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saintsenara · 2 months

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What do you think of the trio's post-canon careers? Because recently, something that has really captured my imagination has been the idea of healer Ron.

The profession, of course, most often crops up in Dramione fic where Hermione has taken up at St. Mungo's (laughable-- this is a girl who needed Harry to unstopper the dittany because her hands were shaking so bad, and frankly, I shudder to think of her bedside manner) but it is predictably absent when veering off the canon course with Ron. This is such a shame because his willow wand is outright good for healing magic (and it is a fairly uncommon combination that he has! The only other person with a willow and unicorn wand, fascinatingly enough, is Lily Potter.)

Ron is also the only person who's canonically interested in healing as a profession (he's immersed in the leaflet for it at breakfast.) He remembers the spattergroit incident from OOTP and then uses it as a cover story in DH. In Half-blood Prince, he takes the exact same classes Harry does, which means he has the grades required to go into auror training, yes, but they are coincidentally the same requirements a student needs to meet in order to apply to be a healer. (On that note: Ron and Harry were clearly high academic achievers and the fanon assertion otherwise needs to be beat back with hammers.)

But the reason why I think healer ron would've been a cracker of a route to go down is just how refreshing it would've been. The Girl of the team, the gang, the trio, being the Healer and Caretaker is such a TRITE trope at this point. DADA Professor Harry is a classic, but this is my case for Healer Ron deserving to be up there. Send his ass back to Hogwarts again if you have to (Hermione will definitely be pleased). Have him intern with Madam Pomfrey for a year and then grumble behind Neville while he takes notes on medicinal herbs. Healer Weasley, who's a big hit in the paediatrics ward because he makes the kids laugh. Who flirts with the oldies and plays chess with the curmudgeons. Who just cares, more than anything, and will bring you a cup of tea no matter the hour, no questions asked. I really do think he's got the disposition for it. What do you reckon?

thank you very much for the ask, anon!

i am immediately compelled by the concept of ron-versus-wizarding-medicine. because, certainly, i never see him as someone who stays in the auror office long-term - i think it makes sense for him immediately post-war, especially when he will undoubtedly just want to keep busy and hunt down baddies as a reaction to fred's death, but i think he only stays in the role after this initial burst of vengeance until he feels comfortably leaving harry in a high-risk situation on his own.

because, of course, ron's vibe with everything he touches in canon is influenced by the fact that he's someone predisposed to being caring [right down, as you say, to his wand]. the bit in prisoner of azkaban when he offers to make a cup of tea while hagrid's in hysterics about buckbeak's death sentence is something i find genuinely lovely, for example, and i do think - as you note - that there's something really striking about ron occupying that caring role within the trio which a fanon deviation to trite gender dynamics in which men are stupid and women are nurturing undermines in a supremely tedious way.

i'm not sure, though, that i would back ron in any specialism of healing that could be classed as emergency medicine - he has the vibe of, and i mean this with great affection, the sort of surgeon who habitually leaves sponges behind in patients - but i would back him in specialisms which need to be a bit more holistic or slower in pace. his chess skills - and his good intuition - suggest to me that he'd be a pretty effective diagnostician, and i obviously think he'd have a great bedside manner.

healer ron, then, is going to be at his best, absolutely, in something like paediatrics, which means that i'm going to take your suggestion about him interning with madam pomfrey and run with it to say that ron as hogwarts matron [or whatever the non-gendered version of that term would be] is his ideal career.

think about it! the work's varied and sometimes complicated, but it's not too high-pressure because really serious cases will be sent to st mungo's. the work will frequently relate to things that ron is interested in, like quidditch. and the work will frequently require ron's key talent - being sound - to shine. this is a man who would do an excellent job, i think, of handling mishaps caused by teenagers trying to hex their own acne off, or offering tea and sympathy to the homesick or the recently dumped. i think he'd do a great sex-ed presentation, would manage to charm honeydukes into giving the school its medicinal chocolate at a huge discount, and would be considered a huge legend by the student body for always being willing to certify to the teachers that someone who used a puking pastille to get out of class was actually sick.

as for the other two, i much prefer hermione as a barrister than as a civil-servant - not just because of her temperament but because i think the change she wants to bring to wizarding society is going to be won primarily by her slapping on a wig and gown and being condescending to witnesses.

as for harry, i like to stick to him as an auror. while i have some exceptions, i'm actually really not fond at all of professor potter as a trope - and, even more controversially, i really don't like the concept of professor riddle - largely because teaching is far too sedate for someone who runs on adrenaline as much as harry does.

and - i must be honest - i think the idea of harry as a teacher [or a healer or a quidditch player] often hangs on people feeling uncomfortable with the idea of him as, to all intents and purposes, a police officer. but i quite like taking that in the opposite direction, and playing with harry's canonically black-and-white morality and capacity for self-righteousness to have him - while not a corrupt or sadistic auror - a complacent one. i like the idea of him as someone who thinks that he always applies the law justly and so the law is therefore just, and so on - and the fact that this would allow him to overlook his own childhood lawbreaking is part of that...

#asks answered #asenora meta #golden trio #ron weasley #harry potter #hermione granger #ron would be beloved by all nurses and that tells you all you need to know

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mean-scarlet-deceiver · 4 months

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Hmm… have I asked for Thomas and Henry, or just thought about it hard a couple of times? XD;;

Ooh, a fun pair.

“You’re too fat, you need exercise! 😤”

“Oh, I can’t wait for dawdling tank engines like you; good-bye! 😇”

“Run my train on time for one thing 😡”

“You’re the only danger on the rails, Thomas 🙄”

‘Oh, I guess you can go to York… some of us are still too useful to become museum-pieces… 👿’ (paraphrasing Henry’s copium here)

All right, maybe it’s more “fun” like the one in “dysfunctional.” But still!

The thing about this is that it’s a “minor” relationship in that, for most of their lives, they’re in each other’s periphery. Then again, they’ve been in each other’s lives sooooo long. So it’s a very sibling-y sort of relationship. They’ve been on different life paths as long as they can remember… but ohh, the embarrassing shit they remember about each other…

Birds’-Eye View

This relationship has an eternal tug-of-war quality.

Of course, Thomas by instinct plays tug-of-war with all the “big engines”! This is who he is!

But the relationship with Henry is different because there’s a sort of long-term… equality? Like, with Thomas and Gordon, like, Thomas is cheeky, but the one time he ever got really out-of-line with Gordon (i.e. THOMAS’ FIRST APPEARANCE?) Gordon pretty much put him in his place, and overall the whole point of their relationship is that Thomas acknowledges Gordon’s superiority in at least certain key points, it’s precisely WHY he likes to measure himself against him! (I’m thinking a lot here of many, many TVS-only incidents… but even in RWS there’s “Hurry hurry hurry,” he puffed, pretending to be like Gordon.) Thomas can’t look upon Henry the same way, for “Henry I”-related reasons not least of all (see section below). But with Gordon, the whole fun of the relationship for Thomas is to tease him in a way that only works if Gordon is on a pedestal. Thomas doesn’t try to knock him off… he just likes to shake things up, freak Gordon out, then do a campy little victory dance and make his exit with a shit-eating grin.

Then there’s Thomas and James, and in RWS… post-strike, James is never again seen to give Thomas any shit for being a tank engine? (Actual gold star, I can’t believe we’ve found an avenue of insult that even RWS!James has left untrod.) So a key feature of his tension with Gordon and Henry is, apparently, removed. Of course they do clash, if you go by TVS they clash a LOT. But in this relationship Thomas kind of has the upper hand, when you take the long view. (Thomas is more famous and favored, and James just gets so consistently shut down by the whole universe the moment he tries any shit. Plus, their foundational moment was Thomas getting him cleaned up after his first Sodor accident, and I think that colours the relationship forever – even after James is no longer prepared to just take Thomas’s patronizing airs (“Hullo James! Feeling better? That’s right! Oh, I must go, I don’t know what the Fat Controller etc. etc…” Betcha James shut down that shit before too much longer, lol.)

If Gordon has the dominant role in that relationship, and if Thomas has the dominant role in the one with James… then the fun thing about Thomas and Henry is that the scale never permanently settles one way or another. Whenever they have a lil’ flare-up, they feel like they’re on equal footing, and perhaps that’s why the barbs they trade feel ‘specially vicious! The field is wide open, no one comes in with the advantage, and they are both in it to WIN it!

But why are they like this?

Early Years

The thing I envision about their early acquaintance is the mutual bafflement. It’s a similar vibe to the one hilariously (and accurately) depicted here with Thomas and Gordon, except it’s not about different autisms, and it’s less confusion and dislike and more confusion and annoyance.

My headcanon for Henry is that Thomas was the first time he set eyes on a tank engine. So his initial reaction is like “what is this deformed… creature? (and why is he so mouthy?) (and what does he do here?) (what is ‘shunting’? oh nvm it’s not like i’ll ever need to know, i’m a proper engine)” Even if my headcanon is discarded, however, Thomas sure is Himself and the sheer force of his fussy, self-important Main Character Energy would have had a similar effect on young Henry, fresh from the shop and still dazzled by the wide world.

