#all of this talk of him 'being a sexyman if he was more popular'

[chippendyke]

No offense but why in God's name would anyone ever want a character that means something to them to be marked off as nothing more than a "Tumblr Sexyman". Why would you willingly want that

[sketching-shark]

do u have any chilchuck opinions... you have good dunmesh opinions and id like to hear you talk about our union man icon

In all honesty anon I find this ask pretty funny on account of my few posts on Dungeon Meshi having to do with either the body horror, how fun and fucked up farcille is, or how grateful I am that Senshi is breaking new grounds for who gets to be a tumblr sexyman. But I am glad that you appreciate my dun-mesh opinions :D.

As far as Chilchuck goes, I'm pretty much in agreement with many of the more popular posts floating around as to how it's both interesting, funny, and kind of heartbreaking how much he self-sabotages in regards to describing himself as much worse than he actually is because of a desire to keep his privacy and maintain a very firm line between his job and the rest of his life. Combine that with his very real desire to do good by his party and fellow half-foots--especially because he got a personal taste of how terribly his people were being used by other adventurers--and it makes his whole ball-of-nerves prickly personality very understandable. You also got to love that he apparently envies Senshi's looks and the way he easily garners respect, especially since it creates an interesting case of mixed feelings for him in terms of both respecting the dwarf as a skilled adventurer but also seeing Senshi seemingly easily getting such respect all while Chilchuk has a history of being looked down upon. All in all, it's very easy to appreciate this chronically emotionally constipated union man <3

[thecluelessdoctor]

Ok soI've been wanting to talk about the current discourse and shit that's been going on in the amazing digital circus fandom and how well- it's pathetic lmaoOk so let me start with just talking about the haters and the stans. Les do it.

So ofc we all know there has been a serge of haters for TADC, and it's funny because there reasons behind hating TADC is either from fandom bait, made up entirely, or just because it's popular. It also seems anytime a indie project is popular it gets a lot of hate which I find incredibly stupid like. If your gonna hate on the indie stuff, please, go hate on corporate stuff. Go on. Like of course, there are problems with TADC, that happens with literally every indie project! Also the hate for it is insane. Like it's often being compared to Hazbin hotel/helluva boss- which I find really unfair because they are two very different medias. One is meant for adult, and the other seems more aimed towards tweens and teens (and maybe young/new adults) Like one of the reasons people have been hating on tadc is because of the reason Jax is a asshole like- oh golly I'm sorry people like Jax actually exist in the real world lmao. Also the hate for Jax also comes from ppl claiming he is sexyman bait even though Caine is RIGHT THERE IN ALL HIS AI GLORY LMAO. guys Jax is twink bait get it right/j

Now lemme touch on the stans, who are attacking anyone who doesn't like tadc like- mate. Not everyone is like you- like myself, I had a bit of a hard time watching TADC because I'm sensitive to random colors, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it (I watched the OG one with my phone far from my eyes and the lowest brightness it could go, and all the rewatches where edited version that made the colors less bright) The thing is, everyone has a opinion. Some just might not have enjoyed it, and that's fine! Don't attack them for it. It also doesn't help that a lot of stans are mixing up good criticism with hate. Like example, I personally don't like Jax's design. It feels too simple compared to everyone else, but that doesn't mean I hate him or the show as a whole I just- UGH

Now let's talk about the fandom/fandom bait and why it really doesn't matter

Every fandom will have bad eggs, it's a given. It's gonna happen. No matter the fandom. But most of those bad eggs are doing it for attention. They want a reaction, or they want to make the fandom look bad. If you don't give them attention, they'll give up. It's not that hard. I know this is cluttered and all over the place so I'ma link a video (not made by me) that basically says my points in a much cleaner way 

anyway peace bro *Despawns*

[bagel-boy-sama]

Astarion Baldurs Gate 3 Isn't A TumblrSexyMan™, He's Just A SexyMan™

I've seen a large number of people, most of whom are in the Astarion Disliker/"I don't get it" camp most who are not on this particular hell site, cite Astarion as Tumblr's latest sexyman. Today, I will be explaining why I do not believe that to be the case. That instead, as the title states, he's just a sexyman.

No real knowledge of the hell site is required, I'll explain things for the new people.

Setting The Definitions

First, definitions because this is now Intro to Writing and Rhetoric. A sexyman would be anyone, usually masc or a man, who is concidered sexy by a wide range of people. Fascinating.

A Tumblr Sexyman, on the other hand, is a thing - usually fictional entity - that is incredibly popular on Tumblr.com to the degree it escapes it's fandom sometimes, in the most extreme of cases, becoming far more popular than it's original fandom. It is characterized by a few major characteristics. Ranging from Twinkism* (be it the character or fan interpretation), generally unconventionally/perceived to be unconventionally attractive in a non physical sense (character traits that wouldn't otherwise be desirable, like absurd behavior or generally evilness), to impeccable drip (either in the original media/design, or done by fans in fanart).

*note: Twinkism (which I did just throw in on the spot this is entirely bullshit for my own amusement) is the phenomenon of skinny, young looking, pretty/feminine white boys who are within media. This is different from twinks, who are understood to be young and skinny - being pretty, popular, or white is not connected. All those who participate in Twinkism are Twinks, but not all Twinks participate in Twinkism.

Does Astarion Baldurs Gate 3 Fit The Definition?

First rule: must be at least a twink. Is he?

No. Yes. Kinda. In a way. Many people would describe Astarion as someone who's gone through "Twink Death". No this is not because he's literally undead. Twink Death, in it's simplest form, is when a twink no longer looks young and/or feminine. Astarion has aged. His crows feet and laugh lines, while beautiful, do not make him look 18. For some this would disqualify him from being a Twink. So perhaps he has failed at the first step.

I, however, am not satisfied with that. Moving on, is Astarion - or would Astarion - actually be considered conventionally unattractive in any way that is disconnected from his appearance? I argue no. Vampires are considered very well, normal to lust after. They're right below succubus on the "This isn't considered weird to find attractive" scale. You aren't romancing The Emperor here. Outside of that he's well groomed, shown to be muscular in game (headcanon does often disagree and while I wish it was true we are working with facts for this specific discussion), and an elf. In personality, while not for everyone, he's the pretty standard fruity sarcastic gay who's a bit selfish. We all know a fruity sarcastic gay who's a bit selfish, and they get laid. So it can't be considered that bad. Probably.

I feel important to note here that I am aroace and have no idea what I'm talking about right now. This is an educated guess.

Astarion has lost now, two for two. He's barely a twink, even going off of his model he's more a twunk. He definitely doesn't fit the Twinkism phenomenon. He's not weird to find attractive, I assume, so what else is there? His drip? I'm sorry, but his base outfit is a bit well Goofy to say the least. Much fanart leaves him in this outfit or a simpler version because drawing ruffles is enough to make anyone want to willingly jump headfirst into the underdark, so he fails the drip test as well.

His final hurtle: is his popularity Tumblr™. In this context Tumblr™ is different from Tumblr. Tumblr™ is the fandom side, where a sexyman would flourish and find their own fandom. Importantly, this fandom needs to be very insular to the site. It's a *Tumblr* sexyman after all. So that begs the question, is Astarion highly liked by mostly or purely Tumblr people/those who have the vibes of a Tumblr user? No.

Astarion is well loved by many people of various vibes. He has affected (previously) straight men on Reddit. Few can escape him and his 10 charisma.

