#and tumblr is pushing fandoms I've ALSO never heard of so that's fun :

[monty-glasses-roxy]

Hi I'm on a road trip (not currently driving, don't worry), what's up with you?

Ohhh roadtrip!!! Sounds fun!!!

And I'm sat with energy to talk but nothing to talk about, nothing out of the ordinary here. Eating jazzies though which is nice.

How's your trip going so far?

[faith--in-the-future]

"I desperately want him to reach the gp is bc it would finally break this insane echo chamber that has been created around him made of this very intense fans" unfortunately, his fans are part of a problem why he can't break through to the gp. I have seen several people on forums outside tumblr to share basically the same sentiment: 'Yeah, the guy is great, but I wouldn't be caught dead to say this openly on social media or attend his show. I don't want people to think I'm one of them crazies'

it's really a problem of branding, to take a page out of hshq's book, people underestimate how important it is for the gp to think that he's a mainstream artist even if factually he isn't, once you've created that image around him then it will become a self fulfilling prophecy bc people will feel like they should check him out since he's already "there" and then the cycle will keep sustaining itself!

but it can't be done if everything around him keeps being confined into the fandom limits and If he's never showed to be part of the actual artists circles

in his case there's also the added fact that they've effectively built an aura around him through all the smear campaigns that has convinced people that being a fan of him is embarrassing and that he's an easy and encouraged target for criticism and snarky comments, ahah it's so funny to make fun of him and how he looks etc and his voice sucks ! (even if I've never actually heard him sing!) etc etc none of that is driven by reality it's all drive what people have been pushed to think about him by the media first and now by these social dynamics and he'll never get a real chance until that entire system of preconceptions has been dismantled and unfortunately no matter how much louis would like it, simply making good music and good shows isn't going to be enough to do it, you need to fix all the stupid pr/appearance shit too

(obviously real promo and radio are all necessary but re branding is crucial too bc pr is important bc people are sheep and they need to be guided lmao it sounds shitty to say but it's the truth)

[imagining-in-the-margins]

Hey friends! I desperately need to answer some anons now that I am a little more caught up on things 😅 I have a TON to get through, so get ready for multiple posts! I keep getting overwhelmed whenever I try so I am gonna push through... hopefully!

(1) Thank you (and everyone else who has sent love) so much for your kind words. I promise I've been reading and rereading them all. Everything that I do on here is for people like you who take time out of their day to say kind things to strangers. I wish you luck with writing, friend. I'm sure you won't need it.

(2) I'm so happy to hear that I helped reinvigorate your love for fanfic! I hope things are easy for you, too. We're gonna get through whatever is in front of us ❤️

(3) I sent this message to all of my friends immediately after you sent it. It's saved on my phone. It's my favorite thing I've ever been told. I love you and I hope you are having a wonderful day and month and year and life.

(4) I'm going to give you the lawyer answer of "it depends." I work on a lot of cases that involve Bioethics, but for the most part it's something I research in my free time. Obviously, I've had a lot to read lately. I did have to do a lot of work interpreting Dobbs (the SCOTUS case overturning Roe v. Wade) for my job recently. It was very draining.

(5) You should get a Tumblr! They're fun! But I'm also on AO3 or Wattpad if you prefer. I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. You are always welcome here ☺️

(6) What the hell this is the nicest thing I've ever heard 😭 I'm glad I can make you feel things. I definitely feel every emotion I'm writing - I am a deeply empathetic person (to a fault, lol). I'm glad I'm not suffering alone 😝

(7) Honestly, I don't know. I ask myself every day. Angst is just so much fun. I love mess.

(8) I don't, I'm sorry. Based on their last few posts, it sounds like they got a new job and are just living their best life. It's sad to see friends in fandom leave. I wish I had a better update for you, but I like to imagine they're happy.

(9) [Kitten Love] Thank you for the feedback! I had fun writing it. It's actually based loosely on something that happened to me 😅 I never said I was bright.

(10) Oh no! Hahah, that's so sad. I'm not going anywhere. I'll be around. I'm glad you found your way back ☺️

I made it through the first 10! See you soon (hopefully) for the next!

[brighteststar707]

Yeah, it's been a long time! I've been doing alright, though! I'm kinda mostly waiting for my last school year to be over and find a job so I can earn money and slowly fix my life the way I want.^^"

The fandom is Blue Period! It's actually my next big focus after Mystic Messenger actually, I even found a character I consider my f/o from there! I got a special box with a sketchbook that is full of drawings and illustrations with really good quality! Since the fandom is not even active, there is stuff in this book that you won't find anywhere else, makes me feel good SMSMSM and one of the best parts is that it's in Japanese! So whenever I have progressed way more, I'll come back and read all the new juicy info and new scenarios I've never seen before, exciting!!!!

