their dynamic is iconic

Okay guys I thought we'd gone over this when JKR (scum of the earth) first ~confirmed~ that Dumbledore was Gay on Twitter.

Why are we now suddenly accepting Word Of God Tweets as canon?

Especially for shows/characters that didn't have a single HINT about xyz queer identity in the actual show? Especially when half these modern shows these days are *explicitly* filled with other rep?

This obviously excludes things in older media where the creators were clearly fighting tooth and nail for inclusion because it's visible in the show in appearances/how characters behave etc even if it's never given verbal direct lines--

--looking at Steven Universe never actually saying the words Gay or Bisexual or Pansexual or anything-- while still being full of gay and bi representation including a literal gay wedding--

-- also looking at a certain reddit thread I found by accident for the EDAs with Eight and his boyfriend (whose name I can't think of or find on Google) in the Doctor Who novels of them being a ship and the author not being able to include the more...ehem. explicit content between them, but their relationship is still there strongly enough in the text you can grasp what's happening behind the scenes.

ALSO looking at the Eighth Doctor being canonically nonbinary without using the word, with multiple instances of them saying things along the lines of Janet from the Good Place's "not a man" --

I think we need to bring it back again--

"if it's not in the [media] it's not representation."

The author of the Animorphs saying "you can Headcanon whatever you want" does NOT make the Animorphs canon queer representation.

The creators of a show that has canon gay and bi rep tacking on comments on Twitter about how a side character is "ace" without ever actually showing that in the show like the other queer identifies were given? NOT representation.

Saying a character is trans/nonbinary/neopronouns representation purely because the main character is a robot that agrees with its assigned-at-construction "genderlessnsss" and uses it/its pronouns because it is a robot (and literally every single robot in the entire series also uses it/its, there are no robots who are trans and want to use different pronouns) is NOT proper nonbinary or trans representation. It's representation for it/its users, but just barely, considering it's told in first-person perspective, so the it/its pronouns are never used for the protagonist unless someone is speaking about the main character as though it's not right there in front of them. The fact that many readers come away assuming either she/her or he/him pronouns for the main character after the first book, under the impression the use of it/its pronouns for the main character by the other characters in the first book was just a sign of being seen as just an object is evident enough of the problem .

Especially if the series is allergic to the concept of asking people their pronouns and everyone ~magically~ knows everyone's correct pronouns based on their physical sex listed in their space Facebook. It is not trans or nonbinary or neopronoun representation. The one time someone genuinely uses neopronouns they're immediately rushed off screen after being confirmed to exist for brownie points.

It's 2023. Queer representation is everywhere that cares actually to include it.

Does a piece of media need to explicitly say the words "asexual" "nonbinary", "transgender", "neopronouns" etc to be represention? Not necessarily; are they actually showing the representation? Is it clearly visible with the media? Sure, go ahead! You don't need to say the word "transgender" out loud to establish a character is trans--

do they wear a trans pride pin?

Do they wear a binder?

Do they have top scars?

Do they wear a padded bra?

Do they have old photos that look different to their current self?

Do old friends not recognize them right away?

Do they take birth control pills or have patches?

How about a character that is nonbinary and uses they/them or other neopronouns?

Here's a shocking fact: if you want real representation for nonbinary and neopronouns, you DO in fact have to include conversations about pronouns in your media if it's not a written text where things are literally spelled out for the reader!

You do NOT need to have your non-binary or trans or neo-pronoun-using character experience any kind of transphobia to establish their pronouns. You can literally just have a conversation go like this.

"Hello, so nice to see you again! Have you met the project lead and computer expert, Ian, yet?"

"No, I haven't met him yet, but I've read some his work!"

"Some of their work, actually. Ian uses they/them pronouns."

"Oh, my mistake, thank you! I cannot wait to meet them!"

Another, extremely simple thing to do is. Is literally just have the character wear a pronoun pin. These are things that exist for a reason, Especially for neopronoun users .

You cannot magically guess someone's pronouns based on appearance, and if you *insist* that every character's pronouns CAN be magically known based on what they look like ..... Congrats. you're being transphobic.

If you want to actually include representation for any gender identities in your work you HAVE to do the most basic thing and actually be comfortable with the concept that characters, like real life people, should be comfortable introducing themselves with their pronouns, wearing pronoun pins, and correcting someone who is misgendering someone without it always being malicious or a big deal.

Having everyone magically know someone's pronouns are it/its because the character in question is a literal robot in a world where literally every single robot uses it/its pronouns is NOT the representation you think it is.

Anyways.

If your new favorite modern media doesn't have explicit queer representation in the confines of the show/text/etc and only tacks it on in a random comment on Twitter?

Congrats!

This media does not contain canonically queer rep.

Stop advertising it like it does.

Chains of Heart ep 7

So yesterday really was a bad day to publish my eps 4, 5, and 6 posts 😄 I guess something else seemed to make tumblr collectively lose their sh*t...can't think what now 🤔 Anyway, the links are at the bottom of this post in case you're interested and missed them.

But on to ep 7!

Of course the dodgy doctor, who knows Lue is Din, is wearing green to come and rescue him. I'm curious to know whether his tattoos are important since the camera fixed on them for a moment or if they just add to his 'look'.

OMG I just noticed in the ep 6 recap that the grey sleeveless top Ken was wearing when he rejected Lue in ep 6 has a small figure in black (possibly a fighting figure?) over his heart - maybe indicating that he will eventually open up to the MiB (i.e. Lue). Incidentally, this is also the shirt Ken puts on when his friends show up after he's woken up in bed next to a naked Lue in ep 7.

Anyway... It's also interesting that Hin is looking up information about Lue on a green tablet, whilst Payu wears a green tie. I wonder if all the beige comes from the original Lue's wardrobe. The beige sofas are a nice complement here then. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHY DOES NO ONE ELSE TALK ABOUT LUE'S CHILD?!

Ken is emphatic that the MiB is Din and he's still alive...and his passion seems to be supported by the burgundy in his clothes, the red vase he's stood behind, and the red light in the bedroom. But it could also indicate that he'll eventually come around to Din being Lue once the truth comes out. The friend group is once again colour co-ordinating with the blues/greens/reds and again I wonder if these colours will correlate to who knows that Din = Lue in the end...

...these three especially below - three doctors, I think. We now know the one on the left (in the left photo) is potentially a psychiatrist, the one on the right has visions of the future (!), but the one in the middle stumps me still. He returns with Hin, Payu, and Boon later and it's incheresting that Hin/Sai/Ken's extended friend group seems to be losing the green and gaining the burgundy (whilst keeping a stable base of blue) 🤔

Ken rushes off to meet Deedee (still suspicious if you ask me, even in his blue t-shirt) and I love that Lue is wearing Ken's blue whilst Ken is for the first time in Lue's burgundy. Also note the blue curtains on the red wall - it's not going to take much for Lue to be shut out of Ken's world...and we see that very shortly after as Ken is shut away inside the blue cab.

Ingpha again wears the blue waistcoat and green shirt combo...this time he's livid about the MiB trying to kill him and wants him dead. (He also wore it when paying his respects to Din's family when the body was found and when he met Lue for the first time. I currently can't see a red thread connecting these (pardon the pun) since when he goes to tell Din's parents that Din is most likely alive he's in the red waistcoat again. Maybe he only has 4 different outfits that he rotates through 😄).

Ah the fabulous green and red dramatic lighting for the street fight.

I loved that, underneath his blue suit, Lue had a green scarf that gradually got revealed over the course of his scenes and finally got removed in Ken's living room - his hidden old-self cannot stay hidden once he loses control. Also that he was put down onto a green seat...and the leather sofas in Ken's apartment are green.

And more dramatic use of the red and green lighting...this time the red on Lue as he sleeps, reminding Ken of memories of Din, then the green in the hallway as Ken passes the huge photo of Din, then the red in the bedroom as Ken collapses under the weight of his grief.

But then this...the red light connecting Ken and Lue in the morning when they almost kiss. Delightful!

Din's mum wears more green as she comes to the realisation that Din may not be dead...although I don't think the visitor to Din's room this time round was Lue. I think it was probably Nok trying to find the video camera. But it made Din's mum question and that's all that matters.

