#IT'S GIVING 'DISCREDIT THE VICTIM' VIBES

[covenofthearticulate]

love how the show was like “no we’re changing the race of the main character to do some deep social commentary instead of the bad dirty racist books!" and then hinges their entire marketing on undermining his narrative, discrediting his story, and making a different race-changed poc into a villain (but for different reasons than he was in the book lmao)

the "who can be trusted with louis' story?" and it's pictures of two white men and an Evil Muslim like. bitch are you actually kidding me.

[wibble-wobbegong]

The end of the year is near! Give a shoutout to your favorite blogs and tag them to spread positivity before the year ends! (from: a secret anon)

FUCK YEAH!!!!

okay my favorite theory/analysis blogs

@aemiron-main - actually i hate him. im lying. all he does is cause me unimaginable pain and suffering. no but genuinely a genius theorist and has eyes like a hawk!! he does a fantastic job at thoroughly combing the show and finding the littlest details that don’t make sense in order to build a bigger picture and i eat it up every time! love him even though i think he’s goading me to kill myself whenever he reblogs one of my posts and the tags start with “wibble what if i told you”

@bugsbenefit - my absolute favorite blog to read about narrative analysis from!!! they do an amazing job explaining oddities from a narrative position as well as identifying ways certain theories are either supported by or don’t work with the way the narrative needs to flow in S5. she’s also super skilled at keeping my attention throughout a post with the way she writes

@bylerschmyler - love this guy because they’re not afraid to point out the flaws of something and create counter arguments but they also aren’t doing that stuff to discredit a theory but rather challenge its strength!! like they won’t press on if the original theory can go against the counter points they make. PLUS they create incredible theories of their own!!! the mike is the 4th victim stuff is really good

@finalgirlbyers - idc if they consider themself an analysis blog or not because I do. they regularly have fantastic takes and explain things in a quick and easy to understand way. she genuinely has a great grasp on the show but she’s also very open minded which is always so nice to see!! like if you’re looking for short, sweet, banger posts that hit the nail on the head i am pointing at their blog

@heroesbyler - ok. stav is the only person whose analysis i have legitimately cried over. the approach she takes to covering the very serious and dark topics of stranger things is something i really appreciate because she doesn’t curve the pure horror of some of the stuff going on. if you really wanna feel just how horrific the gay horror show is i’d recommend reading some of stav’s analysis because she NAILS it and does not mask just how fucked up it can get.

@laozuspo - james always has some incredibly niche but great insight to the show!! theory wise, i’m always amazed by how intricate his research for a theory will get so when you read his posts it’s just evidence on top of evidence and it’s always really engaging and VERY interesting. radiationgate had me hooked for days because there was just SO much to explore regarding that topic and there were so many little details that just make so much sense!!!

@mlchaelwheeler - MY SISTER IN MICHAEL DEFENSE!!! one of the original mike defenders and someone who i trust to accurately talk about mike’s character, which is saying a lot because i’m Me. ALSO she kick started so many great conversations!! iirc, she was the one who made the original theory about henry having been the one who kidnapped will, not the demogorgon way back in like. June. she’s been on it longer than any of us

favorite authors :)

@andiwriteordie - ok SO i have to tell you guys that this shit??? my life hasn’t been the same since i first read this. i know it’s an older one but it’s in my top three fics of all time i legitimately adore it!! pure jet fuel for that last week before V2 dropped and honestly part of me still really wants that final scene to happen in S5 ngl. like it kills me every time i read it but it’s just so GOOD

@astrobei - oh suni, how i her love writing. always a GREAT time when you’re reading an astrobei fic, and i think my favorite is still this one!! it’s just got such a fun vibe and the characterization is immaculate and the plot is really intriguing! it’s one of those fics where you can’t stop reading even though it’s like half the length of an entire novel. sometimes sleep is worth the sacrifice and this fic is one of them

@blueeandyellowmakesgreen - top ten reasons to kill myself; this ficlet. jade i absolutely love you but this??? fuck you for making me go through that not once but TWICE. i felt that shit in my SOUL and it HURT. it hurt SO BAD. writing so good it makes you immobile for 6.5 hours because you can’t stop replaying the image in your head 🖕🖕 (<3)

@/byeler - ok not actually @-ing this person because we’ve never interacted and i’m not about to make a fool of myself by being a little fanboy loser BUT. absolutely incredible writing. reading this had me so fucking sucked in dude, like i was reading and reading and i couldn’t believe time had passed at all. pure romance can be hard for me to steam roll through sometimes but i genuinely forgot that I was a Person while reading that

@elekinetic - ummmmmm hello??? script writer of all time? you’re not just reading it, you’re not just watching it, you’re being transported inside the show with the way she writes. every single character is on point and she maintains the atmosphere of the show itself BEAUTIFULLY!!! my favorite script thus far is probably the one where eddie gets shot, though it doesn’t seem like it’s up anymore. the ending has me gasping out loud because i saw it happening in real time in front of my eyes

@smoosnoom - MOON!!!! OHHHHH MY GOD i can’t even recommend one specific thing because every fic is just soooooo giggles twirls my hair. i am the number one smoosnoom fanboy. i fucking eat that shit up!!! like, whenever it’s time to read a smoosnoom fic I don’t just open the fic i KNOW i’m not moving till i’m done so i get some snacks and get really comfy and then i dive in and don’t move till i’m finished. every fic absolutely slays i cannot recommend every single fic enough

favorite editors!!!

@strangersynth - do i really have to say anything?? it’s time. like no shit he’s one of the best editors around and i think everyone knows that at this point. THE editor!! absolutely obsessed with every video. i really like the way she takes clips that aren’t really character clips but just stuff you wouldn’t even really think of or remember to build the tone of the video and it always comes together so well!!! like it’s the small details that he nails and that make the videos so incredibly delicious

@/thatgaymood - ok they just made a lot of funny edits + they’re really good at adjusting audio/visuals to make the character say and do shit that definitely didn’t happen but it’s really really well done so it’s just. I don’t know how to explain it. i was gonna find one of the more popular audios but i was scrolling their blog and found this and it made me kick my feet a little cause like. idk watch it and you’ll understand

favorite artists

@blueeandyellowmakesgreen - and she’s back! art that is so scrumptious and delicious and like. It’s like spaghetti kinda ! anyway here’s my favorite piece from jade and i will never shut up about it ever because everything about it is just sooooooo chomping biting chewing slurping devouring

@bujomoss - Hsbebbdbva bc d bujomoss is fucking!!!!! i love the way they draw mike like i love it so bad it’s not even funny. everything they make is so so good and my current favorite is this piece they did but it changes like twice a day bc bujo never does anything that isn’t one of the best things I’ve ever seen with my own two eyeballs

@gmaybe666 - BARKING BITING OH MY GOD. ok just so everybody is aware i am the biggest gmaybe fan around. legitimately i am such a fan i could gush about every single piece they do for days on end. it’s just SO good and it’s an art style i cannot get enough of. i have to scroll through their art regularly or i’ll start combusting it’s like air to me!! if i could link every drawing i simply Would but for now go give this piece some love please please please

@new-ronantics - OHHHHH MY DEAREST EEVIE!!! <33 art that is just so pleasing to look at. like it’s like biting into the most satisfying meal you’ve ever had!! amazing texture but not in the art way like if i bit into it i think it would have the texture of something i cannot even imagine but i know it would be the greatest of all time. incredibly bitable art i wish it were real food so bad. top ten bitable images

@nnilkyway - BITES HIM. ummmm ok so im definitely totally 100% normal about his art! yeah no it’s not like i turn into a wild rabid beast whenever a new nnilkyway piece is finished no definitely not bc i’m just So Normal about it. this means a normal amount to me because i am So-

@/taeiris go to her fucking blog. not elaborating. fucking do it before I Find You.

and the non-st blog boys 💪

@ed89 - edward my funny silly guy 👊😼 it’s been a minute but he’s hilarious and his time in the st fandom will never be forgotten. also if he sees this hi ed guess who hit his first bong two days ago :)

@ronaldreaganoffical - me and ronald reagan have a bromance i don’t expect any of you to understand. they’re from way before i even joined the st fandom when i was hardly even a blog, so actually they’re one of my most treasured mutuals even though we’re no longer in the same fandoms. love you bro <3

[bravecrab]

Girlfriend Reviews finally made a statement regarding the situation, and it's better than it could have been, however I don't think it's enough for me to continue watching their content. They did find themselves in an uncomfortable situation and they are aligning themselves against JKR, but I don't know if I feel like what they have said feels much more than covering their own asses.

The claim that they were doing the stream with intention to hold the developers of HL to account seems shaky, even though they do stream to generate the footage for their reviews, knowing the controversy they could have not streamed and just played the game offscreen to generate that footage. But streaming is part of their business model.

So maybe they should have framed the stream with their intent more obvious. Perhaps they did, but it got lost in the uproar. Sure they put up ahead that they were going to be donating to the Trevor Project, but they have plenty tools at their disposal, a subreddit, twitter, youtube community posts, etc., to pre-warn their audience that this wasn't just a fun, goofy stream, but an act of investigative journalism, coming from someone who has stake in this as a Jewish individual investigating at least the antisemitism within HL. But they didn't pre-warn the audience really, and the backlash happened.

I think that the blurry definition of the Youtube Games Reviewer makes this a more complex issue, as it is a role solely defined by those who made it their job. As much as they might have poked a few jokes at the seedier side of the industry, Girlfriend Reviews hasn't really occupied the "Holding the Industry to account" space that someone like James Stephanie Sterling has been, and to say that that was the part of their job as a Games Reviewer that they were performing while streaming HL seems like a bit of a reach.

The response video isn't terrible, I have some sympathy for them, to find themselves in the crossfire, even if they stumbled into it by their own stupidity. There are people out there, well intentioned people, willing to fight for trans rights, but will use those intentions for name-calling and other actions intending to cause harm. And plenty opportunists on the other side who will use any aggressive language used by the attempted activism to discredit that activism.

Yet, even though Girlfriend Reviews is positioning themselves against JKR and HL, the insinuation that the audience should always have known that Girlfriend Reviews' intentions were always pure, is putting the onus on the affected fans to figure out which streamers playing HL are doing it to hurt them, and which are investigating HL. It's on the victimized groups to pick up the vibes and come to the correct conclusion.

Yes, Girlfriend Reviews are reviewers by trade, their job is to play video games and tell us the quality and perhaps they should be given a pass to play these games, to let us know the content of those games to confirm or deny any concerns about that content. However they are also not The Royal Poison Taster, Girlfriend Reviews could have just not played that game, even with the free game code they got. They do not review every game, or even every AAA game released. They could have left it alone, maybe dropped a tweet or a line in a video saying "nah, not worth it". But they didn't, they messed up, gave a not great response video, and will probably move on as quick as they can.

