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frankie-bell · 8 months

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An Essay Exploring Psycho-Pass's Most Controversial Character

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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hypaalicious · 8 months

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Why I think Nocturne is way better than the OG Castlevania series

Sorry, when I try to shut up about this show I be like

so here’s my unsolicited, highly biased word vomit that will contain spoilers at the end (but those will be under a cut) so read at your own risk! Okay, leggo

It’s actually diverse.

One thing about high fantasy is that it’s almost always Eurocentric. Even if it’s not set in Europe, the characters are gonna inexplicably have British accents because we associate that with high fantasy. We’re gonna have European style “old” clothing choices. And if everyone isn’t white, they might as well be because they’ll only throw in a couple ambiguously brown side characters and call it a day. Or if they make a main character a POC then best believe everyone around them will be white.

Nocturne, tho? Oh, you can tell it’s made with more than just a sprinkle of representation. They didn’t just make Olrox indigenous, they tied his Aztec lineage in beautifully. Annette was a slave but it’s not flattening her character because of it. Drolta came to slay but even she has her authentic background. Which leads me to my next point!

The Black characters especially are done tastefully.

Like… don’t get me wrong. I love Isaac. He was the only reason I stayed tuned into Castlevania past season 1, LMAO! But his backstory felt like straight trauma porn cooked up by a non-Black person who wanted an excuse to see a Black man whipped for character development.

Zodwa Nyoni wrote some episodes for Nocturne and she put her FOOT in it. When it came to addressing Annette’s time as a slave, her connection to the Orisha through her bloodline… I was gobsmacked at how accurate everything was and now I know why LOL! Like, for me, it’s always gonna be hard to see slavery in fiction but I can’t say shit bad about how it was tied into everything in this show. Annette’s ancestors play such a huge part in her growth and it just warmed my heart to see a Black girl whoop some colonizer ass without it feeling hamfisted. 🥹

The token relationship is the cishet one, everyone else is gay asf

I love that trope flipped on it’s head, ngl LMAO! I, by default, HC everyone as bi anyway but MAN was it nice to see Olrox and Mizrak speedrun enemies to lovers and a hint of Drolta’s devotion/gayness to Erzsebet.

I know the majority of my fictional character thirsting leans male but don’t get it twisted; I jump for JOY for gay shit in media 😂 The only reason I don’t thirst as hard for female characters is because I prefer my men fictional but my women real.

That being said, this series sent me into bi panic and I’d like to be manhandled in a room by Drolta and Olrox.

Nocturne’s first season plays out neater than the OG’s first season.

Like… okay. My main beef with the OG series was that after they defeated Dracula, the rest of the show felt like a meandering fanfic. Sure, there were a few badass moments, but the energy kinda faltered for me and I was bored with a lot of it. I hope they don’t do the same with Nocturne; they left off at a nice cliffhanger which builds anticipation for the next season and… idk it feels more cohesive already? They coulda speedran kicking Erzsebet’s face in like the OG trio did to Dracula but I’m so glad they left us a lil something to look forward to.

Alucard’s glow up >>>>>

I’m chronically online but I’m so glad I went into this series blind because the way I GASPEDT when he showed up at the end

Like damn for the past fifty-leven years he was in that castle by himself going “do I wanna talk to Sypha and Trevor plushies again or do I wanna make myself even more of a bad bitch?” Then he chose the latter, went to the salon, got his hair bleached platinum along with some sew in extensions for volume, beat his face with Fenty, and said “sorry Drolta but there can be only one vampire baddie on this earth and hunny I’m TAKIN IT”

He looks more like his video game design this way too, which I love! I hate that he took out Cuntress McSlay tho 😔 Drolta I will always love you!!

Mmkay. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to start a cult to Olrox real quick. Erzsebet ain’t the only god walking the earth and I feel he just needs good marketing!

#I don’t know what to do until season 2 😩#there’s just so much I want to see but I have to WAIT #Annette is badass now but I know her character development bout to go CRAZY #her and Richter gone have biracial babies just watch!!#wonder what her ancestors gone think about her being with a colonizer tho 👀#ah well Richter will treat her right I know it #oohhh I bet her locs will be down her back by the end of this series #Richter better get his long hair too!!#castlevania nocturne

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aimbutmiss · 4 months

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I'm so tired of going on tiktok and twitter and seeing people thirst over Bonnie and seeing people argue in the comments. This shouldn't even be an argument, it should not be as controversial as people are making it.

She's twelve. That's that.

The whole execution of the character is off from the get go. I'm not saying the idea itself is creepy, because it's not. It's actually very creative and can be used to aid in your storytelling, to paint a better picture of your character. The idea of a child being able to age shift is unique, and it fits Bonnie's character, ties in with how she had to grow up too quick. That's good storytelling. And I also get that One Piece has an art style, and all grown female characters are drawn a certain way.