I also got some bookmarks and two keychains from there! Although I wasn't kinda happy with the shipping process, I'm still very happy I got them!!

Blue Period has also helped me a lot with my path with art, it has given me plenty of motivation and the main character has opened my eyes to so much about art, too! I felt so seen when he had the same thoughts and experiences as me, even if he does oil painting^^"

You can watch the anime or read the manga if it interests you! If you start with the anime, please check the manga out since there is so much more! If you do anything with art, it might give you motivation just like it did to me.

Learning the language can be fun but it is challenging, haha. They are many words that have different pronunciations and stuff I haven't seen in a language before. I found that listening to people speak makes me remember the words easier haha

I hope you are able to rest well, you're doing great, I reassure you! I'm also so happy I got to speak with you again, it really has been a lot of time, holyyyy!

I'm thinking of starting to use Tumblr when I get more Into art again but I'm still here, I still check some stuff every day when I can! <333

I understand that sentiment. So much changes once you're done with school. I'm rooting for this year to be an easy one for you!

Ooh, I've never heard of Blue Period before, but I looked up the premise and it sounds interesting! I will keep it in mind when I'm in the market for a new anime/manga!

It's so wonderful to be able to pull motivation from the media you enjoy, especially when it's a hobby like art or writing where it sometimes feels like you can hit a wall. Funnily enough, even though it has nothing to do with writing, Mysme is what pushed me to write more often and put more effort into it. It's thanks to these guys that I've been able to develop my skills as far as I have.

That merch sounds so nice! That sketchbook especially sounds really detailed and extra bonus that it's something you won't find elsewhere. It'll be fun to see what else it holds once you progress further in Japanese! Shame about the shipping issues with other merch pieces, but at least they made it to you!

I've had similar experiences learning languages. What I love is that each language says so much about the country's culture. I'm currently attempting to learn Italian, and while it has its difficult and awkward moments (I've messed up in front of locals more times than I can count), I love learning about the expressions and their meanings.

Thank you for your support, it means a lot! I'm taking time to catch my breath and to do the things I enjoy before life gets busy again.

[thiamfresh]

Hi, I had seen Teen wolf ago a long time, but ago a few months i saw it again. Liam and Theo really have chemistry between them. I've never realize before :v but now i can see it. I've seen a comment on yt that said "Theo and Liam were going to kiss in season 5 (the last episode) but it was not carried out 'cause Cody Christian didn't want make uncomfy to Dylan" IS THIS TRUE? 'CAUSE I'M SO EXCITED WITH THE IDEA AND ABSOLUTELY WOULD LOVE IT IF THEY WILL KISS IN THE MOVIE

Hey :D yassss welcome to the thiam fandom! They do have so much chemistry don't they 😍🥰

As for your question.

I've heard that going around for like, never but never seen it actually confirmed.

Cody has talked about Thiam before and did say in an interview something along the lines of "Yeah let's do it" but as far as i know them being meant to kiss was never confirmed. The creator, Jeff Davis, was even like " wondered the same thing" when Thiam fans were like "Why didn't didn't kisssss 😭" which is what I think a lot of people are getting the "they altered the script not to make Dylan uncomfy" rumor from.

Honestly tho. I think Cody is just.. very smooth talking in interviews and knows what to say to hold the line and please everyone while Dylan is still a bit new to it. Especially back when teen wolf was airing. So i think a lot of people get this "dylan would be uncomfortable/doesn't like thiam" thing from dylan just. Kinda not wanting all the stuff people asked him in 6b/after it aired being about thiam and trying to push back/change the topic sometimes when it came up 'too much'

I just.. I don't think they'd have changed theo and liams final arcs that much because Dylan didn't want to act it like that. Like, it's very sweet to think about Cody defending and supporting his younger scene partner but I don't think it would've went down like that. They sign contracts before they go into filming. They can't turn around and go "actually nah. Change this i don't like it." I mean. They can, but then they end up getting blacklisted for being 'difficult to work with'.

This isn't me saying that you shouldn't be excited about possible thiam in the movie or anything. It's just i don't think that that particular rumor is true.

