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frankie-bell · 7 months

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An Essay Exploring Psycho-Pass's Most Controversial Character

I know I’m opening a huge, slimy can of worms and potentially incurring the wrath of half the Psycho-Pass fandom, but I feel compelled to share my feelings on Mika Shimotsuki and how I believe she serves as a lightning rod for fan culture misogyny. Now, before I start, let me just say that this essay isn’t targeted at any one individual, and it’s just my personal opinion, which you are more than welcome to disagree with. I’d also like to stress that, despite my love for Mika’s character, I’m going to try my very best to approach this topic from an academic standpoint rather than an emotional one. I recently picked Parasocial Relationships and their effect on female celebrities and fictional characters as a thesis for my Gender and Media course, and it really got me thinking about this anime in particular, so here we go…

Let’s tackle the female side of things first, because it’s the one that shocks and disappoints me the most. Don’t get me wrong -- I think fandoms with a strong female presence are awesome, complex, uplifting, and oftentimes incredibly positive and inclusive spaces. I love being a female genre fan and interacting with other female genre fans. That said, I’ve noticed female fandom can sometimes fall prey to online bullying and misogynistic groupthink when it comes to (a) female characters they find arrogant, bossy, mean, etc. and (b) female characters who are positioned as potential love interests for their collective male "blorbos," "husbandos," "faves," whatever the term may be. These two things very often overlap, which I’ll touch on later, but for now, let’s talk about the first point.

There was a big movement online several years ago urging creators to “let women be mean. Let them be angry. Let them be petty and complex and difficult. Let them be messy.” I fully support this idea in both theory and practice and wish it were that simple, but unfortunately, it’s not, because uncomfortably large swaths of fandom don’t like/appreciate unapologetically mean female characters the way they do male characters. Men in fiction are allowed to be cutthroat, selfish, cruel, narcissistic, arrogant, and even evil without garnering even a fraction of the judgement that female characters receive for simply being “difficult” or “unlikable.”

Take, for instance, Shougo Makishima. The Psycho-Pass fandom at large adores this character (myself included), despite the fact that he’s a remorseless sociopath who touts the importance of free will as a wholesale excuse for murder. He is a bad person, full-stop, and yet he garners love -- even sympathy -- in abundance. He’s the subject of fawning fan fiction, chibi art, thirst tweets, and endless Reddit analysis. Fans are capable of seeing him, murderous warts and all, as a product of the warped dystopian society Sibyl has created. But Mika? Nope. Just “a bitch, a whiner, an arrogant little girl who deserves to get slapped in the mouth.” (I am not making this up. These are the type of comments I see *female* fans making left and right about her character). She receives far more hate for giving up the location of Akane’s grandmother as a blackmailed, frightened teenager than Makishima does for slashing Yuki’s throat or blowing up Masaoka. Hell, she catches more heat for Akane’s grandmother than Sakuya Togane, the woman’s actual murderer and -- I can’t stress this enough -- a 41-year-old adult man.

Now, I know what some of you are thinking -- Makishima and Togane are villains, so their personality flaws (putting it lightly) and horrible actions are essential to the narrative and indicative of good storytelling. We’re meant to “love to hate them.” All correct, and yet this doesn’t change or excuse the fact that their standing in the fandom, when compared to the equally complex and emotionally fractured Mika, is textbook pernicious misogyny. But, for the sake of argument, let’s compare Mika to another character ostensibly on the side of good -- Nobuchika Ginoza. [Note: Ginoza is my favorite character in Psycho-Pass, and any commentary regarding his PP1 shittiness is made with pure love and appreciation for him and nuanced character growth in general.]

When we first meet Ginoza, he is rude, terse, unyielding, intellectually smug, and totally unforgiving of those closest to him. He’s a brilliant character, and his behavior, no matter how insufferable and seemingly cruel, is the result of compounded trauma -- the trauma of having his father ripped away when he was only nine, the trauma of being unfairly judged for the “sins” of said latent criminal father, the trauma of his mother numbing her pain with medication and eventually becoming something akin to a human corpse, the trauma of finding a new support system and best friend in Kougami only to once again be “abandoned” for the other side of the law. In many ways, he’s still a hurt child lashing out at the world, unwilling to see it for the complicated, morally gray place that it is, because being mad is easier. Telling himself that Enforcers are nothing more than dogs for him to guide and use as shields is easier. Blindly trusting the judgements handed down by Sibyl is easier.

In this way, he and Mika are remarkably similar. When she first joins the MWPSB, she’s a 17-year-old minor whose best friend (and probably first love) was dismembered by a latent criminal under the direction of a serial killer disguising himself as a teacher -- a trusted authority figure. She’s filled with guilt and self-loathing over her failure to act, and the easiest way for her to sort out her feelings and ensure the same thing doesn’t happen again is to harden herself to all latent criminals. Distrusting them, treating them as “other,” is her form of self-preservation. Yes, it makes her come across as mean, as closed-minded, as unlikable, but that’s not a bad thing. It’s good storytelling, and it presents her with plenty of potential for growth, which she is certainly given.

[Upon discovering that her best friend, fellow Oso Academy student Kagami Kawarazaki, has been murdered by Rikako Oryo, Mika breaks down in tears, blaming herself for the tragedy. This is the moment her distrust of latent criminals is solidified.]

But, unlike Ginoza (a 28-year-old adult man), over half the fandom decided that Mika was so awful, so totally unforgivable, such a “heinous cunt,” that they were unwilling to allow her the time and space to grow beyond her trauma and immaturity. But why? Is it because we’ve been taught to judge women, even fictional ones, based on a different set of criteria than men? I think the answer is obvious, and I urge fans who dislike Mika’s character with such intensity to seriously examine their reasoning. I don’t mean to say that she’s infallible (hardly) or that it’s wrong to dislike her. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and no one person’s take is more valid than another’s, but it’s definitely something to think about in the larger conversation that is media analysis.

Which brings me to Akane Tsunemori, someone who fits all the abovementioned criteria for a “likeable” female character. [Another note: I love Akane, and none of this is meant to disparage her. I am simply trying to point out that she’s a more easily digestible female when viewed through the patriarchal lens of pop culture.] She’s smart but not arrogant about it, strong-willed but never disagreeable, empathetic but not easily led by her emotions, and most importantly, she’s always kind to the fandom’s male faves. She is, in almost every way, trademark "Best Girl" material, and Mika is her foil (at least in PP2). She’s set up to be the anti-Akane, both in personality and narrative function. If Akane trusts someone, Mika doesn’t. If Akane wants to bend the rules, Mika is rigid in upholding them. If Akane isn’t afraid of clouding her Hue, Mika is downright terrified.

Though it’s never stated outright, she probably hoped her senior Inspector would serve as a mentor figure, yet we see none of that from Akane, who often abandons Mika to chase down seemingly wild leads and appears to be stuck in the past, yearning for the original Division 01. (Mika even says as much to Ginoza in a novelization of the first film.) On top of that, I think it’s important to remember that we’re predisposed to side with Akane, as she is both our POV protagonist *and* the hero of the narrative. We have unprecedented access to her private moments, motivations, and methodology. We know she means well and trust that her unconventional strategy will pay off in the end. Mika does not. All she knows is that her direct superior is habitually breaking the rules, overloading her team with what feels like excessive busywork, and ignoring the more bureaucratic side of the job in favor of unconventional/unsanctioned detective work. If I’m being perfectly honest, I would also be submitting concerned reports to my boss.

[When Akane blatantly disregards Sibyl's judgement of bomber Akira Kitazawa, talking him down from a Crime Coefficient of 302 to 299, Mika confronts her for putting both their colleagues and nearby civilians in danger. This later proves to be the right call, as Kitazawa attacks Inspector Risa Aoyanagi and escapes police custody.]

[While investigating Kirito Kamui, Akane keeps her suspicions/theories close to the chest, leaving Mika and the rest of Division 01 in the dark as to her game plan.]

[Although Akane's decision to entrust Hinakawa with all 185 Halos proves to be the right one, it's understandable why Mika is taken aback by her placing so much responsibility on a single subordinate -- especially one with Hinakawa's history.]

