Tumgik
#buddy you are in such a deep form of love whether platonic or otherwise and you have promised your dumb idiot life into looking after his
therainscene · 1 year
Text
Much of the supernatural horror that Will has to contend with works extremely well as a metaphor for his issues -- the Upside Down is the closet, the monsters represent homophobia, his powers are as repressed as he is, yadda yadda -- and in my opinion, this makes him a relatively easy character to analyze. Being able to draw on the supernatural stuff just gives you a lot more material to work with.
Mike, though? A goddamn enigma. He’s often present when supernatural stuff is happening, but he doesn’t interact with it to anywhere near the degree that Will does, and it’s much harder to fold him into the allegory being told here without reducing him to “Will’s love interest”.
Tumblr media
And that’s interesting, don’t you think?
That the “stereotypical” gay boy who attracts homophobes like moths to a flame has had his issues laid out in code since the beginning? Whereas the straight-passing one, who’s so deep in the closet he’s probably not even out to himself yet, is so hard to read that most of the GA assume his bizarre personality change in S3 was a symptom of bad writing?
Tumblr media
Figuring yourself out as a queer is a challenge even today, and part of the reason it’s so challenging is because heteronormativity steamrolls right over our right to know that being queer is a valid option.
The closet isn’t a queer space -- it’s a queer-shaped void within a heteronormative space.
Tumblr media
Stranger Things is full of examples of this:
Will isn’t shy about expressing his disgust at the thought of dating girls, but he’s dealing with a lot of childhood trauma so he’s just a late bloomer, right?
Will is jealous and upset about his new step-sister’s relationship with the boy he’s been attached to at the hip since he was five, but it must be because he’s in love with her or otherwise misses his platonic buddy, right?
El’s character arc is about freeing herself from toxic relationships with men, but her infatuation with the boy who puts her on a pedestal is the one exception to that, right?
Robin shows zero romantic interest in men before coming out, but she and Steve just vibe so well it’s reasonable to assume they’re love interests, right?
Vickie paused Fast Times at fifty-three minutes five seconds, but she has a boyfriend so she must be straight, right?
Tumblr media
Over and over, the show presents us with an ambiguously queer situation and dares us to assume it’ll end heteronormatively.
If this were any other show I’d call it queerbaiting... but these situations just keep ending in a non-heteronormative way, all while symbolically dancing around Mike.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Granted, “non-heteronormative” doesn’t necessarily equal gay -- El’s arc is more about independence and forging healthy platonic relationships than about replacing men with women -- but she’s still on the path to breaking out of comphet, which is rather a queer act regardless of whether she's literally queer herself.
Tumblr media
But I’m digressing.
We’ve seen how Will is visibly queer and struggles with the trauma of being abused for it, and how his closet is symbolized by the existence of a literal alternate dimension full of monsters.
But Mike is invisible, so his closet isn’t represented by a metaphor at all, but by something more meta than that -- it’s etched out in the negative space formed by the narrative itself. Only the audience can see it, and then only if we’re paying attention, tracing the edges of the story and feeling out the shape it results in.
Tumblr media
These two different approaches in depicting the struggle of being closeted remind me of drowning.
In films, drowning is a noisy and dramatic affair, easy to identify.
Tumblr media
But in real life, drowning doesn’t look like what we think it does -- it’s silent and resembles calm water play. All too often, drowning victims will quietly slip under and succumb helplessly to the depths...
Tumblr media
...right under everyone’s noses.
823 notes · View notes
i-am-become-a-name · 3 years
Text
Tumblr media
I know I've read Earthworld and Fitz's vow but every time it comes back up I am just like buddy.