Especially because there is a "actor A loves it but actor B said no." Rumor in like, every mlm pairing in media. I feel like it's just some fans either accidentally misinterpreting what's been said or purposely trying to make Cody look better while subtly trying to make Dylan look bad/like the bad guy"

(5 Bucks says Jeff started the rumors from a fake Stan tumblr when people started complaining that his "Why didn't they kiss" tweet was bullshit because he WrOTE it.)

Anyway yes. I am super stoked and hoping for some thiam in the movie because i do believe both of the actors are professionals and will respect the writers wishes if they decide that Thiam is the right play for the movie. Also, they seemed to have fun working together so I can't imagine they'd be too annoyed getting to be scene partners again.

If I'm totally wrong and people have proof of Cody admiting that they were going to kiss but it was written out because Dylan wasn't comfy then obviously this is all completely wrong and I am embarrassed and sorry

[bunkernine]

so is it bad that I’m a black person and haven’t heard of anti rick Riordan until a few days ago? I only really read the books, and even though I’ve been on tumblr for a while I’ve never interacted with 99% of the pjo fandom

sorry i think i got this yesterday and didn't answer. so, first up, nearly all of your tumblr experience is dependent on who you follow. i've been aware of rr crit for years because of the people and topics i follow. there's a huge chunk of fandom that won't reblog or talk about the racism in rick's works because they believe "fandom should be fun". which it should be- a lot of my friends in pjo i made because of their talent and i enjoy their content. however, because of that attitude, rr crit gets silenced or passed around the same 15% of fandom that cares. so consider this: 🤔 who are you following? 🤔 are any of your pjo bloggers people of color? 🤔 do they only talk about certain topics? 🤔 how have they been involved, if at all, this past week?

regardless, you did mention not being that involved in tumblr pjo fandom. when it comes to pjo, tumblr is probably the most critical fansite. so just get more involved then! read up and follow, think and analyze. it's that simple.

finally, you asked if "it was bad because your black". it's not particularly bad, merely unfortunate. but sometimes it takes a little push- you're not the only one who needs it. alright, so since you're black, let's do a quick rundown of explicitly black characters in pjo and hoo: beckendorf, kelli, hazel, and hazel's mom, marie. in ten books, we've got (only) four explicitly black characters. here's what's so crazy about these characters:

beckendorf dies.

→ fandom wise, despite being kind and compassionate in canon, there are some fans who will display beckendorf as the angry, rough black guy stereotype

kelli is a monster.

hazel's from the 40s, says little about the romans involvement of the confederacy, is written like someone way more mature than her age (this is called adultification and is extremely prevalent with the treatment of black girls), and tossed into a love triangle with older teens. she is the only black girl in pjo/hoo but is given white and exotic features.

→ fandom wise, hazel is consistently white washed or simply ignored, despite being a main character in hoo

marie is a poor caricature of a voodoo witch, while being an awful and manipulative mother.

these are only the black characters- if we were to pinpoint the other marginalized groups rick disrespects with harmful stereotypes and blatant racism, this ask would be ridiculously long. in the books, it might not be able to get the issues so quickly, but when written out like this, it's very plain to see. 🤔 as a black person (or anyone nonblack reading this), consider how this could ever be considered good representation. but yeah, if you want to rectify this problem of not being aware of rr crit, then here:

📖 reread the books, and read the 'rr crit' tags

🤔 think about if you feel represented. but also consider that your experience may not be universal

🖱️ follow bloggers who openly critique rick. these are often blogs of color, but there's some that aren't

🔍 learn more about microaggressions, stereotyping, and representation. search what you don't understand, and find actual diverse books and authors

📝 write your own posts about problems you see

[obsessivelollipoplalala]

wow you read m&m so early immediately after the movie’s release! i came into this fandom relatively late (the start of this year). i’m quite curious, how was the whole fandom experience late 2018-2019? i heard it’s really fun since it was the peak of the queen fandom online among younger people, i’m sure there was a lot of content and it must have felt so crowded compared to now. but i also see comments on how there was a lot more drama back then soooo idk lol. sometimes i come across posts by dead blogs and most blogs in the notes are also dead as well and it’s like i just stepped into a cemetery lol 😬 it felt weird, almost like a liminal space where time has stopped. sometimes i feel sad over the fact that i came so late i didn’t get to witness the golden age of queen renaissance, but also lucky in a way that everyone active now is all amazing and tumblr became a tight knit community where everyone pretty much knows everyone and things travel quick. i’m on tiktok as well and the demographic there is definitely mostly kids and young teens, idk whether they migrated from tumblr or never stepped foot into the tumblr community. they’re mostly great people apart from having some boundary issues and some kids being dumb tactless and inappropriate but i definitely prefer it here lol

Oh, I read about the backlash to the movie, somehow found tumblr blogs talking about Jim, got curious and immediately found the book for free online, and read it all before I listened to a single Queen song that wasn't a single. I'm not kidding. Jim's book fully pushed me off a cliff into this world lmao. I remember my friend coming over a few days later and I said, "Listen, I need to rant to you about Freddie Mercury and his partner" and she just nodded and smiled as I lost my mind.

