#and i'm tired of giving the writers the benefit of the doubt

[godtier]

it amuses me how ppl will make PSA posts about how such-and-such platform uses "AI" and tells you to be Very Angry about it via context clues, but then the same ppl will happily reblog AI "art", even when it's very easy to tell and/or it takes two seconds to look at the damn comments on a post to find that it's AI generated, or that the very OP of the post tagged it as AI art, or answered an ask like "yeah I use a generator for the pics," or puts "I use midjourney to make the pics" in their profile on mobile, etc etc etc

I guess it's easier to screech about how an option in a program that you can turn off/disable within seconds and that won't actually do anything more than what your autocorrect or grammarly or siri or alexa or google assistant or photoshop filters have already been doing with/harvesting from your data for years now (spoilers: you've been using and training "AI" algorithms for longer than chatGPT has been mainstream! yes, it's basically the same concept!) than it is to do a few seconds of reading or double-checking to ensure you're not reblogging art theft and tagging it as "photography" 🙃

[anastacialy]

hello! first, i wanna say you're totally right here. all the points you made are correct, and i agree with your additions, as i agreed with your original post. i wouldn't reblog something to simply disagree in the tags! the tags were there as an addition and a slight rebuttal to opinions that opposed yours. for instance, when a lot of the fandom said colin should have to beg for penelope's forgiveness for saying he'd never court her, i disagreed wholeheartedly, and thought his scene of making amends was lovely, and more than made up for his actions. i don't like the way a lot of this fandom treats colin, and i'm sorry to have seemed to be doing the same. i think some of my tags and tone were misinterpreted here though, so i just want to clarify. i'm not great at communicating, so do try to read this post with the best and most lighthearted intentions. there's a character limit within a tag limit, so i can't always add everything i want to in the tags, and when i try to keep in concise, well, things like these tend to happen. when i said "yes it would be fun" that was meant to be read as, "yeah, yeah, i know you guys [the people who like angst] would like if this happened." which isn't totally disparaging the angst-loving people, by the way, as many actors and writers have confirmed that the original cut (pre-reshoots) of the season was angst-ier! even colin's crying and soft-spoken-ness during the whistledown reveal was unplanned, though it works entirely for his character and the two of them as a couple. the way it was written, he was meant to yell! shout! get angry! so that was my way of acknowledging that, before the second half of my tags were outright saying you were correct. imagine those subsequent tags as me going, "yeah, what they said! good point, boss!" behind you. i referenced like three or four other posts that were probably not read by you prior to this response, which is fair, since i post a whole lot. (there are fifty-five pages of bridgerton content on my blog. lmfao.) i use my tags to talk to myself and my followers, as was their original use (i've been rotting on tumblr since long before they showed up in the notes of a post), so i don't always give all the context in the world. it's kinda funny, i thought my referring to other posts for clarity was over-doing it! apparently not. i don't expect anyone who doesn't follow me to care to read my tags, but i know they're now served directly to the op, so i can see why you'd read them and disagree.

the "bite back" comment was in reference to this post, where i was commenting on the rest of the fandom's reaction to the scene. (in fact, someone reblogged that post with tags i disagree with, that seemed to miss the point of my post, ironically enough.) everyone was freaking out that he said something 'so mean' and i responded by saying, 'ok yes, if we wanted all the drama and messiness that came with the show's other couples, she'd have said something mean back to him there.' i imagined the rest of the scene playing out the same, though, where she apologizes quickly after realizing being rude to him isn't the right move. i'm not saying it would be healthy, nor better, and certainly not more in character. it was just a reference to a joke post i wrote at five in the morning after bingeing the series, and a reply to other people saying she should just call everything off in anger, which i don't agree with. the second post i was referencing was this heartbreaking drabble (which i fully thought i'd reblogged but didn't, so that one's my bad for sure) that has penelope call of the wedding for colin's sake. as in, her understanding she hurt him, and saying, 'i love you so much, i don't want to entrap you in a marriage where you'll be unhappy.' which, i did specify in the tags, by the way. this is just the annulment offer, but set earlier in the show. one thing we may disagree on, though, is that you say: "So if she said 'fine, no entrapment then, we're done' that is, realistically speaking, the death of their relationship." i personally do not think that would be the end of it. especially if, as in that fic and my tags, she called it off so as to not entrap him, to say 'no, you deserve happiness, even if it isn't with me.' i do think he'd be upset by her calling the wedding off. my interpretation of these scenes is that he still wants to marry her. when asked by kate, "does whatever new information you've learned [about penelope] truly negate [your relationship with her]?" [season 3 episode 7 timestamp 30:10] he shakes his head, no. i know this is later on in the show, but it is a feeling i think runs as an undercurrent to the feelings he shows in the scene we're discussing. so when i say his entrapment line is him "holding onto the marriage with his fingernails" i mean it is both him expressing his hurt, and him using propriety and "i am a gentleman" to keep the wedding on. this post i also referenced in the tags covers a lot of my feelings on the matter, though there are some nuances in my view there as well that i didn't bother rambling in the tags for, that time. and this one, and my tags on it, though that one's pretty /silly. but you share the same sentiment just in different words: "Yes, he still wants to marry her, not out of obligation, but because they have history and he has feelings for her." it is not truly obligation that i am arguing here, merely the illusion of obligation in order to hurt her in the moment, to hide his genuine desire to still marry her, and to deal with his more complicated feelings on his own.

also, when i say i want to write a fic about something, i mean it would be interesting to explore as an alternative to what happens in the show, to see how different actions might play out. i never, ever, in a million years think that the actual show should have changed, by the way. i make that clear in this joke post that i'm by no means the best writer. i'm also still waiting on my ao3 invite, so you're safe from my bad, ooc fanfics... for now. i was also referencing a very common joke post using the "please please please" line. i promise i don't actually think he'd say that, nor would it actually go in the fic. it's just a running joke at this point!

you extrapolated a lot about how i view penelope from these tags and, again, i understand why you would, as these are the only words of mine you've read. that's why im providing the context of my blog and other posts i'm referring to. the "no empathy" penelope you described is not at all the way i view penelope! i love her too much for that. she would be an awful partner if she behaved that way. but since we can understand colin lashed out in hurt, we can understand penelope might too, in theory, or in an au. but i understand you simply thought i was seriously saying the show should change or that this was the One True Interpretation, when i was not. context is important. uuu. [this is a joking reference to "prospects are important" and the little noise colin makes after he says his next line after that one. season 3 episode 3 "forces of nature" timestamp 8:57])

this is a great post i also recently reblogged on the topic too! and this one, which i have no clue why i didn't reblog yet. i may have been on mobile when i read it, hah. but they are saying the same thing as you here, and i agree! she truly hurt him, and he was completely within his rights to make a hurtful comment in that moment. i never said otherwise, and i certainly never said she should say or even imply that she didn't love him! i think both of us are also replying to the general fandom in this way. i genuinely love that, in canon, penelope met him with empathy and care right away. it's what he deserves! anyway, to reiterate: i agree with you! i think there were some misinterpretations of my tags and for that i apologize. i'd say agree to disagree, but i think it's mostly agree to agree (on most things) and agree to disagree (on a few small details i interpret slightly different than you) lmao! i hope this clears things up a bit!!

I guess what I find most funny about the 'She should call off the wedding because of Colin's entrapement line!' crowd is like. . .y'all really don't get Penelope at all, do you?

She has loved this man for YEARS. She's loved him through his engagement to someone else, she's loved him through him saying he wouldn't court her, she's loved him through multiple countries, through her family mocking their closeness, through a potential marriage to a Lord. She loved him so much she couldn't even DENY having feelings for him to save what she thought was her only chance of getting married. Do you know how easy it would have been for her to go 'No, we're just friends, I don't like him like that, you're proposing to me and that's what matters'? She couldn't denounce her feelings for him even THEN. Even when she doesn't think he reciprocates them and she's made peace with a life with Debling and is expecting his proposal. Colin was *always* first in her heart, through all those hurdles.

