#I have seen a lot of opinions on this matter

[chococrepes-art]

(disclaimer: I would not say I'm a folklorist)

I'm Romanian that's why I gave the zână as an example and talked about it more.

I do want to say this: if the categorisation is very strict, then yes I wouldn't count a zână as a fairy, but in my opinion categorisations are supposed to be vague anyways (so that in very fast speach if you don't have the time to get too in-depth when talking about something you can still express it in a fast enough matter, and to describe similarities etc.) if the categorisation is vague then yes I would say that a zână counts as a fairy, it really depends on how vague or how strict you make the category of "fairy" be in this situation (or any category ever)

An english fairy would count as a zână in romanian just the way a romanian zână would count as a fairy in english. That doesn't mean a Romanian zână and a English fairy are the exact same thing, no, not at all, but they do have enough similarities to be categorized in the same group, and of course what that group is called is usually going to be the same word as the specific things of that language and folklore, so of course the fairy category is going to be called the fairy category in english and not something else because the word for fairy in English is, well, fairy. Like in Romanian as well, there's a difference between the specific romanian zână and the category of zână that things from other cultures and different types of zâne from our own culture would count as.

Categorizing things can erase culture, but also not categorizing things that do count in a category logically speaking and just in general can also erase culture and be offensive and misinformative to some degree.

Like it didn't feel very good when you said only celts and english people/english colonized people have fairies, because that's not really true, unless you purposefully make the category of fairy overly strict to omit talking about other fairy types that normally would count logically speaking, and that also can be seen as erasure, lots of things can be seen as erasure. But I'm just saying, one way to erase folklore is to not mention it and to only mention the overly popular thing.

I didn't mean to be mean with the erasure thing, erasure is not something that's done on purpose (most of the time)

Anyways you can look it up both zână and vila are classified as types of fairies. And as a Romanian I can't speak for vila, but for zâne I give my fairy-pass to zâne and zână pass-to fairies lol

Please stop discrediting your ancestors' ability to tell stories by trying to find material/physical origins to their stories. Krampus isn't a cryptid, dragon stories weren't inspired by dinosaur fossils, every region has its own mythology and fae are only a thing in Celtic, English, and English-colonized regions, your ancestors were perfectly capable of doing things without help from aliens, and our world is weird enough that tales of mysterious strangers, mass disappearances, memories not lining up, and so on, are better explained as a product of OUR world than hypothetical other worlds/timelines. A lot of weird tales were spun by storytellers. Give some respect to their hard work.

[firstkanaphans]

I find it so adorable that Khaotung seems to be a so much more affectionate person off camera, than he is when conscious of being publicly perceived.

I feel like you wouldn't expect him to be kissing First in a public setting like that and yet when we get candid pics or small glimpses of their every day (like that karaoke kiss) he actually initiates physical contact a bunch!

My read on Khaotung has always been that he’s comfortable with fanservice—because it is, in essence, acting—but he wants to keep his private life private. First does not like fanservice. He has never liked fanservice. Still, even now, he visibly cringes when fanservice is forced upon him. In my opinion, this has created a unique situation where the physical affection First shows to Khaotung in public—even if exaggerated for “fanservice”—is still real enough to make Khaotung shy away from those interactions because to him those feelings are private.

I’ve seen a lot of people worried that they have been acting differently over the past few months and I agree. They have. But I don’t think it’s because their relationship has changed. I think what they choose to share with the public has changed. And I think that’s okay. Khaotung’s more affectionate in private because he doesn’t want to cheapen his affection by pretending it’s fake. Even if we never get to see it, First does, and that’s all that matters.

[galaxybonez]

Hi!! I wanted to ask, how would your Sanses feel dating a very Submissive S/O? Like not *just* a sub on the dirty stuff. I mean as a person who avoids conflicts, is very soft spoken and would rather go along with whatever plans/choices their partner makes intead of having to be the one to make them themselves or lead the way in general. A sheep, in a nice way, not like a doormat.

Ooohhh this one stumped me for a little bit! I hope it's what you're looking for, anon! I only did the main three starting off - otherwise it would have taken me forever to get this out - BUT I'm willing to continue it with some of the other boys if anyone requests it!

Sans

- Sans worries about you a lot. He met you not too long after the barrier shattered, at a time where he was still weary and suspicious of most humans he met. Timid is how he would have described you, then. Quiet, always agreeing with everyone around you without really expressing your own thoughts or opinions.

- If he were to be honest, he still can’t believe that he was able to get close to you, but his patience paid off.

- Sans knows your boundaries and doesn’t push them. Over time he learns how to read you, able to pinpoint how you feel about something by your body language or even the smallest change in expression; and, as you get closer, the vibes your soul gives off.

- As time goes on, you eventually start opening up to him. Being honest about what you would like to do or how you feel about something without worrying about people pleasing.

- He likes making sure you’re comfortable.