However, that does not mean you have to constantly put her, a literal child, in sexualising situations. Why does she need to be almost naked in a scene? What does portraying her in that light add to the story? It's not just the weird creepy fans that are the problem, it's also toei animation for taking it too far. (She's not as bad in the manga I believe, but I might be wrong so correct me if so) And oda is, I'm guessing, okay with this portrayal. It's all very disappointing.

Either way, no matter what kind of fucked up fantasy the studio is pushing, you should not be gloating about how hot Bonnie is and how sensitive people are. She acts like a child, she is a child, so who cares if it's just fictional? Why would I think your fucked up mind set would not also go for real life??? Y'all got some real confidence, spewing your bullshit online without repercussions.

Also I saw someone's take of making it about culture and I do not like what that is implying at all. You're saying Japan's culture is pedophilia?? That we are disrespectful and we're pushing our western ideals on the anime industry??? So it seems everyone has lost their critical thinking skills. Some things are universal, common fucking sense. Pedophilia is bad. Period. What are you trying to argue? What are you trying to defend? You disgust me.

#this turned into a rant but im at my fucking limit #im so tired #one piece #jewelry bonney #rant post

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ladydastro · 5 months

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Hello, this is my intoduction

Greetings, this is D. Astro I've been writting stuff for years at this point, but never had the guts to post any of it. So you can say I am new to this whole thing. Please be parient with me, as I am not an native english speaker.

There are a lot of things that excite me and as you're about to find out, when something excites me I become completely obsessed with it. Mostly I will write x female reader, but if you'd like me to I can also write x gn reader. I've never written NSFW, but it wouldn't hurt to try. Occasionally, I will also post about my OCs too.

To finally come to a close, I should inform you that I will not be sharing any details of my personal life. I prefer if this account is kept a secret (Shhh!). Anyhow, if you're bored and willing to lose some precious time, join me in this trip down the rabbit hole of thirsting for fictional characters. Worry not, for we are all mad here. I am mad. You are mad. That was is it, my dudes. See ya when I decide to actually post shit. <3

#dc x reader #atsv x reader #batfamily x reader #batfam x reader #erik destler x reader #phantom of the opera x reader #yandere x reader #Marvel x reader #don't know what to tag this

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lovisyandereblog · 6 months

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Rules and Regulations!

TRIGGER WARNING:

This blog will revolve heavily around dark content, if this is not for you, please do not interact<3

I’ll reiterate this once again, under 17s and/or ageless blogs will be blocked! Please do not interact!!

-I do take requests, asks, thirst and basically anything!

-If you have sent a request/thirst/ask, please give me some time to reply as I have a very busy day to day life especially as I’m in sixth form currently!!

-I will write for gender neutral reader, however if you specify a gender in your ask, I will take it into account. I can do gn, male and female so do not hesitate to request.

-PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT THINK YANDERE BEHAVIOUR IS SUITABLE IN REAL LIFE. WHAT I WRITE IS FICTION AND SHOULD NOT BE REPEATED.

-I do prefer dom reader, however I will write for sub reader aswell…but they might not be as good😭

-I don’t mind a little harmful flirting or teasing so feel free to send some of those in as-well. Also, I really really enjoy making new friends, so please ask to be mutuals!!

Characters:

I can write for any character of your choice, and will also add a few of my own as I have lots of ideas. I can write for fandoms as-well but only ones im familiar with for obvious reasons.

Fandoms I can write for are:

-Genshin Impact

-Harry Potter (Generic, I know)

-A little bit of MHA (I dont know all the characters)

-JJK (Again, im not familiar with all characters)

If you really want a character which is from a fandom I have not specified on the list, then please send me a short description of how that characters personality is like and what context you want the ask in :)

Kinks/Scenarios I will write for:

-Any type of characters, be it mythical, hybrid etc.

- This blog will heavily heavily focus on Yandere and Obsessive Characters

-Masochism and Sadism

-Degradation

-Praise

-Overstimulation

-Edging

-Toys

-Pegging

-Dacryphillia

-Pet Play

-Punishments

-Suicide/Self-harm

-Noncon (I will not write for rape)

-Submissive character/Dominant reader

-Dominant character/Submissive reader

Kinks/Scenarios I will not write for:

-Scat/Piss Kink

- Anything to do with furries (No hate, I just don’t know how to write about them😭)

-Pedophillia

-Racism

-Platonic love (I do not have a problem with this, Im just not very good at writing it)

-OC reader, reader will be referred to as you or Y/N (pronouns only if specified in ask)

Again, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

Created 20/11/23

#sub character #obsessive yandere #obsessive love #yandere x reader #yandere #obsessive imagines #dom character #dom reader #sub reader #minors dni #yandere community #yandere blog

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daydreamer-anst · 2 years

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I hate when people think that Elain is obsessed with Azriel when she clearly isn't. She has some kind of affection towards him, yes, but she has never been described as obsessed. Whatever ship you support, it's wrong to claim that. Like your ship or character will not get better if you mock Elain for something that she isn't. She gave the necklace back when Azriel rejected her. If she was obsessed with him she would have kept it. Azriel is obsessed with Elain (for a year or so) and not the opposite. Stop making things from your mind and for god's sake read the books!

