#and i understand why from a popularity standpoint

[legayllyblonde]

so that new official valentine's art, huh...

[grison-in-space]

I'm genuinely sorry, I was really tired and couldn't think of the word that mad pride movements use. I'm new to all of this. I thought you would be more open to it because you've reblogged from radical leftists (anarchists and communists both) within the past couple of weeks and they're all for Veganism afaik. The argument that all brains are different but equal and should be treated the exact same is a primary aspect of mad pride from my understanding, and that speaks to me about animals just having different brains, and that they don't deserve to be exploited and killed for us just because they're different. I'm not spamming people with it, but I was inspired by an ask by a nonvegan and started asking popular bloggers why they weren't vegan to open up conversation and potentially change people's views on animals. If I've made you uncomfortable I'm sorry, though I admit I'm really confused by your standpoint. You do know that the only reason communism hasn't succeeded is because of America? Anyway, sorry again, I'm also autistic and I didn't mean to dismiss your legitimate dietary needs. Can I recommend acti-vegan's posts? While I understand that you can't go vegan, perhaps their blog will at least help you understand our points, they're much more well-written than my asks and they have plenty of legitimate science resources at hand. Thanks for listening, I'll take your advice into account. I'm not trying to not listen, it's just frustrating because so many people say they get it but they don't change, and if they truly got it they would, you know?

Okay, I get that you didn't mean to be offensive, and fuck knows I shouldn't throw stones when it comes to forgetting specific words. (This happens to me fairly frequently; it's a thing.)

The argument that all brains are different but equal and should be treated the exact same is a primary aspect of mad pride from my understanding, and that speaks to me about animals just having different brains, and that they don't deserve to be exploited and killed for us just because they're different.

So yesterday I actually wrote out and then deleted a whole paragraph to the effect of "part of my deep, deep frustration with animal rights activism hooks into my commitment to the phrase 'nothing about us without us,' because I frequently see the same kinds of emotional projection without making the effort to listen to animals on their own terms from animal rights activism groups."

The first thing I need to make clear to you is that this--veganism and animal rights activism (ARA) more generally--is not new to me. I am in my mid-thirties and I have never had a job of any kind that did not revolve around animals in some way, I've spent time in rescue spaces and vets and universities, I'm queer and I have spent most of my life in leftish progressive circles, so it's kind of hard to miss.

Essentially, you are proselytizing to me as if you were a newly baptized evangelical convinced I had never heard of Jesus, because if only I had heard and understood his holy word, I would be converted instantly to his light! It's not any less irritating when the belief system isn't explicitly a religion.

More under the cut, because this one is long.

Disclaimer one: Veganism isn't synonymous with ARA ideology, but it's deeply entangled with it, and ARA ideology drives the movement of veganism as a (theoretically non-religious) ethical decision. And I object very strongly to the framework imposed by ARA activists. When I say I am not vegan, I am saying that I have considered the ethical framework that underpins veganism as an ethics movement and I have deliberately rejected it.

The second piece of context you should know that when I talk about being a behavioral ecologist, I mean that I'm a researcher who works on animals and that my framework is rooted in trying to understand animals in their own natural ecological context, without necessarily comparing them to humans. There's a lot of ways to study animal behavior you might run into, including attempts to understand universal principles of behavior that transcend species (animal cognition) and attempts to understand how to better treat animals in human care (animal welfare). You know Temple Grandin? Temple Grandin is an ethologist (the field that gave rise to behavioral ecology, also focused on animals within their species context) who worked on animal welfare (finding ways to make slaughterhouses less stressful to livestock, among other things).

Third point: my profession also means is that I work directly with animals--in my case, currently mice--and that I do not think research with animal subjects is wrong as long as all efforts are made to ensure maximal welfare and enrichment for the animals involved. This is another major bone of contention politically between my entire field and ARA groups, and you should know that I have also spent my entire professional career under the shadow of, well, people who care strongly enough about those ideas to invade my workspace and potentially seize my animals and "free" them into a world they do not have the tools to survive in.

So there's where I am coming from. Let's get back to what you're saying. Here, I'll quote again in case you have the same crappy short-term memory I do.

The argument that all brains are different but equal and should be treated the exact same is a primary aspect of mad pride from my understanding, and that speaks to me about animals just having different brains, and that they don't deserve to be exploited and killed for us just because they're different.

Point the first: Even within humans, I don't think that all brains should be treated the exact same. Especially in a disability context! After all, what is an accommodation if not an agreement to treat someone differently because they need certain things to access a space? Accommodations by definition fly in the face of this "treating everyone the same" understanding of fairness. I think all (human) brains are equally valuable, and I think all brains are worthy of respect, but I do not think that it's wise or kind of me to assert that everyone should be treated in the same way. For one thing, I teach students. If there's one thing teaching has taught me, it's that a good teacher is constantly assessing and adjusting their instruction to meet students where they're at, identify failures of understanding, and keep the attention of the classroom.

Point the second: animals do have different brains from humans. That does not mean that animals are inferior, but it does mean that they are alien. There's a philosophy paper, Nagel, What Does It Mean to Be a Bat, that you might find illuminating on this front. Essentially, the point of the paper is that animals have their own experiences and sensory umwelts that differ profoundly enough from humans' that we cannot know what it is like to be a different species without experiencing life as one, and therefore we must be terribly careful not to project our own realities onto theirs. That is, our imagination cannot tell us what a bat values and what it experiences. That is why we have to use careful evidence to understand what an animal is thinking, without relying on our ability to identify with and comprehend that animal. I have watched ARA groups deliberately encourage people to shut their reasoning brains off and emotionally identify themselves with animals without considering within-species context for twenty years. This is a mainstream tactic. It is not an isolated event and for that reason alone I would be opposed to them.

Point the third: there is a definite tendency in lots of people to care deeply and intensely about both animals and people who are seen as "lesser" in status--children, poor people, disabled people, etc--just as long as those groups never contradict the good feelings that come from the helper's own assessment of themselves and their actions. In humans, when the "needy" point out that some forms of help are actually harmful, the backlash is often swift and vicious. This is why animals are such an appealing target of support and intervention. They can't speak back and say "in fact, you are projecting my love of this frilly pink tutu onto me, and I think it's uncomfortable and prevents me from walking." They can't say "I kind of like it better when I don't have to worry about getting hit by a car, actually?"

(By the way: this is also why it's offensive to compare disabled people to animals, because this is generally done at least in part to silence the voices of disabled people speaking for our selves and our communities. We have access to language, and we use it, thank you.)

All forms of animal welfare intervention going right back to the founding of the first RSPCA have been incredibly prone to being hijacked by classist, racist, and otherwise bigoted impulses. This is because animals offer an innocent face for defense that conveniently cannot criticize the actions taken by their champions, and they therefore provide a great excuse for actions taken against marginalized members of human society. Think about the very first campaign the RSPCA ever did, which was banning using dogs as draft animals: a use that is not inherently harmful to dogs, which many dogs actively enjoy, but also one that was specifically used by poor Londoners and which in fact immediately resulted in a great butchery of the dogs that Londoners could no longer afford to feed rather than allowing poor people and their dogs to continue working together. No one was, of course, challenging the particular uses of dogs or any other animal favored by the wealthy. This kind of thing is so, so, so common. Obviously it doesn't mean that all interventions to prioritize animal welfare are inherently bigoted, but it does mean that we have to be critical about our choice of challenges.