37 notes · View notes
thesevro · 3 years
Text
besties / headcanons
𝖋𝖔𝖗 𝖋𝖚𝖘𝖍𝖎𝖌𝖚𝖗𝖔 𝖙𝖔𝖏𝖎, 𝖌𝖔𝖏𝖔 𝖘𝖆𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖚, 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖓𝖆𝖓𝖆𝖒𝖎 𝖐𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖔
𝖜𝖔𝖗𝖉 𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖙: 1.4K words
𝖘𝖚𝖒𝖒𝖆𝖗𝖞: how toji, satoru and kento would act as your best friend
Tumblr media
GOJO SATORU
- Gojo may not be very loyal as your boyfriend, but he would definitely be one among your most loyal friends.
- Whenever you're sitting down at some place, literally anywhere, be it at a cafe or on some random stone ledge, he'll let you lean back into him.
- Gojo is tall, and he's somehow always so warm, so treating him as a platonic cuddle buddy would be so nice.
- So imagine you're exhausted from a long day and you find this stout little ledge to rest on. Gojo would sit down with you there. 
- You could lean onto him, press your head into his shoulder and Gojo would actually feel very relaxed to have someone he trusts and holds dear next to him. 
- Knowing that one of his closest friends is safe calms him to an impossible degree. He knows he's lost too many already.
- And if the day has been too long, he'll let you sleep on his shoulder. Let you enjoy having a little power nap while ignoring the little line of drool that will wet his uniform.
- Hip to hip, your head to his shoulder, it does not feel as romantically intimate as it could be, but he loves that you're here with him all the same. He's always been scared of losing his friends, no matter how well he hides it.
- So he'll keep you warm as you nap on his shoulder. 
- PARTING FROM OUR ANGSTIER PARTS... Gojo would be the best hype-man. 
- You wearing a dress that barely reaches your knees and flaunts your ass whenever you jump? He'll cheer for you and scream, "THAT'S MY HOT BESTIE!!!"
- You have a crush on some dude? Some gal? He'll get very close with that guy or gal and tell them all the good things about you.
- If you like someone from the school it'll be even worse for you. He would blatantly skip missions just to set your crush up with you as your partner. 
- Gojo would be a great, awesome, amazing BFF and you cannot tell me otherwise.
Tumblr media
NANAMI KENTO
- Nanami as your friend would just be. Aw.
- He would be the most attentive friend out there.
- You just come back from a mission, hair and clothes a mess, face streaked with blood? He'll let you use his handkerchief to wipe the mess off. And he'll fetch some bandages for you if you need it.
- If you're bed-ridden, he'll stay by your bedside and talk to you there. Silence with him is also just... so nice. So peaceful. So serene.
- Nanami would even make you coffee, tea, whatever it is you like just so he can help you feel more refreshed after whatever tiring mission you went on, or whatever complicated job it was you had to finish.
- He knows what your favorite drink is. What your favorite food is. He also knows the best place to find both.
- Will eat lunch together with you every day at the school, or at yours or his favorite restaurant.
- He can't really make food for you... so he always buys something for lunches at the school with you.
- Sometimes he'll just stand in front of one of the school vending machines, in undeniably deep thought about what your drink of the day could be.
- Whenever he visits your favorite coffee shop, or whatever place sells your favorite drink, he'll ask the cashier to add the specific extras you like incorporating into your drink. He knows all of them.
- AND OKAY. LISTEN. NANAMI WOULD TOTALLY CALL YOU AT THREE A.M. TO RANT ABOUT WORK.
- Of course he would first say something along the lines of, "I must apologize for bothering you. I promise to buy you (insert fav. drink) and (insert fav. food) and (insert fav. dessert) tomorrow. Promise." Then he finally reveals how stressed he is, "But. Are you aware of how much I want to wring Gojo Satoru's neck and kick him off a cliff?"
- It would turn into some sort of comedy, where Nanami mocks every single person who has stressed him out (Gojo Satoru for once in your life just STFU) in that sonorous, baritone rumble of his.
- Imagine hearing something like that at three in the morning. Sometimes it makes you question why it is no one has asked the guy out yet. (AND WHY YOU HAVEN'T DONE THAT EITHER.)