- Sans has been your willing excuse many times to get out of something you really don’t want to do and have a hard time saying no to.

- Sans is your safe haven. Comfort personified into a cuddly skeleton whom is always there to listen to you, even if it isn't through your words.

Red

- Red never would have seen himself being with someone who doesn't have a backbone. Where he comes from, violence was common. He learned from a very young age that he had to fight back. To be rough, to be cruel. Kill or be killed, and he had his brother to think about. Red isn't ashamed to admit that he's gotten his hands dirty.

- To put it lightly, a soft little thing wasn't his idea of an ideal partner.

- At least… until he had met you.

- It doesn't matter how you met. So what if you wandered into Grillby's without reading the room? So what if your cute little face melted his would faster than an iceblock in hotland? So what if some poor unfortunate monster ended up with a few broken bones?

- Red is protective. You're the first good thing he's had in years, and like hell is anyone going to direct a finger or cruel remark in your direction.

- He's no dummy, he knows you don't like conflict. Always agreeing with everyone, never saying no even if you're uncomfortable. You avoid conflict like the plague.

- You've had to reiterate to him many, many times that you're no damsel. He doesn't need to protect you. You're an adult, you can handle yourself.

- He could not give less of a shit. Red is the embodiment of scary dog privileges and he will bite.

Blue

- Blue finds the surface fascinating, and humans themselves just as much. He likes humans, even if they don't always like him. When he met you, he became instantly enamored. You'd stood up for him; nothing big, just telling one particularly opinionated lady to back off, but it stuck with him and he made it his mission to get to know you.

- In doing so, he came to realize that although you took up for him… you're not as quick to do it for yourself. Or at all. Any kind of conflict at all and you tend to avoid it.

- You're too agreeable.

- Blue is protective too, but not nearly as much as Red. Blue is a lot more open to letting you fight your own battles unless he deems it necessary for him to step in.

- Out of everyone, it's blue who pushes you to more assertive. He doesn't push, of course, but he… aggressively encouraged you to look out for yourself more.

- Tell someone no. Voice your own opinions, don't just go along with what everyone else if you don't agree. It's okay!

- He uses positive reinforcement, too. Oh, you told that pushy coworker no? Hell yeah cupcake, he's proud of you! Let's go get ice cream!

- If not, though, he's perfectly happy to be an ear if you just want to talk about it or a shoulder if you need to cry.

- You'll get ice cream either way.

[gizmocreates]

assorted canto 8 p 2 thoughts

part 2 dungeon jumpscared me!!! While it definitely was super fitting and a wonderful way to show the full scope of the hierarch war, it also is terrifying to see a dungeon… and know what lies within isn’t the end of the journey.

seven hour dungeon torment nexus. jia qiu fight whittled down all my sinners until it ended in a solo duel between fanghunt lu and jia qiu. i escaped that fight by the skin of my teeth

Honestly. I’m gonna say this one’s more difficult than the Canto 6 boss rush. Considering that your sanity gets reset right before every major fight the only real things you have an advantage with are ego resources and maybe ego gifts. And with how intense so many of the fights are… yeck, they don’t really provide much relief. (to be fair the teams i use aren’t The Meta but still. Jia Qiu’s Zilu skill can go to hell.)

i know it’s early to say any current survivors are actually, yknow, surviving, but we had a shockingly low death toll for the City’s Version Of The Hunger Games. fully expect Lin Daiyu’s health to deteriorate since she was shot with an EGO bullet, but she’s still alive, somehow.

they didn’t make xue baochai Secretly Evil (tm) thank fucking god. I was fully expecting it but i would’ve been a bit disappointed if it’d happened

jia qiu really just walked up, aura farmed, beat the shit out of hong lu until he formed an honest opinion and then fucked off. goodness i need this man carnally

speaking of which, between the frequent trauma dumps and him trying so goddamn hard in the end to say *anything* Jia Qiu would want to hear to avoid actually having to say something as simple, and yet profound, as wanting kindness… god, I felt hard for Hong Lu in this chapter. It may seem silly that it took him so long to get to such a seemingly vapid conclusion, but like… when you’ve been the vessel of suffering your entire life, so consumed by an inability to let your choices matter, why would you ever see the pursuit of kindness as something attainable? Not just some lofty, selfish goal, sinful to even utter a word of? Not something you feel you deserve, no, and not something you have a right to give others.

seeing garion made me ill bro i need her too (to kill me)

Gubo toxic yaoi is funny as hell. Bro really just tried to guilt trip Yi Sang for leaving his bum ass and Yi Sang said “you are NOT turning this around on me mister”

the duality of jia huans is really interesting. a young and innocent boy who simply was jealous because he didn’t understand Hong Lu’s actual position in life… had his life taken from him, and his name was taken by a embittered, violent man who still does not�� and now likely refuses to— understand Hong Lu. Not that Hong Lu did him any favors.