On top of everything, the animal rights activist movement's obsession with "exploitation" is a function of the idea that humans are sinful or otherwise Bad in how we interact with animals by definition. For example, take the chicken rescue near me that is so obsessed with the possibility that some human somewhere might benefit from an animal in their care that they implant every hen they adopt out with hormonal implants such that the hens no longer lay eggs--a function that is normally a natural byproduct of a chicken's reproductive system, fertilized or not. A mutualistic relationship involves both parties benefiting, and that is the case for an awful lot of human relationships with animals. In general, the idea that associating with animals is a thing that can only harm animals rather than being a trade between two species to enrich one another is all over these groups. It's just so myopically focused on human shame that it prevents practical interventions that might benefit everyone, and often promotes interventions that don't directly benefit animals but sure do make humans miserable. For example, this kind of thinking is why groups like PETA are absolutely awful at effectively rescuing unwanted dogs and cats: they think pets living in "bondage" with humans are an essentially sad outcome, rather than one that might be mutually enjoyed by all parties.

I'm tired and my meds haven't kicked in, so I'm not currently going to handle the communism thing except to point out that while the US absolutely did destabilize a number of leftist regimes in South America and Africa, Russia and China between them have certainly not treated their own people kindly, either (and more so their own client-nations, as with the former members of the USSR). Please do some reading about the Holodomor and Lysenko in Russia (and frankly all of the details of Stalin's regime) and the Cultural Revolution in China in particular. Khmer Rouge might be worth looking into, too. I am not saying the US's hands are clean, you understand, because they are not; they're as steeped in red as anyone else's. What I am saying is that for people living on the ground, communist revolutions have this nasty habit of turning into bloodbaths and arbitrary slaughters. Do not let your distaste for the US's bloodsoaked imperialism (which, yes, is and was bad) let you fall into the trap of becoming a tankie.

And if you don't know what a tankie is, you really, really should take some time to learn.

[kiame-sama]

You discussed humanfuckers in the monster au recently and listed several characters who would be among the humanfucker ranks but I was surprised not to see Rook and Rollo on that list. I would have thought they'd be on that list as I can totally see them reading human erotica and 'appreciating' pornographic art of humans , maybe not on Trottr but perhaps published romance/erotica novels and classical style art pieces, perhaps even antique ones from when humans were still around. Also if Malleus is an honorary humanfucker for his interest in THE (his) human rather than just humans overall, wouldn't that mean most of the cast could be considered honorary humanfuckers too, if not right now then soon?

First part here:

