#I'd rather my culture died than let you have it

[willownwisp]

love on me

iv. you're exciting, boy come find me. (di!leon x fem reader)

author's note: yayyyyyy, fourth entry !

cw: NSFW MDNI. love hotels. p in v. oral (f receiving and m receiving).

part 4 of ree's leon valentine's advent

If he had been born under different circumstances, Leon swears he'd surely become a beach bum. Better an idle man rather than get smacked by bioweapons day in and night out, not only that, but have the top brass of good ol' U.S of A breathing down his neck constantly. Yet, he's a man who has seen things, he'd already vowed to protect whatever and whoever he can. Cold and cruel this life may be.

So he loves the warmth of the sun on him, lying down on a sun lounger sipping on dry drinks. Enjoy the view in the tropics of crystalline beaches and white sand on his feet, letting loose and relaxing himself.

Unfortunately, after the events of Alcatraz, maybe he's had enough of the sea for now. He gives himself a pat on the back, takes out a chunk of his savings to go to Japan because you've been eyeing it. You said you were interested in the food, culture, and sights.

So here he is, you in hand, his cute girlfriend clinging onto his bicep like a bunny that hopped in excitement at every interesting thing you see because you're adorable to him like that.

You were extra flirty too, Leon had chalked it up to you being over the moon because you were finally in Japan after so long of dreaming it, he's smug and pleased with himself, he likes the good boyfriend brownie points, but you had other things in mind.

"Bunny, aren't you cold?"

Leon cocked his head to the side to take a look at you, in your skirt, crop top, and cardigan combo. He's not the type of man to control women and their clothing. Come on, don't people listen to Beyonce? Girls run the world. He doesn't really know who the fuck Beyonce is but he does know Sherry listens to the song.

"Nope."

You give him a cheeky grin, shaking your head.

"Besides, you'll warm me up anyway."

You say this with a wink as you both card through the busy streets of Tokyo as Leon gives you an innocent grin, oblivious to your intent.

"Of course I would bunny. I take care of my pretty girl."

He coos, before giving you a chaste kiss on your forehead, you giggle at how he missed your innuendo before smirking.

"I wanna go somewhere."

You reply as you slide your hand to lace both your fingers together, his calloused ones enveloping your own as you all but drag him to the busy streets.

You turn him around to an alley, google maps pulled up on your free hand as you show him, what seems to be a rather flashy building illuminated by red neon lights and blinged up signs. It was like the establishment wanted to be purposefully flamboyant.

"What am I looking at bunny?"

You flash him a toothy grin, Leon knows that glint of mischief in your eyes as you reply.

"A love hotel."

Leon is floored.

"A what now? A motel? Bunny, if you were horny I'd be hauling your ass back to the hotel room right now."

He breathes out, smoke escaping from his lips as he quirks an eyebrow at you, but you giggle.

"This is different!"

No shit.

Leon thinks inwardly as sapphire eyes scan the building once more. Motels for sex used to be inconspicuous during his time. He really is getting old.

"You wanna check in bunny?"

You nod your head quite excitedly with a huge grin on her face, there's no mistaking it. Your eagerness, and Leon relents. Of course you would want a vacation and his cock. No surprise there.

Leon sighs and squeezes your hand, being the gentleman that he is, leading you inside of the garish establishment. He'd be lyin g if he says he isn't the least bit interesting, you were always the more exciting and free-spirited one.

On the reception counter, he waits for the key, with you standing just beside him, hands still entwined. As Leon grew curious, you grew embarrassed. The lobby was decorated with red. Red hearts, mirrors, sensual posters, and oh god, the brochures on a nearby rack that had photos of toys and costumes

You're fairly aware that love hotels are popular, but now that you're gonna experience this for yourself, bashfulness and your own eagerness had you blushing.

Leon could see you, feel how you'd gone and overheated in his arms and you both aren't in the room yet. He chuckles, squeezing you. You got him going now, as a shiver runs down his spine.

"Are you interested in a specific suite? You can take a look on our brochure here."

The receptionist asks and Leon shakes his head.

"We're fine with anything."

The receptionist nods, handing Leon the key as he cooly leads you to the designated room. Despite his laidback demeanor, Leon is already briskly walking, adrenaline in his veins. As you both reached the designated room, he eases the key in the lock as it opens with a low clicking sound. He leads you inside first, following behind but not before locking the door while you turn the lights on. Another clicking sound, the lighting is a kind of low red and Leon blinks as he follows in, you both inspect the room with amusement and fascination. There inside the center of the room is a queen round bed, with a heart-shaped headboard, covered in satin sheets and what seems to be a confetti of hearts on the foot of the bead, even the pillows were heart-shaped, and the most ridiculous part were the mirrors. Everywhere. Mirrors on the wall, on the ceiling, mirrors of various  shapes and sizes at each of the walls. Red, heart-shaped lounge chairs and a faux tiger rug. Gaudy as the room is, it certainly looks like a place to fuck alright. 

Your eyes slowly adjust to the light, but you were beaten by Leon, who is certainly not the least bit captivated by the interior choices. He did, however, wanted to fuck you in it. He's already dropped his coat on the floor before proceeding to toss his shirt away as he stares at you with an amused smirk while you stood speechless.

"You embarrassed now?

He asks while putting his hands on your waist before turning you around to face him. Face his smug face smirking at you.

"Who? Me?"

You reply with a cocky tone.

"Nah."

You wink at him and he chuckles, he takes your hand pulling you to him as he strides to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Figures," he shrugs "You always wanna fuck me. Don't you, bunny?"

He coos before kissing your palms, your fingertips brush across his lower lip, and he kisses your fingertips one by one, the small act only making you shiver.

"Is that a problem?"

You ask him as that familiar warmth pools in your stomach, he had just finished unbuckling his belt and is now rubbing his hands on your thighs, before peeling your skirt off of you.

He gives you that same handsome grin, there was a sparkle in his eyes and you blush. You take off the rest of your upper clothing to help him before Leon pulls you to sit on his lap, his pretty bunny.

He presses his lips into yours in a sweet kiss, before sweeping his tongue on your lower lip, a cue to open your mouth, proceeding to stick his tongue inside your mouth, tasting you and you sink into his lap. The kiss a passionate tango and as you both part for air, his lips connects to yours with a thin strand of saliva. He swipes it with his thumb before chuckling.

"You're so fucking pretty."

He breathes out before lifting you up, only to place you gently on the bed. Leon's eyes roam over your voluptuous figure, smirking at the dampness on your underwear, he kneels down, peeling that last pesky article of clothing off of you, already admiring how swollen your clit is already.

"So fucking hot too."

He murmurs against your skin as he trails kisses on your ankle, your knees, and up your thighs.

Your breath hitches on your throat, you feel yourself soaking the sheets with every kiss.

Your blissed out face doesn't escape Leon and he smirks, he presses another kiss on your pelvis, before he presses a kiss on your clit. It was like a greeting, in his silly mind.  

His cold breath against fans against your skin before he takes a long, languid lick on your pussy.

Your hands immediately reach down to grip fistfuls of his dark hair, pulling him closer as he licked over your slit, lapping at your essence.

"Fuck, Leon."

You whimper, tossing your head back and Leon smirks against your pussy. He always liked seeing you coming undone with his mouth. His tongue dips into your entrance, the wet appendage flicking and curling inside you.

He presses his thumb on your clit while his mouth still worked on you, relishing in your sweet taste and breathy moans while you could only shut her eyes closed and sob his name helplessly. He doesn't let up, he pulls his tongue out to wrap your clit in his warm mouth and sucking it, inserting two fingers inside your sopping wet pussy. Scissoring and curling inside you while his tongue flicks and sucks on the hood of your clit. It doesn't take look that you gush around his fingers in an orgasm and he smirks. He let's you breath, admiring your flushed face as he stood up. Takes his boxers off and his thick cock springs out, already erect leaking with precum. He stands beside your face. "Suck."

Despite his domineering voice, he looks at you with soft eyes and you turn your body to his direction, you sit up on the bed. With a lick of your lips, your fingers trail over his abs, before your tongue sweeps across his slit, swiping it clean with his precum and he grunts, his body tensing in your touch.

"Fuck yeah."

He hisses through gritted teeth as your tongue swirls around the head before engulfing his dick with your mouth. You dip your head, swallowing him deeper as your hands grab his waits, until his length reaches the back of your throat, knowing he was looking, you don't break eye contact and you suck his cock, thick on your tongue and rolling your eyes while he looks.

"Shit, bunny. So pretty sucking cock like that."

Leon's voice is throaty and you know he likes what he sees, his dick practically jumped in your mouth and you moan. The vibrations make him shiver violently, and he grunts.

"Goddamn."

He breathes, patting your cheeks, A signal for you to stop and you peels yourself off him with a pout like he had just taken your favorite lollipop. Which is true, he is after all, your favorite lollipop.

"Don't be upset now. You suck cock so good, I won't last long."

You both laugh in unison as he breathes in to calm himself, while stroke his cock, he twirls a finger around.

"Turn around for me, bunny. On your fours if you wanna be good."

You hum in response, turning your back to bend over for him. You arch your back, with your ass perked up against him. In that moment, you understand why Leon wanted to fuck you from behind. The image of you bent over and him standing up, his dick plush on your ass is reflected in all of the mirrors on the walls and you let out a scandalized gasp while Leon only chuckles, sensing your embarrassment.

"Wanna see you moan while I pound you into that fucking mattress."

Leon winks at you from the mirror and you see his smug expression reflected everywhere. He kisses your ass cheeks, he's too horny out his damn mind now. He's inside you with one strong thrust, his thick cock all the way inside and he shuts his eyes close. Stilling for a moment to let you adjust to his sized as you close your eyes and whimper.

"Jesus Christ… no matter how many times I fuck this pussy."

