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theotterpenguin · 2 months

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what’s your take on zutara being “you’re the wind, i’m in the water”. i’ve heard k@t@@ngs saying it’s clearly about their ship bc their elements are air and water but isn’t that a very surface level of understanding of the lyrics?

anon, i adore you for this ask because i love chemtrails over the country club (and lana's music in general).

i'm not surprised that people would try to apply this song to katara and aang because yes, at a surface level it's relevant to them for obvious reasons (water vs. wind), but i agree that the lyrics have far more depth than this.

first, we have to look at the context of the lyrics within the song. "you're in the wind, i'm in the water" presents a romanticized view of the separation of two lovers, just as the two elements brush past each other but never become one. this theme of separation is seen throughout the rest of the song as lana contrasts the privileged bubble of suburbia with the harsh reality of society, the darkness lurking behind a beautiful front.

likewise, zuko and katara have similar character arcs that revolve around an awakening to the harsh truths of society. zuko learns that the beauty and the power of the fire nation is just a facade, hiding the extreme cruelty of its colonialism and imperalism that has hurt all people (which goes hand-in-hand with zuko unlearning the abuse from his father, the personification of the fire nation itself). katara's arc involves a similar type of awakening, as she unlearns some of the dichotomous thinking she's held around the fire nation. her experiences with jet, hama, the sexism of the northern water tribe, the fire nation village in the painted lady, and even zuko show her the complexities of the war and teach her that people aren't always as simple as "good" or "evil." essentially, both zuko and katara undergo parallel character arcs that fundamentally change their worldview, reflective of the theme of chemtrails over the country club.

additionally, the "wind" and "water" that symbolize the separation of the two lovers in the song is also reminiscent of zuko and katara's journey - the two characters that have been pitted against each other from the beginning of the show, their opposing goals of protecting the avatar vs. capturing the avatar, daughter of the chieftain of the southern water tribe vs. prince of the fire nation, and the two characters that end every season finale in an climactic fight scene (first on opposing sides, then on the same side). and if you want an even more bittersweet perspective, there's also the fact that they are doomed by the narrative, two lovers who never end up together in this lifetime, fated to be separated.

if we want to look further into the song, i've also seen the lyric "nobody's son, nobody's daughter" being superficially applied to aang and katara as they have both experienced loss, but again, in the context of the actual show, it's katara and zuko who are repeatedly paralleled with this connection of losing their mothers and being separated from their fathers. katara discusses her grief over losing kya with haru, jet, and aang, but it's only her and zuko's connection over this that carries actual narrative weight in the story. and katara is the only person that zuko discusses the loss of his mother with. so it only makes sense that all of these narrative parallels culminate in the southern raiders, an episode vital to katara's character arc in which zuko is a crucial supporting character. you could also argue this ties in with the overall theme of separation in the song - being separated from your parentage and having to forge your own path.

finally, as a fun little addition, one of the other lyrics in the song is "my moon's in leo, my cancer is sun." and hmm, who are the two characters we typically associate with the moon and sun? (hint: "you rise with the moon, i rise with the sun"). but wait - it goes even deeper than that. i am most definitely not an expert on zodiac signs, but according to some basic googling, leo (a fire element) is typically ruled by the sun, while cancer (a water element) is typically ruled by the moon. by switching up what elements we typically associate with the signs, lana is reflecting on the duality and the unpredictability of herself like how she reflects on the duality of society earlier in the song. and similarly, zuko and katara undergo dual character arcs bound by elemental symbolism. despite being a waterbender, katara also personifies the element of fire - the element of passion, power, and will - as she stands up against injustice and refuses to back down from a fight. and despite being a firebender, zuko's arc also personifies the element of water - the element of change and adaptability - as zuko's perception of himself, his father, and the fire nation changes over time. they are both water and fire, both moon and sun, both yin and yang.

#zutara #zuko x katara #zutara analysis #atla #my post #my meta #anti kataang #kataang critical #my asks #i'm sorry this took so long to answer anon!#writing this post almost convinced me lana wrote this song for zutara #i think it just goes to show how well written zuko and katara's parallel character arcs were #i've seen many a tiktok bashing zutara shippers for posting zuko and katara to these lyrics and arguing that k//ataang fits better #and ugh... it's just such a superficial analysis to compare just based on the elements of wind and water

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frangipanilove · 19 days

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Daryl’s Green(e) Jasper Revisited; A “Roch” In The Road

“Pilgrims Under The Field Of Stars” (part 2) (part 1)

The “Roch” in the headline is not a typo, it’s a reference to St. Roch, patron saint of dogs and dog lovers, also known for healing people suffering from plague and infectious disease, and that’s why it’s super interesting that Daryl finds the little green(e) rock as they’re quite literally out searching for antibiotics to combat the prison flu, or shall we say prison plague?

St. Roch, Rocco in Italian, in English sometimes called "Rock", was a pilgrim who was known for tending to, and healing victims of the plague. He became known as a protector against plague and infectious disease, and at one point he contracted the bubonic plague himself. He was healed when a dog came up to him and licked his wounds. He’s since been depicted in iconography always with a dog by his side and wounds caused by bubonic plague exposed on his leg.

He had “triumphed over the disease in his own flesh”.

To me, this reads like an obvious historical parallel to the Wildfire virus in TWDU. For someone who has been talking about dogs and their Sirius (reunion/resurrection/rebirth) symbolism for close to a decade now, it is quite interesting to see that St. Roch was healed from the bubonic plague by a dog. This lines up with the Sirius symbolism in TWDU in a really compelling way.

My hypothesis is that the Sirius symbolism on the show comes from both the story of Sirius the Dog Star, the returning star, as well as the resurrection symbolism associated with St.Roch, patron saint of dogs and dog lovers, who was famous for protecting against the plague and infectious disease. And in the context of Daryl's green(e) jasper, Daryl's "Roch" in the road, we see all of that on full display.

St. Roch's body currently rests in Chiesa di San Rocco in Venice, Italy, one of many "plague churches" built to protect the city from the numerous waves of plague that affected it through histoey. In fact, the word "quarantine" originally derives from Italian, and it specifically comes from Venice:

St. Roch, in addition to being patron saint for dogs and dog lovers, as well a known protector against plague, is the patron saint of Venice, along with San Marco. Venice, a major trading hub during the middle ages, suffered multiple plagues due to the extensive foreign trade, hence the invention of quarantine arrangements.

Why the history lesson, you may ask. Well, it's to demonstrate that St.Roch is not some random saint in the context of the green(e) jasper from 4x4 Indifference. His legacy is directly connected to the circumstances around Daryl finding the jasper, or the "Roch" in the road", if you will. Daryl specifically found the jasper for a woman who had been on her way into quarantine in A-block as they were leaving, and their entire mission revolved around finding antibiotics, or a "cure" against the "plague".

And, St. Roch, a pilgrim himself, is specifically tied into the pilgrim symbolism I talked about in part 1 the other day.

In TWD 4x4 Indifference, the prison flu/plague was at its height. People were dying, Glenn and Sasha were ill, and their only option was to go to a veterinary college Herschel knew about to scavenge what they could find of antibiotics. The theme here, as Daryl finds the green(e) rock in the road, is healing people from the flu/plague. My hypothesis is that the green(e) rock, a reference to St.Roch, protector against plague and known for miraculously healing plague victims, foreshadows the antibiotics they later will find, or basically the cure against the plague.

Keep this in mind, I’ll return to a “cure against plague” shortly.

There have been many interesting, well researched attempts at deciphering the symbolism around the green jasper over the years, and as we know, symbolism in TWDU is always multi-layered, it can have more than one meaning.

For me, the most obvious thing is that it’s green(e), it seems like an no-brainer reference to Beth Greene. Remember, this was before Beth and Daryl escaped from the prison together. Considering what we now know was to come for them, it seems plausible that the green(e) jasper would function as some kind of foreshadow of that.

Then there’s the fact that Daryl specifically got it for someone who needed it for her husband’s grave marker. In that respect, it’s tied to resurrection symbolism. Symbols on grave markers often include crosses, of course depending on the religious beliefs of the deceased, but I don’t think it’s far fetched to interpret the jasper as synonymous with a cross. And of course, crosses are resurrection symbolism, they’re tied to Beth in all kinds of ways.

Then there's Michonne's nod to the Sirius symbolism, when she made a joke about how the color brings out Daryl’s eyes:

It’s a potential reference to the one-eyed dog from 4x13 Alone, and also a potential reference to the “the heavenly beast with a star in its eye" as Robert Frost said in the poem “One More Brevity “.

"It's a good color". It's (Beth) green(e).

"It brings out your eyes". It's Sirius symbolism and a reference to the one-eyed dog from 4x13 Alone.

Also, don’t forget that Beth’s been connected to issues regarding eyes and eyesight since 4x12 Still:

It's Sirius symbolism, which is tied to St. Roch because he is the patron saint of dogs and dog lovers, and was always depicted with a dog by his side in iconography. And Sirius symbolism is resurrection/rebirth symbolism. St. Roch, patron saint of dogs and dog lovers, miraculously survived the plague himself, as well as being known for healing people from plague and infectious disease.

We see how the Sirius/dog symbolism becomes intertwined with symbolism pertaining to the plague, healing, and a "cure".

Remember Daryl got the green jasper for Mrs. Richards, she was going into “A-block” as they left. “A-block” was where they kept the people sick with flu in quarantine.

Mrs. Richards’ name is likely a reference to “Roch”. The names aren’t etymologically linked in any way that I’m aware of, but come on, you can hear it, right? Richards and Roch? They're not completely different. At the very least, they’re close enough to earn a substantial side eye from me…

The jasper stone, the "Roch" in the road", is associated with the flu. Or should we say “plague”….? And it's associated with being cured, healed, resurrected, reborn...