Then Lue is back to his beige for his meeting with Ae - hiding all his colours - and Ae is once again in blue. Maybe this is her mask...or maybe she only has a certain number of outfits like her brother (despite their wealth!).

But this shot in particular is delicious. I love the line separating them, how it's not fully there (indicating how they're coming to some agreement about the illegal trade but for Lue it's only to uncover their shady business), and how they eventually drive away in different directions and in opposite coloured cars. Magnifique!

[ep 1] [ep 2] [ep 3] [ep 4] [ep 5] [ep 6] [ep 7] [ep 8] [ep 9] [ep 10]

Okay, so based on my last ask: remember in Sing 1 when Ash's spikes starts flying off while she's rocking Set It Free? And Johnny doesn't even react to it because he's sad? (I feel so bad for Johnny, but I can't help but find that scene slightly funny for some reason)

I can't help but imagine that scene now with Ryan trying to comfort Johnny and has to duck down to avoid them - with Johnny still not reacting.

(Though considering Ryan's personality he'd probably try to cover Johnny slightly or something? In that case I don't know whether Johnny reacts or stays deeply in thought by himself still)

Sorry this is random 😂😅

OK, I LOVE THIS IDEA!!! The whole idea of Ryan being in Sing 1 is absolutely amazing and I love it but the pure opportunities for this scene alone is just ✨perfection✨. I'm gonna have to further write this out (I'll tag you in the full written out one if you want)! I hope you enjoy tho! - <3 Gooseless

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Ok so, this would start with the singing competition becoming a talent competition (probably to get more participants). And since in this Ryan joins the main cast, we of course get a pan over in the beginning showing his day to day life. I imagine he's on a phone call standing outside an agency of some kind (implied that it's a dance company by his outfit). We only get to hear his side of the conversation (though we can hear muffled noises of voices) but he seems exasperated and a bit worried.

R: Mom, I'm fine I swear. I'm at an audition now.

R: No, it's not for one of its associated companies. I double checked.

R: Manman, not you too. I'm fine! I can handle myself!

R: Yes I'll be home in time for my classes, I just need to fit in a few more jobs first.

*a worker appear with a clip board, looks around, calls the number on Ryan's shirt*

R: Here! Look, moms, I gotta go, love you.

*ryan hangs up the phone and heads into a room behind the worker*

The next time we see Ryan is when the flyers are spreading around, he's walking on a sidewalk, texting on his phone until a flyer on the ground catches his eye. He picks it up and immediately starts grinning, giving a little bounce of excitement.

At auditions, Ryan is in the dance category, competing as a soloist. I think his audition song would be Take Me To Church by Hozier (mainly because I do want him to dance to something slower in comparison to the final song). Mrs. Crawly and Buster both seem really impressed by this and and smiling and nodding along at the end, Mrs. Crawly even seeming to be crying a bit.

Ryan is picked first draft unlike Johnny when it comes to the selection, however he is the last one named. We can see him watching the singers being picked from the side, clapping when the final selection is announced.

The next time we see him is when they're being assigned their rehearsal areas and given performance recommendation lists. He's next to Johnny, mentioning that he's dances modern, contemporary, and lyrical, not ballet as Buster apparently recommended. He shares a frustrated look with Johnny when the man brushes off their concerns before heading off to his rehearsal space.

When the power cuts, Ryan appears with the rest of the group at the bottom of the stairs, looking around like everyone else. He voices his agreement with the confusion on how they're supposed to practice if they can't see, and he and Johnny shrug at each other before returning to practice, Ryan accepting the glow stick Gunter offers him with a "Thank you".

When Meena walks through, we see Ryan doing a spin in his rehearsal space.

During the showing of what the groups lives are like, we see Ryan returning to what appears to be an empty and cramped hotel room, immediately opening his phone, allowing the audience to see a picture of him with an older tigeress and lioness, along with two liger cubs, before he clicks out of the photo app and to a contact labeled mom. Again, we get to hear his conversation from his end (though we can hear muffled noises of voices) and his motivations are revealed. He's trying to make it on his own as a dancer as well as help his family financially.

R: Hey mom!

R: Yeah, I'm okay, just missed you guys. How are the girls?

R: *laughs* That's my Ames alright! And Bella? How's she feeling?

R: That's a bit better at least! I'm sure she'll be back to normal in no time. But mom, you're not gonna believe this.

R: Yeah, I got a gig! My first solo gig! It's a talent competition and the prize is $100,000 mom!

R: No, I'm not kidding! We could pay off rent and Bella's stuff and manman's loans and everything!

*the scene goes in to the life of the next person*

At the rehearsal, we see Ryan walking off stage before Mike walks on. Ryan is sitting on the opposite side of Ash compared to Rosita, looking worried as she's crying.

The next scene we see is the prepping for run-through for the Noodlemans one and Ryan is reading the newspaper over Johnny's shoulder. He looks at Johnny, apparently concerned at Johnny's behavior, when Johnny answers Buster asking if they're ready. He's seen putting a hand on Johnny's shoulder as Buster leaves and appears to be asking if he's ok.

During the theatre flood, we see that Ryan is the one doing the best besides Johnny (tigers are good swimmers after all). He's able to stop himself from being completely swept up by the current at first but is eventually pushed into the lobby with the others. Ryan is seen looking around frantically as the water raises and is the second person to take their last gulp of air before the room fills entirely. When they all spill out onto the street, he's one of the first back on his feet, helping Johnny up as he was the closest.

When the group is shown reeling after the flood, Ryan is seen sitting with a duffel bag on a bench, trying to call someone without getting an answer. It's implied he doesn't have anywhere to stay due to the bag next to him.

At Eddie's pool house, when they're trying to convince Buster to try again, we see him react in a shocked manner to Johnny's statement of "I lost the chance of ever speaking to my dad again" and keeps glancing at him for the rest of the interaction, visibly concerned.

At the start of the rebuild, Ryan also receives a call, leaving an audition to go join the rest of the troupe. He also is seen helping with the renovations, helping Johnny with the beams and slabs of concrete in particular. I would also add scenes of the troupe hanging out in there too, during the rebuild, so we see scenes of all of them practicing together and watching each other perform, cheering them on.

During the show, Ryan performs second, after Rosita and Gunter, to the song Stand Out Fit In by One Ok Rock. He high fives Johnny when he leaves the stage and then helps him drag the piano on stage for his song.

During Set It All Free, Ryan is standing next to Johnny, clearly checking on him to see if he's ok. When the quills fly, he shield Johnny himself, resulting in getting stuck in the cheek. At that, Johnny seems to snap out of it a bit, and reaches up to help him pull it out, now also looking worried. The rest of the performances, he can be seen nodding along and clearly happy, standing next to Johnny, as if he's making him experience the shows instead of moping.

When Marcus reappears, Ryan actually is hinted at seeing him first (tigers have a really good sense of hearing compared to the other species after all) and slightly turns his head towards where Marcus is before turning back to the show with a smile.

When Johnny walks back to join the others, Ryan smiles at him and pats him on the shoulder and Johnny smiles back at him. He also stands next to Johnny during bows, with Gunter on his other side.

At the unveiling of the New Moon Theatre, he's standing next to Johnny as well and throws and arm around his shoulders in the photo.

------------------------------------

Ok! One, I'm so so so sorry with how long this took (I promise I'll post the other one soon). Two, thank you for the amazing ask!

In this, Ryan would have left Klaus's troupe a few months beforehand and is trying to make it on his own as a dancer as well as helping his family care for one of his sisters, Bella, who's hinted at being sick.

There are a few Rynny coded moments, but not many, mainly because in this au I would want that plotline to spread across both movies to make the relationship seem to movie at a more natural pace. Also, their interactions in this set up a pretty natural felling close friendship that could appear in the next movie that wouldn't be shocking.

Ryan's personality is also given a spotlight a bit in this au as well, as he's shown to be ambitious as well as to be a caring individual. It also dives a bit into his backstory, but not a lot.

I hope you enjoyed!! Thank you again for the awesome ask!!!

