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#both very interesting places aesthetically for a base
neproxrezi · 1 year
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i shouldnt have gone exploring bc now i wanna relocate my base so i see this all the time
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(the only problem with putting your base at the top of a hill is that like. whenever you wanna go anywhere step 1 is get off the hill)
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goldsbitch · 2 months
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Right? p6
part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5
summary: Y/N is a photographer for McLaren F1 team. Hard working, goal oriented professional who would never put her career in jeopardy for some stupid crush, right?
warning: smut
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Life in formula was a fast one. But alas, there was finally a moment where a date had been set for your first official date indoors. Two week break between races provided a nice opportunity.
You were based in the UK, but one little Monaco trip didn't hurt anyone, right? No hotel room. Zero back up plan. It was strange how complicated it was for you two to get a moment for each other. You were not even sure what make of this little crush. Whatever. In the end it was a nice little trip.
So there you were, standing in front of an address he shared with you - casual elegant outfit, newly done hair and just a little bit of more than you got to do during busy work days. It was more for yourself than for Lando really. Everyone likes to feel like the it girl sometimes, right? This whole affair was a nice detour from the goal oriented life you lead every day.
There you were, standing in the open kitchen in Lando Norris's apartment. You could care less where the two of you were - as long as there we no prying eyes and you could look at each other with lust in your eyes without needing to hide anything. Teenage hormones overtaking the adult brains within milliseconds.
The looks. The random touches. The abnormal proximity. Nobody to hide from.
He ordered take out, as cooking was not a thing any one of you found to be interesting. He had obviously made some touch ups to the place, dimmed lights and all cleaned up, he had a nice elegant shirt on and the kind of messy hair that screamed "I actually spent an alarming amount of time on it". Both of you playing a little game, as if fooling each other was even an option at this point. Light innocent conversation felt like a like dance - who is going to break the rules first?
"Mr. Norris, this is all very nice," you pointed out, "but I believe we are here to review some photos."
He took a napkin to clean up his face and played the game along. "Oh, silly old me. Must have forgotten. Of course. To the screening room."
The two of you got up from the table, Lando's hand on your lower back and his cologne hitting you in the face in the best way possible. Oh why, oh why, why were you getting into this mess? You wanted to be taken into his arms like a naughty teenager kissing her classmate for the first time. Letting him guide you into pleasure. You finally explored how his skin covered his perfect face structure, there was nothing hiding his features. And unlike with your pictures, you could actually see how his jaw moved when he spoke, especially with the perfect light hitting him now. He got you. He understood your need to aesthetics. You could take a photo of his right there. Preferably without clothes hiding his body.
He turned his projector on. This was all part of the cat and mouse game.
"I need to see the pictures you have first. You owe it to me at this point."
He closed the distance between the two of you, looked you deep in the eyes, his blueish greenish ones filled with a need and after long minutes spent with a dinner, that none you actually wanted, he kissed you. Differently that ever before. This was tender, not slow, but somehow free. His soft lips caressed yours and you could have melted right then and there. Only then you understood why all the singers praised the first kiss - this felt like one. He was not afraid to explore, to observe your reaction and feel proud for making you feel that way. He was speaking to you in a language only touch could understand and his words were loud and clear - I want you. And there was absolutely no way either one you would wait a minute longer. Not after how he touched you at the gala. Not after all the meeting he had to sit with his dirty thoughts making it impossible for his to concentrate. Not after all the night you wished he was on top of you. Not after how you mesmerised him while taking photos of him. His hands grabbed your waist firmly, wrincling your dress and sending thunders through your body. You grabbed his hair, pushing him even closer, as it that was even possible. If desire was a color, there would be no other color present in the whole city. Your bodies seemed to understand each other, there were zero thoughts going into your movements. You roamed around his shoulders, he wandered off to touch your ass and slowly started to pushing you towards the couch. You never felt anything as comftable as this specific couch - but one would say it was Lando's body pressing on top of your that was the selling point. His chest touching your boobs, his waist pressed on your and you could feel his erect dick begging to be touched too. Hot blood flowing inside both of your bodies. You started working on unbuttoning his shirt and he smiled into your kiss, not having parted your lips since he first locked them with his. You knew he wanted to say something, so you stopped him by biting his lip and sticking your tongue into his mouth. All bets were off tonight, you both knew why you were there. So he helped you with his shirt, the with a swift motion got you out of your dress before you could even notice, and started working on his pants. It was all very quick, passionate and hard. This is not how you're suppose to be acting towards your team driver. You're not suppose to be fucking him. You're not suppose to be stroking his dick. Oh, but how good it felt to hold him in your hand. Finally, right? It will just be this one time, right? But if it was just this one time, you'd make it a good one. You didn't even know when he stuck his fingers into you, because they felt so natural, you might have thought they were always supposed to be there. Oh, but it felt good - so good - too good. You could have gotten of just with his light motion, but that was not in his plan for tonight. He watched you, being totally present in that moment, right there and then, and he got drunk on the way your body reacted to his actions. When he knew you were more than ready, he finally entered you and one could write a single chapter on how exctatic that felt to him. You were quickly put into some sort of trance, cause by his motion. It was like being on a different planet. In that moment the only thought you could gather was why the fuck did you ever had sex before meeting him and if your previous experiences could even count as such. You got locked in the moment, focusing only on his moves, closed eyes and having touch as the only source of your sensory receptors. He on the other hand let your soft moans in to get him going, moans that only seemed to get louder and higher with every minute that he fucked you. He moved faster, than slower, than faster again. He wanted to try different positions with your, but he wanted to take this view of you bounding under him, to his memory so desperately that he did not dare to endanger the moment you two had.
It could have been minutes. It could have been hours. Time stopped being a reliable way to measure this moment. You came twice, he pulled out and came all over your chest. The two of you laid next to each to other, as much as the couch allowed, trying to catch your breath. There was only one thought on your mind. Fuck. How were you suppose to walk past him now?
You both were riding the pleasure high for few moments. Hearts slowing down, taking in what just happened after weeks of built up tension.
You stayed naked in each others embrace. You traced Lando's freckles, creating shapes and constellations. He was way less subtle and focused on light touches of your nipples. It felt fragile, tender and intimate. Pure contrast to the vibe you had just minutes prior.
"I know it's not ideal," he spoke softly. You froze, not knowing where he was heading with this. He noticed and continued immediately. "Not ideal because of McLaren and stuff." You nodded, not wanting to continue this conversation. But he did. "However...I am having a nice time. And I hope you're too," he waited for your answer, which only came in a nod. He gave you a weak smile. You just didn't feel safe yet and he understood. He leaned in to kiss you - at least that what you were expecting. Instead he stopped right before your lips and whispered. "I was promised some super secret photos, wasn't I?" You smiled, happy that the tension got broken again. Flirty was something you knew how to do with him. "Only if you show me yours too, sweetie." "Oh, I am so ready to dwell into the beauty the two of us are," he sighed and finally kissed you.
part 7
_______________________
@i-wish-this-was-me @lqvesoph @ophcelia @noneofyourfbusinessworld
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redr0sewrites · 11 days
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ATSV Characters with a Goth S/o
heeeeeyyyyyy guys 😇 *slowly sliding the 100+ REQUESTS in my inbox to the side to make room for a new special interest*
🥀Cw: none, mostly fluff!!!
🥀Pairing(s): Hobie x reader, Miles x reader, Miguel x reader, Spot x reader
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Hobie
he would LOVE any type of alternative partner tbh- he just LOOOVESSS that ur goth and will support you 100%
people who go against societies expectations/standards and don't fit in with the norm intrigue him, and your style is probably what piqued his interest in the first place
y'all definitely wear matching fits sorry i don't make the rules- hobie just can't pass up the opportunity to match w you!!! whenever you go to meetings within the spider society he always brings you along, regardless of whether or not you're a spiderperson and hobie loves showing off you and your style
MAJOR "THATS MY PARTNER‼️" VIBES
look me in the eyes and tell me hobia would not absolutely rock some funky eyeliner LIKEEEEE- he def lets you practice on him and will do your makeup for you too!!!
hobie loves thrifting with you, there is no way he isn't a major thrifter and you both definitely DIY a lot of your clothes
HE MAKES YOU GUYS MATCHING PUNK BATTLE VESTS FOR YOUR ANNIVERSARY, AND MAKES SURE THAT IT MATCHES UR AESTHETIC AS WELL!!
hobie absolutely has BLESSED music taste, but while he usually listens to rock, punk, dad rock, or post-punk type of music, i def see him enjoying more gothic/new wave music- especially if u introduce it to him!!!
i see him enjoying bauhaus, sisters or mercy, scary bitches, etc- he'll also give YOU a lot of music recommendations and help to expand ur taste!
hobie would also accompany you to any protests or conventions that you wanted to attend, and would act as your scary dog privileges
YOU TWO DEFINITELY GO TO CONCERTS TOGETHER OMG. I TOTALLY SEE THAT AS A SPONTANEOUS DATE THAT YOU TWO ENJOY A LOT
honestly hobie is a lovely partner to have if you are goth, and he's not only supportive but VERY enthusiastic about your fashion and lifestyle!
Miles
hes such a sweetheart!!! he definitely supports you if you're goth and asks a LOOOT of questions lmao
miles draws you and your fashion a lot, and will def design makeup or eyeliner ideas for you too!!! while ik this is more associated with punk, i also see miles drawing you a few custom patches and stuff like that
your kind of like his muse in a way, and miles just really enjoys sketching you, especially since you have such a unique aesthetic and such cool outfits
HE HAS DEFINITELY GRAFFITIED U SOMEWHERE‼️
he loves watching you get ready and do your makeup. seeing you do perfect eyeliner wings and heavy makeup in general lowkey relaxes him, and he just loves admiring you
im sorry but miles knows absolutely nothing about goth music or culture, ur gonna have to introduce him to a lot of the songs/bands!!!
while i don't think he's huge on the music at first, i think it would grow on him over time. its definitely the type of thing that he loves because YOU love it, and he sees how mu much you enjoy it so he starts listening to it as well so he can talk to you about it
i think his favorite band would be the cure, and his fav songs would either be boys dont cry or the walk (both by the cure- idk why thats so specific but they just kinda fit his vibe yk?)
miles likes holding hands a lot, and he loves when you wear rings or gloves or something along those lines because it just reminds him so much of you! your hands just feel different compared to other peoples and he just loves how unique you are
if you have a lot of piercings, miles would definitely ask about them or buy you specific jewelry for piercings!!!!
overall, very very cute and supportive about your style!!! (he lowkey gives bi wife energy, and iyk what in talking ab then ily mwah)
Miguel
he's pretty indifferent to your style at first, i don't see him as the type to judge much based on appearances. its your personality that really throws him for a loop, and a part of him admires your dedication to making yourself look how you want to look and truly living to be your best self, regardless of what others think
if you think miles knows nothing about being goth then be prepared for miguel bc he knows NOTHINGGGG- no music, no history, no political views, zero, zilch, nada, goose egg
if he cares about you i do see him being intrigued about your style, and once you two are officially dating is when he'll show more interest in your personal fashion sense
he strikes me as the type to like, NEVER listen to music, so he literally only listens to the music you like!!! he does find himself occasionally humming the tune of some strawberry switchblade song or casually listening to a siouxsie and the banshees song while he works, and over time you influence him a LOT with your music taste. he definitely associates any and all goth music with YOU, and that's probably why he starts enjoying it.
he's a "hand on you at all times" type of guy, and while he is rarely touchy with others, miguel is definitely keeping you close. your fashion makes that convenient for him, and he loves pulling you into a kiss by grabbing onto your belt loop or something of the sort
miguel loves how you look with and without makeup on and isn't afraid to tell you that, however, he really likes it if you incorporate his colors or color scheme into your makeup one day. he'll never admit it, but you keep catching him admiring you with the smallest smirk on his face every few seconds
if anyone ever gave u shit for what you wear and how you dress, especially someone in the spider society, you'd practically have to restrain miguel from drop kicking them across nueva york- he doesn't want anyone to be rude to you , and while he knows you can stand up for yourself, he just gets protective at times
Spot
goth? whats that???
he's lowkey such a nerd, and spends too much time being science-y and planning on how to beat spiderman to actually get caught up on fashion
spot doesn't know how he pulled you tbh, but he appreciates you nonetheless!!! he thinks you and your aesthetic are something to be admired, and will unabashedly tell EVERYONE he knows about you
he will shoplift any clothing or jewelry that you want, and he'll even take you to other dimensions where there are better alternative clothes as well
spot doesn't really have a face to do makeup on, but he'll offer to do yours for you! surprisingly enough he's pretty good at it, though he does work pretty slowly
spot loves fiddling with your accessories, whenever he's standing near you he's always reaching out to touch you in some way shape or form. he loves playing with any chains or necklaces you wear, and will help adjust them so that they lay correctly
he helps you get ready in the morning!!!!! if ur the type of goth to wear corsets, he makes lacing them up SO easy and will gladly do it for you
i personally hc that spot HATES seeing himself in mirrors/pictures, it reminds him sm of what he used to look like, but he LOVES taking photos of you and your style!! whenever you are wearing a cute outfit or have funky makeup on, spot adores just taking photos of you
if you ever did a makeup look inspired by him and his spots he would probably CRY :(
URGRHHRHHRRR I LOVE ATSV SMMMMMMM!!!! this post will DEFINITELY have a pt2 w more characters!!!!! i swear tho atsv literally pulled me out of the most horrendous burnout ever i FELT the artblock and writing block lift off of my body as i watched it. IM SO INVESTED I MADE A SPIDERSONA...