Remember TWD episode 7x9 Rock In The Road? TF went to The Kingdom to secure Ezekiel's support in the war against the Saviors. Ezekiel was reluctant, and Rick had to resort to storytelling and parabels to convince him. Rick’s story was one about the girl who was bringing her carriage to the market, but there was a rock in the road that broke her carriage and caused her to lose an entire cask of beer.

Beer = ethanol = cure. I’ve talked about the connection between ethanol/alcohol and a cure/pharmakon in many posts such as here and here.

And remember when I said above that the jasper represented the antibiotics they would later find?

And how in Rick’s story about the “rock in the road”, the girl lost a whole case of beer?

That came into play in FTWD 6x3 Alaska.

Dwight and Althea were out scavenging, when they came across a community in a high-rise building. This storyline tied into the CRM in that Althea was there searching for her mysterious love interest Isabel, who was A CRM pilot. Isabel’s helicopter was scheduled to land on the top of the high-rise, but Althea warned her that the property was infested with rats carrying the bacteria Yersenia Pestis, better known as bubonic plague- This is the bacteria that caused the Black Death during the Middle Ages, killing off half of Europe’s population. St. Roch was known for tending to victims of the bubonic plague, he was known for performing miracles, and he contracted the plague himself, but still survived.

In Alaska, Dwight caught the plague:

Without antibiotics, Dwight faces an almost certain death.

Althea, on the rooftop and in communication with CRM-Isabel, is told about beer in the supply crates:

As we've learned by now, "beer" in TWDU is directly associated with some form of "cure". Beer is "cure" symbolism.

And lo and behold! Next to the beer, she finds...

Ciprofloxacin, the exact antibiotic she needs to cure Dwight’s bubonic plague.

We saw in FTWD 6x3 Alaska how TPTB basically equaled ethanol/beer with antibiotics, essentially confirming the connection between "alcohol/ethanol" and a "cure". We've since seen this very theme multiple times.

In TWDDD 1x3 Paris Sera Toujours Paris, Fallou made a reference to the bubonic plague as they were moving through the catacombs. The catacombs are, according to urban legends, lined floor to ceiling with the skulls of the victims of the bubonic plague (I think historians would like to correct a few misconceptions on that, but regardless, that’s a version of history that’s well established in the popular mind):

“Here, we survived many apocalypses. We will survive this one too”. Plagues were common in medieval Europe…

Like I mentioned in part 1, the themes around pilgrimage came back in TWDDD season 1, when Losang namedropped Camino de Santiago to Santiago de Compostela. I also explained how the symbolism associated with St. Christopher is intertwined with the type of resurrection symbolism we see around Beth.

Beth, like St.Roch, is heavily associated with dog symbolism as well as resurrection symbolism.

Beth is the one in TWDU that’s tied up with dog symbolism the most. She IS dog symbolism.

And so is St. Roch, patron saint for dogs and dog lovers...

Daryl has proved to be a quite a dog lover:

And because St.Roch was also famous for healing plague victims, as well as miraculously recovering from the plague himself, we see here another way in which the Sirius/dog symbolism ties into themes of resurrection and rebirth, and themes of a “cure”.

St. Roch was a pilgrim, he’s deeply tied into the symbolism around pilgrimage, which became relevant again by Losang mentioning Santiago de Compostela. Remember, as I explained the other day, the pilgrim symbolism was quietly, yet unmistakably, introduced with Morgan immediately after Beth had been "killed" in 5x8 Coda.

As some sort of pilgrim, we watched him reach Father Gabriel's church, and it was almost as though he had reached his desired end point, the final destination of his pilgrimage. He "resurrected" the overturned cross, as though he metaphorically "ressurected" Beth. I likened Morgan to St. Christopher, patron saint of travelers, but St. Roch was also a pilgrim.

The green(e) jasper?

It foreshadowed the antibiotics they were able to find at the veterinary college in 4x4 Indifference, it foreshadowed the “cure”. The green(e) jasper is a metaphor for the cure. It was green(e)., and therefore potentially associated with Beth. And it is closely associated with dogs and dog symbolism, through St. Roch. The green(e) jasper is Sirius symbolism.

The other day I wrote about the Way of St James, or Camino de Santiago to Santiago de Compostela. I had seen hints of a theme of travelers and pilgrimage ever since Morgan showed up after Beth’s death in 5x8 coda. We’ve recently seen Losang bring it up in TWD Daryl Dixon. As we know, the working title of TWDDD was Pilgrim, so I think it’s fair to say that the pilgrim theme has been canonically confirmed.

In part 1 I mentioned how the symbolism around St. Christopher, patron saint of travelers (including motorists, hello car/trunk symbolism) was first subtly alluded to immediately after Beth’s death, then became canonically confirmed in FTWD 6x2 Welcome To The Club. We saw Daniel, a character who had survived a gunshot to the head, carry a St. Christopher medallion.

We later saw Madison, queen of death fake-outs in TWDU, survive getting shot point blank, in a Ford Mustang:

The St. Christopher medallion quite literally stopped the bullet and saved Madison's life. This is the type of resurrection symbolism St. Christopher provides to Beth. And it happened in a blue Ford Mustang.

St. Christopher is the patron saint of travellers, including motorists, and I would have to assume that includes kidnapped girls in trunks of cars. And the Ford Mustang symbolism is something we'we seen a lot. Most recently in TWDDD 1x6 Coming Home, when Carol drove a blue Ford Mustang and happened to lock some poor unsuspecting fellow (joking, he had it coming) into the trunk of said blue Ford Mustang...

Read more on Ford Mustangs and why they're resurrection symbolism here and here.

The symbolism around pilgrims was for a long time merely subtle clues, and I was entirely prepared to admit I was reading too much into something that existed mostly in my own head. However, with Losang explicitly mentioning Santiago de Compostela in TWDDD 1x6 Comimg Home, the symbolism of St. James Way, or Camino de Santiago became canon. Just like the symbolism around St. Christopher became canon in FTWD 6x2.

I started researching the symbolism pertaining to St. Roch around the same time, and I think it's just a matter of time before he will become explicitly mentioned too, canonically confirming the symbolism, just like St. Christopher and Santiago de Compostela. I believe we will hear about him soon.

#team delusional #bethyl #daryl dixon #beth greene #the walking dead #twd #twd daryl dixon #twddd #twd tboc #tboc

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paganminiskirt · 1 month

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Something upsetting about Bulma’s reaction to Vegeta’s suicide - and it was a suicide, no matter the grandiose aims he assigned to it - is how it reflects the state of their relationship at the time of his death. That sacrifice is meant to be Vegeta’s first moment of real selflessness and maturity, growth which is contrasted by the way Bulma seems to almost regress when she gets word of it: she’s so consumed by her own ugly, undignified grief that she doesn’t react to Chi Chi collapsing about Gohan's death at all, as understandable as it is. In the anime, Bulma shouts “no,” and she shouts his name, but in the manga it’s just a shapeless, agonized wail. Reminds me of Vegeta weeping when he realized he couldn't beat Frieza. Vulnerable. Childlike.

And that comparison could almost make you think that the grief Bulma is expressing is, itself, shallow or childish. King Kai isn't there to explain the depth of her feelings, the way he was when Frieza tortured Vegeta. Bulma was introduced to Dragon Ball as a young girl, and her characterization back then revolved largely around vanity, pettiness and selfishness. When she wasn't acting that way, the story was demonstrating her precociousness and abnormal intelligence - and having adult men casually sexualize her, as if she were a grown woman.

If we've learned anything from the previous arcs, it's that slotting children into adult roles has disastrous, counterintuitive consequences. Gohan is forced to fight Cell at age eleven and almost loses the fight because he gets caught up in his own immature sadism. Vegeta is introduced to us with little to no detail on his face, making him look younger than he is, especially since he's under five feet tall. It's no surprise, when the story shows him slaughtering total strangers and old friends alike like he's ripping the wings off a butterfly. It's no surprise, when the story tells us that the whole time, he was a child soldier and a slave.

So there are themes that could potentially make you read Bulma as having stunted emotional processing skills as an adult. There's also the fact that, when Bulma and Vegeta's relationship first started, it was fulfilling needs for both of them that weren't especially healthy or mature. Bulma was breaking off a romance and potential engagement with Yamcha, which was likely somewhat codependent, considering they'd been together since youth and were each the other's first lover. Vegeta was coming off his aforementioned death-by-torture from a lifelong abuser, and Frieza himself had only just died. With that in mind, who could forget Puar and Yamcha gawping at Bulma as she gives Vegeta an order and he obeys her, trailing behind her like a pet, pouting, but doing it anyways. What’s the line in the original Japanese version? “Vegeta is completely under her control?”

So it didn’t start off particularly healthy. Bulma is feeling wounded and vulnerable, she wants some reassurance and to make Yamcha jealous. Vegeta wants reassurance as well, and underneath that, to be told what to do. The offset of their relationship has Vegeta using Bulma to soothe the part of him that still needed to be apart of that structure, that control, that obedience. He objectified himself to her, even if she didn’t know it.

But Bulma’s reaction to his second death rejects that reading of their relationship entirely. Rejects the idea that Vegeta’s self-destruction could ever be a positive thing, even though he was doing it in defense of her, this act of willingly placing his own needs behind someone else’s which a more self-centered personality would’ve gobbled up. Did gobble up. Vegeta’s fought for the sake of other people before! He fought for Frieza! It’s just that those acts of violence were exclusively destructive and exploitative, never defensive, and no matter the attitude Vegeta adopted while doing it, he wasn’t allowed to say no.

Like, I’m sure Goku told her that Vegeta did what he did out of love and altruism, but it doesn’t help. Because Bulma doesn’t want to hear that Vegeta loved her enough to kill himself. She just wants him to be alive.