Now, that’s not to say Mika’s feelings about Akane are purely altruistic. She’s definitely jealous of her senior Inspector and resents her standing within the Bureau, which makes her behave in ways both petty and vindictive. But I’d argue that this, too, is understandable, if not wholly forgivable, when viewed through Mika’s eyes. Picture this: You’re the youngest-ever recruit to a highly coveted position. You follow protocol to a T, are deferential to your superiors, and show a genuine aptitude for the job. Even your callousness toward the Enforcers (again, your childhood best friend was butchered by a latent criminal) is in accordance with Sybil’s will. Shitty, yes, but standard for someone raised within the Orwellian hellscape of 2100s Japan. And yet, everyone around you prefers your senior Inspector. Your subordinates defer to her when you’re the officer in charge (Hinakawa) and even help her game the system (Ginoza). The Chief tells you you’re boring, but displays obvious favoritism toward her. This severely harms your self-esteem and colors the way you interact with everyone around you. After all, it’s hard to feel like a valued member of the team when you’re being undermined and lectured at every turn. This doesn’t excuse Mika’s behavior, and if she didn’t evolve, I might understand some of the hate, but she does evolve. Spectacularly. She’s just not Akane, and that’s okay.

[While dealing with the hostage situation in PP2, Mika notices Hinakawa working on something off to the side. When she confronts him about it, he admits that he's acting on Akane's orders, even though Mika is technically the officer in charge.]

[A similar incident occurs in Sinners of the System: Case. 1, when Ginoza shoots down Mika's (admittedly ridiculous) plan, which she interprets as him once again siding with Akane over her.]

Again, this is good storytelling at work, and you can acknowledge that these two women are diametrically opposed and still appreciate -- hell, even like -- both of them for the well-written characters they are. After all, most Psycho-Pass fans like both Kougami and Ginoza in PP1 despite their many differences, not to mention the fact that Ginoza is (and I say this with love) a giant asshole. Let’s not forget, he was *this close* to microwaving Kougami at Chief Kasei’s behest. You can tell yourself he wouldn’t have, but are you sure? Are you really sure? But we forgive him, because he’s a man. Anyway, back to Akane and Mika. For reasons I’ll never understand, many fans find it borderline impossible to love two women with beef, whether it’s one-sided or mutual. There can only be one Best Girl, and everyone better be on her team. It reminds me of the Sansa vs. Daenerys discourse that gripped the Game of Thrones fandom in its last few seasons. This is doubly ridiculous in Psycho-Pass’s case, because Akane and Mika come to trust, respect, and depend on each other. But people decided to hate this 19-year-old forever, so none of that matters.

[Notice how Ginoza's gaze narrows ominously in the last frame, suggesting he might actually have pulled the trigger, thereby killing his best friend, had Akane not intervened.]

Now, let’s return to my earlier point about certain fans irrationally hating any female character they deem unworthy of their blorbo, husbando, etc. This is where Parasocial Relationships become extremely interesting. As mentioned above, Ginoza is my favorite character in Psycho-Pass, which I think is pretty common. While I myself have never been one for self-insertion or creating OCs to pair with my favorite characters, I understand that it’s a popular trend, and if you enjoy it, more power to you. It becomes problematic, however, when those who engage in self-shipping/OC-shipping decide to collectively gang up on the female character creators have paired (or hinted at pairing) with the object of their affection. Enter GinoMika. Now, I know what you’re thinking -- “But Mika’s a lesbian!” I don’t necessarily agree. Do I think she was in love with her best friend at Oso Academy? Yes. Do I think she had a crush on Yayoi at the beginning of PP2? Yes. Do I also think it’s obvious she currently has feelings for Ginoza, which have been steadily growing since Sinners of the System? Absolutely. For this reason, I interpret her as being both bisexual and demisexual. But that’s beside the point --

The point is that many Ginoza fans who ship him with themselves, their OCs, or Akane (remember, she’s Best Girl) seem to enjoy trashing on Mika like it’s an Olympic sport. And when I say “trashing,” I don’t mean your normal yet still disappointing level of ship nonsense; I mean unhinged, violent rhetoric that makes me feel like the Internet is a place where women can never win. And why? Because she was mean to him when she first started working for the MWPSB? As if he was oh-so-kind to the Enforcers who worked under him. I seem to recall him screaming at his father and threatening to “make him pay” for visiting his sick wife without permission. Oh, and then there was the time he introduced Akane to her new colleagues by telling her, “Don’t think that the guys you’re about to meet are humans like us.” But yes, Mika once told him that she didn’t want his opinion as a latent criminal, which is so much worse. And before you can say that she’s still a bitch to him, let me point out that she is a textbook tsundere. That’s how she flirts, shows affection, etc. She can never come right out and say what she means, because that would make her vulnerable. But she can surreptitiously tell Ginoza he better come back alive by insisting he return her special Dominator. You know, because it would be a real hassle if she had to replace that thing.

[The language Ginoza uses when introducing Akane to the Enforcers, including his own best friend and father, is deeply dehumanizing.]

[When Aoyanagi takes Masaoka to visit his estranged wife, Ginoza reacts with explosive anger, reprimanding his father in front of their colleagues and threatening to retaliate should he do it again.]

Which brings us, at long last, to the male portion of the fandom. While many female fans like to call Mika out for her more negative character traits, completely ignoring any and all growth she’s experienced since PP2, male fans tend to direct their anger, dislike, etc. in a much more aggressive manner. I wish I was exaggerating when I say that I’ve seen multiple posts praying for Mika’s rape and subsequent murder. You can’t dive into a single “Season 4 Wish List” thread without finding at least one person wishing extreme ill on Mika Shimotsuki. It's pure misogyny, classic “I’ll fuck the bitch right out of her” rhetoric, and it has no place in this fandom or any other. You would never see a male character being talked about in these terms. Consider this: There’s more fan fiction featuring Mika being raped or coerced into sex by her tormentor, Sakuya Togane, than her having a positive, consensual experience with any other character. Love her or hate her, that is extremely fucked up. We as a fandom need to do better, because once this type of misogyny can be weaponized against fictional characters, it becomes much easier to use against real people. Fan culture, though it might seem trivial, says a lot about us and our values.

[This is just a sampling of the comments you'll find on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, and other social media sites.]

That said, I’d like to end this essay on a more positive note, so let’s take a look at all the ways in which Mika has become a better, more compassionate human being over the course of the series...

By PP3, she shows obvious concern for her Enforcers, values their opinions, and treats them like integral members of her team. In an especially cute scene, she even fist-bumps Tenma Todoroki after they work seamlessly to defeat Koichi Azusawa’s henchmen. She also makes a point to attend the party thrown in the Enforcers’ quarters, as she now longs to be part of the gang -- a gang she would have actively shunned in PP2.

[During First Inspector, Mika shows time and again that she's willing to work with and for her Enforcers.]

[As Chief, Mika realizes that Enforcers deserve respect and gratitude from their superiors. They are no longer dogs to her.]

[In PP2, Mika tells Ginoza she doesn't care what the Enforcers think of her. By PP3, however, we see her display concern that her team might find her dull. She wants to be liked and accepted by them.]

She becomes far more flexible with her co-workers, allowing Inspectors Arata Shindo and Kei Mikhail Ignatov plenty of freedom to conduct investigations as they see fit. Yes, she consistently scolds them (textbook tsundere behavior), but this is done in a manner far more humorous than anything else. We know she actually trusts them and has their best interests at heart; she just can’t bring herself to say it aloud. She also repeatedly takes heat from Chief Hosorogi on their behalf and is genuinely worried for Arata when it seems like Sibyl might “eliminate” him. The palpable relief on her face when she finds out he’s allowed to remain an Inspector speaks volumes.

[Throughout PP3, Mika allows Kei and Arata to play to their individual strengths, even if it means bending the rules -- something she would never have done in PP2 or the first film.]

[Just look at that excited face. No caption necessary.]

She goes out of her way to make sure the immigrant prostitutes saved by religious leader Joseph Auma are protected following his death. This is an especially big deal, since many of these individuals are latent criminals, and Mika is forced to ask her newfound nemesis, Frederica Hanashiro, for a favor in order to secure their safety. When she tries to pretend it’s no big deal, Frederica calls her bluff by pointing out that no one would stoop to asking someone they hate for help in order to protect people whose fates they don’t care about.

[Even though Mika detests Frederica, she puts the well-being of the immigrants before her own pride.]

In Sinners of the System: Case. 1, her distrust of latent criminals is permanently altered after dealing with Izumi Yasaka, whom she works tirelessly to rescue and comes to view as brave, capable, and worthy of reintegration into society. She also displays genuine concern for and lack of discrimination toward Takeya Kukuri, the young son of a latent criminal, and is horrified to discover that the latent criminal inmates at Sanctuary are being used as disposable tools to move nuclear waste canisters.

[Sinners of the System: Case. 1 marks a decided shift in the way Mika views latent criminals. Instead of lumping them all together, she begins to see them as individuals who deserve basic human rights.]