Youtube Games reviewers are mostly just entertainers. They're edutainers at best. The internet is full of people who have made it their job to give us their opinion, and Girlfriend Reviews are just giving us an opinion, they just do so in an particularly entertaining way. To act like they are something grander is a bit ridiculous. Their "Not a review" of Hogwarts Legacy states that the game is mediocre, and that the Harry Potter franchise has used antisemitic caricature in their goblins, but deflects that that antisemitism didn't make Shelby feel as unsafe as the attention she's gotten for playing HL (by being put on a website that tells people if someone has been playing HL). But even that is a position of privilege, Shelby might feel like the antisemitism spread by the game is going to affect her safety and the safety of the Jewish community, but the trans community is in immediate danger and this whole event has given fuel to transphobes who wish to harm the lives and reputations of transgender people. It just feels like Girlfriend Reviews is more concerned with keeping their jobs where they get praised for their opinions, than concerned about the welfare of trans people.

Update: The comments for the response video are trash. It's mostly people who are saying how much they love Girlfriend Reviews, while saying how terrible the people who "bullied" them are. How pointless the controversy was. How wholesome GR content is. How they are sad because they had been looking forward to the review. And shouting down commenters saying things like "they could have just not tried to review it". The portion of the audience they alienated with this stream remain alienated, while those who do not care about the political ramifications of HL have been emboldened.

I think it's important to look at the Girlfriend Reviews incident of the Hogwarts Legacy response, because even if it's just a case of lack of awareness of some Youtubers, the way that they're being used is insidious.

So from what I've seen is that they tried to stream Hogwarts Legacy, a section of their fanbase expressed their disappointment mainly via messages they were unfollowing/unsubscribing, Shelby got upset and tearfully took a break, but they still streamed for 6 hours after. Since then the story has been used to label those opposed to Hogwarts Legacy as abusive towards Girlfriend Reviews and other streamers.

If there is any screenshots of the abusive language in their chat, please let me know, as further evidence is always appreciated.

I do think that Girlfriend Reviews were mostly naive, thinking that donating to the Trevor Project would be a reasonable counterbalance for their discretion, however that action is also telling that they knew that playing the game would result in some backlash. They're no strangers to backlash, as they did receive previous harrassment when they played The Last Of Us Part 2. They should be aware by now, how politics and video games interact.

I think when they got harrassed for TLOU2, there was more of a dismissive attitude of "people getting too upset over a game", rather than a culture of misogyny in video games and that culture lashing out due to a sense of entitlement. And perhaps Girlfriend Reviews thought that HL was more of the same, but it's not and to act like it is, is just being ignorant of systems of power.

But this isn't just about these youtubers. Shelby's tears are being manipulated by bad actors as White Women's Tears. If you're unaware of the term, WWTs is a common framing tactic that has been used, mostly for anti-black purposes, for a long time. It's used to justify continued oppression against marginalized groups by saying "Look how they've hurt the feelings of this symbol of innocence". White women have often been used as a tool within white supremacist, patriarchal societies, as something to be protected from the influence and existence of The Other. White Women's Tears are most notable in the case of Emmett Till.

I'm not saying that Shelby was aware of this when she cried, or that she faked crying. What I am saying is that the sort of folk who harrassed Girlfriend Reviews for playing TLOU2, are the sort of people who are now using the image of her crying to punch down on Trans people, Jewish people, and others who expressed their disappointment at Girlfriend Reviews for playing HL. I'd hope that Girlfriend Reviews would be able to see this, and make amends, rather than trying to retreat to an apolitical position, while allowing the continued use of this "harrassment" to inflict more harm on Trans and Jewish people. And that's the better of two evils, hopefully this doesn't make them follow in the footsteps of the likes of Jontron, becoming an alt-right talking head (although this seems unlikely).

The cognitive dissonance of trying to enjoy something you thought was just innocent fun, to find out it has wider political ramifications, is hard. It's painful, you don't want to feel bad for what you consider an accidental lapse of better judgement. However, the actions you take to deal with that cognitive dissonance is important. You can either face up to your mistake, bury your head in the sand, or stand by your action and in opposition of those you have wronged.

[firelxdykatara]

So if you ship Laura and Travis does that mean you think Stockholm syndrome is okay? Because that is what it basically is. Can you explain what makes you think there is any form of chemistry there? When Laura is obviously more of the strong independent woman and Travis gives off man who belongs in the 50's vibes.

I mean, considering that Stockholm Syndrome is not something that exists and was, in fact, coined by a misogynist who wanted to discredit the victims in the hostage situation (it is steeped in 'female hysteria' rhetoric) for trusting their captors more than the police and the mayor who said they should be willing to die for their job and deliberately put their lives at risk while the hostage takers were actually more concerned with their welfare.... I guess in that sense I think it's 'okay', if by 'okay' you mean 'is fine to portray in fiction (especially as something that doesn't exist and wouldn't apply to Hackearney even if it did)'.

As I've said before, I do not take anyone seriously who uses Stockholm Syndrome as a 'reason' not to ship something, because it tells me they've done approximately zero research, and probably aren't worth listening to.

Also, calling Laura a 'strong independent woman' and then saying that Travis 'belongs in the 50s'.... what??? The man is 56, not 90, and nothing about his characterization gives the impression that he's a guy with 50s values. And Laura being strong and independent doesn't mean she wouldn't have room for romance in her life (as evidenced by the existence of her boyfriend), and beyond that, if you played the game and don't understand where we get their chemistry from, I really can't help you. I could pull up scenes and go line by line and point out their physicality, but I suspect the effort would be entirely lost on you, so why bother?

And by the way, I do also enjoy straight up kidnapper and/or stalker/victim romances that are considerably more problematic than Hackearney's relationship in a survival/horror werewolf game, so I'm genuinely not sure what you're expecting here. I think it is 'okay' to write and enjoy intensely problematic shit in romance and erotica, actually! I think it's sexy! If you disagree, the door is right over there.

[miraculouscontent]

Alright, so apparently certain love square shippers felt the need to go into the Lukanette tag to celebrate/mock that Lukanette is “over” (Marinette broke up with him to keep him safe but go off I guess) and that officially crosses all my lines of not dealing with the fandom’s garbage.

The sheer pettiness is astounding to me, to take joy in the end of what was a lot of people’s comfort ship (people don’t choose comfort ships, by the way) because of “toxic Luka/Lukanette stans,” essentially lumping chunks of the fandom together and letting the opinion of those fans shape their own opinion on a character/ship. The sheer sensitivity on display to have so much spite and disdain for a ship that appeared in less than 10% of all episodes in the show. The sheer vindictiveness to feel smug and self-righteous while also being panicked over a non-endgame ship that’s as temporary as their claim of positivity and condemning of salt until they’re presented with something they don’t like.

Goliath really be beating up on David over here because he's bigger and thinks his opinion is more valid. For the record, no, opinions are not more valid due to shipping an endgame ship or presenting oneself as a beacon of positivity.

And it just goes to show how ship-blind these people are, to care about nothing more than the fact that Lukanette has broken up. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I’ve seen people who openly admit to caring more about the love square’s security than Marinette’s happiness, which is just part of the issue here.

These people did not care how Lukanette broke up, only that it happened. Marinette’s crush backpedaling (because of the show feeling the need to cater to these exact people, who are so worried about their obviously endgame ship being “in danger”) and Marinette ending the episode in literal tears because she wanted to date Luka but couldn’t are both things that didn’t matter to them because it’s all about their ship in the end. Marinette’s life has been made more and more miserable due to her crush on Adrien while straining her relationships with various characters (see: Alya’s claim of jealousy as a reason for why Marinette “must be lying” about Lila), but so long as these people feel secure in their endgame ship, that’s all that matters.

They didn’t care if it was a clean break where both sides came out satisfied (or at least content). If anything, they wanted Lukanette to end as shoddily/dirtily as possible with zero care into how it affected Marinette, whether because they just don’t like the ship or because they actively desire for the suffering of the people who found comfort/happiness in the ship. Adrien had literally nothing to do with the break-up itself and him being mentioned served nothing for the story, but it’ll be completely overlooked or outright praised because god forbid Marinette spend an episode not talking about Adrien since that would imply that her life doesn’t revolve around him and that would be an apparent detriment to the love square.

By the way, newsflash: Luka was not an obstacle to the love square. He sent Marinette away in “Frozer” to go talk to Adrien. He told her that there was no pressure and that he’d be happy for her no matter what. Had Luka not existed, the love square would still be as stagnant as it is now, and it’s pathetic to complain about Marinette liking/dating another boy when she’s not only allowed to do so, but when “Oblivio” and “Chat Blanc” both exist as little more than tools to hold the supposedly “starved” love square shippers over.

These are the same people who will say they dislike/hate Luka, then do a 180 and claim that they “just feel so bad for him” and how he “deserves better than Marinette” (the sudden sympathy of which conveniently serves to hate on a ship that interferes with their own, further proven by equally convenient and appreciation/liking of Luka when he’s not a “threat” to the love square) while simultaneously shipping her with their sunshine boy because Ladybug is who Adrien wants and what Adrien wants is what matters.

These are the same people who will say that Luka is unnecessary and unneeded, then use him as a prop and stepping stone for love square fanfics and fanart, or suggest that Kagami is fine because she makes Adrien feel good about himself (when Luka does the same for Marinette but sure).

These are the same people who say that “Marinette can’t date Luka because she’s busy with hero stuff” while making fics about the love square getting together mid-”hero stuff” and then giving complete radio silence during “Chat Blanc” outside of how good they thought the episode was.

These are the same people who will tell others not to denounce Adrien for “a few mistakes” and then preemptively denounce Luka’s behavior based on a written synopsis for an episode that hadn’t even come out yet (and also after complaining that Luka was “too perfect,” I might add).

These are the same people who will say that Luka/Lukanette makes them feel “uncomfortable” (usually without offering any tangible reasons or being vague about Luka giving off “bad vibes” when he’s done nothing less than support and respect Marinette's agency) while the show’s endgame ship features the “m’lady” hand kissing Chat Noir who Ladybug has pulled away from multiple times yet he keeps persisting (which is apparently considered okay because Adrien is Chat Noir as if that discredits her discomfort/disdain for the gestures).

These are the same people who will say that Luka is “barely there” or “hardly exists” and then complain about how much screentime is dedicated to Lukanette, the utter greed on display going right over their heads when they have the actual endgame ship.

These are the same people who will absolutely reach for anything about Luka to complain about (again, after saying that he’s “too perfect,” then claiming he “tricked” Marinette into kissing him, claiming that he tried to force her into telling him her secret, or criticizing him for teasing her for her stuttering despite him immediately apologizing) and then either defend or turn a blind eye to Chat Noir (who tried to kiss her mid-battle instead of helping, made Ladybug feel bad for keeping secrets that weren’t hers to tell plus threatening his kwami that he’d quit if he didn’t get let in on said secrets, and mocked her instead of apologizing when she told him to stop calling her by a nickname she doesn’t like and has told him before to stop calling her) at every opportunity.