Warnings; yandere, yandere behavior, mention of adult content, by selecting 'view more' you consent to view content and are of age to view content.

~~~~~~~~

Because Rollo and Rook are on their way into it quickly due to sparked interest, but they weren't obsessed over Humans before meeting The Human. Those listed prior were obsessed long before meeting a Human in the flesh.

Rollo, up until he actually meets The Last Human, sees it as demeaning the species as a whole to write such hedonistic trash. He wishes to emulate the Righteous Judge in any way he can and the Judge cherished Humans above everything, even his own life. Rollo sees it like someone is depicting his deities- who he devotes his life to work in the name of- as common whores. He could tell you everything on the written history of Humans and the Humans of Fleur City because he has devoted his own time to learning about Humans. He respects and honors the legacy of Humans in Twisted Wonderland.

His attitude switch towards suggestice works involving Humans is as abrupt and jarring as a flash of lightning when he finally meets the Human of Night Raven and suddenly he sees the appeal. He thought the depictions of Humans were beautiful whenever he saw them, but his more carnal interests only really hit him when he met one. Now he gets it. He will never admit to such vile thoughts, but he has far more than he would like.

Rollo is going to be in future chapters, don't worry.

~•§•~

Rook is awakening into that role and idea. He really only saw Humans from a history standpoint, an end note to file away under mythical tales and long gone creatures. Sure, Human things exist all around him, but he likes to observe beauty in the moment. Why weep over what is long lost when there are beauties to observe here and now?

The Human of Night Raven is certainly now a beauty he can behold and marvel at. He is understanding the appeal and he is becoming more interested in learning all he can about these Humans. He is frustrated there is so little agreed upon when it comes to Humans. Human remains are so contested they can't even classify Humans in any official species. The popular theory is they are closest to pigs, hence the belief Humans shouldn't eat pork often. He thinks that's stupid, where are the pig ears and tails? The Boar variants of Minotaurs were very well known.

He is just falling down the rabbit hole, don't you worry. We will get to Rook's interest soon enough.

~•§•~

Malleus is honorary compared to the others for a few reasons, first; he won't turn up his nose to such works- published works, he still is not fond of technology- but when he reads them, it is his Human he thinks of. Not all Humans or the idea of Humans. That one Human in particular that is part of his Hoard and belongs to him, that one right there. He mentally overwrites all details of the Human love interest in the piece with the details of his Human and replaces himself as the monster suitor. He often imagines his Human as a Dragon as well and the romance the two of you could share as Dragons.

Second; Humans and the truth of them are still as illusory to Malleus as the surface of the moon would be to a cow. According to Lilia, they all looked different and had varying skin tones and hair styles, even eye colors, some even had completely different instincts from others. His entire view of Humans as a whole is based on the idea that no Human is the same or even comparable.

[chimggukchim]

2024...A Look Back At Jikook

As we bring in the new year and all the possibilities and hope that it brings, I thought I'd reflect on the year that was 2024 and all that we received from Jimin and Jungkook. Here are some of my favourite presents!

Are You Sure? - Duh! Lol. How else would I begin this list? I don't think there was anyone who could have ever predicted that we would be getting a reality series with just Jikook. Like...THAT HAPPENED! We literally got to spend 8+ hours with Jikook and their dynamic. Added to that...MERCH?! So I'd say it was a pretty rewarding year if we'd just gotten that.

MUSE - I'm sure we all felt a bit dejected when FACE's promo time wasn't that long due to most of the guys needing to release their stuff before their enlistment date in December. This is not meant to be a fighting point (I don't care to entertain mantis). Anyway, it was a joy to not only see him release another album, but also have that album and it's HUGE single be given an adequate amount of focus time. I personally enjoyed MUSE more, as the songs were more to my taste and...BLONDE JIMIN!!! I was completely obsessed with his look for this album. And I love that even though a lot of English was incorporated into the album, there was still a very big presence of Jimin in its creation. Jimin is so creative, it isn't even funny, and I personally look forward to him being more involved in BTS' music production and lyricism.

WHO - Listen...when Seven came out and did THOSE numbers, my mind was blown. Just look at the records it took from BTS and Dynamite/Butter! I was like...how can that ever be topped? Well, Park Jimin had something to say about that, apparently. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I was simply dumbfounded that Who was not only keeping pace or was close to what Seven did last year, but surpassed it in so many key areas! It isn't that I doubted Jimin or anything. But certain patterns have been established; Jungkook has, for years, been arguably the most popular member just based purely on a consumption factor. So his releases would have done numbers. And Seven was a very heavily promoted single. Not to mention, Jungkook himself was present to do a promo run (which is why it got radio for those who don't understand how radio deals work in the US). So what Who has achieved without all of that (especially without Jimin to physically be here to promote) is absolutely incredible. And it shows me that, like Jungkook, Jimin would absolutely kill a solo run whenever he so chooses in the future. I am like a proud mama seeing what Who continues to achieve to this day, and am happy that he has the support.

Who Is My Heart Waiting For - Yes, Jimin. Who was your heart truly waiting for? lol. I won't go into much analysis here because there are amazingly detailed, cohesive, logical takes on the Who MV by others, so you can check those out. What I will say is that there is not a doubt in my mind that those are Jungkook's eyes in that billboard, and that this MV was done deliberately. Jimin and Jungkook have, over the years and on numerous occasions, put a bit of each other into their art, and just enough to have our heads scratching yet not be overtly obvious about anything. Kings of subtle yet loud, I would say. And this MV for me, was another example of that. Sure, one can debate that we can't be 100% certain it's JK but to that I say...to each his own. Because it wasn't just the eye thing. It was the entire MV. And the link to Taeyang and his ENL mv, I don't think is a coincidence. He is one of Jimin's biggest influences, and they did spend time together. I truly do think that Jimin used this opportunity to tell us who really has his heart.

Jikook are a MUSICAL DUO FORCE to be reckoned with - Potential relationship aside, looking at Jimin and Jungkook from a purely professional standpoint, what 2024 has shown me is that if these two were to ever be given the opportunity to become a sub-unit in the future...they would conquer the musical world. They have both shown with their music, that they have the support to be absolutely successful, and with the release of AYS, and how it was received, there is an indication that they are a very popular duo within the fandom as well (don't let keyboard trolls on social media gaslight you into thinking otherwise). Plus, the stage presence they have individually, and the chemistry they have together is otherwordly insane. So if there is one wish that I did have where jikook are concerned, it would be that BigHit see the potential there and give them a shot at a sub-unit at some time.

Jikook continues to Jikook - No matter what anyone comes on here to say (anti, solo, akgae, denialists etc), 2024 has shown us that Jimin and Jungkook continue to go very strong. They enlisted together for a reason, and it seems that they are happy they did so. These two continue to be the 'You Are Me, I Am You' duo that the universe conspired to put together. They are happy together now, and I cannot wait for them to be happy together come June, 2025.

Anyway, those were just some of the little gifts that I was happy to be given by these two this past year. I'm sure I missed some stuff, so you are most welcome to share your thoughts too.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!!!

[markrosewater]

I'm fairly certain the "I have to draft Spiderman even though I don't want to" asker was talking about playing at an LGS or at tournaments. And I highly doubt the person running the store/event is going to forgo drafting that set when it is the latest set. One, because it's the latest set and most stores just run one (maaaybe two) drafts a week of whatever just came out, and two, because that set will no doubt be very popular. I don't think they would switch any of those draft events to an older set that'll certainly perform much worse because a single player doesn't like Universes Beyond. And yeah, I definitely wouldn't if I was in charge of scheduling drafts. So responding to them with a suggestion to play another draft format isn't really all that helpful, and I think their critique of your buffet analogy made a lot of sense in their particular case.

If you want to draft, you're most likely signing up to play the latest set. But there were drafters that didn't like the body horror of Phyrexia: All Will Be One or the cuteness of Bloomburrow or the modernity of Duskmourn. The idea that you're drafting a set that isn't your cup of tea from a flavor standpoint is something that drafters always deal with.

