#(if anyone is genuinely interested in discussing this or has good faith questions about why i like this i'm happy to chat!)

[katyspersonal]

*has another bad memory activated after a chat* I remember at the beginning of me joining the BB fandom, in summer 2021, I had the worst luck ever of attracting a person over discussing Izzy with now deactivated user, who instantly jumped at me with so much warmth, interest, questions, engagement and trust that by that time not even my friends were so affectionate

We exchanged Discords and chatted for a week or two, and I was feeling so, so, SO safe. It's been after a what, three years period of emotional abuse from every corner, loneliness, depression and meds? It felt like a final healing ray of warm sunshine after the longest and coldest night. She (at least it was her pronouns back then, dunno if it changed by now or not) wished me good night and good morning and was so genuinely invested in talking to me, I thought I've found a new friend.

......then, one morning, I messaged her a headcanon I thought she'd like, but saw that she blocked me on Discord. And Tumblr. I did not know why, so I asked a shared mutual to ask her what happened on my behalf. But while waiting for that mutual, the pain grew so severe that I no longer wanted to know. I simply made a throwaway account on Tumblr to tell her in her face how much it hurt and that she should not lure people with fake sense of trust and warmth if she is ready to just backstab them like this. And what did she do? Well, she posted a rant about me in her blog, namedropping me so people could "stay safe", pretending like I've done sone irreparable harassment to her when I just told her to not act like a friend and then bail without explanation, and worse: she revealed that all along, she was reading some twisted emotional manipulation in my messages when I was just being socially awkward, and instead of addressing her problems with me in MY face, she was showing my messages to her friends to discuss with them how """manipulative""" I was and took their advice to block me and run. 🤦‍♂️

Needless to mention that as soon as Eugene started a crusade number 2 against me, she instantly joined her on this one like "heeeey guys I am a victim of this horrible abusive monster too, she MANIPULATED me and HARASSED me when I tried to get away!!!!" 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

Ever since she blocked me after acting very affectionate and friendly in every way possible, I've had nightmares about her for half a year and I still, to this day, feel scared every time I hit a good conversation with someone in the fandom. I always get paranoid that they, too, might read nonexistent malice in my messages and discuss the level of my "harm" behind my back. After what she did I struggled to trust anyone in the fandom. But of course she acted like she was the victim who got harmed here. All because she could not address her suspicions of me in my face and because I told her "don't fucking cultivate strong trust only to break it"!

Fuck you, Spade, you deserve my hatred even after all this time, and I'll hate you until I stopped second-guessing everyone I chat with. Which is still a problem I have. I hate people who throw words of affection and warmth around like they mean nothing and then act all weirded out when people they got to trust them, big shock, started to TRUST them! "We weren't even friends we only talked for like two weeks!!!! 🥺" then why you did literally everything to act like a friend to me? And I sure hate people who can't even say "Hey, this thing you say makes me feel unsafe like you want to get certain reaction from me, can you Not" instead of talking bad faith trash about me behind my back. I hope a moment of fame feeling like a victim of terrible abuse was worth it, huh? God, you should become friends with Anna, you two are horribly similar.

[archtroop]

Kindly asking that you refrain from reblogging information about Roma, and what may constitute a slur against Roma, when you are not part of the community nor do you have the connections or understanding to know what constitutes a slur against Roma.

It's spreading misinformation, and it's honestly downright disrespectful.

Thanks.

Kindly asking ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD to stop reblogging about Jews if you are not one, as it is spreading misinformation and "it's honestly downright disrespectful".

Anon. That's absolutely USELESS of you.

If you find something I reblogged offensive or what have you - comment on it, reblog on it. Take a stand.

A passive aggressive anon ask is USELESS.

Are YOU Roma? Are you one of my followers/mutuals? I can never know. I can't trust you at all, I can't say if you are writing in good faith, or on behalf of a trend/common mis/conception, or if you are coming from a genuine place.

Anon, where are you from in the world? Would "Tsigani" be a slur to you or only against people in Moldova, Romania etc? Have you asked THEM if they see those terms as slurs?

Would "Soanii" be offensive? Because this is the term in Israel and other parts of the Middle East Roma are called (while "Gypsy" refers to probably Egypt, Soanii refers to Saana in Yemen or Tsoan - ancinet Egyptian city, or is a word that is reminiscent of an ancient word for "nomad".)

I will not stand for this culture of being offended by anything and everything just for the sake of it. Unless you all are ready to call all Jews "Bney / Bnot Israel" (sons and daughters of Israel). As it is not something that is plausible, Jews is OURS now. Jew derived from Yehuda, the second kingdom after the kingdom of Israel had split.

On the yellow stars in the 30-40s it was written: Jud.

In Russia and Ukraine etc we were Yevrey (which is ironically more correct on an ethnic level, and I have a suspicion as to why). If they were offensive on purpose they would use "zzid", a construct somewhere between Yid and the Russian word for "greedy" (Comunists hating on Capitalist logic. A variant of millenia old JewHate).

Now the world has it for the "Zionists". And hell if I ever let anyone take that from us and "slurify" it.

Anon, you do you, but if you want to have a discussion over terminology, asking "kindly" to not discuss it at all, is your SURE WAY to degrade those terms to oblivion and reinforce their prevalence.

I reblogged that post (and I have a good indication what post you may refer to, but again, anonask is a useless method of pointing at anything and in establishing a folloup, all I have left is guessing), because it brought up an interesting point.

A term becomes a slur if used as such or was constructed as such. If people utter the word "Jews" or "Gypsies" with disdain, they are slurring. Absolutely no question here. I am not naive.

Anon, are you talking on behalf of all the Roma in the world? All the ones who are referred to as Gypsy, Soanii, Tsiganii? I would never have the gull to stand here and represent all the Jewish community in the world and claim that "Jew" is a slur and we all are ONLY AND NOTHING BUT Bney / Bnot Israel.

I absolutely RESPECT that Roma refer to themselves as Roma. But you can not erase other terms from existence by getting offended, especially if those terms refer to places of origin. It's useless. By trying to cancel something out of existence, you only make it stronger. You either COMMENT directly on the use of those terms and present your opinion, and not on anon, because I can not have faith in anon (anons are for snitching and confessions). Or you achieve absolutely nothing.

Anon, who are you? Are you US Roma? Then maybe we can have a conversation.

And another piece of advice from someone who knows hate: two ways to battle offensive terminology/slurs.

Either re/claim them or downplay them/not react to them until they dissipate.

Your choice.

[feralkwe]

Fic Writer Interview

I was tagged by @veliseraptor - xoxo

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

a humble 34, but those are only the ones that made it to ao3. i've had several others strung across other platforms over the years, but these are the ones i care to keep track of.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

552,373. a little lower than i expected, but wordcount has never really been a thing i worry too much over. it's not a competition. a story takes as many words as it needs to be told.

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

i actually had to look this up. i thought i knew off the top of my head, and i was pretty lose. they are:

a champion's expectation (118)

dossiers and snapshots (89)

a hero's lamentations (78)

a queen's regrets (66)

food for thought (63)

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

i do! one of my favorite things about fandom is the back and forth about things you love. fic serves that up rather well. i absolutely love discussing stories with people who enjoyed them.

5. What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

hmm. a tough one, i think. i am probably suffering recency bias, but to the edge (and back again) may be the winner here. it's definitely up there. my current wip, thnks fr th mmrs may rival it, depending on how it goes. that one has the benefit of relationship angst, but isn't exclusively a canon character story where we all know the ending.

6. What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

i like a little bittersweet in all of my endings, and i think a majority of my fic reflects that. however, a herald's faith definitely has the happiest ending, in my opinion. everyone in the story is where they should be or want to be at the end of the inquisition, even if that isn't always with each other. hence, the bitter in my sweet endings. it's what they all want, and that has to count for something.

7. Do you write crossovers?

i used to, but i don't anymore. i don't really like them as much as i did when i was a young fic writer learning what appealed to me. it's just not my thing.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

yup! it doesn't exist anymore because the platform where i first posted it no longer exists, but i got a fair bit (more than i'm used to for how little known my work is) for my handling of alistair in a queen's regrets. i still stand by my characterization and choices. he has a temper and breaking points, and i think his reactions in my story are very much in character. sorry not sorry to everyone who thinks he's made of cotton candy and smiles and nods. he's actually much more complex than that, and i think i write that very well.

9. Do you write smut?

absolutely i do. that's it. that's my answer.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not to my knowledge! i'm not a very popular or well-known writer, and i would be surprised if anyone has actually cared enough to steal my work. that's not like, false humility or anything. i'm not well-known in any fandom, for better or for worse.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

someone did approach me to ask if they could translate a queen's regrets to russian, but i have no idea if that ever happened! i never heard back from them. if anyone runs across it, i'd love to see it!

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

nope. i'm not closed off to the idea, it's just never come up.

13. What's your all-time favorite ship?

oh my goodness, what an unfair question! i am very much a multishipper with a ship-and-let-ship mindset. i don't actively ship things outside of my own ships, but i'm pretty easy to convince that something could work and would be interesting. i love seeing it, and will happily engage in talk about it if asked because i genuinely enjoy seeing people have fun.

my official answer is possibly cheating, but it's anders/mage rights. it is my ride or die, absolutely non-negotiably canon ship. i love the idea that yes, even if he does love your character, he will never love anything or anyone as much as he loves freedom for mages. it will always matter to him more than anyone or anything else. perhaps he is willing to drown the world in blood to keep you safe, but he has and will obliterate himself for the cause no matter what you do or think. i find that so incredibly satisfying.

14. What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

hmm. i have a few marvel fics that i would love to have the desire to finish. i would say specifically dossiers and snapshots, which is a clint barton &-/ natasha romanov series of connected one-shots that i would rework into a cohesive multi-chapter story. at this point they would need to be torn apart and rewritten, which is only part of why it will likely never happen. the other is that despite how much i love the characters i chose for my stories, that phase of my fandom life has likely passed, and i'm okay with that.

15. What are your writing strengths?

i am very good at characterization. i am. this is fact. even though i toil and fret over every new character and voice i tackle, i think i always come out on top of it. the number of people who have told me they could imagine my characterization choices happening in canon reinforces this, and it is maybe the only thing about my fic writing that i am confident to maybe just shy of arrogance about.

i'm also good at dialogue, i think.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

probably description. it's something i'm picky about in reading any type of fiction. i have no patience for when it gets too flowery or when an author/writer refuses to leave anything to the reader's imagination. i will skim over it for understanding, but there is a point where it's just lost on me.

that translates into my writing to a point where i have to actively work against my impulse to be as concise as possible. i want so much for readers to be able to imagine what they like that sometimes i forget to give them touchstones for my own vision. i'm also forever paranoid that i am dreadfully repetitive. there is a sweet spot for me, both reading and writing, and achieving it is likely to always feel like a white whale.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

you have to be very, very careful with it. don't just trust google translate or whatever your tool of choice is with it. use it sparingly for best effect. if you're a native english speaker, don't fall into the trap of mixing it with english ("chinglish" "spanglish" etc) without consulting a native speaker. depending on the language you run the risk of getting very problematic very fast, and it's always, always best to err on the side of caution. and by caution, i mean native speaker opinion.

now, if native speakers of that language are your target, that is another thing altogether, and i have more thoughts on that. i love when ojibwe authors use anishinaabemowin and don't translate it for non-speakers. it's like a little love letter from them to me. i assume there are instances in other languages where this applies.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

technically the babysitter's club. i wrote and illustrated my own little books of it when i was a kid. the first fandom i officially wrote and published for was dragon age.

