#I didn't expect this to turn into fandom criticism but oh well

[piracytheorist]

Spy x Family 30 Day Challenge

Day 3: Least favourite character

This will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me a bit, but that's Damian.

The interesting thing about this story is that there aren't any characters I actually find poorly written or too leniently treated by the narrative. Damian's behaviour is called out for what it is, and though the story gives him depth, it's not excusing him nor white-washing what he's doing.

The fans, on the other hand...

So yeah it's not that I think Damian is a "bad" character, or that he offers nothing to the narrative, or that I actively hate him, or that I believe he can't get any better. It's just that his behaviour annoys me, tapping all the way back into my own trauma as a victim of bullying, and I often find myself cringing and thinking "shut uuuuuup" whenever he appears in a scene and starts talking shit.

But the thing is, he does have interesting dynamics and moments. He can genuinely show compassion, and he's an emotionally neglected kid who is starving for his family's affection. That's the environment he was born and grew up in, he doesn't know any better, and he's just trying to live up to the example his older brother set, in the hopes of getting the bare minimum of some familial love shown to him.

Through all that, the narrative recognizes that his behaviour is snotty and privileged, and that his circumstances don't justify his poor treatment of Anya.

And yet, I couldn't avoid talking about any of that without fans getting all upset at me for using the word "bully" to describe him, because apparently "bullying" is only when you shove a kid into their locker. Guess the fact that I was scared to go to school because my classmates would constantly call me names doesn't count, guess I don't really have bullying trauma, huh. So pretty much every time I've had a discussion with a Damian fan we ended up disagreeing not only because we see the character and his dynamic with Anya completely different, but also because there seems to be a different narrative among his fans where certain things didn't happen or they happened in a way that makes Damian's character look more sympathetic than he really is. And as I've said in another post, I'm here to do literary analysis, not to look for excuses to find characters to ship together. So for me, right now, Damian is a little brat and a little shit who can definitely get better, has a lot of emotional baggage on his own, and can absolutely afford not treating Anya like shit.

It's actually a little sad, because I understand his fans' passion and their want to share their love with others. They really like him and thought they could help me see things from their point of view, in the hopes that I will also like the character, but in my experience they've done it through biased views and incorrect analysis of his scenes, and that ends up actually making things worse.

[thattimdrakeguy]

What Happens When You Only USED To Care

I find it extremely hard to take any person in the fandom that does that schtick where they make fun of Tim based on made up or overly exaggerated stuff seriously.

I can't even find it within myself to give them the power of my hate, because it's more like a fly near your ear. You swat em away and bye bye bye.

Maybe it's because I know so much about how DC ended up being, that I can tell when they're bullshitting and saying stuff others put in their ear.

I mean you take a kid's favorite toy, and add modifications and paint jobs that take away the whole point of the toy, the kid's aren't going to want to play with it anymore.

Am I expected to blame the toy itself?

Especially with how the fandom has bastardized these characters that they so clearly love, but they still constantly get cancelled.

And I won't make mention of who, because someone will get sensitive, and plus then say "WELL TIM DID TOO" showing they're completely missing my point and didn't read the whole post.

I'm not sure why the fandom thinks taking complex and fascinating characters that allowed readers to escape their potentially bleak lives to jump into something more joyful (at least in an entertainment kind of way) and turning them into sitcom tropes is a great idea that OH IS SO GREAT, and EVERYONE WILL PREFER.

'Cause when the comics start copying that trend, you're actually scaring most people away.

Sure it's different from the big bad edgy we had to deal with a while, but it's still not getting these things back to were the once were.

You're replacing the bad, with a different flavor of bad. This time coated in a superficial dusting of praise that doesn't help anything get anywhere.

See, the fandom isn't as big as it may seem. It functions as an echo chamber which gives the illusion of their being way more. These comics wouldn't constantly be cancelled if they were as good or as popular as people make them out to be.

So all those posts praising the nonsense are as functional as having that one friend who praises you no matter what while the rest of the world says otherwise. Might feel good at the time, but let's face it, it gets you nowhere.

And that's just how the internet works. A bunch of little weirdos sitting around making their chamber, and thinking what they say to someone else still matters.

But it don't.

It doesn't.

They're all just so confident they mean something, when they mean as much to the greater world as a weed so far out of view, you don't bother trying to pull it.

You can make up what ever you want, and try to be as abrasive and irritating about what you made up as much of you want, go out praising when some desperate writer that settles for brownie points over critical praise and legacy puts it into a comic to find validation also as much as you want.

But the lack of genuine interest from most people still leaves it as a dud.

So many characters people think are popular, when they're tragically not, no matter if they were formerly good, is saddening. Because a lot of these characters at one point were good, and interesting, and genuinely popular beyond the small pond filled with indignity.

At best they have fan bases that once cared but now no longer do. That don't bother paying attention, because why should they after being denied the simple thing they want--good writing and characterization. The whole reason most start reading in the first place.

I might point one finger at one of these dudes, because I can comfortably say I used to love them too.

No one bothers trying to help out, and bring them back up though.

They want the instant glorification from a bunch of nobodies, who don't care about them as a person, and are only a validation machine instead of anything with a beating heart in it that will truly be there for them when times gets rough besides thoughts and prayers alone.

And as many years as I've seen this stuff, it never stops.

If I haven't been in a better place since I've almost entirely left DC behind in the dust, I would consider that depressing.

These people are online doing this so much that it is what they dedicate their lives to.

It is their life.

They made themselves so unlikable though, that a lot can't be bothered to find pity.

If you have to rewrite reality in your brain, what's the point of living there? You're just convincing yourself you're the only one not wrong, with no hint of irony. What a weirdo thing to do.

Clinging on to things with no solid backing.

In the grand scheme of things they are that insignificant unless you're also stuck in the chamber.

Hell, the only reason I made this post as long as it is, is less out of care and passion, and more because I can't help myself from being overly wordy.

If only DC could be fucked to remember what it takes to write good stories instead of ripping fandom people off. Maybe something would click in and once again take off.

And giving the illusion they now care--

As we can see with the frequent cancelations--

That only works when you have the talent and know how, to tell good stories, with great characters once again. A retro paint job and partially putting the character where they should be can only do so much, when limited talent has to take the rest of the wheel.

Otherwise all you're gonna get is a month or two of decent sells...and it's back into the dumpster again. Where the higher ups might eventually decide to blame the toy and not the manufacturers.

Unless you're Batman or Superman or that level of iconic/popular.

Disappointingly and quite obviously, it's not hard to know if not assume most characters don't have that level of icon to have their back in the dark times. Meaning most go back into the void unless the ones upstairs think this time their new failed from the start scheme will win them all back.

The secret of success in comics is simple, now it may not go back to the way it was, but they can still come back a bit, and here's the secret--

Learn how to fucking tell good stories, with good characterization, with artists that are beyond simply having good talent, but actual passion that shows them how everything's supposed to be.

If I order a nerf gun, and comes not looking anything like what it did on the box.

You know damn well the person who bought it is going to be displeased and not order from them again.

You're testing customer loyalty, and the economy not doing as grand, and prices going up--

The amount of time you have to get them back is depleting.

So get your head out of your ass and actually do something.

[tikiki05]

Anon who said ignore and not talk about a Ghostflower is kinda misguided cause Gwen and Ghostflower stans regularly harassing people on different platforms and people's personal tumblrs on top of being racist over a fictional ship has been and continues to be a problem. A couple months after ATSV was released last year, the tags had crazy content but Gwen stans would bully and harass anyone who didn't ship Miles and Gwen or who criticized Gwen's behavior even a little or just didn't like the character causing a bunch of fan artists, writers and people doing deep dives, especially Black creators, to leave or just stop posting and voicing their opinions because the harassment wasn't worth it, so the fact you're getting hate comments despite being nice about things sadly isn't surprising. They're currently on other platforms about Miles/Spiderverse harassing people too, I think they must have a discord or something and put up a bat signal whenever there's any Ghostflower pushback. But Ghostflower is a ship that might be well known but is not necessarily well-liked, people are not obsessing over that shit like that at all. Unfortunately, this doesn't mean that random white writers trying to add to their legacy by fucking up Miles' lore who know nothing about Black women or Black people aren't going to insert Gwen or some other white woman character they can relate to into things though. Like literally every white writer for Miles seemingly can only imagine him (and other Black characters) with someone white/nonblack and they write the most forced shit to make that happen and it feeds into the racism towards Black people in the fandom/comics. Tis sad as fuck.

Good evening and thank you for this ask! For context, this is the post they’re speaking about

And thank you so much for the sympathy, I know that that anon meant no harm but seriously how do you expect me to ignore something that’s not only highly related to something harmful, but is also super freaking prevalent in the fandom???? It makes me so sad. I haven’t been in a whole lot of fandoms, but I am surely no stranger to hearing about Black creators be harassed and driven away from fandoms and it absolutely breaks my heart. To be driven out of something you care about because you’re being attacked for another thing you care about? Not in the same way, but I’ve been in that position in my real life a handful of times, and it really isn’t fucking fair.

Not to toot my own horn, but honestly I do take pride in these posts I make. I hope people see these posts and can feel hope themselves. Like “oh hey! I’m not the only person who dislikes the popular thing! That’s cool :))” cause that’s definitely what I needed for awhile. And I hope that by speaking up about this, we can legitimately drown out and shut down the racist people in this fandom. Maybe I’m being overly optimistic and cheesy and cringe, and if I am I apologize for that, but damn I am sick of fandoms continuously being unsafe places for BIPOC creators.

And the white writers thing is really frustrating too cause like, ahh! As a white writer why can’t we all collectively be better??! And really listen to the people whom we’re trying to write characters about?!?

I don’t know, this post kind of just turned into a thought dump/vent thing but I hope someone gets something out of it. And I hope that I can stop hoping for things to be better and really see them become better.

