#I love being a hater I'm a hater first and foremost but sometimes it's also nice to chill with the enemy ya know

[alexjcrowley]

I was tagged by @threecheers-forsweetrevenge (thanks!) and so

Propaganda for each one:

Empty cans/bottles/glasses: I currently have 30 on display, including a plastic cup from a MCR concert and a can of RedBull Birne-Zimt which cannot be found in my country and I store like it was a bottle of Don Perignon

The Virginity Corner (aka RedBull merch): includes a 2d statuette of Max Verstappen, a small RB18 toycar and a hilarious mug gifted to me by my tifoso friend that is the "I love my boyfriend" template with Max Verstappen in the middle of the heart. I cannot overstate how much I did NOT ask for this (also has a pretty funny story behind it).

Vintage Star Wars statuette: THEY EVEN ROTATE WHAT MORE CAN YOU ASK FOR. C3P0 holds one of his legs in his hand and it swings.

Buzz Lightyear: I had dreamed of this toy since I was 8 years old. I never got it because of my speech impediment (long story). I bought it for myself when I was 16 in Ireland, I hid it in my backpack and during the last day of class I accidentally hit one of the buttons and jumpscared my classmates with "TO INFINITY AND BEYOND" coming from under my desk.

Rock stuck under my boot: It's not just a rock, it's a boulder the most physical reminder of my happiest days, during which, forr a while, I was the person I aspired to be.

Tobacco pipes: I like pipes in general and you must know I have a very small one that it's foldable. A foldable pipe. With it you'd be the most ethereal and fuckable person at the club. "Oh, we going out for a smoke? Let me just unfold my pipe and I'll be right with you".

French soft porn spy novel: gifted to me on my birthday from my tifoso friend together with the "I love my boyfriend" Max mug. However tacky you think its cover may look like, it's worse, trust me. I genuinely hold this dear to my heart.

I am not sure if some of these people have done it before but anyway, here I tag: @montalbanosbaldhead @queer-frenchmermaid @raikkonenvettels @regina-del-cielo

[golbrocklovely]

I miss when SNC would interact with us :(

i feel you, anon.

but i kinda understand why they don't, in some regard.

first and foremost, them interacting with us was a "luxury" so to speak. basically, we aren't owed interactions just bc we buy merch or watch their content. i think social media and being an influencer has really warped ppl's minds into thinking they are owed 24 hour access to someone at all times about everything they are doing. it is not part of their job description to reply back to a tweet or like an edit about them on insta or TikTok. those are added bonuses that we used to get (and only somewhat get now). obviously, interacting with fans is a great way to keep them engaged in your content, but it's also a lot of time spent to do. especially when you have a fandom like this that loves to say certain fans don't deserve notices or certain ppl get more than others. in the end, snc look like assholes to those that want to hate on them.

but mostly, i think the reason snc don't interact with us anymore is bc the hate has gotten to them. it's hard to want to interact with a fandom that does constantly judge every move you make, or comment on everything you do. and then to add to the list, make fun of someone you love and are currently in a relationship with. snc, as so many hater have pointed out, are almost 30 years old. who the fuck at that big of an age wants to be yelled at by sometimes minors/mostly adults that their gf, the one those fans know nothing about, is a hoebag and unworthy of dating them and instead you should be dating someone else that we've all shipped you with for years even tho you said countless times you weren't dating them??? who wants to also be told that "hey don't grow your facial hair, change your hair to this, you should get back into shape again like before, joke about your missing testicle here" but then be yelled at for not interacting with the same ppl that are saying all of that???

yeah i wouldn't give those fuckers the time of day either. i'd have your asses blocked so fast lol

and while yes, a good majority of the fandom isn't like that, it's good to remember that maybe when one person is saying something mean, it's just an offhanded comment that you can maybe ignore. but when you have 100s of ppl saying the same thing, liking comments like those, it's not gonna feel like a singular comment. it's gonna feel like harassment. not only that, snc have been doing this for 10ish years. they started in late 2014/early 2015 and for years were in direct contact with fans all that time. the amount of shit they have been told over the years…. and they're still standing?? i'm surprised.

while i would love for them to come back and interact with us like the old times, it's not gonna happen. not with the atmosphere this fandom has currently. maybe if things really do quiet down, i can see them coming back somewhat. but i don't expect it.

[wetcatspellcaster]

Do you have any writing tips for newbie fic writers? Your descriptions are gorgeous. Thank you for pieces BTW, it's my favorite 'piece' of writing ❤️

hi anon, thank you for the kind words!💞💞 I'm flattered that I'm someone that you'd think to ask this question, so I'll do my best to answer! I've put my response beneath a keep reading cut to prevent it being a long post :)

I wasn't sure how to interpret this question, so I'll focus on 'technical' (?) tips mostly. Hope any of them help, in some small way!

my main tip to new fic writers is: write, first and foremost, for yourself, and to feed yourself. I've seen this perspective get put through the disk-horse ringer of late, so take it or leave it, or take it with as much of a pinch of salt as you need. But truly, from the bottom of my heart and from my position of sudden newfound popularity, this is the most important lesson I was ever given and so I have to say it. Popularity is not guaranteed. Even a popular fic will have haters and people who think it objectively sucks, and the readers who like you will never be fully pleased with what you've delivered. This could all be very depressing and cause an author to lose motivation.... if you make it the criteria for success in the first place. If you make the criteria for success your own happiness (or perhaps the happiness of you and a few close pals), providing yourself with what you, specifically, want to see, you will probably want to keep writing regardless of all other factors. Produce fics that you want to reread when you need comfort, when you are sick, and when you want to see your blorbos exactly the way you want them. This will make any fic worthwhile to you, regardless of stats, and prevent you from writing things that will suffer if your heart isn't in it! (this doesn't preclude gift fics/prompts! sometimes your heart can be 100% in providing food for others. find your key motivators, and feed that - a healthy amount - if you're trying to get into writing as a hobby!)

