#and a blatant disregard or hate of characters/people

[phatcatphergus]

it’s concerning how certain “lore analysis” bloggers will see a character experience very real symptoms of ptsd and extreme trauma, and write it off and belittle that character’s pov because they find the way the cc portrays it as “annoying and fail rp”

it’s even more frustrating when you yourself experience those same symptoms and heavily relate to the way q!tubbo acts. cc!tubbo does an excellent job at having a character struggle with trauma in a way that’s neither dismissive of the character’s ptsd, or too heavy and serious for the context of it being a mostly lighthearted minecraft rp.

Absolutely.

I do have to agree that CCTubbo got a bit out of hand a few times, but it's nothing that people haven't done before or even DURING that stream. I am not going to defend him and say that everything was within rp yesterday bc it was obvious that CCTubbo was a bit bored and tired of the lore so he just did whatever (I also think the -rp points and constant disregard for him speaking of the mechanics had something to do with it as well) but overall it's obvious that his character was lashing out because he's been hurt.

He also made points to say that nothing could go wrong or he would "end it permanently" yesterday so a forced optimism and making light of a stressful situation was warranted like when he read Ramon's letter and when Bagi was explaining the lore.

Overall, I'm just mad that people are mad at Tubbo specifically when Phil gave no shits about Dapper being kidnapped and Mike was messing around just as much yesterday. People are just hypocritical and use any excuse they can to make their favs seem better when they do the same shit. disregarding obvious rp and trauma of a character or saying that they should only act a certain way bc they're traumatized just means that they know nothing about what they're talking about and just don't like the character/streamer

[beanarie]

after seeing diego and lila fight for their relationship for two seasons and explicitly choose each other, it's really weird to see the showrunner go "lila totally would've chosen five. her marriage was broken" bestie you- you decided that. you broke it

[korkorali]

Hokay, we’re gonna have a small little fandom etiquette lesson here:

#Anti [Character] #[Character] Critical

See these two tags? They’re very good to use (if you want to write negative posts about a character) and very good to block (if you don’t want to see negative posts about a character)

Because yeah, you should be able to voice your opinion! You shouldn’t have to pretend to like a character just because a lot of other people seem to like them.

But maybe

Just maybe

When a character tag updates, like, once every two days on average

Maybe it can get a little tiring for people who like that character to see a bunch of hate towards that character instead of enjoyment

(And then they do stupid things like engage with and argue with that dislike instead of just blocking and moving on, which is genuinely A Dick Move most of the time)

Maybe it can get a little upsetting to see the same

Exact

Mountain of misinformation that maliciously mischaracterizes the character they like

That just gets repeated over and over and over

And stuff out the posts that are about enjoying the character within the tags

So try to use #Anti [Character] and/or #[Character] Critical when you are bringing up your grievances with a specific character, and try to block #Anti [Character] and #[Character] Critical if drama about that character is likely to upset you

Live and let live, and don’t muck up everybody else’s space to engage with what they enjoy

[tiyawnyana]

Hey hey heyyy!

I actually love avatar too! I’m counting down the days until Avatar 3 comes out so I can watch it a million times <3

Anyway, I was hoping you could do headcannons of Viktor x councillor!reader who is an advocate for building up the Undercity so it gets to Piltover level if that makes sense. (Basically just wanting equality within the two districts)

Thank yeww!

-🎐 anon

Thank you for the request!!! (I mightve gone a little off track) Gaaaah I love me some good quality characters that wear their heart on their sleeves. Also I cannot wait for avatar 3!! I fear everyone around me will hate me bc that is all I will be talking about

A/N: two fics two days in a row?? A Christmas miracle

Characters: Viktor x Counselor!Reader

Warnings: nothing explicit—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—

Heart

You took over the counselor position after your Uncle, Torman Hoskel, retired.

You got into politics for the sole purpose of giving equality to those less fortunate. You were a black sheep of sorts, in comparison to your other family members

you were seen as childish- bright eyed and naive, but you played your cards closely and carefully, much like one Medarda (she too realized this)

It was earlier on into the beginning of the age of Hextech, Jayce Talis and his partner, Viktor from the Undercity were becoming the faces of the future.

People mainly only acknowledged Jayce, but you often sought out Viktor as well, including him on the conversations with the progress of Hextech

You gave Viktor the equal respect and admiration as Jayce received from everyone, and that surprised Viktor- a welcome surprise, thankfully

Over time, you built a steady, healthy friendship with him and Jayce, genuinely happy and enthralled with the progress and creations they made over the years

At first, Viktor thought your actions were none other than another counselor wanting Hextech in their pocket-

He was mistaken and he's glad of it, you never came in with that as your goal

You first poach the idea of installing something of good use to the undercity to Jayce in private, hoping for him to take the hint to speed things along.

His best friend, his partner in Hextech after all, was from Zaun. Viktor deserved to see their creations be used to help his people.

You advocated for Zaun more as time went on, acknowledging the name that the people have given their home. You brought in infrastructure ideas, growing more and more agitated as your ideas kept being pushed to the back burner.

This got you into arguments- Many arguments with the other counselors but you refused to bend. Counselor Heimerdinger remained neutral, not able to see that his people were starving in the undercity, suffering and ill ridden despite his prodigy being a product of that environment. You appreciated Heimerdinger for everything he's done, but came to the realization that it wasn't enough.

word of uprisings and crime lords gaining power in the Undercity after all the things that happened 5 years prior (the explosion at Jayce’s, the one down by the southern docks, the death of the ‘Hound’, Vander); it all gained your attention more

You had called for a meeting with the other counselors the night you returned, bringing your own collected vile of what was called Shimmer. The purple, glimmery fluid almost glowed, pulsing with light as you placed it before Counselor Heimerdinger.