He groans, sweeping his auburn strands before steadying his grip on your waist.

"It never gets used to me. Poor little thing."

The fullness makes you squirm and he savors the addictive feeling of your walls clenching on his cock desperate to get him to just fit. You're pressed against the mattress, your pathetic moans muffled by the sheets.

When he starts to thrust, finding that rhythm, your body jerks forward with every rock of his hips. His body moves to cover your own.

"Watch us baby."

He whispers, his tongue sweeping on the shell of your ear and you could only whimper. Clutching the sheets as he finds his rhythm with his hips rocking against yours.

"Look. Don't hide."

He raps before tugging on your hair to forcibly lift up your face while his free hand tug on your arms. You find yourself feeling small with Leon's muscular body covering you. The muscles on his arm flex as both his hands are now grabbing your arms and your hair. The way his muscles pulled and flexed as his hips slams against her ass, the way your ass bounced on him, the thin layer of sweat that coated his torso, the way his mouth hung open in ragged breaths, the way your breasts bounce at every thrust. You feel so turned on at the sight it was crazy. It looked so erotic. This only elicits louder moans from you, while you move back against him, meeting his thrusts.

"Shit!" Leon groans, clenching his jaw. This positions and rhythm was blowing his mind, coupled with how your face twists into pleasure and the heat that coiled in his stomach. This was so fucking hot, he really wouldn't last long.

"Come here" He whispers, planting a kiss on your shoulder, before pulling out which makes you whine in displeasure. He chuckles, both his hands grab you, picking you up. Manhandling your ass to pin you down the mattress. "Shh," he coos. "Not done with you yet bunny."

He chuckles before kissing your nose, guiding himself back inside your pussy. You chuckle as you look at the mirror on the ceiling.

"You've always had a nice ass."

You tease, despite the breathlessness of your voice and Leon only cocks his head to the side in confusion before following your line of sight, remembering that there was a mirror atop the ceiling and he chuckles, a rush of desire running through his veins with the sight of tangled limbs.

"Yeah, so?" His tone full of sass as he smirks. "Jealous much?"

You laugh as he places his fingers under your jawline, bringing your face close before crashing his lips down yours in a sloppy kiss, before moving inside you again. His pace rougher and faster, cock slamming down your pussy like a freight train as you lock your legs around his waist tight, bringing him close before you bite down on his shoulder and Leon hisses a curse.

He peels your legs off of him first before hooking your legs above his shoulders. He growls, this position slips him in deeper, and you squeeze his cock tighter.

"Holy fucking shit!

He exclaims, it's no secret that you both are vocal in the bedroom. You both love verbally assuring each other that the pleasure is mutual, you were always the louder one, but this time it was Leon. Completely pussy whipped with every clench of your walls.

"Got me drunk on this tight fucking pussy."

He grunts and your hands reach out to grab his hips, slamming down on you rougher with every thrust. Your nails digging on the flesh of his waist and he moans. His jaw slacked, sweat dripping down.

"I'm gonna cum inside yeah? Gonna fill this tight pussy up for making me this rabid."

He laughs as his thrusts become erratic. He knows you're close, just like you know that he's close as well.

"Goddamn, got me addicted to pussy."

He moans and your toes curl as he slams into you one last time. His body tensing up, shooting ropes of his cum inside you as you both climax together.

"Yeah, bunny. So good for me. Creaming on this cock like a good girl."

He soothes you, kissing your forehead as you tremble beneath him in the intensity of your orgasm, he looks at you intently. Rubbing your body gently. Not pulling out yet as you gush around his cock.

"You're so pretty when you cum."

He hums. You both cuddle up for a minute to calm down before he pulls out.

Much to Leon's surprise, you whine.

"Lovey… don't pull out yet…"

Leon chuckles, pulling you into his arms to cradle your body.

"Yeah? Give me a minute. Have mercy on the lil guy."

You giggle softly, you were feeling fuzzy and the throbbing in your pussy suggests you were not fully sated yet, and with the way Leon looks at you like a hawk, he wants another too.

"There's nothing little about that."

You retort, giving his chest a little slip and he has a proud look on his face.

"Yeah? Maybe I'll compare it with those next time. Gonna use it on you."

He winks, pointing at the assortment of toys just neatly placed on the bedside table that went unnoticed in the heat of your lovemaking, as you both share a hearty laugh.

#leon kennedy x reader #leon kennedy #leon scott kennedy #leon s kennedy #leon kennedy x y/n #leon kennedy x you #leon x reader #resident evil #resident evil x you #resident evil x reader #leon kennedy smut #leon s kennedy x you #leon s kennedy x reader #leon s kennedy smut #leon smut

[artist-issues]

You know... it also just seems really weird that Disney has been going out of it's way to subvert everything from its past.

If I put myself in the mind of "everything we were founded on, and everything we create before ~2016 was bad" I don't see why I'd keep going. Like... if Disney thinks Disney sucks, why be Disney? (money IG)

You're right! It must be a very discouraging thing to work for Disney nowadays, if you're the kind of person to think about legacy, or occupy your daily thoughts with some degree of foresight.

The truth is, there is a part of Disney that is successful because it was innovative--it raised the bar and set the culture.

But there's also a part of Disney that is trying to guess what the culture likes, and capitalize on that popularity--the culture tells it what to do.

That's all organizations. Some are brave and say, "no, this is who we are and what we believe, and you can take it or leave it." And usually the culture takes it, because the culture is inspired by strong leadership and clear identities.

But then they get a big following. And it's almost impossible for the organization that used to shape the culture to do anything but become terrified that they'll lose that culture. So then they start making decisions based out of fear, and self-glorification, and insecurity--the total opposite of the confident, bold, innovative identity it used to have.

Disney used to say "oh you think cartoons are just gags? Let me invent the first ever animated feature film--in color! See you in the National Film Registry, skeptics."

It used to say, "oh, you critics think all my fairy tale and animal movies are too light? That they've got no weight to help the kids face real life? Let me make a smash-hit about a Nanny who convinces a work-and-harsh-realities-obsessed father that what his children really need is a spoonful of sugar. Because yeah, life's hard, but that's why we make the job a game."

It used to say, "you think the animated genre died with Walt? You think everyone would rather watch George Lucas movies than a cartoon fairy tale? Let me introduce you to an Academy Award-winning Princess story we call the Little Mermaid. You can stop digging our grave; we just saved animation."

It used to say "you think it can't be done? Hold my mouse ears." And it just did it. And didn't care if audiences said silly, shallow things like "girls don't need to be rescued by a prince!!1!" Or "grown-ups don't watch cartoons lol!!"

Nowadays, though? They're so big they don't know who they are anymore. And they're so big they're scared to lose anything, or take risks. I'm sure there's a lot of political pockets involved, too. They don't dare say anything but what the loudest, most complaining members of our society tell them to say.

They're no longer trend-setters and trail-blazers. They're a monument that is whatever the loudest people tells them to be. Has to suck, when you're the company that followed Walt's "Keep moving forward" motto.

#Ya made me sad #I loved them #but good ask #asked #answered #Disney #there's a great big beautiful tomorrow #Tomorrowland #Disney company #notmydisney #not my Disney #real Disney #realdisney

[campbell-rose]

Helluva Rewrite: Millie

Okay, i dropped my phone in water and was so scared i'd ruined it, but thank the gods it was fine. Though it's fucked so i'm going to post all the IMP redesigns in short order before it dies and i lose them forever. Onto Millie!

I wanted Millie to read as a country girl. I remember being like ‘oh, that’s her voice?’ when I watched the first episode, because for some reason it just didn’t match her design for me. I considered giving her back the white splotch in her hair, but decided to change imps and give fem imps white horns. I’ve got two guesses for why it was removed: 1) she was originally trans and it was changed 2) the dimorphism of imps was thought of after the pilot. Either way, I like it. I suppose the explanation for this version since her horns are fem is she might have been born intersex?

I wanted her and Moxxie to contrast in their designs, as such she’s wearing less while he’s fully covered, she’s tall he’s short, etc... Now, as a Wrath imp, she has a darker skin tone and has spikes on her body.

Now, as a character, i'll build off of what the show has given us.

Supposedly Millie is secretly very insecure? From leaks she’s like willing to die because she thinks she’s holding Moxxie back and in Unhappy Campers she had that whole breakdown. Now, I think this actually could’ve been built up a bit.  

In the rewrite, Millie is the youngest of her five siblings and the second girl. Now, from the bat lets make her a bit of a drain on the family. They hadn’t planned for her birth, and it was another child her parents had to take care of with limited money. She picked up on this when she was little, realizing that her parents often cut corners and struggle, and she perceives this as her fault. This ties into how she mentions her family going to Loo Loo Land, except in this it was once and was specifically for her birthday. She knows her parents had saved up for months to afford the trip and feels innate guilt for it. Boom insecurity explained. 

Now, in this Millie meets Blitzo first. They bump into one another once Millie moves away from the Wrath Ring to Pride to try and alleviate her parents’ stress. During this time Millie has been working as an assassin for a couple months and ends up bumping into Blitzo who was hired by a different person to kill the same target. This would be during Blitzo’s attempt to start his business in hell killing demons. They fight for a bit, then realize ‘oh wait... let’s work together!’ so Millie was the first to join IMP. 

Millie trains endlessly. When she isn’t doing her job, she’s at the gym. She is constantly striving to be the best because her parents pitted her and her siblings against one another (unknowingly, with things like the harvest festival). As a person she is very observant and emotionally intelligent. She is very kind and loves conversation. She also is very tight with money, and very appreciative of any gifts she receives because she grew up with little. She treasures things genuinely and is just all around a very genuine girl. 

