel world. Lifeless and eternally tired. A colourless husk of his older self. He couldn't even bother to attend his own hokage ceremony.

Kishi is not an ultra leftist, even though I can see he understands left ideologies, appreciates it quite well, and no wonder, Sasuke was partially inspired by Sanpei Shirato's Sasuke. He wrote Sasuke's character with such nuance and veritable shades, the claim that he is some ultra nationalist is empty. He is also not a fascist. Because if he were, the end of it all would have been shown as a reward. A prosperous haven. The best outcome of all possibilities. Your reward for loyalty. That is always the conclusion of the right wing narrative. Kishi is a realist. He appreciates existentialist themes, Japan can be credited with coming up with a whole library full of existentialist literature, as a result of the aftermath of war and the generational trauma can be seen and felt viscerally in the themes of their stories. Stories about meditation on war and the nature of war, the after effects of war, the human ethos behind them. Existentialism as a theory and way of life itself became quite a thing post war even if the theory itself was introduced before it, because it reflected what the war did to people, how it affected them, what it did to their psyches and thought processes. How certain things/ideas/thoughts/beliefs that carried social and moral value for them were rendered immaterial.

Anyway. Sasuke says - I didn't think you would come to see me off.

Naruto says nothing. This hyperactive goofball of ready words and catchphrases and nicknames just haltingly handed him back his slashed hitaiate.

The ending is - Perhaps this is what makes us ninjas.

Yes it does. Ceaselessly enduring pain and grief while giving up personal and individual wishes and desires and need for justice and their individuality does make them ninjas.

Continuing the status quo does make them ninjas. Nothing really changed, nothing really mattered. There's a certain melancholic quality to this scene. Which feels different in terms of tone and pacing, doesn't it?

Regardless, it's tragic.

Naruto is different in this scene in chapter 699. I think they have already discussed it by this point. And I think they have already come to some conclusions. What exactly did they talk about, we will never know. And I would give Kishi a lot of my money and a big part of my prized possessions, including my time, to know.

But well.

Now to come to what this ask was about, lol, I have yet to come across a fanfic that does justice to them, their story and narrative. Of course, it would be unrealistic to expect that everyone would get it, but is it unrealistic that at least someone should get it?? If I can see it and others can too, can't writers do something with this? This is such rich material, with so freaking much potential. There are so many possibilities, writers can use these themes creatively. And these are mostly my condensed thoughts, I will probably go in more detail some other day. And honestly, it takes some research, sure. But don't writers put some research in it anyway?

But they go for the easy route. It's okay, that they write what they like, but at least don't call it canon compliant. Most fans don't even understand canon. Give yourself some more credit, there's so much to discover.

At the end of the day, whenever I read some fic, unless it is supposed to be light hearted, it mostly just ends up disappointing me. Especially the ones that are based in canon universe.

This fic shows Naruto as an oblivious idiot when he is more perceptive than most fans think. He understands a lot of things, he is not a doofus, he is much more experienced at the end of the manga, he is aware of some realities and he is only going to learn more. And more. He understands his own emotions. Towards Sasuke as well. Sasuke is also shown as someone who doesn't even understand that he is attracted to Naruto when he has almost always known he was. Why else would he give up his life the way he did in land of waves? Gaara, btw, is perhaps one of the very few people who understand loneliness and being ostracized. Just him, Sasuke and Naruto, more prominently in this manga. He didn't attack Sasuke in kage arc, he could have. He is also perceptive enough to know that Naruto loves Sasuke, he also understands it better than Lee, who is a simplistic character, who thinks bad people's deeds are bad. Gaara understands that loneliness and hatred can drive people to do things they otherwise wouldn't. He resonated with Sasuke. He understood his predicament. and Naruto's. Which is why he said what he said to Naruto in kage arc. I love his character and I wish more people understood him. I swear if I could have broken the screen and picked small Gaara up when his salve got rejected by that child, I would have and I would have run....far.

Ino is portrayed as carefree and confident, sure. But I dont think she would be so fine with Sasuke being gay. She, till the end, was a Sasuke fangirl. There's absolutely no indication that she would have been fine with homosexuality. Nor would have others. Konoha presents a very bleak prospect for Sasuke and Naruto's relationship to be accepted.

I know this is a lot to take. And I know not everyone cares so much. But calling it canon compliant or 'in character' when it certainly is NOT, is taking it too far. Let's try a bit more. No?

Oh and I also didn't care about their intimate scenes. Because Naruto and Sasuke, once they get going, I think it would be like a bloody dam breaking off. It would start slowly, tentatively but then, it would burst out. And it would be unstoppable. I am talking years of repression here. Emotional and sexual. And more importantly, they trust each other all the way. I don't think tsunami would be able to stop them. It would be instinctive and natural, like everything else with them is. They might fumble and break stuff but more than anything else, it would be a desperate need to join together, to meld together, to finally be with each other as they were meant to be. They, who couldn't even touch without the pretext of a spar or a battle, if they finally allowed themselves to touch each other, it will be like a torrential force of emotions that would leave them scorched and they won't be satiated until their need to touch and reassure themselves, that it was finally happening, that they can finally touch each other, that they can HOLD each other, without feeling guilty or tabooed, that they can fuse their bodies with each other, to find not just emotional but physical reassurance, would come alive and transformed. They would run ragged. It would be passionate and tender and emotionally overwhelming, it would break barriers and boundaries, it would be a Godly experience for both. Like finally feeling at home. To be finally able to find that refuge in each other that only they could provide each other, in a world where no one else could even understand. It would be magnificent and insane and gentle and teasing and loving and sweet and painful and violent. All the damn shades. They aren't like you or me. They are different, because they are them. And no one can compare. But I can imagine.

#okay this went on as well #yall make me write too much lol #sns #ask #anon #sasunaru #narusasu #sasuke #naruto #uchiha sasuke #uzumaki naruto

[captnjacksparrow]

One of my dad's friend is now dating a man and my dad is so confused because that guy had a wife. He said "I dont understand how and when he became gay." I told him his friend was never straight and probably always knew he was attracted to men and never acted on it. My dad keep insisting that "No, people become gay and arent born that way." He then took the example of the son of another friend who 'became' gay once he moved in another country, saying that is where the kid discovered gay people and implied he got turned gay.

As you can see there are so many problems with the way he thinks.

1 - the bi-erasure

2 - thinking everybody is born straight

He reminds me of people who says Sasuke and Naruto cant be attracted to men because they have wives and kids. Some people are so not in touch with reality. They only know their reality and ignore everything else. People dont realise the pressure we are under and we are forced to hide.

I honestly think that your Dad is not to be blamed for the way he thinks... Even though, it's wrong. Because I assume he is kind of Old.. (???). And Changing our Parents view about something is like Emptying Ocean Water. They are hard-headed and the best course of action is to just ignore them. Believe me, I tried a lot.