- <3 Gooseless

I know it's been hard for us who wholeheartedly support Caryl and Carol after all we have been put through on this show through the years. But I really wish that from season 11 on Carylers will adopt a new mindset. We have to learn to drown out the noise. Hate is noise. Uncertainty is noise. Drawing conclusions from behind-the-scenes photos is noise. TWD has to do certain things to promote the show. So why do some of us keep picking up those anxious feelings that leave us miserable and feeling done with the show? I always thought the central theme of Caryl's relationship was a sort of 'against all odds, we thrive'. As characters, they both were unlikely to make it. They were the outcasts, the minor supporting characters in the beginning. Caryl's whole relationship is based on hope in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds and great loss. Why can't some of us adopt the same mindset? It is a key feature of their relationship's identity that is canon many times over for us who are watching closely. I agree that AK has done a couple of things that made me cringe, but she is a storyteller! She is telling Caryl's story through different characters and plotlines. She does not hate Caryl. She loves Caryl, and she is fixing their relationship by messing it up a bit. Stop listening to the noise of media and hearsay and actor's commentary on whatever character/relationship/story arc, etc. Just watch season 11. They are ALL of the mindset of going out with a bang. AK remarked how it's so much fun to write for Carol and Daryl. And JDM also said that they have to send Daryl and Carol off with a bang. That is what season 11 is going to deliver on. Again, my advice is to stop listening to the noise. Absence of proof does not mean no proof. Donnie is not happening. Not because I am an avid Caryl shipper. But because if we are all following the same story, Daryl and Connie's dynamic are friends/comrades/family. There will be no Donnie ship. And if you can understand that Daryl's perception of what was good/right was drastically altered before he got with Leah temporarily, he is not going to go there again with anyone if he does not entirely mean it. He needed someone to need him and Leah was it at that time. But Carol primarily was his unspoken reason why he could not fully commit. Stop looking at characters like isolated islands and try to weave their interactions together into the greater fabric of the story. My hope for Caryl will never be taken away because my mindset is not based on lack of Caryl content or too much of another. It is based on the entire theme of Caryl: hope after and in the face of loss. They find each other no matter what happens. In this last season? They are going to find one another in an emotional/psychological sense because that is true to their story. Period. If you don't want to watch season 11 because of something you are displeased with, you have that right. But I started with Caryl, I end with Caryl.

You took the words right out of my mouth and made them sound a thousand times better, so thank you. Kang is no sadist. She's not satisfying her disturbing needs through these poor broken characters or the audience. She's a writer doing what writers do to help the characters grow in the most interesting way possible. Some questionable choices aside, I trust her with Carol's and Daryl's story in S11 and I trust her with the spinoff. Proof of Caryl is written into the narrative. Proof against them is just background noise.

Color theory in the Karate Kid Universe

What the colors say about each character, and what will be Hawk's next hair color?

So, as Eli "shed his loser skin", and grew a mohawk, there was a significant change in the character, obviously the colors wouldn't be random, the character may not have a clue, but today I'm gonna walk you through what I think could be the meaning behind all this. Before we get into Hawk, we gotta go way back to 1984, and start this with the fisrt Karate Kid movie.

Red v.s. Blue

These two colors are very strong in the franchise, and we'll start by the fisrt time we see Daniel LaRusso, he's wearing a blue shirt, which means he is not trying to show power or strength, in fact he never wanted to be there so he doesn't care.

That day he goes to the beach, wearing the same clothe, but he meets Ali and when he changes, he's wearing red, to look strong for her and make a presence (by the way, I don't think the characteres actually chose the colors to say something, I think that the people who work with the art and clothes of the movie did, but just so it's easier, we're gonna assume that the characters did.). Someone else is also in red: Johnny Lawrence. He gets into the fight and loses. The next day he's wearing red again, this time to show power and resistence. Even though the shirt has some blue in it, it's mainly red. That day in school, he gets into a little fight and comes out as the wrong guy A couple days later, he tells his mom about his interest in karate (to get revenge as he assumed later to Mr. Miyagi), he's once again wearing red, and he sees Johnny in the dojo, later that night, the cobras make him fall down the mountain with his bike. So basically, so far we have the dynamic of, wearing red, and getting your ass kicked.

After that, he goes to a phase that he wears colors like Mr. Myiagi does, which are brown-ish, yellow-ish, basically what I think they mean, is that you don't want to be noticed or you don't want to show off.

Later in the story, in the Halloween dance, the shower costume Daniel is wearing is red, but there's something very interesting about it, inside he's wearing a blue shirt, the mirror scene is the perfect representation of that, when he has the shower opend he's vulnarable, and he's afraid, but when he closes it he feels powerful enough to make Johnny wet, as he runs and the showers opens, he starts losing the courage, until the shower falls, all the red is gone, he's not feeling cool, he's terrified, and he gets his ass kicked, so now we know, blue means weak, or at least that's what he thought.

After Mr. Miyagi accepts having him as a student, and asks for Kreese to pohibt his students to hurt Daniel, he feels weak, but also he's not afraid to show it, because he knows he won't get hurt. So he pretty much only wears blue.

Untill the day he had a date with Ali, and wanted to show off, because when he went on a date with her for the first time, he was wearing blue and her rich parents saw the sittuation of his mom's car, so he felt embarrassed. He tries red, but guess what? It doesn't go well.

After that Daniel carries wearing pretty much only blue, and Johnny red, as we can see in episode 9, season 1 of cobra kai, "Different but same" and in episode 2 of season 3 "Nature vs. Nurture", with the only difference being that the colors get even stronger in the second one, while in the first they both had shades of grey.

Black v.s. White

The next super import colors are black and white. Their head bands are the perfect example of this, because Johnny's is black, and Daniel's is white and blue also their gi are colored with these two extremely contrastant colors, but I think that there are a lot more sutil ways in which both show and movie show this contrast. If you take a look at the photos that daniel is wearing red, there's always some white in it, and pretty much all the time Johnny has some sort of black in him, like in the club day, where he's wears more neutral colors to blend in the crowd, he even wears a shade of blue to look like a nice person to Ali, but if you look closely, you'll see the tie is black.

There's a very interesting analogy to that in Cobra Kai, when Miguel is trying to find Johnny good clothes to take pictures, he finds a bunch of white shirts, but we never see Johnny wearing them, so I guess that's a metaphore to the good he has inside.

But there's another image that I think is the perfect representation of that, see, the only place Johnny wears white is at the dojo, and I believe that is, because the only person that Lawrence fears/respects is his sensei, the only one in the room that wears black. This single frame says so much about the caracters:

There we see Mr. Myiagi and Daniel almost out of the frame, they're being repressed by the whole dojo. Kreese sees Miyagi as a small old man, and that is showed in this frame too, by his position, Mr. Miyagi though looks at Kreese in the eye, fearless, but Daniel is really scared, wearing blue and he can't look at anyone's eyes, while Johnny assumed the "pronto" position as all the other students, like an army. About the clothing now, as I mentioned, Kreese is the only one wearing black, because one, black means bad and dark, which he surely is, and two, he likes feeling like the strongest man, and black causes fear in the students. Johnny is all in white showing visually what Mr. Miyagi said: "There's no such thing as a bad student..." Here, Johnny is just another student, a good one following orders, but both head band and belt are black, showing the influence Kreese has on him, it's almost as if the black was a stain caused by Kreese in Johnny's good heart. It's interesting that Johnny holds the red flag, we know that there's a white one too, but since nothing is random as I mentioned, him holding the red one means that he'll always have violence with him, that he carries that. And Mr. Miyagi is as always wearing the same color palette, not showing anything.