#brutal. she grew up. they both grew up.#Bulma #Vegeta #vegebul #DBZ #suicide tw

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electronickingdomfox · 1 year

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Excerpts from “Shatner: where no man...”

I recently read this book (Marshak & Culbreath, 1979) and wanted to share some excerpts (the book can be borrowed for free at archive.org, by the way).

To be honest, there’s a LOT of filler and hero-worship in this book (to very annoying levels), and it’s not a biography in the common sense of the word. But it also includes personal interviews with Shatner, Roddenberry and Nimoy, which I found the most interesting parts (chapters 7 and 8 above all). So here’s some of the stuff, chosen because it relates with Star Trek or it’s just funny/curious. With special attention to the K/S parts. Because I’m making the selection and say so.

From an interview with Shatner and Nimoy (1977)

Nimoy comments on the scenes he thinks define Kirk and Spock’s relationship:

Nimoy is asked about a particular blooper he’s never seen:

Gotta love his last line. In relation to Devil in the Dark:

Nimoy then explains that he wasn’t always conscious of his reactions in front of the camera, some of them may have come naturally to him while playing the scene (like the swallowing here described). On the other hand, Shatner said in other parts of the book that he himself was very aware of his expressions and why he used them. Interesting to know when analyzing certain scenes.

About the problems with Turnabout Intruder (Roddenberry also addresses these issues in another section):

Elsewhere in the book (not part of the same interview), Shatner had also talked about this same episode:

Really, Janice Lester never struck me as the classical femme fatale who seduces men for her advantage, but Kirk... would turn himself into one? Oh, well. I can see that.

From an interview with Roddenberry and Shatner (1977)

Gene comments on Kirk and Spock’s relationship:

For this well-known passage, I’d just like to address some common criticism from those who grasp at straws to discredit what Gene said here. I’ve often seen this interview described as the authors “manoeuvring” Gene into talking about physical love between Kirk and Spock. As if Roddenberry had said that at gun-point, and thus wasn’t valid. Well, NO. The interviewers only bring the subject of Alexander and Hephaistion because Gene had previously talked about the Alexander/Kirk parallel. And they never speak of them as anything more than friends. The whole “physical love” thing was brought entirely by Roddenberry (as a little later after this interview, he’d do with the t’hyla-lover stuff in the TMP novel). The authors DO have an obvious agenda in this book, not gonna lie. But their fantasy revolves around alpha-male Kirk getting into relationships with strong women, not around K/S (at least not in this book). Believe me; I’ve read the whole thing, and it’s pervasive. To the point of trying to push Kirk/Uhura or Spock/Leila as love stories, despite Nimoy being much in disagreement with the latter, and both being forced to it. Not to mention, the authors barely brush on the “physical love” thing, and move back to the Alexander/Kirk parallels.

In fact, the authors ask Gene again about Kirk and Spock’s friendship, and again, it’s him who makes the connection between their relationship and sexual relationships in general:

Confront this with the passage in the TMP novel:

But it still felt painful to be reminded so powerfully and unexpectedly of his friendship and affection for Spock—theirs had been the touching of two minds which the old poets of Spock’s home planet had proclaimed as superior even to the wild physical love which affected Vulcans every seventh year during pon farr.

But enough with the seriousness:

I can’t believe they were discussing Kirk’s ass in front of its owner... There are other raunchy things in this interview (it’s Roddenberry after all), but I won’t put them in here.

From an interview with Theodore Sturgeon

So the legendary “In a pig’s eye!” line was DeForest Kelley’s improvisation? He’s the boss.

#star trek #star trek tos #william shatner #leonard nimoy #gene roddenberry #theodore sturgeon #interview #k/s #sondra marshak #myrna culbreath #kirk x spock #spirk #book excerpts

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rexnanorum · 8 months

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Soooo...I finished a new drawing today - this time featuring Troll-Walt and I also tossed in some Stricklake for you!

The drawing is my take on the famous classicist Sulpture-Group Amor and Psyche (1787) from the italian sculptor Antonio Canova (which, by the way, is one of my favourite (post antiquity) artworks and myth as well - I am an archaeologist and I guess it shows a little bit ;-)

Here you have a closeup:

.. . and then I give you some input on the myth, which is a quite compelling tale of two unlikely and star crossed lovers who fall in love involuntarily and only find each other after facing many hardships.

The story that is told most detailed by the roman author Apuleius from the 2nd century A.D. and basically revolves around Psyche, the beautiful daughter of a king , who is married off against her will to a presumed monster in form of a dragon who only visits her at night in the dark and who she is never allowed to see. Out of curiosity she breaks this rule and it is revealed that the monster is in fact the beautiful God Amor (or Eros in Greek), personification of love and son of the goddess Aphrodite. Her lover then leaves her, feeling betrayed, and Psyche has to face many dangerous adventures. She (almost) dies in the end but is reawakend by Amor (which is shown in the marble group by Canova).

This is my most complex digital drawing so far and it took me quite a while to try to get all the light reflexes well - but I am quite proud of the result - I hope you like it too... (and sorry for the lengthy classics lesson ;-D

Greetings, Michaela

/rexnanorum

#stricklake #walter strickler #stricklander #strickler #my art #trollhunters #toa #barbara lake

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graysoncritic · 4 days

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A (Negative) Review of Tom Taylor's Nightwing Run - What Went Wrong? Melinda Lin Grayson

Introduction Who is Dick Grayson? What Went Wrong? Dick's Characterization What Went Wrong? Barbara Gordon What Went Wrong? Bludhaven (Part 1, Part 2) What Went Wrong? Melinda Lin Grayson What Went Wrong? Bea Bennett What Went Wrong? Villains Conclusion Bibliography

Things do not get any better when it comes to Dick’s relationship to Melinda.

As I believe it is important to own up to one’s biases, I’ll begin by admitting that I dislike secret-sibling tropes. However, the problem present in Melinda’s character does not revolve around the concept of her existence, but rather in the fact that her status as Dick’s sister adds nothing to the story. Taylor does not take advantage of her existence to add to Dick’s backstory, complicate his views of his parents, to add conflict to the plot, or to offer on-screen character and relationship development. In failing to have his original character live up to her full potential, Taylor reduces her to a deus-ex-machina who only appears to either save Dick at the right time, or to put him in danger at the right moment.

That is why in execution, Melinda’s existence is irrelevant. While I would never want John Grayson to be cheater and I do not want John and Mary's marriage to be tarnished, that route would have offered conflict, for it forces Dick to grapple with the reality that parents were not the infallible individuals he remembers.

Instead, Melinda is very conveniently conceived during the span of time between John and Mary becoming an acrobatic duo and them getting together. They were already in love, so Dick does not have to worry about Melinda's mom being John's long lost lover and Mary having been a rebound. Yet, because John and Mary were not yet together, John remains a good person as he was not unfaithful. Melinda's mom doesn't resent Mary for ending up with John while she was stuck in an abusive relationship. Melinda doesn’t resent Dick for having known their father while she lived with Zucco. Neither does she feel any love towards Zucco or seeks his approval — which would have been another interesting and understandable source of conflict. After all, though he was an awful man, husband, and father, for a good part of Melinda’s life, he was the only father figure she had, and it is very common for children who were raised by an abusive guardian to still desire their affection.

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator. Leaping into the Light Part Five. Nightwing: Rebirth. 82, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2021. pp 14)

The way in which Taylor quickly and neatly wraps up this story does little to add to either Melinda or Dick’s character. Furthermore, Dick readily believes Melinda and Meilin when he is told their story. He does not know them, yet he simply accepts their words without requiring any evidence, without asking many questions, and without following it up with an investigation.

Neither do we see him experience denial or any other form of human emotions to such a monumental discovery. In #83, when Dick returns to his apartment, he tells Babs “You heard? I have a sister. And even better… There’s a chance she’s not evil,” to which she replies “I hear. You need to talk about it?” Rather than replying, or, indeed, talking about how he feels about this revelation, Dick instead passes out. As readers we never get to see if said conversation happened (which would also develop Dick and Babs’ relations), and so we never get to see Dick grapple with this life changing revelation..

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator. Leaping into the Light Part Six. Nightwing: Rebirth. 83, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2021. pp 12)

Conveniently, Melinda’s morals and her approaches to solution also perfectly align with Dick’s own. Not only is she not the bad guy Dick originally thought she was, but she is actively working against those Dick wishes to stop. And, again, Dick takes her word for it without a second thought. Dick appears skeptical for a mere second before Melinda gives him an out by asking if he has “difficulty believing someone could have a double life.”

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator. Leaping into the Light Part Six. Nightwing: Rebirth. 83, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2021. pp 04)

This question misses the point of what should be Dick’s understandable suspicion. Just because Dick can believe someone can live a double life, it does not mean he should immediately accept the words of a woman he has never met before without any evidence. Neither should he just take her word for it when she says that she “brought down two crime bosses from within” and that she wishes “to do the same for Bludhaven.”

Just as baffling as the fact that Dick immediately believes is the fact that he is ready to include her in all of his plans to take down Blockbuster without even investigating whether she might have ulterior motives.

And this goes both ways. When Melinda claims to have the same goals as Dick, she does not question Dick’s motivations. Neither does she question the legality of having a vigilante in the city, working outside of the system.

The problem is not just that they have the same objective — take down Blockbuster — but that their approach to said objective is the exact same, that their beliefs in what would be best for Bludhaven perfectly align, and so they trust each other with critical information almost instantaneously, denying the reader the opportunity to read them about them earning each other’s trust by trying to persuade the to their side.

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator. Leaping into the Light Part Six. Nightwing: Rebirth. 83, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2021. pp 05)

fter meeting one another, Dick and Melinda work closely together, and soon they start to think of themselves as siblings. This, however, happens off-screen. Melinda and Dick hardly ever appear together on the page, and Dick only thinks of her when it is convenient to the plot.