It's annoying to always see posts or videos on tik tok claiming that Elain is thirsting over Azriel or wishes for changes on her body just for him when nothing like that is written in the books. This is misogynistic!

Also trying to make Elain evil because of Azriel's rejection should be considered as a joke. She actually said thet she doesn't need a male. Someone who said this wouldn't wait for Azriel forever. (Especially when she has a hot mate and a story to unfold with him.) If you don't support Elucien like me, ignore the last comment and focus on what I said previously. Don't be misogynists when a softer female character is involved. Especially when we haven't read the story from her pov.

And this is going for Gwyn as well. Don't throw shit at her. If your ship is so perfect you don't need to make negative posts neither for Elain nor for Gwyn. They are fictional but can we see their actions as they are written?

I'm not judging which ship you support, I am just saying to not make things from your heads. Respect the undeveloped characters because the time their stories will be told is coming closer.😌

#pro elain #elain archeron #acotar #elucien #gwynriel #elain x lucien #lucien x elain #azriel #gwyneth berdara #lucien vanserra #anti e/riel

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sinnercore · 1 year

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⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀── ⠀⠀RULES !

ⓘ DO NOT INTERACT / BEFORE YOU FOLLOW ! ⠀⠀

• do not interact if you’re homophobic, transphobic, racist, sexist, fatphobic etc. this blog has no tolerance and no room for hate against anyone.

• if you are a minor, you are not welcome on this blog. minors do not even interact with this blog, this is a place for ADULTS to be comfortable, and only a place for adults. all minors / ageless / blank blogs WILL be blocked.

• don’t bother interacting if you’re someone that causes drama whether fandom drama or writer drama. like stated, this is a hate free place and is meant to be a comfortable place. do not being your drama to my asks or you’ll be permanently blocked.

• don’t interact if your blog has anything to do with lolicon, zoophilia, fetishisation of race, religion, sexuality, has anything to do with proana / ed’s, or anything with a similar nature.

• if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to DM me. however, if you take issue with my writings and what I choose to write for, do NOT interact! this is a dark content blog and posts such content. the contents on this blog may make some people uncomfortable, so ALWAYS read the tags at the beginning of my posts. CURATE YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE! if you choose to read something triggering, that’s on you, not me.

• JUST BECAUSE I WRITE ABOUT CERTAIN TOPICS, DOES NOT MEAN I CONDONE THEM IN REAL LIFE! please learn to separate fiction from reality.

ⓘ BASIC INFORMATION !

• the majority of my fics will be written with female readers in mind, however I will occasionally write gender neutral / male reader fics, too.

• most of my fics will also be submissive reader, but that will occasionally change!

• if you send in requests, please be specific. this means, the topic / scenario, the character/s (max of 5 per request), and what you actually want. I will refuse to answer asks like “smut with ___” give me some deets.

• respect that I am a slow writer, I lose motivation a lot and my disability often stops me from being able to concentrate enough for lengthy posts. I will write, and post, when I can.

• my asks are always open for talking, and especially sending thirsts / horny thoughts — I love talking about stuff like that and I enjoy being able to talk to you guys <;33

• please do not duplicate asks — meaning do not send me the same request you’ve already sent to another person. it’s just disrespectful and if I find out you’ve done it, the request will be deleted and you’ll be blocked.

ⓘ WHAT I WILL WRITE FOR !

• aphrodisiacs, anal, age gaps, breeding, breath play, bondage, cumflation, cum eating, cuckolding, corruption kinks, dubcon, dacryphilia, daddy / mommy kink, drugging (sometimes), degradation, femdom, fisting, fear play, gun play, knife play, kidnapping, lactation, monsterfucking, noncon, pegging, power dynamics, praising, roleplay, stepcest, spitting, somnophilia, tentacle fucking, water sports and more.

ⓘ WHAT I WILL NOT WRITE FOR !

