#I know there are a wide spectrum of ages in the fandom but a lot of the posts that blanket call someone awful skew younger | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sugar-petals · 3 years

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When I look at yuzuru he strikes me as a really soft cutesy charming etheral individual not really homme fatal kind of guy that's why I think he's pure romantic rather than TR what do u think? ( love you btw)

i’ve been thinking about it as well, but it’s not a crystal clear case. he’s a sportsman, skating morphs the body in the most uncommon ways which makes it harder to narrow down the type.

basics first so we get the foundations right: pinpointing the kibbe category he is + isn’t and why, the subtype after.

1. which one of the big 5?

- safe to say, yes: he’s somewhere in the romantic category. nobody does these outfits quite like yuzu. light fabrics, intricate embellishments, he is famous for all that gorgeous princely tailoring. the sport is all about the sequins, he definitely shines in them. every professional figure skating photographer out there will tell you that he hits different and you can see why.

WOW.

i’ve witnessed people complaining that the glitz and glam no longer suits his age, he gets scorn for not dressing traditionally masculine, but i don’t know how it wouldn’t look appropriate. the only valid criticism is that it’s often a hit or miss, but we’d be damned if this isn’t what an ice prince looks like.

he’s the best in the world and his main goal is to put on a show. rolling up in a polo shirt would contradict the objective, being an allround artist first and only then a jump technician. he’s exactly how you’d expect a yuzuru hanyu to look like. if you appear ‘like yourself’, it’s the right kibbe category.

R clothing typically has a sexy edge as well, you can’t put a kid into that. cut out cleavage, transparent, figure-hugging, no way. if anything, most R styles seemed all over the place when yuzu was younger (this is from 2010). yin is meant to be tailored for adults to begin with, you can’t make it teenage gamine.

eleven years later at 26, yuzuru hanyu in 2021, adult man, wearing the hell out of a skating gala outfit. this would be tacky on someone any younger. R is not just light and sweet but also dignified and mature. long story short. he’s grown into a yin-dominant type. fits to a T, a feast for the eye.

- meanwhile: you can easily exclude dramatic. very thick, stable fabrics with large lines are gigantic on him. D clothing is a yuzu charm killer, figures because it’s the type opposite to romantic (pure yang). it washes out the face and is twice as wide as his frame is, bulks out around the shoulders.

- not a natural type either, it feels a bit too simple, underchallenging. ruffled hair appears dishevelled where it’d be just right on a natural. it doesn’t fully highlight him: natural looks aren’t the most memorable on yuzuru even if they tend to be rather neutral and don’t look too off per se, it has a bit of draping after all.

he looks really good in the below outfit, but his frame doesn’t fill it out. he’s all elegant underneath and radiates ballet while N is a rough, easy-going, and leisurely concept for very bulky frames. the waist gets missing in translation, the mid-section of shirts like these is too wide.

- not a gamine either. he might appear like one and i deliberated back and forth whether he is Pure G or FG, but the material mix, line breaks, and fashion experiments are creating chaos rather than something put-together. it just isn’t as flattering as when he does drapes and florals. the hair being cropped (typical gamine cut) often obfuscates the face. G styles are confusing on yuzu.

his skating is from outer space but this is probably a bit too galactical 😅

- not a classic. something’s not right, suits like these contrast a lot with how round his face is and sit on his body very randomly. missing waist again (yin). the same people who want him to dress more conservatively/masculine have been roasting yuzu for looking like a salary man in that style 🤔 i sense hypocrisy. in any case, classic underwhelms, he’s made to dress up. more points to yin, he he’s too petite to wear C.

now, we got the main category down, time for subtyping. romantic has two options.

2. which romantic?

arguments in favor of Theatrical Romantic:

this type is what he often portrays in the rink (e.g. the phantom of the opera programme) and has become his secret weapon. whether that speaks of his true type is the question. what i mean is, he can pull it off, the seductive homme fatale. compare jimin, people lose their minds over theatrical romantic men. yuzu is in that lane as well.

as in, balance of main yin with a yang undercurrent — the very gentle, princely young man with the soft face who gathers everyone’s hearts, and he is a damn flirt on ice, but who can give a very visceral, dark performance. that shows a tremendous fervor and an edge, with an athletic and taut body.

he does have some yang elements to his physicality. streamlined silhouette, some narrowness, extreme flat muscle, long triangular upper body, some vertical line. also — his color palette (aka skin undertone, cool v warm, hue, chroma, deepness etc) might match TR. on the other hand, it might simply be the black hair giving him the contrast for it.

the reason why we might get the TR impression is that he often wears all black which suggests dramatic, and the athleticism in his profession has trained away the chubbiness he might naturally have. the face as the only part that won’t be somehow affected by his routine is all yin.

arguments in favor of pure Romantic:

... as you pointed out. in private life and backstage, he is quite effortlessly sweet- and small-looking. with the delicacy and doe-eyedness you’d expect from pure romantic, very unlike his performance persona.

if you didn’t know he’s copyrighted BDE on the ice, yuzu seems like he can’t harm a fly, round rosy bean he is. he makes a very innocent and soft 1st impression in candids which no other type except soft gamine does.

facial features, all opposite of yang. not long, not sharp, not planar, not angular, not bony, not narrow. the button nose, full lips, and puffy cheeks is all you see. you’d not think of him as striking (=D, FN).

that’s also why he’s always pitted as nathan chen’s opposite in whatever he does. nate is on the other end of the kibbe spectrum, people probably don’t even realize that their physical lines are contrasting archetypes. it’s subconsciously part of why people can construct such a rivalry.

study nathan’s face and it becomes apparent. very oblong shape, flat-laying flesh and an asymmetric jaw that couldn’t be any more prominent (=yang). the brows and eyes create a powerful horizontal unlike yuzu’s more wide-set puppy eyes. the nose is longer, the ears, too. nathan looks sharp, piercing, and intimidating rather than soft. you see the exact outline of the bone.

with him, you assume the reverse of what people think of yuzu at first glance. if you didn’t know that nathan couldn’t be any nerdier, you’d believe he’s 1000% jock-off-the-charts. how he has a lot of yang contributed to his on-ice image, too. one’s kibbe type can shape life choices since people see you in a certain way simply based on your lines.

how yuzu is such a visual difference to nathan further points to how he’s closer to pure yin: rather than a subtype that picks up elements from dramatic. otherwise, you’d see some of that angularity. but no: roundness over structure, you see the flesh, not frame. you couldn’t call him a jock by all means 😆

you won’t see that chiseled geometry and crazy jawline/browline. as you say he’s more cutesy, and a charmer, the whole fandom will agree. pure romantics have everyone wrapped around their fingers (and their booty lmao!) because you want to pepper them with kisses, yin types all look so non-threatening and beautiful. ethereal is the right word.

and they’re the sexiest ofc, since they’re curvy. R got hips.

sigh... this type is a showstopper. what to do with him. he can beam at ya or he can sway his hips at ya, another unsuspecting hanyu interessee falls for the guy. he does the prince concept and the sexy cutie alike.

he tries to convince us otherwise 😂

sexy aside, he looks great in the respective clothing recs, with waist emphasis and rounded edges. kimonos are often soft dramatic or natural-inspired, but it works out well this way. and again: romantic is not childish/playful clothing of some kind, it can be very official and deliberate.

rather than in edge tailoring which is very loose around his arms and does yuzu no justice. that’s actually the kind of clothing that makes him appear either younger or older depending on if it’s D or C.

TLDR - he might not seem completely yin in his appearance, but that’s because of his excessive sports regimen. since yuzu has been training since he was a kid, we never saw how he’d normally be. he rocks the pure romantic regardless and it’s likely it’s his kibbe type. him wearing R is always a spectacle.

bonus kibbe meme: yuzu, photoshopped to the moon and back, wearing soft dramatic for a toothpaste ad. amazing.

#kibbe #kibbe body types #yuzuru hanyu #kibbe types #figure skating #cub mail 🐆#anon #ask #long post #yuzuru hayu thread

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allwaswell16 · 3 years

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Hi! Actual serious question: How do you not feel awkward when stanning someone a lot younger than you? And I don't mean this in a judgmental way, it's cool the 1D fandom covers such a wide age variety. It's just, I look at people like Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo, who are younger than me, and sometimes I'm like oh god they're CHILDREN. (I know they're adults, but yk what I mean right?)

How do you do that? 😅🧐

To be honest, I'm not sure how to answer this. I think the only time I ever felt awkward about being a fan of anyone I was in my late teens. And I felt like it wasn't cool to be into the Backstreet Boys even though I really always loved boybands. lol. I stopped giving a fuck a looooooong time ago. I've always loved pop music and I probably always will.

My oldest son is really into music and we have the best time talking about music. He's not really into the same stuff as me anymore but he used to love One Direction, too. My younger son is on the autism spectrum and he LOVES music especially Niall's music. And music is what I always say is the way that my son learned to communicate with us. Some of his first words were One Direction members' names. "Ni-yall" "Harreh" "Youie" "Yum Yum" and "Zack". lol. He was in love with the Best Song Ever video and loved to name them all. Music is just something I've always been into and I'm so happy my kids are into it, too.

So I guess to answer your questions (sorry I rambled) I don't feel weird about liking musicians that are younger than me. You don't get too old for newer music and artists. I love pop music, and I like One Direction's music and therefore, I'm a fan. (Oh, and also I love Olivia Rodrigo! I think her album is great and inspiring and I wrote a fic about one of her songs. And it just doesn't matter how old she is, she still wrote songs that inspire me and that I could relate to!)

#sorry for rambling so much #i wasn't quite sure how to answer #because I don't ever feel awkward about it #anon #ask #also the thing about 1d is that...Louis is turning 30 this year #none of them are close to being children anymore really #and none of them act childishly #i'm closer in age to them than teenagers are...

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qqueenofhades · 4 years

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I really don’t want to start a discourse™, but I want you to know that I really appreciate how you write joe and Nicky in deo volente. So many of the fics I’ve read have placed yusef in the role of more sexually experienced and less devoted to god, while Nicky is depicted as an inexperienced and virginal priest/knight/monk and so forth and so on. Your narrative of joe out there rescuing people and being faithful, while Nicky looks back on his life of gambling and pleasures of the flesh ...(1/?)

Not to say that there’s anything wrong with either, obviously. I love guilty priest Nicky and repressed Nicky and p much every Nicky. But in the vast array of fics out there, it’s rare to see the opposite. Not that you’re working in a binary morally good/religious vs. not way. Your writing in the fic is really subtle and and your characterizations reveal a lot of depth. I just think it’s cool to see Nicky, average second son of a duke, drinking and gambling and feeling terribly guilty (2/?)

Guilty about the crusades and the fucking horror of crusade 1 without being excessively devout. Just an average dude. Not some paragon of virtue (btw, I’m on chapter 2 of the fic, so I don’t know how much your characterization changes moving forward. You have a lovely ability to combine your incredible knowledge of history, your beautiful writing, and these intimate details of the characters that make them fit— fit the canon and fit the history. (3/? Shit I’m sorry this had gotten way too long)

I enjoy the way you’ve really inserted us into the quotidian aspect of history. Aaaaaanyway— the discourse that I was afraid of: I think that a lot of fans of the movie that are generating fan content (tysfm to all of you beauties, btw 🙏🙏♥️) are westerners (which is a whole nother kettle of fish) and that carries a sort of ignorance about the Muslim world in the Middle Ages and this desire to simplify Europe as “Christian” “fighters for faith” etc. (4/? Fuuuuck. One(??) more)

And when we do that, we end up as characterizing the brown people as “not that”. The thing I love about this fandom is that people are definitely down on the crusades. I feel like all the fic I’ve read has been particularly negative about those wars, but the thing I love about your fic is that you don’t just say war is bad because people died and it was despicable and this pious white dude says so and this one brown person agrees. (5/6, I see the end in sight I swear it)

Instead you give us a larger cast of Muslims and Arabs and really flesh them out and give them opinions and different interpretations of faith, and I really appreciate that. The crusades were terrible, and we know this because these regular dudes who struggle with their different faiths and lives say so. And I just. I think that’s really great. Also, I fucking love yusef’s mom. I feel like more people would be accepting of the gift in this fashion and I think she’s lovely and (god damn it 6/7)

Aaaaaaaand. The bit where yusef returns and she’s already gone breaks my fucking heart. Also the moment where he’s like “I’m not sure about Abraham’s god, but my mothers god is worth my faith”?? Just really fucking great. So. Excellent fic. Excellent characters. Excellent not-being-accidentally-biased-towards-white-Christians. That is what I came here to say. Thank you so much for your amazing stories. I love them and I love history. Sorry about the rambling. idek how I wrote so much. (7/7)

Epilogue: tl;dr: you’re great.