More of a downer than my usual answer ask posts but thank you bunches nonetheless! Have a restful evening <3

[hcfiles]

HE DOESN'T CARE!!! And he, himself, used Natalie Viscuso to tease his fandom, to generate fuss for algorithms, to manipulate the public and to motivate hate on the internet, to divide the fandom so part of it could do their dirty job, because the feedback he had from people with this PR circus wasn't the result he expected.

Each step of this shenanigan was because of his cowardice and toxic vanity. Yes! HENRY CAVILL IS TOXIC!!! He is like a drug. And you can't see it, because you continue using it and you are intoxicated. All this toxicity could have been avoided if he had agreed to stop it and had given an end to it. Oh! Yeah! You will say both pigeons are silent now. After 4 years of BS and sh*t spread everywhere?

By giving an end to it, I'm not necessarily referring to a break up announcement. He is free to date and have sex with anyone and could have continued believing he was in love, living a fairy tale, he could have continued the date (fake or real) privately, out of the spotlight and public eye to avoid this unnecessary fuss and hate on the internet.

But, he had the urge to promote his Ego, to defend the rep (What rep?) of his promiscuous Godsent and chose the prank, the stubbornness, the deviltry, as a diversion, trying to minimize the effect of her existence. He chose to use Natalie Viscuso, - a pitiful redneck woman with no self respect, who he intentionally exposed to public execration expecting to avoid his own exposure (Cowardice) -, on temper tantrums against his fandom, because his fandom had attitude and guts to frankly react to his last fake and bad acting performance, expressing their honest opinion about it.

It all happened, because he has an unscrupulous and immoral social media and PR managements who are aligned with his dubious Humpty Dumpty Character, which sways from one situation to another according to interests, certainly not considering the saying he once bragged about, that "Dignity always comes before fame".

He definitely proved, with this shenanigan that, not only he didn't mean it, but that fame is imperative and it swallowed his dignity. This deviltry had no initial intention to make Natalie Viscuso a somebody nor later, had the intention to promote true and real love. It was to promote his manhood, later, used as a weapon against his fandom and their criticism, and to send the message HE DOESN'T CARE!!!

He needed to avoid recognizing he had made a mistake, because he's a gent and had to (?)' protect his brilliant redneck love by exposing her to public execration, so as to prove he supports her by sending a message HE DOESN'T CARE!!!. He wanted to avoid the shame of being unmasked and seen as a liar, by staging the worst deviltry his management team had planned for him. For so, he needed to stage he was giving a f**k and that HE DOESN'T CARE!!!

Well, it turns out HE REALLY DOESN'T CARE!!! Because a dignified, respectful actor who respects himself, his profession and his fandom would never get involved in such an immoral circus with unscrupulous strategies. Unless a much worse truth needs to be hidden. It is the first time I see an actor going against his fandom for being afraid of the consequences of his own acts and to avoid recognizing accountability for his weakness and bad decisions.

They normally try to save his asses by addressing some kind of announcement to fandom in which they try to recover the lost fans and the actors' integrity. What he did with the FO post was definitely, not that kind of attempt. It was the opposite, an amateur management calling fans out as if he was spiritually better, a superior human being.

Who does he think he is? A God, Jesus, a superior enlightened being? How can escorting sl**s for publicity and fame in a brothel called Hollywood be enlightened? How can motivating hate on the internet by putting people against each other so a part could do their job to save his ass from shame, be enlightened? That's the crooked talking of the cripple.

[macchiiattos]

I assume it's something like this:

Other media's with predominantly male characters: straight guys are happy because they love characters that they can relate or see themselves in (see the amount of generic male mc isekais that got an anime and movie reviews from guys on turning reds). straight girls are happy because they are into guys (reader x male character and yaoi are very popular)

Gacha games where you spend money to collect characters that you like: straight guys are happy bc they like girls and there are plenty. Straight girls are not happy bc of the lack of male characters. It feels like they have been sidelined in favor of the male playerbase.

And since a lot of straight girls are active participants in Fandom spaces (see ao3 user gender and sexuality charts and the amount of zines that are dedicated to husband characters), you see a lot of complaints.

(I'm not good at voicing my thoughts, sorry)

oh no, you're fine. i probably didn't phrase my point very well, but my question was more rheotrical than anything. y'know? i apologize if there was any misunderstanding. ^^

like i get that straight women want characters that they like (i've been in fandom for many many years so i'm aware of how things typically work), but i feel like that's only one part of the problem here.

because a piece of media being predominantly women is not a flaw in of itself. it has nothing to do with the actual writing quality of the games, especially when so many of these characters are written very well for being in a gacha. and so many people claiming it as such puts a bad taste my mouth. regardless of who the perpetrators are, it feels misogynistic imo.

i get that genshin is a lot of people's first experience with gacha games, and it's easy to have different expectations at first because of that. but i just don't think that justifies how horribly some people in these fandoms treat the female casts. there's no good reason for their very existence to be subject to twice the scrutiny as the men (who are very often written with tropes that are similar the women's).

as i said in my previous post, it's obvious that these games aren't women-led for representation. but i also don't think the very frequent (and imo often unfair) criticism towards the female characters is cool.

[icedteaandoldlace]

Lace's Official Ranking of Couples from The Flash

1: Cisco and Kamilla

Best guy in the Flashverse meets best girl in the Flashverse. Instant recipe for perfection.

When I first heard via Tumblr that Cisco had a new girlfriend in season 6, my automatic reaction was, "Oh, Christ, ANOTHER one????" because while I don't dislike his previous love interests, I had grown tired of watching him fall head over heels for people who didn't care as much about him as he did for them. And given the less than encouraging (and wildly incorrect) criticism for Kamilla in the same post that I learned of her existence in, my expectations were very low, and I tried to just enjoy single!Cisco while he lasted, dreading what I thought would be yet another uneven and unsatisfying romantic arc for him.

So when a cute bartender offered Cisco a drink to cheer him up (half a season sooner than I was expecting her), and they struck up a conversation that felt so comfortable and effortless, a little wistful part of me was like, "Man, it's too bad he can't just date her. She's sweet and relatable and they have nice chemistry. If this was how he met the girl he ended up with, that would actually be really cute." AND THEN SHE INTRODUCED HERSELF.

Admittedly, I was still a little skeptical for a while, due to the frigid reception she got from the majority (or just the loudest members) of the fandom, but the more I saw of Kamilla, the more I couldn't help liking her, and she quickly became one of my favorite characters. A photographer, an artsy girl working a customer service job that she hates, who's attracted to Cisco's personality and decidedly turned off by all the stupid personas he tries on to try to impress her; who tolerates his chatty friend crashing their date with a smile, and is certain about her answer when he asks her if she really wants to update her relationship status.

Building a relationship with each other is easy, but it still takes some work. For Kamilla, it means letting not only Cisco, but his whole found family into her life, and accepting all facets of his life and dealing with all the craziness that comes with being part of a superhero team. For Cisco, it means breaking down his protective walls and letting himself be vulnerable with Kamilla, and trusting her not to let him down. And as their relationship progresses, they both support each other's careers (and get involved in them when needed) and never want to stand in each other's way. They're both fiercely protective of one another, and they have compatible aspirations that change at the same time, allowing them to grow together instead of having to choose between each other or themselves.

They are two very different individuals, but their differences don't interfere with their relationship, because they embrace them and work with them, instead of trying to make their relationship work in spite of them. It also works because they share a lot of similarities; they're both independent and driven, and they both understand this about each other and are able to balance their time spent together and apart. They're also both caring and loyal to their friends and a good ear to vent to and shoulder to cry on, and that carries over to their relationship with each other as well.

Kamilla makes Cisco happier than anyone he's ever been with, she's able to tell him when he's being an idiot while still being on his side, she's someone he trusts with things he's not ready to tell anyone else, while also understanding that sometimes the person he needs to talk to is someone who's known him longer, and what a lot of people mistake for a lack of chemistry is in fact just a lack of reliance/focus on sexual tension.

Even though they didn't get nearly enough storylines and they're criminally underrated, they're easily the second or third most developed couple in the show, and they are absolutely the cutest.

[fleshwerks]

Thoughts on new Dragon Age "teaser"? You have the best takes.

I'll be deadly honest, I didn't even realise it was out, that's how checked out I am, but I will always fall hook line and sinker for a delicious bait made of things I can chew on, so let's seeeeeee. I'll do first impressions for now. I'll warn you, I haven't done 'takes' in ages, I've seriously lost my edge and resemble someone yelling at a cloud more than someone with intelligent or at least entertaining takes. Proceed on your own volition. Note, I have not been keeping up with DA4 updates. At all. I am literally grasping at straws and screaming out of my arse.

I'll say this. I believe Mark Darrah who had retired from BioWare was brought back on to save this tattered ship that had failed to launch how many times now? If you were with DAI and Anthem especially, you know that when a vet of that calibre is being brought on board towards the end of production, you're fucked. The sheer scope of the regions visited in the trailer... I wouldn't blink an eye if it was a turn-based strategy game, but it is not.

I'm surprised how shit the game visually looks, but it's been my criticism with the thus far released art, and now, environment assets. And again, I'm coming off of Anthem, and Anthem was truly, truly gorgeous. Now someone might argue that every DA has had its distinctive visual style. Well I thought DA2, for what it was, sure did look inspired. I didn't enjoy the game or the characters, but I enjoyed looking at it. Dragon Age Inquisition kind of lost me aesthetically, but I see what they did there. It was more generic, certainly not attempting to be photorealistic, but I saw the idea and accepted it.

Now this though? What is this? The panning over what I presume is Treviso literally looks like a mobile game ad.

Ok, fine, I'll not go in on the visuals, I'm too fresh out of art college and I'm so anal-retentive that my o-ring's more pinched than a pinprick about this stuff. Moving on.

I believe the new PC is an Antivan Crow? Since when are they fighting for all of Antiva? Everyone??? Since when?! Zevran's canonically not returning, and even he was compassionately practical on his best days. The Crows are not good people. They buy kids to train for miserable jobs meeting miserable ends. Oh, so we had a whole character who gave the Crows a finger for being the shitshow they were, but now they're this resistance task force? What, why, because the 'Islamic Borg' invaded?