[Even though Mika is unable to save all the latent criminals at Sanctuary, she does everything in her power to ensure Yasaka and Takeya walk away clean.]

When Enforcer Mao Kisaragi turns out to be the “fox within the CID,” Mika and the rest of Division 01 are united in supporting her claim of innocence. Mika trusts (without concrete proof, mind you) that she’s telling the truth about being an unwitting accomplice, something she never would have done in PP2 or even the first film.

[While the old Mika would have been the first person to distrust Kisaragi, here we see her standing up for the beleaguered Enforcer.]

She comes to respect Division 01 (Akane, Ginoza, Sugo, Hinakawa, Kunizuka, and Shion), views them as a surrogate family, and misses them once their unit is disbanded. In Sinners of the System: Case. 3, Frederica Hanashiro, who temporarily worked as part of their unit, says, “CID Division 01… They’re not just capable; they have a rare teamwork that overcomes the barrier between Inspectors and Enforcers.” Yes, this is mostly due to Akane’s guiding influence, but it’s clear Frederica is talking about the whole team. It’s taken Mika years to get there, but she is now definitely part of the group, not a jealous outsider looking in. In fact, even Mika’s obvious dislike of Frederica in PP3 is a clear result of this affection. After finally finding a place to belong, she feels as though Frederica swooped in and stole her found family, leaving her right back where she started -- on the outside.

[Though she'll never admit it, Mika views Ginoza as both a mentor and a friend. When he leaves the PSB to join SAD/MOFA, she misses having him around.]

[During her lowest moment in PP2, a jealous Mika actually hopes that Akane's Hue will darken. In Sinners of the System: Case. 2, she pleads with her to take her own safety more seriously. It's clear a big change has occurred in the intervening years.]

[Instead of feeling constant competition with Akane, by PP3, Mika is finally able to give her her due. It's clear they trust and respect each other despite their many differences.]

She’s grown from an immature young woman who couldn’t bring herself to take responsibility for her failures -- most notably her involvement in Akane’s grandmother’s murder -- to a responsible PSB Chief who holds herself accountable for anything that goes wrong with her Inspectors and Enforcers. This is most evident in her reaction to Koichi Azusawa taking control of Nona Tower and subsequently endangering the lives of MWPSB faculty and agents. We first see inklings of this change near the end of PP2, when Kunizuka tells Mika she’ll never forgive the person who gave up Aoi Tsunemori’s location, and Mika responds in kind. It’s clear that she’s not merely parroting a response to save her own skin but is deeply troubled and filled with regret over her own actions.

[In PP2, Mika is constantly blaming others for her mistakes. By First Inspector, she's owning mistakes she didn't even make.]

[Mika trusts her team so much, she's willing to put her job on the line.]

[Although Mika doesn't come clean to Kunizuka about her role in Aoi Tsunemori's death, it's clear she’s haunted by it. Later, when she confesses the truth to Ginoza, he admits to feeling a similar guilt over the way he treated his late father, telling Mika they'll have to bear their respective shame silently for the rest of their lives.]

And lastly, I believe the biggest example of Mika's growth can be found in what is arguably her most important relationship -- the one she shares with Ginoza. Whether you view them as mentor/mentee, begrudging friends, potential love interests, or all three, you can't deny that they have one of the most interesting and entertaining dynamics in the series. As mentioned above, when Mika first meets Ginoza, she views him as a cautionary tale. His demotion from Inspector to Enforcer is her worst nightmare, something that could conceivably happen to her, though she'll never admit it. Because of this, she treats him with hostility, disregarding his opinions and shunning his advice. But the longer they work together, the more we realize that Ginoza brings out the best in Mika -- and vice-versa. His calm, cool demeanor tempers her fiery spirit, and her enthusiasm makes him feel like he still has a purpose. By the time PP3 rolls around, he's become her #1 confidant, the person she calls whenever she has intel to share, grievances to air, etc. And you can't deny that Mika is the one person who makes Ginoza funny. Their flirtatious banter is genuinely charming and shows the softer, more human side of both their characters.

[Given her history with latent criminals, Mika refuses to listen to Ginoza, even when he's coming from a place of experience and genuinely trying to help her.]

[After working together for several years, Mika learns to value Ginoza's opinion and even feels proud when he compliments her.]

[During the Sanctuary case, Ginoza admits to both Akane and himself that being an Enforcer isn't so bad, as long as Mika is the one calling the shots. He knows she has a good heart, and working for her reminds him why he joined the MWPSB in the first place.]

[Notice how Mika's body language changes from PP2 to Sinners of the System. She now looks at Ginoza with appreciation and, in certain instances, affection. The fact that he views her the same way speaks volumes about how far their relationship has come.]

If you made it to the end of this mammoth post, thank you for sticking with me. Hopefully, we can all treat Mika with a little more patience, kindness, and respect when PP4 arrives.

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thatlittleegyptologist · 8 months

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what do you like getting asks about? do you like getting asks about star wars? I'm very little of the way through the mandalorian (so holding off on reading your fic) but just interested to know what intrigues you abuot mando, (and bo katan/their ship i guess), as i feel like i just met him

uhh, I used to get asks on all sorts of things (usually about Ancient Egypt because people were curious). I don't mind asks on most things, but sometimes people should be wary of what they're asking because I've have some parasocial/intrusive stuff before and that's been ooof.

As for Mando? I liked how it feels more like the OT films. There's a little bit more focus on practical effects and world building, and this in turn allows for more character exploration and depth. You slowly understand who he is and why he does what he does, and how he'll break that for certain reasons. All that reflects the growth in a character who is very shut off from his emotions, for good reason, but you see him start to move from that. You see Mando the bounty hunter, is actually a softer man beneath all that beskar. He's flawed, and he's got a lot of baggage. The same goes for Bo-Katan. Her history makes up a lot of who she is, and since they're both mandalorians they're ways differ and that's an interesting dynamic. Once you hit S3, and I'll not spoil it with details, but there's a shift in their dynamic. The whole season deals with the themes of loss of faith in the self, and renewal of faith/purpose to achieve a common goal. They feed into each other's growth, supporting each other in ways I don't think they're necessarily aware they did, and it's what allows events to happen. I think a lot of people *coughredditcough* missed that point because it's a more subtle relationship dynamic (and not romantic...yet...) instead of a big showy set piece. It's a slow growth and change of 'changing for the better by knowing this person and having their support' and I liked that. I also liked the fact that we got a female character who can be vulnerable and a badass who wasn't immediately killed off (my god in the SW a woman not being killed off? shocking!). They may or may not get together in the show. I don't base my enjoyment of the show on if Din/Bo (or dinbo or bodin or w/e people are calling it) happens or not but I'd sure like it to. I think they'd be interesting together.

I also recognise the parenting woes of baby yoda/grogu because I too have dealt with a toddler/5-6 year old and they're very similar (I have a niece that age and they pull the same stunts). Snack driven and getting into mischief!

Mum, who the fic is for, was the one who took me (aged 8) in 1997 to see the OT films re-released for the 20th anniversary. She went on for days before we saw the film about the big spaceship imperial star destroyer that comes into view from the corner of the screen in ANH. Said it was amazing. And to little me it really was. I've loved SW ever since. She wanted to watch Mando when it first came out but she didn't have Disney+ and there were so many hospital visits she just didn't get chance. I watched it without her and told her it was good. Earlier this year, when they stopped treatment and moved to end of life care, she didn't sleep much and she got access to D+ and started watching it. We watched most of S1 & S3 together, S2 she watched in the early hours of the morning and I'd wake to texts from her asking me to clarify some things 😂 We'd then get together and talk about it, and she'd share things she liked and what she'd like to see. Of course, she won't get to see these things, so I'd started writing a fic for fun (and she encouraged me since she always thought I had a way with words) and then when she said 'I'll never see S4' I changed what I was doing and wrote her a fic full of things she'd like/things we'd talked about. She's too ill to read it now, but it's for her anyway. And anyone sat here like 'you wrote an E rated fic for your mum?' yeah, she was the one who introduced me to bodice rippers, she's got no qualms about this!

So yeah, that's why Mando and SW are enjoyable and mean a lot to me :)

#I was also hesitant to link the fic here because of my 13k follower count #it's not a large ship so I didn't want to unfairly tip the fic stats to make it look better than it was #there are a lot of good writers and I shouldn't get to come in with a large following and mess that up

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thelovelydoggycatmadi · 3 months

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I wanna start off by saying that I’m not trying to call out anyone or make anyone here feel bad for expressing their opinion. I don’t normally like “vague posting” about people despite what others may think. I’d be more direct if these points weren’t brought up in an anonymous confession blog. I also wanna be so clear that, Kim isn’t an “enabler” in the context of the story. (Ie she’s not treated like one by Jesson or by the characters.) however to us the audience she is one. I don’t hate Kim because she’s meek and “uwu shy” obviously if she wasn’t I feel like she’d feel like the rest of the female cast. But like, the decisions she makes, even without ghost, post mid season 4 is mind numbingly frustrating.