“I’m afraid I must be completely honest and blunt here,” you usher to the vile,

“This is the product of our blatant disregard of our people in the Undercity.”

Counselor Salo scoffs, rolling his eyes and spewing some vile insinuations of ‘heathens’ and ‘animals’.

You ignore him, standing in the middle of the circular table,”I commend Counselor Kirammans house for commissioning the pipes in the lower parts of the Undercity to give them safe, proper air to breathe,” you nod to the woman,”But this is not enough. The people deserve more. They need our support, our protection-“

You don’t realize that Jayce and Viktor have been summoned, approaching the room and being let in halfway through your rant.

Viktor is surprised-

“These people have dug their own grave- they start riots and spew violence-”

“Only because they've been backed into a corner, Salo!” You shout, walking closer to his seat and therefore cornering him, despite the barrier of the table,”Anyone will do what they can to protect themselves, their families, from violence.”

You stand up straight, looking around the table. The counselors either look away or face you, a scowl on their lips.

“We are supposed to protect our people, not bury them underground with no hopes to getting out,” you usher to the vile once more,”This is what our lack of protection and equality does to them. Strips them of their lives. They're constantly in fear or struck by illness or addiction, all because we've been turning a blind eye. It's no wonder they've been rioting- it's the only thing that has gotten your attention!”

You glance over to Counselor Shoola, at least hoping she would acknowledge it but you're surprised to see Jayce and Viktor in the entryway.

“This meeting is adjourned,” Counselor Heimerdinger speaks out, beckoning the two in the entryway in.

You send a scathing glare at them all before storming out.

Viktor finds you a few hours later on the terrace above the gardens.

He's quiet, his cane the only form of noise as he approaches. There's a brisk chill to the air, moon high above the clouds cascading a cool glow along the flowers below.

He sighs, leaning against the banister, gazing down below before drifting his eyes back up to the sky

You huff out a soft sigh, head bowing in exhaustion,”They're all idiots.”

He laughs softly, nodding in agreement as he peers over at you,”Yeah- yeah, they can be.”

You bring your head up, frustration in your brow,”I just- how can these people be so stuck up? I get that my head was in the dirt for a while- but I learned and I'm trying to make things right-”

“You're using your status and position to do good,” he murmurs, leaning on his elbow and facing you,”That's more than any of them can say, honestly.”

You glance over at him with a sorrowful look,”What if that isn't enough? I'm doing all that I can, I've started production in the lower mines to clear out the old piping-”

Viktor shakes his head at that, hesitating for a moment before reaching out to place his hand over yours,”Even speaking it aloud does something. Your actions alone have proven that, don't think I haven't heard you giving ideas to Jayce for the undercity while I wasn't there.”

He smirks at you and you huff.

“Just keep doing what you're doing, I'm right there with you and I know Jayce is too,” he reassures softly.

You nod quietly, peering down below,”I hope I haven't squandered my position.”

“I don't think you have, and honestly,” he steps closer,”I don't think you will anytime soon. Your seat in that chamber is important for Piltover's Infrastructure- I'd say you hold more cards than Shoola or Salo.”

You roll your eyes with a fond huff,”Now, I doubt that-”

“Don't,” he speaks firm but careful,”You have what they don't seem to-”

You raise a brow,”And what would that be?”

He's silent for such a brief moment, eyes flicking across your face before he smiles softly,”A heart.”

Your face warms, surprisingly, and you attempt to brush it off with a sarcastic laugh.

“Considering one of them is made of metal-”

“I mean it,” he steps closer, and suddenly you feel his warmth,”You have a heart- full of fire and care for people you haven't even met-”

He cups your forearm,”You were kind to me without scorn, even when we first met.”

You're silent, gaze drifting down to his hand holding your arm. Your heart is thundering away in your chest,”It's not difficult to be kind.”

“For some, it is,” he murmurs, his warm eyes drifting over your face, urging you to look at him,”But you never wavered.”

You bring your gaze back up to his, almost taken aback by the genuine smile on his lips.

He brushes back a stray hair, tucking it behind your ear and cupping your cheek tenderly, pulling you in.

You almost think he's going to kiss you, but instead presses his forehead against yours, sighing softly.

“Keep using your voice,” he murmurs,”They're sure to listen eventually.”

You lean into his hold, hand moving to cup his elbow softly as you nod quietly.

He's the one to pull back, another surprise, but doesn't let you pull away completely- instead peering at you with a soft, but questioning gaze, eyes moving down to your lips before trailing back up to yours.

You nod, nose brushing his as he slots his lips over yours.

—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—

A/N: requests are still open!

[electricbathsalt]

Things I want to talk about/touch upon/see people mention more but cannot compile individual coherent posts about:

1. The fact Pops’ daughter apparently had a “falling out” with Pops (over her marriage??) that caused her to completely abandon the yakuza and maybe also cut contact with Pops (the dude is suspicious guys)

2. The fact that in the Overhaul-LOV initial meeting, Chisaki had to have intentionally chosen not to kill Mr. Compress.

3. The idea that many of Chisaki’s thought processes at least partially stem from his time in AFO’s facility. And of course, Pops.

4. How much Chisaki seems to lack a proper reaction to any sort of pain (He was beat to a pulp by Mirio & Midoriya, exploded himself, & got his arms cut off and I’ve never heard him so much as yelp) while still complaining about how overhauling himself hurts?? Yet he doesn’t show it.