Thomas, though he has a fair bit more worldly experience under his boiler bands, still isn’t nearly as worldly as he thinks he is! — and he finds Henry just as baffling as Henry does him. Henry’s not like any other engine he’s ever met. He’s the biggest for one thing. He’s also far and away the un-reliable-est. I accentuate this in QLIR because part of the “scam” is that Henry is presented to Hatt as, not perhaps the engine he envisioned, but still an engine with some on-the-job experience. Total lies, of course. Far from “hitting the ground running,” Henry is a babe in the woods, constantly stumbling and fumbling his way around the rails. He knows nothing of railway operations, yard etiquette, or shed culture. Someone like Edward can take this in stride and just be like, All right, new chap needs a little extra looking after. It’s just a thing. No biggie. (Topham Hatt of course is in his office spitting nails, but this ain’t about him.) Thomas, however, is at just that childish stage where a) he knows all this stuff and b) he can’t fathom anyone not knowing it. So he’s constantly having the reaction of “What is he doing???” And, since he has no filter, drawing everyone’s attention to New Guy’s odd behaviors, every time (which does nothing to help Henry build confidence!)

(Then again, of course, sometimes New Guy legitimately does some very strange stuff – Once an engine attached to a train/Was afraid of a few drops of rain… That, erm. That Doesn’t Help.)

Then you add on Henry’s… mis-build, and Thomas’s befuddlement is cemented. He’s a cast-off on the Island Railway of Cast-Offs, of course, so the idea of mechanical issues aren’t new, but Henry’s are at a whole new level and they regularly disable him. Thomas is definitely 100% on board with the idea that you can manage to at least finish any job if you just try hard enough… and certainly you can at least get out of the shed in the mornings, yeah? Henry is the first time he encounters an engine for whom this just isn’t true. Same childish point of view: Henry is weird.

Again, I cannot emphasize that “Henry is weird” is an attitude coming from Thomas… who in his own unique way is one of the weirdest little engines ever built (affectionate).

None of this amounts, on either side, to anything like hatred. Annoyance on both sides, to be sure, but even then I don’t think it’s their dominant attitude towards each other. We see in “Thomas’ Train” that Thomas is… intrigued by the potential of his getting to fulfill his long-term Train-Taking Goals. But he doesn’t gloat over Henry’s misfortune, and I think TVS was so correct in giving him a worried face mask even as he slowly goes off to get the train ready… He can’t even be properly excited until he’s out of Henry’s vicinity, and, mind you, Henry’s too ill to be intimidating just then – Thomas refrains only because he really does feel bad for Henry, and doesn’t want him to feel worse!

We also have, later in the same story, Thomas thinking “Henry says it’s hard to pull trains, but…” So, you know, they’ve talked before. (At minimum, Thomas has listened to Henry fretting to other big engines!) Henry is a real person for him, so to speak, by now a consistent presence in his life.

As they settle in to their early-canon dynamic, I reckon it’s now characterised by mutual envy. Thomas would LOVE to take trains regularly like Henry – and can’t fully comprehend why Henry treats it like a burden! Like, he knows Henry gets ill, but at a gut level I don’t think Thomas could truly “get it,” because there’s nothing more he wants in the world than to have what Henry has!

Conversely, Thomas himself is always complaining, too (They’re both so good at having a good grumble!) and I think it would kinda drive Henry nuts that Thomas acts like he has it soooooo hard for *checks notes* having a job that he can actually perform to everyone’s satisfaction?... Vicarstown pilot Thomas may feel ignored by their manager, but that’s a million times preferable to being an eighty-ton disappointment to a manager who now has buyer’s remorse and a consequently short temper with you… :/

Keeping Each Other Grounded

I have no doubt that in the early years Henry leaned as far into the “big engine” identity as he could, largely to ensure that he wasn’t dead last in the pecking order. But I don’t know that this worked… especially after Thomas is promoted to branch line, and now Henry and the others don’t have a station pilot to kick around for a while…!

I don’t know for sure how I come down on about the TVS notion that Henry really grows out the big-engine trio vs. RWS, where the big-engine trio more slowly dissolves with everyone’s mutual consent. But if Henry did sort of lose interest in this identity when the other two didn’t, it makes sense precisely because the big-engine thing never let him rise higher than oh let’s say Thomas, and keeping a few paces ahead of that mouthy little tank engine (who always fails upward!!) was a big part of his motive for adopting it to begin with.

Similarly, Henry is so practiced at seeing the down side of anything. This makes him great at poking a hole in Thomas's balloon, any time Thomas gets too proud and puffed-up.

The Good Times

Right, I started off focusing on the tensions just because whenever one of these fellas takes a potshot at the other it’s always a classic! And because I think mutual befuddlement is the keynote of their early relationship.

As we get even in a little into canon, however, I want to emphasize that they usually rub along comfortably. They’re kind of on each other’s periphery, always, but they’ve lived and worked together for so long. And they’re both good-hearted sort of lads really. So it’s impossible that they don’t care about each other, even if it’s almost always at a bit of a distance. We are more likely to see them when they’re shooting a poisoned arrow at each other, but we know that what they’re usually doing when they see each other at the junction is pleasantly exchanging news.

This means that I approve of (virtually all) the little TVS moments that point to this kind of bond. Usually it’s one of them looking concerned when the other is jumpy (Henry) or missing (Thomas… dude, you sure do go missing a lot in TVS). I likewise enjoy getting to see them happy for each other at the appropriate moments (usually this is Henry for Thomas, most memorable for me is “That’s my boy!” <- cheering on Thomas when he’s kicking ass in the Shunting Challenge).

This is basic, background sort of stuff. But it’s also, I think, the most accurate representation of them. The zingers are incredible but they are a small part of their relationship. A basic, background sort of quasi-siblinghood is what constitutes the lion’s share of that bond.

I don’t like the TAB notion that Thomas went out of his way to say a few encouraging words to Henry and thereby cured Henry’s rain-related anxiety wtfffff… but I do approve of the general idea that, even (especially?) in the early days, there was certainly a time or two when Thomas hung back in the sheds to encourage Henry, just the two of them. It’s only that I think his brand of encouragement would be more like… Gordon or one of the BBBs had said something shitty to Henry, and (after getting into it with them, because Thomas is not one to back down from a fight!) actually remembering (for a change?) that this was all about Henry to begin with, and hanging around for a bit until Henry was cheered up. Although unlike Percy’s very frank, open attempt to cheer Henry in “Gordon’s Whistle,” I think Thomas’s approach would be more like “what a wanker…” Like, he wouldn’t show any pity, he’d just open the door for him and Henry to both talk shit about the guy for a few minutes. This is, indeed, Henry’s preferred method of being supported, well above being shown any overt pity! And Thomas would get it! (You wouldn’t usually find me doing an emotional-intelligence point-for-point comparison between Thomas and Percy where Thomas comes out on top, lol. But in this case Thomas’s nature – which includes being a casual shit-talker – would really shine!)

Not So Different?

Indeed, I wonder sometimes if these two aren’t the two most similar personalities on the cast — they’ve just been shaped by very different external factors!

They’re both fussy, both self-important, and neither is one to suffer in silence. They’re both good steady everyday grumblers, not aggressively, but in a very normal, perhaps even very English way. They both have good hearts and are quite willing to work hard… though they have both been known to throw a tantrum that sooner (tunnel & rain) or a wee bit later (banged-up snowplough) brings operations to a halt. None of which is unique to these two, by any means! All these traits are pretty common among the RWS cast(s?) especially. But Thomas and Henry’s traits match up point-for-point. They’re just living different lives, but underneath the externals they’re awfully alike.

Now, of course, there is a key difference — Henry is a follower, and Thomas would make a terrible follower; he can’t handle cliques (he’s rather too rough-around-the-edges to ever fit in one, methinks!) Then, too, when Henry thinks he doesn’t get enough respect (often), he just grumbles but has to wait for someone to present to him an opportunity (Gordon and James re: the strike, Duck re: six lovely tenders). When Thomas thinks he doesn’t get enough respect (again — often), he’s soon off doing something — usually something that ranges from foolish to catastrophic, but the point is that he’s more active and Henry’s more passive.

Those are real differences and not just down to circumstance. However, apart from these two points, if Thomas were a large ill-built tender engine, I think a lot of his behavior would be Henryesque. Same but inverted if Henry were a hale and healthy tank engine. Their natures were cut from similar cloth, even if they underwent different treatments and design. They’re not as irritable as James, as even-tempered as Edward, as bubbly as Percy, nor (even if they had been built to his design) would they be quite as proud, nor nearly so dignified, as Gordon. They’re both Just Guys, in a way.

What are YOU looking at?