Next post I'm gonna get into the new generation and how they show themselves with their clothes based on this.

pinn reviews - final fantasy xv

a long ramble about final fantasy fifteen that sort of looks like a review, as written by someone who finished the game fifteen minutes ago and needs to get these words out of his head. spoilers inbound.

i'm a pretty big fan of video games. i don't know what my first was, but it was probably either banjo and kazooie or mario kart 64, at my cousin's house when i was very small. i think that video games as a medium are so interesting, since the fact that video games are inherently interactive changes the way that they tell any story. it's a shame that despite loving video games so much, i'm absolutely terrible at them.

i'm absolute dogshit at video games. whenever i boot up something new, i always play on easy mode because. i'm that bad. unfortunately, this means that a lot of video games are simply. impossible for me to beat. that's fine, as at the moment i live with my good friend lizz, who is certifiably Good at Video Games, and so we've been playing video games together for a little bit now. typically this means that she will actually play the majority of the game while i sit with her and watch, but occasionally i'll have a go, but she'll end up with the controller as soon as a boss fight or puzzle or a mechanic i just can't seem to grasp shows up. we recently played through the entirety of the kingdom hearts series together, and this was an absolute blast of a time. i'm glad to say that i adore kingdom hearts now, and it's become one of my hyperfixations, which you might be able to tell from my icon. but we'd finished the kingdom hearts series, and we were left to move onto something else. we'd also played final fantasy 7 remake, so in my wisdom, i suggested that we play another final fantasy game.

we looked through the ff games that were already purchased on our consoles thanks to lizz's uncle, and eventually, we decided that we should play. all of them. however to start, we were going to play final fantasy xv, 15, and work our way backwards through the mainline, single-player games.

i'd heard that xv wasn't very good, but honestly, i was still quite curious. one person who i'd been following on twitter for years was pretty obsessed with the main party members, to the point where i knew their names and what-not even though i didn't have much of an idea what the game itself was about. i remember watching a video by supereyepatchwolf a few years ago about how the game sucked, but i couldn't remember much of the details, and i knew, based on my obsession with kingdom hearts, that xv had started as a different game called final fantasy versus xiiv. i don't know all the details about versus thirteen, but i do know that it was originally helmed by the creator of my beloved kingdom hearts, mr tetsuya nomura, and that after many years, the vast majority of the game was thrown out, nomura wasn't in charge any more, and the whole thing was rewritten and reworked, which sounds like a fairly rough development cycle. but so what, i don't care about gameplay. i want to play the video game with those cute guys that i see fanart of on twitter, and lizz seemed happy enough to play through it with me.

and so we started final fantasy xv. i've been told that since the game was practically dead on arrival, they threw in a bunch of new content and reworked a lot of the early game before i got my hands on it. so my gameplay started with a scene of the four guys fighting some demon dude on fire and they're all old and grotty. whatever, that cutscene ends and we're put into a combat tutorial. that's over and we're on the road in what looks to be central america, pushing a car.

our four leading lads are noctis, the prince of the lucis empire, his best friend prompto, his bodyguard, gladio, and his chef and other things, ignis. i do quite like the main four members of the party in xv. prompto is quite easily my favourite, voiced by robbie daymond of goro akechi fame and with a bunch of fun little animations and quips that make him very likeable. he gets extremely excited at the idea of riding chocobos and has what i considered the best scene of the game, where he and noctis meet on a motel rooftop and discuss prompto's imposter syndrome, since he's only part of noctis' official retinue as his best friend. noctis is a fairly typical main protagonist, he's in love with a woman he hasn't seen in eight years and needs to go marry her or something, i don't care. gladio is a tough macho man with a mullet who wears leather jackets and wields a greatsword, and is apparently only 22, which is at least 10 years younger than i assumed. ignis is a strategist and chef, who takes on the most authoritative role and constantly tells noctis to not drive his car at night. i was not a fan of ignis at the start, but he grew on me, especially with how hard the game hit me with his personal arc. the four boys are off, driving to noctis' wedding in a different country across the desert when their car breaks down. we then run into the first issue of the game.

cindy is a mechanic. she also has her ass and tits out constantly, like your sleazy uncle's shirt with a naked woman was instead semi-alive as a video game person. she fixes your car and acts fairly sexual and it's just like. why do we have to do this. aren't we over overtly sexualised women in video games who have no reason for the way they dress other than the character designer was horny? whatever, i like women as much as the next guy, but cindy's design just. makes me feel so uncomfortable.

anyways you get to do a little driving around with the boys, until you stay the night before catching the boat to your fiance. overnight, you find out that noctis' kingdom has been basically destroyed by an invading empire called niflheim, and practically everyone noctis knows, including his father, are dead. you learn that noctis and his bride to be are also assumed dead, with noctis hearing his own death announcement on the radio. the game has a bunch of added cutscenes that are actually footage from the three-hour-long prequel movie that came out after the game, are extremely hard to follow and honestly i had no idea what i was looking at. anyways, noctis' family is dead, so it's time to do some hunting sidequests.

that brings us to the combat, i suppose. rather than the turn-based or even active turn-based combat that the series is known for, xv opts for more modern action rpg-styled combat. i was, naturally, terrible at this, but i managed to get around it with the fact that. it is almost impossible to die in this video game, provided you have enough items. the game allows you so much time to heal yourself that there's practically no way to have your entire party wipe unless you're doing absolutely terrible, and even then, your party members will probably try and heal you themselves before that happens. lizz tells me that the combat is boring, you just push the same button over and over and then you win. i do appreciate that, for someone like me who is terrible at reading enemy movements, there is a giant button that pops up on screen that tells you when to push the block button, but even then i was prone to fucking it up. whether that's the bad game design or my terrible gaming abilities is up to you to decide. anyways, the game is fairly easy but has annoying combat, your teammates limit breaks will only land about 50% of the time (or never, if you are gladio) and i was still bad at it, so i didn't have all that much fun.

instead of an active levelling system, the game will only tally your character's level ups when you either make camp or visit a hotel. camping is, in my opinion, the only saving grace of this game. each time you make camp, you get to see the characters doing fun little camping activities together and just hanging out, ignis will cook up a new meal in a dramatic fashion and everyone will compliment him and eat it off their coleman's branded plates, it's just very fun. you also get to see what pictures prompto has taken, which is one of my favourite gameplay features. prompto's passion is photography, and while i support him in this wholeheartedly, his picture taking skills are, quite frankly, awful. the game will randomly take shots while you're on the move, which leaves you with a delightful selection of awkward poses, characters hidden behind bushes, pictures taken while someone is half-dead in combat, and snaps where the natural lighting absolutely makes it impossible to tell what's going on. it's hilarious and going through prompto's collection of photos each night is honestly the best part of the game. we managed to wind up with a few shots that, even despite being scripted events, turned out absolutely terrible, and i will cherish those forever.

anyways, since noctis' father and fiance are dead, that leaves him the king of lucis. the only important person to make it out of the capital alive tells you to drive to the middle of nowhere, where he randomly springs on you. hey. go into a bunch of these dungeons and absorb a bunch of swords, this is your destiny as king and how you will defeat the empire. noctis goes, uh, alright i guess, and you're set loose again to wander around for a bit collecting the 'royal arms'. this plot point wasn't explained well but hey, whatever, we're collecting the glowy swords and that's fine.

you're introduced at some point to ardyn, the main antagonist. he's old, kind of groady and wears a fedora. he's a dick to you and talks about his automobeeel. apparently my friend miri thinks he's hot, she is wrong.

i can't remember what happens specifically but you're told that your fiance is still alive and in fantasy venice, and she's talking to the gods on your behalf to borrow their powers. there's a mission where you follow some purple trees that are electric, and you do that i guess. i enjoyed riding the chocobos around, but couldn't care much for the plot at this point. ardyn leads you to a volcano, where you fight a giant lava god. he tries to step on you and i, a denizen of the internet and with an active fear of foot fetishists, was extremely uncomfortable. noctis becomes friends with foot man and a lightning god who lived in those trees, and ardyn steals your car.

very upset by this, noctis and his gang risk everything to sneak into a military base and steal it back. because this is a video game, this works out fine.

there's a little mining city which is all about Girl Power, because all the Women run the Mining Industry like Girl Bosses, and you hang around there for a bit. because all the women are so Empowered, they wear bikinis all the time with overalls over the top. gladio decides he needs to fuck off for a bit, i have no idea what he does since i haven't played the dlc, and then he comes back with another scar. you hang out with his sixteen year old sister, who has a crush on the engaged and 20-year old noctis, and then you drive her to a lighthouse. when she's in your party, she can't really fight, but she gets a pink chocobo and i thought that was very cute. we turned out own chocobo white and lizz named him 'jones' after a mount she has in ffxiv.

eventually, you have a long boat ride over to fantasy venice. this is the part where the game stops being 'fun with a few issues in combat and a rushed and poorly told story.' the open world, which was a main feature with a bunch of little areas to find where noctis can fish, little hunting sidequests and random photo spots where prompto takes touristy photos, is now gone, and it will not return for the entire rest of the game. you can 'go back in time', but the open world was the most enjoyable part of the game, and it kind of really sucks that the main story doesn't let you have any more freedom like that.

