#being in a fandom where shipping is so prioritised by so many many people is still something i'm not used to

[aliusfrater]

don't piss me the fuck off

[seriousbrat]

I know abt the shit that Snape stans say abt Lily, but what do Marauders stans say?

You mean negative stuff? Well a lot of it isn't really directly negative, it's more just that people need her out of the way so they can ship James with Sirius's rando little brother. Even though this is ridiculous because nothing is stopping anyone, but I think newer Marauders fans can often overcompensate because many view shipping/stanning as a moral act, so the fact that they obviously don't care about Lily makes them feel guilty lmao. In fact I think there's arguably a tendency among mainstream marauders fandom to be overly positive about Lily just in a way that lacks the consideration and complexity people give to their favourite male characters. Like yes she's a girlboss but what else? Well-written characters are supposed to have flaws and foibles balanced with strengths, that goes for women too.

So while making her out to be a traitorous she-devil is obviously something I dislike, I think it can go too far the other way too, where she's just a 'sweet lesbian girlie' happily dwelling in the background with no real problems or depth or protagonism of her own.

Lily's often made a background character in The Story of Regulus, at the service of the narrative needs of the male protagonists, and typically paired with a random female background character in a way that can feel like an afterthought and really just a convenient shunting aside of Lily's character masked by faux-progressiveness. Making a character queer isn't a replacement for giving them depth and nuance. It's especially grating when the same people accuse anyone who points this out of 'reducing Lily to being a mother' even though it's that section of fandom who often uses Lily as a surrogate/baby-making machine for the male characters, which is quite literally, in the most literal, biological sense possible, reducing her to being a mother lmao.

For the record, I don't think there's anything wrong with having Lily be a background character, or not using her at all, on an individual basis. (although I admit I find using her as a surrogate fairly appalling as a concept. but that's just me.) I myself have used her as a background character and paired her with Mary in Lippy Kids. Also, it's fandom and people are going to do whatever they want, it's not up to me to stop them and I wouldn't want to lol. I'm not going after individual people for doing this in their own writing.

As I've said before though, I believe it's worth pointing out in a general sense because it's such an overwhelming tendency. I think simply being aware of the fact that you and people around you centre men in life and art is a positive thing-- even if you don't actively do anything to change it, because sometimes talking and thinking about the issue can lead to it changing on its own. We all do this to some extent-- I recently went through my own fics and realised I have more male-pov fics than female. I'm not going to write anything purposefully to correct this because that wouldn't feel natural and it's not a huge issue on its own, but I'm just aware of it moving forward.

Looking through any marauders' era tag (even the jily tag rip) or ao3 categories/statistics, etc, gives you a pretty clear idea of who is prioritised by fandom and who is not. And the argument that Lily is too minor of a character to care about falls a bit flat when characters like Regulus, Barty, and Rosier are so much more popular in mainstream marauders fandom than she is.

Curiously I have seen Marauders fans use the same exaggerated criticisms of Lily that Snape fans do (viz. 'she was a terrible friend!!11' which is so ridiculous given none of these beloved male characters are winning friend of the year awards.*) AND I have seen plenty of Snape fans who are normal about Lily, either because they like her themselves or are just able to be objective about characters lol. So either way it's not a universal thing.

* arguably except regulus but his friend of the year award is because of what he did for kreacher, not james or sirius or barty or anyone else. and regulus stans never care about that. stop lily erasure but also on a minor, less relevant note, stop kreacher erasure

[emmalovesfitzloved]

Can you tell me about Fitzloved?

"OH MY GOSH, AM I ABOUT TO INTRODUCE YOU TAYLOR SWIFT?!"

that's what i first meme when i saw your lovely ask! hahahah

Introductions

So its a fandom based on the epic fantasy series that follows for the most part, 2 soulmates, from their childhood all the way to their older years as they grow from friendship, partners to lovers. And I have to admit, the way it's written is almost euphoric. It's utterly lyrical.

So introductions now put aside, 'Fitzloved' is the ship name for "Beloved" (one of his many names) name of the characters and "Fitz". They are the two ongoing protagonists in one of the most respect and wonderful high fantasy series ever created, Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb. They are the main couple shall we say that span the 16 book series. I think a lot describe it as the "mona lisa of fantasy series" within the genre. It's aesthetic is very much evermore meets folklore meets Merlin. Its veryyyyy cozy fantasy and perfect for the season but also the Fall/winter.

The big 5 writers of fantasy rn i have been told are: Brandon's, Robin Hobb's, GRRM (Although he's lost a lot of respect in the community because of his insane hiatus!), Steven Erickson's (Malazan series) and Joe Abercrombie. While you will see with the Cosmere, Brandon is very much straight to the point, prioritises fights, magic system building and very cohesive ensamble casts. Unlike her peers, Robin Hobb on the other hand, is a delicacy. A slowly made dessert that has sweet and salty tastes if you will. And another defining feature is that her series does not involve a massive war at the epicentre of the fantasy plot, which ironically is rare in high fantasy now a days.

Of Cats and Closed Doors by @tragediegh

HOWEVER. The WAY in which i was introduced to this series is kind of dumb and silly, i.e. very me lol. i stumbled across a fiction on ao3 under 'in a the cabin era way' tag and stumbled across @tragediegh's soul-binding, amazing wonderful fiction called Of Cats and Closed Doors that is still ongoing and she updates mostly weekly! At first, not joking i thought it was an original work, but only well into crying, loving, reading, laughing, did i realise when i looked better at the tags it was actually based on ROTE lol. I was new to ao3 that's my only defence :P

And what @tragediegh and Hobb are doing probably tell from my handle, is make literally my roman empire. Like I reread chapters everyday before going to sleep. It's fr fr my safe space. and what i love is the maturity in which they both write, as they create stakes in different ways. She creates a very tangible atmosphere, a world you can touch, the foods cooked, how they smell, and what the character's rely on. From banquet halls, to the wood carvings the Fool leaves behind, the well lit fireplaces, mugs of ale and coffee on the table, through jewels adorned, to how the dragons gleaming like jewels in the sky… it's simply amazing. You get me. There is NEVER a moment where you feel like it's a slog or dull moment. Like I did sometimes while reading the Stormlight Archive or Outlander (those books in their defence, are longer individually).

And like I said, the thing I LOVE the most with how they make us and fall in love with Fool (one of the protagonists) through the eyes of naive and a socially sometimes challenged Fitz. Fitz himself, is the most passionate, handsome, humble hero i've ever read. He is a bastard prince who from day 0 was neglected, abused, unwanted, un-named, manipulated, gaslit just all around most traumatised character one could read. Which most people end up overlooking and resenting bc he is riddled with insecurities (despite him being a hotttie hot chiseled smokie pie that everyone wants to cuffff) and developed unhealthy copying mechanisms that can effect the readability of the main series. Which is entirely relatable. I strongly believe the hero of Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson that everybody loves, is heavily inspired by Fitz in ROTE. In fact I think Brandon said it was one of his fav series.

But really, the masterpiece of this world is obviously the Fool. When I look at the other characters, its a bit like watching a glorious puppet show - I can see how the strings are moving and what the puppets are made of…But not so with the Fool, he is an infinite mystery and creating a character like that is something I`ll never be able to get out of my head. he is other worldly. Put Tolkien fae and beautiful faeries to shame with his grace, elegance, mysticism. His story with Fitz (the other main character) with that @tragediegh and Hobb are doing imo is one of the greatest love stories of all time.

Gender Identity

And I think also, Fool (also known as Beloved to a special someone 😉) is a lgbtq+ individual, and their identity and how they chose to present and address themselves daily (and not address it!) plays a massive role in the ROTE/OCACD overall. It extremely realistic, how it's writen, where for the most part some characters are confused, don't know how to navigate the topic. Which isn't helped by how private and mysterious the Fool remains. But for the most part, is heart warming, as the gender fluidity of the Fool is openly accepted by his mate (YES MATE) with open arms as he accepts it, and it's got me CRYINGGGG as i type this fr....! These characters were created pre-2000's, which just goes to show how timeless these gender questions and acceptances really are i think!

Music

CANON FOR ME swiftie songs that are FOR fitzloved to get a feel r:

ur loosing me

my tears ricochet

invisible string

stay don't go

the lakes

mastermind (YASSS beloved go manipulate ur boy fitzieee ily)

dress (as of chapter 48 and beyond hopefully alkdfjalkdjfj)

and Fitz's song for me for ever will be:

i see fire live and in session by ed sherran (i just feel the literal passion that fitz has through this song not to mention the howl XD)

Conclusion

So yeah, I cannot recommend enough this ongoing story and series to you.

TLDR: Fitzloved is a ship i read myself to sleep every night and cry about how amazing they are XD

Feel free to ask any more questions about them or even my favourite artists that do ROTE work bc ngl this post was 2x as long as i included artistic work but it was getting too long so i decided to leave that for a more specific ask :)) As you can tell i can just dedicate entire evenings singing from the top of these crusty english rooftops how amazing and life changing these two silly beans are. I hope this was enough of a good overview of my love for them and why! :)) Hopefully one day you will give it a go, and i swear your life will be changed for ever ! <333

[grislyintentions]

SHIPPING INFO. Answer the following for your muse(s) so people know how shipping works on your blog.

What’s your OTP for your Muse(s)?

Geto/Gojo (current brainrot) but tbh i have a lot frfr

What are you willing to RP when it comes to shipping?

Where shipping is concerned, I'm generally rather down to explore different ideas/plots. With the exception of: infidelity, pregnancy (breeding kinks are fine just not actual carrying of children), constant relationship angst with no reprieve and break ups.

I struggle heavily with Bipolar 2 + Cluster B comorbidity and certain themes make emotional regulation really difficult.