19. What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

mmm. i really, really would love to dip my toes into good omens. i think i understand the characters well enough to do it justice. but it's a big fandom full of so many incredible writers, and i have yet to come up with a viable premise that i think i could enact in a meaningful way. i'm not discounting it, but it's a fandom i'm active in, and i'd love to some day be a contributor.

also, i'd love to write some cute little bits for ryne/gaia in ffxiv. again, it's a matter of finding an idea that grabs me in a way that i think i could make magic happen. but they are so adorably sweet, and girl love is definitely something we need to see more of in any fandom, it's definitely on my bucket list.

20. What's your favorite fic you've written?

again, recency bias, but my recently finished ffxiv fic, to the edge (and back again), about the journey of elidibus through the zodiark summoning up to the sundering, may be my best work yet.

i'm gonna tag @yamisnuffles, @icescrabblerjerky, @leggywillow, @squeeful, @tehjai, and anyone else who wants to consider themselves tagged for a bit of fun.

[hotdogshipping-miwa-enthusiast]

Now I think it is apparent I am a shipper, it is literally in my name

And I feel the need to speak of Vanguard ships I have been fixating that are very obscure

Now I have discussed my beloved TetsuRen and I still have a lot to say on that, but I shall spare you (mainly because I want to gather photos)….ngl this is just me babbling about ships that I cannot stop thinking sbout

Morikawa/Korin

I am personally am not the biggest fan of Morikawa (for many reasons but I shall never be able to forgive the heart swimshorts) and I don't really have an opinion on Korin one way or the other but this is...once you get past how Morikawa Morikawa can be...is very cute.

He genuinely loves Korin and while he is overly passionate in showing it and can definitely be overly rude to others in the course of that affection

He supports her in everything she does and never looses faith in her. His actions in the high school tournament shows that he can take things seriously and is willing to put his feelings aside if something is important, also takes her seriously as a fighter, he respects her.

Now yes he does have the weird fan of an idol thing I don't believe you should constantly be declaring you are definitely going to marry an idol or call them your darling in full seriousness, but I like how supportive he is of Korin.

I like to think that maybe after the events of legion mates he can find her again and fall in love with her, that with a little training in self control and maybe manners he could be a nice supportive boyfriend. She deserved to be loved after all she's been through especially with the constant uprooting of her life and how often those around her forget who she is.

(Please anyone for the love of god give her a hug)

(I've also seen Korin/Noaki which is another very cute ship for her)

Jun/Masaki (Naoki's brother)

I will not lie I saw a piece of fanart of these two and this ship just popped to me

They don't even exist in the same versions of the show, that is how far removed this is: Jun is solely in the original Vanguard and Noaki's brother only appears in the reboot. This ship has no business existing and I know that, but the intrigue of the dynamic gets me.

This man is an uptight, no nonsense, "stop being childish and learn to do something useful like a proper adult" type of guy. He sees Naoki enjoying himself and his first response is to tell Naoki to stop before he inevitably gets bored.

Jun is 'the king of underground cardfighters,' he walks around with a chain and in his second appears he ties Miwa up. He enjoys vanguard and the lawlessness of underground fights.

Stark opposites; would never reasonably interact.

But an idea came to mind; Masaki sees how much fun and how invest in Vanguard Noaki is, something the boy has never been with any of the other hobbies he picked up. Wanting to know more about what made such a dramatic change in his brother he stumbles upon the underground. Of course it is very sketchy but Noaki's blond friend who seems somewhat reasonable is here so it's probably fine (like Miwajun in both romantic and platonic and semi believe Jun smokes and definitely got Miwa into smoking).

Noting Masaki knows Miwa from seeing him interact with Naoki but doesn't actually know him and both of them ended up at Jun's entirely unrelated

"maybe not the best guy to introduce you to vanguard" - A Gaillard fan upon hearing about this ship

I think Masaki would be suspicious at first but slowly end up pulled into Jun's rythm. Jun would find this clear newbie to vanguards presence amusing and interesting him, pushing him to interact more with him.

He handcuffed Miwa to a poll after their first conversation, you cannot convince me he would pass up the chance to question why someone with zero vanguard knowledge showed up at his hideout.

(Miwa also sees Jun's newest toy and asks Noaki if he has a brother, immediately wishing the man good luck when Noaki says yes)

And finally...for now

Ibuki/Gouki

Ibuki will always be Suiko's malewife yes, it is his calling

But If also gave us this beautiful duo

They have their whole training sequence and god is Gouki a shojo protagonist in this ep.

I feel this needs no explanations, they're just great

He just immediately steps up to encourage this forelourned man, their whole conversation is the rejected heroine and the loner 2nd male lead who never admits his feelings but constantly encourages them, a couple you want to root for, is it all for his Jammer misson? Yes. Does that change anything? No.

BECAUSE HE IMMA GOES INTO TRAINER MODE TO MAKE GOUKI STRONGER AND HELP HIM FULFILL HIS WISH

The ending AND CONFESSION

THE FRUSTRATION OVER ALL THEIR TIME AND FEELINGS BEING EREASED AS HE IS FORCED TO ACCEPT THEY CAN NEVER BE

And of course

Gouki still dears of their time together, longing for memories he will never get back

This is such a weird ship but I just love it

Thank you for coming to my tedtalk (I have more screenshots for all of these but tumblr is limiting me)

[welcometoteyvat]

I’ve been wondering about image descriptions, and been a bit nervous to ask, so I hope this is seen as something asked in genuinely good faith and not me being rude, but what are the purpose of image descriptions?

As far as I’m aware they’re mainly for people with screen readers, but I was wondering (other than people with difficulty seeing) who uses screen readers and why, so that image descriptions can be written to suit the requirements of people who need them.

Also, I’ve seen a lot of people putting them in the body of the text and not the built in function, and I was wondering which is ‘better’ or preferred by people who need image descriptions.

Sorry that these are quite a lot of questions, but I am genuinely interested in making my blog more accessible even if it’s small :)

hello :>

tbh i'm still learning myself! generally I've been adding IDs in the alt text of my images but there seems to be a preference for putting them in the body of a post (my most recent reblog should talk abt this, and if you go into the #for personal reference tag on this blog there's another post that has a discussion abt this (might have to scroll a bit)). part of the reason i haven't been doing this is because I'm not sure about how to do the ID bracket formatting (because I haven't actually looked or tried to commit it to memory very hard..... L).

as for who they're for, I believe it's anyone with visual impairment, whether they use a screenreader or not! (the first post i linked should also talk about this)

@ your last paragraph: let's both try our best ! no problem about the questions <3 (although you might also want to try looking elsewhere, as I'm not the most informed on this topic!)

[daugterofthemoon]

Hold your horses, because I got shit to say about this as well.

First of all, may I just say.. this reminds me so much of unique, like the whole lying about entering the void, etc. And how her actions made the whole void community spiral into doubt. Thank @gorgeouslypink for their “Doubts” post, though. Back then it really was a savior.

But bro fr. What kind of behavior is this? Like, what’s the deal? What made you think that lying about entering the void was a good idea? This “experiment” of yours was quite unnecessary.

Void-tumblr has witnessed before that if one lies in this community, they will get exposed; and if one do lie, they contribute to more harm than good. You know, because fake success stories created doubts in other people, and they still do to this day. If any of you reading are having doubts about the void again because of this person, I highly suggest you read pink’s “doubts” post. It sure as heck helped me when things got hard with unique in the community.

Back to business. What’s the deal about you thinking people idolized you? Since when were asking actual genuine questions about a void experience, (because everyone’s experience is different and it’s an interesting topic to discuss), idolizing? I don’t find that idolizing in the slightest, and I also don’t get the purpose of lying about entering the void state. The void state community is quite vulnerable because of past bloggers who have lied about their success. What makes you think it was a good idea to do what you did?

And why are you trying to defend your actions? Nothing can justify that what you did, because in fact, it was not okay.

I think it’s about time you take actual accountability, instead of putting on this act of a wounded soldier. “Void is 100% real and I’m not but don’t lose your faith on the void eventhough I’m loosing faith in the void too”, drop it.

This behavior- “this action wounded me too as well, not just you” is an insane way of tricking people into sympathizing with you. And if this was not your intention, then you better start reflecting on how you present certain things. What you present will have different outcomes and consequences.

Why do you think they lose faith in the void? I will tell you. It’s because of people like you who lie about entering, while spreading misinformation. You’re acting like you did this for “the greater good”.

This behavior is distasteful, and will not be tolerated.

If anyone needs someone to talk to about any of this, my dms are open. I’m here for you.

This person is genuinely so disgusting! Lying about entering the void state. So pathetic. And then trying to gaslighting people into believing that they are “idolising” people who enter the void state. First of lol nobody was idolising you 💀. 0.000000000000000000000000001% of the population knows you exist dumbass. Stop tryna defend yourself and just delete tumblr atp.

“It’s sick and sad”

Bitch, the only thing that’s sick and sad is you lying to people about entering the void state and time travelling.

Get a life.

[arcadialedger]

A Keefe/ Sokeefe discussion— and why Sokeefe is important.

So, as many of you know I am reading through Keeper of the Lost Cities. I just finished Lodestar, and I have a lot of thoughts regarding Keefe, especially in relation to Sophie.

Despite them being apart, Lodestar proves just what great foils Keefe and Sophie are. Not only do they continue to have a deep and innate understanding of one another, but Sophie in particular is the only one to have full faith in Keefe and understand what he is doing. While arguably being the one with the most right to be upset with him.

She never lost faith in him. Even before she saw his worst memory, she saw his reasonings and the guilt he was harboring better than anyone.

Generally speaking, while understandable, the skepticism towards Keefe by characters throughout this book was so frustrating. This boy is risking his life, putting himself in the heart of enemy territory FOR THEM, overwhelmed with guilty for what his mother did to his loved ones, and so often his job is made harder with questioning of his loyalties.

Once it was confirmed Keefe was indeed a double agent and still good, which was pretty clear already given his parting comments and want to get Sophie to safety, couldn’t we maybe, I don’t know, not second guess his intentions constantly and potentially jeopardize his safety?

All it does is make Keefe’s plans run less smoothly, and higher the probability that he is going to get in trouble and into a situation where he has to do something bad just to stay alive.

I am so glad to see him back for ‘Nightfall’, and Fitz begin to underhand him more deeply. Yet it is so very telling how strong he and Sophie’s relationship stayed despite being apart, and how Sophie treated him in comparison to the others.

They have, as I stated before, a deep connection and innate understanding of one another. Unparalleled by any other relationship.

The fact Sophie was thinking for a moment they were fated to be opposites is interesting, because they very much are fated as foils and soulmates. Further, the very reason Keefe left is why Sokeefe works, especially in comparison to Sofitz.

You see, for a classic ESTP type character Keefe’s empath abilities, empathy for others (obviously connected to his abilities), disregard for his own well being, and constant putting others before himself is classic INFJ. It’s an incredibly interesting ability to put with his personality, and makes him a remarkably complex and unique character even outside of his history and traumas.

Keefe takes what his mother did personally. He owns it and puts it on his shoulders. He is riddled with guilt, and has very little regard for his own life. This is why he makes the sacrifice to join the Neverseen and put himself in danger. He could quite literally feel the pain and impact his mother caused on his friends. It would be next to impossible not to internalize that.