As such, we are left with a significant change to a character’s backstory without having any conflict or significance created by this new addition. Melinda is not evil, so there's no conflict to be added. Melinda and Dick's morals not only perfectly align, but their methodology does as well. Dick is also not suspicious of Melinda, and Melinda views vigilantism and Nightwing’s presence in Bludhaven as a positive. There are no secret identity issues where Melinda doesn't know Dick and Nightwing are the same person and has contradicting feelings for each persona. Since Dick immediately takes her word when she claims to be his sister and when she claims to “not be evil,” there is no need for her to win him over. There is no need for Dick to get Melinda to trust him. In other words, there is no room for this relationship to develop in front of the readers’ eyes so that we can grow to care for their bond and become invested in their dynamic. Every potential conflict or development is resolved and achieved as soon as the idea of Dick having a secret sister is introduced to the reader, making so that the storyline goes from its beginning to its endpoint in just two issues.

This further destroys Dick’s characterization. Rather than trusting, Dick comes across as gullible, as he will blindly take the words of others when they tell him they are not evil. Dick comes off as incompetent, as he was unmasked so quickly and so easily when trying to investigate Melinda. And Melinda becomes a plot device, not a character. She is a deus-ex-machina who is there to call Dick when Blockbuster is going to try to kill him so Dick can escape at last second

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator. Get Grayson Act Three. Nightwing: Rebirth. 90, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2022. pp 04)

Or to bring Dick to danger when the plot needs Dick to be in danger.

(Taylor, Tom, writer. Redondo, Bruno, illustrator. The Battle for Bludhaven’s Heart Part Three. Nightwing: Rebirth. 94, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2022. pp 22)

A lot of this could have been avoided if Melinda just wasn't Dick's sister, and instead they were made into reluctant allies. There would be no reason for her and Dick to spend time together outside of Nightwing-business or develop a sibling-bond, and without the Grayson connection, there would be the tension of Dick not knowing whether she is a threat. Losing the Grayson connection would also allow Melinda to become her own person, with her own history and interiority outside of Dick, John Grayson, and Zucco. She, too, could have become a face of Bludhaven so that her relevance to the plot would be through the city rather than Dick’s past.

But that would require Dick to have meaningful interactions with a woman who is not related to him and who is not Barbara Gordon, and there would have been the threat of any tension between Dick and Melinda to be seen as romantic or sexual. It would have also required Taylor to put in the work to make an otherwise everyday human into someone who can excel in her work despite her ordinariness.

Instead of letting the audience witness Dick and Melinda grow closer to one another, their bond as allies, friends, and siblings is developed off-screen. Taylor opts to skip over the interesting and messy steps that it takes to create such a relationship by instead having them immediately like and trust one another.

As I said in the beginning of this section, I was never personally going to like "Dick's secret sibling" concept, but I could have still liked Melinda for her own character. Or I could have fallen in love with the sibling relationship she would build with Dick, had I been allowed the chance to witness it grow for myself. But Taylor makes no effort to endear his readers to Melinda as a character or to her relationship with Dick. Instead, she becomes the perfect example of so many of Taylor’s weaknesses as a writer — his distaste for conflict; his tendency to show and not tell; his wanting to create plot twists that look shocking in a social media post while having no desire to follow through the consequences of said plot point; his wanting to create emotional pay-offs without putting in the work beforehand; his complete lack of understanding or care for Dick's character. Melinda embodies all of these problems.

#nightwing #dick grayson #anti tom taylor

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i-guess-im-into-this-now · 3 months

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HIStory 1: My Hero

Right off the bat the premise of this show is 🦇💩, which I usually love.

However...

This scenario does make me a bit uncomfortable.

Premise:

Due to the mistake of some reaper-like character, the soul of a young lady, Lan Shi, gets taken instead of the young man, Gu Si Ren. To fix his mistake Reaper ends up taking Gu Si Ren's soul and allowing Lan Shi to have his body, which she can keep if she can get her boyfriend, Hero, to kiss her within 7 days, and she can't tell anyone the truth.

I'm not great at analysis, nor am I especially well educated in gender or queer studies, so I may not be able to eloquently put into thought or words what bothers me about the premise.

But. There is something about unwillingly stripping a character of their gender that bothers me. I'm all for trans characters (and real people), but that is not what is happening here.

This is a woman being forced into the body of a man. Will she retain her identity as a woman? Will she identify as a man? How does this affect her sexuality? She has already lamented that in order to keep this body she will have to "turn" her boyfriend gay. Will she be comfortable seducing Hero?

I also feel bad for Gu Si Ren, who by any metric had a terrible life, and terrible death. His soul is gone but his body remains, to be given to someone else to use. Which also feels like a violation.

I'm also a little unsettled with the boyfriend Hero's place in this story as well, but for a wholly different reason. As far as he knows his girlfriend just died, and this character is expected to be kissing someone else within a week?! I'm guessing this show is going to blow right past Hero's grief.

Will this show use this premise as a chance to explore issues of gender identity and sexuality? I'll admit my hopes have bottomed out for this show. I'll have to finish it to see.

I've seen that some of the other episodes/seasons of HIStory are highly recommended, so I won't allow whatever happens in this one to dissuade me from watching the others.

***************************************

After finishing watching it, the show was better than I anticipated, but I still have some issues with it.

Spoilers

Lan Shi had more agency in the body swap than I originally thought. She was complicit in taking Gu Si Ren's body. Her actions which came from a place of desperation, are actually pretty reprehensible.

Her plan was to take Gu Si Ren's body, identy and life, and use them for her own purpose. It's pretty heinous, if you think about it. For her plan to work she needs to deceive and manipulate Hero. And she never considers for a moment what her actions mean for Gu Si Ren. Also, Lan Shi never shows guilt or remorse for her actions.

She learns over the course of the week that Hero, wasn't in love with her, but likely had a crush on Gu Si Ren. She also discovers that Gu Si Ren was in love with Hero through reading his journals. Suddenly she feels like she's inserted herself into a place she doesn't belong (you think?!).

Lan Shi does eventually give back Gu Si Ren's body. It's at a time that is poignant for her, but awkward for Gu Si Ren and Hero.

Lan Shi doesn't ever try to correct any of the problems she created between the two guys, including some pretty insensitive comments about gay men that really upset Hero.

My Hero is a strange story with an uncomfortable premise that I think actually had more potential for exploring issues with gender/sexual identity, than it utilized.

It failed to be a romance due to the fact that the actual lovers are only together briefly, and we see very little of how their relationship evolved.

The show instead revolves around Lan Shi and her inability to recognize that her relationship with Hero had failed, and her unwillingness to accept that. Which, I also could have got behind if Lan Shi had been able to do some introspection and shown some growth.

It did turn out to be a lot better than I feared it would be at first glance, but ultimately it was underwhelming.

#HIStory my hero #HIStory 1 #HIStory bl #bl HIStory #bl series #bl shows #HIStory1 #My Hero bl

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potatoes-in-bloom · 1 year

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My thoughts on XO kitty

Spoilers ahead! But I think this is more fun with knowing a few things beforehand so proceed. ;)

I did not plan on watching this. As someone said it was marketed 'aggressively straight' and the trailer made it feel like the exact same american high school love drama centered around a perky but annoyingly self-centered girl we already got a thousand of times.

But then the spoilers reached me and the promise of a wlw romance, a bi character figuering out her sexuality, not one but two enemies to lovers plots, several unwelcome sex dreams and an end that leaves people fighting for what would be the better couple? There was no way around this one.

And I actually enjoyed it way more than I expected even then? Yes it's still very US-american, yes the main character is still super perky and egocentric for most of this (even if I felt like it started getting better over the course of the show and has potential to actually change during a potential second season?) but just the way they build up several compelling characters and character relationships while giving all of them a reason why they can't work?

I actually think it makes the story more interesting that there is no perfect match in this, everyone is interested in the person that makes the most sense for them to be interested in and is most interesting for us to watch.

So Daes story revolves completly around Kitty. He's majorly messing up from the beginning and while he is trying to find a way to fix it he just gets sucked in deeper and deeper. It was the most rewarding as a viewer to see him trying to undo his past mistakes and fight for what he had before while slowly losing it from his grip. You want to root for him because he's overall a great guy and because the first love and best friends that know everything about each other storyline is just very sweet but he did just a little too much wrong to keep this relationship alive and he slowly (very slowly) starts realising this.

Min Hos story also completly revolves around Kitty. We meet him as this super bitchy rich guy (I'm saying this with love) who's just a little too protective of his little circle and wants no one to interfere in his life at all. Kitty is the invader in his life and seeing him slowly getting soft for the exact person that keeps uprooting his life and keeps inserting themselves in his little friend group is incredible rewarding. And of course I understand people wanting him with kitty - but for kitty to just fall for him would be kinda boring in comparison? And fulfilling way too man clishees as well. Her story does not revolve around him, from her perspective this is an enemies to frenemies kinda situation that's completly in the background, and having Minho who went from bitchy to kinda accepting from her perspective suddenly have feelings for her is most likely not what she expects at all.

Kittys feelings for Yuri however, how out of the blue they may seem at first make way more sense in hindsight. This is who Kitty percieves as 'the enemy' (while Min Ho seems to be categorised as a mild annoyance at most) and her learning about not only first her attraction to the apparent enemy but then that Yuri did everything only to protect herself and is now in friend-territory and also not straight, while also having to deal with the fact that that means Kitty is also attracted to women?

Kittys story revolves around Yuri because she is the one keeping her from Dae, once she stops being that center point it's already too late and she becomes the center for Kitty for a completly different reason again. Plus she is connected to Kittys other big plot - the history of her mum and stays in her focus this way throughout the entire season.