after arriving in fantasy venice, you have a talk with fantasy hillary clinton and beg her to let your girlfriend summon a god into the middle of her city. hillary agrees, and you don't get to meet up with your fiance, because even if the game is constantly telling you how much noctis loves her, there is. barely any interactions between the two in the entire game. from what i can tell, they met when noctis was a child and they haven't seen each other in ten years but are still fantasy dog pen-pals. noctis marrying her was supposed to make an alliance or something like that, but her brother has betrayed her to the army. noctis' girlfriend is also an oracle, which means she can heal people, i guess? everyone talks about how important she is and she's constantly telling people that she needs to use her powers to help noctis but she's practically a non-entity.

as can be expected of most female love interests in a game primarily focused on men, noctis' fiance is killed while summoning a god for noctis to befriend. noct gets very mad about this, and turns super saiyan and kills the god back, but his girlfriend is dead and that's super sad you guys. there's a beautiful prerendered cutscene where she says goodbye to noctis but since we barely know her, and we've only been told over and over that they're in love without anything to actually well, show this, it didn't have much of an impact. fantasy venice is destroyed, and ignis is blinded while trying to help calm the giant raging god.

iggy's blindness and how the game makes you account for this and grow to care for him was one of the highlights, in my opinion, as well as crushingly depressing. while i'm not disabled and have no right to say if this was 'good disabled representation' or anything like that, i believe that the game handles it decently enough. the group falls apart as noctis is upset about his girlfriend, gladio is extremely mad that noctis won't care for ignis, and prompto just wants everyone to get along. there's a mission where gladio constantly yells at you passive aggressive things to noctis about how he's a cunt for running, which is obnoxious, but the character arc itself is fairly strong. when you make camp, ignis can't cook anymore, so everyone eats cup noodles in a depressing ass cutscene. ignis remains in your party for the rest of the game despite his disability, and he doesn't magically regain his sight like other fantasy media would do, which at the very least i think is good. i'm not sure what the opinion of actual disabled people is of the character, considering how often disabled characters are either turned into misery porn to make the abled audience be glad that isn't them and if ignis' arc falls into this trap, but i hope that it wasn't handled too poorly, as that would just be another terrible mark in this game's list of bad moves.

the characters eventually make it to the evil empire's capital, which is abandoned and filled with daemons. the characters learn that ardyn is super evil and taught the king of the empire how to turn humans into daemons, which has now happened to the entire city. the 'magitek suits', presumed to be enchanted armour that fights as the empire's infantry, actually house the souls of the human-turned daemons. honestly i like this as a plot point but the game handles it pretty terribly. there could have been more lead up to this, the explanation is pretty lacking, and prompto's Big Plot Twist is. terribly handled. turns out that prompto was born in the empire and was going to be one of those empty soldier daemons, but he was rescued by people belonging to noctis' empire. not that the game tells you that. instead, prompto goes 'turns out i'm one of ... them' and Does Not Elaborate. The game doesn't tell you shit, not about prompto's past, not about how he feels about this, not about how anyone else feels about this either because the other party members just go 'oh that sucks, good thing you're not evil' and the scene ends. robbie daymond tries so hard to sell these terrible, terrible lines, and it almost entirely fails, i'm so sorry prompto. fortunately because i'm a nosy ass, i read prompto's wikia page and knew the plot twist ahead of time, because i don't think i would have even registered it if i didn't.

anyways everyone in the evil empire is dead and ardyn starts talking about how he's immortal and an ancient king of noctis' country but the gods thought he sucked because he's too evil. i missed most of this because the cats got the zoomies and were dashing across the couch right in the middle of his speech so i can't tell you anything else. noctis tries to get a big magic crystal to fight him and instead. gets schlorped inside.

TEN YEARS LATER

yes then ten years actually pass while noctis is asleep. the game shows this by switching the head on noctis' character model to have a beard, but that's it, no changes in animations or whatever. the sky is permanently night and only one human civilisation remains, the rest destroyed by daemons. as a plot point, this ends up feeling. extremely worthless. why was noctis asleep for ten whole goddamn years? so we can wake up and go 'damn it sucks out here'. but it's barely even a like, incentive to fix everything, because you have a long talk with a former child you were friends with where he talks about how humanity is still going fine and everyone's okay and the world has moved on without you. it feels. pointless. when you meet up with your party members, they are exactly as you left them, only with slightly different character models. there is no change in the voice performance, the character's movements or how they talk to show that they've been without you for ten years. they barely mention it. i'm just. so confused as to why they decided that a ten year timeskip was the way to go? since nothing really changes, couldn't you have made it like, two years? one year? six months?? have the characters react a little more? something??? at least if it was only a year or so i wouldn't have to deal with the fact that noctis looks like norman reedus with his shitty facial hair now.

anyways after that there's a bunch of long and boring boss fights. you fight some dead kings for some reason, your party members get a little bit to talk about how cool they are and how much they love noctis, and then you meet up with ardyn. there's another boring boss fight and god this was only a few hours ago but it's already gone from my head. you summon the gods and the old kings to beat the shit out of him after you both go super saiyan again? there's incredible music but it feels barely earned and just kind of eh. anyways, noctis dies, which was the price of using the crystal of light or whatever the fuck. his ghost marries his fiance's ghost finally, and they smile as they look at one of prompto's pictures. you can pick any picture you want to go here, and then the credits roll, showing all of the pictures you saved of prompto's shots. showing me all the pictures at the end is honestly lovely, but it really only served to remind me of how much more fun the game was in the first half. and that's the end, of final fantasy xv.

so what did i think of the story? it's terribly cobbled together and struggles to get you to feel anything and play out all the plot beats. you feel awful for the countless employees who spent years working on the beautiful cutscenes only to have them be in this game, which sucks and the story barely gets through. there were parts that i enjoyed, mostly the thing about the daemons being people, but honestly the rest of it is a mess. it's hard to follow at the best of times and just awkward and terribly written at the worst. the ending is cheap, and it doesn't feel like you've actually accomplished anything. i left that game feeling numb and empty, sad that i'd wasted so much time to end up with such a colossal failure of a conclusion.

i had fun with the game when it was my four little guys running around doing sidequests and camping together. after the midway point of the game, there's none of that, and you're bogged down into a plot that just pushes you from point a to point b and boring overlong bossfight to boring overlong bossfight. the character moments between your party are a lot of fun, but the second you hit fantasy venice, everything is pretty much on rails and you can't do anything except what the game tells you explicitly to do.

should you play this game? no lol. if anything i've mentioned about the story interests you, you'll be better off watching a lore video or reading the wiki. if you do want to play it after all that, just don't proceed after the myrthril refining quest, it's pretty much all downhill from there. will i play the dlc? unlikely, i think lizz and i will just watch a cutscene movie of those.

this game left me feeling empty and numb and not in a fun way. i wanted, so, so hard to like this game, and it all crashed around me in a beautifully overproduced and confusingly written cascade. i love you prompto, but even your cute little freckly face and terrible photography can't save this trainwreck of a game.

tl;dr - final fantasy xv sucks. i hope that 13, our next ff game, will be better.

there is a follow-up on the op's tumblr to the racism post you reblogged that i think is just as important. it talks about the emotional labor of educating other fans. especially significant because the original anon said "but you can't tell me they don't handle their black characters well" which is not a good look at all. something that @septiembur & you mention having to do in your workplaces. sorry for that, btw.

Thanks, Anon! (x) 

So that everyone who reads my blog is aware, I personally don’t mind discussing race here to the extent that I am able (I’m fairly educated on the topic in general – in my country there is a huge emphasis on race at every single level of education and it was especially a huge part of my tertiary education – but as I’m not American, I’m not as up on everything pertaining to black Americans and Latinx cultures and specific struggles) because I find it better than never having the discussions to begin with. Dean’s obsession with Rio and its sexual slant (x, x and x) was bothering me a lot, for example, and there wasn’t anyone talking about it, so I was glad to bring it up and see if others resonated with how uncomfortable I was. 

I totally agree that that burden is unfair and that it’s not POC’s responsibility to educate anyone on the basics. I do hope that that doesn’t limit the discussions about the race relations on this show, though, because I do already find it fairly minimal in this fandom – I don’t know if that’s a consequence of most of the BNFs being seemingly white, or just a direct result of the show’s failure to meaningfully engage with intersectionality. 