I guess there’s one other way they differ… in TVS, Thomas is so proactive about going out and introducing himself and making seven bajillion merchandise deals friends.

I favor RWS for Thomas’s essential nature, though – and he’s notably absent in the nationalisation era, when the others are constantly bumping against B.R. engines. “He’s on his branch line!” Yeah, but, man – Percy somehow has a circle of B.R. admirers. Thomas could be mixing it up more at Tidmouth if he were inclined to. I think he likes staying on his home base. I think Thomas is a quite a bit more of a homebody than Andrew Brenner seems to, in short.

This also means that I think Thomas and Henry are alike in this way, too. They’re happy in the lives they’ve carved out for themselves, new acquaintances can approach them if they like – but watch out! (“What ugly wheels you’ve got.”) Newcomers to the book version of the North-Western can expect Duck to give you guidance, Percy to peer upon you with frank curiosity, James to self-importantly shove himself into your personal space and try to put you in your place, Gordon to officiously introduce himself if he thinks you’re important enough to merit such an honor, the Caledonians to maybe break you in with a practical joke if you stick around long enough, Edward to extract your entire life story if you stay longer than about 48 hours. Thomas and Henry? They’re hangin’ back. Not on account of shyness! And they’re not excessively proud I don’t think – but they’re both just self-important enough that they’re automatically suspicious of anyone with the nerve to approach them.

(That said, annoying Thomas is just a first step in befriending him. Annoying Henry doesn’t work out the same way! He’ll just tell you to get off his siding, lol.)

It’s like Ariel Wanting to Walk on the Beach… with Legs…

A final and very important similarity: Thomas and Henry both distinguish themselves by indulging in some notably un-engine-like behavior.

Thomas is discontent in early canon in a way I certainly don’t think is true for all shunters (hence part of my characterization of my OC Poppet, who would never dream of pining to be anything but a station pilot. She has a grand job! What more could an engine want than an important job? Variety? Society? Scenery? Pah. Because Poppet's a normie, is why.) Even early in his branch line days, we see him taking up a yen to fish like the anglers he sees at the Els river – and is apparently called out for it by every engine to whom he announces this desire. (“Engines don’t go fishing??? *mutters aside* Loony…”)

Henry, too, is given the trait in TVS canon of liking to sit ‘round on mysterious sidings in the middle of a peaceful forest and take in the beauty of it all. Now engines often want to be a part of things – it seems they have a social drive – but to want to do all this slow, solitary, un-useful nature hobby stuff, that’s really something else. This is such un-engine-like behavior that it’s downright impractical! RULE 55 But it puts Henry into what is (for the Classic and New Series, at least) a pretty exclusive club, pretty much just him, Thomas, and – later in the same TV season – Duck. And, like, I accept this as canon because it feels right. Yeah, they’re our weirdos (affectionate).

In Our Lanes. Thriving.

So, yeah. Two nifty dudes, with a sibling relationship that’s so basic and understated that it’s almost dangerous to write them, because you could very easy press your thumb a little too hard and ruin their balance!

There’s a little crop of fics that give them the shared spotlight in a story, usually in the Vicarstown days, when Thomas does something nice for a struggling Henry. That idea tends to work quite well. I can’t think of many other times when trying to put the focus on their dynamic wouldn’t foil their dynamic. As I say for the last time – a keyword here is “peripheral.”

Their connection is strong mostly because of time and shared history, strengthened by a similar temperament, and spiced up by their chronic squabbling. You could too easily try to give them a nice Moment and overdo it, because they’re in the same tight family-like circle, but it’s like they’re each on one of the polar caps – just waving at (or snarling at) each other every so often as their shared world keeps chuggin’ on.

#long post #ttte #the railway series #chatter #ttte thomas #ttte henry #1+3

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mae-i-scribble · 5 months

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My post on How I Attended and All Guys Mixer picked up a few more notes than I was expecting recently and it reminded me that I've been wanting to talk about how appreciative I am about how the series handles sexuality. I'll only be talking about the manga here bc I haven't seen the live action drama nor do I plan to. But I just think it's really neat that with our 3 male protags we get to see 3 very unique reactions to 1) learning that crossdressing is a thing and 2) how they in turn feel attraction wise.

I'll start off with Asagi as I feel his is the most straightforward in that he just takes everything in stride. Literally nothing phases him. Thanks to that he's the most nonchalant of the group, just chatting up and trying to make friends per usual. He's confused somewhat, but doesn't pay it any mind and just tries to get to know everyone as he would any other new friend. Personally, I can really see an aro/ace argument for Asagi due to the way he's just, completely unaffected and uninterested in the romantic ongoings around him. He compliments the girls and such but even when the manga is going pretty hard pushing its other pairings Asagi and Fuji truly just seem like good friends. I'm not delusional, this is a romance manga that from the get-go clearly has these pairings in mind to all get together romantically, but until it happens I can gaslight myself into believing my aroace truth (is coping so bad).

Going from most chill about everything to 2nd most chill we have Tokiwa. Tokiwa is an interesting case in that he's polite to such a degree that he does his best to mask his initial confusion and shock (to the extent that yknow, a comedy manga will allow). Though it doesn't really work because he is very overwhelmed by the situation at hand. However, I don't think this is attributed to the girls' crossdressing alone in the same way that Hagi can't get over his initial shock of the concept. Tokiwa's chief concern isn't the "weirdness" of it all but the fact that he came here expecting a meet cute with a cute girl and instead is getting a meet cute with someone equally as charming but with none of the reserved attitude we see Suo have while she's fem-presenting. My boy is not worried about gender norms he is worried for his sanity due to the attractive person flirting with him.

Honestly, this panel here implies that he finds masc-presenting Suo even more attractive. The fact that he even tries to reassure himself that because Suo is a woman this situation is less flustering is very interesting. Not that it does anything. Pouring one out for Tokiwa for real. As the manga goes on, Tokiwa gives off the vibe of someone who is comfortable with his sexuality enough that the gender presentation of the person he likes is irrelevant, both are attractive to him in different ways. Again, while Suo's crossdressing is a point of interest in the sense that it's not something he understands or gets intuitively, he doesn't have nearly the same level of crisis as Hagi does. His attraction to Suo is never questioned- rather it seems to be a question of whether or not he thinks Suo is genuine in her flirting.

And our last boy is Hagi, poor beloved Hagi who is having the time of his life trying to figure out that hey, sometimes people don't dress or present stereotypically. It's a rough life for you Hagi. However, his inner conflict is very gripping. I find his reaction and subsequent coming to terms with the idea of crossdressing a very realistic take on the subject much more akin to your average person being introduced to everything for the first time. It never feels mean spirited even if Hagi can be offensive in this thoughts and comments at first- it's born from a place of genuine confusion, both towards himself and towards the girls. Hagi falling in love with Kohaku, while a little to rife with misunderstandings for my taste, I think is a wonderful narrative of how even being straight doesn't mean that there is one way to feel attraction. While Kohaku throws around the idea of him being bi due to him being attracted to Kohaku while she's masc-presenting, Suo best sums it up when she says that it's not about the words or the looks, its about who it's coming from. And given that we haven't seen Hagi struggle with this from anyone else, it's a safe bet to say he likes Kohaku as masc-presenting, not necessarily masc-presenting people or men in general. Attraction as a fluid concept is something most straight romance stories, let alone a comedy based one, seldom bother to explore along the gender spectrum. Hagi's struggle to understand himself and what his attraction to Kohaku means to him personally is such an interesting take that it elevates the entire storyline out of miscommunication hell almost (just almost).

Idk idk this feels like a very silly rant to have but I do in fact love this manga more than a reasonable amount and this is definitely one of the top reasons for it. I would love for it to get a bit more attention but I shall settle for rereading it for the 20th time I suppose

#how I attended and all guy's mixer #Goukon ni Ittara Onna ga Inakatta Hanashi #suo #tokiwa #asagi #fuji #hagi #kohaku #mae rambles

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oncemorewithqueering · 4 months

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twin peaks sexuality headcanons

warning: very long

my god do I have THINGS to say about this show and 99 of them are about albert

so I thought before my feed is entirely twin peaks, I’d give my thoughts on the Outrageous Gay Tension of this show with some context

also ignore my handwriting, I’m very sick at the moment and have taken a lot of paracetamol (be more responsible than me kids)

spoilers for all 3 seasons, sorry

DALE COOPER

he/him

transmasc (FTM)

bisexual

listen. listen. trucoop is real rosencoop is real it’s all real. i love coop more than i can describe (which is weird considering I’m gay) and i heavily head cannoned him as trans and bi the second he drove onto my screen. i think he’d prefer men but women are also his cup of tea, or coffee rather. anyway he deserved better and he deserved to give Harry a little kiss.