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phantomyre · 8 months
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Analyzing Vincent's Chamber in Rebirth
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Vincent's Chamber as seen in FF7 OG
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Vincent's Chamber as seen in Crisis Core Reunion
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Vincent's Chamber as seen in Dirge of Cerberus First off-- this is obviously highly speculative, and borderline obsessive, but anyone who knows Squeenix and has done any kind of deep-lore investigation with FF7, you'll know that they like to include a lot of details and symbolism. As such, I think we can glean a few things based on what we see within the 4 seconds of Vincent's reveal. For those who've played FF7 OG, you may immediately notice the 'dungeon' Vincent is meant to be locked in no longer resembles a prison-- but rather a study lounge. Cobwebs, skeletons, chains, etc are all absent. Not only that, it is furnished in such a way that implies someone still lives there. One of the first details we may notice is the ample books strewn about, both half-hazardly stacked around an antique luxury leather chair, and many more by a large bookshelf and others besides. One book in particular is laid open beside on a nearby coffee-table, indicating it was the most recent book of study. Notably, there is a porcelain mug beside the open book, presumably filled with alcohol as there are several liquor bottles nearby. The lantern placed in the center appears to belong to Cloud and Co as the room is already heavily lit by wall lights and candle-sticks. Likely Cloud and Cait ventured into the chamber on their own before the rest of them team showed up, Vincent being awakened by Cloud and Cait as they've fallen beside the coffin. And speaking of coffin...
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Not only does Vincent have a Cerberus gun and phone, but now he has a custom Cerberus coffin as well. While we can speculate who might have decorated his coffin, Cerberus is symbolic for Vincent's mindset (Cerberus guards the gates of hell in Greek lore, meaning Vincent is associated to being the 'keeper of hell's gate' and how he has locked himself to his nightmares/past). The fact that now he has a custom coffin implies that it's no longer a temporary piece. Instead, it has become a part of him, if not permanently. Much like his Cerberus gun. Notice how it's also not dusty but very clean, plush on the inside, and even has a pillow of all things. Certainly doesn't look to be something a self-deprecating, self-loathing individual would sleep in. Moving on to the other parts of the room... One of the more interesting pieces of furniture in the room is the wood stove placed conveniently close to Vincent's coffin and the coffee table (no, that is not a TV). It looks as though Vincent has decided to forego suffering the chill of the damp cold basement, this time-- a stark contrast to the overall environment he had previously been placed in.
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Once we get a better view of the other side of the room, the room is notably very warm in terms of color-tone, juxtaposed to the cold tones of the outside of the chambers. Might this be a type of metaphor for how Vincent appears cold on the outside yet is warm on the inside? What is also strange is that there appears to be yet another basement just outside of Vincent's chamber as it goes even deeper into the basement. This implies that Vincent is not locked in the deepest part of the basement as was once assumed. Once again, the room is clear of dust and otherwise looks fairly clean. Yet again implying someone has been active within the room. Looking towards the back, the doors are now double-doors as opposed to the single dungeon-style door. Last but not least-- Vincent himself is different. As seen in the image above, and as many have noted, Vincent's hair is no longer unkempt or barbed. As a matter of fact, it is similarly styled to Cloud's hair but more importantly, looks pretty soft for being asleep for almost 30 years. SE has progressively been adding barbs to Vincent's hair, but this time around, he is completely devoid of Chaos-aesthetics. His cloak is no longer torn in exaggerated forms, as well, though it still looks very worn on the hem. Some minor details are that his buckles have been rearranged as seen on his thigh and waist (thankgoodness they kept the tiny DoC waist and slutty hips). The buckles on his leather 'shirt' are all arranged on the front instead of off to the side. He also appears to have something on his left thigh, though it is extremely hard to tell. His gauntlet looks slightly altered and his sabatons look more functional in terms of movement, though keeping the overall iconic design. The biggest alteration of his attire are the grieves attached to his shins which look as though they will provide a lot more protection (and damage) while performing melee and close-range combat. Over-all, Vincent looks a lot more like a medieval knight than ever before.
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CONCLUSION: What's all of this tell us, you might ask...? Of course it could all be merely over-analyzing. However, I think what is being presented to us is a visual representation of who this version of Vincent really is. It doesn't look like he has been merely sleeping in his coffin for the past 20-30 years and condemning himself to eternal torment. Unless the room is being regularly used by someone else, it appears as though Vincent actually been fairly active, albeit behind closed doors. Everything from the books, the wine, the layout, etc. all seems to indicate we may no longer be dealing with a Vincent who only wanted to seal himself away in his despair-- but rather someone who is actively searching for answers. The Vincent we meet in Rebirth may no longer be the ultra 'emo' character fans have always known him to be. Something has changed about Vincent. And with the way things are going in the Remake trilogy, I don't think anyone should be surprised at this point. Because if there's anyone outside of Sephiroth and Aerith (and now Red) who ought to have some knowledge of what's taking place-- it should be Vincent. Edit: One story-point I neglected to note--- if Vincent has indeed been delving into the archives of Shinra Manor, and by default the library, then we might expect him to have some working knowledge of Omega/Chaos, and the Protomateria already. This might be expected to an extent, given what we've already seen in Remake. And if anything else... it was just a fun silly fan-speculation.
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ms-scarletwings · 8 months
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Honest truth, with every episode of this messed up show I finish rewatching I’m more are more sure that Dib is just as incompetent and short-sighted when it comes to his “mission” as Zim is. But it’s so funny to me that while Zim just makes bad plans, has awful priorities, and improvises a lot by the seat of his pants, Dib’s incompetent in the classical bumbling villain sense. Like, he’s doing the right thing, he generally has clever approaches and insights, makes full use of his resources, yet,
He’s still aesthetically and narratively such an antihero, the poor dweeb.
Observe, my magnificent Venn diagram
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Only thing I didn’t want to tack on that because it bears worth of some more elaboration: Both of these two are horrible about recklessly arming their nemesis with tons of free information and striking opportunity that can only be used against them.
And Dib is worse at this, like, so… so much worse. Zim will do the classic ‘Muahahaha, now that I have you right where I want you, here’s a detailed presentation of my entire insidious plan, Batman!’ routine while at least having the class to wait until the hero is being lowered over the acid vat or tied to the train tracks. Dib, as a villain? Would start reciting that same speech while in the middle of trying to kidnap the hero, about 3 and a half steps way too early. It’s actually crazy how fast he will telegraph his next move even when he’s not in a position of having a real advantage yet.
The first time the two met and Dib stood there loudly showing himself as the most perceptive and hostile human in range? And then stood there explaining alien sleep cuffs and what he was going to do with them? And then stood there declaring war and that he’d identified Zim’s base location, swinging said cuffs around in front of the gnome brigade? Granted, he wasn’t aware of Zim’s security at the time, but the essence of that sequence was a pattern that he was more than happy to keep repeating for the next couple seasons.
Also, Zim’s brutalism, while it went to some shudder inducing places, is more expected from a genocidal maniac born from a race of colonial supremacists. It’s part of his theatrics and it’s fun for him in the same way it’s fun for his leaders to blow up innocent ice cream space-trucks and unlucky planets. Dib gets mean with their face offs in a way that’s just dripping with spite. All the time spite. Trivial, personal, petulant spite. Even more than Tak and her grudge, which, should be a lot more surprising to me. But it’s really not.
What it did do instead was remind me of a very interesting quote I once heard, from a Cracked video about online gaming behavior, of all places,
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valiantstarlights · 1 year
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Hob is a chef who owns a food truck selling authentic Indian food, and Dream is someone who doesn't really eat well. (He had a bad breakup a year ago and it caused him to eat less. He's trying to eat better with his siblings' help.)
Dream agrees to go with Death to one of those food truck fairs for her birthday. There's not a lot of people yet so some of the staff offer them free samples to entice them into eating more from their food truck.
Death is having the time of her life, and she thanks Dream for going with her even if this isn't his thing at all.
Dream says that he enjoys the atmosphere (a.k.a. no huge crowds yet) and appreciates the aesthetic of the food they have already eaten: the understated elegance of the mango bingsoo, the dancing bonito flakes on top of the takoyaki, and the satisfying cheese pulls from the megruli khachapuri.
Death, encouraged by his interest, asks him to pick another food that he likes the aesthetic of so they could try it next. Like before, it's understood that they'll share a serving so Dream doesn't have to worry if he can't eat a lot.
Dream agrees. He picks an appetizing-looking plate of butter chicken from a foodtruck selling Indian food near the edge of the fair grounds, where not a lot of people have ventured yet.
They are greeted enthusiastically by a very handsome man and Death does all the talking because Dream is distracted by his forearms and smile and manbun. (He's salivating, so he must be hungry. Right?)
The handsome man turns out to be both the chef and the owner, and he chats with Death while he prepares the food. His name is Hob. He quit his job at a fancy hotel because he wants to feel more connected with his customers and share the food that he loves cooking for his family. (Dream is falling for him the more he talks. He doesn't realize that he has yet to speak and has only been staring.) (Hob is highly intimidated by him but also thinks he's cute.)
The food is served. Death takes her first bite and says something like 'holy shit dude wow this is great' and Hob is just about to thank her when Dream takes his first bite and lets out the most sinful moan Hob has ever heard this side of his laptop screen.
He is (understandably) frozen in place, staring at this beautiful man devour his food while sounding like a porn star. He may or may not be violating food safety standards by getting hard in his jeans in the truck's kitchen area.
Death is astonished because Dream has never shown this much enthusiasm while eating before. Even when they were kids. She is now looking at Hob speculatively. Should she google 'how to politely ask a stranger to (please) marry your brother'?
Dream...honestly doesn't even notice anything other than how delicious the food tastes. When the plate is clean, and Death has only gotten to take that single bite at the start, he reddens and apologizes, but Death waves it off, and Hob says something like, "I have some dessert too, if you want."
Dream unconsciously licks his lips and says, "Please," in a voice that could either mean 'Yes, please, I want some dessert,' or 'Fuck me raw right now.'
Death, immediately picking up on the sexual tension, says, "We'd like some kulfi, but I'll take mine to go."
And Dream is like, "Sister, what--?"
"I just remembered Desire and I have an appointment to get our nails done so I have to go--oh, thanks, Mr. Gadling--bye Dream, love you, be safe!" And then she's gone.
Dream is left with Hob who is still holding the other kulfi in his hand, looking slightly stunned at Death's very abrupt exit. The kulfi is starting to melt. Dream, unthinkingly, leans forward and sucks the tip.
They both freeze and their eyes meet, Dream's pink mouth still on the kulfi. Hob gulps at the visual. Dream, still maintaining eye contact, licks it from base to tip, then starts sucking in earnest, eyes steadily darkening when he sees Hob's breathing becoming unsteady.
Hob hears some footsteps coming their way, potential customers from the sound of it. Hob hands Dream his kulfi and apologizes to the customers, saying that something came up and he has to close. Like, right now. Sorry for the inconvenience but this is really important.
He closes up in record time while Dream taunts him by enjoying his dessert. He's already sitting on the passenger seat of the truck when Hob climbs into the driver's seat.
Desire's text the next day reads: 'DREAM YOU SLUT IM SO PROUD OF YOU'
Destruction for some reason knows Hob's number and has texted: 'Break my brother's heart and I'll break your spine.'
Dream slowly but surely begins to eat better. How can he not, with all the support he has, and Hob there to love him even on his bad days?
Hob gets everyone's approval, even Destruction's, eventually. He's the best cook and most considerate brother-in-law ever.
When Dream passes by his ex while walking down the street one day, he realizes that he's alright now, and is definitely better off without them. He's actually thankful, because if not for them, then he might not have even met Hob. He doesn't greet them because he still hasn't forgiven them, but he also doesn't feel like bursting into tears anymore.
At the end of the day, when he gets back home, Hob is there to welcome him with a sweet kiss, a warm meal, and a lifetime full of love.
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mixed race (japanese + native american) fiancé hcs ; 16+
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requested by ; anonymous (14/04/23)
fandom(s) ; black butler
fandom masterlist(s) ; hub | main characters | main villains | anime only
character(s) ; alois trancy, our!ciel phantomhive, real!ciel phantomhive, sebastian michaelis
outline ; “hey! i hope youre doing well. if/when youreable to, would you mind writing some headcanons for o!ciel, sebastian, r!ciel, and alois (if thats too many, just the first 2 💜) with a gender neutral fiance who is partially both japanese and native american please? thank you very much in advance.”
warning(s) ; references to period typical racism, references to canon-typical violence, generalisations made as to not link the reader to any specific native tribe, author craps on british food in a few places (author is british, it comes from a place of love)
note ; this took ages to look up and research in order to try and not lock the insert into any specific tribe or tribal family for their native side — given how broad and diverse they are. hopefully this came across and wasn’t too disappointing to the requester or anyone else who might have been looking for a very specific type of representation.
