#a vast majority of the dislike posts i've seen so far have been in the vein of “nah man this one's just not for me” or ���too maggot”

[here-there-were-dragons]

i'm seeing three times as many people bitching in the tag about the very idea that someone might not like this breed than i see people actually expressing unambiguous dislike for this breed

[thunderberryz]

Star's Rune Factory 3 Special 1st Playthrough, Part 2: Quality of Life

Hello, everyone! Back at it again with blogging my first run of Rune Factory 3 Special and I have a lot to talk about since my last post.

So I've already beaten the second boss AKA Skelefang and the seasons are just about to change from spring to summer. As far as the cast goes, I've already got some characters that I love, some that I despise, and some who my opinions have shifted over time for better or for worse. Definitely the two that stand out for me are Shara and Gaius. Gaius, had he been a datable bachelor, would have been my first choice among the single boys in this game. I'm one of the fandom's resident Arthur simps, I married Martin during my one playthrough of RF5, and "dwarf blacksmith who loves forging so much he forgets to sell his weapons and falls asleep if he lets go of his hammer" meets all the standards that those two have set as some of the franchise's resident workaholics. (Why does this keep happening? Seriously?)

As for Shara, I'm very well aware of all the hate she got in the past for having been pushed as the game's canon candidate and with what I've seen so far... I absolutely love her. Of the available bachelorettes, her personality is by far the least quirky and most down to earth of the girls, and she is just so sweet and kind that one of the only other girls I do find myself interested in romancing is Sakuya. Sakuya is slightly more quirky, but compared to some of her fellow bachelorettes, her personality is probably the most "normal" outside her capitalist tendencies and lack of cooking skills.

And that is the big thing with RF3's cast for me. While RF4 certainly had its quirkier cast members like Porcoline and Illuminata, there are even more of them in RF3 and most in game days I find myself feeling very overwhelmed because many of the villagers are so out there. Even if I don't actually dislike their personality, there are some characters I talk to very sparingly because they're literally too much for me. Prime examples include Marian, Carmen, Sofia, Sherman, and Carlos. Of those, the one I like most is Carmen, but I still find myself not talking to her that much simply because I can't handle how loud she is, which sucks since she seems nice otherwise. (As an aside, I also like Kuruna, but the second I heard that she and Ondorus were childhood friends, my brain went in Directions because I am a sucker for Childhood Friends to Lovers LMAO)

Speaking of comparisons between RF3 and RF4, I do feel awful. I have a fair number of criticisms of RF3S from a gameplay standpoint, but pretty much all of them relate to missing Quality of Life features that were addressed later on in RF4. Stuff like depositing items in the shipping bin, crafting multiples of the same item, the request system, the lack of a fertilizer bin; RF4 ultimately fixed all those minor yet aggravating problems, so claiming that RF3 is the inferior game just because it's lacking those important QoL features, to me, feels very unfair, even if it is affecting my play experience. RF3S, outside those missing QoL features, plays very similarly to RF4S and has a lot of the same features, and whether the story and cast appeal to you is a matter of personal opinion. Overall, it's a solid game and I would recommend it to people who are curious as to how the older Rune Factory games played!

All that said, the biggest thing that has already killed RF3S for a lot of people is the representation; many people have chosen not to buy RF3S because there is no female protagonist option, no datable bachelors, and no same sex marriage, and you know what? It's a perfectly valid reason. As a straight cis woman, my biggest gripe with RF3S is not being able to play as a girl and I'm pretty sure the only reason I'm able to put up with it is because I'm painfully used to it as someone who grew up in an era where the vast majority of game protagonists were straight men. It does help that Micah, much like Frey/Lest and Alice/Ares, has an actual personality and so I don't need to come up with one for him just to enjoy his story or any of his potential romances. He's just a friendly sheep boy trying to put up with the insanity that is the town of Sharance and I 100% vibe with that.

All right, next area is the windy river place. Unfortunately, I have a lot of skills I need to work on, facilities to upgrade, and items to gather. I'm probably going to be grinding for quite a while...

[thegoldenshi-shi]

I'm starting to think I was dreaming the last ask I sent... I swear, I vividly remember sending you an ask gushing about your art, how nice you are, and just rambling about what all has been going on in life, but man... /j

Also, sorry if it seems like I only send asks after tf art, I swear I love everything you do, but the transformers stuff is the only stuff I know anything about, so it's the only thing I really have confidence in blabbering about.