But you know who else has a relative who hurt people and joined the Neverseen? Fitz. Yet his reaction is entirely hard and logical, compatible with his telepathic mind abilities. He doesn’t take it personally like Keefe does, he doesn’t put that responsibility on his shoulders. 

He is the head, while Keefe is the heart.

And this is where we get into the heart of why I think Sokeefe works while Sofitz doesn’t. As a romantic partner and foil, Sophie needs a heart to contrast and support her head, not another head (if that makes sense). They balance each other. Keefe helps make sense of all of the feelings and thoughts in her head, while Sophie helps him make sense of and reason our all of his overwhelming emotions.

This is seen in their interactions all throughout the series. Each one is so tender, genuine and raw. There is that deep connection I’ve mentioned, that leads them to get one another in ways nobody else can.

Nobody else understands Keefe the way Sophie does, and vice versa. Nobody. In ways tied to both Keefe opening up to her, and them being on the same communicative emotional wavelength. It honestly reminds me of all the reasons I love Zutara and mourn it’s lost potential.

There is no way to do it justice when trying to describe characters who just have that bond, that perfect understanding and balance, that mutually supportive love. Those characters that are perfect foils.

Sofitz is cute, but more of a crush, and I truly think they are compatible better as besties and telepath battle partners. It’s not problematic and I don’t hate them as a pair, but it is simply not meant to be as Sokeefe, nor does it have the depth. I like the idea of their relationship being like Claire and Douxie in Tales of Arcadia. I know Sofitz tries things out for a little while in books 7-8 ish, and while I probably will be frustrated screaming for Keefe I actually don’t mind.

Because I want Sophie to try out that relationship, see why it’s not meant to be that kind of love, and move on to find a true, mature romantic love with Keefe. Fitz is a cute boy, and they share a lot in common. It’s perfectly natural for Sophie to have a crush on him and even try dating.

But a message of Sophie realizing what true love is/ what different kinds of love look like, and finding a mature relationship with Keefe while also being able to have a strong non romantic bond with Fitz? Is so important and would be so beautiful. Not to mention having this in the hindsight of Keefe being SO mature and supportive of Sophie and Fitz’s relationship.

It seems to be leaning that direction based on what I’ve heard about the end of book 8 (because yes I looked up the Sokeefe page on the wiki spoilers be damned because I am trash), and I am crossing my fingers that is the arc we get for the last books.

Keefe and Sophie’s love is so deep, unconditional, and pure. They understand and support each other in so many ways and bring out each other’s best selves. They help each other heal, and are connected in a way unparalleled by any other characters.

The head and the heart. The telepath and the empath.

Sokeefe forever.

[lochrannn]

Do you think that ao3 is the best platform for fanfiction writers or should there be some changes?

Hey OP, I’m gonna level with you, I was considering not answering this question at all because it feels a lot like I’m being dragged into disc horse that I have no real interest in participating in. But I’ll try and take this question at face value and in good faith and I’m genuinely sorry in advance if my tone drifts into the defensive.

My short answer is, hell yes!

For one, is there really any even comparable alternative? And secondly what changes should there even be made for authors specifically? I mean, I can store and sort my stories, people can indicate that they like them, write me comments. I can give information through tags that make them searchable for people looking for something like them. This is perfect! Would I love it if more people read my fics? Sure, but that’s not an Ao3 problem, that’s because I write for a small fandom ship in the absolute drought period between seasons. That’s on me. Ao3 is an archive, a library, it’s not their job to promote my stories. They make my stories just as accessible as other much worse and boring stories (in my personal, probably bad opinion) and they make my stories as accessible as much, MUCH better stories (in my personal, vey wise opinion). How people interact with the stories is entirely on fandom behaviour and how people find shit – whether through Ao3’s search functions or my own promotion on other platforms… tumblr for instance.

Now, I feel like, if this is about the Ao3 bad or Ao3 good conversation, the question should actually be, is it the best place for readers and should there be any changes made. And there I’d say, minor ones if any. This is always about the idea that Ao3 is somehow responsible for the content on their archive, and I wholeheartedly disagree. If they were a commercial operation (and please see this post about why they very much are not) I’d say they’d definitely be responsible for the content they make money off of, but they aren’t, so they’re not. Ao3 has an exceptional content filtering system, so though I’m sure there’s some heinous shit on there, because people are going to people, I’ve not actually come across anything, cause I can easily avoid it by not going looking for it. But what I find distasteful, the next person might find some artistic merit in or any kind of personal entertainment, and honestly, vice versa. And if a fic becomes big that’s usually because it gets attention elsewhere and then, I think, the discussion about it should happen on that platform, too (mind, I do believe people should feel free to go into the comments of a fic to tell the author off if they think they’ve done something really bad, while hopefully not being a total arsehole about it. But honestly, why bother engaging with something you find upsetting? Close that tab and use the tags to find the type of coffee shop AU that’s more to your taste). But I don’t believe that by content being available on Ao3, the people who run it endorse it or promote it. It’s just being stored there and it’s up to individual users how they want to interact with it.

And ultimately on what basis would anyone make a decision of what content is acceptable and what content isn’t? We’re all watching the internet being sanitised beyond recognition and functionality due to advertiser pressure and we’re rightfully appalled at nonsense like female presenting nipples. I’d much rather have a website where, if you are so inclined and go looking for it, you can find someone's FICTIONAL WRITING about incest and rape than the entire internet being rid of love and sex and queer stories and people boning aliens or sentient werewolves, and I just genuinely don’t see how we are ever going to get rid of one (though I’m not even sure we should) and hold on to the other. We can only ever learn to engage with this stuff responsibly and critically, or individually chose not to engage with it at all (which Ao3 makes very possible), but that’s not going to happen by simply making it all go away for everybody.

If there was one change I could suggest, it would simply be to make it easier to block authors whose stuff you just don’t want to see anymore (there is a script/site skin you can run, but you need to know it exists and it’s a tiny bit involved, you can find the info in this post. I've used it, it works). Like, if there’s an author who continuously tags stuff as your ship, for instance, and it’s just so they can brutally murder one of the love interests, then I think it’s understandable you don’t want to see them anymore (yes, this is why I went and found the script to block an author, and yes, I also understand how this is an incredibly minor complaint, compared to, say, legitimate complaints of perpetual racism in fic – and here I don’t mean discussions of racism or depictions of racism, cause that is my understanding for why the tag exists, so people can avoid that if they don’t want to read it, but rather conscious or unconscious racist attitudes within the writing).

So once more, wholeheartedly, thank fuck for Ao3 for protecting and storing transformative works and for not making it their job to be the arbiters of what is morally acceptable fiction. I hope that answers your question, OP.

[backseatfishing]

Copying these answers over from twitter to make it easier for me to find later, mostly, but if anyone on tumblr is interested too, then here you go LOL. Also if anyone knows who made this so I can credit, that would be cool. Answers below the cut!

1. Solus Asterus, no relation to any Garlean emperors  I'm still trying to figure out if I can work this into FFXIV lore without it being weird, but it might be impossible

2. Duskwight Elezen, Summoner

3. All... of them?? LOL idk, you tell me

4. 30s-ish. Prob mid 30s by now

5. His true personality is kind of subtle... He's generally calm, positive, and eager to help around strangers, but internally is always trying to sort out his feelings about everything, which sometimes leads to him being less personable than people would expect from the WoL.

He is prone to anxiety but refuses to show it, has strong convictions, and can be extremely stubborn once he's made up his mind, even if he himself admits it isn't the best choice, lol. Very in tune with other people's emotions and is good at responding to them. 

6. clothing... can he dye it black? then yes. LOL

7. His childhood was weird but generally not that eventful. His parents aren't originally from Ul'dah, so he grew up feeling like an outsider and has few friends from back home (which is part of why he left, haha)

8. If he's honest, his goal is to create a world that doesn't need the WoL anymore (he would like to take a Big Nap).

9. He does weaving as a hobby and occasionally sells the results. He loves making stuffed animals, so his house (and the Rising Stones) is full of them

10. Tea isn't a food but it is his favorite LOL. Or any type of vegetarian curry, probably

11. Losing people he loves, being completely alone. Both of which have happened to him, and now he hates it even more! Go figure.

12. Weaving, as mentioned, and writing. He isn't as good with saying words sometimes, but he's excellent at writing them and particularly loves to write letters to people he cares deeply about. His grimoires are full of notes, half-written letters, and letters he's received 

13. DPS/ranged spellcaster. Originally started as Tank/Paladin, but due to various injuries and the chronic pain he has from his body being blasted with light aether, he has difficulty wielding a sword anymore and feels pretty at home with spellcasting. 

14. aside from writing, he's skilled enough as a summoner to effortlessly change small things about his physical appearance (horns, his hair, nails, etc) and knows some, uh, less savory forms of summoning for Reasons, and has practiced them a few times.

Y'shtola is the only one who really understands that his fat cat familiar is a voidsent with the soul of his previously deceased cat, and he knows she knows, but neither of them have ever discussed it because that's definitely going to be a hell of a conversation

15. He is from Eorzea, and he was born in the Gridania area but grew up in Ul'dah 

16. He has two moms, his bio mom moved to Ul'dah to be with his other mom after his dad died while adventuring. Solus's bio mom has never been 100% happy with him being an adventurer or the WoL and doesn't get it's not really a choice anymore, so... they don't talk much LOL 

17. No siblings. This is the shortest answer I have LOL

18. His extended family is extremely fractured and he doesn't know any of them, but after Heavensward he considers Count Edmont to be a father to him (and Edmont definitely considers Solus part of his family as well).

19. Love is the most important thing to him, he wants nothing more than to share his life with someone who genuinely cares for and understands him fully, and to be able to give that in return. And he has that now

20. Important but definitely not as important as the love part. He's more concerned with other people's enjoyment than his own, haha

21. Money is for black dye, bc his retainers keep bringing him scorpions (him having retainers is not canon, he would not be ok with it LOL)

22. He was never a religious person before everything that's happened, I think he's even less of one now haha

23. Solus's biggest enemy... gear that dyes different shades of black LOL. It's hard to think of anyone he's personally met that he genuinely hates and is still alive

24. In a true role model sense, probably Aymeric, for accepting a leadership role he didn't really want and then doing his best with it anyway because it's the right thing to do. Solus knows too well the difficulty of that path. 

25. Probably any of those smaller private moments he's spent with Haurchefant or G'raha. Or like... the immediate days following G'raha waking up on the Source, haha

26. He can be stubborn as hell to his own detriment, especially when it comes to his own safety but what WoL isn't

27. This like the faith question, but I don't have another answer, so... he believes in a thing called love

28. Seeing the difference between beast tribes on the first vs the source REALLY cemented his feelings that what happened with them on the source is bullshit, actually

29. Before ShB his greatest regret would have been not being able to save Haurchefant (or anyone else), during and after ShB it's that he never truly gave himself space to grieve and move on like he should have, bc it put him in a bad place for so long. ~character development~

30. There are so many, but that one time he and Estinien hooked up and both of them regretted it is something neither of them will ever tell anyone, except pretty much everyone already knows because they're SO weird around each other, lmao

[rainbowsky]

Re : your latest ask response on AT - I agree with what you say. And dont u think more ppl need to read this? Those fans..maybe they are just none the wiser. But how can they be unless there are more talks like this in the broader circle. Maybe they are, i wont even know. But just wondering

This is in reference to a previous post.