I only clarify because being blunt, people in this fandom have a habit of looking at the problematic writing and treating it like it was acknowledged by any of the characters at any point. Then are shocked when some people still like those characters, as if Jesson wants you to look at the problems and poor writing decisions with their characters. You don’t have to like the characters because of these writing flaws, emphasis on writing not character flaws, characters flaws are intentional writing flaws are not. People can still like a character with writing flaws and acknowledge where those people went wrong.

It’s so weird I have to point this out too, like I wouldn’t be saying this if I wasn’t literally almost doxxed by proshipper Katelyn fans that one time.

Dude even Zane has this problem with his weird ass incel shtick in season 3 I can 100% understand if this fandom was more popular with an older more diverse crowd I can see a lot of people hating him.

#zom rambles #aphmau #aphblr #mcd #minecraft diaries #mystreet #aphmau rant

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writingwithcolor · 2 years

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Black woman villain corrupts white woman, Korean man hero is killed

Anonymous asked:

Dark fantasy romance without writing stereotypes of POC

Hello! I’ve decided to write a high fantasy book that is a dark Romance. I want the main character to be black female villain and the other 2 main characters to be a Korean male hero and white female hero. But the story is really going to be able how the female white hero falls in love with the black female villain and becomes evil herself. And the male hero will eventually be killed off. What I’m asking is can this be written without giving into harmful stereotypes such as black=evil and killing off poc characters? Would it be better if I tried changing up the races of my characters?

Black woman corrupts white woman

It’s okay to write flawed, imperfect and villainous Black characters.

Please do not make her the only Black woman character. Have non-evil Black woman character(s).

Be mindful of direct Black is evil, white is good symbolism. Especially in juxtaposition of a “pure and innocent” white woman being corrupted by the “impure, tainted” Black woman. This isn’t exactly a new or welcome narrative, so if you could work to move far away from some of those implications, that would be swell.

More reading:

Writing Flawed Black Characters is Okay

Villains tag

Black and white symbolism guide

~Mod Colette

Korean man hero killed off

And the [Korean] male hero will eventually be killed off.

Is this hero the only Korean character in the story? Or worse, the only Asian character? With your major Asian character dying, I'd recommend having at least two side Asian characters who survive, preferably at least one Korean character included (this would probably be most natural as your male hero's friend or family).

Also, does this Korean character die only for the character arc or reaction of your white female hero? Or does he have his own character arc that concludes with his death?

Your Korean hero should be a complete character in his own right and not a plot device to show the shocking tragedy of your dark romance. His life and death should also be driven by his own motives, not just supporting the white character's romance with the black character.

I understand that your story is a romance, and that the Korean male hero may need to get less focus compared to the wlw relationship. I still suggest that if you plan to kill him, he deserves to have the work put in so that his death is not solely about the shock value. If you find that difficult to work in, I suggest that you choose something less final than death - perhaps a betrayal that ended in heavy injury or retirement?

- Mod Rune

#death #black women #black and white #color symbolism #Korean man #asks

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softxsuki · 2 years

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I’m not sure if you are taking any request right now,but I was wondering if you could do a urgent comforter headcannon for three characters from Tokyo revengers: Manjiro sano Aka Toman Mikey, Takashi mitsuya,Keisuke Baij ?

(Feel free to deny my request if I made you feel uncomfortable or I’m stepping over my boundaries.) Anyway My depression been kicking my butt and feeling really awful about my insecure for having a Learning disability and being hearing impaired. I would like some comfort knowing despite my flaws I too can be love for who I’m and no would judge me or get really frustrated with me.

So my question is how would : Manjiro sano Aka Toman Mikey,Takashi mitsuya ,Keisuke Baij feel about their female s/o having a learning disability and being hearing impaired? Their S/O wear hearing aides in both ear and she does have a bit of speech difficulty however for the most part she can talk normally and is able to talk on the phone tho she does say what lot.

Their S/O may not be vary intelligence and is almost alway clumsy, however she makes that up for having such a lovely vibrant personality who is sweet and thoughtful,caring person that enjoy the enjoy the simple things in life?

• Like would they be patient with her and love all of her flaws?

• What they think of her lack intelligence or her personality?

What do they think of Her enjoy the simple things in life?

• What would they think of her having speech difficulty?

• Would they be vary protective of their O/S?

• would they adore her clumsiness?

Fluffykins ~🦻🦖🦕🧸

Mikey, Mitsuya, and Baji (Separate) with Reader Who Has a Learning Disability and Is Hearing Impaired

Pairings: Mikey x Fem!Reader, Mitsuya x Fem!Reader, Baji x Fem!Reader

Warnings: none?

Genre: Comfort

Post-Type: Headcanons

Word Count: 1.2k

Summary: How Mikey, Mitsuya, and Baji treat and love you despite have a learning disability and being hearing impaired.

[A/N: Hey lovely! I hope i included everything you asked for! I tried my best, but please let me know if I got anything wrong or if this didn't come out the way you wanted it to. Anyway, hope you enjoy it and it provides you with some comfort! <3]

Mikey:

Mikey fell in love with you at first sight, immediately and your caring personality just added onto the list of reasons why he fell for you!

Literally saw you, claimed you as his, felt his heart bang in his chest, and from that day on he never left your side

So as he slowly began to learn about all these little things about you, specifically you being hearing impaired, it shocked him

He was very curious about your hearing aids and he was an annoying little brat in the beginning when he was getting to know you

He’d try and take them out of your ears and put them in his own because he wanted to know what they were, why you used them, how they helped you, and even was a little curious about what you were able to hear and how that was different from the way he could hear

BUT he’s never judgemental about any part of you

Mikey loves you regardless of anything he finds out about you, as long as you never hurt him, he’s your loyal guard dog LOL

Speaking of guard dogs…Mikey is very protective over you, not that anyone would dare to criticize you or judge you in front of him, but if he ever finds out that one of his men made you feel bad… good luck to them O.o

In a private setting between just the both of you, Mikey is very soft and adores all your little quirks that make you, you!

You learning disability doesn’t bother him at all, might even try and persuade you to not go to class 💀 but don’t listen to him NFEJKAF

Mikey loves the little moments that you two have together where you’re alone and you just go on and on about all the little things in life that make you so happy

He wishes he could enjoy life the way you can, he’d love to see the world through your eyes, not only so he could experience that kind of love for the world, but also so he could understand you more

As for patience, Mikey definitely isn’t that patience, and in the beginning he was very impatient as he didn’t fully understand your condition

All your ‘what’s?’ over the phone bugged him a bit, but again, as he got used to it and learned more about why you did that, he became very patient with you

You are the extent of his patience though, he is not patient with anyone else

If he catches anyone rolling their eyes at you or getting annoyed with you for not hearing them, they’d definitely be in a lot of trouble

At the end of the day, Mikey would do everything in his power to keep you safe, happy, and comfortable (especially around him)

Mitsuya:

This absolute gentleman has no problem with any of the things you might consider flaws

To him, these are all the things that made him fall for you, little quirks unique to you and he wouldn’t want you any other way

He does his best to help you out if you ever need him

Need a study buddy? He’s got your back. Clumsy? He’ll help you back on your feet or clean up any messes that you make accidentally

Best boy frl frl, he’s always keeping a close eye on you, but he wouldn’t necessarily be as protective as Mikey

He wants to see you become more independent and happy with yourself, so sometimes he on standby whenever you come across a challenge and will only step in if you ask for his help or if you’re in any danger

Will do everything in his power to try anything that might help him communicate better with you because of your hearing issues and speech issues, so give him plenty of tips and advice, he’s ready to learn anything at all

He is very very patient with you, probably the most patient out of the other two, so you have nothing to worry about if you’re having a hard time hearing one day or learning something

He’d love to teach you all about fashion and how to make clothes if you were up for it, but he’s definitely a very patient teacher and will take his time teaching you how to do things

Will never get mad or annoyed at you for anything–if it takes you a while to understand what he said over the phone, he’ll repeat it as many times as you need him to

Adores your personality so much and how you enjoy the small things in life so easily, but that’s the part where he’s a little protective over you