Then. I feel like I'm missing a fuckton of contest because I haven't read the preceding comics and stories, I have one comic book from the DAI-DA4 interim and it ended so disappointingly, I never bothered after that.

We're really retconning all the complex and complicated factions into freedom fighters, aren't we. I guess such is the state of our real world. Always a plucky band of people belonging to formerly shitty fucking organisations suddenly saving the day like heroes, possibly somewhere along the way ruminating for 2 seconds on whether they deserve to pat themselves on the back, landing on 'but we will change how we operate, and we will save the world, always!'

I'm into the Rivaini squid though. I've never been fond of Rivain, not just because parts of the fandom like to present this place that has barely been talked about in canon like some haven for... idk. I just didn't expect squids. And you people know I love marine invertebrates. You know what, fuck it, here's my 'best take': have squid, will travel!

But that port city ravaged recently by the dragons in ruins looks like it's been in ruins for the past 2000 years, only recently excavated. It's so clean. And here I go again with the aesthetics.

Anyway, Falon'din and/or dirthamen is fuckin' around in Rivain, aren't they. Because I believe that head shape, multi-hands etc were presented in many of the statues we saw in DAII, and given that Falon'din's proverbial crows, envy and nightmare were so prominently featured, and sexyman Solas' outright resentment for former master Dirthamen and the vain Falon'din, welll... risen gods. Dirthamen at the very least was associated with watery depths, but they're twins (or are they? Perhaps the facets of one person altogether)... Anyway, I'm more interested in what the fuck is happening in Weisshaupt. That part genuinely interests me. Circling back to Dirthamen, Razikale is the dragon of Mystery. Associated with Dirthamen, at least according to my theory, while Urthemiel was the Dragon of Beauty, and we keep getting indications that Falon'din was pretty, aggressive, and exceedingly vain. So Big Dirty's up next. Falon'din had the crows, right? Both defeated in DAI. He's out, more or less. And again, Solas most likely was Dirthamen's student before he decided that he himself didn't want to be but totally wanted to be revered. So my take is that Razikale, who got mentions in DAI is waking up as well.

The villain gods of this mess, the classic Dragon Age false gods we fight in every single game as end bosses, will be connected to Dirt. Eh. Same eagle, different liver.

Anyway I have a doubt that this kind of scope will end anywhere nice. The production's been fraught as fuck to the point where the panic button has been pressed many times. The art looks like a significant downgrade, the production has been filled with veterans just clocking the fuck out.

It doesn't sound interesting. I'm tired of saving the world as an Eastern European in late 2023. This kind of story does not speak to me at all anymore. Not after 2019, not after 2021. It looks dated and mediocre, the story is so old that if it goes where I think it will, it has no relevance or message for anybody but perhaps some American audiences (some). I'm just... I'm not.

The rah-rah I got from that clip leaves me ice cold. There is no rah-rah in such widespread misery. There are only curse words and the sound of grinding teeth, and everybody's a dick, and everybody's dick past is dredged up hard. No retcons.

I don't want it. It better receive insanely high marks for me to play it. And I loved this franchise, two of the PCs have gone on to be archetypal in my private works now.

The mystery is gone. The power creep... I don't want to hang out with gods. They should have never been brought into the story as characters you can extensively hang out with. Edit: basically the entire thing sounds about as exciting as a somewhat well-produced mobile game. Which is fun to fuck with while taking the metro, but...

[littlestpetshopofhorrores]

Woah! Hello there! It’s really nice to see fanfic writers still in the SK fandom lol. I haven’t really interacted with these kinds of accounts before so I apologize if this sounds too direct.

If you’re taking requests, maybe classic Shovel x Shield by a campfire after an adventure?

Yeah I'm taking request. Also don't worry abt being too direct lol you're doing great :D! A Campfire Shield x Shovel coming right up!

" That manor sure was tougher than I tought!" Shield Knight beamed leaving her iconic shields on the side of a severed log the duo found."HAH! It sure was full of thieves...pirates? Still not sure on the difference" shovel knight replied spinning around after setting up the campfire, he was met with the sight of his adventuring partner sitting on the ground patting a spot to her right inviting him. "Well...Pirates use hats and Thieves use capes!" She replied smiling at shovel knight as he sat besides her returning the smile inside his helmet. Both of them fell comfortably in silence sitting closer to each other as the fire provided light. Shovel Knight was grateful that his helmet obscured his eyes to the point no one else knew where his sight landed, because right now he was only able to see her. "Oh I have an idea!" Shield Knight declared snapping her partner out of his trance "Let me do the first guard this night!" "Of course!" "Now let me convin-WU WHAT!? JUST LIKE THAT!? tought I would have to convince you" "Why? we are adventuring partners after all. We got each other's backs! Just make sure to wake me up when it's my turn or if the thieves come back" with that the duo prepared, one to sleep and the other to keep watch and so they did, the blue knight quickly fell asleep exhausted completely unaware of Shield Knight's gaze upon him unconsciously he got closer to her leaning his head on her shoulder and starting to snooze. With that she realized that she didn't need a Campfire to feel warmer nor safer with shovel knight nearby...she couldn't help it but feel sleepy being so close and safe with him so she accompanied him in his dreams too.

-------------------------

Aaaand there you got it! Thank you again for requesting sorry if it's not quite what you expected lol. If so feel free to request another one and/or criticize my writing br it good or bad critics. I'm still learning and growing after all so no hard feelings

[amethystina]

Oh gosh, sorry to hear you’ve been getting lots of critiques recently. Even when it’s valid and solicited criticism can be rough, and the out of the blue stuff is always worse :/ And I say that as someone who works in the arts for a living.

I wish I had something better to say than that every artist you admire has likely felt the same way at one point or another, as even the best of the best of the best get complaints, but I don’t, so know at least that you’re in good company. (In theatre we actually have a saying that the day you can truly call yourself a professional is the day you get your first really bad review, so I always take comfort in the universality of the experience, even if it super fucking sucks lol)

I know I could also tell you that your writing is phenomenal and for every person who has a complaint there’s a bunch more who are having the BEST time (myself included xD), but I also know that doesn’t fix it when someone’s made you doubt yourself. For the record though, I will say it. Your writing IS phenomenal, and it DOES bring both me and others quite a lot of joy. I get very excited every time I see you’ve updated (either fic that I’m reading xD), and I find it genuinely a bonus that this particular story is so long. Because it means that the experience of reading it for the first time doesn’t have to be over yet.

I’m VERY much rambling now, but try and be kind to yourself is I guess at the heart of what I’m saying. Take care of yourself, take your time, and come back to things when you’re ready. You’re allowed to feel hurt, or doubtful, or whatever, and if time is what you need to take care of yourself, then you should take it <3.

To be honest, I would be genuinely surprised if I was somehow able to avoid getting criticism. It's just a natural part of posting online, it would seem, no matter one's skill level or the fandom.

And, usually, I can handle it pretty well. It just so happens that everything piled up on the same day and that got a little overwhelming. It honestly felt a bit like the universe was ganging up on me for no apparent reason xD

Thank you so much for your kind words, though 💜 It's true that there are no immediate fixes to the kind of doubts that arise from unsolicited criticism, but it certainly helps to know that there are people who enjoy what I do. Because, in the long run, it's not about writing the most perfect, flawless fic, but rather sharing the joy and excitement I feel over the stories that I write. So thank you so much for taking the time to tell me 💜

And yeah, I'm doing my best to rest right now, partly because I did end up getting sick. So I've mostly been drawing highly questionable Strangers From Hell fanart and, earlier today, I hyper-fixated for hours and randomly did a playlist for Who Holds the Devil. Which is VERY unexpected since I don't really connect music to my writing?

I blame @sofapup17 who made a wonderful playlist for my Strangers From Hell fanfic, which I've been looping while drawing the aforementioned fanart xD (and I also stole three songs from it to my own playlist ;D ) And that of course made me wonder if I could do one, too. Turns out that I can! It's hella long but, uh, that's both on-brand and appropriate considering the fanfic, I guess? I honestly didn't expect to find as much music as I did.

So yeah. While I'm not writing on Who Holds the Devil right now, I'm keeping busy with other creative projects. There never seems to be a shortage of those, somehow x'D

Thank you again for your kind words. The fact that so many people are willing to take time out of their day to cheer me up is so incredibly humbling. Thank you 💜

[regenderate-fic]

In the Aftermath

Fandom: Doctor Who Ships: Fourteenth Doctor/Yasmin Khan Characters: Fourteenth Doctor, Yasmin Khan Rating: General Word Count: 3,688 Other Tags: Reunions

Read on AO3

Summary: Finally ready to explain everything, the Doctor knocks on Yaz's door.

NOTES: i feel like i haven't posted anything in a million years… hi everyone :)

Yaz didn't expect the knock on her door.

For one thing, it was late at night. She'd just gotten home from a busy shift, and she was sort of looking forward to sprawling out on her sofa with a takeaway and some truly awful television. She was glad she'd gone for the EMT course, but wow, did Sheffield have some exhausting emergencies. 

For another thing, no one just… knocked on her door. They texted ahead of time to ask if they could come by. Especially at this time of night. 

The knock came again. Yaz sighed. Probably one of her neighbors was locked out or something. Well, if that was the case, she was the right person to ask, after that lockpicking demo Houdini had given her, and then all the practice she'd gotten. She made her way to the door—

—and opened it to a total stranger. Middle aged white man, by all appearances, and not one of her neighbors, or at least, she would've remembered if one of her neighbors had hair like that and went around matching their trousers to their waistcoat. Or went around wearing a waistcoat at all, for that matter—

Hang on. That fashion sense—something felt familiar. 

This wasn't a stranger. 

Yaz's heart leapt into her throat. 

She could see it in the way they held themself, the way they were rocking back on their heels, the way their silence hung brightly in front of them as they waited for her to make the first move. She opened her mouth, only to realize she had no idea what to say—

What came out was, “It's midnight.”