HARRY TRUMAN

he/him

cisgender male

bisexual

i originally would have said Harry was gay, but I’m not a big fan of relationship erasure. yes, he is with josie. that’s why he’s bi.

i think Harry would have had a crush on some guys at school but would have bottled it down, until coop came to town, and he suddenly had a gay crisis. if i had to pinpoint a moment, i would say his initial realisation would have been when coop steals his nose (best scene) and he would have come to terms with it by the end of season 1.

even harry is not immune to the eyes of Dale cooper.

LAURA PALMER

she/they

cisgender female (but questioning her identity)

biromantic lesbian

first up, I’d like to give my consolidation to Laura palmer and anyone who may be reading who ever experienced something like her. she is my favourite character, apart from Coop Harry and Audrey, and i think she deserved so much better. PERSONALLY i think she and Donna had a very strong emotional romance but not necessarily a physical one. i think that her experiences with men caused her to do a big ol’ comphet and assume she liked being intimate with men. in reality, i think she wasn’t actually attracted to them but was doing it, alongside all the canon reasons, to reject her feelings to women.

and James happened, i guess.

DONNA HAYWARD

she/they

demigirl

homoflexible

idk whether i just see my identity in donna, but i think she definitely isn’t 100% female. i can’t explain it at all, but i just get the vibe.

as for her sexuality, obviously she and Laura had their thing, but i think her romantic tension with literally all. the. female. characters. initially made me think she was a lesbian. but, we have the James factor.

fucking James (my reaction whenever he is onscreen btw)

i think that her emotional intimacy to Laura would have naturally led her to the other emotionally intimate person in Laura’s life. i think James is the closest thing she has to Laura left, which is so sad. i love donna, idc what the widely accepted opinion is. i believe the ‘Just You’ song scene is her grappling with her feeling with maddy. i mean tbh if my girlfriend died and then her identical twin came back, i would probably be weird about it too.

AUDREY HORNE

she/they

trans femme (MTF) (i couldn’t fit it on the picture sorry)

biromantic demisexual

AUDREY AUDREY AUDREY AUDREY MY BELOVED

when i tell you i came out of twin peaks 15% gayer it is BECAUSE OF THIS GIRL. i love her storylines, her dialogue, her friendship with coop. it all feels so realistic! and her dancing!

back to the sexuality and gender thing, which is what this post is about, i personally believe her crush on coop came from a place of seeing a happy trans person comfortable in their identity and finding that beautiful. then translating that to love.

as for being biromantic, c’mon. donna and her definitely had a thing going for a bit. her demi sexuality comes from a place of her extreme discomfort in sex work (which is valid if you aren’t demisexual, by the way, but combined with her virginity until she forms a meaningful connection, the pieces fell into place for me. yes i am also demisexual and yes i am totally biased.)

ALBERT ROSENIFELD

he/him (because he is Him)

trans masc (FTM)

gay as fuck

“I love you, sheriff Truman”

I’m sorry??? excuse me?

albert is gay in so many ways it’s not even funny. with coop. with Harry. with gordon in season 3. and my trans headcanon? idk i just sort of vibed with it. normalise head canonning people as gay or trans with no reason.

also i love the idea that Denise, Albert and coop are just a group of trans fbi agents. we already have Mulder from the x files we need more (tell me if you want an x files version of this)

GORDON COLE

he/him

cisgender male

bicurious

i honestly can’t tell if David lynch would curse me for this post or just shrug it off

anyway. gordon didn’t strike me as being particularly fruity until season 3, when he had his whole trans power speech and those weirdly domestic scenes with albert. like, pop off little fbi husbands. i think he’s still working through period-typical biphobia and isn’t ready to say he’s bi. but i think with time he will be.

someone needs to take me away from this show for like a week and sit me down with some literature. I’d just gay headcanon it anyway (looking at you Sherlock Holmes)

BOBBY BRIGGS

they/he

demiboy

bisexual

the more i watch this show, the more i think to myself…”Bobby is…me?” idk whether it’s dana ashbrook’s truly unhinged and amazing performance, the weird nervous gay energy and the lack of masculinity for a character who would normally be obnoxiously masculine. i love him so much.

i think Bobby would struggle in the gender norms of being the child of a military man. and the sexuality norms of being the “bad boy” in school. i firmly believe that he is bisexual, because let’s face it, everyone in this godforsaken show is bi. find me ONE straight character. ONE STRAIGHT.

SHELLY JOHNSON

she/her

cisgender female

heteroflexible and demisexual

SHELLY IS A LITTLE BIT GAY BECAUSE I SWEAR TO GOD AS I WAS WATCHING THIS I WAS THIS CLOSE (HOLDS FINGERS TOGETHER) TO KISSING MY TV SCREEN.

shelly seems like the sort of person to have been raised with certain heteronormative values. but, i think after going out with Bobby, i think she’d have a little sit and think and say “huh maybe i would kiss a girl.” she hasn’t, yet, but that’s just because her crushes so far have been on men. if she met the right girl, she would.

i think her demisexuality comes partly from trauma and also because we need something in common because, if i haven’t made it clear, i LOVE HER.

HAWK

he/him

cisgender male

gay

don’t be lying about that poetry being for your girlfriend hawk. this is the only character where i will defy canon, fold my arms and say no. i love that hawk got a bigger role in season 3, and i think that based off all i know about him (being the best character) i would headcanon him as being gay. why? idk. look at him?

hawk would totally just rock up one day with a guy on his arm, no explanation, and say nothing until Lucy stumbled into asking him about this guy. and he’d just be like “oh this is my husband. yeah we’ve been married for 6 years. you were at the wedding, we just didn’t tell you it was a wedding.”

iconic.

also i had hair envy the entire show, i wish that when i straightened my hair it was that luxurious.

LUCY BRENNAN

she/her

cisgender female

bisexual

I’m sorry Lucy, no one is THAT frazzled and not sapphic. it’s a rule.

i feel like Lucy would consider herself straight until she was taught about the internet, got a Facebook account, and promptly shut it down, but before doing that saw the word ‘bisexual’ and felt weirdly drawn to it. Andy was, of course, super supportive if a little confused. she’s still figuring it out.

i feel like she’d wear sweaters in the bisexual colours and be very happy whenever someone noticed.

ANDY BRENNAN

he/him

cisgender male

straight ally (but not really)

Andy is straight, but like more in a straight with a question mark way. maybe if he hadn’t dated Lucy, maybe if they hadn’t fallen in love, he would have caught feelings for a guy. after Lucy came out, he did some thinking, but decided to keep it to himself. who knows, maybe his tulpa is “kinda gay” (obligatory Buffy reference)

WE ARE DONE LADIES AND GENTS AND PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT EITHER BUT STILL HIGHLY ESTEEMED.

so, thoughts? I’m gonna do a part two with the season 3 exclusive characters, and some characters i forgot, like Norma, ed, Hank, josie, James….and Wyndam Earl. OH and Denise

thank you so much for bearing with me, and love y’all 🫶

(not as much as I’ll ever love Shelly)

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aihoshiino · 6 months

Note

I haven't read the Spica novel since I don't know Japanese, so your latest ONK post had me wondering why you thought it was a bad novel?

So full disclosure: I have not read Spica in full yet in its original form but I have been working on a TL of the free preview which was posted by the publishers (which you can see here) and the rough TLs/summaries posted by folks in the fandom who bought the book - I, uh, feel slightly off about directly linking to those since they are reproducing content from a paid published release and I don't know exactly where that falls in terms of Piracy And OnK Leaks which I know Mengo especially feels really bad about, but you can easily find them by looking up the associated search terms on Pastebin (tho be aware, you apparently have to be logged in to search Pastebin's database??? TIL I guess)

If it wasn't for the free preview, I'd be more willing to put some of my issues with it down to just TL choices made by people who were quickly summarizing the novel for the fandom but like... between having access to the actual prose and how much the summary TLs are just straight up giving you chunks from the novel, there was enough consistency with the stuff that was not passing the smell check that I feel pretty confident in saying that Spica just flat out has issues. I actually did a bit of a ramble elsewhere talking about my issues with it way more concisely than my initial attempt here

(message from claire 40+ minutes after writing the above sentence: i'm sorry. i'm so sorry. i lied. the following passage is 900+ words long.)

Spica stands out pretty distinctly from Akasaka's short stories in that the Tanaka written parts of the novel are all in third person limited POV vs 45510 and Viewpoint B being in first person. Spica also has the issue of being EXTREMELY heavyhanded and hamfisted in terms of its emotional beats to the point where I felt it was straight up tacky and emotionally manipulative at multiple points, in ways that betrayed the spirit of the story it was trying to tell.

Like, as a point of contrast, in Viewpoint B, Ai casually mentions that she's on the verge of aging out of the children's home she was in and that her relatives who were supposed to adopt her backed out and dumped her after meeting her for the first time. The story does not linger on this beat, aside from Kyun's stunned reaction that something so shitty is happening to the invincible seeming Ai. The situation is just laid out in front of the reader and they are allowed to have their own emotions naturally arise from their own sense of empathy for Ai. In contrast, in the Ai-centric prologue to Spica, the story cannot go more than a few exchanges of dialogue without hammering in just how horrible everyone in Ai's life is to her and how tragic everything is. It is SO eager to do this that it trips into straight up contradicting how Akasaka has talked about these events and it's not the only time.