How large does the age gap have to be to make it uncomfortable?

Anything past 10 year age gap** And even then I'd personally prefer for the characters to be above 25 y/o if the age gap is going to be an important factor of the thread.

Are you selective when shipping?

Yes. I prefer to go off of chemistry between the characters portrayed + if I am able to have an healthy line of communication with my writing partner. It's really important to me for my writing partners to feel comfortable with discussing boundaries or if they've changed their mind/are no longer interested. Especially with the nature of what I write (Yaoshi etc)

Shipping, and by extension rping as a whole, is a collaborative experience. I would rather prioritise being able to have fun doing so.

How far do steamy moments have to go before they’re considered NSFW?

Anywhere between getting handsy to dry humping counts I think?? ^^;;

Who are other muses you ship your muse with?

I'm pretty flexible with that as long as our portrayals have chemistry together. I don't mind crackships, unlikely ships etc as well.

Does one have to ask to ship with you?

I am unfortunately pretty dense when it comes to picking up on other people's shipping interest 😭so please give me a sign. Like a "hey i think they'd be neat!" type of message is enough. Most of the time, I observe the threads until potential is made obvious before I approach to discuss bc I just...do be dropping balls left and right OTL.

How often do you like to ship?

Not as often as I'd like 💀

Are you multiship?

Yes. Verses are all kept separate unless planned otherwise.

Are you ship obsessed or ship more-or-less?

I think I'm a ship more-or-less in my own eyes? I love writing shippy stuff but honestly slice of life, comfort and goofs are what commonly appears here. Or...yknow degenerate crimes but dw about that.

What is your favorite ship in your current fandom?

Kafka/Blade, Kafka/Sunday, Wriothesley/Clorinde/Neuvillette, Candace/Dehya, Candace/Cyno, Cyno/Tighnari, Sampo/Natasha, Sampo/Gepard, Natasha/Serval, Xiao/Traveler, Wanderer/Layla, Wanderer/Traveler, many many more tbh

Finally, how does one ship with you?

Write with me! Send me stuff, tell me about your ideas and I'll do the same.

Tagged by: @soliloquics (thank u!! ^^)

Tagging: @memovia @rvinfall @reversescale @shallliveoninsong @shining-gem34 @maskednihilism @reallyrandomtj @astrclvoyages @souldanced @soulsbetrayed @sercphs @draconicfool and whomstever wants to yoink! No pressure if you don't wanna do it though. ^^

[cogbreath]

what is your opinion on pro ship discourse? I know it is a tough or awkward subject, you do not have to answer this

im not proship myself but at the same time it seems completely unrealistic and infeasible to try to put a stop to it, people r gonna write and create stuff like that no matter what, and i genuinely do believe that some of it is done for shock value/attention , and giving it a response or acknowledgment is what they want. basically i take a sort of "dont feed the trolls" mentality about it. i dont want to see it but i also dont want to let it get to me. the internet is a place where theres some truly heinous and nasty shit out there and i feel like you'll destroy yourself mentally if you make it a major thing to worry about.

i do kinda live online but the fsct is that for the most part (outside of some things ive heard abt happening at like fan conventions) that it can be avoided by logging off. so becsuse of that as well i dont find it exactly an issue thats worth prioritising the way some ppl who r against pro-ship stuff are.

way more important things to spend your life worrying over.

what i find very annoying is the whole "dont like dont read" defense, and its really pathetic and stupid the way proshippers act like their writings are immune from criticism, or that any criticism that is against the subject matter in their writings is invalid, and they cry "harassment" too often.

frankly you shouldnt be surprised also that ppl will tell you to kill yourself and think thst youre disgusting if youre writing that kind of stuff, and i cant feel sorry for you if you dont have the backbone to take it. if its a problem then stop writing that stuff lol. if u have the guts to do it you should have the guts to handle the hate.

also the way some of them literally compare criticism to actual book burnings and police violence??? which is racist and ludicrous.

a lot of them also looveeee to use lolita as a gotcha but the truth is their writings are nothing like nabokovs in terms of quality and worth, and they dont seem to realise he wrote that as a critique of the normalisation and glamourisation of pedophilia.

out of morbid curiosity i once read a fanfic that touted itself as being inspired by such. i wanted to see what that author thinks being inspired by nabokov's work means, and not big surprise, it was masturbatory slop.

sure its possible that you can write fanfic that involves dubious subjects like that and do it well, but its rare.

irt to people who say they write it to cope, i have my doubts on that as well unless its a story where its clear that characters involved will grow and heal, or its very clear its written as a cautionary tale or something to that effect. maybe some ppl out there legit do cope with writing something that i find to just be nasty masturbatory slop, i dont know, but i dont know if thsts actually a healthy coping mechanism.

many ppl say that if you want to do that you should make it all original, but i think we are past that point, and fanfic is a medium that a lot of ppl use to express and cope about things. I've done it myself (albeit unpublished) and i find that argument to mostly be based in that they feel its cringe bc its fanfic rather than anything to do with genuine criticism.

ive also noticed the emergence of new terms like "comship" ? i kind of forget whst this means i think its like being neutral on it? i find it a bit shitty that ppl consider neutrality on it to be a bad thing? i csnt blame someone for not giving a shit about it. i think its lame to expect everyone whos involved with fandom to pick a camp to sit in, especially when the subject matter is often triggering. someones neutrality could be bc they dont want to think about it too much for that reason.

and as far as it goes though for RPF? i think it's really not THAT bad of a thing. especially bc in all honesty its moreso about that persons public persona. & just because its parasocial doesnt mean its wrong to do, thats simply a descriptor of the dynamic between fanbases & public figures. there is some absolutely NASTY and questionable stuff out there especially like for kpop bands 😭

that being said public figures do have the right to be uncomfortable about it either way and i do find it unfortunate and disrespectful that fans arent willing to listen to them when/if they say they dont like having it written about them. ABSOLUTELY shouldnt write it about irl minors though regardless.

oh and also like if ur writing it about like. ur coworker or someone u kno personally thats kinda really creepy . but its also not wrong to fantasise about people thought crimes arent real. just. dont publish it or show them that

anyway feel free to disagree with anything i have an open mind abt this most of its based off personal inference i havent rlly ever discussed it much ^_^

[a-little-bit-of-tradition]

Hello! Some of you may have seen me around. I'm technically a nobody in this fandom on here as I like to keep to myself, but am taking a plunge and getting this off my chest now that the show's over for me. I don't see myself as a writer, but I have my own headcanons now for how I would have taken the Upstead story that I've written out and thought I'd share in case it helps other people. I've lost a lot of ships in my time! It never gets easier, you just learn new coping mechanisms. Will continue posting/reblogging content of older seasons to remember what we had. 💕

As I mentioned here in tags, events may have given them a nudge, but all their decisions were made out of love. They may have experienced trauma and their own demons that influenced their methods, but this relationship and being together was always where they wanted to be. Their relationship was never a trauma response. Immediately leaning on someone else is a trauma response.

Headcanon 1: (personal fave) Tracy leaves first half of season.

In those 6 months, Jay and Hailey were talking and were both starting to open up and connect again. We learn divorce is brought up but they choose to work through it. Hailey was therefore feeling less pain and reintegrating herself back in the team. Jay lets her know that he has an end date and he wants to come home to her if she wants him too and that he's sorry. He thought that was what he needed but now knows all he wants is a life with Hailey.

Hailey decides that she's experienced enough in Intelligence and wants to try something new and lets Voight know she's leaving and that she and Jay are good. We learn Hailey and Jay have made plans to leave Chicago as they both have too many ghosts and need a fresh chapter. (Insert casual reference/joke to starting with a very belated honeymoon/reconcilation time, perhaps in a cabin in Northern Wisconsin if that still exists, or just anywhere).

Once Hailey has left, we later learn through a team conversation in passing, that they are in Seattle (humour me!) and she has taken up a new position in a role that's closer to the cop she wants to be. And Jay is doing something quieter in a more educator/training position rather than full combat. The two are happy and now prioritising their marriage and joining their lives together.

Headcanon 2: More in line with canon with my attempt to try and make sense of it...

Hailey and Jay are now divorced. Jay could hear Hailey was in pain in those 6 months and felt obligated as the cause of it to free her from him, even though we as the audience knew it was the opposite of what Hailey wanted from him which was to just come home. Hailey's mad because it's not how she wanted things to go but doesn't actually tell Jay that, thinking she has to let him go, so now has to bear a life without the man she loves and focus on the one thing she has avoided, (according to canon) herself.

Through talking with Kim she hesitantly decides to start therapy and in the next 5/6 months, slowly starts to think about who Hailey is and what Hailey wants. She decides that she's ready to leave Intelligence and try different areas of policing. She's a "good cop" but wants to be a better one.

Then in the last 2 eps, Hailey has reached out to Jay, to let him know she's ok and hopes he is too. He's thrilled to hear it as he didn't want to reach out in case it caused her more pain and feared she hated him. She's in a better place and at this point they can talk as old friends and she tells him she has a new job and will leave soon. Jay later mentions he has an end date and that he'd love to see her if that's something she'd want. She cautiously agrees, as she knows that is in fact what she does want, and they make plans to. We learn next season through the team that they are trying again with a fresh start.