Heathcliff, Yi Sang and Sinclair have been trying so fucking hard to reach out this canto, bless them. Too damn bad that they’re talking to a brick wall. Hopefully in part 3 their slow but methodical cracking of his facade will bear fruit, especially now that Jia Qiu has shaken him.

anyone else think about how sinners usually only resonate and show their memories at the peak of their emotions?? and how that entire time, while his face was still a near-perfect mask, hong lu was practically strobing us with a million memories a minute?? Yeah this man’s mental state is in shambles and he will Not let anyone see it. The allusion to prey animals near the beginning of the chapter is notable to me because… a lot of prey animals hide their injuries, too. Any sickness or hurt they might have, they’ll hide it until it kills them, because otherwise they might be seen, and to be seen is to be hurt further. he very much knows that the elders are watching. That jia mu will Know if he actually speaks his mind. And so. He’s given up. All he can do… is smile.

also xichun becoming the hierarch instead of Dying is rad as hell but also what a way to do it lmao. We knew it was coming but god the fact that even in character everyone’s just like “what the fuck just happened. What” is so funny

please let us fight jia mu/the elders next part please please please

[jedi-enthusiast]

What's your opinion on Dooku?

Why do you think he Fell?

Do you think Qui-Gon dying had something to do with it or was he too far gone already?

And, something I haven't seen addressed in the fandom- why do you think Dooku only met Obi-Wan long after QGJ'S death?

Sorry to bombard you so thoroughly with questions but it should keep you busy ✨

Oh no! Don't apologize! I love asks like this, it gives me an excuse to ramble lmao

So I personally have a lot of complicated ideas about Dooku's life, actions, and motivations---as I'll outline in the post below---but as for how I feel about the character himself in general?

I think he's a fairly interesting character, given what we've seen from him in Disney + Lucas canon, and I honestly like him more than I do Anakin---although, to be fair, part of that is simply because I haven't dealt with Dooku Stans™️ coming onto my pro-Jedi posts to whine about how their poor little meow meow isn't responsible for his actions and it's all the eeeeeevil Jedi's fault, the way I've dealt with Stanakins doing that. I'm 100% certain those kinds of Dooku stans exist, I just haven't really interacted with any so the character hasn't been ruined for me.*

So, in Lucas canon, the case seems to be that Dooku became a Sith long before Qui-Gon's death---no matter what Felony did with TotJ, which I don't consider canon and actively ignore when interpreting Dooku's character---so that's generally the interpretation I stick with when writing him.

This next part is pure speculation/headcanon on my part based on what we're told in TCW and the Prequels about Dooku, so take it with however many grains of salt you need, this is just my opinion on how things happened.

I think Dooku was 100% a good Jedi at one point.

In fact, I think Dooku was a good Jedi for most of his life.

Dooku was 83 when he died in RotS and we know that the war had been going on for 3 years by then, so he was about 80 when it started at the end of AotC. We also know that Dooku had already Fell by the time of TPM, so that shaves 10 years off as well due to the 10 year gap between TPM and AotC---so Dooku was 70 during that time. Let's just say, for the sake of the argument that it took 20-ish years for Dooku to both START and COMPLETE his Fall and become a Sith Lord, since we don't really have a timeline for that particular part of his life- (and we're going to assume that he officially left the Order sometime in that period).

That still leaves 50 YEARS where Dooku WAS a Jedi and believed in their teachings and loved their home and practices and people!

And we know that he had to be a good Jedi because, in AotC, it's made clear that Dooku was---and is still, at that time---well loved and very respected by everyone in the Order. They even made a bust of him to honor him and his choice to leave, they still believe that he is a good man, and literally nothing anyone says about him implies that there was any worrying actions or bad blood or anything like that that'd concern them.

I think what happened was that he got particularly disillusioned with the Senate---since we know, due to Sith influence, that the Senate was going downhill and becoming more and more corrupt---but since Dooku doesn't know about the Sith plot at this point in time, he just thinks that it's just a naturally occurring corruption. I think Palpatine then took advantage of that disillusionment and perhaps even any aggravation or discontent he felt with the Council/Order and, like we see with Anakin, slowly began leading Dooku to the Dark Side.

During that 20 year period of Palpatine's influence is when I think he left the Order, probably during the earlier period so Palpatine could separate him from his support systems, and then once Palpatine had a good enough grip on him THAT is when his official Sith training began. I think Dooku 100% was already a Sith or, at the very least, was definitely already Palpatine's apprentice when Qui-Gon died.

I don't think Qui-Gon was the catalyst---because Dooku was involved in the whole Sith plot during TPM---but I think, if you wanted to go that route, Qui-Gon was more of Dooku's last thread of the Light. Maybe Dooku was a bit more hesitant about the Sith plot- (but obviously still going along with it) -before Qui-Gon died, because he doesn't want to hurt his former padawan, but then after Qui-Gon's death then he just didn't care anymore. Although we do see, in TCW, that Dooku still cares about his master- (Yoda) -but he still chooses to hurt him anyway because his goals are ultimately more important to him than any connection he has to him, so you could go that way with Qui-Gon as well.