Conclusion

Astarion is just a sexyman. He's just a fictional character that many think is neat and attractive for a variety of reasons. He's the Ryan Reynolds of crpgs. He's some dude, who's generally considered attractive by a lot of people who you both would and wouldn't expect to find him attractive.

[theonethatyaks93]

Finally Talking About Dark Pinky (Day 7 of Pinky Week)

Guess who showed up finally!

Yep, you read that title correctly. No, this isn't some belated April Fool's Day prank. Happy Dark Pinky Thursday to all my fellow evil mice enjoyers and welcome to the final installment of Pinky Week!! This has completely gone off the rails and I apologize for the extensive delays and unkept promises; I was just so tired and I required a lot of breaks. So, to thank everyone who's been with me, I decided to make my last post for Pinky Week a tribute to the fans! Get ready, because things are going to get interesting.

4/6/23- Dark Pinky Discussion/Analysis: A popular fandom character, Dark Pinky is the character you go to if you're looking for the Animaniacs/Pinky and the Brain fandom's official Tumblr sexyman. Gaining popularity in 2020 due to Dark Pinky Thursdays popping up as a meme, the homicidal and delightfully malevolent mouse has made his presence very well known on a variety of sites. And yes, I definitely have fallen to all the art and fanfiction I've seen of him. He's a great character, has a lot of potential for fanfiction, and is delightfully evil with a dark, twisted sense of humor (at least that's what I've taken from him). He's a recent obsession of mine and I'm glad to finally admit that I really do like him. I'm also glad to be contributing to his every growing fanbase. This essay will trace Dark Pinky's history, how he became so popular, and what he brings to the overall Pinky and The Brain community. And yes, I'll be mentioning Future Brain a few times since that is part of the story.

Humble Origins (Pinky and The Brain Comic Issues #1 and #24):

You might be surprised to realize but originally, Dark Pinky was more of a comedic villain rather than an outright malicious one. In fact, his plans were often times very silly and his tendency to break into evil laughter was more funny than menacing. He'd make his grand debut in Issue #1 of the Pinky and The Brain comics, being the one who ruled the alternate superhero universe Pinky and Brain find themselves in. At first, he doesn't reveal himself, rather he uses Dark Brain as a cover-up. But from the moment he appears, we get a sense of how different he is when compared to the original Pinky. Dark Pinky wears purple armor with gloves and pretty awesome spikes on his shoulders; he also has a long purple cape. The tufts of fur on his head are more straight and less curled, he has fangs, and wears a metal headpiece that (I believe) allows him to read minds. He still retains the iconic verbal tics that Pinky has and he also does an evil laugh after nearly everything he says. His personality is similar to Pinky, but with a slightly more villainous side. He finds pleasure in creating dastardly plans, showing the power and control he has, and relinquishes in the suffering he brings to others. However, he remains excitable, gets distracted by inane things, and his plans are more comical when compared to how the fandom would shape him to be. Dark Pinky does plan on murdering both Pinky and Brain but is defeated after he reads Pinky's mind and finds "horrifying imagery." He eventually returns in Issue #24 where he ends up trying to take over via public broadcasting. He's now bent on revenge and has a group of minions (in hilarious purple costumes) at his behest. He even calls upon the help of Poison Billie (another semi-popular character from this universe), and the two look like they may succeed. Eventually, Brain and Pinky do manage to defeat Dark Pinky and Poison Billie once again, this time seemingly for good. Dark Pinky's plan in this issue is very ridiculous and isn't scary in the slightest. It's almost intriguing on how he started out as such a comical villain before a few people decided to make him a little more unique. Dark Pinky remains to this day a comic exclusive character, never appearing in any of the T.V shows or even getting a mention in the series. The comics have also been questioned for the canonicity due to a few factors. However, Dark Pinky wouldn't be forgotten for long. Things only get weirder from here.

Dark Pinky and the Tumblr Sexyman Trope:

Now we're getting to the point where we must discuss the fandom. But before we do that, let's talk about the thing that made him famous in the first place: the Tumblr Sexyman craze. In the early 2010's after the release of the film The Lorax, a group of adolescent girls became attached to the character of The Once-ler, but not for his personality, rather for his appearance. The trend started up on Tumblr and began to grow in popularity to massive degrees. And this fandom was weird to say the least. People shipped the Once-ler with himself or alternate versions of himself and he became known as the first official Tumblr sexyman. However, as the years passed, more and more characters were added to the collection of Tumblr sexymen. Most of them had a common theme: tall, white, baddie/emo, often seen in suits. Others such as Sans from Undertale were a little different but still contained a few typical tropes. To be considered a sexyman, a character needed to showcase at least one or two of these traits plus have a dedicated following with a lot of fanart and/or fanfiction. They also can be considered conventionally unattractive or non-human. After the introduction of the Tumblr sexyman, many fandoms tried their best to find a perfect match for the rising phenomenon. And luckily, the Animaniacs/PaTB fandom had their candidate. While Pinky Suavo also caught on very quickly and was more well-known for his episode, Dark Pinky seemed to be the most accurate to the previously established tropes, being tall, white, evil, wearing purple armor, having a mysterious past, and sporting a super cool design. The potential for him was rabid and he seemed to check off all the boxes perfectly. It did take a while for people to find him, considering the comics are so obscure, but eventually Dark Pinky would hit the fandom in a way previously not though of before. Nobody would realize the impact this character would have. Until it was too late.

Dark Pinky is a Sensation (And how the fandom changed him):

Art featured below is by the incredibly talented @wimsiecal And if you're perchance reading this, I just want to tell you that your art is amazing and you have made me obsessed with Dark Pinky to an unhealthy degree!!! :) Seriously please go follow them if you haven't already, I'm begging you!!

After the fandom discovered Dark Pinky from the depths of the comic book series, his popularity skyrocketed, especially after the 2020 fandom revival. He quickly became known as the Pinky and The Brain Tumblr sexyman and that hasn't changed since, though Pinky Suavo has joined him. Dark Pinky fanart, fanfiction, and various other forms of media became extremely sought after and many posts would get thousands upon thousands of views/likes. Despite never appearing in the series, fans of Dark Pinky's would often point out moments where Pinky acted like his evil counterpart, some even editing screenshots to have Pinky appear like him. However, since Dark Pinky only appeared in two comics, the fans naturally had to get creative with him. Many fans have completely changed his character, altering his appearance every so slightly, or expanding on his past and personality. Dark Pinky's fan design was only a tad bit different. He was given sharper edges, different outfits in various shades of purple and black, a more detailed helmet, and he even appeared without the whole getup. Dark Pinky's design without armor or the helmet was entirely made up by fans. Here, he has the same body as Pinky but with scars (including a super cool one over his eye), dark eye shadow, and black painted nails. Dark Pinky's personality was also altered, making him a legitimate threat and an actual evil villain. He kills, his grip on the world is ruthless, he treats his servants like crap, and he shows no mercy to anyone. His comical plots from the comics are no more as he's become kind of scary and menacing. You don't want to mess with him. Yes he does have a sense of humor, but it's often twisted or at the expense of others. Dark Pinky still on occasion does an evil laugh or has a verbal tic but it's usually when he's upset. Some fans have given him a soft side; some of which include his feminine urges remaining intact and that he has a fondness for cheese. But be careful. In a few variations from people in the community, Brain is mysteriously absent. Mentioning Brain to Dark Pinky in those universes will often cause him to go into an insane rage. These fun and interesting pieces that were added to Dark Pinky not only make him more interesting, but add to his status as a Tumblr sexyman. These changes aren't technically canon, but they're arguably better since they make Dark Pinky stand out. It is quite strange to see him change from a comical antagonist to a semi-serious villain worth being feared, but it was much appreciated.