He doesn’t want anyone to take advantage of your kindness, especially since you’re always hanging out with him and the gang, he’s always cautious about the people that approach you and is ready to step in if he needs to

You’re in excellent hands with Mitsuya 10000000000%

Baji:

As for Baji, this man has no right to be judging anyone in the first place 💀 especially regarding your learning disability, bc he’s hopeless when it comes to learning anything

He is literally an idiot so he will reassure you that you’re definitely more intelligent than him, which helps boost your self-esteem

If anyone tries to call you stupid, he’s ready to fight or throw himself under the bus and call himself stupid, because no one talks to his s/o like that

He’d probably ask Chifuyu to help the both of you, and invites you to study sessions (he’s not really into the studying though, he just wants to spend extra time with you heh)

He likes admiring you from afar and boasts to everyone about how lucky he is to have you

Like Mikey, he is very protective and will do everything and anything in his power to keep you safe and away from small judgmental whispers from outsiders

Though he is vocal about how proud he is to be your partner, the sappy, lovey-dovey stuff stays between you both behind closed doors where no one can see or judge

He completely overreacts if someone even looks at you in the wrong way so try and keep a short leash on him because he will cause LOTS of havoc if left unsupervised

Like Mikey, it takes him a while to become patient with you

When you first met him, he was a little taken aback by your issues, he’s never met someone like you with the same disabilities as you, but he learns to love them all

Adores your personality, he just wants to throw you in his pocket where he can keep you safe and keep an eye on you all day away from everyone else

He just wants to learn more about how you enjoy the smallest things in life as the only things he loves are you, his family, and his friends–that’s all

You practically become the chill pill Baji needs, teach him how to be more patient

REGARDLESS, Baji will treat you like an absolute queen, anything you need, he’ll get it, anyone bothering you? He’ll deal with it, no questions asked

REQUESTS ARE OPEN :D

Posted: 8/2/2022

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antiloreolympus · 1 year

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10 Anti LO Asks

(Note: All of these asks are before episode 206 (Season 2 finale) so some may be dated.) 1. Lmao theres like a lil fight in 199 where rachel and her backups seem to be fighting whether to keep drawing athena masc and identical to all male characters or just draw her like a clone of all the other female characters💀 it went back and forth so much

2. I did like Hecate, but Rachel kinda ruined her character. She smacked hades for liking a 19 year old, proceeded to try and match make hades and Persephone and then tell Minthe “I try to help you but you make it so hard” (MA’AM!), was there when Thanatos was dropped off to be Hades’ son/employee and did not help there. Like she was presented to be this cool great character, but now it’s all about hades and Persephone end game and nothing else matters. I don’t even think Hades did anything to prove to Hecate he wasn’t a gross old man.

3. Rachel is really like "um these are Hades' emotional support slaves"

4. Kinda seems like RS is trying to take notes from the beginning of Riverdale, I mean cmon, your protagonist is “bubbly on the outside but actually so mean >:3 oh wait no that’s just what everyone (including her mother with realistically well founded concerns for her daughter) thinks of her except her morally gray black-obsessed boyfriend with daddy issues

5. PLS why are there now LO fans literally shipping the brothers together (where one obvs has to be genderbent to a girl) and yet still dont see the hypocrisy in it towards the myths rachel is butchering?? so incest is bad and cant be involved in hxp but incest is cool to ship canon brothers together. theyre really having a normal one i guess

6. So to sum up - Perse has a wrath issues that causes her to murder entire village because she cannot control it and her solution is to go into the society pretending nothing happened and hoping it somehow doesn't happen again. While Zeus solution is to separate her from everyone so she won't be able to hurt anyone and make her learn how to control her powers while keeping everyone safe. But he is the jerk here right? Am I understanding correctly?

7. FP Spoilers (Ep 200) //This was such a waste of an episode. Basically it just confirms all of the whole fertility nonsense that's been talked about for several episodes now, like we know that??? I feel like nothing happened in this episode. Just a waste.

8. Have you seen now LO fans are blaming KRONOS for all of Hades actions? I honestly wouldn't be shocked if Rachel did that, she would rather HxP be mindless puppets to far more interesting characters than actually, you know, have personality and flaws. Why write characters at this point? They're just paper dolls at this point.

9. Rachel can you bring back the random narrator you had in the Daphne episode because I don't know what's going on and you need some omnipresent voice to try and make sense of it.

10. Remember kids, Rachel claimed Ares and Aphrodite is her “second favorite ship” and she butchered them for the sake of her neon pink self insert and her Mads dyed blue rip off. Either she’s lying or she truly is that bad of writer that she can’t make anything NOT about her DDLG kink ship. Regardless, this is shockingly bad writing and it’s weird we’re supposed to find it good over mindnumbingly confusing and lackluster.

#anti lore olympus #anti lo #lore olympus critical #lo critical

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3mixs · 1 year

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okay so i’ve had three very loose ideas for fics and i really want to get started on writing one of them! so i’m going to write out three really rough synopsis of them and if anyone has any preference, comments, questions, ideas to make something better or anything at all please let me know ! i also want to note side ships/characters are very very underdeveloped so if you have any suggestions for them i’d love to hear them !

option 1 - twice band au (insp. daisy jones & the six) - in 1996 the all female pop-rock band ‘fatal flaw’ took the world by storm. their edgy style, seductive lyrics, and catchy sound made them impossible to ignore. critics thought they’d be a flash in the pan, after all they were just a group of friends who started a band in a garage. but the critics severely underestimated how much appeal a group of six beautiful women with captivating chemistry would have to the masses. their debut album ‘feels so good’ helped them get their name out there. however, their sophomore album ‘insatiable’ is what skyrocketed them to levels of fame they could have never prepared for. the group had the potential to go all the way, become a band that would inspire generations to come. but during their infamous world tour for their third album ‘glory days’ things came to a shocking end. halfway through the tour the band announced their last performance - and what a performance it was. their legacy has long surpassed their actual career. for years fans have wondered what caused the band to break up. and for years the members have wondered if any of it was worth it.

members: jihyo (vocals) jeongyeon (vocals + lead guitar) nayeon (vocals + bass) momo (drums) sana (keyboard) mina (vocals + rhythm guitar) content warnings for the story: drug/alcohol use, smut, profanity, addiction, cheating. (more may be added)

option 2 - misana!vampire x slayer!jihyo au (insp. buffy the vampire slayer x vampire diaries universe) - in every generation there is one human destined to protect the world from vampires, this human is known as they slayer. this generation’s slayer is park jihyo. at the age of fifteen jihyo killed her first vampire and since then her world has never been the same. forced to grow up at a young age, jihyo can hardly remember life before defeating the supernatural and keeping balance in the world. with training and guidance from her mentor, jihyo takes the duties of her role as slayer very seriously. one day she will rid this world of vampires, she just has to figure it out first.

mina is one of the world’s original vampires. in the early years of civilization, there was a small village in what is now modern day japan that is known to be the origin of the vampires. in a last ditch effort before an invasion, a group of powerful women gathered to sacrifice themselves to the gods to protect their village. mina doesn’t know what made her the way she is now, if it was truly the gods answering their prayers, some sort of witch craft, or some greater evil cursing them. all mina knows is that after the sacrifice she and a three other women had been reborn as creatures the world had never seen before. they gifted (cursed) with powers no being should possess. they were faster and stronger than any human could ever become. their bodies were regenerative, every wound would mend itself in just moments. they were the perfect soldiers and when the time came they defended their village with ease. but their new forms were unpredictable and the blood lust and eternal life were a surprise that cost the villagers their lives. the girls were insatiable and ripped through not only the attackers but their own people. over the years as they honed in their abilities and realized death would not come the original vampires drifted apart. as far as mina knows they’re all still alive-or whatever this state of life was called- and have since created several lineages of vampires that now infest the world. for centuries mina has isolated herself from the world after creating her biggest mistake: sana. now, desperate to find a way to end her life mina seeks out the slayer. mina wants to end her suffering, she’s tired of being alone, unchanging, and reminded of all the atrocities she’s committed. however, no matter how many times she tries to kill herself, nothing will work. on the other side of the world sana gets wind of mina’s plan and is dead set on stopping her. sana was the first person mina ever turned, their love so strong they wanted to spend an eternity in each other’s arms. however, when sana turned her humanity was switched off and she became someting unrecognizable. she has since built one of the strongest vampire clans in the world and can’t lose this empire she’s made. no original has ever died and she fears what may happen if one does... especially when it’s her creator.

jihyo is skeptical of mina’s intentions since she’s never had a vampire willingly hand themselves over to her. but she quickly realizes mina’s sincerity and agrees to help her with this crazy task. mina would be the first original vampire to ever die.