5. (Highway scene) How Chisaki only screamed once the realization he wouldn’t be able to ever wake up Pops sunk in (isn’t confirmed but. I’m convinced).

6. The fact that there’s absolutely no way Chisaki wasn’t negatively impacted by being raised in the Yakuza. It’s simply inherent.

7. The blatant disregard Pops had to have had for both Chisaki and Eri’s well-beings to have designated Chisaki as her caretaker.

8. The endless amounts of potential for Chisaki & Dabi/Touya dynamics post-war, platonic or otherwise. (Multiple fics with this premise in my WIPs, lol)

9. The fact Chisaki seems practically incapable of holding a grudge. Like, think about it; is there a character you can say Chisaki genuinely, wholeheartedly hates and wishes the worst upon. You know what—what IS his opinion on Shigaraki/the LOV these days??

10. Realizing that in the initial Overhaul-LOV meeting, Chisaki literally just tone-matched them. Look:

Mr Compress says all that, and then Chisaki later explains:

Which, once you break down what Mr Compress said/how he said it, and what Chisaki said/how he said it… blunt statement of facts. Mr Compress told Toga how faded out the Yakuza have become with no sugarcoating, and Chisaki took that and said. “Well. Yeah.” But then when Chisaki did the same thing (blunt but true & valid criticisms of the LOV/Shigaraki’s leading skills (bc let’s be real, he was an ass leader at the time in terms of actual planning and execution)), the LOV got pissed. He pointed out all the relevant flaws and mistakes in Shigaraki’s leadership and then said it’d be better if he was the leader because he actually has a plan, and they got pissed at the mere prospect of serving under somebody else. Do you realize how much the story would’ve been altered if the LOV didn’t decide to just start attacking Chisaki here?? 💀 Sorry I’m exceptionally passionate about this bc the fandom gaslit me for a while into believing Chisaki was the one starting shit here 😔 but then I read it (a long time after I'd watched it in the anime) and was like. "what. he didn't initiate literally any of this shit. and everything he's saying is true??"

There’s probably more I could add to this but it’s getting long enough lol.

[selinakylesupremacy]

Last couple of years I've noticed anti's have been a pushing to seperate Selina from the Batfamily and make up a narrative about Selina hating/ not wanting children. It's such a blatant and transparent attempt to prop up legitimise their own preferred ship. It's particularly egregious because it's always phrased in such a disingenuous way, acting like they're doing Selina's character a favour by erasing one of her major personality traits which has preserved in comics for 80 years.

Idk.. I just find it so gross how people fake concern about Selina by trying to tear her away from the batfamily and children, ignoring and disregarding Selina's actual character and personality under the guise of "feminism".

[mxtxfanatic]

Hm, I know I said at least in my first reading of mdzs that I felt like Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng were actually friends as kids, I would like to remind folks that the catastrophic breakdown of their friendship was not because of some misplaced care but because Jiang Cheng is a stagnant character whose whole role in the story is to be the one who never learns, changes, and grows past his insecurities and resentments. They were always going to fall out with each other, even if the Sunshot Campaign never happened, even if the Wen Clan didn’t exist as a subjugating force terrorizing the other clans, because no matter how much Jiang Cheng cares about anyone, he will always place his personal resentments first.

I’m so serious: reread the pre-fall of Lotus Pier parts of the novel (flashback extras included), and tell me how many times Jiang Cheng says something genuinely nice about or to the benefit of Wei Wuxian without prompting. Point to me places where Jiang Cheng puts himself on the line for Wei Wuxian that is not him distracting the Wen. Compare the number of unambiguously positive interactions they have to the number of interactions they have in total, and I bet you’ll see that the positives are laughingly scant. Most every interaction they have together, Jiang Cheng is being a negative nancy. He’s the type of friend who, if you said “Today is a good day!” would snidely respond back, “What’s so good about?” before loudly complaining about what a nuisance your happiness is. Jiang Cheng is the type of friend that tells you that everyone else hates you because you’re so annoying, and you need to do something about that because he also finds you annoying so you should be lucky he “puts up with” you. And all of this negativity can be directly traced back to the resentment Jiang Cheng feels caused by his own mother projecting her insecurities onto him. Jiang Cheng, who cannot grow, learn, or change, is unable to extract his own self from his mother’s insecurities, ending up inheriting them as his own, instead.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like teen!Jiang Cheng is some irredeemable monster (that is reserved for his adult self), but Wei Wuxian already shows signs of being tired of his attitude as kids. He snaps at Jiang Cheng rudeness in the lotus pod seeds extra. He constantly admonishes Jiang Cheng about his blatant disregard for the lives and safety of other people. Most of the time, Wei Wuxian won’t even engage in the petty little remarks that Jiang Cheng makes, just treating it like nobody had spoken at all. The only times Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian move as a unit is when they have a common enemy—like Jin Zixuan—but without that, they are only held together by the fact that…they’ve been friends for a long time.