Dark Pinky Gets a Love Interest and an AU (Dark Future Ship/Fan-made Universes):

For the longest time, Dark Pinky didn't have a love interest of any kind. Sure, if you wanted to be shunned you could ship him with Poison Billie (please don't), but Brinky was the name of the game. The ship between Pinky and Brain was, and still is, incredibly popular among fans, after it gained popularity in the late 2000's and early 2010's. And of course when Dark Pinky got popular, he needed someone to be paired with. For a while, he would be shipped with just regular Brain or a fan-made evil version of Brain if creativity was present. Luckily, the fans finally got their perfect match when the Animaniacs reboot came out. In episode 9, the character of Future Brain was created and fans immediately compared him to Dark Pinky. Their color schemes were similar with both mice being seen in purple. Future Brain had a scar, robotic hand, and half of his face was robotic, all of which fit into Dark Pinky's universe very well. The hints that Future Brain was betrayed by Pinky also had many theorizing that he came from a future ruled by Dark Pinky, connecting the two together even more. It wasn't long before Future Brain and Dark Pinky ship fanart and fanfiction began popping up everywhere. Since the duo had very similar esthetics, they could be drawn together easily. The story potential was also very high as well. Dark Pinky and Future Brain dominated (pun intended) the fanbase and soon became seen as an alternate ship to Brinky. But while Brinky was healthy and cute, Dark Future (Often called the official ship name) was toxic and awkward. Some people portrayed them as an evil couple ruling the world together, while others painted their relationship in a negative light, where Dark Pinky was abusive and manipulative. It depended solely on what person was developing the story. Future Brain was also added to the quickly developing Dark Pinky alternate universe which has been shown via the extremely popular ask blog askdarkpinky. Featuring beautiful fanart and a darkly humorous tone, this blog is a must-view for any Dark Pinky fan. It created an expansive universe with lore, locations, and alternate versions of popular characters. Snowball remains consistent in the flashback sequences, aligning with his canon character exactly. Billie retains a majority of elements from Poison Billie minus the orange hair, including the plant themed outfit. Julia has a new look with a lab coat and goggles. She's works for Dark Pinky, making all of his technology. Brain is noticeably absent from this universe, with only hints to his possible location. It's also implied that this is in fact Future Brain and that he might be doing something. Dark Pinky goes crazy when Brain is brought up and refuses to hear anything about him. This drama and conflict is so interesting. The creation of this ship and various alternate universes only increased Dark Pinky's popularity and now, he stands as a cornerstone of the Pinky and The Brain fanbase.

Conclusion: Though Pinky himself is a beloved character, Dark Pinky stands on his own as a fandom favorite. From his design to his personality and potential, he fits the Tumblr sexyman ideology to near perfection. The fans have shaped this character and have made him stand apart from the rest. Sure, he's evil and doesn't treat things with care, but he's a good character. It's really spectacular that people in the community were able to turn Dark Pinky from a villain that existed mainly for comedy to a threatening presence with an un-hinged mindset. The fans are truly to thank for bringing Dark Pinky into greatness and there's hope that he can remain relevant and continue to entertain people (and make people question their sanity/sexuality) for a few more years to come.

OMG!! Pinky Week is finally done!! Woo hoo!! I'd like to thank all of you for sticking with me for this long period of time. You have been the thing that's kept me making these. I'll be taking a small break for the next few days and then Brain Week will begin! I can assure you guys that Brain Week will not take as long and will be better planned out. I can't wait to begin! Anyways, that's it for Pinky Week! Thank you for reading and have a great day/night! Happy (possibly belated) Dark Pinky Thursday to everyone!! Narf!

[thesmpisonfire]

VOTE FOR FUNDY IN THE CRINGEFAIL POLL

---

When Fundy moved out, he meant to go away from everything.

Everything, everyone, anything that would bring him back to that hell of a country. Countries, if he was being more specific. Only him, Yogurt, and the cats they adopted while in Dry Waters.

So, it was a very big surprise when he found out he hadn’t gone far away to the point mail wouldn’t get to him. Who the fuck even used mail these days, when communicators were practically a part of everyone’s body these days and-

Oh, yeah. Fundy had blocked basically everyone who he had ever talked to after his last ‘chat’ with Wilbur. So, mail was probably the only way people had to communicate with him now.

Which brought the new, even more worrying question: ‘Who the fuck had their address?’

Fundy was quick to tear the envelope open, just aware that he was the person that letter was addressed to. He expected anything, a sob letter from Wilbur, a threat from Quackity, some spam mail…

Anything but “Congrats on winning your second round!” and a silly little trophy image attached underneath it. Fundy stared at the letter for a moment, noticing there were more than one paper attached and at least 3 more pages with probably other info about whatever competition this was. He checked and rechecked both the envelope and the greetings, but no, Fundy’s name was right there, without error. Fun Dy Soot, apparently running in some contest based on popular votes.

Soon, he heard a quick “tip-tap-tip-tap” as his son rushed to the door, fur still messy from his sleep. “Sorry papa, this is Yogi’s!” Yogurt said, before yanking the mail from Fundy’s hands and skittering back to his room.

It still took Fundy a couple of seconds to react, following right behind the sneaky kit. “Yogurt Dy, come back here!” He just tiredly demanded, hearing Yogurt’s giggle as he managed to get into his room. Fundy put his foot right before the kit managed to close the door, feeling a sharp pain going up his leg when Yogurt put all his strength to close it before Fundy got in there.

“Okay, little man, what have you been up to?” Fundy asked when Yogurt let out a defeated cry and let him enter, giving Fundy space to sit on his bed while they chatted. The kit fiddled with the paper, trying to look sorry but being betrayed by his own wagging tail and excited ears twitching.

“Soooooo… My dearest, very loving Papa…” Yogurt smiled, like the little shit he was, and Fundy couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. “Yogi put Papa in a competition.”

Okay, one explanation done.

“And how did you do this?”

“Your old communicator. The one half melted. I poked some stuff, twisted some wires, and it worked!” Yogurt grinned, very proud of himself as he showed Fundy’s discarded communicator, dated from the Independance War era. Fundy couldn’t help but feel as much pride.

“What kind of competition is it-”

“Most cringefail” Yogurt cut him before he finished speaking, not waiting for Fundy’s reaction before resume talking. “Yogi put Papa in a lot of competitions! But Papa immediately lost a bunch of them. Including one for the sexyman category!” Yogurt calmly explained, rambling and playing with the envelope, poking it with his claws. “But Papa has been a star in the cringefail one!”

Fundy properly let his head fall into his hands. Not even believing in what he had heard. He was winning. In a cringefail competition. Wow. New low had been hit. He should pat himself on the back.

Fundy could feel Yogurt shifting on the bed, so he laughed it off, raising his head and looking at his son. The day seemed even lighter when Yogurt smiled as well, happy that his Papa seemed to enjoy his idea just as much. “It’s pretty funny, isn’t it?” Fundy chuckled again, because that’s what he always did, and then hugged Yogurt and nibbled his arm while the kit giggled and shrieked to escape. “Lemme see who else is in.”

Fundy’s gaze was quick to scan the page of the Round 3 participants, ignoring a bunch of names and not even recognizing the others. Until…

He grinned, a bit mischievous.

“I’ll be right back, little man.”

Fundy got out from under Yogurt’s small weight, grabbing his communicator as he left their house and opening the contact list.