Because Colin has been kind in a cruel world, and he's made her laugh, and he encourages her confidence and he's warm and he's gorgeous and he centers her and he values her and he listens and makes her feel desired and beautiful. He's a good man, and her love for him makes her feel good, she treasures it. Even in the books she says it feels good to love a good person, whether he loved her back or not. And now she knows that he does and you think one line that Colin says in obvious hurt after finding out she's been hiding a secret persona for him is enough to shake that love? She spent what? Half a decade looking out her window pining for him and now on the eve of getting to live a life with him as husband and wife, she's going to chuck that away because of one sentence? How lowly do you think of her? How *stupid* do you think she is? To throw away the love of her life over what? Her pride? This fandom's OOC Fanon Pen is a disservice to Penelope's actual character.

Her love for Colin is steadfast. It's made of tougher stuff than all that. It has survived everything that has been thrown at it. Distance, other people, Portia. And y'all really, truly believe that a singular statement will make her go 'Naw, I don't want it anymore!' PUHLEASE. Even when she offers him that annulment, you KNOW she knows it's not on the table.

Stop playing. OF COURSE she didn't call off the wedding. Of COURSE she chose to understand where he was coming from and went 'I didn't mean to trap you, Colin, I love you'. Of course she asks what the marriage will be and is comforted by the fact that he still wants to go through with it.

Penelope Featherington has loved Colin most of her life. It has been one of the few constants in her existence. He has been good to her in said existence, consistently. He's listened, he's cared, he's apologized to her, he's taken ownership of his actions, he's invited her to be more open, he's joked with her, he's supported her, he saw her when she was invisible. She. Loves. Him. And for good reason.

It's not going away because of one line. Or two. Or three. Come back next time when you actually understand her.

[manikas-whims]

hi lovely, first of all i wanna wish u a good day and i hope everything is going good!

i was cooking in the background but got to a block here, and i would like to know ur opinion on this:

lets say sylus (pre - relationship) somehow messes up bad with reader, to the point they distance themselves from onychinus. how do you think he would react and make up? I feel like he would observe from afar and then go ahead try to talk to them, but i have no clue what he would say, whats ur perspective?

tysm for ur work and im so proud to see u grow as a writer ❤️ byebye lovely!

Hiii! I've been wanting to respond to this for so long.. I'm just so tired by the time I'm home these days 😭

And I'm glad you think I've grown a little as a writer 🥺 means so much to me ♡ so sorry it took so long..🙏

As for the ask itself..

If Pre-relationship Sylus messes up,

then you'll definitely distance yourself from him and Onychinus itself because you still don't know him that well. He did abduct you from the auction and held you in captivity in his base. So of course it's quite difficult for you to give him the benefit of the doubt.

And Sylus seems to be the kind of person who doesn't easily takes offense to people judging him based on his line of work. But he'll definitely get mad because you aren't just some random person to him. He'll be disappointed because all it took was one mistake for you to judge him so harshly? Instead of treating him like every other person and giving him a chance?! He'd think you're just like the rest of the people who form an assumption of him based on his appearance itself. To think, he even bothered making an effort..

Thus, there's no communication between the two of you for at least 2–3 days..Not even Mephisto cawing and poking his cute, lil mechanical beak at your window 😞

And this leads to you getting even more angry at Sylus cause LOOK AT THE AUDACITY OF THIS MAN!!! He made a mistake and now doesn't even bother explaining himself!? Doesn't even try to fix this mess!? Yeah..you should've known..he truly is like every other person from N109. It's your fault for being foolish enough to believe he might have any humanity behind those glowing crimson eyes.

But after the passage of those 2–3 days, you finally begin to sort through your thoughts and feelings.

You also start seeing some familiar faces around your apartment. Luke and Keiran do drop a bunch of packages full of clothes, accessories and other luxurious items you could barely afford on your Hunter's paycheck. Nevertheless you reject them all, and even yell at them. “Tell your stupid Boss he can't simply buy my forgiveness!”

There are moments when you just consider forgetting everything and make up but you resist the urge because that would only encourage him. He'll think he can get away with anything if you're so lenient. And so you suffer his absence for the entire week, slowly coming to believe that you weren't important to him at all..

But Sylus is a mature guy despite whatever his reputation suggests. He'll be mad for a while and put off but he'll come to terms with the fact that he made a mistake. And now after giving you ample amount of time and space to sort through your own feelings, he'll finally decide to randomly show up one day at your door, completely shocking you when you answer the door.

Before you can yell at him or push him to leave, he mumbles in a gruff tone. “I’m sorry.”

To say that you are shocked would be an understatement for it's not everyday that the dreaded leader of Onichynus utters an apology to someone. Men like him are used to making people bend their knees and grovel. Used to exacting apologies out of others instead.

You blink several times before asking. “What did you just say? I didn't quite catch it.”

His brow narrows and he scrunches his nose in that way he does whenever met with an obstacle. Sighing, he repeats his words. “I said I'm sorry..for what I did. For giving you a wrong impression and ticking off all the boxes of suspicions in your head. For showing you something that I'm not.” He pockets his hands– a sure sign of awkwardness– and cocks his head to the side. “And I vow to make it up to you.”

Out of nowhere, Mephisto comes flying, perches upon his shoulder and croaks loudly in support of his master.

You try your best to hide the smile threatening to burst upon your face. You'd forgiven him on his first apology itself because one glance at him made you realize how much you'd actually been missing him and his stupidly handsome face.

Still, in an effort to tease him a little, you tilt your head and say. “Hmm..I'll consider forgiving you if you repeat your words once more. On your knees.”

There is a brief pause in which you almost believe he will do it. His expression seems as if he is actually considering it. Then, he scoffs at you and flicks your forehead.

“Don't push your luck, sweetie.”

And you laugh in delight, punching his abdomen lightly. “Fine fine, let's start again.”

You smile and offer him a hand. He looks at it, his crimson eyes roving up to gaze at you, then he accepts your hand, and shakes it. “As you say, sweetie.”

hope you liked this lil piece ♡

» MASTERLIST «

[little-miss-dilf-lover]

ooohh, alr,,! so can i pls request tan x crybaby and soft!reader. can it be abt how tan is always "mean" to everyone and then he is accidentally mean to the reader? (not wanting to ask too much but can the fic pls have some smut? i would love to see how tan would treat the reader) u can also do this w pietro if u want. Sorry that my request is long, luv ur work and baiii :)

- 😾

hii bby!! love love it! must admit I did kinda steer off course a little bit. thanks for requesting, hope you like it💌

MAKE TIME

tangerine x fem!reader

word count. 1089

warnings. 18+ only!! tiny bit of arguing, tan being a bit of a turd, but a total cutie after!! fingering, horny brainrot from writer. mdni

Tangerine is always coming and going with work, that his mind is often detached - thoughts spread out in more than one place at a time. Sometimes, it's hard for him to adjust to his surroundings, especially when he's constantly filtering between locations. 

Though, when he's with you, he's home. Back in your shared house, he's finally settled. 

But that doesn't stop him from bringing work home - he'd spend hours locked in his office, planning schedules and routes for upcoming missions, never once giving you an ounce of attention during his minimal time at home. 

You knew what you signed up for, though you hated how insignificant you felt compared to his work. You didn't like how he'd be so blase when it came to failed, planned date nights, how he'd be casual about cancelling for the fourth time in a row. You knew work was important to him, but eventually, you were hoping his view would change - that he'd value you more than some silly little mission. 

Tangerine had returned home from an assignment a mere hour ago, and all he had given you was seven measly words. You were planning on allowing him some time to adjust to being back home - to clean up, to clear his mind, but he never joined you back downstairs. 

You weren't angry or upset about it - you just felt disappointed. You always gave Tangerine leeway, constantly allowing him the benefit of the doubt; maybe he was tired from travelling or that he saw something gruesome. You were always sure to see from his side, so you often felt wounded when you didn't get the same treatment.

You wait on the sofa, phone in hand, as you consider sending him a text. Sending him a slither of your frustrations, but you decide not to - not wanting things to escalate.

And just like that, you hear footsteps trickle down the stairs, Tangerine accompanying the sound. 

"Hi," you call out from your spot on the sofa.

Your greeting goes unheard, your voice blocked out by his phone call.

"Mate, gimme a sec," he says into the receiver, pulling his phone away from his ear as he meets you.

"Oh, you got time for me now?" you quip.

