#I HATE THE MGS FANDOM SOMETIMES I REALLY DO. | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

minisoysquares · 3 years ago

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As fun as the events and ideas you posted about 19days would be, wouldn’t it also just bring in more negative stuff - like fandom in general has become a field of land mines and I fear that something that’s supposed to fun will turn into some sort of battle. Like how some people get extremely heated over any other ships outside of their fave ship and they cannot possibly have other ships except theirs, etc. The last thing anyone wants is for content creators to be targeted simply for making something they thought would be fun

(This ask and answer is about this post.)

First of all thank you so much for addressing such a big and valid concern. I agree that that has indeed happened in certain fandoms - I can say I've been in the thick of it and witnessed quite the warfare - but in others it has also brought fans and readers and content creators together even closer and tighter in a wonderful thriving community.

I have the feeling this'll get quite long so please proceed under the cut with that in mind.

I believe all things are potential harbingers of both discord and harmony. There will always be people who feel entitled and who want - even demand! the audacity! - authors and artists to create for their ships and their ships alone. And there will also always be people who can appreciate the writing and the art without judgemental treatment regarding the pairings/characters depicted, no matter their preferences.

All of that happens and will continue to happen, whether we go forward with these events or not. And yet authors will still write what they want to write, artists will still draw what they want to draw, graphic designers will still make the edits they want to make as well. What we could do, in this small and close knit fandom, is take in our hands this powerful rich opportunity and try our best to make a model of positivity out of it.

In these events, there would be no bashing or shaming allowed. The content created would be to be enjoyed by those who are attracted to it, and those who do not have a taste for that fanwork in particular would be asked to remain respectful. (As it should always be.) There would be no ship wars in these spaces. Discourse, hate-speech or anti-behaviour would not be tolerated by the moderators of the event.

Creators who indulged in it would be immediately disqualified. Any unnecessary commentary or complaints from the audience would be deleted and reported as spam. Anyone instigating conflict would be only painting a target on their back, really. Because most of us - I dare say - are only here to appreciate the brilliant artwork and fanfiction woven and crafted by the talented people who share it with us.

If it came to it and it escalated, this hellsite has several tools that can be put to use to that regard. Accounts could be blocked and/or even reported. They wouldn't be able to interact with the blogs created to run these events from then on. We would be able to create a black list and post it publicly so everyone else who wished to could simply block those unruly pesky accounts and remain at peace and free to enjoy themselves to their utmost.

Let us not forget that this is all fiction and it's all for fun. Everyone's allowed to have their own opinion, likes and dislikes. There simply is no need to step on anyone else and their interests to elevate them.

Let's exemplify, for the sake of clarity:

Do I personally ship A with B? Imagine I do not. I do not search for it. If I come across it? I scroll past it. Once or twice, I may even like - and even reblog - if it happens to catch my attention and it's well written/drawn! (I have tags along the lines of 'I don't ship it but' and 'look at this beautiful art' or 'drown in the power of these words.')

It's so easy to interact amongst ourselves without coming with pitchforks at one another. Know what actually needs effort? Being a meanie and a party popper! Who in their right mind wastes their time on things they don't care for? Dum dums, that's who! Of course, we're all dummies at times... and that's okay! Let's just not harass people or crash their fun while we're at it!

If nothing else: you wouldn't like if others did this or that to you, therefore don't do it to others. It's a simple concept to grasp.

Very important: in these events, every single piece would be explicitly and properly tagged and warned for right at the very top of each post, so there would be absolutely no excuses for anyone being nasty.

We would just have to be open to the experience. Enjoy our ships and let other enjoy theirs. We do not have to all like the same thing. That would be just boring. But we can cohabitate devoid of trouble in fandom. Each one of us just has to be respectful. No need to even be nice. No one has to compliment something they don't like. They also don't have to step on what others do.

Don't like a ship/character/theme? Don't read stories focused on it. Don't put down authors who write it or readers who enjoy it. Same for art. No need to shout about how awful it is just for the simple reason that it does not fit into your personal shipping preferences. It can still be still be a tasty and wonderfully baked cake, it's just that you're not fond of vanilla or strawberries. It's okay. There are all kinds of cake for everyone's tastes!

Further examples: If a ship happens to be a NOTP for me or I don't care for the character(s)? I filter the tags. All of them. Any and every tag I can think of. It's very easy to protect ourselves on Tumblr from content we do not wish to see. (My own list is huge and just as effective.) Filtering is incredibly important.

So go ahead and filter out the ships you can do without! Filter out porte-manteaux like Tianshan, Zhanyi, Qiucheng, Tianxi, Tianyi, Lishan, Litian, Liyi, Shantou, Polydays, (...) Filter out any ship tag that doesn't strike your fancy like Q x MGS, HC x JY's mom, (...) Filter out characters that aren't your cuppa tea like HT, HT's dad, SL, JY's mom, XH, (...)

Make it safe for yourself and for others. That way you won't rage at the sight of your NOTP, won't feel the compulsive need to trash the people who ship it, no one is hurt and everyone is happy!

There are many steps we could follow to prevent rotten eggs in our coop. And many more actions we could take to throw them out if need be. I firmly believe, however, that if we're all of the same mind everything would go well and with very few bumps along the way.

If we only ever feared the possible negative consequences of our actions, never taking the risk for the possible positive ones, we'd never get anything done. I say let's not let our beloved fandom stagnate or dry out. Let's incentivate and motivate and inspire! Let's share! Let's have fun!

Think of it in these terms: it wouldn't be a competition at all but rather a charity event. Performers and spectators coming together for a common good, raising content and spreading joy! There would be no winners or losers or prizes. What would matter would be good old-fashioned participation, both by providing content and/or consuming it.

It could also a good way to get people to express themselves more. Many content consumers tend to lurk or keep to themselves even if they like the content posts. (I used to be one myself and only a couple months ago started to come out of my shell.) I myself advocate for reblogging instead of liking - if you have to choose one or the other, I mean, why not do both? - and leaving a word on every single post I like and/or reblog. Sometimes I go nuts commenting, sometimes I leave a small note in the tags.

It doesn't matter how. Even if you're shy or introverted (*raises hand*) or don't know what to say I guarantee a single emoticon or a string of disordered letters symbolising incoherence will make the creator's day all the same. Getting feedback is so important and motivational for creators and also a great way for fandom members to keep in touch and support each other.

Additionally, if a person would like more of a certain type of content here are some healthy actions they could take: a) commission a creator and pay for it if they can; b) politely make a suggestion to a creator with an open ask box; c) post a prompt publicly for possible interested creators to use; d) do it yourself and share it with others!

This turned out into more of a "behavioural guidelines" thing than I'd have liked. I am not in any way whatsoever telling anyone what to do. This is what I do, and it works wonders for me. I stay completely out of toxic arguments and in on all the goodies. I'm able to fully enjoy my fandoms. And isn't that what we all want?

Thank you again for sharing your thoughts with me. And I apologise for the long rant!

Of course, this is only my personal stance on the issue. I did go for a survey first exactly for this end, to get their opinions on the subject and see if it would be worth a shot. I shall hope many other people will think as I do, but I will wholly respect those who don't.

#answered asks #19 tian #19天 #19 days #old先 #old xian #zhanyi #qiucheng #tianshan #jian yi #zhan zheng xi #he cheng #qiu #brother qiu #he tian #mo guan shan #she li #cun tou #xiao hui

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notthatiwilleverwriteit · 4 years ago

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Thoughts on the new extra? I know some people might think he tian was forcing himself on mo. but he was just teasing him and getting payback and it's part of character to push boundaries. tianshan don't have the "fluff" dynamic like zhanyi. if mo really hated that he would have reacted the same way like the first kiss. Maybe he tian wanted to actually kiss mo with the way he was touching his lips but he's afraid of the reaction. Mo might have some more dreams about he tian after that😅😂

Hello, dear anon!

Before getting any further, I’m using the translation by @1154lizz for this answer. Thank you for your speedy hard work for the fandom! 🙏

It sure seems like the fandom is being divided by the latest special chapter. Considering that Tianshan has always done that, I’m not really surprised but I do hope the conversation stays civil.

I also want to remind anyone reading this that the following is merely my own opinion on the update. I am not trying to tell anyone how to interpret or feel about the special. Everyone is entitled to their own take on it, and I don’t think neither side of the argument is inherently right or wrong. Even though I’m a Tianshan shipper, I don’t think people who feel uncomfortable with the pairing can’t make valid points. And just because we might disagree, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t respect each other’s points of view.

Overall (drink up!), I have touched upon the subjects of Tianshan’s physical moments and if I think they are toxic/abusive:

What if HT kissed MGS again? (on the lips)

Is Tianshan toxic?

Is Tianshan toxic, vol. 2?

Intimate Tianshan moments I wish will happen

What Tianshan sex would be like in the future?

Those are probably something worth checking out to have a better understanding of where I’m coming from regarding these topics.

Now, let’s finally get to your ask!

“Thoughts on the new extra?”

To be honest, my initial reaction to the panels before knowing what was going on was “yikes 😬”. Especially, the first panels. I was a bit disappointed and put off that it seemed like we were going somewhat backward. So, I can understand why people might have been upset about the update. I think being taken aback and uncomfortable is a fair olive branch that can be extended even if you might disagree. It didn’t look good to me at first, either.

Then I read the English translation and got a better sense of what was going on. I got a proper context for the panels, and it started to look different (ch. 333):

So, MGS had accidentally kicked HT in the balls when HT scared the living bazooka out of him. And now HT was seeking revenge by making MGS “massage them”.

If you put the panels that admittedly didn’t look good in that context, they pretty much fall in line with the previous time HT’s balls were accidentally abused by MGS (ch 298):

HT took revenge by pushing MGS down and trying to “feel” MGS down there, most probably to return the favor. To me, this is the kind of juvenile humor that is well established in the comic already, and HT asking MGS to “massage them” was in that category. That kind of humor isn’t for everyone but I think it’s the type that is very typical to 19 Days.

Admittedly, the two panels have two very different environments and vibes which is why I also felt somewhat uncomfortable about the latest one. HT trying to feel MGS up after the accidental slap has a more playful atmosphere while HT pulling MGS’s hand towards his crotch in a dim bedroom comes across very differently. But in general, after reading the translation, the bedroom scene fit that whole revenge type of teasing already familiar in the comic.