Oh man! What a huge and thoughtful comment (which will in turn provoke a long-ass response from me, so…) I absolutely agree that no matter what fandom, I don’t do Discourse TM; I just sit in my bubble and stay in my lane and do my own thing and create content I enjoy. And I don’t even think this is that so much as just… general commentary on character and background? So obviously all of this should be read as my own personal experience and choices in writing DVLA, and that alone. I really appreciate you for saying that you love a wide range of fan creators/fanworks and you’re not placing one over another, you understand that fans have diverse ranges of backgrounds/experience with history and other cultures when they create content, and that’s not the same for everyone. So I just think that’s a great and respectful way to start things off.

First, as a professional historian who has written a literal PhD thesis on the crusades, I absolutely understand that many people (and regular fans) will not have the same privilege/education/perspective that I do, and that’s fine! They should not be expected to get multiple advanced degrees to enjoy a Netflix movie! But since I DO have that background, and since I’ve been working on the intellectual genealogy of the crusades (and the associated Christian/Muslim component, whether racially or religiously) since I was a master’s student, I have a lot of academic training and personal feelings that inform how I write these characters. Aside from my research on all this, my sister lives in an Islamic country and her boyfriend is a Muslim man; I’ve known a lot of Muslims and Middle Easterners; and especially with the current political climate of Islamophobia and the reckoning with racism whether in reality or fandom, I have been thinking about all this a lot, and my impact on such.

Basically: I love Nicky dearly, but I ADORE Joe, and as such, I’m protective of him and certainly very mindful of how I write him. Especially when the obvious default for westerners in general, fandom-related or otherwise, is to write what you are familiar with (i.e. the European Christian white character) and be either less comfortable or less confident or sometimes less thoughtful about his opposing number. I have at times tangentially stumbled across takes on Joe that turn me into the “eeeeeeeh” emoji or Dubious Chrissy Teigen, but I honestly couldn’t tell you anything else about them because I was like, “nope not for me” and went elsewhere rather than do Discourse (which is pretty much a waste of time everywhere and always makes people feel bad). This is why I’m always selective about my fan content, but especially so with this ship, because I have SO much field-specific knowledge that I just have to make what I like and which suits my personal tastes. So that is what I do.

Obviously, there’s a troublesome history with the trope of “sexually liberate brown person seduces virginal white character into a world of Fleshly Decadence,” whether from the medieval correlation of “sodomite” and “Saracen,” or the nineteenth-century Orientalist depictions of the East as a land variously childishly simplistic, societally backward, darkly mysterious and Exotic, or “decadent” (read: code for sexually unlike Western Europe, including the spectrum of queer acts). So when I was writing DVLA, I absolutely did not want to do that and it’s not to my taste, but I’m not going to whip out a red pen on someone else writing a story that broadly follows those parameters (because as I said, I stay in my lane and don’t see it anyway). Joe to me is just such an intensely complex and lovely Muslim character that that’s the only way I feel like I can honestly write him, and I absolutely love that about him. So yeah, any depiction of hypersexualizing him or making him only available for the sexual use and education of the white character(s) is just... mmm, not for me.

For example, I stressed over whether it was appropriate to move his origin from “somewhere in the Maghreb” to Cairo specifically, since Egypt, while it IS in North Africa, is not technically part of the Maghreb. I realize that Marwan Kenzari’s family is Tunisian and that’s probably why they chose it, to honor the actor’s heritage, but on the flip side… “al-Kaysani” is also a specifically Ismai’li Shia name (it’s the name of a branch of it) and the Fatimids (the ruling dynasty in Jerusalem at the time of the First Crusade) were well-known for being the only Ismai’li Shia caliphate. (This is why the Shi’ites still ancestrally dislike Saladin for overthrowing it in 1174, even if Saladin is a huge hero to the rest of the Islamic world.) Plus I really wanted to use medieval Cairo as Joe’s homeland, and it just made more sense for an Ismai’li Shia Fatimid from Cairo (i.e. the actual Muslim denomination and caliphate that controlled Jerusalem) to be defending the Holy City because it was personal for him, rather than a Sunni Zirid from Ifriqiya just kind of turning up there. Especially due to the intense fragmentation and disorganization in the Islamic world at the time of the First Crusade (which was a big part of the reason it succeeded) and since the Zirids were a breakaway group from the Fatimids and therefore not very likely to be militarily allied with them. As with my personal gripes about Nicky being a priest, I decided to make that change because I felt, as a historian, that it made more sense for the character. But I SUPER recognize it as my own choices and tweaks, and obviously I’m not about to complain at anyone for writing what’s in graphic novel/bonus content canon!

That ties, however, into the fact that Nicky has a clearly defined city/region of origin (Genoa, which has a distinct history, culture, and tradition of crusading) and Joe is just said to be from “the Maghreb” which…. is obviously huge. (I.e. anywhere in North Africa west of Egypt all the way to Morocco.) And this isn’t a fandom thing, but from the official creators/writers of the comics and the movie. And I’m over here like: okay, which country? Which city? Which denomination of Islam? You’ve given him a Shia name but then point him to an origin in Sunni Ifriqiya. If he’s from there, why has he gone thousands of miles to Jerusalem in the middle of a dangerous war to help his religious/political rivals defend their territory? Just because he’s nice? Because it was an accident? Why is his motivation or reason for being there any less defined or any less religious (inasmuch as DVLA Nicky’s motive for being on the First Crusade is religious at all, which is not very) than the white character’s? In a sense, the Christians are the ones who have to work a lot harder to justify their presence in the Middle East in the eleventh century at all: the First Crusade was a specifically military and offensive invasion launched at the direct behest of the leader of the Western Roman church (Pope Urban II.) So the idea that they’re “fighting for the faith” or defending it bravely is…

Eeeeh. (Insert Dubious Chrissy Teigen.)

But of course, nobody teaches medieval history to anyone in America (except for Bad Game of Thrones History Tee Em), and they sure as hell don’t teach about the crusades (except for the Religious Violence Bad highlight reel) so people don’t KNOW about these things, and I wish they DID know, and that’s why I’m over here trying to be an academic so I can help them LEARN it, and I get very passionate about it. So once again, I entirely don’t blame people who have acquired this distorted cultural impression of the crusades and don’t want to do a book’s worth of research to write a fic about a Netflix movie. I do hope that they take the initiative to learn more about it because they’re interested and want to know more, since by nature the pairing involves a lot of complex religious, racial, and cultural dynamics that need to be handled thoughtfully, even if you don’t know everything about it. So like, basically all I want is for the Muslim character(s) to be given the same level of respect, attention to detail, background story, family context, and religious diversity as any of the white characters, and Imma do it myself if I have to. Dammit.

(I’m really excited to hear your thoughts on the second half of the fic, especially chapter 3 and chapter 6, but definitely all of it, since I think the characters they’re established as in the early part of the fic do remain true to themselves and both grow and struggle and go through a realistic journey with their faith over their very long lives, and it’s one of my favorite themes about DVLA.)

Anyway, about Nicky. I also made the specific choice to have him be an average guy, the ordinary second son of a nobleman who doesn’t really know what he’s doing with his life and isn’t the mouthpiece of Moral Virtue in the story, since as he himself realizes pretty quick, the crusades and especially the sack/massacre of Jerusalem are actually horrific. I’ve written in various posts about my nitpicking gripes with him being a priest, so he’s not, and as I said, I’m definitely avoiding any scenario where he has to Learn About The World from Joe. That is because I want to make the point that the people on the crusades were people, and they went for a lot of different reasons, not all of which were intense personal religious belief. The crusades were an institution and operated institutionally. Even on the First Crusade, where there were a lot of ordinary people who went because of sincere religious belief, there was the usual bad behavior by soldiers and secular noblemen and people who just went because it was the thing to do. James Brundage has an article about prostitution and miscegenation and other sexual activity on the First Crusade; even at the height of this first and holy expedition, it was happening. So Nicky obviously isn’t going to be the moral exemplar because a) the crusades are horrific, he himself realizes that, and b) it’s just as historically accurate that he wouldn’t be anyway. Since the idea is that medieval crusaders were all just zealots and ergo Not Like Us is dangerous, I didn’t want to do that either. If we think they all went because they were all personally fervent Catholics and thus clearly we couldn’t do the same, then we miss a lot of our own behavior and our parallel (and troubling) decisions, and yeah.

As well, I made a deliberate choice to have Nicky’s kindness (which I LOVE about him, it’s one of my favorite things, god how refreshing to have that be one of the central tenets of a male warrior character) not to be something that was just… always there and he was Meek and Good because a priest or whatever else. Especially as I’ve gotten older and we’ve all been living through these ridiculous hellyears (2020 is the worst, but it’s all been general shit for a while), I’ve thought more and more about how kindness is an active CHOICE and it’s as transgressive as anything else you can do and a whole lot more brave than just cynicism and nihilism and despair. As you’ll see in the second half of the fic, Nicky (and Joe) have been through some truly devastating things and it might be understandable if they gave into despair, but they DON’T. They choose to continue to be good people and to try and to actively BE kind, rather than it being some passive default setting. They struggle with it and it’s raw and painful and they’re not always saints, but they always come down on the side of wanting to keep doing what they’re doing, and I… have feelings about that.

Anyway, this is already SUPER long, so I’ll call it quits for now. But thank you so much for this, because I love these characters and I love the story I created for them in DVLA, since all this is personal to me in a lot of ways, and I’m so glad you picked up on that.

#history #medieval history #queer history #dvla asks #long post #the old guard meta #anonymous #ask

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funky-furby · 4 years

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rough furby fandom timeline

reminiscencing abt old furblr made me wanna revisit some of the changes we’ve seen over time! to give new people an idea of it, and also to spark discussion with older members, i joined in 2017 and i havent been as active as of 2019 so i cant speak of prior or after, but heres my thoughts

2017

fandom is still small, but growing

focus is on them as toys

lots of posts are guides on names of colors, or how to push start

2005s are not very popular, i saw someone struggle to sell 2 working ones just because their beaks were damaged

besides the pink ones, people really liked those

i also lost a bid war on an orange 2005 that ended up going for 50 bucks, do you understand the regret i feel

lots of furbys are cheap, furbys in general are cheap, besides the occasional person thinking their nib snowball is worth 300

rise of furbology (later furbae)

popular for owning a lot of furbys, and owning a very very roughed up frog furby called swampy

theres discourse abt drawing furbys with 4 feet

small nature of fandom means that discourse usually involves people everyone knows directly (furbyconfessions accidentally contributes to drama but some spin off accounts purposefully try and start it, furby discourse blogs are a thing)

small nature also means that a lot of people remember each others furbys by name

each furby usually has a personality attached to it too, describing things that furby tends to do more than others, or what its physical differences mean (like being mute)

furby brotherhood is the only furby discord server and it gains notoriety due to the lack of moderation but in my experience it was a really fun wild ride

customization is fairly limited to maybe drawing on freckles, accessories, eyechips (people were poking them out with needles), to my knowledge tracer was the first popular furby to have further customizing

furby blogs humour is very silly, lots of piss and vore jokes

customized furbys from ebay sellers are pretty widely disliked, usually because theyre the clay ones, or because theres a lady trying to pass off her customs as rare releases that never happened

people go out of their way to help each other find listings for their dreamies

2018

purity culture? in furblr? since a lot of people use furbys to cope (many many posts of people bringing them out in public, describing what they and their furbys did), theres a pressure for furby blogs to be happy safe places, safefurby tag to avoid swearing and other stuff is started?, and also to avoid hatred in the main tag

theres like, a 70% chance of anyone u interact with in the fandom being a 15 year old trans guy on the autism spectrum, similarities make it really easy to make friends

considering special interests also usually mean wanting to know as much as possible, there is a WELL of information still

rise in popularity also means a lot more information is found abt furbys, like prototypes, a new factory and more obscure merchandise

since a lot of people empathize with furbys, damaged or not completely working furbys start to go for higher prices than previously as people empathize with them

that one furby that was found in the desert (bumbleweed) gets REALLY popular

rise in customizing coincides with more stylization in how people draw furbys

whenever someone comes up with a new idea u’d see a lot of it in the next week

like stuffing a furby to make them fat, that one took OFF

painting fur and also furby patterns to sew own skins creates a strange demand for just the furbys faceplate

furbys start to get strange names, like hot dog water

fall of furbae as shes revealed as a scammer among other reasons

crap ton of new furby discords are started, for specific topics, or just to avoid brotherhood despite them having a completely new mod team (im a little biased)

theres a still a large overlap in furblr with animatronic and other toy robot blogs

an age of really creative stuff tho, content was constantly evolving

oddbodies are a controversial addition to customizing, longfurby wasnt the first, but i do remember a lot of people taking the faces off of plushes and adding a furby face instead

before they were called oddbodies some people were really uncomfortable with them, but people also didnt like their furby friends being tagged bodyhorror, so oddbody was a good compromise

people were calling dibs on listings before, but its more widespread here, even though you cant call dibs on an open listing

furby prices go through the roof oh my god

kid cuisines especially, i saw more than one person pay 600

2005s go up in price too

oddbodies also caused rise in price on furby buddies

2019

mainstream success?

customization and oddbodies seems to the fandoms focus?

customization starts to overtake previous guides to the point where i see newbies struggle to find information

Plushification

First plush ones have clay eyes, later ones add in the eyes of the original furbys

Some controversy over taking apart furbys

popularity from within and outside of the community further effects prices

since 2012s are both really common, and not popular their prices seem pretty unaffected (besides rainbow crystals)

at this point i think people are taking their furbys out with them less, and i see less people make stories abt what they and their furbys did that day

customization trends were really really cool to watch happen, but since my reasons for being in furblr was the community nature of it, i have a lot less information for 2019 as i was less active in the fandom

and for 2020, i have nothing! so essentially this is me asking, what was 2019 and 2020 furblr for u like? did i remember any older stuff wrong? whats some stuff u wouldve included or have questions about?