Alois Trancy
this man isn’t the most sensitive or understanding in general — so he wouldn’t necessarily ‘get’ or question your religious practises
like if you’re spiritual and perform smudging in the manor then you’re only really going to irritate his demonic staff and prevent them from entering certain rooms for a while
on the other end of the spectrum, smudging is an excellent way of keeping claude and the triplets out of your rooms if you’re annoyed
this would amuse alois for sure — but his interests would be focused exclusively on the aesthetic and story based aspects of your culture
he loves listening to you as you explain the folklores and mythologies of your two heritages — wide eyed and quiet for once as he takes in everything you have to say
he has a particular preference for creatures and deities that explore the gorier aspects of life, and he’ll ask you to retell them often, but he’ll listen to any story you have to tell
and if you participate in cultural crafts like beadwork or shodo or anything along those lines, then he’ll gladly fund your work and might even pay you to make things for his person, his peers or just to display about the estate
he’ll also ensure that you’re never without clothing from your cultures and would prefer you wear it over things from england — be that a selection of richly dyed kimonos for you to wear during galas, or importing regalia from your tribe for you to wear during traditional dances and such if that’s something you partake in
if your tribe partakes in the tradition of getting facial tattoos, then he’ll be incredibly interested in their history and meaning for you
will celebrate and observe holidays that aren’t on the british calendar with you — whether that’s national foundation day, or something that requires travel abroad like a powwow
and in the same vein, he’s not afraid to send his servants after anyone who disrespects you whilst at his manor
Our!Ciel Phantomhive
ciel has a particular interest in the culinary/confectionary side of your dual cultures and would be very invested in trying and recreating the dishes you grew up eating
that, of course, includes sweet things like candies and desserts
(his favourites are dango and saututhig)
but it also applies to meals — especially those associated with specific holidays
so, for example, he would have sebastian recreate the seasonal flavours of namagashi if you opt to take part in any tea ceremonies
or he might recreate some festival foods like okonomiyaki or yakitori when it’s the right season
or if you’re craving something from a powwow, he’ll ensure you have access to things like corn soup, fry bread and so on
he never wants you to be without the comfort foods you grew up with, nor the things you crave
so he has the staff modify the manor’s menu and meal rotation to incorporate more foods from japan and from your tribe
(which is a relief as british food isn’t the most flavourful in the world)
he also insists on trying to learn whichever language (or languages) you’re comfortable with so he’s able to connect and understand more of his future spouse’s culture and world views
he struggles immensely with japanese, specifically with forming his kanji for some reason, but his pronunciation is pretty spot on
but he manages to pick up the language of your tribe pretty quickly
so he’d probably prefer to speak to you using that tongue if he wished to mention something privately
he’s also keenly aware of the history of conflicts faced by native americans — as well as the bigotry faced by immigrants in the uk
he did his fair share of studying at the beginning of your relationship and, well, he has eyes and the situational awareness to recognise how you were being treated
this makes him incredibly protective of you — he trusts you to take care of yourself (you are engaged to the queen’s watchdog, after all), but that doesn’t mean that he expects you to put up with outright horrific treatment by his peers or his people
in other words: sebastian and the rest of the phantomhive staff get some free target practise courtesy of people that insult the lord of the house’s fiancé
Real!Ciel Phantomhive
this man is the sort to spoil his partner however he can at every opportunity — and you are far from the exception
any food that you’re craving, he’ll have the ingredients imported and will hire a specialty chef (or train one) to make it for you
any clothing you desire, he’ll have hand made and imported
if you miss your family or wish to go home to celebrate a holiday, he’ll arrange a trip to the americas or to japan and send you there with supplies and gifts to spare
he’ll usually try to go with you, but there are times where his schedule just doesn’t allow it so you’ll be travelling alone (with dozens of personal attendants)
he’ll study every language you speak independently, learning them whilst you’re away in order to surprise you when you get home
he’ll decorate the manor with pieces of art that represent both of the cultures you come from — or pieces that were made by yourself/your relatives
if there are any local sports or games that you enjoy, he’ll arrange for them to happen at the estate
he’s an excellent partner in that regard
but he puts his business and reputation above a lot of the things he should be doing for you
like yes he’ll spoil and indulge and learn for you
but if one of his most important investors says something offensive then he won’t do anything to stop it
at most he’ll encourage them to keep that talk to his office, but usually he’ll just laugh along and encourage you to grin and bear it
he wants to defend you, really, but he can’t risk plummeting his business because of it
he doesn’t have the means to get rid of someone without it looking suspect — which would tank his reputation and out both of you at risk
if he can punish someone for being cruel, he will — like a staff member of his or someone on the streets
but most of the time he really can’t — so the most he can do is try to keep you away from it all
as his father taught him, his duties to his country and his business come first — only then can he be a husband and lover
Sebastian Michaelis
he spends most of his time with you switching between japanese and the language of your tribe — mainly because he doesn’t like the idea of anyone (or anything) listening in on your combinations and seeing him in such a vulnerable state
he has an incredibly low tolerance for any mistreatment of you (actual or perceived) and, unless instructed otherwise by his master, will just eliminate them immediately after their transgression
a lot of the time you don’t even realise what happened — only that someone is now missing
but you’re usually able to put the pieces together
if you have an argument, he’s usually able to gather how mad you are based on how many rooms have been cleansed and he’s no longer able to enter
the worst argument you had, to date, ended with you cleansing the entire manor and locking him to the outside and the basement for a whole week
(ciel found it hilarious)
if you’re ever feeling homesick, it’s a cakewalk for sebastian to get you back to your family — you can be there one day and back in england the next
but good luck explaining to either side of your family that you’re courting a demon
if you’re artsy and like creating things to honour your heritage then he’ll indulge you, fetching you the necessary materials and displaying the final result proudly
he has met both sides of your family and has scared the crap out of a few relatives when they accidentally almost cleansed him out of a room
(not a fun conversation to have)
he’s an excellent cook (naturally) and is more than happy to indulge any cravings you have for foods that aren’t a commonly sold thing in england
of course he’ll encourage you to eat full, hearty meals because he wants you to be as taken care of as possible, but he can’t say no to his mate and will usually give in if you’re particularly desperate for sweet things or street foods
he gives you a number of nicknames based on new or traditional pet names from your cultures
for example, some japanese pet names he might use are ‘ダーリン’ (daarin), ‘ハニー’ (hanii) (these are mainly used in notes sent to each other) — or, when speaking, he might something more traditional like calling you your given name or an a version with the appropriate suffix (depending on your preference)
and, of course, any other pet names depends on the tribe you’re from
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mariaelenaariente · 1 year
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The Most Stylish Astro Placements
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For a limited time only, I'm offering in-depth tarot readings for just 8$. Only 10 slots available. Find out more here
In-depth Natal Chart Analysis - reconnect with your Soul and uncover the Divine within you
Taurus placements - let's start with the obvious. Taurus placements will forever take the crown as the ones with the greatest eye for beauty, details, aesthetics, luxury, and style. Their creativity (especially enhanced if they're placed in the 5th house) knows no bounds and is truly inspiring. You can spot someone with heavy Taurian energy from a mile away, although the manifestation of this influence will heavily depend on how these placements are aspected and which planets are involved. If you're struggling to connect with your creativity as a Taurian, you can ask me for personalized guidance and insight based on your chart.
Leo placements - although their approach to their style is not as intuitive as that of Taurus placements, they wish to shine and eventually get there. If there's Scorpio influence in their chart they may also be very pragmatic about the clothes they choose to wear and how they style them. A very creative sign, those born with these placements have a strong desire to express themselves, even through clothes.
Virgo placements - I hope no one's surprised by this. Virgos are known for their attention to detail - they generally look well put together and may often choose the "clean girl" aesthetic for themselves. Although their style could be more on the simple side rather than super creative, it is still very personal and prioritizes what is in tune with their lifestyle. They may be particularly interested in accessories.
Libra placements - I personally feel that those born with a strong LIbranian influence often choose to follow trends rather than create them, but they do so in such a pleasant, harmonious, and natural way that you'd think they invented it. The mediators of the zodiac, they're great at putting things together and making it seem effortless.
Honorable mentions: Aquarius and Pisces placements - the way Aquarians approach their style may be very unique but will be heavily influenced by the rest of their chart. Still, they're often the ones coming up with unique inspiration and daring looks. Pisces placements have tons of creative energy in them, so those Pisceians who are living in tune with their nature can have a real blast when it comes to clothing and accessories, but that is not as common and we often see them being quite indecisive and uncertain when it comes to their personal style.
I feel like there's also something to be said about Gemini placements and their playful approach to creativity and style, but I can't quite pinpoint it yet in a general one-size-fits-all definition.
Moon in harmonious aspect to Venus - these people integrate emotion and beauty beautifully! They're naturally inclined to look for comfort both within and outside of themselves. If they channel this into fashion and their personal style, you can bet you're going to see the most beautifully put-together outfits.
Sun in harmonious aspect to Venus - their desire for self-expression could often manifest through intricate/aesthetically pleasing clothing choices. If Pluto is involved here, there could also be some sort of obsession regarding one's style and appearance.
Venus in harmonious aspect to Neptune - the creative potential here is absurd! Depending on the houses, these aspects can bring a strong desire for a coherent and beautiful, almost dreamy style.
For a limited time only, I'm offering in-depth tarot readings for just 8$. Only 10 slots available. Find out more here
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darkleysgarden · 1 year
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Asmodeus Facts!
As a lore person and Asmo lover, I present this.
I am willing to add more as I think of them or as they are suggested (with proof).
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1. As most people know: Asmo has canonically given Solomon hickeys before.
2. His favorite animal is a resplendent quetzal. (A bird)
3. Asmo unintentionally was a huge factor in the Trojan War starting.
4. Raphael used to scold Asmo a lot, causing him to dislike Raphael. He doesn't feel this way anymore.
5. He sleeps naked.
6. Asmo's biggest fear is turning ugly and essentially loosing all of his worth.
7. He can smell if people are romantically interested in each other.
8. He has had a face lift before.
9. A lot of fan mail is sent to the RAD suggestion box for him.
10. He is *surprisingly* not very flexible.
11. Has referred to Mc as his 'Bestie'. He and Lucifer have also said that he was madly in love with them. So... why not both?
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12. *TRIGGER WARNING: EATING DISORDER*
He panics over gaining the slightest amount, down to a kilogram of weight or a millimeter more onto his waist. He also goes on diets and refuses to eat frequently. Satan has also stated that he's seen Asmo sneak snacks in the middle of the night. All of this implies that he struggles with an eating disorder.
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13. Mammon once found a 'crazy provocative' outfit in his room that was 'FULL of holes!' (Turns out it was one of his favorite outfits chewed up by moths!)
14. In the Celestial Realm he was known as the 'Jewel of the Heavens'. Simeon states that Asmo is still constantly trying to live up to that standard.
15. Y'know how some people can tie a knot in a cherry stem? Well Asmo can tie a butterfly knot!
16. Asmo's dyed his hair pink before and presumably still does on occasions.
17. Asmo is the one who paints all the brother's nails. And this is typically done with a paint brush, not the average nail polish brush.
18. He always puts on a face mask right before he goes to bed.
19. Asmo prefers smooth red bean paste over chunky.
20. He hates being cold and the downsides of winter, like dry skin. Yet, he does love the aesthetic of winter.
21. He doesn't like carrying people as he believes it will cause him to gain muscle. He believes he's more desirable thin.
22. When he first met Solomon, he was in the middle of crying alone at a bar. Solomon came up to him to ask if he was okay. This, and the rest of their conversations that night, eventually led to their current relationship.
23. He enjoys gossiping with Satan.
24. While most demons dislike uses of pacts, Asmo finds them heavily thrilling.
25. He admits to admiring Lucifer the most.
26. Asmo believes that he can always rely on Satan.
27. Asmo enjoys hanging out with Mammon and becomes proud of him for his accomplishments. Though, he likes teasing him because it keeps him on his toes and he believes that Mammon acts the most foolish out of all of them.
28. Demon's have to give their human pact mate something to allow summonings. Asmo gifted Solomon a gigantic oil painting of himself. It was notably his favorite 'selfie' at the time.
29. He is a dog person. He prefers big dogs to little ones.
30. He's never read the student handbook despite being on the student council.
31. Is actually pretty good at juggling a ball with his feet. Good enough to score 5th place out of the 15 characters.
32. Satan has allowed him to copy off of his homework before.
33. His birthday is May 15th, making him a Taurus.
34. He put together Levi's human world outfit.
35. He hates his true demon form, something Mammon often jokes about.
36. Asmo is the weakest brother in terms of strength. He gets worn out incredibly easily. (Maybe because of fact 12 and your refusal to gain muscle or weight. What am I going to do with you, love?)
37. A large amount of his fan base calls him 'daddy'.
38. He frequently teases Levi about having no friends.
39. Really good at rock-papper-scissors.
40. Doesn't really care what happens to him as long as he looks cute during. Even if it's a terrible curse.
41. He is an extremely emotional drunk. He will start sobbing when intoxicated in the slightest.
42. He is not ashamed about his own dirty mind. He even calls out Mammon for having one too.
43. Ass or Tits? Asmo chooses ass.
44. Doodles in textbooks. He even left a kiss mark in Solomon's once when borrowing it.
45. Lucifer practically goes, "Keep the door open" Whenever he catches Solomon, Mc, or anyone else hanging out with Asmo.
46. Isn't good at silly faces. He ends up looking gorgeous instead of silly.
47. Can be horrifying when angry. Beel is more scared of an angry Asmo than an angry Lucifer.
48. Mc is practically the first ever person to like him romantically and not sexually. He has said that no one before Mc has ever complimented his personality before, only his looks.
49. Loves bonding with his brothers even if they're completely opposite of him. He remembers more about Ruri-chan than any of the other brothers (hinted at) just because he actually cares to listen to Levi and bond with him.
50. What part of his body does he wash first when bathing? Well, you'll have to bathe with him to find out~
51. He held his first Asmofest/Asmo gathering 7 days after his birth. These are now held several times a month. He spends time with people he likes, usually drinking. Lucifer is present at most of them.
52. Asmo once wished to have 8 heads. His brother's made him give up on this dream.
53. Asmo requested that Levi write him a novel. This novel was called Space Pajama Party: The Great Beauty War. The hero of the stories name was 'The Hero'. The Hero is based off of MC and the character Atan is based off Levi.
54. According to Asmo, he looks best shot from the left at about a 40 degree angle.
55. It's highly likely that Asmo was the main designer for the guest/Mc's room. Comparing his room to the room, his influence is obvious.
56. He owns an absurd amount of clothes, beauty products, and bathing products.
57. He is terrible at remembering stuff about other people. He even failed a quiz about Solomon, who he considers himself to be insanely close to (This, presumably, does not apply to MC).
