Anyway so I think there's a solid case to be made about Elena being a trans allegory similarly to Freya
Because she understands there's something off about her and everyone else can see it while she attempts to perform as the ideal princess. And it's because of this piece of her that no one can really name, including her. And it's not until the end of the episode when this thing is brought out that she becomes her real self. Unfortunately when this thing is brought out it does get snuffed, and she plans on making the best of what's given to her. But Arthur wants to marry for love so she ends up not having to worry about it in the end.
the thing with yandere!bully is that regardless of your gender there really is no difference in the level of difficulty when dealing with him. it's only distinguishing in the basis of their (he and his peers) bullying.
f!reader's experience is, to no surprise, rooted in misogyny. the world is already a cruel place for man, what more for woman? the second-class citizen, the lesser being. you'd think in this generation that whole misogyny bullshit has been wiped out, but being in this prestigious academy, you'd learn that the elite prides itself on tradition. it's not that they're openly misogynistic, but that they're highly conservative. and this environment puts a lot of pressure on women with it.
the misogyny is not obvious. of course it isn't, when even yan!bully's female friends get to pick on you. it's not evident, just inherent. they go for your looks. your face, your weight. skin and bone structure. the simplicity of your appearance that they mistake for lack of hygiene just because you can't buy their standard of cleanliness. sure, they also make fun of m!reader's appearance, but that teasing is nothing compared to what f!reader goes through.
rumors of your nonexistent promiscuity circle around the school. one of yan!bully's male friends spread those nasty talks about you. apparently you've been offering indecent proposals to faculty in exchange for good grades. one student saw you entering this teacher's office so late after dismissal, and there's another account of giving certain teachers bedroom eyes. you take more than one staff.
none of them are true, of course. it's not like you had the luxury of being a bad student. you only ever want to hold your place in this school, so you're particularly obedient is all. you never made a move on any of your teachers and they obviously never made a move on you. but you're no good kid, you're no overused sexualized good girl archetype. trust me, if you were as rich and pretty you'd be acting as reckless as your classmates too.
and then in college, there's the whole risk of pregnancy once you and yan!bully inevitably become frequently intimate. this time the challenge is your own body; you can get pregnant. the risk is higher now with yan!bully's insatiable appetite. he can never get enough of you. you now live in his residence (as you are compelled to) and every morning it's a game of who wakes up first because if it's him, then there's no getting out of bed anytime soon. he's good with his hands and mouth and below but you prefer spending the morning more productively. he doesn't even bother with protection, too sleepy and needy to even care.
you take the pills. he doesn't force you to. honestly, if he were asked, he's fine whether or not you get pregnant. eventually though, he gets a vasectomy. but the thought of getting to finish inside you over and over again has just increased his libido tenfold.
for m!reader, it's homophobia.
the male route specifically i imagine yan!bully propagated a rumor that you were gay, at first as a joke, but gradually he wanted to manifest through word of mouth that you were really gay.
unfortunately that whole stunt only made you retreat to your shell. if you were genuinely gay, it was all the more reason for you not to come out of the closet.
m!reader is more prone the physical bullying than f!reader ever is. what's worse is that the beating is done by yan!bully's male friends. they're all so big, so masculine, they all have got some niche, wealthy-only extracurricular that helped them build muscle, and you're too poor to even afford a gym membership. the football varsity team—yan!bully is a part of it, and his fellow teammates are particularly nasty. you get beaten to a pulp every time they lose a game.
they call you slurs when faculty isn't around. the boys sexually harass you, groping your butt or feeling you up because you're a boy, and sexual harassment isn't taken as seriously when you are one. they grab your hips and pretend to thrust into you in front of friends. it's just how teenage guys are, right? acting all raunchy and faking the act of sex in front of their peers for a laugh. it's all just a joke, because none of them are actually gay, only you are. besides, if you're a fag then you must like all that attention, huh?
that sort of bullying eventually dies down, though. soon, yan!bully feels bitter and it puts him in a bad mood whenever he watches them do that.
as a male reader, you're kind of yan!bully's sexual awakening. he's only ever dated girls before you. it's not that he's gay, more like... reader-sexual. at first he's in denial, liking a boy is very new to him, and he gets violent with something he's not used to. he takes that frustration out on you. towards m!reader specifically, he's physical.
it all changes once he realizes his feelings for you though. it's especially tragic if you happen to be a boy showing no inclination to liking boys at all. you're not gay, or you just haven't bothered thinking about it because there are other things to prioritize in life. or maybe you grew up in a conservative household, actively christian or muslim or any religion that frowns upon the queer. he exploits the shit out of your aversion.
in second year, whenever he touches you, you shrink into yourself like it's wrong. i mean it is, but he finds it particularly thrilling because he larps (yes) that you two are forbidden lovers who truly love each other. he wants to believe you're avoiding him not because you're genuinely repulsed, but because it's against your principles. this man gets delusional.
tldr: psychological torment for f!reader, physical for m!reader.
being adult is acquiring the ability to realize that the solution to the problem you have is actually a problem diluted into smaller problems that can become a much bigger problem later
seorin/lennart qpr is floating around in my head rn. something about the way their few interactions went in the hidden story and the way they’re weirdly similar in some ways and starkly different in others for really speaks to me…
seorin is a kind person, but she’s also very secretive, and she comes off as very intimidating. she doesn’t trust easily, and I doubt she comes to respect people very easily. I do think she respects lennart to some extent, given their interactions, but overall she holds him in the same regard as the rest of the Evaporation Incident Gang: friendly, but not trusting
by contrast, lennart generally makes a somewhat gentle impression (at least in arise lol), which in my opinion is more of a conscious choice rather than his nature. he’s polite and honest, and while he’s not naive enough to trust just anyone with his secrets, he also knows that there’s a time when he first needs to give trust to receive it, unlike seorin in the hidden story
they’re both explicitly stated to be perfectionists (seorin in her dossier and lennart in an area conversation) and neither of them do anything halfheartedly
I specify that they would be a qpr in my mind because seorin just screams aromantic to me, and I can also see lennart being some kind of aroace spec (multiheadcanoning ftw)
this is especially funny because I saw aki and went 'not this fucker'.
he literally showed up and started beating up my poor meow meow who did no wrong (denji) (that's my son. kissing him on his forehead).
and then I saw his sad backstory and it hit me: he's just like me, a forgotten older sibling.
but aside me being silly:
he's genuinely a wholesome person who albeit his haughty and cold exterior is very dedicated to his job and the people around him, to the detriment of his own health (which is something we don't like in this household).
he's genuinely a good family figure, and albeit I wouldn't describe him as fatherly towards denji and power, he's definitely a good guide and albeit he's clearly showing displeasure at babysitting them... he's also always being attentive to their needs. I think in a normal au, he'd be even more affectionate and I cry each time that fujimoto is a freak and doesn't do slice of life (said with love and respect for my man fujimoto).
he's funny and petty and somehow I am the same so I can relate.
he's in tune with his emotion; to this day his sexiest scene is him crying in that hospital room and each time I genuinely feel bad for thinking that.
I'd have more to say but I don't wish to further bother you.
I'm also surprised that Kevin and Shane are your bbygirls when there is also Radford and Sam. Inconsistent, Gnome.
I actually REALLY love Sam too! He's also in the bbg roster
But my taste does vary! I really like my tired men too, as long as they are pathetic. The reason why Kevin is my fav instead of Radford is because, to put it simply, Kevin appeared first and has appeared in every single episode of SM so far! Now, if Radford was there before Kevin, I'd probably would've liked him instead!