#furby

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theladyragnell · 4 years

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Hey! If you're up for it, can you rec your top books of the year so far?

Absolutely! I will talk about books given the least excuse at all times. I’m going to do everything in my list for the year so far that I’ve starred, with the admission that the star can mean anything from “this was a fun few hours” to “NEW PERMANENT FAVE” so there’s a wide spectrum in here. Also I’ll say a bit about each but a reminder that I do slightly more detailed reviews of what I’m reading on dreamwidth.

“The Steerswoman” by Rosemary Kirstein. Really cool worldbuilding, would be better if the main characters were lesbians.

“Isle of Blood and stone” by Makiia Lucier. Fantasy set in an island kingdom in an age of sail and exploration, so there’s some super cool worldbuilding going on here too.

“The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics” by Olivia Waite. F/f historical romance that is SPECIFICALLY CALIBRATED TO KILL ME. If you, like me, are into embroidery and space and excellent ladies, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

“Bringing Down the Duke” by Evie Dunmore. Suffragist romance novel! Some very fun banter. The love interest is kind of a dick but he gets it together eventually.

“Ninth House” by Leigh Bardugo. Dark supernatural academia. If that description intrigues you you’ll probably like it, though it’s less academia than one might want in all fairness.

“Red, White, and Royal Blue” by Casey McQuiston. I mean, I feel like all of fandom has heard of this book? M/m contemporary romance. Honestly hurts a little to read because of the alternate history aspects of it and may well hurt more now given The State Of The World, but is genuinely a really sweet romance.

The first three books in the atevi series by CJ Cherryh. For people who like both The Goblin Emperor and the Daevabad Trilogy--lots of extremely worldbuilt politics and also people are dicks with their own agendas. For when you really want to lose yourself for a day or twenty.

“The Princess Curse” by Merrie Haskell. Lovely middle grade retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, with a lot of shades of Hades and persephone.

“Tooth and Claw” by Jo Walton. Dragon comedy of manners. Need I say more?

“Get a Life, Chloe Brown” by Talia Hibbert. Just a nice little contemporary romcom.

“The Secret Lives of Color” by Kassia St. Clair. Nonfiction, what it says on the tin. Nice bite-sized chunks for reading in between other things.

“Gideon the Ninth” by Tamsyn Muir. I know the whole internet read this last year but I just finished it the other day and I LOVED it. Though I may love it less with sequels for Reasons. I have theories about the small excerpt of the sequel that I’ve seen. I will hope they are true theories.

Hopefully there will be a few in here that you are interested in reading!

#today is tuesday too #answered asks

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pftones3482 · 5 years

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Not to ramble, but its WILD to me how changing the number of female or male characters in a show or movie changes the shipping dynamic

I have an absurd amount of gay (m/m) ships. Can't count the number.

I can count the number of gay (f/f) ships. Because so many shows only have one or two female characters, and usually those characters are either related, in prior relationships/clearly paired with a male protagonist, villains, or they have a wide age difference.

Take Voltron, for example.

The two main female characters for the majority of the series are Pidge and Allura. But almost no one ships them mainly because of the age difference and the fact that Allura is almost immediately paired up with Lance/Shiro in the beginning. (Just to clarify, I don't ship Allura and Pidge, but this is helping to further my point)

Meanwhile, the male ships for that show are numerous, even in just the main group, and especially when you take polyamory into consideration. The three most popular ships in the fandom (klance, sheith, and shance) are the same three men in a different pairing.

Another popular and slightly older example: Avatar. Yes, there are slightly more main female characters. But let's count them. Katara, who is paired with Aang from day one. Toph, who is considered the little sister figure in both canon and the fandom. Suki, who is almost instantly paired with Sokka. Azula, a villain and Zukos sister. I could go on but those are the big four. A lot of female characters, but very rarely do I see them paired together because of how their dynamics with each other and the guys in the show are written.

Now look at the new She-Ra.

The only main male character is Bo. There are other recurring male characters, yes, but he's the only one who's in every episode.

Every single ship I have on that show, once I exclude Bo from the line up, is lesbian. And Bo is only in like, two of my straight-passing ships. He def ain't straight.

Steven Universe. I don't watch it, but I know the VAST majority of the main ships are f/f.

But those shows kind of fall on opposite sides of the spectrum in terms of guy to girl ratio

The Good Place.

I'm straying from cartoons, I know, but hear me out: there's an even ratio of men to women in the main cast. Eleanor, Tahani, and Janet (not a girl), and Jason, Chidi, and Michael (the grandfather figure). Remove Michael from the ship equation bc ew, thats my dad, and suddenly my ships are all over the place. I have an equal number of m/m, f/f, and f/m ships (of course Janet is not a girl, so we can also include nb/f and nb/m ships in the line up).

Honestly its kinda late and I'm tired and my point maybe fell away a little but like....I'm way more likely to ship f/f ships in female heavy cast shows, and m/m in male cast ones, but when the number of men to women is nearly identical in the main cast, I literally ship everyone. And it makes the dynamics so much more fun.

So if you ever see someone with a ton of m/m ships, and you're wondering why they don't have any f/f ships, or vice versa (though the first is MUCH more likely), take a look at what they're watching/reading. Count how many male and female characters there are. I've found that that really can make a difference in what I ship

If someone who's better at words right now knows how to make this more concise feel free lol but I'm going to bed ✌🏻

#shipping #voltron #steven universe #avatar: the last airbender #the good place #she-ra

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dast218 · 4 years

Text

Days that turned into months and eventually years - Pt 2

Pt 1 Next

Being a father, especially a single parent who was also protecting the city in disguise, wasn’t at all what Damian expected it to be. Sure it was tiring, wearisome and frustrating but he couldn’t for the life of him imagine a world without Thomas. His little sunshine brought joy into an apartment that was once a sol dreadful reminder of his lost. Of course there were moments where he wanted to dump it all and move out, but he simply couldn’t bring himself to do so. The vigilante wanted his son to remember his mother and what better way than to grow up being surrounded by her style, inputs and creativity.

Although Damian wouldn’t admit it, he knew that his family and friends were proud of how far he has gotten. For the first few months he attended therapy religiously, trying to work out his emotions and find a sense of peace. Damian desired to be a good father to Thomas, so he decided to first focus on himself. It wasn’t easy to break apart the imaginary barriers, reflect on his childhood and speak freely about his late wife but at last he succeeded. Damian finally found a sense of belonging. But as the saying goes, everything that's good eventually comes to an end. All the months of therapy, years of building and strengthening bonds, and family emotional support nights seemed to slip through his fingers one fateful Saturday afternoon. His reality spiraled down within seconds.

-----

Knock, knock, bang, knock

Damian sighs as he gets up to open the door, he tried ignoring the knocking, he really did but it just got louder and louder each time. Ugg it’s not even six yet, I am gonna strangle the first person I see in my doorstep. This better be important. Yep Damian is still Demon Spawn especially when he gets irritated.

Reaching out and barely twisting the handle, the whole door slams open. Wide and behold, Adrien is standing in his full glory jumping as a sick puppy.

“It’s not even six yet what are you doing in my apartment at this time of day?!”

“I came early, you needed someone to babysit Tommy and who better than his favorite uncle.”

“I doubt that you are his favorite.”

“I claim otherwise”

“Fine, there is no point of arguing with a lunatic”

“Hey!”

Damian ignored one of his best friends and with a slight smile started walking towards the kitchen. He truly was a 5 year old hyper kid stuck in a 25 year old body. No wonder Thomas and Adrien both got along so easily. Till this day he still shudders at the memory of them destroying the kitchen after a food fight broke out.

“You know that my fight is at 5 right?”

“Yep. I thought you might need some extra time to get prepared.” They both understood the silent message behind those words. This was going to be the first time he traveled outside of the county without Thomas and after what happened all those years back he was afraid of leaving him behind.

Now that Damian thought about it he really needed the extra time to himself, to simply finish packing and organizing his thoughts. He releases out a low “Thanks.”

“Hey Damian, you know fully well that Thomas will be safe with me. Have I ever disappointed you?”

Looking up Damian saw Adrien’s gentle simile and opened arms. “Well that's debatable but I know that you are always here for me, what will make this time any different.”

Out of nowhere a tiny black blur zoomed directly in front of his face.

“How dare you guys forget about me! I am hurt” The god of destruction placed his tiny hand in front of his heart, putting on a pained expression. “I would be the first one to cataclysm anyone who dares to touch a hair on my kitten. You ungrateful humans.”

“Plagg!! Get your little self over here and stop bothering them!” Tikki yelled from across the room.

“Nope. I am not moving anywhere until I receive the recognition I deserve. Not even your demands will change my mind Sugarcube” Tikki stared at his response grumbling “We went over this like a thousand times. Stop calling me Sugarcube!”

With a satisfied smile, which quickly changed back into a stubborn expression, Plagg replied “never” as he returned back to eyeing Damian.

“Plagg, of course I trust you more than anyone to protect Thomas but how should I say this … umm your powers aren’t always the most stable.”

Both Tikki and Adrien were stifling a laugh. Of course you can count on Damian to put down Plagg.

The god of destruction just huffed and flew towards the refrigerator, opening it to reveal a pile of cheese. “Oh my sweet delicious camembert!”

“Don't eat all of it. That's all you are getting during our stay here.”

Plagg glared, “Try me.”

Before Adrien could respond he heard a huge gasp and was knocked out of his chair.

“Uncle Sunshine! You are here.” The five and a half year old exclaimed as he jumped on top of Adrien.

Ruffling Thomas’s hair, the former model chuckled. “Hey cupcake. Where did you come up with that ridiculous nickname?”

“Plagg told me that it was one of your favorite names growing up”

“Plagg!!”

Damian decided to just lean back and enjoy the bantering. He was content in watching Plagg’s and Adrien’s antics while hearing Thomas’ giggles fill the apartment. After Marinette’s disappearance he was left as the next in line to become the guardian, as the kwamis took a liking to him and he in return accepted the new responsibility. Following and learning from Marinette’s way of balancing her hero, guardian and daily life, he allowed the holders to continue keeping their representative kwamis. After all, even though Hawkmoth was defeated crimes still arose in the city of love, allowing Luka, Chloé and Kagami to roam the skies. Two years ago, Adrien moved permanently to Gotham to live with his boyfriend, Jon. He graduated with a master’s degree in teaching, patrols the nights constantly and helps out in several missions under a new persona. The Waynes agreed that Chat Noir shouldn’t be seen out in the most crime filled city with the lurking danger of people trying to get their hands on the miraculous. Of course Adrien still transforms, as the suit does give him extra protection but now he carries a green-black cape at all times, covering his bodysuit.