58. He works as an influencer on DevilTube and Devilgram. He also does designing. He designs products, clothes, etc. These designs are most notably shown at Majolish but can be seen all around the Devildom. He usually doesn't get paid in grimm for designing, receiving products, and samples instead. He says he prefers that in all honesty (He'd just buy the stuff with grimm anyway).
59. He used to be close to Belphie back in the Celestial Realm. Beel even said that Belphie was practically glued to Asmo's hip.
60. Asmo is the one who came up with the name 'Team Solomon'. Barbatos wasn't a big fan of the name.
61. He was implied to have fucked Santa Claus
62. Even though he is the shortest brother, he often looks taller because he wears heels.
63. Asmodeus knew of Solomon's horrible cooking skills before any of the others. When Solomon tried to serve everybody at the Demon Lord's castle, he purposefully didn't eat any of Solomon's cooking.
64. Asmo is really sensitive about his brother's compliments. One compliment from any of them could bring him to tears easily.
65. During the retreat to the Demon Lord's castle, Asmo becomes heavily affectionate for MC. One of the things he first does is inspect them head to toe, checking their ears, teeth, fingers, etc. This supports him saying that he wishes to know EVERYTHING about MC and potentially any other lover.
66. He doesn't like washing the dishes because it makes his skin rough.
67. To some peoples surprise, he is really good with kids. He even worked with them in the human world. Though, Satan commented that he wouldn't trust his kid with Asmo. He also often makes inappropriate jokes in front of Luke. But, he just shrugs them off and tells Luke that he'll understand when he's older.
68. Asmo enjoys "healing music"
69. (😏) He's a switch. He's quoted to have said, "I'll make you squeal for me!" As well as, "You wanna try some other spots too? Go ahead, I'm all yours." These are two of many lines that help imply this.
70. Despite what many think, he does have standards. He also is not appreciative of randomly being used as an object of beauty or sex. Though he's admitted that he can easily see the good in everyone and finds everyone a little bit attractive in their own way. He also says that he flirts with people so often because his happiness spreads to others and ends up making more people happy. So many people like him, because he likes so many people. Simple as that. But, this doesn't mean he will appreciate just anybody.
71. He didn't have an Asmo gathering for an entire year after the fall. His first one was held with MC as an honorary guest. Solomon couldn't make it.
72. He's implied to like fortune and horoscopes.
73. He doesn't like shopping with 'drab' shopping bags.
74. Asmo tends to photobomb and photo taken around him because he believes he is the most photo-worthy person/thing in the area.
75. He's seen to be unapologetic to any exes he has. He may even flirt with them despite them being annoyed with him.
76. Asmo is seen to heavily miss the Celestial Realm after falling. He repressed most of the feelings for awhile, but they overwhelmed him the first time he saw Simeon and Luke after everything happened.
77. He listed his pronouns on his FabSnap account as Fab/ulous
78. Asmo had trouble calling him and his brothers 'demons' instead of 'angels' for a while after falling.
79. He frequently calls Solomon 'his'.
80. He has a pair of flower earrings that he wears all the time.
81. Asmo, along with his brothers, have all experienced hate for being angels, ex-angels, and demons in different contexts.
82. He has an entire photo album dedicated to photos of himself as an angel.
83. Asmo is not only lustful, but has shown many signs of bloodlust. He even brings up ripping out MC's heart and tearing it open to see if they were telling the truth.
84. He openly admits to being turned on at random.
85. While his brothers fight over bathing order, Asmo likes to go have a nice long bath in his own bathroom just to taunt them.
86. Asmo is pansexual. Good for him.
87. He gets insecure if he doesn't get reassured of MC's love constantly. He texts demanding 'I love yous' and demands compliments.
88. Asmo likes to wear what Mammon calls 'skimpy underwear'.. (And more lingerie!)
89. He very rarely gets more than annoyed. Very rarely even gets annoyed. He isn't seen transforming into his demon form at all during the main story out of anger (And so far from what I've played in Nightbringer). Though, I have seen him transform once in a Devilgram, but he quickly calmed down in seconds.
90. Asmo thinks that drool is unattractive on a man (probably any other gender too, he didn't clarify). He often tells Beel this as a life lesson. (This also presumably does not apply to sex.)
New On May 15th:
91. Solomon has a very hard time saying no to Asmo
92. When giving out gifts, they frequently feature his face. If you're lucky, you may even find yourself with a nice new set of lingerie.
93. Asmo is good at singing, writing, and composing songs. Anywhere from a ballad to hard metal. He even sings live!
94. Solomon once gifted him bath salts made by an incubus. The affect of the charm was SO STRONG that Asmo had to drink an antidote made by Solomon. (It tasted surprisingly good)
95. Asmo is insecure about the fact that he is unable to use his charm ability on MC.
96. In Nightbringer, Satan says that Asmo is the brother he hates the least.
97. Asmo's favorite way to spend his birthday is with people close to him, not with big parties.
98. Asmo really dislikes bugs.
99. Asmo has gathered so many products that he can find something in his collection that works for people with completely different hair and skin from him.
100. He loves flowers, candles, soaps, whatever smell-filled things he can find. (Me who takes allergy medicine on the daily: bro you're gonna murder me the second I step foot in your room.)
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samflir · 10 months
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What makes a good boot sequence?
A while ago, I had my first truly viral post on Mastodon. It was this:
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You might've seen it. It got almost four hundred boosts and reached beyond Mastodon to reddit and even 4chan. I even saw an edit with a spinning frog on the left screen. I knew the post would go down well with tech.lgbt but I never expected it to blow up the way it did.
I tried my best to express succinctly exactly what it is I miss about BIOS motherboards in the age of UEFI in this picture. I think looking at a logo and spinner/loading bar is boring compared to seeing a bunch of status messages scroll up the screen indicating hardware being activated, services being started up and tasks being run. It takes the soul out of a computer when it hides its computeriness.
I think a lot of people misunderstood my post as expressing a practical preference over an aesthetic one, and there was at least a few thinking this was a Linux fanboy post, which it certainly is not. So here's the long version of a meme I made lol.
Stages
I remember using two family desktop computers before moving over a family laptop. One ran Windows XP and the other ran Windows 7. Both were of the BIOS era, which meant that when booting, they displayed some status information in white on black with a blinking cursor before loading the operating system. On the XP machine, I spent longer in this liminal space because it dual-booted. I needed to select Windows XP from a list of Linux distros when booting it.
I've always liked this. Even as a very little kid I had some sense that what I was seeing was a look back into the history of computing. It felt like a look "behind the scenes" of the main GUI-based operating system into something more primitive. This made computers even more interesting than they already were, to me.
Sequences
The way old computers booted was appealing to my love of all kinds of fixed, repeating sequences. I never skip the intros to TV shows and I get annoyed when my local cinema forgets to show the BBFC ratings card immediately before the film, even though doing so is totally pointless and it's kinda strange that they do that in the first place. Can you tell I'm autistic?
Booting the windows 7 computer would involve this sequence of distinct stages: BIOS white text -> Windows 7 logo with "starting windows" below in the wrong aspect ratio -> switch to correct resolution with loading spinner on the screen -> login screen.
Skipping any would feel wrong to me because it's missing a step in one of those fixed sequences I love so much. And every computer that doesn't start with BIOS diagnostic messages is sadly missing that step to my brain, and feels off.
Low-level magic
I am extremely curious about how things work and always have been, so little reminders when using a computer that it has all sorts of complex inner workings and background processes going on are very interesting to me, so I prefer boot sequences that expose the low-level magic going on and build up to the GUI. Starting in the GUI immediately presents it as fundamental, as if it's not just a pile of abstractions on top of one another. It feels deceptive.
There may actually be some educational and practical value in computers booting in verbose mode by default. Kids using computers for the first time get to see that there's a lot more to their computer than the parts they interact with (sparking curiosity!), and if a boot fails, technicians are better able to diagnose the problem over a phone call with a non-technical person.
Absolute boot sequence perfection
There's still one last thing missing from my family computer's boot sequence, and that's a brief flicker of garbage on screen as VRAM is cleared out. Can't have everything I guess. Slo-mo example from The 8-Bit Guy here:
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shinmelodia · 8 months
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Love & Process: blue (2002)
Hello to everyone reading, and welcome to a highly belated attempt to squeeze some of my thoughts and emotions through some semblance of a creative process and onto a page. Today, I want to introduce this blog by talking about a lovely film, blue (2002), directed by Hiroshi Ando and based on a manga by Kiriko Nananan.
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Since I'm still somewhat new at diving into live action film, especially, like, uh, Japanese indie film, its helping to start with the yuri genre. Because like practically any other woman on this site, I quite enjoy lesbians. blue's manga original offers something of an alternative to the yuri norm, though, and the film follows suit. Both are definitely examples of the Japanese filmmaking trend I've heard of called "mumblecore," (or maybe mumble-komi for the manga equivalent) that most people know through the likes of Inio Asano's early work. Like Solanin or Girl on the Shore, blue is shoegazey, quiet, and contemplative, adorned with moments of subtle physical intimacy, layered emotion, and stunningly beautiful compositions of daily life.
My metric for these kinds of slow mood pieces, which I've previously tended to watch at random whenever the mood struck me, is that if my barely-medicated ADHD brain can even finish them, there's clearly something special going on. blue passed with flying colors; yeah, ok, it took two sittings, but I spent all of both enraptured, immersed, and invested in the mono no aware of silent, fragile love and messy asymmetry that formed this movie's emotional palette. blue is about love, of course, but its also about process and expression, both emotional and creative, and how processing things, artistically, verbally, non-verbally--is often required of real, human love.
In being about this, I think it did things for me that a lot of yuri often doesn't and gently hit me in a place that I really needed to be hit. So, let me get into it. This is going to be...very personal, and also obviously spoil the details of the film, if you care about that, although I'm sure there will be plenty of depth left in the text that I leave untouched. Whether you read it or not, I'll be happy I made it. Oh, and sorry if I come off as really New for being so struck by themes and aesthetics that are probably sort of standard for this type of film. I can't help what I feel like writing about, though.
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Kirishima Kayako lives in a small town by the sea, one much like dozens of other anonymous, disaster-prone exurban towns in Japan at the turn of the millennium. She rides the bus to her girls' high school every day, where she eats lunch with her friends and tries her best to learn something in class. Really, though, she's aimless, quiet, lonely, and introspective. She's trying, but its rare for others to be able to tell. She's also in love with her classmate, Endou Masami. When she confesses at the end of the first act, on a windy beach against the vastness of the ocean, Endou responds that she's glad, and the two become our lesbians for the movie. Kayako falls to her knees and cries in relief. Masami is different from the others--she sees how hard Kayako tried. Does that mean she loves her back, though?
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Endou Masami has cool passions and interests; she collects American CDs, which she expertly critiques and describes while lending to friends. The mere view of her vibing to her American alt-rock while smoking a cigarette in front of her apartment window is album-cover worthy in itself. Kayako feels the same way: one of the most intimately gay scenes of the pre-confession portion of the film is when Masami lights a cigarette and asks if Kayako is shocked. The quiet girl declares without hesitation, "No, I'm admiring the way you lit the match."
The whole early film is such a delectable, lonely vibe. The slowly intertwining couple's solidifying dynamic is the kind that forms between an emotionally complex introvert and the perhaps even more unknowable yet somehow more confident object of their affection. The two are classmates, (there's no classic yuri kouhais and senpais here) but for the early part of the film we are seeing things from Kayako's perspective and Masami seems unmistakably older in spirit. There's something about the dense emotions conveyed in her gazes at her new girlfriend, the almost world-weary tinge of recklessness in her distant grins. She talks about music Kayako's never heard of and lends out books with Romantic-era paintings that she has well-formed thoughts on. Kayako even openly admits that if she could, she would want to be Masami.
I think we've all loved a girl like that.
It's a pretty typical experience in middle school or high school, for really anyone lonely who loves women, to be drawn to these sorts of sad, beautiful, oh-so-seemingly-complex femmes. I guess straight men have a similar thing going on with the whole Manic Pixie Dream Girl archetype, but for us women (or, women-to-be, at the time, I guess), the phenomenon of these people to us often involves a sort of existential jealousy. I'm not sure what is so alluring to other people about the sense that the object of their love has Something Going On that they are working through, or a vast and complicated life beyond the scope of one's understanding, but it me it always felt like something I was missing out on for myself. Obviously, a lot of their experiences and interests must be interesting and fun and super cool, you think, but even what pain you think they convey must be somehow more edifying than yours.
For me, the edifying aspect was the mere fact of femininity itself. The idea of a girl who has deep and Real emotions, who feels Real love and Real sadness and can actually express that in how she looks, beautiful and imperfect, always threw into stark contrast my own inability to express myself comparably. I was depressed, I was growing up, and I felt things, too, but, as someone who everyone thought was a straight boy and who was too scared to admit to being otherwise, I lacked that sort of beauty, that means of expressing what was inside me through fashion, makeup, book or music knowledge or taste. Or at least I thought I did. Thus, my own emotions must have also meant less. So, I ignored them and belittled them, and entire years passed before I processed a thing correctly. I always wanted to be some other girl. That was the only thing that would fix me.
I assume that the teen (and, uh, sometimes beyond) existential pining experienced by some other people in real life usually lacks the fun bonus that mine had of a screaming void where my femininity should have been, but I'm not sure how much this actually matters to the crux of the kind of experience I'm talking about. That some kind of void is there is all that matters, really, and its there for Kayako in her relationship with Masami at the beginning of the film. She has nothing, Masami is everything, and just being close to her is enough, for now. Just being noticed, just sharing something with her, is all Kayako feels like she can ask for.