- Nanami would also be the BEST listener.
- You have a problem with something? With someone? Okay. He'll hear you out. Will not interrupt you while you're speaking. Not once will he do that.
- If it's something serious, and you start sniffling or maybe even crying, okay let's be honest he wouldn't really know what to do...
- SO. Because he doesn't know, he'll do what he sees everyone else do.
- He'll hug you. His arms will be stiff and that deep pit of awkwardness will definitely form in his stomach, but if it helps you, he'll do it all the same.
- If this is your first time crying in front of him, he'll only pull out one of his handkerchiefs and hand it to you. Sorry, but he wouldn't know how else to comfort you.
- He'll also comfort you with words of logic. Nanami has that perspicacious outsider's perspective that lets him see the rational portion of everything.
- BUT HE WOULD ALSO BE SO UNDERSTANDING. If you voice that you think your feelings are stupid, or dumb, he would FIRMLY insist that no, no (Y/N), your feelings are not stupid. Your feelings matter to me. And nothing that matters to me is "stupid."
- And he would proceed to help you find a solution to your problem, or would just hear you out some more. You can be honest with him and he would not judge you for any of your feelings.
- In conclusion, Nanami Kento would be the most caring BFF out there.
Tumblr media
FUSHIGURO TOJI
- Okay HEAR ME OUT ON THIS. HEAR ME OUT.
- Toji would be an AWESOME best friend.
- He would be the guy you could punch in the arm with abandon.
- Toji would ALSO be the mean tease of a friend who is able to bed you at least once.
- After getting you in his bed though he'll let you go back to the casual thing you share, if that's what you want. But if you want to be together, well... he would be willing to try, but only because you're his friend.
- It may or may not work out. But he does try to make it work. Whether it does in the end... depends.
- MOVING FORWARD, again, Toji would be the friend you could punch without being hit back for it. He'll just be like yeah, okay short stuff then move on.
- He's just someone you could debate with, have fun with, and tease and test to no end.
- AND TOJI is the type of guy who would be super casual about letting people stay over at his house. You had a tiring day? You want to crash at his house? He'll let you.
- You open his door and he'll look at you like he was expecting you, but maybe that's because you'd just ranted about how someone at work had treated you like shit.
- You know. Through the private messaging app only assassins like him use. But since you're his bestie he let you download it too.
- HE CALLS YOU EVERY SINGLE PET NAME OUT THERE TOO
- And he always greets you with, "Something wrong, short stuff?" when you come through the door
- AND HE WOULD EVEN CALL YOU "PRINCESS" WHEN HE REALLY FEELS LIKE PUSHING IT
- And listen bitch even if you're tall... this asshole is literally as tall as Gojo (I think?????) AND he's a DILF. So shut your mouth, short stuff.
- At his house you can either: 1. Order take-out and eat together on the dingy old table someone's great-grandfather used to eat on; he might pay if you really aren't feeling it but he's also an avaricious, money-hoarding bitch (in other words, broke) soooo don't expect much. Or 2. Just sleep on his couch while he watches TV. His bed smells like shit and really his couch isn't any better buuutt at least it doesn't have... stains.
- And please, don't even think about venting your feelings to this guy. He would either laugh his ass off at you or only nod with a tight smile of discomfort on his face.
- Princess, he won't be tucking you into bed, but he'll definitely have some leftover pizza ready for you in the morning. His love language is lazy as hell, but it's love all the same.
- Though your pizza will most definitely be either burnt or cold as shit.
- But either way, he cares.
- So if you're feeling down because someone looked at you wrong in the streets, expect to see a "Missing Person's Report" on the news in the morning.
2K notes · View notes
xdepthsofwinterx · 7 years
Text
Shipping Q&A:
SHIPPING INFO // Answer the following for your muse(s) so people know how shipping works on your blog. REPOST. Don’t reblog.