"What's that now?" he asks, his tone alarmed. "Mhm?" he repeats, brows furrowing. 

You hear his friend make a snidey comment through the phone - something that loosens a screw in Tan's head. You watch from a near distance, seeing the change on his face.

"Alright, mate. Yeah, that's enough. I got it," he angrily dismisses, ending the call.

"What was that about?" you ask, perching higher from your corner spot, showing interest.

"Why would'ya fuckin' say that?" he snaps at you, eyes narrowing. "Now, I got him in my ear giving me a fuckin' bollocking and you—" he cuts himself off, watching the way your bottom lip wobbled under his reprimand. "No, love. I'm sorry, I didn't mean that— he just got in my head, and I—" he rambles, quick footsteps carrying himself to you.

He sits at the edge of the coffee table, facing you, taking your hands in his. "Darlin', that weren't meant for you," he hushes, thumbing over the back of your hand. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," you shrug, wiping your eyes with your shoulder. "I know," you sniffle, blinking away a few tears.

"No, it ain't," he shakes his head and slips a hand from your grasp, swiping away the wet under your eyes. "Did you mean that a minute ago?" he asks, his tone hesitant.

"Mean what?"

"About me not having time for you," he asks, eyes following you when you divert from his gaze.

You shrug once more, closing your eyes before nodding.

"Is that what you think?" he quietly questions.

"Kind of," you whisper. "Sometimes I don't feel important to you," your words soften, speaking like you were reluctant to share.

"Love," he draws out, hushing you. "That's—" he sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I never want you to feel like that... I guess I have been neglecting you lately," he admits. "The work is never-ending. My head is always frazzled, and I always try to get it done fast, so I have more time with you, but—" 

"I know," you reassure, slipping your hand into his. "I understand."

"How about this..." he proposes, leaning in to give you a chaste kiss. "I take some time off. And I can take you away? Really show how much I love you."

Your smile widens, eyes practically lighting up. "Okay," you nod, leaning forward to kiss Tangerine's lips. "I'd love that."

"Yeah?" he grins, almost boyishly. "Good. I'll make some calls later."

He brings your face back towards his, cupping your cheeks and kissing your lips soft and sweet, guiding you backwards - pushing you against the couch so he can hover above. He rests a hand on the back of the sofa, using it as stability as he towers over you, caging you. 

He parts from the kiss, both of you breathless from the sudden desperation it had turned into. His grip loosens from the side of your face, and his palm slowly travels downwards, slipping over your tits as he continues down. He runs his hand down your t-shirt-covered stomach, halting when he reaches the waistband of your lounge shorts.

"I have some time now," he offers, his tone teasing as his hand slides down the front of your underwear, fingers dancing over your slit. "Would that get me out the dog house?"

"Maybe," you reply, voice airy when you feel his thumb press over your clit, slowly circling it. "Possibly," you add, spreading your legs.

He hums, a soft, sultry coo against your skin, lips barely brushing yours. Dipping the pad of his middle finger between your folds, delving slowly into your cunt til the last knuckle. Long, thick finger wedged into you so nicely.

You keep him close to you, hands engulfing the sides of his face as you meet his lips, copying his slow, sloppy kisses. He begins pumping his finger inside you, hooking upwards as he rocks it into you, swallowing those pretty little sounds you make so well. 

He slowly adds his ring finger, joining it with his other - spreading you ever so slightly, leisurely fucking you with his two skilled fingers.

"I'll let you cum if you forgive me," he teases, picking up pace, rubbing against that gummy spot. "Say you forgive me, darlin'."

— — — — — — — — — — ☆ — — — — — — — — — —

tan taglist: (tagging bc it’s not a blurb/drabble) @tangerinesgf @kpopgirlbtssvt @earth-elemental18 @ashlynhasmanyhyperfixations @idontknowwhattohaveasmyuser @thewinterv @navs-bhat @ilovetangerinewithallmyheart @theredvelvetbitch @randomawesomeperson102 @lov3lypeaches7 @princess-pebbles-things @astermath @dynamitehacke @boldlyimportantface @charmedkim @fruitlovertangerine @psiiconic @bubblezuku @soradiccherryblossom @landryslove @daenerys-supremacy @dontknownameauthor @honestly-who-even-is-this @simplyreflected @apxtowiris

[khruschevshoe]

Jim and Oluwande got the worst end of the deal. I'd even say they regressed as both characters and partners and anything they had built up in s1 was almost completely stripped away from them. The way they're portrayed together and apart in s2 is not only unlike the characters we saw in s1, but their rich storyline was reduced to extreme side characters used only as plot devices in a way they absolutely did not have to be used. I LOVED them in s1, and I was so disappointed by what s2 did to them and their potential growth, which I think applies to pretty much everything in s2, not only them.

Mind if I piggyback of this ask to go into all my critiques of the handling of Jim/Olu in Season 2? Thanks!

OFMD Critique: Tealoranges, Dropped Storylines, and Wasted Potential

God, the issues I have with the writing of Season 2 extend in so many directions. Jim's character, I felt, was well-handled for at least the first two episodes but then slowly starts skewing wrong as early as episode 3 (I am still chewing glass over the way their reunion scene with Oluwande was written- or, rather, NOT written). Episode 4 was good, but everything after that? Someone said that Jim in the back half of the season feels more like Vico than Jim, and though I do love and appreciate Vico, it's completely true. Jim doesn't feel like the same character we've come to know, whether from Season 1 or even what is set up in early season 2.

And yet, I STILL feel like they're written better than Olu, if you can believe it? So, I haven't talked about this much, but I feel like Olu is done dirty from almost the moment he is introduced in Season 2. At least Jim (through editing alone, but hey, we'll give the show the smallest benefit of the doubt) gets an acknowledgement that they miss Olu during that flashback sequences while they talk to Archie- Olu doesn't even get that. I read about a deleted scene that would have had Pete and Olu desperate to reunite with Lucius and Jim in episode 1 and I feel like that was DESPERATELY needed to make the Season 1 finale -> Season 2 jump make any sort of sense. I like Zheng, but for the love of God, her romance with Olu (which I had my own issues with for the disservice it does both their characters) is not worth destroying the tealoranges build up from Season 1. Just cut something from the first episode or one of the Zheng/Olu scenes from the second episode to make it make sense.

Then, moving onto later in the season- I've posted about how Olu and Jim deserved the grand, epic reunion otherwise 1x10 and everything set up with them in Season 1 doesn't make sense. Could the writers of the show have possibly redistributed some of the glorious cinematography from Ed and Stede over to Jim and Olu? All I need is one shot of their reunion (a proper, emotional one, not played for laughs or friendship or whatever) framed by the sun to parallel Ed and Stede's being framed by the moon and I would have been happy on that front.

And then later in the season...I was down for the poly elements if they could have been executed better. Fanfics have shown that the Archie plot could have been executed well. But the fact that Zheng is straight up NOT MENTIONED until 2x7 by Olu? And then Jim says that he's been pining for her the whole time? I'm sorry, but it doesn't compute. Show, don't tell. There's a reason why I'm down for Jim/Archie/Olu (if executed well), but can't see Zheng/Olu at all.

But of course, 2x7 comes along and we get the "family who fucked" line. And the implication that Olu could have ever left the Revenge without Jim, when in Season 1 he became a wreck because Jim left for A FEW DAYS, much less was FORCEFULLY SEPARATED from him for MONTHS. Then in the finale, at the lupete wedding, they were separated out, him with Zheng and them with Archie, and, well, at that point...I was tired. I'm not gonna lie. Because this wasn't questionable or problematic writing, it just fundamentally DIDN'T MAKE SENSE.

And this is just on a romantic relationship POV. I hated seeing Olu lose his leadership arc from Season 1 and his loyalty to Jim and his nuanced emotional level-headedness/sense of logic. Season 1 really felt like it was slowly building up the idea that the ideal Captain was neither Stede nor Blackbeard but someone a bit more rational, a bit more grounded, a bit more communicative with his crew- someone like Olu. And he gets shoved into the back in Season 2 and reduced to the guy who can't sort scrolls or know that the BOATS ON A MAP MATTER. He gets no influence on plot or major decisions when he was often the voice of reason in Season 1 (we all remember Lucius being a romantic voice of reason in Season 1, but rarely remember that Olu was a major supporting deciding factor in a number of decisions made on the Revenge).

