#and they aren't fat because they like to be lazy sometimes!

[erigold13261]

Love that fat vs body-builder post so much!

Like need more headcanons of strong and/or fast DJ, Sofa, West, and any of the other fat characters.

We KNOW West is fast and strong. I like to think DJ and Sofa are also strong (maybe not as fast, though I do think Sofa is pretty fast), they just haven't done as much training.

DJ definitely has endurance though, and is pretty nimble. Love the thought that they can rollerskate for hours doing all kinds of tricks and stunts. Even running marathons at times, or at least having been on his track team when he was younger.

Sofa and Dodo just exercising for fun and Sofa just being a lot more flexible than the average person would think they are. Not as much endurance but I can see Sofa doing sprints sometimes.

Oh! Also Aunty! Omg she is strong! Her and West use to go to the gym together to socialize while they worked out until West moved away. She still goes just to keep her body moving but has been a bit more lonely without a training partner.

[junkissed]

too hot to handle

member — junhui x gn!reader genre — sfw, fluff, comfort word count — 1k synopsis — dinner in bed is nice, but sometimes things get a little spicy. warnings — mentions of food and eating, reader doesn't eat/like spicy food (the title is a joke this is not smut it's not even a teeny bit suggestive. just pure fluff !!) notes — requested by @onlymingyus — so actually i am a big fat liar nsjdghf i randomly felt motivated to write jun fluff today bc i miss him so here's a little drabble from my inbox :-) my requests are still closed and i'm still on hiatus-ish, but i hope you enjoy!

the sound of loud slurping noises pulls your attention away from the tv as you lay in bed, tangled up in jun’s side with a bowl of ramen on your lap.

“you're doing that on purpose, aren't you?”

“doing what?” he mumbles through a mouthful of food as he looks up from his bowl, half a noodle still hanging between his lips before he swallows it up.

you stare at him for a moment. the look on his face is so cute that you can't tell if his ignorance is feigned or not, but does it really matter? you're going to let him get away with it either way. “nevermind,” you answer after a minute, and he shrugs and happily goes back to finishing up his dinner.

you stretch your back and relax into the pillows, and automatically jun lifts his arm so you can settle into his side. he always adjusts so you have a comfortable place to lean on, even if it hinders his ability to eat. your elbow rests on his hip as you lay against him, propping yourself up to balance your own bowl.

the tv plays quietly, a new drama that the two of you have been watching together the past few weeks. but it's just background noise; it might as well have been muted, because you'd stopped listening to it a while ago. it's the first night in too long that you've been able to spend time with jun uninterrupted, and you'd much rather focus on him. with both of your busy and exhausting lives, lazy evenings and dinner in bed have become few and far between lately, so you savor every moment you can get with him.

he slurps his ramen again, and now you're sure he was doing it on purpose because this time he does it much quieter than before. you can't help the smile that makes its way onto your face as you bring a spoonful to your own mouth, shaking your head in enamored fondness.

you lean your head back against his shoulder to look up at him. you don't know how he does it. how he manages to make you fold when he's not even trying.

he flashes you a grin when he sees you staring and he slurps from his spoon, this time making it clear he wants you to know he's doing it intentionally. you laugh softly move your head down towards the screen again, but he hums out a little noise and you pause to glance back up at him.

“wait a second,” he says after swallowing the broth in his mouth. he puts down his spoon and uses his free hand to tilt your chin up towards him, two gentle fingers guiding your cheek.

you follow his eyes as he stares down at your lips, and for a second you think he's going to kiss you. but instead he brushes his thumb across your lip, wiping away a stray piece of carrot from the corner of your mouth, and you feel your cheeks flush with heat.

“is that all?” you say, and he lets out a little hum in disagreement as he stares at you. you lick your lips reflexively under his gaze, your eyes never leaving his. the dim light from the tv makes him look even prettier, you think, studying the fuzzy outline of his features in the darkness.

“mmm… no, i think i missed a spot, actually.”

this time he leans down to kiss you and you crane your neck up to meet his lips, breaking into a smile as you feel him press against your mouth. your eyes flutter shut at the familiar movement of his lips moving with yours, so natural and warm and tender like it's the easiest thing in the world.

he pulls away after a second and sighs, settling back against the headboard of the bed and adjusting you in his arms. distantly you hear the drama's theme song playing in the background as the credits of the episode flash across the screen, but you don't care about following the story anymore.

at this moment you're more concerned with the biting warmth spreading across your lips, so you wipe the back of your hand against your mouth, and he lets out a little whine. “hey, why’d you do that?” he pouts. “don't wipe off my kisses. you're making me sad.”

“because you're burning my mouth! your ramen's too spicy for me,” you tease as you pout back at him, reaching across him to set your own half-empty bowl on the nightstand.

he grabs your wrist before you pull back and brings your hand up to his mouth. without having to ask you sigh, knowing what he wants, and you swipe your thumb over his lips even though there's nothing there.

“there. all gone, no more spice,” he hums with a smile and he gently releases your hand. you let your arm fall onto his lap, resting across his body and curling around his waist to pull him closer to you. “now come here and let me kiss you again, i have to replace the one you wiped off.”

you groan and pretend to roll your eyes, but you don't hesitate when he leans back in to capture your lips again. the heat is easy to put up with; you don't mind his spicy kisses, if it means you get to have moments in bed together like this.

“i'm gonna make you brush your teeth before you kiss me next time,” you grumble, but it's not hard to tell that your threats are empty.

jun just giggles and presses his lips against you once more, this time on your cheek by the corner of your mouth, because it's clear you're not serious nor upset. the days of being grossed out by each other have long since passed, and you'll gladly take a sloppy kiss from him any day. “love you, too.”

i hope you enjoyed this!! if you did, consider reblogging or leaving a comment or an ask :) it shows me this is something people want to see more of, and knowing people like this makes me want to write more of it! thanks for reading!!

if you want to be notified when i post a new fic, you can join my taglist here!

taglist — located in replies

[pasta-in-the-pudding]

Hello<3 can you do Masky, Toby, Jeff and Ben with a mean teen readerr? Like there just mad all the time but its because of trauma or something?:0 I LOVE YOU SMM TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF MLLL!!<33

Jeff and Tim are NOT gonna take that shit 😰

Thank you so much for requesting!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Masky

Honestly the dad in him comes out a bit

Like his whole thing is "what makes you think you get to act like that?"

He gets it, you've had a rough life but so has EVERYONE ELSE HERE

Just because your life sucked doesn't mean you get to be an asshole

He will treat you like a baby

Partly just to tick you off, and partly because if you act like a baby, you're gonna get treated like one

He'll put you in time out, he'll take things away, he'll put hot sauce in your mouth, etc

And the thing is, you can't even tattle to slender because slender agrees with Tim!