What’s your OTP for your Muse?:
 It’sComplicated x EvasiveLilShite
What are you willing to RP when it comes to shipping?:
Platonic partnerships, heated one-night stands, prolonged flirtatious banter that’s just that. Deep friendships that sprout into something more – those can be the most rewarding. Pretty much anything, given how fickle my muse is. This excludes emotional and physically abusive ships of course. I won’t stand for that shit in real life, so why should I in fictional settings?
How large does the age gap have to be to make it uncomfortable?:
Anything below RL legal ages is an instant NO. I personally prefer no more than 10-15 years older (30-40) and 2-3 years younger (20/21), but that isn’t to say that Dhana won’t be interested to an older person – especially if they’re much older by racial means. It’s just my comfort zone for writing.
Are you selective when shipping?:
Marginally. I won’t permit shipping with someone I don’t know or who hasn’t interacted with Dhana at least once. And that’s just me. If my muse gives off the ‘no’ vibes, then sorry folks – the answers gonna be a negative. Like I said, she’s a fickle bugger.
Unless we’re talking drunken shenanigans or crack, then anything is possible!
How far do steamy moments have to go before they’re considered NSFW?:
When the hand slips beneath the belt you mean? I would considered most forms of foreplay NSFW, so those go under the cut. I will admit, I prefer not writing all out smut. I just don’t see the need for it. Cutting to black after a certain extent is preferable, but if I felt comfortable enough with the RP partner, I might be willing to write throughout. My apologies if this disappoints.
Who are other muses you ship your muse with?:
I am not sure I actively ship her with anyone in particular, not all out ship anyway. In her canon!verse, Dhana has history with Xanos, but it was merely physical. There are also embers of affection for Elithrar – these are largely platonic. I seesawed between wanting to ship them romantically, and wanting them to be epically close friends. Who knows! xD
Valen could be another option. In game, I tried romancing him with Dhana and it felt wrong. This could be largely due to Dhana’s personality being a quite different from the given personality options. And so far seeing how well @shadowbreathing & Dhana’s interactions have progressed, it could be possible.
Speaking of HotU characters, I really wish there had been an option to romance Nathyrra as a female PC. I always felt Dhana had a thing for her, but it would most likely be one-sided x’D
Of course, I will forever ship her and Deekin as the platonic soul buddies~!
Does one have to ask to ship with you?:
I would prefer to discuss it, yes. After all, if it’s a serious thing, our muses are gonna need chemistry of some sort. Planning is good too, but can stifle if overworked. So long as the ship has some direction, it’s all good. The end result doesn’t have to be good and happy either – after all, when do relationships go swimmingly?
How often do you like to ship?:
One in a while? Keep a slowburner going, yank it over the coals from time to time. I ain’t fussy, but I can’t help it if Dhana wants to get her flirt on.
Are you multiship?:
Yep, yasss, definitely. Even in the same verse if all parties involved are happy with it.
Are you obsessed or ship more-or-less?:
I used to be, but I’ve become pretty weary with ship hype over the years. I prefer slow burners for sure - they are no less intense, but more manageable I find. Though given Dhana’s tendency to bring home ‘strays’, I’ve had to adapted somewhat ¬-¬’ –sounds like an old grumpy granny-.
What is your favourite ship in your current fandom?:
Uhh….Dhana x her quilt? x’D What, she loves that thing! If we are talking in the FR community here, it is probably TomixRith >83
Finally, how does one ship with you?:
Specify whether crack or not! Then just bump into my muse and I, maybe buy us dinner and a drink, and hey presto – you’re on track to begin!
Otherwise, just send a PM to inquire if you are unsure x’D.
