#I know a lot of people on tumblr think Dave is problematic but he is VERY good at story telling and yall cant deny this

[lolliepops-rox]

It's very interesting to me, as a newer Homestuck fan, to see all the extensions for the offical-unoffical archives that 'fix'/remove 'problems' or 'problematic' parts of Homestuck. I was on Tumblr when Homestuck was at its peak and reblogged all the cute ship art, follow the outrageous ask blogs, my best friend did read it as it was still coming out¹. But I never actually read the comic itself, just kind waves from the sidelines. But I wasn't there to experience the big controversies in real time (i.e. 'peachy'). Hussie is not above critique, but I don't think he's a bigot or even a bad person. What he is, is a troll. A classic 2006 'I said something fucked up not because I believed it, but to get a reaction.' Which, I can see to someone who missed that time of the internet, and only knows now. In which people say those fucked up things, to get a reaction and cause they believe it.

And so to see people younger than me, but have joined the fandom at the same time as me, not understand this context, it feels wrong. The things people are willing to sweep under the rug cause it conflicts with their morals vs the things they condemn and blame Hussie for.

Homestuck is a very long, very complicated, but very important piece of art. To not consider every facet of it does it a disservice.

For something made by a 2006 troll, it put a lot of queer characters worth caring about in it. The alpha kids & trolls both exist to be parodies of their beta counterparts. This is partly why Dirk is queer, and that Dirk refuses a label. But is still allowed to opening like, then date, then break up with a boy. It's a response to how the fandom wrote & treated Dave. For those who know it, compare the S19Ep6 of South Park, Tweek X Craig. Matt & Trey, who in my opinion embody the same sort of troll sense of humour Hussie has, handle fandom making their characters being gay quite differently. Tweek & Craig in this EP aren't treated as genuinely queer characters, but the kids trapped in what the town has decided are wacky hijinks of this week. It's not necessarily bad, but compared to Dirk it feels way less genuine.

There's topics I can't talk on fully like the way Hussie's racial biases appear in various characters, as I'm from a completely different country. But in my very non-american opinion, it reads more as 'someone who has never thought to question the stereotypes they were raised with', than as someone who is genuinely and actively racist. There is a difference, and as a mixed kid that's important to me.

I'm not really sure how physically disabled people feel about the way Hussie wrote their physically disabled characters (but if people have written about this I'd love to read and linked to me) but he definitely uses mental disabilities/illnesses as a substitute for the word 'quirky' without thinking much about it (i.e. Nepeta is off-handedly called autistic) it's not really great, but the bar is so low when it comes to these things that my tourettic ass cling to Mituna like a lifeline.

Maybe I had a further point here. Maybe my point was just antis in the Homestuck fandom is still weird to me when there's canon incest. Maybe I've drunk a fair bit of vodka while writing this. I have work in the morning. Good night beloved tumblrinas.

¹she gave me classpect and everything, and it's the one I use to this day, despite having a completely different theory on how classpects work. I also joined a cosplay ask blog despite never reading Homestuck (at the time) cos she asked me to (simp) and bought black lipstick to do AMom.

[sharknadoslutt]

Not that I ever wanted to watch it because of the era it plays in, but what was so awful about Star Wars resistance?

Oh Okay this ask got me GOING so Welcome to my Tedtalk on my feelings on Star Wars Resistance; a story of Disappointment.

So Mr. Dave Filoni, the story telling Prince, left the show like halfway through production of the first season for other projects (For TCW season 7 and The Mandalorian). This left what was a promising show with characters Dave himself had created, in the hands of very inexperienced story board artist and writers. Personally, I think they panicked and half assed it so that Disney could make money on toys. Because.. idk. It just doesn't even come close to the emotional story arcs that TCW and Rebels gave us. and that's what Star Wars is supposed to be about. Changing for the better. Hope or some shit, am I right?

What was most disappointing in my opinion.. is that the protagonist, Kazudo Xiono, is UNBEARABLE. He is the EMBODIEMENT of privilege. This punk has had everything handed down to him from the moment he was born. He was born like 14 years after the Empire has been brought down and the New Republic reigns, so he has never known war. AND HIS DADDY IS THE SENATOR OF HOSNIAN PRIME FOR FUCKS SAKE! THE CAPITOL????? WHERE THE SENATE IS???? YOU KNOW HOW RICH THAT MUST MAKE HIs FaMiLY??? His dad literally gives him an allowance even though he is a grown ass man in the military when the show starts.

To put things into perspective for those not up to date on Sequel Era Lore and I envy you greatly tbh bcs not to be that person i do not like the sequels that's the equivalent of being the Senator of Coruscant in the Prequels!!!!

Not to mention he is a BUMBLING idiot. Like. This man has ADHD on steroids. As a person with ADHD it's.. lord, it's cringe. He is clumsy. He is loud. He says inappropriate things at the wrong time. He doesn't know how to do anything for himself. AND HE IS SUPPOSED TO BE A SPY FOR THE RESISTANCE UNDER COVER AS A MECHANIC???? HE KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT MECHANICS and really doesn't really learn anything about it by the time the show ends. And don't come at me saying this is a kids show so I cant complain about things being silly bcs I'm not the target audience. I can and I will bcs no one was NEARLY this obnoxious in TCW or Rebels. Kaz is Jarjar Level, but I ACTUALLY LIKE JARJAR!

DUDE IS A DAMN SPY HE DOESNT EVEN LIKE GO BY AN ALLIAS!!! HE DEADASS USES HIS REAL FULL NAME. BCS KAZ IS AN IDIOT.

I'm not saying he isn't a good person. Kaz is very sweet tbh. He's just an unknowing spoiled ass man-child who NEVER REALLY DEVELOPS INTO ANYTHING ELSE?????

It would be okay if he entered the show like this and exited a more mature, capable man. But he really doesn't. There are never any consequences for his actions. Ever. Other than when he becomes a spy and, again, IS USING HIS REAL LEGAL NAME as a spy for the Resistance... to avoid a scandal and to scold him for LITERALLY DESERTING THE NAVY his daddy cuts him off from his allowance. So instead of half assing his cover job as a mechanic, Kaz has to actually apply himself so he can make money for food. He doesn't improve much. His co-workers (Who are MUCH more interesting than him) constantly complain about him messing things up and making their jobs more difficult.

Man, FUCK KAZ. MY HOMIES HATE KAZ. BEING HOT CAN ONLY GET YOU SO FAR!!!!!

At the Season one finale there is a moment where you think he is finally going to grow as a man! Grow into the protagonist we deserve! Tragedy, for the first time in his life, strikes Kaz! It's during the events of episode 7, when The First Order blows up Hosnian Prime. His home planet. Where his FATHER LIVES. He has a moment of humanity and he is devastated. He almost cries. But he sucks it up to finish the mission and get his friends off base for their safety. He is a man now. and the audience feels a sense of comradery for Kaz. After all, Star Wars is about Fathers. Kaz has lost his father forever. His father was KILLED by the First Order. He now, first hand, has experienced real loss for the first time and this is going to help him grow and toughen up. he has to live on his own now. Our hero has a reason to be doing what he's doing. Fighting against the first order.