Now, onto my writing tips! I don't consider myself an expert and these are more lessons that have helped me, specifically, to improve my writing. But maybe something in here will be of use!

Bc you say you like descriptions... I tend to go into detail only when it's an essential thing that needs to be described. Leave wider details for readers to fill in with their own beautiful mind-palaces, and this gives you permission to go ham on what matters. What is it that matters? maybe it's a piece of the environment (say, a soul jar) or maybe it's just how hot one part of your ship is, in their hot clothes or out of them. If you focus on the important stuff but leave the rest to background, this not only creates a good balance of action to description, but it also shows the reader what they should prioritise in the scene.

I also google '[WORD] synonyms' a lot, for descriptions specifically. Which seems like it might be condescending advice, but it both helps you find different words if you're worried you're repeating yourself, and sometimes confirms that yes. You are using the best word actually, as you were.

Get a good balance of complex/simplistic words, as well as a good balance of complex/simplistic sentences. Sometimes you need a flowery description, sometimes you just need to state explicitly what is happening or the way things are. Tone will shift depending on your balance of these two things, so test the waters and see what works for you!

If you feel like you've written too much dialogue, the answer is probably no, you haven't written too much dialogue - for fic specifically. Most people are reading fic bc they want their faves to interact more. You are giving them more interaction and they will probably love it.

If you find phrases you like in the books/fic you read, it isn't plagiarism to use them so long as you recontextualise them. I'm certain I've used other people's words multiple times, particularly for my descriptions/imagery, and this is totally ok so long as the context is original. If you're worried, or its a whole sentence/interaction you like, examine the sentence/interaction and work out why you like it so much. Is it the sentence structure? Is the character dynamic? Is it the way the kiss plays out? Take the things you find sexiest in other people's writing and find ways to incorporate it into your own work!

I proofread by reading aloud. Yes, I sound mental and unhinged. My cats are worried about me. But this not only helps you catch mistakes, it helps to test the flow of a sentence! If you're ever worried a sentence is too long/a line of dialogue doesn't sound in character, read it aloud! This will help you work out if it's flowing or not, and if it isn't then you'll get some clues as to why!

Don't be afraid to take risks, if you want to take risks! This can apply to anything: being brave enough to put in a joke you're not sure people will find funny, describing something in a way you're worried people will find weird, tackling something from a perspective or POV that you find challenging. This may be a more intermediate tip, but you can start with small risks, and experimenting helps you find your writing voice! Taking risks makes your writing unique :) and I can't explain how much better my writing has gotten since I gave myself specific challenges. You will not get it perfectly write 100% of the time (there are some parts of Pieces that are weak compared to other parts) but it will always help you improve.

[yinyuedijun]

happy birthday mao! (੭˃ᴗ˂)੭ 💌 i hope you will like this little gift i miserably couldn’t keep in full secret from you :’3 i wanted to lean a tiny bit into tokyo vice suo but not entirely because i haven’t read this one yet and didn’t want to draw him a total freak hehe and i actually made this before you came up with kitsune suo, so i got stuck somewhere in the middle with just older suo still cosplaying a chinese man and you in that pretty shade of red with blue and gold details giving him a pass to match your levels of sexy :3 (please don’t ask why martini, i don’t know, it just appeared there and couldn’t think of putting anything else in your hands for a birthday toast, i hope you like it occasionally)

thank you for sharing your amazing fics and interesting bits about your culture and silly everyday posts here. i’m so happy i got to know you and read your works! sometimes you say you’re a hater, but you’re kind and thoughtful first and foremost, me thinks. and a little insane, but in a very good way that turns into the passionate stories you create <3 i wish you loads of money and the grind to slow down so you can enjoy your trips and parties and writing and all other things that make you happy! ✨

MANUUUUU? OH MY GOODNESS THANK YOU SO MUCH 🥺💞💞💞 I am so grateful to know YOU, thank you for being my little friend in my phone and bringing so much happiness to the dash <3 I am so glad that you enjoy my cn shitposting and insane mind, and I'm so grateful for the birthday wishes as well 🥺💞

also THE ART.... it looks so gorgeous and I am EATING UP UR OLDER SUO he is SO FINE. I am imagining tokyo vice suo in this fit now and feeling crazy... we r holding martinis bc he decided to buy them ♥️♥️♥️ AND HSGLDKKSSJ YOU DREW ME SO GORGEOUS IM LOSING MY MIND? IM SO GLOWED UP IM GOING TO SHOW THIS TO SELFSHIP ARTISTS FROM NOW ON LOOOL. and you did such a wonderful job with the patterns... GOSH you are so talented and I am so grateful you used that talent to come up with such a lovely gift 🥹

THANK YOUUUU!!

[wifiwuxians]

don't listen to the haters they are wrong :<

As I said in reblogs I LOVE Wen Xun especially his design, I was absolutely amazed with his design when I first saw him. he has one of the most beautiful designs I've seen and I'm NOT exaggerating. and I am planning on reading Dawn Chorus!!