Another thing that shifted in nature to me was the “forcing himself on MGS”. As I said, at first it did look like yikes to me. Then I read the translations and three things changed.

First of all, it became the kind of hot I personally enjoy in Tianshan dynamics (ch. 333):

As I said in one of my earlier answers about what I think Tianshan sex will be like in the future, I see them having some “spice” that stems from their push and pull dynamics. HT being physically in charge and having his usual pushy demeanor. And MGS would consent but also be his usual defiant self and kind of “if you want it, then you gotta take it” that I think fits his character.

I do admit that HT pulling MGS’s hand forcefully like that and MGS not being on the same page wasn’t exactly the kind of spice I meant but in general, I liked HT’s dominance and the hint of danger. That “I dare” by HT sent little shivers down my back and was just how I wanted it. Now, all we need to add to that is MGS getting more comfortable.

Secondly, another thing besides spice in my earlier post was “sugar” and “teasing” (or “seasoning” as @19elaine better put it). I think both of them were present in the special chapter, too (ch. 333):

HT was teasing and messing with MGS. He was looking for revenge in the way he knew would be the most “efficient” in the sense that it makes MGS regret kicking him for sure. But HT’s form of revenge also had sexual innuendos which I think is a big part of Tianshan’s interactions. Teasing and bullying not only pushes the boundaries in a titillating way but also upholds the sexual tension undertones between them.

The last panels also gave me vibes of “sugar”. I think when HT said he “can’t help it” (bullying MGS), he was teasing MGS but also being honest and vulnerable under the surface. I think he wanted to kiss MGS and show him that kind of affection but settled for something that wouldn’t cross big lines that MGS wasn’t ready to cross yet. But HT does want that kind of physical intimacy and affection, and on some level, it’s difficult for him to try and be patient. He doesn’t want them to have to them (aka to take them for his own pleasure) but rather because that’s what he craves for in a relationship.

Thirdly, I think this chapter showed that HT knows when to back off (ch. 333):

As I have said many times before, the seeming power imbalance in Tianshan is usually what comes across at first glance. But when you take a deeper look, I think MGS holds quite a lot of power and control in their relationship. HT pushes and bullies him for sure, but he would never want to knowingly hurt MGS or traumatize him.

For example, in that situation, I would have found it out of character if HT had French kissed MGS instead of the little “chus”. MGS wouldn’t have been ready for something like that, and it would have crossed lines in a bad way similar to when HT kissed him for the first time. That’s not how HT wants it with MGS because it would go against everything he’s trying to achieve in life. He’s not going to break the trust he has gained and hurt MGS the same way people like him have always done.

I also agree that if MGS had been against HT getting physical in the same way as when HT kissed him for the first time, he would have reacted in a similar way. He would have had a much stronger reaction. I do think MGS was still uncomfortable in that situation but...I think the vibe was vastly different. He wasn’t resisting with all his might. To me, it looked like MGS was bothered but also trusted HT. He was trusting that HT wouldn’t hurt him and knew where the line “truly” went for him.

Don’t get me wrong, I fully understand if “know when to back off” sounds problematic to some. That grey area isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. And I’m not telling anyone to feel differently about it if it goes against their heart. It’s just that I see that delicate balance being an essential part of the Tianshan dynamics both now and in the future.

On top of all that, I think there is also the cultural context to be taken into consideration. 19 Days is a work of the “boys love” genre and part of the conventions and tropes that come with that. I think Tianshan dynamics is a good example of the trope of a pushy, devilish “seme” who wants to bully and fluster his tsundere “uke”. Now, before anyone comes at me, that’s just how I see it based on the hundreds of works of BL (Japanese, Korean, and Chinese titles) that I have read. I think 19 Days is one of the very few BLs that has a lot of Western fans as well who aren’t perhaps that familiar with BL or comfortable with it. And sometimes those two different literal cultures clash. And there’s nothing wrong with that, but I would say this chapter was one of those times. (I realize I’m making big generalizations here. This is just my gut feeling.)

To summarize, I was taken aback by the panels at first but after I got a better understanding of what was really going on, I saw it all differently and that it followed the kind of tone Tianshan and the comic have always had. However, I don’t believe in trying to dictate how people should feel about the chapter. I can see where people who were uncomfortable are coming from.

Thank you for your question, dear anon!

#19 days #tianshan #answered ask

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dr-nero-is-god · 4 years ago

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i felt the urge to riff on the hive streams for a little bit since discussion came up on the hive discord, namely, holding issue with the idea that the alpha stream is inconsistent in that it is about leadership when otto is the only leader, and that it’s also possible that the alphas are just kids with specialized skills, and not actually bonded by any particular unifying element.

and, in response, @vulpix-sinistre brought up a quote from the abridged hive fanfic, that goes something like: “there are four streams: main characters, stereotypical bullies, ?, and nerds.”

and i disagree with the first two ideas, but almost completely agree with the abridged fic quote. that is pretty much how the streams work, and it is IMPORTANT that that is how the streams work.

in the end, you may conclude that the streams system still doesn’t make sense. you won’t be like “well clearly dr. nero was just logically dividing the labor of his students to reflect a specialized training program” because it’s more complicated on that. i hate to do this to y’all, but a lot of everything streams-related requires an out-of-book explanation to get where you’re going, but i can promise that i will at least try to go

first, let’s think about why h.i.v.e. would have streams at all

on the one hand, it’s inescapable to consider that one primary reason that hive has streams is because harry potter had houses, and for the same reason that percy jackson had cabins, the 39 clues had branches, hunger games had sections (or counties, idk), divergent had factions, and so on and so on. the rise of fandom spaces on the internet was concurrent with a big ya/mg boom in the post-2005 world (after twilight was published), and within those fandom spaces it became important to identify with an aspect of the fantasy world as part of your personality. that became a very marketable thing for a while, and so separating children into streams would, to a publisher, seem like a pretty solid storytelling choice.

however! the alpha stream is not the same as gryffindor house. on the one hand, it seems easy to make an alpha/gryffindor and henchman/slytherin parallel, because one group is good (relatively) and one is bad (or at least antagonistic). but it doesn’t work because while slytherin has a reputation for constituents of poor moral character (which has been largely revised in fanon), being a henchman is where you go, according to the books, if you are unintelligent and burly. it’s not a really sexy stream, is what i’m trying to say. and though there are undoubtedly some readers who would look at the henchman stream and see themselves, i think the majority of readers would likely find the henchman stream a completely undesirable stream to be in.

and, given how little importance the role of streams have after the first book, i will go out on a limb and say that mark walden knows that the henchman stream is unsexy. we aren’t interested in the hopes and dreams and motivations of the henchman stream; as we learn in book two, the ideal henchman is weak-minded and easily led—so what dreams would they even have? this leads me to conclude that while mark walden might have sold h.i.v.e. on the “there are personality-based groups in the school!” idea, he had something completely else in mind when he started writing and that, I think, is actually far more interesting.

but really, why would h.i.v.e. have streams at all

a few things about mark walden: 1) he studied english lit in school, 2) he has a background as a video game producers, and 3) he likes james bond. i know the first two things because i have read his bio and i know the third thing because i have read his books in conjunction with seeing all the james bond films. so we will call 1-3 facts.

if you are wondering what a lit degree, video game production, and the james bond franchise all have in common, then let me connect those dots: all three of those things depend heavily on the study and understanding of repetitive structure in storytelling as an interpreter and creator of meaning. each one of these fields requires an understanding of how stories and words work to create meaning in order to be successful.

and, to quote mr. walden here directly (sourced from this here link):

“So, I was playing with this cat one day and it got me thinking that those old-school Bond villains always just seemed to appear out of thin air with very little back story and that got me thinking about how they became world- conquering megalomaniacs in the first place. It was only a short mental walk from there to HIVE.”

so, imagine you’re a writer trying to tell a story about a school for villains like those in james bond—you’ve studied storycraft and you have a lot of experience in a job finding believable and compelling obstacles for people to interact with in video games. you have noticed patterns. and you need to make those patterns work for you.

enter: streams

i have watched all the james bond movies (all of ‘em) (i mean it) (just not the unreleased one yet lol) and you know what?

there’s probably just about four kinds of villains in those movies.

henchmen include the likes of jaws, oddjob, and tee hee. often physically disabled in a cinematically interesting way, these guys are the muscles and the machines in every bond film. they are the ones who tail bond as he takes long train rides and who try to personally throw him into shark tanks. they are the hands and feet of their evil masters and they don’t have a lot of emotional depth or backstory.

politicians/financiers abound in the james bond franchise because he is a government employee who often hangs out with other government employees (he has no friends). these people are like colonel rosa klebb, georgi koskov, prince kamal khan. there are a lot more, as a matter of fact, because the whole point of james bond is that they are in the cold war and even people without titles have political and financial motivations for screwing around with stuff. these types of villains depend on being well and truly embedded in an existing infrastructure or hierarchy, somebody who worked their way up from being a foot soldier or clerk into a powerful leadership position that gives them a lot of state-sanctioned trust and authority.

technicians and inventors include folks like henry gupta and boris grishenko, who use technology as their primary weapon. they are often inventors or innovators and are really good at making high-tech stuff. however, i think this stream is also a direct result of the character Q, someone who is actually on James Bond’s team and who runs an entire department of people who test sometimes outlandish gadgets for Bond to use in the field. (but we love the gadgets. they are fun.) in other words, Bond arguably has a technical stream at his disposal in MI6, which means the idea isn’t necessarily evil, but, likewise, our James Bond School also needs Qs. it’s the rules. if you are familiar with Q from James Bond at all then you understand

and that leaves us with alphas... the “supervillains.” these are the famous ones. dr. no. mr. big. scaramanga. le chiffre. blofeld. max zorin. emilio largo. goldfinger. these are the ones with the master plan, the dreams to recreate the world as they see it, the passion to see their desires to fulfillment and the resources to make them happen. they are rich. they are fancy. they are larger than life. is it weird that karl stromberg tries to incite a nuclear war between Britain and the USSR so that a lot of people can die so that he can colonize the ocean? yes. but by god, it’s fancy and dramatic, and that’s what counts.