BUT NAH. FAM. then the very next fucking EPISODE YOU FIND OUT HIS DAD IS FUCKING ALIVE AND THAT HE DIDNT ACTUALLY EXPEIRENCE THE LOSS THAT HE HAD THOUGHT, AND HE GOES RIGHT BACK TO BEING HIS GOOFY ASS CHILDISH SELF. NO. I HATED THAT. THERE WAS NO REASON FOR GROWTH. MAN FUCK RESISTANCE.

FUCK. IF ANYONE DESERVED THEIR FATHER TO LIVE THROUGH A DAMN PLANETORY DESTRUCTION IT WAS MY GIRL LEIA, NOT FUCKING KAZUDO THE CLOWN XIONO. FUCK. guys I'm sorry I just really hate this god damn character.

Like. Lemme break it down, folks.

TCW started and Ahsoka enters. I HATED Ahsoka for a long time. Bcs she was young, cocky and annoying. But that was on purpose. Narratively, she experiences loss, she experiences pain and GROws as a character while navigating her Jedi life during the war. Our girl grows into the capable protagonist that we EXPECT out of a Star Wars story.

Same for Rebels. We meet Ezra, and he's not quite as annoying as Ahsoka was at first in my opinion (I cannot stress how much I did not care for Ahsoka yall) but he was young. He was childish. But he was more capable at 14 than fucking Kaz was at 20. By the end of Rebels, not only is he more wise and capable, but he is selfless. He has found his own path and it's only because of what he has gone through. His journey has made him stronger. Ezra is my favorite Star Wars journey, if I'm being honest. He is the perfect example of character development.

KAZUDO XIONO ENTERS SEASON ONE AS A 20 YEAR OLD MAN-CHILD USING DADDY'S MONEY WHO IS LOUD AND DOESNT KNOW WHEN THE STFU... AND EXITS THE FINALE... AS A LOUD MAN-CHILD WHO CAN NOW USE TOOLS. He doesn't' experience REAL FAMILIAL loss. He doesn't really experience a lot of character development at all. Things just happen around him, he helps, but he doesn't learn. He doesn't grow. I fucking hate that.

Literally every single character in the show BESIDEs Kaz is more interesting than him. and EXPEIRENCE CHARACTER GROWTH!!!

Jarek Yeager, Kaz's boss in the mechanic shop, was in the Rebellion and LOST HIS FAMILY. He is a sexy ass man too. HE starts the show not wanting to help the Resistance at all bcs he's experienced loss since his days in the Rebellion, and his heart is hard and he's comfortable. By the end of the show he is risking not just his career, but his VERY LIFE to help the Resistance.

Tam Ryvora, Kaz's co-worker. Daughter figure to Yeager and a total bad ass woman of color. She is the one on the show who experiences the most character development and struggles to find her identity while the First Order is taking over the galaxy. I LOVE her.

There are these 2 kids who are force sensitive and orphaned after Kylo Ren comits GENOCIDE on their planet. This arc set up is never fully addressed nor does it have a conclusion, like most story arcs on this show tbh.

There's a literal witch for some reason??

There's this fucking rad ass sexy Mirilian Pirate girl named Synara who FOR SOME REASON is suggested to be Kaz's love interest. Gross. Girl, you gay. Move in.

I could go on and on and on. But I wont. Fuck this show. Fuck Kaz. It literally adds NOTHING to the bigger Star Wars lore. TCW and Rebels do this beautifully and this show is a hot mess of ideas and characters that never come to a satisfying story telling conclusion.

Thanks for coming to my tedtalk, dont watch Resistance.

[zatyrlucy]

When a creator of a series that isn't out yet (Hazbin Hotel) or isn't finished yet (Helluva Boss) retweets / reblogs fanon / non canon shipping stuff, isn't it kinda obvious that those ships will become canon at some point?? Isn't that like a big spoiler?? I know you could say probably say 'Well, those are just fun fanon things they can't affect canon' well, the song 'Addict', from what I remember, was a fan made song and that effected canon.

First, a lot of show creators/writers like to look and reblog fanart. Alan Ituriel (creator of Villainous) is on twitter; Frank (writer of Ducktales 2017) and Evan Stanley (writer and artist of Sonic Boom/ Sonic’s official comics) are on tumblr; Lauren Faust (creator of My Little Pony) and Ian Flynn (Mayor writer of Sonic The Hedgehog tv shows, comics, and games) are on Deviantart, and all of them look, like and reblog fanart, they even have answer fans’ questions about the plot. So I dont see that as a problematic thing to do. 

Second, the Addict video wasnt made entirely by fans, it has the participation of Michael Kovach, the official voice actor of Angel Dust, which I think makes the situation different because he is not just a random person making fan content, he is part of the official crew members of the show. Plus this is not the first time this happens, Viv also made canon that video of Daria Cohen (official artist of the pilot) about the “Family friendly noose song”. 

There is a ton of musical fan videos on youtube from people that do not work for Viv (even The Living Tombstone made one) but none of them have become canon to this day. Also, in my personal opinion, the Addict video didnt change a thing, it just confirmed what we already knew in the comic: Angel Dust is a stripper and sex worker hired by Valentino who abuses him. Most of the song was just a dream from Angel Dust and the new character was already created by Viv years ago. 

So, I dont think Viv would change something in the main plot of both Hazbin or Helluva just because there is fanart about a certain topic or ship. She said in one of last year’s streams that she will not be persuaded by the fandom to make something canon and I believe the proof of that is that all the efforts made by some fans like sending tons of emails, spamming her social media, or even creating campaigns in change.org have fallen on deaf ears. And even if someone gets to convince Viv, she is not the only writer in both projects, she would have to discuss the changes with Brandon (Helluva) or Dave (Hazbin). So, Im personally not worried about that at all, I hardly think about it honestly.  

[kanyniablue]

fic writer tag meme

i was almost finished when i lost this post TWICE!!! TWICE

tagged by america-oreosandkitkats, which tumblr is not letting me @ !  i love new updated tumblr!  it’s my favorite!

AO3 name: kat_blue, however i haven’t actually uploaded anything.  it was #newyearsresolution2020 to start uploading some writing, just to say “i’m D O N E im not going to touch it again” but...2020 got in the way

Fandoms: overwhelmingly hetalia where i set up camp back in 2010-2011 and never moved on, harry potter but only in headcanons/crossovers, Discworld but don’t test me, uh, The Outsiders, yes that book we read in middle school, Coco (2017) because im a corporate sellout

Tropes: 30 AU Pileup, Historical AU, 20 Minutes into the Past/Future, Gen, Enemies-to-Lovers, Friends-to-Lovers, Hookup-to-Something-More, Enemies-to-Lovers-But-They’re-Still Enemies, Unhealthy/Codependent Relationship (romantic, platonic, familial...), Breakup Fic, For Want of a Nail, Everyone’s Dead Dave/Tragic End, Postcredits Scene/whatever you’d call it when you write what would happen after canon says “the end,” Character Study (not sure if that’s a trope but it’s mostly what I write)

Number of fics: ...a bunch.  i write in several documents, some of which are inaccessable to me because of a computer crash.  i honestly have no idea