I did an oopsy and doordashed Timmy's to work today, so I got donuts and a breakfast bagel sandwhich to eat today. Good thing, too! I have been /HUNGRY/. We managed to ship out almost two hundred packages today, and that's with just three people who can pack, and one who can ship orders. I'm Super duper happy about it! Everything else has been absolutely crazy. I've decided to go through all my books in my closet, and the books on my shelves, and start bocing some in better shaped boxes, so I can donate them. Gonna end up checking with people I know if they want any first, though. Also gonna go through my stuffed animals, find ones that I'm not too attached to, and donate them too. After washing them first, of course.

I have also fallen into a hole of true crime podcasts, which I'm pretty surprised about. Cause, like. I don't like hearing about how bad people can be? I dislike people enough, I just. Don't wanna absolutely ruin my opinion on humans anymore. Like, I know there are good people out there, really really good people. But I also don't really like the vast majority of publicized humanity. You always hear about all the awful things... the worst of humanity shouts and screams their opinions, all the time. Broadcasts em to the world. And, it's difficult for the truly good people to be heard...

On a very much less heavy topic, my nephew is in town! I haven't seen him in about a year, so it's nice to see him. Even if small children make me super anxious and uncomfy. We're also looking at an August vacation, which I'll need to prep for cause I'm pale as a ghost and it'll be three days straight of being outdoors.

What've you been up to?

~Smooch

Hi there Smooch!

It's good to see you in my inbox again, I was starting to wonder how you were doing.

It sounds like you're having a good time of it, donuts for breakfast is a special treat hehe. And being busy at work is a good too, being productive is always a plus. It hasn't been that long since I went through my book collection, so I feel your pain there. Hoarding books (and drawing paper for some reason) is probably my one weakness in trying to keep my space tidy. I'm running out of shelves T_T

So far as your new interest in true crime podcasts, congratulations on finding a new source of enjoyment. If something intrigues you, I say don't let your preconceived notions about what you enjoy and don't enjoy. I must admit that I dislike podcasts myself, just because I can never focus on them, the same goes for audio books for some reason. But I do understand their appeal, and am always happy to hear someone is enjoying them. I hope you have fun on your vacation, I too am pale and require sunscreen if I go out without a good layer over my skin. Some of my friends have said I look like a vampire with my complexion and dark circles, which left me going "Thanks guys". I wish you no sunburn and good weather for your vacation!

As far as what I've been up to: I've been working on my webtoon, trying to figure out a schedule for making it that works, building up courage to actually post it and you know...actually get the financial stuff in place to start the business aspect of my art? hehe....

My main job has picked up for the season, so I'm switching gears and getting ready for less and less free time, and I'm trying to incorporate some classical music into my pianist job while bracing for spring-time "Special Music" rush.

Also, I don't mind that you only ask after my Transformers work. I don't expect anyone to enjoy every single thing I post, there are a thousand fandoms out there and it would be ignorant to expect everyone to know about all my interests.

[headcanonsandmore]

My apologies for the late reply but I have been busy most of today.

While this is partially true with the Moffat era, it's also fairly common throughout much of the modern and classic eras (albeit less so in the classic era due to the lack of a online fandom where ideas could be discussed with relative ease).

The Ninth Doctor's era was considered decent but unnessecary for new viewers to watch for a good decade. There's a reason that the "don't skip Nine" phrase became such a meme on Tumblr in the late 2010s, because so many people were recommending that new fans skip the era that fans of Nine got understandably sick of it. Like I said, a reappraisal happened as time went on. Ten is basically the only modern Doctor incarnation that this hasn't happened to nearly as much, but even Ten's era had a sizeable portion of the fanbase insisting that it was the worst era of the show ever.

In the classic era, while it was less common due to (until the advent of home video in the 1980s) a lack of re-watching of episodes, there were eras that were regarded initially as lacklustre before becoming seen as some of the best eras of the show. I'm thinking especially of the Second Doctor's era (which was considered by some fans at the time as less impressive compared to the First Doctor's era due to Two's more comedic character) and the Fourth Doctor's era (which was also considered a step down due to Four being very whimsical compared to Three, and with certain sub-eras within that era being considered too violent and scary for younger audiences). The same thing happened in the eighties, with many fans feeling frustrated with John Nathan-Turner's time as producer of the show during that decade. Like I've explained, every era and incarnation goes through periods where it is considered "bad" or "lacklustre" compared to its predeccesor, before being reappraised later on and being reviewed on its own merits.

Now, I personally didn't like a lot of the Moffat era, but I recognise that has more to do with a personal dislike for the way Moffat wrote the show than as a sign that the whole era was objectively bad. There are many episodes within that era that I enjoyed. Just because I have my own biases when it comes to certain Doctor Who eras, that doesn't mean that I can't enjoy each one on its own merits. Having watched the vast majority of Doctor Who, I've grown to appreciate the differences in how each era operates and what each sets out to achieve.