“Oh. Sorry. Lost track of—”

“Yeah, I know.” Yaz raised her eyebrows. “So are you going to come in, or what?”

“Oh! Right! Yes! Coming in!” Their accent had changed, Yaz noted. She wasn't sure why she'd expected it to stay the same. Now she thought about it, she wondered why the change hadn't been more drastic—they'd been Scottish before, she was pretty sure, and then Northern, and now London, but why did they seem limited to just the one island when there was a whole world full of Anglophone accents out there? 

She shook her head. It didn't matter. She stepped away from the doorframe, and they followed her into the kitchen. 

“Nice place,” they remarked, looking around. Yaz followed their gaze. There was nothing particularly special about her kitchen—it had come with the flat, and featured the nondescript wooden cupboards and white counters. She’d hung up some string lights, and she kept the place clean, but mostly it looked like any other kitchen in any other rented flat.

“Nice enough,” she said. She nodded at the electric kettle, which was blowing steam in the corner. “I was just making a cup of tea. D’you want one?”

“Oh, sure.” 

Yaz glanced over at them. Their eye was still moving around the space, taking everything in—yes, definitely familiar. And the way they slouched against one of the counters, head tilted back… Yaz felt a pang of bittersweet affection, so intense and sudden she had to look away.

“What sort of tea?” she asked. “Matcha? Chamomile? Peppermint? Earl Grey?” She glanced back. “Bit late for caffeine, if you’re constrained to linear time—” 

“No, yes, that’s a good point.” They nodded. “Better be chamomile, then.”

“Right.” Yaz opened her tea drawer, plucked out two chamomile teabags, dropped them into the mugs, filled the mugs with hot water. She picked them both up and turned, holding one out as an offering—they took it, turning a critical eye to the galaxy-print mug.

“This is nice,” they said.

“Thanks,” Yaz said. “Gift from Sonya.”

“Right, right. How is Sonya?”

“Same as always.” Yaz smiled. “Still a menace.”

They laughed. “Sorry to hear it.” 

Yaz raised her eyebrows. “So. What have you been up to?” 

“Er—” Their eyes darted around the room, and yes, that was familiar too, the way they looked at their surroundings like a cornered prey animal, as if it was their house and Yaz was the one who'd knocked on the door late at night. “Could we maybe sit down?”

“‘Course.” Yaz led them to the little table in the corner of the room. They sat across from her, and Yaz eyed them as they sipped slowly from the galaxy-print mug. “You're different,” she said. 

They tilted their head to the side, attentive, but they didn’t say anything. They just looked at her, brows drawn together, waiting to hear what she would say next. 

Yaz swallowed. “I mean—” What did she mean? “You never used to be able to sit still like that.” She nodded at their arms, crossed at their chest, and their feet, planted firmly on the ground, and their eyes, trained entirely on Yaz. “How long has it been?”

“Oh, not so long. Few weeks, maybe?”

Yaz’s eyebrows shot up. “A few weeks?”

“Yes, I know, I should’ve come sooner—”

“Doctor,” Yaz said. “It’s been over a year.”

They went quiet at that. 

“I’ve been here, worried about you, for over a year.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

Yaz’s eyes widened. It wasn’t just that they’d apologized—the Doctor had done that plenty. But the way they said it—slowly, carefully, with mavity and weight behind it—even though she'd begged and pled for this, Yaz had never, ever thought she'd actually get it. Especially not a full year after she’d walked out of the TARDIS forever. 

“I shouldn't have kicked you out.” They took a deep breath. “I should've told you what was going on. I—” They were studying their hand, tilting it back and forth in front of them. “I wasn't ready yet. It's not an excuse, I just—” They shook their head. “I'm sorry,” they said again, and they looked just enough like a kicked puppy that Yaz couldn't help but smile. 

“I've missed you,” she said.

“I've missed you too.”

“You've really hurt me.” Yaz found herself fiddling with the string on her teabag, her fingers twisting so that it twined around them, staring at the thin lines the tea-stained thread left in her skin. “UNIT had to find me a therapist who wouldn't tell me I was delusional.”

They grimaced. “I've got one too. Also from UNIT. Not the same one, I hope.”

“I’d assume not,” Yaz said. “Being your therapist is probably a full-time job on its own, actually. No time for other clients.”

They laughed. “Quite right. That's part of why I'm here, actually.” They hesitated. “Well—not here, here. Although—that too. But I mean—on Earth, here.”

“What, so you can do therapy?” Yaz tried to imagine it. How did their sessions even go? 

“Sort of.” They paused. “I had—maybe you could call it an out-of-body experience?”

Yaz raised her eyebrows. 

“Or—an in-body experience, but with another body, also mine, next to me.” They shake their head. “It's a long story. I'll tell it, if you like, but—” They took a deep breath. “What I came here to say is, I'm sorry I hurt you.”

Yaz suppressed a gasp. 

The Doctor had never looked at her like this, had never met her eyes with so few reservations, so few barriers. 

“Therapy’s working, then?” she joked, and then she winced, because this was no time for that sort of joke. “Sorry. I mean—” She returned their eye contact and exhaled, dispelling all her self-consciousness and worry so that she could mean it, totally and completely, when she said, “Thank you.”

She saw the moment they heard it, the moment the tension went out of their shoulders, the moment they sighed in relief. After a long inhale, they added, “Can I—I mean—do you still want to hear everything? Can I tell you?” 

Yaz looked at them. It had been over a year since she’d seen them last—over a year since Let’s not say goodbye, since Can we just live in the present?, since I want to tell you everything. She’d done a lot, in that year. Spent time learning how to be on her own, how to be herself, how to live an interesting life even if the Doctor wasn’t there. And she’d come to terms with the fact that she wouldn’t know, could never know, what it was that had the Doctor racing from adventure to adventure, chasing after total strangers, putting herself and Yaz in constant danger.

But—here they were. The Doctor. Every cell in their body had changed, and they’d still come back for Yaz.

She swallowed. “Okay,” she said. “I’d like that.”

“You remember,” the Doctor began, “when we went to Gallifrey?”

Yaz nodded. She remembered only too well: the strange, shining portal; running into a jarringly unfamiliar TARDIS; the Doctor’s tear-stained face.

“The Master showed me something from Time Lord history.” The Doctor set down their mug. “Something—about me, as it turned out.”

Yaz waited.

“They lied to me.” The Doctor’s voice was low and rough. “They said I was one of them.”

“And you're not?”

The Doctor shook their head. “They—this woman—she found me.”

“Found you?”

“As a kid. Found me, took me in.” They took a deep breath. “Did you know, there wasn't always such a thing as a Time Lord? It's a rank, not a species. Got a bit muddled, later on, but—” A long pause. “I was the first.” The way they said it—Yaz could hear the tears in their voice. They sounded so childlike, so helpless—and they continued—“They didn't have regeneration before me. I fell—died—came back—” They looked up at Yaz. “My adopted mother was a scientist.”

The words hung in the air for a long moment. 

“She—” Yaz began, unsure how to ask the question. 

“She experimented on me. Killed me, over and over again. Figured out how to use my regeneration energy on herself. Made me work for her military organization. And then, when she was done with me, she wiped my memory and made me do my childhood over again.”

Yaz’s hands were trembling on her mug. She set it down. “That's awful.” 

“I met her.” 

“What, recently?”

“When I got turned into an angel.” When Yaz had spent four years traveling the world, trying to get back to the Doctor. “They took me to her. She was—she was destroying the universe because of me.”

Yaz frowned. “What's the logic there?”

“She thought I was a threat to her organization,” the Doctor said. “I don't—it doesn't make sense. I'm not sure it's supposed to make sense.” They paused. “She was trying to start over. With another universe. Because I had ruined her plans for the first one.”

“That's—” Yaz stopped short. There weren't words to describe what that was. 

“It’s not an excuse,” the Doctor said. “For how I treated you, I mean.”

Yaz tilted her head to the side. “Isn’t it? I mean—I spent years trying to figure out what could’ve happened that you were reacting like that. Trying to figure out what—in any universe—could justify the way you were acting.” She shook her head. “This—I mean—it blows all my old theories out of the water.”

“Oh? What theories were those?”

“Thought you might’ve stolen something. Or had something stolen from you. Or else you were just sad that Gallifrey was destroyed. Or maybe there was something with you and the Master I didn’t know about.”

“You weren’t far off, then,” the Doctor said. “Something was stolen from me, and I’ve stolen plenty. And I’ll always be sad about Gallifrey, and the Master.” Suddenly, in the dim light of the kitchen at midnight, Yaz could see every exhausted line in the Doctor’s face, the weariness in their eyes. They were thousands of years old. It was easy to forget, when they looked like any other human, but now it was impossible to overlook—Yaz could feel the full weight of all those years seeping through the Doctor’s expression. “It’s just that there’s more. So much more. And I never would’ve known if the Master hadn’t told me.”

“Doctor,” Yaz breathed. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t you go apologizing to me,” the Doctor said. “Not when I came here to apologize to you.”

Yaz smiled. “It’s not like apology is a limited resource. I think there’s enough to go around.”

“Suppose you’re right.” The Doctor looked at her, their hand absently tracing the rim of their mug. “You seem to be doing all right for yourself?”

“Could be worse.” Yaz shrugged. “Place is nice. I’ve got a good job. Some days I forget my family thinks I’m four years younger than I actually am.” She fiddled with her teabag. “Feels like a dream, sometimes. The time I spent with you. If I didn’t have the others, maybe I’d believe it was one.” 

“The others—Ryan and Graham?”

“Them too,” Yaz said. She looked at the Doctor. “Hang on, has no one told you?”

“Told me what?”

“Tegan and Ace started a support group,” Yaz said. “For all your old friends.” 

The Doctor’s mouth dropped open. “Hang on. Is Mel involved? Mel Bush?”

Yaz nodded.

“And she didn’t tell me?” They looked so hurt, Yaz had to laugh.