I was chatting with Anon off anon for a while, and because the issue they raised has come up before I asked them to submit the question so the answer could be shared with all of my readers.

Ultimately the issue that’s at heart is, “Why not take this type of argument to the people who are saying incorrect or toxic things? Wouldn’t it help the situation?”

There are many good reasons not to get into this type of exchange online.

GG has explicitly asked us not to defend him online, and explicitly asked that we do not get into arguments and debates online. I really hope that this is enough reason for us all, and that people see no need to read on. It really should be the only reason we need. But yeah, I get it, most people don’t GAF what GG wants. So let’s keep going on this list...

We will be ensuring that the toxic threads and issues get more attention. Almost all online forums are engagement-driven. It doesn’t matter whether the engagement is positive or negative - the more people discussing a topic, the higher it gets bumped in online forums. In fact studies have shown that negative, acrimonious topics tend to draw bigger audiences and more dedicated, enthusiastic engagement. And the more comments there are on a thread, the more readers will be curious to find out what all the fuss is about. This all means more eyes on the issue, more eyes on what the antis and toxics are saying, and potentially more interest gossip sites, entertainment sites and the media will take. This is a very, very bad thing.

We will be ensuring these jerks make more money. Just as forums are engagement-driven, so is revenue. Whether it’s a YouTube channel, an online blog, or a social media platform such as Facebook or Weibo - the more we engage in negative threads on those platforms, the more money those with a stake will be making. Including the people posting that garbage, in many cases. Especially on YouTube where channels are monetized. Giving these people more comments and attention can lead directly to more profit for these clowns, by giving them a higher profile, more algorithm prominence, and more clout overall.

In general, people who get into these kinds of debates online don’t want to open themselves up to new perspectives or learn what other people think, they just want to assert their own POV. This is, in fact, ultimately what Anon is suggesting should be done with the points I’ve made in my posts - put them out to there in discussion threads so that everyone can ‘benefit’ from them. But here’s the thing, Anon: I’ve already done that in the only capacity I feel is ethical; I’ve posted about it on my blog (and I was hesitant to do even that). My points are already out there for anyone who wants to read them. Any further sharing of them in threads where people are arguing would just be me or you or someone else asserting a POV. People in these types of threads generally don’t care about what we have to say, they only care about being right and converting others to their POV. People who genuinely care about the truth and who genuinely care about being open-minded and reasonable will seek out different points of view, and that will take them to places where people aren’t arguing and slinging mud about unsubstantiated gossip.

People acting in good faith will rarely be found arguing online about these types of topics. They will certainly not be debating and spreading gossip in comment forums, because GG has asked everyone emphatically not to do that. So the people we try to ‘school’ with these ideas are highly unlikely to be acting in good faith. They are highly unlikely to be open to our ideas. They are much more likely to take these arguments as attacks, and/or as opportunities to attack. They are much more likely to resort to lies, manipulation and dirty tactics while they do so - whether consciously or unconsciously.

Arguments - whether weak or sound, whether ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ - are the fuel of every debate, every scandal, every piece of gossip or hate. Any post that is made in a comment forum about a toxic issue is fuel for that toxic issue, even when - and I’d argue especially when - the arguments are trying to elevate the level of discourse or urging moderation, level-headedness and kindness (because those tend to be extremely controversial perspectives in such forums). Electricity doesn’t care whether you’ve plugged in a toaster or a cosmic death ray, it will power everything equally. So it goes with online arguments. Thankfully this works both ways. While it’s true that every argument helps fuel a toxic debate, everyone who steps out of it and refuses to engage is helping to kill the debate and deprive it of oxygen. Every person who refuses to engage helps bring down the level of furor and hate. Every person who refuses to add to the comments is helping to bury the thread. This is the most powerful thing we can do to stop online arguments - refuse to get involved in them. Everyone thinks they’re the exception. Everyone thinks they’re the one person who really should be there arguing. We all need to realize and accept that none of us should be there.

Further to my previous point, opposition helps the antis/toxics more than it ‘harms’ them. It gives them more opportunity to assert their position and persuade their audience. They will be grateful for the counterarguments we provide them, because we’re giving them information about the sorts of doubts others might be feeling, and some of the ideas bolstering those doubts. They will use that information to hone and improve their arguments. And as I stated in the previous point, they aren’t necessarily burdened by the need for facts and fairness. They will take any opportunity to massage the facts even more, to hit even further below the belt. By arguing with them we are essentially just helping them to patch the holes in their rhetoric.

Rational points will have no helpful impact on irrational, emotional people. As the old saying goes, “People cannot be reasoned out of an idea that they didn’t arrive at through rational means.”

Calls for moderation are almost always going to have the exact opposite effect from what you intend. Because it’s not what people want to hear. They take it as a criticism of their behavior. When we go into a party and say, “OK, party’s over, let’s all sit down and talk about facts and feelings!” all that’s going to happen is people are going to get more boisterous, more indignant, more drunk, more sanctimonious and more angry. And we’ll have galvanized them all together into a shared belief that they’re doing the right thing. We’ll be the bad guy and they’ll all feel even more justified in doing what they’re doing. In a highly charged, bitter comment thread, few statements are more controversial or more potentially incendiary than the ones that seek to calm people down and get them thinking rationally.

There’s little to be gained, and plenty to be lost. At best, we might convince one or two passers-by with our arguments. However, the vast majority of people will take those arguments as fuel. The antis and toxics will hone their arguments on the whetstone we’ve provided them and will only become more effective at their work. The people arguing will feel more justified in arguing. The issues and threads will get more airtime and more prominence in the forums and possibly even find media attention.

As I said, the list should end at #1. But if it didn’t for you, I hope some of the other points I’ve made here get through because arguing about gossip online - no matter how good our intentions may be - is toxic and harmful. This goes doubly for issues connected to antis and toxic fans.

Refraining from arguing online is not a passive act. It is the single most powerful thing we can do to eliminate online hate. To quote point 17 from my fandom survival guide,

Blocking and ignoring are not a capitulation. Someone might be saying the most egregiously wrong, hostile or negative things, and we might feel tempted to engage and ‘set them straight’, but often the best course of action is to block and ignore (and report, where appropriate). This isn’t a capitulation - it isn’t ‘backing down’. Quite the contrary, it’s often the single most powerful action we can take against hate - to simply not give it a platform or a voice in our lives.

Here are some related posts that might be of interest:

Fandom Survival Guide  

BXG Fandom Etiquette

Dealing with Antis On Tumblr

Why is it so important for our fandom to behave well online?

When is arguing online safe/OK?

I should add that there are cases where it’s perfectly fine to debate online. Debating online can actually be a lot of fun, and can be a great learning experience. People can learn how to form arguments and recognize weak points or logical fallacies, they can practice critical thinking and staying emotionally detached and rational, they can develop a stronger rhetorical voice or develop courage to speak more boldly. There is a lot to learn by debating online.

Low stakes, low impact issues, or issues that are broader in scope

Having said that, I feel that it is safest to do that with low stakes issues, issues that do not impact individuals or marginalized groups, or issues that are framed broadly enough that there will be a level of interpersonal detachment. For example:

Debating with people in the comments of a news article about whether the city should build a new light rail system.

Debating in a game forum over which console or game has the best graphics.

Arguing over whether Marvel or DC, PC or Mac, french fries or mashed potatoes are superior.

Debating the merits of our favorite sports team or athlete.

Discussing which political candidate has the best policy on climate change.

You get the idea. We all have opinions about a variety of subjects, and there are endless places online to discuss them and hone our debating skills.

It becomes a problem when the issues are sensitive, when the people involved are being targeted for hate, or when the topic impacts the reputation or activity of an individual or group. We should always consider the implications of the issues we are discussing and the potential impact of our words, the words of others and the overall drama being generated.

Particularly when there is a lot of emotion, anger, hate and bitterness involved, or when people are being whipped into a fury that they intend to turn on a person or organization, we should proceed with extra caution.

Especially when the person in question has explicitly asked people not to engage in that type of behavior.

Well-moderated forums

More challenging or sensitive topics are best discussed in forums that are well-moderated with robust guidelines on how to behave, and rules that are properly and fairly enforced. In that type of setting, it’s possible to discuss a difficult topic without having it devolve into something toxic.

Unfortunately, the forum that Anon is talking about above is YouTube. Social media venues such as YouTube and Twitter are not built to be managed or moderated in any truly effective way, and they are notoriously bad at handling hate and toxicity (beyond profiting from them, which they definitely do). Those types of forums are not safe venues for debate. They aren’t safe for us and they aren’t safe for GG.

When looking for a place to discuss topics that are more sensitive or personal, try to find a community that has a strong policy, clearly posted rules that are properly enforced, and a good moderation team that cares about healthy discussion and about fostering a community of inclusion and friendliness. Such communities do exist, although I’ve never seen one dedicated to discussing topics related to GGDD.

[elpercotreviews]

My Anime 9/10′s

With probably no spoilers cuz I don’t wanna talk too long about them zzz.

1. Fullmetal Alchemist

YALL ALREADY KNOW THIS A 9/10. The only real reason this show is not a 10/10 is because it’s just a story that I’d never rewatch. There’s like 70 episodes, which is way too long for my short attention span, especially since I’ve seen it already. But yeah, by all accounts, this story is a masterpiece and is one of the only “shounen” anime’s that I genuinely enjoyed. No random sexualization. No dumb filler. All the characters have an actual purpose and role in the plot and everyone has their own morals and ideals that interact to make the story interesting. I couldn’t bring myself to really hate anyone, even the villains, because everyone was pretty well written. Also super satisfying ending that ties up everything properly without leaving me confused or upset. If you only watch a few anime in your life, Fullmetal Alchemist is pretty much a MUST WATCH to see a beautiful example of a modern classic anime as an artform. Also I should say that I really don’t like Hunter x Hunter (AN EXTREMELY CONTROVERSIAL OPINION BTW) but I love Fullmetal Alchemist so take from that what you will.

2. Parasyte: The Maxim

Same kinda shit where you already know this a 9/10 for me. It’s just a very satisfying anime that doesn’t have random sexualization or random filler or anything like that. Ending is also very good and ties up the story in a way that doesn’t leave more questions but also allows the characters to have a “life” outside of the scope of the story. I think Parasyte, because of its more horror and psychological-esque vibes, counts as a seinen and not a shounen, so for more mature audiences. I also really liked how the story was successfully adapted to modern times since the manga is from the 80′s. I have actually rewatched this anime, but what stops me from giving it a 10/10 is a few things that I found kinda “stereotypical” that I don’t wanna discuss further too much cuz it’s spoilers. I still obviously really like this anime and highly recommend it.

3. Zankyou no Terror

TBH, this anime is pretty hard for me to properly describe in a lot of words as to why I like it. The art was really pretty as well as the music, which was just straight up amazing. The cinematography of this anime is excellent as well, and a lot of scenes have that sense of being acted out by real people, as opposed to feeling completely drawn/animated. I was a teenager when this anime came out and I think a lot of the themes presented in the show really related to me. The show does kinda have some leftover questions when it ends that prevents me from rating it a 10/10, but I have such a soft spot for this anime. It’s from the same creator as Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop, and although those two animes are also very good, they did not impact me as much as this anime did. Recommended for people looking for idk something that gives off Inception vibes?? In the sense that it’s much more about its themes and its message more so than the believability of the events that occur.