My point was that one of Magic's strengths is that there are many ways to play it. If you feel so strongly about a product (be it Universes Beyond or an in-multiverse Magic set) that you refuse to play with it, there are other ways to play Magic.

I'm not trying to come across as cold to the Universes Beyond dislikers. I do understand why Universes Beyond crosses a line for you. For a long time, I shared that line of where Magic creative should be. I'm really not trying to dismiss it. My issue is my job isn't just to make one subset of Magic players happy, but make all Magic players happy.

The problem is there's low cost to adding things. If there are things that a subset would really enjoy that Magic doesn't do yet, I can explore adding those things. There's a giant cost to subtracting things. Taking them away means no one gets to play with it.

Now, there are things that cross that line because they are upsetting to a high enough percentage of Magic players (ante, strong land destruction, Aftermath sets, etc.). But if I took away every aspect of Magic that a small subset disliked, there wouldn't be a lot left.

Double-faced cards would be gone, horror sets would be gone, cute sets would be gone, planeswalkers would be gone, "activate once per turn" would be gone. The list would go on and on. Anything you adore about the game, odds are there's someone else that hates it.

There's an audience, and a pretty big one (with a lot of enfranchised players in it), that wants Universes Beyond sets and cards. And that group mostly wants to play those cards in the formats they play. (In general, market research shows players want to play the cards they most prefer in the formats they most prefer.)

Yes, our buffet might have a Seafood night, where we focus on seafood, but the reason we do that is there are a lot of customers who will show up and eat the seafood. The buffet will still have other food, and you can eat a meal without seafood if you really don't want to eat seafood, but the banner up on the wall will say "Seafood Night".

[somewhereincairparavel]

Ok, but like I feel like I've never dove in how Jason was probably the youngest in the legion. Probably for a very, very long time. And imagine how it felt to watch as kids played in new Rome, and eventually joined you. And you could never join them as they played in new rome. Imagine all of the kids you know are older than you, and you can't make friends. Imagine having to lead quests of people way older than you that resent you for it because of your parentage. Imagine how happy he was when people his age finally started joining, and I wishing he could he them? Imagine basically being raised by a bunch of teenagers, many of whom dislike you? Would love to hear ur thoughts

honestly, i imagine all of the older members of the legion whispering behind Jason's back about how easy he has it in camp jupiter bc of his dad, about how he isnt "qualified" enough to lead missions, and how he has everything "handed" to him. i feel like he had a LOT to prove and only when his missions started getting successful, people actually accept that he is capable, but even then envious members of the cohort would say that he got lucky or only succeeded bc of jupiter's blessings or smth. could you imagine a baby jason going to the older members of the legion for advice and they just coolly shrug him off? i feel like in a realistic standpoint, they arent outright mean to him bc they are terrified of jupiter's anger but they arent friendly either.

They just let him sit in a corner. i feel like at some point, even when people his age start coming in, he still wouldnt feel loved, because they all would think jason is too scary or intimidating and would avoid him out of fear, also bc he doesnt understand their jokes bc he was brought up too serious. so he would be an outcast. he would be an outcast but not necessarily in a bad way, but like "he's too good for us" type of way which actually hurts jason way more. like when he comes in they all would give him a small bow or something and it gets on his NERVES.

overall i feel like there is too much jealousy surrounding him for him to have any comfortable conversation with people, especially because he is their "leader" even if he was a praetor very late, people still subconsciously saw him as one, even the old praetors consulted him before they came to a decision.

i feel like the moment people even remotely saw him as a human with feelings is when he joined the least reputed legion simply to popularize it. i feel like that was HIS moment where ppl were like "yep this guy is actually a living person with empathy!" but it reverted back to ppl seeing him as an unapproachable artifact

which is why im so upset that frank and hazel didnt have a closer relationship with him, i mean we did see jason and frank talking together on the deck of argo 2 after jason transferred his praetorship to frank, probably filling him in his position, but i wish their relationship ascended beyond just a mentor and his apprentice. because that concept with jason's character gets so old. literally everyone saw him as an advisor and leader that they could learn from, but who really saw something beyond that about him? only leo, nico, reyna, piper and percy tbh.

and in the end, reyna had a subtle fallout with him so they didnt talk, piper broke up with him so they were awkward and tense, leo "died" and never saw him again, the last time nico saw jason was probably during the strawberry field scene when nico told him he's staying at camp, and jason got too busy with his temple project to see anyone else. he was working to keep his promise till the very end, just like a true roman. honestly thanks to you i might actually expand on this in a separate post and tag you in it :)

[maxdibert]

In Rowling's first books, Snape is older than 50 years old and in the illustrations he looks 50 years old, not 31 years old. After the third book, she began to come up with the Snape Lily line. Rowling's drawing shows a man of about 50 years old, not 31 years old.

I actually disagree. I think that, at first, Rowling intended for James and Severus to have a rivalry over Lily, but she hadn’t planned out the full backstory between Lily and Severus, nor had she decided that James would be a bully. That’s why James’s initial portrayal is so different from how he’s later shown. We know that Lily was a self-insert for Rowling and that James was inspired by her then-husband (in fact, if you look at photos of Rowling’s ex, he is James Potter—I was shocked when I saw him because he looked exactly like how I had imagined James in my head). And what better way to insert herself into the story than as the saintly, Mother Teresa-like figure who gives her life for her son and becomes a venerated icon, with two men fighting over her, but ultimately choosing the handsome, popular athlete? From a psychological analysis standpoint, it’s crystal clear what’s going on here.

But what a coincidence that Rowling not only changed her portrayal of James, but also started to considerably soften Severus’s character exactly when she divorced Jorge Arantes? And what a coincidence that after having a million problems with him and publicly accusing him of being an abusive husband, she suddenly releases Order of the Phoenix and James is portrayed as a bully with no clear reason, and the whole subplot of Severus being a victim of the Marauders begins?

My personal intuition (and I’m rarely wrong) is that Rowling initially didn’t plan for James to be a bully, but after divorcing Arantes and realizing that he had been a terrible person, she projected that onto James and turned him into someone just as abusive as her ex. Obviously, by then, she had already established a lot of the story and couldn’t change everything, but it’s pretty clear from how the first two books are written that the original idea wasn’t for James to bully Severus, but rather for them to be rivals over Lily (hence Lupin’s comment about Severus envying James for Quidditch, which makes no sense even for him to say because Remus knew the real backstory). But in the end, she changed it so that James was just a complete bully for no reason.

That’s why this supposed “transformation” of James is extremely inconsistent, and why it’s hard to understand how Lily and James ended up together after everything she witnessed. That’s why Lily’s sanctimonious, ultra-moral personality doesn’t make any sense when you consider that she willingly married an abusive man—because that probably wasn’t the original plan, so it either ended up being a plot hole or just an inconsistency between the character and what we’re told about her.

[imsobadatnicknames2]

I think this is probably something I have talked about already, idk, but.

While I get the sentiment, generally agree that Bethesda doesn't understand Fallout and them having the license is a bad thing, and I get why "We need another Fallout game made by Obsidian"/"We need another New Vegas" is such a popular idea among west coast Fallout fans, I just can't bring myself to agree with so many people who think the best future for fallout would be Obsidian getting to make another Fallout or outright getting hold of the Fallout license.

I don't want another New Vegas. I don't want another Obsidian Fallout. What I want is for there to never be another Fallout game again. From an artistic standpoint I think that's the only good future for the series. I know it's not going to happen because the franchise is such a cash cow, but that's what my ideal future for Fallout as a series would be like.

[sabrinasfadingmoon]

Okay- I saw the enid gravestone stuff yesterday and I have some *thoughts* Now with Emmas new show I already have been really nervous about Wednesday. I am so incredibly proud of Emma and LOVE the show. However she is now currently a lead in a very popular show that’s part of a very popular book trilogy which could mean some things for Enid.