“I think you not knowing about it is sort of the point,” she said. 

“Still. I will be having words with Mel.” 

“Was wondering why I hadn’t heard from her in a couple weeks. Thought it was just that she was busy with UNIT.”

“Well, in fairness, UNIT was taking up a good deal of her time.” 

Yaz hesitated. “Was that—I mean, when the whole world went totally unreasonable, and me and Ryan and Ace were on Sheffield cleanup duty? Ace said UNIT was involved. She kept passing on messages from Kate.”

“You’re not working with them, then?”

Yaz shook her head. “Kate offered. All felt a bit too military for me. There’s a reason I quit the police.” She paused. “But, you know, something comes up, I help where I can. Didn’t love being the only sane EMT in Sheffield, mind.” 

“Oh, you're an EMT now?”

“Why did you think I was up so late?” Yaz smiled. “Evening shift. Just passed the training a couple months ago.”

The Doctor smiled back, their eyes bright and warm. “Yasmin Khan,” they said. “Look at you. Still saving lives.”

“Doctor,” Yaz parroted. “Look at you. Slowing down.”

“Oh, don't worry. I'm still traveling. Same as ever. Just taking breaks in between.” They hesitated. “You could join me, one of these days. Quick trip. Can almost guarantee it won't be dangerous.”

Yaz had spent a whole year coming to terms with the fact that she would never travel with the Doctor again. It had taken her months to really, truly, accept that as fact. Getting in the TARDIS again could undo all that progress—but she looked at the Doctor, so different but so very unchanged, and a soft, warm feeling expanded in her chest at the thought of traveling with them again. 

“I’d like that,” she said. And then her brain caught up to her mouth, and she added, “Only one trip at a time, and you'll have to get me back to the time and place we left. I've got a job I like now, and I don't fancy losing it ‘cause my alien friend from outer space keeps taking me on adventures.”

The Doctor’s eyes were loaded with affection. “Quite right.” 

“Text me beforehand, too,” Yaz added. “None of this materializing out of nowhere business.” 

“Your number’s the same?” the Doctor checked.

Yaz nodded.

“All right, then. I’ll text you.” They paused. “I’m getting better at all this scheduling business, you know. Living as a human, and all that. Actually, you should come by my house sometime. Should’ve offered that before the time travel.” 

“You have a house?” 

“Oi, what’s so surprising about that?” the Doctor asked. “It’s in London. Decent size place, all for me, only I’ve got some friends—family, sort of—who’re always around. The TARDIS is nice, but it’s hardly got a mailing address.”

“Are people sending you letters?” Yaz asked.

“Mostly bills,” the Doctor mumbled. “Y’know. For the house.” 

“So, you need a house so you can have a mailing address, and you need the mailing address so you can get bills for the house?” Yaz was holding back laughter, and doing a terrible job of hiding it.

“I didn’t come here to be mocked,” the Doctor protested. “Thrown out, all right, that would’ve been fine. Expected it, really. But—mockery? That’s too far. Anyway, without a house, I wouldn’t have a garden, would I? And without a garden, no one would come round for tea, and I quite like having people come round for tea. I could have you come round for tea! Pick you up in the TARDIS, have you there and back in an afternoon—”

Yaz carefully did not mention the miles and miles of gardens she’d walked through on the TARDIS. “I’d be honored,” she said. “And maybe I can meet these friends of yours?”

The Doctor’s face lit up. “Yes! Brilliant! You’ll like my friends. They’ll love you. Well, you already know Mel, of course, but Donna—she’s sort of a special case. Didn’t remember me—couldn’t—until she could again—and she’s got this daughter, and—oh, you’ll love them. I love them.”

Yaz felt a rush of affection for the Doctor, her Doctor, that overeager alien sitting in her living room, drinking tea and talking a mile a minute, full of enthusiasm, full of love for the universe and everything in it, despite all this universe had taken from them. 

“I’m sure I will,” she said. She set down her mug on the table. “You know, it’s good to see you again. Wasn’t sure I would. Wasn’t sure I wanted to.”

“I wasn’t going to come,” the Doctor said. “Not yet, anyway. Except I told Donna about you—about everything—and she said if I didn’t at least try to apologize, she’d slap me across the face.”

“Good friend, that Donna.”

The Doctor beamed. “I know.” They took a deep breath, their smile settling into a more serious expression. “Really, though. Thank you for not slamming the door in my face.” 

“Anytime.” 

“And—” The Doctor hesitated. “I’ll go in a moment—don’t want to disrupt anything—

“It’s all right—”

“—but I had one more thing I wanted to say to you. If you’ll hear it.” They were fiddling with the teabag again, avoiding Yaz’s eyes in a way that made her a little nervous. She’d already heard the Doctor’s deepest secret—what else could they say?

“Of course I’ll hear it,” she said anyway.

The Doctor nodded. “Right. It’s just that—I seem to be more open, this time round, even without the rest and the therapy. And it occurs to me that there are loads of people I can never see again, never talk to. And most of those people, I never really told them what I wanted to tell them. Particularly, I never really told them how I—what they meant to me.”

Yaz found herself chewing on her lower lip. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Their eyes were glistening. “And it occurs to me, I suppose, that I never told you either, not really, not properly, and—well, I’m lucky you’re still here, aren’t I?”

Yaz waited. 

“So—” They swallowed. “In the name of healing, and being open, and all the people I’ve missed the chance to say it to—I just wanted to tell you that I really did love you, Yasmin Khan. Still do.”

Yaz felt tears in her eyes and an ache in her throat before she’d even fully processed what they’d said. She stood, and the Doctor stood too—she took two big steps to reach them and pulled them into a tight hug. Her head rested against their shoulder, and they dropped their forehead forward to rest against her hair. They were taller now, their arms a little longer, their hair prickly with gel for some reason, and it took Yaz a second to adjust to the unfamiliar familiarity of their cool skin and warm breath. 

“I think I’ll always love you,” she whispered, as close as she could come to a true confession, and she felt the contradiction of the Doctor’s back and shoulder muscles relaxing while their arms tightened around her. Yaz held on for another moment, partially basking in the peace the Doctor’s touch brought, partially horrified that she could fall back into this so easily, and then she pulled back. “I’ll see you soon? I have Thursday off—”

“Thursday, then,” the Doctor said. “I’ll text you.” 

“Right.” Yaz held their eyes for another long moment. Finally, she leaned up and pressed a kiss to the Doctor’s cheek. “I’ll see you Thursday. And you can introduce me to all your friends. And tell Mel we miss her at the support group, yeah?”

“‘Course.” The Doctor gave her a two-fingered salute, at which Yaz rolled her eyes good-naturedly. 

“Have a safe trip home,” she deadpanned, sure the TARDIS was parked around the corner or something, waiting to take the Doctor back to their brand new house.

“I will, thanks.” The Doctor grinned. “Did you know, UNIT’s kept my old car from when I was stuck on Earth in the ‘70’s?”

Yaz’s jaw dropped. “You drove here?”

“Told you I was settling down a bit, didn’t I?” 

“Then I wish a safe trip to everyone who has the misfortune of sharing the road with you,” Yaz teased. 

“Oi, I’m not that bad. Don’t want to risk damage to the car. She’s an antique.”

Yaz waved a hand. “Get out of here before I start making fun of you for calling your car she.”

“Her name’s Bessie,” the Doctor added, but they were already backing away from Yaz, towards the door. “I’ll text you when I get back to London, if that’ll help your peace of mind.”

“Sure,” Yaz said, shaking her head. “I’ll see you Thursday.” 

“See you.” The Doctor left, the door swinging shut behind them, and Yaz sank back down into her chair. 

She was going to have a lot to tell her therapist this week. 

And yet when she woke up, the next morning, to a text from the Doctor—Home safe!—she couldn’t help but smile.

...

END NOTES: you can pry the mavity bit from my cold dead hands.

also i have a couple ideas for more stories after this one, i wanted to have them talk a bit more about the doctor's gender in this one but i realized that's probably a later conversation, and then also i have a picture of yaz and the doctor winding up in a bit of a relationship but explicitly polyamorous and yaz getting a new partner who's just a normal human and slowly figures out that something Weird is going on with their metamour(s).

[epickiya722]

Why does mha keeps getting criticised by people who watch/ read it just for the sake of doing so and ? It seems like these people have not even a basic idea and don't want to understand any character at all , I don't even understand what series they are reading because the criticisms seem so unnecessary and invalid and it seems like these people don't read or watch the series carefully at all. And it seems like most of their criticisms would completely vanish if they just watch the series carefully , I think they just need to binge watch the series , that's all.

The thing that irks me though is that by creating these generalised non canon interpretations which get so popular, these sorts of people hurt the series' credibility. Many people don't want to watch it because of these ridiculous takes and these ridiculous takes are just everywhere, I hardly hear any praise for mha anymore , even I have some criticisms for the series but I have a lot of praise for it as well and I hate that the series we love just keeps getting mischaracterised by these people so often.

Honestly, I don't get what goes people who do that constantly, and even enough have whole blogs dedicated to "critiquing" BNHA.

It's gonna sound salty, I know but... I don't think I'll spend my time judging every single aspect of a manga and its anime that's about superheroes and villains and the protagonist is a high school boy with green hair and have these off-the-damn-wall ass takes about it 24/7.

Like... does that sounds like something that needs to be critique like some college written exam?

I said it before, but I'm not giving criticism until I'm done with a whole thing. Be it just a chapter or the whole story itself. Even more so, critiquing it is the LAST thing on my mind.

I'm looking to be entertained first, damn it. I'm going to have low expectations at first because that leaves room to be pleasantly surprised. I'm not gonna automatically assume the worse and judge every single detail of this story that has character that SHOOTS TAPE OUT OF HIS ELBOWS.

I got into BNHA because of YU-GI-OH! A MEME!!

You think I'm gonna do a complete turn into deciding watching the anime just to judge it instead of looking to be entertained?

Where in the hell is the fun in that?