As for why Dooku never met Obi-Wan, I tend to ignore this in my fics and have them meet anyway, but canon-wise I think the intention might just be that Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were busy with Jedi stuff and Dooku was busy becoming a Sith and so their paths just...never crossed.

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had a bit of a rocky start and then worked hard to get things smoothed out, we know they've been on quite a few missions and that Jedi are generally busy with stuff like that (10k Jedi v. a galaxy with over a billion planets, so it's a lot of work), and by the time Obi-Wan becomes Qui-Gon's padawan Dooku has likely already left the Order---assuming that Obi-Wan became a padawan at 13 (so he was Qui-Gon's padawan for 15 years) and Dooku left the Order 5 years (or earlier) after Palpatine started manipulating him.

I don't think it was intentional, I think it was just how things panned out due to their respective priorities and schedules.

I hope this answered your questions <3

(*Ironically, I actually liked Anakin as a character before I started interacting with his stans---I thought he was a tragic villain and saw him as someone well-meaning who was just blinded by his flaws and trauma, which Palpatine manipulated to make it easier for him to Fall. Now, though, my view of him has been soured to the point where I generally view him through a more critical lens and write him that way, unless I'm doing a modern!AU type thing (but even then, sometimes I'm inclined to make him an asshole there too.))

[wield-the-mighty-pen]

To specify (because there is a character limit in polls), I am asking if it’s okay for consumers of your work to leave comments with criticism of the show and also if you are okay with people leaving comments with constructive criticism of your work

If you can, specify what type of creator you are in the tags!

[self-loving-vampire]

Your problem is that you just keep asserting stuff that makes no sense and then don't actually prove it, then project that onto me.

That's not an argument or a rebuttal, that's just a rhetorical dodge. I haven't made the claim you're responding to. Also, this doesn't get you out of the point. When someone is harmed by collateral damage, they are not the target of bigotry. People who are transmisogyny exempt are not the targets of transmisogyny.

This is exactly what a motte & bailey argument is? You're using the word "transmisogyny exempt" (as in, free from transmisogyny) but when this is challenged you retreat to a secondary definition of "transmisogyny collateral damage", which you continue to treat as synonymous with "exempt" when convenient and you go out of your way to argue that suffering transmisogyny collateral damage doesn't count at all.

If a cishet man puts on a dress and people call him a trans woman to attack him, that's not him being targeted by transmisogyny. A trans woman cannot take off her identity and cannot rely on people to protect her by saying she's not a trans woman.

How do you expect this would go in real life? Be serious. Do you think someone being assaulted by a transmisogynist over a dress is going to just be left alone as long as he identifies the right way? If a transmisogynist attacked me do you think I could get out of it by lying and telling them that I'm actually a trans man or something?

You're not living in reality if you think your thoughts hold such magical power over what other people do to you.

As a counter-example, transvestigators have long claimed that Elon Musk is secretly a trans man. That's a bigot attacking Elon Musk because they think he's a trans man.

It's very simple: Practically no one actually believes Elon Musk is a trans man. Transvestigators are just irrelevant even when you're actually trans. Their opinions have practically no consequence among people who touch grass.

By basing your entire position on the idea of appearance, you're basically saying that it all comes down to how you're perceived.

How you are categorized socially matters more than how you identify in your own head, yes. How is that even controversial to you?

The one single reason I didn't get killed or kicked out of the house was that I concealed my thoughts and intentions so that people were just not aware I was trans at all. Most people just default to assuming everyone is cis.

If that logic is true, then the following must also be true: Any stealth trans person does not experience transphobia. Any trans woman who is seen as a man has male privilege. Any white person who is mistaken for being black is the victim of racism.

1- Being forced to be in the closet is itself a form of transphobia, so no. We're not saying that at all. It's miserable to be surrounded by violent people who would kill you if they truly knew you. Serano also points this out, and also talks why the "trans women have male privilege" argument is nonsense.

2- However, notice that it is still true that how people treat you is dramatically different depending on whether you're closeted or not. A lot of other people in the same situation I was in simply died, and the more visibly trans they are the more danger they are in. The most prominent trans rights activist in my country was assassinated the very same week I had my asylum hearing.

A closeted or stealth trans person clearly experiences transphobia, but I don't think you can argue that it is the same as being known to be trans. Understanding this truth is why I'm still alive, and why my parents know less about me than randos on the internet.

This is also why outing people is considered so dangerous and why those laws where schools must inform parents if their child is trans are a huge deal. If identity was all that mattered then it would not make a difference if the parents were aware or not.

3- If we're bringing up race then I should point out that I have undoubtedly benefited from the fact that despite being from Latin America my skin is white as bond paper because people treat you differently based on your appearance.