-----------

It was mid-afternoon when Damian finally landed at his destination in Europe. He could have used Kaalki to teleport himself within seconds but he still wasn't used the idea of transforming and nevertheless using a kwami. Sure he was the guardian and he didn't hold any grudges but he just felt more comfortable in leaving the transformations to the professionals while simply taking care of the tiny creatures.

He was still confused as to why the head leader of the Dobronski billionaire company wanted to specifically speak with him. Sure he became the CEO of the Waynes business at the early age of nineteen and had a vast amount of experience under his belt but the same could be said about his adopted brothers. Why not ask them to come and discuss the final details of the deal? Damian was frustrated that he had to leave Gotham for this stupid arrangement between the companies but agreed to do so after Burce’s pleading. A change in environment for a few days will do you good.

----------

Damian and his alter ego had seen a lot. But nothing in the world could prepare him for Marinette standing wide-eyed when the doors to the company’s mansion opened.

-----------

I just wanted to say thank you guys for all the wonderful comments, I wasn’t expecting to receive much attention on this fanfic. You guys are the best 💖

I was debating how deep I want to dive in anddd I am going full on. Lets just say that this part was more on the lighter side of the spectrum.

Comments and constructive criticism are always welcomed :)

@urbanpineapplefarmer @18-fandoms-unite-08 @clumsy-owl-4178 @rebecarojas07

#finally uploaded #welcome aboard to a crazy ride #i tired #daminette #maribat

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fyrapartnersearch · 4 years

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Ally's Apocalyptic Ad (Tripple threat)

Well hi there honey ～

The Quarantine has compelled me to post another ad onto FYRA, since there isn’t much you can do other than spend your days inside, I figured I’ll use this as a perfect opportunity to reach out to those who are interested in a specific role-play with me! :)

The name’s Aaliyah or Ally for short, and I will cut right to the chase. I am looking for a mature role-player, preferably 21+ but will also accept 18+ (just to be sure that you are of legal age, otherwise it’ll be uncomfortable).

I recently turned 27, with 12 years of experience, and hope to meet someone who shares a passion for creative writing and formulating interesting plots and characters. In case you are curious about me as a person, I am a full-time student and a young writer who works at the gym on the side, but also enjoys other creative outlets such as drawing and photography. But at the moment, as the pandemic is spreading, I am reduced to attending online courses, thus have loads of free time on my hands. Be sure that you’re able to uphold a stable Roleplay. And if I do not message you back right away, I hope you can forgive me. I will make sure to let you know if either my capacity is full, or if I am not able to respond right away due to technical issues (or other reasons). If you are hitting a hiatus, that is more than fair! A simple message to put things on hold will completely suffice, but I would like to keep in touch in case the story bears great potential. I very much enjoy video-games, tv-shows, comics, films, books, and the list goes on. Hopefully, I can attract some kindred spirits. I roleplay both Canon and Original!  But currently, I am looking for something very specific, and that something is heavily focused on Supernatural / Gothic / Horror / Urban Fantasy genre. So if there’s no luck in finding a fitting Canon based story, we can always switch to original world-building. For fandoms, I have only picked out four very specifically that I am more than willing to do. I have a heavy craving for a role-play based around dark gritty plots, deeply well-written characters and a whole lot of sass. So if you’re in the mood for something spicy, hit me up.

What it comes down to:

What the Partnership should be: I strongly encourage an active roleplayer who is not afraid of sharing 50% of ideas, plotting, length, detail but most important of all, passion. A bird cannot fly with only one wing. Communication: I’m a chatterbox, so I love making new friends while brainstorming! Communication is the bedrock of it all. It strengthens our compatibility and the story. Should there be something that bothers you, or if you think your characters are not given any proper attention (be it a mistake on my part or if we’re both at fault here), don’t worry about it. Just tell me and we can figure things out. I have no issues with rewriting scenes for a better narrative, or, correct a mistake. We can always exchange and see what would benefit the story most. The Way of Writing: Not a fan of one-liners or text-talk. No half-assed replies. And certainly no ‘quality over quantity’ when you can have both. What I expect for you to have is a basic grasp of grammar. Not to say you need to write a perfectly articulated novel - obviously, a no brainer. I don’t either, but if I get the feeling of my partner wavering in their effort and not investing as much as I do, I have to give them the chop, unfortunately. Too often have I encountered partners who showed strong enthusiasm at first but as time progressed… they slacked and eventually only put an adequate amount of effort into their side whilst completely disregarding my characters.

How I write:

My writing: Third person perspective usually, although I have made some exceptions in my years of writing. My style is a wide spectrum and very flexible, which means that frequently, the word count can go up to 1000+ per reply - though it depends on the given situation and partner. And yes, I do double, preferably even, most likely in canon universes. However this again wholly depends on the type of story, partner, and the cast of characters. I am very open and willing to discuss.  Rating: So you are writing with someone mature. I have 12 years of writing under my belt. There will be violence, there will be swearing, there will be gore. Intimate, uncomfortable topics such as drama, erotica and other topics close to that will always be included with me as a partner. I have few limits but I will respect the boundaries of my partner. And lastly, I won’t fade to black or skip out on the nitty-gritty, unless it doesn’t serve a particular purpose in forwarding the story, then I can make an exception. Characters: I write both canon and OC characters. Face claims, GIFs, drawings, mood boards or just a plain physical description should suffice. Characters ought to be written as opulent, flawed, unique, talented, heroic, villainous, spiteful, angry, and everything in-between, beings. Don’t be afraid of making them human. Romance: Openly play and accept characters of both genders, preferable m x f pairings, but I am open to m x m and f x f relationships as well. I have more experience with m x f relationships, so I am more flexible with this one. If the chemistry of two characters compel me, I’m on board! When it comes to sexual situations and intimacy (intercourse, foreplay, all that funny business), I am not particularly squeamish about it. I encourage eroticism, but always in a tasteful, sensual manner (that goes for romance as well), though it is never the main focus of any of my stories, rather a tool for furthering the plot. Erotica is welcome but not the center of any of my roleplays, so I’d rather have it develop naturally and not rush it from one ‘sex-scene’ to the next. Content: Drama, violence, action, romance, pretty much everything's a-okay. I have no qualms with explicit subjects that may be uncomfortable for the general public. Roleplays are fictional stories and we best keep viewing them as such. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me, right? If there are things you are uncomfortable with, name them and I shall respect your boundaries. My roleplays imply and involve brutality such as psychological and physical trauma among other things. It may be difficult to read and write, but it is all part of the plan and a way of progressing the story. However, that’s not the end of it. I 100% endorse beauty, serenity and placid moments as well. It is all needed for our characters to grow and evolve. I love it when it all comes full circle… everyone- and everything has a beautiful and hideous side. This is for adults and I am not here to coddle, I am here for a challenge.

 And finally, here are the things that I am looking for interest-wise! If your fields of interest are not listed here, I am sorry, but I won't be compelled to do anything but those things mentioned down below. Sorry :(

☞ Castlevania *** ☞ Devil May Cry **** ☞ Hellsing *** ☞ Hellboy ** ☞ Constantine *** ☞ AU / Where all universes clash into each other **** ☞ The Boys ** ☞ Bayonetta ** ☞ Buffy *

As for original plots, I am very keen on urban and gothic fantasy, but I am also inclined to do fantasy/alternative reality, mythology, etc. I have plenty of ideas up my sleeve, some of them fully fleshed out and some of them mere rough concepts still in progress. Either way, I would rather have these ideas introduced throughout email or whatever platform we choose to communicate on. I also have a strong penchant for world-building, especially worlds on a metaphysical plain or different planets, dimensions like the underworld, netherworld, purgatory, heaven, etc.

Original themes:

☞ Supernatural / Metaphysical (Demons, Angels, Spirits, Monsters, Hunters, Cosmic Horror, etc.)  ☞ Mystery  ☞ Crime  ☞ Action  ☞ Horror  ☞ Romance  ☞ Thriller  ☞ Monsters   

As a precaution, here are the things I am not interested in:

☞ Slice of life  Topics that aren’t listed in my ad (although I am not against trying something new, I have had many messages that suggested we roleplay something completely out of my field.)   ☞ Anime cliches  ☞ Solely smut focused plots

Aaaand should I hit a hiatus myself, I will notify asap! 

Platforms I use are email and google-docs. I also have a Discord account in case we plot and chat outside of the RP. However, Google Hangouts has proven itself as a sufficient chat-medium for OOC-chat, so I rather stay on email (in case you also have a Gmail account).

If you message me, please use the referred codenames below so I know your specific interest. :)

♠ 𝕮𝖔𝖑𝖉 𝕭𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉𝖊𝖉: Canon  

♥ 𝕭𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉𝖞 𝕶𝖎𝖘𝖘𝖊𝖘: Original  

Even though not mandatory, it is preferred. I would love to read a small description of yourself and your passions. Message me here: EMAIL: [email protected] Excited to hear from you! Sincerely yours -Ally

#indie rp #indie roleplay #independent roleplay #oc rp #multiple paragraph #para #semipara #long term #email #tumblr #spn rp #smut rp #aou rp #submission

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dragonnan · 5 years

Link

The Tiger and the Shark by dragonnan

Rating: Mature

Archive Warning: Rape/Non-Con

Category: Gen

Fandom: Sherlock (TV)

Relationships: (past) Irene Adler/ Sherlock Holmes, (pre-ish) Sherlock Holmes/ Molly Hooper (this is not a romance however)

Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Mycroft Holmes, Molly Hooper, OMC, OFC, Mummy (Sherlock), Sherlock Holmes' Father, Greg Lestrade, Sally Donovan

Additional Tags: Charles Augustus Magnussen Mentioned, Allusions to HLV Deleted Scene, Rape/Non-con Elements, not graphic, However Could Be Quite Triggery, Sherlock's Mind Palace, Past Mary Watson, Staying Close to Canon, Until it isn't, Everything Hurts, Devastated Sherlock, Sherlock Needs A Hug, John Watson Needs A Hug, everyone needs a fucking hug, BAMF Mycroft Holmes, Mycroft Being a Good Brother, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Murder, Autism Spectrum Sherlock, Apologies to Mycroft as he gets a bit of Non-Sympathetic Treatment here at first, Although he IS an Absolute Prat, Flashbacks, PTSD Sherlock

Summary: “Do you find it less frightening; knowing what will happen? I'd rather imagine the opposite were true. You see, my husband was a master at psychological games – planting seeds of intent and letting them grow whichever way his assets chose. The torments they imagined were horrors of their own design. Charles loved that – knowing they only needed a little... pressure. What horrors were you imagining, I wonder, when you blew his brains out?”

Author Notes: This is currently 18 chapters long and continuing to grow! I hadn’t, at all, planned on writing such a long fic for my first introduction to the Sherlock universe but the story demanded otherwise. I know how hard a subject this is to read. By and large, fics like this do not tend to get a wide readership. I won’t pretend there aren’t difficult scenes to navigate. However there are a LOT LOT more scenes that aren’t specific to the trauma endured. I have a lot of happy times in here and MOST of this is comfort. And there’s quite a bit that (in my opinion) is even funny at times. So, I really hope you’ll give me a chance! Below is the first chapter. Thank you so much!

Flashing lights – purple haze... Not his ideal venue for client interactions, no matter how promising the game presented. John having made himself ill on whatever take away he'd wolfed down on the way to the flat that morning – leaving Rosie in the dubious care of Mrs. Hudson while he retired to his room to sleep it off; the end result being Sherlock was left to his own devices with regards to the current investigation. Hard to resist an 8, however.

Twenty minutes. Longer than he liked to wait for anyone, it was only the mild entertainment on the dance floor that had stayed him from an exit upon hitting the ten minute mark.

“Well you're a right pretty one.”

Comment filed and ignored – focus, instead, on the weaving steps of the fellow fifteen feet forward and knocking about the pub with seemingly no true purpose in mind.

A thick-skulled man; oafish, howling, to anyone offering a passing and uninterested glance. Sherlock, however, had rather a more curious focus. Not drunk – though slurring in a way to imply it while dragging his leg enough to leave a thin burn of rubber on the tile. Minimizing threat in one manner while presenting the inebriated brute to obfuscate intent. A character whom the average clientele would avoid and, should they remember him in any fashion, it wouldn't be for his face but for his slovenly discourse. Despite his uneven steps, he'd maintained a true course belying the affected intoxication.