And as for Jim, I wanted more exploration or even just acknowledgement of their trauma post episode-4. I wanted an actual organic continuation of their character arc post-vengeance quest and post-Blackbeard, not just them getting defined by "funny knife thrower with a girlfriend and an ex-boyfriend who they want to get with his crush." They were so much more than that, and it killed me to see the two people who were basically main character 3 and 4 in Season 1 get shoved aside for unneeded subplots about Ricky and Zheng or Gentlebeard's three separate breakups when Jim and Olu's plotline had so much more potential than any of that. They weren't just star-crossed lovers- they were a slow burn ship built of absolutely interesting, complicated, and well-developed characters who brought out the best in each other with a DEVASTATING midpoint to their arc and it honestly would have made a better season not just for them as characters, but for the show overall if someone had just realized that the parallels between a couple that fights and claws to stay together no matter what (tealoranges) and a main ship that was still figuring itself out (Gentlebeard) would have SLAPPED.

(I am now picturing a version of this season where instead of the Izzy fakeout death/Gentlebeard reunion in the beginning of the first episode, we get an Olu/Jim reunion in episode 3 to parallel whatever reunion the writers wanted to slap together for Stede/Ed. I would have actively cried over the Olu/Jim reunion and it would have drastically improved the season.)

[hawkinsschoolcounselor]

It's so annoying to see people in the tag comparing Byler to other queer ships that didn't happen like no Byler is unique and wasn't made by bad writers. Idk if you were in one of those fandoms but it would be amazing if you could explain to all those people why Byler was written differently because I am tired of the classic: "they are queerbaiting you,deal with it". I am like :" wow they queerbaited the Lgbt+ community and the heterosexuals too then because a huge majority of the GA audiences who see Byler aren't from the Lgbt+ community". They also made the "main" ship do unlikeable that it lost at least 40% of their supporters between season 3 and season 4.

Well, I can see where they're coming from, even if I don't agree.

I have never been involved in a fandom before, but I have been a fan of shows/movies where I thought "so and so would make a good couple" only for nothing to come of it. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, though. This is the first time I've ever thought it was going to happen, and I've felt that way since season 2. Each season since has left me disappointed, as I don't want it to be a final episode "twist" in order to avoid losing fans, but it's still only become more and more obvious to me that it's inevitable.

I think a lot of fans get caught up in headcanons, particularly between seasons. As a result, they end up forgetting what is actually canon, and they create elaborate predictions that just don't fit the reality.

Yes, queerbaiting is a thing. I'm not familiar with many of the fandoms that this is used with, but I'll give the fans the benefit of the doubt on it. If a show hints at a queer couple, that's not enough for it to be queerbaiting. But if they continually build it up, only for it to go nowhere, then it might be. If they actively use it as a means to market the show, then it definitely is.

Without knowing more about specific fandoms, it's hard for me to make any direct comparisons. I suppose, should, somehow, Byler not be endgame, then I'll probably understand a lot better. However, I will also be extremely confused and will have lost considerable respect for the Duffers as writers.

However, Byler is a unique animals, as far as I can tell. It's something that has had seeds planted to it from the very beginning of the show. It's not some response to fans that the producers felt they could then exploit for marketing/merchandising purposes. It may not have been obvious back in season 1, but the clues were there. There was no retconning done to make Byler fit. There was no sly stoking of the flames in the fandom to get fans excited about it. That all happened organically as more and more people caught on.

I don't think the Duffers are dumb. They built a slowburn same-sex romance between main characters over the course of an entire top-tier series. As much as it annoyed me that it's taken this long, it does make the most sense, both in-universe and as a matter of mass appeal. Both the fans and the characters themselves had to come to terms with teen boys falling in love in the 80s. That's not something to be rushed if it's to be taken seriously.

Will, the one we've been told was gay, has come to terms with his feelings, only to come to the conclusion that it's not meant to be.

Mike, the one we've seen to have more-than-friendly feelings for Will, is still not ready, yet.

Season 5 will be the catalyst for Mike to realize what his deep feelings for Will really mean, so he can show Will that love is something for him to experience.

[cookinguptales]

Girl you have already made three mistakes in your rants I've seen in the tags; you should rest, watch again with a cold head and then talk because it's getting embarrassing how much you got wrong. If after all you still think the same, go back to fanficland.

Honestly, I probably will have a lot more thoughts once I've rested and watched again, but the profound disappointment I feel now won't go away. Like "girl", I'm not just some child that will agree with you after I've gone down for a nap. (And like... what's the weird slight against fanfic at the end there...?)

This finale feels like an extreme ass-pull. This idea that "oh, just the time since death will pass and that's why they'll die" doesn't mesh with what they said in s3 about all vampires (including baby vampires) dying if The Sire dies. Laszlo searching for a "cure" the entire season when apparently it's known knowledge that they could've just killed Derek doesn't make sense. Seeing Nandor swapping from "we will accept him as equals" to "clean up this corpse" is bullshit, and it's not a good thing and shows a regression of character growth. The fact that everyone's storylines all pretty much went back to where they were before Guillermo was bitten is absolutely infuriating.

I could accept a couple understandable changes in canon, like the zombies being capable of attaining sentience (despite the older ones not showing signs of it when Topher joined the sweatshop) but come on, this is ridiculous.

God, I'm tired of this show introducing interesting ideas and then explaining them all away. It makes it hard to get invested in any of the storylines when you know they're gonna just hand wave everything. The djinn wishes, the club, Baby Colin, the year-long break between s3 and s4, Guillermo being bitten, the vampiric tests on Guillermo, Nadja's Little Antipaxos thing, none of it ever matters. They just make some joke to lampshade things like "hey, we remember that it happened!" and then never deal with it. I always think they're going somewhere with things and they don't.

I feel like the entire season I watched was pointless and I'm frustrated. I feel like I've been giving the writers the benefit of the doubt for a couple years now, and honestly, I'm tired of it.

I was actually hoping that Guillermo would have to make hard choices between vampirism and humanity. I didn't want him to become a vampire. But for him to just be like "PHEW glad I'm back on dead body duty" is so fucking frustrating.

[freshie44]

Episode 9 Spoilers

So I sat on this one because I need to sort some thoughts and cool off some emotions. Let Start from the top

Ashley - So far the most consistently written. She filling that heroic role. She is making friends, keeping the peace and is the leader of her team. We should be hitting the merge soon. If she can avoid losing to the "too big of a target" trope. She should in theory make it to finals as the Heroic finalist. Let's just hope we stick to we have written already.

Alec - Alright I'm going to get a bit heated here, alright? Alright! So writers, I'm going to be talking to you directly. I'm not blaming anyone specifically, it takes a village and I understand that! But, lets not lose to flanderization. Benefit of the doubt the book thing was a poor joke trying to interject some humor into the scene. But you have written Alec so far as being very intelligent. Intelligent enough to realize shit like that make him look like a bad dad. Obviously, he isn't great since that is the crux of his divorce. But season 1 showed he was at least TRYING! With the Season 3 version showing a post divorce Alec trying to put himself back together. SO LETS NOT FUCK THIS UP! As well as using his intelligence to run the game. SO keep with the earlier writing. If he going to lose, make sure the character that beat him rise to his level, not bring Alec down to their level. But if we are going to make him win, let keep up with writing and not rest on our laurels. You several good options here, either keeping heel, making him tweener, I'm trusting you all to not mess this up. I know I'm coming in hot but I want to show that this matter to me, and hey I'm just one person and you are writing for more than one. But I just had to say my peace.

Aiden - Maybe I'm just trans bias. But like he has people to feud with. Let's pull the trigger and seem some moves already! He an underdog let him go nuts trust me it do well.

Grett - I'm warming up to her. Maybe I was wrong, maybe the Yul feud will be enough for her to win some real momentum. She very smart and if she can focus on the game and play her card right. She could be a big contender and become a tweener that people can get behind.

Gabby - Oh Gabby, Gabby, Gabby. Embracing the heel life will be fun. But to me, Gabby's biggest issue is that she can't see the big picture. She a fan favorite and she going to give some good moments. But she an attack dog being released on whoever pisses her off. Eventually she'll get routed and if she wins just with wild abandon as strategy, eh I'll be miffed that why she is here.