content warnings: smut, blood, death/murder, violence, profanity, probably alcohol, more tba.

option 3 - 3mix soulmate au (insp. soulmate countdown) - everyone is born with timers on their wrists counting down to 0 until they meet their soulmate. jeongyeon’s went off when she was performing at her first trainee showcase and she heard “finally now i have a same age friend” from the audience. her heart felt like it had stopped for a moment when she met a pair of big sparkly eyes and a bright smile a few rows down. jeongyeon and jihyo have been soulmates for ten years now. with the huge market that kpop is growing into, a sense of closeness and attainability is one of the biggest marketing tactics of the industry. no idol is to disclose their timer to give off the illusion that they could be anyone’s soulmate (though companies say it’s to protect their idol’s privacy). fans flock to fansigns and concerts with dreams of locking eyes with their idol and their timer stopping. others like to fantasize about members of groups having their souls intertwined and ship members as ‘soulmates hidden in plain sight.’ most shippers resent anyone close to their idol in fear they might be connected by fate. as one of the most famous kpop groups, ICON is closely monitored to make sure there is never any slip ups with their timers.

unfortunately all hell breaks loose when dispatch releases a photo showing jeongyeon’s timer: “00:00:00:00″. fans react as expected: shock, anger, resentment, support but most of all fans react with curiosity. in a frenzy fans try to determine who jeongyeon’s soulmate is. it doesn’t take long for several theories to pop up, but one theory seems to have much more traction than the rest: jeongyeon’s soulmate is nayeon. the ship had always been popular among fans as the duo had been close since their trainee days. plus, the had a certain allure with their push-pull dynamic that made fans go crazy. for years fans had theorized about their relationship, only now they were sure they had been right all along. ICON’s company realized the marketing potential of the pair and quickly pulled nayeon and jeongyeon into a meeting. the two would come forward as a couple and they would be able to push the soulmates angle, 10 years of friendship, they’d been through everything together and been in love through it all. despite jeongyeon’s protests and advocating for the truth because jihyo was still a member of the group and after all, it was THEIR story the company was trying to market - the company wasn't going to have it. before the meeting even ended the company already confirmed 2yeon’s relationship to the world despite it being completely fabricated.

members of ICON: jihyo (main vocalist, lead dancer, leader) nayeon (lead vocalist, center, face of the group) jeongyeon (lead vocalist) sana (vocalist, lead dancer, rapper, visual) momo (main rapper, main dancer) content warnings: tba.

*i almost made this a social media au several years ago so if this seems familiar that’s why!

#twice au #twice fanfic #twice headcanons #jeonghyo #2yeon #mihyo #misana #3mix #misahyo #band au #vampire au #soulmate au

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femininefearless · 2 years

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TW: HotD spoilers, unpopular opinions about Daemyra under the cut

I only got Tumblr to lurk, but I have to comment on this whole Daemyra situation that is going one. I ship them to the moon and back but my opinion will probably be unpopular but here it goes:

On Daemon apparently not being there in the room while Rhaenyra was miscarrying:

Sometimes men do freeze in traumatizing situations. The same way women can. It’s not entirely inconceivable that after what happened to Laena and simply because Daemon is a man and doesn’t know how to help stop a miscarriage that he would feel powerless to stop it. Frozen in fear, in rage, in grief. Frozen because as a man, his entire nature is to find solutions, and in this situation there is nothing he can do to fix it. He feels like a failure. He failed Laena and now he’s failing Rhaenyra.

The grief of miscarriage can hit men just has hard as women. This grief plus his personality would amplify his anger later on.

Miscarriage and infant loss can sometimes cause serious strife and destruction in the best if marriages. Of course, no one wants that to happen, but it’s reality. GRRM’s stories show reality because reality is what is often the most painful and tragic.

On Daemon being angry at Rhaenyra for wanting to avoid war:

As much as we have become accustomed to female characters acting like men, woman are not men. We are different creatures. And for once I find it refreshing that we have a “powerful” female character acting and reacting femininely, like most women would react. It always hurts my heart to see how our culture disparages femininity as weakness. Not only is Rhaenyra a woman, she is the daughter of Viserys the PEACEFUL. And of course, there is the Alicent of it all and that hint of reconciliation at the end of episode 8. Whether you read it as romantic or platonic or somewhere in between, Rhaenyra not wanting to harm Alicent and her half siblings (despite the baggage there) is well... so feminine. She wants to see the best in people, even Alicent and even her siblings.

Rhaenyra may be a dragon rider but as Alicent once said “reluctance to murder isn’t a weakness”. She doesn’t want war. Women typically don’t unless it’s absolutely necessary. She wants to find another way.

Daemon on the other hand is a man, a warrior who is accustomed to accomplishing things through war. He is older, perhaps wiser in his own way and sees the worst in people. So, this grieving man (grieving for his brother and his daughter) is exasperated when his wife cannot see what he sees as obvious. This difference of opinion at a time where there is already so much grief for Viserys and Visenya and SO MUCH AT STAKE for them and their children, will cause anger and conflict. Words will be said in rage.

On Daemon being angry at the prophecy:

I’m a bit shocked that it never occurred to Rhaenyra to tell Daemon about this sooner. This is her husband, the man that she is supposed to share everything with, the man she chose as her consort and yet she never told him about the prophecy. I know it’s supposed to be a secret, but come on. I wouldn’t be surprised that Daemon would lash out. He probably sees that as such a betrayal, on top of all the other grief, anger, sadness, rage.

His wife, the love of his life, didn’t share this secret with him. Viserys, his brother, didn’t share this with him. No wonder Daemon is furious. Should he have grabbed her throat... probably not. But humans are flawed and tragic, Daemon especially. We react in terrible regretful ways all the time and w

And tragedy can and often does rip lovers apart. Daemyra is no exception. All we can hope for is some sort of reconciliation later on.

Anyways.. those are my thoughts this afternoon.

#daemyra #rhaenyra x daemon #unpopular opinion #hotd spoilers #hotd 1x10

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obsoleteozymandias · 6 months

Note

Hi there! I’d like to ask for a twst match up!

Basics:

Gender-Female, she/her/they

164 cm tall, Virgo but doesn’t act like one, INFP

+I pride myself on being a very dedicated person. If there’s a task delegated to me, I will work my hardest to see it through, even if the end results aren’t perfect. I’m not a leader but still take my responsibilities seriously because I fear disappointment and feel like I always have to prove my worth.

+I’m slow to trust, but generally a good judge of character. I’m the person you turn to if you need to vent or complain about something. Even though I don’t have many friends, the few that I do have I am very attached to. I’m mostly a loner though, perfectly happy this way, and am introverted but not to the point of a hermit.

+Adaptable: I don’t complain much about change, and usually work well with people of different personalities and backgrounds. I go with the flow most of the time.

-I’m a very irrational person. I try, but conventional logic just isn’t my strong point. This sometimes causes other people to see me as odd or stupid/lazy because my way of thinking isn’t the norm.

-I can be absentminded and a klutz. I’m always making mistakes and trying to fix my mistakes. I’ll probably annoy some people by being really forgetful and scatterbrained. I’m always reciting things or writing lists to help me remember.

Despite my own flaws, I’d still say I’m overall a well-rounded person, a jack of all trades. I enjoy learning many different things and having a wide skillset. I adapt easily and can probably fit into most dorms.

Hobbies-

Cosplay is the biggest one. I normally don’t put too much effort into my regular appearance, but I spend alot of time putting together costumes, wigs, props, and makeup, and looking my best for photoshoots and cons. I’d love to learn how to sew or make my own costumes one day.

Image editing—mostly related to cosplay above, but I enjoy editing and manipulating pictures and experimenting with all sorts of visual effects and filters just for fun. I like taking selfies and photos on my phone too, just to edit it afterwards.

Also I enjoy medieval history, ancient mythology (particularly Greek and Roman), symphonic metal and alt-rock music, tabletop games, video games (mostly JRPGS, visual novels, and otome games), musical theater, and collecting objects (antique pens and leatherbound journals).

This one, as a stan of a certain character, was very easy.

== Twisted Wonderland ==>

I match you up with…

Sebek Zigvolt

Sebek is difficult to say the least. He’s rude, abrasive, and often dismissive of the abilities of others. But he finds solace in you, someone who will listen to him and give him the time of day.

It shocks him, honestly. He’s used to being dismissed, and though it wouldn’t usually bother him, for some reason the idea of you dismissing him makes his chest hurt.