But Yuris story (for once) doesn't revolve around Kitty at all - her story revolves around her relationship to her mother and the future for her and Juliana. Kitty is never the enemy in this, only an unwelcome annoyance that has to be dealt with to keep her plans alive. And yes, when Kitty helps her more and more and the two of them become friends there might or might not be developing something, but at this point it's simply not the focus of her story and not the most interesting part of her life for us.

And to be honest, for me there is not one pairing I want out of this for a second season but rather for the show to explore all those possible relationship dynamics more?

All of the potential pairings still seem possible and reasonable if the characters are willing to put in the work and I think that's actually a great starting point to move forward from.

I also hope that if there is a new season that it brings in even more people in the dynamic (not for kitty tho, she has enough potential live interests to deal with).

Also, very uncommon for me but I actually didn't really enjoy the side couple. While I enjoyed Qs character (aside from that he was way too easy on our 'the world revolves around me' MC) his relationship to Florian was too easy in comparison and lacked the emotional depth. Also the conflict is just was less important so far. (cheating on an exam? Really?) As an european being upset about this for any other reason than it potentially harming Florians future seems ridiculous.

All in all, I recommend watching this! It is so much fun and I hope for a second season.

(But yes, I did end up telling my screen repeatedly 'Oh babe, no! That's a stupid Idea, don't you notice? Please don't!')

#xo kitty #I was so sure I would hate this

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anothanobody · 1 year

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Phantom Anon 🎭

Things change after the ball. Mikasa saw the way the Phantom stole her from Jean for that dance, how he looked at her with such deep love, the way he danced with her. And she could tell that he was jealous. And she can’t get his image out of her head, the way he was dashing and chivalrous dancing with her. After their little moment, she knows for sure he loves her deeply too, her love is corresponded, and she must act on it.

When the ball ends, Jean asks Mikasa if that was a publicity stunt or what. She tells him no, that was the real Phantom of the Opera, her teacher, the responsible for so many successes in the Opera. Jean asks how she can be so sure, to which Mikasa responds she’s seen him working, she sings with him and test his new works for him before they are even published. But she doesn’t tell him the Phantom lives underneath the Opera, because Eren forbid her. “But do you know him? His real identity?” Jean asks. Mikasa only replies he’s her Angel of Music.

Jean gets alarmed at this. Now, let’s not make Jean into a villain. In this story, no one is a monster. Let’s see it from Jean’s perspective. Mikasa is a young girl, a bit naïve, a fledgling rising star who is followed around by a man she doesn’t know. She doesn’t know who he is, and he keeps taking her every day to some mysterious location she herself doesn’t know the way to. We know who Eren is, but from the outsider’s perspective it is suspicious.

For his part, Eren is thorn. The Phantom’s imagery and mindset has always revolved around the dark. Eren grew up in the catacombs, he still lives in the catacombs, the dark is what he’s known for most of his life. The forced anonymity of his work, because of his deformity. And now, the dark of not being able to be with Mikasa the way he wants, also because of his condition.

He's always knew this moment would come. In fact, he worked for it. He tried to strengthen himself and be ready. The moment when she acquired admirers, potential lovers, other men in her life. He can’t stand it though, he can’t, he can’t, she’s his, she wants to be his, he knows it. And the irony is that, if everything goes according to plan, she’ll become even more famous, she’ll tour the continent around many countries playing and singing in his masterpieces, staying abroad for months, meeting many other men. He can’t stand it.

In this version, there’s some parallels between the Opera’s catacombs and the walls around Paradis. In canon aot, Eren is born inside the walls and hates them, but then meets the outside world and hate it even more. Here, Eren is born in the outside world, but the world hates him for the way he was born, cursed, maligned, and for him the catacombs were a refuge for his pain. There’s peace and tranquility in the dark.

Just like the original Phantom, Eren struggles because he wants, needs Mikasa by his side. But he understand he can’t offer her the life he thinks she deserves. In such an unforgiving and prejudiced society, they can never be together out in the open. That’s why he keeps her close tight but doesn’t really make a move for something permanent. He hates to admit it, but if he was obliged to choose a destiny for Mikasa’s life, marrying Jean would be her best chance. He’s a nobleman, he’s rich, he lives in a castle, he can offer her the comfortable lives he wants to be able to give her but sadly can’t And the worst of all, Eren can see Jean truly loves her. He isn't some playboy only interested in sleeping with her and leaving. But the tragedy is, he does have control over Mikasa’s destiny, and he won’t, not on his life, allow her to be with any man, she belongs only to him. She can never be with Jean, nor anyone else, only him.

This is his tragedy, he knows only the dark, but the dark is no place for someone like Mikasa.

bro the second to last paragraph got me here just applauding eren in his honesty really. he possessive boy!!! do you! i like this. i love the tragedy and everything honestly. you’re brilliant anon. brilliant.

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chrissmou · 1 year

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The Ranking and rambling of the Bridgerton Books

The promised Book Ranking of the Bridgerton Series books. Eight books are presented according to my preference from my favorite to my least favorite. You will find a summary of each book and my personal opinion on it, as well as a link to Goodreads (there you can find more on the books):

The ranking after the cut, because I ramble a lot.

1. The Viscount who loved me (Book 2): Kate and Anthony. Classic enemies-to-lovers plot with well-written characters who manage to fill you with all kinds of emotions throughout the book. You can see how vulnerable they are, the challenging family bonds, and the need to preserve their social status while protecting the family. The way the book is played out makes you love it even more.

2. It’s In his kiss (Book 7): Gareth and Hyacinth. Here Garreth and Hyacinth are an investigative couple, and the book’s plot revolves around this relationship. What is fascinating is the fact that Lady Danbury is Garreth’s grandmother. You'll enjoy Hyacinth’s delightful wit and view of the world. Stay prepared for a story full of surprises and suspense.

3. On the way to the wedding (Book 8): Gregory and Lucy. In this book, Gregory finds himself in a love confusion, as he ends up proclaiming his love to someone unexpected, someone many wouldn’t probably approve of. of the detail you’re gonna love in this book is the character build and illustration; Kate’s cool appearance, Hyacinth’s curiosity Violet’s nurturing and supportive role towards Gregory, and of course, Gregory’s “Prince Charming” behavior.

4. Romancing Mister Bridgerton (Book 4): Penelope and Colin. I was very reluctant to rank this book because it was so much fan and had a different status in a classic trope, in love with best friend’s brother. Also, in the series' previous books, you see a different characterization for both Colin and Penelope, with him being the aloof joker and her the wallflower everyone is sad about. In this one, Penelope has a secret and doing everything in her power to protect herselgf and everyone from it. On the other hand, Colin is very confused about the future contracts with the immaturity and the boyishness that he presents in the first three books.

5. An Offer From a gentleman (Book 3): Sophie and Benedict. The only reason for the position of this one is that I couldn’t be inside the first part of this book, which explains why Sophie is in this position with her stepfamily. I loved the second part and the reveal of the identity. I love the characterization of Sophie and the whole Cinderella eyed especially the relationship with Benedict. I did not like the pace of the beginning

6. The Duke and I (Book 1): Daphne and Simon. I liked the fake dating trope; the characters are a good introduction to the series. What I liked most in this one is the introduction to the two main characters, especially Simon’s reactions to finding this was Anthony’s little sister, Daphne, as it always makes me laugh. The fears, on Simon’s side about his father, are portrayed with a reality you need to understand. On the other hand, Daphne is a very good character but naive and a little boring with perfection which sometimes made me cringe.

7. To Sir Philip, With Love (Book 5): Eloise and Philip. I have to say, I read the books after I saw the first season of the TV Show, and I love Eloise as a character in the series, she is funny and independent, something I am drawn to. She has something of that in the books, especially in this and in the previous one. I liked that and the plot of how they met via a letter, but it didn’t have the impact I was expecting from a book. I love the twins and the pranks, but it was a little intimidating for the character of Philip.

8. When he was wicked (Book 6): Michael and Francesca. I made the mistake to read the reviews of this book before the actual book and it made me anticipate it more than the other books in the series, but in the end, I was disappointed in the whole plot. The plot is of the second time Francesca is getting married and how she copes with the depression of her first husband’s death. You see a character who has to decide what she wants to do but also wants to fulfill her dreams. I liked that but I was underwhelmed by how unappreciated she was of her surroundings, especially Michael, and that makes her a little boring. The good thing was that Michael is an interesting character and has this way to make you love him even if he has womanizing ways.

#Bridgerton #romance books #book rant #ramblings #my thoughts #kanthony #garreth hyacinth #grucy #colin x penelope #benedict x sophie #daphne simon #eloise x phillip #michael francesca #book rank

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adiarosefandoms · 2 years

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Shipping: Definition, Sexuality, and Sources

There are many different areas of fandom one may be interested in. Characters, world building, history. You could be interested in it all or just enjoy the canon material as a casual fan. One aspect of fandom that has been particularly villainized and warned against however is shipping. Shipping is the romantic pairing of characters within fandoms (note the s, it can spread across multiple fandoms). And though there are shippers that go overboard, overall shipping is no different than the other aspects of fandom. And the intent to establish relationships between characters in order to make your favorite people happy is actually not odd in itself. Shipping encompasses both canon, or confirmed in the story/by the creator, and non canon pairings. A simple example of this can be taken from fandom powerhouse Harry Potter. The canon ship is Hinny, or Harry and Ginny who get together in the sixth book and eventually marry and have children. A non canon pair on the other hand is Drarry, or Draco and Harry. Non canon pairings are driven by the question ‘what if?’ What if the friends became lovers? What if the hero and villain fell in love? What if the creators were more open to LGBTQIA+ ships? Where canon can fail us in terms of sexual diversity, shipping can offer a variety of LGBTQ+ relationships to aspire to, establishing a norm that’s long been denied. In it’s own way, shipping can offer representation that the canon works are too scared or prejudice to offer up. In fact, the most popular ships on fanfiction websites, and in many fandoms are now LGBTQ+ pairings. For instance, the top 12 pairings of AO3′s 2021 top ships are part of the LGBTQ+ family. Only 27 out of the 100 accounted for ships were not LGBTQ+. As a shipper myself who enjoys multiple relationships across multiple fandoms/canons, I’ve found quite a few good websites and channels that can fulfill all your shipping needs. In order to potentially help anyone getting into fandom or the shipping aspect of fandom, some of those sources are listed below.