are there other kinds of villains? oh, definitely. lots more. but you have to understand, that those kinds of villains generally don’t appear in Bond. sometimes! but it’s not a staple. for example, not many people in the bond films are motivated by revenge because each movie is kind of designed to function as a one-shot. villains don’t come back and so there is no revenge. the villain who gets the most notable reprise, jaws, actually ends up finding his true love in space.

compare: every movie is going to have henchmen. every movie has government stooges making morally questionable decisions. (almost) every movie has Q, or some gadget stuff going on. and every movie has a big bad that has to be better than the last.

so that explains why the streams are what they are.

it was a jumping-off point for mark walden to figure out what this universe might look like and how different character types need to function. consider that while the core four are all alphas and are kind of insulated as a group, the teachers all kind of roughly align with one of these groups. colonel francisco, raven, and chief lewis are henchmen types, doing on-the-ground work to get stuff done. ms. tennenbaum and the contessa are political af, they are all about the corruption and infiltrating institutional power. ms. gonzales, ms. leon, and professor pike all have technical skills that help keep an organization moving forward. and over them all is the singular alpha, dr. nero, who is coordinating and monitoring it all for his own evil plan: to run a high school.

honestly, dr. nero’s hive idea operates just like a james bond villain plot! it works, or it does when pitching the idea. the problem is that the books continued after the pitch did, and with worldbuilding came some complications. namely, the fact that the megastructure of james bond villainy does not replicate well into a small friend group on which the narration focuses. so let’s return to the question presented at the beginning:

how can alphas really be alphas when not everyone on the field trip can be a mastermind?

i’m gonna give this to you in two ways. one, the way i personally interpret it as an in-universe explanation, given the background premises we have already established. and the other, why the stream system kind of ruins the structure it sets out to create.

so, for me, the alphas can be alphas because there is more to villainy than being a mastermind and there is more to being a mastermind than being in charge. as i think about it, this novelization is actually the backstory for every one of the students, who will go on to do great and scary things. they will manage big projects and come up with interesting ways to terrorize the British government, because that is what James Bond villains do (and James Bond does canonically exist in their universe). much like your actual teenage years, this is not the main event.

as students, the core four need to learn to do a little bit of everything. you gotta learn some lock-picking, that’s essential. everyone has to be able to climb a rock wall. it’s the rules. and everyone needs to be able to do some programming. that’s just the way school is. though everyone has a different personality and a different way of looking at the world, their education has to cover the basics because the fact of the matter is, none of them are villains yet. will they become one? that remains to be seen. but they are being given the tools to become the greatest villains if that is something they choose.

the main problem that remains when holding this attitude is that the specialized skills of otto and his friends might be better suited to other streams, in which case, what is an alpha anyways?

here’s the facts: if everyone were assigned to a stream by talent, then there wouldn’t be an alpha stream.

franz? political/financial stream.

nigel? laura? otto? technical stream.

shelby? wing? henchman stream.

you can debate me on the specifics of those assignments, but the point is this: all the other streams are based on hard skills. franz can manage a ledger and that is a financial skill. laura can build a computer from scratch and that is a technical skill. wing can do martial arts, and each martial art is a physical skill that can be taught and performed in a measurable level of proficiency.

the idea of being a “mastermind” is a much softer skill—which is to say, there’s no one recipe that will make it work. my manager at work has coached me by saying that leadership is often about having a “style,” and working at it that way. leadership requires interpersonal flexibility, being able to stay organized and to make important decisions rapidly, it is about being able to prioritize and delegate. and it’s very much open to interpretation, every day, all the time.

let me tell you something else about james bond: there is a lot of classism, racism, and sexism embedded into every aspect of those films, but that goes for double when it comes to the villains in the show. to vastly oversimplify that very concept, it shows up in the bond films like this: henchmen are working class folks, the villainous equivalent of “the help,” and the supervillains are (usually) rich and glamorous and powerful. henchmen are uneducated (read as: stupid) and ugly and poor. no one cares if they die. (there’s more complexities, as always, but this essay isn’t actually about james bond so we’ll fast forward through My Opinions to the end)

the problem with replicating james bond in your villain school universe is that some of the biases of the james bond universe get replicated in there, too. poor and uneducated folks get turned into disposable henchmen whose lives are irrelevant. people who are educated and talented get fast-tracked to a more glamorous and interesting stream that will catapult them to the top of the ladder as soon as they graduate. if you look at the dialect with which block and tackle are written, they are clearly meant to be seen as a different social class than otto, despite the fact that otto is coming from basically nothing. and we understand that when otto graduates, he will be able to do basically anything that he wants to at all.

so, if you’re asking why wing has a role in the alpha stream when he doesn’t seem as leader-y as otto, there’s a simple answer: because dr. nero believes that wing can be more.

the climax of book one is dr. nero explicitly telling otto, wing, laura, and shelby that they are in his school because he believes in them and he wants to see them grow. they are given an elite status other students do not have despite the fact that they have just literally tried to escape. as we see in the case of duncan cavendish, the main way to get on that highway to a guaranteed career is to convince him that you’ve “got it.” for those who are not believed in, there is no way to make up for the special grooming. you’re stuck with the stream you’re placed in, doomed (perhaps) to be a second-in-command at best.

is all this intentional? probably not. but it is implicit in the structure of the story and, alas, that’s the way it is.

all i can think to say in conclusion is that while the stream system tends to replicate some of the unfair and classist realities present in other media and the world we live in, i think part of the reason we read h.i.v.e. is because the alpha stream is so appealing. imagine! you are competent and you have a desirable, specialized skill as well as a proficiency in many general skills and you are certain you are going to do good things—and all because someone believes in you. to receive someone else’s support and confidence can be life-changing. the magic of h.i.v.e. is that yes—lives are changed and ordinary, boring people were elevated to the level of supervillains. we are only left to wonder, are they the only people who deserved that honor?

#meta #spoilers #streams #alpha #henchman #political/financial #technical stream #technical #james bond #hive #h.i.v.e.#higher institute of villainous education #the higher institute of villainous education #otto malpense #max nero #streams post #musings

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trashyswitch · 4 years ago

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Learning Each Other's Personal Rules

Remy quickly learns the rules when it comes to Emile's cartoon hobbies and tangents. Not only that, but Emile soon learns the rules when it comes to Remy's love for Starbuck's Iced Latte.

And before Mushu can light a rocket, the boys end up in a vengeance-filled tickle fight.

This prompt was suggested by an anonymous user! So whoever you are, I hope this fanfic is to your liking. (also I hope you don't mind that I sprinkled in some Patton.)

Emile had been going on cartoon tangents for hours. He wouldn’t stop talking. Every single conversation about cartoons led to a moment that reminded him of another cartoon he loved. Steven Universe, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Gravity Falls, Mickey Mouse, Pokemon, Disney films, Rugrats, even CatDog came up at some point!

Patton had been listening intently, while Remy looked like he was gonna fall asleep from boredom. The poor guy was going through a caffeine crash and couldn’t keep himself awake. Even if he could, Remy would soon start mentally complaining and consider just leaving the room. He knew that Emile was into cartoons, but this was getting ridiculous.

Patton quickly elbowed Remy in the side to get him to wake up. Unfortunately for Remy, this worked enough to wake him up. “Hmmmmm? Huh? What’re we talkin’ about? Remy asked.

Patton frowned at him. “You’re falling asleep in the middle of a conversation. It’s rude!” Patton whispered to him.

Emile giggled. “Patty, the entire Sanders Sides fandom can hear you.” He told him.

Patton blinked and looked at him, feeling bad. “Sorry.”

“Naaah, it’s okay! I’m just happy to see I got half of the audience’ interest.” Emile admitted.

Patton giggled while Remy smiled a little at the destruction of the 4th wall.

“Besides: I need to start looking for new cartoons.” Emile told them.

Remy chuckled at that and drank some more of his latte.

Emile turned to look at him. “What?” Emile replied.

Remy shook his head. “Noooothin’.” He replied.

“No, what? You’re keeping secrets from me.” Emile asked.

Remy’s mouth morphed into a smirk as he tried not to laugh. “Nohothing!”

Emile huffed. “Tell. Me. The truth.” Emile ordered, leaning closer and closer to him with narrowed eyes.

Remy looked at Emile with an eyebrow raised and removed the straw from his mouth. “I think my bunny slippers ran for cover.” He told him in the Mushu voice.

“HEY!” Emile pushed him away and pouted, making Remy burst out laughing. “Don’t you mushu me!” Emile warned.

“Down bessie.” Remy said next.

“Okay, that’s it!” Emile grabbed Remy’s latte and placed it onto a nearby table, before tackling him down onto the couch. “Dishonor! Dishonor on your whole family!” He looked at the latte. “Take a note of this.” He pointed both his hands at Remy. “Dishonor on YOU, Dishonor on ya COW!”

Remy just bursted out laughing at him. “YOHOHOHOU BAHARELY HAVE THE ACCENT DOHOHOWN!”

Emile scoffed and shrunk himself down with a pouty face. “It’s a hard accent to interpret.”

Remy just laughed harder at that! “NOHOHO IHIHIT’S NAHAHAT! IHIT’S SOHOHO EHEASY!”

Emile narrowed his eyes at him. How dare!

But quickly, Emile’s anger turned to mischief as a smirk grew on his lips. “Well since you’re already laughing...” Emile shoved his hands under Remy’s black jacket and started drumming his fingers on the guy’s ribs. “You minus well have a proper reason!”

“NOOOHOHOHOHO! NOHOHO TIHIHICKLIHIHIHING!” Remy protested, squirming around and pushing at his chest.

“Well, I think the tickling is justified! It would make me feel much better being laughed at while being tickled, than being laughed at for failing a Mushu accent.” Emile admitted.

“STAHAHAHAP! THIHIHIS IHIHIS UHUHUHUNNECESsSsSAHAHARY!” Remy argued, finally grabbing Emile’s wrists.

“Oh really?” Emile asked, his hands now bound in Remy’s hands.

“Yehehes!” Remy started to calm down.

“If tickles are unnecessary, then THIS-!” Emile spread his arms out to the side and leaned in, blowing a raspberry on his belly. “-must be AbSoLuTeLy PoInTLeSs!” Emile lifted his head up and said.

Remy threw his head back and started laughing and cackling while kicking his feet. “BUHUHUT IT IHIHIHIS!” Remy argued.