It took him a moment, breathing in deep to calm himself as he unblocked the contact, calling immediately before losing courage. It rang 3 times before it was picked up.

“Heyyyy!” Fundy started, not awkward at all. “Soooo- Wait wait wait! Don’t hang up! That’s rude!” He cried out, panicking for a minute and just relaxing when he got reassured the call would still keep going. His grin was back, ready to, just maybe, make fun of someone as bad as he was. “Soo, Niki… Have you checked your mail?”

–

EVERYONE SAY THANK YOU TO AME FOR SUBMITTING AN EMPTY POST SO I CAN EDIT AND POST MY FANFIC. IM IN POST LIMIT JAIL

Anyway keep voting for fundy and I'll write more mwah i love y'all

[the-kipsabian]

is kip sabian a tumblr sexyman

//kinda heavily edited 7/28/23. im trying to be more neutral about this, still keeping this within just the on-screen character. added in a few more things that are on the list linked below, so the results have actually kinda drastically changed now these are still just my opinions and ofc this doesnt negate how hes really perceived, its just interesting to see this being called out so many times but when you put actual evidence on it, boy how the tables turn lmao

so we all have probably heard the question by now

seeing this post on my dash, i have found resources now to see for myself, collect data and give you the actual result to this burning question

i got you tropes, my takes on them and whether they apply to him under the cut. things to note, this is my personal view tho im trying to keep it neutral, and im only tackling the on-screen character as its been portrayed on tv and some other special occasions when it has specifically shined through (take him invading ocs streams for example)

green is yes red is no yellow is maybe anything in italics are an edit from the original post

4th wall blurring - technically wrestling is already very blurred lines, but take the kip/oc feud for example and the lengths he took it to on social media, twitch etc. outside the ring

Androgynous - arguable, its the eyeliner for me bro. that and the way he carries himself. currently this also includes the hair/hair colors and the eye shadow. gender is a social construct

Animal theming

Angst - it depends how you view it. its not like full blown angst sadness, but it sure does exist, especially with how he talks about himself tbh

Bait - he just organically formed into this shape. i dont believe he specifically designed this style or characteristics to make himself be perceived as a tumblr sexyman

British

Burton

Capitalist

Chaoslord

Chronokinetic

Criminal

Cosmic

Clown

Controversial - i dont know why some of yall hate him so much but apparently people do so. whatever

Deadpan snarker - he can be, but not to a point of a defining character trait

Dealmaker

Detective

DILF - not yet

Distinctive voice - so the source list updated this to feature catchphrases and yes. "embrace the change", "time doesnt heal it changes you", "underrated and over it". you get the deal

Divorced

Dominating - there are cases. but mostly i think hes just a pathetic fool idk. but also this is a theming in wrestling in general so like. go figure

Duality - with and without the box, there is a difference

Egotistical

Eldritch - only in fanon i think ive seen this one. and partially personally applied this one lol (tho i mean idk if we get the box back in some form we might see more hints about this so it might turn into a maybe!!)

Eye imagery

Fanon splintering

Forest Dweller

Gay/LGBTQ+ coded

Girlboss

Glowing neon

Goo

Himbo - okay listen. as much as i would LOVE to mark this one as a solid yes, since we are strictly talking about boxman era and after on-screen kip, this doesnt stand, as he doesnt show himbo behavior on camera. im keeping it as a maybe tho, just for the sake of showing that im aware and i care <3

Hot-headed

Intelligence - also counts for the sub category smartdumb. an idiotic mastermind

Johnlocked - dont get me wrong, ive seen ships, but i dont think its ever been super extensive or overpowering. yall need to work harder lol. unfortunately despite my personal bias and seeing its growth in popularity, i still cannot mark this even as a maybe

Knifemurder

Mad scientist

Magnificent bastard - im just gonna copy the definition here. "As per TV Tropes, a Magnificent Bastard is a "villain (or morally gray character at best) portrayed as confident, charming schemers who thinks on their feet, outsmarts their competitors with style and grace, and remains graceful even in the event of defeat"."

Marked canon/fanon divergence

Monster features

Mysterious - boxhead in the crowd for months building intrigue + the unadvertised meet and greets at events. plus seemingly extensive lore we never get/got, unexplained box mysteries, etc.

Neurodivergent - i was thinking about excluding this, but he talks about his adhd so openly PLUS a big part of boxman came from the depression and anxiety of when he was on the shelf after surgery so. it counts for me

Nonhuman

Object head

Obscured face - technicality, but i count it as he wore the box for so fucking long. we didnt see his actual face for literally a year

Obsessive - HAVE YOU SEEN HOW OFTEN HE TWEETS AT OC i rest my case

Oncelerization

Pale twink - im making a personal decision to say no on this as none of the definitions really hit the mark like, at all. literally the only ones on the list are 'young' and 'dude' like. nope

Parental figure

Parental issues

Pathetic - A THOUSAND TIMES YES

Perpetual smiler - he gets the shit kicked out of him in the ring and still fucking laughs at it on the spot

Power

Power of love - yall have seen penelope, right?

Religious imagery - no, but marking sub category demonic as a maybe since connections to penelope

Retro - this is interesting, im putting it down as maybe since its not really showing but the current design choices with the grayscale gear makes me think about old timey stuff

Robot

Royalty

Scars

Secret agent

Short

Tall - im withdrawing this one, since the definition is "really/abnormally tall" and hes only 5'11 so. this was marked as a 'maybe' before

Teacher figure

Theme song

Thin - "characters that are fairly slim but dont fit under pale twink" i can accept this lol

Traitor/Twist villain

Twisted freaking cycle path

Unkempt

Upper class - i dont necessarily consider it but i guess. keeping this as a maybe since the suit aesthetic is very high class so

Urban legend aesthetics - CRYPTID RIGHTS FOR KIP

Villain/Morally gray/Refined villain/Technically antagonist

Well-dressed/Suitguy/Long coat - suit, pinstripes, long coat. i kind of want to also say the alt fashion counts here since he can be very emo but you know

White twink humanization - all im asking is that you dont humanize that box. please

White hair

29/75 40/75 6/75

final thoughts:

so i see where this thought comes from. he definitely hits like some of the biggest tropes (fancy british man with an object head, a stupidly catchy theme song and catchphrases, a hot wife and a plan to dominate orange cassidy the world), but we are also missing some obvious ones like him being just a stupid murder whore so like. go figure

this is a very subjective list im aware, there are a few things that could probably be seen differently but i, as a self proclaimed Expert And Conspiracy Theorist In The Kip Sabian Space™, will hold this belief system until someone tells me otherwise lmao

anyways this was just for fun dont take this as seriously as i did the first time around lol. enjoy, just dont argue with me. if you need any tropes need explaining, look at the link above and/or just ask and i'll let you know what i was thinking with marking them if there arent notes explaining or if they are confusing

✌

[maerynaire]

Well Known Knights of the Round Table Ranked

King Arthur: ???/10 So he's weird because his whole deal is that he's a Good King. The interpretation of what that is varies from person to person so he's wildly different across pretty much everything. Is he a noble and somber figure doing his best? Is he a kind of dumb but well meaning golden retriever of a man? Is he a mighty warrior and shrewd politician? Depending on the person, yes. And while that's really cool, it means I can't really rate the character because there's a million different versions of him. There's also interpretations where he's the antagonist to Lancelot and Guinevere's Whole Deal because I guess it's easier to excuse cheating by twisting the cheated-on character into a jackass. Just make it polyamorous you COWARDS

Sir Lancelot: 9/10 Fundamentally changed the entire canon and story. He's been awarded with the 'Most Accidental Teamkills' award and was voted 'Biggest Drama Queen in Camelot' 7 years running. He's inherently funny as a concept as the world's most popular OC do not steal, doubly funny taking into account that he also caused what I suspect to be the first instance of Vriscourse-esque fandom drama. Legendary. Also he's bisexual and if you give me like a week in The Hole I think that I can find pre-internet sources for this.