and for what I already know about wen xun's personality he is absolutely not the same as xiao xinchen! he has a unique personality and especially backstory (come on he is WEN RUOHAN'S SON-) and it is also clearly seen from that modern high school AU! and again maybe these anons think that xxc and lan xichen or xie lian are similar??? idk but don't feel sad they are just being stupid and also having haters is a side effect of popularity☝

kejakhas youre such a sweetie but i dont think i have haters!!! i dont think anyone was trying to hate on my character or my design choices or anything tbh. i just dont agree with what was being said is all. it really means a lot to me that you like him so much and that you think he's so gorgeous, i got tons of beautiful art of him on art fight this year (and the years before!!!) i should really make a thread of it and link back to it to showcase everyone's wonderful work :]

it always blows me away when anything i make just for my own delight ends up having such a hugely positive response. like, i genuinely never EVER expected more than 5 people to read Dawn Chorus, so like, 200 people!? WHAT!? that's insane to me!!!! and although it was a one and done for a lot of folk (which is fine) i do always appreciate when people show up for me drawing xunyang :D and letting me have my indulgences, which i sometimes fear i may lose the further into fandom i go. i always wanna create for myself first and foremost! it's why i just can't dedicate too much energy to people not vibing with me. it's not for them! if you like it, i love that! if you don't, oh well, yknow?

i am SO glad you know about the HS AU too, truly you know the lore 😭 i need to write that fic so bad (and post a ficlet to ao3 that has xun in it! i've been meaning to!) this ask is seriously so so sweet but don't worry about it- and to the anons, if you read this, i really don't think you're hating. thank you for reaching out to me with your honest opinions!

[timemachineyeah]

Hi, I really appreciate your points on Madoka! Thank you for providing that insight that is so desperately needed! Because I am so sick of dudebros acting like it's better than female-empowering Magical Girl works aimed at girls, or how whenever I or somebody else critiques the storytelling and message we just get told "Madoka is perfectly feminist actually and if you don't think so then you're just too stupid to understand how DEEEEEEEP it is go back to your stupid sweet and fluffy anime that's for GUUUUURLS" or alternatively "oh so female characters can't ever suffer ever and have to be happy all the time ever or it's misogynistic trash?!?!?!?! check and mate bitch" like I am just so tired. I'm glad to see your posts even though some of them are quite old. I have to say thank you once again for your genuine critique of Madoka because at this point I feel like I'm being punked whenever I talk about what's wrong with it.

Sorry! I saw this earlier and completely forgot to answer!

My few posts have given me a reputation as a Madoka hater (and, fair enough, because I certainly don't blame anyone who is. Please hate Madoka all you like). The truth is I really do like the original show quite a bit, but YEAH.

YEAH.

I think the thing that gets most exhausting for me, over and over, is bringing up these criticisms and being told, "No! Because Madoka fixed all that!" and even ignoring Rebellion (which I am inclined to do anyway), the girls still die.

They die.

The happy ending is a montage of girls dying. Which is a happy ending only because what they were getting before (specifically as a consequence of choosing to be a magical girl) was a fate worse than death.

And it's worth noting how the incubators are portrayed. They aren't portrayed as malicious. They aren't "evil" in that sense. What they are is practical and indifferent. They are taking advantage of inherent factors in the universe, not creating those factors.

Which means that there's something about PMMM that is saying, this is reality. At least in this fiction, this is the reality of femininity. And it is inherent to femininity! Kyubey even explains - it's weird! But only teen girls are like this! That's why we use them!

I think it's fair to be like, hey, that's fucked up. What kind of gender essentialist fatalism? Bro?

And it's also just denial to pretend it isn't about fanservice or a male audience.

As anyone who's been on my blog recently will know, I'm kinda super into Love Live! right now. It's cute. It scratches an itch.

And there's a lot of plausible deniability built into it, and a lot of pushback from English speaking fandom about it, but, uh, Love Live! is an idol game but it's also a waifu collector.

It's also a catalogue of nonthreateningly sexual anime teenage girls specifically designed to appeal first and foremost to lonely awkward Japanese young working men with disposable income.

And, idk, knowing that doesn't impede my ability to find it cute and wholesome and fun and escapist. The fact that it is that does lead to some of creative decisions that make the series less fun for me (it's not very diverse, for example. The yuri elements are subtext for another. And I either wish the girls were less sexualized or older, personally). But I'm not going to deny what it is.

I'm not even particularly interested in shaming the men its aimed at for liking it, or shaming the creators for making it that way per se (well, okay, sometimes I am interested in shaming the creators a lil bit). But I do think most the things about it that read as feminist to me as an American read that way because I am so far outside the original intended subculture. And I think the same is true about Madoka. You can absolutely read feminist messages in it. I certainly do. But placing these works in their original contexts tells a very different much more... regressive? picture. They were not made for women and girls. They are not made to uplift women and girls. They CAN! And they DO! Both in Japan and elsewhere! But that's anywhere from (at best) a secondary market to (at worst) a complete accident.

It's hard for some people to wrap their heads around because in America at least I think the idea of a "cute" (even if that's subverted in Madoka) media starring a large cast of only girls being for men is pretty alien to how we do stories and marketing. Here we understand playboy magazines and swimsuit editions, but we don't understand men collecting merch of a cute fictional girl they like. It would be seen as emasculating.

We understand the reverse. We get that boy bands and anime like Free! can be aimed squarely at women while being comprised entirely of men or male characters. Which is part of why I'm not shaming the male audiences, because... desiring anime tiddy isn't inherently predatory anymore than a lady desiring anime ass. And that's a crass way of putting it anyway. We don't frame hanging a boy band poster up that way, or playing a game like Mystic Messenger. It becomes more complicated because we live in a complicated patriarchal structure that protects and empowers men and women differently and unequally, but that seems like a poor reason to try to tell individual men they aren't allowed to enjoy things in a way that is obviously natural and parallels how... most humans like to enjoy some things sometimes.

But that also doesn't mean we can't look at those broad cultural patterns and... make observations. And have criticisms. And talk about how it affects people, and the back and forth between media and culture.