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Of course, this incomplete way of seeing love can't last, which brings us to the next part of the film, which starts when the two are hanging out and Masami reveals through a guarded, distant grin that she had an abortion a while ago. This isn't something that shocks Kayako or is really meant to shock the audience, and it isn't the big moment where she forced to reconsider her feelings. Rather, she asks how it went, and Masami responds honestly. She mentions she felt horrible the next day and had to be picked up by ambulance from the nurse's office, prompting Kayako to recall silently what to us was the film's first scene, a view from her window during class of an anonymous ambulance, sirens turned off, discreetly rescuing a student.
That she had this ambiguously traumatic, and at least unpleasant and potentially taboo experience is something that could have made Masami feel even older to Kayako, her pain even more distant and obscure. It certainly already is a way that Masami herself feels distant from others. Yet, by considering her own special, observant view of the ambulance back when it happened, it becomes one that Kayako can in some small way assertively share with her. Rather than continuing to put her lover's experiences on a pedestal, Kayako in this scene makes a silent decision to turn a blossoming mutual acceptance simply that they happened into a moment of true intimacy between the two, a sleepover punctuated by smirking kisses and satisfied cuddles initiated by each of them for the other. Despite her remarks that Kayako is weird for unhesitatingly wanting to stay with her, its an intimacy that Masami is happy to accept. This is all an important turning point in Kayako's development because she begins to choose insight, closeness, and assertion over the distant admiration that trapped her earlier.
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As we go on, we'll start seeing how blue's gentle impact comes from the way it doesn't glorify or sugarcoat that earlier kind of unhealthy and immature dynamic. Instead it subverts it by giving Masami depth and Kayako agency, before reaching an endpoint that reflects on how the dehumanization of that kind of depressed, pining relationship can be overcome. In that sense, blue is a yuri romance mostly about the couple coming to accept their own and each other's humanity and capacity for expression. Like any good mumble movie, its full of long silences and almost unrealistically hesitant dialog, and doesn't give any explicit internal monologues like a lot of manga do. The world of this movie is one where expression is an uphill battle, something that has to be worked towards and struggled through. It's the world that Kayako and Masami share, in their own separate ways. And that's why its such a triumph to watch Kayako finally find her voice, her passion, and her process, which all starts in this scene.
First, though, it's time to learn about the Something that Masami has Going On.
Things begin when Kayako is still sleeping. Masami gets a call on her house phone that she doesn't answer, but that sends her into a silent spiral of emotional dread. She spends the next day at school in the nurse's office, refusing to tell Kayako what's going on and confiding only in her friend Nakano. Then, when summer break comes along, she disappears, leaving Kayako alone at home, pouring silently over the book of still life oil paintings that Masami lent her.
It ends up being Nakano who tells Kayako why she left. It's the story Masami didn't tell about the source of her abortion: an adult, married man whom she had a relationship with and eventually a pregnancy from. She got things taken care of without telling him, alerted her parents and tried never to see the rotten salaryman again. That is, until he called. He wasn't getting along with his wife anymore, apparently, and she had some sort of attachment to him that made her come running back. Her taste in music originally came from him, after all. It seems that, for the time being, her devotion to this mysterious, abusive man is going to perpetuate a brutal cycle: she'll keep hurting both Kayako and herself all at once.
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What really destroys Kayako and her relationship, though, is that she lies about it. When she comes home after some predictably rough interactions with this guy, she tells her supposed girlfriend that she was enjoying a vacation with friends, and even gives her some grapes, supposedly grown in the prefecture she was hanging out in, as a twisted souvenir. The more assertive Kayako enforces her boundaries without hesitation, though, in equally as blunt a tone as she complimented her love, as when she told her she wanted to stay with her, all those nights ago. "Why are you lying to me?" Its with that same grin, now tinged with emotionally oblivious deception, that Masami dares to at first first feign ignorance.
"Eh?" Her smile is shallower than its ever been.
So Kayako walks away.
Their dynamic has now become worse than just immature; it's entirely toxic. From an outside perspective, Kayako is working on her shortcomings, while Masami refuses to reconcile her past. This kind of toxicity, though, is sadly just as common in high school (and even sometimes middle school) as is the kind of misunderstanding, lonely pining I talked about earlier, just usually among different sorts of people. Appropriately, its often even that exact kind of beautiful, hurting, mature femme (in the eyes of disastrous, moody lesbians like Kayako) who is going through that sort of pain. Its that mysterious and tragic byproduct of compulsory heterosexuality that causes a lot of girls to seek validation in the love of an older man, and that I imagine becomes a sort of addiction to that validation that only masquerades as love. Hell, Masami attributes much of what made her seem so interesting on the surface, her love of music, to this guy. She feels like she'd be nothing without him, and the way Kayako praised her, at least in the way she interpreted it, did nothing to dispel this fear. Which I think is really why she decided to go back, even though it would mean betraying the very girl whose love provided her an escape from it all.
Its an ugly truth, and its one that yuri media usually shies away from portraying, but it is explored with refreshing frankness and resolved with astounding maturity by the end of blue. And I think its the source material's status as "alternative" (I guess in Japanese parlance, Garo-inspired) manga, not to mention the movie's simply as an independent film, that allows it to break with genre limitations in this way. There's been tons of writing done on how yuri definitely presents a fantasy of the sapphic experience. Mainstream yuri's origins in Class-S still to this day often cause it to portray romances between women as fundamentally different, and inherently more pure, than those involving men, trapping them in a bubble of unassailable innocence. While that kind of makes sense and seems extremely cool to those of us who celebrate having little interest in moids or whatever, it also has the effect of sugarcoating and sometimes even outright obscuring what real women, even (and sometimes especially) sapphic ones, go through.
There's already a decent amount of yuri, especially among those aimed at older demographics and those where its more of a secondary genre, that do deal with compulsory heterosexuality and the experiences that come with it. What are much rarer are yuri series where one of the lover's flaws more resemble Masami's than Kayako's. Not enough that I've read at least is willing to make its relationships messy, or have one of its leads just do straight up bad things like self-destructive cheating and lying.
Because, really, its the same as what Kayako went through, isn't it? The lonely longing for something more that feels like it can only be cleansed by denying oneself all one has and betting it all on being close to someone else. The only difference between the two's actions is temperament and perhaps socialization--one sought it from a cooler woman, the other from an older man. And somewhere out of sight, that sad, irresponsible, fucked-up adult was probably hopelessly lonely, too, just like Kayako had to accept Masami was. Maybe disaster lesbians, disaster bisexuals(?), and yes, disaster straights aren't so different after all.
Well, other than that Kayako has worked to process her feelings, while Masami went and ruined her relationship over them. That's an important difference. Still, though, even Kayako has some work to do about how she feels about all of this. Masami's pedestal has been smashed, whether she likes it or not, and now she's lonelier than ever. So where does this vampiric cycle of taking from others end? What substance can replace loneliness in this ouroboros of etropic emotional alchemy?
Kayako doesn't touch the grapes. Instead, she silently processes things, lies on the floor listening to the cicadas scream in the garden. The grapes go rotten, and her brother throws them out. She sulks for a while.
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Then, she starts painting. A still life of grapes, inspired by the books that Masami lent her. At first, her drawing is lousy, as the school fine arts instructor later tells her, but the colors are gorgeous. The deep purples of the fruits are expertly layered to capture light and tell a story, one deeper than the instructor could possibly imagine. It's the story not only of the transformation of a relationship, but of the growth of one of its participants. As the hot, still air of the coastal Japanese summer cloys around her lonesome final vacation of high school, Kayako finally salvages a passion to call her own out of a floundering relationship. When school starts again and she picks up art classes, going to Tokyo for uni, a dream that was previously held only by Masami, starts to be within her reach. She has a future, an interest, and a way to process all has happened to her.
And then comes the time for Masami to try and return. She proves unwilling to address all that happened before, instead trying to kiss Kayako after school in the art room. Her undeserved attempt at intimacy is rejected with a shove, but so too is her self-pity that causes her to instantly run away. There's more that needs to be said that simply "I'm a terrible person." Kayako pursues her into the town's small shopping district as night begins to fall and neon crackles to life against a cool late summer night. Now the emotional climax of the movie begins.
First, Kayako starts talking. She tells Masami about the painting, about her summer, about how lonely she was without her, about all the places she wanted to go with her. She talks about how happy she was at the same time that she found something she wanted to do without her. This approach is new for her. She's never so far relied on words so heavily to express her emotions. When Masami points this out, Kayako says:
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This is how she's choosing to process things for the time being. At first, it was being silent to carefully consider her emotions. Now, its speaking up to keep them focused on what she really wants.
Then, its Masami's turn, for the first time, to tell the truth. By now they're away from the small cluster of lights, staring out at the blackness of the beach where they first got together. Masami broke up with the guy, she says. But she also asserts that she came to his emotional aid to begin with because she felt his need for help was more important than anything else to her. She couldn't tell her girlfriend this before, because doing so would mean telling a truth she didn't think Kayako could bear to hear: that he meant more to Masami than she did.
Kayako already knows this, of course. And by speaking up to quell her justified anger, by weaving words like the deft strokes of honest color on the tip of a paintbrush, she's gotten herself to a point where she can accept it, too.
I mean, think about it. Masami is broke now; Kayako needed to buy her a sandwich so she wouldn't be hungry on their impromptu date. Her sabotaging drive to be validated and her inability to accept love from the girl willing to give it has, by all accounts, ruined her life for the time being and harmed those around her. Even though she broke up with the guy out of necessity, or out of some fleeting impulse to run back to Kayako, she still feels like nothing without him. As she says to Kayako later, now the envy runs in reverse--Kayako is passionate about painting now, while Masami will still amount to nothing. Despite it all, though, Kayako is willing to love her. She's called Masami out on what she needs to be, then decided to stay nonetheless.
"I always come second. You broke up with him, so the number one spot is vacant. When someone else comes, you'll put him there...
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For most of my life, I believed that artistic expression was primarily the product of unrestrained, innate, and self-indulgent passion. I thought it was just something people either have or don't have, and that when they do, its something that can drive them to great heights of accomplishment and happiness otherwise impossible for humans to reach. It was mostly Japanese otaku media that instilled this into me, I think. I grew up exposed to a dizzying array of diverse and often miraculous artistic products that captured my imagination in ways the safe output of my own boring, monolithic home empire never did, and most of them were made by people who literally poured their lives into working on them. From Eiichro Oda's future-destroying, decades-long devotion to making One Piece to Kentaro Miura giving his life to practically paint the ceiling of the Sistene Chapel in pen on page after double-page spread in Berserk, to all of the hyper-passionate, universe-shattering early works of Hideaki Anno and his animator cohorts, I thought that I lived in a world of weird and wonderful treats whose cooks had the work ethic of demigods and the talent to match.
And even on the lower levels of the medium, among fan artists, cosplayers, writers, posters, historians, I felt surrounded by people who lived and breathed impossible passion, whose lives must have been defined by a kind of information processing my brain simply wasn't capable of. They had some ability to inhale the miraculous vapors of an abundant artistic landscape and spew out works of their own that further decorated the texture of a fleeting age of impossible marvels. And all that time, there I was, left on the sidelines, interested in many things but passionate about none, and lacking the motivation to really work to pursue anything at all. It was (and, honestly, still is) a state of existential discomfort similar to that sort of lonely-girl-pining, but doubtlessly far larger in scale. Some people had passion, while I had nothing to show for all my years of being alive. For fuck's sake, there was so much stuff out there, and I barely could muster the motivation to even read any of it most of the time.
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After a while, I started to feel like I was simply broken, like I was an empty person that didn't belong in the very world I loved living in. And while I think this might be a niche outlook and insecurity (although one represented, to my profound gratitude, in Masami), I think it's also how a lot of people think about love. Love is often portrayed as a feeling sparked entirely of instinct, one that, when a person truly feels it, will never cause them to make any mistakes or do anything fucked up to those they care about. Something that will drive those bolstered by it to impossible heights, improve lives beyond the sorrow and loneliness to which they are otherwise condemned. But, as Kayako learned and as Masami and I are having to find out, that isn't really the whole story.
Expression is love. Love is process. Therefore, expression is also the labor of putting love through a process, of rigorously trying to get your ass in a seat and put in the steps of putting your feelings into form. As this is required of art, so is it required of relationships. And so the two are a cycle. Creation requires emotions to process; relationships require emotions to be processed. And the love that creation inspires feeds itself into the love for others that inspires the emotion to fuel more creation. A Labor of Love. Again, I know I'm New.
But this is what Kayako has been working up to all movie long, first with her silence, then with some words, then with the labor of painting, the iteration of getting better, then with more words again. She has found a slow cycle that is elevating her above her loneliness, a cycle that Masami helped create, and is welcome within, but that can, if need be, exist without her.
Love, labor, process. Expression, creation, process. Creating, processing, choosing...in the end, to do it all again. To stay with what--and who--you have labored to love. And that is the choice Kayako has made.
I have not yet answered what, after thinking and writing about this movie for days on end, might be the substance that can replace loneliness as fuel for the alchemical cycle of emotional taking and giving. By the end of the lovers' reunion, sitting by the road under the slowly-illuminating blue of a haphazardly-clouded dawn sky, Masami doesn't feel like she has an answer, either. She feels small and hollow, manipulative and weak. She's jealous of the coping strategy her own girlfriend has developed to deal with the effects of her bad behavior. So, in the end, what is she? What is there even left for Kayako to love?
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I'll be honest, this feeling is so fucking real I get perilously teary every time I think about it. Because, for as much as I mused about Kayako's feelings resonating with me as a former and sometimes girl-piner, when it comes to my current relationship at age 22, it's Masami in whom I see myself most clearly and brutally. It's hard not to when she is the only representation in romance, let alone in yuri, I have seen so far who is as much of a fucking brat as I am at times. Whose tendency to sabotage her own relationship makes it so asymmetric that what her girlfriend feels appears almost one-sided, but whose love is real all the same. If she lacks process, talent, maturity, mystique, if no one is ever going to be good enough for her, then what at all does she have left?