I think maybe here and there he'd ask you why you're always so angry, and what he can do to help, and if you don't answer, he doesn't mind because he understands

But if you do answer, your relationship begins to grow, and he learns how to help you out better

He doesn't want you to be mad all the time, because even though it might not seem like it sometimes, he does care about you

But as much as he cares, he also isn't gonna let a literal child bully him

He's way too old for that shit >:/

Toby

He's kind of scared of you

He just stays out of your way

His relationship with you is similar to his relationship with Jeff

He and Jeff are friends, yes, but they aren't close

And most of the time, Toby will choose to avoid Jeff rather than hangout with him

That's how he sees you too

You're a good kid! He just doesn't wanna upset you

The very few interactions you have with him are typically just him sucking up to you, or him doing his best to tiptoe around everything that could upset you

And because of this, you do take advantage of him sometimes

"Toby go get me a snack"

"I dunno y/n, don't you think you could go...get it yourself this time?" As he says this almost every word has a whistle or click after it, showing how nervous he is

You will slowly turn your head to look at him with a glare "I know you aren't calling me lazy"

"No, no! I-I would never! I'm just saying-"

"OH! So you're calling me fat then?"

"No!"

"Then go get me a snack before i make you regret the day your mommy queefed you out"

He REALLY needs to learn to stand up for himself smh

And typically he is pretty good at standing up for himself but yk

Kids scare him

Jeff

With his explosive anger issues you will not last more than 3 seconds around him omg

He is not above fist fighting a child btw

I mean yk, he'd get punished for it but that doesn't stop him

The second you try anything around him he checks you real quick

If you back off, he will get a boost of pride and say some shit like "Yeah, that's what I thought"

If you double down with it, it will likely turn into an all out screaming match

Until someone pulls him away and is like "dude you can't be fighting with little kids :/"

He will always call you names and always be sour around yo

Crotch goblin, little shit, failed abortion

you know, the usual <333

Honestly im gonna be so real with you for a second, the way I see yalls relationship going is only to one drastic side of a spectrum

You could bond over your anger issues and become best friends/siblings with an unbreakable bond

OR you could become so sour towards each other that the caretakers of the manor literally have a meeting about changing your schedule a bit to get around Jeff's

No in between its only one of those two

Yeah, Jeff doesn't take no shit from anyone

Even children, gotta teach em young <333

Ben

Ben, being so chill genuinely does not care what you do to him

Since he doesn't have a physical body, you can't fight him either

So sometimes he will pick fights with you just to make you mad

I'm desperately trying to make Ben's section more than 3 bullets long

I'm telling you he literally does not care, does not react, NOTHING.

You could be screaming at him and he will just continue about his day like you aren't even there

Which of course, makes you more mad

But again, he doesn't care

Making you try harder and harder just to get a reaction out of him

The only reaction you will get is out of Jeff, and we already talked about his dramatic ass

[hyenaswine]

when searching for tips on washing embroidery/xstitch sometimes you will find people who are like "ummm i just make sure i always have clean hands when i sew so i don't have to wash my pieces 😇" & i want you to know those people are idiots. you have oils in your skin that come FROM your skin no matter how clean it is; you are a human being & this is perfectly normal. this is how your body is supposed to work - these freaks who think they don't produce oil aren't cleaner than you, they're just wrong.

i don't personally care if you choose to wash your work when you're done - i think maybe there's something about those oils being invisible at first but sometimes staining the fabric over time, idk you'll have to look it up - & i'm not gonna think you're dirty or gross if you don't; it's your art & your choice, & your body is not gross for being human. i always wash my pieces when i'm done just because it makes me feel better about sending them off to other people (where they're no longer in my control), & also because i live with a chronically ill cat who sneezes on anything & everything i own. i just assume by default that everything in my home has cat snot on it whether i can see it or not.

i have a black plastic witch's cauldron which was previously a halloween decoration that i just fill with warm water & a drop of dish soap. i put my finished pieces in there to soak for 10-20 minutes; at least once you should agitate the water a bit, like a washing machine would, & sometimes you might have to scrub a piece against itself if there's a visible mark you're trying to get out (i use this ancient red tailor's crayon on some darker fabrics that i often have to scrub to erase). dump the water out, put cool water in, dump it out, keep doing that until there are no more suds in the water, or just take the piece out & rinse it if you're lazy. you're not supposed to wring it out, but again, i'm lazy & i don't like carrying sopping fabric through my house. then you gotta lay it on a towel & if it's a larger piece, roll the towel up & twist it to wring it out in THERE, which is apparently okay. then iron the piece from the back so you don't flatten your stitches. after that i pop my piece straight onto a high shelf in my closet to dry, so that the damn cat doesn't have a chance to get any of his germs on it.

anyway nobody asked for my advice or details of my personal embroidery-washing routine, but advice that's like "just don't be dirty in the first place 😇" is literally so unhelpful & infuriating. that's not advice cuz you aren't offering a solution to the problem (aside from acquiring a time machine) & you clearly don't KNOW what the actual answer is anyway, or else you'd know that your hands are never truly clean & you're framing work that might end up revealing all your grimy little sins as it ages. washing your work is a pain but it's not so impossible as to not be worth doing if you want to or need to. cuz sometimes your cat plants a fat booger right in the middle of your dainty little sampler & you need to know how to fix that shit, because not allowing your cat to sit on your lap while you're sewing is clearly NOT an option.

[hanasnx]

Hop hop 🐇 hi Indy :) I came because I missed ya and I brought you carrots from my rabbit garden 🥕🥕🥕 (they have little bites on them sorry 😕).

Baby daddy Jason got me thinking about... Domestic fantasies. Red Hood who's fully settled into the role of crime lord, sometimes solicits one or two of the prostitutes under his protection, just when his skin crawls with loneliness and it feels like the blood won't wash off of his hands. All been with him at least once, he doesn't like to take the same girl twice, a guilt thing maybe, and with Gotham's unfortunate economy there's always new girls.

I just can't stop thinking of Jason Todd pounding his fat cock in and out of a prostitute who's face down, mouth drooling and eyes lazy, while he growls in their ears. It's always the same, too, the girls talk amongst themselves about it. Biting words about fucking babies into their whore cunts and making proper women out of them, tearing the fucking scraps on their bodies they excuse for clothing, burning them and putting them in something more befitting a mother. The mother of his children. Sweet dresses with fucking flowers, and e room enough for their swollen bellies. He makes them beg for his cum in their dirty cunts, and they thank him for it profusely when he shoots because one girl figured out he really likes that too. Red Hood pays well, makes girls cum, and comes to their rescue on jobs gone bad. Sometimes he lays with them in their own mess, cum, squirt, piss, leaves sweet kisses on their temples, splays his fingers over their bellies. Never says a word though. The experiencess with him aren't bad, just bizzare, the girls always need to lie down and think about them for a while after the fact. Feels like they just saw something about the bug bad boss they weren't supposed to.