But, Madoka is for men first. The girls' suffering is a form of male gaze, and pretty unambiguously a kind of very very softcore torture porn for male gamer types. That's not a judgment against it, that's just its literal intended share of the market. It's a pretty easy read if you understand the context in which it was released and the culture it is coming from and catering to. My Little Pony is a little girls toy franchise. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sells toys to boys. Home & Gardens is for housewives. Top Gear is for car dads. These are true even if other people like them. When an adult fan of children's cartoons (I say, as an adult fan of children's cartoons) tries to say, "But it's not really a kids cartoon!" I feel about the same way I do when a feminist fan of some clearly male-centric media says, "But it's not really!"

And that's - own your shit. Own it. It's fine. It's fine to like it. It's fine to love it. It's fine if it means the world to you. It doesn't mean there's something wrong with you if you like a media that maybe isn't the most mature or progressive masterpiece out there. Just don't pretend there's no validity in obvious criticism. I love some real garbage made by real garbage people. I have survived.

Madoka exists in a fictional universe where the laws of that fictional universe are that 1) girls are uniquely emotional, 2) that emotion and their own aspirations can easily be harnessed against them in such a way that in the best possible universe all it does it kill them. In the normal universe it turns them into evil witches. That's just true. That's the world. I'm allowed to look at that, especially in conversation with magical girl media that came before, and go, "you know what? in that context, that's pretty fucked up" and it doesn't even mean that I stop liking the show, so I don't see why everyone else has to get so defensive about it.

(Y'all have no idea. Those posts are old now, but I got so many asks. I had to block so many people. I'm not trying to take your precious anime away calm down.)

Idk if I completely agree with the tone of my original posts - there's a little bit of offhanded vilifying of "men" as a shorthand for... all the bullshit... and I no longer love that language. I love men. Men are people. Some men can be shitty, but shitty individual men and patriarchy aren't the same. But I do still agree with all my broad points.

Plus, yes, also. The thing of a new (often male) fanbase getting into something you've been into for a long time with some new entry and acting like it both invented and fixed everything about the genre (PMMM and magical girls, Friendship is Magic and girl cartoons, Stardew Valley and farming sims) is frustrating, and to hear many an incurious nerd tell it, magical girls were floundering before Madoka! And I hate that.

Anyway, oops, I went on a little rant. That still makes it look like I don't like Madoka. I actually really do like the original series. I have rewatched it multiple times and probably will again. I even tried to play Magia Record (briefly - I couldn't really get into it). I can't speak to the many many spinoff media - but those have so many different writers and so much different lore that I think it'd probably be hard to try to pin any kind of single ethos to the franchise as a whole any more. But while I couldn't get into Magia Record I'd bet there's a short manga story or something that I'd love at this point. When you make like 200 magical girls or whatever that's bound to happen.

Thanks for the ask. Sorry Madoka fans are still so hyper defensive apparently. I hope you are able to survive them and find some better magical girl series out there. <3

[saezurufeels]

Unpopular opinion: I like the idea of Doumeki having a girlfriend. It would comfort me to think that at some point in these four years he at least tried to move on from Yashiro.

I'm not some Yashiro hater or something like that. He's my favorite character and of course I want them to be together. We all know why he acted the way he did, and I'm not the one to judge if he was right or wrong. It's just... Seeing things from Doumeki's perspective makes me so sad. He was deeply hurt and thrown away, and after their re-encounter it seems to me that they woudn't even talk to each other if it wasn't for Doumeki finding excuses to go after Yashiro (like that scene in the bathroom).

I want so bad to see some reaction from Yashiro, you know, like when he dragged Doumeki to the elevator. I want him to show Doumeki at least a little bit of how much he still cares for him. I think D deserves Yashiro being a little jealous, he deserves Y going after him.

Anyway, I know saezuru is not some high school drama and the characters are not moved by such childish motivations, but I'd like to see more of Yashiro making the first move.

Of course, your opinion is valid and important. It’s hard not to sympathize with Doumeki and his heartbreak, so I understand. When I remember Doumeki’s reaction after Nanahara told him that Yashiro doesn’t remember him, I get emotional; Doumeki’s total devastation was hard to watch. For the first time ever, I thought he looked so vulnerable and defenseless, like you could just knock him over with a touch.

However, I’m also very careful about how I interpret the situation. I know these aren’t your words, but sometimes I get asks that subtly try to pin the blame on Yashiro (which I don’t publish for obvious reasons. If one wants to discuss that topic seriously, the least one could do is come off anon). I say this often, and I’ll continue to say it: Yashiro doesn’t owe Doumeki anything. And vice versa. Yashiro doesn’t owe his body and soul to Doumeki. The only thing Yashiro owes Doumeki, which is the same thing any person owes another, is basic human dignity and respect. Yashiro has always given Doumeki his freedom and a choice; he’s never demanded more of him than he was capable of. Yashiro never acted like he was entitled to Doumeki. And, not to draw comparisons, but that’s a big difference between their problems. One’s loss comes from not getting their preferred person, the other from not getting the freedom of choice. After all, loosing a love interest is less devastating than loosing yourself. And “loosing himself” is exactly how Yashiro described accepting Doumeki into his heart.

Therefore, first and foremost, I care about Yashiro’s wellbeing. The most pressing issue here, the issue that this whole manga is commenting on, is the issue of trauma and autonomy. This is Yashiro’s journey to loving himself, AND THEN being able to love someone else. Doumeki’s journey comes secondary, because you can’t force someone to love you— they have to choose to do that. One always comes before two. Right now, we are watching Yashiro decide if and how to accept Doumeki into his heart. The rest will follow.

I hope that makes sense. I’m not saying that I don’t understand, or feel sorry for Doumeki’s loss, I’m just saying that we need to carefully consider how we frame this situation. Yes, Doumeki is suffering because he can’t be with Yashiro, but Yashiro is also suffering immensely: he’s miserable because he can’t have the love of his life- the only person that’s ever cared for him,- and he’s tormented because he can’t bring himself to accept love the way most people can accept good things. Whichever choice Yashiro makes will cause him anguish. If he doesn’t address those core issues first, even Doumeki can’t save him. He’ll always have problems with his low self-worth and consequently, in his relationships with romantic partners.