These are the same people who will say that Lukanette is “forced,” then proceed to ship Luka (regardless of if they like him or not) with literally anyone else for the sake of taking him out of the romance equation (because he has to be taken out via already dating as they couldn’t come up with a legitimate reason for Marinette to not want him otherwise), and the only requirement for this person he’s shipped with is that they breathe and aren’t Marinette.

These are the same people who act bothered by Marinette “””treating Luka poorly””” because of her crush on Adrien (by the by, Adrien’s crush on Ladybug has hurt Kagami as well), inadvertently admitting that Marinette’s crush is a problem, then continue shipping her with Adrien in its canon form anyway.

These are the same people who will say that they hate salt fics (specifically ones that target Adrien) and how they “bash characters,” then write fanfics or draw fanart that intentionally make Luka out of character for the sake of having him look bad or giving Marinette an excuse to run to Adrien (because Luka apparently needs to be made worse so that Adrien can look good instead of Adrien being able to stand on his own merits as a good love interest for Marinette).

These are the same people who will slam Luka when he’s Marinette’s support, then go off and ship him with other characters so that he can support them instead (fun fact that this is usually either Adrien - thus leaving Marinette completely alone and miserable when Luka canonically likes her - or characters that Marinette is actively against, such as Chloe or Lila).

These are the same people who will complain about how salty the fandom is (even when the salt is for catharsis/getting out anger from an episode in a productive way) and then laugh when a simple side ship ends because they’ve been letting said ship live rent free in their heads and couldn’t stop anticipating the episode that declares them “over.”

These are the same people who tell or suggest that people should “just leave” if they don’t like the main ship, unapologetically implying that the main ship is either all the show is about, all that they personally care about (bringing us right back to that little “not caring how torn apart Marinette is about the break-up” thing), or that people aren’t allowed to watch/like the show for other reasons (like Marinette herself, the miraculouses, other characters who may appear intermittently but nevertheless bring them joy to see, etcetera).

These are the same people who get on other people’s case for being spiteful while they themselves ride their high horse into the sunset, playing victim when people call them out for intentionally provoking others or purposefully mistagging to avoid people’s blacklist (tagging is not for the comfort of the tagger so they can “””avoid the toxic stans,””” for the record; it’s for the comfort of the people who don’t want to see that content).

And these are the same people who will go on and on about the toxicity of the stans who ship something they don’t like and then either ignore or downplay the stans who ship what they do like because they personally don’t have to experience it. This isn’t even about ship wars, it’s about the hypocrisy and lack of self-awareness.

I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to hear about how cruel the Luka fans or Lukanette shippers are when these people are celebrating Marinette’s misery because it means the end of a ship that they don’t like and certain people find comfort in. I don’t want to hear about people cross-tagging/mistagging when the Luka/Lukanette tag has been flooded with people who talk trash about the ship without any additional tags to filter it away, getting so bad to the point where some Luka/Lukanette fans had to find workarounds and/or avoid the tag entirely. I don’t want to hear about how certain shippers are worse because [x] [y] [z] when everyone has different experiences, showing a severe case of close-mindedness or at least ignorance on these people’s parts.

And, with how this season is heading, if something bad happens to the love square by the end of Season 4, I most definitely do not want to hear these same people decry the people who will do the exact thing that they’re doing now.

[thehollowprince]

Those words are trap words. They’re emotionally triggering, forcing whomever they’re accusing to take a step back, to pause and reassure people that they’re not... accusing people without actually accusing them so that they can “win the argument” / you mean like you calling and your camelotpark buddy calling Derek and Stiles "rapists" and "dangerous" and throwing the "racism" word around to harass non Scott fans and deflect any criticism toward Scott's abusive actions and behavior? We been knew

This is in response to this post I made yesterday, with this ask being quickly followed by a submission. I'm not going to post the whole thing, because it's literally just them quoting what I wrote and then writing their own little bit.

So I'll put that here

Putting aside, of course, that neither I nor @camelotpark have ever called Stiles or Derek a rapist (I'm actually confused as to where the Stiles accusation comes from), but this is a clear representation of what I was referring to in the post I linked above.

Not only are they demeaning people who have suffered SA by mocking it (the use of quotation marks is giving me sarcastic mocking of real victims vibes), but they're again trying to make it seem like racism isn't an actual thing in fandom. Which, I have to say, if you believe that at this point, you are willingly burying your head in the sand, but I digress.

But the thing that needs mentioning is that they're doing exactly what I talked about previously. They're throwing out as many emotional buzzwords out as they can "logically" fit into whatever they're ranting about, in the hopes that either those of us who get these messages, or those that read them once they're posted, are going to be confused and off balance, hoping that our emotional response to those words will outweigh the cold hard facts of the show that we're talking about. That's why they also try to drag our personal lives and character into the conversation, in a way to "discredit" us. It's a tactic you see often used by lawyers, discrediting the witness to have their testimony thrown out as biased or false.

That's why they continously mention aspects of @princeescaluswords private life, using the fact that they admitted that they were once a registered Republican (don't know if they still are) and the reputation that party now has in an effort to get people to ignore them when they call out racism within the fandom.

It's smoke and mirrors.

It's that old razzle dazzle.

It's a distraction technique and nothing else. And they will cling to it with the desperation of a drowning man because they know that they can't back up their accusations against Scott (or Deaton or Braeden) or their absolution of thr actions of Derek (or Stiles or Peter) with the show itself.

I'll conclude this by circling back to the "point" they thought they were making in these submissions. I have never called Derek Hale (a fictional character) a rapist. I have merely pointed out the predatory nature of his recruitment of three vulnerable teenagers, and how such actions are similar to not only Peter, but what Kate personally did to him.

Watch the show if you don't believe me.

[theminionjcfucked]

The BB23 Houseguests and the combination of former players they are: Good vs Evil Edition

PSA: I’ve done a specific combination of generally liked players and generally hated players amongst the BB Fandom. DO NOT get mad at me if your fav is compared to someone you don’t like. I did this strictly based on how they played and how it compares to the current cast. I compared some of my favs to hot garbage but it is a deliberate comparative of “good vs evil”.

Don’t be a salty bitch. 😁

Enjoy!

Alyssa: BB18 Natalie/ BB18 Nicole- She cute and flirty just like Natalie was but I fear her playing the Franzel game of wanting a meat shield and a boy toy will lead to her downfall.

Azah: BB19 Dominique/ BB19 Jessica- She has a very poised demeanor about her and speaks only with integrity and heart just like Dominique did, however I feel as though just like Jessica, she’s gonna let her heart play too much into her game and end up pulling a damaging move towards her own game.

Brent: BB16 Cody/BB18 Paulie- A Jersey boy combo. In comparison to Cody on BB16, he’s somewhat decent to look at. But he has all the disgusting qualities of Paulie that make him so unappealing. Especially the cockiness. Truly a blend of both Calafiore brothers.

Britini: BB18 Michelle/BB19 Christmas- She has a lot of emotional roller coasters like Michelle did but she also has the same spunk that Meech did too. However, I do feel like she is becoming too confident in saying what she wants to everyone and seeing herself with a victim/hero complex like Christmas did.

Christian: BB16 Hayden/BB16 Frankie- In comparison to Hayden, he’s playful and can sometimes liven up a room. But he is arrogant and full of himself like Frankie was. And based on his acting skills I’ve seen, I don’t know how he could honestly think he is all that and a bag of chips.

Claire: BB17 Becky/ BB20 Angela- Claire is athletic and fun just like Becky. She also is down to scheme the way Becky was. But she is also furniture right now, just like Angela was.

Derek F: BB12 Rachel Reilly/BB22 Kevin- JFC if he doesn’t have all the personality in the world! Like he is funny and brings a lot into the house ala Rachel style, but his reads on the house are as piss poor as Kevin’s.

Derek X: BB17 Johnny Mac/B18 Paul- Just like Johnny Mac he is a stellar competitor when it comes to making smart moves and generally being in everybody’s good graces. But just like Paul, DX is a new player, who is learning the game quite well, but it could be his downfall as he may discredit his fellow competitors abilities and let they slide by instead of getting them out.

Frenchie: BB1 Chicken George/ BB21 Jack- He had all the simple older man vibes as Chicken George with all the condescending self righteous POS behaviors as Jack.

Hannah: BB13 Britney/ BB8 Daniele: She is witty and charming like Britney. Right now she isn’t seen as a threat which can be good, but I do fear she might let her tongue get too sharp like Dani did in her first season.

Kyland: BB6 Kaysar/ BB21 Tommy- He is so wholesome and caring the way he treats other houseguests in the same way Kaysar was but I do feel he is a bit passive with some shit the way Tommy was about all the bullshit that went on with BB21

Sarah Beth: BB18 Bridgette/ BB15 Andy- Like Bridgette, she had the sweet demeanor with a savage underbelly if she is crossed. But she’s also inching closer and closer to a rat like game as Andy did.

Tiffany: BB3 Danielle/ BB20 Tyler- Tiffany has the strongest grip on the game just like Danielle did, and she has aligned herself with good players who will have her back as she slowly knocks down the competition. However, much like Tyler with Kaycee, she has a couple of shadows (Ky/Claire/DX) that could sneak up a steal her win if she doesn’t start managing her jury now.

Travis: BB16 Zach/ BB11 Jeff- He was entertaining in the same ridiculous way Zach was but his dude bro frat boy attitude is very reminiscent of Schroeder

Whitney: BB3 Marcellas/ BB17 Liz- She gives me emptyheaded yet entertaining vibes the way Marcellas did but also mean girl bitch vibes the way Liz did.

Xavier: BB2 Will/ BB18 James- I think he is clever with how he navigates the social part of this game the same way Will did, but I think his goofiness could lead to his game falling apart.

[mood-jude]

Girl Interrupted Syndrome, Definition Via Urban Dictionary

Girl Interrupted Syndrome Girl Interrupted Syndrome is the phenomenon of an angsty teen believing they are so incredibly unique and different, they find their depression to be cinematic in a "starving artist" way and believe it makes them an interesting, nonchalant, effortless cool girl. Those who suffer from Girl Interrupted Syndrome may find themselves engaging in the listening of Fiona Apple, Duster, and Have a Nice Life while also attempting to pick up any hobby or new interest that will make them seem so esoteric and Manic Pixie Dream Girl -esque. Girl Interrupted Syndrome victims may find themselves to be infatuated with the arts and chase after people who are the same as them. The constant attempt to be so different may also lead to those with this syndrome to participate in cigarette smoking, accentuating their eye bags using eyeshadow, only using 35mm film for pictures, and desperately trying to appear quiet and mysterious. They are also mostly self-righteous philosophy freaks who find themself to be more well-rounded than everyone around them. Vivienne: Hey what's up with Flora recently? It's like she's suddenly isolated herself from everyone and seems in a daze all the time... Gia: Probably just a case of Girl Interrupted Syndrome... This can't just be me, this description gives off those vibes of people making fun of women and other feminine people for like, enjoying life and trying to cope with mental illness. This description makes it seem like this ridiculous and fake expression that's going to be dropped at the drop of a hat or is in the blight of youth but it just seems like someone trying to explore their personality and interests while coping with their shit. Like, this doesn't seem like anything other than discrediting women/feminine people for liking the things they like and their self expression.... again.