And this kinda leads me back to the point about the yunmeng friendship not being able to withstand the test of time even without an outside conflict: I would place the point of no return for their relationship at Wei Wuxian killing the xuanwu of slaughter, not at the fall of Lotus Pier. Wei Wuxian is one of two individuals that killed a mythological bloodthirsty creature responsible for hundreds of deaths, spent a week in a coma from his injuries and lack of immediate care, and what does he get for it? Jiang Cheng shows up with soup gifted to Wei Wuxian by Jiang Yanli, except he’s eaten all the meat out of it. Jiang Fengmian gives the most lukewarm praise to Wei Wuxian for his achievements—which Wei Wuxian neither complained about nor called him out for—because they were both trying to be mindful of Jing Cheng’s insecurities, and Jiang Cheng still made it about himself. When Madam Yu storms in to yell about how Wei Wuxian is a “bastard child” and he’s just trying to show off, Jiang Cheng consciously and unambiguously sides with his mother. Wei Wuxian had to drag his feverish body out of bed—after just awakening from a week-long coma—to placate pity-party Jiang Cheng, and the only thing that makes him feel better is not promises of continued friendship but of servitude. Even if at this point Wei Wuxian was still viewing Jiang Cheng as a—admittedly caustic—friend, Jiang Cheng’s view had fully transitioned from “annoying friend my mother hates” to “the servant I need to keep in line lest he overshadows me.” If anything, the fall of Lotus Pier, the debt placed on Wei Wuxian by the Jiang leaders, and the subsequent war probably allowed their friendship to last longer than it naturally would have (remember, they are only united against outside forces).

All this to say that while Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian may have started out as genuine friends in their childhood, their transition to enemies has absolutely nothing to do with that care. Sometimes we fall out with people because we just do not like them as people. Jiang Cheng’s resentment prevented him from appreciating Wei Wuxian as a person, leading to the end of their friendship and their descent into eventual enemies. Not misplaced or warped care, just pure, undeniable resentment.

[electroniccollectiondonut]

season two of rings of power just came out and i'm watching it with my grama because she thinks it's delightful to activate my Sleeper Tolkien Nerd Rant Mode and i'm happy to oblige and yknow i think a lot of my problem with this show (aside from the total disregard for plot and lore and the fact that it's a blatant cashgrab) comes from its lack of aesthetic sincerity. like, if you're gonna make a show set in middle earth you gotta commit! and it doesn't. the elves are just people in shimmery robes. the southlanders are just people with dirt on them. the numenoreans are just people in armor. the hobbits are just people with plants in their hair. i don't hate the portrayal of the dwarves actually but it still has nothing on the Erebor In Its Prime scenes from the movies.

like, i was neutral about the casting in the movies. there was nothing wrong with them but none of them really hit like "they're the Visually Perfect Actor for that character!" (although some of them are pretty damn close.) the reason the casting in the movies is so good is because they cast people with acting chops and a fairly close appearance and then actually made them look the part. they made the elves ethereal yet diminishing and the rohirrim weathered but still standing and the gondorians grand but in decline and the hobbits quaint and the dwarves enduring. and the wizards werent Always otherworldly but when they needed to pull out the otherworldly ainu vibes they DID. but they just have not put in that same effort in rings of power. everyone is is a guy in a costume and you dont really get to forget that.

and the SETTINGS in the movies. O. M. G. bigger nerds than me have written many many words on this topic. the settings in rings of power are gorgeous in wide landscape shots but then you get into focus on the characters and its just okay. and the second age is middle earth in it's prime, so if your scenery is just okay you've fumbled the bag HARD.

[bohemian-nights]

Nettles and Daeron is not cut or being replaced with others. They're coming in S3 but they're making Nettles the only Dragonseed not chosen by Rhaenyra which make sense since she's supposed to hate her. I believe Daemon will bring her in the team and she won't trust her immediately.

Even Daeron might be there in s2. Ryan has confirmed he will be there(at some point), however, he won’t say anything on Nettles.

I agree that she’s not cut, but I’m livid that this show thinks it’s acceptable to literally include and highlight everyone except the most important dragonseed. I’m incensed that they don’t think she’s worthy of address.

I don’t care what they do at this point. I don’t like her being treated like a fucking afterthought.

And I’m truly sorry for cursing and I’m not trying to be a hater of other characters cause they have qualities that people like. I’m just mad at this dumbass show and these biased showrunners.

This show needs to give up the giving women a voice crap cause that’s a a God damned lie when you treat the most vulnerable woman during the Dance like trash. Don’t claim that you’re trying to champion diversity and then limit the only canonically Black character because she makes the racist you’re trying to prop up look bad(and yes I have to go there because that’s really what this is about)

You’re not for women if you cut out the most oppressed woman during the Dance and give her role to men and those who have privilege. You’re not telling women’s stories if you won’t show the range of womanhood.

Like this fandom is bad enough with their insistence that she can be replaced, that she doesn’t matter, and that her relationship with Daemon is creepy, or gross, or nonexistent…it’s exhausting. I just can’t get excited for a show that pulls this bullcrap.

She should be there this season, but she’s not. The blatant disregard is too much.

[zuko-always-lies]

Hey, as a long viewer of your anti iroh posts, which, as a person who just recently watched ATLA, I have a very controversial theory/headcanon based on my knowledge of general psychology (not a psychologist so disregard if incorrect) and perspective of Iroh's character and by the attitude of his fans that can possibly get me hate messages and even death threats. So I came to the conclusion that Iroh expresses an uncomfortable character of NPD or particularly a certain "sub" that you will, being Benevolent/Vulnerable Narcissim.

Iroh loves to present himself as "wise, kind and fatherly," but his actions showcase the total opposite, and his supposed identity appears far more shallow and self-centred. He never properly mentors or shows to really know Zuko. Instead, he simply uses Zuko to serve as his act of penance, which is why he never meaningfully teaches Zuko to become a better person or to realise that his father is at fault and that his sister is not his real enemy. But no, instead, he lays off to do the bare minimum. He shows less to no remorse for Zuko's predicament that was caused by him for not standing up to his brother when he was banished. Nor does Iroh show any for Zuko's victims. Instead, Iroh operates under the mindset that supporting Zuko and making him Firelord will accomplish his penance. His lack of care for Azula is precisely because she is an obstacle not just for Zuko but for his "penance" as well.