💕

[onewomancitadel]

I had Best Mate over here the other day and we were discussing romance, and part of what obfuscates the question of 'romance' is that altogether, romance really encompasses at least four different things (list pending):

Romance book genre (literature)

Romance (character as boon/reward - what most people think of after romance books)

Romance in genre fiction (character- and plot-motivated)

Romantic comedies

I said 'at least four' for this: Whatever Austen and Jane Eyre qualify as (classics), even if grouped with the romance book genre nominally (similarly: character- and plot-motivated with major theses)

It does make the question rather difficult, because you have a codified genre with very, very specific narrative beats to hit; something that almost could not passably be called 'romance' in any true-to-life sense; romance realising 'higher' narrative stakes; romcoms which are kind of like romance novels but kind of not (almost always about external circumstances); and the lattermost which are treated less seriously as higher literature (or, as I've been reading recently in regards to Jane Eyre, the romance is viewed as character regression for Jane and something which brings the novel down, or for Wuthering Heights, Cathy and Heathcliff are 'obviously toxic' undercutting the tragedy).

Clearly the issue here is that romance is a complicated and near-universal human experience and relation (note, near) which can realise many different ideas, and touch people in many different ways, and is elastic narratively. So, what is it that makes romance good as a genre, versus what makes romance eye-roll worthy in an action film, versus what makes romcoms cheesy or contrived, versus what makes Pride & Prejudice tick, etc. Can we talk about all of these the same way? Are we always talking about the same thing? When romance is derided as a genre, are all of these things being condemned, or only things like 'character as boon' where female characters are treated like objects?

Issue with romance novels don't map onto issues with love interests as boon but issues with love interests as boon do map onto romance in genre fiction and the perception of romance in genre fiction is coloured by the social perception of romcoms ('chick flicks') and there is, in general, a relative unserious treatment of romance in the broader discourse, particularly from a structural perspective. Romance novels are so highly codified that to criticise them in any way is to effectively criticise their entire existence and reading base, and the enjoyment of romance is associated with an enjoyment of guilty indulgence, the one place you get a guarantee for happy endings - and serious treatment is expected to undercut this. (I don't agree). So on the one hand, you have the general disregard for romance (gross, overdone, inevitable, *eyeroll*, it's not that serious, it reduces their characters down to nothing) to the sense of self-protection the biggest fanbase has regarding romance.

But I'm forgetting shipping fandoms, because they're kind of their own beast, and usually self-identify as distinct from 'romance novel readers', and the fanfic romance is kind of its own genre. Shipping is usually contrived as canon-as-a-playpen or serious canon reading, but by in large I think that discussing fandom is a whole different topic (that I've covered plenty of times) even if it does somewhat influence this topic. Shipping is considered silly and relatively unserious as a byproduct of romance being silly in general, and fanfic has its own mores which have ended up influencing romance novels in a reversal.

Nevertheless, my overall point that romance is a chimera of many genres which makes conversation as well as criticism difficult still stands. Of course, my evolving thesis is that no matter what, it is character and character transformation that matters above all at a very base level. I don't think it's unsurprising that for all that plot is prioritised above character, overwhelmingly, and there is a lot of bad surrounding theory relating character to plot and plot to character (and even in ostensibly 'character-building' advice, it is more like an RPG than anything thematically- or plot-justified), romance, which almost entirely relies upon character, is misunderstood.

[pynkhues]

Thoughts on morality and fandom?

As in, people using fandom to virtue signal or as a form of activism?

Mmmm, I don't think fandom should be divorced from morality or social issues. I strongly believe that storytelling can be, and often is, a vehicle for social change and empathy, and can be crucial in normalising lifestyles and identities, creating conversation around divisive topics and peeling back the rug on historical moments that have been deliberately or incidentally forgotten.

These are all important things, and when fandom engages with that in good faith debate, embracing the ways storytelling can challenge us, while also being aware that stories are, at the very foundations of them, subjective and flawed, I do think they can create melting pots of ideas and explorations of morality that emphasise the nuance and complexity of these topics.

That said, I don't think fandom is activism, and it's extremely clear many people do. Representation in storytelling provides platforms and normalisation, as I said above, and at its best, can lead to some social change, but it doesn't lead to political or structural change. We can, and should, demand more of studios and networks, but that should never be conflated with true activism.

I think it's kind of interesting too because in many ways, fandom offers a safe space for people. A safe space to explore something they like, to engage with their own sexuality, their own identities, to explore taboos and to sort of gently challenge their own contexts and backgrounds. It can challenge personal politics and personal selfhood, and sometimes because of that, people conflate it with fandom itself being inherently political.

It can also make people feel I think very protective of their sense of a character, story, or fandom because they feel that degree of personal investment.

In that sense, I think a lot of virtue signalling in fandom comes from an individual's sense of entitlement and ownership of a character or story, and I think that seeing other people interpret a character in a way that they don't like, or are using a story's setting to explore things they don't agree with, is something that's taken personally.

I think in many ways you can trace this sense of entitlement to the Western culture of individualism which prioritises the self and the self's opinion over the community – after all, isn't that what these people are doing? – and that that individualism is something that's been really compounded by social media where the likes of Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram have effectively given everyone a platform and told everyone their voices are not only important, but the one most worth listening to.

It's presented as a grand equaliser - a flattening of the structures that previously kept people voiceless - but really it's just something that's created a culture where people talk more than they listen, and as a result, speak ignorantly or naively, and often with an agenda that prioritises something that they want.

When it comes to fandom, I think that can be especially compounded. You have people who feel protective of these spaces as they feel connected to a story and found a sort of personal safety in the fandom, and as a result feel a sort of ownership over these spaces. As a result, they'll do anything they can to protect their own idea of a character or a ship or a story, which includes weaponising morality and virtue signalling, and being closed to anything that may challenge that.

So yeah, I think it's not a topic that exists in a vacuum - after all, nothing does - but it's an interesting one to think about!

Ask me for my thoughts on things!

[rantingcrocodile]

most m/m ships in fandoms are just ships for the purpose of being gay.

like a story im into rn, people keep on shipping one of the main characters with his best friend (both men) they have a great friendship in the show, but absolutely no romance between them. In fact, this main character has feelings for another main character who is a woman, and had another female love interest before her, so it is definitely implied that he is hetero.

I know for a fact people are just shipping these friends together just because if they were together, the relationship would be a gay one.

Like I've seen so many posts saying "heres why his best friend is better for him than the actual love interest" like.no. id get it if they were shown to have chemistry in the series, but there was no such thing.

I also don't trust lesbian ships either. On places like tumblr and tiktok, two women will be shipped by women and girls, not because they fetishize it like they do for two men, but just because it would be gay. "Lesbian representation, lesbian positivity, they're great girlfriends!!"

There's nothing wrong with shipping fictional characters, even if they are the same sex, but the people who randomly ship characters of the same sex just for the purpose of the relationship being gay are usually just queerios who fetishize and/or moralise homosexuality.

You're right, though.

With m/m ships, a lot of it is fetishisation and pornification, and with f/f ships, a lot of it is "look at me and how much I support lesbians!" and it's incredibly transparent.

It wouldn't be as bad if it was more back in the old days where people had cute little headcanons and simply liked the dynamic and had some light-hearted fun with others who liked the same thing, but as soon as accusations of bigotry were thrown around, it was completely ruined.

"If you don't like X ship, you're a homophobe," to terrify others into silence over their own likes and dislikes, harassing show content creators, and then the burst in extreme pornification. Then the showrunners figuring out that if they could bait some "queer content," they'd get vicious fighting and obsession over their shows/films online for all that free advertising.

Plus, everything is performance now. The fear that liking the "wrong" ship or "prioritising heteronormativity" in some way means that are more people lying about what they like to fit in and seem like "allies," right alongside the "need" for m/m ships for straight girls and women to use for porn. But then there are also people who are normal and just like those ships and get a bit excitable online which is perfectly fine and good for them that they're just having a bit of fun.

It's really complicated and tiring.

[radiosandrecordings]

I wrote a big long post, and I’m not quite sure what my point is and also it’s 2am so by the end it’s pretty much nonsensical but I just wanted to get some feelings out in words, it’s more of a For Me thing really but idk, someone else might feel similar so: 

Been thinking about Stuff recently and as I am want to do with every thought that rattles through my hollow little head, I’ve tried sifting it through a jmart lens. This originally came from a discussion I was having yesterday about how the fan base has changed a lot since jmart became canon, especially in terms of new people listening. But it was more in the context of it... I think there’s a tendency when people listen, specifically ones who came because they’ve seen fan art or they heard ‘omg canon gays!’ (It’s really becoming the new Night Vale and I have Thoughts on that but that’s for a separate post) to listen through the show as a means to get to them being ‘a canon couple’. 

And I suppose there’s a route I could go down here where I talk about how that’s kinda derisive to the show to treat this whole complex story as only a vehicle to get you to the concept of boys kissing, but to me it’s more like... I mean ‘fandoms’ as they are now, really do have a tendency to put an emphasis on romance as the main thing to be focused on, even in media where it isn’t found, that’s old hat. But I Don’t Like That. I mean, obviously I love romance stuff, I read as many fluffy jmart fics with 0 bearing on canon as the next person, I’ve been writing those since season 3 when we had no idea this was coming, when it was still ‘the dinghy’ to a lot of people.

But the whole kind of overview of it is reductive not just to the show but to other forms of relationships I think? Again this isn’t TMA exclusive, this is a common thing, I’m just filtering through one specific thing here. One of my favourite quotes from Jonny was from the S4 Q&A, when he was explaining why Daisy and Basira aren’t a romantic couple, which is a whole OTHER thing and people’s ignoring of his whole logic for that has made me kind of prickly against the ship now, but that’s another topic. Anyway, he says “So, with each relationship within the series there is a specific thing that I’m trying to explore. A specific dynamic that I feel is- is the core of the relationship in something that I am really interested in exploring.” And I adore seeing TMA through this lens. With each character Jon meets, trying to figure out what it is that their specific dynamic with him is supposed to convey. How the whole show is about how people interact with each other and that’s why to me when you boil Jon down to his only relationship being his romantic one is just feels off. 