The drama trio: I DON"T CARE WHO BUT GET RID OF AT LEAST ONE OF THEM. YOU ARE DRAGGING THIS STORY OUT AND I'M JUST TIRED OF THE WILL THEY WON'T THEY. THEY CAN'T FUCKING COMMUNICATE, LIKE i GET IT, IT'S IN THE TROPES. BUT SEEING THREE PEOPLE BICKER ALL THE TIME AND REFUSE TO SOLVE THE ISSUE IS TIRING.

Riya & Yul: You know the drill

Elimination - Tess, was a choice. I think she is going to revive and be the one that resolves a few open plotlines. She at least is the person here with the most emotional awareness. Now it's just a question, when do you throw the revival in.

Last Episode | Next Episode

[moku-youbi]

Entitled AO3 Commenters

Fam, we really need to talk about the toxic behaviour that's going on in AO3 comments these days. I know there's a lot going around about how people just want to consume, consume, consume, and move onto the next thing, and most don't even bother to kudo or comment, which is pretty heartbreaking as it is.

But sometimes, I think the folks that *do* comment, but do so in a shitty, entitle way, are even worse. Because it's like wow, you put in the time and effort to make a comment, but you were an absolute douche about it. Now, in some of these cases, I wonder if it's just young people who are new to the world of ao3 and just don't know better. Maybe they honestly don't realise what's wrong with the things they've written. So let's look at a few examples of shitty comments, and talk about why they're shitty, and what could be done to make them more acceptable.

I'm giving people the benefit of the doubt here, even when it's difficult to do so. I'd like to believe that it's just a difference in age and how we've learned to communicate with strangers online. So please, if you're guilty of these things, instead of getting angry or hurt seeing this, just think about how to do better?

So a lot has been said about the "when are you going to update again/I'm desperate for an update/" or even the *shudder* "since you haven't updated in x, I'm going to put this through an AI engine to finish the fic!" comments:

Setting aside the fact that this fic is 44 chapters and over 180k words in length, and this person never left a single comment on it or any of my other fics to tell me they enjoy my work, and how shitty it feels to know your work was apparently loved and appreciated, but not enough to actually *say* that except to demand more of it, sooner... AND the fact that I have long notes on the fic and the series about why the parts are being written and posted in the order they are...

Let's talk about why these comments aren't helpful, and in fact can often have the opposite effect of what you're hoping. Authors are already likely feeling crummy about their writer's block or real life circumstances getting in the way of working on that WIP, and these comments compound the guilt we feel, which makes it even more difficult to work on. It can make us want to avoid even looking at/thinking about that WIP, no matter how well-meaning the comment.

Fic writers are real people with real lives. I only have a couple hours free time to myself everyday, and a lot of times I'm so tired I just want to do something that's mindless fun. Most nights, however, I forgo a movie or video game (IDEK the last time I played a game! and I love gaming!) or reading to work on my WIPs. Even so, these comments are a reminder that to the people reading, that's not enough. They will consume my story, not bother to thank me for it, then demand more.

Often times, you can leave the same comment going on about how much you love it, just delete the parts asking about updates and/or assuming the fic is abandoned, okay?

Next we have the 'did not bother to read the tags and/or author's note' commenters:

The problem with this comment is that this fic is tagged as "no archive warnings apply" which means there is no underage content. Furthermore, while his age isn't explicitly stated in the fic, I have made it clear he is an adult, in college within the text of the story. I have the following in my author's notes at the beginning of the fic: "Tom Holland is my Spider-Man, but I have aged him up here, as he's in college, so. Feel free to imagine whichever spidey floats your boat"

If I'm going to give this commenter the benefit of the doubt (something that is increasingly difficult to do with anti culture), then at best, they do not read tags, summaries, or notes, and expect to be able to ask an author prior to reading their works to answer a comment that is already addressed multiple times.

If you're honestly worried about being triggered, or reading content you don't want to read, then I suggest just straight up avoiding fics that aren't clear enough to you from the tags/summary/notes. If you've read all those and it seems ambiguous, just skip it. Or if the story still sounds good, then maybe just skim the beginning of the story, even. Context clues are your friends, my dudes. If the character is a college student, chances are good they're adults.

The 'lacks reading comprehension' commenters:

Is it wrong to ask questions of an author when you don't understand something? I actually think it's a great way of interacting with authors and can lead to better understanding and appreciation of the work. However, there are a few problems with *how* you ask a question.

First of all, the problem commenters have not previously left a comment of any kind, and don't bother to include any sort of positive feedback along with their question. They just rock up to your inbox demanding an answer to a question they have, that makes you realise they weren't even really paying attention to your work (or the source material for that matter.)

In this case, smartphones don't exist in the canon work, and only exist in my fic because the characters have suddenly been thrust into a different universe. Klaus doesn't understand smartphones because he grew up with them. He is able to quickly adapt to the new technology of the world, while others, like Viktor, are confused by it. This is all explained quite thoroughly in the text.

The 'doesn't know how to google' commenters, who might also be the 'disingenuous question' commenters:

Again, going to give this commenter the benefit of the doubt that they aren't just an asshole anti. So you don't know what Thorki is, but you're on AO3, home of All The Relationship Tags. Even if you didn't think to search it there, google exists, and is your friend. Type Thorki in there, and it's not even like you've got to narrow your search or add 'ship' or anything. The top result is the Thorki page of shipping wiki, and the next several links are photos of Thor/Loki. There is literally no other result given on the first page of google.

But LBR, this is likely an anti trying to subtly shame me for shipping Thorki. In which case, I'd invite you to look at my author page and see the types of fics I write regularly, and maybe just take your nonsense elsewhere.

The 'why are you here?' commenters:

Again, it's not like there's anything wrong with this kind of question! I too have seen PFPs of people on AO3 and been curious myself. The problem is, once again, coming onto one of my works and, without acknowledging the work that I've put so much time and effort into the thing they're commenting on, they just demand an answer.

What's particularly bewildering about this is that it isn't even in the 4 most recent works I've posted. So instead of just seeing my PFP and clicking on the first thing they see and asking there (still a little rude, but maybe more understandable??) it seems they were here to look at my work, and in doing so saw my PFP, and decided to ask.

Look, there's a way to ask these kinds of questions, young folks, and so I present to you

The proper way to ask a question commenter <3 :

Look at that! The commenter was able to get their question answered, and I was delighted to respond to them, because they took a few lines to tell me that they'd appreciated the work it pertains to. Honestly, I don't even need that much, although it's sincerely appreciated and makes my day. But even a simple "Loved the story, it was a lot of fun. BTW--that house..." would be cool.

We've all had those times when we get a burning question reading the fic--

"Is it possible they were referencing those lyrics??? I mean, it's not a very popular song, but it seems so obvious!!!" (probably, and the author is likely gonna be super excited you know that song, too)

"Did that line mean to insinuate what it did? Is that foreshadowing? Are those characters secretly screwing?" (the author may play coy, or they might be super excited you picked up on the thing they were hinting, or maybe they'll be annoyed you ruined the surprise?? but that's on them being brought up in the Marvel era of no spoilers)

Or indeed the questions about PFP or what house/city/clothing you used as reference.

But unless you're a regular commenter, popping up with just that question is abrupt at best, and shows a lack of common courtesy. Like, okay. Imagine running up to your favourite actor/singer/author in public and instead of saying "I'm a huge fan/I loved X/you're an amazing author/lyricist/actor/etc", you just immediately start bombarding them with questions "When are you going to write a new song/What did you mean on page 126 when you said/why did you decide to write these two characters together/etc etc."

Just imagine that you are addressing a living person with real human feelings, and ask yourself, if I were talking to them face to face, would this be an acceptable way to address/open a conversation with a stranger.

[mandiemegatron]

Theres no way you have 900 followers 🙄 all you do is scream about your self ship with a fictional man that would want nothing to do with you and write garbage that an AI bot could write better. I'm a big writer in the one piece fandom and even I only have 200 followers and my writings actually make sense. You don't have to lie to make yourself seem better 🙄

You know, I was about to give you a scathing response, but honestly, I'm just so tired.