Now, other than fighting, she is fairly mediocre at anything else, due to the culture of Wrath mainly being kill or be killed and you have to be tough. One hobby and talent she does have and is working on is singing, something she shares with Moxxie and works as something they can do together. Millie loves to play guitar and sing and is constantly striving to improve. On the topic of Moxxie, Millie loves him deeply and wants only the best for him and some part of her feels like she isn’t enough. 

All around I want this Millie to come off as a very confident and genuine person, trying her best to push down the deep feeling within her that she is a drain on everyone around her. So when people start showing her with praise rather than screaming in agony she is enthralled. She loves the cheers of crowds, as it was often Sallie Mae getting cheered on during the Harvest Moon Festival while Millie was always second best. She wants that kind of adoration and acknowledgement. 

That’s it. Gotta work on finishing Blitzo and Moxxie rn

#helluva boss critical #helluva boss redesign #anti helluva boss #anti vivziepop #vivziepop critical #helluva boss rewrite #Helluva rewrite #helluva boss millie

[oneatlatime]

Hiii!!! I’ve been binging through your blog for the past few weeks and I noticed how you talk about how Kataang(Katara x Aang) is portrayed in the show. Honestly yeah, I will admit I didn’t like it at first but now I just don’t really care for it. But I’d be interested hearing an in-depth opinion on the ship(unless you already did and I just never noticed or forgot 😭).

Another question, do you think you’re going to read the comics that came out the series? If you’re asking my opinion I’d say they’re a uuuh 7-8 out of 10 IG?

I do have thoughts on Kataang which I haven't shared yet. Part of me thinks I should wait to answer your ask until I've finished the series; it's obvious to me that these two are being set up to be the big finale couple, which means if I talk about them now I'm probably missing the pieces I need to have a full, well-rounded opinion. But you know what? I feel like talking about them now. So here goes.

Short answer: It peeves me that Aang comes from a culture that seemingly doesn't even have parents, yet he still manages to date his mother.

Long answer: they're both way too young. I'm a huge fan of letting the kids be kids for as long as possible. Especially with these kids, who have been prevented from being kids by the war. As Katara points out in the opening scene of the very first episode, she's been the mother since her own died (or at least she feels like she has had to be the mother). Call me crazy, but I'd rather Katara spend a few years after the war doing dumb childish stuff to recapture that lost childhood than jump straight into a relationship. Isn't the safety and space to do dumb childish stuff one of the things those who are trying to end the war are fighting for? Shouldn't she get to enjoy that? And Aang is just way too young no matter what way you look at it. He's 12 right? I think that would make him a grade 6 student. Back in my day (yells at cloud) Grade 6 students collected yugioh cards and feuded over who had the snazzier lunch box. I could picture a 12 year old having a crush on a slightly older girl that goes to the same school, but it would be short lived and unactionable. I guess Katara would be around 14? So, a grade 8 student. A grade 8 girl would not date a grade 6 boy. It would just never happen.

They've both got bigger fish to fry. Aang is the last Air Nomad AND the current Avatar. When he fully takes on both of those positions, what time will he have for a girlfriend? Katara is the only Southern Waterbender. Whether or not she wants the responsibility, it will be her duty to single-handedly reconstruct a huge portion of her nation's culture from the ground up once she returns south. Does she have the time to ping pong around the globe mothering her boyfriend as he rides giant animals or does Avatar stuff? Say she wants to: what will her family and the rest of her tribe think of the only person who can access such a huge part of their culture riding off into the sunset?

Their current relationship dynamic is still too mother/son. This is more obvious in season 1 than in season 2 (maybe that's growth?) but you can't depict a male/female pair as pieta and then expect me to ship. I think this could change somewhat, but I've already been disappointed in that. I thought that once Katara had mastered waterbending and therefore felt she had something other than mothering to contribute to the group, she would back off with the mothering. And she did, a little, but not enough for my tastes. Maybe as Aang fully steps into the Avatar role and the last Air Nomad role (sidenote: no idea what the latter would look like) he'll move on to a more equal relationship with Katara.

I think Katara is meant for better things than rebirthing a nation. Bending seems to be at least somewhat genetic. So if Aang wants Airbending in any form to survive after his death, he's going to need a billion kids. While I could definitely see Katara wanting children, I don't see her as the barefoot pregnant type.

I'm not convinced that Aang has a clear picture of Katara. She has flaws, which is good! Does Aang see them?

I get the feeling that, while they are helping each others' skills grow as they travel the globe, they are also preventing each others' personalities from growing. As long as Aang is around, Katara has someone to mother. As long as Katara is around, Aang has someone who prevents him from feeling the full weight of his responsibilities. Again, this is worse in season 1, but how often did Katara deny that Aang was to blame for something that was at least somewhat his fault? Aang will never become a fully rounded person until he can look at his flaws and mistakes dead on and say "my bad" without a Katara in the background going "no you're perfect!" Katara deserves to find out what kind of person she is outside of a nurturing role. Quick thought experiment: what if you pair Katara with someone who needs no nurturing, or better yet, nurtures her? And what if you pair Aang with someone as bluntly truthful as Toph? Katara and Aang might find both of those situations uncomfortable at first, but I think it would contribute to their growth.

Aang having a crush on an oblivious Katara would be a great single season arc. I think it would fit both of their characters well, and I think Aang growing past latching on to the first person he saw after the iceberg would be a good way to show that he's rooting himself in his time-displaced present, and fully committing to ending the war. And don't get me wrong, I love Aang and Katara both as a fighting team and as friends.

These kids are all fighting a war, and all kids. I don't mind the supporting characters having romances, because it's not like Sokka or Suki can end the war, no matter how hard they try/might want to. But I'm a big believer in doing one thing at a time, and I think if you're the only person in the whole world who can end a war, then ending the war should take precedence over dating. I'm aware that that's an unrealistic expectation and out of step with the show's theme of balance. In the real world, birth rates skyrocket during war time because people live for the moment and grab happiness (read boinking) wherever they see it. But both these kids are pre-boinking age so I'm going to be a cranky old fart about it.

Being the wife of the Avatar is a position that will often come with being relegated to second place, especially with the amount of work that undoing a century of war will take. Although she works well in a team, Katara is a naturally dominant personality. Katara did enough of putting herself in second place before the series started. I think Katara could very easily fall into the pattern of subjugating her own needs and desires and putting her husband's first, but I don't want that to happen. And one way to prevent that from happening is to prevent her from dating the single most politically important person in the universe. (To be clear, Aang would never deliberately squish a wife like that, I just think the workload of being Avatar and last air nomad would cause that to happen)

A lot of my objections to this pairing are very adult objections. I don't know what I would have thought about this pairing when I was the age of the show's target audience. It undoubtedly would have bothered me less, although I probably would have been put off by how twee it is. As an adult, all I can see are babies playing house.

As for the comics, I hadn't made any concrete plans to read them. I don't know where I'd get access to them. I'm not sure how canonical they are. I guess I should probably decide whether or not I want to read them after I've finished the whole series. I've been told that my girl Jin appears in one of them, so I definitely have some interest. I have also had the Avatar Kyoshi novels strenuously recommended to me. But so much of Avatar's charm, to me, is in the medium. And while comics are closer to animation than books are, they're still static. Avatar does movement so well.

#ask #this got way too long #short short answer: they're too young #not much incompatible about their personalities #plenty incompatible about their responsibilities

[synergysilhouette]

Making Netflix's ATLA an AU instead of a strict remake: some changes I'd make to Book 1

It's my personal opinion that since ATLA was great as-is, it didn't need a remake (even if it is underrated). But if Netflix was gonna make one anyway, I'd prefer they made it an AU and make significant changes without marketing this as "this is exactly like the show you enjoyed as kids/teens." (Note: Possibly controversial changes below)

Sexism against male waterbenders because of Kuruk--Due to what is viewed as a "failure" on Kuruk's part to properly manage his duties as avatar and his spiritual corruption, male waterbenders are believed to lack the necessarily gentleness and spirituality in order to bend properly, with combat or healing. Given how Harun was removed (at least from season 1), he could've been rewritten as a waterbender here, with Pakku as his uncle, who still holds onto tradition, even if it holds him back. He's still knowledgeable and teaches Katara and Aang, but does so in secret, with Katara inspiring Harun to learn as well. Eventually when he's found out, he and Harun are banished from the tribe (because beliefs can't be changed in a day or two).

More focus on the Water Tribe--The idea is supposed to be that waterbenders were wiped out, but I do like the idea that we still explore aspects of Water Tribe culture, as well as making the territory larger. Given the fact that most of book 1 takes place in different regions and the Netflix remake kinda condensed things, I do want more episodes to take place in WT territory. Kyoshi Island for example is an EK territory, but is also close to the Southern Air Temple and the Southern Water Tribe, so their culture could be shown as more mixed, maybe even with some hidden waterbenders there. Another (albeit controversial) idea could be introducing Bumi in book 2 before introducing Toph, given that Omashu and Gaoling aren't super far from Each other. We could also introduce Hama here to share more of the SWT culture and introduce the concept of bloodbending much earlier so it's a conflict for Katara throughout the whole series. Perhaps maybe even adapt "The Swamp" episode in this season, since I'm not entirely sure it'll be made in the next season.

Ozai's psychology is explored more--In both the OG show and the remake, he's presented as the pinnacle of evil at a first glance, but that's not completely true. Just like everyone else, he's complex, with his evil being brought about by his upbringing. He isn't trying to rule just because; he truly sees it as his divine right, which makes his persuasiveness that much more powerful. He isn't quite as aggressive and relies more on his manipulation and charisma. As such, he's good and making people fear him, love him, and second-guess themselves. The remake had Zhao and Azula take him for a joke, tbh. I'd also make him more acrobatic and agile like Azula rather than just a hard-hitter, and he essentially tells Zuko the half-truth of Ursa's banishment, making it seemed like she killed Azulon and was planning on killing Ozai and Iroh next so that she could have the throne. In reality, Azulon died of natural causes, but Ozai made it appear as though he was murdered in order to frame Ursa. When she confronted him, he banished her and told her to stay gone in order to stop influencing their children. In fact, keeping with her storyline in the comics, Ursa does change her appearance, and Zuko meets with her several times throughout the series (removing the amnesia stuff here).