The answer to all of this is the thing that lies at the core of her being, that makes her who she is. The source of her potential to express herself, the starting point of a process yet to fully begin. It's hard to see, but it's there. Its what makes her Endou Masami. And its what Kirishima Kayako loves the most.
It's color. It's the thing at the core of creation that can't be described with words, that forms the motivation for any process. Its the vivid purple of a painted grape whose intentional creation transcends deception and nurtures discovery. It's the blue of a dawning sky whose light guides two girls in messy, lopsided love back into each other's arms. It's Kirishima Kayako. It's Endou Masami. It's what everyone has, and it's all anyone has.
It's the source of love, its process, and its object.
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Eventually, Kayako has to leave for Tokyo. That's the decision that's best for her, and its a decision that, for the time being, will leave Masami behind in the countryside, hard at work on the process of learning to love herself. At the end of the film, she sends Kayako one final piece of proof of who she is. It's a painting of sorts, recorded on VHS, composed not of oil but of compressed light and sound. Stylistically, as the camera zooms in, it begins to resemble less Renoir and more Rothko: at first, its the beach, then, simply the point of the horizon, the area where the sea and sky meet. Its raw, not quite processed, pure color, vibrant blue, filtered and compressed into chunky, washed-out 800x600.
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By way of description, "this is all I can do."
For years, I've struggled to believe that my emotions, hindered by depression and self-sabotage, have any value at all. As someone for whom love, passion, and expression have always felt difficult, even putting my thoughts down on a page, let alone drawing, painting, composing, or directing, has always seemed impossible. Recently, though, I've grown a lot. I've found the beginnings of a process learned to accept its existence. Both this process, and all the loves that go along with it, are often uncomfortable. They are painful and brutal and blissful things into which to pour the labors of communication and the torments of understanding. I've learned to process discomfort for the sake of creation, to create for the sake of love. It sounds cheesy, but again, I can't help what I wanted to write about.
I hope you'll join me as I find more new things and tough feelings I love to process on this account. There's so much more I'd love to say about blue, just for starters. I could talk about my undying appreciation for the work of Mikako Ishikawa, or how the shots in this movie are so gorgeous and evocative that I'd seen many of them before in "Japan in the 00s" vibes compilations.
But, until then, this is all I can do.
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rocketturtle4 · 8 months
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Aceness in BL: Let’s go for a Ramble
(I made this post soon after Be My Favorite finished but shadowbanning has delayed the posting) - I'm Freeee (@plantsarepeopletoo @shouldiusemyname)
So, I’ve been thinking more and more about aceness in BL (mainly BL anyway), and to get my thought’s in order I thought I’d make a post.
This post is NOT intended as a blanket rule in literally any context. It is specifically about how 1. I frame aceness in my head based on very surface level research and my own experience and how 2. I apply that to a few characters (In BL) who, to me, have felt acespec.
This post will cover
A brief overview of how I understand the acespectrum (with reference to aesthetic, romantic and sexual attraction)
How I view demisexuality as a kind of doorway (with reference to my own deminess)
How I feel five characters (Ae from Love by Chance, Arthrit from SOTUS & SOTUS S, Kat from The Warp Effect (yes not BL but whatevs), Kawi from Be My Favorite and Khai from the Warp Effect) might fall on these spectrums. (THIS WILL INCLUDE SPOILERS)
A wrap up on acepectrum, transient identities, and labels
First Up the Ace-Spectrum!
(How I frame aceness in my head)
Aesthetic attraction = I really want to just stare at this person, they so pretty
Romantic attraction = I want to have this person with me, I want to hold them close and see them daily and talk to them about everything, also I want to cuddle and sleep together (maybe idk this is the attraction I am vaguest on)
Sexual attraction = I want to have sex with this person, I want to personally bang this person, I stare at this person and think about what it would be like to kiss them with tongue and push them against walls and have them underneath/on top of me. (This isn’t necessarily at like 100% all the time I think)
Kapish?
Romantic and Sexual attraction are both spectrums (obvs) and in my head they go from
Allo (100%) <------- to --------> Ace/Aro (0%) with the percentage reflective of how frequently you find people attractive, (I don’t think 100% is everybody all the time though).
So theoretically anyone not at 100% for either romantic or sexual attraction might identify as acespec, though I IMAGINE most people over perhaps, 30% feel attraction often enough that they don’t consider it, so for headcannon purposes I’m considering under 30% as ace or aro.
Sometimes people might consider themselves grey-ace (or grey-aro) if they fall within the more middling but still low percentages (say 15-50%,) So they experience attraction to individuals on occasion, but less frequently than typical. (But, again any label that people identify with is true for them)
Framing Demisexuality as a doorway
Demisexuality is, to me (in brief), not experiencing sexual attraction prior to the development of strong emotional/intellectual/romantic feelings (also can feel like a significant jump rather than completely 0-100, for me it’s almost like a switch on/off, but it can be gradual too)
Demiromantic people don’t experience romantic feelings for people unless there’s a strong emotional bond in place. (Same caveats as above)
The demi-doorway doesn’t automatically open the moment bonds/romantic feelings are developed, it’s simply that these feelings DON’T occur without the bond first. An alloromantic demisexual person MAY develop sexual feelings for someone they like romantically, but they also may not.
Personally, I consider myself demisexual and demiromantic because (based on 1.5 data points (data points = people), which is really not enough evidence) after bonds are formed both my romantic and sexual interest about a specific person jump up to allo. My deminess also feels tied to the way the changing/wavering of these emotional bonds also closes the door really quickly?? (So I can become abruptly not attracted to someone anymore if my romantic feelings/emotions are gone/destabilised, let me tell you it is weird to experience)
The lines around characters and actors and attraction gets all blurry too. Kind of like there’s a window in my door(s) that can be open or shut, but I can always look through it? (IDK how this metaphor is holding up)
For example, here’s some arbitrary categorites:
1. People are nice looking because everybody is nice looking (e.g., most people)
2. Aesthetic attraction (let me stare) e.g., Jean from The Warp Effect or Ayan from The Eclipse
3. Aesthetic attraction but more??  E.g., Joong (Joong is pretty, VERY PRETTY. But it’s still not really sexual attraction…I just want to stare at him…extra hard…and if he WANTED to fuck me…I mean for science…but I still don’t really WANT to??)
4. First. E.g., AM I EVEN ACE/ARO WHAT IS THIS SORCERY??
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Clear as mud I’m sure.
Ace people can also dislike sex, be sex repulsed, enjoy watching, and whatever else without it emphasising or erasing their aceness, since it’s about sexual attraction to an individual more than anything else.
In a similar way you can also be sex repulsed or dislike sex or dislike aspects of sex without automatically being ace.
ALSO Demispec people may experience full (e.g. 100%) romantic/sexual feelings once the door is open without the caveats that I listed (about emotional instability) and this in NO WAY erases their aceness (or their deminess). There is also something to be said for the different ways the emotional bonds are formed/feelings are triggered. My two data points (attraction to people) were both triggered by strong intellectual connections.
ALSO acespec (which includes all aro/ace/demi people FTR) people can have gender specific (or non-specific) orientations as well (e.g. homoromantic asexual or aromantic pansexual or even biromantic bi-grey-ace).
Examples from Thailand BL/QL in my headcannon
I’m only talking about allo/ace/demi here, no gender-(non)-specific orientations.
Ae (Love By Chance) alloromantic demisexual (through the door 100%)
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Ae is, I think, a pretty classic example of the most common view of demisexuality. He experiences romantic feelings for someone (idk if it’s the first time for this) and then slowly realises he’s sexually attracted to said person and goes a bit crazy because he doesn’t quite know what his feelings mean because he’s never experienced them before and, well, he’s a horndog (I love Ae and this depiction for the record) his demisexuality is absolutely a gateway to 100% sexual interest!
Some signs of his aceness might include his lack of interest in sex as commented on by his roommate and his confusion over the feelings he’s experiencing for the first time because they’re outside of his frame of experience. Also his sexual feelings seem to take a while to develop, after his crush has begun.
(I’m much less certain about romantic orientation here because we don’t know if he’s had crushes before (without wanting sex) and also he’s only 18, so even if he hasn’t doesn’t mean he’s arospec)
Arthrit (SOTUS & SOTUS S) Alloromantic demisexual (but different!!)
Arthrit seems alloromantic, in his previous feelings for his childhood friend and his clearly developing romantic feelings for Kong.
Arthit’s aceness is less clear cut than Ae’s because even after he develops sexual feelings (through the demidoor) he doesn’t experience allo sexual attraction as strongly as someone like Ae. I found a lot of his reactions to the relationship ups and downs in SOTUS S were very relatable (and prompted my first ever long post lol click for way more info on this) because of how Arthrit’s desire for sex (or sexual touch) seem to waver with the relationship stability. This is not about being uncomfortable with Kong exactly, but more about how even after they’re technically on an even keel and Kong’s sharing his bed and apartment, Arthit still seems uncomfortable with some of his sexual advances. While LATER after they’ve properly talked about it, he goes back to leaning into Kongs space and making flirty eyebrows.
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So his deminess kind of means his aceness is variable even through the demidoor, like the door is wavering between open and closed. But it also doesn’t ever feel like his romantic feelings for Kong waver, just that the unstable grounding of their relationship boundaries lead to emotional instability which effect his sexual interest.
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(Because I will take every excuse to use my Arthrit screenshots)
Kat in The Warp Effect (aromantic allosexual)
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Honestly, Kat being Aro seemed basically canon during my viewing of The Warp Effect. She shows essentially no evidence of romantic feelings for anyone the whole series. (Though obvs people can want and have sex without wanting relationships and not be aro)
While Kat later tells Alex that she likes him (and tells Jean too) I don’t really feel like this mucks with the head-canon for a few reasons:
Kat is shown to be pretty monogamous when in sexual relationships with people even as she want’s no strings (she tells Alex he’s the only one she is currently having sex with (I think), she later tells Captain Asshole this and then later tells Tony this).
Thanks to Captain Asshole she begins to feel unsafe with the way she lives her life.
She initially wants to commit to Alex as the person she is most comfortable with, but we are not really shown any evidence of romantic feelings, just a desire for commitment.
She seems to reach a similar sort of balance with Tony in the OG Warp Timeline, but there still (to me) isn’t really evidence of romantic feelings
Aro people can, after all, want a committed and/or monogamous relationship.
Kawi in Be My Favorite (Alloromatic Asexual (not Demi IMO))
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The reason I think he’s ace rather than demi is more about the language he uses even after he’s in love with Piseang (please see my thoughts about ace-kawi coding in ep 10 for more details if you're curious). Even after this wasn’t made explicit by the narrative, I stand by my thoughts around his lack of interest in sex in general. (As well as the coding in ep12 of him trying the rollercoaster and not liking it). It didn’t really feel to me like he gained sexual feelings for Piseang (unlike the vibes I personally got from Arthrit even if they wavered), more than he tried sex and enjoyed it enough to participate again in the future because he loved and felt comfortable with Piseang.
If you feel ambivalent about playing tennis, but your partner really likes playing tennis than maybe you make a point of playing tennis regularly even if it’s not something you’d think about doing on your own, because playing tennis with your partner is fun you know?
Of course, if tennis makes you feel icky, or really bored, you many not ever want to play it even if your partner enjoys it.
Khai in Theory of Love (demiromantic allosexual)
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So Khai is my most recent addition to this post given I just finished ToL but he was so demiromantic it crushed me into pieces so he gets to be included! ways Khai feels demirom:
His confused realisation of feelings when he talks to his Phi at the beach.
He likes to keep things uncomplicated with the girls he’s seeing because he doesn’t do relationships.
He actually tries to take his relationships seriously but just never really seemed to genuinely want the romance.
Even after he realises he has romantic feelings for Third, when he returns back to him (after the beach reflection) he notices his sexual attraction more easily than his romantic feelings.
His confusion over how much he hurt when Third seemed to be choosing Un over him, and how it was the first time he realised how much Third must have been hurting because he’d never felt like this before.
The entirety of Ep12 with Third telling Khai what he feels isn't love (because Third has seen time and time again that Khai hasn't loved anyone before). Khai's attempts to prove himself even though he really understand what loving someone means, even as he follows his emotions, and tries hard to be “better” for Third because he does love Third, he chooses Third, he changes for Third, he cries for Third.
He also curls up in his room watching romantic movies for multiple days because Third tells him that what he's feeling isn't love and if it isn't then what is?)
Very relatable and also owie ouchie my brokenness feelings.
Lack of data points makes it tricky:
There are probably lots of other characters that COULD fall into a-spectrum, (just as there are reasons why these characters might not) but the thing I find the trickiest to navigate (for my headcanons) is lack of data points. Most characters in BL are in highschool/college, and this, combined with a desire for lack of messiness in story structure, means characters are often experiencing feelings ‘for the first time.’ Long term pining, childhood crushes, and first attraction to the same gender, all come into play and make evidence muddy and lacking a concrete foundation, from which to draw conclusions.
We can’t ask characters about their preferences, previous feelings, levels of emotion etc. so in my opinion conclusions can’t be drawn, only inferences made.  
I don’t have a problem with anyone headcannoning these characters as not acespec.
I don’t have a problem with anyone headcannoning other characters as acespec.
Identities, Transience and Labelling
In discussing this post and my own framework with a couple of people I wanted to add a bit more of my personal experience with the ace label and the ace spectrum. Because the thing about both ace-ness and allo-ness is that they’re not equal all the time. Some people experience sexual attraction first or more frequently and may only experience romantic feelings later or less frequently. Some people feel romantic attraction before sexual, but only sometimes and sometimes people feel both at once and straight away, or both at once but only later on…
The romantic and sexual attraction spectrums are spectrums that everybody exists on and in existing on a spectrum some people have a firm placement and others a shifting one.