Info-YouTube Channels Shippers Guide to the Galaxy- A YouTube channel specifically centered around explaining ships, recommending fanfics, and defining aspects of fandom that may be difficult to understand, the woman who hosts it is very open and tolerable. She’s well versed in all aspects she talks about and is ready to discuss the topics from every angle. Her soothing voice and amazing editing style also helps, and she draws from a wide variety of sources depending on the fandom. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvp198WlRp6t72Rm5YXvOTw Are They Gay- This man lives to prove one thing. That these perceived heterosexual men are in fact in love with each other. He has a few vids of Queer history, but the majority of his work revolves around specific couples. His Cherik, Wolfstar, and Reddie vids are my favorite, but he also has Ineffable Husbands, Spirk, Lams, and Spideypool just to name a few. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2ME6cK8jWnRSWyUdV0yWJw YouTube Fan Music Videos DemonDove- Lots of gorgeous Destiel vids, plus she dubs the dialogue audio onto the music audio and I love the little quote intercepts. It makes these types of videos all the better. LisaWinchester- Reddie, Cherik, and more including gen and single character vids, the editing is beautiful and more often than not the song choice is killer. Other Random Sites Fandom Wiki- Not always reliable but can offer good information. Pinterest- Has some beautifully edited photos and boards full of ship-specific posts. DeviantArt- Home to some of the most beautiful fanart I have ever seen. Wattpad- My first fanfiction website. I’d recommend it for your first go because it’s easiest to navigate. Archive of Our Own- The biggest fanfic site I’ve visited full of everything you could possibly want. And of course, the glorious Tumblr

Happy shipping!

#Fandom #Shipping #A Guide to Shipping #youtube #fanvids #Fanart #Fan fics #Pride month #LGBTQIA+#LGBTQ+#Helpful sources

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steege-jpt3391 · 3 months

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Blog Post #11: "Cruel Story of Youth" by Oshima Nagisa

I was excited to watch Oshima Nagisa’s “Cruel Story of Youth” because after engaging in several different post-war films, this one I feel had the most unique execution. While Ichikawa Kon’s “The Burmese Harp” tells the story of an ex-Japanese soldier reflecting on the atrocities of his country and burying the graves of his dead comrades, this movie highlights more about the effects of post-war on common, everyday people who are just living their day-to-day lives, not getting caught up in the complexities of the war. The story follows Kiyoshi and Makoto, who are two lovers with quite a complicated story. The two get caught in a wave of post-war thought relating to the transformation to a Western identity, leaving the lovers to feel lost and unable to navigate an ever-changing world. In a film rooted deep in how the youth responds to changes in the world, Oshima depicts a story of angst where as the world constantly changes, younger individuals almost get swept behind.

One thing that sticks at the most to me about this movie is Oshima’s creative approach on how to target younger audiences and share a story that might be a little bit more under-represented. A lot of the popular post-war films of this era really only focus on what’s actually happening in the war, but not what’s going on outside of the battlefield. The characters almost carry about a figurative youth rebellion because it’s like they’re rebelling against Western thought. Oshima has even taken inspiration from several different American films dealing with the same idea of youth rebellion to highlight the difference between older and newer generations. While I believe the whole idea of showing how the transition from a premodern society to a modern one is a little bit overdone in the field of Japanese cinema, I still thought this film was quite interesting and did a good job of incorporating elements that would pertain to a different audience. The theme is not only adult-dominated, but male-dominated, so I appreciate Oshima’s creative outlook on trying to address an issue that might be more overlooked.

There are also many underlying themes when it comes to the actual romance between Makoto and Kiyoshi, as Oshima tries to depict a power dynamic revolving around sexuality and money. Personally, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the way Oshima tried to depict this idea because I thought the whole story to be a little bit vulgar and not make that much sense. For example, I thought the fact that when Kiyoshi raped Makoto, Makoto did not find it to be an act of hate so for her standards it was OK (Like what is this photo below)? Then, they begin to use each to make money? I did not enjoy this plot point of the film as I found it to just not make sense at all, and while Oshima may have done it for a specific reason to depict the sexist power dynamic, I didn’t really have me hooked. All in all, an interesting film that I look forward to discussing in class.

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spinchs-field · 4 months

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Asking about your story please OwO

oh how weird i was just thinking about that! how strange, how odd! /silly

okay so this is gonna be aaaaaaaa massive ramble, probably. gonna put it under a cut just in case! you have been warned!!! please enjoy <3

so basically the story revolves around these five characters: Polly Turón, the captain; Lucille Kasmira, the quartermaster; Peter O'hare, the doctor and boatswain; Madison Torres and Addison Little, both on navigation. they're all part of a crew on the hunting ship, the God Piercer.

all five of these sailors are on that ship for their own reasons. for Polly, it's to get revenge on her old crew-- those on the Whiplash. she was the first mate of that crew before being thrown overboard in her sleep and nearly drowning. for Lucille, it's to find her lost lover-- someone who disappeared with the rest of her home town, vanishing without a trace. she intends to abandon the life she has now if and when she finds them again. for Peter... well, who's to say, really. she hardly talks anyway. for Madison, it's been his only escape from the abusive family he was raised by. never mind the fact that his family is royalty, and that his supposed death practically sent the kingdom into ruin. for Addison...? it was also her only escape. never mind the fact that she was practically bred into existence-- never mind the fact that her "freedom" had to be bought-- never mind the fact that, because she's nothing but a mindless soldier to the kingdom who birthed her, she's listed as Polly's property. she's free now. they're all free now. that's enough... right?

anyway. enough about them. they hunt literal gods.

now, a god is no ordinary hunt-- oh, no, you have to be trained in that field. god hunters, terrestrial and marine and aerial alike, are few and far between. catching a god is no easy task, even for the most skilled huntsman-- and killing one is even harder. and that, of course, is where God Hunters come in. these are the top of their class. they know what they're doing. being a marine hunter is considered one of the braver occupations in that field, since oceanic gods can get-- well, let's just say they don't fit on a boat, not in one piece, at least.

and the beauty of being a god hunter is, well, it pays a very pretty penny for just one god. the royals would practically empty out their whole fortune just to have one hung in their castle walls. gods, despite how far spread and how inconceivably high their population is, are a rarity. anyone would kill to have even a fraction of a god in their possession. the corpses go for thousands-- live ones go for millions.

and, here's the thing about the gods, right? they're smart, VERY smart. smart enough to pretend they're stupid. smart enough... to make a deal.

pacts aren't exactly... commonplace in this world, but there are countless records and reports shown off in museums and libraries of pacts made between gods and mortals. these pacts grant all sorts of powers, though they're usually divided into two categories; blessings and curses. the only real difference is that blessings have more positives than negatives, and that curses have more negatives than positives. these blessings and curses can latch onto anything, so long as the mortal's side of the deal is held up. this ranges from simple objects like a necklace, to people, to whole buildings or entire towns, or-- if you meet a powerful enough god-- an entire kingdom. curses tend to take on more... horrifying forms, as most gods have a very strong dislike for mortals, and understandably so. this ranges from twisting a person's mind to the point of insanity, or melding their bodies into something far beyond humanity, or simply causing rampant distrust, leading to violence and eventually, of course, to madness. blessings, on the other hand, prove to me much more enjoyable to experience. blessings can make more crops grow in hard times, or heal someone who is deathly ill, or-- in some very rare cases-- extend your life far beyond what it should be. both blessings and curses come with a price for the mortal(s) who signed the pact, though... of course, it's always a fair price. gods may not like mortals, but it's in their nature to keep things balanced.

um. that was mostly worldbuilding stuff! if you wanna ask about the characters themselves, please do! they're my special little guys i love them so much :3:

#the crops #funny fella #crew of the god piercer

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nanatsumu · 3 years

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HIGH SCHOOL!SUKUNA x F!READER

thinking about bad boy itadori sukuna who all the kids at school try to steer clear from because they know he’s bad news and if you get involved with him then you’re bound to be tied with bad luck for as long as he lives. well, that is everyone except for the president of the student council who so happens to be his childhood best friend turned lover.

this is mostly written for my own self indulgence and to project my fantasies of having a boyfriend onto sukuna but feel free to treat this as any other headcanon! ps i am pretty sure canon sukuna would kill a baby at any given situation, but this is going to be a revamped version of sukuna written by yours truly ;) and its a high school au so sukuna won’t be a complete menace to society and will actually have a heart heh

also i didn’t realize how long this was going to be??? this is kind of all over place too because i just wanted to throw all of my thoughts onto this post so there might be some plot holes in this LOL

i feel like sukuna would be the type of bad boy who isn’t necessarily a bad boy but everyone at school just paints him as some kind of delinquent because of all the tattoos and piercings he has.

he actually shows up to school more often than you think he would (but that’s only because you’re in most of his classes so long story short: you’re his only motivation for attending class)

“forgets” to bring his work books to class more than usual (in reality he does this on purpose so he has an excuse to be near you) so he requests to sit next to you the entire class period so he can share with you for the meantime but whenever the teachers not looking he’ll go back to admiring your face.