Lu Ten is alive (for a while)--Something I'd enjoy seeing for a minute would be evil Iroh. Let's say Ozai managed to best him in an agni kai for the throne (inspiring Zuko to do this to Azula later on), and Iroh volunteers to go with Zuko on his journey with the hopes of turning him against his father. With time, he develops affection for his nephew and becomes a better father than Ozai was. He believes Lu Ten won't be a threat to Ozai since he now has the throne, but Ozai sends him to help with the Siege of Ba Sing Se, where he ultimately loses his life. This puts Iroh at the crossroads of destiny like Zuko, but he chooses to defend Team Avatar instead. During his imprisonment in the Fire Nation, Iroh tries to calm the turmoil in Zuko's heart, which confuses Zuko due to Iroh's previous speeches and proverbs about power and triumph over his enemies. And I'd also make a rather odd change: both Lu Ten and Iroh are skilled in chi blocking. I definitely feel like Iroh would be well-versed in the art and teach it to his son.

More emphasis on Avatar Roku and Sozin's friendship. Seeing how Roku is Aang's past life and his friendship with Sozin was part of what led to the Hundred Year War, it should definitely take more precedence outside of book 3.

Iroh is Aang's first firebending teacher--This is super weird, I know, but if we're not gonna have Jeong Jeong, I like the idea that while evil (at first), Iroh is still super wise, and does give Aang a few tips on firebending, which he tries on his own, but lacking guidance he burns Katara (or Sokka; it'd feed into his insecurities as a non-bender if he gets hurt and Katara heals him).

Sokka/Zuko and Katara/Azula rivalry--I remember a video once explaining how Sokka and Katara are parallels of Zuko and Azula, given that their mom was gone at an early age and their father influenced them greatly. The big brother wants his father's love and is insecure, while the little sister seems more powerful and has issues regarding her mom. The big difference is that Ozai was a manipulative father while Hakoda was compassionate. Zuko wouldn't take Sokka seriously at first since he's a non-bender, highlighting Sokka's concern of being useless, and his growth would make Zuko feel more insecure in turn. Eventually when Zuko joins the team, they often work together. Azula is rational and a prodigy while Katara is emotional and still learning, but Katara gains confidence while Azula loses it. Just like Zuko, Katara sees it as her mission to stop Azula and sees the pain she goes through. I would also gives Azula a bit more frustrated moments to highlight her youth; a lot of people say she's beyond redemption despite only being 14 and the victim of growing up in an emotionally abusive household.

#avatar #atla #netflix #avatar the last airbender #aang #zuko #iroh #katara #azula #ozai #sokka

[wilcze-kudly]

I know this is a Beifong blog, and you don't have all the answers, but...Whatever happened to Sokka, Suki, Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai? Why haven't we ever see them in ATLOK (Avatar: The Legend Of Korra)?

Sokka

Well um, Sokka's dead for sure. We know he died before tlok, Katara mentions this in the first episode. The statue commemorating him also seems to be rather recent, as it is part of the Southern Water Tribe Cultural Centre, which was built by Varrick, I think. The fandom consensus is that he died in 158 AG, at the hands of the Red Lotus while defending baby Korra. However I couldn't find any canon confirmation of this other than hints.

We know he was a Conucilman in Republic City for a while, and later in life became known as Chief of the Southern Water tribe. My personal headcanon is that Katara was Chief until Aang died. After the death of the love of her life, I imagine Katara would withdraw more and share or hand over this particular responsibility to Sokka. I have more headcanons but this is meant to be objective soo..

Suki

I've seen a lot of rumours on Suki having died young, however, I cannot find anything confirming or denying those. From what we know, she went on to lead the Kyoshi warriors, she also acted as Zuko's bodyguard.

My personal theory is that Suki eventually left the bodyguarding duties to Ty Lee and continued to travel, spreading Kyoshi's magnificanet bisexual teachings.

She appears to still be with Sokka at least up until 124 AG, so... just into her fourties if I'm doing the math right. I do find it hard to believe her and Sokka wouldn't have children, though her serving in the Fire Nation and him spending a lot of time in Republic City may explain why they hasn't settled down yet. I do have headcanons (*cough* Baatar Sr *cough*)

Aang also tell Tenzin that Suki had "skills Sokka could only dream of" so... our underrated queen stays winning.

Azula

Azula, Azula... We have no idea what happened to Azula. My hopes are that she will get her redemption in some way or another, but she is not mentioned in tlok or any other media that I've found.

So... let me dream. I've always adored the theory that Azula eventually became the Bhanti Shaman we see in tlok. Now, there are rough edges to this theory and I don't actually believe it, however it makes me happy.

There are certain surface level similarities in appearance, but seeing Azula gain enlightenment and a sense of peace in an old age means a lot to me. I could ramble about this headcanon all day. Feel free to ask me about it.

Ty Lee

We don't know much about Ty Lee other than her still being an active Kyoshi warrior in 124 AG. My assumption is that sh was a member of the organisation in some form to her death/ or till tlok. If she were, I'd imagine her organising whatever Kyoshi Warriors there are in the Fire Nation. I could also see her being an aunt figure to Izumi and still acting as a defender to the Firelord in some capacity.

We have no explicit mention of her death, so she could be alive and kicking, doing backflips at the tender age of 80 something, hey I believe in her.

Mai

While Mai and Zuko did break up in the comics, I can see them getting back together later in life. She deserves to be firelady, and I think she'd be damn good at it too. Something about the girl who was always told to be quiet and obedient becoming queen makes me all guddy inside. Besides, the similarities between Michi (Mai's mom), Mai herself and Izumi are undeniable. Jawline as sharp as one of those throwing knives, goddamn.

Whew! This took more than an hour of research and typing (mainly cause I'm slow as fuck and need to check my sources every 10 secs) so I hope you enjoyed, anon! While yes, I am a Beifong blog and asks about the Beifongs, particularly Suyin's children will always make me super giddy, I enjoy all asks. Sorry for injecting my personal headcanons and biases, but I did my best to be objective!

#sokka #suki #sukka #azula #ty lee #mai #maiko #korra #izumi #firelord izumi #aang #tenzin #varrick #baatar sr #legend of korra #tlok #avatar #the legend of korra #avatar the legend of korra #atlok #atla #lok #avatar: the last airbender #the last airbender #avatar the last airbender

[natarice]

A3 - Event Story - Nomadic Bartender (1/11)

Customer A: A gimlet, please.

Guy: Coming right up.

Customer B: The way you make drinks is rather beautiful.

Customer A: Yes, I agree. Every movement is so smooth.

Customer B: When you mix a cocktail, it looks like you're casting a magic spell.

Customer A: It's a real joy to watch.

Guy: Thank you very much. Here is your order.

Syu: ...

Guy: Welcome.

Syu: I think I'll have a Gibson today.

Guy: All right.

Syu: The winter troupe's next show is coming up, isn't it?

Guy: Yes. Preparations are beginning soon. Please come see our performance if you can.

Syu: As I recall, the spring, summer, and autumn troupe rookies each got to play the leads again in their most recent performances. Which means you're next.

Syu: I'll definitely come see the bartender who always makes such delicious drinks take center stage.

Guy: ... I look forward to it.

Syu: You know, even though this bar has a lot of customers, it still manages to have a calm atmosphere.

Syu: I'm thinking about stopping by with an old acquaintance of mine next time. He used to be my father's assistant.

Syu: He left the troupe after my father died and we fell out of touch, but we happened to reconnect recently.

Guy: I see. Then, please feel free to come here together any time.

---

Tsuzuru: Okay, we know that Guy will be the lead in our next play. Now we need the theme...

Tsuzuru: Is there anything in particular you want to do, Guy?

Homare: I'm sure he has something in mind. After all, Guy has become a wonderful theater junkie since our fourth performance.

Guy: I have been thinking about it for a while, since I knew I would be the lead for this play ahead of time.

Guy: If possible, I'd like the play to be about a bartender.

Izumi: A bartender?

Guy: I opened Journey because, like Citronia, I wanted to share Zafra's culture with everyone. But now I also feel like it's an important part of who I am.

Guy: It's something I would like to bring to the stage, as well.

Tsumugi: A bar setting suits the winter troupe's mature atmosphere.

Tasuku: I can easily picture Guy in a role like that as he is now.

Izumi: Since our last winter troupe play also focused on a specific job, we should be clear about what sets this one apart.

Tsuzuru: What if we add another element to it?

Izumi: Like bartending plus a food stand? Wait, that sounds like a manga or something...

Tasuku: What about bartending and battles?

Hisoka: Recently, there was a customer who said that Guy's cocktails were like magic.

Tsuzuru: Bartending and magic... a magical bartender sounds pretty interesting, doesn't it?

Homare: Indeed. The winter troupe doesn't usually dabble in fantasy.

Azuma: I think Guy has a mysterious, almost mystical air about him that suits a magician or wizard.

Tasuku: Sounds good to me.

Tsumugi: I agree. It's definitely a different approach than Blanc the Florist.

Tsuzuru: Great. Let's move forward with this, then.

Izumi: We're counting on you!

Guy: I'm looking forward to the script.

Izumi: It's been a while since Guy has played the lead role. He seems pretty excited! I wonder what kind of performance this will be?

---

Guy: ...

Azuma: I haven't seen that charm in a while.

Guy: I wanted to let my father know that I'll be playing the lead role in our next performance.

Azuma: I see...

Guy: It may be impossible right now, but I hope I can tell him directly some day.

Azuma: I'm sure your feelings are reaching him.