Like I adore jmart, I truly do, and I get why they’re the most common. Romance is easy and fun to write about, and they’re the two main characters, they’re the ones we lock onto because we spend so much time with them. But if you sat me down and told me to make a list of my favourite dynamics in TMA, personally I would have them ranked third. I would rather talk about Jon and Georgie all day firstly, and then after that Jon and Gerry. Maybe there’s not as much to say for those two dynamics as their is for jmart due to the sheer amount of jmart interaction and content we have in canon, but I think the dynamics that are being explored there are more appealing to me personally to look at. 

Another thing is this notion that relationships only really start when they’re agreed upon to be a reciprocated romantic partnership, and I think that’s something often missed when people rush forward to get to S5 and see them act all coupley. This idea that their interactions only matter if they’re in service to a ship. I don’t think people ignore them interacting before that, but more that people have a tendency to hone in on the parts they think they can point at and go ‘See, see, that’s where he has a crush on him!’. As if their dynamic wasn’t interesting in itself before it became romantic, and only holds worth once they have feelings for each other in a romantic manner rather than simply caring about each other, or even how they might not care at the start. Like, if you are friends with someone for five years, and then get a crush on them for one year, and then start dating, you have had a relationship with this person for six years but the one year of your feelings being romantic doesn’t change the five years to be un-platonic, you were just friends then even if feelings came later. 

Side note -  Obviously the romance gives it obvious appeal and reason for acclaim because if you come to TMA from out of an audio drama sphere, you are likely starving for healthy gay content and so of course you want to focus on that bit of rep. But there’s better media for that, audio is full of it, just because TMA is the popular show doesn’t mean it’s what you’re looking for if you genuinely don’t like horror or the story it’s telling and are only there for the romance. You can shop around a bit until you find the story you want, I promise you it’s out there if you go looking.

Back from the side note - I think what I mean to say is. This is probably me venting my frustration at allonormativity a little in pushing romance as The Superior Dynamic and all other relationships a character has as side notes. Though obviously there’s the caveat that Martin is Jon’s most important relationship to him, hell he called him his reason! But maybe I’m just a little frustrated at their romance being treated as a crux of the show instead of one important thread in a whole woven tapestry of themes and relationships. Again this isn’t dunking on anyone for making fluffy content because I will be sitting here gobbling that up, it’s just more of a... Vent at the way relationships are viewed in general? A bit of a “Funny, you criticise the prioritising of romantic relationships over all other kinds but yet you partake in the writing of non-relevant fluff fics!” I know, but there’s absolutely a place for them because they’re Good I think I just feel like they shouldn’t be the overwhelm if that makes sense? Even some of the stuff I’ve said here now that I look back doesn’t even really apply to jmart specifically so it’s more just. throwing my thoughts at a wall and using jmart to understand some of it I guess. 

[eclecticwordblender]

Since @the-rambling-maiden gave me the kind of validation that makes one cry with joy. I couldn’t wait to publish part 2 of Mahabharata High School AU. Ik it’s too long I’m sorry 🥺.

Senior students in the limelight:

Yudhishthir:

The headboy.

Tries really hard to excell, still is barely above average.

Is driven by the idea that everyone likes him while most of his classmates find him plain annoying. Some of the teachers too.

Is the headboy because for some unknown reason Bheeshma likes him and no one likes to disagree with the principal. Dhritrashtra tried opposing but no one really listens to him.

this kid, Krishna ran a campaign that convinced everyone that Yudhishthir is the best headboy they could have. Without that he had no chance.

Everyone else just accepted and now listens to him because that’s what Krishna wants.

“Okay I’ll give a very interesting lecture in Moral science class.”

- everyone, even the teacher struggles to stay awake.

Draupadi:

Head girl.

Has witty comebacks to everything.

An all rounder.

Looking at her, everyone wonders why someone as under achieving as Yudhishthir gets to be the other school captain.

Changed her name to Panchaali. But everyone still calls her Draupadi. Doesn’t like it, but has made her peace with it.

Is already done with the world’s patriarchal ways which are the basis of the school’s sexist rule book.

Is EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY beautiful.

Once, some juniors went to the principal’s office and saw a picture of the first headmistress. They were all admiring her beauty while Draupadi walked in. And suddenly all the admiration shifted to her.

An iconic friendship quadrent of Arjuna, Satyabhama, Krishna and Draupadi exists right since they joined school.

Had a beef with the Geography teacher, Kunti because had a thing going with Arjuna for a while.

“🧚🏻‍♀️🥰 How are we ignoring our beloved head boy today?🥰🧚🏻‍♀️”

Arjuna:

Heart eyes uwu.

Soccer team captain.

Is some sort of a ladies man. However, always prioritises his ECAs and Krishna.

All rounder. Had the achievements to be head boy, definitely not the time.

Girls are always crushing on him.

Dated Draupadi in the freshman year, it didn’t work out. Is still best friends with her though.

Currently in a relationship with Subhadra, she’s two years younger, but our boi doesn’t really care because he’s so smitten by her. Bestfs still above her though.

Is Kunti’s favourite kid. Kunti is an actual sweetheart exclusively to him.

Everyone loves him.

Sometimes sick of all the attention he gets.

Major enimity with the soccer team’s vice captain, Karna.

“I WILL PROVE THE VICE CAPTAIN IS NO MATCH TO ME!”

Bheema:

Really tall, really husky, Fitness freak.

Still loves food more than right about anything.

There’s only one person he’d choose over food. The head girl. Some say he has had a crush on her since junior school. Draupadi values him a lot but doesn’t seem to reciprocate the attention he gives her.

Is stupid, but it’s okay because he’s also the good-est boy in town.

Not very bright academically.

Doesn’t get the recognition he deserves.

Literally the BEST basketball player, but all everyone in school seems to care about is soccer and track events :/.

Has anger management issues which land him into trouble very often.

“Panchaali! You should be proud of me, I prevented a murder today, BY CONTROLLING MY ANGER.”

Nakul:

Is a year younger to everyone in his class.

Really cute, really handsome. Is also well aware about this.

Is not much of a ladies man but SO MANY PEOPLE have crushes on him.

Is practically never seen without his guitar and bestf, Sahadev, who is the only one who shares his birth year.

Can be found giving out personalised skin care routines for fun. And Sahadev, being the brains of the duo, charges in cash, that is how both of them get their pocket money.

Goes to the restroom after every period to make sure his hair are still on point.

Has a successful band. Obviously he’s the lead.

“Wow! Who is this beauty!? Oh my God! This is why I use mirrors as mood boosters.”

Sahadev:

Smartest kid in the school. School topper.

Can talk about random trivia for hours, and people like listening to him.

Is either in the library or hanging out with Nakul.

Hates school A LOT.

Sahadev doesn’t attend a lot of classes because he knows teachers aren’t of any help to him.

Always attends maths class, even though he doesn’t like Sir Shakuni. Prolly because he wanted to be Shakuni’s fav but Shakuni only likes the bad boys. Sigh.

Is a walking human encyclopaedia.

“Why is everyone so stupid!? I WANNA GO HOME! I HATE YOU ALL! (Except my boi Nakul).”

Krishna:

(Ik everyone in the fandom loves him v much. Please don’t hate me for this.)

Manipulative to a point its very toxic.

Doesn’t like taking responsibilities and being held accountable

so just tricks people who take up responsibility into listening to him.

The OG heart eyes in the campus.

Still ships Draupadi and Arjuna for some reason. Even though he treats Arjuna’s girlfriend as his younger sister.

So stubborn.

Is good at everything but doesn’t like the lime light.

A Krishna-Shakuni Feud is the best source of entertainment.

Krishna seems to think that every body who disagrees with him is absolutely wrong and would go any length to make a point. Is also sort of disrespectful to the teachers he doesn’t like.

However, has a very captivating charm that makes him most people’s favourite. Shakuni sees through his well planned schemes because he has fully functional brain cells.

Loves his friendship quadrant and a girl from some other school who visits often, a lot.

A feminist. Hates the school’s rule book in a positive manner.

“🧚🏻‍♀️🥰 What mischief should I do today? And how do I trick someone into thinking it was their idea, not mine?🥰🧚🏻‍♀️”

Karna:

Soccer team vice captain.

Here on a scholarship.

Every girl with daddy issues is head over heels for him.

Uses Hating Arjuna as a personality trait.

Also uses his love for Duryodhana as another personality trait.

Has lots of rumours about him. He doesn’t care because all he cares about is defeating Arjuna.

A lot of students ship Draupadi with him. It’s just stupid. Both of them dislike each other, but are too evolved to care about stupid rumours.

Is extremely generous.

Since the owner’s kid, who is RICH is his bestf, he never misses a chance to slide a meal from the overpriced canteen to any one who forgot lunch.

Suffers from classism and tries very hard to fight the inferiority complex he gets because most kids around are super rich.

Dronacharya dislikes him, he dislikes him back, however, still tries to win him.

Has abandonment issues.

Some say he looks upto Ma’am Kunti for validation.

The cricket coach, Pashuram, likes this kid though.

“Are you challenging me Arjuna!?”

Duryodhan:

Thinks too highly of himself.

Being the owner’s kid makes up for half his personality. The other half is his devotion towards his beloved Karna.

Is probably bi and Has a not so subtle crush on his bestf.

Has another personality that is devoted to trying to convince everyone he should be head boy.

He once started an intervention demanding “Duryodhana should be headbody” and he was also the leader on the intervention. Karna was unwillingly in his support.

Is Sir Shakuni’s favourite bratty kid.

Only listens to Shakuni or Karna.

Comes up with evil and downright mean mischiefs but always fails.

He once tried to full on flirt with Draupadi but got his a*s whooped.

Tried to sabotage Yudhishthir’s reputation but Krishna’s interference led him to fail.