I do want to speak to the burden in the workplace, though, because I’ve seen the argument from some people that criticising the way race is handled on the show is an erasure of the writers of colour on the writing team.

First, for context, I work in a writer’s room, of sorts. My brand is an industry leader in a white-dominated space and we make decisions that directly impact the industry – think the judges for the Oscars deciding which movies get nominated, making the rules that determine who will qualify and who will win, etc. Those are the kinds of decisions we make and the massive ramifications that follow. 

It’s a huge responsibility – every room I sit in is 90% white. My boss is white, their boss is white, their boss is white and their boss is white. 

There are three more brown people on my team vs 9 white people. Based on my position (that I’ve worked hard over years to attain), my opinion carries a fair amount of weight in the room and yet, still, ultimately I have no decision-making power. (Remember all those white bosses?) The best I can do is raise issues relating to diversity and hope enough of the white people in the room will deign to agree enough that it will be taken into account when it’s moved further up the white chain. When they make decisions I don’t agree with, I’m grateful for there being a public outcry about its racism, because I did what I could within the confines of remaining employed. Furthermore, it’s up to consumers to recognise what’s wrong. So people saying/implying “Manny/the writers obviously agree with what the show does” is tiring to me. If there are issues, those people would find themselves in very hot water if they spoke out about what actually happens behind the scenes. 

Secondly, just because there are POC in a group of people doesn’t necessarily mean they’re advocates. Those three other brown people I mentioned? They barely say a word about race in any of our meetings. It’s something that means a lot to me, so I’m the one constantly feeling the weight of the responsibility we have. But they’re just there for their paycheck. And you know what? That’s cool, too. Just like it’s not our responsibility to educate people, it’s also not our responsibility to have to advocate tirelessly (and it is exhausting) just for white people to acknowledge their privilege, especially when we’re in a professional setting and in an industry where that should be basic homework before we even get into the room. Every decision should include an intersectional discussion and it never does unless I bring it up. Again, that is so exhausting, not to mention demoralising. 

So to look at a group of people and just based off the colour of their skins assume that the product they’re making is somehow more noble is BS to me. I hope nobody ever thinks a decision my brand makes is racist, sees a team photo with a few brown people and goes ‘Oh, there are brown people so obviously this isn’t actually racist’. NO! Please, call out how racist it is because I can’t do so publicly! The very thought of someone using the colour of my skin to excuse something terrible The White Man I work for has done nauseates me. And it’s especially bad because I’m contractually obligated not to say anything against it.

Ultimately we don’t know whether the writers or actors of colour do in fact face these same issues. But I do know that if any of them do, it must’ve been a world of shit to deal with the horror of 2x13 (how that went down definitely would’ve been a high-level, and thus likely white-made, decision) and its problems just being buckled down on for S3. So to excuse the show by pointing out POC’s existence or seeming agreement with it isn’t a valid argument to me.

TLDR: If you don’t know the emotional burden the POC behind the scenes are carrying then don’t use them as a defence just because you like the end product. 

Daichi Sawamura x Oblivious Reader

nsfw! blowjob/vanilla

i wrote this in my notes and i don’t have a full grasp on how this app works yet so i’m kinda sorry on the formatting and shit

next time i’ll write it directly here since copy pasting is weird

————

"Good job everyone!" Karasuno's volleyball team captain yelled out as they finish off with their practice for the night and started to clean up. Two specific members stayed behind to practice more. (AHEM) You were a manager for the boys' team (Rip kiyoko) Even though you already knew everything about volleyball you don't mind it when Coach Ukai briefly explains some positions, roles, strategies etc. specifically based on the team.

When he mentioned Daichi though, your interests perk up and you can't help but give him your full attention. Y/n Sawamura. Oh how you wished to have his last name, his one and only. The real reason you became a manager was all for the team captain. You truly loved it the most when Daichi would show his mature and dependable side. He would always suggest ways for improvement for the team and going as far back as recruiting you to be a manager a few years ago. Even though the team was left in shambles without a coach or a strong leader figure he went out of his way to find a solution. That's when you stepped up and agreed on his idea. The memories would always take you back and felt like it was just yesterday. A deep voice called out to you snapping you out of your trance and shifting your attention to the dark haired male. Daichi gave you a worried expression while catching up to you and asking what was wrong, gently patting and rubbing your back to show his concern.

"Oh sorry I was just thinking back to our first-year days. I'm really gonna miss my time here." you softly smiled thinking back to the time Daichi tripped over a piece of dango on the street while Asahi and Sugawara was joining your laughing fit as well.

"Yeah me too. But you know we have more practice to worry about, more skills to learn and more knowledge on our enemies to search. Let's focus on the present and be thankful enough we're making memories together." The male gave you a reassuring smile as he walked alongside of you to where the sun sets, still having his hand on your back.

You liked it when he would always get touchy with you, that was his own way of showing affection. Lightly caressing your cheeks whenever you feel down or hopeless, massaging your shoulders to calm you from your angered state, rubbing your back for reassurance, intertwining his fingers with your h/c locks whenever you feel motivated or proud of something and hugging you when you have the need to cry. Not only do you like his mature side but you also love it when he gets angry. He scares off the team with a single look of irritation and flames start to burst around his figure. You can't help but laugh and be scared at the same time.

"Oh right I almost forgot. Say wanna come over to my house today? I got a new movie I bought recently. There's some suggestive scenes I heard about from Nishinoya and Tanaka but I hope you don't mind. Plus my parents won't be home for a few weeks to visit our relatives, what do you say?" He offered you to come over at his place.

Your mind couldn't process it. Is this really happening? My one and only crush has invited me to watch a movie together. Excitement was rushing through your veins, the thought of going over to his house and possibly get married sent you into a bliss. Plans of how you two were gonna split the bills in buying a new house or possibly getting a dog was already set in motion in your head. Daichi cut you off in your trance once again and laughed at how your head was always in the clouds whenever he’s around.

"If you don't mind then I'll tag along!" in the end you agreed and followed him on his way back home. Humming a happy tune and smiling like crazy on the way. Your dream was finally coming true! You happily giggled at the thought and hurried to catch up to the team captain.

A little bit of a walk from school and you both finally arrived at his place. His house was fairly moderate, not too big and not too small. It felt comfortable once you stepped in. Looking around you found photos of Daichi when he was only a baby to his teenage days. All the picture frames lined up neatly on the shelf tops and some pictures of his parents hung up on the wall as well.

"Aww look at you and Ikejiri~" you cooed at him while pointing to a photo that showed his volleyball team back in junior high winning the first match for their final tournament. Daichi chuckled embarrassingly with a light blush visible on his cheeks and signalled you to follow him up to his room. Daichi took off his Karasuno's Volleyball Team sweater along with crossing his arms at the end hem of his white, sweat filled t-shirt and peeling it off, throwing both clothing items to the laundry basket. He was now left only with his shorts on and his toned figure was in full sight for you.

Yeah, you would always see the volleyball team take off their shirts, especially Tanaka. But when it comes to Daichi taking his shirt off you can't help but be drawn into his toned body while sweat would roll down his body. You have no clue why but you would always feel something stir in the depths of your stomach and your face would feel hotter. You would always just shrugged it off as having feelings for him. You on the other hand took off your sweater revealing your not too transparent loose white t-shirt with the words " Miaou Miaou~!" and little cat and fish characters surrounding the text.

You looked away from the laughing dark haired male, embarrassed and had no clue that you were gonna take your sweater off in front of someone. But you didn't mind, in the end you two were best friends anyway and sharing small moments like these would always brighten up your day in any situation. Now you were only left with your tight spandex shorts that was hugging the curves of your butt comfortably and your f/c lacy bra slightly peeking through your transparent-like t-shirt.

Though you didn't know that it showed more on the back and turning around from Daichi while reaching up to try to turn the air conditioner on gave him a full sight of your figure. Daichi's head exploded and his face was a deep shade of red, now blushing like crazy. Just the sight of your back with your bra showing, your curves now visible along with the shape of your butt coming together from the spandex and your chest slightly bouncing from your action of jumping up to the air condition made him feel something growing just between his legs.