And again, I know this wasn’t what you were insinuating, but I just wanted to clarify in case this gets misinterpreted. It might not always be obvious, but you can sympathize with one character and still understand that their happiness isn’t the most important factor if it comes at the expense of another person. What Yashiro needs is someone to say, “hey, I understand why you did what you did, and I forgive you.” And the same goes for Doumeki. His actions toward Yashiro weren’t malicious, but they were still harmful. So although I can sympathize with Doumeki the way you do, because he’s had a difficult life and doesn’t mean any harm in his pursuit of Yashrio, it doesn’t mean that he didn’t cause any harm. But Yashiro must be allowed to choose if he wants to let go of the past, and have a romantic relationship with Doumeki.

Even though Doumeki's love and persistence helped Yashiro move through his healing, it was never a one-sided relationship. Yashiro also helped Doumeki with his personal issues. Yashiro should get more credit for the love and support he's given to Doumeki. There's only so much one person can do at a time, and Yashiro needs more time and patience than other people.

And just like Yashiro has a choice, so does Doumeki. No one is holding a gun to his head and telling him to pursue Yashrio. If he feels like Yashiro isn’t reciprocating his feelings, he has the choice to leave. What isn’t a solution is getting impatient with Yashrio and expecting him to fast-track his healing journey and simply get over his trauma, so that Doumeki doesn’t have to wait anymore. In many ways, I can make the argument that Doumeki is being too persistent— but I usually don’t, because I can sympathize with him, and I can objectively see how he's helped Yashiro in a lot of ways despite also causing some harm. I wish some people would sympathize more with Yashiro. I’m not saying you specifically, just in general.

All of that being said, we’re at a point in the story where Yashiro has recognized that he chooses Doumeki. The obstacle, or the next phase of his healing journey is finding a way to express those feelings. It’s difficult for him, because he’s always been rejected when he’s pursued romantic interests, and even his own parents have rejected him. Yashiro has to find a way to overcome this crushing fear, and find an appropriate way of expressing his emotions. So, what I’m trying to say is, Yashiro is in fact pursing Doumeki. It’s hard to see his pursuit, because it’s clumsy and at times immature (and to be completely fair, Doumeki isn't being completely forthcoming with his feelings either), but it’s there, and YK is doing a brilliant job of portraying it in a dynamic, realistic, and complicated character such as Yashiro. I honestly wouldn’t want it any other way. Like you said, this is not a high school drama. It’s as close to reality as you can get, and reality is nuanced and frustrating.

Sorry, this is getting long, but last thing I want to say is that Doumeki did have an eventful life in the last four years. I think that’s why he’s a changed person. He’s had lots of joys, including his friendship with Niki, his Aoi redemption; he’s found a place in society where he feels comfortable and accepted; and the more I think about it, the more it seems like the bar matron is not just his informant, but also his friend. Doumeki’s formed many new relationships and goals that likely gave him purpose and joy. And now, Yashiro isn’t the only thing in his life he aspires to keep close.

Thanks for sending this, I appreciate your honest opinion. This was a good opportunity to talk about these issues that keep coming up, so I hope you don’t mind that I rambled a bit.

[the5n00k]

CHOOSE VIOLENCE ASKS: 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 22, 23, 25

I am so sorry for so many feel free to skip as many as you want lol

DAYUM OKAY (readmore bc this is long af and I don't wanna clog timelines)

4: it takes a lot for me to block you and usually I won't do it at all in most cases but some people are in my replies on Twitter a little Too Much saying some weird ass stuff occasionally I'll just say fuck it bye bye and block em

6: the most annoying ship fans are the ones that harass other people because they ship something different/not at all case closed (this even goes for proshitters, just block them and move on, harassment is never okay)

7: this happens. Far more often than I'd like to admit. And sometimes it changes depending on who I've been talking to. And I don't necessarily hate this character but most recently it's Andrea? She's got a great arc set up and I don't mind seeing her on screen at all, she's fun but whenever some people bring her up it's just. I know they're about to say some dumb shit. Doesn't help with how weird Twitter is about the girls

8:

🗣️📣 THAT MOLLY IS A BAD FRIEND BECAUSE SHE FELL IN PUPPY LOVE WITH A GHOST HUNTER‼️‼️‼️

HOLY SHIT WAS THAT AN EXHAUSTING WEEK AFTER I WANNA DANCE WITH SOME-OLLIE.

ALSO everyone seems to think enemies to lovers is a tried and true ship dynamic when SOMETIMES IT JUST DOESN'T WORK‼️ REALLY FUNNY COMING FROM A SCRINX FAN BUT C'MON SOME OF THEM ARE JUST PLAIN TOXIC! EVEN THE CANON ONES

10: how starved people are for emotional content that they'll write characters completely ooc to make a dramatic and dark plot. I'm sorry but there's a balance to this shit you can't just kill off a character or take every good thing away and have it be narratively satisfying. Again, rich coming from me but most of my shit has a point

13: Tord from Eddsworld. What the fuck even happened to that poor character

14: I don't read a lot of fics so I can't really answer this one but can I complain about my own fics and say "really fking cheesy emotional speech between the mcs"

15: this isn't even fandom specific but when people overuse the chromatic aberration and don't mark it as eyestrain like OW WHY I CAN'T EVEN COMPREHEND WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE IMAGE‼️‼️‼️

16: I don't understand how people are so attracted to the dark and brooding types like. I've literally never been attracted to a character like that

They're cool??? But I don't see the appeal? Romantically at least. Give me my goofy asses and my Absolutely Deranged men pls

18: for TGAMM, they been sleeping on my mans Darryl (gonna pretend like I haven't as well)