Anyway, sorry I hope this wasn't too long.

I think we should make carrot cake, what do ya think bug? 🐇Hop jop

i loved reading this i made a sound of excitement when you sent it in bcos its so endearing <3 thank u donnie u always say good shit

[thediktatortot]

Just want to remind my followers of a few things!

I don't care what you ship. Go for it and have fun. I don't know you, your life or the things you've been through (or haven't been through) and I genuinely don't give a crap about why you like what you like.

I try to tag triggering things if I see them or know of them. I'm not going to tag every single little thing because sometimes it's 2am and I just shitpost. If I miss something, please just let me know! I don't bite and I don't want to upset people either so just a little 'hey! can you tag for blood/vomit/etc' then i do not mind and will fix it. (Addendum: if you ask me to tag for things like fatness, disabilities, disfigurement or other uncontrollable aspects of a person's body, then no i wont oblige. Spiders & bugs i'll tag for but otherwise no.)

I'm an adult. If you are not an adult then you understand that by being in my blog and interacting with my posts that you are interacting with an adult. I do not go to everyone's profiles to see if they are adults or not and I do not read DNIs, so if I respond to you on my posts, that is your job to keep yourself safe from whatever it is you want to keep yourself safe from.

This is a place for my own enjoyment. If you don't like the things I post, please unfollow or block me if it upsets you.

Also, Trans Women are Women, Trans Men are Men, Asexuals are Queer, Queer is an umbrella term we can all use, Fag Dyke and all the other queer words are ours to take back and if you tell someone they aren't allowed to use them you are ear wax, fandom is a weird place for weird people, disabled people deserve to have just as many rights as everyone else, everyone deserves a home, no one is inherently lazy, and so many other 'let people live their lives without struggle's.

[bunnyseahorse-blog]

I don’t feel like my therapist is listening, so I fired him, and I don't even feel bad.

I have half a dozen serious mental illness diagnosis and medical issues. When I applied for disability I was approved in three months (usually takes longer from what I'm told) and almost immediately moved from their metaphorical “she might get better” to “she’s going to be receiving benefits for life” pile.

The doctor I saw from age 7 to 30 advised me not to drive because of my condition that causes me frequent fainting.

She suggested I not live alone because I have delusions, mood swings and sometimes need to be hospitalized. I saw this doctor for 23 years, and also went to other specialists that agreed with her. I saw her until she was retired.

My general doctor says that even though I am overweight she is pleased with my glucose and cholesterol levels. My old, and also my new psychiatrists agreed with her.

My parents say I can live with them and have support. They are actually creating an expansion on the house so I can live on my own sort of and still have them nearby. My eldest sibling is inheriting the house when my parents die and they will rent to me until I die. We don't always get along, but I am trying, and we are navigating our unique dynamic so we can make it work.

This new therapist I’ve been seeing keeps insisting I go off disability, get a job, move out of my family’s house, live alone, and lose weight. Because I’m too old to “mooch off my parents.” He made comments from the get go about my weight. I am overweight yes, but he's not a doctor or nurtritionist. I am not experiencing any health issues because of my weight, which is partly due to my medical conditions and my meds. He made a comment once that i should show some pride in myself and not wear a beanie to sessions "do something nice with my hair." He told me once my shoulders looked smaller and I must be doing better. I was thinking.... do I have fat shoulders too??

I am going to a session today to explain to him nicely that he needs to let me set my own goals, and also educate him on how my life really is. I don’t think therapists should require educating. If he doesn’t get it, I’m leaving the session but I’m giving it a shot anyways.

I’m scared and I’m angry. Wish me luck? I don't want to be a project for him. I want to talk about things in sessions that i need to, not what he considers on his own agenda.

EDIT: I went to the session and voiced my concerns about he got a little defensive, but eventually seemed to see what i was saying and switched his focus to what I told him my goals were. However... I wanted a therapist to help me work through my abandonment issues and trauma, not a life coach to push me. I think i might find someone with a different focus is good. (plus him getting defensive isn't a great sign to me) he also insinuated that my little sister, who he has heard off, never met and never examined, is mentally handicapped because of one of her birth parents. We've had her tested, and everyone seems to be saying she's very sharp and doesn't have what her birth mom has. He also asked what my doctor of 23 years even did for me. I was like... diagnosed me with everything I have? Oh but according to him, diagnoses aren't relevant. I have a condition similar to schizophrenia, and yes you should know if you have that....

Also... I signed something saying he could have access to the last notes of my previous therapist, since I have extensive history but he apparently never got it, never told me he didn't get it, and wants me to go through the process again. I feel like the office dropped the ball, because I signed it already.

I think it might be time to move on... I canceled my next appointment. I feel like I should be able to find someone who listens better, and is there to help me, not fix me into things I am not capable of. Having him insist I am wrong and lazy for excepting my limitations, after the long grieving process that came with becoming permanently disabled at 26, has been upsetting, because I keep doubting myself, even though I know I have done the right things.

[owlbelly]

was about to reblog a fat lib post earlier but made the mistake of opening the notes, which were so rancid i had to just close tumblr for a bit

it's hard to really explain (or honestly even totally comprehend yourself) the cumulative psychic damage you take when you're undeniably fat. like, hell, there are people who want me dead for being Jewish, for being queer & trans, etc! but nothing, nothing else feels like this for me, just living in a body that is so deeply, widely loathed & feared & pitied & viewed as disgusting in a way that's still pretty much completely normalized (even despite some big changes within my lifetime) & being reminded of that all. the fucking. time.

the fear of being hatecrimed by a stranger, the trauma from having it actually happen to you, that shit fucks you up! i know! but sometimes it's harder to talk about how fucked up you can get on the slow burn of just existing in a society where there is a multi-billion dollar industry based on the premise that looking like you is the worst possible thing that could happen to someone, and that anyone is just one wrong move away from having it happen. it is so baked into absolutely everything around you. you aren't a person, you're a symbol of greed or stupidity or laziness. no matter what, your body is your fault.

the "it's about health" crowd are so fucking insincere too like you all are actively killing us with this level of violent hatred & terror & shame, get fucked. you don't care about fat people's health. you're just scared because you've been taught your whole life to be scared of getting fat & to make yourself feel better by hurting fat people. well i'm gonna live my fat fucking life & love other fat people as much as i possibly can & there's nothing you can do about it shitstain

[thefanboyhub]

I said I could make an essay about why Cleaning/Organizing is one of my strongest coping skills so I am going to because I can.