Anyway lol, my experience was limited since I only followed like, three blogs back then, all pro-Jim and anti-movie, two of which are gone now lol. I was only in the fandom on tumblr, too, and didn't see any of the insta fandom until 2020. From what I saw on tumblr, there was a lot more discourse about the movie, as to be expected, and there were more Jim haters as anons in people's inboxes. There was more Brian hate, too, due to his defense of the movie, which I've talked about at length before. Fan content certainly got a lot more notes back then, and it makes me wish I was drawing as much as I am now so I would've gotten more notes lol. But the fandom was more movie-focused in that people's interpretations of the guys was clearly based on the film and not interviews, you know what I mean? Because a lot of people were only really fans of the movie, and not the band, the fandom got a lot smaller pretty quickly by the end of 2019 as they lost interest, sadly.

The tumblr community is more tightly knit since it's so small, though not everyone is best buddies. That's normal, though. Everything I hear about tiktok makes my organs hurt, and I'd guess they were never in the tumblr community to begin with tbh, especially the kids. The fandom on here tends to be adults with some older teens thrown in the mix.

[thatpinkbetch]

I'm going to answer it this way, because I'm actually not a fan of some of those, and I've heard this is the way to do it if you don't want it ending up in the tag or the search I think? If i censor any of the ship names it's not out of malice! I simply don't want any of this to end up in front of eyes that just want to enjoy their ships 💖💖💖 if there is anyone who doesn't want to see opinions against t*d*d*ku, k*r*b*ku, or even iz**ch*ka, please don't read any further! Oh my goodness i hope this is all legible...

Anyways, hello!! Thank you so much for the ask!! I love talking about my opinion avkvmsocnaocjsoxks it also makes me really happy you like my blog 🥺🥺🥺 (I hope this answer doesn't ruin that avskvneognsocjs)

I'll start out by confirming that I'm not a multishipper. It makes me excited to see how the act of shipping itself can make others happy, but it's just not that way for me. I actually never read fanfic until I got into bnha (bkdk is just that powerful 😁😁) I'm actually...a little serious when i ship, or when i enjoy media, i analyze pretty heavily, so also, if that doesn't sound like anyone's cup of tea, i would once again recommend to stop reading and enjoy your day please!

I love analyzing characters and storylines and dynamics, but i will admit, I'm not a fan of most of the ships - not romantically. I think all the characters have interesting relationships to each other, all of the kids are great friends, and I love bonds and friendships so much 🥺🥺🥺

Those first two are perhaps the biggest, at least they definitely were the biggest when I first entered. Once i caught up, I didn't really understand the enthusiasm, but people have fun shipping, so that's nice! I think of those two as easy ships, if that makes sense? They're pretty simple, and easy to digest.

I personally am not a fan of romantic t*d*d*ku for a very specific reason; it feels weird to me for Todo to immediately fall in love with the first person who's ever shown him kindness (since his mother of course). Todo had never had any friends, nor any want for friends, obviously because of the abuse he faced as a child. Mido was his first exploration at a life outside of his father, a life he got to make for himself, it just doesn't feel right to me that he should immediately think "oh, is this romantic love? Is this the one and only for me?" Well, perhaps a teenager might think that way, but i don't think that's actually how he feels deep down, and I'm sure that's something a lot of us have to learn as we grow (I've definitely struggled with my own understanding of romance for the past 8 years). I think he still is trying to learn how to socialize and to make friends and to be a friend (and he's doing SUCH a good job!) But to immediately plunge into romance, which can be complicated, i don't think that would be right for him. I hope that makes sense! I know they're a very cute ship, which makes for fun! But again, I can be a little serious when i ship...