Sir Kay: 9/10 Unfortunately overlooked in later works considering he's A) King Arthur's adopted brother B) Funnie and C) A good foil to a lot of the other characters. He's a hothead, bully, braggart, and a jokey kind of guy with more pride than sense that's usually there to get his shit kicked in a bit. A good chunk of knights also have him talking shit at them as their entire motivation for going off on a grand quest. They can't put him in gritty reimaginings because he'd make them too much fun to read/watch. Though I DO admit that he has the potential to be very, very annoying if written poorly. I'd also like to note that he's avoided being made into a perfect-pure-special-Christian-boy-who-does-the-chivalry for over 2000 years and has maintained his shithead status. King.

The G Boys (Gawain, Gareth, aGravaine, and Gaheris): 6/10 I wish people would stop forgetting that Gaheris and Agravaine exist and/or mashing all four of these men into One Guy. I understand the irony of me giving them a shared entry but this is a long post and they're all brothers. It's nice that Gawain got some love recently with the 2021 movie Green Knight. And by love I mean good lord people were horny for Dev Patel. Also Gareth is canonically Baby. He is the ultimate Little Brother.

Sir Mordred: 10/10 MORGAN LE FAY IS NOT HIS MOM. Shoulders the whole final act of the legend as the antagonist. Let's be honest, he'd be a Tumblr sexyman if more people knew about him. He ticks all the boxes: Misunderstood, pale, dark hair, a bit evil, tragic backstory (incest), rebellious... Personally I'd love to see him break containment and take the Sexyman Crown he so rightfully deserves. Duck from Thomas the Tank Engine managed it, so I don't see why he can't.

Sir Bedivere (Bedwyr if you're a REAL gamer): 10/10 I do not CARE if I am biased. This man is my BLORBO. He HAS BEEN since I was FOURTEEN YEARS OLD. And I am VERY UPSET that the most common spelling of his name is borderline un-google-able because of the Fate Series. I am ASSAULTED by mildly horny images of anime men that I wasn't looking for. I was LOOKING for scraggly Welshmen. It's like accidentally taking a sip of someone else's drink. I wanted COKE not TEA dammit. At least they remembered that he has a prosthetic hand. He and Arthur possess the only braincell in Camelot.

Sir Griflet: 10/10 This guy is functionally a different character from who he initially was. Who did he used to be, you ask? Nothing big, nothing important just a minor welsh faerie deity. I don't know how he got added to the canon but I'm glad he did. Now he's Bedivere and Lucan's cousin and sometimes trades places with Bedivere as the last survivor of the final battle who chucks Excalibur into the lake. I like to think of him as a faerie who just showed up, convinced Bedivere and Lucan that he's their cousin, and hangs around Camelot because he finds it all interesting. Lastly: He has like... a hundred different names.

Sir Tristan: 6/10 Look his whole deal is that he's sad. Not sad as in like... pathetic but experiencing the emotion of sadness. That is what he's known for. His name is SYNONYMOUS with being sad. The ORIGINAL Sadboy. He would have an emo cut with those weird checkerboard streaks if he lived in 2007.

Sir Galahad: 0/10 The most inherently funny character in the canon. He was invented as a middle finger to Lancelot. He EXISTS because people were mad at Lancelot. He is THE purest HOLIEST mostest special boy. We're talking 'angels come down to take him away to Heaven' special. The only reason that he's a 0/10 is because I am mad that he steals Percival's role in a lot of stuff or gets mashed with him to form a Dragon Ball Fusion.

Sir Percival: 9/10 To be perfectly honest I only like this guy as much as I do because he has the coolest name out of all the knights. He's a pretty generic 'super cool and special and handsome and chivalrous' sort of knight... But I do not care. He has a cool name and I vibe with the aesthetic it conjures in my brain whenever I read it. I'm not alone in this based on all the adventures he was given until they got given to Galahad which sort of implies that he's the blueprint for the 'godly and virtuous knight who does chivalry'.

Sir Dagonet: 10/10 This guy is great and I'm pretty sure he was almost a meme a few years back??? I just remember getting blindsided by seeing a bunch of tumblr posts about him a few years back. He started his existence as just an asshole braggart who existed to make some of the other knights look better, then a violent, bloodthirsty crazy guy, and now he's a beloved jester who got knighted. I'm a fan of the jester interpretation myself because good lord there's enough 'violent man accidentally murders people' guys running around and Kay covers the 'braggart asshole foil' role in a less obnoxious way. I imagine him with silly little jester bells tied to his armor whenever he goes out on quests.

[midbus8]

Professor Coldheart, Angris McBragg and Foudror

I know I know, Although this is a Care Bears Marvel archive blog I still want to share this comparison meme art I made. It fits with the theme at least, seeing as Professor Coldheart and Frostbite are here.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, If I had a dollar for every time a cartoon where an evil magic blue man with a pointy nose and chin and small sidekick existed to create chaos and bully kids in a universe where otherworldly beings help children I would have 3 dollars, which isn’t a lot, but it’s super weird that this exact thing has happened 3 times.

Seeing as my blog is about Care Bears I think we all know what Professor Coldheart does, he basically makes kids stop caring and the Care Bears stop his evil plan for the day. Random off-note but I do wish Coldheart was more popular in the fandom, everyone gravitates towards Dark Heart and No Heart.

I have talked about Angris McBragg before and if you’ve read that post or seen the cartoon you’ll know that The Soulmates: The Gift of Light is very similar to Care Bears, heck the creator even compared it to Care Bears, saying it was meant to be for slightly older kids. Angris has serious Tumblr Sexyman vibes and I’m pretty sad everyone has forgotten about him now, he’s cool…

Now, this next character, I can guarantee that you’ve never heard of him before, unless you’re one out of 2 people who deliberately searched his name or have seen him on Tumblr Sexyman Showdown briefly. Foudror (his name is Striker in English but I call him by his French name) is strange.. In fact, the whole show he’s from is strange. It’s like Care Bears, but imagine if the Care Bears were replaced with Santa, a talking Reindeer, 4 elves (with one of them being a femboy), and a random fairy. Foudror himself is like if No Heart and Coldheart got fused into one weird looking vampire-esque sorcerer guy, and his anthropomorphic furry bait bat assistant called Aglagla is almost like if Beastly and Shreeky got fused together, very sassy, and would’ve definitely been ruined by the internet if she was more popular. She even has her own sub plot where she’s trying to be turned into a “Sexy Reindeer Girl” by Foudror so she can marry Santa’s Reindeer?… It’s as weird as it sounds.

The Soulmates is on YouTube for free and Dad’X is available on Internet Archive in English. The reason no one’s ever heard of Dad’X before is because it aired a few times in the 90’s and early 2000’s all across Europe and then it’s English dub was region locked to the UK and cost 40 dollars on Amazon, but a certain someone put it on the Internet Archive a few months ago. Someone like Saberspark or Phelous should review it for Christmas, I might try to email them about the show actually.