I actually have 907.

I need you to understand that I don't do this for the followers. I don't do it for the likes, or the reblogs. I do it for FUN, and for those who enjoy the same things I do.

The amount of entitlement coming off this ask actually makes me pity you. I seriously feel so bad for you, that you feel so threatened by me that you felt the need to send me something like this. I am so sorry that people have hurt you and made you feel like this was an appropriate thing to say to someone. I'm not a famous writer, I'm not an influencer or a big name in fandom, I'm just a person who loves to write and pretend to exist with my fictional man.

Is that so terrible?

Truly, I am sorry that you have been made to think that everything is about the numbers. That the likes and reblogs are what matter, that the number of people who follow you are what matter. What matters is that you love the things you create and that you love sharing them with others. That's it! Connecting with people, creating things that other people enjoy, that's the core value of fandom. The likes and reblogs are just a bonus (though you should absolutely reblog peoples creations, whether it be writing or artwork, that's how tumblr works.)

You sound young, judging by the amount of bitterness seeping out of this ask, so I will give you the benefit of the doubt. Numbers are not everything. If you get one like on something you made, feel proud. That means someone, somewhere, saw what you created and went HELL YA! I LOVE THAT! Social media has created a black hole that sucks the life out of creating things simply for the sake of creating.

I truly hope this helps you see from a different perspective. Maybe take a break for a bit, go outside or grab a coffee. You are too riled up over things that seriously do not fucking matter. Take a deep breath and move on.

[pbs-theundeadmaggot]

first love // the art of eye contact

🎶 the art of eye contact by too close to touch

(AU) Steve Harrington x fem!reader

[a/n] so I'm releasing this a day early cause I've got a lot of work to do this week but I hope you enjoy it. Please please reblog if you do because reblogs are what helps writers remain motivated and spread our content

[warnings?] the usual angst, Rebecca is a bitch (sorry if thats your name),

first love masterlist here!

Thinking back to all the times you watched Steve fall in and out of love with girl after girl definitely took its toll on your mental health, the nights you’d spent crying into your pillow wondering why you would never be good enough for him, why he looked for love in all the wrong places when you were there all along. Why it always had to be girls the complete opposite to you, as if the idea of dating someone even remotely similar was repulsive. He was entitled to having a preference, but when does a preference become a problem? Especially if it means allowing yourself to become the person you swore to never be. To let yourself be another puppet at the fate of its master, to give into every demand and impossible expectation when being yourself was more than enough for those who truly loved you. 

Yet here he was continuing the exact same cycle time after fucking time like a broken record that just wont stop. You’d so badly wanted her to finally be the one for him, just as he deserved, and you tried to give her the benefit of the doubt, creating excuse after excuse for her awful behaviour but it quickly became clear no excuse could make it right.

First of all you didn’t know Steve had a girlfriend let alone that she’d be joining you, so when you booked four business class seats a year prior to your trip you hadn’t expected to be expected to give up your place. The whole reason you’d booked business in the first place was because a) neither one of you could afford first class and b) you all wanted to fly with a little bit of luxury (or as luxury as you could get 35000ft in the air) especially since it was a long first flight for all of you. Rebecca of course decided to poke holes in that plan flashing an unsettling smile and expectant stare behind Steve’s back as he negotiated with the flight attendant to upgrade Rebecca’s economy ticket to business. She’d obviously wanted you to give up your place next to him and in a way you understood, hoping that if you were in her situation she’d do the same, so you’d quickly caved in and swapped seats, refusing to let Robin or Eddie swap as they deserved the luxury just as much, although Eddie didn’t let you off easy arguing that he should swap since he was a newly famous rockstar he’d get plenty of opportunities to fly business probably even first class while you… well you wouldn’t. Finally agreeing to swap half way through so you’d both get the best of both worlds, sort of. 

12 hours later you would’ve happily stayed at home if it meant you’d never have to fly again. It wasn’t the worst experience but it certainly wasn’t the best, turns out you really were a nervous flyer and it didn’t matter where about on the plane you were, you hated it. Either that or you’d jinxed yourself by lying earlier and your karma had just been served.

The second incident happened that exact same evening, arriving at the hotel with luggage in hand and tired smiles, the concierge had greeted you and happily offered to take your bags to your rooms. Unfortunately that was also your second mistake. Only three rooms had been booked, two of which were singles and the double originally meant for you and Steve was now a double for Steve and Rebecca, leaving you with nowhere. 

Of course it only made sense that Steve took the room, the problem was where you were going to stay, deciding to look for a nearby cheap room as you’d already spent the better part of your money towards the trip, and paying for two expensive hotel rooms was rather than one was not exactly budget friendly all things considering. Steve had tried to persuade Rebecca to let you take his place while he took the floor for the time being but she insisted if that was going to happen you’d remain as far away from the couple as possible. 

Thankfully as it turns out the hotel were able to set up an extra bed in Robin’s room which you gladly took, leaving the couple behind as they got into what seemed to be a heated discussion. 

The silence of the night accompanied by the occasional snore from Robin left too much room for thinking. She’d passed out as soon as she saw the bed, not even the slamming of doors and heavy footsteps could wake her. Steve had come to apologise and of course you quickly brushed everything off but not before downing some alcohol to keep you somewhat stable with the tension weighing thick. All you wanted was for him to be happy which is why you let yourself give in to Rebecca’s every whim knowing it would make him happy. 

.·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。.

You were only three days in by now and the final straw was her complete ignorance, you really didn't want to ruin anything for Steve but its as if everything she did was ignored or overlooked by him. She was clever enough to keep the jabs aimed at you on the lowdown but the outright tantrums she threw when things didn’t go her way and insults towards your friends made you see red. 

All you wanted was to chill with your friends and have fun at Paris’ Zoological Park after all it wasn’t everyday you’d get to see a multitude of animals kept in specific ecosystems replicated from their natural habitat.

Had you always sounded that geeky?

That was beside the point.

The point being that Rebecca ruining it was not happening.

You’d all agreed to go by bus since it was cheaper than getting a taxi everywhere and of course Rebecca had a problem with that. She’d made a whole point earlier about how she was so rich and privileged yet when you’d asked if she’d be willing to pay for the taxi she feigned offence, whining that you’d basically called her poor as she refused now calling you a charity case which if you didn’t realise by now, she definitely didn't do. 

After much debate Steve had talked her into it, if you weren’t so upset by his encouragement of her behaviour you would’ve wanted to know how on earth he managed it, assuming it was something along the lines of “I’ll make it up to you later” with a wink to seal the deal, it was the same old act he’d repeated time after time.

“Steve can I borrow you for a second?” You pulled him away from the group as you arrived at your destination. As much as you wanted everyone together you also wanted to enjoy just a couple of hours of peace so you’d decided to give Steve and Rebecca an out. 

“I know animal’s aren’t really your thing and that’s okay but maybe you and Rebecca will enjoy a little date at the coffee shop we passed?” Somewhat nervous as you explained to him that it wasn’t that you didn’t want them here, but they would probably enjoy being elsewhere more and that you would get to spend time as a group later. 

Thankfully he agreed, almost painfully the conflict written upon his usually angelic face but not because he was upset about missing out on a group activity but more because he wanted to please everyone, even when it was clear that would never happen. Perhaps any other time it would hurt how quickly he agreed and how little he actually cared for your interests, but it gave you a sense of relief knowing you’d get an afternoon free from her and free from having to pretend everything was okay. 

Although Steve was your best friend sometimes you forgot about the other two friends you also loved dearly and now was the time to truly appreciate them without any distractions. Just you, Robin and Eddie exploring Paris’ famous attraction and of course causing a little bit of mischief along the way. 

That was mainly Eddie’s fault though. 

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

[a/n] reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated and encouraged!

Other works available here!

Taglist: @freezaz123

[celestie0]

🪷 I have been summoned. ℑ 𝔴𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔭𝔯𝔬𝔱𝔢𝔠𝔱 𝔶𝔬𝔲.

These guys will never give up on the horny agenda will they 😭 it's been months wallahi I still remember the last time you got asks like these and like..okay I get it everyone gets horny occasionally but there's several stories that will cater to your needs of the moment. Hell just search up the tags #(insert character) smut and you'll get that shit.