K*r*b*ku kind of falls into similar territory for me? Baku definitely had friends growing up, but he's seemed to always have trouble understanding his feelings and where he stands with others, causing trust issues. Kiri is really the first person he knew where he stood with, a person for him to be comfortable with and feel on equal ground, which i think is such a huge and positive role in his life, and i don't necessarily think that it needs to be romantic - for both of these, i think these relationships are incredibly important, to everyone involved, and making them romantic doesn't make them any more important!! In fact, i feel like them as friends actually can offer a more complex, interesting, and human dynamic between these characters, as sometimes people simply default to romance and then end up pushing for the same old tropes and ignore all the intricacies Horikoshi includes in his writing.

Again, I love Mido's friendship with Todo, and I love Baku's friendship with Kiri. I think these relationships are incredibly important, and friends are incredibly important. People who ship them are having fun, which is so lovely, and i hope they continue to have fun! I hope you personally find more fics about them that make you smile and brighten your day 💖💖💖

Iz**ch*ka is a little difficult, because they certainly are cute, separately and together. I thought they were cutest before Ura was told about her potential crush on Mido, when she was simply a source of bubbly energy and positivity that helped Mido open up and feel comfortable around other people. I feel though that, romantically, it's extraordinarily one-sided, and at this point, i have to wonder if they really are "end goal." End goal for shounen, of course, is hardly ever explicit ahzovndlfjsoxo but i feel like a better storyline for Horikoshi to take would be for Ura to realize that she's been confused, and these feelings haven't really been a positive experience for her. I've definitely gone through things like that as a teenager. Now, the ship can be very cute! They're basically the same person, and they're cute and bubbly! But again, it simply isn't for me.

I think Momjirou is very cute!! Of course, as a lesbian, i sense strong lesbian vibes from Momo, and strong bi vibes from Jirou, and I also saw the ship potential ever since the USJ attack - which i think, so did everyone else ahaovndofjsojfsk they're best friends without a doubt, though i have to say, i really like Kamijirou. She just makes him so soft, and he's so in awe of her, and she thinks he's so funny, I love how supportive he is of her, especially since she can be really insecure 🥺🥺🥺

I also think Ura and Tsu are very cute but another easy ship, and i kind of really like Ochamina 🥺 they're both pink and space themed, they're bubbly and energetic and kick ass, and i think they'd be super cute...

I saved todobaku for last, because, you know what they say, best for last! 😇😇😇

I've said it before, but if there was no Mido (impossible obviously, and i would never want that) then todobaku is where my heart would lie. Baku has never really been shown chasing after anyone except for Mido...and Todo, which really gets at my heart. There's a grudging respect there - very, very grudging ahakckdkfjskdk which i find very appealing! Todo is very important to Baku and he has also been able to show Baku some things about himself that he needed to question and reevaluate. Meanwhile, Todo puts up with exactly 0% of Baku's shit, which i find absolutely hilarious. It's funny to me how Baku wishes to intimidate Todo as he does everyone else, and Todo simply does not care. And Baku wants to be mad, and ends up mad that he can't be mad since Todo is a strong and worthy opponent. They just have such an interesting chemistry, there's so much friction, so much tension, and I enjoy it, particularly since they clearly should be friends, would be great friends, want to be friends, but Baku simply won't get over it 😂😂 I do prefer them as friends, but friends that are incredibly close, two people that understand each other on almost a telepathic level, two people that give each other shit while also refusing to take the other's shit.

I do agree that many people in this fandom seem to think their ship stands on some moral high ground? It could be a disconnect from the previous generations of fandom, or it could also be the growing mentality on this site that everything needs to be a battle of moral superiority, and also that what you like is part of your personality, and if someone doesn't like what you like, then they don't like you or that they think you're factually incorrect. I personally have stopped going into the bn/ha tag simply because I don't enjoy, well, many things i find there, and I'm happy with those that i follow. I've definitely seen hatred and invalidation for both LGBT ships and m|w ships, neither of which I'm comfortable with. I definitely don't go off tumblr for fandom stuff because there's practically no acceptance for any same gender ships, or any queer headcanoning, which, I'll be honest, makes me scared, as i am a very anxious person avdkvndkfje i do think it should be noted that we should be as accepting of cishet ships as we are of queer ships - no debate on this one - but again, you are right when you say that many cishet headcanons have been used to invalidate LGBT voices, and any and all allies must always be aware of this! It is much more often that queer voices are silenced, that queer ships are ridiculed, that queer shippers aren't allowed to enjoy or see themselves. And to anybody that doesn't want to be an ally... Whelp ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ what are you doing here ajxkvmdogjdicjsicjsodj I'm gay

I haven't really read much of anything recently, let alone other ships, platonic or otherwise, because energy has been low for me for a long time. I wish i could participate more and support all my friends and other fans, but it's been a bit of a struggle 😣😣😣 I'm so sorry! Something that I can do is make posts and analyses and metas, as those are quick and make me excited, so I'm always happy to respond to asks like these! (I say as i take two hours to write this response...)