I think what your father said and what this Anon was saying, is very similar.

That is, People become Gay because of the Influence they get from other people not because it was ingrained in their Birth.

Your dad was saying out of obliviousness that, "People become Gay and are not born that way"... But this Anon, from their Experience feels that Shippers are also saying, "Only Gay for you".

But what Irritates me is that even Young People think this way and What's worse??? Even MLM shippers think that way. I always thought it's kind of an Argument fans use casually for fun. And I never liked it one bit... It almost sounds like "I am always Straight... But somehow that person makes me Gay/Lesbian"... Meaning, I am actually a normal person but just for you I become abnormal... Of Course, this thought process is downright Homophobic.

Isn’t Sexuality supposed to be like A Mole or A Birth Mark that was ingrained and become a part and parcel of you, Rather than claiming it as a Habit you picked up from a friend????

If the Shippers (who are in their teens and tweens) themselves don't realize this, let alone your Dad. He could be easily excused.

He reminds me of people who says Sasuke and Naruto cant be attracted to men because they have wives and kids. Some people are so not in touch with reality.

I think they are deliberately in Deep Deep Denial. Or a Convenient Lie they use for their Coping Mechanism.

Look at this... A Total Hetero Baited poster I've ever seen for an Homosexual movie. Jack is so in love with his wife, Lureen, Right??? Apparently I read that people back then actually believed this poster, went to the Theatre and found something different...

Atleast, The Author could have did this kind of poster for SS, you know. And what did he do instead?

A Clear dismissive attitude from Sasuke.... He was not even drawn to show affection towards his Daughter....

Ennis was acting like a perfect Family man in that poster and yet his Desire is totally different...

He was openly asking Ennis to abandon everything and start a Ranch, Live Together.

And his views on Marriage is totally different,

"As far as our marriage goes, we could do it over the Phone"

Through Phone??? Seriously??? Can married life be conducted through the Phone?? Isn't this very similar to Sasuke who didn't even bother to send a Letter to His Wife and His Child???

And what is Sasuke's view on Marriage?

Sasuke pulled so many funny shit throughout this series but nothing equals to this Panel.

Broke Back Mountain (An Adult Homosexual Movie) has bothered to draw Posters where the Men are so in love with their Wives... But Naruto Gaiden, A Shonen Manga which targets 12 year olds, portrays the en are so miserable around their wives but happy around each other... Can't they put 2+2 to realize this???? What's not clicking?

Of Course, Homophobia can be a reason. But I guess these people falls more on the side of Deep Denial and wants to find a Reason to cope their Self-Inserted dreams got crushed again and again.

#broke back mountain #anti sakura #narusasu #sasunaru #sns #nsn #jack twist #ennis del mar #ennis x jack

[shortnotsweet]

Bakudeku: A Non-Comprehensive Dissection of the Exploitation of Working Bodies, the Murder of Annoying Children, and a Rivals-to-Lovers Complex

I. Bakudeku in Canon, And Why Anti’s Need to Calm the Fuck Down

II. Power is Power: the Brain-Melting Process of Normalization and Toxic Masculinity

III. How to Kill Middle Schoolers, and Why We Should

IV. Parallels in Abuse, EnemiesRivals-to-Lovers, and the Necessity of Redemption ft. ATLA’s Zuko

V. Give it to Me Straight. It’s Homophobic.

VI. Love in Perspective, from the East v. West

VII. Stuck in the Sludge, the Past, and Season One

Disclaimer

It needs to be said that there is definitely a place for disagreement, discourse, debate, and analysis: that is a sign of an active fandom that’s heavily invested, and not inherently a bad thing at all. Considering the amount of source material we do have (from the manga, to the anime, to the movies, to the light novels, to the official art), there are going to be warring interpretations, and that’s inevitable.

I started watching and reading MHA pretty recently, and just got into the fandom. I was weary for a reason, and honestly, based on what I’ve seen, I’m still weary now. I’ve seen a lot of anti posts, and these are basically my thoughts. This entire thing is in no way comprehensive, and it’s my own opinion, so take it with a grain of salt. If I wanted to be thorough about this, I would’ve included manga panels, excerpts from the light novel, shots from the anime, links to other posts/essays/metas that have inspired this, etc. but I’m tired and not about that life right now, so, this is what it is. This is poorly organized, but maybe I’ll return to fix it.

Let’s begin.

Bakudeku in Canon, And Why Anti’s Need to Calm the Fuck Down

There are a lot of different reasons, that can be trivial as you like, to ship or not to ship two (or more) characters. It could be based purely off of character design, proximity, aversion to another ship, or hypotheticals. And I do think that it’s totally valid if someone dislikes the ship or can’t get on board with his character because to them, it does come across as abuse, and the implications make them uncomfortable or, or it just feels unhealthy. If that is your takeaway, and you are going to stick to your guns, the more power to you.

But Bakudeku’s relationship has canonically progressed to the point where it’s not the emotionally (or physically) abusive clusterfuck some people portray it to be, and it’s cheap to assume that it would be, based off of their characterizations as middle schoolers. Izuku intentionally opens the story as a naive little kid who views the lens of the Hero society through rose colored glasses and arguably wants nothing more than assimilation into that society; Bakugou is a privileged little snot who embodies the worst and most hypocritical beliefs of this system. Both of them are intentionally proven wrong. Both are brainwashed, as many little children are, by the propaganda and societal norms that they are exposed to. Both of their arcs include unlearning crucial aspects of the Hero ideology in order to become true heroes.

I will personally never simp for Bakugou because for the longest time, I couldn't help but think of him as a little kid on the playground screaming at the top of his lungs because someone else is on the swingset. He’s red in the face, there are probably veins popping out of his neck, he’s losing it. It’s easy to see why people would prefer Tododeku to Bakudeku.

Even now, seeing him differently, I still personally wouldn’t date Bakugou, especially if I had other options. Why? I probably wouldn’t want to date any of the guys who bullied me, especially because I think that schoolyard bullying, even in middle school, affected me largely in a negative way and created a lot of complexes I’m still trying to work through. I haven’t built a better relationship with them, and I’m not obligated to. Still, I associate them with the kind of soft trauma that they inflicted upon me, and while to them it was probably impersonal, to me, it was an intimate sort of attack that still affects me. That being said, that is me. Those are my personal experiences, and while they could undoubtedly influence how I interpret relationships, I do not want to project and hinder my own interpretation of Deku.

The reality is that Deku himself has an innate understanding of Bakugou that no one else does; I mention later that he seems to understand his language, implicitly, and I do stand by that. He understands what it is he’s actually trying to say, often why he’s saying it, and while others may see him as wimpy or unable to stand up for himself, that’s simply not true. Part of Deku’s characterization is that he is uncommonly observant and empathetic; I’m not denying that Bakugou caused harm or inflicted damage, but infantilizing Deku and preaching about trauma that’s not backed by canon and then assuming random people online excuse abuse is just...the leap of leaps, and an actual toxic thing to do. I’ve read fan works where Bakugou is a bully, and that’s all, and has caused an intimate degree of emotional, mental, and physical insecurity from their middle school years that prevents their relationship from changing, and that’s for the better. I’m not going to argue and say that it’s not an interesting take, or not valid, or has no basis, because it does. Its basis is the character that Bakugou was in middle school, and the person he was when he entered UA.