This is how I see it:

Indie dude bro: "Omg is this Fionna apple? Jesus, talk about Girl Interrupted Syndrome. We get it, you have daddy issues and wrote poetry once" *rolls eyes*

Girl: *Is trying to connect with an artist she enjoys* "What?"

[nitrateglow]

Favorite film discoveries of 2019

Every year, my new-to-me favorites list always shocks me in some way. This year, the sheer amount of movies made in the 2010s on display is INSANE by my standards. Of course, most of the modern movies here are throwbacks or tributes to older styles of cinema, so maybe it’s not that shocking in the long run.

Another running trend this year: movies that are old but not as dated as we would wish. Many of the older films here deal with xenophobia and political strife in ways that still feel shockingly prescient today-- the more things change...

ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD (DIR. QUENTIN TARANTINO, 2019)

I never thought the day would come where my favorite movie of the year would actually be made after the 1970s, let alone by Quentin Tarantino. Then again, this movie is all about the end of Old Hollywood as well as a big love letter to the 1960s, so maybe it’s not that shocking a state of affairs. I adored this movie, the level of detail, the laidback yet elegaic vibe, the comedy and the relationships between all the characters. It was one of those movies where I loved even the scenes where nothing seems to be happening at all-- I mean, who knew Brad Pitt feeding his dog and watching TV could be entertaining?? But it is and I can't wait to see this one again!

INTENTIONS OF MURDER (DIR. SHOHEI IMAMURA, 1964)

Intentions of Murder has an insane premise, one that runs the risk of being tasteless: a housewife in a miserable, exploitative marriage is raped by a sickly burglar during a home invasion. Even worse, she can’t shake him, as he’s suddenly infatuated and wants her to run away with him to the city. And weirder still: her current existence is so miserable that she’s TEMPTED. While abuse and rape are grim subjects for any story, Intentions is actually about a woman coming into her own and finally standing strong against all these men trying to use her. It’s a weird blend of drama and dark comedy, a truly savage satire on patriarchy and class-snobbery.

JOKER (DIR. TODD PHILLIPS, 2019)

I went into this movie expecting to think it was overhyped and when I first left the theater, I was all ready to say “it’s good but not THAT good.” But it ended up haunting me for weeks afterward, and I found myself thinking about how everything just tied up so well together, from the grotty urban hellscape which serves as the setting to Phoenix’s brilliant performance. It reminded me a lot of A Clockwork Orange in how intimate it lets you get to this violent man while never pretending he is someone to be glamorized or imitated.

SIMON (DIR. MARSHALL BRICKMAN, 1980)

How do I even describe Simon? Alan Arkin is brainwashed by a group of overpaid intellectuals into believing he is descended from an alien toaster. Then he gets a messiah complex and starts gathering disciples as he rails against television, condiment packets, and muzak. It’s a little uneven at times, sure, but the satire is really inspired. The whole thing is like a combination of Mel Brooks, Stanley Kubrick, and Woody Allen’s styles, and it is quite hilarious for those who thrive on cult oddities.

PEEPING TOM (DIR. MICHAEL POWELL, 1960)

Though it came out the same year as Hitchcock’s Psycho and has been nearly as influential for horror cinema, Peeping Tom remains underseen by everyone save for film theorists. And what a shame that is, because this movie is more frightening than Psycho. Sure, that may be because Psycho is so predominant in popular culture and just so influential that it no longer has the same shock value, but there’s something about Peeping Tom that gets under my skin, something sad, even disgusting. I felt dirty after watching it-- and this is 2019!

MIDNIGHT MARY (DIR. WILLIAM WELLMAN, 1933)

Loretta Young got one of her juiciest roles in this pre-code crime drama. Her Mary Martin is more than just a good girl forced into criminal circles-- she’s a complicated creature, compassionate and desperate and lonely and bitter and sensual all at once. This movie is a fast-paced, beautifully filmed ride, cloaked in that Depression-era cynicism that makes pre-code Hollywood of such interest to movie geeks the world over.

WILD BOYS OF THE ROAD (DIR. WILLIAM WELLMAN, 1933)

Wild Boys of the Road is a quintessential Depression-era movie, relentless in its bleakness and rage. That the main characters are all starving kids only looking for work makes their struggles all the harder to watch. William Wellman is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors: his gritty style and compact storytelling are just perfect for a ripped-from-the-headlines drama such as this. And the “happy” ending has one little moment that just knocks any smile you have right off your mug. Absolutely see this.

THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING, THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING (DIR. NORMAN JEWISON, 1966)

Sometimes, when you watch a movie only because a favorite actor is in it, you get subjected to pure trash like Free and Easy (oh, the things I do for Buster Keaton). Other times, you get cute gems like The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming, which, as you probably guessed, I mainly sought out for Alan Arkin. But the whole movie is hilarious, the best kind of farce comedy, populated by enjoyable characters and a sweet-tempered humanism that grounds the wackiness. While a little overlong, this movie is quite underrated-- and sadly, its satire of American xenophobia and Cold War panic is not as dated as we would like to believe.

ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN (DIR. ALAN J. PAKULA, 1976)

Who knew a political thriller where most people know the twist could be so intense and riveting? It’s about as nonsensical as feeling suspense when you watch a movie about the Titanic and hope the boat won’t sink-- but damn, it’s magical. All the President’s Men is real white-knuckle stuff, with Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman projecting both youthful excitement and deep panic as they proceed with their investigation. It scarcely seems to have aged at all.

WHISPER OF THE HEART (DIR. YOSHIFUMI KONDOU, 1995)

There’s a scene near the end of Whisper of the Heart where the protagonist Shizuku shows the finished first draft of her fantasy novel to her first reader, the grandpa of one of her schoolmates. She weeps because it isn’t the perfect image she had in her head, despite how hard she worked on it, but the old man tells her that it takes polishing and discipline to make the work come to its full potential. Few movies about artists are so honest about how hard it can be, how unsupportive others can be in their demand that everyone be “practical.” As a writer who struggles to create and constantly doubts herself, this movie spoke strongly to me. I recommend it to any creative person.

THE PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE (DIR. BRIAN DE PALMA, 1976)

I’d been wanting to see this movie since my high school phan days. Holy crap, is it WEIRDER than I could have ever imagined, a true camp masterpiece. I’m shocked it was never tuned into a stage show actually, but then again, we would miss those trippy camera angles and we wouldn’t have Paul Williams as one of the greatest villains of all time.

DUEL (DIR. STEVEN SPIELBERG, 1971)

When people talk about the best movies made in the “Hitchcock without Hitchcock directing” tradition, why is Duel so seldom mentioned? The scene in the cafe, packed with paranoid tension and tense camerawork, alone should qualify it. Duel is most known as the movie which put the young Steven Spielberg on the map. It’s quite different from his later work, grittier and less whimsical for sure. Even the ending seems almost nihilistic, depending on how you view it. But damn, if it isn’t fine filmmaking.

CAROL (DIR. TODD HAYNES, 2015)

This gorgeous throwback to Douglas Sirk melodramas is also one of the best romantic movies I’ve seen in a while. Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara have the sweetest, tenderest chemistry-- it was like seeing Lauren Bacall and Audrey Hepburn as love interests in a film. Unlike Sirk, there is little in the way of ripe melodrama here-- everything is underplayed, aching, mature. And I can say this is an adaptation that is better than the source book: it just feels so much warmer.

12 ANGRY MEN (DIR. SIDNEY LUMET, 1957

All I can say is that this was every bit equal to the hype. Common movie wisdom says people sitting and talking in a room is going to be boring on film, but movies like 12 Angry Men prove this is not so when you’ve got an excellently tense atmosphere, an inspired script, and a stable of fine actors to work with. Like The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming, this movie has not significantly aged-- much to society’s discredit.

A STAR IS BORN (DIR. GEORGE CUKOR, 1954)

Another movie I went into not expecting to love as much as I did. When movies from the 20s or 30s tended to get remakes in the 1950s, I always find them too garish and big, victims of glossy Cinemascope and overlong runtimes. Compared to the lean 1937 classic original, I expected sheer indulgence from this three-hour remake. Instead, I got my heart torn out all over again-- the longer runtime is used well, fleshing out the characters to a greater degree. Judy Garland and James Mason both give what might be the best efforts of their respective careers, and the satire of the celebrity machine remains as relevant and scathing as ever.

BLANCANIEVES (DIR. PABLO BERGER, 2012)

Oh, it feels like this movie was made for me specifically. It’s shot in gorgeous, expressionistic black-and-white. It’s set in the 1920s. It’s a clever adaptation of a classic fairy tale. It’s as funny and charming as it is bittersweet and macabre. Instead of more superhero movies, can we get more neo-silent movies like this? PLEASE?

THE FAVOURITE (DIR. YORGOS LANTHIMOS, 2018)

I’ve heard The Favourite described as a “bitchy lesbian Shakespeare play,” but this description, while a little true in terms of general tone, does not get to the heart of what makes this film brilliant. More than love or sex, this movie is about power-- particularly the corrupting influence of power. And it corrupts not only morals but love itself. Innocents become Machiavellian schemers. Lovers become sadomasochistic enemies. Good intentions turn to poison. This certainly isn’t a happy movie, but it is moving and, strangely enough, also hilarious. I was reminded of the chilly, satirical world of Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon more than once-- and for me, that is not a bad movie to be reminded of.

ON THE WATERFRONT (DIR. ELIA KAZAN, 1954)

Another classic that’s been on my list forever that I was delighted to find worthy of its reputation. It’s a classic tale of redemption and social justice, perfectly acted and shot. While I still prefer A Streetcar Named Desire as far as Kazan is concerned, this might be a better movie in the objective sense. Actually, more than even Brando, Karl Malden is the acting highlight for me-- he plays a priest torn between staying silent or truly speaking for the Gospel by demanding justice for the poor parish he serves. Just brilliant work.

KLUTE (DIR. ALAN J. PAKULA, 1971)

A perfect thriller, just about, and a great example of the “NYC is hell on earth” subgenre of the 1960s and 1970s. Jane Fonda is a revelation: she feels so real, not at all like a starlet trying to seem normal if you know what I mean.