4. Magic Kaito 1412

THIS IS JUST A PERSONAL PREFERENCE BTW LOLOL I DON’T KNOW ANYBODY WHO’D PUT THIS AS A 9/10 ANIME. I JUST REALLY LIKED IT OKAY. It’s made by the same person who does Detective Conan but I like this a lot more because it’s a much shorter series and slightly more mature (more for teens than just straight up kids). I really liked the main guy, I think he’s funny and charismatic. He’s a pervert at times but Imma forgive that cuz of the 90′s. Idk it’s just a really fun anime that I don’t have to take seriously and can just watch and enjoy.

5. Mob Psycho 100 (season 1 AND 2)

Imma put season two as slightly better than season one. So season one would be like a 9 and season two is like a 9.25 for me. Super super funny anime and I like it SO much more than One Punch Man. I liked that there was a good balance of serious moments, but you can definitely still count this anime as a comedy. I’m typically not the type to watch “comedy” but this anime genuinely had me laughing out loud, while also crying and freaking out right alongside the main character. The main guy is super great because he’s just this shy and sweet middle schooler, and it’s really interesting watching him balance trynna have a normal life while also using his powers for good and such. Apparently the anime was decently faithful to the manga and there’s apparently enough material for a third season so I’d be pretty stoked for a season 3, but season 2 ended on a pretty good spot and was satisfying. TBH, if I had the time, I’d probably rewatch both seasons and bump it up to a 10/10.

6. Vinland Saga

This anime is just the first season of what I hopes to be a whole series that will be stay beautifully and faithfully adapted from the manga. As someone who read very far into the manga (but quit like years ago simply because I hate slow updates lol), I actually didn’t enjoy watching the anime at first. I was impatient and kept waiting for when like the “major” events would happen. So I watched like three episodes and quit. But when I had some free time, I decided to get stuck in and commit to watching the whole series and I was so pleasantly surprised with just how good it was. I was impatient but I needed to realize that there is no “filler” or like “wasted time” in the entire anime. I hadn’t read the manga in years, so so many things were only vaguely familiar but I think this helped me stay surprised and excited throughout the anime. I’m looking forward to the rest of the manga being adapted because it’s just a good Viking saga lolol. Major themes of stuff like growing up, violence vs. peace, what it means to be a good person, etc. Lots of blood and LOTS of violence like a LOT they are VIKINGS CMON but tbh not really any gore which I liked cuz gore makes me ughhhh. A very good watch and only a taste of an excellent story.

7. Demon Slayer

It’s just Demon Slayer duhhh. Of course this a 9/10 for me. I don’t wanna write much just cuz the show is so popular. Just read a REAL review of this anime somewhere else lmaoooo. Also yes I did watch the movie in theaters and yes I liked it a lot as well mmkay. I’m mad hype for season two. My S/O doesn’t like Demon Slayer as much as me, but also has Hunter x Hunter as their all time favorite anime. Do with that information what you will lolol.

8. Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2

Same shit as Demon Slayer. Just go read someone else’s review about why it’s so good lol. Also, unlike Mob Psycho 100, I can’t include all of the seasons in this, because I have very various opinions about how good/bad the other seasons were. But this season 3 part 2, was just plain and simply amazing. While I might not like each season equally, as a whole Attack on Titan is also a modern masterpiece of storytelling. Read the manga if you can.

9. Great Pretender

I love this anime so much. Such a good and fun wild ride. The whole show is ridiculous but in a fun way. I’m a HUGE fan of heist films, so of course I absolutely enjoyed a heist anime. I’ve watched this show in sub AND dub, due to the fact that everyone is “technically” speaking English the entire time. If you’re a purist, just watch in sub OR dub cuz I did get confused here and there, especially when I would go back to compare language discrepancies.  Because basically I did this super high maintenance thing where I switched back to Japanese whenever the main character had flashbacks, since he’s ya know, Japanese. The dub also has this confusing thing where the first five minutes or so are still in Japanese, but switches to English when a little cue card on the screen goes “For the Viewers sake, everything from now on will be translated to Japanese.” It’s cuz in the sub, the inverse obviously happens where the characters are initially speaking broken English to each other, but for convenience sake, everything from that point on will be in Japanese. It’s confusing at first but I liked it cuz it just proved the whole international vibe of the show. It’s funny either sub or dub when they joke about how bad the main guy speaks English, cuz in the dub he’s speaking perfect English, while the sub has him not speaking English at all. But anyway, great anime that WOULD have gotten a 10/10 if not for the last episode. Like without spoiling ... WTF WAS THAT LMAOOOO. The anime as a whole is super wacky and zany but at least I could try to think it’s real life, but that last episode was just so unbelievable and bizarre and pulled my suspension of disbelief into the STRATOSPHERE that I just had to convince myself that this show takes place in some improbable alternate reality where something like what happened in the last episode is at least 5 percent possible CUZ HOW DID ANY OF THAT WORK LMAOOO??? Once again, great show, one of my absolute favorites, BUT THAT ENDING THOUGH WTF.

10. BNA

Good super underrated anime that I don’t hear people talk about at all. If Beastars is anime Zootopia, then BNA is Disney Beastars lmaooo does that make sense? It’s a lot more fun and zany than Beastars and I liked it way more. Made by the same people who made Kill la Kill. I really like that more classic, animated “cheap” art style that the anime has, and I also really liked the plot of the story. Not a 10/10 cuz the show does leave a few unanswered questions at the end of it, but this show was such a fun and interesting ride. When I finished the last episode, I was left with a big smile on my face because I just genuinely enjoyed this anime. Recommended if you wanna watch something a little unique and more on the silly and wack side. Talks about some serious stuff, but luckily the show never takes itself TOO seriously, and remains overall lighthearted for a fun action/sci-fi show.

[artmunstudios]

What's 2 similarities & 2 differences U have noticed between Ozpin & Oscar?

Aaahh I was wondering if you were going to ask me! I’ve been seeing you around asking this question and the answers have all been interesting! So I’ll take on a response that people aren’t taking on then, yes? This will be a long post, so if anyone is interested in reading past the first analysis just click the ‘read more’!

Their Origins

Ozpin is at the core based off of two characters. One of those characters, Oscar is also connected to. There are obviously more characters and whatnot they reference, but for the sake of simplicity, I will only be addressing their clear initial inspiration. Ozpin is based off of The Wizard of Oz, also known as Professor Oz primarily in the Oz Book Series; but his full name is Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs, which he abbreviated to Ozpin Head. (Thank you @immortal-green-snom for this tidbit!!!) In the book series, after he had left in the air balloon in an attempt to help Dorothy get home, Professor Oz was revealed to have done a lot of slimy and heinous things to keep the throne of the Emerald City, and by extension, the Land of Oz itself. While he does get better in the latter books he reappears in, he was portrayed as being manipulative, a bit pathetic, but extremely intelligent and a master of illusions. I wouldn't be surprised if the writers of RWBY were trying to get that across in Ozpin's traits, but to be quite honest, they kinda failed at making him even a morally grey character, as a lot (not all, he isn't guitless, but again, a lot) of the arguments used in-show, and the FNDM itself, are all about things that were either not in his control, or something that was painted as being his fault/harmful, but was actually the opposite of the situation. The biggest example of this is Raven trying to trick Yang and Weiss into believing Ozpin had forced her and Qrow to become birds/have the ability to do so. In a lot of ways, Ozpin and Professor Oz are actually opposites of one another in terms of personalities, which may have in actuality been the overall intention CRWBY had, but we can only speculate. Professor Oz is extremely selfish, while Ozpin is selfless, even to a point where it actually becomes harmful to others. Professor Oz would have done anything to be in power, while Ozpin has done everything to relinquish himself of a position of power, which I find very interesting. This may be due to him even trying to somehow relinquish the burden the God of Light has placed on Oz as a whole, but is ultimately unable to give up that specific task. Even though, truthfully, he needed to relinquish that particular stronghold all along. Professor Oz is clearly a leader, and despite his negative traits, is actually a very good one. Ozpin...as much as I love him as a character, is not the greatest leader. He is, however, an excellent advisor/second-in-command. Professor Oz is only a mere mortal man pretending to be something more, while Ozpin is something bigger than a mortal man, but is pretending to be nothing but a man. Expanding upon this, they also are desperate to be the opposite of what they are. Professor Oz wants to be what he portrayed himself as, and for Ozpin, it's very much the same situation. There is a lot more I could say, but let's move on to Oscar!

Oscar Pine, like Ozpin, is based off of two characters at the core. Again, it is likely that he represents more than two, but for the sake of simplicity, let's discuss only the two. From the moment I saw Oscar, I knew right away that he was based off of my favorite character from the Oz Book Series...Tip. Tip, short for Tippetarius, was too a farmboy who longed for much more, who knew that there was more out there, despite being notably content in their lifestyle. The only difference was that Tip was a slave to an evil witch, but he escapes her in the second chapter with a companion. He is described as being just like any boy; rugged, mischievous, playful, and a lover of all things fun while still being quite shrewd. Unlike Ozpin and Professor Oz, Tip and Oscar are, in fact, extremely alike. Even down to their colors and appearance. Despite how Tip is colored, he actually has light brown skin (though considering the time period, we all know why this fact was dismissed), and black hair. And his treasured beanie cap was green and orange. His clothes also had a primary color scheme of brown, and were dirty due to the work he had done on the farm. Oscar and Tip have the exact same personalities, which was what affirmed to me that Oscar was meant to be his primary parallel. What got me the most was their sarcasm. Tip is still the most sarcastic and genuinely street-smart protagonists in the Oz Books. Not to say there were no other protags like that, but there was something to be said about how Tip was one of the few protagonists to actually act as a leader in the traveling group. Just like Oscar, Tip is also quite emotional, and they both have a sharp temper that they express not in loud outbursts, but by quips that you know could be quite hurtful if they wanted them to be. However, between the two, Tip is the loudest, should you put them in the same room. However, I suspect that as time goes on, Oscar might start becoming quite vocal when he doesn't like something, as I've noticed that the more he develops, the more he acts like Tip. Their behaviors are similar as well; when something personal is going on between two parties who clearly knew each other before him, both Oscar and Tip have a tendency to hang back and simply let the moment play out. They both start out as being sort of bystanders, just going with the flow while occassionally giving very good advice/strategies, but they start to become more of a leader as time goes on. In fact, leadership seems to be in their blood. There is actually a reason for this.

Ozma of Oz

There is a single thread that connects both Oscar and Ozpin, and that is the second primary character they represent. That character is the infamous Princess/Queen Ozma of Oz. Ozma, in many ways, is a lot like both Ozpin and Oscar; and may be the kind of person they become once the merging is complete. She is shrewd, but gentle. Sarcastic and blunt, but very elegant and fun-loving. They have a particular grace in how they handle their politics, but she admittedly gets into more trouble than rulers of kingdoms should. She is, ultimately, the perfect archetype of a ruler. And had completely reformed The Emerald City to be an environment that is very much like Vale's open-mindedness, with the advanced technology and efficiency of Atlas. Ozma, in the books, was actually revealed to be Tip; or rather, Tip was Ozma. After being transformed into a boy as a baby by a witch under Professor Oz's command, they were whisked away by said witch, and had been working under that witch until they had escaped as a young boy. Many speculate that Ozma was meant to represent the transgender community, and I know many transgenders see Ozma as an icon. Frank Baum was the type of guy that wrote things that were ahead of his time, and seen as very controversial by the few who could actually read the metaphors planned out. It was even implied in the later books that Ozma and Dorothy get married, and there were many illustrations made from the original novel illustrators of Ozma and Dorothy looking like a couple. What's even greater is that despite the change of gender from Tip to Ozma, she still very much contains her boyish traits despite the frills and queenly garb. As stated in one of the last lines in the second Oz Book;

"I hope none of you will care for me less than you did before. I am still the same Tip you know..."