People who are ace-identified are typically those who have felt meaningfully different from their peers in the level and/or frequency of experiencing any sexual attraction and/or any romantic attraction and whose attraction is close to zero for one or both of those spectrums. They have thus sought out explanations for their difference and found the ace labels. Demi-ness, on either spectrum, then relates more to the way emotional(/intellectual) bonds, positive or negative, directly impact your ability to feel romantic or sexual attraction.
In the context of TV, for me, it’s picking up a photo of a character you love and being confused when they don’t seem right anymore. Its looking at a cast of beautiful humans and not really feeling anything but awe at their acting. It’s forgetting that characters were shirtless until the gifs show up on your dash the next day. It’s reading the definition of chemistry and not really understanding what it means. It’s not realising that there’s a difference between kisses where the lips move and kisses where they don’t because the way the characters talk and stand and stare means so much more. It’s so many things until you must notice because what you’re seeing and noticing and caring about is just…not the same as the things other people are seeing, noticing and caring about.
In the real world it’s messier, because aceness is sometimes framed as only 0%. Experiencing emotions outside of 0% can make the label feel hard to keep, or wrong or mismatched:
My 16-year-old-self called herself Asexual and was relieved to have found a reason why she felt so weird, even if it didn't quite fit right.
My 18-year-old-self called herself maybe-bi because both boys and girls can be pretty to look at, and this must be what crushes are right?
My 20-year-old-self called herself Asexual again (even though it still didn't fit right) because she’d tried things with one of these apparent crushes and it just felt…weird.
My 22-year-old-self called herself maybe straight afterall because she dreamed about kissing someone for the first time and that person was a boy.
My 24-year-old-self picked up demisexual and clung to it like a lifeline because why else would her attraction just be…gone. Was I broken?
My 25-year-old-self discovered demiromantic was also a label and felt like things finally made sense.
But what’s important to know is that at no point between finding the asexual label at 16 to finding the aromantic label at 25, was I not aro/ace. And that if I had settled on a non-aspec label after any one of my identity-questioning experiences, it wouldn’t have made me a liar at any age or negated the experience of other aspec people in any way.
Because what my 25-year-old-self now understands is that labels aren’t there to put you in a box and squeeze you into shape, nor are labels there to lay across your shoulders and weigh you down with their expectations.
The labels are a lifeline, a hand reaching out, a voice whispering in the darkness…
You are not, and have never been alone.
So, for me at least, to label characters as this or that, is not to box them in, instead it is pointing and gasping, look, look, that one is like me…or maybe, look, look, that one is like you.
When a character acts the way I would, thinks the way I would, talks the way I would I am again reminded that,
I are not, and have never been alone.
So please, label away, I don’t mind if we pick different labels. I just like that I can share my labels with you. 
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covenofthearticulate · 4 months
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I asked people this about Armand and Daniel ages ago, but now I'm curious about your thoughts regarding Louis
If Louis had the opportunity to undo one of the vampire nerfs, and either be able to go out in the sun without danger or pain, eat human food and generally be able to absorb things that aren't blood, or have sex without the need for hormone injections, which do you think he would go for?
Oooooooh that's such an interesting question, idk!!
On a practical note, opting to digest food would put an end to all his moral anxieties over killing that he's been grappling with for ages. But to give up blood feels like giving up vampirism as a whole LOL like what's the point. Killing is the only source of pleasure in his miserable existence; blood is really the only constant he has in his life. Getting up each morning and wrestling with that fact is one of the foundational tenants of Louis de Pointe du Lac.
I'm also just thinking about this absolutely based quote from totbt:
Lestat, you can't become human by simply taking over a human body! You weren't human when you were alive! You were born a monster, and you know it.
Like aksjhdbkfdhsb apart from this being the most sickening insult in the history of vampire kind, I've always wondered how much Louis was actually talking about himself here. Despite the fact that he later admits that he KNOWS he went too far when he said this ("Sometimes you frighten me so badly I hurl sticks and stones at you.") I still think he absolutely meant what he said. There's just something about the Catholic Angst Flavor of being born a monster, being damned from the start, that I think is just going to be forever engrained in Louis.
ANYWAY I didn't mean for this to delve into a whole meta analysis but this is all to say that I think even if Louis were to give up blood, he would still perceive himself as a monster.
My instinct is to say that he'd pick sunlight, mostly because the very first thing that popped into my head when I read this ask was the exchange he had with Lestat at the end of totbt:
"I didn't want the weakness; I didn't want the limitations; I didn't want the revolting needs and the endless vulnerability; I didn't want the drenching sweat or the searing cold. I didn't want the blinding darkness, or the noises that walled up my hearing, or the quick, frantic culmination of erotic passion; I didn't want the trivia; I didn't want the ugliness. I didn't want the isolation; I didn't want the constant fatigue." "You explained this to me before. There must have been something...however small...that was good!" "What do you think?" "The light of the sun."
There's just something so poignant about this moment, when after his big misadventure, Lestat is still reeling, still upset and confused and anguished about everything that happened, and it's Louis who reminds him of why he so desperately wanted to be human in the first place.
I know that, when Daniel asks Louis if he misses the sun, Louis replies "Not really." And maybe that is true, maybe Louis doesn't miss the sunlight when he's able to enjoy the beauty of the world around him with all the depth of a vampire. But I still think that the poet and the aesthete in him yearns for the light.
Also he's definitely not choosing sex LOL my guy has 0 libido and no interest in experiencing that sort of thing as a vampire. I know that's hypocritical of me to say as someone who thinks about Loustat Smut like 24/7 but LMFAO Lestat has enough sexual appetite for the both of them
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punkeropercyjackson · 25 days
Text
Red Hood and The Outlaws rewrite
Co-made by me,@insomniac-jay,@moonage-gaydream,@mayameanderings,@theautisticcentre and @refrigeratedboombursts.It is a BIG ASS FUCKING MONSTER
Starts in 2010 and ends in 2020 with 120 issues
The lineup is,in joining order:Jason Todd(Red Hood and briefly a Star Sapphire),Eddie Bloomberg(Red Devil),Rose Wilson(Ravager),Summer Kent(Ignite and and brierly a Black Lantern),Pepper Jackson(Star Sapphire),Thaddeus Thawne(Inertia),Kahali Roy(Bloody Mary),Duke Thomas(Robin),Imani Javiera(Panthress),Kyle Rayner(Green Lantern),Artemis Grace(Artemis of Bana-Mighdall),Venus Sparks(Star Sapphire),Mathew Wayne(Batboy and briefly a Green Lantern),Lilith Morningstar(Hex)and Daisy Hilliard(Paradisia),Jennifer Williams(Batgal) and Azriel Morningstar(Ghoul)
Jason,Eddie and Rose are the 'Original Outlaws Trinity' and them and Summer are the 'Dark Core Four'.Jason is the founder and leader and Summer his right hand man who takes over when he can't
Almost all trans and autistic with Pepper as the token allistic and Mathew the token cis.Jason is afro-dominican,Rose and Artemis are brownskin and brown eyed,Summer is a half white afrolatina(dominican),Thaddeus is half black too,Kahali is indian(sindhi-bengali),Imani is afro-puerto rican and Venus,Lilith,Azriel,Daisy and Jennifer are monoracial black women.Jason,Summer,Imani and Lilith are also fat and Jaysumm is tank4tank
Sometimes a found family can be 17 crazy ass vigilantes who some of weren't even vigilantes at first
The series is very goofy and silly often and in it's fundemental spirit but equally dark and layered in the same sense and is heavy on gags,jokes,violence and social talk.It also takes place over 3 in-universe years
The canon couples are Jason/Summer,Eddie/Lilith,Rose/Pepper,Thad/Azriel,Kahali/Tim Drake,Duke/Luna Vasquéz,Imani/Vicia López,Kyle/Venus,Artemis/Daisy and Mathew/Jennifer.The other adult Outlaws view eachother with very strong platonic love that can be taken as polyamorous love except Summer and Imani who are sisterly and the kid Outlaws are seen as younger siblings by them with Thad also being considered their adoptive son-By Summer especially and he straight up views him as his mom
Jason is goth punk,Eddie is a metalhead,Rose is goth butch,Summer is pastel punk,Pepper is y2k,Thad is a skater,Kahali is whimsigoth,Duke is a fashionista,Imani is black y2k,Kyle is losercore-i mean distinct,Artemis is a jock,Venus is ghetto fabulous,Mathew is weirdcore,Lilith is scenemo,Daisy is a softgirl,Jennifer is a prep and Azriel is kidcore
Summer is the Team Mom and Jason the Team Dad and they're nicknamed 'Supermom and Dadhood' as a teasing joke that they only embrace post getting together(And yet somehow this dosen't stop Jason from saying Summer is a milf with complete honesty and zero hesitation)
Their base is called The Fortress-named by Summer obviously-and it's an old abandoned huge residence that they started living in after exorsicing it due to investigation leading them there and the moving in decision was made because the beings in it agreed to bless it with eternal running water and electricity as a thank you for helping them move onto the afterlife at last.Everyone has their own room with their own tricked out aesthetic but it's common for them to share their beds and Imani refuses to actually sleep alone,not that any of them mind after a while despite her unconventional sleeping habits
Small note:Kyle is in the same age group as Jason but because i feel he's even more interesting if he starts out being a power ring bearer as a teenager and it adds extra tragedy and opportunities to his plots.And they don't actually meet until adulthood-Their mutual connection is Kyle and Summer having been a thing for a short time when they were both teens and Jason being Summer's childhood best friend since they were 11.This notion also applies to Artemis,she gets introduced as a teen hero too instead of that oversexualization bs and keeps her history but just adjusted so she's still Artemis Grace!!
As stated,Jason,Eddie and Rose were the original trio and Jason got them to become Outlaws pretty easily thanks to Eddie having been sidekick besties with him and Summer too and Rose is always up for moral grayness(and is coincedentally another one of Summer's exes-His first ever girlfriend in fact!)and Summer joined post Ember/Red Hood thanks to him and Jason reuniting in Utrh and the series being about them reconnecting as he unintentionally influenced him to become more sardonic and brutal like they were as a kid so the Metropolis media framed them as 'evil all along' and that hurt them so much combined with smear campaign Lex did against them as a kid he worked so hard to disprove for so long that they finally ran away from home and joined The Outlaws like Jason wanted him to so they'd be a team again.He gifted him a black domino mask as 'giving him a piece of himself' to finish off the new costume Summer made.After a decent while of just The Dark Four Core,Pepper came along as the fifth member because of her crush on Summer she'd gained due to their flirtatiouns back in Metropolis that he still both returned and they accidentally rescued Thad from dying in a chaotic and quick incident and took him in since he had literally nowhere to go
Pepperose was just a natural thing that happened-They flirted on first meeting mutually and Rose was shellshocked Pepper actually hit on her back and then kinda became obsessed with in a non-creepy way her LMFAO She acts like a booktok bf💀Peps is very happy about it though and they're 'gal pals' for about 50 issues before sealing the deal and doing the official girlfriends thing.Rose calls her Pinkie Pie and Pepper calls her 'my favorite rose'.Pepper dosen't really change all that much other than improved self-eestem and getting stronger but she also kills Slade for good out of love for Rose and that's when Rose kisses her,no holding anymore and they're married by the 2nd to last issue and Rose's codename dosen't stay Ravager for the whole series as she eventually uses the 'Willow' mantle and her arc is a heavy but good one that's all about her being human despite what others say
Kahali was gruesomely murdered by The Joker as he filmed the whole thing and sent a physical copy to Summer with a note that said 'history repeats are as sweet you,Dearie Em'.Summer was catatonic but also stuck in his dragon/Kryptofang form and when he snapped back to conciousness,he flew to Gotham before his cremation ceremony to dunk him in the Lazarus Pit,knowing it's exact location thanks to Talia helping out The Outlaws now and then as Jason's adoptive mom.Kahali came back with Pit Powers that were much stronger than Jason's and he rubs it in his face,along with it having turned his hair completely white but he still dyes it red and Summer mother hen's him more than ever for obvious reasons(well those and the additional one is Summer also got killed and ressurected by a Gotham Rogue as a sidekick)and Kahali updated himself to 'Blood Maker'.Tim and him were a very atypical couple on every level but that only made them happier with and better for eachother and Tim entered his villain era as 'Dove' over what happened because he believed Kahali was his soulmate and saviour and even had plans to marry him despite not asking him out yet and ironically enough they reunited on the battlefield without recognizing eachother at first until Tim did first and unmasked himself in shock just like Jason and Summer.Time stood still until they rushed up to kiss in relief and disbelief in Tim's case and they started a secret long distance relathionship after that
Artemis joined for reasons that are a bit complicated to match her origin story but the jist of it is she was living in the normal world and deemed them worthy of her companionhood despite how annoying she found them(especially Jason)and they helped her out with her emotions and better translating her mannerisms and technically turned into a goddess permanently(and willingly)and Kyle had a lot of crazy ass Lanterns shit happen that had him be forced by his mentors to take a breather and he choose a crosscountry roadtrip and he met his teammates by almost running Eddie over because he was trying to eat freshly made ramen and it got in his eyes.He a bit of morals trip with his new friends and old ex boygirlfriend he's still mutually flirty with sometimes to say the least(and ends the run a White Lantern).There's heavy featuring of his parents and past in this because hooooooo boy,he is a character of all time!!