“Where’s Mitr Karna!?!? I get anxiety when I don’t have him or Sir Shakuni around for long!”

“I should be headboy! No head girl. Karna should be headboy 2.”

Dushasan:

Befriended Duryodhana first year of school.

Looks up to Duryodhana. Only imitates his bad qualities. That’s it, that’s his entire personality.

Even Shakuni who loves bratty kids, dislikes this one.

Has more haters than the headboy. Except people hate on him openly.

Total failure.

A bully.

Dushasana can be found in the last room on the third floor of the oldest block very often. That’s the detention room.

Tries to flirt with every girl around, and girls just ew this creep AS THEY SHOULD.

Doesn’t have a personality of his own.

“Dury Bro! HOW DID YOU DO THAT? CAN I TOO PLEASE?”

Sikhandi/Sikhandini:

FEMINIST.

Gender fluid and ready to teach a lesson to anyone who invalidates her.

Strong and independent.

Important member of the soccer as well as the cricket team.

Also, a star athelete.

Has a very strong bonding with Ma’am Amba because VERY similar.

Sikhandi/Sikhandni can be seen gossiping with Amba on the stair case a lot, some claim to have heard them trash talk Bheeshma.

Bold and not afraid to stand for what they believes in without caring about the consequences.

Once they gave herself a third ear piercing, using a compass when Kunti told her a double piercing was a distraction after Yudhishthir complained about it.

Emerges as a parent figure to juniors who are bullied for being different.

“As long as you have the right intentions you’re valid okay?”

Drishtdyum:

Introvert.

Minds his own business.

Manages good grades and a spot in the sports squad.

He found out he shared his birthday with the Draupadi in second grade. Loves her like a sister since then.

The basketball coach sees some spark in him that no one else does.

Is liked by all but doesn’t get the attention he deserves.

Is pretty content with life in General.

Ashwatthama:

Soccer coach’s kid.

Is self aware.

Realistic and practical.

Suffers from major attention deprivation.

Duryodhan lent him a pencil case in second standard. Asshwatthama tries so hard to become his favourite ever since.

The Iconic Karna Dury duo however, ignore almost always.

Expanded the “Duryodhana should be headboy” intervention but his efforts weren’t recognised.

Closeted gay.

Respects superiors while disliking them.

Quite bitter.

“Will this win me Duryodhan’s love?”

Subhadra:

Eyes like forest pools.

Looks up to Draupadi as a role model.

Arjuna is her weakness even though she’s dating him.

Kunti likes her. Doesn’t mind if she’s dating Arjuna.

There’s this brilliant student in the junior section, Abhimanyu. Subhadra and Arjuna spend a lot of time with him together. They sort of look like a very happy family.

Always tops English and History class.

Gossip queen xoxo.

“Draupadi Didi and Krishna bhaiya said so, Arjuna you know I cannot say no to them.”

Dushala:

Is the sweetest person around.

Believes there is some good in every person.

Even hangs out with Duryodhana and squad thinking they’ll change some day.

Karna and Dushala often discuss how to mend this group’s ways, assisted by Dury’s girlfriend, Bhanumati.

Is stuck in a relationship with a jerk but doesn���t have the heart to break up with him.

Is literally kindness personified.

Dushala’s favourite teacher is Gandhaari. Probably because no one else gives the teacher validation and Dushala doesn’t like when someone is sad.

Jayadaratha:

Terrible person.

Only the size of a grain of sand better than Dushasana.

Started Dating Dushala Sophomore year.

Dushala really wants to break up with this jerk but she’s too sweet to hurt someone even as terrible as him so she just avoids him.

Once Draupadi slapped him in public. Dushala cheered the loudest.

Is only relevant because of his girlfriend.

Bhanumati:

Says Duryodhana is an excellent boyfriend.

Corrects her man when he’s wrong.

Is also close friends with Karna.

Led the intervention against the “Duryodhana should be headboy intervention.”

It hurt Dury but it’s okay because Bhanumati has her own thoughts and he respects that. Guess he is actually a good boyfriend.

“OMG DURY!!!! STOP IT! KARNA HOW DO WE STOP DURY FROM DOING ANOTHER F*CK UP?”

Yuyutsu:

Is very lovable.

Boy has no hater.

Somehow was befriended by Duryodhan in junior school.

Feels stuck in the Dury gang ever since.

Secretly, very strongly admires Yudhishthir, Arjuna, Draupadi and of course, KRISHNA.

Is everything you’d wanna fix in Yudhishthir.

Yuyutsu, Dushala and Vikarna trio is bff goals.

“Is there any way I can change my friend group? Face palms”

Vikarna:

Counsels Duryodhana on Yuyutsu’s advise.

There isn’t much to say about him. Dude’s a good guy with humanly flaws.

Feels stuck in Dury gang but has made his peace with their ways.

Dushala, Yuyutsu and Vikarna are often found gossiping with Ma’am Gandhaari, she often warns them about how their other friends are bad kids and they should not get influenced.

“Why!? Because yuyutsu says so that’s why!”

Eklavya:

Here on scholarship.

This poor kid was bullied so much initially when he joined school because of his economic status.

Coach Drona wouldn’t let him into the soccer team because he’s afraid someone might out shine his favourite.

Stays away from the dirty politics in school.

Became a star athelete despite all the odds he faced.

Eklavya was once locked in the washroom before a 100m race on the sports day. No one knows who did that for sure. Although some people claim to know it was Coach Drona.

Rukmini:

President of the theatre club.

Crushes on Krishna for an unknown duration.

Krishna does give her attention because EXCUSE ME, she is impossible to ignore.

Rukmini befriended Nakul in the corridors as they bumped into each other after every period, while going to/coming from the washroom to check their respective hairdos.

Satyabhama:

Is Draupadi’s psychological twin.

President of the debating society.

Another one of Krishna’s closest friends.

The school is full of Satyabhama-Krishna shippers. But their friendship quadrant knows Krishna is smitten by this girl from some other school.

Radha:

The girl from some other school.

Probably goes to an all girls convent school.

Is shy but can be seen having a a gala time with Krishna after school. Friends w Subhadra too.

Nobody in school knows much about her but it’s evident Krishna and her are 11/10 soulmates uwu.

Rukmi:

Rukmini’s twin brother.

Is overly protective of his sister.

Thinks he’s well sorted but almost always creates a mess.

Has some sort of minor feud with Krishna.

Is neck deep in a very toxic friendship with Shishupal.

Shishupal:

Rebel without a cause.

A headache.

Wants to fight Krishna but is scared of him.

Wants to join the Dury gang but no on lets him in.

Shishupal is known to spread the most problematic rumours in school.

Hidimbi:

Stays occupied in her small social circle of not so popular kids.

She’s famous, though doesn’t talk to many people.

Proposed to Bheem in middle school.

Bheem gently turned her down because he was already mad about Draupadi. Hidimba moved on with life without sulking about it. Probably still likes him though.

Also, really close to this Ghatotkutch person who is in fifth grade.

Ulupi and Chitrangada:

Dated Arjuna for a few weeks each.

Then bonded over how he’s not a good boyfriend and not as perfect as everyone thinks he is. they do have a point though.

Are now bestfs and don’t like anyone else in school.

Since, I’m an attention wh*re tagging: @bigheadedgirlwithbigdreams @soniaoutloud @supermeh-krishnafan @incorrectmahabharatquotes @chaanv @hoeticulture @lemponkoira @1nsaankahanhai-bkr

Also, link to part 1: https://eclecticwordblender.tumblr.com/post/625462681921568768/foundation

[normal-thoughts-official]

Ok so Camille’s an asshole on that we can all agree, but I’m really tired of people in the fandom acting like she’s just your typical annoying ex and she makes poor uwu Alec feel insecure cause fuck that. Camille was 100% abusive and manipulative but I also think she was sexually abusive too I mean seeing what she did to Simon and kissing Magnus without his consent even though he was clearly uncomfortable, consent doesn’t really seem to be an issue for her-

I feel like she definitely manipulated his fear of loneliness and not being good enough, to suit her needs. Like Magnus isn’t in the mood for sex or it’s especially triggering on a certain day, either way he’s not up for it but Camille makes him do it anyway. She threatens to leave or go find someone else who can fulfill her needs or take care of her when Magnus won’t, ‘I mean does he even love her when he won’t do this one simple thing for her?’ 