Fic I spent the most time on: considering it’s not even finished, Sun Down (WWI Prussia that was supposed to be PruHun but turned into an extended character study/war novel/just torturing the guy but he kind of deserves it) has been limping along for 2+ years...although mostly nowadays I just poke at it occasionally

Fic I spent the least time on: i have no idea, i’ve got a bad habit of coming back to a “finished” fic months or even years later and messing with it.  Maybe The Witch Dreaming, a weird little Nyo!EnglandxGreece fic that needed more notes explaining what it was about than it had actual words.  it was one of those *sudden inspiration* *scribble scribble scribble* “wait, what the fuck is this?” fics

Longest fic: Brother, Can You Spare a Dime (RusAme domestic fluff & death threats in the Great Depression/Stalinist USSR, burns so slow they barely manage to kiss right before WWII breaks out, ends badly) clocks in at roughly 21K and it’s not even half finished.  technically my main WIP but i don’t focus

Shortest fic: The World in the Palm of Your Hand, a tiny little Revolution!America character study, 147 words including its entire title?  i know i used to write drabbles & flashfics but that document is...problematic right now

Most hits/Most kudos/Most comment threads/Most bookmarks: yeaaaah, about that...see “haven’t uploaded anything.”  i think i uploaded a couple of fics to tumblr, possibly an old account, but if i did nobody ever read ‘em

Total word count: eeesh, probably at least 150K if we’re counting everything

Favorite fic I wrote: it changes but im still fond of Skin, a bunch of little spamano...vignettes? that i started back around 2014 and still enjoy, which isn’t something i say about a lot of my old writing

Fic you want to rewrite/expand on: ...all of them.  if i have to choose probably Take the Long Way Home, a partially-finished NorwayxSouth Italy Human!ExchangeStudent!AU that i used to love back in its day of ~2012-2014 but now is very...dusty.  writing style changed a lot from what it was back then, lots of “new to the fandom” tropes, lots of “real humans don’t act like this it’s just more dramatic” plot holes...i could do a lot with rewriting it, i just generally work on more recent things and i leave it fossilized and occasionally say “but what if”

Share a bit of a WIP or a story idea you’re planning on:  

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime:  What was supposed to happen was that they’d be met by the secret police at the train station, and U.S. Personification Alfred Jones would be arrested as a foreign spy.

What actually happened was that after giving up at the train station, one of Ivan’s bosses’ secretaries met them at the front of Ivan’s office building, where he waited and kicked his heel against the wall because he couldn’t light a cigarette without dropping America’s wrist and no amount of exasperated sighs from America was going to convince him it was safe to do so, and when the human secretary did get out there all he said was, “The police aren’t coming.”

Ivan closed his eyes.  “Why are the police not coming?”

“They say you seem like you’ve got it handled, Comrade Braginsky,” said the secretary.

“How am I supposed to handle him?” Ivan said through his teeth, waving America’s arm, “Keep a grip on him like he’s a child until they feel fit to interrogate him?”

<<Hi,>> said America sardonically.

The secretary pressed his lips thin.  “I don’t know, comrade.”

“He’s an American spy!”

“I am not being spy!” America said.  “Not!”

The human looked between them, then said to Russia, “I don’t know what else to tell you, Comrade Braginsky.  I don’t have the authority to override the chief of police.”

Slowly, Russia rubbed his eyes.  “...I know, comrade.  Very well.  Take down a message for me, will you?”

Russia’s bosses received a note, in lieu of Russia returning to work as he’d planned:  Have in custody suspected American spy, name of ALFRED JONES (note English spelling).  Contact American consulate as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Russia would take America to the only place he knew he could keep an eye on the foreign nation.

--

[and then they were roommates.  I don’t know nearly enough about Soviet Russia to depict it with any amount of accuracy but I’m writing gay country anime boys, this isn’t the place to look for a documentary.]

i know a lot of people who follow me write fanfiction so if you do and you see this, you’re tagged!  let’s try to tag people who i know write:  @gothicmagpie @knowledgequeenabc @convenientalias uhh I don’t know how many of my other followers are both active & writers

[rougeagainstfanpol]

for the ask meme: 6-9?

So, you used a hyphen. Does this mean 6 through 9 or just 6 and 9?

Either way, nice.

It’s probably 6 through 9, what am I saying X3c

6) what kind of “problematic” ships you like?

Man, I always gravitate to age gaps, like Reimob of Mob Psycho 100, or Shinobu and Koyomi in Monogatari, or Asmodai and Tetsuya from Future Card Buddyfight. No real reason other than I guess I’m a sucker for it. 

Ever since I learned that made people mad, like really mad, I doubled down on it, too. I purposely ship Sonic and Cream, Shadow and Cream, and Rouge and Tails to spite a lot of fanpol in the sonic community, and SPECIFICALLY mod ghost of SSS. Fuck u mod ghost.

I also dabble in incest, mainly because my most prominent first problematic ship was Bro/Dave Stridercest, which is incidentally age gap, too! 

I’m aiming to be the biggest contributor in Rappacest on AO3! :3c I’m just preoccupied with other fandoms. I’ll get back to it in a while~(I mean considering the selection, I’m already the biggest contributor at 1 published work umu;)

7) what kind of “problematic” tropes you like to put your ships through?

Angst, and scenarios where they explore being kinky together. People still don’t like noncon/dubcon and cgl, right?

8) a character you think did nothing wrong but fandom demonizes?

I dunno wtf is up with this one, but in the Club Peng community specifically on tumblr right now, there’s this weird hate for a character named Sydmull from the TV specials. Like, why is he hated so much? Why do people insult him? I don’t understand. He’s just a fuckin nerd, that’s it.

I just think people are cranky G took him under his wing and not them XD

9) a character that did a lot of things wrong in canon that you think fandom woobifies?

ehehe sorry for all the Club Peng stuff.

I guess Herbert, with the whole, you know, stealing the sun and leaving the Earth to freeze to death in Operation:Blackout. I think we as a community forgive him because it’s one of the most well-renowned events in the entire website’s running time. I mean, just look at the comments in one of the OST reposts.

I think as the community grew up and really understood Herbert’s motives, they found him more relatable than a nuisance. Kind of like how people who grew up watching Spongebob started to relate to Squidward once they entered the retail industry.

[gffa]

Second question. I love love love Anakin to the moon and back. But, idk if it's this new tumblr's culture of "no problematic shit allowed", I have to admit a lot of people either bash him or Darth Vader in particular. Do you think how Anakin was characterizated in the prequels is a good portrayal of his feelings and actions? Is he an irredimable, pure, wondeful villain or we're allowed to be sympathetic towards him despite what he did? Do you think his eventual redemption arc is satysfing?