• age play, anything involving animals, child abuse, eating disorders, extreme gore, foot fetishes, gender dysphoria, heavy drug use / addiction (heroin, meth etc), high school student × high school teacher (college is fine), pet play, suicide, stds, self-harm, scat, snuff, vomit, vore, and probably more.

ⓘ FANDOMS + CHARACTERS !

attack on titan — [ annie leonhart, armin arlert, connie springer, eren jaeger, erwin smith, hange zoë, historia reiss, jean kirschtein, levi ackerman, mikasa ackerman, pieck finger, porco galliard, reiner braun, sasha braus, zeke jaeger ]

bleach — [ byakuya kuchiki, gin ichimaru, grimmjow jaegerjaquez, ichigo kurosaki, kisuke urahara, mayuri kurotsuchi, orihime inoue, rangiku matsumoto, renji abarai, rukia kuchiki, shunsui kyōraku, soi-fon, sōsuke aizen, tōshirō hitsugaya, ulquiorra cifer, yasutora sado (chad), yoruichi shihōin, zaraki kenpachi, + and more ]

dc universe — [ dick grayson / nightwing, jason todd / red hood ] *more to come soon*

dead by daylight — [ the artist, the doctor, ghostface, the huntress, the knight, the legion (frank + joey), michael myers, nemesis, the nurse, the oni, the pig, pinhead, the plague, pyramid head, the skull merchant, the spirit, the trapper, the trickster, albert wesker, the wraith, + all survivors ]

devil may cry — [ dante sparda, nero sparda, v, vergil sparda + dmc reboot dante, kat, and vergil]

genshin impact — [ albedo, alhaitham, arataki itto, beidou, cyno, dainsleif, diluc, dottore, kaedehara kazuha, kaeya, kamisato ayato, kujou sara, ningguang, raiden shogun, shenhe, shikanoin heizou, tartaglia, thoma, venti, wanderer, xiao, yae miko, zhongli + more ]

honkai : star rail — [ blade, caelus, dan heng, jing yuan, gepard, himeko, kafka, luocha, nanook, natasha, sampo, serval, welt, + more ]

jujutsu kaisen — [ choso, kento nanami, mahito, maki zen’in, megumi fushiguro, naoya zen’in, ryomen sukuna, satoru gojo, suguru geto, toji fushiguro, yuji itadori + more ]

resident evil — [ albert wesker, ada wong, chris redfield, claire redfield, jack krauser, jake muller, jill valentine, luis serra, piers nivans ]

#my navigation #rules

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katasstrophy · 1 year

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EVEN IN CATASTROPHE, THERE ARE RULES . . . !

RIVER’S before you follow/interact rules !

01. general dni criteria. it’s 2023, don’t be a hater, because you can find i can be an even bigger asshole to people incapable of showing some human decency :) if you can’t respect my boundaries, you will be promptly blocked and/or your harmful ask(s) will be deleted. same goes for discourse. do not start shit with me or on my blog! because frankly i don’t care for it :)

02. please have a visible age in your bio or pinned post. this blog posts/interacts with nsfw + dark content, so interactions/follows from minors and ageless blogs are not welcome! i won’t actively vet every single notification i receive, because it’s frankly impossible and i assume we’re all sensible people here who won’t push themselves into spaces they aren’t welcome in, but if i happen to catch you breaking this rule i am instantly blocking your ass.

03. while my current hyper-fixation/content centers around blue lock + tokyo revengers, i also frequently reblog and/or interact with content, art, writing, etc. from other fandoms i’m involved in, so this is generally a not spoiler free blog! keep that in mind.

04. in terms of writing reader-insert fics, i’m most comfortable with writing female! readers because that’s the one i’m confident about portraying well due to my own experiences. please understand that. unless stated otherwise, the fictional characters i write about are also aged up 18+ as a narrative tool.

05. i do not take requests. if you send one in, it will be deleted. otherwise, my inbox is open for thirsts, any and all thoughts, or if you want to chat. however, please note that generally i take a long time to answer thirsts/thoughts if i’m particularly inspired by them, as i want to be able to elaborate on them well. please know that i’m not ignoring you. thank you for your patience.

06. please do not spam like my posts, as this could lead to me getting shadow banned. furthermore, please do not send me ideas that you have sent to other writer blogs as well. it just implies you’re ‘demanding’ content, which is usually upsetting to see for creators who work hard on their writing.

thank you for reading !

#river’s rules #navigation

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m34gs · 10 months

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For the ask: 12, 13, 14, 20!

Thank you for the ask, friend! From this ask game. No specific fandom or media, so if media is necessary for the answer I will choose the most applicable one for me for each question!

Alright, this got away from me a little. Under the cut she goes. Warnings for: murder, serial killers, true crime, Jeffrey Dahmer, and some very very very abominable behaviour that makes my gut churn and my blood boil.