A long digit, nail smooth and trimmed, ghosted along the curve of Sherlock's cheekbone. Head jerking away from the intrusion, he never took his eyes from his target while addressing his unwelcome paramour.

“I assure you, you will find no entertainment with me. However, if you wish to retain the use of your right index I would suggest you refrain from further physical contact.”

The oaf had, by now, made a steady journey past the dance floor on his way to the loo. However, rather than the gents – he brashly shoved into the ladies – expected caterwauling and the uptick of attention from the three bouncers who, rather than split duties and send an individual, converged en masse on the building chaos. Now, then, would be the start of the real action; when the accomplice would make his move. Easy money from the till or risky, yet greater, reward from the underground card game in the back offices?

“Ah, now, that wasn't what I was told. In fact... my employer had assured me you would be most... accommodating... Mr. Holmes.” Solid pressure – high and just under his left armpit while the other arm wrapped around his chest – for all appearances, to any distracted onlooker, guttered and needing a solid shoulder to ease him into the nearest cab. “Sorry I'm late, love. But I had to be certain dear John -boy wasn't going to scupper our date. Though I apologize about the Ipecac. Hope your boyfriend isn't too ropey.”

“Spiked his curry just to set up this little abduction; how dull. Should I be flattered?”

Breath heated against his ear – moist and tainted of expensive cigars and cheap kippers. “Oh, we'll 'ave plenty of time for chattering later, beautiful. For now, how about help a soused gent to the curb, yeah?”

Their journey to the door went unremarked. In minutes, the inside distraction would be hoisted out behind them – thus completing the little play-act that had been carried out with vexing success.

No shortage of villains who'd have wished him harm – creating this game to snare him for whatever vengeful purpose that struck their fancy. Moriarty was dead and, truth tell, this was nowhere the elaborate scheme he'd have imagined. For all of its effectiveness this had the earmarks of something recently contrived. A new enemy, then; angry enough to act swiftly rather than indulge in the long game. Case in point, the angular creature shoving him towards a waiting black sedan, while steady with his weapon, was loose with his tongue – having muttered several oaths about “that pig ugly old bint”. The rich blend of Liga Privada against the sharp stench of oily fish suggested a wealthy benefactor willing to entice and impress the less than affluent. Why? A skill-set, then, not in keeping with a higher class of criminal. Not difficult to ascertain said skills based on the overt displays of chilly affection. It also suggested a criminal whose services were not likely to end with a fat wallet but, rather, a slab at Barts. Hiring among the upper echelons invited questions when one of their number disappeared. Not so with the average street thug.

Though his body was being forced into the rumbling vehicle – aided along by the reappearance of the suddenly sober third member of their tiny gang, Sherlock's mind was already sorting and dismissing face after face from those he'd captured and those he'd aided – numerous enough foes among his clientele to include them as suspects.

By the time thick mounting tape had been wrapped around his wrists and a rough hood had been cinched beneath his jaw, he'd discarded twenty-five women from his list either due to age, inclination, or incarceration.

With the field condensed to only three remaining candidates, Sherlock tightened his focus on motive.

“Take it slow. Last thing we need is some rozzer berk nick us for speeding.” A shift – seat springs giving off a worn squeal. “Now then, how about a nice little nappy?”

Sherlock ducked but couldn't stop the hand closing around the back of his neck any more than he could wrest away from the heavy body pinning him into the corner next to the door. A moment later, he felt the pinching burn of a needle push into his arm. Drowsiness hit fast as a comfortable warmth blossomed through his belly – dipping his head down towards his knees. Though he fought the effects – speech an inarticulate slur – the drug could not be staved forever. Now gentle hands tipped him towards a lap – trousers rough against his cheek – whilst thick fingers pushed beneath the back of the hood and curled through his hair. Continuous motion carding from forehead to nape, he hadn't the will to shake free from the liberties taken. Roughly fifteen minutes on, one hand left his scalp to rest warm on his shoulder. Unconsciousness was deepening - bringing a thickening dark that surged up through his toes – a flooding swell that closed over his head like ink...

◦

Minimal conversation passed around him – heard but unimportant beyond cataloging. His eyes felt tacked shut and his body heavy – crumpled across the seat; head pillowed on hard thighs.

“...onna need to take one more left – up ahead, past that house, there.” A hand slapped, suddenly, on his arm and, though Sherlock didn't flinch, he tensed under the fingers that squeezed his bicep.

“Have a good rest, sweetheart?”

Fine layers of glaze peeled away to a molten haze. Blinking, no real aid, nor squinting – though at least the stickiness lessened.

No further stimulation from his abductors; no loss, that; he tuned back towards more fascinating contemplation – rudely delayed by the interruption of unconsciousness. So who was the spider at the center of this web?

“Pig ugly bint” - the oath one of several complaints with a misogynistic flair. His first list of candidates, then; female. Homely? Or merely deemed so due to assertiveness or rejection of sexual advances? Whom, among past and present association, held so strongly a grudge?

His suspects... just before the needle had slid into his bicep, he'd narrowed the field of possibilities to a trifecta.

He opened his eyes to white.

Three figures stood before him – similar only in gender.

Nettie Royston. Forty-three, widowed, with no children. A regular at NSY after a series of smash and grabs, she'd turned up on Sherlock's doorstep, two years previous, begging he investigate Scotland Yard, itself. In particular, its resident D.I. for harassment both of a psychological as well as a sexual nature. Determining that her primary goal was purely vindictive in an attempt to distract from her actual crimes, Sherlock had refused – leading to a sudden and startling rage at being rebuffed. Launching herself at the detective, she'd managed to smash one of Mrs. Hudson's prized tea cups against his temple before John had been able to subdue her. She'd threatened any number of imaginative retaliations while being led off by the constable. As it was, she had been on license for the last four weeks and would have had more than enough time to carry through with her scheme.

A warm chuckle as his back and he tipped his head to acknowledge the man behind him. Lestrade had his shoulders against the far wall of his mind palace – hands relaxed in the pockets of his trousers. “Nettie Royston? You really think she's responsible? You know, very well, she moved in with her sister in Inverness. I'm sure she hasn't had a spare thought for anything other than disappointing the little bit of family she has left. Besides, with her temperament, if she wanted revenge, she wouldn't hire hitmen – she'd take care of things herself. No doubt with a tire iron.”

“No doubt”, Sherlock muttered in return – the inspector fading away to smoke.

His remaining two possibles were equally as dodgy – a puzzle that brought a different take along with a companion to air the unasked question.

“What was it your highwayman said he gave me? Ipecac? You realize you can only get that by prescription. That isn't something some random yob is going to pick up at the local chemist.” John; sitting beside him in place of his captor while eyeing him in a blend of exasperation and humor. And it honed the thread of disquiet that had troubled him since the pub. The timing of it all – two levels of distraction carefully structured to imply sloppiness. Oh, he was slipping. It was a game with a far more clever master at the helm than he'd first attributed.

“And you have to admit – that bit about their employer – the “pig ugly bint”? Why go through all of this trouble to be quiet, now, yet carry on so much on the way to the car?” Molly – on his other side with her arms crossed and reclined against the window. Leading him by the nose... No need to hide a smile with the hood over his face. Still, his posture was a tell for the observant and he was swiftly becoming aware that the man he was swooning upon was watching with a keen eye.

“Ah... you got it now, do ya?”

Sherlock grunted; pushing somewhat more upright – the motion allowed and suggesting there was no longer a danger of being seen beyond the car windows.

“Not difficult with the pieces laid out so clearly – truly, was this subterfuge of your own crafting or is there a hand up your backside to play you like a puppet? I rather imagine the latter.”

Unperturbed by the insinuation of his words, the other man only chuckled – a far less painful response than a cuff to the head – but blind rage was the undoing of many a foe. A controlled enemy was a creature requiring a different sort of tact. No bargaining – no pleading for one's life nor appealing to one's better nature – this one was bought and sold and loyal to his master's coin purse if not loyal out of the moral code adhered to by those hired out and wishing to maintain a reputation amongst their fellow lowlifes.

“So whom is the puppet master...” He'd have steepled his fingers were they free – though he could make due by closing his eyes – backing through the past fifteen minutes plus lost time until he paused on the feel of dank breath against the back of his neck – the rouge revealing himself to his slow-witted prey.

“Past tense.” Snapped out observation and enough to pique interest from his unwelcome companion.

“What was that?”

Sherlock smirked. “When you spoke of your employer. A subtle, yet detectible implication in your words. You maintained an element of the past tense. The only time you altered tense was in reference to your alleged 'bint' – a valiant yet ultimately clumsy red herring and certainly not a misdirect a man of your intellect would be capable of, at any rate.” Now he sensed the anger – just there, under the laugh – a hesitation – a tightening of muscles. “I noticed the smell whilst you were affixing this hood over my eyes. Not the layered aromas of your breath, no, but the stench rising from your tread. The odor of manure – faint – beneath the cologne and shoe polish. And then there were your hands. Nails trimmed, clean but calloused – specifically between the ring and pinkie fingers as well as along the distal transverse. Spent a lot of time working with horses, did you? Not to mention the slight limp and distinct tang of liniment that no amount of body spray can quite disguise. But you're no stable master – you've spent almost no time astride as you lack the coordination and balance of a seasoned rider; though your age would suggest you should have attained such a station were your education up to the task. But you haven't been employed for some time though that does beg the question as to why you'd forego job seeking to heed the demands of a master who, as it appears by your blundering hint dropping, is dead?”

“Blundering...?”

“Had – not has. Was, not is. Past tense. And, yet, you are currently employed – a requirement when the game is chess but clearly you're playing checkers. These moves are not your own – no – this would require more sophistication than you're capable – your MO more in keeping with a back alley buggering than an extended stay with the veneer of interrogation. Ordered to keep hand's off, were you? You seemed to enjoy our little cuddle – given the uneven lap and speed of respiration so not just the clichéd' scare tactic but the clichéd villain. No doubt hoping the threat of sexual violence would break me down prior to arrival – make me malleable. Not to shatter your fantasy but this is boring. The on again off again cockney, however – ah – but that's interesting. Never measured up to the masters who employed you – always wanting to appear more than you were – smarter than you are – better than the Joe Bloggs you can barely stand to see in the mirror. 'ow does e' know I'm repulsed by my reflection?” Affected accent; mocking before he dropped back to his regular baritone, “The uneven shave could be deliberate – likely deliberate lest you stand out too posh at the club but uneven sideburns? That suggests maintenance without the benefit of visual oversight. Features average, aside from the rosacea across the nose and cheeks and a facial tic near your left eyelid. Adjacent to an old scar; did one of your victims fight back? Could have been an injury at the stable but victim seems more likely – three narrow lacerations – someone tried to gouge out your eyes. Your inadequacies are, very literally, written all over your face. Is that why your conquests are forced? Nobody else would have you?”

The flare of outrage, deeply inhaled breath and a shifting of the leather seat, was settling again as the other man leaned back with a breathy laugh. “Now that is impressive – no doubt. I mean, I heard about your talents but it's nothin like seeing it first hand.”

The car thumped hard, jostling them both and throwing Sherlock against his captor – another rough rocking the other way had him knocking his forehead against the rear passenger's side window.

“Oi! Slow it down on these roads, you josser! We ain't in a rush and we sure don't need a blow out!”

The absent sounds of traffic had already informed that they'd left London behind even before they'd come across such pitted roads. The scents of tar, oil, and exhaust gave over to the sweeter bloom of fresh dirt and white clover. But, more so than that... distant cries of seabirds and the ripening smell of saltwater.

And Sherlock knew where they were heading. More than that, he knew who had set all of this into motion – for all the good that would do him. A final, twisted game from beyond the grave. He really was slow to catch on...

“Come, now; don't beat yourself up, little brother. After all, it isn't often that one has two mortal enemies, is it. And both with their brains blown out, too, no less! A bountiful bit of irony, that.” Mycroft – sounding smug, as usual, brushed invisible dust from his lapel. Sherlock found that, whether flesh and blood or mental construct, Mycroft was equally insufferable. At least with this one he could banish him with a flick of his chin.

“So...” he intoned – hitching himself upright against the seat back, “how long have you known Charles Magnussen?”

◦

Hours, since the last encounter with the the cool ring of porcelain in the loo. Stomach cramped from heaving, stumbling through the kitchen for a cuppa and cursing the dodgy grip of his trembling hands that nearly cascaded scalding camomile across his lap. A wander back through the sitting room found it unexpectedly empty. While his flatmate was not above the occasional vanishing he'd been better, in recent months, about announcing his absences. At the very least a text after a few hours out. Well, nothing for it but to initiate contact. Maybe convince his friend to fetch home a few cans of broth – the flat, once again, devoid of comfort food beyond a stale package of digestives. Mobile in hand, as he sank into his chair, John tapped of a quick message before taking a cautious swallow of tea. Still too hot – lips wincing back at the burn.