In my experience, the “no problematic shit allowed” has swung in the other direction for Anakin, in that his actions and choices are justified because he was sad about some stuff and clearly no one ever tried to help him ever, definitely no one ever repeatedly tried to talk to him about stuff and he definitely never consistently rebuffed them.  –I say with a genuine teasing tone!I think the canon (and word of god commentary) was pretty clear about how we’re meant to sympathize with Anakin to a degree, starting out with The Phantom Menace, where George Lucas says a lot of people were mad because they wanted Baby Vader to be this little demon kid and he wasn’t, he was a good boy who had too much power and didn’t want to learn the difference between compassionate love and possessive love.If we weren’t meant to be sympathetic to Anakin, we wouldn’t have scenes like him crying over his mother’s death, crying at Padme about what he’d done and collapsing into a heap, desperately hurting because he lost control of himself.  If we weren’t meant to be sympathetic to Anakin, we wouldn’t see him crying while trying to decide if he should stay back in the Temple or go help Palpatine because he wants to save Padme’s life, no matter the cost.  If we weren’t meant to be sympathetic to Anakin, we wouldn’t get so many scenes of him being charismatic, being adorable (the ENTIRE FIRST HALF HOUR OF ROTS is Anakin and Obi-Wan’s delightful banter, there’s SO MUCH of AOTC where Anakin may be a brat, but he’s a sweet brat).  If we weren’t meant to be sympathetic to Anakin, Obi-Wan would never have tried to save him throughout that entire fight on Mustafar.  Of course we’re meant to be sympathetic to Anakin, his anxieties and fears, rather than just having him be Baby Vader from the beginning.For contrast, one of the things that I found interesting about Krell is that Dave Filoni talks about why they wrote him the way they did, that he was very obviously a villain from the beginning, because he didn’t want kids to get invested in this hero, only to be devastated when he was actually bad, that we already get this with Anakin.  If Star Wars wanted us to hate Anakin, they would not have been subtle about it.But at the same time, we’re not meant to excuse Anakin’s actions because he’s sympathetic, either.  He makes monstrous choices and he absolutely had the wisdom to know better.  He has people who offer to talk to him–Obi-Wan does so repeatedly, Ahsoka also mentions how he doesn’t talk to her about his past ever–but he turns away from their help.  His fears aren’t the problem, they’ve never been the problem, but instead from the very moment he came to the Jedi, his choice to not face them, to not admit to them being there, to not be willing to work on them and let them go, has been the problem.  This is why I loved Dark Lord of the Sith so much, because it’s a 25 issue comic that illustrates all these other choices Anakin had (he could have left the Jedi, he could have returned to the light, he could have taken Palpatine out, he could have asked Obi-Wan for help, he could have done so many different things, and instead his answer to literally having these shoved into his brain is, “No. This is all there is.”) and this is why I love the short story Master and Apprentice from From a Certain Point of View.“Anakin became a Jedi Knight,” Obi-Wan interjects, a thread of steel in his voice. “He served valiantly in the Clone Wars. His fall to darkness was more his choice than anyone else’s failure. Yes, I bear some responsibility—and perhaps you do, too—but Anakin had the training and the wisdom to choose a better path. He did not.” (–Master and Apprentice, From a Certain Point of View, Claudia Gray)This is specifically why his return to Anakin Skywalker as a Force Ghost is so meaningful, in that he finally let go of all that rage, that hate, that fear.  It wouldn’t mean anything if he hadn’t spent his entire life holding onto those fears and anger and hate, just like the climactic fight on Mustafar wouldn’t mean anything if we weren’t heartbroken by it, which we wouldn’t be if we weren’t meant to love Anakin, just as much as we hate him for murdering children and stabbing the family that took him in in the backs.Anakin’s story is satisfying because it’s an illustration of how someone so bright can go so wrong, how the hurts we all deal with can eat away at us if we don’t actively face them and work through them.  How we can lose our way if we get too far into our own justifications because we’re afraid of things we don’t want to deal with and don’t want to face.  He doesn’t want to face that death is a part of life, that sometimes we have to let go of the feelings inside us because they’re eating away at our hearts, no matter how special those feelings make us feel.It’s important that he was a good person at one point in time, how he returned to that person by doing what he should have done a long time ago, how it’s not too late for him to find inner peace and redemption.  How being selfless is narratively rewarded.  How the truth of Darth Vader is, as George Lucas says, “He’s done a lot of horrible things in his life that he isn’t particularly proud of. Ultimately, he’s just a pathetic guy who’s had a very sad life.“Anakin Skywalker lived a sad life, because he made terrible choices and couldn’t let go of what was eating him, never really wanted to do the hard internal work for it.  There are few people who can’t relate to that on at least some level, being afraid to look at the worst things inside ourselves.  I mean, that’s why the Force is what it is, that George laid it out as the light is the good things within us, that the dark is the selfish and greedy things within us, that we have to face both, that discipline is the only way to turn back to the light, that we all have a choice, but the world works better if you’re on the side of good.Anakin’s story has impact and meaning because his story is the central story of Star Wars, the themes of Star Wars are the themes of Anakin Skywalker.  The prequels fill in this context brilliantly, to show us that he was both an incredible hero and an incredible villain.  That his good choices do not negate his villainy and his monstrous choices do not negate the good in him, they’re both an important part of the equation, just like the light and the dark are both important parts of the Force and it’s up to you to choose how to navigate them.  Whether to be good or to be evil, the potential for both is in all of us, and ultimately Star Wars is about choice.  And about breaking our hearts–which you can’t do, if you’re not meant to find even the second worst villain of the entire Saga to be sympathetic in many ways!

[4n0th3rm3]

Who has control over a story? Or: presidency as a metaphor for authorship

So… I have read the meat part of the Homestuck epilogues and I have to say, I am impressed. I have to admit that I was initially wary of the experience because the first opinions I’ve read on tumblr have been controversial, to say the least. But before I talk about the epilogue itself, I have to make some things clear. I haven’t read Homestuck in my formative teenage years. I started reading it when I was 18, so I had a lot more distance to the main characters and their experiences than I would have had if I was younger. This was also an age when my English could have been considered „good“ enough to even understand what was going on since it’s not my mother tongue. Additionally, I was just starting my degree in literary studies, so the interest in narrative structure has always been on the forefront of my reading experience, so that’s what I’ll focus on in my analysis. And hoo boy does Homestuck deliver in that regard.

First of all we have to ask: in what situation are the epilogues written? Homestuck is „officially over“, the fans are more or less satisfied, the „canon“ is supposed to be finished and can now be looked at in its entirety. This is not only important for the creators of fanworks, but also for Hussie himself. In a lot of ways, when a work is canonically finished, the author has distanced themselves from the story and the writing process. So how to write epilogues, when you have given up control over the narrative? It’s at this point that Hussie decides to make the problem explicit in the work itself: he changes the medium. What has been a narrative element in Homestuck before now becomes once again necessary for understanding the story. By changing the webcomic format to an Ao3 fanfiction format he shows the reader that these are indeed „tales of dubious authenticity“.