Not only is Bakugou — the current Bakugou, the one who has accumulated memories and experiences and development — not the same person he was at the beginning of the story, but Deku is not the same person, either. Maybe who they are fundamentally, at their core, stays the same, but at the beginning and end of any story, or even their arcs within the story, the point is that characters will undergo change, and that the reader will gain perspective.

“You wanna be a hero so bad? I’ve got a time-saving idea for you. If you think you’ll have a quirk in your next life...go take a swan dive off the roof!”

Yes. That is a horrible thing to tell someone, even if you are a child, even if you don’t understand the implications, even if you don’t mean what it is you are saying. Had someone told me that in middle school, especially given our history and the context of our interactions, I don’t know if I would ever have forgiven them.

Here’s the thing: I’m not Deku. Neither is anyone reading this. Deku is a fictional character, and everyone we know about him is extrapolated from source material, and his response to this event follows:

“Idiot! If I really jumped, you’d be charged with bullying me into suicide! Think before you speak!”

I think it’s unfair to apply our own projections as a universal rather than an interpersonal interpretation; that’s not to say that the interpretation of Bakudeku being abusive or having unbalanced power dynamics isn’t valid, or unfounded, but rather it’s not a universal interpretation, and it’s not canon. Deku is much more of a verbal thinker; in comparison, Bakugou is a visual one, at least in the format of the manga, and as such, we get various panels demonstrating his guilt, and how deep it runs. His dialogue and rapport with Deku has undeniably shifted, and it’s very clear that the way they treat each other has changed from when they were younger. Part of Bakugou’s growth is him gaining self awareness, and eventually, the strength to wield that. He knows what a fucked up little kid he was, and he carries the weight of that.

“At that moment, there were no thoughts in my head. My body just moved on its own.”

There’s a part of me that really, really disliked Bakugou going into it, partially because of what I’d seen and what I’d heard from a limited, outside perspective. I felt like Bakugou embodied the toxic masculinity (and to an extent, I still believe that) and if he won in some way, that felt like the patriarchy winning, so I couldn't help but want to muzzle and leash him before releasing him into the wild.

The reality, however, of his character in canon is that it isn’t very accurate to assume that he would be an abusive partner in the future, or that Midoryia has not forgiven him to some extent already, that the two do not care about each other or are singularly important, that they respect each other, or that the narrative has forgotten any of this.

Don’t mistake me for a Bakugou simp or apologist. I’m not, but while I definitely could also see Tododeku (and I have a soft spot for them, too, their dynamic is totally different and unique, and Todoroki is arguably treated as the tritagonist) and I’m ambivalent about Izuocha (which is written as cannoncially romantic) I do believe that canonically, Bakugou and Deku are framed as soulmates/character foils, Sasuke + Naruto, Kageyama + Hinata style. Their relationship is arguably the focus of the series. That’s not to undermine the importance or impact of Deku’s relationships with other characters, and theirs with him, but in terms of which one takes priority, and which one this all hinges on?

The manga is about a lot of things, yes, but if it were to be distilled into one relationship, buckle up, because it’s the Bakudeku show.

Power is Power: the Brain-Melting Process of Normalization and Toxic Masculinity

One of the ways in which the biopolitical prioritization of Quirks is exemplified within Hero society is through Quirk marriages. Endeavor partially rationalizes the abuse of his family through the creation of a child with the perfect quirk, a child who can be molded into the perfect Hero. People with powerful, or useful abilities, are ranked high on the hierarchy of power and privilege, and with a powerful ability, the more opportunities and avenues for success are available to them.

For the most part, Bakugou is a super spoiled, privileged little rich kid who is born talented but is enabled for his aggressive behavior and, as a child, cannot move past his many internalized complexes, treats his peers like shit, and gets away with it because the hero society he lives in either has this “boys will be boys” mentality, or it’s an example of the way that power, or Power, is systematically prioritized in this society. The hero system enables and fosters abusers, people who want power and publicity, and people who are genetically predisposed to have advantages over others. There are plenty of good people who believe in and participate in this system, who want to be good, and who do good, but that doesn’t change the way that the hero society is structured, the ethical ambiguity of the Hero Commission, and the way that Heroes are but pawns, idols with machine guns, used to sell merch to the public, to install faith in the government, or the current status quo, and reinforce capitalist propaganda. Even All Might, the epitome of everything a Hero should be, is drained over the years, and exists as a concept or idea, when in reality he is a hollow shell with an entire person inside, struggling to survive. Hero society is functionally dependent on illusion.

In Marxist terms: There is no truth, there is only power.

Although Bakugou does change, and I think that while he regrets his actions, what is long overdue is him verbally expressing his remorse, both to himself and Deku. One might argue that he’s tried to do it in ways that are compatible with his limited emotional range of expression, and Deku seems to understand this language implicitly.

I am of the opinion that the narrative is building up to a verbal acknowledgement, confrontation, and subsequent apology that only speaks what has gone unspoken.

That being said, Bakugou is a great example of the way that figures of authority (parents, teachers, adults) and institutions both in the real world and this fictional universe reward violent behavior while also leaving mental and emotional health — both his own and of the people Bakugou hurts — unchecked, and part of the way he lashes out at others is because he was never taught otherwise.

And by that, I’m referring to the ways that are to me, genuinely disturbing. For example, yelling at his friends is chill. But telling someone to kill themselves, even casually and without intent and then misinterpreting everything they do as a ploy to make you feel weak because you're projecting? And having no teachers stop and intervene, either because they are afraid of you or because they value the weight that your Quirk can benefit society over the safety of children? That, to me, is both real and disturbing.

Not only that, but his parents (at least, Mitsuki), respond to his outbursts with more outbursts, and while this is likely the culture of their home and I hesitate to call it abusive, I do think that it contributed to the way that he approaches things. Bakugou as a character is very complex, but I think that he is primarily an example of the way that the Hero System fails people.

I don’t think we can write off the things he’s done, especially using the line of reasoning that “He didn’t mean it that way”, because in real life, children who hurt others rarely mean it like that either, but that doesn’t change the effect it has on the people who are victimized, but to be absolutely fair, I don’t think that the majority of Bakudeku shippers, at least now, do use that line of reasoning. Most of them seem to have a handle on exactly how fucked up the Hero society is, and exactly why it fucks up the people embedded within that society.

The characters are positioned in this way for a reason, and the discoveries made and the development that these characters undergo are meant to reveal more about the fictional world — and, perhaps, our world — as the narrative progresses.