(Writing and explaining myself are my other coping skills 😔)

Uhhhh TW: Trauma ✨(?)

For starters one of the things I've been forced to do since a young age— mostly due to the whole gender standards but also because of lazy fucking adults in my life— is clean. I would clean anything and everything, all they had to do was ask and I had to follow. It wasn't really that bad until after foster care. One of my mom's boyfriends at the time was a lazy piece of shit, claimed to be disabled but he wasn't, he was just extremely lazy and obese (not fat shaming but he was very clearly the unhealthy kind of fat, y'know the kind that actually does kill you) plus he didn't want to work. He'd have me and my brother do the laundry, have me clean just about everything (all at 8 years old by the way) except vacuuming because I wasn't tall enough to do it right.

That's wasn't the bad though I honestly didn't mind it unless it was a massive mess and made me wanna kill myself with how gross it was. The part that really traumatized me is a two parter and involves my oh so lovely Gran (she can fucking die and I'd be leaping with joy).

First part is the fact that if I didn't do a chore (which of course as the only "girl" and because girls "do things better than boys" I had to do the dusting, cleaning the table, vacuuming, and the bathroom I shared with my brothers, plus mopping once a month, my laundry and help my Gran do everyone else's laundry, AND CLEAN NY ENTIRE ROOM.) right or her way, I would have to redo it. I would have to redo it until I did it right. If it looked like I didn't vacuum, I was forced to revaccum the entire house again. If I didn't clean the baseboards right she would make me move everything off the walls and clean it entirely. When we had stairs, if I didn't clean them right I would have to redo them again. On top of repeating these chores over and over again I also got basically all my privileges taken: Phone, TV, Art supplies, my books a few times, going outside, and other stuff I can't remember.

Which led to the second part of this. I would clean and organize my room for fun when I had stuff taken from me. What else was I gonna do? I couldn't just sit there and daydream or sleep, I would be yelled and and grounded longer for that. So I daydreamed while I cleaned and organized my room. Sometimes I'd reorganize our kitchen and stuff, anything to be busy and not get yelled at or get brownie points so I can have something back.

This slowly became a habit for me. Grounded? Time to rearrange my stuff. Stressed? Clean the bathroom. Trying not to cry because she's right there yelling at you for attitude again for the tenth time this morning? Time to deep clean my room. Anything negative would trigger my response to clean and organize. Even if it's already clean I would clean it. It even got to the point where I clean myself too. I developed germaphobia. I was almost diagnosed by this one therapist I was forced to see at one point with OCD because of the cleaning habits. Fun times.

But some other stuff that contributed to the whole cleaning coping skills would be that it gives me control, a blank start, and physical activity. Moving furniture around, cleaning the walls (oh yeah she made me clean a wall with a toothbrush once. Halfway up the wall she let me switch to a rag so eh.) on my hands a knees scrubbing the tile floor of the kitchen. It helps me get the aggression that my mom and I worked so hard to keep under a tight hold out of my system. It makes me feel as if I have a new start when I'm in a clean space, specifically if I cleaned it. On top of that I also feel on control. The act of cleaning is controlling the environment. I have control over what I clean and how.

Anyways. This was all started because of today. I lost a friend (they aren't dead they just don't want to be friends with me anymore). I struggle with social situations and for 7 years I only had one friend and she left about a year ago. I was 15 when I finally started to have more than one friend. I've basically lost everyone at this point minus one maybe two but even then they get along better so yeah. I suck at making friends, socializing, and all that stuff. Which also means when I lose a friend it causes me great distress and makes me freak the fuck out. I started cleaning my room at 9 pm and I only got done with it at 10:23 pm so yeah. Coping skills yuh.

[ladyluscinia]

Ok, it's been hours, I've done a bunch of things, and I'm looping back to the Izzy Hands topic of the day because it turns out I do have something to say. So.

For anyone with a robust blocklist - short version: the "Izzy hates Stede for being a girly gay" vs "Izzy hates Stede for rich fuck crimes" is back. I will not be addressing this directly, because that's not what I care about today (and my stance is obvious lol). Instead, I want to elaborate on this short post since this particular debate is actually a really phenomenal example of what I'm trying to get at.

Because how do you insult a rich man?

I'm talking about a super straightforward, "I'm somehow in an elevator with Musk and I have one floor to say something mean to him" kind of insult? Or, to frame this correctly, how would you convey in a story someone insulting a rich man, so your audience can recognize quickly that A has a problem with B? Based on viral posts about Musk himself, some popular options are small dick, bastard, stupid, pig, rat, crybaby, toddler, unlikable, fragile ego, loser, etc. etc.

But like... What are those insults about?

See, insults are not neutral language (shocker). They're weighted with what our society sees as "bad", and rarely touch on what our society sees as "good". There's a million ways to call someone ugly (vs attractive), or weak and womanly (vs manly and respectable), or fat (vs strong and healthy), or unlikeable (vs socially accepted), or stupid and lazy (vs productive member of society)... I can go on for a while.

Being rich is one of those "good" things, so we straight up do not really have insults to say "you are bad for being rich and successful" (though we have plenty for "poor".). "Billionaire" might deserve to be a dirty word, but it's not. That's not how language works 🤷‍♀️ The closest is maybe "greedy" but that tends to quickly overlap with fat / lazy or comparing them to animals (i.e. subhuman). Or using wealth to imply a different failing - if he has to buy his friends it's because he's not charismatic, and that's the insult. Maybe in recent years bigotry has gone out of style enough that it can be a somewhat effective target, but even that's still context specific.

Insults are - at their core - about holding up some valued aspect of society and saying "you aren't doing this right". And a lot of those aspects are discriminatory on their face.

Pointing to a character insulting another character and saying you've found implicit internalized bigotry is some "fork spotted in kitchen" shit, especially about emasculating language. Men have spent all of human history coming up with ways to say they are better at being men than their rivals. From an audience perspective, the mere presence of a bias-informed insult (or a bunch of them) is realistically not going to convince everyone this character has an explicit bias being written into them, because they've gotten used to that going nowhere as a character trait.

Often, the asshole character is just being written as an asshole.

And to be clear, writers deal with this linguistic struggle. Sometimes they make up nonsense insults to try and create a culture that doesn't have our biases. They can use more direct examples and obvious slurs to denote the intended bigots, and conversely use more softened or otherwise defanged insults for the generic dicks. Insults like "bastard" are common as their moralizing is archaic. The insulted party & allies' reactions can cue you into how serious an insult is. And yeah, no shit it's all pretty subjective and individuals will disagree on reads, but it's still worth considering because while "being mean" is usually a character flaw, it's approached entirely differently than "being bigoted". Both of which are again different from "this work is reflecting the creators' bigotry." It's the same reason we need to be able to tell the difference between "justified killing" and "unjustified murder" in a story - it matters a lot in the storytelling.