Guy: ... You're right.

---

Next

#a3 #a3 translation #a3 event story #a3 game #a3! #a3! act addict actors #a3! translation #a3! game #a3 winter troupe #a3-event-nomadic

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Malleus Draconia Masquerade Dress Personal Story: Part 2

"We should begin from the top once more"

(Part 1) Part 2 (Part 3)

[Diasomnia Dorm – Lounge]

Malleus: A song… And can such a thing truly be a suitable gift?

Azul: Oh, to brush it off as a mere "thing"… It seems you don't know the full weight of your worth, Malleus-san.

Azul: If a mage as distinguished as you were to perform a song at this social gathering from the deepest reaches of your heart…

Azul: Our hosts at Noble Bell College would be more than honored.

Azul: In addition, it would be a lifelong memory for those who participated in this cultural exchange.

Azul: This would be a much more wonderful present than some perfunctory token of appreciation.

Sebek: Human… No, rather, Azul-senpai…!

Sebek: You truly do understand the splendor of Malleus-sama!! I see you in a different light now! This is a spectacular idea!

Malleus: Hm. Is that truly so?

Sebek: Yessir! If I were to receive a song performed by you, Malleus-sama… I would feel I've died and gone to heaven!

Silver: I also love songs. As long as it is sung whole-heartedly, your feelings are capable of reaching anyone.

Azul: Indeed. Songs cost nothing, and yet are full of passion and leave a favorable impression. It's especially ideal for students like us to organize and perform…

Azul: It is the best, most cost-efficient present possible!!

Lilia: That sure took a sudden turn… But, yes, a song might be a good suggestion.

Lilia: Show them your singing, and they in turn will have a chance to become acclimated with you. Then perhaps you’ll find you fit in better with everyone else at the cultural exchange.

Lilia: When it comes to songs performed at Noble Bell College in the City of Flowers… One comes to mind.

Lilia: It is an old song that has been passed down in the City of Flowers for generations. If you were to perform a song beloved by the locals, your hosts should be overjoyed as well.

Malleus: I see. Lilia, elaborate more on that song for me, please.

Malleus: Silver and Sebek, I'd like for the two of you to gather all those who will be participating in this little exchange.

Malleus: I have very little experience when it comes to undertaking a musical performance with a large group, but I assume it will require much more preparation than if it were to be only for one person.

Malleus: Once we have settled on the piece, we shall have to assign parts, and begin practicing… From now until the day of the cultural exchange, we shall be extremely busy.

Azul: Indeed. Let us all do our best!

Azul: We'd selected a song as our cost-efficient gift choice, and I have been chosen to be featured as one of the main vocalists.

Azul: Up until here, it had all gone according to my plans, but…

Malleus: Ashengrotto. You started that part just now half a beat off.

Malleus: Additionally, listening to the chorus we recorded earlier, it seems as though the parts we sing together aren't harmonizing well.

Malleus: That is no good. The most important part of the chorus is the harmony… At least that is what Lilia has told me.

Malleus: Perhaps the fault lies with me. We should begin from the top once more to see where we can improve ourselves.

Azul: H-How proactive… I never expected Malleus-san to be this eager!

Azul: I helped create this training program, and yet for us to go through such a rigorous lesson… This is far beyond what I expected.

Malleus: Shroud, you should listen to Lilia's example more, as well.

Lilia: The tune here should be like, "♪La la la～～". Go on!

Idia: ………………la………, la……

Malleus: What is the matter? I cannot hear you at all.

Idia: I-I mean… Think about it…!

Idia: You got me, me of all people, to come all the way here to Diasomnia, so if anything, I should be getting an achievement or something!?

Azul: True, you did well to leave your room. I wonder, will it hail later today?

Idia: I was so hoping a meteorite would come crashing down, cancelling the whole thing.

Idia: And I was trying to figure out how to avoid this whole thing with Ortho back in my room, too…

Idia: But then Silver-shi and Sebek-shi just barged in with such force!

Idia: I didn't think my intricate security system could be beaten by sheer "brute force." I'll have to upgrade it tonight.

Lilia: Kufufu… If you're going to strengthen your room's defenses, we'll just increase our offensive capabilities.

Lilia: The impressive security system you folks in Ignihyde hold dear is no match for Diasomnia whatsoever.

Malleus: Indeed. Both Silver and Sebek, along with the rest of the Diasomnia students…

Malleus: Are under strict orders until after the cultural exchange has concluded to make the success of this song their highest priority.

Idia: No wonder I felt the glares of Diasomnia students wherever I went! Isn't this an abuse of the Dorm Leader's station!?

Azul: So, they are a thorough surveillance system, as well. His leadership abilities know no bounds…

Malleus: Understand this: Every single one of us who are participating in the cultural exchange will be a part of this special gift.

Malleus: On top of that, we, as the main vocalists for this event, are even more vital. You both are essential pieces of this gift…

Malleus: Which is why I will not allow either of you to leave Diasomnia today until you are able to perfectly sing the first part of this song perfectly.

Idia: He look scary serious…!

Idia: I already can't stomach having to practice singing the song in the first place, but somehow that intense pressure he's exuding makes it even harder to deal with!

Azul: Indeed. And the even bigger nuisance is…

Lilia: Alrighty, let's quit the chit-chat and get back to practice. I'll start the song over from the beginning, so Malleus, you go ahead and sing first.

Lilia: Okay, music, start!

Malleus: ♪ Frightened by the daybreak～

Malleus: ♪ I would wish countlessly～～

Azul: Malleus-san…

Idia/Azul: HE'S TOO GOOD AT SINGING!

Azul: While he has the proper technical skills… Somehow, he also has the ability to deeply touch the heart of those who are listening.

Idia: How's he this good at conveying emotions? What, does the royal training for the heir to Briar Valley including singing, too!?

Lilia: I do recall that back in Briar Valley, he had some musical training in order to improve his imagination ability, but…

Lilia: It seems he's put in an enormous amount of effort here. He must have practiced a lot.

Malleus: That's right. Every day, I practice by myself for two hours when I awaken, and two hours before I slumber.

Azul: If we're to sing alongside Malleus-san, then we will be expected to have an equal singing prowess…

Azul: I should not have been content with simply my ordinary practices. I also need to do more rigorous training!

Idia: So, you got the practice with all the reps, then the practice with the three main vocalists, and then another 4 hours of independent study…!?

Idia: I don't get how you have that much energy…! Or, more like, when do you actually sleep, Malleus-shi!?

(Part 1) Part 2 (Part 3)

#twisted wonderland #twst #malleus draconia #azul ashengrotto #sebek zigvolt #lilia vanrouge #idia shroud #twst translation #twst malleus #twst azul #twst idia #twst silver #twst sebek #twst lilia #twst glorious masquerade

[e-the-village-cryptid]

What did you think of Rogue One?

Ah boy. Ok. First, a disclaimer that this is just my opinion, not me declaring some objective truth about the movie. Just because I felt one way about something doesn't mean I think everyone has to feel that way. If people really liked the movie, I am honestly happy for them! And if you really liked the movie to the point where someone disliking it will upset you, you may want to stop reading now. That said, here's my review.

Overall, I'd give the movie 2.5 stars on a scale of 1-5. Maybe 3 if we're being generous, because it was fun to watch in a casual way at some points, and some things were done well— Jyn's character and Galen's moral quandary were the high points for me. Everything else, though— storytelling, sense of place & visual feel, dialogue, characterization, most of the action sequences, overall plot— was disappointing to me. There was very little originality to be had in any of it, and although of course things don't have to be wildly original and never-been-done to be good, it felt like I'd already seen this movie a hundred times, except done better. Most of all, the majority of it felt flat and lifeless. It would have been extremely forgettable to me if not for Andor having already made me care about some of its characters.

Things I liked:

Jyn as a character. She has an interesting backstory, was well-acted, and has a depth and dimension that I feel the other characters were missing. I am very curious why, upon seeing that movie, the decision was made to dive into Cassian's backstory instead of Jyn's (although of course I'm glad we got Andor!). I think Jyn's time growing up being trained by Saw Gerrera would make quite an interesting story. (Watching her singlehandedly wreck like 12 people while Cassian watched in awe was definitely fun, haha.)

Galen's choice. I think this posed a truly interesting question. Was it true that the Death Star would have just been built without him? Would the destruction of Alderaan have happened without him? Did building in the flaw make up for the fact that he still in fact built it? Did his choice save lives or destroy them? Did he do it because he truly believed he could save lives that way, or because he was just trying to stay alive himself? Was it bravery or cowardice, or both in some strange combination?

K2. He was fun to watch, good comic relief, and I empathized with him a lot.

The death scene on the Scarif beach. Beautifully shot, acted, and directed. No notes.

The music. Lovely, orchestral, classic Star Wars scoring.

Things I didn't like:

My main issue with the movie is how flat everything felt. The characters, the setting— everything felt lifeless. It was hard to get emotionally invested because nothing felt like there was a true spark of life behind it. I'll go by points here.

The settings. The visual effects fell flat to me, but even beyond that, there was no humanity behind places like Jedha. It felt like the extras were told to mill back-and-forth aimlessly in front of the camera, rather than being given something to do that would give us a background glimpse into the culture of a place, as on Ferrix in Andor. The lack of depth to the setting made the locations feel like sets, not planets, and made it hard to feel a real sense of place and emotional connection.

Pretty much every character except Jyn was completely one-dimensional. None of them felt like real people at all, just devices to move the plot along. They each had their character archetype and were not allowed to deviate from it at all, and their choices came not from their characterization or their motivations, but from whatever the story needed in that moment. Their decisions felt contrived, making the characters not believable as people.

Many parts of it felt afraid of genuine emotion. It would pull back on the sincerity right as people died, refusing to actually let the emotional impact hit. Maybe this is a function of being directed at a younger audience, I don't know, but to me it felt like a refusal to take the world and people seriously in a way that affected my emotional investment.