It was the shatter of his cup, on the hearth, that startled him back awake. Christ, Mrs. Hudson would not thank him for demolishing one of her rose cups. Hours? Minutes? Watch check – half an hour. Bleary – belly still cramping but improving a bit.

He dug his mobile from the cushion where it had slipped and tapped to wake his screen. No reply. Sighing, John sent a second text – a bit more persistent, perhaps, but dammit he was shattered and not in the mood for moods.

Drifting, then, and half of a mind to switch on the telly were the clicker not on the other table and far from his fingertips. Not being in possession of a mind palace, John contended himself, instead, with drowsy blinks and an internal debate about whether he should risk the cricked neck to sleep in the chair or drag himself to the bedroom for a proper sleep. He checked his messages again.

That little thrill of concern was edging into actual worry, now. Sherlock may ignore him when hunched over a microscope or sulking in his chair – long fingers propped up beneath his chin. But in the wind – sick friend abed and foregoing any normal alleviation such as leaving behind a note to his whereabouts – that was no longer Sherlock's method. Not since Mary...

Switching tactics, John sat up a bit and rang his landlady – texting not really her forte, after all. Her thin voice picked up almost immediately. Probably had her portable sat at her side.

“Oh, John? How are you feeling? Can I get you anything? Rosie's fine – just got her down for a nap.”

“I'm fine. Look, have you heard from Sherlock?”

“Sherlock?” Distracted sounds, then – distinct clank of the kettle. “No – not for several hours, at any rate when he ran out of here, slap dash, and caught a cab at the curb.”

John rubbed eyes that felt as though they'd grown three times in size. “No word where he was headed?”

“Oh, goodness no, when have you lot ever told me anything of where you were going?” Rustle of slippers against the floor and another, softer, clink of porcelain. “Now, don't you fret. I'm certain Sherlock is just fine.”

He knew her reassurance should have set him at ease but the actual result was to sent his heart racing. Since when was Sherlock ever fine?

◦

“Never met the man.” Was the only reply he'd been given – just before another needle point pierced Sherlock's arm with an unskilled hand – the sedative more painful than the last injection and likely to bruise. Though not rendering him instantly unconscious, it had the benefit, to his captors, of leaving him uncoordinated and weak as the vehicle slowed – clearly nearing its destination to the large estate last viewed from the rising cockpit of his brother's helicopter. Driving round the back, the rushing thunder of the ocean dulled to ringing silence as they pulled into what must have been an underground car park.

The seat shifted – tipping Sherlock towards the failed stableman and the bloom of foulness gusting between his teeth. “Wakey-wakey, darlin' – we're home!” No room to battle nor gilded with the energy for thrashing, Sherlock was left with the ignobility of being carried over the larger man's shoulders and into a lift. The acoustics laid pressure against his eardrums as the doors clamped shut and the tiny room vibrated with a deep rumble. And then they started down.

Not given to visible displays of shock, Sherlock had a moment to ponder if Mycroft's people had uncovered the lower level before dismissing the likelihood of its existence almost immediately. Had they done, the property would be an odd choice for an abduction – not to mention the upcoming activities that would require both privacy and security.

Twice Sherlock felt himself being shifted on broad shoulders – his height making him an unwieldy burden regardless of the strength of the carrier. Not exactly comfortable for himself, either, his ribs digging rather painfully into the blunt angle of the other man's shoulder. The lift came to a halt after 6 seconds of travel. Assuming the average height of a standard floor multiplied by the speed of the lift itself – slower than average accounting for the smoother ride – he estimated they had descended 50 feet below ground.

While the doors slid open with the same gentle rumble as they'd shut – there was now the added electronic signature of a card reader followed by the mild squeal of hinges in need of service. Not a place frequented by its former owner – the fungal smell of damp earth and seeping moisture a vast contrast to the crisp perfection of the manor above.

The space was smaller, as well, forcing the two men to walk one behind the other. A hallway – the walls close on either side and the ceiling low enough that Sherlock could hear the echo of his captor's steps just above his head. No doubt he'd cave his skull were he to attempt raising it. At the very least he'd earn a frustrating injury that would do nothing to procure his escape.

They went this way for another 30 steps – stopping whilst the other man fumbled at a door and its unfamiliar lock. By the time Sherlock had been dropped back to his feet, unsteady and a bit nauseous, he had fully tired of the subterfuge.

His arms were fastened with shackles – breath speeding through his nostrils, only for a moment, as Serbia revisited with blistering presence – buried back beneath the flagstone of his mind as the hood was ripped dramatically from his face. Sherlock rolled his eyes and shifted his shoulders at the uncomfortable spread of his arms. At least they hadn't relieved him of his shirt. They'd even left him his belstaff and scarf.

The horse man belly laughed at the glare revealed with the removal of the offending hood. “Ah, dove, you do look a right sexy devil with that pout on!” He mocked a blown kiss while the other man, ignoring the exchange, tapped at his phone.

Too deep for a signal to penetrate and he didn't imagine their employer would enjoy them texting mid-abduction. A code, possibly... Thought barely formed when hard soles with a slow stride approached from beyond the only visible door in or out of the dank space.

Sherlock tipped his head. “So your employer is a woman.”

“She is, indeed.” Voice speaking beyond the closed door – so not sound proofed. But, then, why would it need to be? A moment's pause – dramatics? No, her shoulder led – hands occupied with a large tablet. She had yet to look up as she crossed the room. Sherlock indulged in evaluation.

Auburn hair – long, could fall to mid-back though kept coiled in a loose bun at the nape. Elegant and professional yet easy to loosen at a moment's notice. Eyes and lips made up but not ostentatious. Nail glaze clear, garment fitted; fabric a silk blend – no give to the fibers and designed to show off her curves with every movement. Heels... low, base broad – meant to be worn throughout the day. Her indulgence was jewelry – rings in particular as there were two on her right hand and a third on the left. The stones were smooth – though not all of equal value. Two of the rings were gold and inset with aquamarine and larimar, respectively. The third – older – ill-fitted on the right anular – narrow along the lower circlet, worn thin from years of spinning the piece – nervous gesture. Gold alloy showing a pale distortion near the stone – peridot from its distinctive golden green. Were the corrosion from a regularly handled chemical, she'd remove the jewelry and wear gloves. A mild erosion – built up over time. Years. Cleaning solution? No – again, necessitating the removal of jewelry. The stone was affordable – the setting implying a sentiment. The other two rings were gifts of extravagance when money was of no consequence. Moved to the right hand yet still in a place of honor. Widowed. Regular exposure to something with a moderate PH. Not enough to harm the epidermis but enough to erode the alloy over time...

“...you'll get used to it...”

Sherlock dug a molar into his cheek to stop the tremble.

The woman stopped in front of him, cherry lips angling into a smile as she tucked her tablet against her breasts. “Carlotta Alexis Magnussen, Mr. Holmes. You murdered my husband.”

#Sherlock fanfic #tw: rape

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knotty-hottie · 5 years

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@alycat919 So, we haven’t talked before, but your post in the Ouran High School Host Club tag reminded me of my final paper for my Gender/Women Studies and I thought I’d share it. I promise I’m not tagging for drama, but just because I wanted to thank you for reminding me. It was a lot of fun to write a research paper about my first anime, and, despite the negativity I talk about in the paper, it’s still a personal fave of mine. You’re free to scroll past this if you aren’t interested, or to engage if you are. I just want to share the work I’ve done with the fandom I’ve explored. 😁

Ouran High School Host Club: Rich in Benevolent Sexism and Rape Culture

He pinned her against the bed, looming above her like a wild beast. Her chocolate brown eyes were wide, her nightgown bunched, her breath caught in her chest. The two stared at each other, like predator and prey, for a split second that felt like an eternity. He opened his mouth, and spoke, surely, calmly.

“You should fix that, ‘being a guy or girl doesn’t matter’ naivety of yours. It’s your fault for being too defenceless.”

It may sound like something from a badly written smut piece, or the rape fantasy of a young person, but in Ouran High School Host Club, this is the reality of our heroine, Haruhi Fujioka. She is a ‘commoner’ (lower middle class) student at a school for Japan’s most elite, having gotten in on a scholarship. After an incident involving her stumbling into an occupied music room in search of a study place, a vase worth ¥8,000,000 (equal to approximately $73,000 in today’s United States dollars), and some classic anime tropes, she ends up as a member of the school’s host club. The series itself describes the host club as “[The place] where the school’s handsomest boys with too much time on their hands entertain young ladies who also have way too much time on their hands. Just think of it as Ouran’s elegant playground for the super rich and beautiful.” The series is one of the most famous of all time in the anime community, coming in at spot 20 out of the top 50 most popular anime of all time on the Anime News Network. On SBS, Ouran came in at spot 40 on a fan-voted poll for best anime of all time. On Funimation (the anime’s publisher site) and Crunchyroll (one of the most popular anime streaming sites of today’s day and age) Ouran comes in at 5 stars. It’s a well known, well liked piece of media, that has earned itself an anime adaptation from its manga origin, a dating simulator from its anime adaptation, and a live action reboot based on all three of the previous iterations. Yet, somehow, underneath all of the things to like, there’s a dark underbelly that many willfully ignore or are just plain unaware of. The series perpetuates gender roles, rape culture, and some not-so-subtle homophobia. The way that it gets away with these things is by portraying them through the lens of benevolent sexism, which catches readers, watchers, and players alike off-guard.

Benevolent sexism falls under the larger umbrella of ambivalent sexism, which is divided into two main categories. The first category is hostile sexism, which is what most people think of when they try and imagine sexism. It is described by Dictionary.com as, “[sexism] reflecting negative views of women who challenge traditional gender roles.” It is the toxic, hypermasculinized form of sexism that many are taught to look for. It is the comments of, “You aren’t a real woman if your hair is short like that,” and, “Women are dumber than men.” On the other end of the spectrum, there’s the idea of benevolent sexism. Rather than comments of, “Women are weaker than men, making them inferior,” we hear the benevolent sexist say, “Men should protect women, as it’s the right thing to do.” It’s those moments where women are told they look better when they smile, or are in dresses, or have children in arm. The words are complementary and polite, but they hold the same message as those negative comments of the hostile sexist. Ouran works carefully to craft its message so that it doesn’t insult its main fan base (young women), while still getting its message across. For example, there’s the character of Renge Houshakuji.

Renge first appears in the manga in ‘Episode 3’ and in episode 4 of the anime adaptation. She is what is known as an otaku, which, in modern culture, refers to someone obsessed with some aspect of pop culture (whether that be video games, anime, movies, etc.) to the point that their social life suffers. In Japan, the word has become a word similar to our ‘nerd’ or ‘geek’. In American culture, the word is considered derogatory, and usually falls in line with words like ‘weeaboo’ and ‘wapanese’. Renge wholeheartedly accepts her otaku status, locking herself in her room to do what she enjoys most; playing dating sims. After a turn of events, she ends up at the Host Club, believing that she is in love with Kyouya Ootori, a host who looks identical to one of her favorite characters. After she reveals that this is why she likes Kyouya, she is bashed for her hobbies and considered crazy. The moment her hobbies come to light, they are painted as wrong and she is vilified, even though her male counterparts are considered just and right in there own hobbies. When Hani, one of the hosts, is depicted as morally correct for acknowledging that he is allowed to like the color pink and cute things rather than martial arts. Renge is one of the few female characters in the show that is depicted as having personality traits outside of, “infatuated with handsome boys” and “ultra feminine”, yet she is considered “crazy” for expressing those outside traits. It isn’t that she isn’t traditionally feminine, but that she has more to her character than that, much to the dismay of her male counterparts. She has her own hobbies and ideas. She knows exactly what she wants and goes for it. Even if her methods are questionable and a bit on the stereotypically crazy side, she still goes after her aspirations.

