#soft masculinity

Warm arms. Quiet breath.

trying to be okay with it and if people think its gross they can COPE

i'm also decked out in tattoos so if you'd rather read a Terry Pratchett quote or some of my own poetry thats inked on me rather than stare uncomfortable at my rat-scabbed skin you're cordially invited

I think Laios and Senshi are such underrated examples of what masculinity could be, not the puffed-up, loud and performative version, but something more quiet, curious, and connected.

✦ Listen me, I'm just saying:

Laios isn’t hyper-muscular or brooding. Instead, he’s a little chubby, wide-eyed, and deeply excited to cook literal monsters. He’s genuinely passionate, even when it gets weird. He’s silly but never foolish, obsessed but still capable of growth. And when he misses the emotional mark (like getting carried away with cooking at the wrong moment), the story lets him reflect. He listens, and he changes. This way, he tries to learn as a leader.

And Senshi? He bonds with aquatic horses. He’s a warrior and a cook. He sews frog costumes and enjoys it. He learns from Chilchuck and Chilchuck with him. He cries over the griffin, and no one mocks him for it. When he’s struggling, the others gather around, not to fix him, but to feel with him. It’s masculinity built on respect and empathy.

They sew frog suits and cook weird things. They save each other, literally and emotionally. And when about through it all, they’re allowed to be men without being rigid about it. They have different perspectives, they make mistakes, but they listen and learn from each other. That’s the kind of brotherhood that heals.

Hollywood and the Heartland🎷

YES Anon!!! Yes.

to me the ring isn’t just “he’s married,” it’s something much quieter and bigger at the same time. it’s safety. it’s a boundary. it’s a place he gets to exist outside of the line of duty.

Leon’s whole life has been defined by being needed, being used, being sent back out there. so the idea that he has something on him at all times that isn’t about that… that’s his… that’s chosen… that’s kept… it hits.

a ring. continuous. no edges. no beginning or end. it doesn’t ask anything from him, it just is. it holds.

so yeah, I really like the read that his person isn’t just his person—they are a part of what “home” feels like for him. not in a way that consumes him, but in a way that contains him. safely.

like for once, he’s not the one holding everything together.