This is literally why anonymizing job applications is used as a tool to prevent employment discrimination. Even having an "ethnic" or "feminine" name on a paper can affect how it is perceived.

I think that's also why your entire argument is basically just you reiterating your unproven assertions while making an appeal to authority. ... You need to go back to the basics and learn more about this topic if you want to make a meaningful contribution to this discussion.

This is a whole lot of highly ironic unearned confidence from someone who hasn't read the core books on the subject and who thinks referencing academics is just an "appeal to authority", as opposed to just referencing nothing at all and making stuff up.

How exactly did you prove your assertions? What evidence have you put forward for anything? What sources have you cited?

Because from my point of view you just sound like you think the true way to learn about transmisogyny is not books, studies, or articles but your friends' tumblr posts. It's not a serious position.

are you tme or tma

"i know you're nonbinary but which of these two arbitrarily constructed gender categories do you fit into" genuinely are you having a laugh

[cdroloisms]

a little ramble about dreblr, meta, and the ever evolving nature of this fandom, i guess?

i don't mean to soapbox, this is mostly just going to be vomiting some thoughts into a post. some recent stuff and a post or two have had me thinking about this fandom and how different it is from when dsmp was ongoing. it's,, pretty obvious that the fandom is quite a bit smaller and less active than that time, and there are generally a lot fewer people actively posting meta and such every day--which isn't necessarily a bad thing, and is natural obviously considering that the dsmp ended almost 2 years ago, but does mean that the culture around (?) meta and such has shifted, as well. it's one of those things too i think that is felt so much more obviously in dreblr, which is an even smaller group within this fandom that formed in response to uhhh being very much considered unwelcome by the greater fandom at the time.

that being said, as is the nature of all fandom, dreblr is still a community of people who are largely strangers who have gathered together because of one commonality: very strong feelings and often very strong opinions on the dream smp and c!dream. and i think when the fandom was more active, the entire fandom felt a lot more like a "pvp enabled" zone, lmao -- it was every other day when there'd be some new batshit meta about c!dream or some stream to react to and analyze and fight people about and whatever. since then, though, with the dsmp gone, the fandom has become quieter -- which i think has allowed some of the variation in opinions within dreblr become more and more obvious? and also become a sort of source of friction.

again, this is normal for any fandom. i'm certainly not here to agree with everyone about c!dream always, lmao. but the vagueing of takes is always more awkward on both sides when it's someone where you share more of the same circles. at the end of the day, it's up to each individual blogger's discretion to choose what they will or won't post on their own blog, but at the same time ... when it comes to the community, just speaking for myself, i don't want a super high barrier of entry when it comes to people feeling like they can't join this fandom unless they've got [xyz] experience or [xyz] takes.

when it comes to actual analysis of the source material, though, keeping meta a safe place for people to say "no, i don't agree with this take because of [xyz]" is important as well, which always raises the question of how said disagreements should be handled. and again, i'm no authority, i'm not here to tell people what to do. personally, when it comes to my own blog, i don't like to post very much directly about any one blogger, but I know I've definitely written posts inspired by specific takes before as well as screenshots of takes from the fandom's heyday, etc. i don't necessarily feel uncomfortable with this ...? but at the same time, i know that vagueposts can be a source of discomfort, especially if they're about your take in particular (speaking from experience) -- so it's you know. not the easiest line to draw, I guess, especially when we're talking about a community where different people are going to have different levels of comfort with what they post on their own blogs and what other blogs do in response to their takes. and whatever.

vagueposting, i think, has been common in the tumblr dsmp fandom for a long time, and especially in dreblr -- direct engagement in the past errr usually went badly, so a habit formed of keeping everything we did kind of within our own spaces (hence why many of us don't even tag c!dream or even dreblr on most of our posts; keeping everything untagged, or keeping the tagging system restricted to our own blogs, limited the possibility of trouble). that being said, vagueing within dreblr has become more common, i think, as disagreements within dreblr have become more and more obvious in the time since the dsmp ended. (just for the obvious example: i think it's a bit of an open secret that i, personally, strongly disagree with much of the common depictions of c!drunz in this fandom. i've written some meta about this before, as well as some responses to meta--which i enjoyed greatly, believe me--but i've also noticed (perhaps coincidence) an uptick in c!drunz positive meta every time i or someone else makes a post that maybe skews more negative. which is normal, don't get me wrong, but also a pattern i've noticed. i'm also very aware that someone the arguments i may bring up as counterarguments or structure my posts around arguing against are based on actual arguments i've seen while in this space, which i'm aware is an easy source of friction within dreblr.) and it's easy to say "don't take it personally when it's just metaanalysis," but that's easier said than done, lmao, especially depending on the tone of the vaguepost and a myriad of other factors.