“If it’s so pointless, then why are you enjoying it?” Emile asked as he stopped tickling him.

Remy started to slowly calm down, and looked up at Emile. “Oh, now you've done it!” Remy quickly squeezed Emile’s knee to catch him off guard, and went for his hips immediately after.

“OHO NO! REMY! NAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OHOKAHAHAY, IHIHI’M SAHAHARRYHYHYHY!” Emile bursted out, bucking his hips and falling backwards onto his butt.

“Woooow! You really can’t handle that much tickling?” Remy asked, still drilling at the sensitive spots.

“IHIHIHI CAHAHAHAN’T!” Emile yelled back.

“Could it possibly be, that you’re not tickled enough to get used to it?” Remy asked curiously.

“IHIHI- OHOHOHOKAHAHAY, MAHAHAYBEHEHEHE...” Emile considered.

“Alright.” Remy stopped tickling and let him breath for a few moments. “Would you rather I took things slow for you?” Remy asked.

Emile bit his lips and nodded. “Mm hmm…Yes please.”

Remy smirked. “I hate to break it to you, but you’re not getting off lightly.” Remy grabbed onto Emile’s leg and started tickling behind the knee. Emile squealed like a toddler and started kicking his other foot. “OHOHO MYHYHYHY GAHAHAHASH! IHIHIT TIHIHICKLEHEHES, REHEHEMHMYHYHY!” Emile laughed.

“It does, huh? I was starting to think it didn’t tickle with how much you were laughing at me.” Remy teased.

“DOHOHON’T YOHOHOU GEHEHET SMAHART WITH MEHEHE, MIHISTER!” Emile warned.

“Or what? You’ll laugh to death? Leave me to clean up your mess? Make me seem like the imposter? Newsflash: I may be sus, but I’m not the imposter.” Remy teased. “Ejection comes at a priiiiice~.” Remy sing-songed.

“YOHOHOU DOHON’T EVEN PLAHAY AMOHONG UHUHUS!” Emile yelled at him.

Remy gasped and placed a hand on his own chest. “Yes I do! Just not with you.” Remy added.

Patton gasped while Emile shook his head in Remy’s arms. “MEHEHEANIHIHIE!” Emile warned.

“Well fine!” Remy stopped tickling and crossed his arms. “Be like that then.”

Emile let out pants of exhaustion to get his oxygen levels back up. “Just...j-just you wait...Ihi’m...g...getting...revenge.” Emile warned as he struggled to lift himself up.

“Yeah yeah, just keep breathing.” Remy pushed his chest back down till his body hit the ground once again. Emile let out a light oof sound as his back made contact with the carpet.

Remy let him breathe for a bit and summoned a brand new iced latte. “Man! I missed this glorious stuff.” Remy admitted as he sucked back a big mouthful.

Emile looked up and frowned. “You have an addiction.” Emile admitted.

“Yeah I do~” Remy replied. “What else am I gonna use to wake me the hell up?”

“How about water?” Emile suggested.

Remy looked at Emile like he had 4 heads. “Nnno.” Remy rolled his eyes and kept on drinking the iced latte.

“You know that thing has over 150 mg of caffeine, right?” Emile added.

“Mhm! Only the best stuff contains caffeine in my book.” Remy admitted. “Besides: since when did you become a nutritionist?” Remy asked.

“Remy...I don’t need to be a nutritionist to tell you that your body’s too dependent on caffeine. You need to try and stop.” Emile told him.

“Back off, okay? Just because you’re a therapist, doesn’t mean you can mother me.” Remy told him.

“I’m not mothering you. I’m telling you as a counsellor to a patient...to find other foods and beverages that don’t have as much caffeine.” Emile told him calmly.

“Last time I checked: there are much worse drugs, steroids and beverages that I could be addicted to. So you need to chill and let me do me.” Remy suggested with some attitude.

“Fine.” Emile crossed his arms. “If you’re gonna be a sassy teenager about it, then I’ll treat you like one.” Emile took Remy’s latte out of his hand, placed it onto the table beside the other almost-finished latte, and tackled Remy onto the ground.

Remy let out an offended grunt. “How dare you take my precious! Get off me, and give it back right now!” Remy argued.

Emile smirked and skittered his fingers on Remy’s ribs once again.

“NO, NOHO! NOHOHOHOHOHO! YOHOHOU BIHIHIHITCH! IHIHIHI’M GOHOHONNA KIHIHIHILL YOHOHOHOHOU!” Remy threatened.

“We’ll see if Remy, the coffee addict of Florida-rama, can handle some tickles for that sassy attitude you gave me earlier.” Emile suggested.

Remy just laughed and wiggled, while shaking his head. “CUHUHUHUT IHIHIHIT OHOHOUHUT EHEHEM!” Remy ordered.

“Awww! Can poor Remy not handle de tickle tickle tickles?” Emile teased. “Would you rather I took things slow for you?” Emile asked, quoting Remy from earlier.

Remy shook his head. “IHIHI’M NAHAHAT AHA BAHAHABY, EHEM.” Remy protested.

Emile widened his eyes, stopped tickling him and summoned a paper. “I know you’re not a baby. You’re very much an adult.” Emile reacted, pointing to the age collumn on Thomas’s birth record. “But even adults need to take things slow sometimes.” Emile told him, unsummoning the birth record.

“Nahahat mehe. Ihihi’m a fahahast pehehersohon. Ihi lihihike the fahahast lahane!” Remy told him.

“Okay.” Emile took off Remy’s slippers and held Remy’s legs inside a headlock. “You asked for it!” Emile immediately started skittering his fingernails all over his feet.

Remy screamed and arched his back while holding his head in utter surprise at the intensity. “OHOHOHO FAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA-” Remy sat himself up and tried to reach Emile. “GEHEHET OHOHOVEHEHER HEHEHERE YOHOHOU AHAHAHASSHOHOHOLE!” Remy yelled at him.

Emile gasped and looked at him in pure offense. “How DARE you use that potty mouth of yours against me!” Emile yelled. “Looks like I’m gonna have to go for these tickle tickle ticklish little arches!” Emile teased as he started scratching rapidly right on the left foot’s arch.

Remy wheezed and flopped back onto the ground, wiggling and tugging everywhere to get free. Finally, he took in a breath and let out all the hysterical laughter that trapped itself a couple seconds prior. “STAHAHAHAHAHAP! STAHAHAPSTAHAPSTAHAHAPSTAHAHAP PLEHEHEHEHEHEHAHAHAHAHASE!” Remy begged and pleaded.

Emile, feeling a little bad for the guy, finally decided to give him mercy. He stopped tickling his foot, but didn’t let go quite yet. “Do you give up?” Emile asked.

Remy took a moment or two to breathe heavily and get some oxygen into his lungs. His sunglasses had fallen off just minutes ago, and he was still dealing with a heavy case of after-giggles. But...to Emile’s (and even Remy’s) surprise, the man in the sunglasses shook his head! He was NOT giving up!

“N...No! I...will...n-never giveup!...Never...” Remy shot back.

Emile giggled and pulled back Remy’s toes. “Better have a will saved...Cause you might need it.” Emile smiled and started scratching under Remy’s SUPER sensitive toes.

“OHNO! OHOHOHO-NONONONO WAHAHAHAHAHAIT! OHOHOFF GETOFFME EHEHEHEHEMIHIHIHIHILYYYYYYYYY!” Remy SCREAMED!

“You giving up yet?” Emile asked.

“OHOHOKAHAHAY, OHOHOHOHOKAHAHAY! OHOHOKAHAY IGIVE! IHIHI GIHIHIHIVE!” Remy screamed and thrashed like his life depended on it to survive.

Emile couldn’t help but laugh at Remy’s rather swift surrender. The poor man had no clue just what he was going in for until it was too late. By now, Remy’s entire face and parts of his neck were red from exhaustion and the building body heat.

Emile grabbed Remy some water and handed him the glass. He could predict that his voice and his throat was probably sore and hoarse. Water was only a temporary solution, but it was meant to at least soothe his throat while he panted.

Remy drank all the water in a few quick chugs and let his breath out with hard panting to follow. “*huff*...*huff*...Th...thank...Thanks...thank you...Emile…” Remy said politely despite his breathing issue.

“You’re welcome. Sorry if I overdid it.” Emile apologized.

“It...it’s...alright. I...I for...forgive you.” Remy replied.

Emile smiled and handed him his sunglasses. “You might need these to see in the SuPeR bRiGhT rOoM.” Emile teased.

“Mm...Mmhm...Sobright. So...so bright.” Remy joked along with him.

Emile giggled and booped his snoot. Then, Remy and Emile both looked over at Patton, who was just watching from the couch with a big grin on his face and a bowl of popcorn in his hand.

“Having fun, Patton?” Emile asked.

Patton giggled. “This is more entertaining than Dr. Doofenschmirtz’s childhood.” Patton admitted.

Emile and Remy both burst out laughing at that.

And before they knew it, all three of the boys had started impersonating Dr. Doofenschmirtz’s voice and were quoting his backstories.

Perhaps cartoons really DID bring them together!

#fluff #references to cartoons #ticklefic #switch!remy #switch!emile #background patton #some humor #coffee addict remy #worried emile #phineas and ferb references #mulan 1998 references

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pandirpus · 3 years ago

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Tagged by @northernscruffycat!

Tagging anyone who wants to do this, since it’s kinda long! :D

How many works do you have on AO3?

73! Which is not all fic I’ve ever written by a long shot, but mostly everything I’ve written since 2013.

What’s your total AO3 word count?

172573 words - I mostly write oneshots...

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

20 fandoms! I usually only write 1-3 fics per fandom, but there are some outliers.