There is a character with a BIRD HEAD AND A SHADOW PAL!! I'm going to enjoy that, thank you!

Like, I understand judging a whole season, an episode or maybe an arc and going "didn't like, felt kind of rushed". But thoughts like that come AFTER. I don't go in with a judgmental attitude because I'm going to expect the worse and not enjoy what I could have, but I didn't because I missed it looking for the flaws.

I hate it when leaks come out because I see so many people go "Well, that chapter is boring, I'm not gonna like it".

UM?! IT'S JUST LEAKS?! I rather have the whole chapter, clear pages, translated before I judge the chapter because that's like tasting a slice of tomato and then going "I don't like the sandwich".

YOU DIDN'T GET THE WHOLE SANDWICH!!

Leaks make me excited to read the whole chapter or at least want to so I can understand what's going on.

People are so quick to judge something before having a full experience. I can't be around people like that and it's why I limit myself from the fandom a lot of times.

It's why I find the mischaracterizations annoying, too. I came to realize some people tend to think this character is like this, something far from canon, and they only seen season 1. I had someone do that to Midoriya. "He didn't grow, he's so whiny" and they only seen season 2 and said Kirishima would be a better protagonist.

I adore Kirishima, he is one of my faves. But... come on now. I'm not tolerating the Midoriya slander.

I just...

Look, yeah, BNHA has its flaws. I have my moments of when I go "NOOOOO". But that's the thing. Shouldn't we learn from those flaws? Create and explore from them as we are a fandom?

If BNHA was a "perfect" story, a flawless story then what could someone, let's say, who wants to create a manga could learn what not to do? Or how about the fanart, theories and fanfics we get to enjoy from the missing pieces that have yet to be discovered?

Example, a minor character's backstory! Like someone will complain about, let's say, Ojiro doesn't get enough love in the story. Yet, there are people who have the same sentiment, but instead of just constantly posting about it, they post headcanons. They write their fics and share them.

That right there is what makes being in a fandom FUN.

Again, not saying we shouldn't have our complaints and not judge. But why do it all the time? If you're gonna critique this anime and manga all the time, makes me question if there is anything you like about it. Let alone, if it's obviously not entertaining you and making you feel any bit of enjoyment, why are you still here? What, just to suffer?

Just drop BNHA and call it a day, jeez.

And before anyone go "but they're are people who pay to be critics", um... not everything a critic says is negative, some of those critics I feel just never know what fun is, and I'm sure they do have other hobbies and other interests they're engaged in. I doubt all critics ever do is critique.

[onewomancitadel]

Hey listen, for whatever it’s worth. I’ve not even started reading your fic yet (planning to) (executive dysfunction has got me in a stranglehold rn), but the *reason* I’m planning to do so is you’re one of the very few people on RWBY tumblr whose analysis of Cinder/Jaune/the story generally rings true to me. I really really admire how plugged in you are to the text and (importantly, this is the specific thing that made me go “I gotta read Skimming Eye”) I feel that way even when my own analytical lens leads me to different conclusions from yours—it’s like. You GET it. You’re down in the bedrock of this story cracking open geodes. I’m sorry you’re feeling badly about the fandom’s general preference for pebbles. I’ve been holding off with the intention of actually, um, reading your fic before saying anything but here we are. I appreciate you and your reading of this story so much. Thank you for sharing.

I'm not really only talking about the fanon here but the commenting culture in general. For years I have put up with people negging my fanfic and I'm really tired of it. I don't want to interact with people who don't like major components of it. I don't find the criticism helpful (I have specific people I refer to for this) and I don't ask for it and I specifically don't request comments anymore so I don't seem ungrateful when they inevitably make me upset. I must've been unclear in the previous posts I made: it's not only the fanon I'm taking umbrage with here, it's the engagement itself.

Likely nothing is going to change, I just don't want anything to do with it right now and I don't want to post anything right now.

If everybody wants to know how pathetic I am, I go to other fandoms and read the comments sections for nicer fandoms and I think about how nice those people are and how happy they make those fic authors.

I have anonymously posted a fic work in a different fandom of a completely different demographic (non-anime adjacent) and the difference is night and day. I have slightly edited the statistics to anonymise it but these are the stats on a single oneshot for a different rarepair:

By the way, Skimming Eye has about a couple of hundred more kudos than that. So I'm aware it's statistically not a well-liked work lol.

But hopefully this also separately demonstrates I don't care about the status side of it. This anonymous posting is not a particularly inflammatory work, it's just in a different fandom from what I usually post in and I didn't want to open up another account for it.

I could cope if I were not getting comments altogether because there's a world of difference between writing for a rarepair for its own sake and the experience of the RWBY fandom.

I'm not asking for a hugbox I just want people to leave me alone and stop expecting my fanfic to be catering to their fanon and I beg for people to just stop fucking qualifying about how bad x component is. 'Oh most of this is shit but I really liked it!' The only bit I'm going to zero in on is the material substance particularly if it's non-canonical characterisation. Non-canonical characterisation is the most grievous issue one could possibly take with my work. The rest of it is irredeemable if so and honestly effectively makes the work pointless. The only reason to write is canon.

To be entirely honest I'm not sure how you can have an opinion on my fanfic without having read it and even here you say that your analysis departs from my own so how can you possibly know it's any good?

You're not obligated to say anything positive and that's not what I'm angling for, much as I appreciate the spirit of what you've said here.

I just don't want anything to do with the fandom right now and I'll have to figure out how I feel about it all later, if I decide to moderate comments or just turn them off altogether, because it feels like they do more harm than good now. I avoided checking my inbox for six months because of this.

I understand the RWBY fandom is not like other fandoms but where I come from when someone is sharing you their passion for free you treat them kindly. I don't read fanfic with fanon I don't like or pairings I don't like or writing that I fundamentally do not respect. I just move on. I extend courtesy to others I'd hoped would be extended to me.

Nothing will change so there's no point. I just need time away and to reconsider my options. Thanks for what you've said here. I hope you have a nice day. Don't stress about my reading my fic, take your time. You're under no obligation, and frankly you're probably not missing much. (Honestly, I really have no delusions about the quality of my work; that's not the point here).

Thanks again.

This reply is way too long but it's an issue I've been dealing with for a long time and I've just been told I'm ungrateful and should get over it and I really don't know what to do, that and I'm really tired. It's possible I'll be over it in a few days and I'll go back and dirty delete all these posts.

[all-for-geek]

The Cal Who Kinda Liked Musicals Chapters 3: Ma'am I Need You Take A Step Back...

Chapter 2

Fandom: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals/Starkid/Hatchetfield

Summary: Cal's patience is tested as the singing threat spreads and hits a little too close to home for one of their allies.

Word Count: 1,956

Warnings: Violence/Slight Gore

Cal wasn’t quite sure how long they were in the trash cans for. The cramped, dark space warped their perception of time as each minute seemed to drag on longer and longer. Bill certainly wasn’t helping matters.

“If I had known it was going to smell this bad, I would have grabbed the air freshener out of my car,” he complained.

Cal rolled their eyes. “Bill, it’s a trash can, what did you expect it to smell like?

“Well, I didn’t expect it to be this bad!”

“Will you two keep it down!” Ted hissed. “The whole point of hiding is not to get fucking caught. Which means sucking it up and being fucking quiet!”

“Oh, I’m sorry, is your brilliant plan of hiding in the fucking trash can not completely foolproof!” Cal fired back, whisper shouting.

“Listen here you little shit-”

“Oh god, someone’s coming,” Charlotte interrupted as she curled into more of a ball.

The three became dead silent as what sounded like two people ran near them. The two were talking, thank god, and seemingly panicked. Or at least the woman did as she screamed something about implications. As the man reassured her, the four who were hidden realized they recognized his voice. Whether it was because of that realization or the smell finally getting to him, Bill took the opportunity to jump out.

“No! It’s not alright Paul!” he shouted.

Paul and the woman that he was attempting to comfort nearly jumped out of their skin.

“Bill! You scared the shit out of us,” Paul chastised.

“Well how am I supposed to jump out of a trash can and not scare the shit out of you?”

“I don’t know a warning or something…”

Cal’s ears perked up, a shit eating grin on their face. They bang on the trash can before popping out themself. Paul, Bill and the woman all jump again.

“Jesus Christ, Cal!” Paul criticized, a hand over his heart.

“Hey don’t look at me, I warned you.” Cal could hear Ted stifling laughter a trash can over.

“What are you guys doing here?” Paul finally asked.

“We had to go somewhere,” Bill explained, “Davidson kept calling people in his office and they kept coming out singing.”

“It wasn’t just there,” Cal continued, “Everywhere we went everyone was fucking singing.”

“It’s all of downtown, we were just at Beanies,” Paul added.

Ted jumped out of his trash can. “You didn’t invite me!”

“Jesus Christ, Ted!”

“Okay how many of you are fucking in there?” the woman asked.

Charlotte slowly pokes her head out her trash can, waving awkwardly. “Hi…”

“Alright everyone shut it! We got our sweet hiding spot, and we don’t want any of those freaks finding it,” Ted declared as if he wasn’t also making noise. “So, Paul, get in a trash can. You-” He points to the woman. “-beat it.”

“Uh…fuck you?” The woman rightly said.

“Yeah, dude, seriously?!” Cal asked, turning to Ted.

“I don’t know her!”

“Yes you do!” Paul corrected. “It’s Emma.”

…

“The barista from Beanies?”

…

“The…” Paul sighed. He does Ted’s Borat thing, cringing as he does so. “The Latte Hotte…”

Ted stares at him for a minute before leaning down by him. “...Paul, that is not the Latte Hotte. That’s the crabby one, who won’t sing when I tip her! You grabbed the wrong one, ya noodle!”

Suddenly, police sirens sounded off, rapidly getting closer. Everyone tensed except for Charlotte who seemed to relax slightly. “Oh thank god, I called Sam. He’ll get us out of here.”