[matoitech]

Could u go more in depth about what u did/didn't like about the spinoff? Just curious as someone who enjoyed most of it but was a lil disappointed with the last few episodes

sure! i didnt like Hate it or anything there were things i did enjoy, i watched all the episodes, it was more that it just really didnt do it for me in a way thats kind of difficult to like. pin. i should state too that i was not going to watch it already bcuz i wasnt interested in the genderbend fanfiction characters being the like title piece and everything, but i gave the first two eps a shot and thought 'okay, i get it, this show is about simon and his complicated feelings about Everything that happened and who he used to be and who these characters represent to him about who he used to be' and then it just didnt really like, do more with that in a way that i expected or wouldve enjoyed, exactly? i like the idea of multiverse hopping and a bunch of different au versions of characters in a story, that stuff is obviously really popular right now and when its done well its done WELL. i liked how finn was characterized in episode 2. it was like, an entertaining watch, it just didnt really do much for Me, and i knew that going in. its really hard to explain like my negative feelings on something that are negative bcuz it just Wasnt For Me ykwim. and there r plenty of parts of adventure time that didnt really do it for me either bcuz it had so many writers

i read an interview w the director and writers and stuff and they mentioned that they made the series recognizing that the original fans were adult now and it was partly made for us and like having a more mature theme and everything, but i didnt rly feel thatit did that for me personally (which again is Fine), and i dont think it successfully captured like, 'more mature adventure time', i guess maybe in the sense that they can swear now? but adventure time itself is thoughtful and often more mature than it was given credit for at the time. its a kids show but a lot of the later stuff was made to just tell stories and explore ideas, whether kids like 'understood' it or not, they trusted their audience, stuff wasnt really like dumbed down. they mentioned trying not to step on the toes of the original too much too and i like did get the sense that they respected and loved the source material (some of the ppl working on it including the director were from the old team) but while the spinoff was clearly successful and ppl liked it a lot (ive already seen a lot of ppl talking abt how meaningful it was to them, and thats great, im glad it resonated for people) its like, read of the characters and world and the direction they wanted to take just wasnt really the kind of vibe i come to adventure time for, i guess? like i said it just didnt rly do it for Me personally in a way thats hard to articulate

i dont rly want to say anything like too mean abt it but ppl Know about me that i dont like Fandom Aware Jokes in media i dont think theyre charming and the spinoff leaning into that kinda stuff wasnt for me, and i get why bcuz its literally fucking named after the in universe genderbent fanfiction versions of finn and jake, but thats also something i never liked about adventure time and wouldve been happy if it hadnt made a reappearance i just thought it was going to be used to Say Something so i was curious to see where it went. so like from the start it isnt exactly for me ykwim. i dont think sailor moon reference sexyman ice king or jokes about alt universe versions of characters kissing themselves is funny. coffee shop Boy pb & marceline b plot is not interesting to me (i do like marshall's human design). i feel like not a lot of stuff Happened to me

and let me preface this next part by saying that i never got too invested in simon and bettys thing in adventure time so maybe some of this stuff WAS canon and i just completely missed it but i feel like the track they took w them and their relationship was like.. they were trying to say something but it wasnt exactly the direction i wouldve taken, which isnt a 'criticism' as much as its just, a thought , for me. i thought betty losing her shit and sacrificing herself for simon at the end of adv time proper was interesting bcuz to me betty wasnt like a completely selfless character, to me she wasnt MEANT to come off that way, she was interesting in part bcuz she did all that for simon but simon had been gone for a thousand years, she gave herself up to turn him back but didnt think abt whether he wouldve wanted that. she brought him back, but without her. its obviously tragic and i do get that like betty moving on now that simons like Safe at the end of fionna and cake makes sense but i was.. curious to see the whole metaphor w the choose ur own adventure book where the metaphor or whatever was that betty had given everything up for simon and simon had never took her own feelings into consideration or gave things up for HER and stuff, and all that about like, obsession, and uneven ground, and simon shouldve known better... and the show ending with simon saying wow damn yeah betty sacrificed herself for me and i never put her over me so i should live a good life. like okay but i thought betty sacrificing herself for him wasnt meant to come off as completely selfless bcuz it wasnt exactly? i dont think it was framed that way but again i COULD be wrong. im not gonna say that this stuff is not in character cuz again i dont Remember if this was canon to the mainline series. maybe betty was always a fan of his work and their relationship did start out uneven like that and i just forgot, i am not gonna say its Wrong. its not like 'is betty right' its that theres dif ways u can read like main adventure time series decisions and the grayness of it was interesting

and i dont say that to say like oh the focus shouldve been on Simons Feelings and not this woman who became a god for him its just like, i didnt really expect that direction of writing their past relationship, or the direction in general, and idk how to feel about it. maybe ill change my mind. maybe it all makes sense and i just didnt pay enough attention to betty and simons relationships and arcs before. what i did know coming out of the show is that i felt a little let down but i also felt like i shouldnt have expected much from something that just based off the series name was already something i expected to not vibe with THAT much

[anatthema-art]

Tumblr Men Taxonomy

Ever since the rise of the Spamton fanbase i’ve been seeing a lot of debate on if spamton should be considered a Tumblr Sexyman or not and i think everyone saying he’s NOT is correct, but i’ve been talking with some friends and have realized a pattern in what i’d like to lovingly call a new “branch” of tumblr men/people because it’s an exceedingly common character archetype i feel us as a userbase need to acknowledge and treat separate from your oncelers and the like.

These guys? they’re all classic Tumblr Sexymen right? well, by consulting the primary sources  talking with my friends who were on the website and in the fandoms during the golden age of tumblr men, i’ve realized a massive part of sexyman culture people FORGET is that their appeal doesn’t just come from them being lanky bastard twinks. (we’ll get to sans later)

Their main appeal from a fandom perception is their actual or perceived HUMANITY. That sounds a little weird considering half these characters arent even human, but hear me out. Characters like the onceler and komaeda from dangan ronpa are just... dudes? Like they’re fucked up dudes, but they’re just GUYS. Sans too, even though not a human person, is still a very ORDINARY guy underneath the fandom-imposed angst. the appeal of these characters came from people seeing a spark of relatability and normalcy underneath all their Issues(tm) and fanwork, while portrayed as the “I can fix him” mentality came from a genuine place of exploration into what these people could BE

characters who AREN’T human, like bill cipher, wheatley, and dare I say the goddamn clock from DHMIS were QUITE LITERALLY humanized to explore a potential reality where they COULD be more of... PEOPLE despite their human nature. If they had become popular in THIS day and age, dare i say they fall into our SECOND category more (and as these interpretations of them are fanon i dare say they DO double class considering the disconnect between these common fan headcanons and fans which prefer the source material versions)

and then you get to characters like alastor or jack frost, who were once entirely human, then becoming inhuman entities, and that small bit of something left in there provides intrigue to explore them as people beyond their fun personality exteriors. 