It's maybe a nitpicky complaint, but there are a lot of small moments in Spica that have timeline snarls or just contradictions in vibes and tone that make it feel like it was written by someone who just… didn't really know or care all that much about Oshi no Ko. For example, the first song Sarina makes Gorou listen to is implied to be Sign wa B and he quotes its opening line ("We're your idols, the sign is B!") while talking about it. The issue here is that Sign wa B wasn't released until after Ai came back from her hiatus following the twins' birth so its appearance here is at least four years out from it actually being created.

There are various other small timeline snarls like that and a few that are not necessarily textual contradictions but feel off from how things are portrayed in the manga — Gorou being totally ignorant of how bad Sarina's condition is in Spica vs the implication that he was well aware of it in the main manga. These sort of contradictions happen because the story is CONSTANTLY reaching for like… there's no kind way to describe this, but it is constantly grabbing at cheap emotional payoff by leaning excessively on references and calls forward to beats from the main story, hamfistedly setting them up and repeating them so clumsily that it almost feels like it cheapens them by comparison. To once again talk about Ai, because the Battle Royale collar around my neck will go off if I go more than 1000 words without doing so, the epilogue of Spica has this absolutely fucking excruciating conversation between Ai and Ichigo where they look up at the actual Spica star itself and Ichigo goes off on this random tangent about how it's a BINARY, TWIN STAR known for its AQUAMARINE SHINE and Ai (who is 12 at this point btw lol) has this whooooole speech about how it's so lovely that the star has a twin so it's never alone and she hopes that if SHE has a family that SHE has twins and WOOOOWWW WOULDN'T THAT BE CRAZYYYY… and basically the whole novel is like this. It's like the emotional equivalent of the fucking Superdictionary LMFAO

My other big issue with Spica is just that I absolutely despise how it chooses to characterize Sarina. While I can't necessarily say she's OOC just because there's so little Actual Sarina Herself pagetime in OnK, there's this really… honestly skeevy as fuck bent to the way she's written in Spica that actually really upsets me. Spica really leans into sexualizing her feelings for Gorou in a way that feels like pandering to people who have a thing for bratty, uppity loli characters perving on adult men. It 99.99999999999% almost absolutely definitely was not but those are the only words I can find to describe the vibes here.

The INSTANT she and Gorou meet, before they've ever had a full conversation or ever started idol fangirling together, Sarina immediately goes GOSH WHAT IF I WANTED TO BE UR GF ;) and makes a joke in her brain about Gorou being an S (Sadist) and not an M (Masochist). Later, after the two of them have spent time together and she's come to a bit of epiphany about her feelings for him, Sarina cries and laments his lack of interest in her, putting it down to the fact that she has "absolutely no charm as a woman" and like… I'm sorry but what the actual fuck is going on here!!! Sarina is twelve years old!! She is a prepubescent child!!!! NOTHING about Sarina's behaviour in OnK or her upbringing that we hear about elsewhere has the slightest indication that it should organically result in her articulating herself like that. There is absolutely nothing wrong with writing a child developing a puppy love crush on a reliable adult like a doctor or a teacher because… that stuff happens in real life! You can write that stuff without it feeling creepy or objectifying but Spica absolutely indulges in both of those things.

I'm forcing myself to stop here because I genuinely thought this was going to be a quick response banged out before I had to start dinner prep and then I ended up in hell but the long and short of it is that I feel like the Spica-original portions of the novel just... betray the spirit of OnK in a way that I really don't enjoy. To put it in academic terms, it just lacks the sauce.

#oshi no ko #onk spoilers #idk how we're tagging for spica so that'll have to do #oshi no posting #SPICA ENJOYERS IM SORRY IM REALLY GLAD YOU LIKE THE NOVEL I JUST HATED IT I LOVE GORO AND SARINA I PROMISE #I JUST DIDN'T LIKE WHAT TANAKA DID WITH THEM I'M SOOOOORRYYYYYY

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iamaweretoad · 3 months

Note

Since we are on the topic of romance (my favorite 😎)...

What makes Mago's heart go pitter-patter? Is he a fan of grand romantic gestures or more of a down-to-earth type of thing?

Is he the one to initiate things or is he content with making heart-eyes until getting noticed?

And, most importantly, how do things go with Master van Calox? Who made the first step and what is their romance dynamic? 🥰

Let's fuckin gooooo XD Thank you for the ask (and sorry for taking 87 years XD) this was a lot of fun! 😊💜

It's a little tricky, 'cause he's demi-aro and i think the line between platonic and romantic is a little blurry for him. He had some intense 'it's complicated' friends-with-benefits relationships back in his gang days, but hasn't let anyone get that close since. So romance is new and undefined territory for him.

In the environment that he grew up in, life was cheap, short and violent; no one had the time for courtship or propriety any more than they had the resources to spare for grand romantic gestures. Mago is aware of these things conceptually, but in practice they are kinda foreign to him. I don't think he would know how to parse grand gestures and would probably misunderstand them as performative rather than sincere; he definitely prefers small, down-to-earth things.

Softness is another thing that he has had very little exposure to, so when he does experience it, it hits him like a goddamn truck. Gentle affection and tenderness, especially in the context of non-sexual intimacy make his brain short-circuit (in a good way -- oxytocin jumpscare XD). Really kinda undermines the carefully cultivated Mr Hardened Criminal Edgelord persona when a small act of genuine affection makes him fucking blue-screen.

In terms of initiating -- I think in his gang days he would have been very comfortable initiating relationships, but after everything broke bad with that chapter of his life, he more or less closed off that part of himself and has stuck to professional relationships for the past twelve years. He's arguably even more fatalistic than Heinrix when it comes to his future, so I don't think he would have intentionally initiated anything. Luckily he's a dumbass XD, which brings us to your next question --

Ok, so here's the thing about who made the first overt step -- it was technically Mago, but it was also kind of an accident. In his head the kiss (magnae accessio) was a "well fuck this is miserable and awkward and i'm already in a super weird/bad headspace, better do something to break the tension -- also i have no intention of being taken alive if your boss tries to arrest me, so maybe this is a goodbye thing" type kiss. I don't think he was expecting much of a reaction. He certainly wasn't expecting THAT reaction. And it recontextualized a lot of things about their relationship, including his own feelings. He had inadvertently stepped over a threshold and he realized that he didn't want to go back.

Vibes! Their meme vibe is very much "Regrettably, that one" XD. Actual vibe is messy, fatalistic disasters becoming each other's breathing spaces -- just like, the place where they can be still and vulnerable and human and safe, however briefly.

#thank you again for the ask! :D <3 #oc: mago

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stepswordsen · 1 year

Text

JuAli WIP doodles 2

Continued off my previous JuAli post! I wanted to post the rest of my JuAli doodles since November~ Since these are pretty rough WIPs, I'll put the rest of the drawings and all my thought rambles under the cut below.

I would like to redraw and refine these drawings soon, starting with the Judar hanfu doodles I had~ Though, for now, I drew a quick Judar chibi~

Some quick JuAli doodles:

JuAli Idea 1:

JuAli Idea 2:

Note: When I make comic styled idea drafts, the dialogue is always read from right to left.

JuAli idea 1 rambles:

There was a JuAli idea I had that was based on the concept of someone's rukh turning pink when they blush. I used this concept for my own purposes for JuAli~

I think Judar teasing Alibaba to see his flustered reactions is so cute. Since Judar's a Magi, he'd notice it and get this smug sense of satisfaction until he gets the tables turned on him. I think they have lots of moments where they embarrass and fluster each other. They're the cute, emotionally awkward couple at first :)

JuAli idea 2 rambles:

I had another separate JuAli idea in my head where JuAli lightheartedly bicker and Judar fake cries to try to get his bf to tell him he's cute. Because he is an annoying nyam nyam /endearing

He would totally do this tbh. The idea is so funny to me. The fake tears are super effective!

So he makes a more innocent cutesy expression with fake tears. Alibaba feels a little frustrated, but innerly he's thinking maybe it is pretty cute... And Judar’s like “Come on, don’t give me that look~ Not even a little bit?” And Alibaba is like “Urgh— NO!!! IT ISN'T!!!” And then Judar's expression reverts back to normal and he just goes like, “Ok, fine...” But he still tries to get him to say it, teehee.

Some thoughts on my first impressions of Judar:

I think I forgot to mention last time, but I also love drawing pointed underlashes on Judar. It’s such a nice touch.

So I’m not even surprised cuz I guessed that Judar would be one of my faves the first time he showed up in a cameo appearance in the manga. In Ch. 15. And he ended up being my fave. Totally expected tbh, this chara is perfectly sen-core. In terms of design, character, personality, and vibes... Everything.