It's also interesting the lack of self-awareness that Iroh has. He calls Azula crazy for doing what he did for decades. The only difference is that Azula genuinely cares for her nation while Iroh doesn't really care except his glory. He sent his son to the front lines to fight his own battles for him, which isn't that different from Ozai's treatment of Azula and Zuko. Oh, and at the finale, what does he do? Send Zuko and Katara into danger while abandoning them to satisfy his selfish desire. Of course, as you mentioned, he also doesn't live up to his own "wisdom" instead using that wisdom to appear smart and confuse others. Because in all honesty, Zuko NEVER applies any of Iroh's suppose wisdom because Iroh doesn't ever think to teach BLUNTLY to Zuko, like any basic teacher can look at Iroh and already have their hands in their face, but of course the further issue is that instead of applying basic healthy logic, Iroh instead utilises the toxic sibling rivalry to manipulate Zuko into becoming his "perfect" son. Zuko becomes a better person despite Iroh not because of him, Zuko's "metamorphosis" (aka breakdown) is the best example of how unhealthy Iroh's parenting is.

Iroh is also shameless when it comes to his mistakes. He never feels guilt or apologises to June for his blatant sexual harassment. He has no shame for being friends with the Rough Rhinos or assisting Zhao in the further conquest and bloodshed of the Northen Water Tribe. He never thinks or comes clean with his crimes against the Earth Kingdom, instead choosing to profit off the very same people he victimised. He never apologises to Zuko for being a shitty mentor/Uncle.

Iroh reminds me of ALOT of narcissistic so called "benevolent" or "vulnerable" people who will appear kind and even express self hatred but only for further validation and without taking risks or responsibility whatsoever for their mistakes, instead blaming others or doing "good" little things to create a narrative that they are "saints" and that people who disagree or despise them are "crazy or evil".

This might be far-fetched, but when you consider that to this day, the majority of ATLA fans have been juiced in this narrative that Iroh = 50 year old warmonger is a Saint who should be worshipped and that Zuko should be "thankful and grateful" of said Iroh, and that Azula = 14 year old abused child soldier who did the least messed up things and is the youngest member is demonised for being "crazy" and even Aang gets treated inferior to Iroh, well it already feels right at home with typical narcissistic narratives

I've had similar thoughts myself, but I really don't like applying medical diagnoses to fictional characters living in a very different society, so I never quite articulated them. Certainly Iroh seems to be an extraordinarily self-centered person who puts major effort into pretending not be so self-centered.

[sokkastyles]

Hey babes i just want to rant 🥹. I think i genuinely enjoy canon! azula for the way she was written. I think she was a child who didn't get to have the help they deserve. I think, with her childhood, her actions genuinely make sense. Of course she'd be cruel, manipulative, and abusive. She survived because she adapted. She and zuko are polar opposites and that's the point!

I just. I never expected the fandom to completely ruin her for me 🥹. I've never seen so many people justify her actions? I love zuko, but I don't justify the way he hunted gaang, even if he had reason to do so. Because those reasons simply aren't justifications. Zuko, hunted them. That was what he did until he went through hell to learn. To change. To do better. What he did never became right, and that's why the painful realization made him grow.

I'm just. Shocked??? When none of this is ever, like, applied to azula? I recognize that azula had a completely different life that closed her off to the necessary experiences that should have shook her the way zuko's travels did. I mean it took zuko's exile to set him on his journey. But whoa it's crazy that despite knowing this, so many people in the fandom rush to excuse and justify her actions? Or completely misconstrue the writing just to make her actions... Less horrible? But they ARE horrible! That's the point! She didn't have that growth! She didn't learn what zuko did! She's completely devoid of remorse!

She's crudely pieced together by fear of her father, an equal amount of adoration for him, and a drive for perfection in an incredibly hostile environment that would strike her down for less. This has made her spiteful! Hateful! She was abusive towards zuko because she saw his demise as a means for her success and survival.

We understand the reasons, BUT WHY DO WE TREAT IT AS JUSTIFICATION. It's incredibly triggering the way people reject all claims of her canonical abuse. I hate the way they make out her scathing remarks as a quirky character trait. As if abuse is so easily interchanged with sass. Or as if her actions were simply tiny mistakes people should just overlook.

I hate that she's used to make zuko look stupid and weak. Less intelligent, less capable, for not thriving in hostility. As if her presence is an antithesis to zuko's potential and brilliance (if azula talented, zuko no great at anything 🐒🍌).

I hate that they've made a compellingly flawed character, immune to any criticism for the horrible actions they REALLY, TRULY did. So annoyed that most azula redemption arcs are a variety of versions of the blatant disregard for zuko's horrible treatment and the damage of azula's actions. Redeeming azula seems like excusing what she did or just making her "cute". When her childhood should've been reason enough to afford her the growth and learning she really deserves, not the justification of her actions.

Azula did deserve better, but i feel like the people who would most resonate with this statement would disagree with me own why i think so.

It doesn't affect my love for the character, because I don't care about other people's opinions, but yeah, people miss the point especially when they try to argue that we "shouldn't pit them against each other." Like, do you also go into the atla tag and complain about the lack of support for the Fire Nation winning the war? Do you go to football games and yell at the fans for pitting the teams against each other? What nonsense. Especially since Azula should be called out for her actions.

And yeah, I agree, even the people who recognize that Azula needs redemption don't seem to understand what she needs to be redeemed for, and even the people who speak up against her being woobified try to make it seem like it's a problem that relates equally to Zuko, when it absolutely does not.