And the episode Lock, Stock, and Peril literally one of my favorites from s1 please

22: I barely see Anyone else drawing scratch being a fucked up creature PLEASE I CAN'T KEEP SUSTAINING MYSELF LIKE THIS‼️

23: gonna be honest I was a Mollie hater and Ollie hater in general before season 2 aired (victim of leaks 💔) but one of my friends gaslit me until I started shipping it ironically to make the fandom mad and now I would die for them

25: that some episodes of TGAMM are boring because they're not plot relevant or they're too predictable. My friends in Christ you are watching the 2021-2023 equivalent of a slapstick cartoon with slide whistles and crash cymbals, the point isn't to subvert expectations all the time, it's to have a silly fun episode sometimes with comedy first and foremost please the show is literally a slice of life comedy

I think that's everything hope I answered the right ones my attention span is completely SHOT today whoops

[kookiecrush]

I am a pjm and I haven’t had time to go through your blog so I don’t know if you’re an anti- jm but I might do that later. That being said I don’t believe any bts ship is real but this taennie issue got me curious because I want to see how both sides of shippers are reacting to it. I don’t know if you are going to be honest but I need answers from a tkkr. I want to make sense of the whole thing involving my bias. How did jm get entangled in taekook?

Did you also believe he had something to do with them not interacting on camera?

How did he become the villain in your story?

In light of everything that has been going on, if it turns out that taennie is real, where does that leave jm? Especially with the way he has been treated all these years😫😫

To be honest, I’m probably more sad than the average tkkr because the hate is so pointless. I almost wish taekook is real so that I can at least justify tkkrs action towards him. Anyways have a nice day👍🏼

Hi 👋 First and foremost, I am not a Jimin anti or hater. Let me make that very clear. There will be no hating on any of the members allowed around here. My bio has ot7 because I love all of them. I especially love how Jimin is such a warm, caring person, always looking after the other members. He's such a beautiful person, inside and out 🥺

●"How did jm get entangled in taekook?" - I'm not quite sure what you mean by this so I can't really answer. I will say, the two biggest ships in bts both include Jungkook, and sometimes there can be a rivalry between the shippers among the more immature fans. Or some fans may feel threatened by Jungkook interacting with the member from the other popular ship. I don't partake in or condone this behaviour.

●"Did you also believe he had something to do with them not interacting on camera?" - Of course not. That was a result of the company taking action to avoid any rumours or scandals about them. I do believe bighit purposely reduced the taekook interactions and increased the jikook ones, though. Does this mean I think jikook aren't close or that everything they do is fanservice? Absolutely not. They are obviously very close and comfortable with each other, I just don't see anything beyond a friendship between them. That's just my personal opinion, don't come for me jikookers 😩

●"How did he become the villain in your story?" - I don't know what to say to this 😂 There is no "villain" and there is no "story". I've already established I don't hate Jimin 🤷‍♀️

●"if it turns out that taennie is real, where does that leave jm"? - exactly where he is right now, riding high with an extremely successful album and strutting around in Dior looking like a bad b. I don't see what Taennie has to do with Jimin?

In regards to Jimin getting hate from tkkrs, I'm well aware that must happen, and I hate that it does. I truly wish we could ban all toxic fans who spread hate and bitterness. Jimin doesn't deserve anything but love and respect. All the members do. I've seen tkkrs hating on Jimin, and I've seen jkkers hating on Taehyung, let's not forget it goes both ways. But what I will say, is that I do not interact with or talk to any tkkrs who have anything bad to say about Jimin. We don't do that shit around here. You also have a nice day anon 🙂

[dragonballwish]

Sorry I wasn't trying to be hurtful, i'm kind of new to this series and mostly know it from memes and stuff I see online and Krillin is usually presented as a joke character. Like people say even his wife doesn't even like him (though I think the overrepresentation of her cheating on him is super weird) so I was just wondering why some people seem to see it so differently.

First— WELCOME TO DRAGON BALL !!!!!!!

<3 I’m happy to answer anything you’re curious about haha even if it’s insensitive or potentially drama-inducing, and sorry I thought you low key just didn’t like krillin sjjdjff I’ll defend him until I die

Anyways!!

I can guarantee anyone who talks like that is either projecting, haven’t seen the entire show (a LOT of db fans haven’t even seen the whole first half (og db)), or both.

18 LOVES Krillin, first of all. Everyone just thinks she’s hot (she is) and thinks krillin isn’t (they’re wrong he’s so scrimbly <333) and so they’d rather have her cuck krillin with master roshi than to be her true canon self in their relationship- which is actually the most wholesome ship in the canon series!! Like Fr !!!! They are the perfect couple in every way !!!! And they love each other !!! And krillin is not happy being cucked !!!!!!!! And 18 would NEVER !!!!!!!

Krillin being presented as a joke character technically isn’t wrong— Toriyama is pretty much first and foremost a gag-manga creator and so every character has really goofy traits. A lot of haters or just kinda db-fights-only stans tend to hyper focus only on the fights and serious traits— which is why a lot of people who haven’t really gotten into db only really know Goku as a fighting guy when he’s actually a goofball ?