Plus, fans who don't think about this are more likely to apply it by deciding the characters they like are lovable bastards 🥰 and the ones they don't like are undeniably bigots 🤬 and this is obviously, objectively true because don't you know "ponce" is a homophobic slur for men who aren't masculine enough?!? Clearly this is not about him being British upper class!

[vmures]

Not so Brief thoughts on insult reclamation and identity

Bullying and "othering" (treating someone as if they are so different from oneself that they are alien or monsterous) are sadly very common responses to encountering people who are perceived as different. Often that bullying will even rise to systemic abuse of entire groups of people. But it can also be very horrific abuse on a smaller scale. Taunting, verbal abuse, physical attacks, death threats, attempted (and sadly sometimes accomplished) murder. I've seen people respond to bullying in a lot of ways and have experienced some of these responses myself. One method is to shun the words they throw at you while trying to show that you aren't like that and therefore shouldn't be targeted. Another is to reclaim slurs and work on healing from the trauma of bullying and becoming comfortable in your own skin. And there is a whole lot of mix and match and reactions in between these two responses.

I think most, if not all, of us who have been bullied have used the first tactic at times, especially the trying to make ourselves less of a target--masking neurodivergence, being careful about how we present ourselves in certain social settings, etc.

But some take this technique even farther. They decide that they must be a good example of whatever different subgroup they are in and that the bullies should really target those other people who are not good. This frequently involves internalized bigotry.

For example, there was a point where I had internalized fatphobia so much that I was determined to try to be a "good" fat person, trying to eat the right food and exercise to show that I was trying to not be fat. This led to an endless spiral of shame, confusion, and guilt because no matter what I did I didn't lose weight the way the personal trainers and nutritionists thought I would. Then I got really sick and dropped a lot of weight and was absolutely unhealthy during that time. I was miserable and in pain, but people sure did seem to like me more, which was super annoying.

Eventually, I got better and as I got better I gained weight back. I was still eating healthy foods and watching my sugar then, but the weight returned anyway. So I eventually embraced the fact that my body seems to be comfortable at a size 18 (US size, and the size I've been most of my later teen and adult years. Nowadays, I focus on trying to feel less pain and being able to move better and not worry so much about the number on the scale. And truth be told I'm a lot happier and healthier both physically and mentally after shifting the way I looked at myself and my weight.

One of the things that I eventually realized is that for all that fat was (and is) used as a slur and a weapon, it's really just a descriptor of body type. I am fat. That is not a bad thing. It doesn't make me monstrous or ugly. And these days if someone calls me fat, I look at them and say "yeah, and?!" Reclaiming that particular insult did wonders for me. And you know what, so did reclaiming "freak" (a very common insult thrown at neurodivergent folks and anyone different), "geek," "nerd," "dyke," "fag" (some confused Louisiana middle-schoolers didn't realize it was usually used for gay men), "gay," "homo," and "queer." All of these were slurs thrown at me alongside physical violence and threats. There was a time I tried very hard to pass as cis and straight, but I was fucking miserable. All of the things that made up who I was were fucking slurs used to hurt me. Eventually, I hit the fuck you point of my life and reclaimed every last one of those terms. I'm currently working on reclaiming lazy. Because rest is required for a healthy life, and US culture's focus on always being productive is beyond unhealthy.

Because yes, words can fucking hurt and scar you worse than some physical violence does. They haunt you and pick at you for years after you first hear them. But part of that has to do with how much power you give those words yourself. Because far too often the one trying to weaponize the word has broadened the actual definition.

So yeah, I'm a freak, a queer, a dyke, and fat. So what? None of those things are inherently bad and those who say they are are lying to you because they do not want to see you and would rather you did not exist. So they other you and try to make you ashamed to exist. Fuck them. You get to keep on existing anyway. And isn't that the best revenge? Living your life and finding happiness where you can? And yes, it is dangerous to live as your authentic self. But that's why solidarity is so important. There is safety in numbers. Build communities with your fellow freaks, queers, fat folks, etc. See and be seen. Let people know that you are here and you are not going anywhere. Stand together and stand strong.

[bunnygirl678]

my mother was really weird about certain things...

like pants, so i have a fat ass, i'm hourglass shaped, but the size of my ass is not proportional to the rest of me, so i was always wearing pants that had that huge gap in the back, because i had to go up a size (or two) to fit my ass, also i have short legs and a long torso, so i was constantly ruining jeans because they drug on the ground, and my mother would be so pissed, and i was like i can't help it! Then she'd get pissy and tell me to lose some weight so i could find jeans that were the right length, (she's a great person lmao) I also have a pretty small frame (which made childbirth horrible lmao)

so in late high school when i started paying for all my own stuff (which is apparently not normal lmao) i went jean shopping with my aunt (after making a trip to houston by myself lol) who is short like me, and when i started trying stuff on she was like 'why aren't you buying petites??' and i'm like 'no i have a big butt' (i didn't cuss like i do now then lol) and so i tried my first pair of petites and suddenly everything started fitting better, i still had problems with jeans, but in college i tried lucky jeans and so far those are the only ones that fit perfect, i really don't wear jeans that often (now that i'm in florida i don't even have any lol)

But i don't know if she just didn't want to spend the time trying to find stuff that actually fit me or what??

The other thing was she told me I was an 8.5 shoe, she was also an 8.5 shoe, i always complained that my feet hurt, but she'd always come up with stuff like 'oh it's because your lazy butt is doing actual physical stuff' then when i started running after getting sick my senior year of hs, i went to buy running shoes and they were like let's size you sometimes running shoes are different, so they size me and are like are you sure you're 8.5?? I was like that's what i've always worn, and they tell me i'm a 6.5 I was like ?????

So now my feet feel good, and i don't talk to my mother for the most part, she sends princess gifts for holidays but that's about it.

[bluehairlaunch]

7 Best Dragon Ball Villains (objective)

Honorable mentions include Raditz, who is responsible for Goku dying, Piccolo Jr., who actually killed Goku, but was never really a villain imo (he just thought he was, similar to Tien), Nappa, and the Ginyu Force, especially Recoome. Majin Buu is also a fav of mine, but he's the child emperor shooting his BB gun at peasants; he isn't amazingly responsible for his actions until he becomes Super Buu, and Super Buu is... not a good character, much less a good villain.

Nothing filler is on this list btw, because they all suck, except Mystical Adventure, which just rehashes the Red Ribbon Army.

Zarbon is also not on this list, Repeat, Zarbon is NOT on this list (although look at those eyes)

Dr. Gero

I considered putting 17 and 18 on this list together, but they're even less villainous than Piccolo and Tien, and their actually evil future counterparts are decidedly different characters, with a past only referenced and feats we aren't privy to outside of the non-canonical History of Trunks.