I don't think the anon meant it in a pushy way but seriously on your end I can't even imagine the pressure it must put on you. Like imagine tens of people sending you stuff like this, then on top of that the cunts who send hateful, catty asks over STORIES and HEADCANONS. I'm actually so sorry dude. Forget about touching grass these people need a shot of chlorophyll injected straight to their bloodstream.

I think so much of this brain rot is because as a reader the effort isn't that significant on our end. 15-20 mins of reading and maybe a like or comment if necessary and that's all. As the writer on the other hand? So many hours spent in just coming with ideas, even more hours trying to articulate said ideas and make it coherent and fun to read, even more hours editing that stuff. Whew bitch. I remember why I gave up on my blog now 😭 but back to the point it's a major imbalance of effort and time put into the work from the parties. And after a point these people start feeling like they are owed their own specific fantasies and needs and it's just..girl I get it it's a self insert y/n fic but dj your kitty and go back to sleep instead of pestering an already tired and anxious writer.

You're god's strongest soldier Elliebear we love you. You and all the writers who put so much love and effort into your work only to get stuff like this in return.

HIIIII lilypad anon omg hope you’re doing well <33 also every time i read one of your asks i’m always reminded of how fucking funny you are 😂 the chlorophyll line sent me to the moon bahhaha. tysm for always coming to my support n rescue 🥺💕

AAA yea ikk like the fuckin kickoff smut asks too like bruh. i understand that i get new followers periodically that haven’t seen my posts addressing my issue w these types of asks, but like?? is it not also just basic decency? lol. i’ve been reading fanfics since i was like 12 y/o and i’ve never sent an author a rude asf ask or pushy comment like that…i can’t always keep giving these ppl the benefit of the doubt.

yea i mean i felt really awful when i responded to that ask about an hour after all my anger subsided lolol, because i can acknowledge that it’s not just the anger towards that particular anon, but also just a combination of all the asks i’ve gotten that just want smut. like, i’m ALREADY self conscious about writing smut, and i’m ALREADY self conscious about the lack of smut in my fics. these asks just make those feelings of anxiety increase ten-fold, and then i become too paralyzed to write anything.

yes i 100% agree w you, there’s definitely an imbalance of effort and i think the way you put it is perfect lol i could never put that thought into words the way you did haha. although it’s ultimately my decision to write and i’d never pressure ppl to interact w my work, i think because there is inherently such an imbalance of effort, some entitled readers suddenly think that they are OWED my time and OWED their hyperspecific fantasies to be included in my fics.

idk i’m like kinda getting carried away here i’m also pms’ing so bad i think that’s why this whole situation is messing me up more than usual 😂 but anywho thanks so much for supporitng me lilypad bb :(( i’m so grateful to have you as a reader. and yes! i’ve seen similar situations w my writer moots as well, so all the love extends to them too. i think writers really need to stand up for ourselves more often so these ppl fuckin learn n don’t do the same shit w other authors or in other fandoms

much love <3 ellie 🐸

[a-student-out-of-time]

Maybe Arei first talked with Levi about his secret. Levi get horrified that someone knows his secret but lied to show himself in good lied. Because Levi is good friend with Eden Arei believe him and think he's not dangerous but in reality Levi decided kill her so his secret with true mltives didn't come out.

//I can understand that logic, but then why did the murder happen the way it did? Where does the note come in and why did it involve things like making it look like she hanged herself? Where do the fish in the playground come in? And again, what about the other points in the story so far?

//Plus, I don't really get why people think Levi's immediate response to seeing something dark without context is to assume the worst and resort to murder, especially when everyone has had their secrets passed out.

// Yes, he has a dark past, but he's trying his hardest to move on from that, so why wouldn't he give Arei the benefit of the doubt when he doesn't know why she resorted to all that?

//This is especially if, as we've all probably concluded, he's killed someone before and now knows that someone else knows, that someone being her. Yes, he can get scary when he's pissed off, but I honestly don't think Levi is the kind of person who would immediately decide the best way to hide his past as a murderer...is to commit murder.

//Especially not when he knows that, by doing so, he condemns the very people he's wanted to protect to certain death if he actually stays quiet. If he really did kill Arei, especially if it was in a fit of blind rage like a lot of people claim, I'm certain he would've said something by now.

//Even with that past he's ashamed of and his occasional anger issues, Levi honestly has the least motivation to kill someone and far less motivation to stay silent.

//@tired-writer-in-progress I fully believe your boi is innocent and I will stand by this claim.

[dirtyhends]

I never had someone i loved betray me before, cause i don't love people i just pretend to love them i have stopped myself from dying multiple times just for the hope of you, is that not beyond fucked up? i keep having dreams about you coming to apologize to me i frankly don't care about anybody else i really don't all the people we had around us al our shared friends i dont give a single fuck about them i liked them but i never really cared that much about them so i wasn't fazed with them leaving me as much as you betraying me destroyed me i don't care about what you did more than the act i feel like i am now unable to tell or share anything in fear that it will be used against me, i wonder if you know that i wrote down about you in details every time we met in my diary, and i am not even a writer but i wanted to remember those moments i also wonder if you knew how much i bragged about you to my mom and every time she would mention her best friend and her fighting i would say yeah i can't relate to that "you" would never do that to me i often wonder if i might've given myself bad eye and 7sedt rouhi i've always found excuses for you even when you made me feel small even when you were inconsiderate of my disability even when you made an instagram video about me and talked shit knowing i wouldnt know the content but little you did know that one of your so called friends pretty much captioned it for me word by word but even then i still thought maybe it's not me! thats not about me! she would never do that to me i thought that nothing could come between us, i'm not a good person not a good friend and i am aware of that but i tried my best to be one with you, it's weird even now i find myself crying wondering where did i go wrong convincing myself that i don't care about you but i do, you were my entire fucking world the only person i can be transparent with without feeling judged but now i'm aware that you were probably judging me every single time and it honestly kills me, i keep reading my diaries reading my words about when we met how clean you smelled how fun you were how beautiful and fashonably dressed you were how i felt like i could be myself around you and it drives me nuts to think i was and still feeling all this love for someone who didn't even pause to give me the benefit of doubt and i don't know how to stop feeling this way, even our other friend i didn't care about her it actually susprised me how i didn't give her a second thought or any of the other ones i guess i never held them in the same scale as you, to me what we shared was unsharable but we did share it anyway, i keep replaying every conversation every moment spent together everything you told me wondering where did i go wrong, the day you told me you attempted to kill yourself i was worried sick i started crying on facetime with my friend who lives in a whole another fucking contient just to now worry you and freak out on your face i don't feel bad about suicide or about people who feel urges to kill themselves o often struggled with feeling empathy for the suicidal because i have been feeling that way for as long as i can remember but the thought of losing you is what made me lose my mind maybe i thought about it so much that i manifested losing you in some way could that be the case? at the end i only wish i had closure it's okay i am okay with letting you go and i am okay with you not loving me the way i loved you i only wish i had closure cause i am tired of thinking but i guess we don't all get what we wish for huh? i only wish i could hate you but it's okay because i think hating you would hurt me more than whatever this is.

—

September 2023

[amphibifish]

what’s the worst avenue q song (in the final musical the cut one’s don’t count)

ok so i'm my opinion (excluding the reprises cause they're like 15 seconds long and i'm not wearing underwear today is too short 4 me to count i think)

i was gonna make it a tie but honestly the only one that i have true problems with is everyone's a little bit racist. (actually thank u for sending this cause this has been in my mind FOR MONTHS.)

ok quick rundown of my thoughts

this song is very catchy and has such a good melody but the message of the song is very much iffy. my personal interpretation is that nobody is above making mistakes therefore it is important to check oneself in order to not yk. be racist. mostly because of how the formula of how more characters get added to the song is character a says something racist and doesn't realize it character b points it out then they sing abt ur etc etc things along those lines i've rewritten this paragraph so much i am so tired but anyways the main problem is that this song has many interpretations with some being a lot worse than others and unfortunately there's a good chance the message of the song is literally just the title, but i am giving the writers the benefit of the doubt since one of them is literally a poc, which doesn't exempt him from being racist but yk he's probably dealt it with at some point so he knows what it's like yadada you get my drift.

tldr; i try to give this song the best interpretation i can but unfortunately it is very iffy in its message. but it's pretty catchy.