Duke is the 5th Robin because of Summer's involvement and he got a year in pretty good but then him and Bruce nearly broke apart over a fight and he got so scared of being fired as Robin because of being only a 12 year old technical orphan(jokerized parents)he followed Summer's footsteps by ditching Gotham and that was how he meet Jason,who introduced himself as his true identity to him because of Summer's positive talk of him and accepted Duke's ask for shelter and so Duke was now an Outlaw.He wasn't forced to kill but he did become pretty harsh in fights and this caused him angst only for a bit as he was reassured by the older members.Duke says to Jason in issue 110 '.....I was never a real Robin.I've been with you guys way longer than i ever was with Bruce-' and Jason cuts him off with 'Yeah,no shit you were never Batman's Robin.You're The Outlaws' Robin-You're my Robin and you always have been and you always will be' and Duke breaks down so Jason comforts him and that's when Summer walks in with their Dairy Super and Batburger double flight orders and asks what happened but helps before either even get to explain with Duke thanking him for being the reason he got to take the first step to heroism to which he gets platonically bubbly and flattered and tells him he's the perfect Robin and Duke does a toothy happy grin that takes up most of the last panel in that issue
Duke is also a reality warper because of Gnomon so he stopped the N52 from existing in his Robin run🙏🏼Duke is our god,please praise him
Imani gets hired because of her reputation as a leathily effecient spy and she fits right in,crying herself to sleep a few times after they'd been together long enough to call eachother family.She's a gremlin from the start and influences Mathew to be the same and she's close to everybody but Summer and her are interdimensional sisters soulmates a la Percy Jackson and Hazel Levesque and he was the first one to break down her walls and they go out of their way to defend the other nonstop and this helps Summer's eldest daughter syndrome trauma.Catblooded/Vimani starts in a remastered Gotham War which is about them and The Watchers and lest to say they're perfect together and Jason,Kyle,Mathew,Lilith and Jennifer NEVER let them live it down.Lilith's intro is a parody of Batman 357-Instead of stealing his tires,she hacked Jason's computer to leak his old Undertale chats and he begged her to join in humiliating ways only for it to be revealed she only did it for fun and came to join because Summer and him were close friends in their teen years but got seperated due to Hell bussiness.She made sure to take pictures 'to send to Summie of his cringelord ass hubbie'.None of these words are denied by anyone at all
At the same time this was happening,Artemis,Azriel,Thad,Pepper and Duke were on a mission and Artemis was almost fatally wounded but Daisy came in as her angel with healing oitments made with her chlorokinesis and Artemis saw her with a glowing pink halo around her head,too enchanted by her to care about almost dying.Daisy was a duo with Lilith and had the same reasoning as her for being there but they got seperated thanks to a villain attack and they're the team hacker and team medic.They picked Venus up at a party she was DJ'ing and she started as only an ally but joined them officially in a parallel to Teen Titans 2003!Tara Markov after an angst arc and it actually took her and Kyle a hot sec to get officially together due thinking their attraction was purely physical and her and Pepper did a toon girlypop squee sequence after she got the official Outlaw title as Star Sapphire solidarity.Mathew kept getting told by Gotham City-The sentient city itself-he needed to leave for now since Jennifer was missing so he gave in and he was welcomed with open arms,platonic kisses,food and appropriate training
But in a mini arc called 'Batboy's Breakout' the adult Outlaws go on mission without him despite him being the eldest and it makes him feel not good enough after the buildup of not being able to protect the other kids a few times before so when he hears of a breakout at Blackgate at bedtime,he sneaks out,stops it and kills Penguin(his birth parents' murderer)and stops an Arkham breakout too and then goes solo after leaving a note at the Fortress.They're super upset but almost all of them trust him to take care of himself with Summer as the exception thanks to how maternal he is and how he was the only one other than Kahali who was really close to him pre-Rhato.Mathew is a solo hero for roughly half a year and defeats Slade during his run before he comes back to The Outlaws and tackled in the world's biggest group hug and showered in words of love and reminisced sadness and he's misty eyed touched because he missed them too after the resentment wore off.His new hero name is 'Bladebat' for his magic sword he crafted himself while on the run
Jennifer was missing because she'd been given Lian's teleported across time and space multiple times storyline due to an accident that happened while on a quest for Solana Banks to restore her lost home dimension Helioas because she thought she'd found an articifact that would but misenterpreted it's powers.Lucky for her,her journey only lasted 1 year instead of multiple and she found her way back to Mathew's spot-Her safe spot.She wasn't ready to live normally again just yet so she stayed in the Fortress and became an official member as a result under 'Batika'.And to complete our family,Azriel had the easiest and most simplistic one-Lilith asked Jason to let her join them because of how strong she is and not having many friends so he accepted and she's actually the goriest of the Outlaws beating even Thee Red Hood in it and this is part of her demonic nature and carries no secret undertones to it.Like Flowergrace,Thadzriel was love at first newbie sight and they have such a sweet middle school dating dynamic
Luna appears in a significant amount of issues but since she's Aquafam she sticks to her own territory most of the time and her and Duke are purely platonic with love not blooming until Duke becomes The Signal and leads a new team he made called The Lights with Luna joining as 'Moonguide' and they have a slowburn that spans until their adults years as Eris(Duke)and Selene(Luna)
Jaysumm's dynamic is childhood best friends and sidekick partners > Enemies only in the technical sense > Best friends again but Jason flirting with Summer constantly and Summer not buying Jason isn't joking because of their history together > Being insuferably obviously in love and Summer's literally the ONLY one who dosen't know > Fwb who act like a couple already with Jason still only knowing it on his side and angst for him as a result > Sneaking off to take Jon off trick or treating in opposite costumes(fairy and werewolf)and Summer's epiphany finally happens so he confesses when they make it home and Jason confesses back so they make out > Official couple when exactly 11 issues remaining in a 120 part series LMFAO
🎶They don't give a damn about their reputation🎶 < Had to make that joke,mb kings.But yeah they generally don't care about perception from normies and ARE here to unteach propaganda as they fuck around and make people find out the systems are fucked.It's very embarrasing for certain superheroes that the eco-terrorists without the no kill code are better parents to their kids than they are to theirs and their legacy stays even post quasi-dispanment(They keep in contact forever ofc,it's just the plot needed them elsewheres and there's common reunions and video calls)
Culturally fused team,both race and species.Afrolatino and brown latino,kryptonian and amazonian,speedster abonimation and macabita demon,human and meta and so forth.Subculture fused too as they frequently participate in eachother's aesthetics and interests and they're all multilingual.Clashes between them occasionally but never too bad
The genre is like.Superhero comedy but also horror but also fantasy but also sci-fi but also urban fantasy but also surrealism but also romance drama but also psychological thriller????????It's the Homestuck of DC,everything ever happens in Red Hood and The Outlaws 2010-2020.This includes the catgirls and the hyperspecific lore and the weird ass art that's somehow good and the-
The covers always fuck NO exceptions,Summer does meta commentary telling fans to not buy their merch officially and to instead get it secondhand or they'll be dissapointing him but Pepper full on breaks the fourth wall,it has it's own official opening on the official DCAU channel and a few shorts and this includes a pride video like the Bubbline one by Cartoon Network and it stars Jaysumm,Pepper is the most well-known and beloved trans DC character,they're SUPER popular in in Latin America and with latino-americans,it has multiple lego sets and The Outlaws Girls even got their own doll line and they have crossover mini series with Young Justice that's 24 issues and called 'Just Us,No Laws'
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lunamond · 6 months
Text
In light of my recent post about Acotar, I wanted to gush some about my favourite Beauty and Beast and Ballad of Tam Lin (and a sprinkle of Bluebeard) YA retelling.
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge ❤️
This is mostly going to be a gush fest and recommendation for anyone who was also excited by the idea of meshing Beauty and the Beast with Tam Lin and ended up utterly disappointed with Acotar.
Some very mild spoilers (mostly Worldbuilding)
Cruel Beauty is a fun and easy read: YA Fantasy Romance with plenty of popular tropes and archetypes, like the arranged marriage, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, etc
This book still manages to engage in such interesting ways with the original tales it's based on.
Instead of stealing the aesthetic of the Og fairytales and other folklore and mythology like in Acotar.
Any defining fae feature of Sjm's characters is immediately removed in the very beginning of Acotar (the lieing, the iron, etc), turning the characters in what amounts to hot magic people. Even their supposed long lifespans barely impact their behaviour or culture.
Cruel Beauty continuously builts on its roots, making them an intrinsic part of its narrative.
In Acotar outside of the very shallow narrative skeleton of the Beauty and the Beast tale, you could strip away the faerie and folklore elements, and you're left with the same story. The only changes you might need to make are to find a new name for Tamlin (while not that serious, I considered it quite offensive when I first read this series as a teenager that Sjm would take that name and then turn that character into an abuser).
In Cruel Beauty, however, both the defining elements of the Beauty and the Beast story and the Tam Lin story are crucial to the development and resolution of its plot.
The Beast of the story is cursed, as are the inhabitants of his castle. Nyx, our Beauty character, is offered in exchange for a mistake her father made. As she is unknowingly about to break the curse, the Beast lets her go back, but when she returns, it's too late to break the curse.
This is when the story morphes into the Ballad of Tam Lin, and Nyx has to win her lover back from the Faerie Queen in much the same manner as Janet did in the ballad, even saving him from a very similar fate.
The Bluebeard elements, which to me always seemed more like references than an actual retelling, are still really apparent and well integrated.
The representation of the fae is also great in this book. This is especially remarkable due to the fact that the actual words fae or faerie are never used once.
Instead, they are referred to as the Kindly Ones.
However, they are clearly trickster folk who make bargains with unwitting humans that always end up going wrong in cruel ways. They are fair, never directly lie, and always keep their end of the agreement. They place a lot of importance on names, are otherworldly, eerie, etc.
Basically, they actually seem Other, instead of talking and acting like frat bros from the 21st century.
This book differs from a lot of other Fae Fantasy, however, in the way it mixes Greco-Roman Myths with more Celtic Germanic Folklore. It creates a really fun interplay between these cultures, both in-world as well as on a meta level.
First of all, there are some other (in my opinion, more mediocre books) that do throw a lot of mythologies together. CB sets itself apart with the fact that it does so with a lot more purpose than others do.
In many people's minds, different cultures and mythos tend to be viewed as very separate. However, just looking at the Greek and Roman myths, it's already pretty clear that every time cultures clashed, so would their myths and stories.
This is a well studied phenomenon. The romans especially were well known to basically mash up their deities and myths with those of every new culture they interacted with.
And CB uses this brilliantly. The story is set in an alternate timeline, in which, after the fall of Rome, a kingdom known as Arcadia was created by former Roman generals/nobility. This mirrors actual history, during which many early medieval kingdoms would seek their legitimacy in their connections to the Roman Empire (see the Holy Roman Empire aka Germany).
But in CB, the fantastical elements are meshed up in this as well. This allows Rosamund Hodge to create an interesting interplay between the Greco-Roman Mythology imported by the elite in Arcadia and the more Celtic/Germanic Folklore elements native to the land and its population.
So, yeah. Go read Cruel Beauty, please.
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adobe-outdesign · 2 months
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Really enjoying the neopet reviews and holding myself back from asking for half a dozen species. What are your thoughts on the Ruki?
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As an insect lover, I've always really liked Ruki. There are actually two bug Neopets, Ruki and Buzz, though ironically they're kind of opposites to each other—Ruki have insect-like bodies with normal eyes, while Buzz have normal bodies with compound eyes. Between the two I prefer the Ruki, as the body shape captures more of that bug aesthetic while the eyes help it be more expressive.
Visually, the Ruki is probably closest to a mantis (more obvious in the pre-customization art), though it mixes in a few non-mantis traits such as a beetle-like shell. It's actually a very complex design for Neopets, which tends to keep things simple—it's more or less got the anatomy of an actual mantis with all six limbs, just with the body bent 90 degrees to be slightly more anthro. There's lots of detailed line work in areas like the chest, joints, feet, and abdomen, for example. Still, it does follow the Neopets rule of using color to divide out the body for easy readability, with areas like the joints, feet, and elytra being a darker shade of the base.
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Ruki went mostly unchanged in customization, and still look pretty darn good. The only drawbacks are that the forelimbs used to be sleeker and pointer, similar to that of a mantis (stylistically speaking), while the post-customization's forelimbs feel too thick and clunky in comparison—it seems like they mostly got changed so they could hold items, which no one wanted them to do in the first place. Also, the bottom four legs all got inexplicably changed so the knees bend in the opposite direction. The way they are now is more bug-accurate, but I felt like the backwards knees were more interesting.
Favorite Colours:
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Desert: Ruki canonically hail from the Lost Desert, so thankfully the desert Ruki looks really good. I like the use of warm tones—brown for the base with gold and red accents. The way the armor is integrated directly into the body's natural plating also looks great, and makes it feel like a very natural color.
My only complaint is that the converted version inexplicably lost the veil that was supposed to be coming off its head piece, along with the eyeliner at the top and the darker spots. It's weird because the rest of the body is pretty accurate. Hopefully they'll do a UC style for this one some day, but in the meanwhile, the customized is still pretty good.
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Faerie: Admittedly, the converted faerie Ruki is a bit of a downgrade from the UC style version—mostly because the wings actually used to be coming from the abdomen, like real bug wings, which was really unique and looked great. There are also some more inexplicable changes, like the legs having the serrated look but not the arms or the antennae like the original. Still, the peach and purple palette combined with the detailed markings looks beautiful on both versions.
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Transparent: Transparent gets a spot here because it's actually fairly automatically accurate! Relatively speaking. Insects obviously have exoskeletons and not internal skeletons, but this is a giant fantasy bug so I don't mind. The rather long organs are insect accurate as far as I'm aware, and the bones seem to be modeled after an insect's respiratory system. A+ for research instead of just sticking a normal skeleton in there. My only nitpick is that the head could've used some bones, as it feels weirdly empty.
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BONUS: I'm tossing in two bonuses this time because I picked the transparent more for anatomy than aesthetics. The camoflauge Ruki has a very pretty tan and brown palette with some high contrast and lovely darker legs, while the polka dot is a ladybug and just plain cute.
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