I knew I was right with the meow meow mf instincts. My meow meow mf instincts were on point again and I never fucking miss LMAO

When it comes to my masc faves, I always adopt a very specific character type that my friends and I have personally named meow meow mf ™️

Basically, if they’re a meow meow mf ™️, then the character has these character design tropes or character traits:

Usually has a black and/or white hair or colour scheme

Morally questionable or morally bankrupt or evil. Otherwise, they are totally down for murder

More complicated/complex than they initially seem

Either a stoic aloof :| or smiley ^-^ cat cot type

A smug edgy bastard

Passive aggressive, violent, and/or threatens people

Emotionally repressed and/or has emotional issues

If they have these, then they qualify to be sen-core. Filling all those traits is so highly specific, yet it includes so many characters from my faves.

Like, all my top fave charas are like this, I could not be more predictable if I tried. My tastes are so predictable, I have the most obvious predictable tastes on this planet lmaooo /lh

Judar is perfectly catered to my tastes in cat-like masc charas I want to adopt <3 What a squishable skrunkly. Cat cot. Gremlin meow meow mf.

Observations of similarities between my other faves:

My top main faves ever are: Hibari Kyouya (KHR), Ashiya Douman (FGO), Xanxus (KHR), Idate (WATGBS AU), and Judar (Magi). My top main faves are all very important and personal charas for me.

One of my friends told me that Idate (WATGBS AU) and Judar (Magi) are just all of my other top main faves combined and wrapped in a neat little package. Teehee.

Tfw Hibari, Douman, Xanxus, Idate, and Judar, are my top main faves ever, and Idate has traits from them all. I think it’s just more obvious with Idate, he has some very similar traits from my other faves.

Meanwhile, Judar has bits of traits from pretty much every single one of my main faves. That’s insane to me. When I first saw Judar, I was like... “Sen-core meow meow mf in my manga? I’m literally done for.” But he’s none of my faves in particular, he’s his own character and not really exactly similar to anyone else.

Judar is both everyone of my faves, and no one in particular. Like, he has some traits from Douman (FGO), Idate (WATGBS AU), Hibari (KHR), Ren (SK), etc., but at the same time, is none of them.

I think I have a lot to say about the similarities he shares with my other series’ faves, but I think it’ll go in another post for now.

Like... he has some traits from EVERYONE of my main faves, but isn’t really any one of them. Usually, most of my sen-core meow meow mfs faves are VERY different from each other, character and personality-wise, they usually just have similar basics. I cherish all of my cat faves very much <333 And they're all very unique!

Needless to say, I am so obsessed with this gremlin cat cot. Judar is very me-core. My friends were the ones that introduced me to Magi, and I’m very grateful to them that I found such an amazing series, Judar, one of the most perfect sen-core meow meow mfs ever, a Sun/Moon/Eclipse themed cat cot, and JuAli, a Light/Darkness, Sun/Moon, Fire/Ice, Rivals/Enemies to Lovers, sen-core ship.

The similarities my faves have between each other:

With Judar and Douman, it's the fact that they both have a black sun leitmotif and that they're both (^-^) smiley type meow meows. Judar is the Fallen Magi and black rukh user. Douman is specialized in magic and sorcery, and curses. He has Ītzpāpālōtl, the Aztec god of darkness, as one of their component spirits. Also, they have eaten gods.

They both play the role of an antagonist or opposing figure towards the protagonists at first, in their respective stories. Douman carries Yin/Yang and Sun/Moon symbolism with his character, they wear crescent moon shaped magatama earrings. Judar is both the black sun and the moon.

I have a WATGBS AU with friends where we entirely revamped and rewrote our WATGBS AU faves for our own purposes, and we're writing our own stories for them. The WATGBS AU version of Idate (that I wrote together with my friends), and Judar, have some similarities with their personalities, vibes, general demeanours, trauma reactions and powers.

With Judar and Idate, it's the way they do whatever they want and do things just to enjoy themselves. They can get violent. They want to play with others, and treat things just like a game. They have this air of playfulness, and they have this childlike sense of entitlement when it comes to their wants.

Like, out of my faves, Hibari, Xanxus, Idate, and Judar, etc. are this very specific brand of “Delusional meow meow living in his own bubble that thinks he's the coolest cat king of the world.” They think they're hot stuff. These characters are the kings of their own lives and the world around them, even if only in their own heads /endearing

Idate's villain arc in my and my friends' WATGBS AU reminds me of Judar who initially wanted to get back at the world for allowing such atrocities to happen to him... weh weh weh. The way they were upset after finding out what happened to their parents... Idate finding out the truth about his past and parents definitely contributed to descent to madness. Also their powers are both darkness based.

My friends have also talked about this with me before. The chapters with Belial's dungeon showed that Judar was, understandably so upset about what happened to his parents... And for being used his entire life to satisfy others' selfishness, his loss of agency from childhood, and the fact that all the emotional issues he has were directly caused by Al-Thamen.

There's something I want to say about the similarities between Judar and Tao Ren, another fave of mine, but I'll leave that for another post. I think this is getting pretty long.

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seijorhi · 2 years

Note

rhi rhi rhi RHI!!!

i'm so sorry it took me so long to comment, but god. wow. wow?? that title /alone/ deserves a round of applause--totally captures the whole vibe of iwa (though well-intentioned?) being reckless of the comments he made, and of course, oikawa being heartless. although you've written a hefty list of oikawa × iwa x reader fics before (not complaining at all of course) this one still feels so novel. in the past, you've talked about how the bond between iwa and oikawa is too strong for them to be pitted against each other. yet, in this fic, iwa completely just stole away his "best friend's" wife. the set up (friendships are a complicated thing) was so so brilliant because at the end, we see how iwa essentially tossed all those years of friendship out the window for the reader. of course, it could be argued that oikawa already did that as soon as he sent that vid

also. ALSO. i love how it wasn't oikawa just breaking the reader's heart through that whole set up. he took it a step further and also gave iwa hope that he had a chance with her. those comments about her having a crush on iwa.. provoking him by talking about her in a sexual way as if he didnt plan to steal her all along...

insane

i suppose my questions for you are what do you think drew oikawa to the reader? we got a bit of iwa's initial thoughts and reactions to her, but i'm curious as to what sparked oikawa's fascination/obsession. lastly, your thoughts on the long term? do you think oikawa ever gets the reader back? he knows so much about iwa so a part of me is like.. he finds them and gets her back. the other is like iwa would go to the ends of the earth to keep the reader as his.. nwlwnkwa that's how you KNOW you killed a fic, you leave the reader thinking!!

thank you so much for indulging me with this one!! your talent knows no bounds - the commissioner <3

i stand by the belief that iwa and oikawa when they're working together can't be pitted against one another. when there's that basis of friendship, i wouldn't say it supersedes their obsession, but it becomes almost a second foundation for it. there's no you without them, and no them without each other kinda deal. when they're in it together.

this time, though, it isn't the reader who comes between them (well, it is, but–) oikawa does that all on his own. and kinda vindictively, too. i like to think that heedless, heartless is both of them at their absolute worst – at least in terms of selfishness.

and to be honest i don't think even oikawa knows why he's drawn to her initially. sure, there's a spark of... something the first time he sets eyes on her, and it's enough to casually bring up their lack of a manager and their new classmate to makki and let him connect the dots and go from there. she's interesting, and pretty, and has absolutely no interest in him whatsoever, and he thinks that maybe that's it. he likes a challenge, and she gets so beautifully worked up when he annoys her–

but then he wonders how it would be if things were different. if she were like his fangirls, desperate for an ounce of his attention, utterly charmed by every word that falls from his lips, every wink, every smile, and he likes that thought more than he should.

in the end, oikawa's greedy. he wants both, he wants it all. everything she has to give, and he wants it for himself.

as for what happens next, there's no way oikawa's gonna sit back and let anyone run off with his beloved wife. unfortunately being a professional athlete a few weeks out from the start of the season, he can't just up and go chasing after them – yet.

and iwa for his part has no intention of relinquishing his happiness so easily.

even if they're not friends anymore, they are the two people on the planet who know each other best. what happens when an immovable object meets an unstoppable force?

#n thank you for the ask bby!!#i'm so thrilled you liked it!#<33 #rhi answers #fic asks #heedless heartless #ily ily ily

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daswarschonkaputt · 2 years

Note

Hi! Wanted to ask how'd you write vegaspete (based on your fic's notes)? Like honestly i really want to know.

Lumping these two asks in together.

Under the cut because this is probably going to get long, and maybe a little controversial.

Okay, so anyone who knows anyone about me knows that I have a not-so-secret soft spot for incredibly twisty romances. Like, yes, give me two assholes playing each other who both lose because they catch feelings.

And my main issue with Vegaspete in canon is that Pete's position as Vegas's captive -- and the way their interplay runs, kind of makes any eventual feelings on Pete's part kind of... stockholm-y? Like, it feels almost like Vegas succeeded in breaking him, just a bit. And I don't vibe with that, because it makes any eventual choice that Pete makes to go back to Vegas into a loss -- that isn't really mirrored by Vegas.