I'm not "defending" the Chibnall era; it has its issues, just as much as any other era of the show does. I made the original post because I think it's unfair to judge one era of the show by the standards of another. It would be like judging "An Unearthly Child" (the very first Doctor Who story) by the standards of -say- "Earthshock" (the second-to-last story of season 19).

That doesn't mean that I agree with everything in the Chibnall era; far from it, I personally think the thesis of "Kerblam!" was rather muddled, since the point of the episode is supposedly about AI but most people ended up seeing it as being about Amazon and late-stage capitalism. And, obviously, that stuff from "Spyfall Part 2" wasn't thought out and does leave a bad taste in my mouth.

Every era of Doctor Who is going to have things in it that either are not thought out properly or age badly very quickly. "The Talons of Weng-Chiang" was considered racist and distasteful even at the time it was broadcast during the Fourth Doctors era. The way Tegan, Nyssa and Peri were objectified during the eighties was unpleasant and troubling, to say the least. The first RTD era had significant issues when it came to how Martha Jones and other characters from minority backgrounds were treated. The Moffat era had significant issues with misogyny and the treatment of female characters throughout.

I'm confused by what you mean by "centre-right libs". I'm given to understand that "liberals" tend to be more of centre-left in American politics. Now, if you are British, you'll probably know this already (in which case you'll have to forgive me for the explanation), but our political system tends to be slighly further leftwards. We do have a Liberal-Democratic strain of politics, but they tend to more centre-left and are considered a distant third party compared to the broadly left-wing Labour Party and broadly right wing Conservative Party. While I would say that Moffat is more right-wing at times (especially so when regarding his treatment of women), from what I can gather, no-one seems to be able to agree on the political undercurrents of Chibnall's work; some people regard him as being very progressive (given that he had more writers from minority backgrounds in his writing team than both RTD and Moffat combined, and included many queer characters throughout the era) whilst others regard him as rather conservative. Personally, I'd regard as centre-left (by the sounds of it, he took the criticism from "Spyfall part 2" on-board and worked hard to correct that in series 13).

Looking at the era objectively, what I can say is that the Chibnall era was an era of Doctor Who, and that it was liked by some people and disliked by other people. Any other statement would be subjective.

My original post was more about how the Chibnall era was seen by some people as very serious despite having plenty of fun moments. My apologies if that wasn't clear.

Please be considerate that I don't particularly enjoy discourse; I made the original post as a joke and it wasn't intended to upset or offend anyone.

Some people online: So glad to see Doctor Who being fun and campy again! This previous era was too serious!

The previous era:

[princeescaluswords]

I know it's said that antis ignore canon, but the most egregious example I've seen so far is where scott sees someone dying and refuses to turn them bcs being a werewolf os a curse.

My dude, have you watched season 3? I don't ask about season 6, but in both these occasions Scott was prepared to bite Stiles if it would save his life. I'm pretty sure his guilt abt Liam was the lask of consent not the turning per se

And this fandom pisses me off sometimes. Like, i love Stiles. Canon Stiles. The asshole who gets his ass handed to him and still jumps into danger for his friends. I actually like his whole " everyone but us can die" mentality and it's a shame the show didn't use this as a true conflict between him and Scott.

And i wish there were more Scott and Stiles fics where they're friends. Not even a ship, just friends.

They want Stiles to be a mom friend? Fine, help him tell Scott to chill and that being a true Alpha doesn't mean surrendering his life to it. Have Scott have to deal w the emotional toll of being a leader he never asked to be. There's so much angst to be taken from canon and they just invent new one that has no validation.

Idk, I'm mad. I'm mad at the lost potential and the constant blindness of it all

You should be mad.

The misinterpretations that anger you arise from very specific fandom behaviors which certainly aren't limited to the Teen Wolf fandom. They seem more egregious in ours because they are not only so easy to disprove, they are fundamentally opposed to the story itself.

And that's the root of the problem. I wouldn't say that antis ignore canon. It's more than that: they are hostile to canon. They don't look at what was important in Teen Wolf: the Scott and Stiles friendship, the Scott and Allison relationship, Scott's growth into a leader, Stile's resolution of his insecurities, Derek's grappling with his past, the growth of the pack, and say "how can I use these to tell the story I want to tell?" They look at the show and say "this isn't what I wanted" and instead of moving on to a show that gave them what they wanted, they have spent the last ten years and incredible amounts of content pissing on all the things that made the show unique.