Even if 17 and 18 had been the real villains of the Android Saga, this dude's shadow would still loom large over two huge sagas -- being directly responsible for Eighter and all the other androids. Maybe he even designed those doubledecker tanks the RR Army loved so much??

One of the things I adore about Dragon Ball is how Toriyama doesn't usually design his villains to be traditionally Cooooool. Sure, sometimes he provides, but you'll mostly get a small gremlin, short hitler, assassin in pink, fat pink bubble gum monster, short despot, another short despot, girl and boy twink, fat clown, and, in this case, an old man in baggy pants. However, unless the character is just for gags like Pilaf, he still makes these nonconventional villains just as baller as your Sephiroths, Madaras, etc., and Dr. Gero is no exception.

So what if he's an old bald man in baggy pants? He fucks. He canonically fucks even (looking at you 16). He fists yamcha. Destroys city. He murders the fuck outta that car dude and sets an ominous tone that carries over into the Cell portion of the saga.

I like him

Beerus

The only character from Super on this list and that's because Super sucks (GT is an actual abomination though, so don't expect a bait and switch Super 17). However, Battle of the Gods is a great movie, and Beerus is an even better character. He's also (usually) not an antagonist, but he's certainly a villain. I think Buu or maybe Frieza maaaaay have a bigger body count, although the only reason would be Beerus' consummate laziness.

King Piccolo

First and only villain to make a wish, murderer of Roshi (effectively), Chiaotzu, and Shenron, and responsible for the death of Krillin and Goku's first nimbus. He also figures nicely into the backstory of Roshi and the history of the Dragon Ball world.

Him sleeping with his eyes open is neat too

The only reason he's not higher on this list is due to the myriad retcons that surround him and the Namekians. For instance, Dragon Balls seem mythic at first, but they're actually less than 300 years old. If Kami is significantly stronger than him, why was he content to let King Piccolo do world genocide TWICE? Why not send Popo if he can't? (him being a Namekian and Kami's other half is a good retcon tho, it's just clunky).

Frieza

I stan a short king

Vegeta

I don't think Geets has the first beam struggle, but he has the best (objective), with the stakes being the fate of the world. He also has the best fight in the series (objective), with his arc killing half of Dragon Team's fighters, and his fight requiring the other half. And it's still a nail biter!

I stan a short prince

Tao Pai Pai

This fucker has so much swagger. Dude kills General Blue with his tongue, wears a pink chang pao that says 'Kill You', rides around on various shit he throws, and gets an evil nimbus in the filler. Oh yeah, and he absolutely obliterates Goku in their first fight. The only people Goku even struggled with before this was Yamcha, who beat a hungry hungry Goku, General Blue, and Jackie Chun, and none of them came close to outclassing Goku the way Tao did. He also never overstayed his welcome; every scene with him is dope af

Oh and he also did Mecha Frieza before Frieza

Cell

What is there to say? He's perfect.

[bleakbluejay]

i would really love to see more people like me in the media i consume, and i really would've loved to see people like me in the media that i consumed as a kid.

like. i'm lifelong disabled, i've always been disabled, i've only gotten worse. but when i see disabled kid characters, they have helicopter parents (like Stevie from Malcolm in the Middle). i didn't. i was largely neglected beyond my basic needs because i was a "good kid, just lazy". so i wasn't taught how to do basic things, and i was very socially stunted. i got my socialization through video games, books, and cartoons. and i'm forever weird because of it (not that it's the worst, i like having a unique personality for sure. but i'd like to see more weird poorly socialized kids, too, that aren't like... bullies or something -- and the fact poorly socialized or socially disabled characters are often coded as bullies or creeps of some kind could be a rant in itself).

when i see disabled characters in general, especially ones in wheelchairs like me, they're all skinny. i'm not. i'm fat. like very fat. muscular, sure, i could punch like a kangaroo i bet, but i'm 300+ lbs. because it's hard to exercise when your walking/standing are so limited. and it's hard to cook healthy food, too, leading to eating shit microwavable junk. but all the wheelchair-using characters i know, minus Franklin from Texas Chainsaw Massacre, are skinny. in general, there's too many skinny people in media, and we need more variation in body types and builds, but focusing on disabled characters for this one.

when i see amputee characters get a prosthetic, they have no issues. they don't ever deal with poorly fit prosthetics, or blisters, or pain. if they deal with anything at all, it's usually a sight gag (which could be done well, it IS funny when i get my fake foot caught under stuff sometimes, but it often isn't done well at all). they don't deal with any internalized ableism, and i think the only times i saw a disabled character deal with outright malicious ableism was Walt Jr. in Breaking Bad season 1 (who was genuinely an amazing disabled character imo, one of the best I've ever seen) and Patty in Dinner in America. I understand the argument that nobody wants to witness ableism... and self-hating disabled characters also suck... but I feel like we're being so dishonest when we write things to be perfect and always work out and there's never any problems, and it leads to non-disabled people not being aware of the problematic things they do or say or think. i remember as a disabled kid being really frustrated when shown disabled characters that were so well-off in terms of how other people treated them and how easy it was to "fix" their disabilities... it made me feel broken or wrong that I WAS so frustrated and confused and in pain and mistreated. It's why characters like Lt. Dan from Forrest Gump, and John Locke from LOST, and Bran Stark + Tyrion Lannister + Jaime Lannister from A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones meant so much to me and were so magnetic. (I could write a whole different rant about disabled rep in ASOIAF/GOT btw... I love you Davos Seaworth) ... Being disabled can suck. People can mistreat you. You sometimes have to be forced to adapt when you shouldn't have to. You have to, at times, confront that some of your dreams are impossible to achieve, or that you can no longer do something that you love, and learn to accept it (but there's often a lot of bitterness and rage before you get to the point of that acceptance).

What about how PTSD and depression are shown? See, I don't relate to the wilting flower brooding archetype that feels so common. If I spend all day in bed, it's usually more for pain than it is because of mental health. What about psychotics shown in a positive light? I'm not a threat to you because of my paranoia or hallucinations, and neither are my psychotic friends. What about OCD, shown in ways other than counting and germaphobia? What about autism, shown in ways other than robotic apaths? What about BPD, shown in a way other than abuse?