He’s most attracted to your dedication and hardworking nature. Sebek isn’t one to give up easily (or ever), and so he’s glad the two of you match eachother in your passion for simply getting shit done.

He’ll be honest with you about your work quality, but it comes from a place of genuine love and desire to see your best work flourish.

Whatever you make/do, he’ll brag about it to others, even mentioning it to Lilia and Silver with the same proud smugness that usually accompanies his Malleus rants.

Sebek may not understand you way of doing things at first, but I fully believe that he could use a change of mindset, and so as he comes to understand and respect you, he’ll begin to see the advantages and reasons why you think the way you do.

He’ll also watch you go about your hobbies, obviously interested, although trying to hide it.

Later in the relationship, he no longer hides his fascination with your hobbies and actively learns as much about them as he can.

Some nights are spent with you gaming and him reading, sharing facts and stories late into the night, just enjoying the presence of one another.

#oz’s requests #twst #twisted wonderland #twst x reader #twst matchup #twisted wonderland matchup #sebek x reader #sebek zigvolt

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elfwreck · 2 years

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1983, your choice of media

Two books came out in 1983 that changed how I look at the world:

Prometheus Rising, by Robert Anton Wilson

and

The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

While Bradley's gotten a lot of (well-deserved) outrage for her life decisions, which, on review, shaped a lot of her fiction, it's hard to overstate the impact of Mists. It was the first mainstream-popular story of a classic myth from the POV of a minor female character, and a villain at that.

In the traditional Arthurian legend, Morgan le Fay is a background character who exists to cause problems. Mists kicked off a revolution in rewriting mythology, and it resonated very strongly in the neopagan communities. It was very much a declaration of "We all know history is written by the victors.... so what might they have skipped?"

And, in retrospect, you can see a lot of Bradley's id showing through the story: the child neglect and occasional abuse; the weird incest themes; the sexualizing of what should be platonic relationships. I haven't re-read it in many many years, and I wouldn't expect it to hold up. Whatever magic it had back then - historians screamed at her bad research while the mystic communities put the book on their must-read lists and pushed it at new pagan and witchy people - there are no doubt better books for that now. But it was first of its type to get widespread coverage: a subversion of a classic men's adventure tale, written for the people who were told they had to play "ladies in waiting" while the boys got to pretend to be knights and kings. Suddenly, "priestess or princess" weren't static, sidelined roles in women's fantasy worlds.

(We still need that. Need more of it. Strong mythic stories where women are the ones shaping the world, and doing it without just stepping into men's traditional roles.)

Prometheus Rising holds up better. It's Wilson's breakdown of Leary's "8 circuits of consciousness" idea, and it's packed with brain-breaking segments, designed to make the reader question everything they understand about reality and their way of relating to it.

If Mists was about reconsidering history with the notion that the forgotten and oppressed may have had an entirely different story - and may not have considered themselves "the losers" even if they agreed on the facts of "recorded history" - Prometheus sought to teach that there is no "real truth." That we are all working from limited perspectives and jumbled incomplete data, and we all make flawed conclusions, and that is just how humanity works. The goal isn't to find the "right" approach. The goal is to understand that some approaches are considered "proper" and some are considered "immoral" or "illegal" in various cultures, and that despite that, some people are still going to use those approaches.

Less than ten years after the secret police game was established here by the National Security Act of 1948, the books of Dr. Wilhelm Reich were burned in a New York incinerator by government order. This was a shocking sight to some of us, who remembered that we had recently fought a long war against Nazi Germany for, among other things, their crime "against civilization" of burning books. Shortly thereafter, Dr. William Ivy, former head of a department at Chicago Medical School, was subjected to ten years of legal harassment for espousing a radical cancer cure. More recently, Dr. Timothy Leary was sentenced to 38 years imprisonment for espousing controversial ideas about neurotransmitter chemicals and reimprinting the nervous system. Now there is a war on against holistic physicians. It does not matter whether any or all of these "heretics" were right or wrong. Scientific truth is only determined after a generation or more of research; it is not determined by throwing the dissenters in prison or burning their books. The point is that the secret police game immediately creates the social context for a return to the mechanisms of the Holy Inquisition.

Prometheus includes practical exercises that readers can use to test its hypotheses. One set:

EXERCIZES

Start collecting evidence that your phone is bugged.

Everybody gets a letter occasionally that is slightly damaged. Assume that somebody is opening your mail and clumsily resealing it.

Look around for evidence that your co-workers or neighbors think you're a bit queer and are planning to have you committed to a mental hospital.

Try living a whole week with the program, "Everybody likes me and tries to help me achieve all of my goals."

One of his earliest points is that, whatever you believe, you will find evidence for it. Compelling evidence. GOOD evidence. All of humanity works this way; this is how human brains function.

Mists taught me that I didn't have to accept the male-dominant propaganda that surrounded me as The Ultimate Truth. Prometheus taught me to be wary of just replacing it with someone else's new Ultimate Truth.

#books #memes

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alexsfictionaddiction · 1 year

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5 Anti-Valentine’s Reads

While I hope you all have a lovely Valentine’s Day full of cosy, warm vibes, I know that it isn’t always a happy day for everyone. For some of us, it can be a time to plunge into the dark depths of toxic relationships and delight in the twisted side of love. It’s a time for gloomy, strange reads that will give your mind a workout and may even have you screaming in rage as you throw its pretty cover across the room. Here are some rather thrilling reads dressed in cute covers but beware -they aren’t quite as cute on the inside!

-Love, Alex x

The One by John Marrs.

With just a simple mouth swab, Match Your DNA can find your soulmate and ten years on, everyone is using it to find love. But it’s not all sunshine and wedding bells, as the app has caused thousands of relationships to end and the dating scene is almost non-existent. As five different people receive their matches, they’re about to find out whether true love is really about to fall into their lap. I was blown away by this twisty thriller, full of shocking reveals and characters that I really cared about. I honestly couldn’t put it down!

The Honeys by Ryan La Sala.

Mars’ twin sister Caroline died in horrible circumstances after running away from the summer camp that she attended every year and Mars is desperate to know what happened to her. Returning to Aspen Conservancy Summer Academy, where he shook things up a few years before, genderfluid Mars uncovers the outdated, dangerous toxicity lurking beneath the sunny, fun-filled surface. Mars’ focus is on The Honeys, Caroline’s friends who he is certain is behind her death but there is something much older festering in the camp that threatens to destroy everything. This heady YA horror had me very unsettled and convinced I had it all worked out. Hint: I didn’t!

Blood Sugar by Sascha Rothchild.

Ruby is a killer but ironically, she didn’t do the murder that she is now being accused of. Sadly, neither the police nor the public believe her. Now it’s time for Ruby to reflect on how her life has brought her to this point and how she can possibly prove her innocence this time. I love a protagonist who is undoubtedly severely flawed but is somehow very easy to root for and that’s exactly how I felt about Ruby. This deliciously dark, sugar-free treat will have you turning pages like crazy!

Sweet Pea by C. J. Skuse.

Rhiannon’s past contains a horrific crime but she has now moved on. While her job isn’t the most satisfying, she does have a lovely boyfriend, a dog and a completely normal life. Oh, and a second life as a serial killer. I adore this series of thrillers, following one of the most relatable murderers of all time. With so much dark humour and a healthy dose of eye-watering kills, the Sweet Pea books are an absolute must for lovers of dark fiction.

So Happy For You by Celia Laskey.

Robin and Ellie have been best friends forever but Robin is vehemently against anything to do with traditional weddings. So, when Ellie asks Robin to be her maid of honour, Robin reluctantly agrees out of loyalty. However, as the wedding approaches, some strange things start happening and Robin is convinced that the whole bridal party has something against her. This dark comedy casts a scathing eye over the wedding industry and illustrates the messiness of female friendship while being covered in campy larks. You can’t get more anti-Valentine’s than this!