When I realized Oscar was Tip, I knew Ozma was going to be put into the equation. I just,,,, wasn't expecting..... t h a t.

Oscar and Ozpin

Time to actually answer the question I was asked JSDJFDKDFKFK--

Oscar and Ozpin are different in one particular way: Trust. Ozpin trusts nobody. Truthfully, he doesn't even trust himself, I don't think, and that is likely why he didn't have much of a plan these days. He doesn't trust himself to be competent enough to complete the task assigned to him, he doesn't trust humanity to pass, hell, I don't think he even trusts the Gods to be capable of taking care of humanity considering the shit job they did in the past, and how poorly they have handled Ozma and Salem. In simple terms, Ozpin trusts too little. Oscar, on the other hand, trusts...a little too much. There, I said it. And I'm willing to say it again. Oscar trusts too much. Whether or not that will change after the end of V7 and what happened in V8 is left for debate. Oscar seems almost incapable of seeing the downside in some situations, like, for example, confronting a General who has completely gone off the deep end, unarmed and alone. And he trusted a man who needlessly beat the shit out of him for something that nobody, not even Salem, were truly at fault for. And while that trust paid off, unlike how it did in the past, it is a bit of an alarming trait that I genuinely think will simmer down either after all that happened in V8, or it will eventually when that trust truly bites him in the ass.

Another polarization between Oscar and Ozpin: faith. This ties in a little bit with the trust theme, but there is enough to talk about on its own. While Ozpin does believe that humanity is overall good, I think he has lost faith in their capability to work together long enough for there to be any sort of permanent peace. And, admittedly, he isn't wrong to think that. I think you would have to be very foolish if you genuinely think there will ever be a point where humanity will stop fighting amongst themselves; in other words, Ozpin is fully aware that the God of Light's task is genuinely impossible. And honestly? I think the GoL knows it is, too. Oscar has faith as well, but he views the dire circumstance in a different way that may be the key to solve the seemingly unending puzzle of Salem and their task. He gets faith in humanity not through the overall picture, but in the smallest things. Oscar likely believes that it doesn't matter if all of humanity is united, because he too knows that will never happen. But, he is certain that there is a lot more power in the smallest of unions and actions; a racist woman reforming and helping to comfort a faunaus child. A woman who helped a group of people tear down a kingdom realize the fault of their actions, and try to save another kingdom's people. A man who, while being genuinely wise, was so blinded by rage that he could not see past his own nose, change in order to save what little good has sprouted from something so terrible that he helped sow. The little things matter so much more, and unlike Ozpin, he doesn't think that they need to grow any further than that.

So, what makes them similar? Two distinct things. They both are very personal. Even if it is in different forms of expressing, Oscar and Ozpin are quite personal, especially when it comes to their advice. But they also really feel for the person they are talking to. And while Ozpin felt Hazel was too far gone, he felt for him and understood and even agreed with his anger. Their empathy is truly something else; and it is also their weakest point. Not to say that having empathy is bad, but their empathy leads into another trait that they have in common... They let people walk all over them. All. The. Time. To a point where it is actually very frustrating, and it even hinders their development as characters. Ozpin let Ironwood walk all over him, and never spoke in defense for himself. Ozpin let the council walk all over him, and never defended himself. Ozpin allowed for so much of the blame to be placed on his own shoulders, that it is extremely unhealthy, and something I wish the show would address, but have come to accept that it won't. Especially when this trait is reflected in Oscar as well. He blamed himself for failing to convince Ironwood, he allowed for Jaune to verbally and physically attack him, and outright refused to let Jaune apologize. They both brush off their wellbeing so often, that watching Oscar do the same only confirms to me the suspicions I had as to why everyone was genuinely so blind to figure out what was going on in their heads and when they were struggling. Because both Oscar and Ozpin refuse to acknowledge their own struggles and shortcomings.

But, to be frank, that is more of a writing issue than a character reflection, in my personal opinion. And I'll continue to see it that way until the show actively acknowledges that unhealthy behavior.

There ya go! My very very long analysis of Oscar and Ozpin; I hope I brought something unique among the batch of this question!

[sepublic]

Luz’s Online Experience?

           Talking a lot with @sterling-jay over the subject and discussing this; I noticed that Luz can be particularly persuasive and a powerful debater, specifically at the end of The First Day where she mercilessly gives Bump a peace of her mind until he finally concedes her genuine point. Coupled with her mentioning “Jerks online who want to debate” as one of her primary fears, and… I have to wonder if she honed her argumentative, debating skills from having to deal with those kinds of people as a kid, usually in online forums that she’d go to talk about her hyperfixation with other like-minded kids; Especially since the internet tends to be a place of solace for neurodivergent kids who can’t find others like them in their area.

           I’d see Luz as being SO passionate and into her argument as she brings up a bunch of brilliant points, and then she just gets shut down by a cruel remark (like some internet edgelord calling her “nerd”) and it HURTS so much, because Luz invested so much energy and effort, and yet clearly others don’t feel the same, despite apparently inviting her into discussion. Luz really seems like the type of kid who practiced her arguments and speech and really deliberately stewed over them during class and meals, getting distracted as she thought of the perfect rebuttal, usually within the shower; Because for someone like her, she just CAN’T let it go, because her hyperfixation is being trashed and she has to defend this, etc.

           And I think Luz was the kind of kid who easily fell for the kind of taunts and trolling that older people online would do, targeting neurodivergent kids who take things at face-value and are too literal and innocent to realize what’s up. I can imagine Luz getting into flame wars online, because some trolls deliberately aggravate Luz by trashing on her interests and saying dumb things, forcing Luz to go on the defensive as they mercilessly criticize what she likes in order to ruin the fun for her- And eventually Luz realized those people weren’t actually interested in debating her, just making Luz second-guess and doubt herself. So she learned not to bother engaging with those people and just shut them out- Hence why she defeats her fear by recognizing such people as not coming from a place of intellectual honesty, that they aren’t worth her time trying to convince because of this.

           That’s why it’s one of her primary fears, “Jerks online who want to debate”, because there’s always that one person on an internet forum who has to be “Um, actually” and deliberately try to ruin Luz’s fun and disprove her headcanons, all while acting so much smarter than Luz, all condescending and pretentious; Probably defaulting to that “Why are you so EMOTIONAL/triggered” response that’s frustrating and invalidating to Luz. And you know someone with a good heart like hers would NOT stand for that kind of talk on principle; And as the daughter of a nurse, she’d go into a spiel about how triggers are an actual medical term, only for Luz to be accused of “taking things too seriously” or “ruining jokes”.

          This kind of frustrating, constantly-being-egged-on harassment from others online- It could’ve really soured Luz’s experiences, making her feel even more lonely and unsupported… And it could’ve led to Luz explaining that it’s not worth one’s time trying to engage into argument and conflict, which she explains to King at the beginning of Once Upon a Swap- She’s been there, Luz knows how it feels, and she knows that it never ends well and is just playing into the aggressor’s game. And when Boscha bullies and harasses Willow during Wing it like Witches, it strikes a particular nerve with Luz, causing her to challenge Boscha; And for a less drastic example, this kind of unpleasant experience influences Luz to challenge Amity at the Covention, for King’s honor.

           It’s because Luz IS curious and genuinely thoughtful and willing to hear others out in a meaningfully critical sort of way, so she just HATES people who act like that, who come from a position of bad faith and aren’t interested in actually evaluating arguments. So she’s so passionately against the type of ableist trolls who make fun of people for being so invested into their hobbies and interests (because that’s “not a personality”). And it just culminates in Luz being somewhat cautious whenever people approach her online or in real life, because she’s not sure if they’re being genuine or not, if they’ll ever take her seriously, so what’s the point in being able to argue on her and others’ behalf?

          For a while, Luz could’ve been the kind of kid who has a brilliant argument, but it’s just… SO HARD for her emotions to not get riled up, to be made fun of as her voice wavers and her eyes water- Which means getting dismissed as unreasonable, ‘too emotional’, all that sorts of stuff. And so despite setting this situation up, Luz’s bullies manage to make it look like LUZ is the aggressor, that she’s the one throwing the first punch, when they were deliberately trying to emotionally trigger her into doing so. And as @sterling-jay suggested, that just leads to the word “Trigger” becoming an ACTUAL trigger for Luz, because of the way it was cruelly and inaccurately used against her in the past- And sometimes when people use it like that, it can launch Luz into a whole spiel about how that’s super-disrespectful to people with actual disorders and PTSD, only to be mocked for being so ‘emotional’.

           That means Luz having to learn to regulate her emotions, pretending to not actually care, to be more mature… Before she realizes that no, that’s also playing by their game, who cares what those trolls think? So Luz just blocks them out, ignores them, and continues to be who she is unapologetically, blocking anyone who tries to intrude on her fun without remorse. But what happened still happened, so Luz has a bunch of clever debating skills and rhetoric left over from those days when jerks online would drag her into flame wars for their own amusement. But on the Boiling Isles, especially Hexside… Luz might find an actual, genuine debate club in the Bard Track or someplace similar.

          She’d have an environment where people DO debate and argue on good faith, from a place of intellectual honesty- A place where people genuinely, critically think and reflect on their own and others’ takes! So Luz has this powerful, persuasive energy and debating skills that she’s built up over the years, but never had a chance to properly utilize in an environment where it would be taken and evaluated seriously; So like a lot of her passion and interests, curiosity and energy- Luz finds the opportunity to indulge and explore it in the Boiling Isles, channeling that skillset and ability into something good and productive… Like convincing a local principal to provide multi-track learning options for students, and not bend a knee to a corrupt system!

          And Luz’s fiery, righteous rage against injustice can come into play during a revolution against Belos’ dictatorship; Because she knows firsthand what it’s like to be frustrated by people who claim to argue on superior, academic merits, but are only really interested in just shutting you and your ideas down… Because no, Luz KNOWS that her and others’ ideas are worth listening to, and hearing out- And it’s just so validating to see people like Eda actually listen to Luz… To actually change their minds, or else explain their own thought processes in earnest, instead of just shutting the girl down because they said so.

          It’s this ability to really critically question things and evaluate if people are coming from a place of good, intellectual faith, that makes Luz ready to challenge all sorts of things, while mentoring and encouraging those who are in a similar spot to her childhood, but didn’t have any support- Until now. That yes, what you say IS valid, and if people can’t be bothered to explain themselves properly and/or take your argument into account- Then you shouldn’t have to listen to them, and at times; Just remove yourself from the situation entirely! Prioritize your own comfort and health, and don’t bother trying to play by the rules established by others who are trying to drag you down onto ‘their level’. Challenge the system, break its rules, and don’t bother vying for some kind of moral approval from others who don’t actually care about that kind of thing; And always remember, your emotions, your anger and grief, ARE valid…!