KISS KISS BANG BANG (DIR. SHANE BLACK, 2005)

As far as subversive noir goes, this is the most entertaining. I would put it up there with The Big Lebowski as far as goofy takes on Raymond Chandler are concerned-- I don’t even really know what to make of it, but I laughed my ass off anytime I wasn’t going “WHAT???”

What were your favorite film discoveries in 2019?

[bella-c1ao]

Recently argued with a TERF (reblogs are on this blog) and I didn’t quite articulate an argument correctly so here goes.

She claims to have dated a trans person before (lol it was the ‘I have a black friend’ excuse). If this is true it’s worth noting that the overall vibe of that relationship could put her at an emotional bias against trans people. Make no mistake: TERFs are just factually incorrect. They fall for the same shit that Anti-Vaxxers, Qanon-ers, Alt Right-ers (in particular the ‘race realists’), climate denialists, etc. all for for. All of these ideologies have a central component in common: distrust of scientific fact.

They don’t all arrive here the same way. Qanon and race realists prey on right leaning people who may have some misconception or another. Race realists may try to convince people that black people are genetically more violent because of recent riots (the riots, which accounted for roughly 7% of all BLM protests where the other 93% were peaceful, were often instigated by police and/or fringe right wing groups trying to harm the messages of the protests). They can then try to convince a person that the media is lying, and these days people don’t trust the media that much anyway so maybe the person bites. Next they’ll say the scientists are lying and they’ll cherry pick a discredited, out of context, or misinterpreted study or article that doesn’t align with the tens of thousands of contradictory peer-reviewed studies that disprove their position or belief.

Eventually the person drinks the Flavor-Aid and thinks that black people are genetically inferior. Anti-Vaxxer’s play to similar right leaning, vauguely anti-establishment people and do the same shit. They’ll take a disgraced and discredited doctor (you know the one dude I forgot the motherfucker’s name) whom they claim was “silenced” or something and suggest at a bullshit conspiracy. It’s like clockwork.

Climate Denialists do the same and cherry pick articles (which often end up having ties to oil and coal industry, it’s a well documented disinformation effort) that contradict MOUNTAINS of evidence with little to no substantial basis.

Qanon targets the right leaning people just like the race realists and convinces them the democrats are a satanic child sex trafficking ring because reasons.

They all target reactionary people who don’t sit down to check the logical basis for arguments and are more prone to emotionally charged logical fallacies.

In the case of TERFs, it’s similar. They target kinda reactionary women who are uninformed and have emotional biases against trans people. The TERF I spoke to said she knew trans people and dated one. If she had a bad breakup or a bad relationship with her trans sibling, she’d be more emotionally predisposed to a logical fallacy. In her case, it was probably the anchoring fallacy, where she heard the TERF arguments first and then went out of her way to defend them without truly addressing the evidence. TERFs often become so fucking vitriolic in their hate that they use dogwhistles to hide their true intentions from normies. Sound familiar?

Now I don’t wanna come off as some kind of facts and logic type douchebag a la Ben Shapiro, it’s just that for someone to take an informed position they need to first contexualize evidence in a reasonable manner. Tell me, what reason does the scienctific community have for siding with one of the most marginalized groups of people in the world? What reason is there for such a conspiracy? Is Bill Gates funding some kind of disinformation effort and the people who wrote the DSM are in bed with him? Fuck off with this shit dude.

In short, anti-establishment+anti-intellectual=conspiracy cult. It’s an equation all too often demonstrated in our modern political climate.

To ask one more question of the TERF I spoke with, I ask why, if you care about people with dysphoria (I doubt it and I think that was a mask but I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt), why is it that you do everything you can to invalidate the people who have gone through or are currently going through the most effective treatment for dysphoria, transitioning? Why do you spew so much bigotry and bullshit about how we’re all narcissistic and dirty and gross and are just fetishists who want to prey on women, etc. ? You can’t say you support victims of sexual violence and then mock victims of sexual violence for showing symptoms of trauma.

You can’t substantiate these claims because they’re all from a biased, intentionally negative interpretation of trans people taking care of other trans people. Are you really so nasty of a person that you really think us telling each other positive things about our appearances or saying nice things about ourselves in public to show our pride and ease our minds is fucking narcissistic? We get it, dumbass, some of us don’t look like cis men/women, guess what you fucking dolt, we know. We think about it every day and probably every time we look in a mirror.

Whether it’s incongruence or dysphoria, we notice. Gender and sex aren’t the same thing, and while there’s often a correlation, it’s still not causative. I get it, nothing will change the fact that I was born with a male body, but I don’t care. I’ve accepted that because my biological sex isn’t in my control but my gender is. We’re not denying that fact. We all know this. It’s fucking obvious. It’s just that we don’t care. We’re still going to be happier when we go by different names and pronouns and present in a more feminine/masculine way. What could you possibly gain from telling us off for living our best lives when it IN NO WAY HARMS YOU? Your own sick pleasure from bullying others?

Honestly I hope the person i spoke to gets some fucking help, because she seriously needs it. Her emotional maturity (or lack thereof) gave me second hand embarrassment and she needs to fundamentally reasses herself as a person. Hell, who knows, maybe it’s internalized transphobia. Anyone who doesn’t have her blocked can check my blog to find hers, and send this post to her. Send it to any terf if you wanna, more people to block for me.

Stay well folks, maybe be a little better to each other. Later.

[bellatrixobsessed1]

She even discredited and disparaged the victims without even attempting to understand their side of the story. I'm not trying to single out this one user, but it is because of these sorts of users that give the rest of Azula fans a really bad name. As an Azula fan myself, I sometimes understand why people think that there is a cult surrounding Azula because of some fans. I feel the need to distance myself from extremists to maintain more objectivity.

Kay so I’m going to answer this portion of the ask because I don’t feel comfortable answering the one that actually names said user. I’m going to be very forward with you; you’re definitely welcome in my inbox but I would rather not discuss certain users. That kind of stuff gets really messy really fast and I don’t really want a hand in that. 

Now I do agree with you that there are some problem users. Though I don’t always agree with the person you mentioned, I don’t feel like she’s one of the problematic users. Generally when I’ve talked to this person she’s been very nice and polite about our disagreements. 

However there are several users who I would agree with you are very extreme. Again, I won’t mention names but I do see a lot of users justifying everything Azula does. And I’ve seen several people say that she is not abusive and that Zuko is more of the antagonizer than the victim.  This is actually a point where I feel a bit disconnected from the rest of Azula’s fanbase. I feel as though Azula, though abused herself, is a bit of an abuser. Not physically but emotionally. Using fear to control people (which is canon) is a form of abuse. One that she learned albeit. But an abuse tactic no less. And there’s a pretty good number of fans who are dismissive of this/accuse Zuko of being a cry baby. That kind of thing kinda makes me uneasy. It makes me uneasy in the same way that people saying Azula (a 14 year old child) deserves death and a sentence as harsh as Ozai’s.

I’m not really fond of the ‘Azula did nothing wrong’ line of thinking. Because she did and she is still doing wrong things. Which is why precisely I am disappointed that Bryke apparently sees a redemption arc as ‘prolonging’ or ‘watering down the series’.

You mentioned in the first half of the ask that there’s some Tyzula ship hate. In terms of that and “which is funny because it (sokkla) is just like zutara.” You’re kind of talking to the wrong person here lol. I’m in the middle of my like 20th Sokkla fic. And I don’t like Zutara. Personally I feel like the dynamic is very different as they are four different characters entirely. And I actually do prefer Sokkla to Tyzula a bit.

However, as mentioned I do like Tyzula too and I hate it when people insist that it’s an abusive ship no matter how its written. So I can see your frusturation there. Just ship wars in general...I don’t like to fuck with those. I was part of the pro-Kataang squad back in the day. And I was caught dead in the middle of Tyzula vs Sokkla. I’ve learned my lesson after that one and really try to stay out of ship wars the best that I can. 

I can’t really comment on the Ehasz allegations because I actually have no idea what you’re talking about lol. Like I read his tweet but I don’t really follow him much beyond that. So, though I have heard via avatarfandompolice that there were some allegations about him, I have no idea what they actually are or anything about that matter. I wouldn’t mind someone enlightening me on that. 

“As an Azula fan myself, I sometimes understand why people think that there is a cult surrounding Azula because of some fans. I feel the need to distance myself from extremists to maintain more objectivity.” This I can actually 90% agree with you on. I actually feel like I’m in the same boat here. I kind of feel like I need to distance myself from the fanbase because I actually DO like the comics and I had a very positive opinion on them. But after reading so much meta I started to take a more pessimistic view. I kind of feel like there’s just a lot of negativity and pessimism in her fandom at the moment (and it isn’t entirely unwarrented, I can see why everyone is so pessimistic) and it’s kind of overwhelming. I really miss when we just shitposted (I still laugh about azulasnuthouseblog, ‘shitwreck trainpost’, and ‘ya fukt it up’) and made dumb fanart. 

I do agree that there’s a lot of extremists and that it probably pushed away a lot of those people who liked to shitpost with me. The ship war was like the nail in the coffin. 

The only thing I disagree on is the cult thing. I have made various posts now about this and about how I disagree with certain opinions of the fanbase and I don’t feel anxious over it. I’ve also made several posts kinda calling out some of this fandom’s bullshit (including the one that prompted this ask) and, knock on wood, no one has given me a hard time for it. Like I don’t feel like fellow Azula fans are gonna evict me from the fandom or hate me for posting stuff like this. And that’s what make it NOT a cult. Cults are manipulative and leave members fearing what would happen if they speak out against the majority/have a different opinion. They isolate people who dare to think differently. I don’t get this vibe from the Azula fandom. So far everyone (even some of the more radical fans) have been very cordial with me.

If anything, the Azula fandom is more of an echo chamber (an environment in which a person encounters only beliefs or opinions that coincide with their own, so that their existing views are reinforced and alternative ideas are not considered) than a cult. But I do think that alternative ideas are considered, so echo chamber doesn’t quite fit either.  

But this is just my personal experience with the fandom. I can’t say how others have been treated and I won’t try. 

All of this said, thanks for the ask, even if I can’t agree with all of it. And a thanks to the rest of Azula’s fandom for being open when discussing things with me so far. I hope that I was able to convey all of this in a way that is respectful to all parties and in a way that doesn’t throw anyone under the bus. 

If there’s someone who feels uncomfortable with me posting this one, let me know and I can take it down because I don’t want anyone to feel called out or attacked. 

[kayzeeahh]

I've got to say I'm mildly amused at this whole scandal thing. Sure, I feel bad for the victims and every time something is revealed I get more disgusted in this world. But it's so satisfying knowing that justice will prevail no matter what. I guess it's also cuz I never really liked the people involved anyway.

Seungri: never thought he was funny and found his humour almost always lewd? He gives me a bad vibe from him. Thought he was never as goody goody fans make him. But then I also never really liked BB as people either.