Also like. Krillin doesn’t have a nose I feel like that makes people go ???? But it’s literally just a gag Toriyama made him win fights with lack of sense of smell—

Krillin gets the opposite representation obvi— a lot of people don’t really see him as that strong (which is wrong) and since he’s not as strong as goku and vegeta and other non-human characters, he tends to be sidelined while also still getting opportunity for commentary. Sometimes it’s that krillin is there to fight as first line of defense before goku comes and demolishes an opponent, or other variations of whatever, sometimes it’s that krillin is part of the main plot line but the final villain of the arc is defeated by— yep. Goku. Not that I’m complaining haha

I think because a lot of people haven’t seen krillin as a kid and haven’t experienced just how much growth he’s had from little bastard teen to a guy that is just so thankful to be alive and wants to protect those around him, they tend to oversimplify him to the traits that are shown in Z which is pretty solid in sidelining all the characters that were given way more spotlight in og db. I’m rambling so much oh god

Ignoring all that growth tends to only show traits that are surface-level in my opinion ? Like if you saw krillin hesitating to put his life on the line in Namek saga and thought “a coward?” It’s more along the lines of “this is my last chance at life and oh my god I’m the last line of defense for five year old gohan (my best friend’s toddler son) and bulma (one of my first friends)”. That kinda thing. That was just me saying stuff but literally connotation for all the characters changes when you’ve seen them from the beginning and it also adds kinda a connection with them like I watched this guy from adolescence I love him like my own son. (Low key that’s a lot of gohan stans I am convinced but you didn’t hear it from me)

For a show about aliens, krillin is definitely the most relatable and most human (even without the nose).

Anyways. If you haven’t already,, go watch og db and experience !!! Or read the manga (which cuts out a lot of filler. All of filler. The fights also feel better paced. And the paneling is iconic Fr) and just bask in the glory that is bastard og characters !! Every character feels so different when you see them from the beginning and understand their growth. Almost every sidelined character in Z was once the biggest opponent Goku had ever faced LOL

Anyways this got long sorry for rambling

[captain-jinguji]

Hey, first and foremost! - youre such a brave one🧡 (i'm so afraid of dentists - can't even tell😅). Hope everything will stay ok😘. Well, now's the matter: i want to request Reiji reacting to his female s/o, who's clever, honest and stands her ground in any case concerning her professional activity (or when interacting with strangers), being called "heartless" and "ice-queen", that hurt her deeply (coz she's real softy and mommy-like towards ones she loves). Literally tons of love🧡💚😘.

First of all my apologies for taking so long babes ❤ tons of love right back at you and I hope you're doing GREAT. Also youre brave just for going to the dentist, even if youre afraid 😘

REIJI KOTOBUKI reacting to his girl crumbling in front of him (that title sounds so bad and I apologize 😂)

At first he's uh.. Shook. He doesnt believe hes ever seen you just fall apart from a simple comment? Usually you brush off the haters and go on your merry way, which he really admires you for

Lord knows he wishes that he was like that when he first started out in the industry.

Anyway, he promised hed always be there for you, always hold your hand through thick and thin, and so he crumbled with you

He sat you down, beside him at first and gently rubbed your shoulder, but he soon just pulls you into his lap and holds you tightly against his frame

His lips found your hair and kisses it softly, trying to show you that its okay to let things out and cry. Everyone needs a pick me up some times.

He hums softly to you, random tunes that come to his mind while he tries to stop your form from shaking against his

"Ne, (Y/N),... You know theyre just jealous."

And maybe they are, maybe theyre just envious of your strong, confident being, or maybe theyre mad because you have what they could never

"Youre such a strong woman, beautiful young woman. Always carrying yourself with confidence and pride. But youre also soft and kind, a mixture I dont see a lot, especially not in this industry."

He kissed your tear stained cheeks softly while he spoke, cupping your head in his hands and smiling softly

"Ive wanted to give up more times than I can count, wanted to crumble more times than i can recall, but your strength always gave me strength, and i want to give you that same strength. You dont have to be strong around me all the time, my girl, I will love you in any condition."

With that, he softly placed a kiss upon your lips and pulled you back into his chest. It's okay to be weak sometimes.

Its okay to crumble around him.

He'll hold your hand through it all.

[poorshadowspaintedqueens]

Hey about people shitting on lyanna to defend elia while I'm sure those people exist I think majority at least myself arent saying that lyanna was such a horrible person that she was gleefully laughing as the realm blead only that she made the big mistake of being lethally naive of course not maliciously so. Also when I say holding lyanna responsible too alongside rhaegar aerys and Co of I give them 99%of the blame & I don't advocate people spend their time blaming the teen instead of the adult.

When I say lyanna should be held responsible it's less about my opinion on her (which is that she was impulsive a bit selfish but definitely didn't deserve to get taken advantage of) and more about the what I think would be elia's opinion on her. Even people who like elia and call out rhaegar tend to be unintentionally dismissive when it comes to elia's feeling on not just her shit husband but lyanna. I get people wanna show lyanna and elia drive into sunset while making fun of rhaegar. Fine.

But to quote elia's lawyer Sprinkles36 elia should be allowed to have unkind feelings towards lyanna. Often both people who only give a shit about lyanna and even elia fans tend to portray her as this all forgiving Saint who can only be angry at rhaegar (sometimes even not him). Further quoting Sprinkles36 - "lyanna was a victim of rhaegar, but not elia. If anything she helped rhaegar victimize elia." Even if unintentionally she still contributed to something that led to elia & her kids deaths.

Please know I'm not some raging lyanna hater meninist. I'm a chronically ill handicapped women of color and I'm sick of fandom expecting brown or black girls to be all forgiving Saints. We can admit that rhaegar was pedo peace of shit who ruined both elia and lyanna and both women deserved better but we can also admit that lyanna's disregard for elia played a part in elia and her own gruesome fates too. Elia rhaenys aegons lives were worth consideration that BOTH r&l didn't give to them.

**********

Dear anon, thank you for putting the time and effort into this ask. (And do forgive me for the dodgy formatting; I wanted to make sure the entire thing was visible.)

It does flag up a number of the issues I have with ASOIAF/GoT fandom specifically, and with fandom more generally, so this is probably going to ramble a lot. Apologies in advance for that.

So. Here goes nothing.

First and foremost, if I have ever implied that there is only one way to view the deeply problematic and complicated relationship between Rhaegar Targaryen, Elia Martell, and Lyanna Stark, that was absolutely not my intention.