Looking at it from a career standpoint being THE lead in a show is everything you could want. I could also understand contractually that it could mess up filming schedules and when Emma is free.

NOW away from that- let’s ask the real questions. I’ve seen a lottt of people saying it’s Wednesdays vision and it’s going to cause angst that will be absolutely everything. Because Wednesday will be trying to protect and save Enid from her room all season and likely cause it just for that fact.

I bring you an even better option. A second, almost worse option. Enid has a nightmare where she sees her grave. Nobody is there. It’s just her, there aren’t flowers. She died and that’s it. Awful! Painful!

Now okay, I’ll go back to being real. If Wednesday does see this in a vision/or even her own nightmare it brings the real genuine questions can she save Enid? Does Wednesday have the power to change what the outcome is? Have we actively seen Wednesday change the outcome? Or is this just a fear she’s being shown to push her in the right direction? A nightmare she assumes *will* happen because why wouldn’t it? I think our fate and Enids fate depends heavily on if it’s a vision or just a normal nightmare. There are so many questions and so many possibilities.

Personally, I really don’t want Enid to die. She is my favorite. (Sorry Wednesday I know it’s your show) Now would I still watch Wednesday if Enid died? Absolutely, because I’m a fan of the actual show, the Addams family, and Jenna Ortega. I can also see why they might kill her off. I can see where the plot could go, whether it’s because Emma can’t be in two shows at once or just because they were feeling like spicing it up. I am very hopeful that Enid lives, and am really excited for the new season to see how they torture us. I will be SOBBING if they kill her though so sorry in advance for whatever future possible post season two things I scream on here.

[some-triangles]

SOUNDS OF 2024

My ferret wife and I were driving down 82nd listening to KINK FM 102. If you are not familiar this is a radio station that specializes in a particular vocal type - it's a voice that transcends genre, ranging from alt rock to white blues to what I can only describe as the Mumford zone - but the key point is that you will not understand a word the singer is singing. Think Hootie, or Eddie Vedder. Crunched through car speakers it's a sort of audio spackle that tickles the brain with the occasional half-recognizable phrase.

Every six or seven songs, though, they play a classic from the 80s or 90s. On this day we got lucky and it was Major Tom by Peter Schilling. You don't think you know this song, but you do. It's the one where the chorus goes like

Prior to this moment I'd occasionally gotten the "earth below us" bit stuck in my head without having any idea where it came from. Making the connection activated something in my brain and, consequently, in the youtube algorithm, and for the rest of the year all I cared about was Neue Deutsche Welle.

I fell in love with the singer from Trio - no longer with us, sadly. This is a band that you will know from their international hit Da Da Da Ich Liebe Du Nicht Du Liebes Mich Nicht Aha Aha Aha. If you're my age you'll remember this tune from Pepsi commercials, but like Chumbawamba, Trio were a weird art punk band with a fluke chart topper rather than your standard one-hit wonder.

Stephan Remmler was so fucking handsome, you guys. And his tragic Weimar cabaret clown of a drummer. And his mysterious, weirdly femme guitarist.

So I went on a dive. As a whole there is more cod reggae (kraut reggae?) in the NDW catalog than I'm comfortable with but other than that it's a true flowering of DIY weirdness. Start with 99 Luftballons and just keep going... the wall should never have fallen, you guys. RIP to the gulag archipelago but global culture never recovered from glasnost.

Anyway that's what I was listening to this year, except also Kendrick vs Drake happened and suddenly hip hop is good again. You don't need me to tell you about this - there are ten million youtube essays you can watch. I'd just like to encourage everyone to keep an eye on Tyler the Creator moving up as a dark horse candidate for commercial AND artistic success of next year. And that's the really miraculous thing about Kendrick - I can't remember the last time an album I really liked had five songs in the top 10 at once. Because it's never fucking happened before!

Music nerds bouncing off GNX are cheating themselves out of a rare opportunity to like something popular. (Maybe that's why they're bouncing, actually.) But it's undeniable stuff.

Painfully beautiful, and this isn't even what he's supposed to be best at. Pop music is fun and interesting and deep again. You can't relax for a second - even now that Drake has been chased out of rap into the right wing influencer sphere and courtroom trolling, Things are still happening. Christmas day, Tyler smokes Kendrick on his own beat:

And where's Vince Staples? Surely he's got a statement album coming. I haven't even gotten a chance to listen to scHoolboy Q's Blue Lips enough times for the ink to sink in. I've always been a west coast guy where rap is concerned, mainstream or indie, and I've been eating so good...

It's been a great year for me and music, basically. A lot of this has been due to picking up crumbs from Ferret Wife's Kendrick obsession and various other treats she's brought me. From a creative standpoint I've made nothing ambitious but steadily cranking out jingles and silly parodies has made me a better player and singer than I've ever been, and surely there's a sensitive guitar man album in me waiting to come out.

In the meantime please enjoy my contribution to this year's Exit 605 Christmas Album.

[hollersparrow]

why the fuck was all might allowed to be a teacher. he's teaching at what is widely regarded as the best school in the country, particularly for heroes, but also just in general from what i understand. there is no way in HELL that a school like that would let a person who is uncertified and has no higher education to teach, regardless of how famous they are or how much pressure the hpsc put on the school or even how eclectic and eccentric the school/its teaching styles are. there is simply no fucking way.

at most he'd be allowed to be a guest in some of the hero classes to provide additional feedback, etc etc. he probably couldn't even do administrative work as that generally requires either ample teaching experience or some level of training/school to do as a job.

also, i don't care how much nedzu loves chaos, he also loves his job and wants to protect/care for his students. he would not just skip over all might's lack of ability for this, no way no how; he would expect him to follow the rules set up to ensure that the teachers are equipped to handle the position and to teach the students

semi-related to the above, it is a personal headcanon of mine that many of the UA teachers are not as popular or as widely regarded as other heroes BECAUSE THEY HAD TO GET A TEACHING DEGREE. many of them worked as heroes or sidekicks to gain field experience but did so while also attending university to get an undergraduate degree AT THE LEAST. then, depending on the person, they either went straight into a teaching assistantship or continued working as a hero for a few more years to get more experience. however, many of them weren't able to reach higher levels of notoriety simply because they didn't have the time or the energy to market themselves and they ALSO didn't have a need to, as they were working towards a different goal.

for some, especially those in the support course (i'm thinking powerloader but i'm sure there's others), i could see there being waivers like many schools offer for folks teaching a trade (at least in the US). if you've worked in a trade for long enough, you might only need to get your teaching license which is usually not as long as getting a degree since your work experience shows that you know what you're doing. so i could see some of the teachers for support courses or even business courses being hired through a similar process.

i also think that most of the teachers don't work as heroes during the school year. i think that they keep active hero licenses and are able to be called on at any time (i could also see staff wide training/sparring being a part of this), but that they generally are taken off the roster. there are definitely some exceptions to this, like aizawa who's quirk is super valuable and who is also insanely willing to sacrifice himself and his health to help others (he needs therapy and some sessions on how to set boundaries). i think yamada is also an outlier with his radio show, although i think that started while he was getting his teaching degree and was working for the university's radio channel and he just decided to keep up with it. however, everyone else just teaches and then picks up freelance work during the summers (also see them only being on 10 month contracts or an equivalent type of work schedule).

i also know next to nothing about the requirements for teaching in japan, so take most of this with a grain of salt. but, at the same time, i think bits and pieces of this are probably universal.

it should probably also be mentioned that i really like bnha for the potential and the amount of room left for fanfic and the fandom to play around in the sandbox that is the world that Horikoshi Kōhei has created but i literally can not finish the manga or the anime. i have tried. multiple times. and i can't get past the sports festival for either of them. so maybe this gets better explained or something or maybe my standpoints on the characters are a little off.

[briebysabs]

I never understood why people were complaining about the episodic nature of link click disappearing for season 2. I get it if you prefer s1 over s2, I do as well while enjoying both seasons. But in terms of the format switch, what were people expecting after that s1 finale? We cannot go back to status quo after that. If Lu Guang died, we definitely wouldn’t and as he lived what did you think was gonna happen? ‘Well Qiao Ling got possessed and stabbed Lu Guang that was an experience. Time to go find client #52’.