The world of the Hero society is dependent, to some degree, on biopolitics. I don’t think we have enough evidence to suggest that people with Quirks or Quirkless people place enough identity or placement within society to become equivalent to marginalized groups, exactly, but we can draw parallels to the way that Deku and by extent Quirkless people are viewed as weak, a deviation, or disabled in some way. Deviants, or non-productive bodies, are shunned for their inability to perform ideal labor. While it is suggested to Deku that he could become a police officer or pursue some other occupation to help people, he believes that he can do the most positive good as a Hero. In order to be a Hero, however, in the sense of a career, one needs to have Power.

Deviation from the norm will be punished or policed unless it is exploitable; in order to become integrated into society, a deviant must undergo a process of normalization and become a working, exploitable body. It is only through gaining power from All Might that Deku is allowed to assimilate from the margins and into the upper ranks of society; the manga and the anime give the reader enough perspective, context, and examples to allow us to critique and deconstruct the society that is solely reliant on power.

Through his societal privileges, interpersonal biases, internalized complexes, and his subsequent unlearning of these ideologies, Bakugou provides examples of the way that the system simultaneously fails and indoctrinates those who are targeted, neglected, enabled by, believe in, and participate within the system.

Bakudeku are two sides of the same coin. We are shown visually that the crucial turning point and fracture in their relationship is when Bakugou refuses to take Deku’s outstretched hand; the idea of Deku offering him help messes with his adolescent perspective in that Power creates a hierarchy that must be obeyed, and to be helped is to be weak is to be made a loser.

Largely, their character flaws in terms of understanding the hero society are defined and entangled within the concept of power. Bakugou has power, or privilege, but does not have the moral character to use it as a hero, and believes that Power, or winning, is the only way in which to view life. Izuku has a much better grasp on the way in which heroes wield power (their ideologies can, at first, be differentiated as winning vs. saving), and is a worthy successor because of this understanding, and of circumstance. However, in order to become a Hero, our hero must first gain the Power that he lacks, and learn to wield it.

As the characters change, they bridge the gaps of their character deficiencies, and are brought closer together through character parallelism.

Two sides of the same coin, an outstretched hand.

They are better together.

How to Kill Middle Schoolers, and Why We Should

I think it’s fitting that in the manga, a critical part of Bakugou’s arc explicitly alludes to killing the middle school version of himself in order to progress into a young adult. In the alternative covers Horikoshi released, one of them was a close up of Bakugou in his middle school uniform, being stabbed/impaled, with blood rolling out of his mouth. Clearly this references the scene in which he sacrifices himself to save Deku, on a near-instinctual level.

To me, this only cements Horikoshi’s intent that middle school Bakugou must be debunked, killed, discarded, or destroyed in order for Bakugou the hero to emerge, which is why people who do actually excuse his actions or believe that those actions define him into young adulthood don’t really understand the necessity for change, because they seem to imply that he doesn’t need/cannot reach further growth, and there doesn’t need to be a separation between the Bakugou who is, at heart, volatile and repressed the angry, and the Bakugou who sacrifices himself, a hero who saves people.

Plot twist: there does need to be a difference. Further plot twist: there is a difference.

In sacrificing himself for Deku, Bakugou himself doesn't die, but the injury is fatal in the sense that it could've killed him physically and yet symbolizes the selfish, childish part of him that refused to accept Deku, himself, and the inevitability of change. In killing those selfish remnants, he could actually become the kind of hero that we the reader understand to be the true kind.

That’s why I think that a lot of the people who stress his actions as a child without acknowledging the ways he has changed, grown, and tried to fix what he has broken don’t really get it, because it was always part of his character arc to change and purposely become something different and better. If the effects of his worst and his most childish self stick with you more, and linger despite that, that’s okay. But distilling his character down to the wrong elements doesn’t get you the bare essentials; what it gets you is a skewed and shallow version of a person. If you’re okay with that version, that is also fine.

But you can’t condemn others who aren’t fine with that incomplete version, and to become enraged that others do not see him as you do is childish.

Bakugou’s change and the emphasis on that change is canon.

Parallels in Abuse, EnemiesRivals-to-Lovers, and the Necessity of Redemption ft. ATLA’s Zuko

In real life, the idea that “oh, he must bully you because he likes you” is often used as a way to brush aside or to excuse the action of bullying itself, as if a ‘secret crush’ somehow negates the effects of bullying on the victim or the inability of the bully to properly process and manifest their emotions in certain ways. It doesn’t. It often enables young boys to hurt others, and provides figures of authority to overlook the real source of schoolyard bullying or peer review. The “secret crush”, in real life, is used to undermine abuse, justify toxic masculinity, and is essentially used as a non-solution solution.

A common accusation is that Bakudeku shippers jump on the pairing because they romanticize pairing a bully and a victim together, or believe that the only way for Bakugou to atone for his past would be to date Midoryia in the future. This may be true for some people, in which case, that’s their own preference, but based on my experience and what I’ve witnessed, that’s not the case for most.

The difference being is that as these are characters, we as readers or viewers are meant to analyze them. Not to justify them, or to excuse their actions, but we are given the advantage of the outsider perspective to piece their characters together in context, understand why they are how they are, and witness them change; maybe I just haven’t been exposed to enough of the fandom, but no one (I’ve witnessed) treats the idea that “maybe Bakugou has feelings he can’t process or understand and so they manifest in aggressive and unchecked ways'' as a solution to his inability to communicate or process in a healthy way, rather it is just part of the explanation of his character, something is needs to — and is — working through. The solution to his middle school self is not the revelation of a “teehee, secret crush”, but self-reflection, remorse, and actively working to better oneself, which I do believe is canonically reflected, especially as of recently.

In canon, they are written to be partners, better together than apart, and I genuinely believe that one can like the Bakudeku dynamic not by route of romanticization but by observation.

I do think we are meant to see parallels between him and Endeavor; Endeavor is a high profile abuser who embodies the flaws and hypocrisy of the hero system. Bakugou is a schoolyard bully who emulates and internalizes the flaws of this system as a child, likely due to the structure of the society and the way that children will absorb the propaganda they are exposed to; the idea that Quirks, or power, define the inherent value of the individual, their ability to contribute to society, and subsequently their fundamental human worth. The difference between them is the fact that Endeavor is the literal adult who is fully and knowingly active within a toxic, corrupt system who forces his family to undergo a terrifying amount of trauma and abuse while facing little to no consequences because he knows that his status and the values of their society will protect him from those consequences. In other words, Endeavor is the threat of what Bakugou could have, and would have, become without intervention or genuine change.