Now, here’s where I’d like to propose the divide. Some of these characters gained less fan notoriety than others (especially because toby fox seems to be the main supplier of these guys) but they have often been labelled TSMs when I see a pretty distinct through line between them, with a little bit of wiggle room

The name i’ve been lovingly calling these guys is Disney Channel Eldritch Horrors. I am very open to new propositions however as the name implies that they are both from the Disney Channel and eldritch horrors which isn’t always correct. I haven’t found a similar name that conveys the same VIBES yet, so if anyone has any ideas for a better name i’d love to hear it. basically, the gist of this trope is that we have some weird little guys who are probably inhuman nightmares who’s appeal comes from sheer force of personality. this is where you get your weird little clown men and goofy loveable abominations. (i feel like some homestuck characters might fit this bill but i know absolutely nothing about any of them)

some of them MAY have some sort of tragedy involved in their backstory (spamton, flowey) but the main appeal of liking the character i’d argue comes more from the sheer strength of their characterization, rather than that stuff. Spamton is the closest to breeching this, but i feel for spamton fans i see way more posts about how people wanna throw him in a microwave than discussing the deep ramifications of his backtory (plus, he wasn’t ever a human person either.) Flowey on the other hand, the fandom has split asriel and him SO far as to be entirely separate characters despite the divide being less of a thing in canon, and people who are fans of just flowey tend to focus less on his backstory. 

now you’ll see i’ve also included discord in here, which is to demonstrate that i don’t think the body type for these guys has to exclusively be “some little shaped dude”, because discord tows that line, but his appeal still stays in that sheer force of personality, and he’s also very much NOT a human being. as mentioned earlier, the canon versions of wheatley and that stupid clock also probably fit this bill more. Bill Cipher is where i see this divide the strongest, between the canon character and fan reactions and he’s such a popular character that his fanbase CAN be split between these two camps i think. 

disney channel eldritch horrors i think, can be classified more on creator intent with their existence rather than fan reaction like a classic TSM. some of these characters gained more popularity than others but there’s a very specific crowd who forms to liking these characters over the TSM variety.

now, one last proposal in taxonomy, is that the twink body type vs lil shaped guy is an indicator of which category a character may fall into but it is not the primary factor and can be overridden by personality 

sans is a weird lil guy in classic toby fox fashion, but i think his status as a Tumblr Sexyman should not be questioned since his fandom was the closest thing to the replication OF the onceler fandom and his appeal was very steeped in his more darker aspects of the character. fizzarolli on the other hand, is very much a lanky beanpole dude, but he also is a stupid chaotic jester man who’s sheer VIBES overpower his body type and his popularity is for that personality. this is a rare phenomenon, but i realized it to be the case through some friends’ OCs, as calling some characters “tumblr sexymen��� felt incorrect the deeper i thought about it

so uh... thank you for coming to my ted talk? i have a weird fascination with fan culture around these two specific camps of characters and i felt that i wasn’t able to express why i loved my weird jester men so much until now, as i felt my attachment to them felt a little conflated with a different TYPE of fan culture, and so i spewed my word vomit into something somewhat coherent. 

[tequiilasunriise]

Honestly, can we please take a step back and laugh over how absolutely hilarious the spectrum that is humanity? This turned into a bit of a tangent so the muskrat dragging will be under the cut.

Like, on one hand we have Elon Musk who is throwing the world’s biggest, most publicized temper tantrum over random internet strangers being mean to him and rightfully calling his bullshit out. This man is trying so hard to cover his tracks after buying Twitter and time after time after time again he keeps being his worse enemy. If he would just shut his mouth and stop giving the rest of the world fuel to clown the fuck outta him, Twitter wouldn’t be actively burning to the ground in real time right now. Sure, these memes are incredibly funny and I am very much thriving over these homefires, but I do feel bad for those who relied on Twitter for business like small artists. This is only the iceberg tip of his vileness, mind you.

Moving on, on the other side of the spectrum we have the backbone of our society, truly the peak, dare I say the PINNACLE of humanity- softly apologetic ao3 writers. Literally some of my FAVORITE ao3 experiences is opening up the update and seeing author’s notes like, “I’m so sorry I haven’t updated in a while, my cat’s ovaries exploded and on the way to the hospital I got into a major car crash but don’t worry the doctor who took care of me was amazing and next thing you know we’re wives now with like, two kids and yes my cat is perfectly fine after all of this time.” Obviously this is a dramatization, but we all know and have seen those authors who literally went through the most traumatic, the most absolutely life-changing shit and STILL genuinely apologize to their readers for?? For what??? Not updating this Wenclair Griddlehark AU 200k words enemies to lovers slowburn??? Like, you are the least problematic person to ever exist please don’t ever apologize for not cranking out surprisingly well-written smut about some popular Tumblr Sexyman getting the wizzy dizzy glizzy gulp gulp guzzler 9000 because real life obligations got prioritized. 

(In all seriousness, yes, I love getting updates on my favorite fics as much as the next media enjoyer, but self care babes self careeeee. You may be a content creator of any variety, but you’re your own person first. Don’t ever feel the need to apologize for living your life because us shippers, shitposters, and all in-between can (and should) wait.)

tl;dr: The sheer duality of humanity is absolutely hilarious and I think we should talk about this more.

[bitplayer8147]

Junior is 3 kinds of lovable villains in 1. The "evil cuz damaged", love to hate, or it's the aesthetic.

On the love to hate part, he's so cartoonishly evil that he invokes those classic "golden age Disney villains" but he can swear.

On the damaged part, his scene with his dad in the second act allows people to attach more character to him. (Another example would be Max Jagerman with the scene where he talks about his dad at the Waylon House)

Finally, he's a bit of an offshoot of the "epic suave villain", but more cartoony. By that, I mean he fits a lot of the Tumblr Sexyman criteria that fandom loves so much (Evil skinny white boy, might have trauma, all black aesthetic, ect).

There's a reason why he was on the Starcanwreckedpulp tumblr sexyman polls. This, I believe is the main reason why he's popular.

February is overlooked for a few other reasons.

1. She's a woman. Sadly, male characters tend to get more popularity than female ones do. This also seeps into a few of the other factors.

2. Her characterization as a dunce (paired with her being a woman) makes her less appealing.

Most women characters who get popular, especially in this fandom, is being a badass, being suave and sassy, or being capable. Miss Holloway, Rose Stratford, Lenore, Tatiana Slohzno, are just a few examples.

Women characters who are less capable (like February) are seen as less likable, less interesting, and anti-feminist or sexist.

When men are dunces on the other hand, he gets woobified by fandom.

This seems to be why people tend to prefer himbos over bimbos (the oversexualization and leaning into of old fashioned stereotypes of the bimbo archetype compared to the "soft boy" aesthetic of the himbo archetype), and a reason why February is less popular than Junior.

3. She's given shallow characterization.

At least with Junior, he's given a few scenes that allow for a semblance of depth (the call with his dad).

The only scene February gets that deepens her character further than a walking stereotype is the realization scene where she figures out that GLEE is evil. It's fleeting, and just barely shows that "she's smart in her own way".

She also gets lines that make her more materialistic and further how stereotypical her character is.

She has potential for good characterization, but she gets as much depth as Specs and Krayonder even though she's supposed to be a secondary protagonist.

4. Her arc sucks

In the show, we have 3 other "women" characters, and all of them have some sort of arc that changes them or their perception in some way.

Bugette learns to let go, Taz learns that Up can be tough as well as caring, Megagirl learns to love humanity and her love interest, Tootsie Noodles.

What does February have? Megagirl's arc done worse.

Her conflict stems from her hating of bugs, her reason being "I'm a girl".

Megagirl's hatred for humans came from old scars of the past robot wars, as well as her own enslavement by the GLEE.

While their conflicts both get solved with the "power of love", due to the context behind their original prejudice, Megagirl's eventual growth feels more meaningful.