his older twin brother, itadori yuji, is very fond of you since you three grew up together and you both had your chances of being a victim to his antics!

exhibit a: in middle school when you and yuji were watching tv together, the show you two were watching would keep switching to some wrestling match broadcasting on a sports channel and no matter how many times you turned the tv on and off, it just would not stop. but it wasn’t until you heard snickering from the kitchen that you realized sukuna had a spare remote and was the mastermind behind the whole thing.

exhibit b: sukuna and yuji’s mom was the owner of a bakery so every now and then she would have either one of the twins come deliver freshly baked pastries to your household! oh how wrong was she to trust her youngest. sukuna was now a freshman in high school, and by now you would’ve thought that sukuna would have grown out of his childish phase, but WRONG! sukuna was still a menace in your life even past childhood. so when you bit into one of the macaroons, instead of being hit with the overwhelming taste of [favorite flavor], all you could feel was the burning sensation of wasabi kicking into your tastebuds.

yeah after the whole wasabi macaroon freak accident, you stopped accepting everything sukuna offered to you and opted to only eating pastries out of the boxes that yuji delivered to you. (sukuna eventually caught onto this and was just TEENSY bit upset but he would rather down a whole tube of wasabi than to tell you upfront)

now, how did you two even end up dating??? oh boy now that is a story

you see, yours and sukuna’s dynamic growing up was similar to that of tom and jerry’s— you being jerry and sukuna being 10x worse than tom of course

but it wasn’t until a confession after school behind the cherry blossom tree that was known for bringing good luck to successful confessions that sukuna finally realized that maybe he really did like you just a little lot bit

sukuna overheard the boy who was planning on confessing to you talking to his friend group about how “sweet and caring” you are (although sukuna could argue otherwise, you were a little brat. *LIKE HELLO?!&:&:& YOU WEREN’T THE ONE WHO ATE A MACAROON FILLED WASABI**) and obviously his ears perked up at the mention of your name. he grew up with you after all so naturally he would be interested in a conversation that revolved around you.

but then the boys started going on about how “you looked like an easy catch” and how “your body was bangin’!” yeah no, that’s where he drew the line. sure sukuna was an ass and talked shit about you most of the time (in his defense it wasn’t like he was doing it behind your back) but if he ever caught someone else talking about you like that then he would be sure to give them a hard time.

he hid behind one of the bushes near the cherry blossom tree while the boy was professing his love for you. funnily enough, for a moment sukuna forgot why he was originally there because he was too busy trying to stifle a laugh as he watched the boy stumble over his words.

“okay shows over” sukuna thought as the confession was reaching its conclusion, but just as he was about to step in and give the poor boy a piece of his mind, he stopped in his tracks when he heard you roaring with laughter.

“did you really think that i wouldn’t hear about what you and your friends said about me earlier? you’re really pathetic if you think any girl would be easy enough to fall to her knees for you because news flash! you’re a disgusting pig and you deserve to rot in hell for speaking about a girl’s worth like that.”

“it’s kind of sad too, i thought you were a nice boy and i probably would have given you a chance but it seems like you’re even worse than scum! damn it, to think there was somebody out there who’s even worse than sukuna.”

of course sukuna was not pleased to hear that last bit, but he did have a proud grin forming on his face as he watched the boy run away, flustered from your rejection and the embarrassment he was put through.

“sukuna i know you’re hiding behind the bush.”

“huh? i came here way before you got here, there’s no way you could have seen me.” he said as he stood up to his full height.

“well, your laughter isn’t exactly the quietest, plus i can spot that hair of yours from a mile away.”

lets just say, sukuna was glad you didn’t ask him what he was doing there because he wasn’t sure if he could spare the embarrassment of telling you that he was planning on ruining the confession.

after that whole fiasco happened, sukuna started to feel(!&:&::&) things

like he started to notice how you styled your hair differently one day and how you switched to a new perfume that smelled like spearmint (was that weird? for sukuna probably not. he just excuses it as being highly observant)

you weren’t dumb either, you had a feeling sukuna was there that day of the confession because he too had overheard the conversation between the boy and his friends as well (you knew he was prideful and if you brought it up then he probably would’ve denied it)

so from there on out it was just mutual pining at the point except... well.... not really??

i feel like it was just an unspoken agreement between you two that you guys were “together” but not “together together” because he started to treat you differently than he would before. like for example, he’d carry your bag for you whenever you guys would walk home (yuji was confused by this at first because if anything, it would have made more sense to see sukuna make you carry HIS bag, but he eventually caught on to sukuna’s feelings for you because they were twin brothers after all), he started walking you to class more often even though his class was all the way on the other side of the school (you asked him why but he just shrugged and said he was just “killing time” so that he wouldn’t have to go to class and then you ended up scolding him), and there was also that one time you miraculously found a $20 bill in your backpack after mentioning to sukuna that there was this cute top you saw at the mall the other day but didn’t have enough money at the time to purchase it (you asked him about this but he said it was probably yuji, but you didn’t want to pry any further since you wanted to cherish the fact that sukuna cared that much)

but eventually you got sick of this whole push and pull game that you physically had to tug the collar of his school uniform and pull him in for a kiss (he was visibly shocked at this because he never would’ve imagined you as the assertive type. not that he was complaining though)

“oya? didn’t think you liked me this much kitten.” he said laughing while you rolled your eyes.

“as if, i got tired of you being a wuss so one of us had to wear the pants in the relationship.” you snorted, causing him to irk.

to be honest, your relationship with him is smooth sailing because you both were pretty chill people and you didn’t have to worry about him sneaking behind your back to see other girls because 1. literally all the girls at school are terrified of him and 2. he knew what you were capable of doing to him if you were to ever catch him cheating on you so he wants to stay on your good side

jealous and possessive don’t exist in his dictionary because he is the epitome of those two words. remember what i said about how your relationship is smooth sailing? i kinda lied.

he’s easily jealous like for example: when you were in english class and the teacher had you guys jot down some notes, you realized you forgot to ask for your pencil back when you lent it to your friend last period.

so you asked sukuna to borrow a pencil but instead of giving you a pencil, he called you an idiot for being so forgetful.

this makes you mad so you turn to your male classmate since he was sitting on your opposite side and ask him for a pencil instead.

sukuna was practically fuming the entire class period and once the day ended and you two were back at your place, he made sure to mark you real good. (oh he also went out to buy a pack of mechanical pencils to sneak into your backpack so that next time you forget your pencils, you’ll have 10 extra pencils sitting in your backpack as backup)

he’s not a big fan of pda in public, but on the chances he will show some of it, the most he will do is wrap an arm around your shoulder or waist whenever some dude is trying to hit on you.

BUT IN PRIVATE? better buckle up because your in for a ride wink wink

really likes putting hickeys on you to a fault! but will never put any visible ones on your neck because he doesn’t want your parents to view him as some kind of animal (but he has nothing to worry about because your parents really like him and are grateful for the fact that he’s very loyal to you, and you guys grew up together so it’s only natural that your parents are accepting of him since they already know he has a good heart underneath that tough facade of his)

oh, and yuji starts learning how to knock whenever you come over (or shuts himself in his room for the meantime if he thinks it’s unsafe to step out of his room) because chances are, you’re probably making out with sukuna in his room or smth.

now onto the spicy stuff

when you and sukuna first started dating, the first thing you told him was that you weren’t ready to have sex yet because you were nervous and sukuna understood and told you that he was willing to wait for whenever you were ready.

but when you were ready though, it was kind of spontaneous and you weren’t even wearing a matching pair of bra and underwear that day

you two were chilling in your room watching some stupid (according to sukuna) animal documentary when suddenly you felt his hand on your thigh

dating sukuna and all, it was normal for him to have his hands on some part of your body (whether it be your thigh or your waist) while you two were in bed.

but you were feeling a bit bolder HORNEE than usual so you began to leave a hot trail of kisses starting from his jaw all the way down to his neck.

sukuna obviously got the memo but before those kisses could escalate into something more daring, he asked you once more if you were completely sure you wanted to do it and once you gave him the green light, he was quick to tug his shirt over his head and pounce on you.

he started getting really into it though and accidentally bit your thigh which made you loose your high and scold him for it, but he let out a hearty laugh and muttered a quick apology before getting back into business

sike i lied, remember what i said about it being spontaneous? yeah, you technically didn’t loose your virginity to him that day because after he finished prepping you, you both came to a realization that you didn’t have a condom.

oh well, there’s always next time!

i think sukuna is a sucker for pet names: his favorite thing to call you is either kitten or princess and that’s it LOL he finds calling you baby or babe is a bit too cheesy for him

but he likes it when you call him baby or babe ;)

date nights consist of either staying in and cuddling in his room, going out for a walk at night (but very very late though. there’s still lamp posts that guide your way through the streets but it gives you the heebie jeebies to be out walking outside so late. sukuna always reminds you that nothing bad will happen as long as he’s right by your side), or just spending time with you and your families.

but if you’re really down to do it, he’ll probably initiate a make out session that’ll lead to y’all fucking one way or another (he only ever does it if he is 100% sure that you’re feeling it because he knows you get easily embarrassed if he asks you straight up)

(this part is mainly written for me because i love the idea of sukuna being over at family functions, but it can be applied as part of the general hc heh) if you took him to any of your family functions as your plus one for the first time, all the aunts and uncles would be a bit wary of him at first due to all of the tattoos and piercings he has (sukuna swears he has never felt so self conscious before) but after they strike up a conversation with him and find out that he’s actually a good guy who knows what he wants to do in the future and is very loyal to you, they start to like him more.

your little cousins adore him and love it when he comes over because sukuna is a very tall high schooler which makes him the perfect candidate as a monkey bar

so when you noticed that all the little ones started to climb on his body and mess around with his hair, you were quick to react because you knew your boyfriend was easily irritable which prompted you to think he hated kids

but there was nothing to worry about because when you saw him playing around with them and even crack a smile, you felt your heart grow fuzzy at the sight and you knew right then and there that you wanted to stick by sukuna’s side for the rest of your life

and in the unfortunate circumstances that sukuna is too busy to make it to one of your functions, the first thing everyone asks is “where’s your boyfriend?” or “where’s ‘kuna? i wanna play with him!”

so you have to facetime him and let him know that everyone is wondering where he is (your phone is dead by the end of the night because after the adults get their turn at saying hi to your boyfriend, the kids snatch your phone and end up talking to him for the rest of the night)

but in conclusion, everyone is waiting for the day he gets on one knee to propose to you and your parents are itching to get to get call sukuna their son-in-law :))

also don’t forget that your parents want two grandchildren: one boy and one girl!