Jung joonyoung: never liked him much either. He was always less "Korean"/more chill than his cast members but then his morals are also more loose. Also never got a good vibe from him.

Choi jonghoon: didn't know him much except he was the leader of ft island. At this point I just feel bad for his members for having to deal with this kind of stuff. (Most of) his members seem like genuine enough people.

Junhyung: I'll have to say I'm quite surprised at him. He appeared to be on the more quiet and reserved side. From his lyrics it seemed like there were some kind of soul inside of him but I guess there's just so many things you can hide. I really feel bad for his members too, they all seem like nice people too.

Lee jonghyun: he's still a rumour at the this point. But if he turns out to be true I'll be really surprised too. He gives me the same vibes as junhyung so it'll be disappointing. At one point he was even my favourite member in cnblue. And omg he was even on wgm. Imagine the horror on the girl if this is true...

I'm glad they're cracking down on the whole sex exploitation/corruption/etc thing but a part of me can't help but think this is all a show. I'm not trying to discredit people's involvement but the reactions could be an exaggeration of what they truly feel. Koreans love saving faces so I wouldn't even be surprised if it starts with a big bang (no pun intended) but fizzles down like a depleted balloon. Hopefully I'm wrong about this last point.

[nightblink]

Blink Reads Oathbringer - Chapters 22-30

Chapter Twenty-Two – The Darkness Within

MRAIZE IT'S FUCKING MRAIZE SHIT SHIT ABORT MISSION AB O R T

She's definitely referring to Adolin as the whitespine here, hinting entirely unsubtly that she believes he (or at least a Kholin or one of their army) killed her husband. But does she have information we don't know about? Also, mark 2 for Adolin being associated with whitespines.

Go Adolin, that is exactly what needed to be said. And! Ialai's actually listening! She's treating Shallan like little more than a servant, though, and that is a very deliberate slight to her honor/authority.

!!! So. Ialai has no idea of Mraize's Ghostblood affiliations? Okay, okay, I'm now less on edge regarding this interview.

Oh shit, Shallan, he knows. Did you honestly think he wouldn't have that tidbit of information?

“You killed Jasnah.” Shallan. You just said yourself last chapter that you (a Radiant) could survive a sword through the chest. I'm amazed that you haven't put two and two together yet.

Ooooo. The “wrongness”? Was there some Ancient Evil in a Can that was unleashed when the Alethi came through the Oathgate? Well, no matter that or something else, “securing Urithiru” is a goal you can both get behind.

The little snub with the tea is perfect petty revenge (coupled with a bit of power maneuvering).

AMARAM. Goddamn it, I thought you were discredited! Only among the Kholins, it seems, Damn it. And Shallan still thinks you were the one that Killed Helaran. This is going to be a shitshow.

And Adolin's first thought is 'Kaladin isn't going to like this.' Ahhhhh, bless.

Adolin, you did well, even if you did almost punch her. You may not be good at politics, but you manage.

STORMS ARE BACK.

Chapter Twenty-Three – Storming Strange

Deceiving an honest person, Kaladin? [gasps] But hey, you and the Parshmen will be safe. With any luck, staying out of the storms will also mean they won't be exposed to Odiumspren of any kind.

Everstorm Count: 2 passes

Heh, he's a stubborn old man, Kal – you might not be able to slip this one past him. ...or not, that works too

The spren “have a destination in mind”. That does not bode well. Odium will need an army, not just a Champion, and turning them all in one place might be his plan rather than leaving them in smaller numbers with a better chance of getting overwhelmed by Rosharan forces.

Speaking of things the Parshmen stole from you, have you been checking back with the spanreed to- Ahhh, no, they took that too.

The spren! Stone/earth associations at the moment; perhaps flame, but that's colour alone. Still not entirely sure what kind of spren she is.

...I think she suspects, Kal.

Chapter Twenty-Four – Men of Blood and Sorrow

“Dalinar remembered.” That alone is enough to make me screech and bounce around the room, he remembers, he remembers-!

“not true golden, like the hair of the Iriali” okay Sanderson I will give you this but I'm still set on very subtle metallics, which is quite reasonable given the shared heritage between the Iriali and Rirans

Okay, so not a whole lot of memories returned, but still. INFO ON EVI. AAAAAHHHHHH-

“He didn't remember love” I have the feeling that that's going to change. You don't do something as drastic as going to the Nightwatcher to forget her loss if wasn't a pain that pierced deep.

What was your bargain with the Nightwatcher, We still don'y actually know. Sanderson, this better get explained later. Currently I'm of the opinion that the Nahel bond is interfering with it somehow.

Oh no oh noooooo, it's Taravangian. What are you planning…

“this man had been a friend to Gavilar” - and Gavilar was likely part of the Diagram as well, in that case and considering the political and military power he wielded

Or. Or not. Five years ago must have been when it started, and Gavilar was two years cold by then.

NEW RADIANT NEW RADIANT. Malata. No indication of what Order she is, but to work the Oathgate she has to have a living Shardblade, so there's no question there that she is one.

And here I thought assassinations weren't very Alethi, Dalinar.

What a way to drop the chapter title, ooof. That's something for Dalinar to think on.

Navani with the power dress, awwww yeah.

[winces] And they're underestimating Taravangian immensely, as he probably planned.

DUSTBRINGER. DUSTBRINGER DUSTBRINGER DUSTBRINGER TELL ME WHAT THE OATHS ARE, TELL ME-

I… had not considered that she might have one of the other Honorblades rather than being a Radiant.

“Lore about people dealing with their curses, and seeking any cure for them, is practically its own genre.” And now I want a peek at in-world novels covering this.

Oop, and the Stormfather confirms that it's not the Nahel bond causing the memory resurgence. There goes my theory.

Well. That Tukari “god-king” seems… unhinged. He's not going to roll over anytime soon, and I worry that Dalinar might end up fighting a war on two or more fronts here. Negotiation isn't going to do anything.

No one believes that you won't attack. No one believes that you, in particular, have changed, and what reason would they have to do so? No more than they do to believe that the warring Alethi will do anything else either.

How much of a tyrant will you be, Dalinar Kholin?

Chapter 25 – The Girl Who Looked Up

The sketch-picture page preceding this chapter is really unsettling. Seriously, Shallan, you need a therapist.

The note before the chapter isn't particularly reassuring either.

Perhaps there is information here, and you just haven't delved deep enough to find it.

A theatre! Oh man, yeah, Pattern would love the theatre. THE BEST KIND OF LIES.

Acting out the play with stormlight figures! Excellent practice for moving illusions that are separate from the Radiant.

Bit of an Attack on Titan vibe going on from that wall and the lack of wondering about its origins.

Eyeless crowd? Creepy, Shallan. You'd better save some of that spherelight for your walk back too.

“All but one” WAIT. WHAT. A shadowy figure? Spren or human? Considering Shallan, could be either.

Aaaaaand she's slipping into Radiant's personality again. Again the name changes.

Why the different light-versions of yourself? To confuse the shadow? To light the room? What…? I'm confused.

Oh, shit- Yeah, spren. With extra body horror.

She's changing personalities even easier than before. It seems she's still consciously doing it, but she doesn't have to spend any time getting into the mindset of another personality anymore. It simply flows.

Rock? It attacked Rock? Like Shallan stabbed the Horneater called Ur at the bar. And after Sadeas, that mirror-murder was a soldier. The spren – it has to be this shadow-spren - it's looking for at least some physical commonalities in its choice of victim. It's not just murder it's reenacting either – just. Violence. Maybe there needs to be blood involved? Or an emotion like fear?

“I don't want to be blind anymore.” Oooo, another seeking secrets. This definitely won't be the last we see of you, Ishnah.

Chapter Twenty-Six – Blackthorn Unleashed

MORE EVI MORE EVI-

So the Heralds are still 'worshipped' in Iri, even if the names are changed, and they have a similar practice of burning prayers. The largest difference is the 'god' at the top of the chain – possibly split between Honor and Cultivation, or perhaps the origin of the Iriali's 'One' stretches all the way back to Adonalsium.

Oh, you'll know in a few decades what it takes to earn the ardent's displeasure, and by then you'll care more about it as well.

I love Evi already.

Dalinar “what are hugs” Kholin

AYYYY SEBARIAL~~~ not showing up. [snickers] Trying to play both sides to the end while not fighting himself.

Oh interesting. The Plate belongs to Evi and not her brother? Considering the accusation that they 'stole' it, it's not a question of which one has a more legitimate claim to the Plate, so it was decided that the Plate would go to Evi. Huh.

Ryshadium! And you tell that by that fact that they're followed by musicspren. That's… unexpected. Some connection to the Listeners and their Rhythms, or perhaps the Dawnsingers?

Oooo, Dalinar is not feeling charitable right about now – probably still mulling the possibility of fratricide over in his brain. “Stay out of my way” indeed.

[winces] He revels in the death and destruction and men fall by the dozens with burned-out eyes, so different from the Dalinar we know. This is deadly momentum – something had to change even before the night of Gavilar's death, a decision of some kind, or Dalinar would probably have looked to Herdaz or Jah Keved next and steamrolled onwards until he dropped dead.

…..that redness does not seem normal , even for the Thrill. I'm sensing something else going on.

Kadash? I though you said in the future that you left after the battle at the Rift? ...huh. There must be a second time they fight there, because you're still here.

“He felt sad to have to engage a Shardbearer, instead of continuing his fight against the ordinary men.” That's…. You're not addicted to the fight. You're addicted to the kill.

Slate-grey plate even way back then. Even before the Codes, you were never one for ornamentation.

Oh! That's Elhokar's Shardblade, Sunraiser!

'Bloodstance – a stance for someone who didn't care if he got hit.' No details on what that stance looks like? Come ooooon. Still, if it was an unarmed man against a Shardbearer, that's be one thing. Shards against Shards? This could get ugly.

This fight would be so brutally good animated.

Loving the change in setting when they get to the peak, and then the change in style that the terrain necessitates. The surge of bloodthirst in the Thrill, however...

[winces] That thirst for killing isn't abating, this is not good… and there's Gavilar. Within running distance, in possession of a heart that beats and things that Dalinar wants. This is it, this is when he considers, but it he actually going to go for it, shit shit shit, he is, shit-

And stops at the last second. Stormfather.

You do deserve shamespren.

There's it, that's the decision. 'I must never be king.'

Picture at the end of the chapter: Did we really need to see the oozing horror of that spren? Did we really? [shudders]

Chapter Twenty-Seven – Playing Pretend

Shallan curled up all comfortably is a good sign. The fact that the strange shadow-figure is definitely some kind of Odium-spren, not at all. Also not encouraging is that Shallan refers to “Radiant” as if she were separate.

Something is cutting off their lines of communication. Deliberately. Fuuuuuuuuuck.

I support Aladar in the use of some judicious ass-kicking.