Comparisons between characters, as parallels or foils, are tricky in that they imply but cannot confirm sameness. Having parallels with someone does not make them the same, by the way, but can serve to illustrate contrasts, or warnings. Harry Potter, for example, is meant to have obvious parallels with Tom Riddle, with similar abilities, and tragic upbringings. That doesn’t mean Harry grows up to become Lord Voldemort, but rather he helps lead a cross-generational movement to overthrow the facist regime. Harry is offered love, compassion, and friends, and does not embrace the darkness within or around him. As far as moldy old snake men are concerned, they do not deserve a redemption arc because they do not wish for one, and the truest of change only occurs when you actively try to change.

To be frank, either way, Bakugou was probably going to become a good Hero, in the sense that Endeavor is a ‘good’ Hero. Hero capitalized, as in a pro Hero, in the sense that it is a career, an occupation, and a status. Because of his strong Quirk, determination, skill, and work ethic, Bakugou would have made a good Hero. Due to his lack of character, however, he was not on the path to become a hero; defender of the weak, someone who saves people to save people, who is willing to make sacrifices detrimental to themselves, who saves people out of love.

It is necessary for him to undergo both a redemption arc and a symbolic death and rebirth in order for him to follow the path of a hero, having been inspired and prompted by Deku.

I personally don’t really like Endeavor’s little redemption arc, not because I don’t believe that people can change or that they shouldn't at least try to atone for the atrocities they have committed, but because within any narrative, a good redemption arc is important if it matters; what also matters is the context of that arc, and whether or not it was needed. For example, in ATLA, Zuko’s redemption arc is widely regarded as one of the best arcs in television history, something incredible. And it is. That shit fucks. In a good way.

It was confirmed that Azula was also going to get a redemption arc, had Volume 4 gone on as planned, and it was tentatively approached in the comics, which are considered canon. She is an undeniably bad person (who is willing to kill, threaten, exploit, and colonize), but she is also a child, and as viewers, we witness and recognize the factors that contributed to her (debatable) sociopathy, and the way that the system she was raised in failed her. Her family failed her; even Uncle Iroh, the wise mentor who helps guide Zuko to see the light, is willing to give up on her immediately, saying that she’s “crazy” and needs to be “put down”. Yes, it’s comedic, and yes, it’s pragmatic, but Azula is fourteen years old. Her mother is banished, her father is a psychopath, and her older brother, from her perspective, betrayed and abandoned her. She doesn’t have the emotional support that Zuko does; she exploits and controls her friends because it’s all she’s been taught to do; she says herself, her “own mother thought [she] was a monster; she was right, of course, but it still [hurts]”. A parent who does not believe in you, or a parent that uses you and will hurt you, is a genuine indicator of trauma.

The writers understood that both Zuko and Azula deserved redemption arcs. One was arguably further gone than the other, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are both children, products of their environment, who have the time, motive, and reason to change.

In contrast, you know who wouldn’t have deserved a redemption arc? Ozai. That simply would not have been interesting, wouldn’t have served the narrative well, and honestly, is not needed, thematically or otherwise. Am I comparing Ozai to Endeavor? Basically, yes. Fuck those guys. I don’t see a point in Endeavor’s little “I want to be a good dad now” arc, and I think that we don’t need to sympathize with characters in order to understand them or be interested in them. I want Touya/Dabi to expose his abuse, for his career to crumble, and then for him to die.

If they are not challenging the system that we the viewer are meant to question, and there is no thematic relevance to their redemption, is it even needed?

On that note, am I saying that Bakugou is the equivalent to Zuko? No, lmao. Definitely not. They are different characters with different progressions and different pressures. What I am saying is that good redemption arcs shouldn’t be handed out like candy to babies; it is the quality, rather than the quantity, that makes a redemption arc good. In terms of the commentary of the narrative, who needs a redemption arc, who is deserving, and who does it make sense to give one to?

In this case, Bakugou checks those boxes. It was always in the cards for him to change, and he has. In fact, he’s still changing.

Give it to Me Straight. It’s Homophobic.

There does seem to be an urge to obsessively gender either Bakugou or Deku, in making Deku the ultra-feminine, stereotypically hyper-sexualized “woman” of the relationship, with Bakugou becoming similarly sexualized but depicted as the hyper-masculine bodice ripper. On some level, that feels vaguely homophobic if not straight up misogynistic, in that in a gay relationship there’s an urge to compel them to conform under heteronormative stereotypes in order to be interpreted as real or functional. On one hand, I will say that in a lot of cases it feels like more of an expression of a kink, or fetishization and subsequent expression of internalized misogyny, at least, rather than a genuine exploration of the complexity and power imbalances of gender dynamics, expression, and boundaries.

That being said, I don’t think that that problematic aspect of shipping is unique to Bakudeku, or even to the fandom in general. We’ve all read fan work or see fanart of most gay ships in a similiar manner, and I think it’s a broader issue to be addressed than blaming it on a singular ship and calling it a day.

One interpretation of Bakugou’s character is his repression and the way his character functions under toxic masculinity, in a society’s egregious disregard for mental and emotional health (much like in the real world), the horrifying ways in which rage is rationalized or excused due to the concept of masculinity, and the way that characteristics that are associated with femininity — intellect, empathy, anxiety, kindness, hesitation, softness — are seen as stereotypically “weak”, and in men, traditionally emasculating. In terms of the way that the fictional universe is largely about societal priority and power dynamics between individuals and the way that extends to institutions, it’s not a total stretch to guess that gender as a construct is a relevant topic to expand on or at least keep in mind for comparison.

I think that the way in which characters are gendered and the extent to which that is a result of invasive heteronormativity and fetishization is a really important conversation to have, but using it as a case-by-case evolution of a ship used to condemn people isn’t conductive, and at that point, it’s treated as less of a real concern but an issue narrowly weaponised.

Love in Perspective, from the East v. West

Another thing I think could be elaborated on and written about in great detail is the way that the Eastern part of the fandom and the Western part of the fandom have such different perspectives on Bakudeku in particular. I am not going to go in depth with this, and there are many other people who could go into specifics, but just as an overview:

The manga and the anime are created for and targeted at a certain audience; our take on it will differ based on cultural norms, decisions in translation, understanding of the genre, and our own region-specific socialization. This includes the way in which we interpret certain relationships, the way they resonate with us, and what we do and do not find to be acceptable. Of course, this is not a case-by-case basis, and I’m sure there are plenty of people who hold differing beliefs within one area, but speaking generally, there is a reason that Bakudeku is not regarded as nearly as problematic in the East.

Had this been written by a Western creator, marketed primarily to and within the West (for reference, while I am Chinese, but I have lived in the USA for most of my life, so my own perspective is undoubtedly westernized), I would’ve immediately jumped to make comparisons between the Hero System and the American police system, in that a corrupt, or bastardized system is made no less corrupt for the people who do legitimately want to do good and help people, when that system disproportionately values and targets others while relying on propaganda that society must be reliant on that system in order to create safe communities when in reality it perpetuates just as many issues as it appears to solve, not to mention the way it attracts and rewards violent and power-hungry people who are enabled to abuse their power. I think comparisons can still be made, but in terms of analysis, it should be kept in mind that the police system in other parts of the world do not have the same history, place, and context as it does in America, and the police system in Japan, for example, probably wasn’t the basis for the Hero System.