Let's move away from disabled characters into queer ones. Because I don't see a lot of queer characters like me, either. I am transmasc nonbinary, and I identify as a lesbian, and also on the ace spectrum (demi or grey, idk, shit's hard). Where are my fat dykes? Transmascs in general, but also transmascs that still enjoy makeup? I love makeup... I love the pageantry of it -- esp tradgoth or punk makeup or corpse paint. It's amazing how many transmasc nonbinary people I know in real life that engage with femininity compared to how nonexistent they are in any media. God forbid you have a character that takes testosterone but still calls themself a lesbian. God forbid you have a lesbian that leans more butch that ISN'T a sex-hound or a villain or a joke character. God forbid you have an ace character that isn't treated like a robot. Authentic queerness feels incredibly rare. I know it's because they're going for either sanitized queerness that is accessible for straight people, or for softcore porn also for straight people, but fuck, man. It sucks. The closest thing to representation I've ever seen in regards to my queerness was Al from Little Evil -- a masc person of indeterminate gender identity with a wife. And Al rocked. Even if that character was largely a comedic relief, their identity itself didn't feel like the joke, just a point of mild confusion for the main character. The next best representation I've seen was Aziraphale and Crowley from the Good Omens show, which are good and feel very authentic and real. Next best after that is probably the entire cast of the What We Do in the Shadows show... I know so many Laszlos and Nandors and Guillermos and Nadjas in real life, they feel like pretty authentic queer characters actually. None that I, in particular, relate to, other than maybe Guillermo at best, but it's nice to see my friends on TV, too.

I know that a character exactly like me is a bit too much to wish for. But I just want something. I like to feel seen. I like to feel present. I like to feel like people like me are worth having on TV and in movies and in video games. I would've really liked to see any of that as a really confused, lonely kid that was trapped inside because of my health and sentenced to read/watch/play hours and hours and hours and hours of media that did not contain any piece of me within them. It worsened my loneliness more than ever needed.

[dhampiravidi]

👙 ( For Pogue to see Jayn in lingerie~ @in--noctem )

She kept trying to quietly motivate herself to leave the bathroom.

Pogue had lit up when she'd modeled those lace panties during the lazy day they'd shared while on winter vacation with their coven. But what if he was actually just trying not to laugh? He'd tugged off her sweatshirt & they'd had some really good sex then (wall-shaking, Reid-shocking sex, apparently). At least, the sex was good for her...it wasn't like he hadn't had better with Kate, who probably looked good in everything she tried on...

Jayn told herself that she was being realistic. She wasn't thin. The straps of her bras gently indented her skin, & the garters she'd tried on had all squeezed her in a way that made her look uncomfortable, even if they didn't feel incredibly tight. She had left the lingerie store in tears, clutching the small bag with her two purchases as if someone were going to try & smack it out of her hands. But she'd still told Pogue about it (minus the teary part), because part of her wanted him to know. She wanted to be pretty--for him & for herself.

That's not what she saw in the mirror, though.

Her nails, which were freshly manicured from the afternoon before, nervously drummed on her bathroom counter. She kept her eyes on them, because when she'd finally finished doing her makeup after she got dressed, she'd freaked out. That was the price she paid for being fat & looking in the mirror.

She didn't understand why it was so hard. She didn't find every girl to be attractive, but they all seemed to be more attractive than she was. Blonde, brunette, redhead, plus-size, toned, pale, tanned, dark-skinned--women of all kinds were beautiful to her. & yet it was always a miracle when Jayn saw her reflection & wasn't disgusted. Sometimes she did her hair by using her shadow to check for stray locks, just so she didn't have to do the alternative. No one knew that.

"Jay? I'm comin' in--"

"No-!" But Pogue had had enough. According to her phone, he'd been waiting for her to come out for almost 10 minutes. No wonder his patience was wearing thin.

He opened the door, ready to model for Abercrombie & Fitch as always with his perfectly tousled hair, soft hazel eyes, & (shirtless) toned body. Jayn was never jealous of him. She just wondered if she deserved him.

His lips parted just as his eyes widened. He hadn't looked that surprised when she'd revealed the designer panties hidden under those thick yoga pants.

"H-how...how bad is it?" Jayn managed, eyes big & glassy like an innocent baby cow's. She didn't know what she'd do if he laughed at her. In her dreams, her reaction depended on what he said, not what he did.

"Baby...babygirl, c'mere." He stepped into her space, gently moving her so she was facing him. His hands rested on her hips, as usual. He might've smiled, if she didn't look so pathetic. "Don't cry. Hey..." A hot stray tear ran down her cheek, cruelly wetting her lined eyelids. She'd even put on some eyeshadow, which she'd never done before. "I know you were scared. I won't say you shouldn't be, I don't know how you feel really...but I know you did this for me." Good try, he's saying. "I think you look so sexy--why don't you?"

"Huh?" She swallowed a sob & he laughed gently, trying to wipe her eyes. "Nooo--'dab, don't wipe', it'll get smudged--"

"It must be really fuckin' hard, being a girl. Assholes hitting on you, periods...Jaynie, you're always saying how hot I am. But I don't always feel like that."

"Really? Wh-why?" He sighed, looking away for a second.

"I...I can't--it's a long story. I just need you to understand that you're not--nothing's wrong with you just because you aren't confident all the time. You also aren't ugly, you're gorgeous, an' I wouldn't tell you if I didn't think so. Do I lie to you?"

"...no."

"Good. Now, let's see what we've got here!" Pogue took her hands & stepped back, admiring every inch of his girlfriend. She'd put random curls in her hair, then combed it out into a cheap version of beach waves. Her dark eyes were lined & shadowed, & she wore subtle lipstick. The lingerie she wore was a pink, v-neck satin slip that ended just past her butt & had black lace on the tiny side slit, plus the neckline. "Goddamn...we're gonna 'test the structural integrity' of this, aren't we?" he asked, shit-eating grin on his face. The phrase came from some night when he was rambling about cars, only for her to cut him off with a kiss & drag him on top of her for being so cute.

"Yeah! I guess we are," Jayn replied. It was always hard to keep from smiling when he already was. He took her hand & led her into her bedroom, where he'd taken the liberty of folding her quilt back & getting some condoms ready. Within a minute, the two of them were on the mattress, groaning, kissing & pawing at each other.

"Love you, mmh~"

"Hm, of course--oh, f-fuck, Pogue--"

"My sexy girlfriend, look at you, so damn pretty, mmm..." He'd stripped, put on a condom & was pushing the fabric of her slip up to her waist when--

"Pogue, wait, there's--"

"Oh, damn. Jay..." She hadn't told him that, aside from the slip, she was wearing a matching set of black lace: a fairly simple bra without underwire & surprisingly comfy crotchless panties. He stared at her neatly trimmed, very wet cunt, which was so nicely framed for him. She gulped, noticing the hungry look in his eyes & spread her legs some more, trying to be helpful. Without warning, Pogue Fucking Parry lunged, licking her from bottom to top like he was starving.

"Ah-! Nnnhahahnnmhnh--" He was taking "eating her out" to a whole other level & she returned the favor once she could see straight. I guess I don't look too bad after all.