i'm not saying that i have the answers. or, for that matter, a single answer. the boundaries i set aren't going to be the same as the boundaries other people set, for one, and i have no desire to police what other people do on their own blogs. i do miss, sometimes, the more collaborative and discussion-based meta experience of this fandom when it was more active--i might try to more actively reblog posts (including those i don't necessarily agree with) to discuss this server and these characters, bc at the end of the day that is kind of why we're here. personally, i've always drawn a pretty sharp distinction between fanwork and analysis -- i think it's pretty bad form to criticize people's AUs In General (not that i've not. been guilty of it in the past, but i try at least to keep it to criticizing more general patterns within fanwork; look, i'm not going to claim a moral high ground, i love bitching way too much and should probably get a handle on that but asj;lkfdsaf) but when we're talking meta about the source material, barring shit like. you know, harassment and otherwise abusive behavior, i do consider it more of a free-for-all. at the same time, i know that these standards can lead to newer fans feeling like they're going to be booed out the door for sharing their thoughts, which, i mean, isn't great 😭😭😭 fresh eyes can bring a lot of really cool new insights, and it'd suck pretty damn bad to miss that because they don't feel welcome, yknow?

anyway, this is a very inconclusive post, but i thought i'd just throw some of my thoughts out as someone who has been here for a decently long time. and if you want to discuss w/ me, inbox and dms are always open :)

[lurafita]

Things I wish the Shadowhunters TV show hadn't done, part 2

(Again, there are a few of those, but I'm limiting myself to only 2 things that are Magnus and Malec centric and struck a nerve with me)

I'm aware that this one is a very unpopular opinion. And it's not exclusive to the Shadowhunter series, as many series and movies have made use of this plot point and I have never liked it, but it is somehow widely popular so it keeps getting used...

Anyway, the deal Alec made with Asmodeus to get Magnus' magic back.

Give up your relationship/Break their heart to save them.

- This is something that has been used in many stories, by many characters, in many different situations.

I hate it.

It is framed as this noble sacrifice, this selfless gesture.

But I can't find it anything else but patronizing and demeaning.

I'm not blaming Alec the character for it, because as stated, this is something that has been around for a long time and gets used a lot.

But let me try to explain why I don't like it using Alec and Magnus' situation as an example.

When Magnus gave up his magic to save Jace (and by extention save Alec), he gave up something that was his and his alone. This was Magnus' decision alone to make. When Alec gave up their relationship, he made a decision that affected two people. This wasn't something that he alone gave up, but rather forced Magnus to give up the same. Had Asmodeus asked for Alec's runes, for example, that would have been a price that Alec, and Alec alone, had the right to make a decision on giving up.

And now some will say "But Alec wasn't given the option to pay with anything else but to break Magnus' heart. And Asmodeus said it would kill Magnus to not have his magic." And yes, that's true, but that doesn't change the crux of the matter. Magnus chose to give up his magic, when it was either that, or Jace's life. He then chose to not chase other methods of getting his magic back, to live with Alec after Lorenzo's magic transfer almost killed him. And yes, he was struggling and grieving, but that is to be expected. Alec witnessed one breakdown and decided that Magnus would never recover.

People don't recover from trauma because others break their hearts to get them "fixed". They recover from trauma because the people in their lives support them and stay with them and love them.

And let's just say for arguments sake, that the deal had gone over with as originally intended. Look at it from a later point of view.

Alec breaks Magnus' heart, Magnus gets his magic back.

Is all well now? No. Of course not.

One of Magnus' greatest fear was that he was unworthy of love, if he didn't have magic, if he couldn't be useful.

That his magic was the only thing that made up his spark.

And, in order to fulfill Asmodeus deal and break Magnus' heart, Alec enforced those believes.

Alec can walk away from this whole mess with the knowledge that he lied in order to get Magnus' magic back and Magnus would in time recover. Magnus on the other hand has just had his worst fear confirmed, and will likely not recover from it.

Again, this is not an attempt to bash Alec. I do not blame his character for the writers choices with the story line.

This is just my opinion on this particular matter and why I wish it hadn't been done at all

[b0vidine-reblogging]

Alright, Ive seen this debated so many times and I really have been dying to actually give my opinions.

The beginning bit I think could be Soul or Heart but there's such a small change in the sound of the voice that I don't think it really matters which it is. Plus this part adds very little to the actual overall meaning of the song.

Over all I think the higher voice is 100% Heart and the lower one is Mind. Getting it out of the way immediately CJ himself has said that Mind's voice is distinctly the deeper one of the three. Soul's voice despite fluctuating regularly has never sounded like Mind's. There is no reason for it to, that would just cause confusion for no reason. While I think there's no debating Mind's voice the lines that are being said in the song only really make sense for Heart and Mind's dynamic and relationship.

(One time I tried to sing about what was plaguing me: love, duality. And as my mind was cleared of doubt I could finally see these shades of blue and green.)