[oblivious-aro]

F, I, L, M, (woah just realised that word is in alphabetical order…) X, Y!

F - What’s the longest you’ve ever been in a fandom?

I'm just realizing it's kind of tricky to define what exactly constitutes ‘being in a fandom’. Internet culture as we know it today was kind of forming as I was growing up, and that's where I primarily think of fandom culture, and fandom itself, as existing at all. 

That being said, probably Legend of Zelda. 

Honourable mention to Danny Phantom and H2O: Just Add Water. Those were the two shows I primarily browsed the fanfiction for when I discovered fanfiction existed. My main interest in fanfiction was identity/secret reveal fics. Also really liked looking up funny My Little Pony fan comics. I think of those as my sort of first foray into wider fandom cultures.

I - Has Tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why?

I was disillusioned to fandom culture very early on, and had heard many of the horror stories of fandom toxicity long before I got Tumblr.

That being said, interacting with Danny Phantom fans on Tumblr really opened my eyes to how fandom tends to bubble itself.

I already knew about DP fans…eccentricities from my time fanfiction.net, but on ffn you can at least give writers the benefit of the doubt that their attitudes are just coming from their own personal tastes and experiences, since engagement is limited, but on Tumblr you see the fandoms collective thoughts and attitudes and how they engage with the media and each other more clearly. I figured because of that, there would be engagement with the show on a critical level, but outside of a few points, the fans pretty much never dug into the writing of the show unless is contributed to adding inane details to fan lore, or referencing fandom in-jokes that aren't very funny even if you do know the story behind them. 

There's not a lot of engagement on the level of fannon either, actually. It's mostly just adding lore bits and shallow jokes. The only time I ever saw anyone address any meta issues there was to say the tired old ‘we just need to be tolerant and all get along’ vague posting spiel. 

In short, Tumblr DP fandom taught me first hand that even in an environment that's more conducive to engagement, a lot of fans just won't, and that was extremely disappointing to realize.

Also Delicious in Dungeon. They seemed fine at first, but then I found out how incredibly dishonest the fandom was about the show, and that sowed a lot of resentment towards the fandom and the show itself. That's on me for forgetting anime fans are terrible, though. 

L - Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn’t one of your faves.

Non-puzzle spoiler for Ace Attorney 3, but the bit at the end of the flashback trial where after watching their client die in front of them, Godot turns to Mia and tells her that as a lawyer it's their duty to keep smiling and push through no matter what, all the while keeping a smile on his face, but grasping his ceramic mug so hard it shatters and cuts his hand…that smile still fixed on his face while blood runs down his clenched fist, and security is frantically trying to deal with the dead body just off screen…but Godot isn’t looking at his bleeding hand or the corpse at the witness stand…he’s only focused on what he's saying to the distraught Mia…insisting that they have to keep smiling despite everything…

That's metal as fuck. Godot was not a character who was handled well, but the coffee mug shattering is absolutely a top ten Ace Attorney moment in my book.

Also his coffee animations are genuinely funny.

M - Name a character that you’d like to have for a friend.

Ruby Gloom. I like how she always planning fun activities, she generally tries to be accommodating without being a total pushover, and is always working to make life more enjoyable for herself and everyone around her. She seems like a really positive person to have in your life.

Y - What are your secondhand fandoms (i.e., fandoms you aren’t in personally but are tangentially familiar with because your friends/people on your dash are in them)?

Miraculous Ladybug (my younger cousin was really into the show when it first came out, and there's one tumblr artist who makes great comics, but the glimpses I saw of the level of teasing in the show proper turns me right off. Conceptually though, Miraculous is my JAM, but I. Cannot. Stand. Excessive. Teasing. One of the rare instances of a show being enhanced by being experienced exclusively through fandom) 

Delicious in Dungeon (it's pretty hard to not absorb that show if you exist on Tumblr in any capacity)

Star Wars/Yu-gi-oh (I've seen a bit of both, but I've learned a lot from my brother who's watched much more than I)

Minecraft/Five Nights at Freddie's (3 of my 4 siblings, and also all nerds everywhere, love Minecraft, so you know. My sister was really into Fnaf when it first got big, and my little sister was just the right age to enjoy it when it had its resurgence)

That's everything off the top of my head. 

Z - Just ramble about something fan-related, go go go! 

Putting this under a cut because it ended up being way longer than expected. Tell me to ramble at your own risk, apparently. No, I don't really know where I was going with what I was saying either:

I think sometimes we all gotta step back and remember this whole fandom thing is very silly. 

Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying fan creations are valueless or not worth taking seriously (I've dedicated many hours to fan creations myself), but to hear some people talk you’d think fandom was some kind of oppressed political group.

Guys…this is primarily a space where twelve year olds talk about their blorbos kissing, lighten up. Yes, there are a lot of real issues in fandom spaces that should be talked about, but sometimes it feels like the only one people want to talk about is an external issue that…doesn’t really exist. Big companies don’t really care what fandom does with their properties anymore. The reality is that there was a few weird instances about a decade ago, and some people can’t let go of that. One author said ‘don’t write fanfics about my books’, and fandom developed a persecution complex the size of Russia and cursed their name long after that author’s death. Because they were told not to write fanfics. About one book.

(Disclaimer: I know there was a bit more to the situation than that, but my point still stands)

And the worst part of making this fake issue such a big part of fandom identity is people weaponizing it to stop others from talking about real issues. “Hey, are we sure it’s okay there’s so much fanart depicting-” “Shh! Shh! Shh! We can’t criticise each other! We can’t let fandom space be divided! We can’t ever question anyone in fandom spaces or else we will fall apart and big company will win! Just ignore stuff you don’t like so that everyone can get along always!” I hate how adamant people are about cutting off this entire avenue of discussion point blank. Preserving the concept of fandom is more important than improving the culture of fandom.

And it's not just obtuse teenagers, it's fully grown adults. Like…a significant amount of money has changed hands based on these beliefs. I happened to be on ao3 when a fundraiser went live, and they more than doubled their goal in an hour. All because it's the website that ‘protects fan’s freedom of speech’. That's a lot of extra money being given to a site that runs on unpaid volunteers based on very shaky beliefs (and you can’t even permanently block tags or even ban people properly *ahem*), just because other websites don’t let you write about three specific authors or [redacted].

In short, ao3's basically a scam and if you ever catch me using the term ‘transformative works’ please shoot me. People are trying to sell you a sense of importance with language like that (literally in ao3's case).

That being said, there's something genuinely beautiful about fandom connections when they aren't glorified. I've made multiple friends who live in different countries from me just because we like the same lego show. That's actually ridiculous, but the connection is undeniably genuine and treasured, and it was founded on all of us sharing our weird hobbies.

Even on a smaller scale, there's something about hearing a person make a Nintendo or a superhero reference that can put me at ease a little. I've never been fond of how dismissive people can be of more mainstream media. Pop culture gives us fun little connections to make as a society, and that's great. It's cool when your 60 year old coworker says “my Spidey senses are tingling”, or that shy kid starts to open up to you because you know what Bluey is. 

Of course it's worth remembering that liking the same media (or having any common interest or hobby) is not enough. Liking the same show can bring people together, but it is the character of the individuals involved that determine whether that connection gets nourished or not. Relating back to my original point a little, we shouldn’t completely give credit to fandom. You didn’t have these positive experiences because fandom is a magical place where stuff like that just happens, you had them because you put in the work to build those positive experiences. It’s the same with any hobby. 

It’s like saying you made friends through knitting, it’s technically not 100% accurate. Afterall, not everyone who knits is friends with other knitters, even if they do know of other people who knit. The decision to make brownies every week for the knitters circle is an effort you have chosen to put in, and indicative of your character beyond the commonality of the hobby the group was founded on. So no, you didn’t just make friends through knitting, you made friends by being yourself.

(Yes, I do realize that I’m being kind of nit-picky here. Rest assured, I do not always go on this kind of a ramble when someone says they made friends though x, I’m just trying to illustrate a point about the powerful perspective we lose through glorification)