When Tamaki, one of the main characters of the show, greets and flirtily welcomes Renge to the club, she flinches away at his nonconsensual touch. She seems shell-shocked, blushing in what seems like embarrassment. After she comes to terms with him touching her face without permission, she slaps him, calling him a phony (among other insults), and leaving him emotionally beaten before going to Kyouya, the one she really wants. She decides to reinvent the Host Club’s characters in order to help Kyouya make more money, which should, she believes, make him fall in love with her the way she loves him. She is shown to get her ‘comeuppance,’ in a sense, when everything she goes for backfires. Kyouya reveals that he does not like her, she nearly ends up hurt, and she is told that she must take her time and learn about others in order to have a good relationship of any kind. When you come into relationships expecting someone to act a certain way, you are harming your chances of a healthy relationship. The message is good, but Renge’s fate is not quite as nice. She becomes a frequent background character, used for exposition, cheap plot device, and/or the voice of the fawning fan girls. The closest we get to her personal hobbies is the fact that she sometimes cosplays and, if we’re lucky, hear her talk about them for five or so seconds.

Another example of women in the show comes in the form of Benio Amakusa and the rest of the Zuka Club. In the third book of the series, specifically in ‘Episode 10’, we are introduced to Benio. She is dressed in the men’s uniform, has short hair, and is openly flirtatious with Haruhi, acknowledging Haruhi’s sex publicly to the Host Club’s dismay. Once Benio and company reveal to the hosts that they are, in fact, women, Tamaki labels them all as lesbians. All three do end up showing attraction of some sort to women, but the fact that he labels them all as such simply because one is shown to enjoy dressing in the men’s uniform and having short hair is a disturbing thought in and of itself. Tamaki sees that one is a lesbian, and begins making assumptions about their collective character based on that assumption. He goes so far as to pass out in shock at the presence of lesbians, and, once he awakens, says the following to the three Lobelia Woman’s Academy members; “You girls are all wrong!! What can come from a woman loving a woman!? Why did God create Adam and Eve, if not--!” He’s cut off before he can finish the thought, much to the LGBT+ community’s pleasure. Much to the community’s displeasure, however, is the imagery used in the anime to depict lesbians as nazis, having them do the nazi salute to a flag labeled “women”. Back to the plot, once he believes that he might lose Haruhi to this all-girl’s academy, he has some of his fellow hosts dress in exaggerated womanly clothing and wigs so that she can have ‘the best of both worlds,’ so to speak. The hosts think that, if they act ‘womanly’ enough, they will be a satisfactory replacement. Haruhi proceeds to explain that she had never even considered going with the girls, as her home was with the hosts. The Lobelia girls promise their revenge in a seemingly silly and typical manner.

In the only other episode that the Lobelia girls show themselves in, we get to see them kidnap Haruhi and, under the guise of needing Haruhi to perform, trick her into a situation that would lead to a non-consensual kiss in front of a large crowd, if not do more to her. When you watch the show, there doesn’t seem to be much going on aside from a silly and ridiculous plan that some rich lesbians are pulling to get revenge on the ‘noble and correct’ Host Club. When you really think about what’s happening though, it’s scary. They kidnap someone. They nearly sexually assault someone. What does it say that there only true gay representation resorts to these tactics when they are previously thwarted? The girls are basically degraded to recurring villains with silly beliefs, antics, and existences. Why is that?

In volume 5 of the manga, ‘Episode 17,’ we get exposed to Ayame Jonouchi, who is entirely skipped over in the anime. She makes a return in the live action series, however, holding her own arc in the third episode of the series. She’s incredibly intelligent, notably attractive, and, according to the hosts, a monotone speaker. They even go so far as to call her, “Miss Morse” and “Morse Code Lady” at one point. She is described as scholarly looking and strait-laced, and holds a major grades complex. The last of those points explains why she has always been in the top two of her classes grading system, holding the second place position hostage directly under the Host Club’s Kyouya Ootori. Once Tamaki transfers to Ouran, however, she gets knocked down to third, much to her displeasure. She becomes a foil for Tamaki in a sense, showing that her struggle and constant practice to gain knowledge will never be enough to beat the natural tendencies of her male counterparts. After checking the traditional genders of all of the names listed on the sheet for her class, I discovered that there was only one other girl on the page. Her position? Seventh place.

Ayame’s tale’s conclusion is a little bit painful to watch, as it is near a cliche at this point. It turns out that she actually loved Tamaki for a certain comment he made about her straight hair during their first meeting. Her hair is naturally wavy, leading to her having self-image issues in the face of her crush that lead her grades to drop just enough for Tamaki to take her spot. Her wavy hair being exposed by the rain, a breakdown of frustration, and a few compliments from Tamaki later, she discovers that she is beautiful no matter how she looks on the outside, and becomes a regular customer of Tamaki’s. She is petite, cisgender, heterosexual, and pale. The only reason we know that she continues attending the Host Club is because it is literally written into the final panels of the chapter. We never actually see her again in either rendition of the story.

The most famous ‘woman’ in all renditions of Ouran High School Host Club is Haruhi Fujioka. She is a first semester high school student. She is of the lower middle class. She lives with her father that, in every rendition of the story, is called a ‘tranny’ who works at the local ‘tranny bar’ (rather than addressing him as a drag queen at a drag bar). Her mother was a lawyer before her passing. She is attending Ouran Academy on a scholarship. Her hair is short, she needs glasses, and she can’t afford a uniform. She wears her father’s hand-me-down clothes and her grandfather’s hand-me-down glasses to save money. She’s blunt, book smart, and open minded. She’s a lot of things, but, somehow, she gets some of the worst treatment of the series. She is the reader’s insight into the author’s world; the character being exposed for expositional purposes, so to speak. For the sake of brevity, let’s walk through some key episodes of the anime (which is the story’s most well-known adaptation) and talk about what goes wrong in each one.

In the first episode of the series, “Starting Today, You Are a Host!”, we are introduced to Haruhi Fujioka, the protagonist of the story, who is simply looking for a quiet place to study, and, by mistake, stumbles across a club room in use by Ouran Academy’s Host Club. The members (specifically Tamaki, the series’ largest offender) proceed to insult Haruhi on monetary grounds, insert themselves into her personal space, and assume her gender identity and sexuality. After Haruhi drops an 8 million yen vase, the hosts (again, primarily Tamaki) begin to call Haruhi a dog and basically use her as a servant/errand runner. At one point, Tamaki calls Haruhi a ‘piglet’ in reference to her poor ‘servant’ status putting her beneath him. Later in the episode, Haruhi is revealed to be conventionally attractive, her wants are ignored as the hosts makeover her. Her hair is cut, a uniform is bought, and contacts are put in to make her fit the traditionally beauty standards of manhood (as, for the moment, some of the hosts are under the ruse that she is, in fact, biologically male and cisgender). Once this happens, all who attend the host club seem to treat Haruhi better. She is talked to by girls (which, many argue, is understandable, as she is now a host. My counter-argument is that the girls had to request Haruhi in the first place, something they likely would not have done before Haruhi’s involuntary makeover) and the hosts begin paying her real attention. Tamaki begins claiming Haruhi as ‘his own’ to other people, signalling that, to him, attractiveness is the primary trait that is needed to be on the same level as him, personality be damned. He also proceeds to invade her personal space without consent, which leads to her calling on Mori (another host) for assistance.

Once we hit the final moments of the episode, we find that Haruhi has gone to a changing room as her uniform has been soaked in the events of the episode’s climax. Tamaki, yet again invading personal space without consent, walks in with little to no warning on Haruhi changing, discovering her sex is female. He is shocked and embarrassed, reacting in a seemingly cute way to the discovery. Kyouya eventually comments on the predicament, laying out on the table the true message of the episode. “Could this possibly be the beginnings of love?” he asks the viewer, turning to the camera. He wipes over all of the harassment Tamaki has done to Haruhi, ignores what she really wants in the moment, and waters her character down to ‘love interest’. She is the pretty, feminine foil to Tamaki’s handsome, ‘persistent’ (read as; incessant harassment) personality. They are clearly ‘meant to be together,’ and the show makes it clear in that moment that they will be together whether she wants to be or not as the men in her life see it that way.

In the eighth episode, “The Sun, The Sea, and The Host Club!”, we find the most controversial scene of the series. Before we can get to that, however, we need to walk through the circumstances that lead us to it. The Host Club is on a trip to the beach (after all the men in Haruhi’s life argue about which swimsuit she should wear, of course), and the male hosts decide to figure out what Haruhi is afraid of via a game. The game is that whoever finds out what Haruhi is most afraid of gets pictures (taken and supplied by Haruhi’s father) of Haruhi in middle school (the more I rewatch these episodes, the more creepy things I realize are in them). After a long day with no results, Haruhi gets called up upon an overlook by some of the Host Club’s guests. As she makes her way up to spend time with them, some drunk men beat her there and begin harassing the guests. They grab the girls, asking them if it’s dull without any boys around and ignoring the girls’ pleas to stop. Haruhi, arriving upon the scene, throws a bucket of shells at one of the offenders, calmly asking them to go away. She stands her ground when one of them attacks back, allowing for one of the girls they were harassing to get away at her own expense. After some verbal abuse, Haruhi is thrown off the overlook into the water below, where Tamaki immediately goes in after her. The other hosts handle the assaulters, and, once Haruhi is proven to be safe, the berating begins. “Are you one of those?” asks Tamaki. “Actually a martial arts master, like Honey-senpai?” He grabs her, and goes on. “How could you think that you, a girl, by yourself, could do anything about those boys?!” After Haruhi explains that her actions were a split second decision and she didn’t have time to think, he yells at her, “Well, think about it, you idiot! You are a girl!”

Tamaki and the rest of the male hosts seem to be on the same page, insisting that Haruhi needs to apologize for her actions. Haruhi, on the other hand, does not see any wrong in what she did, which leads to some friction between herself and Tamaki. The two refuse to speak to each other until one apologizes to the other. At dinner, to avoid talking, Haruhi overeats to the point of making herself sick, which she notices only after being chastised again by the hosts sans Tamaki and Kyouya for her actions. After they request an apology from her, she finds that she needs to empty her stomach’s contents and runs to the nearest bedroom. She finds out that the room is, in fact, Kyouya’s, and that the two of them are now alone, prompting the series’s most controversial scene. Fans sometimes call it, “The Scene in the Dark.”

Haruhi apologizes to Kyouya on multiple grounds as he takes the time to lay out all the hassle she has caused him. When Haruhi offers to pay him back, he points out that he has far more money than her and that she is already in debt. He turns down the lights as he lays out her dilemma and brings up a new solution as he leers at her; why doesn’t she pay him back using her body? While she stands there, attempting to process what he’s said, Kyouya takes action. He grabs her arm. He throws her upon the bed. He straddles her, pins her to the bed, and tells her, bluntly, “You should rethink your own gullibility, that things have nothing to do with a person being a guy or a girl. You’ve made a mistake in leaving yourself so open.” He looks her in the eye and, in simple terms, lays out that he could take her. He has more money, more power, and, most prominently, a penis. Haruhi says that he is bluffing, and, luckily, he was. He gets off of her, and she comments that he is “nicer than she thought” for the experience he’s provided. Bisco Hatori, the creator of Ouran, drives home her message bluntly. Women are weak and should be protected by the men in their lives. They should be passive and, if they fail to be such, should immediately apologize. If a man decides to not sexually assault or rape you, he is nice. You should be thankful that he has the courtesy to not sexually abuse you. It’s legitimately terrifying that this is the message that is being sent out.

As salt in the wound, the very next scene is with Tamaki and Haruhi, with the latter cast as a scared little girl in the damsel in distress trope. She hides herself in the closet, curled in a ball, as the audience and Tamaki discover that Haruhi is scared of thunderstorms! She explains that she has always had to rely on herself as her mother is dead and her dad is constantly working. In response, Tamaki promises to take care of her from now on, she seems to come to a silent agreement to lean on the men in her life more, and the two have an emotional make up moment. Haruhi gets love and support from her friends again once she begins to lean on the men in her life and accept the help. I’ve seen other people argue that the message of the episode is that everyone needs to rely on others sometimes, which is a fair argument, but I can’t bring myself to agree the more I look at it. If it’s just about relying on others, why is there the scared little girl imagery? Why do they even emphasize Haruhi’s sex at all in this scenario if it’s not about that? Hatori knew what she was writing, and the message she sent out. She had a plethora of other ways to explore this theme, and she wouldn’t have written it this way unless she meant for it to be taken in a gender-biased manner.