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

I don't know if I pay close enough attention to what fandom dislikes to know which characters are unpopular, I kind of just hang out in the spaces that have the things I like, so I may be like "Oh this character is super popular" and it's like no...no Meags. they're not. It's just that you followed five blogs dedicated specifically to that character in the past three days so you're seeing a lot of stuff about them.

If I had to pick one that I *think* would be unpopular, that I like, it would be Inca Kasugatani from Fire Force. I think people don't like her because she's completely self-centered and just wants that adrenaline rush; she just wants that thrill of whether or not she will survive. I think this is an interesting trait to have in a character and one that is not explored near enough in female characters. I find it a bit refreshing, especially that she followed what seemed in alignment with her character and chose the side that seemed more exciting to her. So many times a character will be set up as 'this person only pursues what they want' only to make some weird choice that doesn't align with their wishes, but shows no development up to that point, leaving me to wonder where the heck that choice came from.

We know I love an unhinged fictional character, and Inca is no different. She's coldblooded and does not care what others think. Don't get in her way, because you will not walk away unscathed.

I would never want to force someone to like a character, or to make someone feel like they have to justify not liking a character. I do feel like she would get more love if she was a boy (I can list a plethora of male characters who are self-centered, thrill seekers, cold and low or no empathy who are loved by the masses; I pay enough attention to fandom for that) or if she was on the side of the protagonist, or both, but that doesn't mean everyone has to like her or else they're being sexist or whatever. I don't really care that much if other people like her or not. I just think she's fascinating and I want to see what else she does.

13. worst blorboficiation

Hmm. Well, typically what I dislike is when characters who are complex and dynamic get boiled down to one character trait. That being said, with fiction I tend to try and live and let live.

Real people however? Oh that will get me. That will tick me off. Ignoring for a moment that I kind of find the "blorbofication" of real living people in general just distasteful, I'd have to say the one that gets me actually riled up, the one that disturbs me the most, is the "blorbofication" of Jeffrey Dahmer. Yeah, you heard me. People are out here treating real serial killers like they're some sort of fictional character to thirst over or call their "precious little meow meow". I don't care so much what people do with fictional characters, but if you're gonna glorify and thirst over a man who brutalized actual living people? Disgusting. Difference between serial killers and fictional characters? Uh, fictional characters don't hurt real people. It's just sickening. They sell merch with his face on it. Some call him "daddy"; I've seen the freaking tiktoks. Sickening. Disgusting. Makes me rather uneasy with the True Crime as a whole. Like, at least have the decency to treat the subject of True Crimes with respect and solemnity it deserves. The victims were real fucking people, ffs.

I don't hate all true crime; documentaries, reading articles, etc, I don't hate on the topic as a whole, and I even read and watch my fair share, the true crime fandom is not all bad, but you gotta treat the victims and families with RESPECT. You gotta recognize that some of these victims...their families, THEIR MOTHERS. ARE STILL. ALIVE. How would you feel if one day you're doing ok, you've finally managed to move forward with your life, and even though you miss your SON WHO WAS MURDERED, you can still live...and then BAM. Some asshole is wearing his murderer's face on a t-shirt like he's part of some fucking boy-band. How gross.

14. that one thing you see in fics all the time

"This character is the mom (gender neutral) and this character is the dad (gender neutral) and the rest are all their children" - this dynamic isn't *bad*. It's just done a lot. Don't get me wrong, I do love it as a found family dynamic. But I would love to see more "these two are clearly siblings and this is the feral child that pretends not to care but secretly does and these are the gay uncles and here's the vodka aunt and there's granny with her multiple lesbian wives" or "this one is clearly The Child and everyone else are the Responsible Older Siblings because they CANNOT be left unsupervised EVER" or something different once in a while. A family doesn't have to be "mom" "dad" and "kids". It can be so much more.

20. part of canon you found tedious or boring

Naruto - the flashbacks. So many flashbacks. Often the same flashbacks. Flashbacks *within* flashbacks. Enough. I get it. There's an important scene you want us to associate with this moment. But we already are. I honestly would zone out during some of them because they were just so long.

There you go, there are my answers! Thanks for asking. Hope you find them interesting :)

#asks #ask games #choose violence ask game #my opinions #naruto #fire force #found family #trigger warnings:#controversy #murder #serial killers #jeffrey dahmer #true crime

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midnightscxre · 2 years

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Rules

MUN is 27 years old (she/her), so this blog will not interact with people younger than 21. 21+ ONLY, minors do not interact.

This blog is selective and mutuals only.