Daichi slightly panicked and quickly grabbed a blanket to cover his bits averting his eyes from you, he couldn't help but keep looking though and imagined how it would feel to- He immediately stopped his thoughts and exhaled slowly, grabbing a remote for the air conditioner and turning it on. You were surprised by the action and laughed. You didn't even notice that it was controlled by a remote. He patted the seat right next to him on the soft mattress while putting on the newly bought movie in the t.v he had right at the foot of the bed. You gladly sat down right next to him and took out a couple snacks you quickly bought at Ukai’s store on the way to his home.

The movie started playing and you couldn't help but shiver because of the decrease in temperature from the air conditioner, Daichi noticed and offered you to use the same blanket he was using. With the both of you using the same blanket it brought your bodies closer. But with that action you couldn't help but notice at the corner of your eye a bulge coming out of the thin blanket on where Daichi's lap was located. He didn't notice that your eyes landed on a specific body part of his, as he was focused on the movie that had a lot of action going on. You being clueless when it came to the male anatomy couldn't help but grab the slightly twitching bulge and Daichi let out a deep groan as his eyes widened along with yours. Your hand was still on his member as you tilt your head in confusion.

"What's wrong Daichi? And by the way, what's this on your blanket? It won't go away." you puffed your cheeks as you kept rubbing the mysterious bulge. The dark haired male gripped onto the sheets of his bed while his head rolled back and his breath hitching from your action. A blush as red as a tomato on his face while deep groans and growls kept escaping his gritted teeth.

"Y-y/n... Ah... What a-are you doing..?" Daichi barely got out as you basically were starting to jack him off through the blankets. You started getting a little irritated and took the blanket off him and crawled your way in front of him. Kneeling down and lowering your head to get a closer look with your butt up high. This time you used both of your hands and now fondled the whole length through his thin shorts. It was long along with being thick in size.

"Dai-dai? What's this? I'm trying to rub it off you but it won't go away..." you asked confusingly using the nickname you gave him, the more you kept going the more Daichi started to sweat even more and his groans turning into deep moans. His hand making its way on your h/c locks, inching your mouth closer in between his legs.

"Y-y/n... hah... please- try putting it in your m-mouth..." Daichi huffed as he begged to feel more contact, lust completely taking the better of him. Listening to his orders you pulled down his shorts along with his boxers. His member springing out of the clothing of chambers and twitching as precum rolled down from the tip.

"Woah... I didn't know it was part of you, that's so cool!" you looked at the body part intently, observing as the veins on the side were throbbing and the tip a shiny red. The length looked bigger than it was when it was trapped under his clothes and you couldn't help but touch it.

You were surprised when the length twitched in response to your contact, wanting to see more reactions out of it as well as Daichi's groans you decided to pump both of your hands on it as only one hand won't be able to fit the entire body part. As you kept going the dark haired male's hips started thrusting up letting you know to speed up, his body shaking with every action as the pleasure was too much for him to handle but at the same time he wanted more.

For some reason just doing this made you feel weird in your underwear and your guts felt like it was doing backflips. Recalling back to Daichi's request you decided to lick the tip that was covered in the transparent-like white substance. Daichi shuddered, his eyes rolling back and his cheeks blushing even deeper with his back right up against the head board. Looking up, you met with his half-lidded eyes that's clouded with lust as they were telling you something like: 'Please put it in your mouth.'

You decided to stick your tongue out while taking in the tip of his length, making sure to coat it with your saliva for easier access. As you started taking him in you hummed in delight, proud that you're making Daichi feel good according to his grunts and moans. Making sure to keep eye contact with the male you took him in your mouth fully, his length hitting the back of your throat almost making you gag because of the size. His hands couldn’t help but softly get entangled in your fluffy h/c coloured locks.

He felt roughly around 8 inches. You started bobbing your head while rubbing your tongue all over his shaft inside along with pumping the rest of him that you couldn't take in. Daichi's breathing got heavier and his whole body now trembling from the sensation, his hips started to thrust up making you give him a deep throat as you can feel his hands now on the side of your head, careful not to go too rough on moving your head up and down. Even when lust got the better of him he was still careful to not hurt you in the process. The whole room was filled with the males groans and moans along with sounds of sloshing and popping from your work on his shaft.

"Ah... Y-y/n... Please... C-can I- Release in y-your mouth...?" Despite all the pleasure that's striking his entire body from your action he managed to politely ask you. You nodded your head yes and hummed in agreement. This of course made Daichi even more ecstatic than he already was and let you did the rest of the work until he tapped the sides of your head letting him know he's about to “release.”

"Y-y/n... Watch out- Ngh-ah!" He managed to say in between his groans as you felt warm liquid eject from the tip of his length rolling down the back of your throat. The shaft twitching as ropes of the liquid kept on coming out. The substance leaking down the corner of your lips too much that your mouth couldn't hold the rest of it. You looked up at him and swallowed the milk-like subject, your face immediately twisting from the flavour. A mix of bitter, slightly salty yet sweet was coating your entire mouth. Daichi panics and quickly grabbed a water bottle and tissue from his bed side table.

"Y-y/n! You weren't supposed to swallow! Are you okay?" the male asked in worry as he wiped your lips off with the tissue and handed you the water bottle.

"But I thought it was milk... Either way it still tasted a bit hmm... Sweet? So it wasn't that bad." you beamed at his distress state, reassuring him while a blush was still quite visible from his face. He sighs at your cluelessness and returned a small smile.

"That was so cool Dai-dai! Can we do it again? Wait if I did it to you then, it's your turn! But I don't have a long thingy like you do though... Does that mean you don't get a turn? Aw...” you puffed your cheeks in defeat as you looked down past your stomach, touching the section where Daichi had his “body part” at.

"Oh don't worry y/n, I do get a turn. See only guys have what I have but for girls it's uh different and special." Daichi awkwardly explained to your dumbfoundedness.

"Huh? I'm special? Really?!" you happily jumped in place as the male laughed at your childish act.

"Would you like to know how I felt though? I mean if you want I don't really wanna force you into-" you cut him off as you pulled his head just right in front of you, your foreheads touching and you could feel his breath just hovering over your lips.

"It's okay Dai-dai, I trust you. You're not forcing me into anything I'll be glad for whatever you're going to do to me. Besides I wanna know how you felt too!" you lightened him up as he closed the distance between yours and his lips. His eyes closing while yours were getting wider. Taken aback by his action you can't help but blush deeply. You’ve heard of this from a book before, the text described it as something that felt good and you can’t help but quietly squeal that you’re now experiencing it as well. He pulled away from the “kiss” and you didn’t know why but you wanted to tell him how you feel right this instant. Gulping down hard you muster up all the courage you have and locked eyes with him.

"Dai-dai... I've been meaning to tell you but... um, I uh... I-" you were stuttering like crazy, you didn’t know it was this hard to express your own feelings. Daichi cuts you off with another kiss on your lips as he too still had a deep blush on his cheeks.

"Y/n I like you too." you both chuckled not knowing that you both had feelings for each other. Today felt like it was the best day ever! Daichi lead your back against the head board and he positions his head right between your thighs as he looks up and smirks at your flustered yet confused state.

"Well, now it's my turn."

hey could you maybe do a fic (its kinda sad the idea but idk it's up to you) based on that scene from avengers assemble when Bruce is like "you can try to kill me but it won't work, i know i tried" (i can't remember the exact quote) or something like that thanks :)

right so i didn’t actually want to write something really sad so it’s only really loosely about that scene, hope that’s okay!!!!