I could go on, but I feel that I’ve explained my stance on the matter. Ouran High School Host Club is a classic anime in the anime community. A lot of people I know and that I’ve heard from in my life grew up with the show, and some still seek a romantic partner like one of the hosts. In all of the series’s adaptations, we find that certain themes remain prevalent. Women are meant to be pretty, submissive things that are interested in their male counterparts at all times. If you have your own interests, you are obsessive and crazy. If you like the same sex, you are against men. If you take a leadership position, you’re a nag. If you stand for what you think is right, you are a bother to the men around you. It’s scarily similar to what I’ve seen on social media. If you talk about sex too much, you’re a slut. If you talk about sex too little, you’re a prude. If you are too skinny, you’re on drugs, too fat, you have no impulse control. It seems that there is no ‘right’ woman to possibly be, in the fantasy that is Ouran or in the reality we face daily. We can only hope that, someday in the future, we can look back at Ouran and unanimously see it for what it is; a romanticized sexist daydream disguised as a teenage anime romantic comedy.

Works Cited

2400 (2011). Thoughts: The Merit Scene in Ouran. [online] Midnight Express. Available at: https://2400express.wordpress.com/2011/09/11/merit-scene-ouran/ [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].

Adler, J. (2015). ‘Ouran High School Host Club’: Haruhi, Heteronormativity, and the Gender Binary | Bitch Flicks. [online] Btchflcks.com. Available at: http://www.btchflcks.com/2015/03/ouran-high-school-host-club-haruhi-heteronormativity-and-the-gender-binary.html#.W6qeFGhKjrc

Darlington, T. (2009). The Queering of Haruhi Fujioka: Cross-Dressing, Camp, and Commoner Culture in <cite> Ouran High School Host Club </cite>. [online] English.ufl.edu. Available at: http://www.english.ufl.edu/imagetext/archives/v4_3/darlington/

F. Innes IV, K. (n.d.). Benio Amakusa. [online] Absolute Anime. Available at: https://www.absoluteanime.com/ouran_high_school_host_club/benio [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].

Hatori, B., RyoRca., Werry, J. and Caltsoudas, G. (2002). Ouran High School Host Club. Hakusensha, p.All.

Hurford, Emily. "Gender and Sexuality in Shoujo Manga: Undoing Heteronormative Expectations in Utena, Pet Shop of Horrors, and Angel Sanctuary." Electronic Thesis or Dissertation. Bowling Green State University, 2009. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. 04 Oct 2018.

Lark, M. (2015). Gender roles in Ouran. [online] Themorninglark.tumblr.com. Available at: http://themorninglark.tumblr.com/post/100669214865/gender-roles-in-ouran-hey-guys-sorry-your [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].

Lark, M. (2015). Kyouya and that scene in the dark. [online] Themorninglark.tumblr.com. Available at: http://themorninglark.tumblr.com/post/100783759195/kyoya-and-that-scene-in-the-dark [Accessed 5 Oct. 2018].

Ogi, F. (2003). Female Subjectivity and Shoujo (Girls) Manga (Japanese Comics): Shoujo in Ladies' Comics and Young Ladies' Comics. The Journal of Popular Culture, 36(4), pp.780-803.

Ouran High School Host Club. (2006). [video] Directed by B. Hatori, T. Igarashi and Y. Enokido. Japan: Bones.

Ouran High School Host Club. (2011). [video] Directed by C. Han, Y. Tachibana and I. Natsuko. Japan: TBS.

SBS PopAsia HQ (2018). Votes are in: The top 100 greatest anime of all-time (as voted by you). [online] SBS PopAsia. Available at: https://www.sbs.com.au/popasia/blog/2017/10/12/votes-are-top-100-greatest-anime-all-time-voted-you [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].

SJ Party (2017). [online] Random Media Analysis Thoughts On OHSHC. Available at: http://thesjtparty.com/post/162171016890/random-media-analysis-thoughts-on-ouran-high [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].

Unknown (n.d.). Ambivalent sexism. [online] En.wikipedia.org. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambivalent_sexism [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].

Unknown (n.d.). Anime Top 50 Most Popular - Anime News Network:W. [online] Animenewsnetwork.com. Available at: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/ratings-anime.php?top50=popular [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].

Unknown (2018). the definition of benevolent sexism. [online] www.dictionary.com. Available at: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/benevolent-sexism [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].

Unknown (2018). Otaku. [online] En.wikipedia.org. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otaku [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].

Unknown (2018). Ouran High School Host Club on Crunchyroll!. [online] Crunchyroll. Available at: https://www.crunchyroll.com/ouran-high-school-host-club [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].

Unknown (n.d.). Renge Houshakuji. [online] Ouran High School Host Club Wiki. Available at: http://ouran.wikia.com/wiki/Renge_Houshakuji [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].

Unknown (2018). Stream & Watch Ouran High School Host Club Online - Sub & Dub. [online] Funimation.com. Available at: https://www.funimation.com/shows/ouran-high-school-host-club/ [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].

Wings, S. (2018). Ouran High School Host Club’s Infamous Episode 8: A Study on Rape Culture. [online] Pixels and Panels [ A Game x Manga Blog]. Available at: https://soaringwingsblog.wordpress.com/2012/10/04/ouran-high-school-host-clubs-infamous-episode-8-a-study-on-rape-culture/ [Accessed 4 Oct. 2018]

#ouran host club #ouran hshc #ohshc #ouran koukou host club #ouran academy #essay #research paper #final paper #gwst #i promise that i’m not trying to rip this series to shreds or something #it just happened to be what i wanted to rewatch at the time and i decided to kill two birds with one stone so to speak

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starstruckpurpledragon · 5 years

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So earlier today I saw an ask on @fuckyeahasexual talking about there being articles on Vice about aromanticism and asexuality. Well, mostly asexuality, but there was apparently one on aromanticism too. I didn’t really have time to read it then, but I wasn’t super impressed by the tagline “They're never gonna fall in love—because they don't want to.”

A person’s orientation isn’t a choice, so I tend to be kind of wary of phrasing that implies the opposite. So not a great start for the article.

It’s actually not bad. It was written in 2014 and despite being 5 years old (well, in September it will be), its information hasn’t aged badly (there’s still the 1% of the population is ace figure that’s outdated, but... 2014). I really don’t like some of the author’s tendency towards flippant humor, but I’ll get to that some below the cut. Overall, its a decent take on aromanticism from an outsider’s perspective and, better yet, the aromantics interviewed for the article aren’t all aroace, there’s a lesbian aro and straight aro who get quoted, and a few other aros who may or may not be ace mentioned throughout the article. I also think it does a fairly good job of addressing common misconceptions like ‘aros are late bloomers’ and ‘it’s a tumblr thing’, though your mileage may vary on that one.

I particularly like the closing paragraph:

It’s clear that the human experience that sits under the label of “aromantic” is not simple. Aros may feel sexual attractions, they may not. They may want to be intimate, they may not. They might want relationships with one special person, or have squishes, they might not. Their ideal Christmas present might be a Blu-ray copy of The Notebook, or they might have taste. But all of this variation doesn’t make the label less valid. Why should minority sexual and romantic orientations have to fit into strict criteria? Straight, romantic people aren’t all easily defined either. Love is complicated, and humans are more so—and when you think in those terms, I guess the real question is why aren't there more labels for the way that we relate to each other?

Okay, so I do like some of the flippant humor because I’ll never not find taking potshots at The Notebook funny.

If you’re looking for some 101 resources to start explaining aromanticism to a non-aro friend, this would be a good article to toss their way. Below the cut is a deeper look at the good and bad aspects of the article.

The Good:

While the article uses asexuality as a jumping off point for explaining aromanticism, the author makes it clear that asexual does not equal aromantic or vice versa. She discusses sexuality as a spectrum then introduces the concept of romantic orientations as a spectrum too, moving from there into a deeper view of aromanticism.

She debunks a lot of misconceptions about aromanticism:

Discusses how its not about disliking romantic gestures

Makes it clear that aromantics aren’t psychopaths (though this was one of the places her flippant humor irked me)

Touches on the concept that aromantics do feel all kinds of platonic love, just not romantic love

Tackles the idea that aromantics are just late bloomers, examining the reasoning behind that assumption and ultimately uses quotes from an interviewed aro to land firmly against the idea that aromantics are just late bloomers

Also tackles the idea that we’re just tumblr snowflakes, though this one is more of a mixed-bag of results and YMMV just how well she deals with it

Discusses how enjoying romance as a genre does not disqualify a person from being aromantic

Confronts the idea that aromantics are all sex-fiends both with quotes from aros who explain why thats not true and from using her own logic skills to pick apart the fallacy

While she doesn’t discuss amatanormativity by name, she does tackle the concept to some degree. There are quotes from aromantics discussing the harm society’s expectations regarding romance have made aros feel uncomfortable or even broken.

Describing squishes using AVEN’s definition was a good start - “a desire for a strong platonic relationship with someone which is usually more emotionally intimate than a typical friendship.” - which makes it all the more annoying when her treatment of the term squish is immediately fumbled afterwards. (More below in ‘The Bad’ section.)

She discusses what QPRs are and while the definition given isn’t the greatest - there’s no mention of alterous attractions and the standard ‘romantic relationship levels of commitment between intensely close friends’ description is given. While some aros are okay with this type of description for QPRs and other aros are very intensely against it, this is definitely a spot where YMMV. While I’m ultimately glad that QPRs were addressed at all and in a way that non-aros can start grasping the concept, I do find it frustrating that she implies that QPRs are sort of friendship+ since that’s not really what they are.

The Bad:

I admit, I really just don’t like the tagline. In addition to my earlier complaints, it erases aromantics who do want to be in a romantic relationship. There are a lot of valid reasons an aro might choose to be in a romantic relationship and I don’t think that ever really gets addressed in the article, which instead frames all aro relationships as either friendships or QPRs.

“Aromanticism is simply the fundamental desire to not be in a romantic relationship.” - That’s... not really a good explanation of what aromanticism is. While it, thankfully, doesn’t imply that aromanticism is a choice, it doesn’t actually describe what aromanticism is - not experiencing romantic attraction - and equates aromanticism with behavior - not wanting to be in a romantic relationship. This once again erases aromantics who are in romantic relationships for any number of valid reasons.

“Unlike psychopaths or people who just don’t want to be in a romantic relationship with you (ugh, weirdos), aros are capable of love.” - While I’m glad she addresses both that aros aren’t psychopaths and that aros do feel love, I could do without the amatanormative joke in the middle there. The idea that only weirdos wouldn’t be romantically attracted to a person is really entitled and creepy and gross and just jarring to have there. The semi-flippant treatment of dismissing the psychopath misconception isn’t all that great either, but YMMV. In this particular context its just very uncomfortable to me, perhaps largely because the person making the joke isn’t aro.

The dismissive attitude towards aro culture because we make jokes about auto-correct, discuss fandom headcanons, and create pride flags. These are all things that pretty much every LGBT+ identity does and its insulting to single us out for being comfortable enough with our aromanticism to start having fun and taking pride in ourselves. None of that is inherently childish and I really can’t tell if she’s being ignorant or indulging in ageism by classifying things she’s not interested in as things that adults don’t do.

The equally dismissive treatment of aromantic terms, like ‘squish’ and ‘zucchini’. ‘Squish’ is no more childish than the term ‘crush’ and plenty of adults use the word ‘crush’ to describe their romantic feelings. And while ‘zucchini’ may sound weird without knowing the history behind it (or even when you do) slang pretty much always sounds weird. It’s even more frustrating because one of the quotes in this section are used to reinforce the author’s disdainful attitude towards the adequacy of our terminology. Not every aro finds these words useful but its downright hurtful to see an aro quoted calling the word ‘squish’ juvenile or equate it with being ‘emotionally stunted’. (Seriously, while I can understand wanting equivalent terms we can use that are less likely to be dismissed by non-aros, I hope everyone will try to remember that dismissing words like ‘squish’ is really hypocritical when similar slang terms are widely in use for conveying romantic emotions and are not treated as childish. It’s just another form of aromisia and one that is very easily internalized.)

Overall, the author seemed extremely open to understanding what aromanticism really is and the parts of her writing that conveyed amatanormative and aromisic sentiments could be put down to her simply still being ignorant on the subject. It’s definitely a good starting point for non-aros to learn some of the basics about aromanticism. I don’t know if I’d recommend this to someone trying to figure out if they themselves are aro, though.

#aromantic article #non-aro author #aromisia #arophobia #good as a 101 article for non-aros #aro erasure #2014 #I might go back later and checkout the articles on asexuality #but I was more interested in the aro article #because as little as there is on asexuality there's even less on aromanticism #aro 101

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