in every premodern society ive read about, marriage is an economic relationship: the wife provides things (children, clothing, a functioning house, certain kinds of gathered food or ag labor, it depends) and the husband provides things (usually food, sometimes housing, again depends, other kinds of allowed labor), things which the other person is socially expected not to get except via this pairing. its sort of more like coworkers, or a boss-employee relationship, than modern marriage. which makes modern marriage kind of a weird institution. obviously there are economic BENEFITS to being married. but it just fundamentally is not an economic relationship in the way it used to be; a lone adult is a fully-functional economic unit in a way that they werent preindustrially. and this change is PRETTY recent. but like, people act like its the same thing, that it just underwent some minor changes. itd be like if you still had a person who was recognizably your "boss" in a world where earning a wage via employment was not the default way to get food and housing
You know what I miss and haven’t done in a long time? Making out in a movie theater.
Neither of you paying much attention to the movie because you’re both too busy trying to figure out an excuse to shift closer to the other. To touch somewhere casually, then slowly slide that touch to somewhere not so casual. Overreacting to jokes or jump scares solely to justify moving your hands or faces somewhere a little more fun.
Pulling someone’s hand into your lap to trace lazy circles on their palm while you pretend to have been listening to the last 10 minutes of the movie. Placing kisses on the back of their hand. Their wrist. Their forearm, upper arm, and shoulder, until your lips are suddenly on their neck. Your teeth are on their earlobe. Stifling your giggles and hearing them stifle gasps.
Fingertips finding shirt hems and waistbands as you sink lower into the chairs, but closer and closer together. The patrons in the seats below never noticing as your gentle kisses slowly turn into nibbling and the leaving of hickeys on their throat. Your playful touches turning to something a bit more desperate. Hips bucking against your hand while you whisper in their ear to quiet down if they want you to keep going. Any thoughts of returning focus to the movie evaporating when you hear them gasp, “pleaseee”
Pulling them into your lap and pressing your mouth to theirs because you can’t stand to tease them anymore. The faint aftertaste of popcorn salt at the corners of their lips and blue raspberry slush on their tongue. The way they rock back and forth against you, trying to get any amount of friction without making noise, because the thought of waiting until you get home is unbearable.
Their hand laced into yours as you hurriedly pull them down the empty halls toward that one bathroom at the far end of the building that nobody ever seems to use, right after you both silently decided that this movie kind of sucks, anyway, and you slipped out the back of the theater. Pressing them to the beige tile wall and picking up where you left off, your mouth frantically mapping out every muscle and freckle and divot on their neck and throat, your hand under their shirt, and your name on their breathy whispers. Pulling their leg around your waist, because goddd, you have to be closer right now, and all these stupid fucking clothes are in the way.
Feeling the heat on their skin. Under your mouth. Radiating on their abdomen and between their legs when you finally yank the button loose to slip your hand into their jeans and tease them through the fabric of their underwear. Wishing to god or the universe or anyone at all that you could both just teleport immediately back to your place because you have to go down on them right. fucking. now, and the 20 minute drive home is a wholly unbearable thought.
The sound of an employees-only door opening nearby and a cart full of janitor’s supplies slowly rolling your way. Startling, then giggling and quickly attempting to put each other back together as best you can, pulling clothes back up, or back down, or back on, as the case may be. Fixing their hair and looking into their mischievous eyes, which glint in that way that silently pleads, “but what if we have time for just one more kiss? One more touch?” Biting your lip and shaking the thought of it from head before pulling them off the wall and spinning them towards the door.
Picking up in the middle of some nonsensical and fabricated conversation in an attempt to look nonchalant as you stroll back through the halls and towards the nearest exit.
And starting all over again the absolute second you’re both in the car 🖤
I hope that this post won’t get me permanently cancelled from the fandom, but I have been thinking about why DL has lost some of its appeal.
Disclaimer: Mentions of Abuse, victim blaming, violence, and more ahead. If you’re not comfortable with that, don’t read. Also, not proofread. I simply wrote down what came to mind.
Firstly, the franchise is over 10 years old. Some forgot about it, and others grew out of it. That is to be expected. Though the fandom itself is one of the most loyal I have witnessed. Fans come back after years or are that invested in one of the brothers. For me, I occasionally find myself disinterested in DL, mainly because of the lack of content, or I am simply invested in newer content.