I love all of the starship cast but I feel like February is very overlooked as a character. I’m not going to immediately say ‘it’s because of sexism!’ Because it most likely isn’t. I’m just curious as to why a character like junior who doesn’t get nearly as much screentime is so much more popular than February, who is not only hilarious but a main character. This is purely curiosity by the way, I love junior too.

~~~

[olderthannetfic]

I don't like the trend of labelling fandom doing common fandom things as racist the moment a property with characters who aren't white gets popular. I remember when Encanto came out I, even before seeing the movie, knew there would be a shit ton of incest shipping and tons of "the big mean family doesn't understand poor woobie Mirabel and might even be abusive" fic with the mysterious rat man already a fan favourite and commonly paired with her in a (mostly) platonic kindred spirit way. The shapeshifter is gonna get a lot of genderqueer headcanons too obviously.

And guess what? I was right! Of course I was fucking right. Because certain tropes and archetypes often inspire similar fandom responses. Incest is obvious, the main focus is a large blood family and their relationships. Even before the lack of named or significant characters outside the family, incest was inevitable. The Loud House, which is another family friendly cartoon focusing on a large family, is basically all incest.

Mirabel is the oddball who, while not truly neglected, is sidelined by her family on accident due to them being wonderfully flawed characters, so of course fandom exaggerates that for drama sometimes to outright abuse. Mirabel then gets to call them all out or show them up or whatever for that sweet catharsis, or it's used to focus on Mirabel bonding with The One Person (usually fellow outcast Bruno) Who Understands and Validates Her.

And I'm pretty sure the internet wanted to either fuck or hug Bruno from the moment they saw his sad face. Instant Tumblr sexyman. He can do not wrong and anyone who hurt him even accidentally is evil.

Honestly the Encanto fandom (and similar) has been relatively less those things as well compared to other (whiter) fandoms with the same general archetypes and plot-type. More restrained. Which im not complaining personally, I don't like incest, but also I think if you want media starring POC to be popular people need to suck up the fact that fandom will do as fandom does. And I don't mean the actual racist stuff, of which there is a lot but is still less yelled about compared to to the stuff I just talked about despite being obviously more important, there is a problem of people being racist even when they focus on POC characters or double-standards compared to white characters. I just mean stuff that might make people uncomfortable or not focused on the meaningful themes or even a popular fandom trend that happens to align with a shitty stereotype but is legitimately just a thing fandom likes even with white characters.

I've also noticed a lot of pedestal-placing for POC characters which annoys me because I liked those flawed characters but fuck me for enjoying nuanced writing and characters I guess. At least bashers usually label their shit when they decide to make them abusive or evil or incompetent. They're not perfect that's why I like them. STOP MAKING THEM PERFECT!!! It's boring as hell and you can tell the fans overcompensating which feels weird.

--

I haven't seen this movie, but Bruno is super hot.

[celebrity-conductor-asks]

ingo was nominated as Tumblr sexyman, he didn't win but he was in 3rd place

🔼: wHAT-

🔽: Yup, we’re all aware of that. I was there during the war. Or at least during the part that my brother was against that anime dude.

🛡️: … His name is Reigen, you know?

🔽: Don’t care, didn't ask.

⚔️: Oh my Arceus, I remember you were so mean to me when this whole thing started. I was going to vote for the other guy, but you broke into my room, forcibly pushed me aside, and destroyed everything I had.

🔽: I mostly did that because of your hair. And your British.

⚔️: … Who even won first place in this entire mess?

🔽: Believe it or not, it’s Sans. Sans won first place.

⚔️: Are you kidding me? People found some… chubby skeleton attractive enough to win first place?

🛡️: I think it’s more so the fact that Sans has a pretty tough boss fight. And how fanart perceives him as being depressed and fully aware when a game resets.

⚔️: Well, yes, but aren't people in these things more attracted to those in suits or have immense power?

🛡️: Yes, but you forget that Sans is mysterious and powerful.

🔽: Anywho… I'm just really happy that Ingo won third place.

🛡️: … You're happy that your brother is considered attractive to some fangirls?

🔽: I'm more so happy that people like my brother that much to win third place.

🔼: How in the world am I the only one considered "attractive" enough to be on the list? I have a twin brother, so why isn't Emmet just as popular-

🛡️: It probably has something to do with you being the older one, having the typical "suit" figure, and being mysterious. If I can say that.

🔽: Are you saying this because you find him attractive-

🛡️: … You need to stop with your shit. Seriously.

🔽: I saw you voting for him. You won't escape me.

🛡️: I voted for him because you demanded me to do so, and I genuinely think Ingo is better than Reigen.

🔽: Suspicious-

🛡️: No, it's not.

🔼: Stop stop stop, so let me get this straight. There was a poll on Twitter about who's considered the "Tumblr sexyman". And I was in it and won third place?

⚔️: From what I can understand, yes. People found you attractive, somehow.

🛡️: Well… technically, you didn't win third place.

🔽: tHE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT-

🛡️: Bill Cipher also won third place. So… we have two people in third place.

🔽:

🔽: Then we're starting our own poll to see who's better between Ingo and Bill Cipher-

🔼: No-

🔽: Why not?

🔼: I don't want my appearance to be compared to a fucking triangle base on attractiveness.

🔽: Okay, fair enough.

🔼: I apologize, I'm just… very bewildered about this whole thing. I'm mostly confused, revolted, flattered, and concerned about how some people see me.

🔽: Yes, we call this sin.

[kanohivolitakk]

Flanderization of characters to the point they'd be unrecognizable.

Existence of fandom-critical blogs that would just bash the series front left and center and make mountains out of molehills and demonize all the creators for not being as hip or woke as they are.

People would accuse the series of being "cultural appropiation" due the Mata Nui arc borrowing of Maori elements.

People would fucking despise Dume because of him ruling a police state and being an authority figure.

Vakama would be even more woobified and sandpapered than he already is.

Metru and/or Mahri would be bashed on because they're the replacement teams and thus inferior to the og team.

Conversly, the Toa Mata would suffer of the "Charizard syndrome" and be hated for being the popular posterboys that get the attention most of the time.

Heavy disparity between people who like the series for the Toa and people who like the series for the larger worldbuilding.

The fandom won't be able to behave with Helryx and Tuyet and the two would cause a lot of discourse.

People would bitch of villain stans, especially Nidhiki and Krika.

Nidhiki discourse. oh my god the Nidhiki discourse would be so fucking annoying I'm dreading it.

Vezon either would become the tumblr sexyman or the character that the fandom despises because his stans are all dudebros.

Karzahni would be called ableist due to being a neurodivergent coded villain.

Krekka and Carapar would be seen as albeist for the "dumb brute" archetype

The "OOMN is just CIA" discourse would be far louder and more toxic.

Not just that, I think some people would see the TOA as being pro-cop or pro military or whatever buzzword you want to think of.

People would constantly bash Greg and call him problematic.

The typical "female characters deserved better :C" *continue to talk about male characters exclusively*

Either that or making them the token lesbian just so they can be away from popular m/m ships (I can sooo see this with Hahli lmao).

Tree speak would be seen as problematic.

People would accuse the series of fake enviromentalist messages.

People would constantly do the "the series was at its best on early arcs and it went downhill later on" song and dance fandoms love to do.

Heavily criticizing the series flaws...only for having their suggestions for "fixes" be far worse than anything in the actual canon.

AUs that are just original stories with Bionicle slapped onto it.

Thats all I got. TBF the fandom already does some of these things, but they'd be far more prominent and insufferable than they are now.

Thought experiment: In an alternate universe where Bionicle recently got a wildly popular reboot and now has a MASSIVE following on Tumblr...

...What's the most annoying thing that the fans are doing?