I hope people have been taking care of themselves and remember that tumblr is really good at letting you cater to your own interests! I hope if you've made it to the end of this response that you enjoyed it, and you're not mad at me ahsovjekgjsocjwodkso if you are, that's fine, I'm sorry, I probably am really bad at social/internet etiquette and such that help you filter 😣😣

To any who are curious, you cannot change my mind ahdogmdocjdidk thank you to whoever sent this ask!!! A lot of this is a bunch of rambling I've always wanted to talk about but was frankly too scared to post! I hope I made sense and answered everything you were asking!! Please have a good day/night/life!!! 💖💖💖💖💖

[missbunnyz]

Dear Taylor,

I cant count the number of times on two hands, over the past thirteen years I've been following you and your music, that I've started to write to you only to scrap it because I was either too shy or felt anything I had to say you probably have heard many times over.

But not today. I've decided to write an open letter to you because you've inspired me to come out of my shell, and I think Tumblr is the best way to get your attention 😊💜♠️.

Hi Taylor! My name is Tyler (female) 😊. I have so much to say, I dont even know where to start.

I'm twenty-four years old and from a town about 35 minutes from where you grew up in Pennsylvania! I am currently attending Kutztown University 😊. Like many other older fans (and I know, totally not original), I discovered you when I was eleven and heard your single "Tear Drops On My Guitar" on the radio. I asked my dad to buy me the CD, which he did. I remember spending hours on my dads back porch listening to your debut album on my little portable CD player.

When your Fearless album came out, I was a freshman in highschool, just a few years shy of your song Fifteen. But nonetheless, it still sat with me. I listened to it almost every morning of my freshman year on the morning bus ride to school.

I actually find it kind of funny that your Speak Now album actually reflected a lot of my thoughts and feelings at the time I was a sophomore in highschool, just 16 years old: Sad. Depressed. Kind of angry. But still we both had so much love inside us, and for you I can see that clearly within your songs.

One of my favorite songs of yours is All Too Well. I've listened to it countless times, crying with you through the song. Lyrically, it's so beautiful and cleverly stitched together. It's such a shame that you received so much hate during the Red Era, and I've cried many tears with and for you over the years. I've included your story in numerous essays and papers I've written throughout my years in college. One of those essays, by the way, got a 100% 😏.

I really feel like I know you, and we are soooo alike. I was reading your essay in the Elle US Magazine and what caught my attention in particular is what you said about your mom never having to punish you because you punished yourself enough. I had, and actually sometimes still have that problem. It's a symptom of severe anxiety. And from checking up on you so often over the years, I see your anxiety in your body language.

Theres more I see in your body language. In every single picture of you with fans, you have a genuine smile on your face. Often times you're leaning into a fan, which really shows how comfortable you are with us.

I see your body language with your friends too. You are such a loving and thoughtful person. Sending them flowers, skyping them on their birthday, lending them your body guards, etc. You really care so much, and I love you so much for that.

I would really love to meet you and tell you all this and more in person. All of my friends tell me they associate your name with me 😂.

Oh! Just a little fun fact: according to my Apple Music, I've listened to How You Get The Girl over 180 times 😂😂. I know, I have a problem ;-;.

Oh, I also wanted to tell you that I was at your Reputation Philadelphia show #2 😊. I was so close to you as you walked from one side stage to the other, but I'm still really shy so I couldnt bring myself to push through the crowd to see you. But after you got onto the right (for us) side stage, I was barely twelve feet away from you. You were so close and all I could do was stand there and smile at you with tears in my eyes. I can never bring myself to be loud and scream for you like your other fans (I'm too shy and quiet around people I dont know). But I loved every bit of standing there listening to you perform. You're so gorgeous girl, you've really been looking great lately. I know you dont know me, so this may mean nothing to you, but I'm so incredibly proud of you. You've come so far over the past thirteen years and have accomplished so much. You should really be proud of yourself too.

I also really want to say how much of an inspiration you have been to me, especially recently. Ever since I discovered you and your music, I've strived to be as kind a person as I can. Albeit I've failed numerous times, I still really try to love people.