Shows / Animes: Yu-Gi-Oh! DM, Gravity Falls, Better Call Saul, Boku no Hero Academia, Kuroshitsuji I + II Games: Dragon Age, Metal Gear Solid 3, Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice, Monkey Island, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Skyrim / Ties of Lapis Movies: The Amazing Spider-Man, Collateral, The Hobbit, Fantastic Beasts, Edge of Tomorrow, Thor, Deadpool, The Devil Wears Prada

Oh, and Homestuck.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Going for the Kill (Bosselot, MGS, very smutty kinky PWP)

Weak Spots (Andy/Emily, The Devil Wears Prada, sweet & short fic)

In Tune (Klapollo, Ace Attorney, slightly shippy Gen fic about Klavier’s relationships)

In Literal Pieces, Not In The Melodramatic Sense (Wade/Francis, Deadpool, gory fun little trash fic that I still love)

Quicksand (Bosselot, MGS, another smutty PWP)

(it’s kinda cool and unexpected that these don’t have much in common - there’s fluff, gore, smut and gen! :D)

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Yes! Comments always make my day, I love re-reading them when I don’t feel so confident about my writing and even though I’m terribly awkward, I always try to convey my joy to the commenters :D

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Swallow It Down (Lalo/Nacho, Non-Con/Rape), maybe, since there’s this terrible resignation to the abuse at the end and it’s probably one of the bleakest, whumpiest fics I’ve ever written.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

No, I guess I tag my stuff well and it’s definitely not popular enough to attract any kind of ire and unwanted attention.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Yup, sometimes I do! I do love writing kinky and extremely horny fics that don’t feature any smut, but I’ve written a couple of explicit smutty fics and I tend to write more of those lately. It’s mostly slash, but some f/m, too.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Probably not.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, in Chinese and Russian! I’d love to be able to read and appreciate them, but either way, it’s amazing!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I’ve written a very fun Amnesia AU fic with @krokonoko - Tabula Rasa - and to this day, it’s the longest and most research-intensive fic I’ve ever written in English.

What’s your all time favorite ship?

My first OTP that I wrote tons of fics for as a teen was Yami/Seto from YGO DM, and I kept writing fics for them into my 20s, which probably already makes it my most-written ship. Then thee YGO movie in 2017 rekindled my love and I wrote another batch of fics! So I think there’s no competition here.

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

Too many.

What are your writing strengths?

Making not all that sexy things very sensual and horny. Writing self-destructive and very much not self-aware asshats. Writing aesthetically pleasing gore. And dialogue, I think.

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

I only feel comfortable writing in German and English, any other language I’d only include if a native speaker gave me feedback - and even then, I’m kind of nervous. I asked a friend for help with the Russian dirty talk in Going for a Kill, and I’m still anxious about it...

So personally, I prefer not to use languages I don’t speak myself. I do like it in fics if it’s fitting and properly proof-read! But there’s really nothing wrong with just writing it in English if you don’t know much about the language the character is speaking. It’s better than writing something utterly ridiculous and making all readers who speak that language cringe super hard...

What was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

YGO DM. Though I did try to write a Lord of the Rings fic way back when...

What’s your favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Oof, that’s a tough one because I’m fond of a lot of my fics for different reasons. I think for aesthetics and mood I like The Spaces in Between (Billford, Gravity Falls) and Not His Equal (Gozaburo&Seto, YGO) most.

#writing meme

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gone-series-orchid · 4 years ago

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Forget anon now lmao I sent the last two asks

I have seen possibly a couple spoilers on tumblr but I vehemently refuse to acknowledge them until they happen when I read them on paper. IMO I think the only reason this series was able to be marketed at young adults was bc the characters were mostly too young to be interested in s*x.....

Like I said I’m only halfway thru Plague but I don’t like how the story treats Pete as a plot device. I also hate that Duck had to die when like everyone else in that book got to live but I guess the FAYZ just isn’t fair like that, idk.

I also don’t like how 90% of the stuff that happened in Lies was disregarded like it was filler? Like that should have been majorly traumatizing.

However that being said I really love how unapologetic and raw this series has been so far. It doesn’t fuck around. It tackles a lot of hard topics and I really respect that. My likes outweigh my dislikes by a lot

(Btw I love Orc a hell of a lot too)

yay! i was wondering if you’d popped up in my notes without my realizing, and i was right! welcome to the (very tiny) gone fandom!

oof, yeah, little pete’s portrayal is one of the things about the series that sadly doesn’t improve throughout the books. it’s one of the elements of the series that really dates it. i’ve talked about it some on here, as have other fans; it’s one of the more blatantly misguided, offensive things about the books. a couple fans have headcanoned astrid as being on the spectrum as well, which i personally love; i believe it’s way to somewhat mitigate the faults of little pete’s portrayal (take note, potential show writers!). it’s not canon by any means, but we can dream...!

i loved duck and thought his death was very sad. he’s one of my favorite minor characters! however, for what it was, i liked that he had a fully fledged arc! his character development was so nice to see. if he’d lived, i worry he’d disappear into the background and die in some other less satisfying way; we all know michael grant doesn’t skimp on meaningless deaths for unimportant characters. it’d be sad for duck to end up that way.

yeah, mg does have a problem with kind of dropping subplots whenever they’re inconvenient; tbh i don’t remember a whole lot that happened in lies, aside from it being The One Where Astrid Becomes a Corrupt Politician, Sort Of, but i don’t doubt that a lot went unremarked upon in the later books. despite a lot happening in each book, a bunch of stuff doesn’t really carry over, to the point where the books feel a little convoluted. they’re very shaggy. that’s part of their charm, but it does get bewildering sometimes. and yeah! i think lies is almost universally regarded as the “filler” book; i have a lot of love for it because astrid’s my favorite female character of the series--she really shines there and gets to have her whole tragic fall from grace--but it’s not very memorable aside from that, i think.

and yeah, i do respect the amount of tough subjects mg brings up! he doesn’t really pussyfoot around hard stuff. he treats his young audience with respect, which is always nice. not that he doesn’t mishandle some stuff, but his honesty is refreshing.

and omg, isn’t orc a great character? i love everything about him. his character development, his friendship with howard, his soft spot for astrid, his relationship with his dad, etc. i could talk about him forever. i think his arc is the most emotionally effective out of all of them, and i love that he gets pov chapters of his own (especially in plague) despite not being super plot-relevant. every time he gets a pov chapter my heart breaks for him a little more. he’s flawed, but you want him to get better. he reaches an important turning point in plague while staying at a certain boarding school for troubled kids; no spoilers, but it’s one of those scenes that i was stunned by; it has implications that a lot of ya books wouldn’t include, especially for a character who’s morally gray but has become steadily more sympathetic over time, hence why it’s my favorite scene. watch out for it! 👀

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ajokeformur-ray · 5 years ago

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HC’s for Arthur with an s/o who enjoys singing, but never sings around him because she’s too embarrassed to do so?

Warning for nightmare mentions.

You stepped out of the bathroom, steam billowing around your ankles (you liked your showers hot) and almost bumped into Arthur, who had had his ear pressed to the thin, wooden door, his eyes closed and his strong, dark brows furrowed in concentration.

“Whoa, Arthur,” You chuckled, somewhat nervously. How long had he been stood there? Had he heard you singing? You hoped not. You really, really hoped not.

“H-hi, Y/N. Were you, uhm - were you - were you singing, in there?”

Your stomach dropped and your cheeks burned with embarrassment.

“…No?”

“That’s okay,” Arthur shrugged casually, his eyes gleaming with mischief, “You don’t have to tell me. I know what I heard.”

You enjoy singing, though whether or not you can sing well is a different matter entirely.

No matter how good or terrible your singing voice is, Arthur loves to hear it. Your passion is clear and he always closes his eyes to savour the sound, an intense look of concentration on his face as if to memorise every refrain.

Arthur is super good at sneaking around so just because you don’t think he’s within hearing range, doesn’t mean he isn’t.

He’s careful to not infringe upon your privacy; the only reason he heard you in the bathroom was that he wanted to know what this new sound was.

Now that he’s heard you sing once, he wants to hear you again and again and -

He wants to memorise every syllable of every word you sing, every song, every instrumental chord you hum… he wants to know it all.

He’s not above getting secretive and standing right outside the door if he even catches a hint of you singing.

It’s almost an obsession, he’s just so desperate to hear you sing, to hear just one more thing you’re super passionate about.

Arthur wouldn’t understand you being embarrassed - he’s super off-key when he sings but it makes him happy and it can also comfort you, so he’s more than willing. His joy often overcomes his reservations.

He would never push you too far, though, he knows your boundaries.

Still, after a time does it seem as though he’s forgotten that you like to sing even though it embarrasses you to be heard.

So if Arthur ever does hear you sing, it’s something he enjoys privately.

Sometimes he’ll tease you, “Have many show up to your concert?” or “Can I get first row seats for your next sing-off?”, but for the most part he leaves it alone.

He knows what it’s like to be hounded and he’d hate to do that to you, too.

One night, though, Arthur is having a nightmare right there beside you on the bed, and none of your usual tactics is working.

Your fingers smoothing back his hair, your lips at his ear as you shush him gently and try to wake him… He won’t wake.

So you start to sing. It’s the only thing you have left and it doesn’t matter what the song is or if you start from the beginning or not, you just start to sing without even really thinking about it.

Arthur eases back into sleep, settles, sleepily hums and nuzzles into his pillow, but you continue singing through several songs until you find yourself going back to sleep, too, safe in the knowledge of Arthur’s well-being.

The next morning, Arthur isn’t entirely sure if he dreamed it or not.

“Did… did I - were you singing last night? I thought I heard…” Arthur shook his head and cut himself off. “No… can’t be.” His voice is so quiet you can barely hear him, but you smile and know that you can’t lie.

Arthur questions his perception of reality enough as it is, so you only nod.

“Yeah… You were having a bad dream and you wouldn’t wake so I tried singing to you. It worked, I think…”

“Awh, that was sweet,” Arthur’s hand grips yours and he squeezes in silent thanks.

After that day, though you feel some embarrassment, you know that it helps Arthur to hear you sing, especially in his most vulnerable moments, and so slowly do you get more used to singing around him, even with your cheeks bright red in embarrassment.

Arthur joins in, though, because he’s curious about how your voices would sound together but also because he doesn’t want you to be embarrassed.

He wants you to be as comfortable in yourself as you deserve to be, and though you want the same for him, it’s going to be much easier for you.

All in all, it’s just another thing for Arthur to cherish about you, whether you’re good at singing or not. He loves all of you.