YES GIVE US MORE ON THE NEW MAYBE-RADIANT. 'Spark' is a good name for a spren,  but that bit about destroying things… We need to know what kind of spren the Dustbringers bond to. Now.

Oooo, so she's not on board with uniting the Radiants despite the fact that she is one? That's new – we haven't seen Lift or Szeth since Edgedancer, but this is the first new 'Radiant' to appear that's come and announced her dissatisfaction, even if it's to Shallan and not Dalinar the Bondsmith.

Ialai and Amaram. How are you two going to throw a wrench into proceedings this time…?

Oh shit. Oh shit.

“Everything I've done is for the greater good, Dalinar. Everything.” [Obi-Wan voice echoing in the distance] 'From a certain point of view…' Ugh, Amaram, you slime. Somehow you keep rising in power and authority and you do it all in “““acceptable””” ways. Can we punt your sorry ass to Braize to burn yet.

“Highprince.” “Highprince.” “Bastard.” THANK YOU ADOLIN

It's a good thing Dalinar “suggested” he leave and take a moment or he'd probably punch Amaram right there in front of everyone, then at least once more since Kaladin's not there.

Oh shit, you're telling him you suspect Amaram killed Helaran? Whoa. On one hand, I love that you're opening up and trusting someone, on the other, this could complicate things when it comes up that Kaladin is the actual one who won-

Adolin knows. And he's telling her in return. Ffffffffftttttttt-

And there she goes trying to repress the knowledge. Doesn't seem to be working this time.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck she doesn't remember drawing those pictures. Slipping one personality into the dominant state of mind is one thing, but this is even more worrying.

Ooo, going to bring your men sort-of into the plan? Whatever the plan is? ….please don't intentionally get any of them killed.

Chapter Twenty-Eight – Another Option

Wait, wait, wait. No. Bad idea. Don't destroy (or try to destroy) your Oathgate. That is a terrible idea and have you run this past Gawx and Lift yet? Have you done the right paperwork for this?

At least he has Shallan's report on the murderspren now. It's not comforting that it has peepholes everywhere. Watching. Waiting.

Surge practice! You need it Dal, you're the most unfamiliar of the lot with your abilities.

Adding 'mink' to the list of Rosharan critters. But do we assume for now that it's furry like an Earth mink, or some sort of carapaced version?

“garnet-lit tongue” - probably an equivalent of what we know as silver-tongued

Yeah, everyone still thinks that you're going to use your new Fast Travel to conquer them. Considering your history as well as your country's, I can't blame them for the reluctance.

Bridge Four needs him, but not for a murder- oh. They found the sword. Oh. Stormfather is not happy about you even touching that, much less carrying it around

Oh shit is he taking it back to Ialai?! Yes, yes he is. Makes sense, but handing another Shardblade over to Amaram gives me bad shivers.

Speaking of which, FUCK OFF, AMARAM

[winces] He's not wrong on the point about hypocrisy, I have to give him that much (even if it pains me) and Dalinar needed to hear it. However, it's tying back to Dalinar's realization after his vision of Nohadon, when he found out that he must have written the in-book The Way of Kings once he'd already solidified power. I wonder if he'll realize that…?

Oh goddamn it, not Taravangian

They're talking… religion? And The Way of Kings. Taravangian is going to interpret some of those stories or morals in a vastly different way than Dalinar, I suspect. Either that or he'll confirm Dalinar's, and we the readers will be left screaming in frustration

Dalinar, Dalinar, he's advocating that the ends justify the means, do not follow down this path…

“But sometimes a hypocrite is nothing more than a person who is in the process of changing.” And you have changed so much from the man you once were, Dalinar. You don't deny that.

Wait, what.

The Stormfather confused is hilarious.

I am cackling over the thought of Dalinar storm-projecting to the other monarchs. Not accepting my invitations? Fine, I'll just barge into your head during a Highstorm! CAN'T KEEP ME OUT NOW~

Chapter Twenty-Nine – No Backing Down

Back to Veil again, and worrying about Shallan's mental state.

Her description of the thing she saw, that she knows is watching – the sound of a tunnel extending into darkness, the feel of breath on the back of your neck in a dark room – I'm definitely creeped out. Consider me creeped.

Do your soldiers know you as Veil, or do they only know Shallan? Ahh, just Shallan. So it remains that only the Ghostbloods know about your dual (at least) nature.

A fingering joke, are you kidding me. Well, at least he's taking her rejection with nothing more than an ah well.

Her personalities are delineating themselves, becoming more distinct and real unto themselves. But was it any of these main three – Shallan, Veil, and Radiant – that drew the disturbing pictures? She remembers what she does as those three, so what if there's another personality lurking, submerged, that she doesn't know about….? I am concern.

Yeah, I thought it might be the hanging rather than the bashing. Given the choice, it'll probably go for the more violent of two acts.

Well if that isn't a mouth to the void… [shudders] Shallan, I don't like the thought of you staying here alone, especially since this Hellmouth is somehow in your sketchbook and you don't know how it got there.

I am very concern about your personality shifts, Shallan.

Well, Pattern may have worded it in such a way that he overstated the danger, but still, good to see that Adolin is taking all the precautions he can, even if that means two men in Plate, a second Radiant for backup, and the entirety of Bridge Four.

Renarin is definitely sensing something too – this wrongness that permeates the city. But! B4 accepting him! Needling fun at him and treating him like any other part of Bridge Four! Ahhhh, Renarin, I'm so glad to see people other than your family appreciating you.

I'm with Drehy on this one. Fuckin' nope.

Down into the abyss, which… has colour down below? Mosaics of Honor and Cultivation? Was this once the true center of Urithiru?

Renarin's carrying a Shardblade which must be (is most likely???) Glys, but we get no visual description? Come on, Sanderson!

Truthwatchers and Lightweavers share the Illumination Surge. Perhaps their ability to sense the wrongness - “illuminating” the hiding shadow, if you will – is tied to that.

[winces] Jasnah is not going to be happy at finding the library she sought ruined.

…..oh no.

oh fuck

“One of the Unmade. Re-Shephir… the Midnight Mother.”

Okay, one: ten rubies says that this thing is the origin of the Midnight Essence that Dalinar saw in his vision of the past, back in the first book. Two: Renarin how the fuck do you know what it's called? Are the Unmade part of general Voidbringer lore in Vorinism? Three: time to beat a hasty retreat

Of course Adolin's going to dash right in to cover the retreat, Shallan, what did you expect?

And now we finally get a bit of description of the Glysblade(?) - “long and thin, with a waving pattern to the metal” - still no indication if curved or straight, but my current guesstimate is katana-like

BATTLE CLERIC RENARIN, FUCKYEAH

Shallan. Shallan what are you doing.

Fighting shadow with light. Yessssssss.

Well then. To fight or back down? You noted only moments ago that she could have swept you away with little effort. With light in the hands of a Lightweaver, will that be enough to do… whatever it is you're planning?

(Side note, what else am I a sucker for? Oh yeah, battle couples. Goddamn it.)

“The pain of an Ideal sworn, but not yet overcome.” I'm going to sound like a broken record with the way I keep repeating therapist. You need to face this and talk it out, Shallan, and with another, not-Pattern person.

“She was those women, those girls, every one of them. And none of them were her. They were things she used, manipulated. Illusions.” And Veil is among them as well. I'm. Not sure what to think of this, if she's thinking it in a literal manner or on a deeper level. It could be a sign of self-realization, or it might not.

Whatever it is, everyone is screwed if you don't manage to at least make it retreat.

[yells loudly about safehands as a sign of intimacy and trust and that's the method through which she's letting the thing in – and pressing back in return]

Chapter Thirty – Mother of Lies

That title alone is unsettling.

“not completely aware, not completely cognizant.” So, like pretty much all the other non-bonded spren in the Physical Realm, except this is definitely a Thing Of Odium. And it immediately tries to tear the Nahel bond apart.

!!! She's a true Splinter then?

It's gone all dark and Pattern's physically there in his larger form – I'd lay spheres that they're somehow halfway into (or at least dipping a toe into) the Cognitive Realm.

They bound her. One of the Unmade, and a Lightweaver of the past actially managed to bind her. But with all these shadows coming up into Urithiru… I doubt that's the case right now. She was freed, or broke free. And now she remains close, though deeper in the bowels of the mountain.

….you could hold a lot of stormlight in those gems.

[bathwater-tea]

well, this may be controversial but i have a total of like 6 followers anyways so.. here's the shit:

as a 14 year old, Melanie Martinez's content (her music, her videos, her aesthetic) makes me extremely uncomfortable. i am in no way saying i know her as a person, i know there was an issue a few years back but besides that i have not closely followed her life or activity, so i'm sorry if that discredits me. i see my friends obsess over her and her music, and i can see it has an influence on them. it's almost to the point of blatant sexualization of minors. the lyrics in some of her songs in my opinion are quite offensive, especially for victims of actual abuse. i'm not saying she's horrible for what she does, but it's come to my attention that she hasn't dropped this childlike yet weirdly sexual vibe that she gives off through her content and thats just.. concerning. all i'm saying is dont come at me with conversation about getting me to like her music because it just.. its off.

[decoding1432]

The Art Behind Manipulating & Guarding a Fandom (p. II)

Here it’s the second part guys, take time to analyse it...

NOTE: *Most of the posts I direct you to, are SHORT & in my opinion not too dense to read. In fact, the great majority are Q&As. I’ll identified every post with a letter, it means that throughout the various parts you’ll see them repeated, so no need to read one twice*

If you missed or want to re-read the first part here it is: The Art Behind Manipulating & Guarding a Fandom (p. I) – decoding1432.

Now, the astroturfers & how to identify them.

I would say that identifying some astroturfers with exactitude is very hard to do, I mean we are talking about professionals. Not even the directioners who have spent years dealing with them are able to fully assure when they are being invaded by some. Nevertheless they have learned to recognise them & some types are obvious.

*link A*

Basing it on an article by The Consumerist, astroturfers are primarily known for two things:

Vague or anonymous identities. The identities of the people, or     group of people, are very minimal or completely anonymous. Their profiles     would either be generic, unorganised or have few or no posts. If you’re     tech savvy and use tools such as Statcounter, you might notice that they     frequent certain pages that cater to certain topics and/or suspicious     recurring IP addresses.