You've also really helped me be more comfortable with who I am recently. I am a femme gay cis female, and, with you being my idol, your open support and inclusion of the LGBT community has helped me be more open about my sexuality. I've been more comfortable talking about it with strangers and even friends recently, and I've even added a rainbow ribbon to my lanyard! 😊

I really just cant properly express how much I love and care about you and your well-being. I wish I had reached out to you at the beginning of your career and established a connection with you then. Having had severe social anxiety my whole life, I've pretty much have always just loved and supported you from afar, hardly interacting with you or the fandom itself. I love you @taylorswift, and I really hope to hear back from you or your team 💜💜.

With all my heart,

Tyler

p.s. To the swiftie fandom, I would be so appreciative if you reblogged this post and tagged Taylor in it 😊💜. Please and thank you!

[hikariobsessions]

I think I kind of agree with you, I'm not too fond of the sassy mc in ikesen, but she'll grow on me eventually maybe. It kind of makes me sad that people think reserved or shy characters can't be written well or be strong without being sassy/rude or without being annoying. I always see them being written as if being shy/pure is their only trait. I've met shy people in real life who are very enjoyable to be around once they open up to someone. (You don't need to reply to this by the way)

I can’t say how much this kind of ask/discussion is making me smile right now. Thank you for this (*^^*) – if you want, you can dm me and we can discuss this in a little bit more detail~ More opinions from me under the cut – but you don’t need to read it if this topic is already driving you insane (as it is me) because of how it blew up into this odd, unpleasant thing that really didn’t need to be. But I suppose, it’s Tumblr nonetheless… 

Don’t let one opinion stop you from enjoying the stuff you really admire. THIS OPINION IS JUST ME. Ignore or barrel through the commentaries, that’s up to you.

But it’s there as food for thought. For myself, and just as an answer to this asker who has been the only person so far that has responded to my call for civility when it comes to these rants. 

Again, thank you so, so much (*^^*)

[RANT] Just another one to get stuff off my chest ^^;; We all know how this goes right?

I can understand why people like the ENG MC. And here’s the thing, they’re not WRONG to like her for whatever reason they have. It’s FINE.

I’m just running my mouth with my own opinions because first of all this is my blog - LET’S JUST GET THAT OUT OF THE WAY IN CASE NO ONE HAS NOTICED. 

But also, just as someone in the minority of these opinions, I take it upon myself to try and elaborate on my own point of view because I feel like I owe it to the people who like/maybe even love this particular character, to not just give them hate and criticism, but rather a valid argument for my own views.

But so far no one has given me any fair observations/criticisms of the writing that points me in a different way of looking at and appreciating the writing in the IkeSen ENG App for what it is, flaws and all. People are just going “it’s good writing/dialogue” and I’m just like…why do you think that way? PLEASE ELABORATE. 

I am literally someone who wants my opinions challenged because I don’t want to hate on this game. Far from it. Why would anyone want to download something just to do that?

Furthermore, I don’t tag the company’s social media in my rants in particular because they are just that – RANTS. I call the localization team out on several things, definitely, but whether they change their writing is up to them.

Ever since I entered this fandom, I already knew I was in the minority when it came to opinions of the MC, just by looking through Tumblr for IkeSen content. 

But honestly, I want a more substantial reason as to why people think the writing is good apart from the fact that the MC is different (sassy, witty etc.) from other examples of MCs in otome. 

Because as you said, hun, there are other people out there who can be really shy and reserved but have their own strengths as a person/character. And they can also be rude and judgmental at their worst. This is just human. 

And you’re right, it’s a shame that they are sometimes only “written as if being shy/pure is their only trait” – that in itself is BAD WRITING.

The only bad female character, if you ask me (and you did), is one who’s flat. One who isn’t realistic. One who has no agency of her own, who only exists to define other characters (usually men).

Here’s the thing about being a damsel in distress…it’s only bad if that’s all she is. If the character’s defining characteristic is being a damsel in distress, that’s bad. - Mad Lori

I can’t stop quoting Mad Lori enough about this :’)I don’t need to tell anyone that this goes for “sassiness” as well right?? So how about this? About “progression” in the sense that women don’t have to be “strong” in order to be good, well-written characters. And they don’t have to possess a specific trait, such as ‘sassy’ just to be said - “strong” character. That they find their own strength by choosing to love, overcoming their own flaws but more importantly being someone with their own agency to achieve self-determination in the world that they’re in – but also remain down-to-earth, shy, outspoken or otherwise. 