The plot felt like a straight highway where you can see right through to the end and there's nothing by the wayside but endless fields of corn. I'm not even asking for twists, it's just... there was just not much there at all. No real arcs aside from the main one of getting the death star plans, no interesting or unexpected wrenches in the main plan, just... bland.

The action sequences were almost comically cliched. Nothing wrong with some well-used tropes, but after the second time Jyn wound up hanging off some ledge by one hand and had to dramatically haul herself back up, I could no longer keep from rolling my eyes.

Much of the dialogue was stiff and not believable. It didn't feel like people talking, it felt like the writers trying to deliver information.

The blocking was often very contrived and awkward to the point of feeling goofy.

Wow, they really managed to pull the "magical Asian" trope AND the "blind but can ~sense~ everything around them so don't worry they're not actually disabled" trope in one character. Really being efficient here.

(Also, not a critique but I am so genuinely confused on why they were all so dismissive of Chirrut. They treated him like just a wannabe, but... The man can literally dodge bullets and read minds, why the fuck is that not impressive or even like... useful to any of you?? Truly baffling, I do not understand it at all. "He's not actually a Jedi, so his ability to do crazy levels of Force magic that none of us can do doesn't really count" huh????)

(Also not a critique, just another thing I'm confused about now after watching— Why has Saw been so vilified, in canon and by fandom? "He's an extremist" everyone here is literally involved in a violent rebellion, he's doing the same thing "He's uncooperative with the other rebels" Rogue One also went rogue, because the other rebels were wishy washy and unwilling to commit "using Bor Gullet to read people's minds is so unethical" no more unethical than shooting your own source in the back of the head. What happened to enjoying grey morality? Anyway I stan Saw forever.)

#oof this got long #i'm gonna get anon hate for this lol #listen i was 1. directly asked 2. very careful with the disclaimers #ask tag #an e original

[running-with-the-feels]

Hi, Tundra!

So, I was reading this post of yours and it got me thinking...

In the post, you say, though Hanzo lived most of his life identifying as a woman. He never partook in the tattooing traditions, but he wanted to have them done as a way to connect to his culture.

Now I'm curious how it would be if he DID get the tattoos?

In your headcanon, you said he took a while to realise he was trans, but now I wonder, if he did get the tattoos (something deeply connected to femininity/womanhood), would that change things for him in any way?

Cause I believe there's a difference between "I'm doing this because I want to feel closer to my culture as well as having a link to the person I once was" and "I'm doing this because that's what's expected of me giving who I am" with the later maybe leading to a "but wait, is that really who I am?"

What I mean to ask with all this rambling is: Hanzo getting his tattoos would affect his perception of himself in any way?

Love your Ainu Hanzo headcanons! I loved that you got into the tattoos subject cause I really wanted to see something related to that!

Please, keep sharing your HCs, I'd love to read more!💛

So, given that I am not Ainu and I can't find anything on how transmasc Ainu handle that subject, I'm not comfortable speculating on that. Though if anyone knows of any sources where I could find info on that (be they research articles or speeches/talks by Ainu ppl about the subject, etc) please let me know!

What I will say, is that from the information I can find (see: https://www.tota.world/article/127/ and https://www.tattoodo.com/articles/tattoo-history-the-tattooed-ainu-women-of-japan-8745 and https://dajf.org.uk/event/the-meaning-of-tattoos-for-ainu-women) the tattoos were started young, deeply sacred, and stopped when a woman married. It also seems like a woman couldn't get married if she wasn't tattoed and I can't find the article but I remember one mentioning that when the practice was outlawed, the Ainu worried about how not having the tattoos would affect their ability to be properly put to rest when they died (Don't quote me on that and if you can find an article that mentions that I'd be really grateful bc I cant find it anymore)

Since the tattoos are a lot less common now, some Ainu women will paint them on for special occasions, rather than get them tattooed or bc they can't get them tattoed for one reason or another.

Given that Hanzo has already been married, that probably factors into the complicated web of feelings he has around it and whether or not he can continue the practice (in his own mind at least, I don't think that he'd be able to ask anyone within his community about it either out of discomfort or not being in contact with anyone)

So, tldr, I don't know but it's definitely something I think Hanzo would struggle with, mostly bc of being so disconnected from his heritage and community (I hc that his father just refused to teach him anything about it, or even acknowledge they were Ainu)

#trans hanzo hasashi #hanzo is ainu #mortal kombat 11

[robotlesbianjavert]

do you have any horror manga recommendations? I've been reading them a lot lately

ooh that is a very very good question!! and honestly if you've been following me for a while you've probably seen my catalogue of horror manga lmao. as much as manga is my preferred medium compared to anime and ykno i have a casual fondness for horror, it actually takes me a while to work through new manga DX DX i do have a couple of stuff i can probably suggest, though.

(since you're actively seeking horror, i'm gonna take a guess and assume you're not really in need of any major trigger warnings, since a lot of these recs include gore/violence/sexuality/abuse/general skeeziness, or at least can anticipate that you're gonna run into unsavory stuff, but you can follow up and let me know if there is actually something i should take note of.)

One thing I find with horror manga (and horror in general, but manga especially) is a common big genre drift with things action or comedy or adventure or something. A lot of the well-known names on rec lists have horror elements rather than being primarily horror, or the horror influence ends up downplayed as the story goes on. but still excellent. If I have recs in the realm of "horror-lite/influenced", I'd say:

Kemono Jihen by Sho Aimoto, kid joins a detective agency in Tokyo meant to resolve supernatural incidents between "kemono" and humans.

Dandadan by Yukinobu Tatsu, a girl who believes in spirits & ghosts and a boy who believes in aliens become friends! And a lot of things happen because the creator assisted for Fujimoto of Chainsaw Man fame, so it has a lot of the same off-the-wall, irreverent humour. While it's not as tight or classy as CSM, it's still a fuckin fun romp with nice horror moments.

Both of those I actually need to catch up with, haha. I'll actually recommend Can You Just Die, My Darling? as well, although I'm not sure if you're the anon who recced it to me first. Much stronger on the horror & violence elements, but it's another one I still have to catch up on.

I'm trying to avoid the obvious recommendations that you can get off any list, like Junji Ito or idk. Tokyo Ghoul, Dorohedoro or something like that. But special shout out to Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni. I'm most familiar with the 2006/07 anime series rather than the games (besides a couple of let's plays) and the manga, but I watched it with my sisters when I was young, LONG before I considered myself a horror fan, and I still consider those question arcs to have some of the best horror sequences ever experienced blind. Hugely influential.

In a similar vein to trying to avoid obvious recs, I know that Shuzo Oshime has gotten more popular as of late, but I've been working through Blood on the Tracks, which is about really insane mommy issues, so if you're cool with that!! You can also check out his other works that I haven't gotten to, but yeah I think he's

For probably my biggest recommendations though - the first one is a short-ish read, I think it was only one volume? The other two were excellent recommendations from my friends!

Helter Skelter by Kyoko Okazaki is about how fucked up the modelling & beauty industry is. There's also a movie adaptation that I haven't watched it.

Hikaru Ga Shinda Natsu (The Summer Hikaru Died) by Mokumokuren, a relatively new BL ongoing series about two friends who live in a rural village - except one of the friends had disappeared months ago in the mountains.

And my actual personal favourite recommendation, Kurosagi: Corpse Delivery Service. It's about a team of students at a Buddhist college who start a company to deliver corpses. They also solve murders along the way! This is a really great series and pretty easy to get into, I think - there's some ongoing plot, but a lot of the arcs are more episodic in nature. A lot of fun discussion on Japanese culture and views on death, it's funny, the gore and horror art are just great, it's just a cool unique series. The only thing is that while I believe it's completed, it's not fully translated in English - I think translations only go up to chapter ~89? So while there's story threads that are unanswered, the translations don't end on a cliffhanger at least.

I do have a "To Read" list compiled after going through some other rec lists / Youtube videos about horror manga. I can't speak to the quality of these yet, but they must have been intriguing enough for me to write them down. Here's a selection of them, not including general creators I wanted to check out:

Dai Dark by Q Hayashida of Dorohedoro fame

Doubt, Judge, and Secret by the guy who did the Higurashi manga.

Another

The Serial Killer is Laughing in the Rain

As the Gods Will

Jagaaan

The Horror Mansion

Fear Infection

Mushihime

Homunculus

Ichi the Killer

Mister Arashi's Amazing Freakshow

PTSD Radio

Dementia 21

Dark Hideout

Halloween Desetsu

The Quiz

Mantis Woman

Presents

If you've read any of those, or get to them before I do, or read any of the prior recs let me know your thoughts!! Always down to chat horror.

Aside from that. Well Digimon: Ghost Game was pretty fun when I was watching it. Had some spooky ooky moments. If you like Digimon o:

actually i'm going to use this opportunity to again reiterate how validated i was when horikoshi had that comment about how he'd like to try doing horror when one of my prominent thoughts when the MVA arc was running was how much potential the guy had as a horror artist and how it could really free him. my goddamn vision.

#thank you anon <3 <3 <3

[archivalofsins]

~I'd rather eat crow than let you know my true feelings~

Firstly, thanks to @sinfulequity for making this first image for me.

Secondly, Kazui eating the dove at the end is the best symbolism in Milgram trial two.

The way he starts off hesitantly biting into it seemingly disgusted with himself.

His gaze not straying from her as he commits more and more to what he's doing over the course of the scene. The expression work throughout the mv is amazing.

Oh right, the dove. Doves have been symbols of peace, serenity, spirituality, hope, renewal, and love throughout many cultures. They've been most heavily related to love and purity. In Japanese Mythology they are related to Hachiman a Shinto deity of war and archery since doves are that deity's familiars.