TAGGED BY: No one, I am the lone wolf~! TAGGING: N/A
8 notes · View notes
archerton84-blog · 5 years
Text
BoJack Horseman season 5 spoiler-free review
“I tell you buddy, this is going to be an exceptional season of television…”
Over the span of five seasons, BoJack Horseman has proven itself to be many things. It is of course an animated series about a self-absorbed horse actor’s struggles through life’s many hurdles, but BoJack Horseman is also a friend. BoJack Horseman is an enemy. BoJack Horseman is a therapist, and it is escapism. It is a mirror. But BoJack Horseman is also just a television show, which is why it is so impressive when it so perfectly captures the human condition. It can also make its audience laugh and cry and want to be better. BoJack Horseman is art and its newest season continues to evolve the show and its characters in exciting and challenging ways.
BoJack Horseman season five begins with dialogue that feels like it could be said by BoJack at any point in the series. "Nothing's lonelier than a party,” he muses. “Good thing I don't need anyone, or I might feel lonesome." For a moment it looks like BoJack has made the ultimate emotional backslide after much of the progress that happened back in season four. But then it becomes abundantly clear that this isn’t BoJack, merely his latest role, who just happens to share disturbing parallels to the actor. BoJack is forced to re-live past traumas through episodes of his new show, “Philbert.” John Philbert’s house even inexplicably looks identical to BoJack’s, as if its purpose is to intentionally get BoJack lost between real life and fiction.
This reflexive, self-referential direction for the character isn't exactly new territory for the show. But the way in which BoJack's new alter ego, Philbert, cuts so deeply into who he is and what he's done—especially after all the soul searching and mistakes BoJack has made—feels particularly poignant this time. It’s a clever device for BoJack to confront his past. This is the ultimate way for BoJack to finally come to terms with who he is and it’s all too fitting for this series that BoJack requires a fictional character to reach this degree of honesty and intimacy with himself.
“Philbert,” BoJack’s new gig, is a gritty detective drama, but it’s a huge satire on “troubled men” shows as well. The series also broaches the important idea of how shows like Mad Men, Breaking Bad, or Ray Donovan can make audiences feel less guilty about their own poor actions and how dangerous this is. The icing on the cake is that this conversation also applies to BoJack Horseman itself as the show wades through continually shaky territory with its own flawed protagonist. No other show knows how to get meta and poke fun at Hollywood and the television and film industries like BoJack Horseman.
BoJack Horseman season five explores the intricacies and dangers of relationships, whether they’re romantic, professional, or just of a friendly, platonic nature. Furthermore, while this has very much been a series that wears its cynicism on its sleeve, this season reinforces the importance of following your dreams and not giving up. However make no mistake, this is still a show where an entire cold open can be dominated by someone sobbing or characters will use trusted secrets as emotional blackmail against each other.
This has never been a series that’s afraid to dig deep and show people at their worst or most raw, and this year is no different. However, with so many characters now in reactionary places, this season deals with much more vulnerable versions of these people. BoJack Horseman gets a lot of credit for how brilliantly it eschews the entertainment industry, but it also conveys and understands heartbreak, pain, and the dangers of addiction as genuinely as any of the all-time great dramas out there.
In what can often be a BoJack-heavy series, this season isn’t afraid to share the focus and take some of the spotlight off of its titular character. There are several episodes which dig into the problems of other characters, allowing the season to cover a broader perspective than purely what plagues BoJack. In fact, a lot of this season looks back to the painful childhoods of its characters to examine how their destructive trajectories began and perhaps how to break the cycle. This has been par for the course with BoJack, but this season extends this courtesy to the rest of its characters. It’s necessary for everyone to look back and examine their roots as they head into the next stages of their lives. Everyone is lost in some old version of who they are.
On that note, the majority of BoJack Horseman’s cast finds themselves in flux this season. BoJack really tries to think about others more than himself, but as altruistic as his actions are, they still seem to hurt people. BoJack is still selfish in many of the ways he’s always been, but this points to this older version of the character getting ready to settle down to some form of normalcy. BoJack did whole lot of living and five seasons in, it feels appropriate his character would be in this calmer, more reflective place.