This was never taken from the Japanese MC as a character in the JP App. This is why I remain so confused as to why the English team decided to change her.PORTRAY CHARACTERS AS HUMAN. Not as this thing trying for a convoluted cultural ideal which has its own flaws. 

This is coming from someone, who in turn watches stuff like Orange is the New Black (just watch a trailer for it (if you haven’t heard of this show) and maybe you can get why I’m referring to it). 

It’s a show which has an amazing amount of diversity in terms of its portrayal of women. But what’s good about it, is that those portrayals aren’t so much black or white, shy or sassy, strong or weak – they all have their strengths and weaknesses that make them complex and are motivated by their individual character traits and flaws as well as possessing their own agency.

In any case, the only reason, or at least the MAJOR reason I was completely turned off by the ENG MC is that in the writing, they try SOOO hard to make a point that this particular MC is different from the rest. That she is witty. That she is sassy. Oh, and look just how “strong” she is, by thinking up all these snarky comments/comebacks against the guys, even when they’re not being dickheads!! 

To me, that’s the only reason they decided to change her from the original Japanese MC (correct me if I’m wrong, PLEASE) – shoving these sentiments of “a strong woman” into this particular character just to……..what? Reach a “diverse” audience?? How diverse are we talking about exactly? 

If you can’t even look at a type of character that is shy, insecure and reserved as part of that diversity – and admiring how she becomes an exception to her own trope – you’re just kidding yourself.  And this change isn’t even the core of my problem with the writing.

Look I get that people can be frustrated because of the lack of representation of different kinds of MC and that’s a fair frustration to have. But let’s not back ourselves into a corner of thinking that women need to be portrayed as this one thing in order to be “well-written”:

Sherlock Holmes gets to be brilliant, solitary, abrasive, Bohemian, whimsical, brave, sad, manipulative, neurotic, vain, untidy, fastidious, artistic, courteous, rude, a polymath genius. Female characters get to be Strong. -Sophia McDougall, Quote take from here.

To me, this entire push to have this “sassy” MC in the ENG App is the writer or perhaps the business, literally shoving their own rant/agenda onto my face (or rather their “market research” let’s say). 

Having that happen to you as an audience/reader is seriously disengaging from the story. What I’ve seen them do, is blatantly spoon-feed information about the traits of the characters and tell audiences what to think or feel about them, instead of letting readers figure these out for themselves. 

They are literally “talking” to the reader, and that severely takes me out of the world of the story. For example, they use thought-bubbles of the MC to monologue about (Oh, how I used to be such an independent woman, but now I’m in the Sengoku…) — From my perspective, THAT IS SERIOUSLY BAD WRITING. And hence, why I think she’s not a well-written character. Not because of how they changed her to be outspoken and/or sassy, but rather their execution of conveying that in the stories.

“Show, don’t tell” anyone?? Nothing bad about applying a common writing technique preached by almost every writing mentor out there.

The thing is audiences aren’t stupid, but more often than not - when they're paying attention - they know when they’re being called “stupid”.

I have nothing against the localization team trying to change this particular MC into having a ‘sassy’ personality. My problem is that they don’t write it well. 

There’s nothing substantial added to the story by changing the MC that actually makes the development of their relationship (MC and any Warlord) stronger from the stories in the JP App. It’s possible to have done it but unfortunately no, not in this version. If anything the ‘decorative’ nature of what the English team has done with the character to “reach” audiences just made the MC unbearably annoying (to me).

But, equally bad is that everything that they’re doing, which shouldn’t be evident while reading the stories, is showing:

i.e. aiming for a goal of wanting the MC to be different, and using her thought-bubbles to deliver expository commentaries; instead of letting her stand on her own two feet as a character through her actions. 

 –  they should at least BE SUBTLE about it and make sure that they have that self-awareness as to why they’re doing it. And not just because you want to gain popularity amongst audiences who are sick of a trope. This is what I mean when I say I don’t like different for the sake of being different. It’s just sensationalist, immature and completely distracting from the actual story and relationships we’re supposed to be admiring. To quote the great screenwriting guru, Robert McKee:

Just as children break things for fun or throw tantrums to force attention on themselves, too many filmmakers [in this case writers too] use infantile gimmicks on screen to shout, “Look what I can do!” A mature artist never calls attention to himself, and a wise artist never does anything merely because it breaks convention. - Robert McKee

But, hey, like with anything else — this is just me, with my blog, voicing my opinion~ If you’ve read this, again:

Thank you so much for putting up with these rants ^^

Peace out guys, and stay kind ^_^ - Hikari