Heart does have several lines referring to writing and singing songs, despite how people act about it, it isn't just Soul that related to creating the music. Him talking about trying to sing about his issues is referring back to his struggles in the loop. (You want me to sing? Fine.) Good Day, this song also repeats the line of (let us sing) (It's too much, or not enough. Maybe this whole goddamn song's messed up) (Flitting back and forth every cord and every half-assed rhyme)(These knobs and dials define my whole life) knobs and dials refer to the midi keyboard and is also mentioned in TFAR, these are from Just Apathy [The time you seek's already lent, and look how it was spent, stuck there singing songs that someone's already told] Mind to Heart in Be Born

[Let's see what the freak's turned around.]

Mind called Heart [freakish and dismal] in The Mind Electric. This is a call back to that and him reusing the insult in a more playful manner. It wouldn't really make sense for Mind to call Whole or Soul a freak, he tends to speak more respectfully towards Soul and any insults he dishes towards Whole are related to him being egotistical.

(So when the darker side had found out about the songs I'd hidden for so long)

Heart calling Mind the "darker side" is sort of a given. He sees Mind as a villain and as the problem. Related to the Jekyll and Hyde metaphor they are two halves of a coin and Heart considers Mind the evil side. I will talk about that more in a second though.

[Can you say you tried your best? Did you finally pass my test?]

Mind gets on Heart a lot throughout the album for his apathy. He constantly berates Heart for his silence. He doesn't believe Heart really tried to make anything better throughout the loop. The testing thing idk what that's about, Mind's just a freak. It wouldn't make more sense for anybody else.

(I finally had the courage to say this is what I can do. Hope you're happy now I've merged dark and light. This slope I'm headed down has turned to a slide. So I'll throw my hands up high and enjoy the ride.)

To me this line is Heart saying that he's now able to enjoy life because him and Mind are getting along again. Things haven't gotten better, he's still going down this slope but hes able to be happy for now. Him saying he has courage to do something else now refers to him hiding his songs, especially considering the music kicks up after that line.

[You played Dr Jekyll so I played Mr Hyde and doctor I think I am finally me.]

Again going back to the loops. Heart treated Mind like a villain so Mind played into that. Heart is Jekyll, Mind is Hyde. The line in The Heart Acoustic that was used as evidence for Soul being Hyde was (-Part this Soul as Jekyll parted Hyde) There's a lot of lines throughout the album that imply Heart and Mind split from Soul, or believe they are his halves. The splitting is less of Soul being some kind of alter ego and more of Heart (Jekyll) and Mind [Hyde] splitting from Soul. Soul is being parted in two. Also the Jekyll and Hyde metaphor doesn't really make sense being applied to Soul. Heart and Mind, as I said, are two opposite halves from each other. A "good side" and a "bad side".

(I'm not quite alright. But at least now I'm mine.)

Over all I see The Whole World and You as Heart and Mind coming together and affirming their friendship. It's one last song before the end of "their show" they know they are becoming Whole again and are going out with a little bang. They are aware things are going to get bad again one day but are letting themselves enjoy this moment while it lasts. This song is really meaningful to me in that sense. Knowing things aren't better forever but letting yourself live and be happy just for a moment, sort of like Fine I'm Fine to me.

For whatever reason a lot of the songs I think of as Heart songs people keep trying to say it's Soul or Whole. I think people fail to really see the importance of Heart and Mind's relationship for the album as well as Heart in general. I get people really like Soul but let heart have his songs man.

making this a poll bc now i’m curious

feel free to explain in the rbs

[sonknuxadow]

I’m honestly surprised that people are saying Keanu reeves is a bad choice despite the popular fan discussions about it. Where I’m at in the internet, he’s considered a good choice and people were excited.

i cant speak for everyone obviously but ive always thought he was a bad choice for shadow ever since the idea started going around 2 years ago. because from what ive heard personally he doesnt really sound like shadow + i hate it when big movie stars are given voice acting roles in movie adaptations just to have a big name attached to the project even if theyre not good for the role. and this definitely feels like that. back in the day people were only saying he should be shadow NOT because his voice actually fits but because hes an edgy action guy or whatever and movie sonic is canonically a fan of him/his movies and they could make jokes out of that. and i feel like thats Still what a lot of peoples reasoning is which annoys me because shadow isnt just an edgy action guy and i dont think his voice should be chosen based on a joke of all things especially if the voice isnt fitting enough to justify it

not gonna say my opinion is the most popular but i know that there are a lot of people who agree with me on this, or at the very least are unsure about it. a lot of people dont want him

[athene-owl]

Look, I like Ghibli stuff but I'm not super involved in the fandom so maybe someone more knowledgeable has spoken about this BUT.....the way some of y'all talk about Hayao's son Goro is flat out gross and weird as fuck. You absolutely NEED to take Hayao off of whatever pedestal you've put him on and stop making your funny little memes about how his mistreatment of his son/family is OK because you don't like Goro's films. This is just like basic decency???