So the way I'd fix this, is that I'd really put the emphasis here on Pete playing a very purposeful, long game with Vegas. Like, he may be Vegas's captive, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have power, and that he isn't capable of exercising it. I'd make Pete's reactions to Vegas calculated, and methodological -- first, trying to taunt Vegas into killing him. Then, when that doesn't work, he pivots, and tries to escape. And then, when that doesn't work, he switches tracks again and decides to try and survive long enough that his absence is unexplainable, and people know to look for him.

Instead of Pete's empathy being a sign of him being -- I don't know, some kind of saint, for being capable of relating to his captor -- I'd switch it up a little, and make Pete's empathy into a purposeful weapon that Pete is wielding to try and put a chink in Vegas's armour. And gradually, it's working. Vegas is falling a little more each day for Pete's games.

I'd have Pete push back against Vegas, to test him, and test his progress. Instead of how the noodle scene played in canon, I'd have Pete go, "No, you eat some first. Prove to me they aren't poisoned." And when Vegas does, that's his first hint that there's some hope for him, yet.

And if they do end up having sex, I'd make it an active choice on Pete's part -- to escalate his game more. He initiates, he provokes, he trades on sex. Consent issues abound, but Pete is playing Vegas just as much as Pete himself doesn't really have a choice.

And -- here's the most important part -- Pete's play, his hail mary, I'd have it work. Vegas catches feelings, and he lets Pete go. Pete gets to go back to his life. He wins.

Only, there's just one problem: Pete himself has also caught feelings. And now he has to come to terms with the fact that the game he was playing, for his life, for his freedom, maybe had unintended consequences. And he has to confront whether or not he's willing to compromise on what he achieved -- what he sacrificed so much to get, aka his freedom -- to go back to Vegas.

I mean, this isn't, like, completely detoxified, or whatver. It's still awful. But I think if it were played like this, it would give Pete a kind of agency, a kind of power (the knowledge of who he really is and the mind games that Vegas doesn't even know to look for) that he doesn't really have in canon.

But I think it adds a layer of self-awareness and like, active choice to Pete's eventual decision to return to Vegas. (If he does.) It also changes the narrative somewhat -- Vegas's torture dungeon isn't what breaks him, it's the crucible that forges him into a stronger person.

I don't know. Obviously, this is going to play differently to different people. But this is how I, personally, would write their dynamic.

#kinnporsche #vegaspete #asked and answered #this is just personal preference - how i'd play their storyline if it were me #consent issues cw #torture cw #i mean #it's vegaspete #those are kind of a given

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anaer · 2 years

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batflash 1-5?

ship headcanon meme

1. Who makes the first move and how?

Hmmm. My initial reaction is Wally, but upon further reflection, I actually think it's probably Bruce. Don't get me wrong: Wally flirts with Bruce first, but that's cuz Wally flirts with anyone. I don't think he would seriously consider that Bruce is actually into him without Bruce making the first move, and Bruce is fairly suave himself. Bruce otoh knows for sure Wally is into him because Wally is not great at pretending otherwise, so it's very easy for him to make that first move.

2. Who is the most insecure and what makes them feel better?

I think they're both insecure in completely different ways. Bruce is insecure in terms of romantic relationships; Wally is insecure in himself as a person. Both of them repress; there's never really any feeling better just ignoring it because there's more important things to think about. But real talk: I don't think Bruce can ever totally shake the idea that Wally will get tired of him and move on eventually, but Wally is a slut for people saying Barry would be proud of him.

3. Who is the most romantic?

Bruce, for sure. Wally's not actually SUPER romantic because he doesn't really feel like it's their vibe, though he's also a slut for romance, lbr, but Bruce likes to pop out the grand romantic gestures to impress those romantic bones in Wally's body.

4. Who can’t keep their hands to themselves?

Absolutely 100% Wally. Wally is super act before he thinks, Wally is all over Bruce all the time, he is a very horny boy. Also, Wally is super touchy feely whereas Bruce is generally...not...so Wally is always in his space. Wally tends to be in everyone's space, but it gets immediately worse for Bruce once they're dating because Wally has no concept of personal space.

5. Who says ‘I love you’ first?

Also definitely 100% Wally. Wally falls hard and fast and is entirely much less guarded than Bruce when it comes to relationships.

#batflash #wally west #bruce wayne #ask me #ship meme #anon

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mydaroga · 2 years

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Hello! I had some thoughts on your post about fandom behavior. First of all, the scold-posting/vague-posting is totally something I've noticed as well and I do find it irritating. Unfortunately, I think there is always going to be a strong undercurrent of bitchiness in this fandom for few reasons:

Beatle fans have always been extremely tribal and decades of divisive media narratives have only caused this kind of behavior to become more entrenched. Add this dynamic to already tribal nature of online spaces and it's very easy for the vibe to turn toxic.

Everyone uses tumblr for different reasons so all of our different goals/agendas/preferences will never align. And since this is such a passionate fandom it's easy for us to get swept up in our feelings and forget that even though we all have a common thread that ties us together we are not all here for the same purpose.

There is a wide range of ages involved in the fandom so there is going to be a wide range of reactions to posts, people, behaviors, themes etc, based on where everyone is on this journey we call life.

All of this to say… yes, in a perfect world this could be a positive, encouraging community where together we could all celebrate our favorites, learn new things, and engage in thoughtful discussion. However, I just don't see that as a viable possibility due to the nature of the subject matter. I think the best we can do is try to curate our tumblr experience to meet our goals and preferences and just accept that there will be others out there that don’t like what we have to say. So if you want your blog to be a place where open discussion is welcome then lead by example and make it clear that is you're here for (which I think you’ve done a great job with btw). But don't waste your time trying to win the hearts and minds of people who are just here to be condescending or spread negativity or who simply have an agenda that diverges from what you're trying to do. If they're not adding anything useful to the conversation then just ignore them. Just let them pass by you and keep doing your thing. Eventually you will find your happy place. <3

ps. I say this with love and as someone who wants you to have the best fandom experience you can have, so I hope this doesn't come across as me trying to dismiss your concerns. I also struggle sometimes to not take things personally, or wonder where I fit in or who "my people" are, so all of this is just me sharing some thoughts on how I've navigated these issues.

pps. feel free not to repost, thoughts can just be for you

Thanks so much for your viewpoint. I am going to post this, because I do think it contributes to the conversation and you make a lot of important points. I don't fully agree with all of them, or with the foregone conclusion that all Beatles fandoms are going to be toxic (I know some that are NOTHING like this actually), but I do think curating your own experience and carving out a little world for yourself is super important. I *do* think I already mentioned that it's more difficult here because of the tiny size of the fandom, and one other thing:

Tumblr is notoriously bad for community, which was sort of initially the point, and the way it is structured makes it far less easy to just ignore the things that bother you, because once you post you have no control and what posts you see are only marginally controlled by you. I think that is far more of a factor than the age of participants or the subject matter. Lots of Beatles fans get along just fine, and I don't see any patterns here in terms of the ages I know about. But I do think that the way tumblr encourages a specific type of gotcha! engagement, discourages actual threaded discussion, and makes interaction a crapshoot is a huge part of this. (So I suppose the advice to me is: get off Tumblr! Which I did. For over ten years. If DW was still a thing I'd be there. But I also think that what I have found here is worth it.)

I also just wanted to point out that while your advice is appreciated, my post was actually in response to a question I got, in reference to my reply to another tumblr user's concerns about the fandom. My intent was not to log a complaint on my own behalf, but to clarify my observations when prompted. I appreciate people being willing to voice those concerns and while I doubt it will lead to any actual change, there's always a chance that recognizing something will lead people to be more mindful of it so I wanted to validate that conversation. At the same time, I also think your experience and navigation of this are useful for myself and possibly other people, so thank you for taking the time and care! I really appreciate you wanting me to have a good experience! I want as many people as possible to, as well!