[therese-lokidottir]

What if...? Rant

What If…? has almost been an amalgamation of my feelings on the MCU because some of it has been generally good, some of it has been interesting ideas I wish had more time and focus. Some of it has been the worst trash imaginable.

The basic premise of character doing another character's thing is fine. However, episodes like the Hela episode demonstrate the heights this concept can reach. This show can utilize opportunities that the main MCU has lost in exploring certain characters or taking a different look at characters. But then there are other times in which it shows how Marvel will just shoot itself in the foot for no reason.

I understand given the format rushing through things is going to happen. But What If…? does have the modern MCU tendency to ignore if not just outright forget continuity to make its premise happen. They just wanted Ultron to get the infinity stones logic to be damned, they just want to put the scepter in Loki's hands because it's iconic even though there's no reason for him to have it here. It's hard not to get annoyed by that, especially when it's meant to be a deviation from what happened not something new entirely.

The blatant and annoying favoritism MCU does. The premise of the show is meant to be an anthology, but 3 out of 9 episodes are devoted to Peggy Carter. For me, it ruined the character, because she went from a character with flaws to someone's shallow wish fulfillment. That tweet about Captain Carter kicking off feminism pushed it over the edge for me. One white woman in the military means single women got the right to credit cards, no-fault divorce, and reproductive rights. Because Peggy Carter punched people, that's all it ignoring the other women in the ally's militaries making efforts, it was all Captain Carter? Even though she's never shown advocating for anyone but herself, feminism just happened because of her, for her.

The Strange Supreme is the quintessential example of Marvel having a character go crazy and or turn evil for no reason. Like, why? They had a great self-contained tragic story and the follow-up of redemption. That is not just an MCU thing, that is a very Marvel thing to do that to a character.

Also having Thanos be sympathetic is never going to win any favors with me.

I won't lie I don't like how What If…? portrays, it comes across like it hates the character. Having him take over the world when he had no motive to do so, having Natasha be able to kick him even though he meant to be super strong and tough, and 1602 comes across as weirdly homophobic. Like, if you've looked into the history of queer coding villains, that's what it comes across as, making fun of Loki for these foppish aspects when originally his queer traits were something fans liked about. It all just feels like marvel further burning the bridge.

Like with modern MCU it's hard not to be pessimistic with What If…? especially with its favoritism of some characters and disregard for others.

[worflesbian]

RIGHT i've watched the first six episodes of enterprise (five if the two-part pilot only counts as one) and i have things to say. take all of them with a pinch of salt bc ive only just started it but i have a sneaking sense that it will continue in much the same fashion.

first of all the backswing from ds9 + voyager's first black captain and first female captain is TANGIBLE. to quote eleanour "girlboss" guthrie-blacksails so many goddamn (white) men here!!! too many goddamn (white) men here!!! not only are they white men, archer and trip specifically are Cowboys in the most "we clearly want to write a classic western" sense. if i closed my eyes and listened to a scene with just the two of them i wouldn't be able to distinguish it from firefly, a show where they purposefully put on cowboy voices because apparently space westerns were all the rage in 2001-2002.

t'pol is really the only woman i would call a main rather than supporting character and her role thus far seems to be emulating the nagging sitcom wife, in that she naysays everything, gets utterly disregarded, is proven right by the end of the episode, and then is immediately disregarded again next episode. i find the idea of vulcans intentionally curtailing human progress into space and humans rebelling against that really interesting, but i hate the way the casting and direction turns space travel into this gung-ho boys will be boys situation because even though t'pol is right, she's being Framed as a killjoy in such a gendered way.

back to the western thing - i watched a Lot of 50s' and 60s' westerns as a child and out of the five episodes of enterprise i've seen so far, three have used tropes or stock situations directly from westerns with the worst offender being s1e6 terra nova. i was fucking gobsmacked by that episode like it was BLATANT. the fact that most of their outdoor scenes are probably filmed in california which is where a lot of westerns are filmed by pure hollywood convenience probably doesn't help, but it's really evident in the writing as well. i remember reading that the original series wanted to take the western frontier into space and make a "wagon train to the stars" and it feels like enterprise decided to go all the way back to that concept and do it far, far less subtly.

of course the problem with this is that rather than engage with the politics of that genre and how they've influenced the formation of star trek (is the federation an imperialist entity? is starfleet a colonialist military? etc) it feels so far that enterprise is just having a great time playing uncritical cowboys and aliens, completely erasing indigenous people from the narrative of westward expansion or replacing them with the non-human which. fucking sucks!!

the fact that t'pol is constantly getting racially harassed and abused as the only vulcan aboard, the fact that hoshi is inexperienced with combat and space travel so its always the men doing the action scenes, the fact that travis is the youngest and least ranking officer on the bridge and the fact that enterprise was "rick berman's baby" are all adding up to a conscious agenda of putting white men at the forefront of trek again.

if i'm wrong about any of this i would love to hear from people who've watched further than me! i dont mind about spoilers i've already had loads

[sickknotdoom]

sparklecare fans on twitter whining about the post nut clarity joke uni made is so funny because they refuse to talk about the many other blatant issues such as

barruni being a poorly written ship; barry is practically verbally abusive towards uni, uni lovebombs him regardless, and the reader is basically forced to enjoy the ship

the nurses that murder and torture patients being infantilized and treated like theyre innocent just because theyre queer, implied to be neurodivergent, or because cuddles is portrayed as the only "real" villain in the entire story; apparently the whole reason the comic even got rebooted was because they thought making the staff evil was "bad representation", but in all honesty queer people can be just as shitty as cishets, like have you seen dahmer?