The Arthur Fleck/Joker Defense Squad @writings-of-a-gen-z @x-avantgarde-x @insomniabird @mavalenovaninagavi @itwasrealenough @morrisonmercurymalek @rand0ms-fand0ms @rafaelina-casillas @aclownthing @vivft @help-i-am-obssessed @autumnaffection @taintednihilist @vladtoly @mg-woolf99 @misstgrey92 @dopey-fandom-girl @seeking-dreamland @sweetheart-syndrome @heartxfdesire @xmusichealsthesoulx @0callmejude0 @the-one-that-likes-riddles @hannibalsslut @folliaght @freeeshavacadoo @bingewatchingmylifegoby @unlovedbyeveryoneandeverything @okamiredfoxx @sp0okysp0oky @the-pandorabox @mardema @jibanyyan @honeyflvredcoughdrop @emissarydecksetter @jokerfleckk @epidendroideae @chuuntas @stillmabel @pumpkinpeyes @onehystericalqueenposts @the-jokers-wolf @nalsswa @justahyena @arianatheangelworld @soullessblondbitch @gothamslittlejester @twentyonestarrynights @sirianfromsixties @kissmeclownman @joker-is-my-hero @lazyloosah @lovesickkloxx @ladylovelyluna @live-love-loki @clownerybbxx @tragicarthur @anmach123 @rommie-chan @arthurflock @lucyboytom @immortal-bi-bitch @hearthurfleck @jokersproperty @curlystark @hailmary-yramliah @sagyunaro @playinthedarktillitsgoldenagain @jokeringcutio @xenthefox @mijachula @stcrrynightsinneverlcnd @cheyennejonas22 @mrjfleck @pauli1100 @smitten-susie @actualkey @callmejokerfleck @jaylovesbats @itsforyoubitch @ridiculousnerd @killerprotector3579 @soulsdontbreaktheybeeend @fantasticwinnerclodexpert @arthurs-sweater @pinkie44pie @tsukiakarinobara @prettyxlittlexpsychoxprincess @elodia-gahan @yours-mia @parkdonghoons @lady-carnivals-stuff @hobi-hobi-kyo-kkyu @jupiturde @incognitofish @j-sux @nothing-but-a-comedy @tahliamalfoydepp @sgtsavoytruffle @smol-nari @pocket-clown @joker-flecked-me @millandram @obsessedandthirsty @holosexualunicorn7000 @anyatheladyclown @imightaswellnotexistatall @elusive-ivory @funneeeh @jokerhoe @carnivalou @floralhijabix @sonrisa-yk @livingmydreamsquietly @marymadly @that199xgrrrl @mr–clown

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blackfemmecharacterdependency · 4 years ago

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26. I Hate This Fandom, and I Hate All of You

I absolutely stole this line from an old friend in the Glee fandom, because it’s one that I think about EVERY TIME a fandom gets on my nerves, much the way that even this fandom does and in particular Simon stans. Idk what to tell y’all if y’all feel some type of way... be better people. ANYWHO! Shoutout to my friend for a quote that still means a lot to me 10 years later. Word Count: 4119

There was a lot of buzz surrounding the mini vacation for Simon’s birthday. Their families were together in Belize. Simon’s photos only reflected Simon either being with Grace and Hazel on the trip, or Grace. For the type to hyperfixate and go through everyone’s pages, they could find entire group photos and stuff on Mr. Laurent’s and Mrs. Monroe’s pages as Mr. Monroe didn’t have social media and Mrs. Laurent’s wasn’t sophisticated (inspirational quotes and recipes and DIYs that she was never going to actually try). Simon’s selected photos always looked like professional stills of the scenery, candids and capturing all the beauty possible, while Grace took hundreds of photos of everything from hijinks and mishaps to food to selfies, and they always just looked like somebody living her best life.

But, someone asked, “Are you in Belize with Grace Monroe?” on Simon’s photo of a pair two pairs of bare feet in the dirt - one an older person, dark brown skin, several scars from previous damages and new callouses, and a younger person’s lighter brown skin and cutesy temporary tattoos on the base of their feet.

“Grounding, also called earthing, is a therapeutic technique that involves doing activities that “ground” or electrically reconnect you to the earth. This practice relies on earthing science and grounding physics to explain how electrical charges from the earth can have positive effects on your body.” Simon had put as the caption. In the same photo set, you could see an image of his own feet in the dirt, and...

“These are Grace and Hazel Monroe’s feet, right???” When they flipped through the set, there was near the end of several pictures of the landscape and sky, silhouettes of two people in the sunset - remarkably shaped like Grace and Hazel dancing in the dirt.

“OMG OGM GOM MOG MG OOMG…”

“Simon and Grace are BACK ON y’all!”

“Grace is letting Simon post photos of her! You all know that she’s very secretive about Simon these days, and now they’re in Belize and he’s posting photos! We WON everybody!”

“GRACE???”

Grace’s comments were a little bit less like that. A little bit. She had almost forgotten how “Simon’s fans” could get. She had looked up one of those “foods to order when you’re in Belize” articles and gotten everything on the list, took a photo of the table top and captioned, “About to go IN!” And less than a few moments later, had SO MANY, “Are you with Simon/Simon is gonna eat most of that/Save some for Simon/What did Simon order/So jealous that you get to eat all of that! Save room for desert AKA Simon!” That was the point where she decided to go on a comments black out. There could be no more comments on whatever photos that she took for the rest of the trip. Simon left his open, though. It blew his mind that half a year ago, people were telling him that they were disappointed in him for hurting Grace and lying about it, or that they were disappointed in him for trusting Grace again after everything, and now SOME of those very same people were extremely excited just to see them having brunch together that they were already working on wedding date headcanons and pregnancy foreshadowing. This entertained him. Grace wasn’t as much of a fan and contacted Hazel’s social media rep to ensure that any comments or questions about Simon were promptly deleted from any of her pages. Sometimes, they did that too. That was less amusing to Simon. He really believed that kids should be left out of things like that.

Simon knew that he was the reason that they didn’t last, as friends or otherwise and he had come to terms with that, but he still wanted her to be able to forgive him someday, trust him again and let him be a part of her life. This wasn’t her intention with this trip, so he definitely couldn’t take it as a sign. She was enjoying Belize with her daughter and making the most of the fact that her parents had foolishly invited him along, thinking it could be beneficial in some way. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t going to enjoy his limited time with her to the fullest.

Plus, he and Hazel had made some small steps to acceptance on her tour of their memory lane. Surprisingly to him, Grace was very open with Hazel about her wrongs. She did tell her about how she fought and hunted down Simon’s bullies, how she stabbed one with a fork and kept it just to remind herself of that day. She told her things that Simon never would have wanted to ever let his kids know that he had done. Hazel just hugged her, told her that she understood her pain better now and that she was proud of her for being able to be a good and strong person now. She posted something about her mom being her hero and being so glad that she had somebody like her in her life. It was really cute.

Simon went to follow her on her social media and someone even noticed THAT. “Simon Laurent is now following Hazel Monroe on like everything!” They posted with screenshots of his name following each account and an eyeballs emoji. He… blocked the person. He didn’t block people very much, but where Hazel was concerned, he didn’t want any of his stuff to bleed over into her space. Grace wouldn’t like that and he didn’t like it, either.

He and Hazel had spoken about the charm bracelet. She had been chronicling the charms with their stories, and said something like, “I feel like I’m wearing a sacred relic on my wrist.”

“Speaking of…” Simon had said, and reached into his satchel. “I made you copies of something…”

He showed her some pages of what could ONLY be two Esmoroth books and she squealed, hugged them to herself and stuck them in her own tote. “Expect my notes on them, soon.” He gave her a salute. Grace watched them interact and she couldn’t remember many moments that he talked to kids - like she had seen him at work with them and even sometimes whenever she caught part of one of his scouts things, but seeing him and Hazel sort of bonding affected her. She was equal parts cautious and soft. Simon seemed genuine though, and that only became more noticeable during the trip.

He was doing stuff like making sure she was walking on the inside when they went down streets, reflexively shielding her in crowds, helping her over, up onto stuff whenever she looked like she might struggle - things that Grace would normally do/try to do but wait it out to see if Hazel could do it herself or ask her if she needed help. Simon jumped into action and it didn’t seem to bother Hazel, so Grace was able to watch her get babied a little bit. It was cute. She snapped several photos, just for herself, though.

They got back to the villa to see that Mrs. Monroe had arranged another dinner. “This woman, I swear,” Grace mumbled. Simon laughed a little.

Mrs. Monroe announced, “We had a spa day and I got the Laurents makeovers. The three of you get washed up and dressed. The photographer is already here and I don’t want him to catch you three looking like… This.” she circled her hands at them, then waved them off.

“What… should I wear?” Simon asked as they walked off.

“I’ve set your outfits out!” Mrs. Monroe called at his back, “All of you!”

“I really feel like I’m 15 again,” Grace said shaking her head. Simon let out a grunt of agreement.

Hazel wondered, “This is what 15 feels like???” Not her 15. Grace was NEVER gonna do this type of stuff to her. But, the occasional bossiness of GlamMother Monroe would be fine. ONLY on occasion.

They reconvened with the family on the patio, overlooking the water as they were relaxed enough to not be as uncomfortable as at the birthday dinner. Hazel and Simon were talking about how far along she had gotten in his book, which she had her copy of at the table and was going over notes so far (she was pleased with where it was going and she enjoyed the angst between the Future King and the Idol Princess, “A lot more than I would have before everything I learned about you and my mom,” Grace heard her say.

“Do you want more?” Grace heard an unfamiliar voice ask.

She turned to see Mrs. Laurent staring at her with gray eyes… Simon’s eyes. Ugh… This is where he got those? She forced a smile and shrugged, “Someday.”

The woman leaned closer to her and said, “It gets tougher whenever there’s another. You have a hard time juggling the same amount of love that you have in you between more bodies.”

“I don’t think I’ll have that problem, but I’m going to take everything that the professionals say into consideration whenever I begin to think about expanding the family.”

“Simon was really easy. You just give him a little block set or something to build and he would leave you alone for hours. His sister needed constant attention. She just couldn’t stand not being focused on. I could easily leave Simon alone for half a day whenever he was 6. Hope couldn’t be left for a couple of hours, even having someone there with her…”

“Leave her alone,” they heard Simon growl at his mother in a low voice. The woman frowned and sat back in her seat. “Are you okay, Grace?” Simon looked at Grace’s hands clutching the table. She looked at them too, and released her grip, then saw Hazel, looking at her concerned and looking at Mrs. Laurent suspiciously.