#anti-valentine's books #thrillers #horror #valentine's day #book recommendations #recommendations #books #bookworm

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jasonblaze72 · 1 year

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#tvshow #UrbanLegend

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thinkerlon · 2 years

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Destructoid the last of us dlc

Destructoid the last of us dlc full#

Destructoid the last of us dlc free#

We also learn details about Killer Is Dead's SEXY Gigolo missions, and get details on the first DLC character for Injustice: Gods Among Us. It doesn't matter your gender, if you like fighting dragons you're gunna want to play our game. On today's Destructoid Show, we mourn the death of Skyrim, celebrate the impending arrival of Bethesda's next project, and wonder what the hell happened to that XCOM first person shooter. "We didn't market the game to men or to women, we just marketed it to gamers. I forget who exactly on the panel said this, but I do remember these words clearly: The questions eventually acknowledged the fact Skyrim has a surprisingly large female player-base. At almost every gaming journalism website, there is a large number of female writers.Īt PAX East the Marketing Directors for The Elder Scrolls held a panel and answered a few questions about how they marketed Skyrim. Just look at GameSkinny, for example, and how many of our top writers are female. I am shocked that so many people fail to realize how large of a presence women have in the gaming world. With the current climate of opinions regarding women and gaming, this is a silly thing to do and will provoke an offended response. The original The Last of Us is getting a remake as The Last of Us Part I, and it’s Naughty Dog’s chance to fix the only real flaw from the original.No, I don’t mean the way it turned every. Whether or not this is simply a contest from Gamereactor, the act still stands as it is. Scrubbing away the female audience with photoshop This is the equivalent of removing Elizabeth from Bioshock Infinite or Cortana from Halo. Every character is sacredĮven if you aren't pissed off about the gender issue, you can at least realize how insulting this is to the artists on the creative team.Įllie is not just a female any female video game character, she happens to be about 50% of the game.

Destructoid the last of us dlc full#

The original art is what we call a full composition: the characters, scene, props, situation, everything, is combined by the artists in a very particular way to create one single powerful image.Ī picture is worth a thousand words and the original artwork speaks volumes. This still does not explain why she was removed in the first place. The photoshopped cover features only the male protagonist and the lack of Ellie removes a sense of tension and urgency from the art. Gamereactor has yet to issue a formal response about the photoshopped cover, but some readers claim the magazine offered several variations of The Last of Us artwork to vote on. The new Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles DLC is headed by Nezuko Kamado (Advanced Demon Form). It was later re-released as a standalone title on May 12, 2015, priced at 9.99, for both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. It was released Februfor 14.99 on the PlayStation Network and acts as a prequel to The Last of Us. My number one DLC is easily The Last of Us: Left Behind BioShock Infinites Those are just the few that.

Destructoid the last of us dlc free#

I have a suspicion that it was the game FUSE, which had received flak for this Charlie's Angels-esq poster back when it was still called OverStrike. Sega’s also got a free add-on for all players, adding Group Match mode to online play. The Last of Us: Left Behind is a single-player DLC of The Last of Us. For me, most of the time that means the story content. I looked into this matter, but I couldn't dig up which game Stevenson was referring too. Hell, once Official PS Mag in the US removed two of our characters from a cover we sent them Pretty remarkable, isn't it? According to James Stevenson, the Community Director and Marketing Lead for Insomniac Games, magazines altering covers is nothing cause they are Europe. Bruce Straley responded saying: we’re working on the 3rd DLC. Here's the original art:Ĭompare this to the picture of the front page of the issue (at the top of this page). One fan asked the pair what they were currently working on and inquired as to whether or not there would ever be The Last of Us 2. Lead Designer of The Last of Us (and Uncharted 2), Neil Druckmann, tweeted this pointed remark last night in response to some very suspicious photoshopping. Hello lovelies Today we have box art for. The full list of winners and nominations is presented below.Hey Gamereactor, appreciate the coverage, but is there a reason why you removed Ellie from the cover we provided? Destructoid 429: OUYA Launch Lineup ANNOUNCED Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon DLC, The Last of Us NEW GAMEPLAY &amp More. Lucas Pope's Papers, Please also won a couple more for his collection, taking home the Innovation and Best Downloadable awards. Naughty Dog's critically-acclaimed action-survival game also nabbed the awards for Best Design and Best Narrative, which it can proudly display alongside all the Game Of The Year awards it was given by so much of the games media last year. The Last of Us has claimed the title of Game Of The Year at the Game Developers Choice Awards.

#Destructoid the last of us dlc

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commanderceleste · 2 years

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We don't talk about 'Atlantis: The Lost Empire's Helga Sinclair nearly enough, and it's about damn time that we started, I think.

For context, we're talking about the year of our Lord 2001. As far as I recall (and bear with me, I was about 5 years of age at the time) the feminist undertones that have flooded Hollywood films in recent years - as, arguably, a direct result of the 'Me Too' movement - weren't particularly noteworthy, much less noticeable.

There were some outliers, quite possibly, but it was pretty 'meh' at this point in the game, when it came to empowerement, feminism, and straight-up compelling female characters in the animated film front. They weren't the norm, or the trend. We were lucky if a Disney Princess managed to subvert expectations - even just a little - in a satisfying way, rather than fall prey to tired old tropes, such as the over-sexualization of female characters. Exhibit A: Pocahontas.

(feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken)

So, here comes Atlantis: The Lost Empire, at the turn of the milennium, blaring a horn that seemed to say 'hold my beer'. To this day, I still find it shocking that this film actually got made. The representation present in this film is so staggeringly good, it makes me mad and want to cry. It's that good.

Sure, you could easily try and argue that in certain regards it falls prey to stereotypes from the groups it tries to portray, but this is one of the very few films that I'd be willing to argue (and defend) didn't actively do it out of malice, or as a blatant, on-the-nose attempt at representation as we see on today's blockbuster-obsessed film landscape. It reads more like an honest attempt, flawed though as it may be in some regards, rather than being the butt of a lazy punchline.

It's not your typical 'Le Fou is going to be our first gaaaaaay on the live-action remake Era! 🌈 #Pride ' or 'empowering feminist moment in an MCU film, deeply undercut by the fact that this character barely has any screen-time or a compelling character arc'.

The representation in Atlantis - again, perhaps not perfect, if you actively try and find glaring flaws in it, you absolute killjoy - was simply way ahead of its time. And, sadly, remains to this day. Few films today seem as invested (as Atlantis) to try and replicate what adds up to a genuinely groundbreaking moment in modern cinema history. Hell, some films seem downright terrified of the prospect, due to fear of poor box office returns, being cut out of certain foreign markets - who happen to bring in a lot of money... as long as you stay in line and don't try anything too radical - or worse: turning out to be problematic. Hastag gasp.

How many queer characters have been kept secret or vague or relegated to a blink-and-you-miss-it scene in the past 5-or-so years? Off the top of my head, you've got Paranorman, Frozen, Finding Dory, with many other films like Storks and The Mitchell's vs. The Machines faring a little better, with the end result being equally unsatisfying and restrained. And that's just in the animated film landscape. 3 second lesbian kiss on Rise of Skywalker, anyone? Le Fou in Live-action Beauty and the Beast? Gay *unnamed* character in Avengers: Endgame? Queer-coding in Frozen? LUCA?

(again, if you feel like some of this examples are unfair to enlist, feel free to explain why)

So, Helga Sinclair. What. A. Character. Here comes a woman who seems insanely -refreshingly so - confident in her own body, who likewise seems well aware of her sex appeal, and who, even in her very last moment - despite being painfully aware that this is the end of the line for her - decides to go (not so) gently into that good night with an EPIC one-liner that remains engraved in many of our heads to this day. Ugh, her MIND. When I think of memorably female characters in animated films, she's easily in of the top spots.

On top of that, I feel like queer folks - especially women - can find a lot to love in her character. Her confidence, her sass, the animation work, the voice acting, her physicality, the fact that she feels like an active participant in the story and like there's more to her than meets the eye. She's one of the antagonists, but you can literally see her hesitation, and her shock, and how she reacts to the world and situations she's caught up in. She's not just a villainesque, femme fatale-type, one-note side-kick. She's a legit character that's a joy to learn more about. As a queer man, I find her character to be so flawlessly executed, even though she's neither a protagonist, nor queer (arguably), or one that has such a significant amount of screentime, compared to a character like Kida or Milo.

So, you know, give us more of that, perhaps? Not just more characters like Helga Sinclair (boy, do we need them), but just... more daring and inclusive and unique films. Don't be afraid to make mistakes; work your hardest to make sure you avoid them in the first place. Listen and be humble. Approach individuals who actually know about our respective struggles as minorities. Don't guess; ask.

And even if you do make mistakes, why let that discourage you from trying? I'd take a refreshing and unique character - or narrative - that tries to approach storytelling differently, over the sterilized, formulaic tired-old tropes that are quickly becoming the only way to approach representation in film and the media we consume in general.

Take risks, and try. It's okay not to be perfect and right, all the time.

#representation #Atlantis The Lost Empire #Helga Sinclair #feminism in film #essay #but like #in written form #so literally an essay #I'm sorry I watch a lot of video essays on YouTube #I miss you Lindsay Ellis #We didn't deserve you #this movie is so fucking good and amazing and i love it #one of the most underrated movies ever #I will die on this hill a thousand times if I have to

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