Now, finding the tone for the continuation of a finished work can be difficult (and we have to keep in mind that Homestuck has been over for three years). When we take a look at the Harry Potter series, where lots of fans were disappointed by a seemingly overly saccharine epilogue, we see how much can go wrong in the fans’ opinion. Actually, Harry Potter is also a good example of the consequences it has for a work of art and its fanbase when the author tries to uphold their control over the narrative after the work is finished — it can be disastrous (case in point: jkrowlings borderline surreal twitter presence). The expectations readers have are repeatedly mirrored in the epilogue itself:

And all of us are definitely the „devoted fans“ who show up to any new content, even if it’s bad. But is it bad? Whether there is too much meat (brutality, tragedy) or too much candy in it, both will be unsatisfactory. This is a thing that Rose, in the process of becoming a aware of the whole canon herself, comments on:

Even before the epilogues, Homestuck has always had lots of both, it varied in tone and regularly switched between tragedy and comedy, most often depicting tragedy through the lens of comedy. That was one go the things that made it unique. The way that Karkat reacts to the fact that Jade didn’t know that Obama was a real person shows how important the framing of events can be:

How comedy and tragedy are received respectively is very subjective to the reading experience. The reactions of the characters to canon and post-canon events mirror different fan behavior. Take for example Calliope, who seems to obsess over overly saccharine fantasies, mixed with gore and pornographic content:

The way it is framed here, it seems to sum up the fanfiction side of the Homestuck fandom pretty well. It frankly reminded me of the times when a lot of the fandom was pretty obsessed with the dark and horny parts of Homestuck - and unapologetically so. I mean, remember the 4chan „raids“ on Tumblr? That’s what they had to say about the Homestuck tag:

Now, please keep in mind that I haven’t read the candy part yet, so if Calliopes behavior is directly referring to it, it partly goes over my head at this moment. That the different perspectives and reading experiences can clash with each other and even canonical events itself is shown in John's own discomfort at the reunion with his friends:

It reflects on the way that the whole of Homestuck has been perceived by the readers not only while it was running but also after it has ended. Looking at a story after it’s been finished and at the sum of all its parts leads to some problems - for the author and the creators of fan works alike. From a distance and after three years, everyone is „stuck somewhere in the harrowing nexus between canon, post-canon, non-canon, outside canon, and fanon.“ Or as Rose puts it:

Rose realizes at this point that, much as we, the reader, the characters (especially Rose and Dirk) have also become readers of their own, their whole story. This forces them, much as us, to confront every aspect of every character that has been written in the Homestuck canon, what Dirk then calls the Ultimate Self. How do you for example characterize a person like Dirk when you know how different aspects of his personality play out in different scenarios? I mean, Bro is very much a character that exists in the Homestuck canon and — shitty as he is — shares Dirk’s genetic information. Dirk on the other hand is a person who has always tried to overcome the negative aspects of his personality that are realized in other versions of him. The convergence of personalities that happens when the characters become readers of canon themselves is in Dirk’s case as much a tragedy as it is for us, who have also seen the positive potential of his character. ultimate!Dirk then goes — in the manner of an overly sarcastic megalomaniac — from reader to narrator:

So it’s not surprising that looking at the whole of canon itself, different characters show different reading behaviors. This is as much true for Dirk as it is for every single reader, especially every creator of fan works. We take the elements that are given to us and try to create something from it. In one way or the other, by interpreting a story, everyone tries to take hold of the narrative. This is especially true for a story like Homestuck, where the interaction with fans and fan culture have been a central element of storytelling and has lead to the inclusion of multiple contributors to the work itself.

In ultimate!Dirk’s case, it is made very explicit how his particular perspective influences the narrative structure. The lines between reader and author blur even further than before:

But not only ultimate!Dirk and muse!Calliope, who tries to take the narrative away from him, have conflicting views and agencies, other characters also start framing actions and people in a certain way. It’s no coincidence that Hussie decided to make an election the setting for the epilogues. In meat, Jane runs for presidency and is then rivaled by Karkat, who decides to take a stand against her „xenophobic“ views. While Karkat says:

It quickly becomes clear, that a lot of what we think about Jane in the meat epilogue is framed on the one hand by ultimate!Dirk’s manipulative narrative that influences the behavior and events, and on the other hand by Dave and Karkat’s political campaign. (Both of whom don’t leave their house very often and have probably not spoken to Jane in a long time.)

We think that Jane is xenophobic because ultimate!Dirk and Karkat tell us she is. Not to say that Jane doesn’t have some problematic views, but she seems to be far from a fascist dictator.

It mostly shows how politics is very much about presenting a certain narrative to your potential voters. And whoever controls the political narrative has a hegemonial perspective on cultural narratives as well. This is an idea that has probably been best presented in the texts of the philosopher Walter Benjamin. In his essay „On the concept of history“ he remarks on the way a ruling class presents history and historical events as a legitimization of their power, and ultimately concludes that historical methodology is also a question of politics and questioning narratives that are presented to us. In 1940, when the essay was written, it was the conflict between fascism and socialism that influenced Benjamin’s work, but today his ideas are just as relevant.

By presenting the election and conflicting narratives (ultimate!Dirk vs. muse!Calliope, Jane vs. Karkat and Dave) side by side, Hussie builds a bridge between those two. It is not only that the text is a metaphor for the current political climate, it is a metaphor for the way that current behavior in general is shaped by controlling narratives. We live in a time when fake news and callout culture are two sides of the same coin: especially in America, these two intersect more and more, in political campaigns and online. Not to say that this kind of discourse isn’t developing in Europe as well, it’s just that the American one seems to be central for the discourse and views that shape sites like tumblr. On Earth C, in the „post canon victory state“, we can see these methods of political strategy developing from the very beginning.

This becomes especially clear as Vriska comments on Hussie’s behavior (as in: Homestuck-character Hussie): „not to mention your flawless defeat of an obstructionist, hectoring, orange man, who for reasons you cannot begin to comprehend seemed to be obsessed with you.“ While the whole world sees itself confronted with the weird views of a megalomaniac orange man (Trump), so does the readership of Homestuck: Hussie and Dirk’s text are both orange and are a constant obstacle for the fans who try to take hold of the narrative, to make their perspective the right one.

Actually, ultimate!Dirk’s perspective is skewed by numerous biases, mostly concerning women and gender issues. Jade is repeatedly called „bitch“ in a derogatory way and Kanayas behavior is framed as being „hysterical“. Roxy’s transition goes straight over his head, he can’t read her intentions because he is blind to gender issues that don’t fit his limited understanding of the concept of gender. He reminds me of a member of the alt-right, shutting women out of conversations and disregarding their opinions. This quote especially:

This sounds like it’s ripped straight from an alt-righter defending his free speech while at the same time trying to shoehorn his dubious political intentions in. In contrast to that, muse!Calliopes way of telling the story seems to be fairly neutral.

So it’s no surprise that the people he tried to shut out before (women and trans people) are realizing that his narrative behavior is trying to manipulate them and they take action. Especially Terezi seems to be immune to his narrative manipulation:

The moment that they break the hold ultimate!Dirk has over the narrative, they are beginning to feel like the old „canon“ characters.

Up to this point, we had to look at genuine character moments through the lens of an unreliable narrator. Homestuck has always been a parody that got unintentionally serious, so I think we have to look at the epilogues the same way: genuine character moments under the layers of parody, commentary on fan behavior and politics.