[mdhwrites]

What's the difference between stereotype, archetype and tropes?

Oh this is a fun one! So I first want to say that the difference between these is almost all about context. This is because all of them stem from effectively the same concept which is: (Also, I am not an expert in these matters so I am just giving my personal opinions and viewings on each of these)

A commonly identifiable pattern of behaviors and actions within something.

Stereotypes:

A stereotype is doing this but in the real world. It always stems from biases, propaganda and some truth set in the real world. This is why when someone talks about a stereotype, they always quote the group that it's related to. X is a jewish stereotype, Y is a black stereotype, Z is a white person stereotype. It technically doesn't even need to be negative, like showing a black dude eating fried chicken but not making him less for it, but it can set your audience on edge. After all, it shows potential ignorance in the writer on how that group actually is, sets up for commonly offensive or at least insensitive portrayals of them and a lack of interest in how that group actually is.

Not to say stereotypes aren't used or even enjoyed sometimes by the group being stereotyped. Sometimes the most stereotypical, and extreme, of these jokes about a group will come from that group. That also brings up if it's okay for other groups to use those same jokes though because it's one thing when you're laughing at yourself, it's another when you're laughing at someone else. This is why people push for stories about certain groups to me made by those groups because when they use a stereotype, it's very possible they're just going off their own life experience and it happens to reflect what culture thinks their sort of people behave like.

As an example for myself: In Crises Girlfriends, one of the main signs of depression for one of the characters is that smiling causes anxiety spikes. To others, it may look like a hack decision that is just SOOOOO sad. Depressed people can't smile after all! Well... Yeah, when I'm at my worst, I can't. It literally causes a panic response and so I included it in the story and that will always be my justification for it, even if it looks possibly stereotypical or lazy.

In other words: This is an extremely difficult topic and in general I would probably just suggest avoiding using stereotypes without either personal experience or a sensitivity reader.

Anyways: Archtypes:

An archtype is a character base. That... really is it. So you have the sunshine archtype which quickly gets across in a discussion that X character is usually happy, positive and tries to see the best in things around. A goth archtype implies that the character is moody, wears dark clothes and is usually more serious than other characters in a cast.

The difference between this and a stereotype is that it technically only needs to be normal in media. For a LONG time, nerds were written only as one type of person, the neckbeard in their parent's basement, because that's what writers said nerds were. They were always socially awkward, fat weirdos. Nowadays, a nerd archtype just implies that the person is smart and probably good with some sort of technology or part of pop culture, or have at least a deeper interest in it. Jimmy Olsen from the new Superman show, despite being black, emotionally aware enough to be a wingman to Clark and Lois, etc. like that would still probably count as a nerd archtype because he's still the one with an online presence and obsesses over the occult and paranormal.

Is Jimmy a bad character for that? No... And for the fact that I could describe him beyond the archtype. An archtype is a base after all. If the character is nothing more than their base, the audience will likely have seen it before and get bored. They need to genuinely be their own character. Otherwise, they're a person's first D&D character who just kind of stands in the background because the player is worried about taking up too much of the time they have, screwing up a rule or any other reason that even if their character has potential, it doesn't show because they left the backstory portion of the sheet blank and still haven't come up with one because no one was willing to help them think more broadly about their character besides just what their role in the party is. In media, what role in the story do they have.

As a note: This is why filler is not a bad word to me. Filler is often when you get the flavor of characters but I could do a whole blog about the bullshit response people have towards 'filler'.

Tropes:

This is narrative. Things we see repeated in story after story. It's also why no trope is 100% bad (mostly at least. Fridging still exists after all). A trope exists because enough people agreed that it worked for a certain type of story for audiences to pick up on it as a normal thing for most stories.

One of the most classic examples of this is the third act breakup in romance stories. A moment when the two leads, getting closer and almost being ready to be together, suddenly decide they hate each other for some reason and split apart. This is commonly done through a misunderstanding that communication could fix which is why it's infuriating, much like most uses of liar reveal are. But let's take a step back and ask WHY a third act break up happens normally?

Well... It's the darkest hour. It's when the hero in an action story gets his ass kicked before doing a training montage or a test of strength or will or character to get that power up or edge to fight the big bad. It's the moment in a mystery novel where an important piece of evidence has disappeared, or the murderer is desperate so they kill again! Only for then the detective reveals how the murderer revealed themselves in this act or that they found a different clue.

In something that's just about characters like a romance, it can be hard to have that moment. If the story is literally about nothing else than these two people getting together, then their darkest moment has to be challenging that. It creates tension and a bigger climax than you would get otherwise.

This is also why tropes get tiring though. If the story is doing NOTHING but the trope... You've seen it before and this version has no flavor. Has no bite. There's no reason to feel the swell because you've seen it before and you've probably seen it better.

Conclusion:

All of these center around one base issue that comes from either phoning something in, not caring enough or just being new enough to writing that you're sticking to what's comfortable for you rather than experimenting.

They're all 'safe'. They're all things that any big wig executive actually does want to see because it's tried, it's true so why not do it again? The MCU itself has tropes in its writing now because they have recycled the same jokes and plot points over and over again so while the shows and movies technically aren't a lower quality, they're being seen as less because people want to see something new. Something bolder. That's probably part of Spiderverse's success frankly.

Even now, My Adventure with Superman is being praised as much for what it is as it is for what it's not. A LOOOOT of people are really happy to see Superman being the blue boy scout that so many writers have mocked and 'subverted' over the past decade. Returning to the old trope, to the way of writing him is a breath of fresh air because trying to be clever with him has gotten old to a lot of people. Not helped of course by a lot of the "Evil Superman" media just being bad and this Clark being genuinely interesting and complex. Seriously, go check out My Adventures with Superman.

In the end, it's a delicate balance. Try to subvert too many of these and you lose why these exist in stories, at least for tropes and archtypes. Stereotypes are things you should probably just stay away from unless you're talking from personal experience. Use too many though and your story feels very paint by the numbers and lacks any personal flair which might make it appealing to a mass market but it's not going to make it anything memorable.

But above all else... Just try to be aware. Are you using an archtype? How is your character more than that? Are you using a trope? What is its purpose and how can you maximize the effect or put a personal twist on it? Am I using a stereotype? Do I have a friend of that demographic to run it by? Do I need this element that could be potentially offensive or am I using it for an actual reason?

And if that sounds like a lot of work... Well, writing is like any creative medium. If you want to be really good at it, you have to try. Or pay someone else to tell the story you want. Just because anyone can hold a pencil though doesn't mean everyone can write, regardless of how some people have responded to me when I've opened commissions.

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I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead, If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And finally a Twitter you can follow too!