pollys disability (which was poorly written to begin with, being constantly cold is nowhere near being unable to fucking walk) being erased in the au's

literally everyone having the same skinny body type except for the ones that are meant to be hated (cuddles, that one social worker from v3) with very few exceptions (side characters that are irrelevant 99% of the time)

an alarming disregard towards gay male rep; barruni and carlsly being initially advertised as mlm ships only for the clowns to abruptly make uni and sly closeted transhets (which by the way, heavily leans into the homophobic and transphobic stereotype that "gay guys are all just secretly trans"/vice versa), and the very few actually mlm characters (mel cyn and orange) being almost nonexistant until the writers run out of ideas and decide to slap them into the page like subway surfers gameplay

aroace erasure; uni, despite being aegosexual, is constantly shoved into sexual scenarios as a "joke", and hemera, the only aromantic character in the entire comic so far, is paired with at least four other characters in the cometcare au

but i guess we just dont question anything since the comic was originally based on kittycorns medical trauma, and criticizing it would be "disrespectful" to what kit went through, which seems fair. but if thats the case, why are we defending all of the hospital staff? wouldnt they be based on the real life medical abusers that hurt kit? that sounds hypocritical in my honest opinion.

do not harass the creators of the comic, obviously. sparklecare hospital actually means a lot to me as it helped me during a rough spot which im still in at the moment. and thats why i feel the need to bring these issues to light, im seeing a lot of wasted energy and poor creative decisions that are tainting what i believe has potential to be one of the best webcomics ever.

[enemyoflactose]

To start this off, I want to mention the extremely weird obsession you have with watering Ryou down to this dumb Femboy for having feminine characteristics. God forbid a boy- yes, a BOY, a 16 year old, anorexic and confused guy to not be the manliest guy alive. Also all the overly sexual things directed to him or in relation to him? They are just downright revolting and can be in no way justified. You wonder why people can’t recognize your Ryou art when you dumb him down to a fucking femboy. Ryou bakura is based off many other characters and is supposed to be ANDROGYNOUS. (hence his Female VA and overall appearance.) he is NOT a girl. Also, stop making him to look really fucking dumbed down. If you even read the manga, ryou is actually really fucking smart. He isn’t a bimbo, he isn’t some kind of fucking stupid silly uwu boy. HES A TEENAGER GOD FORBID HE EVEN EXISTS

The next thing I wanted to allude on, Marik's mischaracterization, oversexualization (again) and woobification? How are you gonna dismiss one of the best written Characters in the entire show just for a few petty arguments, rude and impolite at that too. You’re also a giant hypocrite. Being as Yami Bakura (your favorite character) is a bad person AND I WOULD EVEN SAY, HES AN AWFUL PERSON. more so compared to Marik. His redemption arc i can get as to why you’re so pissy about it but you need to realize that this is also a kids show with limited writing due to 4KIDS, manga is more well constructed. Honestly i just have a giant problem with your Marik. I’m not even gonna talk about the thiefshipping, angstshipping, and opinions abt YM..why is Marik in your head like a fuckass. Like, your perception of him is so weird. Marik is equally as bad as every villain in Yugioh, you constantly make him out to be a hypersexual sex craved MANIAC. Also not to mention the blatant racism on your blog (it’s self explanatory.) I don’t understand all the hate, from his arc to the character design…pick a side, do you hate him or do you only like him because he pounds ryou in your head :T

Also the pure, unadulterated watering down of SA in your "crimes of marik/yami marik" post? I can't put into words how extremely shameful it is, to disregard such an important and scary topic and to make a joke of it honestly. IT WAS NOT SA? the scene was ryou bakura about to FALL OVER because he is INJURED. Marik isn’t trying to do anything to him. Thanks for dumbing down real life situations you’re an awesome person

Where did you get that Ryou was anorexic? Being thin and not really eating a lot doesn't make you anorexic. I would know, I was almost diagnosed with it.

I head cannon Ryou as a femboy not because I'm sexualizing him, but because I want to draw a character that I like and relate to in outfits that I just want to see him in.

Do I end up drawing Ryou in sexual outfits? Yes. I'm sorry this upsets you, but I find certain typically sexual outfits such as maid outfits and MEIKO's Blue Crystal model to be very pretty and cute. Not to mention they're just fun to draw.

I have plans to draw Ryou in other dresses and skirts that aren't sexual, I wouldn't have this head cannon if I didn't.

I'm well aware that looking androgynous doesn't automatically make someone a femboy or tomboy. I may be dumb, but I'm not an idiot.

The kind of stupid that I think Ryou is, is the kind that makes you unable to see certain social cues or just be ignorant about a lot of things. I give him the same stupid that I have because I'm projected on to a character that I like and relate to.

I'm also still new to writing, so the way I characterize Ryou hasn't been shown to its fullest. I write him and acknowledge him how he's already written, but I add things to make myself happy. That's how fanfiction works.

I never said that Ryou was a bimbo, I said that he's stupid because he makes objectively dumb choices like keeping the millennium ring and not telling his friends about it. Also, yes I do know that he's being abused. From an outsiders perspective however, his choices just come across as looking stupid.

I am making light hearted jokes about a fictional character and projecting myself on to that same fictional character, and you have a problem with that?

And to talk about your insults to my art, I know that the reason I'm scared people won't recognize Ryou is because I draw him to like this:

Instead of this:

I'm well aware of that because despite my low intelligence, I can understand that he doesn't really look like Ryou.