#thanks nonnny!#hope it's ok I *did* repost #we're all out here trying to have a good time #but sometimes that can stand a little light shone in #the ask box #anon asks #kris talks a lot

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jadbalja · 3 months

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On mass culture eating itself, the current creative desert, etc. (part 1B)

A: [regarding Gibson] his near-future work is political and not particularly emotionally resonant. Can't really get into it. I also don't like Chloee Moretz - which had a lot to do with my reaction to that show K: Although those were direct remakes. Constellation is basically kind of stealing from a show called Infiniti, which was excellent (but not released in the US.) K: I don't really know who she is outside of that show. I just found the world-building a bit shallow. "Oh no, there's been a pandemic, a nuclear explosion, and kleptocrats run the world." Not very imaginative. A: I got to Ep. 8 of that French show you liked - with the monsters and vaguely Cowboy Bebop vibe K: Lastman? A: there's a surfeit of sci-fi out there. "The Kitchen" is barely worth the term sci-fi, but it's a recent British offering A: [Lastman?…] yeah K: Lastman is great. There is a Season 2 also btw. A: hmm mm I have to get through some other material first A: I'm working through For All Mankind right now so other stuff is in abeyance K: I've seen The Kitchen on I think Netflix or Amazon but haven't watched it yet. A: don't bother, unless you basically want current race politics pasted onto a future reality which is more or less an unimaginative resource crunched dystopia K: I liked For All Mankind A: so far it's been good - I'm waiting for it to spring forward in time to the near-present A: the forced Latina janitor's daughter is a math genius thing seemed a bit off. But that was the only thing. K: Sometimes it do be like that, though K: There's a character in the latest season I find annoying. But it's still good sci fi. K: Although I feel the initial conceit - that the Russians got to the moon first, and how that affected the space program - gets a bit diluted as the show progresses. A: yes I'll stick with it A: well, I like that it's seen as a stimulus and not the carrying theme. After all, that would be the reality too A: in this reality, Robert Kennedy wins the presidency, goes hard for the moonbase. They find water (which we still haven't located 100% in this reality) and go from there A: back to Neuromancer - this guy J D Dillard - his work so far doesn't tell me much and also doesn't inspire confidence he can handle this material K: Yeah I see he did the remake of "Utopia" which doesn't inspire confidence. K: Actually, like Neuromancer, it was extremely untimely. A: [Actually, like Neuromancer, it was extremely untimely. …] spectacularly, given it was in the midst of the pandemic. I did watch that season. Never watched the original British version K: I watched the original, season 1. It was good. I started the second season but didn't finish it. But the second season had a couple of Game of Thrones actors in their pre-Game of Thrones eras. K: Another very hard to find Blu Ray, the second season. Oddly, there is no UK version, despite it being a British show. The only country that produces it is Germany.

#sci-fi #culture #Neuromancer #Apple TV

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kiwicopia · 4 months

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Hello may I request a match up for Jujutsu Kaisen and Genshin Impact please? :) I’m a straight female and my pronouns are she/her.

I’m very shy, distant, quiet, and a little awkward. Basically a huge introvert at first. However, once I get to know you better or I at least see that you’re comfortable around me, I’ll get comfortable as well :) And once that happens, you could say I become slightly more extroverted. I get louder, laugh more, and am overall less shy, distant, quiet, and awkward. I’m also very sensitive and have tons of trouble speaking up for myself. When getting yelled at or just insulted, I try and act unbothered but I think everyone knows that I’m holding in my tears at that point… (it’s really embarrassing ok don’t judge 🫠) But one thing I can say is that I’m somewhat funny. When I feel comfortable around people or just someone, I usually let more witty and funny comments out. The same goes for when I’m like shy Y’know? Its just that it’s much more less cause the last thing I want is awkward silence. Hobbies I have are photography, gaming, golfing, bowling, board games, jigsaw puzzles, and listening to music! My appearance usually consists of grey sweatpants, grey sweatshirt, and black boots— it’s usually my go to outfit since it’s pretty comfortable. At home, my hair is tied in a low ponytail. Outside however, my hair is let down. I let my hair down outside because I’m hella insecure about my side profile. I have a round face, curtain bangs, eye-bags, black hair, and really dark brown eyes :) some people say they look soulless but idk 🤷‍♀️ I think the only thing that’s preventing my eyes look completely soulless is the fact that I commonly express myself through reactions. I also tend to speak using a lot of “uh” or “um” because if usually when I don’t say those two words, I end up mixing up my words and my whole sentence just ends up sounding confusing 😬 As for what I’d like to do during Valentine’s Day, I think I’d prefer just staying indoors and having a comfy and stress-free day. Like a day where we don’t worry about anything and we just stay at home and vibe 😋

Your personalities may differ, but that's honestly what drew Satoru towards you in the first place. Yes, yes, there was a bit of teasing here and there, but all of his words were genuine, in terms of his feelings for you. He's a mean what he says kind of guy, so when he says that he has feelings for you, he means it. Satoru doesn't mind how sensitive you are, but he absolutely hates it if anyone badgers you to the point of making you cry. He won't stand for that at all. He's a gentle man, caring and sometimes a little clingy. He'll spend Valentine's Day with you indoors, where no one can bother either of you. It also gives him a chance to love and kiss you in ways he's been craving to. Peppering his lips here and there, whispering words of praise and worship, listing all the reasons as to why he loves you. It's such a perfect moment and day.

Ayato finds your personality to be quite adorable. Such a cute and shy little thing you are, and whom he has taken quite the liking to. Being one of Ayaka's friends, it was only a matter of time before you grew to be his, and then so much more. He doesn't mind your sensitive side and finds it quite endearing, yet he won't hesitate to tell off anyone who dares to yell at you or make you cry. As busy of a man that he is, Ayato still makes time to spend with you, and today is no exception. He had planned it for months. The staff had been ushered away, leaving the two of you alone to rest in his chambers. You're both nothing but a comfortable pile of legs and arms wrapped securely around one another, enjoying the other's presence. At least until Ayato initiates a little more. Just some sweet kisses along your neck as he tells you just how much he loves you, in the words of poems. You're his little cherry blossom, and he will do anything and everything to keep you happy.

#jujutsu kaisen #jjk #jujutsu kaisen gojo #jjk gojo #gojo satoru #satoru gojo #genshin impact #genshin impact ayato #kamisato ayato #genshin ayato #ayato kamisato #valentines day #matchups #kiwicopia matches

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bitdemonic · 8 months

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hey, id like to participate in your tarot game, it seems so fun!

id like to choose two (sex on the beach) and six (devil’s breath)

my initials are HJM, im 19, and my big three are pisces sun, cancer rising, and cancer moon. thank you so much, i appreciate the time and energy u put into this <3

hi sweets! tysm for playing, i appreciate your kind words and patience so so much🤗

no. 2🍹 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐲𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐜

🃏the hanged man. 4os. 3op↺. kingowands. 8os↺. balance↺. rejection. peace.

this dynamic def has a “leader” and a “follower”, in sexual terms this would translate as a sub and a dom (submissive, dominant). it feels authoritative or demanding, very “ass up face down” vibes lmao it’s actually very hot. this feels like bdsm, or incorporating bondage and blindfolds—sensory deprivation is significant, but it’ll be an every day thing opposed to only when y’all are in the mood to. i do sense some uncertainty around the idea, potentially on your side more than your partner? it feels unsettling, but only because it’s outside of what you’re used to in the bedroom. if you’ve ever watched fifty shades of grey, this energy feels like ana’s initial reaction towards the red room contract.

it’s going to throw you through a loop just because of how in your face it’ll be; you’re used to things going slow or at a pace that you can ease in to but this person operates at lightning (eh) speed. i can see you going ghost for a few days, maybe even cutting contact off for a week or two—overwhelm will get the best of you and you’ll feel suffocated. it’s more anxiety than it is being trapped where you don’t want to be, but i see your partner being patient and using that as a guide to calm your fret. after the nerves subside you’ll be all in and open for them (woah lmao), i can even feel you anticipating this after a long day of whatever. it’s fun and inviting, y’all will even set up the room or “energy” together (sub initiating foreplay or asking for it, decorating the bedroom, going out and having “moments” before the actual act etc.). it’s something that you treat as an actual treat, you’re excited for the taste because it’s always so good.

✞

no. 6🍷 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐥 & 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲

🃏 4ow. 8os. 5op↺. 6os. 7oc. strength. disruption. hunger↺.

tbh it was hard to pinpoint what or where your energy stems from, especially before i listened to the channeled song; it definitely feels like you’ll have to trust or be very emotionally invested in the connection (person) before tapping into your sexual side. it doesn’t have to be 100% trust (although it should be bae), but you’ll have to feel comfortable and safe around them for sure; this gives off friends or close acquaintances. i can see that you’re a boss in these situations; knowing who the person is gives you leverage and it instills this confidence of getting something done. imagine yourself in high heels (or f**k me pumps) and strutting down a hall full of men and women that want you—want to be you even. commanding their attention and keeping it with each step, never giving their eyes a chance to leave or watch anything else.

your energy definitely corresponds with the song; the upbeat tempo combined with the instruction in the lyrics make up who you become in a sexual light. “i’ll take the lead, i got the energy.” once you’re certain of what it is that you’re doing or feeling (confidence, attractive, determined etc) it’s not hard to control whatever circumstance is in the room. i see your prescthis translates into getting on top or telling someone what to do with it; making them lick here or kiss there. to anyone else there’s steps that go into becoming that bold, but for you it’s natural—it’s not a challenge to become a force in the bedroom, it’s all about letting it happen. i can see this coming out of things catered to yourself like; pampering or spoiling, taking cute pictures or posting them, sunbathing in the grass, even doing shadow work or inner healing.

✞

#asks #bitdemonic #first night out #tag game

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