Ted and Cal both rolled their eyes as Sam and two other cops arrived on the scene. Charlotte rushed over to her husband. Before she could get much of a word out, music started blasting in their ears. 

Ma'am, I need you to take a step back

You're facing the law, not the clerk at The Gap

Yeah, we're cops

Yeah, we're cops

You'd better shape on up

Cal freezes when they hear Sam start singing. Fuck fuck fuck fuck no. Charlotte wasn’t doing too much better either. She was in denial, still trying to approach her husband with a confused look on her face. Paul tried to reason with her, but that just led to him being cornered by the cops.

You better empty out all of them pockets

But don't empty out all of them pockets

Yeah, we're cops

Yeah, we're cops

And we make sense

They kicked him to the ground as they continued to sing. As the cops bopped along to the choreography, Charlotte managed to race over and help Paul back over to the group. Cal nudged Ted as the two came to the same conclusion. If they were so distracted dancing, maybe it wouldn’t be too hard to get out of there.

Show me your hands!

Show me those jazz hands

Get 'em up or you'll end up in cuffs

Show me those hands

Show me those jazz hands

Or I might

Be inclined

To shoot you up

They didn’t get far unfortunately. As the two rounded to the other side of the cops, it seemed all they did was steer their attention in their direction. As Sam continued singing, the two cops that had come with him danced up behind them.

You go forty in a thirty-five

Check your mirror, you'll find hell has arrived

The cop grabbed Cal’s wrist, puppeting their arm around to mimic a steering wheel. The hand was cold. It sent a shiver up Cal’s spine that vibrated in rhythm with the song.

'Cause we're cops

Yeah, we're cops

We're up in your shi-et

The cold hands grabbed Cal’s shoulder, pushing them to the ground.

Kathy lost her cat in a tree

Contact fire, not the HFPD

'Cause we're cops

Yeah, we're cops

Her cat is dead!

Cal flinched when they felt another hand on their shoulder. It took a moment for them to register that the hand was warm. That it didn’t cause their skeleton to want to dance out of their skin. They turned to see Ted, eyeing them with a look that anyone but him would’ve called concern.

Show me your hands

Show me those jazz hands

Get 'em up or you'll end up in cuffs

Show me your hands

Show me those jazz hands

Or I might

Be inclined to shoot you

Cal nodded, trying to show him that they were fine. They had never been a good liar though. The music around them seemed to grow louder. It pounded on their skull, demanding to be let in.

Step away from the vehicle

Step away from the vehicle

Get back in the vehicle

Get back in the vehicle

Slowly get out of the vehicle

Slowly get out of the vehicle

Do the things I say, I'm a cop

The siren noises weren’t helping either. The two threw their hands over their ears as the cop blared over them. Cal could feel their body threatening to shut down. The warm hand returns to their shoulder. Ted winces from the noise as he gives it a gentle squeeze.

9-1-1, emergency call

Got a 4-1-1, at a shopping mall

Better pack your heat and utility belt

Any mall rats comin' in hot, they'll melt

Sarge, that's your wife on the 9-1-1

What that bitch want, Sarge?

She wants to snug

Grab your nine millimeter and a doughnut bucket

Want my badge number?

Put in your mouth and suck it!

They point in unison as Charlotte approaches Sam once again. Cal was tempted to groan. Sam wasn’t there anymore. Why couldn’t Charlotte get that? They would be more upset if it didn’t give them a reprieve from all the noise.

“Sam…,” Charlotte begged, tears welling in their eyes. “Sam please I’m your wife! Please baby just…talk to me.”

For a moment, it was quiet. Cal couldn’t see Sam’s face as he took his sunglasses off, but they could hear how he softly whispered Charlotte’s name. They could see the hope light up in Charlotte’s eyes.

Just as quickly as it left, the noise returned. Sam put the glasses back on. He raised his gun to Charlotte’s face, and the hope was replaced with fear as Charlotte screamed.

Show me your hands (ba-pa-ra-ba-ra)

Show me those jazz hands (ba-pa-ra-ba-ra)

Get 'em up or you'll end up in cuffs

Show me those hands

Show me those jazz hands

Ted bursted up as Sam started chasing Charlotte through the alley, grabbing a trash can lid on the way. He narrowly missed the other two cops who started closing in on the others. As the music crescendoed again, Cal felt the song vibrating in their bones. They put their hand in their pocket, reaching out for something that could help.

Or I might

Be inclined

To shoot you

The music stops abruptly. Cal lets out a shaky breath, unsure of how long they had been holding it. Out of the corner of their eye, they could see Sam lying unconscious on the ground. Ted stood over him, garbage lid in hand. 

The cops stood frozen in front of them. There was a look of uncertainty on their faces. Almost like they weren’t sure how to continue with the lead vocals knocked out. That confusion wouldn’t last long. They would recover eventually. Cal pulled a gun out of their pocket, firing a shot into the air before pointing the gun at the cops.

“Alright, the next goes through someone’s fucking head!” Cal warned the cops. They stared at the gun for a moment before running off, flailing their arms in the air.

“Oh Sam!” Charlotte cried, kneeling down beside her “husband��.

“Cal, how long have you had a gun just stored in your pocket?” Bill asked as if it was a cellphone Cal had snuck into class.

Cal paused for a moment. “Uh…the whole time?”

“Wha…do you have any idea how dangerous those things are young-”

“I’ve got a better question, Billy Boy,” Ted interrupted, “Why the FUCK are this scumbag’s brains blue?!”

The group turned their attention back to Sam. Ted had whacked him good. Good enough that his brain matter lay pouring out of a hole in his skull. His blue brain matter.

Cal’s eyes widened. “What the fuck…?”

“He needs to get to a doctor…” Charlotte muttered over and over again.

“Charlotte,” Ted knelt down next to her, “this is beyond a fucking doctor. His brains are fucking blue!”

“We have to do something! We can’t just leave him here!”

“Uh, yeah we can,” Cal muttered.

Charlotte’s head whipped around. There was an anger there that gave Cal pause. “Don’t you talk like that. I’m not leaving here without Sam!”

“Charlotte, he tried to nab us. He put a gun to your fucking head!”

“I SAID I’M NOT LEAVING HIM!” 

Cal flinched, shrinking inward. Ted stayed knelt down beside the body, unsure of what to do. It seemed like no matter what he did, it would hurt one of them. So, he did nothing. It ended up being Emma that stepped between the two, her arms raised.

“Hey, woah, okay, let’s just…all take a breath. I’ve got this like, cooky biology professor. He’s got a doctorate! His house is like, a fucking survival bunker. We can go there, and be safe, and maybe he can figure out what’s going on with Sam, yeah?”

The group nods. Cal, once again, feels like they're being dragged along and outvoted at every turn. This was a horrible idea. It made the trash cans feel like a stroke of genius. But the other option was to face these singing fucks alone.

They huff. “Fine, but when he ends up killing us all, don’t say I didn’t warn ya.”

[kamenstrikerace]

Oh boy, where do I begin with this...Keep in mind gotta let this off my chest because I was once a huge Zexal fan now I am just a critic for this type of question.

No. Zexal was not dueling in space or taking itself in space. They keep getting it wrong. It was Yugioh Go Rush instead that took duels in space if not mistaken. It took place in another dimension. Space was actually the really bad moon duel between Kaito and Mizar. To me, this was the fault of Zappa Go idiocy than Yoshida screwing up. Heck, half of the duels in the 2nd arc of Zexal were tanked with brick duels, but not that was the real problem. It had too many villains, used too many deus ex machina asspulls, and no matter how much it was well animated it still didn't get the viewer's expectations up because of its lackluster performance. Writers went too much with the ideas and the final product for the show's last arc was just a beta version of a prototype of battle shounen anime. The adventure theme was disconnected primarily because of the fact there were no good episodes to work on anymore so they just axed it like most anime at that time. Battle Shounens are hard to understand what them they go for once it full circle comes into effect. I don't think Zexal was that well-received with all the good animation, but it was more abyssal and less positive than I thought. Besides, who thinks giving Zexal to be directed by Kawabara-jackass in the first place. The biggest concern was who kept implying that Takahashi loved the art style, but was just LIES that fans made them up like the Production of 5D's because of echo chambers. The narrative fails to build suspense or create a sense of genuine stakes, since it doesn't do that lets the show be more like an anime without high stakes and just random ideas left and run being shoved in the writer's room. Heck, it can be like Naruto's filler when there are no high stakes. Moving the plot is 100% good, but leads to problems like tone-whiplash and plot holes galore. This series is the fault of pacing problems. Too many ideas and less creativity in the staff.

The other bad thing is retcons and the dragon ball parody problem. Now killing someone is okay, but using a knock-off version of the dragon balls is just a straight-up cheat way to make older viewers hate it. I have problems more with Dragon Ball Super than with this show's 2nd course tbh.

The biggest hypocrisy with this is that Zexal's fandom blamed Yoshida for the mistreatment of women, but that was Zappa Go doing all the dirty work who showed us panty shots of Kotori and viewers had not exploded on that - things would have turned out differently. Like, don't get me wrong. Zexal is just a normal show with fanservice, but people being offended by sexism is just straight-up up bullshit.

Any questions from the fandom?

[stellocchia]

I think it's been more than two months since I pushed my "Wilbur is remembered far more competent than he is" agenda in your asks.

So let's rectify that, shall we?

Wilbur is pretty fucking incompetent. He's never been that amazing charismatic smooth talker we characterize him as (not that I'm not absolutely behind that too)

Like. Who did he ever successfully smoothtalk? The Lmanbergians? None of them were ever hesitant to join from the very beginning and Eret betrayed them pretty easily when Dream manipulated them.

Techno? Techno wanted to join them, he was the one who reached out to them. There was no convincing needed and Wilbur never convinces Techno of anything Techno wasn't already willing to do by himself.

Dream? Definitely not during the revolution and Dream's support during Pogtopia was Dream following his own agenda, not being influenced by Wilbur in any way.

He couldn't even get Quackity to let him into Las Nevadas.