Diane struggles with her existence as a divorcee and how her life functions without Mr. Peanut Butter and if can find a casual balance with him still in it. Diane has often been positioned as a mirror to BoJack’s character, even if they find themselves increasingly further away from each other. Diane’s story really rises to the forefront of this season and she feels more like BoJack Horseman’s second lead than she has in years.
Alternatively, much of Princess Carolyn’s material is consumed with her adoption efforts and fluctuating feelings on the matter. She still wants to further her life and spread her love, and the series doesn’t shy away from the complexities. This year really digs into the character’s constant workaholic tendencies and the difficulty of seeing if a family can fit into that lifestyle.
Some of the season’s best work comes from what it does with Todd. He continues to navigate life as an asexual, but begins to enter more areas of responsibility and growth, albeit in very Todd ways. It’s nice to see him get fleshed out into less of a caricature. In spite of Todd tackling more adult tasks this season, his storylines are in no danger of losing any of their absurd nature and they still fall together in a chaotic, happenstance way. One particularly ridiculous situation places Todd in a cartoonish sexual comedy of errors that wouldn’t be out of place in a Frasier episode, but it uses this absurd veneer to say something deeper on asexuality.
BoJack Horseman season five embraces important discussions on relevant social topics like sexual harassment and the male gaze. It’s not as if this hasn’t been previously critiqued by the show, but it really attempts to have a conversation about it now, and for good reason. There’s an entire episode on celebrity apology tours and their precarious reputation with the cyclical PR machine. It exposes the dangerous nature of overanalysing and creating stories where there are none. The show handles the topic as adeptly as anything else that it’s put in its crosshairs. It manages to say some very insightful things about responsibility while still operating with a precise, razor sharp wit. What makes this even more powerful is that it holds this paradigm up to BoJack himself and attempts to answer if he can probably atone for all of his mistakes.
BoJack Horseman also has a remarkable knack for presenting its season in a non-linear order that beautifully reframes events and characters in new and inventive ways. The series truly understands how to tell a story and the most powerful way to present its information to the audience. Another episode seamlessly splits its storyline into four variations on the same idea in order to show how much these characters have evolved and changed (or haven’t) over the course of twenty-five years. BoJack Horseman naturalises inventive story structures like this that would otherwise be daunting in a less seasoned series.
One remarkable episode is basically a darkly comic one-man show from Will Arnett where he delivers a staggering monologue about grief for the entire instalment. It’s an astonishing display of stream of consciousness and how humans process bad news. It’s one of the best performances of Arnett’s career and both his work and the script deserve Emmys. It’s perhaps the most moving, emotional thing the show has ever done and it’s episodes like this that are so purely, thoroughly BoJack Horseman.  As good or intelligent as other shows may be, this is the only show that pulls off risks like this.
BoJack Horseman season five does not disappoint and moves its show and characters forward in a way that most shows aren’t willing to explore. Some of the best work from the entire series is in this season and there are episodes as powerful as last season’s dementia entry or the silent underwater installment. Furthermore, this season contains no lull or period that drags in the middle, which is honestly a rarity with Netflix shows. This remains one of the few series that has more than enough content to fill their entire season.
Even though BoJack Horseman is as fresh as ever, it feels like the character is finally taking the steps that are necessary to give him some peace. The end of the season perfectly crystalizes not only the themes of this year, but also the larger lessons of the series as a whole, with startling clarity. It’s one of the strongest conclusions the show has done and it really sets things up for a powerful sixth season, which could very well be the end for the show. Season 5 proves it has plenty of life left, but much like one of Mr. Peanut Butter’s wives, it’ll surely want to leave the party early before it’s worn out its welcome.
Oh, and Diane gets a boss new haircut this season. Seriously.
BoJack Horseman season five arrives on Netflix on Friday the 14th of September.
Source: http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/tv/bojack-horseman/60298/bojack-horseman-season-5-spoiler-free-review
0 notes