I am friendly, always open to gush over our characters however due to the past experience I want to state that any form of inappropriate behavior such as: being flirty toward the MUN, getting too personal with asking the information about my private life and comparing me with any of my muses will result in INSTAT BLOCK. This is fiction, muse does not equal mun, and I have no intention to make anything but role play partners and friends here. I am a taken woman and will not tolerate anything that makes me feel uncomfortable.

Starters are open to mutuals only if not stated otherwise.

DO NOT use me as a ' resource blog ' for new followers, meaning: if we became mutuals and didn't establish no interaction, don't scroll through my blog adding everyone you see on sight. I welcome my followers becoming mutuals, however, if you plan to make me a 'springboard' for new followers, I will block you on sight.

Using me for my male characters will not slide. It will lead to me losing interest and dropping the tread. It happened a few times and I am just tired of it. This includes 'half-assing' the threads while giving the best for the females, focusing just on the ship where I play the male and obviously neglecting the ship where you play the male. I have twice as many male characters than female, but I love my girls just as much. Fair play is something I highly appreciate.

I will not interact with blogs that have all female characters nor single female muse blogs.

PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT THING: Please, MOVE THE STORY FORWARD. This is the main problem and the most common thing that makes me to drop the thread. Please, don’t only answer on the things already written on my part, add some story development, events, develop the plot along side with me. We all like that element of surprise, and I honestly, adore it. So lets build the story equally!

I am a detailed role player: lit. / advanced lit. / novella style . (The choice between short replies and novella depends on my role play partner’s style and my time)

This blog is LGBTQIA+ friendly. Just because I prefer MxF shipping for my muses, does not mean I will not interact with people who have different tastes. This place is respectful and welcoming all, so no form of hate will be tolerated.

Font: small + GIFs (medium)

My OCs are not tied to a specific universe, so they are open for cross-overs, various settings and interaction with OC and CANON characters.

I try to respond on daily bases but as we all , I have obligations so please be patient. Some days some muses are high and others low, and I do write based on my inspiration. Please know that if I responded to someone and not you, that does not mean I am ignoring you, it just means I am either busy or the muse is low. I despise writing bad responses, so know I am just trying to give you a quality response, so that is why it might be longer sometimes.

If you want to finish the role play, please do let me know. No hard feelings, I respect when someone is direct.

I am flexible, always open to ideas, after all, I see role playing as something both parties should enjoy, so do not hesitate to DM me and we can figure something out :)

I role play through threads / reblogs and Discord.

Playlists, memes, mood boards, or casual ‘thirsting’ over our characters? YES PLEASE AND THANK YOU! I love OOC talks about our muses and generally commenting on them and their situations, so never hesitate to jump right into my DM and let the fun begin!

Triggers: I only have one trigger - animal abuse. Any type of mistreating animals is NOT acceptable here.

Will NOT tolerate : Ince*t. R*pe, Underage, scat..and similar things!

When it comes to SMUT, writing some heated moments leading to the ‘main course’ is fine, but I would prefer to ‘fade to black’ once the ‘fireworks’ starts. There might be some exceptions, depending on the thread.

Warning: This blog will contain heavy topics such as mental abuse, manipulation, trauma, gore…etc. Please proceed with caution.

#rules

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the-hype-dragon · 1 month

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Books I Read in March

(I am a horrifically slow reader, always have been, so the fact that I read multiple books this month was a surprise to me)

Books I finished reading:

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones - 4/5

If you've heard of it most likely it's because of the movie. The book and the movie are similar for the first ~50% and then diverge wildly. I much prefer the book. Diana Wynne Jones was hilarious. I was pleasantly surprised at the subversion of various fairy tale tropes. Also: the copy I read had an interview with DWJ at the end, and the first question was asking her her thoughts about "everyone wanting to marry Howl." And I was like, "wow, I guess I'm not the only one." There are two types of fictional men I actually like and Howl falls into one of those types. Besides him the other characters were all very fun to read about too, I especially like how diverse the range of female characters are for a relatively short children's book. DWJ was a legend.

Winter Rose by Patricia McKillip - 5/5

Patricia McKillip is one of those authors I knew about but never got around to reading her books. I am obsessed with the tale of Tam Lin and that was what led me to buying Winter Rose, and honestly? Probably one of the best purchases I've ever made. McKillip transformed the tale of Tam Lin into a tale of cycles: of seasons, revenge, abuse, and mistakes. I have heard other books described as "lyrical" but Winter Rose is the first where I actually agreed with the assessment. McKillip had a deft hand with language and her prose is evocative without feeling superfluous; I've complained on this blog about authors using "too many" words to say "very little" and McKillip was the exact opposite of this. She was able to convey a lot without saying very much at all; and so this 260 page book still manages to feel very complete. Definitely a huge recommend.

Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones - 4/5

Another Tam Lin retelling, mixed with the ballad of Thomas the Rhymer. DWJ turns Tam Lin into a coming-of-age story where a girl realizes that women can be heroes, too, inspired by her own childhood and the frustrations of heroic tales apparently only ever being about men. The only problem I had with this book was the age gap romance. Tom Lynn is a grown man when Polly meets him at the ripe old age of ten. Granted nothing explicitly romantic ever really happens between them in-story, and Polly's relationships and crushes tend to be pretty age-appropriate otherwise and Tom doesn't seem to think of Polly "that way" until she's about nineteen. Idk. The 80s were a different time, etc. etc. still pretty sus but not as bad as some other age gap romances I've read and am aware of.

Books I did not finish reading:

Uprooted by Naomi Novik - tentative 1/5

Sometimes you just don't get along with a book and Uprooted and I will never see eye-to-eye. There were just too many things about this book that I didn't really enjoy, mostly the juvenile plot elements being juxtaposed with real-world hardships like poverty and infant mortality, or the way Agnieszka was thirsting after the man she thought was going to r*pe her. My biggest mistake was reading this directly after Winter Rose and simultaneously with Fire and Hemlock. Ironically the actually-YA Fire and Hemlock was a much more mature story than adult-oriented Uprooted. Uprooted's characters felt like cardboard cutouts and the entire thing was paced like a Saturday morning cartoon. Big F from me, do not recommend, etc. I was expecting more because Novik's Temerarie series is pretty well-regarded and everyone seemed to like this book. I probably will not pick this back up except to skim it.

Malafrena by Ursula K. Le Guin - tentative 4/5

I started reading this on the 26th of March and made it about halfway by the 31st and ultimately decided that I have to put it down for a while. Malafrena is a book about idealists written in the most frank, cynical way possible and examines the notion of "freedom" through a philosophical lens. I fucking love it but it is a difficult read. It's about a fictional European country during the very real era of government reform of the 19th century. I appreciate that Le Guin addresses the fact that freedom in this era did not apply to women, and that Luisa Paludeskar spends most of her page time browbeating her freedom-fanboi love interest about this. Le Guin was another one of those writers who was able to convey very complex ideas without saying very much at all; I did not have to put this book down because what she was saying was going over my head. Everything was very clear, very cut-and-dry. However I have two main reasons for currently setting it aside. First: the characters are all incredibly well-written but they are also incredibly frustrating and unlikable people. I love it when an author is able to make me really care about flawed, miserable characters, but it is kind of difficult to read when ALL of them are like that. Second: there is a suicide that takes place about halfway through the book. You only get to read the aftermath, written about quite frankly, but it was so disturbing and tragic that I just couldn't go on reading at that point. I plan to pick this back up later this year but honestly just had to put it down, it was too much. Otherwise I really like it.

---

And that's that on that. Going into April about halfway through Alice Hoffman's Turtle Moon, which I started the evening of March 30th and which I'm enjoying so far. I have a bunch of books I want to read and reread this year and I might just be able to get through most of them... we'll see!

#reading roundup #readin

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megashadowdragon · 8 months

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( this is about momo where someone tried to pull a " fix it " on momo's character design ie making it prudish by covering it up ( seriously one person whined about heels when its a manga there is nothing wrong with her wearing heels its fictional the fact that a real woman wouldnt be able to run around in heels is irrelevant rule of cool/fiction/sexy

(

momo's outfit is practical for her quirk which relys on using body fat and the areas on her body which have the most body fat would be on her front. the claim she could use her back is nonsensical and is just an attempt to justify covering her up along with pretending its ooc for her to design heroutfit like this . when she designed her outfit for purely practical purposes just because she doesnt dress in revealing attire in casual events or doesnt like mineta leering at her doesnt make it ooc for her to wear this costume

she is too focused on being a hero

and her costume which she designed and its in character for her to design her outfit like that for purely practical reasons she is too busy focusing on being a hero rather then being shy about showing skin

its basically horseshoe theory

It's the concept that radical ideologues tend to have a lot of overlapping beliefs and values with ideologues from the opposite extreme - their supposed mortal enemies

·basically whining about female characters showing cleavage or having big breasts then turning around and ignoring male characters being shirtless and showing skin

or having bulging muscles with no body fat

and pretending its different with the bs its a male powerfantasy nonsense male characters are sexualized just like female characters just in a different way because they are different.

male characters are put in sexualized poses but those poses are different due to different body types

"seriously I have seen people complain about them being too sexy while then thirsting for bakugou"

" not to mentioning claiming horikoshi is a pedo for daring to show momo showing some skin or that event with hagakure where she overused her quirk leading to it fitzing out and actually showing her