TW //  MILD REFERENCES TO ATTEMPTED SUICIDE

a smile tugged at bruce’s lips as the first few rays of the sunrise peak through the window, basking the kitchen in an orange glow.

his eyes glanced to the clock on the wall, guiltily noting is was 5:40am. sunday was their lie in day, and he knew thor wouldn’t be happy about waking up alone. maybe he would join him again later on, maybe in three coffees time.

he hummed happily as he sipped at his first cup, listening with contentment to the silence throughout the house - well, save for the godlike snores coming from upstairs. he honestly didn’t know who snored louder, thor or their oldest daughter, frigga.

when their youngest; liz, first moved into frigga’s room she complained for a month about not being able to sleep properly. she was convinced her bed shook with the vibrations of frigga’s snoring.

bruce chuckled at the memory, finding himself shuffling towards the fridge which was littered with various photos, certificates, drawings…

his eyes were drawn immediately to the biggest, and most colourful drawing on there. it was a crayon drawing of the original six avengers that liz had excitedly brought home one day. she claimed it was ‘superhero day’ that day, and she felt extra special because she had ‘two super hero daddies!!!’. just looking at the drawing can still make thor and bruce tear up, and they weren’t afraid to admit it. even if it was coloured outside of the lines.

his gaze wandered further down the fridge until it landed on a certificate. frigga had passed many dance exams with flying colours, but they liked to keep the first certificate she ever got on display. thor had thrown her up onto his shoulders and danced around the kitchen. bruce can still remember how his heart warmed as her shrieks of joy mixed with thor’s laughter.

he finally looked to the photograph pinned right in the middle of the fridge. it was of him, holding a baby liz the day they brought her home. she was wrapped tightly in a green blanket, sleeping happily in bruce’s arms. sitting next to them was frigga, probably around 4 at the time, gazing excitedly at her new baby sister. bruce smiled remembering her excitement when they told her she was going to be a big sister.

bruce finally looked to himself in the photo, he looked absolutely and inexplicably happy. like everything was right in the world.

if you had told him ten years earlier that he would ever know what is was to feel true happiness, he would have thought you were teasing him. patronising him. reminding him that he was never meant to feel happiness.

he felt his smile slip off his face as he remembered his life when all he knew was darkness.

he banished any thoughts of falling in love, marriage, a family. he didn’t think he’d ever make it that far.

of course hulk wouldn’t let him just give up that easily. and honestly, he was grateful.

had he known then that he would end up with the most loving husband, and two beautiful children…

his thoughts were interrupted by the soft slapping of feet on the floor behind him. he turned around and saw liz rubbing her eyes and padding sleepily into the kitchen.

“papa…”

bruce immediately bent down and opened his arms, which she lazily climbed into,

“honey, it’s so early! why are you awake?”

liz leaned her head of bruce’s shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck as he picked her up with ease,

“why are you?” she replied.

bruce rolled his eyes and giggled, “touché. hey, since you’re awake, you hungry? you want some breakfast?”

liz seemed to ponder her answer for a minute, before she asked, “can i try coffee?”

“absolutely not.”

“pleeeaasssee???”

“no.”

liz sighed dramatically, making bruce laugh.

“hey i have a better idea, let’s go wake daddy up and force him to make us pancakes, yeah?”

liz lifted her head and nodded excitedly.

thor was not willing to make pancakes at 6am on a sunday, and instead dragged bruce and liz into the bed for an extra hour of cuddling and sleeping.

Hi! Am I the only one who finds it quite distrubing that aidan was playing a main role in a gay porn serie? I mean licking a young boy's ass and having gay orgy in front of the cameras while he was married and was a father of a newborn baby.. Please, do not misunderstand me, but I think everything has a limit and those things he had done in that porn serie were far beyond normal acting. I feel I can't talk about it with the other fans, and you seem to be a great person who doesn't judge, part2

Part2. I’m not homophobic, I had a gay english teacher and a friend, but they understood it that their unique sexual life is their own private thing if you know what I mean, and behind that thing there is usually a traumatic experience.. Anyway what aidan was doing in that serie was fucking disgusting. You know it’s not a big surprise that her daughter, berry has become a man, maybe she was uncomfortable with her father’s roles? She keeps making photos ofbher beeding nose and scars and things li

So there is cleraly something wrong with his “daughter”. Idk I just don’t understand this man, unfortunately when I like somebody as an actor becausw of his her incredible talent I cant help but looking for infos of her his life. And I was in shock what I have found in aidan’s early career. What are your thoughts about it? Or are these things so natural to the others?

Wow, there’s a *lot* crammed into these messages, anon. I don’t think you’re reacting from a place of malice here, so please take my response below not as judgment but more like a series of observations and suggestions.

re: Queer as Folk (UK)I’ve seen the show and I liked it. It’s not for everybody, I give you that. It does have parts that undoubtedly veer into soft porn territory, but overall it isn’t porn, imo. To me it’s a story about a guy who’s 1st sexual experience was getting raped by a gym teacher at age 11-12(?) and, as a result, he’s become someone who only connects to others via sex. Him being gay is *not* the issue, it is *not* the problem, it is *not* a symptom. His unaddressed trauma which he tries to pass off as sth “cool” and tries to retroactively “normalize” via aggressive hypersexuality *is* the problem, and the show gradually brings this point home, imo. He cannot be intimate unless it’s physical & meaningless, but he starts to learn to modify this behavior w/ the help of his best friend who’s also the one he’s been in love with (and thus has been avoiding having sex with). I’m not saying it doesn’t contain provocative or even potentially triggering material, or that it’s flawless family fun (I know it’s been bashed for stereotypical portrayal of “sex-crazed” gay culture), but again, to me, it is about so much more than the sex scenes. I don’t think straight ppl should be in the business of judging the merits of shows like this one + I don’t know much about how it was received, so I really don’t want to get into all that. All I can say is that I found a very human story underneath all the steaminess, and if sb asked me to give a “disturbing” example from his body of work (that I’ve seen), it’s not QaF but Wake Wood or Blackout that would come to mind (and he plays a straight dude in both).

re: Aidan’s “taste” in rolesI think it’s always leaned away from “normal” and “conventional”. Pain & its varied, often aberrant, manifestations seem to be one big common theme in his projects, and I find that really intriguing. He’s interested in outcasts, in all forms of “otherness”, traumas, dysfunctions, and assorted fucked up things. I share this interest and I don’t think it’s wrong at all or an automatic sign of some pathology. It’s curiosity that’s labeled “morbid” only bc we live in a world that teaches us that automatically fearing, hating, and attacking everything “different” is “normal”. But if art confined itself to artificial “norms” and boundaries, depicting only what is deemed “accepted” in any given time period, it wouldn’t be art anymore. He said that nothing deeply scarring has ever happened to him, and that these roles let him explore things he would never do and be someone he never was or will be in real life. That’s it. It’s an exploration. Not everybody is an “explorer” tho. Most ppl shun and/or reject what/who they find “different” and/or “disturbing”. Others step closer, dig deeper, and maybe even try to find some familiarity in strangeness. Aidan is like that, too, imo. But I highly doubt he brought these projects home w/ him to screen it to his children and “scar” them for life. He strikes me as someone who’s v self-aware and who wouldn’t force his R-rated interests on others, esp. his kids, but I don’t think he would forcibly shield them once they are old enough and curious. But that’s just my impression. Truth is, I don’t know him. His private life, his methods of parenting are none of my business, and I don’t seek any info or picture he himself doesn’t provide voluntarily. Also, I don’t know anything about his family members, but I know enough to refrain from “diagnosing” or labeling anyone anything simply based on what they post online (esp if they are young), so I’ll leave it at that.

re: homophobiaLet’s do a thought experiment here (not the best one but hopefully it still works). Imagine a person who has cats and has never had any interest in keeping dogs. It’s completely fine being a cat person, so no issues so far. This person also assures you that they have no problem w/ those who keep dogs. After all, they had a friend who had dogs and this friend understood that keeping dogs was “different”, a likely sign of sth bad, and so always kept the dogs hidden. Now, do we really believe that the cat person has no issue w/ those who keep dogs? Keeping cats is not the only “healthy” or “default” option. It is just one of several equally legitimate options out there. Some brave folks even keep birds. Or both cats and dogs. In other words, I think you do have an issue with gay people, anon. Being tolerant when they are not “obviously” gay is still homophobic, and Aidan’s role in QaF is tame compared to, e.g. his straight serial killer/rapist role in Blackout yet you zeroed in on the former as the most objectionable one of his career bc it depicts his character having (a lot of) consensual gay sex. Good news is that while being gay is not a problem to be corrected, being a homophobe is, and you can always choose to improve. I grew up in a homophobic environment, so I know it takes time and effort to un-learn things, but I also know it is doable and v important. I’m not saying you should start binging on gay porn ofc, but keep on educating yourself. For example, BBC Four rolled out a great miniseries this year called Queers. I highly recommend it.