A specific discussion path is  followed/repeatedly brought up. Since one of the main goals of astroturfing is to support one side and discredit another, most  astroturfers usually follow a certain discussion path,

ie. Opening -> Segue -> Main Topic Being Pushed

I’ll be using their examples to show you.  I’m sure Camren blogs will be like: “relatable”. A lot of shipping involved. Try to exchange “Larry” for “Camren” & “Ziam” for another ship– Laucy, Norminah, Tyren, whatever you want– I promise it won’t become tedious (I’ll keep it the OG way, to avoid confusions). Here I present you what could be the various types of astroturfers (a.k.a. sneaky little bitches):

Example 1: *link E*

“You astroturfing trotters with your generic anti messages are such a fail. If you really read this blog you would also know I don’t “ship”. Never have. I support two couples I believe have been harshly closeted. Why would that upset anyone? Even if you disagree, I’m all about the love baby. I’m all about consenting adults being able to love each other openly, happily and free from hate and discrimination. What kind of a monster takes issue with that? You can ponder that while you lick your wounds and trot to the next blog to spread your venom. You’re a real credit to humanity making excellent use of your time”

As I see it, our first specimen is the aggressive type. During my research, I found several bloggers talking about this kind of astroturfer. Apparently, it’s a very common one & usually driven by hostility but SOMETIMES WITHOUT BEING RUDE. Pay attention to the description below:

*link F*

“I follow a bunch of Ziam blogs, and I heard talk about aggressive Ziam astroturfing of two kinds: (1) asking for masterposts and analyses, and (2) asking very specific factual questions. I talked with that-regular-chick about it, and she described it like this:

“…today we chatted and realized we all got very specific asks from the same “dummy” tumblr account: REDACTED. This account hit at least four of us in the past day. Each time they asked for our analysis and masterposts. Friday, I was blitzed with anon asks about Ziam, Zerrie and Sophiam. Initially, I was answering. But as I progressed through my Inbox, I noticed a pattern: careful not to offend so they throw some false praise in, a few “xx” or sometimes “thank you”. Always very specific about what they want know. Several claimed they were new to the fandom. I got so many, I felt they were really being aggressive and definitely had an agenda.”

Personally I tend to receive these type of anons on a daily basis. I would consider it’s the hardest one to recognise since I understand there are fans out there who tend to be very gentle when asking & simply with the purpose to learn & no one wants to be disrespectful toward any anon when answering, right? Nonetheless this is an advantage they take to camouflage. Note also how that-regular-chick said, ironically enough, the aggressive astroturfer is careful not to offend. Nonetheless I’m also aware that at times there are pretty intense anons which break that pattern of softness & jump straight ahead into using a harsh approach like the one shown in the first pic. Just look at the way that-regular-chick clarified she’s a victim as well despite not being about shipping. I know most Camren blogs get the infamous “why do you assume someone else’s sexuality when it’s none of your business… SO ANNOYING OMG” anon. Well now you know it’s an anti message mainly seeking for you to stop. Since now it’s all about killing Camren no wonder why we’ve seen many of these lately.

Example 2: *link G*

 “Both my suspected astroturfers have responded, and their messages are overlapping under the two different URLs in question. And neither likes to use capitalization, coincidentally enough. And if you can’t send asks under your sideblog, why not just change the settings? Also, why is your main blog hella inactive? And why do you think you need a blog to lurk on tumblr? So many questions…”

Our next kind, is the non-anon type. These shameless astroturfers couldn’t bother less in going unnoticed.

Not all of these are about not using capitalization, this ultimate aspect is a pattern the blogger found in that particular case. Here are a few elements you could lean on to identify them:

*link H* (THIS LINK IT’S NECESSARY TO BE OPENED .IT SPEAKS ABOUT FANDOMS MONITORING IN GENERAL. Apparently t’s explained by an insider the directioners had contact with but I’ll address this with more detail almost by the end. If you want to read it now, by all means go ahead.)

“The best way that I’ve seen to get a handle on tumblr is to set up what basically amount to burner accounts. You create a tumblr account with an unassuming username and do nothing to the actual account. You leave the layout at default, don’t change the icon, don’t make posts, and don’t reblog or favourite anything. But you use the account to follow the blogs that control the conversation in whatever fandom you’re trying to monitor.”

Funnily enough, I was followed by a burner account (or maybe more but I did spot one) in the past 24 hours, LOL:

Example 3: *link I*

“People also ask questions they could easily google, like what's Zayn’s Instagram? I mean, you can google that faster than I can answer you. LOL”

Our third type, is the lazy astroturfer. I believe this one is pretty self-explanatory. The description provided is more than sufficient. Characterised by a lethargic tone & vibe.

Another example I could add is: “What is Dinah’s full name?” It’s the first thing I came up with since it’s something you can type in the google searcher… Besides a fan knows DJ’s full name it by heart, right? Lol

You might be wondering, why would they send these type of generic questions, why do they obtain with a generic answer. Well they come with three different objectives, it depends: Either gathering information or steering the conversation or merely keeping an eye on the blog (as in fan engagement).

Example 4: *link J*

I would classify this astroturfer as the… the Inception type, maybe? Excuse me, I’m getting Inception teas here (fun fact: Inception is my favourite film lol). As I understand an idea is put on a target (blog) by this specialised team (astroturfers) just like in the movie. Here I leave you a scene of the film to illustrate it better, min 1:05- 1:32 :

Saito (Ken Watanabe): If you can steal an idea from someone’s mind why can’t you plant one there instead?

Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt): Here’s me planning an idea in your head, I say to you, don’t think about elephants, what do you think about?

Saito: Elephants

Arthur: Right but it’s not your idea, because you know I gave it to you. The subject’s mind can always trace the genesis of the idea. True inspiration is impossible to fake--

Cobb (Leo DiCaprio): *interrupting Arthur* It’s not true.

What we can appreciate in the scene is how DiCaprio contradicts Levitt’s statement of how the subject can’t remember the origin the thought seeded.  As I understand this example of astroturfing works like this. The target will not be able to remember where the original question came from since it’s supposed to be passed to others. If I put into perspective this is the way I imagine the original OT4s & Cnizers were created. A constant brainwash pulled by the same negative comments, to an extent that they can’t tell who were the first accounts that influenced them. “The virus got to them & they’re spreading it”.

Example 5: *link K*

Blind astroturfing. How many times we’ve seen repeated questions on another blog? Or from one day to another? Or when we just answer the same thing a couple of asks ago?

Example 6: (if I were you I wouldn’t bother in opening this link since the rest is about their timeline & I didn’t understand what they were talking about but if anyone is curious enough *link L* )

“astroturfing anons will usually give us a heads up that something is coming down the pipe too (that happened with haige 2.0 - people got anons about her for weeks and then she popped up again in her weird mainly one sided stunt with harry). it happened again with babygate but none of us wanted to believe it.”

This is a very weird but not entirely foreign type. If I can call it the “physic” astroturfer. Raise your hand if you have received the “next month (x ) will do (x) thing… bla, bla, bla” sort of message in your inbox more than once? Yep. I see several hands raised in the back lol. It doesn’t mean all it’s necessarily fake, like we saw with the 1D blogger above. BUT it doesn’t mean it’s ALL true either. Watch out for that.

Example 7: *link M* (IMPORTANT TO READ)

“It’s becoming harder for fans to hold onto the illusion that the internet is a secret club and that the management team of a multi-million dollar boyband that built on its success on social media wouldn’t be interested in what fans say on social media.

So it’s awfully funny that there are now anons popping up heavily dropping implications that if we talk openly about what we see on the internet, that management will punish the boys and it’ll all be ~our fault~ and so we need to shut up if we truly love the boys....

Guilt trips–everything is your fault and your responsibility, including the actions of the management and record companies with clear motive and power for their actions–are just another form of attempts at control and manipulation. 'Don’t you care about the boys? You don’t want to hurt them, so if you care about them you will protect them and shut up and say nothing’. That is emotional blackmail. Bullshit.”

When I read this the first time, I was not surprised that they would reach this level. In all seriousness, I had already thought about this. What if one day an anon pops into my inbox & claims the girls will get in trouble due to my “big mouth”? Let me tell you something *starts getting heated* if that happens in the nearest future, I’m going to send them right straight to hell. THAT IS UTTER BULLSHIT. I’m not allowing anyone to use my girls in order to bribe the fuck out of me & my blog. If anything it just proves the amount of manipulation they are willing to carry on in order to save & cover up their asses because they’re threatened. & I don’t want to have to say this ever again… Listen carefully, NOTHING WILL HAPPEN TO THE GIRLS BECAUSE OF US. So if anyone receives or has already gotten this type of anon, IGNORE THEM, BLOCK & MOVE ON.

Just look at the date that post was written: 2014… 3 years later & the directioners are still there. Hell, stronger than ever. We are NOT GOING TO TOLERATE THAT EMOTIONAL BLACKMAIL ON OUR TERRITORY. Their biggest weakness is seeing us fighting harder against them, let’s not give them the power & satisfaction of witnessing us falling one by one like dominoes.

Example 8: *link N*

This one seems slightly tricky to me. I don’t know if can be considered a “normal” example or standard in this list since it’s reversed-astroturfing but I’m taking the time to mention it, it’s important.

“...astroturfers infiltrate with the ultimate end goal of dumping stuff on us, and monitoring how we’d respond to it, whereas (real) shady anons infiltrate with the intention to /warn/ us of stuff they know we’d respond negatively to…

the fake ones are always so ominous, and “be ready” or whatever but the real ones are just straight to the point and cautious-sounding and it’s crazy because many things we’ve been warned about are literally things we probably shouldn’t even /know/, much less prepare for...”

I’m still trying to process this last one tbh. I interpret it as the astroturfers (the fake ones) test our reactions but we can tell it’s them because we get this feeling that something is wrong. On the other hand, the real shady anons are to direct with the way they approach, it’s like if they were slapping us in the face but without harming us because they know how are we going to respond. Is it clear? Cause I have to admit, I even confused myself…

Example 9: *link O* (& last example lol)

I’m not sure if we could classify the following as part of astroturfing exactly. I would consider so because it’s so similar & incredibly interesting the way these work that I had to include it:

“Plant blogs”. What is a plant blog? This is the name directioners have christened with those blogs that are sent by the team in order to plant seeds (info) with the purpose of spreading it & ultimately achieving their goal which could be to distract, separate or influence the fandom.

“it means that we believe her blog was ‘planted’ by someone behind the scenes working for/with the boys rather than being an organic blog run by a real fan.”

Not all plant blogs are poisonous since not all the people behind them have bad intentions. I know it’s hard to believe this latter but from what I was seeing the 1D fam had once a blog on their side educating them & never disrespecting or influencing them to hate on any of their boys:

*link P*

“yes a ‘plant’ blog in the way that we’re using the term would be someone who joins the fandom with a deliberate agenda.

in our case, the agenda was beneficial to us as we learned a lot (especially about image manipulation in the press and how to limit the effect of astroturfers on us/the fandom conversation).

there are also hypothetically negative plants whose main role and goal would be to gaslight the fandom from within and make us doubt ourselves/our own observations.”

So...

This were some examples that I consider we have already encountered in the past. I believe the list can continue to go on & on but we’re beginning to study this new concept. I guess with time the experience will shape the “astroturfy” messages adequately enough so we can recognise them with more ease.

Don’t worry, on Part 4 I will give you recommendations I found on how to deal with them...

DON’T BE NAIVE KIDS.