[yomigaere]

fandom please stop having bad takes about Shiori and Juri challenge (BLOODY IMPOSSIBLE)

[smtmsthnk]

first of all, I'll ignore the paragraph about su she bc it's clearly about his characterisation in cql, which I haven't seen and don't plan on seeing ever

second, I think you extrapolated a lot from my original post. do I think jgy loved his mother? yes. do I think he loved qin su and lxc? yes. do I think he cared for other ppl? yes

but in the end, even though he claims that lxc is the only person he hasn't ever intended to hurt, the matter of fact is that he still hurt him. his actions — directly or indirectly — still caused lxc harm bc they harmed the ppl which were close to him

and let's not forget that if he disclosed that qin su is his sister, both their lives will be ruined. bc at that time he wasn't yet the sect leader or the chief cultivator, he was a newly legitimized "son of the prostitute" who ensured that his fiancee conceived a son before their marriage. but that's just speculation on my part, so you can ignore it; he still played a part in qs's suicide, though

edit: that's what I mean by "he gives a shit only about himself": in the end, no matter how much he cares about someone, his ambitions, his desires and his life is more important to him than those of other ppl, even the ones he claims to love

and yes, of course he helped the common ppl (though to claim he is the only one is... a stretch if I've ever seen one), I mention it in my post; and I even mention that he was constrained by the jianghu and their systems of power. and still, caring for the common ppl, being one of those same common ppl if not worse that in the eyes of society bc of his origins, doesn't stop him from using the sex workers to orchestrate his father's death, doesn't stop him from burning the brothel with the women working there still inside

and once again — his desire for revenge is understandable, just like xue yang's, just like su she's (if we talk about jzxun); society in mdzs is not anti-violence, violence is even praised in some cases. it's the fact that after that thay don't change their ways

xue yang's and jin guangyao's tragic stories don't mean that now their actions can't be critised and they can be absolved from all blame. we have ppl in the novel who share a lot of similarities with them — a-qing and wei wuxian — who still chose to be kind and compassionate. of course, they became like this bc they had ppl who helped them — and that's entirely my point: xy and jgy also had ppl who were kind to them, who they respected, and still they returned to the tricks and manipulation. there is a reason why comparison between jgy and wwx is so important, you know

a little conclusion: my original post was written to highlight one aspect of the characters which I wanted to point out and that doesn't mean that my opinion starts and ends with it or even this post. I don't think that they are flat characters and just wanted to point out the similarities between them

i think the main feature (??) of the "friends in crime" in mdzs is that they could have chosen kindness so many times — but they just simply didn't

xue yang was mistreated through his childhood and his desire for vengeance, for revenge on those who hurt him is understandable — just like wwx's and jc's desire for revenge on wen chao — but he didn't just stop at those who wronged him, no; he slaughtered the entire clan just bc one person from that clan treated him unfairly and cruelly. then he is given a second chance when he is living with xxc and a-qing; but instead of repenting for his actions he decides to trick and exploit the good intentions of a person who at that time showed him nothing but kindness

su she and jin guangyao are very interesting examples on what the people who were abused by the system and the society can do when they finally become a part — however superficial — of that same system

ss is so resentful of jzxun and lwj because he thinks of them as nothing but members of the gentry who can do whatever they want and behave in whatever way they want just bc they were born in the right family. and while he is correct on the account of jzxun, his perception of lwj is false, even though he spent more time with him than with jzxun. he let his own perceived inferiority cloud his judgement. and then, when he finally becomes the leader of his own clan, does this feeling of inferiority go away? no. he became the same kind of man that he hates so much

as for jgy — while he takes steps to help the common ppl (as the grandmaster of public infrastructure), he really doesn't give a shit about anyone rather than himself and maybe his mother and lxc to an extent. even becoming a winner of social climbing, taking one of the highest positions in the cultivation society, knowing how hard it is for ppl that are deemed lesser just bc of their birth, he doesn't seriously try to change anything. it ties nicely to the idea that one single person won't ever be able to change society for the better, but at the same time — jgy becomes so much of a reflection of the society that condemned him and his mother that he cared about, that it is difficult to empathise with him when he used so many dirty tricks to pave his way to the top, just to become one of the small driving components in the system that was responsible for his sufferings

[drvwing]

and another thing… i think one reason some women choose to stay male centered is because if they took a moment to look in the mirror they would realize they haven’t been living for themselves but rather molding themselves into someone they thought would be picked by some man. the hobbies, interests, hair, style, makeup, everything that makes them up… was perfectly curated for the interest of who they were crushing on.

they turned into someone based on what they thought this guy would want, and not what THEY want. so to decenter men and to not be so consumed and focused on boys… they would have an identity crisis and not know who they are or if they even like their interests or enjoy the few hobbies they do have.

[assumedcryptid]

ugh