So he just lets her do what she wants, even if he’s having a full blown panic attack Camille doesn’t care or she’ll just leave insulting him saying she can’t deal with this right now and leaving Magnus with no idea when or if she’ll be back. So the next time she asks he hesitates less or initiates it more even when he’s not in the mood so she won’t leave and yeah I have a lot of emotions relating to this. and now I’m thinking about how it’ll affect his future relationships, not even talking about Alec but other people - I have this headcanon where when he got away from Camille and is healing, him ragnor and Catarina live together in ragnors cottage or somewhere away from people for awhile so Magnus can slowly heal and focus on himself and unlearn Camille’s abuse with the help of his family 

But despite what this fandom says Magnus has always been a helper and a selfless person to the point of self destruction. He’s unable to prioritise his own health and he wouldn’t be able to slow down and feel the full force of the abuse he experienced cause he feels like he’ll fall apart if he does and ‘no one wants a pathetic crybaby who breaks down when someone moves their hand too fast in his direction it wasn’t even that bad he’s just exaggerating like he always does this is why Camille doesn’t love him back’ (the ‘’ parts were meant to be strikethrough to signify Magnus’ inner thoughts but that doesn’t work on asks)

And he’s scared to get in another relationship cause he doesn’t think he’d be able to speak up for himself if they turned violent or controlling, he’s scared that if they did he’d just let them so he closes himself off from people puts these walls around him and a bright smile on his face that doesn’t let anyone think there’s anything wrong. And theres so much pain going on in the world ‘they have it much worse than him anyway’ and Magnus tries to help the best he can as he always does and he’s always there for people to lean on without any reciprocation and he’s so emotionally and physically tired and he’s not sure how much longer he can take it, almost considers going back to blackfairs bridge ‘really he’d be doing the world a favour’ but theres too many bad memories and he promised his family he would try so he holds on and then he finds Raphael and that obviously doesn’t fix everything but- I was going to continue this but it’s two am in my country and honesty it’s too long already😅 sorry for the rant it’s just a lot of emotions. Im so tired of the ‘Camille’s an annoying ex who keeps getting in the way of my favourite gay ship😠’ metas and needed to let out some feelings before I explode from my hate for Camille

UGH ANON HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE NOT ONLY A GENIUS BUT ALSO MY NEW BEST FRIEND, AN INTELLECTUAL, AND COMPLETELY RIGHT. YOU ARE SO CORRECT!!! idk if uve read my other post that i posted while i was waiting for you but we no longer have the same hat we are SHARING the hat!! i can't believe i got this ask right after i had just made that long ass rant and was in so much need to talk about this like ugh are you my guardian angel. i love you more than anyone else ive ever met

ok ok ok coherent thoughts ok i can do this. first of all THE SALT how does it feel to have vision and coherency. ppl writing camille as just an annoying ex or a bad ex or even as like "oh they both made mistakes and it ended up terrible" drives me UP THE WALL. camille was explicitly abusive, so much so that magnus CANONICALLY WAS UNABLE TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO GET CLOSE TO HIM FOR ALMOST A CENTURY. and she was shown to be abusive, both in the physical sense as you have reminded us so brilliantly and in the sense that her whole "choose me" speech? like she doesn't have to literally say the words "no one but me would ever love you" for that to be exactly what she's saying. she's obviously playing with his insecurities and putting him down while presenting her as his savior, it's CLASSIC ABUSE. she was written as such a perfect to-the-book abuser that it honestly shocks me like they did that really all they ticked all the boxes. the way she immediately launched to talk about alec's mortality too, the way she was obviously trying to make them fight and draw them apart - it wasn't a jealousy thing, it is just that she's abusive and she wants him isolated so she can toy with him and manipulate him 

EVEN SALTIER WHEN THEY MAKE IT ABOUT ALEC BEING INSECURE LIKE. especially because canonically he literally watched camille kiss magnus and didn't care, which was sexy of him because i was dreading some jealousy drama or something but instead he was just like. obviously she did it to hurt you. i only care in the sense that she's a fucking bitch. we stan! 

as for how she treated him! oof i think the same thing with the same words dioajdsaoij it always circled back to "why can't you do this for me?" in and outside of sex - i mentioned that in a conversation in the comments of my other post but i think that with camille the sexual abuse was really just an extension of the regular abuse, so they bleed together and are not really separable in that sense. at every turn, he had to prove his worth, and she used his fear of loneliness both in the sense that she amplified it and made it seem like the only way to not be lonely was to be with her, and that she gave him just enough for him not to feel desperately lonely so she could string him along. not to mention, they both always go back to how magnus supposedly "owes" her, and yes, it's because of the bridge, of course, but there's also that underlying tone of "because she put up with him and gave him affection when no one else would". even when what she did was nowhere close to real affection. so it's both the bridge and the after. she could have saved him and left, but she stayed. that's why he feels he owes her, and she will absolutely use it

AND UR SO RIGHT ABOUT MAGNUS BEING UNABLE TO PRIORITIZE HIS OWN HEALTH UGH UGH UGH UGH like he has no choice for a while because she left him fucking broken and seeing the way she treats him and the amount of shit he puts up with i can only imagine how far she had to go for him to reach a breaking point and leave her for real. but as soon as he could pretend to have himself together he just threw himself out there. and i believe that he felt guilty for having catarina and ragnor take care of him when he abandoned them because of camille - obviously that's not what happened, she manipulated him into staying away from them, made his life hell whenever he wanted to hang out with them until he no longer had the energy to put up a fight to keep in contact with the people he loves, but it's what he feels that happened, and most likely what camille herself eventually started to tell him happened once they had been pulled away enough. ("you're gonna leave me? and go back to who? your little friends who tried to pit you against me from day one? they're just gonna say 'i told you so', magnus. and why would they take you back when you left them before? when was the last time you even saw them? you chose this, you chose me, and now you're gonna come back to them and expect them to welcome you with open arms? you selfish little prick")

AND RAPHAEL!!! raphael was so important, honestly, we say that magnus didn't let anyone into his heart but obviously raphael was the exception and EXTREMELY important for his healing. it's a complicated relationship because he's sort of a father figure for rapha, and as such, he doesn't allow himself to be completely vulnerable around him, because that's not "his role". but! he was the first person whom magnus let in. and they obviously know each other deeply ("i hate to see you like this" even though magnus looked completely put together to the outside eye) and are plenty affectionate ("sweet boy", the hugs, the way rapha talked about magnus with so much love and awe in his eyes and voice) and trusting (the way raphael went to magnus' loft, not his own damn clan, when he was tortured...). i know this fandom likes to pretend that they pretend to hate each other but NO THEY DON'T they are openly caring and loving with each other fucking fight me on this

anyway, my point is that raphael was the first person he allowed himself to trust, and of course, part of that is simply because raphael was vulnerable and in need and like you said he can't just stay still when he sees someone struggling. but to care for raphael eventually had to mean to open up to him and when he welcomed raphael in, he gained a new member to his family. raphael is his kid. that's no small thing. their bond goes deep and it's extremely important because again, after camille magnus wouldn't allow people to get close to his heart, because he was scared of how they could use that against him. raphael was his first, and the only reason magnus was able to open himself up for romantic love again (which was an extra step, not because romantic love is more important or deeper, but because it's specifically the kind of love that camille used against him, and thus it makes him even more scared) was because he had already been relearning trust and platonic love with rapha

rapha did him good!!! there's a reason he calls him "sweet boy" okay. and rapha cares about him and he NOTICES WHEN HE'S IN A BAD SHAPE EVEN THROUGH ALL OF MAGNUS' WALLS and he specifically didn't want magnus involved with the camille drama even when it had obviously gotten out of hand because he wanted to keep him safe and away from her!!! i want to be shot in the face!!! they love each other so much! fuck!

and also that implies that raphael knows about camille which means he might be the first person who met magnus post-camille and heard the story, which means that he might be (and probably is) the first person who was never involved that magnus opened up about this to. if that ain't some powerful and important shit i don't know what is. because part of abuse is that you can't talk about it - there's this sense of shame and guilt both from staying and from not staying more, especially because magnus canonically still feels like he owes her... aaaaa

this answer is all over the place im sorry but my point is you are correct, camille is a textbook abuser not just a shitty ex, she fucked up his head and made him unable to open up for a long time, and the first person that helped him break those walls was raphael and they LOVE EACH OTHER VERY MUCH AND DEEPLY thank you for your attention

[fanexus-dot-net]

FAQ

What is the purpose of Fanexus?

Fanexus was originally conceived as a way to make it easier to organize fandom content. The founders are fans who have followed fandom activity as it has migrated across many different social media platforms, and found that none of them quite suited their needs. After spending years thinking about how each of these platforms could be altered to better support fandom activity, we eventually realized that we’d amassed the money, skills and connections to make a platform ourselves.  

Fanexus is also open to use by original creators; original works are where fandom begins, after all. Enthusiasts of non-media fandoms, such as people who are passionate about interests as broad as cooking, crafting, interior decorating, brewing, extreme sports, rock collecting, history, model-building, archaeology, philosophy, etc, are also all welcome to use Fanexus as a place to post about and discuss their interests and ideas. Fanexus can be used for any type of interest so long as it doesn’t violate our rules regarding legality, harassment and hate speech.

While we originally wanted to create Fanexus as a means to better organize our content, as we’ve watched toxicity in fandom grow to increasingly alarming levels in the last few years, we’ve decided that making Fanexus a space that actively opposes this toxicity is a goal of equal importance to us. We want Fanexus to be a place where people can explore weird, complex and dark things in art and fiction without being accused of endorsing those things, and can have nuanced discussions and debates without things immediately devolving into insults and dogpiling.  

You can read more about the philosophy driving Fanexus here.

Why an integrated wiki?

We would like to go over some of the issues we’ve faced as fans that inspired the inclusion of the wiki:

There are a lot of fandoms that have very complex fanon worldbuilding/terminology/characterisations/etc, and this can be very confusing for a new fan. The way we have the wiki set up means that users will be able to go straight from a post that mentions those concepts to the wiki page for those concepts (we’ll elaborate on how this works in a later post dedicated to this feature), instead of having to search through other parts of the internet for an up-to-date fanon wiki for this fandom. We feel like people will be more likely to keep these wiki pages updated than they would if it were an external wiki, because once they have accounts on Fanexus, it will be very easy to quickly go and update a wiki page on the site, rather than going and creating a new account for a separate wiki.

In a similar vein, fandoms can produce very interesting AUs that many different fans contribute to. We’ve had the experience of coming across a piece of artwork or fiction based on one of these AUs and wanting to know more, but then finding it very difficult to track down information that explains what the AU is about, and people’s various different takes on it. We thought that by providing a wiki feature, people could create pages for each of these AUs and then update them as they develop. The AU itself may not be complex enough to justify the creation of an entire wiki for it, but having a page or two dedicated to it could certainly be helpful. The same logic applies to things such as OCs.  