As much as I do believe in the Death of the Author in most cases, the intent of the author does matter when it comes to content like this, if merely on the basis that it provides context that we may be missing as foreign viewers.

As far as the intent of the author goes, Bakugou is on a route of redemption.

He deserves it. It is unavoidable. That, of course, may depend on where you’re reading this.

Stuck in the Sludge, the Past, and Season One

If there’s one thing, to me, that epitomizes middle school Bakugou, it’s him being trapped in a sludge monster, rescued by his Quirkless childhood friend, and unable to believe his eyes. He clings to the ideology he always has, that Quirkless means weak, that there’s no way that Deku could have grown to be strong, or had the capacity to be strong all along. Bakugou is wrong about this, and continuously proven wrong. It is only when he accepts that he is wrong, and that Deku is someone to follow, that he starts his real path to heroics.

If Bakudeku’s relationship does not appeal to someone for whatever reason, there’s nothing wrong with that. They can write all they want about why they don’t ship it, or why it bothers them, or why they think it’s problematic. If it is legitimately triggering to you, then by all means, avoid it, point it out, etc. but do not undermine the reality of abuse simply to point fingers, just because you don’t like a ship. People who intentionally use the anti tag knowing it’ll show up in the main tag, go after people who are literally minding their own business, and accuse people of supporting abuse are the ones looking for a fight, and they’re annoying as hell because they don’t bring anything to the table. No evidence, no analysis, just repeated projection.

To clarify, I’m referring to a specific kind of shipper, not someone who just doesn’t like a ship, but who is so aggressive about it for absolutely no reason. There are plenty of very lovely people in this fandom, who mind their own business, multipship, or just don’t care.

Calling shippers dumb or braindead or toxic (to clarify, this isn’t targeting any one person I’ve seen, but a collective) based on projections and generalizations that come entirely from your own impression of the ship rather than observation is...really biased to me, and comes across as uneducated and trigger happy, rather than constructive or helpful in any way.

I’m not saying someone has to ship anything, or like it, in order to be a ‘good’ participant. But inserting derogatory material into a main tag, and dropping buzzwords with the same tired backing behind it without seeming to understand the implications of those words or acknowledging the development, pacing, and intentional change to the characters within the plot is just...I don’t know, it comes across as redundant, to me at least, and very childish. Aggressive. Toxic. Problematic. Maybe the real toxic shippers were the ones who bitched and moaned along the way. They’re like little kids, stuck in the past, unable to visualize or recognize change, and I think that’s a real shame because it’s preventing them from appreciating the story or its characters as it is, in canon.

But that’s okay, really. To each their own. Interpretations will vary, preferences differ, perspectives are not uniform. There is no one truth. There are five seasons of the show, a feature film, and like, thirty volumes as of this year.

All I’m saying is that if you want to stay stuck in the first season of each character, then that’s what you’re going to get. That’s up to you.

This may be edited or revised.

#bakudeku #meta #my hero academia #boko no hero academia #bnha #mha #bakugou katsuki #izuku midoriya #ok these are just my general thoughts in response to the people who have hang ups about this ship #like y’all need to pls chill tf out ok #this is also not comprehensive and could definitely be elaborated on #but it’s just general thoughts #it’s just addressing general opposition I’ve seen #I never thought I’d ever write this much about this ship wtf

[hamliet]

when does a relationship become queerbaiting? theres a book that i really like and the 2 male leads characters have a lot of storylines and arcs where they get closer and i think some of the tropes used can be similar to the typical romantic tropes, neither of them end up with anyone at the end of the story since its more about found family and the long journey the whole cast goes through. they even get shipped by another character as a running gag. personally i always saw it as being open to interpretation but recently the revised edition of the original novel came out and there were several lines those 2 characters had about each other that were kinda toned down, i didnt think much of it but i saw a post about how it was clearly baiting and the author was being homophobic for toning it down. i didnt think it counted as baiting since as far as i know, the novel was never advertised as anything with romance and the author never pretended they were gonna end up together. i am definitely a little weirded out by the decision to change those specific lines but a lot of the story stayed the same, including a lot about their relationship so idk what to think.

i guess im more confused on if it counts as baiting, or even substext??

Sooooo I am not the best person to ask about this, because I’m a cis woman who has thus far in life only been attracted in a romantic sense to cis men. I can talk a bit about baiting as a general concept in fiction, but you should definitely take it with some grains of salt. 

Baiting, for me, is like deliberately playing up an aspect writers have no intention on delivering on. Usually this is done for ratings, to tease fans, fanservice, etc, but without payoff, it is just bad writing. Red herrings are good in writing, but only can be successfully used if the actual result is more satisfying than the herring. This applies to writing in general, not just to romantic ships. However, when the baiting involves historically underrepresented groups for no reason other than to get fans to spend money consuming the story, I think we can all agree that becomes something more grotesque than just bad writing: it’s insensitive, socially irresponsible, frankly hurtful. 

Some common examples are Bridgerton which has a gay character, who is extremely minor, yet they played up this character in advertising. Also, Rizzoli and Isles I think actually had its producers mention deliberately playing up the lesbian subtext to hook the audience without ever intending on following through. 

That said, context also matters. Like, there are aspects of the culture of the work’s author, the target audience, and such that come into play here also (so like, romantic tropes differ by culture. For example, enemies to lovers is common in Asian stories but less in the west, and the “girl who pursues a guy” is extremely common in Japanese shonen in particular, while it is very much a cringe trope that almost never results in romance in American fiction. So if a writer reads, say, tropes that are common in America into a Japanese work and says it’s baiting, that’s quite possibly not the intent even if it may have been the experience of the reader. So even if there was no intent, there can still be hurt, and that hurt can be real, if that makes sense. 

The definition of what constitutes ‘baiting’ varies. I do think that, in true Tumblr fashion, the term gets thrown around a lot and loses its intended meaning, or is so rigidly defined that creators can meet the letter of the “not a bait” requirement while ignoring the spirit of it.

To start with the latter: regarding something hitting the letter of what most wouldn’t consider baiting yet not really the spirit, let’s look at The Rise of Skywalker. This movie had a genuine lesbian kiss in it... between two characters we’d never seen more than a glimpse of while others are celebrating around them. Since it has a kiss, it’s not baiting, right? Well... the director deliberately said in the lead-up to the film that he included it because he “wanted LGBT people to see themselves in the film.” If “see yourselves in the film” is like a nanosecond of background, then, like... idk. Baiting or not, it feels icky, and I know some people consider it baiting and some don’t even if they don’t like, love that representation. But I think this is more queerbaiting than like, Nobara and Maki, who don’t have explicit romantic coding. 