Ultimate!Dirk ultimately fails to create a cohesive narrative, one that favors only one perspective. This is reflective of the way Homestuck has been written and perceived these last ten years. He has to fail, because the author has lost control and interpretative hegemony over Homestuck canon — no one has it.

That is why it’s so important that the voice of the epilogues is not only Hussie’s voice, but was written in part by Cephied_Variable and ctset. While Hussie was responsible for writing the dialogue, the surrounding prose is entirely in the hands of fans. It’s a decentralized narrative that refuses to acknowledge one perspective, one reception as the right one.

And much like the kids in the juju, we are now stuck in a place outside of canon, after Homestuck ended. And it just happens that everyone is starved for new content: We all wish we had brought something to read. Be it the epilogues or fanfiction, we are all stuck in a place that no longer really affects the narrative:

And look at me, how I desperately try to take hold of the narrative in this long ass meta post. This is what Homestuck means to me and this is my perspective, my narrative.

[mittenslikesthings]

Make me your doll :)

Hello, today I would like us to look at a really hot routine practiced by British mentalist Derren Brown. 

Now I would like to say from the beginning that I think what Derren has done here overall is highly unethical. Derren takes this woman, fucks with her religious beliefs and gives a number of powerful suggestions without gaining consent beforehand which is unacceptable. I will also be looking at her state of mind and talking about how much I like it and wish it were me, which is super problematic and stuff. But this is a Tumblr about kink so that is all I will say about that.

Now, On to the Hotness!

What I <3 about this scene is the simple self assured elegance of the induction and I think it would be really fun to have a domme allow me to consent to this and experiment and have fun. I mean, to be unable to speak or move (and experience or do god knows what else) based on what she does to a doll?

Yummy. 

If you would like to continue click the below video and then continue reading.

Lets begin...

The poor girl is being entrapped before she even realizes it....

The language Derren uses even before the session is beautiful... He begins a pretty involved spiel about how religion is changing in England which grabs her attention and then drops the bomb by having her stand up suddenly. In hypnosis there is something called a “pattern interrupt induction” basically it is just the perfectly normal response to something new, the conscious routine is broken and the unconscious mind has to figure out wtf is going on, but it does so using imagination so a lot of weird things become possible.

“As main stream religions seem to be dying out, um, would you stand up with me for a sec?“

Here he is using something called simply a ‘stand up induction’, he has her mind in one place and then interrupts it entirely and has her carry out an arbitrary command. She complies and seems fine but inside that creative little mind of hers is wondering “what is this? what is happening?” That confusion is something he will use to his advantage. :) :) :) <3 <3 <3 <3

He then moves her by the shoulders and stands her in place “and just like that...” Here he is establishing his dominance and her compliance more completely. He doesn’t seem to be doing anything malicious so she goes along with it but inside the confusion and compliance are starting to mix into a nice trance :)

And now unto the trancing :)

Following the Elman induction he looks to get “body catelepsy” and “arm catelypsy”, this word, which I have mispelled twice two different ways, means getting muscle groups to work together, it is something the unconscious mind is really good at and by having her do it she is really starting to rely more and more on that unconscious imagination. A lot of hypnotists really take their time with this process, Dave Elman’s famous induction does it in about five minutes. But the last few decades people have been doing them with ‘rapid’ or ‘instantaeneous’ inductions that don’t even require words to do. This is what Derren does. (FYI, I have never had the backbone to try them so I use the longer form)

You can see when he first steadies her, he shakes her slightly until her whole body basically focuses on standing upright, full body catelpsy achieved :)

When you see hypnotists go on these long routines “your whole body is becoming very very relaxed from your toes to your forehead” that is the same thing, and Derren does it in like, three quarters of a second.

He holds her hand and brings her arm up, again this is about confusion and compliance making her more and more open to his suggestions at a deeper level.

When he is shaking her arm I believe he is checking for a moment when it relaxes completly (and she gives in, like a good girl should <3 ) and then at that moment he switches to steadying her arm until her now entranced unconscious picks up the hint for it to stay in place. This is the same sort of thing you see a stage hypnotist do when we look for involuntary arm levitation by having someone imagine a balloon is attached to their fingers with their eyes closed, it lets us know when our subjects have a good trance going. Now normally it takes me maybe about five minutes to get here, but Derren gets her there *so quick*

He ends the induction with “and you can just stay like that for a while”

‘Like what for a while?’ she must be thinking, inside so determined to find the meaning behind those words, but what instructions has her unconscious recieved? Body and arm catelysy, so she goes deeper into that experience.

She might not seem it on the outside, but that girl is now as deep as the people you see at stage shows comfortably drinking tall glasses of vineger after being told it is Sprite.

Thus her trance goeth deeper <3 <3

Phase three, the Fetish (like in a literal sense, get your mind out of the gutter)

Right now her mind is probably empty and laser focused on him searching for the meaning of the experience she is confused about. If he stopped she would proably come back in a few seconds. But he isn’t done, now Derren drops another pattern interrupt by turning around and listen to the language he uses...

“I’m gonna show you what this is.... I’m gonna show you something involving this.....which is..... .... a doll”

Each part of that asks a question, each part transfixes her mind a little more. :) Such simple things go a long way. It might night seem like much to us but when you are in trance you get sooo hyper focused that those words would have kept her total attention and helped her get deeper into the experience Derren is crafting for her.

It is not wrong this turns me on lol

Put your Soul into this Doll and let Me own you :)

So this next part is interesting. For hypnosis to work the Number One requirement is Congruency, you need to tap into the other person’s experience, values and personality and then pace that experience in the direction you want to go in.

This girl is really into paganism, magic and so on so there is a really good chance she believes that dolls can take on magical associations. She is no longer thinking with her logical conscious mind but with her super creative unconscious mind, which is also (probably) the same part of us which has our really deep beliefs about the world.

He has already just bluntly said “We are going to give it a soul, which I will do now by taking this ring...”

Her mind is 100% primed to be able to believe her soul can be placed inside that doll. By pretending to take the ring from her and putting it in the doll she is personally attached to it.

“Now it has a soul, your soul, if you like” The pause when he turns is intentional, it gives her unconscious time to process what is happening and make it a reality.

(Now I need to just step outside this for a moment. All of this is possible because Derren is not doing anything seemingly malicious, if Derren were to begin to seriosuly abuse her she would snap out pretty quickly.)

Really nice and affirming patter follows

“Say I just think, it is interesting, that we believe what makes us feel good, and if we find something nice we tend to believe it” (words to that effect, it is getting late lol)

So here he is fixing her attention but also giving subtle hints that this is an enjoyable experience for her which she is now likely to accept. Given what follows this was a good thing to get in her tender little mind.

Finally, the mindfucking I promised

In order to begin pillaging her brain he needs to get into her experience so, roll for gather information, 

“Do you feel anything, what are you aware of?” Short, and simple. What she says next will determine Derren’s next moves.

“My legs feel real heavy” This is the full body catelypsy showing, Derren has a good idea she will be unable to move them, especially if he follows ‘they are heavy’ with ‘can you move them’.

“Can you move them, can you move your feet?”

She laughs saying “I’m trying”. I have had people describe these sorts of realizations that things have suddenly changed in trance a few ways. Some say half their brain believes it while the other half doesn’t, some say it is like a dream.