People develop their own personal headcanons which can be very complex, and it can be tiresome to have to explain them over and over. So if users can create wiki pages for each of their headcanons (or AUs, OCs, etc) and link them whenever they’re necessary to understand the context of say, a fic they wrote or a piece of art they made, it could save them a lot of bother. Personal wiki pages won’t be available on launch, but we’re endeavouring to add them as soon as we can.

Can you tell us more about your other features?

Details of the features we’ve announced so far can be found here. 

We intend to add new features to Fanexus to improve our users’ experiences for as long as we have the funding to do so. We endeavour to add features that are highly demanded by our userbase, so long as the features in question are within our legal and technical capabilities to implement, and align with the philosophy of Fanexus.

How is this being funded? Will it be free to use?

Right now the beta is being paid for by the founders. Once the beta is online and in use, we plan to have a Kickstarter to fund the development of additional features we couldn’t afford to include in the beta. Fanexus will be freemium, which means it will be free to use, with premium features such as added customisation, that will be used for the ongoing funding of the site.  

Will there be a mobile app?

Currently we have a responsive web app, but a mobile app is one of the first things we intend to develop should we get the required funding via the Kickstarter. 

What kind of customisation options will Fanexus have?

In the long term, we hope to introduce in-depth customisation options to Fanexus, some of which will be premium options. We will take feedback from our userbase to decide what customisation features we will prioritise implementing first.

Are all ships welcome on Fanexus?

Yes. We understand that the reasons someone may enjoy a ship can be very complex, unexpected and/or personal, and have nothing to do with a belief that the ship is healthy or a desirable relationship to have in reality. So long as a person understands the separation between fiction and reality, and knows what a healthy real life relationship is like, we maintain that they should be able to ship what they like. We just ask that they tag their content for people who wish to avoid it. This extends to the shipping of real life people, with the provision that if Fanexus gets a direct request from any of these real people asking to have shipping content of them removed, we will remove content containing them specifically, out of courtesy.

Is NSFW content allowed on Fanexus?

Fanexus welcomes NSFW content, simply requiring that it be tagged with an adult content warning so that it is hidden from underage users.

Our servers are currently hosted in Denmark, so content posted on Fanexus must abide by Danish law. 

Further details of what sort of content is and isn’t permitted on Fanexus will be outlined in our TOS, which will be shared prior to launch.

How old do you have to be to use Fanexus?

Fanexus will be 13+, with adults-only spaces. On sign up, users will be asked if they are over 18, and anyone who indicates that they are a minor will be required to enter their DOB. Posts and blogs that are marked as Adults Only will then be hidden from minor users until they turn 18. Minors found to be lying about their age to interact with adult content will be banned. We looked into ways we could have people prove their age on sign up, but we couldn’t find any practical, reliable method. People were uncomfortable with providing personal information, and given that many adults don’t have credit cards, while many minors borrow their guardians’ credit cards, having people make a credit card deposit to prove their age wasn’t a viable solution.

Will Fanexus be doing anything to protect minors?

We believe that the best form of protection against online dangers is education, and so we’re in the process of compiling educational resources to be made available on the site so that people are aware of what sort of red flags to look out for when it comes to a variety of online threats. We also want to provide information about the separation between fiction and reality, so that minors (or anybody impressionable) won’t misunderstand or be manipulated with fiction into thinking that unhealthy behaviors and attitudes presented in dark/complicated/self-indulgent fiction and art are acceptable in reality.

We currently have the following ideas for distributing this information:

We’ll have a staff blog that provides site updates, and also periodically posts articles containing this information.

We’ll keep a compilation of this information available on a page on the site, which will be easily accessible via the navigation bar.

Eventually we want to introduce a feature where if a user searches for particular keywords, a banner appears above the search results, linking to helpful/education information relevant to the keywords. The banner will be able to be hid so it doesn’t show up again in subsequent searches.

We will of course also have a mod team watching out for any reports of suspect behaviour that may be endangering minors (or any of our users), who will take action to neutralise these threats. Another feature we are planning to develop to help our mods protect minors is a keyword detector for comments and DMs. This will scan the comments and DMs of minor users for any keywords that suggest they may be being targeted, and send a warning to our mods to check up on them. 

What is your affiliation with the Prostasia Foundation?

The Prostasia Foundation is a child protection organization that adopts an evidence-based approach to child sexual abuse prevention, that respects human rights and is sex-positive. Being evidence-based means that their positions are based on scientific research. Fanexus reached out to Prostasia because we agree with these tenets, and wanted to find ways to create a safe space that doesn’t resort to censorship. Prostasia proved to be extremely helpful in this respect, offering us information on legality, the impact fiction actually has on reality, and effective methods to protect minors, all based on research. They have also offered to help us develop our keyword detector feature.

Prostasia has an Advisory Council made of voluntary, unpaid experts from relevant fields. These advisory members do not carry any vote or authority on deciding Prostasia policy, and the views that they express on social media or elsewhere are not necessarily representative of the views of the Prostasia Foundation. Fanexus’s point of contact with Prostasia has been with the Foundation’s Executive Director, and we have no affiliation with the members of their Advisory Council.  

Similarly, Fanexus has no vote or authority in deciding Prostasia policy, nor do we sign off on anything they publish, unless it directly references us. The reverse is also true, while Prostasia provides us with advice, they don’t sign off on all the decisions or statements made by Fanexus.

Are you trying to replace Archive of Our Own?

No. We love Archive of Our Own and we have tremendous respect for the Organisation for Transformative Works, but we can’t affiliate with them due to the rules that govern not-for-profit organisations. You will definitely be able to host fanfiction and original fiction on Fanexus, but we’re currently more focused on covering the areas that Archive of Our Own doesn’t already have great features for, such as providing a space where people can host art, have discussions, role play, and document information about their headcanons, worldbuilding, original characters, etc.

Will Fanexus be open to all or invite-only?

We want Fanexus to be open to all eventually, but we also anticipate that the sort of people who promote and thrive on fandom’s toxicity will sign-up with the express purpose of breaking the rules we put in place to protect people from them. To avoid that happening en masse on launch, Fanexus will initially be invite-only. Once we have an established community of fans who can report trolls and other troublemakers, we will open Fanexus up.

In order to get an invite to Fanexus, you will need to apply via this form. If you are accepted, you will be emailed an invite (please check your junk mail) to our  Forum and Discord. Users of the Forum and Discord will be given priority invites to the site.

When’s the release?

As of the 29th of August, most of our initial features are finished, and are in the process of being bug-tested. We plan to start allowing users of our Forum/Discord on the site within the next month. Fanexus will open up to the public after the Forum/Discord users have thoroughly tested the capabilities of the site, and we’ve implemented any further features required to cover weaknesses they’ve found.

Are there other places I can follow Fanexus news?

We share updates on the following accounts:

Tumblr

Twitter 

Facebook

Mastodon

[daskey]

lena luthor please and thank you

wow such manners

How I feel about this character

i love this emo bitch. canon does her dirty all the time. i’m a sucker for a character who goes through a lot of traumatic shit but despite that still tries to be the best version of themself, and put more good in the world than what was done to them which like, is exactly lena.

she also has the potential to just be. really freakin weird because of her rich girl upbringing and i love it. that scene where she was practicing playing board games for game night? i love it. she’s strange and a genius but also a soft baby and canon doesn’t know what to do with her and it’s a tragedy cause we could have so many good fun moments with her. ugh.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

ok lemme go chronologically. andrea rojas was her first love so jot that down. there are definitely feelings there that haven’t gone away, and andrea still knows lena better than most people because she grew up with her. i ship them in the whole “past lovers who had a messy break up and maybe rekindle that love when they’re older and wiser” sort of way

reigncorp. i love them. where rojascorp sort of grow into and out of love i think it’s different with sam and lena. sam is soulmate material, i mean. you know the way lena talked about her first meeting with sam. an instant connection that let them both know they’d just met someone who would have staying power in their lives. i think they’re neat and underappreciated both in canon (because like, apart from ep 100 where we got breadcrumbs in an alt universe there’s really nothing else building on the dynamic that was developed in s3 with the reign storyline) and in fandom. you all are SLEEPING on this.

agentcorp. ok you know this but like the people need to know that they have chaotic bf/gf vibes. they bicker a lot, and they definitely give kara a headache with their arguing over stupid things but that’s just what happens when you have two stubborn geniuses in a relationship. when they’re both on the same page? they’re a force to be reckoned with. i think a core part of their dynamic that i like is the way they value each other’s honesty, even when it hurts. lena’s not afraid to call alex out when she’s not putting herself first (and prioritising the safety of people who can and should help themselves), and alex isn’t afraid to tell lena when she’s being overdramatic.

honourable crackship mentions: kelly/lena

My non-romantic OTP for this character

lena and jess the secretary.

My unpopular opinion about this character

she doesn’t do chores. she doesn’t know how to, since she’s so used to living in places where she gets things done for her. she realises that people don’t generally have cleaners or house staff or get their clothes dry cleaned all the time when she stays with sam. that doesn’t mean she won’t try but like, you know. it’s unfamiliar to her

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

reigncorp. rojascorp. also like maybe they could write lena as like, a smart individual every once in a while. thanks

[brandxspandex]

I’d like to take a moment to say that it’s absolutely fine if you happen to hate a ship, but when you start making mean-spirited posts about the shippers themselves, such as these –

– and leave them out in the open where said shippers can see them, you’re being an ass. There’s a big difference between hating a ship and directing hate at the shippers, who are real people rather than fictional constructs. What’s more, you’re not being victimised if people dare to point out that these are shitty things to say, regardless of how much you cry to the contrary.  