Nah, the only person Wilbur ever smooth talked is TommyInnit. The fucking powerhouse of this cell. And even that's not completely true. Tommy hasn't been convinced by Wilbur of anything since the very beginning of the Lmanberg revolution. Not during Pogtopia. And not even now (it's not smooth talking if it's just exploiting mental exhaustion and trauma and all that. Tommy isn't convinced of what they're doing.)

Really. Not even Tommy, per se.

He just got Tommy extremely loyal and attached to him.

And honestly, that's all he needs.

You don't need to have influence over everyone, you just need to have strong influence over the right person.

And that's what Wilbur had and has.

Wilbur's accomplishments are just pretty much him having a vision and Tommy throwing himself at it to make it come true.

Wilbur had the idea for L'manberg but Tommy was the one leading the troops. Tommy was the one who negotiated for their independence and got it when Wilbur was negotiating their surrender. Tommy was the one who FOR NO REASON built the escape tunnel they escaped through when Dream blew up L'manberg and he was the one who built the lil panic room at the end. Tommy was the one who's home became the embassy to L'manberg (something Wilbur very much pressured and kinda manipulated him into btw. I'm never not gonna mention that lil detail when the embassy comes up)

Wilbur had the idea and stood around looking pretty. My guy literally stood around looking pretty, without armor, during battles. Just. I love him.

And let's not forget that Tommy was fckin great at being the general. The SMP was so much better equipped and still, L'manberg was kinda winning. To the extend that Dream saw the need for TnT (which was hidden) and the betrayal through Eret (which was hidden)

Dream felt the need to pull two deceitful moves to keep if not even gain the upper hand.

If I'm not mixing stuff up here, correct me if I'm wrong.

And stuff like the tunnel weren't even expected of Tommy. My boy just thought of that on his own and did it on his own. Noone knew it existed. Noone expected it to exist.

After independence Wilbur is implied to have been leading but he generally wasn't around too much. Tommy was keeping order in the more face to face kinda way. He tried to navigate people's personal conflicts and make sure things didn't escalate and just. He did so well.

And Pogtopia? Oh, Pogtopia.

It's a bit more difficult here, since they were no longer on exactly the same side and goals are more muddled but still.

(and I want to make it clear that I'm in no way trying to shame Wilbur for mental health issues or anything. This isn't about that. I'd never fucking even imply that)

Tommy kept morale high. He made sure that other people were fine, when there was a chance. He tried to reassure Wilbur when Wilbur was spiraling, he asked Tubbo if he was happier, he told Tubbo to be safe, he recruited Quackity when he saw the chance while making sure that Quackity's intentions were sincere enough (he didn't just naively offer Quackity a place in Pogtopia and risk it being a trap).

He avoided any kind of destruction to L'manberg as much as possible.

He rallied people.

Really, his one actual flaw was not "turning" on Wilbur. His unwillingness to give up on him or even just incapacitate him or limiting his ability to act as he wanted was what ended up costing him everything. His unwillingness to interfere with Wilburs plans beyond talking to him and threatening him with a crossbow that one time ended up making the 16th possible. And he can hardly be blamed for that.

And Wilbur, during Pogtopia... Well... Nobody liked him, he made everyone uncomfortable and most people just kinda tolerated him because... Yeah...

Without Tommy troop morale would have been abysmal thanks to Wilbur. He constantly put himself and his side down, labeling them as villains and thus morally inferior. He pitted his own people against each other, spread paranoia between his people. No communication or actually planning involving other people. Still refused to wear armor.

And don't get me wrong, that's the point. He wasn't on their side. Obviously Tommy added more to their victory, Wilbur didn't want their victory. But still I just wanna praise my boy Tommy, he was. So amazing. Boy fucking peaked.

He's so good in tactical warfare or whatever you call it.

And I wanna just make it clear that this isn't criticism of Wilbur. Not at all. This isn't criticism at all. This is just about the big fanon perception of Wilbur as this great and mature leader.

Tbh this is actually more about showing people how amazing Tommy was and PLEASE I WANT FICS TO HAVE TOMMY BE MORE OF AN EFFECTIVE POWERHOUSE

Regarding my former ask I just wanted to clarify again that I'm not trying to critique Wilbur or anything.

It's really just that I think it's hilarious how people remember him as way more put together and competent than he really was.

-

Yeah, honestly one of the biggest disservice people have done to c!Tommy in this fandom is fail to portray him as the badass general that he actually was. Like, sure, Wilbur's title was as "general", but he never did anything for it. He gave a few speeches, but then the work was left up to Tommy. Like, genuinely, rewatch the Eret betrayal vod, Wilbur says it openly that he's leaving it in Tommy's hands. And Tommy does manage to lead his troops into an advantageous position! They get their enemies to retire at one point during the very first battle!

Then, of course, there is the betrayal, but, once again, Tommy didn't give up. He built the tunnel for their scuffed escape beforehand and, when everyone was just about ready to give up, he went against Dream in a duel and then traded the discs for their independence without loosing a beat.

Tommy was a BIG asset during that war!

Wilbur mostly was and still is kind of a wreak. And it's not his fault, 'cause mental health is an absolute bitch and he wasn't doing too hot after the war, then it got worse with Pogtopia and even worse during the 13 years in Limbo. And now we are where we are now with Wilbur being... not a great individual.

But still! In Pogtopia Tommy was the de-facto leader. And yeah, that was because Wilbur wasn't on their side anymore, but they didn't entirely know that. Or didn't wanna see that.

Tommy himself was hoping that Wilbur would "come back around" if he managed to get back their country. That was a big motivator for him. And he did everything that was in his power to do to not lose either Wilbur or L'Manburg. He tried talking to Wilbur multiple times, tried persuading him that there was another way, he never bought into Wilbur's ideals, he recruited people and he lead the troops once again. It wasn't Techno that lead the troops (despite him being a much better fighter) it was Tommy. And once everything was exploded and Techno and Wilbur betrayed them? Well he kept encouraging people. Literally I'm begging everyone to watch that vod! Tommy was there at every step of the way, telling Niki that it wasn't over, telling Quackity to keep fighting and, after that, you know who was there to validate Tubbo's presidency? To rally people behind him? It wasn't Tubbo. Tommy gathered everyone by the L'Mantree and got their spirits high once again.

He is just genuinely amazing.

And, like, yeah now Wilbur managed to manipulate Tommy to an extent to be by his side. But that's not that much of an accomplishment anymore because Tommy has just been through so much that he's exhausted now, as you said. Like, remember when Tommy said he wanted to be on Wilbur's side because "he gets things done"? Well, I'm still waiting to see that one honestly...

[pomegranighte]

Thoughts on Marwa (and on the general direction in S4) below:

This is long, please bear with me though!

I was let down by this season as a whole. Much of what was developed was either underwhelmingly so, or was jettisoned before it could reach fruition. None of Colin’s plot matters unless they have the tenacity to stick to Laszlo’s reaction to the amnesia...and I don’t hold out much hope that they’ll be quite that introspective. They may, but it wouldn’t align with prior handling of him, they save that for Nandor.

Nandor’s plot was compelling and a nice extension of his crises of last season, but ultimately left a bad taste in my mouth when the bits that are crucial to his growth - the acknowledgement that one doesn’t need to cling to their past for relevancy, one doesn’t need to repress their emotions for a figure previously regarded as vulnerable, one doesn’t NEED to have a reason for existing - were spurred on by the fruitless deconstruction and whitewashing of the ONLY recurring female POC.

Nadja and the Guide didn’t even need to be there. Nothing of note occurred. I don’t have anything negative to say, but that’s not a good thing either.

That’s not to say the season wasn’t generally funny, charming, and full of the same energy from prior seasons that makes me care for the characters. Who else is going to give you a changing room montage with half a torso, an eldritch progenitor, and two nasty fancy goblin women?

BUT. It’s hard to retain any positivity when the season ended on such a blithe note, prefaced by misogyny and racism.

I think it's valid to be critical even if you're not a fan of Marwa (I mean yeah, i didn't much like her - as an extension of her whole plot - even though I'm glad she was around). They could've illustrated Nandors depravity a host of ways that didn't include stripping the only POC woman on the show of her agency and self and literal personhood and literally whitewashing her into a white guy from a colonialist country. When your POC only find happiness by turning white? That's repellent.

I’ve little energy left to attempt to elucidate for those that condescend to those who are frustrated, with arrogrant aplomb as they jeer how they saw what was obvious, that there’s no issue with Marwa’s death within an universe where side-characters are commonly the butt of the joke and are expected to be killed off. I’m SO beaten down by it, that I’m going to copy and paste again. To those that cannot comprehend why Marwa’s specific situation (not even her “death” really, though that was also uncomfortable): 

You really are that disconnected from the reality of POC women and the struggles they constantly face trying to navigate around whiteness and objectification and the lack of allowance for existing huh. This should NEVER have been treated as comedic. Regardless of how efficacious the plot point was in underscoring the lack of humanity of its characters, SOMEONE needed to speak up in the writers room and illustrate that this method would bring up negativity and upset.

I am so unimpressed by the posts of people snidely pointing out "oh well OBVIOUSLY I predicted she wouldn't last the season/this show is a comedy/side characters are always tossed away"  like. You missed. The entire. point. (Also side characters have become recurring main roles throughout the show, cmon now).  You paid enough attention to get frustrated by the others in the fandom (and have enough time and effortful care for your perception of the show to attempt to explain to others why they shouldn’t be upset at just another death treated for comedy’s sake in a show predicated on that kind of humour) yet you STILL neglected the glaring difference and inherent issues of objectification of a woman of colour and the whitewashing of a woman of colour. (Not to mention she's transformed into a man from a royalist/imperialist nation 😬)

TLDR when one of the main writers of the show proceeds to delete his proud lil tweet about his proud little episode that he’s so proud of (due to the fanbase pushing back), there’s something singularly rotten in your writing. (Please continue to go off on Zach Dunn, but hold the rest of the writers accountable who had their hands and eyes on this and had every means to speak up).