I think it would feel really, really, fucking hot. “My world is no longer my own” hot.

To further the trance he turns around and what does she see, the legs of the doll are now tied with rope. This is the moment the full power of her unconscious mind is takes control, her delicate little conscious rational mind is going to be carried away like a tsunami. Her unconscious mind makes the connection,

What Mistress Does to the Doll = The Truth of My Experience

Well like Derren isn’t her Mistress but like, I have an imagination too lol

He then takes control of her arms very, very simply,

"Just so you can see you can move them for a moment”

This creates the expectation, so simply and perfectly, that he will paralyze them as well, and when he begins to wind the rope around the doll as she waves them she gets less and less able to.

She probably feels the rope constraining her, pushing in against her skin tighter and tighter until her muscles can’t fight it anymore *HAWWWWTTTTTT*

“Can you move your arms?”

“No...”

“Are you trying?”

“Yah...”

The nervousness in her laugh, the confusion, the fear, the hope her dominent will not really hurt her but powerless to prevent it.

Oh god I ***need*** to feel that. Ahem. Moving on.

Now, The Orgasm Scene

He reassures her “you are perfectly comfortable.”

And the priming “I want you to count backwards from ten to zero for me ..... Out Loud.” 

Now based on what Derren has done to her, what do you think this girl’s unconscious knows will happen to her next?

He wraps the cord tightly around the doll’s head and she begins to count down

“Ten”

“Nine” 

“Ei-eight”

“Se...wwwen”

“Shhixx”

“f.fff.ff..ii...ve”

“Foooooooouu”

“...... .... rr...eeeeeee”

“....................ooooo”

And then there is that brief flash of panic and fear in her eyes, did she just lose the ability to speak? What has he done to her?

But then the moment of assurance, his hand on her chin closing it.

“Can you talk?”

and she can’t even say no.

God.

So beautiful.

[purenoodles]

55-100

Gonna hope it was this ask

Gonna add a read-more because this bitch LONG and also I’m in the mood to monologue on half of these questions

55. Have you ever liked somebody and never told them?

I’ve told like... two? people I’ve liked them. Drunk me on the other hand tells everyone because he’s a bitch and is like “lemme YEET my heart into the person’s lap and tell them how much they mean to me and how I wouldn’t mind owning a house and dog with them”

56. Do you like to cuddle?

If I like the person I just like being around them, preferably touching in some way (unless they aren’t cool with it) so cuddling would be WONDERFUL.  I’ve dated people in the past that weren’t cool with it, like a past ex had some serious emotional trauma so an average day’s contact was a light handshake or high five, and a really good day was a tight hug or kiss. While it’s not ideal I’m still fine with it.

57. Are you shy?

If you asked ANYONE who knew me they’d say I’m not, but I really am - at least when first meeting someone. I have a completely unearned confidence that I’ve learned to project to get me past my initial shyness and after a couple of times of that projection I can just be my natural self.

58. Do you get along with girls?

I think like 90% of my tumblr friends are girls so I’m gonna say yes. When I first meet someone I’m definitely a lot shyer around girls though. It doesn’t help that I’m 6 feet tall and an absolute god damn unit so I probably appear way more intimidating than I look.

59. Have you dated the person you texted last?

Nah we live too far apart and Erin’s been in a committed relationship like... 99% of the time I’ve known her?

60. What do you carry with you at all times?

My phone, wallet, and an undying love for all of my buddies

61. If you were paid 1 million dollars to spend the night in a supposed haunted house, would you?

Yeah sure I’ll just get drunk and sleep through it or blast some bops and ignore whatever weird happenings go on

62. Do you think you can last in a relationship for five months?

I’d be disappointed if it lasted LESS than five months tbh. Like if I’m dating you I’m hoping we know each other enough that there aren’t any immediate issues that would end it that quick. I’ve been in like 3 serious relationships and they were all for over a year.

63. Think back to October, were you in a relationship?

It is October and no. If you meant last October then also no.

64. The person you like kisses you on the forehead, do you find this cute?

Adorable and I better be able to kiss their forehead back. Also cute that they got a stepladder to reach or got me to bend over so they could reach lmao

65. Did anything “cute” happen in the last week?

Got super drunk with @ticklepeachy and our friend Bean last night and talked about feelings and stuff

66. How old are the last three people you kissed?

Like 22, 23, and 25

67. Would you rather pay to get your nails done or do them yourself?

I’d probably just ask one of my friends to do it, but I don’t think I’d want my nails painted lol

68. Which do you like better- Zebra print or leopard print?    

Neither but if I have to pick I guess Zebra?

69. Do you have any stickers on your car?    

Nope!

70. Would you rather listen to Luke Bryan or Lil Wayne?    

It really depends on my mood because my musical taste is all over the god damn place and I can listen to both of them in the same session

71. Blackberry, Android, or iPhone?    

I like my iPhone because it has my decade worth of iTunes music, but Androids are fine. My mom and aunts have blackberries and I hate them so much.

72. When’s the last time you had pizza from Pizza Hut?    

Probably at least 6+ years ago. There’s like 50 pizza places that deliver to me so if I really want to have some delivered I can get pizza that’s actually good lmao

73. Do you like diet soda?    

Not particularly. It just tastes “off” for lack of a better word.

74. What color are the walls in your room?    

They’re “pearl white” or something I forget the exact color name but I just repainted them like 2 years ago.

75. Are you 16 or older?    

God I hope so

76. Do you watch Pretty Little Liars?    

Nope, although I know a lot of people who were into it.

77. Do you have a job?    

I wish but I was like “Hey I should get a career doing something I love!” and it’s impossible to break into the job market without like a 5.0 GPA, 3 internships, and 5 years experience.

78. What are your initials?    

MJP

79. Did you ever have braces?    

Nope, I have a bit of a crossbite but it’s never been bad enough to warrant braces thankfully

80. Are you from the south?

No and I’m disgusted you would ask me this :/

81. What does your last status on facebook say? 

I’ve been scrolling for awhile and my last post was 2 years ago and it was a “shared memory” from 5 years ago. I have no idea what my last status was

82. Do you still talk to the first person you ever kissed?    

Nope, they’re incredibly toxic and problematic and I wish I had realized it when we first met!

83. Are you closer to your mom or your dad?    

Mom for sure.

84. Have you ever done cheerleading or gymnastics?    

Nope, haven’t done either. Although I took 2 science classes my senior year of high school which meant instead of having Gym class every day of the week for half of the year I had it like 3 days/week for like 2/3 of the year. After the first semester I had gym class with an all girl class that was a grade below me and I had to do whatever they did, so I did have some experience with tumbling.

85. What’s the last movie you saw in theaters?    

I think it was the Wolverine movie that came out a year or two ago. Ryan and I hit up Dave and Buster’s because I got a bunch of free gift cards for there, then we forgot to grab food and I was like “haha it’s fine I’ll just buy food at the movies!” When they told me it’d be $20 for Nachos and a drink I almost cried.