Secondly, the Anime’s are just…bad. If you didn’t have prior knowledge of the games they were based on, they felt confusing. Even I as a fan had a few scenes that made me cringe. This reputation did not do Rejet well. But admittedly, it’s also a franchise that isn’t for everyone. The bad reputation it has received from Anime onlys surely managed to throw off many potential fans.
Third of all, that is where it might get controversial, is the ingenuity of the brand. The franchises name itself suggests not so nice themes. Anyone who is familiar with the first games and Drama CD’s knows this was a very present theme. From Laito’s infamous HBD route, to Ayato threatening to rip off your leg in the MORE, BLOOD Drama CD, and even blaming you for letting you two get kidnapped in the first place, knowing you possibly couldn’t have fought against vampires says enough. I liked that, not because i excuse abuse in any way, but because characters like this usually aren’t portrayed as much. I mean even Kanato’s HBD route was insane. To me, it was the scariest route out of all.
In the end, all boys were horrible, some more than others, but still all terrible people. Yui didn’t change the boys at the end of HBD, she had to adjust to THEM, and that is sadly more realistic than the other way around.
Softening the boys, or downplaying the sheer danger they portrayed, has always been prominent ‘issue’ within the fandom. Back a few years ago, Yui was more hated on than any of the brothers…which is crazy to believe now. That primary stemmed from the craze about “strong heroines”, i presume, and victim blaming itself. What went missing is the fact that Yui has always been strong. Maybe not physically, but mentally. Yet that simply wasn’t favored. OC’s were created that had a bit too much power, making the brothers appear more as jokes, rather than predators that pose a serious threat. Was this because of the Anime? Who knows. From what we know, Yui never had a chance to escape. They can smell her from kilometers away, they could send their familiars her way. It’s simply impossible. Also, if they weren’t instructed NOT to kill Yui, she would have been dead shortly after her arrival at the mansion like the brides before her. No human stands a chance against them. Thats facts. Any resistance merely meant an early demise.
Over the years I have noticed that the games were less focused on their cruelty, but more on the romance itself. “Redeeming” them, or trying to understand the brothers better. That makes sense since it is an Otome game, but it’s not very on brand for the franchise. The boys are sadistic, cruel, and have different morals than we do. This fact is what made DL stick out from the rest of the vampire content to me. No sparkles, no romance in the healthy way, but complicated, problematic vampires that both lure you in with their charm, but also make you feel repulsed.
I dont like the romanticization of DL that much, simply because they are so horrible. Look at any of their bad endings. Yuma in MB beat Yui to death, only for him to consume her, if I recall correctly. Their “love” is conditional. The moment they suspect Yui cheating, it’s realistically over for her. She’s never truly safe with them. None of them understand true love, and love itself can’t fix everything or everyone.
Yui also became an abuser in some endings, showing that abuse can be passed on by even previously nice characters. I loved this detail not for its cruelty, but because it shows what abuse can do to your mind. All of the brothers were victims of abuse, and have endured trauma. That however does not excuse their actions. Neither are any of them good…and that is okay. I would rather let this fact stay as is, rather than desperately trying to make them good.
Just because they aren’t always bad, or have their nice, or even vulnerable moments, doesn’t take away from the fact that they aren’t always bad. The brothers are first and foremost abusers. Could they change after so many years? Yes, yet I doubt any of them would want to. It would mean giving up part of their vampire identities, as vampires by nature are predators. They need to hunt to survive. Empathy would simply stand between them and their survival. Then comes the fact that they aren’t always bad simply used to being this way. Growth requires observing yourself, self restraint, and change…which very little would actually pull through.
Oh, and just because they’re kinder to Yui doesn’t make them nice either. They still harbor some of their old beliefs in most of the endings, and are horrible to everyone but Yui.
So how does that all tie together?
I think the essence of the franchise has been a bit lost. The sadism, the uncomfortable topics have become scarce, and some of the boys have been watered down to make them more compatible with this whole romanticization process. Laito, for example, from what we witnessed him as during HBD route, likely could never truly love, or it would take time, and a lot of effort from his side. His whole view on relationships and where you should draw the line are all messed up.
I dont mean to tell anyone how to portray the boys or what games to like, etc.