Highlighting how the dove toes the line between peace and strife or romance and heartache. Similar to how emotions like love toe the line between joy and despair. This aligns well with how Kazui views his relationships as balancing act between how he wants to appear and who he is.

Continually shoving down his own feelings on the state of things.

"Since when have I ignored my feelings? It’s better to be a let down, than to be let down yourself." - "Where did I go wrong, probably from the beginning."

Again, the expression work is killing me. The cheap forced smile on Kazui's side the way he's smiling but not smiling with his eyes in contrast to his wife who is beaming with joy!

Kazui eating the dove in the end in my opinion is too perfect. It's the buildup of all his behavior so far, all culminating in one feral and panicked moment as he tries to be the cat that got caught swallowing the canary- Because the alternative is telling his wife he never loved her at all.

It was just a drunken mistake, nothing happened sounds far better than well, I never really loved you anyhow at least not in the way you wanted.

Imposter Boulevard Trial 2 Voice Drama

"It’s not my lies that killed her. She’s dead because I stopped lying to her! If I had just kept lying- She wouldn’t have died…!"

"e.g I can't be your ideal person. Does that surprise you? Didn't you expect that?"

To me eating the dove just comes off as him very literally going "eat your heart out and swallow those feelings down". If honesty kills, then it's best to lie for everyone's safety than to selfishly live honestly.

Trial 2 Voice Drama

You know, about Kant…

"Ah, the one who said you shouldn’t lie even if your friend might get killed."

From his point of view, if your friend dies because you didn’t lie, there’s no causal connection between the two… or so I’ve heard.

"I don’t think so, though…"

Even if you don’t lie, your friend might survive. And if you do lie, your friend might end up dying on a different occasion. That’s the reason why you’re supposed to always tell the truth.

"…That’s convincing."

It’s not really.

"Yeah, it’s not."

Kazui really is the same as always, “Lie, until it gets better.”

#milgram #kazui mukuhara

[septembersghost]

in a timeline where Elvis had been in good health and lived longer or even was still alive! what do you think might've happened with his career?

this is a great question, and i love it despite it also making me unspeakably sad. obviously so many things would have to change for this to happen, and there are endless hypotheticals that can be asked about him - what if he'd gotten, and been willing to accept, help with the pills and his other struggles, what if he hadn't been trapped in vegas, what if he'd left parker, what if he had had the chance to make dramatic pictures and choose/record more music that inspired him rather than the movies and soundtracks he ended up having to do for so long, what if he hadn't been drafted, what if his mother hadn't died when she did - any one of these changing potentially changes the whole course of his life. but let's say nothing is different except he's healthier and survives. keep in mind elvis would've only been 45 in 1980, and, all things being equal, his voice would still have been strong and clear and beautiful. i don't think he's the type of person who ever would've wanted to stop creating and performing. the 80s gets us into an interesting time with music, disco fizzles out, a bunch of fresh rock and pop and country sounds rise and flourish, hip-hop begins to enter the mainstream. another big thing that happened was the revitalization of broadway, with particularly flashy, sweeping musicals. barbra streisand, who'd primarily been recording various forms of pop as it shifted for a good decade or so, along with her successful film soundtrack music, returned to her roots and released the broadway album in 1985 (one of my albums of all-time), when el would've been 50, and it was seen as a gamble, but turned out to be a huge hit. elvis may not have been a musical theatre performer in that sense, but he had a natural affinity for drama and flair, so it'd be cool to know if he would've taken to any of that or incorporated aspects of it (in my head, he'd totally enjoy the phantom of the opera). the rock sounds, the r&b, the fusions in pop and country, all of that would've piqued his interest, i think, because he was so passionate about music and was so skilled (and such a sponge for it across genres) at adapting it. so he could've experimented with new sonic forms, kept expanding his abilities and repertoire. i'd love to imagine that he'd have flown away out of vegas and finally gotten to tour the way he wanted. i even think he would've added innovation to the culture and music happening at the time. if he'd remained well and found creative outlets that inspired him, it's something he could've kept going on and building for a long while. i feel certain he would've done more gospel records too eventually, while still staying current at the same time. i imagine any of that would've somewhat altered how his legacy has been viewed, especially the wrongfully disparaging commentary. maybe he'd be like some of the other artists we've seen, paul, elton, bob dylan, billy joel, and so on, and kept playing well into his 70s. maybe eventually he'd have retired instead and taken time for himself (and you asked career specifically, but i hope he could've found some personal peace and love that he kept looking for too), but...part of me really does think he never could've left making music or being onstage and sharing that love and energy with an audience, as long as he was able. he would've found those songs to keep singing. which is what he did do in life. if only he'd had more time.

kind of off-topic/an aside, but i honestly believe he'd be so, so touched, and so amused regarding some things (i simply know he'd dissolve into that contagious laughter), that the young women on the internet, even a generation behind me, (after i explain the internet to him, i will tell him <3) are listening to and watching, and writing and reading about, and making countless fanvids and edits/gifs/etc for him in 2023. i hope in 2027, when he's been gone for fifty years, all the fans right now, new and old alike, still hold onto part of what they're currently experiencing. there's something indescribably wholesome about it (even in the thirst posting tbh, because it's still his power?!). i just cannot fathom any current star having this effect decades later, including the ones i adore. not because they aren't great, not because they aren't creating wonderful, lasting work, they undoubtedly are, but so much has shifted in how we absorb and keep and pass that on which alters it along the way. elvis' status as the best-selling solo artist of all time could *maybe* be broken eventually (although it's not in the foreseeable future), but it won't actually be comparable because streaming and everything within the industry has vastly changed. another difference, unfortunately, also lies in the tragedy. i hope our current young musicians have long careers and carve out happy, peaceful lives free of as much of that torment as possible, but the immense sadness and mythic rise and fall of it all are why we culturally still cling so much to certain people - as i've oft mentioned with EP, MM. to those eternally young and heartbreaking figures. if they'd experienced recovery, and lived the long, contented lives we wish they had, would we be this captivated by them now? or do we look into the abyss of their absences and hold them closer to keep them alive, to understand and feel that connective empathy? it's deeply human nature to be drawn to trying to understand the shadow of that darkness chasing their light. we want them to live and we can't give it to them, so we find ways to bring them to life instead.

i wish he was here to know how beloved he is, and i wish he was here because it would mean the trajectory of his life was far more gentle. i wish he was here to laugh with us about it and see us singing and dancing along to his music as if it was brand new, but i do believe he often looks down at us like:

#i keep thinking about #when you're gone who remembers your name who keeps your flame who tells your story #you could've done so much more if you only had time #what is a legacy? it's planting seeds in a garden you never get to see...who lives who dies who tells your story #in this particular case there are professional storytellers carrying that torch forward exquisitely. but. there is also us. #and we're just as much a part of the fabric of the story and its ongoing life #i really do believe there's a spiritual connection and graceful intervention that happens particularly with art and specifically music #and i feel that in a profound way and i know that's how it was supposed to be #he's not here but he is #i know that because look at us right in this moment 💖⚡ #anonymous #letterbox #elvis presley #* #so i keep singing a song #i was a dreamer

[screametc]

avatar: the way of water initial thoughts & first impressions (as a longtime fan!)

so i saw the advanced screening of avatar: the way of water (shortening to twow for the rest of this post) tonight, and i want to get my initial thoughts out while my brain is still reaping the benefits of this redbull.

this is mostly for personal reference, but feel free to interact w/ this post as much as you like! i'd love to know how other people felt about the film, whether you dis/agree with me, why/why not, etc. this seems obvious and will be tagged, but spoilers ahead!

(just some of) what i liked:

the worldbuilding and the expansion of the pandoran lore/universe was stunning, in particular the culture of the metkayina. i felt that twow did so much justice to the original film in this regard, at least as much as was possible within the framework of the narrative.

in avatar 2009 we obviously had human!jake as a vehicle for learning more about the na'vi and pandora, whereas by now he's fully assimilated into omatikaya society; by having the sully family seek refuge with the metkayina, they were able to fill his previous role collectively, centering the metkayina and showcasing another gorgeous, detailed, rich na'vi culture (which i think bodes well for the future of the franchise, as there's so much untapped potential still on pandora!)

speaking of pandora, how can i not mention the visuals? they were obviously top tier, especially the underwater scenes. the trailers are truly only a taste, and those were already so beautiful

the motion capture was smooth, fight scenes were fun and well choreographed (insofar as choreography is relevant for these kinds of action sequences) - and, take it from a star wars fan, fight choreography is important

the number of callbacks to avatar 2009 made me personally very happy! obviously, references and callbacks do not make or break a film, but they're still fun and very much appreciated. a little gift for OG fans!

all the new characters, but especially the sully children

what i didn't like:

this might be a me-thing, but the scope of twow felt so much smaller than avatar 2009. the finale in 2009 is a battle for all na'vi kind, a battle for pandora, a battle for freedom. the climax of twow is the semi-resolution to something that has, over the course of the film, already happened three times (the sully kids being taken hostage by quaritch).

following on from 1, i think this has to do with a change in theme. it's subtle, considering that twow makes plenty of references to environmental concerns and is in some ways even more explicit in these than its predecessor (instead of mining pandora for resources, the humans are now actively seeking to colonise it as a replacement home), but it's clear that the story has gone from being about freedom generally, to a family legacy narrative - the sully family legacy. this isn't inherently a bad thing, and it might play well to some audiences who feel the stakes are intensified by that more personal/familial angle, but it didn't jive with me.