Going back to the former, in terms of ‘queerbaiting’ losing its intended meaning... I think there are a lot of really poorly written romantic ships out there, often het, while a lot of same-gender relationships are really well written regardless of whether there’s romantic coding within the text. The main emotional energy in stories with 90% male characters (as frankly many if not most stories are, great job world) is probably between two men. There’s just so much more potential with well-written characters who share a lot of screen time, so of course people are going to ship them. In my opinion, this does not inherently make it baiting, but it certainly creates an environment that lends itself to baiting even if the writers aren’t intending to do this. 

Like, you could say the main emotional energy in BNHA is Bakugou and Deku. However, Bakudeku is 100% not queerbaiting. It’ll never be canon romantically (I don’t even ship it lol). There has been nothing to imply romance between them even if the main emotional message can be seen in their development. Deku/Ochaco is likely to be canon, but there is a significant lack of genuine emotional energy between them (the story’s plots and themes don’t coalesce around their relationship), so it’s probably going to feel forced. In contrast, Naruto/Sasuke had an actual kiss in canon, which while played for laughs is a lot more direct romantic coding than anything between Bakugou/Deku. I actually don’t think the majority of Narusasu is baiting, but I definitely think that one moment in chapter like 3 was really poor fanservice for yaoi fans, and has not aged well at all. 

It is also the case that fans can confuse headcanons with what is actually in the text, and that just never ends well. For example, Clover and Qrow’s ship in RWBY: a lot of people read Clover as gay, which led to “bury your gays” outrage when he died. A member of the crew stated explicitly they had never intended for Clover to be a love interest for Qrow, and truthfully here was nothing strictly romantic in their relationship--nothing like a kiss or a declaration of love or a parallel to another romantic couple. Hence, I don’t personally consider it queerbaiting or bury your gays, but a lot of fans felt that it was and their pain is legitimate even if I think textually the argument isn’t there. The one thing I do think is true about this in particular is that there was also no strict platonic coding, which encourages headcanons. Clear writing, yo. It can help. 

Note the word “can” not “will,” because strict platonic coding doesn’t always fix things, either. In what was probably a reaction to the outrage over Clover’s death, you had extremely blatant platonic coding of Ruby and Penny’s relationship this season leading up to Penny’s death. Ruby refers to Penny as “our friend” three different times, wherein “friend” sends a platonic message and “our” sends an even stronger message that it’s not about the two of them despite the fact that their friendship is one of the sweetest and most interesting in the show. A lingering Ruby-Penny hug then is followed by a lingering Penny-Weiss hug, then Yang, then Blake, etc. The writers went out of their way to hit people over the head with “platonic” and yet they have still gotten accusations of bury your gays and queerbaiting because people will see what they want to see in a story. 

Seeing what you want to see in a story also isn’t inherently bad. People who are underrepresented are going to have to read themselves into stories because Lord knows writers ain’t incorporating them well enough if at all. It’s why “Mary Sues” are common in fanfiction, which is primarily written by people who are not straight white men: because where the hell else are we to see ourselves in fiction? So essentially the macrocosm of culture creates this problem, both in terms of baiting and the misuse of the term, and the only fix is a shit ton more good representation.

#ask hamliet #writing stuff #Anonymous

[therewrites]

We Are Who We Are Overall Thoughts *spoilers*

This review will be discussing briefly some of the episodes so far, so SPOILERS

So I started watching the HBO original series, We Are Who We Are, and I am conflicted. When I initially watched it, the dialogue made it hard for me to enjoy it so I stopped. Then after a couple of weeks after its airing, I thought, what the hell? And this time, I was pleasantly surprised. I always maintain the belief that pilot episodes are either boring, messy, or just bad so I try to push past it in order to get to the good shit. The pilot for We Are Who We Are was...I’m not sure how to explain...different? It certainly wasn’t bad and it made an impression on me, but this show as a whole is hard to limit by just a few words. It’s really something that you should watch and experience yourself.

It was only after the first 3 episodes that I began to understand the tone and mood that Luca Guadagnino was trying to convey. A lot of the time, the dialogue is abrupt and choppy and can make no sense. It can be frustrating, especially when you have two characters that aren’t communicating effectively. But I think that was the point. Guadagnino is a very realistic director, he captures the most realistic elements in a film. A lot of the conversations between characters is meant to emulate real life. Like, what the hell do you say when a conversation becomes awkward? Well, nothing sometimes.

While Guadagnino’s typical cinematography may suggest whimsy, in WAWWA’s case the small structured and synthetic model of the military base is juxtaposed to the very concrete characters. When I started to view the show less as simply a televised airing of fictional characters and problems, and instead looked at them as people, I began to really enjoy it. 

Take the main character of Fraser, played by Jack Dylan Grazer. Fraser is meant to be seen as an extremely complex and troubled kid, but the difference between him and every other teen in a coming-of-age drama is that he isn’t polished. His drinking and drug habit isn’t framed as romantic or beautiful, in fact most of the time it’s portrayed as his weakness of sorts. In the first episode, Fraser has one of his mothers drive him home after getting pretty wasted and Luca graces us with a direct shot of him throwing up. And before that, Fraser is stumbling on a bridge when he drunkenly falls and cuts his face. Everything the character does is messy, uncoordinated, yet extremely real and relatable. Hell, in one shot you can clearly see him do a Naruto run!

Caitlin/Harper is a character that I enjoyed watching, as well. Jordan Seamon did a fantastic job and I really connected with their character. Initially we see Caitlin as this mysterious girl, and in the pilot we are meant to assume that their relationship with Fraser is supposed to develop into a romantic one. This is not the case as it seems that Caitlin is trying to come to terms with who they are. The biggest shift in Caitlin’s character isn’t their friendship with Fraser but probably when they get their period. 

This was a moment that even I related to, even though I am cis when I first got my period I didn’t tell my mom until the day after. The possible confusion and shift in their reality that Caitlin felt was only heightened with the conflict of their boyfriend wanting to be more physically intimate, and Fraser’s eventual discover of Harper. I would have like to see exactly why Fraser seemed drawn to Caitlin. I’m assuming viewers were supposed to think that Fraser is attracted to her, or something. But both Caitlin/Harper and Fraser are queer coded and their respective sexualities are alluded to not being straight. It would’ve made their standing as platonic friends more clear if this had been established stronger. 

I definitely think the writer could have devoted more time to giving certain characters proper conversations. It would’ve given more development to certain characters and better context for things. However even without that, there is a lot that the audience is showed that can’t be told through dialogue. The power struggle between Sarah and Richard being one. So far, there hasn’t been any explanation as to why they have a such a volatile relationship other than Richard being a homophobe. 