I think people have a really strong attachment to season 1. Makes sense as it’s all they had for 2 years and for me, I didn’t wait for episodes. I watched s1, took a 4 day mental health break, and dove right into s2. But it was obvious season 1 served as an introduction and that there would be a larger plot at play. You can debate whether the show becoming really popular in China made them include more action scenes and raise it to a thriller. But something like CXS’ missing parents or Lu Guang looping time to save Cheng Xiaoshi was planned from the beginning. It had to be so link click was always going to get more dramatic.

And I don’t agree with the stance that link click lost its emotional core. It’s simply interwoven into the overarching plot instead of self-contained stories. Preferences are valid and understandable but I wish more fans would try to evaluate s2 from a rational standpoint. There are complaints I agree with but a lot sound kinda dumb to me.

[lemotmo]

Love love love this. Please share your thoughts as well! I don't know if you received the same question or not but I would love to know how you would answer this ask as well!

Q. I have two questions. My first question is do you think they would ever go down the unrequited love route for Buddie? One of them admitting they're in love with the other but the other not feeling the same way. The second question I have is with the benefit of hindsight and knowing what we now know is there anything you wish you had done differently during the hiatus between season 7 and 8? Do you wish you had handled yourself differently or done anything differently?

A. They will never make Buddie unrequited. They won't introduce the idea of a relationship only to have one of them rebuke the other. It happens in real life, it sucks, but it does happen. The problem with doing it on a television show though is it makes the character who doesn't feel the same way the "bad guy" in the other characters story. Please understand that they would in no way truly be a bad person but for the audience it's a sticky situation. It would also be an absolute failure of a choice from a business standpoint. 911 is kind of in rare air where Buddie is concerned. There is nothing else like them on television. There is no other same sex pair you can point to in the history of television who can do what 911 has the potential to do with them. A genuine queer slow burn endgame. It has never been done. Never. I don't believe they were always the plan. I do believe some of it was dumb luck and a lot of it was Oliver and Ryan. Whether it was intentional, accidental or a little bit of both they have created a dynamic that is unique to them. A show that is in its 8th season and more popular than ever and a pairing that has even more interest now than ever before. That doesn't happen. But it happened here and it happened with them. They got so lucky with Oliver and Ryan's dynamic/chemistry. You don't turn away from that. You just don't. There will always be people who don't like it but they are the minority, a sometimes very loud minority, but they are the minority nonetheless. You can say it's a cheesey little firefighter show all you want but it's a cheesey little firefighter show that has the potential to make television history, and that's not hyperbole. They legitimately have a chance to do something no one else has ever done. That's amazing and worth celebrating. People are allowed to be excited about them. It's a big deal and they should be allowed to say that.

Your second question is interesting because it goes hand in hand with a truly American phenomenon. The belief that it is the responsibility of the people who believe facts matter should meet the people who disregard facts because they go against their individual belief where they are. Why do we have to cater to these people? Why is it our responsibility to talk to them with a level of respect their viewpoint does not deserve? Facts matter. Just because someone doesn't like the truth doesn't stop it from being the truth. In this case we're talking about a television show but the rule still applies. The canon facts never merited their beliefs. Never. Not once. Instead of acknowledging that fact they disregarded or flat out tried to erase the canon evidence in favor of the made up version of events they and Lou created. It's not mine or anyone else's responsibility to go along with that garbage. What I regret is that in the beginning I treated them with a level of respect and courtesy they absolutely did not deserve. I answered their asks kindly and with a level of respect for their feelings that I never should have given. I should have called a spade a spade from day one. My mistake was giving them the benefit of the doubt. I believed they got caught up in the biBuck excitement and believed they would come back down to reality soon enough. That was my mistake. They wanted no part of reality. In no time at all suddenly Eddie was an abusive, manipulative evil man who deserved to have his life destroyed and his son to be raised by Buck and the plot device they chose to declare their allegiance too. Why in the world should any of us be pressured into making them feel better about that decision? Then they turned on Buck. Suddenly they were erasing Bucks canon history in order to make the plot device more important and necessary than he was ever going to be but we were the bad guys for calling that batshit behavior out? No. They showed their true colors very early on and the minute they did so I should have reacted accordingly, but I didn't. It was incomprehensible to me that such a below average, ignorant, racist, sexist, talentless white man could convince supposed able minded people that he was God's gift to television. But he did and the minute that became obvious I should have stopped engaging all together. They're not interested in reality. They were never interested in reality. They are interested in nothing but their made up viewpoint and it's not mine or any other member of this fandom's responsibility to make them feel better about that. The facts were there and they chose to ignore them. That's on them. Not me.

Thank you Nonny! 😋

Okay, I'll do my best to answer both questions as good as I can.

First things first... unrequited Buddie? Not a snowball's chance in hell! Once one of them expresses a romantic interest in the other? It is GAME ON for Buddie!

ABC is sitting on a goldmine here. This is the kind of story that will attract new viewers and especially the people who have heard people talk about 'those two gay firefighters' for years now, but who won't watch until they become canon.

There was an influx of new people when Buck came out as bisexual. Unfortunately they also brought along more toxicity because of the whole T/Lou fiasco, but just imagine all the new viewers who will tune in specifically for Buddie. It'll be epic.

I am one of those people who is 100% convinced that Buddie is in the works. It is happening. There is no other way this story can go anymore unless the show wants to lose viewers. Because a lot of people will stop watching if it doesn't happen. That's how this works and ABC knows that all too well.

Now on to question 2: Would I have done anything differently during the S7-S8 hiatus knowing what I know now?

The answer is 'no', I don't think so. I tried to stay as honest and respectful as I could towards BT shippers. I never made it a secret that I didn't really vibe with T and that got me a ton of anonymous hatred where some of these stans accused me of homophobia and wished me dead.

I was critical about T and BT, but I always tried to stay nice about it. Ship and let ship is still my motto, but I have to admit that towards the end of the hiatus my patience had worn very thin when it came to BT and their fandom.

Especially after they went completely off the rails and made those crazy wild accusations towards me and some friends and actually fabricated false evidence to accuse us further. That was truly insane behaviour from some of these people.

But that's all behind us now as the show has thankfully left T/Lou behind forever in 8a. So I'd like to focus more on the wonderful things that happened during that hiatus.

One of the best things that happened is that I gained so many lovely followers and fandom friends. We all stuck together and it felt really nice.

To all the lovely followers and mutuals reading this, I've gotten to know so many of you guys and I'm so grateful for that. I won't name all of you because that will take all day, but you all know who you are. 😊 Special shout out to Justine though! She was (and still is) my rock!

Another highlight during that hiatus was getting to know the 'anonymous blog I love' aka Ali. I'm still thankful that that happened. She made, and still makes, the most eloquent posts about fandom and she is always spot on. Case in point? The answer above!😋 I cherish her friendship very much. 🤗

I hope this fandom will soon move on from the T/Lou era when 8b airs and that we'll collectively stop talking about him. He isn't worth the hassle. It's time to focus on the future now and leave the past where it belongs, behind us.

IMPORTANT! Please don't repost this ask and/or a link that leads straight to my Tumblr account on Twitter or any other social media. Thank you!

Heads up! For anyone who is giving me the shifty eyes for reposting Ali's updates instead of reblogging. Read this.

Remember, no hate in comments, reblogs or inboxes. Let's keep it civil and respectful. Thank you.

If you are interested in more of Ali’s posts, you can find all of her posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

[chilewithcarnage]

oh finally making that post on lore olympus and rachel smythe's supposed 'decline in art style' before I forget about it .