And before any of these people try to use it as a piss-poor defence for their behaviour, I will say that there is a homophobic windscream shipper in the fandom, who only just recently came to the attention of my friends and I (part of the reason we didn’t notice her sooner is because these people have cried wolf about homophobic windscream shippers so many times that we automatically assumed reports of this particular person were more lies). We've blocked her because we want absolutely nothing to do with such an individual, and we don’t want them enjoying our content. Also, before anyone asks why I’m condemning the windscream antis and not the homophobic shipper, I am condemning her right now - those kinds of attitudes are revolting. However the antis are the focus of this post because in this part of the fandom there’s far more of them, they’ve been spreading hate around here for a lot longer, and they have way more power than a lone wolf bigot on a website that’s overwhelmingly pro-gay.

Anyway, existence of this bad apple does not justify the harassment that gets levelled at the rest of us, who condemn her bigotry. We don’t know her personally and we don’t have the power to dictate what she says and does. What’s more, most of this harassment occurred before that person was active in the fandom anyway. These people have been claiming windscream is a homophobic ship for a long time, despite the fact that many of us who ship it are quite clearly queer (a fact they constantly erase).

I just find it absolutely mind boggling that this lot can make and encourage public hateful posts not just about ships, but about actual people, and then if anyone tries to point out that it’s a dick move, they try to say it’s harassment and seriously claim:

Because apparently saying cruel things about people just because of their ships doesn’t count as prioritising ships over people, but those people reacting to those cruel things somehow does.

These posts aren’t even the worst I’ve seen, they were just a few examples I could dig up on the fly. I’ve seen someone say that they hate windscream shippers more than anything else in the world, and I’ve also seen someone say that windscream shippers should kill themselves.

These people are legitimately outraged that they’re not allowed to say whatever cruel things they want without anyone objecting in any way. Sorry, but free speech doesn’t mean you get to say whatever you like while nobody gets to disagree with you.

[putschki1969]

Please buy Wakana’s album!

The release of Wakana’s first solo album is right around the corner, just a couple more weeks to go.

I am imploring each and every one of you to please support Wakana by purchasing her album. She deserves to have a successful solo career, she is an amazing singer and she finally gets the chance to flourish and realise her full potential.

Foreign fans actually make up a considerable amount of the fandom so we can be pretty influential if we want to. I know, buying Japanese items can be quite the hassle. Not only is it difficult, it’s also quite expensive. But rest assured, it’s actually not that hard and it can be affordable if you choose your spipping method wisely.

You may wonder why I am making this post now. The answer is easy, I want Wakana’s solo debut to be a great success but that won’t be happening if people don’t buy her releases. Most foreign fans rely on illegal downloads because it’s easier for them that way. I can understand that mentality to some extent but honestly, it’s not as hard as it used to be to buy things from Japan. You can make it work if you want. As for the money issue, yes, Japanese music releases are not cheap but they are far from unattainable. You don’t need to have a lot of money to be able to afford it, you just need to make a conscious choice, it’s all a matter of prioritising, if you truly like something, you should be willing to throw some money at it.

Also, I have read MANY comments by fans stating they really love Wakana and they want to support her but they won’t be buying any of Wakana’s CDs because they refuse to give money to Space Craft... Like really? Are you serious? I am sorry to say that but that’s complete and utter bullsh*t. Stop thinking like that RIGHT NOW! What exactly are you trying to achieve by that? All you are doing by being this petty and childish is to negatively affect Wakana. Antagonising Space Craft until the end of time won’t get you anywhere, you need to realise that.

Below I have listed some options for all of you. First of all I would like you to know that each and every purchase counts no matter how or where you get your copy. You will be supporting Wakana in one way or another and that’s the most important thing. However, we have to differentiate between “normal” purchases and the ones that actually contribute to the sales aggregated by Oricon - Japan's largest music statistics-tracking company. While charts are not the be-all and end-all, it is a great thing for an artist to reach a high rank. So if you want Wakana to reach a high position in the charts your purchasing options are slightly limited because Oricon does not count any data of products that are sent overseas. Not to worry though, I’ve got you covered.

Without further ado, let’s get started 〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

Options that WON’T affect the Oricon charts

CDJapan ➕ Ships overseas [Pretty much worldwide] ➕ Wide range of shipping options ➕ No tax ➕ Everything is in English ➕ The site is very easy to navigate ➖ Purchase won’t affect the Oricon sales ➖ No store specific postcard tokuten [Please note that the external bonus mentioned on the CDJapan item page is the application form for the double-purchase tokuten]

Amazon Japan ➕ Ships overseas to many countries ➕ You can switch between Japanese, Chinese and English [The most important information will be displayed in English] ➕ The site is pretty easy to navigate ➕ Comes with a store specific tokuten (postcard E) [Be sure to choose a copy that comes with the tokuten, look for the “Amazon.co.jp限定”] ➖ Purchase won’t affect the Oricon sales ➖ You need to register a new account [Your local amazon account won’t work] ➖ Only one shipping option [At least that was the case for me, it’s an affordable option though so I don’t mind] ➖ Import Fees Deposit [Ordering the Limited Edition Type B I was charged with a so called “import fees deposit”. Not sure what to think of this yet. I guess my package is very likely to get stuck at customs so that money will be used to pay a potential fee. But if I am lucky and my package doesn’t get charged then I will have paid that deposit for nothing. It does state on the page that I will get a refund...maybe...but meh...it’s my first time ordering on amazon.co.jp so I have no idea what to expect] ❈ IMPORTANT: You can use a proxy service to order from Amazon Japan

Digital Media Stores/Streaming Sites (iTunes, Google Play Store, Spotify, etc) As of right now, there hasn’t been any announcement that Wakana’s album will get released in digital form but based on her single I think it’s safe to assume that the tracks will eventually become available for download and streaming on various sites. ➕ Available internationally ➕ Very affordable ➖ No store specific tokuten ➖ No physical copy ➖ Digital sales also do not count towards the Oricon charts

Options that WILL affect the Oricon charts

Buy it yourself if you're in Japan around the release-time If you get the chance to buy a copy in one of the supporting stores (Animate, Tower Records, Gamers, Tora no Ana, Tsutaya Records, HMV, Softmap) that’s obviously the easiest option. ➕ Quick and easy ➕ No extra costs ➕ Will count towards the Oricon charts ➕ You will receive a store specific tokuten [Please note that the stores run out of stock quickly when it comes to tokutens so you better get your copy fast. You can buy your copy one day before the release ~furage~ to make sure you get your postcard]

Have a Japanese friend pre-order or buy it for you That’s obviously the next best option. ➕ Quick and easy ➕ You can discuss the costs of shipping with your friend ➕ Will count towards the Oricon charts ➕ You will receive a store specific tokuten [Your friend can pre-order from all the supporting online stores so you are definitely gonna get that tokuten]

Use a proxy service (Buyee) Of course there are many other proxy services out there but Buyee is the one I am most familiar with. I have been using their service for quite a few years now and I have not once been disappointed with them. They are especially great if you want to order from big online stores in Japan. Basically what happens is that they buy the item for you, it is shipped to their warehouse and from there it is shipped to you. ➕ Will count towards the Oricon charts ➕ You will receive a store specific tokuten ➕ The Buyee page itself is in English and very easy to navigate. Some of the biggest online stores (ZOZOTOWN, Rakuten, Yahoo Shopping) can be accessed through a Buyee interface. ➕ For most other online stores Buyee has its own “add-on” which is called “Add to Buyee”. Be sure to install it. If you are browsing a Japanese online store and go to a particular item page you can simply click the “Add-to-Buyee” button and the item will end up in your cart. The rest is done through Buyee so you don’t have to deal with any of the Japanese in the online store. ➕ They ship pretty much worldwide and offer a wide range of international shipping options [Be careful though, their shipping prices get crazy once your package exceeds a certain size/weight] ➕ Buyee has great customer service ➕ You can choose between different safety/security plans [I always go with the LITE Plan since it’s free] ➖ You have to create a Buyee account and you need to install the add-on ➖ You have to pay a service fee [However, it is very affordable! Usually around 150~400 yen depending on the price of the item] ➖ You might have to pay for domestic shipping as well as international shipping [Depending on where you order from, they might charge for domestic shipping, usually ranges between 200 and 1,000 yen. But don’t worry, most bigger stores don’t charge any domestic shipping if your order exceeds 2,000 yen] ➖ It takes pretty long because it’s not a single process. You first put in your order with Buyee and pay the item price (+ service fee + security plan). Then the item has to get to Buyee, once it’s at their warehouse you get notified and you can choose between various international shipping methods. Once you have paid for the shipping (this is where you would also have to pay for any sort of domestic shipping fee) Buyee will ship out the item.

Here are a couple of screenshots: Using Buyee as a proxy service I ordered my Limited Edition Type A from Tower Records. They have the best postcard imo so I had to get a copy from there. All you need to do is go to the Tower Records Japan page and enter Wakana’s name in the search bar. Then you can choose between the different versions, you really don’t need to know any Japanese to do that. It’s pretty simple. Once you click on it you will be led to the item page which will look like this =>

Be sure to check if it says “特典あり” on the product page because only then you will receive a postcard. Then you can click on the Buyee button and add the item to your cart.

Then you can either click on the cart button or simply go to the Buyee page. From there onwards everything else is pretty much self-explanatory. You will be asked to choose a plan and confirm the purchasing process. 

Use CDJapan as proxy service If you are already registered at CDJapan you may wanna try out their proxy service, especially when it comes to items that are not easily attainable. The Buyee add on works on most major online shopping sites but there are lots of stores that don’t cooperate with Buyee. For example, if you wanted to something from the Space Craft Online Store for example you wouldn’t have any luck with Buyee. This is where the CDJapan proxy shopping service comes in quite handy. Please check out a detailed tutorial right here. Please note that Wakana’s album is only available for fan club members!

Okay, I think that’s it. I hope this was helpful to some of you.