          ‘Calmness’ doesn’t necessarily indicate objectivity, it can be apathy operating from the comfortable status quo that is being upheld. And don’t fall for the trap of lowering yourself to their playing field, by assuming both sides have a point, because chances are; Both of you are operating from very disparate positions already. What others say may be coming from such bad faith, that they are not entitled to your ‘respect’, nor an actual platform to validate their terrible ideas. And don’t let yourself be blamed for making things ‘more contentious than they need to be’ when you lash out in self-defense; Because a lot of the times, the status quo that’s being disrupted is unjust and NEEDS to be changed, and it’s the one causing conflict by hurting people in the first place.

[coldmorte]

Hey! I really really like your blog and all the Dutch content, and I read your posts on Molly and Dutch and I just felt like sharing my thoughts :) If you don’t feel like it, just ignore this

I like Molly, even though I agree that she’s very much a snob and very paranoid at times.

It’s always felt very clear to me that Molly really, truly loves Dutch. And love makes you do stupid, desperate things (just look at Arthur).

Molly’s interaction with Abigail is about Dutch’s love for Molly, not the other way around. It’s Abigail saying that Dutch doesn’t love her and Molly lashing out (probably to protect herself from the truth).

This is brought up again in An Honest Mistake, when she talks to Arthur about Dutch, questioning how Dutch seems to him. When Molly says, “I really love him, you know,” Arthur averts his eyes and doesn’t look at her. I’ve always seen this as Arthur knowing Dutch doesn’t love her in the way Molly wants him to, if he loves her at all.

I’ve always seen Dutch as being kind of ahead of his time when it comes to certain progressive ideas (especially as it pertains to race), but when it comes to women, he’s very much a product of his his time. The way he talks about them and to/at them, whether it’s Molly or Abigail or Mary-Beth or Sadie, is often either dismissive or condescending.

While he doesn’t outright say it, the way he acts around the women at camp has always left me feeling like he prefers women (at least the ones he takes an actual interest in) to fit into the roles society has carved out for them; they have to be beautiful and docile and romantic-minded for him to take an interest.

You’ve said yourself, that Dutch deals with a lot of self doubt and that stems from wanting to be seen as a great and powerful man, who the people in camp can look up to, and women (especially young women) were (and to some degree stil is) seen as symbols of status. Molly is a beautiful woman from a wealthy family; she could have anyone she wanted, and she chose Dutch and ran away with him, leaving her old life behind – that’s the ultimate powermove on Dutch’s part.

I’ve always thought of Dutch as a romantic, the way he talks about love and how it’s the one thing worth living for, and I believe that he may have at some point actually loved Molly or at least convinced himself that he did, but the second he grows tired of her and realises that he doesn’t actually love her, he’s moving on to another, younger woman.

His inner romantic and his ego and need to be perceived as powerful are at odds with each other, and as the game progresses we see how his romantic and kind side wilt under the weight and pressure of his responsibilities as a leader and his need to be perceived as powerful and a great leader.

Those are my thoughts at least :)

Hello!

Thank you for the ask and the kind words! That really does mean a lot!! 💜💜💜

I am very grateful for your message, and no!!!! I don’t want to ignore it!! That wouldn’t be very fair of me, as I feel like you bring up some good points to discuss. Also, I appreciate the respect in your message and for taking the time to write so much out! I’d be happy to give you some of my time in return 🥰

(Warning: SPOILERS below)

I’m going to take your points one at a time here. So, starting with liking Molly, it’s totally fine! I don’t want to be too negative on my blog, and I don’t want people to feel like they have to think the same way I do. That wouldn’t be any fun, so it does make me happy that you can enjoy her character. I don’t want to take that away from you!! By all means, love her to your heart's content!!! ❤️

Furthermore, though I don’t personally like Molly, I don’t think she was a truly bad person. Just like every other character in the game, she had flaws and made mistakes. I primarily wish I could have gotten to know her better because she was presented during a very dark time in her life. I feel like this affected my perception of her, and I might have seen her differently, if I had gotten the chance to interact more with her character (especially outside of the RDR2 timeframe). Everybody deserves not only to love somebody, but everybody also deserves to have faith that the person they love can truthfully say the same back to them. I felt bad that Molly died such an unhappy, loveless death.

About the love Molly had for Dutch, I agree that she loved him. My point in bringing up infatuation was to primarily highlight the reason and the degree to which she honestly loved him. Did Molly love Dutch for the man he was, or for the idea of the man he was? Maybe, it was a mix? I am not sure there is enough information to give a conclusive answer to this (as I somewhat mentioned before).

To be fair, the same thing could (and should) be asked of Dutch. Did he truly love her, or did he just love the idea of having her at his side? Again, it would be fascinating to see the early part of their relationship. It would answer a LOT of questions. You mention that Dutch arguably saw Molly as a symbol of status, and I agree that it was very plausible. I think, to some degree, both Molly and Dutch saw each other as being favorable for what they represented, unfortunately.

In regard to the interaction between Molly and Abigail, I realize my response was unclear about this (that’s my bad). I'll try to write it better here, but this is really complicated to put into words! I'll do my best!!

What I said was that Molly got angry at people she “perceived” as challenging her love (this was subjective to her POV and not necessarily reflective of true reality). My original answer was not objective (nor was it meant to be - I was trying to write this part from her POV), and there are a few layers I want to analyze here. First of all, from an objective perspective, you are correct. The conversation between them was ultimately about Dutch not loving Molly the way she wanted to be loved. However, the first thing Molly did was state to Abigail that she loved Dutch. If she didn’t see this point as being in question, why did she feel the need to immediately justify it before saying anything else? To me, it seemed like she needed to actively prove that she loved him to others.

This was also seen with Karen and Arthur. The conversations with Karen were confusing because they didn’t have much context, but perhaps, that was the point - to show the extent of Molly’s paranoia (in other words, that there was no context and that she was imagining Karen to be against her out of insecurity). Molly continually complained that Karen said bad things about her, and she insisted that she not only loved Dutch, but that he loved her as well. Then, as you mention, Molly emphasized to Arthur that SHE loved Dutch (it was not directly about his love for her). Again, by constantly having to profess her feelings, it was as if she thought people were doubting her on some level.

But here is where the contradiction comes in - I believe that Molly was smart enough to know that this doubting wasn't entirely genuine. She knew it was never really her love that she should have been concerned about. Although, by focusing on herself, it was a way to deflect from her insecurity regarding Dutch and the fact that she knew, deep down, he didn’t truly love her (at least, not anymore). That’s why she got so upset when Abigail, for instance, brought this point up. As soon as the conversation shifted from Molly’s love to Dutch’s love, she lashed out and stormed away.

So, to try to summarize this all up, what I am trying to say is that Molly “perceived” challenges to her own state of emotions as a means of shifting away from her concerns about Dutch’s feelings. She knew her "perceptions" were really more like lies to herself. Molly wanted the conversation with Abigail to seem like it was about her because she felt she was more in control of that and could handle it better. From a neutral perspective, the conversation was definitely not about Molly - it was entirely about Dutch, which Molly knew (she just didn’t like Abigail directly pointing it). I hope my response makes more sense? Sorry, if I am still being confusing!

Now, as for Dutch and his progressive ideas, I think a lot of them were formed in his youth. Little information was given about his childhood, but he did seem pretty sensitive about the fact that he grew up fatherless. His dad died in the Civil War (a conflict primarily centered around the issue of slavery and states’ attitudes towards it), while fighting on the side of the Union. One reason Dutch was probably so progressive in regard to race was because of his anger over losing a parent to racially-motivated violence. Racism seemed like a waste of time and life, so he was bitter towards people who still harbored racist sentiments. He knew firsthand how destructive they could be.

Minimal insight was provided into Dutch’s relationship with his mother, other than the fact that it was quite strained and unhappy. He left home at a young age and essentially disowned her. He obviously didn’t keep in touch with her, judging that he didn’t even know she died until years after the fact. Could this have affected his attitude later in life (towards women)?

I suppose it’s possible. Maybe, Dutch would have looked better on women, had he been closer with his mother. I consider his attitude towards women as pretty average for the era. It’s not entirely fair to compare him to Arthur, who was very progressive for the time and definitely above normal standards. As you say, I think Dutch was a product of his time. In RDR2, he didn’t come across as physically abusive, nor did he overtly sexualize women. However, he did seem to expect women to act in a subordinate manner. It's not great (and I certainly do not agree with his attitude), but again, the contemporary standards in regard to gender roles did not exist in 1899.

Lastly, I COMPLETELY agree about Dutch being VERY romantic, sentimental, and idealistic. This wasn’t just limited to interpersonal relationships either - it also fit his entire perspective of America and the values he held dear. Just take a look at some of his quotes:

“The promise of this great nation - men created equal, liberal and justice for all - that might be nonsense, but it’s worth trying for. It’s worth believing in.”

And:

“If we keep on seeking, we will find freedom.”

In the beginning, he had such high hopes and strong faith that he could find a way to live free from social and legislative demands. Compare that to the end, where he started to say things like:

“You can’t fight nature. You can’t fight change.”

And:

“There ain’t no freedom for no one in this country no more.”

Dutch wanted to believe that there was a chance to live free from the threat of control, but as he started to lose people he loved and got closer to losing his own battle, he started to take on a much more cynical tone. He began to realize that his romantic notions and idealistic visions of life were not always obtainable - no matter how hard he tried to reach them - and it broke him. This change in his life outlook was kind of similar to his interpersonal relationships. When he realized they were a lot of work and not always happy/perfect, he seemed to grow frustrated. Love requires a lot of patience and energy. Despite full effort, love still does not always succeed.

Also, I just want to add that I think Dutch knew he had a problem with his pride, but he tried his best to maintain his tough, confident persona because he didn’t want to be perceived as weak. He definitely realized he messed up in putting his pride first in the end, but at that point, it was too late. Whatever was left of his idealistic aspirations in life died with Arthur up on that cliff.

Anyhow, I’ve said more than enough. I’d like to once again thank you for the ask!! I hope my response was worth the time to read and that it makes sense. Feel free to share any more thoughts you may have!!!

~ Faith 💜

[oldsmobile-hotdogs]

Questions for crossover jatp ghosts crossover fic: I hope Julian and the sunset curve boys talk about the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Yugoslav wars that happened when they were alive + Bill Cilnton. I wonder what pat and the band would talk about considering that they would of been kids when pat died? Do you think Julie would think of Les Mis and Hamilton cos Thomas and Kitty are from about the same time period as those musicals? I hope Julie calls Fanny Mary poppins.

Anon, or "Mimi", or "Lulu", or, heck, maybe even "Carl Birtles": Update: Not Carl Birtles. Carl Birtles sent me an ask and is cool, actually.

Stop. Right now. I'd say stop while you're ahead, but you are so far away from ahead at this point it's laughable.

For everyone confused, this is that "commenter from AO3" I joked about making a 2017-esque story time video about.

A couple days ago I uploaded the first chapter of a Julie and the Phantoms/BBC Ghosts crossover fic.

You know what? I’m gonna promo it here bc it’s my callout post and I can shill if I want to: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30681704/chapters/76661471

It was generally very well received and I've had a blast interacting with readers.

Except for this.

Honestly, there's so much to get into, so I’m putting it under a cut:

This was their first correspondence (email notif bc I deleted the comment, the deletion to be explained later):

(Funnily enough, the links very much do not work on AO3, making the comment only more jarring)

I gave you *so much* benefit of the doubt when I saw this comment, and assumed that maybe you're an ESL user, just very enthusiastic to share ideas, and I pretty much said so in my reply, but know that at that point I'd already had friends- who fucking know about this, don't you dare think you're getting me alone- tell me that you were being very demanding.