so in the original post, the blogger jokingly edited this tweet in reference to the original tweet on the right made by infamous ex-tumblr fan artist rcdarts. my problems with this post stems from in my opinion an unwarranted comparison and kind of 'grasping at straws' type of complaint to the way lore olympus' art looks. op of the post makes it seem like Smythe's art devolved; but if this is the type of critique you're trying to make it's got pretty weak legs to stand on. the above pictures are not good examples if you're trying to have a valid argument that lore olympus' proto art is better than how the comic ended up looking. you can argue that the character designs of the series are boring and safe considering they're based off of Greek gods as opposed to say the art in the supergiant Hades series. That's all well and good but to say that legitimately that first picture with gray Hades and orange Persephone is 'better' than the second feels disingenuous. From a technical standpoint, the art of the second image is better. The art in the first picture while decently drawn is much flatter and dull than the second. Second pic is definitely more visually interesting and has better usage of its colors/painting style. Though the palette is limited there's still visual depth and volume to it. Design wise I get a much better read of who these characters are and what they're like. Also second pic Hades and Persephone are much better proportioned than the first. Albeit it first pic looks like a wip, Hades' head looks huge in comparison to Persephone's (her torso also looks like it's kind of just floating over his, the limited composition and coloring doesn't make it feel like these two are actually touching/interacting with each other). I think a lot of the smoke lore olympus got (and still gets) is due to the main characters looking like a stereotypical 'booktok' romance couple; Hades being a tall sharp featured fit man in a suit and Persephone being a big bright eyed button nosed Disney princess esque young woman. But the first pic doesn't even divert from those tropes. It's pretty much the same visual dynamic except Hades gives less sugar daddy/mafia boss and more academic(?) shut in. And Persephone's is face is less rounded and her hairs shorter but that's about it in terms of design differences. I've never read lore olympus and don't plan to so I can't give any actual criticism to the series, but in this specific case where we're just judging art and visuals the claim of the older art being 'better' seems unfounded. I think what a lot of people that rag on how the series looks hate it because Smythe's style is very much a product of when she started getting popular. It's very much that early to mid 2010s tumblr fantasy style that a lot of women artists were doing (hence why I feel low-key why this and also Steven universe had/has so many haters is mainly due to misogyny, this is a very feminine art style). y'all need to understand that a person developing a more simplistic style is not equal to their skill devolving. The comparison to rcdarts to me is unjustified cause rcdarts actually did change for the worst. like how I just said simpler style =/= worst art, but rcd's work not only got simple but less visually interesting, less dynamic, utilized more static and dull posing/coloring, and over exaggeration to the point where characters were unrecognizable.

[genericpuff]

From the standpoint of someone who doesn't even like LO that much. Reading through this gave me a strange sense of discomfort? I think. Something about the combination of the essays, and the digs at the author in a lot of posts, and making a community based on it, and the ranting. It made it feel a lot more group ragging on something than normal fandom re-writes. I can't help but want to say something on the subject (0/3)

Gonna respond to all your asks together if that's okay, from what I can glean there's a word limit on mobile (?) so it makes it very interesting to see who's able to put all their thoughts into one big ask vs. who has to cut them up into parts 😆

So I can understand that discomfort, it's actually one that I also initially felt towards the community when I discovered it. Though even more so because when I found out about antiLO being a thing, I was still a MASSIVE fan of LO and my thought was "wow, these people are losers" LOL but then a lot of what they were saying resonated with me more as I realized the story was going nowhere (it was around the trial arc when Eris was revealed to be the 'reason' for Persephone's wrath).

All that said, I don't think I was wrong to feel off back then even though I don't feel that way now. We have our own takes and ways of approaching certain subjects, and how we feel is how we feel.

I will say that I can't, in any way, take credit for 'creating' the community. AntiLO pre-existed me by years and I was simply welcomed in as my opinions of the comic changed. I was a lot more involved in UnpopularLoreOlympus when it was born around the S2 finale of the comic. So... don't give me any sort of credit in 'owning' this community or anything of that sort, I came in during a period when criticism of the comic was becoming more common practice. I'm just also someone who's very verbose and loud in their opinions which appeals to a lot of people in this community, so I get why people might see me as some kind of "pillar" within it or like I'm the loudest person in the room, but I promise you that doesn't mean I have any sort of ownership over this part of the fandom or that I feel my opinions carry any more weight than the people around me. It's just a community, after all, not a religion.

It's true that saying I'm not making money off Rekindled doesn't mean I'm not benefiting off it in other ways. But the 'benefits' are still kinda... nothing? in the grand scheme of things? like okay great I have loads of people reading my stuff every update but like, this is still just Tumblr lmao none of this is real and as soon as Rekindled is over, I might be lucky to bring some of the readers over into my next project, but I doubt whatever I do next will get as popular as Rekindled was. All the "benefits" I get are virtually the same as what people writing fanfiction get on AO3 get or what people doing redraw videos on Youtube get. It's fake Internet points for making fan creations.

And that's okay, because that's sorta just the nature of fandom in general, throughout any niche community. People will be naturally drawn to what's familiar and what I do here appeals to the people who are familiar with LO and the criticisms of it, often people who agree with those criticisms. The Zelda community has LinkedUniverse, Pokemon has Hanamusa, Attack on Titan has communities that are dedicated to loving the anime, hating the anime, and even dunking on people who don't 'get' the anime, Undertale has every single crazy rewrite and rewrites-of-rewrites that have been spawned from its fanbase. Did you know there's an entire community of people who discuss and argue over fire alarms? I didn't, but when I found out about it, it was after listening to a video on Youtube discussing all the interconnected drama of the fire alarm community. Like that's wild and seems so stupid and pointless... but it matters to the people who are in it, and my opinion of how they operate isn't going to change how it makes them feel to be a part of that space. That's kinda just human nature, we create our own little microcosms of things to bond over so for people within those microcosms, any amount of disagreement or discomfort will feel massive in proportion.

I guess the point of what I'm trying to say is that a lot of this stuff feels crazy loud but it's really only that loud because it's occupying a single room.

The reality is that Rekindled is still a very niche project dedicated to a niche webtoon that's a part of a niche medium. As loud as it is within here, it's still only because it's such a closed community. Anyone outside of the Webtoons community has zero clue what it is. The 'attention' that I'm getting is still from other niche people who occupy a very specific interest.

And that's not even exclusive to Rekindled, despite Webtoons attempts to sell LO as a 'worldwide phenomenon', a lot of people don't know it exists and couldn't care less. Does that mean my rantings about the comic and its creator matter any less to me or the people who are interested in them? Not really. Is it all pointless? Maybe, but not everything really needs to have some bigger point. We're all kinda just here spending time talking about something we both love and can't stand. What I say about LO and do with Rekindled is undoubtedly inconsequential and pointless to people who aren't in the room. That's fine. That's why I keep it all in my own house. There are definitely people who talk about it outside of the home but that's far from what I can control.

That said, I think LO also does fall into a very unique category where it's very easy to do rewrites and redraws of it simply because it, in and of itself, is a rewrite. Rekindled is far from being the first "fix it" fic, not only of LO but also of any piece of media in general, it's not really a new phenomenon (but again, when it's loud, it can be easy to go "well clearly YOU had to influence this"). People are drawn to retelling LO or 'fixing' it because LO is based on Greek myth. If it weren't for that, no, I don't think people would be as interested in doing so. It's because we literally have a solid foundation of reference material - the myths and original poems - that we can go "hey, why did LO do this? it should have / could have been xyz". You can't really do that as much with a purely original work besides wish fulfillment of "what if xyz happened" because whatever an original piece of work winds up being is clearly what it was meant to be. We have nothing to compare it against.