Also, why are you so intent on telling me that Ryou is a boy? I know he's a boy. I constantly say that he's a boy and acknowledge that he's a boy. You need to identify as a boy to be a femboy 💀.

For your Marik takes, I have no clue what woobafication is. I also don't hate Marik because he's a bad person, I "hate" him (it's fucking theatrical you dumbass) because he has a poor redemption that needed to be explored more. Marik is a character that I genuinely like and I think he's fun and hilarious, I just have problems with how he was redeemed since in my eyes, he did nothing to deserve it.

Yami Bakura is also not my favorite character. Weevil and Joey are. I just talk about Yami Bakura way more because there's more for me to say. I like Ryou more than him as well because Ryou is my projection character.

I'm well aware that Yami Bakura is a worse person than Marik, he did almost kill all of Egypt is I'm remembering things right, but that doesn't mean that Marik isn't also a bad person.

Just because someone is worse than another, doesn't mean that that person's sins are cleaned completely.

Of course you don't wanna talk about the angstshipping thiefshipping discourse you little pussy.

Marik is objectively worse than Pegasus, Noah, Gozuburo, and the Douma trio. He kidnaps, brainwashes, steals, kills, abuses his brother, and all the while he still blames Yami Yugi for how he is.

Marik being hypersexual is just a fandom trop. That's why I think he is, because a pretty big number of people also think that way.

Where is the racism? I'm genuinely concerned about this one it is not self explanatory.

I do actually like Marik as a character, it's not because he pounds Ryou in my head, it's because he's entertaining. He's fun, I like fun villains. (His purple shirt is ugly as hell tho)

Now to talk about my biggest issue with you. You think I can afford to just read the manga and watch the sub, don't you?

Well guess what chuckle nuts, I'M FUCKING POOR

I don't have the money to buy more of the Yu-Gi-Oh manga or to pay for a Crunchyroll subscription.

I'm broke, no money, poor, jobless.

You're making the assumption that I can fucking afford to buy the manga. I have to ask my family to buy it for me as gifts for birthdays and shit. I literally have no money.

So let me put everything you need to know in a little list so you, and anyone else, can understand things about me.

I project onto Ryou

I think pretty boys in pretty dresses is cool

I actually really like Marik

My favorite character is Weevil

I happen to like angstshipping

I happen to not like thiefshipping

I think certain sexualized outfits are pretty or look fun to draw

I have media literacy

Fuckass is not a word in my vocabulary and I don't know what that means

Please block me 💕

[frankingsteinery]

(for the ask game from a few days ago) could you do Victor for 2, 12, 15 and 24

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

i had to sit and think because this one was so hard to narrow down. on a surface level i find all sorts of things about him endearing from his mannerisms to his speech patterns, but i think the thing that got me hooked on victor as a character was how emotionally demonstrative he is, particularly for a male protagonist. this also extends generally to his love for nature, for his friends, and his siblings (disregarding the incestuous implications of his relationship with elizabeth...)

i think this was only intensified for me when i started delving into frankenstein academic essays and analysis and then, by extension, the frankenstein fandom, and found that en masse it was people criticizing victor for just what interested me to him in the first place: being emotional, and therefore somehow melodramatic, overreacting, self-centered, egotistical, etc. it was this kind of climate of victor-hate that pushed me to make a tumblr account in the first place. someone had to be the sole victor defender in this barren wasteland

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

this is silly and probably not the serious answer you were looking for but like 2 years ago a dear friend of mine and i were joking about how you could catch victor frankenstein in a mouse trap and ever since then his assigned fursona in my head has been a mouse:

15. What's your favorite ship for this character?

by far its waltonstein (robert x victor). im aware clervalstein is vastly more popular, and while im charmed by it in-canon i dont find most depictions of it to my taste. i don't see their relationship as wholly reciprocated–one-sided on walton's end–which is part of the reason why i like their dynamic so much: its established that walton romanticizes the unobtainable, chases the unknown, and that's why he hangs all his hopes on things he cannot feasibly reach. first becoming a famous poet and going down with the greats, then sailing to find the northern passage despite being an inexperienced captain, all the while hoping for this impossibly idealistic image of a companion who would be perfectly tailored to his interests and manners, and then, against all reason, he finds this in victor, wherein victor becomes an extension of this habit, who is dying and too hung up in the past and on martyring himself, because everyone who has grown close to him has been hurt for it, so he cannot love again, or at least in the way walton wants. yet victor still has a reciprocated interest and finds a friend in him, even shares the same sentiment of the importance of friendship, but like he says no man can "be to him as clerval was." its very much wrong place/time but the right person.

ive said this before but i think, too, that if victor had recovered and lived than walton may fall a little less in love with victor. their relationship was founded on their dynamic of sick/caretaker, and beyond that, victor would have already exhausted his story, so there's no air of mystery around him anymore–nothing for walton to glorify or romanticize. ultimately i think even if they had the best of intentions and loved each other, they could not have a healthy or fully mutual relationship, and part of the appeal to me is this tragedy!

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

im drawing a bit of a blank on this one because no other character encompasses just what victor Is to me, but theres a whole host of victor-esque characters i could name because he is the literal foundation for the mad scientist archetype. if i was pressed i think id say geoffrey tempest from sorrows of satan by marie corelli (beyond his blatant misogny), and i remember some parts of emil sinclairs early narration in demian by herman hesse reminded me of victor. lucifer/satan from paradise lost also, particuarly the bit where he says he cannot enjoy the beauty of earth for the suffering of his fall, but that almost feels like a cop-out answer.

lastly–and this one is completely unfounded–itd have to be double dee from EEnE.