Below was my reply (another email notif):

I'm gonna be honest, I think I responded really well to what I was given, and now that I'd replied, I was pretty certain the situation was dealt with. You, evidently, didn't agree, as shown by your reply to my reply:

A word of advice: when replying to someone, at least pretend like you read what they wrote.

At this point I'm left wondering two things:

What do they expect from me, if a general reply is not it?

How much more shit do they have waiting to tell me to put in my- reminder, JATP/BBC Ghosts crossover, rated T, comedic- fic?

In order to avoid finding out either, I freeze the thread on AO3. I'm liveblogging all of this on Discord.

It's then that I notice that the username on AO3 isn't clickable, so even if I wanted to block or report them I couldn't. I assume, therefore, that they've deactivated, and since them seeing their comments gone and getting angry was the only thing stopping me deleting the comments, I delete the comments.

It's also at this point I see "Mimi" never left kudos. I guess I don't deserve praise until I mention "Bill Cilnton".

There's relative calm for a short amount of time, until I get another comment:

This one is much kinder than the others and doesn't mention any specific, weird, historical events, so the extent to which I think this is "Mimi" is debatable, but bestie I'm weirded out enough that anything that even uses the enter bar unnecessarily and misses out conjunctive words like "because" and "and" is going to activate fight or flight. Update: Carl Birtles is not Mimi or Lulu. Carl was just being genuinely kind and I misinterpreted it and that's on me.

However, "Carl"'s case is not helped by the fact I can't click his account either, that AO3 offers me the ability to report it as spam, and that guess who replies to "Carl"'s comment: Update: Carl, having done nothing wrong as he has, is therefore also a victim in the situation that is being replied to by Lulu. It would seem Lulu is trying to correct??? some of Carl's commentary.

You must think I didn't get a 7 on my English Literature GCSE because you seem to underestimate my ability to compare two texts.

So clearly this is "Mimi", who has also just replied to "Carl". "Lulu" is also deactivated, and I've fallen off the end of my tether, let alone reached it, at this point so I mark it as spam. "Carl" gets to stay bc he said the idea for the crossover was good. Update: Carl also gets to continue to stay because I have it on good faith that he's a stand-up dude.

So at this point you've readily admitted through your inability to shake up your writing style to using at least one sockpuppet to convince me to talk about the "Yugoslav wars".

If "Carl Birtles" is the real(-est) of them, and "Mimi" and "Lulu" are the sockpuppets, by the way, I have questions and ideas about what you do on your free evenings and I want them neither confirmed nor answered. Update: This is slanderous and I want to apologise wholeheartedly to Carl for making assumptions about him and judging his character. Once again, he is not Mimi or Lulu. He's just a normal, cool guy.

And now you come to me, on the day of my daughter's wedding on a different platform, leave me an anon ask in the exact same format as you're so fond of, and expect any different ??

Well, yeah, then I guess I'll give you special treatment this time.

Here's exactly why I will never include anything you have told me to include:

Julian and the Phantoms discussing the Berlin Wall would be highly inappropriate for the largely fluffy, cracky tone of my fanfiction, especially given how recently the event occurred, how many Eastern Germans still experience prejudice to this day because they were born within the old borders of the DDR, and because of how nuanced this, essentially proxy war, was and how ill-informed a huge amount of the world is on the actual factors in play during this time and the Cold War in general.

Julian and the Phantoms will not discuss Yugoslavia dissolving, nor the fallout and conflict that resulted, because it was genocidal. There is nowhere I can fit Julian, pantsted, casually asking Luke “hey do you remember when the Herzegovinas were killed en masse by the Serbs?” Not gonna happen.

They won’t discuss Bill Clinton because all of them know who the current world leaders are: they don’t have amnesia, they’re ghosts. The fic is also rated T, so it would be inappropriate to make any explicit reference to “sexual relations”. None of them play saxophone.

Julie wouldn’t think of Les Mis or Hamilton because Thomas is Regency, not French Revolution, and Kitty is Georgian, not Colonial.

Julie won’t be calling Fanny Mary Poppins because she is perpetually stuck in a white dress, doesn’t wear a hat, doesn’t own an umbrella or a purse and was not the nanny or housekeeper of Button House.

The ghosts will not discuss the marvels of modern transportation or how long it would’ve taken to cross the Atlantic on dinghy because the ghosts have seen Friends. The house irl is on a flight path. They know airplanes exist. Alison and Mike pulled up in a car.

I will probably have the phantoms and Willie talk to Pat and Julian about being from the ‘80s and ‘90s. That I will actually probably do.

The Captain will not mention FD Roosevelt because, again, they all know who the current world leaders are, and I doubt he expects a ‘90s pop punk band to have any insider knowledge on the man.

It was interesting to think of the phantoms’ grandparents having been alive during WW2. I wasn’t lying. But there is nearly nothing I can do with this information.

But above all: both sets of ghosts have already adapted to modern life. Because the shows are shorter, and meant to actually be able to fit jokes in them.

If you want to see any of this, write your own damn fic. I don’t own the concept of a JATP/BBC Ghosts crossover.

What you will not do, “consonant-vowel-consonant-vowel”-nim, is hound me on multiple accounts and then change platform to hound me again. I’m absolutely not having it.

I have never received an interaction quite like this before, and I cannot help but wonder if this is because this is my first work in the Ghosts/HH/Them There/Six Idiots/Yonderland/Bill fandom: that this is where you primarily camp out.

So it’s at this point I ask the Them There/Six Idiots fandom if they have/if they know anyone who has had a run-in with this person or thinks they may have, or if anyone perhaps even knows who this is? Maybe I’m just one of many. Maybe this is a necessary fandom evil I was unaware of.

This experience has left me royally freaked out, as one might imagine, especially since my anxiety in general has been acting up due to it being exam season. I want to thank everyone who’s read my rambles on Discord and on here and even listened to them irl and offered support from the bottom of my heart.

I’ve enabled comment moderation on the fic. I will continue to write it, and I will put exactly what I, and only what I, want in it.

Believe it or not, I wanted to do literally anything else today.

Anon: Fucking Leave Me Alone.

Update: Just reiterating: Carl is not Mimi or Lulu. Carl is a cool dude and I want to sincerely apologise for having brought him into this mess, passing judgment on his character, and making him feel like he should stop practicing English online.

[hope-grace-serenity]

Hello! I just found your blog and I love your meta about Faith (honestly I just missed that no one really talks about her). Considering that though, I have a question - what do you think her relationship with John and Jacob is like? I often see people headcannoning her as being John's bestie and honestly, the idea never sat right with me. And on the contrary, I think Jacob cared about her more than people usually presume. So I was curious about your take. :D

Hi! :) I’m glad you’ve enjoyed my posts! The question you asked is so interesting because there’s barely any information in the game about the dynamics of the heralds. There are a lot of different ways to interpret or headcanon their relationships, and I think other takes besides my own are equally valid and can be fun to read about. 

As for my personal viewpoint, I headcanon John as having--or had in the past--some kind of one-sided rivalry towards Faith (Rachel). She’s described by NPC’s as being Joseph’s favorite, and another NPC says that Joseph gives Faith whatever she wants. John, on the other hand, is said to be someone who never had Joseph’s full confidence, and we see how distraught he is when Joseph chastises him for giving into his more violent impulses during the baptism. I think seeing Joseph be so full of affection towards this outsider and “adopting” her into the family would make John see red. The fact that Rachel, unlike the past Faiths, makes herself valuable due to her use and production of the Bliss, as well as her talent for manipulation and knowing how to play the game, is something that aggravates him even more, because he knows she’s not going away anytime soon. He knows how Joseph views her and isn’t stupid enough to take action against her directly, so I think any kind of conflict would be more passive-aggressive, like  trying to constantly one-up her. An example of this “competition” can be seen when he tries to paint himself as being a better herald than she is because he believes he treats his underlings better than she treats her angels.

HOWEVER, there is something from the game that makes me feel like there might be another layer to the John-Faith dynamic besides rivalry. Two different NPC’s both express that Faith is going to be angry that John was killed. If he was constantly being antagonistic towards her, then she wouldn’t be that upset if he died, right? So my personal belief is that, after 7 years, the two developed some kind of understanding with each other, to the point where they might be considered friends, even though I feel there’s always going to be an underlying jealousy from John’s end.  Faith is very quick to pick up on what people are thinking/feeling, and I could see Faith being the one to initially extend an olive branch to John  (either out of genuine sympathy and/or more strategic purposes). I don’t think John would be emotionally mature enough to take it at first, but as the years go on I could see him developing a grudging acceptance and respect for her and her abilities. John can be pretty passive-aggressive and petty, but so can she, and I genuinely think he would meet his match with Faith and would quickly see that he couldn’t “win” this one, which would cause him to adapt (just like how he needed to adapt to different situations in the past). The fact that she lasted 7 years with the group is quite telling, and they *do* have a lot in common that they could relate to and talk about. I could see them both trying to figure things out about the other as a way to get an advantage in their weird competition, and unwillingly end up growing closer as a result. Joseph’s presence and influence over both of them would always be the biggest stumbling block and prevent them from having a normal relationship, but I think that by FC5 they’re about as close as they can be, all things considered.

As for Jacob, I think Faith would initially have a much harder time getting a read on him, which would make her cautious at first. I also think Jacob would purposely keep her at arm’s length, especially in the beginning, because of the replaceable, disposable nature of her role. I think he feels the whole “Faith” position and her title as a “sister” is one big farce and somewhat insulting to the brothers’ history and all they went through, but puts up with it purely out of a desire to make Joseph happy. As with John though, I think Faith grows on him as the years go on. While he might first only view her in terms of what she can offer to the Project, he eventually sees that she has a strength and ingenuity to her. This strength is what keeps her in the Faith role for so long, and Jacob respects strength. I feel like their personalities would mesh well and they would be cordial to one another without the strings that Faith’s relationship with the other brothers might have.  I also headcanon that Jacob acted as some kind of mentor figure, even unknowingly, because Faith takes some cues from him in her approach as a herald. I know it’s been discussed on this site before, but both of them focus on breaking down or warping the minds of others--the key difference is that Jacob’s approach is intimidating yet upfront while Faith’s is soothing yet duplicitous. Good cop/bad cop, in a way. 

I do think that Jacob purposely tries to close himself off to a certain degree in order to not get emotionally invested, because as a soldier he always prepares for the worst and would not want to be emotionally compromised in his mission. After Faith dies, one of the NPCs says that Jacob would “happily sacrifice everyone and everything to feed Joseph’s collapse. He doesn’t care about Faith.” Ultimately, his brothers and their mission will always be Jacob’s number one priority. He might like and respect Faith on an individual level and value her more than random canon fodder cultists, but in the end, she’s still an outsider, and if her death is needed in order to achieve that mission, then so be it. It might sound callous to us, but Jacob has an extremely pragmatic worldview, and this reason is specifically why he tries not to get emotionally attached to anyone besides his brothers. It doesn’t mean that he dislikes Faith, it just means that he views her as more expendable to him than his blood relatives, and wants to keep it that way because feeling otherwise would lead to a conflict of interest. 

But those are just my two cents! I know different people have different opinions, and other takes are totally valid as well, especially since there’s so little to go on in the actual game. Part of the fun is seeing all the different ways the characters get interpreted.