But with LO, we know what it could have been because we know what it was trying to be since day 1 - a retelling of the Abduction of Persephone. That's not to say we always knew exactly what Rachel was planning on doing with it, but it's not hard to be disappointed when we see certain mythical stories being established in LO - such as the tale of Eros and Psyche, the Titanomachy, etc. - only to see them get dropped or completely mishandled.

On the one hand I could use HADES and Stray Gods as examples of popular media that don't get 'rewritten' the same way LO does because while they have their own unique interpretations of the myths they're based on, they still feel like properly thought out stories that appreciate the source material. LO, by comparison, feels like it's written by someone who hates Greek myth.

But on the other hand, those rewrites may absolutely exist and I'm just not aware of them because I don't occupy those rooms! The world is only as big as we perceive it to be.

That said, it's always sort of ironic to me when people say Rekindled is "riding off the coattails of LO" because while I can understand their sentiment - because obviously it's a direct re-creation of LO - that opinion seems to operating from the assumption that LO was ever not riding off Greek myth's coattails to begin with.

And no, I don't think my criticizing of LO on an LO-focused blog should in any way be conflated with "media isn't allowed to be bad". I've said this before and I'll say it again, I'm into loads of bad media. I'm also fully capable of enjoying a piece of media but also shit-talking it without actually feeling any sort of vitriol towards it. House M.D. is one of my favorite TV shows but goddamn some of the plots are just so dramatic and out-of-this-world that you can't help but laugh at them (and that's why we have spaces like /r/okaybuddyvicodin LOL). One of my favorite games growing up was Starfox Adventures because I had never played the original Starfox games but I had played loads of Zelda and Adventures was basically Zelda but with Starfox, and I know there are plenty of people who will go "but puff, that game is ass!" and I know! But I love it regardless.

With LO, it's not a matter of "bad media shouldn't exist!" it's a matter of observing what makes it so bad and why that's had a negative impact on both the audience it attracts (primarily teenagers and children) as well as the culture it's taking its ideas from. If LO was just some "so bad its good" webtoon that was easy to enjoy but also poke fun at, I would have zero issue. It's the fact that it's blatantly problematic in its writing and intentions but still hailed as the #1 webtoon on the platform (webtoons in and of themselves being a medium that I've lived in for over a decade so it's virtually impossible to get away from whatever is influencing the culture as a whole) while winning all these accolades for being "brilliantly written" and its creator is given a voice over Greek culture when she herself is not Greek or even well-read on Greek culture in any capacity - that's the issue and why I've spent so much time talking about LO. And if it wasn't me, it would be anyone else, because the problem has been around for ages and people have been trying to get the word out about it for years.

I don't necessarily think every 'fix it fic' is built equally. I think it's a case by case thing. A lot of people are deadass just doing it for fun and to be a part of a community, and I think that's wonderful. There are also people who try to do this but ultimately disrespect whatever the creator was going for by somehow implying that their own original ideas were inferior just by existing, or using their fix-it fics as a way to deliberately harass the original creators (ex. whatever the fuck 'art lore' is on TikTok, based on what I've seen it seems purely made for bullying budding artists and talking shit which is... gross af, but I don't think it's anywhere near the same as readers of LO calling out its highly successful award-winning creator for having zero clue what she's doing with her comic lmao). I don't think a blanket statement of "fix it fics are bad" accomplishes anything because it depends on a variety of factors like the person's intentions and what they're trying to accomplish. Many fanfictions in general could be called 'fix it fics' even if the creator 100% loved the source material with zero issue - because they're still saying "what if xyz happened instead"?

Me, personally? I'm someone who loves Greek myth and who used to adore LO. I was very discouraged and upset when I saw it turned into what it became, and I wanted to try my own hand at creating something new out of the rubble that could give me closure. It's what I choose to do with my time and other people seem to enjoy it as well. I'm sure there's loads to criticize and speculate on regarding my 'intentions' in creating it, but at the end of the day I'm sorta just doing what I want to do with my time because I have a lot of thoughts and ideas I need to get out of my head and many of them are thoughts and ideas that other people like reading about.

If you feel uncomfortable by the amount I talk about it here and the way I talk about it, that's fine. Those are your feelings. There are loads of other antiLO-themed blogs to read that might not give you that same vibe. Even I have certain icks towards certain opinions within the antiLO community, I've seen some people be genuinely shitty and I'm sure that's ironic to hear considering you're describing your own discomfort towards my stuff, but we all have different tolerances towards different things at the end of the day.

I do my part to keep things in my own house of a neighborhood that's really small in the grand scheme of things. It just feels like a big neighborhood if you don't travel. There will inevitably come a day where I'll pack my boxes and move elsewhere, talk about new things and write essays about other topics. That's obviously not today but I definitely don't want this to just be like, my entire identity or the rest of my life LOL it's just something I've chosen to spend my free time doing and I'm content with that. Maybe a year from now I'll feel differently, who knows? At the very least I'm hoping to one day finish Rekindled because no, I don't want this to actually be my identity for the rest of my life, change is a good thing LOL but what that change will bring is, for now, a mystery. Here's hoping wherever I end up at least brings its own uniquely good times like I've had here :' )

Sorry, that was a very long response with a lot of sorta aimless muddling over the topic at hand, but thank you for the opportunity to discuss it regardless ! because I do think it's important to find that 'grounding point' when it comes to stuff like this. because as much as I get riled up over LO, yeah, at the end of the day, it's just a dumb webtoon and I don't wanna go soiling myself over it LOL but I'm also just like... running a Tumblr blog with my personal thoughts and ideas, no more or no less. Even the "attention" I get is still only 200-400 notes per new episode of Rekindled, which pales in comparison to any real metrics of "success" imo LMAO again, it just feels loud because this is a niche community made up of a lot of the same names and faces; step outside of it and no one gives a shit LOL

[callmelyc]

I'll just never get over how despite wanting to be the leader himself, Lance still helped Keith be a Leader and see he was capable of doing so after being stuck in his own grief.

And it's canon like?!?!?

They work so well together when it's time to be genuine I'm so ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ

It always makes me so sad when ppl erase or leave out that part of their journey. That Lance helped. Bc it's just so important to Keiths character.

It doesn't make Keith weaker or less capable that he needed it but he needed someone to get through to him/support him and Lance did just that without even being asked.

It showed their growth and maturity, it's so pivotal and not even from a shipper standpoint.

For Keith to be able to admit he messed up/was stressed?

HUGE

For Lance to listen? HUGE

"This is all my fault. I followed him right into this trap. Everyone warned me, but I didn't listen. I put the entire team in jeopardy."

"Yeah, you kinda did. But now we gotta fix it."

That "we" is so important bc it's not even referencing just them two but the whole team coming together bc Keith was acting too radical he missed they were all there for him if allowed to be. They may have looked towards Lance to approach Keith (though Lance didn't notice nor need it he did so voluntarily) but they followed Keith as a leader from the start.

They were all willing to follow him, they all trusted him.

Lances voice was just loud enough and persistent enough to get through to him bc lance knew without shiro someone needed to try. Lance was so insanely supportive and so insanely important to Keiths rise to true leadership.

Keith accepting the help, the role, as himself and not as a replacement for shiro bc of that is always so powerful. He finally realized he didn't have to stand on a pedestal to be a leader, he could use his team as his pillars just as they could use him as one too.

"You're right. Let's go."

He's no Shiro but that doesn't mean he can't be their leader too.

Screaming

Then later it's Keith reassuring Lance he's more than a replacement or a placeholder. They grow so much bc of that initial support being built up the trust they have in one another is immeasurable.

They understand eachothers positions more than anyone else could bc they're in similar shoes.

Two ppl taken from their lions to another.

Two ppl changing rank in ways they didn't want.

And that unyielding support for eachother is just so so satisfying. This is why I adore their bp Keith and red lance dynamic. Ok it's not as popular but it really shows how they grow as a unit and I wish they'd utilized that so much more.