One thing I’ve tried to do in every fic I’ve written is to make clear in author’s notes that what I’m offering is a single interpretation of events and characters, and that mine is no more or less valid than anyone else’s. There is no correct version. Even GRRM’s, I’m sure, will have its problems (because while I love so much about ASOIAF/GoT, his track record on race and gender is questionable at best). One of the problems I have with fandom (particularly right now, I say as a Fandom Old who has been hanging out in these parts for nearly 20 years) is the insistence on One True Interpretation. As a literary scholar this makes me want to spit nails, because if there’s one thing I’ve learned in studying medieval and early modern culture, it is that there are always variants and there is no objective truth. You can only get the truth according to one side or another, and our job as interpreters is not just to decide which truth we prefer but to also allow that there might be others that are equally valid.

Secondly, you are correct that while it is important to take into account Lyanna’s age and ability to consent from a Doylist perspective, if we’re just focusing on how Elia may have reacted to events, she was entirely within her rights to be furious at this little white girl who stole her husband and humiliated her in front of her future subjects. It’s worth remembering that, until the sack of King’s Landing, Elia was queen-in-waiting. That status was hers by right as Rhaegar Targaryen’s lawful wife and mother to the heirs to the throne. Lyanna Stark completely disregarded and disrespected that if we assume that she ran away with Rhaegar by choice and was not, in fact, abducted. One of the things that had me shrieking with rage at the Season 7 finale of Game of Thrones was the complete erasure of Elia and the show’s insistence that we ought to view Rhaegar/Lyanna as this epic, sweeping romance. If I have ever implied that Elia shouldn’t have been furious with her husband, or that she was somehow obligated to be kind to the woman who--let’s face it--wrecked her marriage in the eyes of the realm, that was not my intention at all.

When I started writing The Assembly of Ladies back in 2013, I had not planned on the interpretation that I ended up with. It developed as I was writing the story, and by the time I realized what was happening, I was committed. I still stand by it as a valid interpretation of what happened, and as a reader who is constantly aggravated by pop culture’s insistence that women cannot be friends or that women are constantly fighting over men, I liked the idea of something different.

But you are, again, completely correct to point out the deeply problematic trope of women of colour (and especially disabled women of colour) as perpetually forgiving saints. I like to think that my version of Elia is more complicated than that (and that was my goal in writing her the way I did), but as a woman of colour who is not disabled and who has lived a fairly privileged life in the West, I have my own legion of blind spots, and they will show in what I write. My hope is that by acknowledging those blind spots and learning from them, it will not only make me a better writer, but also a better human.

So, again, thank you for the ask, anon. I hope my response is, at the very least, the beginning of a productive conversation, even if I cannot claim to have any concrete answers.

[yaz-the-spaz]

(1/2) Thank you for that post. It's really sad how this fandom is treating Liam. I'm somehow new, you know, I first joined Zayn's fandom last year and then 1D's ( i know, it's backwards, but whatever and idk why I just told you this, again-whatever ) and I remember watching British Awards when 1d won award for History. Liam was the only one who showed up and he was so brave and he said thank you's only to the fans and if it isn't one of the reason people should treat him better, Idk what is.

(2/2) And I know he sometimes says something insensitive like that one time when he said he didn’t understand why Zayn’s mental health made him leave or something like that and I’m not defending him on that one, but people make mistakes and sometimes they say stupid things ( lol, me first ) It just makes me sad how they treat him. Not only him, but the rest of the ot5 boys and Idk why it’s hard for them to love and support all of them.

aww you’re welcome babe! and no worries, i know there’s quite a few people that have joined the fandom that way and i think it’s really cool actually that the boys’ solo careers have inspired people to get into 1d and join the fandom retroactively and if i hadn’t gotten sucked in when i did way back around late 2012/early 2013 i suspect that probably would’ve been how i’d have gotten into it too cause i’m a zayn girl at heart and always will be (though i love my leemo too cause how can you not love that precious cinnamon roll lol) but yeah agreed the way this fandom treats him is really atrocious tbh especially when he’s been nothing but the most gracious, sweetest human being who worked so hard to get where he is and is always the first one to thank the fans first and foremost and do everything he can to try to please everyone and i just don’t understand the level of hate he gets either tbh

i fully agree with what you said though about understanding why people might be upset with him over the comment he made about zayn leaving (though i actually have my own theories on that which i may make a separate post about later) but yeah the level of hate he received and still receives for some of the things he’s said and done is just unparalleled. 

like i get being upset over it and needing to take some time but like you said we all make mistakes and say things we shouldn’t sometimes, the only difference is we’re not public figures so the mistakes we make don’t get caught on camera and memorialized forever for people to point back to and use to justify their hateful/mean comments but i also think people blow things out of proportion a lot in this fandom in general, but especially when it comes to him. and that’s not to say that people shouldn’t be upset over it because people have a right to be upset over it, but to say outright hateful, disgusting, mean things to and/or about him because of it is just wrong imo 

like

it’s not that hard to just not be hateful you know??? regardless of the situation. like all you have to do is keep their name out your mouth and that’s it, case closed. but for whatever reason so many people just don’t get that??? idk man.

(and on another note i also feel like a lot of people just kind of forgot the same things we’re always saying in this fandom when it comes to any of the other boys which is that 90% of what we see and hear from the boys is scripted, includes pre-approved questions that they’ve been coached on how to answer, and/or has been heavily edited and spliced to fit the narrative tptb want to push. so why people acted like that comment was any different from the ridiculous bs they’ve tried to pull on us before, especially when it was an interview with dan fucking wooton of all people and contradicted literally everything liam had said about the situation for the last two years, is just beyond me but again)

haters gon’ hate, i guess. but liam stays classy and always ziam/ot5 af so.