unanswered questions! are these humans still the RDA, or is this a specific government? their goal is to colonise and settle rather than to mine for resources, which indicates something more than a profit motive and has me leaning towards government (the RDA was an NGO), but it's never explicitly stated (there might have been visual clues that answer this, such a logos, which i'll keep an eye out for in my next viewing). who is kiri's father? (please, for the love of eywa, please let her not be an immaculate conception. i can't handle another anakin)

lack of character arcs for some of the main cast. i can forgive this if these issues are rectified in future installments, but as it stands, there were just so many new characters, it's hard to even give all of them dialogue, let alone meaningful development and fully realised arcs. jake re-learned the lessons he learned in 2009 (he doesn't want to fight for his people/would rather run and hide instead because he's a dad now and family comes first, i guess, but then he learns that he can do both - better later than never?)

to expand on this: kiri has some kind of super connection to eywa, neteyam... dies, which i suppose can loosely be considered an arc, and lo'ak is exactly as impulsive and hot-headed as he was at the beginning of twow (which i actually loved - he's such a perfect reflection of his father, while neteyam takes after their mother), but this time (the climax) it pays off, which is less of an arc and more of a plot necessity.

lack of dialogue for neytiri. i understand it's no longer just her and jake's story, but she felt almost... sidelined in favour of her children, and that was such a shame as she truly carried 2009.

i want to stress that these are my own personal opinions. they're totally subjective, and also subject to change upon future rewatches. the aspects of this movie i had the most critiques about might be some of the parts you like the best!

in fact, i'd love to know if that's how you feel. i'd just love to talk avatar! it feels so special that after 13 years of waiting we finally have this sequel, and i know i'm going to be thinking about it for a long, long time! these are early days yet and i'm sure there's much discussion to come

#avatar 2009 #avatar twow #avatar the way of water #james cameron avatar #avatar spoilers #text

[tyrannuspitch]

Your Thor metas are interesting. I agree that the neck-touching is very unusual and seems to carry abuse imagery throughout Loki's entire arc (and it's how Loki died by Thanos). I have siblings and I don't think I've ever touched their necks. I am not sure if you like being perceived, so let me know if not.

hi! thank you :D i don't mind being perceived - the reason i post in my own tag rather than the main ones is because there was a stage when i was making 30 or more posts a day and i didn't want to either a) get discoursed or b) get banned. comments questions criticism etc are all welcome :)

and yes, i don't think i've ever done that to my siblings either. but, then again, i've also never used "brother/sister" as a serious form of address. i'd say that, as a non-aggressive gesture of affection, it seems to be a lot more normal within an asgardian cultural context. we see it in a few other relationships:

thor to sif in T1. thor persuades sif to leave the battlefield when it becomes clear she can't win. thor is quite forceful here too - he fully turns her around to look at him, and he's clearly giving her orders - but there's no anger or threat in it.

thor to jane in TDW. they argue - jane actually hits him - and then thor puts his hand on her jaw/neck to tell her "fate has brought us together". thor is trying to get her back on his side, and to cover up his own nerves. (the latter doesn't entirely work.)

odin to frigga in TDW. this is just a gesture, no real tension, but it is a little possessive - he calls her "MY queen" at the same time - and authoritative - he's trying to dismiss her fears for him.

thor to bruce in T3, i think? i can't remember the specifics of this one, but at some point, thor uses it to try to keep bruce calm so he can stay in his human form.

which gives us an interesting bundle of connotations, even before we get to how it mingles with violence for thor and loki specifically.

it's a medium-intimate gesture (friends, family, fellow warriors, etc) that's meant to project an air of invulnerable authority, calm down the recipient, and impose order and social cohesion (which is sometimes a synonym for obedience.)

there are two couples on the list, but even disregarding loki and bruce, the presence of sif makes me pretty confident asgardians don't view it as romantic by default (the way some viewers seem to), since thor not having feelings for sif is A Whole Thing.

HOWEVER. i do think it's subtly gendered - we always see it done by a normative/ideal man to someone with less social power - a woman, or an "overemotional" man, or someone who acts outside their gender role (loki + sif)... etc. (not saying that's a hard rule, to be clear. just an interesting pattern.)

(and it's also relevant that the three recipients of this gesture in TDW - frigga, jane, and loki - all either die a sacrificial death or, in jane's case, very narrowly escape one. TDW treats (self-)sacrifice as a form of subjugation.)

[it's also interesting that there is, as far as i'm aware, precisely one reversal, where the gesture goes up the power dynamic instead of down (loki to thor), and it's in a *deleted scene* in T1. i know a lot of people like to take deleted scenes as canon, and sometimes i do too... but i also like to consider the fact that they ARE, deliberately, deleted. they could've shown us a break in this pattern, but they never did.

(i mean, this certainly won't be the main reason for deleting that scene, given that the motif was solidified in the avengers, but still... it could be a factor. and regardless of intent, the pattern is interesting.)]

[edit: i misremembered the deleted scene! it's STILL thor to loki in that one. so we have NO reversal at all...]

so ummm yeah! overall... in this story, it's not always overtly aggressive to touch someone's neck, but it IS generally pretty hierarchical. and it is pretty normal in asgardian culture... but of course, they're an absolute monarchy. a lot of bad things are "normal" to them lol.

#space viking tag #god this got long. sorry. head full of bees #and idk in case it isn't clear for anyone reading this: #of course *in a vacuum* the neck is just a body part and there's no particular reason why touching it should mean... anything #but we have cultural expectations/norms #and in fiction we also have like. accumulated symbolism and patterns #so. in thor *specifically*. it's Ominous. #meta #ch: thor #ch: loki #r: loki + thor #th: neck touch #th: gender + sexuality #th: servant prince

[gear-project]

Annon-Guy: Sorry if I already asked this, but what are your thoughts on Tsundere's, including the ones who comically attack their love interest? They tend to get a lot of hate for being "abusive". Example: Kagome from Inuyasha.

GP Mini-rant on Manga ahead: Readers HAVE BEEN WARNED!

I'm actually not very fond of Romcoms (Romantic Comedies) in terms of my personal tastes.

There have been stories like Seto no Hanayome (My Bride is a Mermaid) which takes abuse of the male protagonist to the extreme… and sometimes I have to wonder if there is some disconnect between people who understand men versus people who are fans of the female gender in Japanese Culture.

You have this "idea" where women are the dominant force in all relationships in the manga writing, be it Tsundere, Kuudere, Yandere, Yuri etc…

And counter to all this you have all these reincarnation stories where the male protagonist dies and gets reincarnated with god-like powers to dominate his own harem as an act of "revenge" against the women (mostly) who wronged him.

While I do like some elements in Fantasy stories (and even Harem stories on occasion)… like I said, there is a huge disconnect between Japanese culture and more realistic relationships out there, which suggests to me that Men or Male culture in Japan is highly diminished and separated from real interactions with women.

I'd also argue it's not all that different here in America, and let's not even dive in to the sub-categories of gender preference that people have enforced these days.

Rather, the traditional concepts of romance or even marriage and family has been tossed in the gutter, if not forgotten altogether by modern culture and beliefs if you ask me.

Maybe there are a "few" stories and manga/anime out there that claim to embody the genre "slice of life"… But which slice of WHOSE life? What's "normal" anymore?

I'm not saying that it's all bad or inconsistent writing, or even that the manga out there isn't worth reading… some stories are REALLY GOOD… But I am saying that a lot of it is unrealistic and not very wholesome to readers without understanding the underlying culture as context.

There's different ideas of what is "funny" or "humor" and minor differences in culture without any explanation can really transform a joke between friends in to a controversial offensive debate.

Inuyasha (and its spinoffs) have been around for many MANY years… so that brand of gag humor is consistent with the author themselves, but a lot of that humor is better expressed in the manga, rather than how it is interpreted in the Anime adaptations… especially considering the idea that Kagome's relationship with Inuyasha is much more seriously expressed in the Anime itself… (you can actually see this expressed more in the sequel to Inuyasha: Hanyo no Yashahime, particularly when the girls encounter their parents who legitimately love their children despite being half-demon).

It's somewhat like trying to explain Tsukkomi and Boke/Manzai comedy to people who don't get why it's funny (and even then, you can't guarantee that that brand of humor would be considered "funny" to some people).

Well… at the end of the day, there's manga you like and manga you DON'T like… and that applies to everyone.

I've got my share of reading lists, and not everyone likes what I read (in fact I often see a lot of people dropping the manga I read sometimes).

What this all boils down to is that if you want to find a type of character (male or female) that you "like", sometimes you won't find it in some cultures.

For example… if I were to describe my "ideal romance"…:

The woman is aggressive and passionate but also respectable and honest with herself… and the relationship is healthy and still reasonable (meaning they do consider marriage as a prospect in the future and don't take things too far unless their intentions are to stay together).

The man is adaptive, also reasonable, understanding, but also has his own standards but isn't particularly portrayed as perverse or obsessed with the female gender, rather he'd be "obsessed" with the person he falls in love with and have wholesome and healthy reasons for that.

The relationship wouldn't lean entirely on the man for support OR the woman… and you'd actually GET to see what a healthy relationship is like for a potentially-married couple. The responibilities and burdens both sides have… and how they support and help one another in a realistic setting.

If the manga story I've just described rings any bells to you, GOOD, that means there's still people out there who understand what realistic romance is like!

Well anyway… that's enough discussion on THAT topic… But well.. I do like my weird subgenres… reincarnation god mangas, super harems, monster girls, and other ODD stories… but well, even if they ARE unrealistic, at least a few stories have the sense of self-awareness to point that out to readers (I've seen a few good harem stories actually DO that with the struggles each female character HAS inside the Harem).

Part of the reason I read Harem genre is "because" it's complex, like a juggling act, and history has shown poligamy to be this mystical concept few people comprehend in romance because of our basic selfish nature to want to be FIRST in our significant others' thoughts.

Well that's it for now… If you ask me though, there's not enough Mecha and Science-fiction genre manga out there, emphasis on the SCIENCE.

#GP reads Manga #Romantic Comedy #Manga Subgenres