Let me give you an example: I ran across yet another untagged post-Season 2 monstrosity which had Stiles irritated with Scott. He was pissed off because Scott put tending to Allison's wounds after a battle first, even after "she had tried to kill their friends." The monstrousness doesn't primarily come from the lack of recognition that in Season 2, Allison was Stiles's friend, not Derek's betas who disliked Stiles if not outright attacked him. It doesn't come from the fact that Stiles was never in Derek's pack. It doesn't come from the fact that this Stiles had no sympathy for a character who acted out because of the loss of their mother. It doesn't even come from the idea that Scott's only presence in the story was in violation of the Rule of Chekhov's Friend (an idea that originated with @lettersiarrange and I shall now begin employing constantly). The monstrousness comes from the fact that Stiles's irritation with Scott tending Allison's occurs while Stiles is getting chummy with Peter Hale -- the person who literally tried to kill Stiles and his real friends, repeatedly.

You see, I suspect you are angry because all these stories which are about Stiles aren't actually about Stiles. They are about a Self-Insert with a Stiles Name-Tag, one who doesn't care about the horror that Peter and Derek and the Darach and Gerard and the nogitsune inflicted on Stiles and who Scott fought against. Now, a little bit of self-identification has to be tolerated, because Fandom Bicycles is a function of fandom. But you might have noticed that the vast majority of these stories have been tilted in the direction of hot white male villains (and only hot white male villains -- Monroe doesn't get treated like this). And since Scott is the protagonist, then he must be the enemy.

And I state for the record that "ship and let ship" is not an effective defense because their content is not really about shipping. There is not a single thing in canon that would make Scott the enemy of Sterek, for example. Given that Canon Stiles was angry with Canon Scott for having hope for Peter, there's not much of an argument that he would be an obstacle to Steter. And it's not about the fandom relating their own problems with their friends, because if that were true, there would have to be more stories where Scott puts up with a pushy, mean, bullying Stiles. But there isn't. Their problem with the show -- expressed through their content -- is that it was focused on a particular protagonist, and this protagonist was Not White Enough.

So, I think anger is a pretty reasonable response.

[madara-fate]

You keep saying the Naruto fandom/Sakira haters aren't misogynistic but really..that's naive (Personally, I as a woman have endured a lot of misogyny from haters but I digress).

Just now, one of the bigger Sakura hater accounts on Twitter blatantly outed himself as misogynistic and continues to tweet misogynistic things.

Like here:

https://twitter.com/DarkKageXL/status/1569766249097482240?t=ggZ6HjFa4FwrH5Y9vOwaNA&s=19

what's sad about this is HOW many people liked this tweet because obviously, due to his content he posted before (hating on Sakura) and how he worded those, he managed to get an audience that supports this way of thinking. Sure, I wouldn't generalize every hater as misogynist but there are a lot who are, otherwise these kind of accounts wouldn't be able to grow so much.

Okay you know what, I'm getting really tired of having to repeat myself on this topic. I have never said that misogyny in the Naruto fandom doesn't exist. However, some people in the Sakura fandom have a serious issue with labelling any and all hate that Sakura receives as misogyny, and it's really damn annoying. It's as if people often just assume that if you don't like Sakura, it must be because you're misogynistic, because that's apparently the only possible explanation as to why someone would dislike her. The main reason for the Sakura hatred, is not because of an ingrained hatred of women. It is because of a hatred and bias against Sakura specifically.

This DarkKage guy has been mentioned so many times to me by people complaining about his comments on Twitter, and yes I get it, the guy's thought processes leave a lot to be desired, but then people go and act like the stupid things he says should be reflective of Sakura haters in general, and that's wrong.

In this post, I argued with someone who claimed that Sakura is hated entirely because of misogyny (while again referencing this DarkKage guy), and while I agreed with one or two of their points, mainly with regards to the misogynistic language they highlighted, the vast majority of what they said was very simple to refute, because time after time, it becomes apparent that many Sakura fans really struggle with differentiating between a hatred of women (which is what misogyny is), and a hatred of Sakura specifically, which is what the majority of their examples are. And the ironic thing is that they were complaining about the apparent rampant misogyny that was plaguing the fandom, and yet they were describing everyone who criticised Sakura as an "incel", which is a far larger example of misandry than any example they gave of misogyny. Furthermore, to describe the Sakura haters as incels also excludes the hordes of Sakura hate that I've seen which was perpetrated and spread around by women. So it's not even as if the vast majority of Sakura hatred is perpetrated by men, because a sizeable portion of it is by women.

I'm not being naïve on the matter, I acknowledge that misogyny does indeed exist in the fandom, not least by that same Twitter user that people have continuously referred me to. However, my point has always been for people to stop labelling any random Sakura criticism as misogyny, because the majority of it has absolutely nothing to do with that. They have an issue with Sakura, not with women.