This is simply my take. The newer games and content are not bad. The problem for me is simply that they didn’t manage to grab my attention as much as the previous titles did. I am also no DL expert, I haven’t read all the routes, nor do I know everything by heart about the games. So I might be wrong about all this, but this is just my personal opinion.
In the end, it’s all just fiction. Everyone has formed their own opinions, and have their own experiences with DL. As long as it’s enjoyable for you, that’s what matters.
You are doing the right thing! I know it feels awkward, and uncomfortable, and scary, and you wish people cared more to be inconvenienced to stand out in showing how they resist a system that hurts us; but YOU do, and I see you.
I see You in the grocery store, I see You walking down the street, I see You add “mask required” to your event flyers, I see You mask blocs, I see You sharing information, I see You protesting mask bans, I see how much You will fight to protect people and yourself.
I see all the notes in the tags, the comments, the hurt you express on how long it’s been, the feelings of betrayal from family, loved ones, friends, community organizers and leaders that seem to care about everything…but somehow leave out people who respect and are hurting deeply from global, life-stopping, airborne virus.
“Masks suggested” is polite…but an insult at best.
We may blame our governments for the overall neglect and disregard, but it is how those close to you—act or don’t act—that hurts the most.
But you are not alone. My dear, please believe me, you are not alone.
We protect each other.
We protect each other.
We protect each other.
• UnMasked Thoughts: 10 - Medium, face masks and paint markers •
• January 2025, Ave •
Image description under keep-reading and in alt text
[Image Description of a black surgical mask against a white desk background. Written on the mask in white paint markers are the words “You are doing the right thing!!!” And in the bottom right corner of the mask is the artist Instagram handle vertically spelled out “@afroflowerr” END ID]
Ohh your OC Nuromai looks really interesting, can you tell us smth about them? I love your design!
Huff I'm terribly flattered, let me think!
Besides them being a DnD character, and the more forward stuff uhhh uhh what can I share--
I could share some lore?? He's one of many direct divine descendants of one entity, him and his siblings are each said to be one of her shedded feathers gaining sentience.
All his folk, and there are thousands, besides his mother, are socially/linguistically considered his siblings, but they can pretty much look like anything/anyone, and he's not particularly close to any of them, besides maybe 2-3.
He met his own "mother" maybe like... 1-2 times in his entire life, so he's a bit mentally detached from the "human" concept of family.
Most of his misconceptions around the terms "family", "siblings" and "parents" came through mistranslations of his language, given his want to share in human culture, he often attempts to relate experiences that are difficult to compare, and it's been causing him some grief, to be sure.
(I don't have a lot of art of his mother, given she's.. died before the campaign started, but here u go, have some concepts.
I think I could never quite settle on a certain visual for her, given I don't think Nuromai remembers her very well at all, so trying to match his perception of her, I kept her visuals quite hazy/uncertain.
Visual trait: Tall???)
(Bonus fact: He's recently been asked to seek out her undying/undead remains to end her, oops.)
i feel like this is very importantTM to say, you dont need to be an expert in your special interest
marine biology is my special interest. i suck at identifying fish. i can identify one fish but only because i spent ages fixating on it. i couldnt tell you the scientific name of anything else.
when i was in primary school most of my information came from the octonauts since i wasnt allowed the internet, it was still my special interest then even when i hardly knew anything.
having a special interest doesnt mean you immediately become amazing at whatever it is, and thats totally ok. its ok to forget things, to not know things, for other people to know more about the thing. thats part of the fun, theres so much about everything to learn and improve on.
in my personal case there are thousands of scientists who know more than me. i may know more than my friends, but im 17. there are scientists who study the ocean for a living and its perfectly reasonable for them to know more than me
the only thing that matters is that it gives you energy, that you enjoy doing it, that its special to you
ID: a 9 stripe flag. from top to bottom the color are light yellow, medium light orange, red, dark magenta, black, dark purple, blue, medium light turquoise, light seafoam /End ID
Autonarcisloveic - When your autoattraction is influenced by having npd/npd traits
Redesign of the flags here (link). Uses colors pulled from the npd flag, and an autospec flag, with slight tweaks to the npd half.
tagging @radiomogai for archival as always
More:
ID: The above flag with a heart outline in the center. The heart shape is made from a demon tail with an arrow on the end at the top center of the heart. The symbol is black with a thin white outline /End ID
ID: The described demon heart symbol, except it is the colors of the above flag.