“Yeah. She was just talking about motherhood.”

“About how she was terrible at it?” Simon asked.

“Simon…” Grace started.

But Hazel interjected, “Not everybody has a mom like you, Grace.”

“My mom isn’t perfect…”

“I think she meant a mom who is like you,” Simon said. Hazel nodded. “Some of us got hit a lot and yelled at, called names…”

“Abandoned in a field for days…”Hazel added. “Not to say that GlamMother was better! Just… sometimes it’s harder to trust people again, depending on what they did and well… as a mommy, doing bad stuff to your kid makes it so hard to even be nice.”

Grace nodded and adjusted Hazel’s braids. She had braided her hair whenever they were on the plane, to pass the time on the long flight. “I understand. I’ve been hurt by somebody that I thought really loved me before…” Simon blinked and turned away. Hazel gave him a sympathetic glance. Grace added, “But, I’m really trying not to be angry with them forever, and I think maybe our moms might be able to inherit a little bit of the same kind of forgiveness that we would want from others.”

Hazel scoffed, “She is definitely talking to you, Simon. There’s no way I’m forgiving any time soon.”

Simon said, “Noted,” and stared into his cup. He sat for a while longer and then took his cup and left the table. Hazel lowered her eyes, avoiding looking at Grace.

Mrs. Laurent offered, “He’s always been really sensitive. I’ll go…”

“No,” Grace said. “You… stay.” She stood up, glanced at Mrs. Laurent, slid Hazel’s chair away from her a little, basically letting Hazel know not to engage with that woman (though Hazel seemed to be the only person that the woman was kind hearted to, probably reminded her of her daughter or something). Grace found Simon pacing and clenching his fists. She turned to leave. This was a private moment, but he glanced up, saw her and stopped moving. She winced and clasped her hands together, “I was coming to check on you.” He relaxed a little and sat down on the nearby stairs.

She leaned against the rail and explained, “I’m not saying that you have to forgive your mom if you want me to forgive you. That’s not what I meant to convey. I just mean… that I try to think about things from the other person’s shoes a lot more than I used to. I remember right before I snapped, I asked my mom if you really believed all of the things you said about me, or if you were just a really good liar. I still don’t really know for sure what the answer is and I don’t think you do, either. And, whenever we don’t even fully know ourselves, how can we possibly know what others are going through? For all I know, you’re in the most pain that has ever pained anyone. I couldn’t say. What I can say is that I won’t let your pain be an excuse to hurt me, and as long as you aren’t hurting me, I see no reason to punish you.” She sat next to him. “But, maybe you and your mom can’t be like that, and that’s valid. I was just throwing something out in the air. I probably should have thought it through.”

“It’s true though. The stuff I did is just as unforgivable as the stuff she did. How can I expect you to ever trust me again when I’m not willing to do the same with her?”

“I mean… you and me are different people. You and her are different people. Not everything is interchangeable.”

“Any time I’m near Hazel, you look like at any moment, you expect me to throw her into the ocean. It feels really bad, but I get it. So… I know that she MIGHT be hurting too. It’s just… so hard. And to think that this is the way that I make you feel when I’m around, trying to pretend that I’m normal… It’s the most painful part. What can I do though? I made it this way. I did things that can’t be undone. Even in trying to rectify it, that’s just… treating an injury. I’ll never be able to remove the scars.” He had tears falling down his face, which he wiped away before she could have the chance to feel bad. “And you’re the last person that I should be whining to about it, because you’re the victim in this story.”

“A survivor,” she corrected. “Who has chosen to try to understand. Let’s give each other a little more space. We went around town, living in the old days and that maybe threw us a bit out of reality’s orbit. You were fine before we hung out..” He opened his mouth to debate, but she caught herself and corrected, “Well, not fine, but better. And… you need to get increasingly better. Until you’re well.” She got up and he watched her go back out and collect Hazel. They turned in early that night. He went back out to talk to his mom…

The Laurents were awake early and the only ones in the kitchen with Hazel whenever Grace emerged from their quarters. Mr. Laurent had made pancakes and eggs, and Hazel was stuffing her face and reading. Simon was next to her, ready to protect her, if he had to, while his mother was nursing a cup of coffee with a full, cold plate in front of her. “Good morning!” Grace cheered and kissed Hazel on top of the head, then Simon, though she awkwardly cringed after she did. He blushed, but didn’t make a big deal out of it. Yeah, she requested space, but she was also always affectionate and they had been around each other a lot the past few days.

“Good morning,” Mr. Laurent said. “Plenty of pancakes and eggs!”

“I’m having breakfast with my parents, but thank you for the offer,” she said in a fake sweet voice. “Hazel, why don’t you go get ready for the day. We’re spending it with your grands.”

“Yes!!! They give the BEST day out presents!” Grace sat down, and Simon noticed that with the off the shoulders blouse she had on, he could see the tan marks on her now even darker brown skin. He… liked tan marks. And… her hair smelled really good. Her lips looked so moist… She squinted her eyes at him and he quickly turned away and grabbed his plate and Hazel’s to clear them from the table.

“What do you all have planned for the day?” She asked.

“I’m going to take Samantha to the beach,” Simon said.

“If you can find her. I told you to keep her in her crate,” Mrs. Laurent said.

“I let her out in my quarters, not in the entire villa. She’s somewhere in my space,” he said. They had been bickering. He told her that he was trying to forgive her, because forgiving her might mean being able to forgive himself for the things that he had done. She told him that even if she tried for the rest of her life, she couldn’t forgive him for what he did to Hope… So… They weren’t any closer to whatever it was Grace was at in her growth journey. “I might do something with my hair,” Simon said, shrugging his shoulders as he washed dishes and returning his attention to Grace’s question. “Since I have that patch on the side from getting kicked in the head, I sort of want to do something Viking looking or elvish… Maybe a braid and a side do.”

“That sounds hot,” Grace said. He blushed again. “There might be something in Hazel’s Celtic book! There were some hairstyles in there. She carries the thing around a lot. Every since we found out that she had it in her DNA, she’s sorta been obsessed with Celtic history and the fact that there’s hazel tree lore is her favorite coincidence in the world.” Simon smiled and put the clean dishes away.

“She’s a great kid. You’re doing great with her.”

“It’s really not that hard. I just love her a lot and always try to give her what’s best for her and trust her to let me know if she doesn’t agree with what’s best for her… which isn’t often, at all. I worry that she sometimes maybe has too much emotional maturity. Like, if I shouldn’t coddle her a little more…” She bit her lip. “Like… how can you even tell when it’s what’s best?”

“She is happy and healthy. I trust that you do what’s best.” He cut his eyes at his mother and dismissed himself just as Hazel returned. They high fived each other when they crossed paths and Grace got up so that they could leave. She’d meet her parents elsewhere later. She couldn’t just stay in there with the Laurents, no matter how nice they were maybe trying to be.

She and Simon did well enough keeping their space through the rest of the trip. By Monday morning, when they were all back home, Grace wondered if Hazel needed a day to recover, but she was SO READY to get to school and brag to her friends about how she had been given drafts of the next two books of Esmoroth and how she wouldn’t tell them what happened and they would be SO jealous and think she’s SO cool. “They might even think that I’m lying. That’s why I have photos of me and Simon, with both of the drafts. They’re gonna be extremely, extremely envious.”

Grace laughed, “Why do you want your friends to be envious?”

“Because, that’s how you know it’s the good stuff.” Hazel still had her braids in. They probably wouldn’t last as long as that style would in Grace’s head, but Grace estimated she still had a few weeks before they would have to take them down. Also, Grace noticed that after giving Simon the leaf in her hair whenever they went to get on their planes home… She hadn’t replaced it. She put in one of her leaf clips and almost left the door without Grace! Grace caught up with her and the girl was as lively as ever. Grace didn’t have that same enthusiasm.

The weekend was exhausting for her. Seeing her parents wore her out. Seeing them, the Laurents, and specifically Simon? She was about to sleep this entire day, until it was time to meet up with Hazel afterschool. Back in her own bed, with her own energy in her space, her own schedule and company (or lack thereof) it was great.

Simon had went live while he was working on styling his hair, to clear up all of the rumors about he and Grace rekindling their romance, which essentially boiled down to, “Grace and I are not together. We aren’t even friends again. The Monroes were nice enough to treat my family to a vacation for my birthday. I love, admire, adore, worship, would die for Grace, but I’ve done too much stuff for her to ever trust me again and I have to be okay with that, so all of you should be, too.”

Grace didn’t know until Hazel told her that Forgive Him Grace and Groveling for Grace were a thing. She watched the video and was amazed that they had taken his words and decided to do the complete opposite, because of course they did! She merely made a post, with no tags or links that said, “I hate this fandom, and I hate all of you.” Some were in the comments laughing, because they knew exactly what she was talking about. Some were asking her what fandom it was and offering words of kindness. Some were just flooding it with those stupid hashtags.

Simon messaged her to apologize and insist that he didn’t mean for THIS to happen. She turned it into a video call, which he immediately picked up.

“Your followers have always been a very… special kind. Unreasonable. Stubborn. Obsessively defensive, even when you absolutely don’t deserve it.” He looked embarrassed. “You trained them too well. Jeesh.”

“They’re literally a little cult on the internet,” he said.

“Yup. They better not be bothering my baby.”

“No. I shut that shit down the moment I see it. I actually pinned an exile list to the top of my pages specifically for that.”

She checked and saw “For troubling Hazel Monroe, you will be exiled and your name will go upon this wall of shame.” It was followed by a list of names of people he blocked and at the bottom, “Leave her alone or you won’t be welcome here.”

“This is kinda adorable,” she said. “I love how you are with her. It means a lot to me.”

“You mean a lot to me, so she does too,” he said. She bit her lip and blew air through her lips. He smiled. “I love that you still do that. I was counting the similarities and differences.”

“I’d love to hear what you came up with!” She said.