( it makes sense that hagakure doesnt wear her clothes during her hero work she is invisible constantly that doesnt effect her clothes so if she wants to go unnoticed she has to take her clothes off

but mirio

mirio can turn his intangibility on and off ( its not like the naked gag wasnt used on mirio) hagakure cant

mirios hair can be used to make a suit which doesnt fall off of mirio since it turns intangible with him when he uses his quirk due to it being made with his hair.

the same was used for mt lady)

hagakure that doesnt work because she is constantly invisible and couldnt turn it off and they would have to work with material they cant see

( bnha is a shounen manga aimed at young boys

#bnha #momo yaoyorozu #character design #mha #anime

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fortressofserenity · 1 year

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The harshest, fiercest critics

From my experience, some of the harshest and fiercest critics of fictional black women often tend to be black men. Like if a white woman in fiction becomes black, black men will decry this real badly. Not all black men, but some of them do. If misogynoir refers to an intersection between racism and sexism when aimed at black women, then some of the worst misogynoir I’ve ever seen came from black men.

Even with original black female characters like Ironheart, they still get criticised real badly for it in a way it wouldn’t have been done with another white male character. I know of a black man who complained about Milestone Comics’s Rocket being unlike other teenage girls in comics, one of those criticisms about her is being a single mother. For some reason, he doesn’t do this with white female characters, even if they could be just as unrealistic.

I have a nagging feeling if people really wanted a realistic or more relatable, perhaps more normal female character she’d turn out more like Cathy Guisewite’s Cathy rather than Kate Pryde. But that’s for another topic, even then it’s kind of telling how his point of reference for a relatable teen girl character is suspiciously a stereotypical white teen girl. As if black girls can’t be normal girls the way white girls get to be.

Like when their baseline for a teen girl character is a stereotypical white girl, I can’t help but wonder if they’re so socialised to expect white women to be the baseline for every woman that it’s going to leave out black women. It’s not that black women can’t be teen mothers, but the white western standard renders them deviant in a way they wouldn’t be in black-majority Nigeria.

Even then, I don’t think all white teen girls (both real and fictional) are like this either. But they keep on bringing up a stereotype as if it were the baseline, the norm and the standard for what fictional black girls should be. It’s not that black girls can’t be boy-crazy, into fashion and stuff but some of the things they describe don’t describe what white female characters are actually like.

Kate Pryde, to my knowledge, is hardly ever this boy-crazy and ironically has more stereotypically male interests (sports, computers and weapons) than female ones, since she barely has much of an interest in fashion and the like. Not that women can’t be into sports, but when coupled with her being contrasted against Emma Frost that it feels misogynistic.

If contrasted against black female characters, it becomes an exercise in misogynoir which is what these men are doing. I remember a blogpost where it states that some black men have a habit of going after women who aren’t in their league, if these women reject them or show disinterest in them in some way they’ll react badly.

To the point where they take on some white women, who might be just as incompatible given the high divorce rate between white women and black men. (The phrase should be if you go black, you go back in light of the high divorce rate between the two.) Their criticisms are barely if ever aimed at white and nonblack women, which makes their contempt for any black women who don’t fit their standards more evident.

They bash her real badly if she dates a white man, whilst thirsting after white and nonblack women. While these relationships can work, those that do don’t work on misogynoir and lust. There was a time when I was into black men, but the more I encounter these whiny characters the more I realise why black male-white female relationships don’t end well.

In the sense that they seem appealing at first, but when their bad sides show up the relationship sours real badly. I followed a black man before and he was really misogynistic, in fact he habitually bashes black women a lot. He’s also into Goth girls especially if they’re fair-skinned, which again proves a common observation that black men go after the unattainable.

His muses tended to be fair-skinned black women, but when they mess up real badly like dating a white man he chastises them real badly. He doesn’t do that with white women that much, which makes me think even if he claims to like black women his contempt for them gets blatant at times. Complaining about black single mothers and the like.

Not appealing, not cool and kind of sad really. Misogynoir is a deadly poison, but something black men indulge in often. Even if not all black men are like this, there are those who are genuinely good but for those who do get into interracial relationships only to witness them end badly they have encountered the rejects. The sort of black men who complain about black women dating Pookies and Ray-Rays.

The sort of black men who complain a lot about black women being ghetto and hood, then bashing said ghetto/hood women in fiction and the like. Any black woman who’s too black, whether physically or culturally, is deemed undesirable. Then they go after women they have little in common with, only to have these relationships turn out to be disasters know little of the risks that lie ahead.

Not all black men are like this, but unfortunately it’s fairly common to encounter black men like these.

#misogynoir #racism #interracial #sexism #ironheart #marvel #marvel comics #milestone comics

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