86. Do you smoke?    

I smoke like 1 cigarette and 1 bowl of weed a year. The cigarette I randomly have while drunk when my cousin offers me one and every time I smoke it and go “yep definitely not for me”. The weed is from my cousin’s bf who offers me a hit every time I see him lmao.

87. Would you rather wear heels or flip flops?    

Flip flops but I don’t really like my feet so I prefer regular shoes

88. Is your phone touch screen?    

Yeah when it wants to work

89. Do you normally wear your hair straight or curly?    

Straight but if I let my hair grow out to a few inches it starts naturally curling a bit at the ends.

90. Have you ever snuck out of your house?    

Yeah a couple of times

91. Would you rather swim in a river, lake, or pool?    

The lakes and rivers by me are NASTY so definitely a pool. If I drove like 2 hours to where I like going kayaking then the river is nice and I wouldn’t mind

92. Have you ever made out in a car?    

Once

93. …Had sex in a car?    

Nope!

94. Are you single or in a relationship?    

Single and ready to move across the country if I get offered a job

95. What were you doing last night at midnight?    

Watching Alexis stream Super Mario Sunshine unless that was after her laptop died in which case I think we were just drinking and voice chatting

96. When’s the last time you saw fireworks?    

I probably saw some around the 4th of July

97. Do you like the camera on your phone?    

It’s okay but I cracked the camera lens so now sometimes it gets some weird glare

98. Have you ever had a friend with benefits?    

All of my friends are friends with benefits! They offer me emotional support or people to play games with or people I can just talk to or whatever the case may be.

99. Have you ever passed out from drinking?    

Maybe so

100. Are you friends with people on facebook that you actually hate?

I wouldn’t say hate, but the majority I don’t care about whatsoever

[gffa]

hi sunshine

(cont.) enjoy what we find ourselves liking without getting hate and being proclaimed horrible people?? personally, i really enjoy their dynamic so much, beyond the romance, bc there’s so much there and i think there’s no one who better understands them than each other and god knows no one sane ships them when anakin’s a /child/ but !!!! the hate!!! it just gets overwhelming sometimes and makes me wonder idk i kinda went off on a rampage thank u for listening i hope u have a great day

Hello, dear!  A lot of this depends on how the person being asked feels versus the intention behind the ask versus what’s a good faith or bad faith discussion.  If it’s a bad faith discussion–ie, if the person asking is only there to be an asshole, who isn’t really interested in your answer–my response is pretty much, “[posts a gif of the elevator scene] YEAH I DON’T KNOW WHERE I GET THAT IDEA FROM.” because they’re not looking for an answer and I don’t need to justify one.But if someone is looking for an honest answer and is genuinely open to listening to others (which can be very hard to determine sometimes!) then I would say that, FIRST OF ALL, they’re fictional characters and we’re here to have fun, it’s not that serious.  Nobody deserves hate for which fictional characters they ship!SECOND, they’re adults and we actually get to see them age out of the Master/Padawan relationship.  We get to see Obi-Wan respect Anakin’s boundaries.  We get to see them interact as peers and best friends, rather than only just as teacher/student.  We see that dynamic right in front of us and so saying that they can never be shipped because Obi-Wan was his teacher deliberately ignores that Anakin SURE FEELS JUST FINE SPEAKING  UP WHENEVER HE WANTS.  It’s fine if someone doesn’t want to ship the two of them for themselves because of this!  If someone out there feels, oh, they were teacher and student or feels that they can only see the two as father and son, those are perfectly valid interpretations for those people!  They are just as right as someone who ships Obi-Wan and Anakin!Shipping fictional characters is about us, not about the idea that Obi-Wan and Anakin are real people, and that means exploring the aspects of them that we are interested in and speak to us.  That’s the ultimate point of anything in fiction–to make us feel things, to make us think about things, to give us tools to examine ourselves individually, to explore ideas in a place that’s not the real world, to give us something that satisfies us, to just have fun with.  And if that means you want to explore some fluffy Obikin smooching fic or kinky sexy fic or wrenching heartache fic or fixing all the problems of the GFFA fic, that is what fiction is for.But what you’re asking about is people who give others shit about what they like and, honestly, the real truth is that you’re probably never going to be able to convince them.  George Lucas or Dave Filoni themselves could come knock on our doors and tell us Obi-Wan/Anakin romantic feelings were canon and many antis would still be angry about it and say how wrong it is and hate on anyone who shipped them.  You cannot convince other people who don’t actually want to change their minds, there’s no magic combination to unlock what some have already decided is inherently wrong.  We can only decide for ourselves what we like and what we want to interact with others on.I can quote a dozen moments from the movies, tv shows, books, comics, games, and interviews that put Obikin in a romantic light, there’s no shortage of stuff that lends itself to them as a pairing!  I can (and probably have orz) write multiple essays on how so much of the galaxy’s fate is founded on Anakin’s relationship with Obi-Wan!  I can write more essays about their dynamic, how they really know each other better than anyone, that that’s the whole point of that fight in ROTS, that nobody knows these two as well as each other, that Obi-Wan has loved many people, but Anakin has always been the great love of his life, that Anakin’s choices hurt because of what they do to Obi-Wan just as much as what they do to Padme and Luke and Leia.  That they have defined each others’ lives!But it’s never going to matter to someone who doesn’t want to see them as a valid choice for someone else. And you have to decide for yourself if you want to continue being around those friends, if they’ll still be your friends if you talk publicly about what you like, or if you need to make a separate blog to interact with fans or even just lurk quietly in Obikin fandom.  All of those options are fine for what you yourself need!  If you feel you can’t openly join us, I’m sorry to not be able to interact with you, but I understand!  If you come to us under a different blog name, WELCOME!  If you openly join us, there’s a lot of really fun stuff going on around here, I hope you have fun with  us!!  And, honestly, I find that Obikin hate isn’t nearly as bad as it sometimes seems–maybe it’s just because I’ve blocked the worst people or because I don’t read people who hate it, but I almost never see it and I almost never get any anons telling me horrible things for it.  It might be different where you are and I don’t know the people you hang out with, they might give you hate for it.  But just generally hanging out in this corner, I don’t see much of it anymore!And I’m very, very much with you.  One of the reasons I ship them so hard is because I love their dynamic beyond just wanting them to smooch–honestly, my very favorite fic in this fandom is one where they aren’t even meant to be a pairing, but instead it nails the dynamic between them so well that I don’t care I JUST WANT THEM TO BE TOGETHER, I JUST WANT THEM TO BE IN EACH OTHERS’ LIVES.I love them because they know each other better than anyone, because they run the gamut of dynamics, that they can be cute and happy and hilarious but they can also be angry and heartbreaking and hurtful.  I am a sucker for pairings that explore a whole array of what’s between two characters, from happy to sad, from hilarious to heartbreaking, and Obikin has that in spades.  I’m also a sucker for pairings that have wildly great chemistry, which they do in everything I have ever seen them in, they always spark off each other and they have all these delicious issues to explore, there’s such incredible love there that can never be burnt all the way down, no matter how hard Anakin tries, and sometimes that means I want to explore Anakin’s d/s kink and sometimes that means I just want time travel fluffy fix it fic where they never even smooch and EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN.  ♥__♥