“Okay. Similarities: You still do that brrrr thing with your mouth when you’re thinking or uncomfortable. You still play with people’s hair as a show of affection. You playfully tugged on Hazel’s braids so many times! Your feet still bother you… though they seem to be giving you more trouble than before. You still try to play nice with people and speak sweetly… Differences: You’re more confident. Not that you were insecure before, but you used to care what people think about you and now, you just don’t. It’s really sexy.” She blushed. “You’re independent. You don’t need anybody else and you used to always want somebody around. Like, you love Hazel and keep her close, but I can tell that you also allow her freedom and don’t demand her obedience like your parents did to you. And you’re… everything. I can’t believe that I convinced myself that you were nothing. You’re everything, and I would do anything for you.” They both just stared at each other a while.

“Well… That’s a nice thought. I’ll think of you if I need anything.”

“Or if you want anything…. Anything at all, Grace. I swear.”

“Okay. I’ll talk to you soon. Get your followers together!”

“I’m on it,” he said and rested his chin on his hands. She exited the conversation and took a deep breath. She didn’t know what he meant by any of that, but she had a feeling that it would be clear soon. Simon never made a declaration that he wasn’t going to come through about. Even “new” Simon.

#If They Didn't Get on the Train #AU Infinity Train #Infinity Train #Nesha Fanfiction #Infinity Train Fanfiction #fics

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epickiya722 · 4 years ago

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Legacies & Hope Mikaelson for the fandom and the character :)

Be prepared, this is going to be a little long! I’m gonna do the fandom first!

FANDOM

The first character I fell in love with: MG. MG for certain! He’s just so loveable! I want this boy protected at all costs. And even though he’s not the first, I’m putting Pedro here, too. He is just too cute and I swear the kid deserves more screentime.

The character I never expected to love as much as I do: Hm. Landon. The boy tries his hardest. Also, he’s a motherflipping PHOENIX!

The character everyone loves that I don’t: Honestly, the Saltzman twins (especially Lizze) and Hope. I don’t hate them, but they’re not on the top list of fave-fave characters like Kaleb and MG.

The character I love that everyone else hates: You know what, I can’t think of a character everyone hates like that, but I’m going on a limb and saying the Necromancer. I don’t love him, don’t actually like him either, but I’ll give him credit for not being like other grim reapers. He’s loud and obnoxious. But he can kill catch these hands after what he did to my babies. And I’m going to say Alyssa, too. I do kinda like her because she’s bitchy, but a bitchy that she’s aware of and doesn’t want to change because ‘hey, I don’t have time for it, just living my best life’. She’s straightforward and has no time for nonsense.

The character I used to love but no longer: Ah, I really don’t have one.

The character I’d totally smooch: The options. I can’t just choose one. I can’t. It’s like a tie between Rafael and Kaleb.

The character I’d want to be like: Penelope. Penelope Park. She’s a queen. And I want her to come back.

The character I’d slap: Loads, again as I said for my Charmed answers, but to choose... Alaric. Sometimes, I want to slap him. And in season 1, the whole Triad. Like how dare you attack my babies?

A pairing I love: If you have read my fics, you should know by now, I like rare pairings. So other than Kaleb x MG (like that both romantically and platonically), I also like Rafael x MG. And I do kinda like Dorian x Emma. Also, I wish MG x Kym stuck or MG x Nia. Like do like both girls and like Penelope, I want them back.

A pairing I despise: I really don’t have one like that. Like one I really despise and wish to never come in existence. But I’ll be honest, I’m just not really feeling Lizzie x MG. Not romantically. I just, I just can’t get behind it.

CHARACTER - HOPE MIKAELSON

Why I like them: I do admire the fact she’s willing to put herself in danger for others and she does have her badass moments.

Why I don’t: And even though she’s ready to fight a fool for others, I WISH SHE JUST LET OTHERS HELP HER MORE. I don’t like working with people myself, but that’s for school group projects and decorating my own journal. If I need help finding the monster of the week, then damn it, come help me!

Favorite Scene: I do favor two scenes. One, in ‘Life Was So Much Easier When I Care About Myself’, where she comes in to take on Dark Josie and she flips over the ring in heels and a skirt like a badass. Also in ‘Facing Darkness is Kinda My Thing’, when she talks some sense into Josie before she has to fight Dark Josie.

Favorite Line: It’s a small line but after Dark Josie ‘suggests’ she’d kill a vampire, a witch or a werewolf, Hope comes in and goes “How about all three?” I lowkey thought it was a little badass. Also, that reminded me that Hope is a tribrid because I may have forgotten for a while.

Favorite Outfit: I can’t choose one. I can’t. It’s her whole wardrobe for me.

OTP: Ooh, okay. Hope x Landon has their moments. But I kinda like Hope x Lizzie a little bit more. Then I also like Hope x Josie.

BROtp: Now that I think about it, I don’t think I have one for her. Maybe her and Kaleb. They’re both rather snarky to the point that if she does need back-up, she’ll just call Kaleb and they’ll both just sass at the monster to death.

Headcanon: Okay, I don’t have one for her (now that I think about it, I don’t think I have thought of any headcanons for any character of any fandom for a while... except for BNHA but I digress). Well, even thought we don’t see it, I feel like she does use her superspeed. I mean she be getting to places that should take someone hours to get to. I get it, cutscenes, but still! I also think she would be a lot faster than the average vampire and werewolf because she’s a tribrid.

Unpopular Opinion: Don’t hate me, but I don’t like I have one for her. Well, I don’t know if this would be one, or be considered a headcanon, whatever I don’t care, but I think she’s lonely. I know she has a boyfriend and friends and people who care about her, but she still goes to a school where people have their own cliques due to their race and Hope just so happens to be a werewolf, a vampire and a witch in one. So exactly, where does she sit at during lunch? Does she ever hang with the witches? Or the wolves? Can she even talk to a vampire about blood diets?

A Wish: For the sake of her and everyone else, give these poor babies a break. For Landon to be okay. I don’t want to see a heartbroken Hope anymore. Also, can we get another werewolf Hope moment? (Also, other than mermaids, I love werewolves)

An-Oh-God-Don’t-Ever-Let-Happen: That we don’t ever get another werewolf scene.

5 Words to Best Describe Them: Intelligent, Isolated, Badass, Gorgeous, Caring

A Nickname: I don’t have one for her.

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mahoutoons · 6 years ago

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Unpopular opinions: Magical Girl edition

I’ve seen lots of people make unpopular opinions on various topics so I decided to make one for Magical Girls.

1. Yuki Yuna and Madoka Magica are both good shows.

They both have their good points and their problems. PMMM fans say that YuYuYu is a ripoff while YuYuYu fans say that their show is actually a lot better than PMMM. They’re both equally good shows. I don’t see the point in fighting over them.

2. Seasons 1 and 2 of Sailor Moon Crystal aren’t that bad.

Yes, they had their problems. I will admit, the animation WAS off sometimes. But it isn’t the worst thing to ever exist like some people make it out to be. People love to praise season 3 as if its perfect and trash the first two seasons. I’ll admit, season 3 WAS an improvement, but you can praise it WITHOUT bashing the first two seasons.

3. Mahoutsukai Pretty Cure isn’t that bad.

I can certainly see why some people dislike it but I didn’t find it terrible. I will admit I found Mirai a boring character but I loved her bond with Riko, Mofurun and Ha-chan and found it an overall fun season. Nothing too special but it wasn’t too bad.

4. Ichigo x Masaya is my favourite pairing in Tokyo Mew Mew.

Its the canon pairing yet its the least shipped because people either ship Ichigo with Ryou or Kisshu and hate on Masaya for being bland. I ship Ryou x Ichigo but I can’t see why people hate Masaya so much. Okay, you find him boring, but it hardly justifies all the hate. He’s a caring boyfriend and genuinely loves Ichigo. He even waited in the rain for her. Sure, he was mean as Deep Blue but that wasn’t Masaya there.

5. Villains like Kisshu and Demande don’t deserve to be redeemed.

They both harassed and sexually assaulted the underage main female characters and did a bunch of other horrible things, yet they’re easily forgiven because they made a sacrifice. The fact that both these shows are aimed at a young female audience doesn’t help matters. It sends a dangerous message to young girls, that even if someone sexually assaults you, you must forgive them if they do one good thing. I get they’re trying to push a message of forgiveness, but this is NOT how you do it.

(On a side note, Demande doesn’t get redeemed in the manga or Crystal. He’s actually killed off and I’m glad for that)

6. I don’t ship Amu Hinamori with anyone.

Not with Ikuto, or Tadase, or Utau, or anyone for that matter. I prefer her as a girl who finds herself before jumping into romance.

7. While I adore Madoka Magica to bits, I’m not a fan of its impact on the genre.

Sure there were dark magical girl shows BEFORE Madoka but they weren’t a lot of them. But ever since Madoka came out, there’s a wave of these Magical Girl shows that try too hard to be dark and edgy. They think killing off characters left and right and making them suffer makes for an emotional story, when that’s not the case. The reason we were sad when bad things happened to PMMM characters or when they died was because we had time to care for them. These edgy Magical Girl shows try to put as many “dark” things as possible in an attempt to be cool but they fail miserably at it. I feel Yuki Yuna is the only post-Madoka dark MG that doesn’t try too hard to be dark and edgy. It shows us the happy parts and lets us get attached to the characters BEFORE tragedy strikes.

8. While on the topic of Madoka Magica, the people who hate it just because its dark are just as annoying as the people who hate the happy Magical Girl shows.

Its fine to not like the show or if dark shows just aren’t your thing, but some people who hate on PMMM to be cool are really annoying. You’re not any better than people who hate things just for being light and happy.

9. I’ve said this before but, I don't ship MadoHomu or KyoSaya.

90% of the PMMM fandom only cares about those relationships but I don’t really ship both pairings. MadoHomu has always been unhealthy for me, even before Rebellion and as for KyoSaya, they lack development. They only met for one day and hated each other, then suddenly Kyoko is Sayaka’s biggest regret in Rebellion. I honestly prefer MadoSaya and KyoMami (and even MadoMami).

10. This isn’t specific to Magical Girls alone but, there is no such thing as a worst fandom or best fandom.

Every fandom, from Sailor Moon to Madoka Magica WILL have some toxic fans as well as some good fans. The most we can do is just enjoy whatever it is we love and try to avoid the toxic fans.

Which of these opinions do you agree or disagree with?

#magical girls #mahou shoujo #sailor moon #sailor moon crystal #pretty cure #puella magi madoka magica #yuki yuna is a hero #tokyo mew mew #shugo chara #unpopular opinions #rebecca talks

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