#sukuna #sukuna x reader #sukuna fluff #sukuna hc #ryomensukuna #sukuna x you #sukuna x y/n #jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen fluff #jujutsu kaisen hc #jjk hc #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jjk x reader #jjk fluff #anime #anime fanfic #jjk

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favberrys · 3 years

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I'm bored and in a kkg brainrot mood, so i'm just gonna rant about my opinions of kakegurui ships and i will make some headcanons:

Kirasaya

Ok i had to start with them bc they're just too iconic, i think they have one of the most interesting and complex dynamics in kkg, they really got me obsessed with them, it's probably my number one kakegurui ship and the reason i started watching the show and reading the manga. Honestly yeah their relationship has some power imbalance, since sayaka is kirari's secretary, and is probably disfunctional, but contrary to what some ppl say kirasaya is not abusive, kirari never physically or emotionally abuses sayaka throughout the story. Anyway they're a 10/10, peak lesbian yearning, if they don't kiss at least one i will jump the author. Probably one of my fav ships ever, i think they're made for each other and i can't see kirasaya with anyone else, they're just so good together and their chemistry is >>>>>>

Yumary

Ok this one is kinda an unpopular opinion bc most people like yumary, but honestly i can't get invested into it, there's something in this ship that doesn't make my heart go "fuck yeah they should be gfs". Personally i don't ship yumeko with anyone bc i can't imagine her in a relationship since her main thing is being a compulsive gambler, her existence revolves around it and she forms relationships when they're useful for her gambling games. I think yumary could be friends with benefits for some time, but after a while mary would probably break it off because i don't think she can handle a sexual/romantic relationship with yumeko and after a while it would make her go nuts. A friendship between them is already messy and complicated and honestly i don't think they are compatible that way. Yes they have chemistry and there's probably some mutual attraction but to me it's a no. Also can cishet dudes stop fetishizing this ship ? My vote is 6/10, mostly bc mary doesn't seem much physically comfortable with yumeko, idk mary just seems off with her in that sense and i prefer them as gambling partners or friends.

Meariri

I honestly love this ship, especially after reading the manga, they have such an great dynamic, i think they both care about each other, they have chemistry and i think they're compatible and that their personalities compliment each other, mary is often loud and aggressive and passionate while ririka is more closed off and quiet, they're like fire and ice and this case i think the saying "opposite attract" works with them. Mary counts on ririka and i love the fact that she is so comfortable with her physically (mary is almost always the one to initiate the contact, holding her hand, touching her head, etc) and ririka gets inspired by mary to be her own person and chase her goals. Plus they're really cute together, aesthetically i find them the most attractive couple, i'll give them a solid 9/10

Itsukaede

Lmao i don't even know if this is the correct ship name for itsuki x kaede, ok i don't hate it and i think they could work as a couple, it's not my cup of tea bc m/f ships bore me, but i like their relationship, they have the kind of old married couple dynamic that always works. 6/10.

Ryomeko

I can see it happening, i don't ship it, but i don't mind it either, i'm kinda neutral about ryota x yumeko, but i think he's one of the ppl who care about yumeko the most in that academy (with also mary ofc), the ship is boring bc ryota is bland (he's a good guy don't get me wrong and he defo doesn't deserve the hate he gets) and as i said previously i don't ship yumeko with anyone. Sorry i gotta give it 5/6 out of 10

Yumedari

Ok i love midari but just like yumeko, i don't ship her with anyone bc i see her as someone who's too much unstable for relationships, but i know that canonically she loves/likes/is attracted to yumeko so i don't hate this ship, i think it's decent, the only problem is that yumeko hates midari. Still i think that since they're the most insane mfs in that school somehow this ship could work. 6/10

Yuridari

Again midari in my eyes is kinda unshippable, but this ship is not bad at all, they would have that kind of bickering married couple dynamic like itsuki and kaede, i like it but it doesn't do much for me. 7/10

Ryomary

Jsjssjsksk i looked the name of mary x ryota's ship on wiki so if it sounds weird it's bc i don't know their ship name and i have looked at the first site google gave me. This ship is hard no, mainly bc ryota is very bland and i consider mary a lesbian (i read that she is a canon lesbian but idk if it's confirmed by the author, let's say lesbian mary is just my hc) so shipping her with men feels like a hate crime to me, mary is for the girls only, 4/10.

Tsumary

They are kind of cute together right ? I think they're adorable, tsuzura is mary's first love and i think that someone like her would make mary very happy. I still haven't finished kkg twin, so my opinion on tsuzura is incompleted and it might change, i don't hate her but i find her character a little basic/boring so even though this ship is cute it doesn't make me fall in love with them. 7/10 bc probably also tsuzura had feelings for mary and they have a healthy dynamic, you can see they love each other.

Midasaya

I enjoy this crackship, i know that they both like different people but i headcanon that they were together during middle school or that midari had at least a small crush on sayaka during that time, before kirari came to hyakkaou i like to think that they explored their sexuality together so midari was probably sayaka's first kiss, her first date, etc, so they would have history together and we also see that midari knows sayaka bc her character is described through her pov during tower of doors. I find this ship pretty funny bc sayaka is always so serious and composed and midari is a ball of chaos. 7/10

Yumesaya

This is another crackship i don't mind and find hilarious, yeah i'm a huge kirasaya stan but i'm also a multishipper and sayaka deserves all the girls in the world, so the more the merrier. I like to think this ship as one sided love in which yumeko sort of pines after sayaka and i think it would be very interesting to see kirari being jeaulous that sayaka is getting yumeko's attention. We saw jeaulous/protective sayaka in kakegurui, but i would also like to see how kirari reacts when someone tries to take sayaka away from her, it would be really interesting. Obv this would create some tension between kirasaya and also between kirari and yumeko, almost a sort of love triangle dynamic. My opinion is that yumeko is just too unstable to settle down, also they both probably would get bored/lose interest in each other after the heat of the moment. 6/10

Ririsaya

Sorry but i really can't see it happening not even if i squint, but i really enjoy the ririsaya fanfictions and i think those works are pretty great even though i don't ship them very much. It would be interesting if both twins were in love with sayaka and there was some tension/coldness between them for a while bc they liked the same girl (maybe i read too many fanfictions). My headcanon is that both sayaka and ririka had a crush on each other when they first knew each other and for sayaka it was probably pretty confusing bc she already had feelings for kirari. I see them as friends, 7/10

Yumemisaori

Again idk if this is the correct name of the ship, many said that yumemi and saori are a healthier/mentally stable version of kirasaya and i agree. the dynamics are similar bc we have the secratary that is willing to do everything for her boss and the relationship is a little more balanced, i think they would be very cute together, but sadly they had very little interactions and if i could see more of them i would probably ship them even more. I like them 7/10.

Sachiko x Mary

I didn't even find a ship name for this couple, so they must be pretty unpopular, i like both characters and their antagonistic dyanamic is very interesting, but i don't ship them much bc i think mary needs/wants someone who is completely different from sachiko, who wants to make mary her pet and mary is someone who cares very much about her freedom, her indipendence and wants to make her own choices and this completely clashes with sachiko's extremely sadistic and domineering nature. I prefer them as enemies who have some sexual tension or enemies with benefits or one night stand adventure, but nothing more. 5/6 out of 10 bc the only mary ship i really love is meariri and i also like tsuzumary a bit.

Sachiko x Mikura

This is probably one of the most unhealthy relationships in kakegurui, but i kinda like it. Their dyanmic is pretty much vertical with sachiko who has all the power and makes mikuro do everything she wants and mikura who is completely obsessed and devoted to sachiko (my opinion is that she developed a sort of stockholm syndrome towards sachiko). I think that someone like sachiko could never have genuine romantic relationships bc of her extremely sadistic nature, she sees ppl like toys to break and what she enjoys the most is seeing ppl suffer, so the only compatible person with sachiko is someone extremely masochistic like mikura. Giving them a 6/7 out of 10 bc their interactions are fun/interesting and spice things up.

Rin x Ibara and Yumeko x Kirari

Hard no to both of them, i don't ship incest, yall can do what you want but personally it's a huge no for me. When i first started watching the anime at the beginning i thought yumeko and kirari had some sort of tension and could have been enemies to lovers (lmaoo i was so naive), but then i discovered they were cousins and i saw more kirasaya interactions so i got completely turned off by this ship. 3/10 to both of these ships.

Sachiko x Sakura

Now this ship is very sexy, idk why i like it but i do, yes i don't see sachiko with anyone besides mikura, but this pairing is not bad at all, even though it's a crackship. I think they would be rivals with benefits and would argue a lot and then make out/have hot sex. 7/10 (maybe it's too high but since these are just my opinions i won't be objective)

Mary x kirari

Uhm is there really someone out there who ships them ? Yeah i thought they had some sexual tension in s1 with that tea scene, but it's a no from me, i don't like it and i don't think they're compatible in any way, i can't see kirari with anyone who isn't sayaka. 4/10

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