Through deeper inspection, I was able to interpret it as: Richard may heavily resent the fact the Sarah was promoted to Colonel and not him. It is never made clear who has the better credentials, Sarah or Richard, but assuming that she was the one promoted it is a safe guess. This may be highlighted by the fact that Sarah is a women, and also gay. Even before episode 7, it was clear that Richard did not respect her authority. I also interpreted it as Richard being upset that and openly gay women was promoted instead of him, a black man. 

Of course this is just based on my own personal knowledge of how the U.S. military can be towards people of color and LGBTQ+. Regardless, the competitive tension between two parents is palpable without needing dialogue to explain.  

When conflict happens, I can kind of figure out which characters are going to react and which one’s will stay silent. I think the show is trying to accomplish a drastically realistic and raw series. It took me while to adjust to it, but by maybe the 2nd or 3rd episode, it starts to grow on you. Despite not liking a good majority of the characters, I was very surprised by how invested I was in them. 

Like, Danny is my least favorite character because he displays very abusive and explosive tendencies, and doesn’t seem to care about the world around him. However, getting glimpses into his character and seeing how Richard ignores him for Caitlin/Harper, his suicidal thoughts, and how he is trying to reclaim his cultural and religious background makes me empathize with him. 

Even though I hate his character, I can see that he is struggling. I appreciate the way that this show freely shows dark skinned black boys dealing with mental health issues, and personal development. Rarely are issues like suicide talked about in the black community, so seeing Danny talk about it and Craig offering(admittedly poor)comfort was touching. This is a general vibe that I get from nearly all the characters on WAWWA. I also appreciated the how Danny is actively trying to convert to Islam. In shows, rarely is Islam ever portrayed in a positive manner. Especially when female characters are shown to be struggling with their religion, Islam is shown as this barrier that prevents them from living life. Hopefully it goes without saying that the “taking off the hijab” as a way to show that a female character is “liberated” is overplayed and does not offer any respect to the countless Muslim women who choose to wear hijabs. 

Now I think the pacing of some of the storylines could have been handled a bit more gracefully. Like how we jump from Fraser and Harper being kind of enemies(not really but you know what I mean), to just them hanging out in Richard’s boat was jarring. I would have at least liked to see the scene of them talking on the rocks at the beach. It would’ve given more insight on Caitlin/Harper’s character and also on Fraser too. Also how quickly Maggie and Lu(Jennifer but I love the name Lubaba, it’s my aunt’s name)jump into a physical affair. I just would have liked to see a build up of tension between all these characters but I don’t think this entirely ruins the plot. 

I was very iffy when I learned that the show would be focusing on trans identity and gender and sexuality, but not actually hire a trans male actor. I was afraid that the show would completely botch the experiences of being transgender, and honestly I don’t have the authority to speak on whether or not this affects the quality of the show. I am cisgender, and only can empathize with this particular situation as much as I can. But I would like to hear to the opinion of someone who is trans and elaborate on the ways that they did/didn’t like Jordan Kristine Seamón’s portrayal. 

Now at the time I’m writing this, the season finale has yet to come out. But I’d also like to briefly discuss the most recent episode and how it developed Jonathan and Fraser’s relationship. I was VERY worried that Guadagnino was going to take their relationship in the direction of inappropriate. While nearly all the depictions of Jonathan and his actions have been trough Fraser’s pov, it didn’t stop me from side-eyeing some of the interactions they shared. Of course after it was mentioned that Jonathan was supposed to be in his late 20s, nearing 30 I was immediately uncomfortable with the very flirty behavior he exhibited. 

So when the scene of Fraser going up to his apartment after Craig’s death, I was very on edge. If Guadagnino had gone the extra mile to show an even larger age gap then I would’ve been pissed. While I enjoyed Call Me By Your Name, the implication that sexual relationships between barely legal teenagers and adults well into their 20s was sensual is something that I see as very weird now that I’m older. So seeing Jonathan as the object of Fraser’s affections made me extremely warry. 

And honestly, I’m still surprised that the scene even happened in its entirety. I’m sure that Jack was not in any danger of being exploited but there were definitely points while watching I thought, what the fuck is going on? I was very worried that it would escalate, but I was happy to see that Fraser was the one who stopped it from going further.  It made sense to me that this scene took so many liberties to be as graphic as possible without being too graphic, in order to show why a situation like that would be scary and confusing for Fraser. It wasn’t lost to me that Marta and Jonathan were the one’s initiating all the sexual advances. They held all the power in that scenario, even more so because Fraser is younger and has the tendencies to not make the best decisions. Though it seemed that Fraser was trying, he knew that the situation was fucked up.

I’d like to hear what JDG felt and thought doing this scene. What was his character’s thought process?

I’ve seen a lot of people compare the show heavily to CMBYN, which is fine. Besides certain cinematic parallels that people pointed out, I don’t see the clear comparison. CMBYN is more of a love story and it’s more polished than WAWWA. Now when I say tat, I don’t mean it as a negative. Rather, We Are Who We is obviously more devoted to realism and its characters. I appreciate the inclusion of more LGBTQ+ people and black main characters with development, something that CMBYN lacked. And for some people who didn’t like the show based solely on the fact that it wasn’t a CMBYN tv show, I suggest just going into it with no expectations and enjoy the mess. 

And I’d also like to take a moment to commend Jack Dylan Grazer for his job in We Are Who We Are. All of the main cast are amazing actors and actresses and did a really good job bringing their characters to life. Though, I had always associated JDG with supporting roles that, while highlighted his acting talent, only put him in a one-dimensional light. As good as It 2017 was, JDG’s role of Eddie is only meant to be seen as a comic relief. In WAWWA, I was able to forget that he was teen actor, Jack Dylan Grazer, and really see him as Fraser. It’s worth mentioning that in a GQ interview, Grazer also mentioned how this role made him reevaluate is approach to acting. 

And after reading an interview he did with a Interview Germany, with him saying he spent months in Italy reading the script and trying to perfectly craft this character, I was immensely impressed. I hope that he knows that all his hard work payed off and made a really dynamic and interesting character. I really hope that in the future JDG continues with more mature or multi-dimensional roles because he displayed that he has the talent to do so. Him being so young makes me optimistic in knowing that he is definitely going places in his career. I also hope that there will be a season 2 of WAWWA because despite having hour long episodes, the show still felt way too short. There is a lot about Fraser’s character, and all the others’ characters, that I want more information and analysis on.

#We Are Who We Are #wawwa #wawwa spoilers #wawwa hbo #jack dylan grazer #jordan seamon #luca guadagnino #series review #I lived for the fact that Fraiser is an absolute mess cuz same #chloe sevigny #faith alabi #tom mercier #jonathan wawwa #hbo max #coming of age #kid cudi #spence moore ii #corey knight #francesca scorsese #alice braga #i can do a in-depth character analysis cuz i feel like there is a lot to every character that most people haven't addressed #really enjoyed it #if it doesn't get renewed im gonna fucking cry #fraser wilson #caitlin poythress #sarah wilson