#but also I’m tired of her being mischaracterized.

[torobatl]

Some of you aren’t ready to hear this but Caiatl is very flawed character and not a paragon of morality.

[keakiwis]

thank you yoo sangah for being the n1 girls girl because i know you’re the type of girl to help another girl out at the bar, also for sacrificing yourself for kim dokja’s mom, and for dealing with the stupid men at your work (also a respecter of decisions, seen in the epilogue, dokja gotta say thank you for not ratting him out)

thank you jung heewon for being one of kdj’s most dedicated members after hsy and yjh until the end because i know its def hard after dokja sacrifices himself every time but you still will do what he asks

thank you lee seolhwa for being the glorious healer that you are and keeping everyone alive, you deserved another regression version of you (yes i’m still on this)

thank you jang hayoung for being a dkos fanatic and my favorite second protagonist ily and i think it’d also be cool if we got another regression version of you or how yjh met you in other regressions

thank you lee jihye for being relatable, funny, and taking care of lee gilyoung and shin yoosung when kim dokja wasn’t there, also for being a good older sister to them

thank you uriel for being one of dokja’s biggest supporters, incarnating into the scenarios for him, going to the demon realm for him, and literally losing your internet privileges from metatron for him

thank you anna croft for being anna croft and for being one of kim dokja’s narrative victims. oh and thank you for being mischaracterized by the fandom and being misunderstood for your intentions but still continue to fight for what you thought was right

thank you biyoo for reincarnating into a dokkaebi, giving sub scenarios to kim dokja, and putting up with his bullshit, truly the most tired one of his shenanigans

thank you shin yoosung for saving kim dokja, being lee gilyoung’s friend, being underrated, for having to grow up faster to survive, and being willing to sacrifice yourself twice (once for feeling guilty and being willing to die for 41st sys, and the second being during the intersecting scene during the kaizenix arc where we see where lee gilyoung, lee jihye, and shin yoosung were teleported to)

thank you jophiel for sacrificing yourself to stay back in the 1863rd round, you were actually really cool with the few time you had

thank you gabriel for taking the blame for jophiel when you got back to eden and for taking care of uriel too

thank you lee sookyung for being kim dokja’s mother, for keeping a secret for your son, for allowing him to hate you despite knowing the truth, and having the best intentions for your son

thank you cho youngran for looking after lee sookyung and being dedicated to her

thank you persephone for being kim dokja’s other mom, for lending him aid whenever he asked for it (be thankful kdj), for showing actual care for him later on, for fighting for him during the ark

thank you selena kim for looking out for iris and being kind still after anna croft used you

thank you iris for surviving because even if you were one of kim dokja’s least favorite characters in twsa, you were still a child when the scenarios happened and you were betrayed by anna croft

thank you yoo mia for being silly, rude to kim dokja, and for offering to help secretive plotter

thank you min jiwon for being pretty and for being the king of beauty

thank you asuka ren for creating peace land, which lead to kyrgios existing, also for supporting kim dokja during the final scenario

thank you namgung minyoung, who is breaking the sky sword saint, for training punisher, jang hayoung, breaking the sky sword master, for helping kim dokja during the surya train, for being a half giant, and finally for being kyrgios’ ex girlfriend

thank you punisher for being punisher there’s nothing other than that, i love you queen

thank you tls123 for creating the star stream, killing billions, maybe even more than that, writing twsa for thirteen years straight, for doing it all to see kim dokja and to see him live again, for creating the altered 1863rd round (which is definitely a favorite for me)

and finally, thank you han sooyoung for everything because if i write down all the things i’m grateful that you did then it would take me ages, and thanks for being my favorite ever

[mirconreadzztuff22]

Idk if this is just me but I’m getting a bit tired of smut fics from all fandoms. Like, let’s take Sevika for example; it’s all the same- same personality, same mischaracterization, same fem (not female reader, I mean feminine woman) reader, same feeling of a white person being the reader. Like, it never feels like it could be anyone. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I like to put OC’s as the reader and half the time- it just doesn’t line up. Every. Single. Fic. It always the exact same- frail, ‘sweet but can be tough’ Y/N from wattpad- it just doesn’t open up any possibilities for other people, like black people or even people just as muscular or something. The reader can be anything- yet it feels so restrictive in so many fics. And I understand if a certain person is making these fics, but it just never opens up any possibility.

And then moving onto Blue Eye Samurai. For Mizu, same thing. The only thing they get right is her coldness, but even then- they don’t do it right- since she’s more than just a ‘cold asshole’. They don’t bring out her soft side. And the same thing as for Sevika- they put her with a brothel girl. It, again, feels restricted. People’s ocs are fighting alongside Mizu, wouldn’t it be more appropriate and bring more of an audience to make the reader also someone who’s a samurai?

Then, the tropes. It’s always ‘oh masc girl = biker pervert hahahah’ and as much as I live for the biker aus, it’s SOOOO overdone. To the point it’s literally just any masc girl.

My point is, I’ve noticed a lot of fics (unfortunately especially in the lesbian community) are very restricted and misinterpret the characters they’re even righting for, just reduced to a piece of meat for readers to horn over.

I don’t know man, reading fics aren’t fun anymore.

[bow-wow-wark-wark]

Toshiro defense post

Hi everyone! So, I know this topic has been discussed a bunch of times before xd, but I keep seeing people say nonsense about Toshiro so… strap in cause this is another Toshiro explanation post!!

IMPORTANT: I do want to clarify that it’s fine if you dislike Toshiro. After all, everyone has the right to dislike characters so I’m not going to stop you, I know it’s not that serious. But then I’d like to ask you to stop spreading misinformation about him, use him for angst stuff that mischaracterizes him or any of that xd. Like, dislike him in peace xd but stop using him as a villain. Also, before any of you say “I understand his complexities but…”  let me stop you bc most of the time you don’t xd. Like you acknowledge the microaggressions and other things but use other poor excuses for hating him or invalidate that, so please read this post and keep an open mind!! Finaly, this post is going to touch on and disprove the following topics: 1. Toshiro hates Laois (together with stuff like how he is ableist and an asshole) 2. Toshiro is a huge hypocrite for liking Fallin (together with how he doesn’t really love her) and 3. Toshiro was racist towards itsutzumi (without getting too into complex race politics). I will also back up my arguments by content in the anime and some of the extras from the manga, despite that I will not delve on spoiler related content so, let’s get to it!

1. Toshiro hates Laios.

Something that people use to hate on Toshiro is his famous fighting scene with Laois, saying things like “Toshiro was ableist towards Laois” “Toshiro is a hypocrite because he complains about poor communication, but why didn’t he say anything himself?” “Toshiro hates Laois” but before we tackle this let’s recap:

In this scene they fight over the fact that Laois has poor social skills and doesn’t understand the ways Toshiro expresses his annoyance at him and his desire to have some space, he also accuses Laois of being unserious about saving Fallin and even says that he has always hated Laois. This scene resonated with MANY people that have experienced this exact same conversation with “friends” who would get mad at them for showing neurodivergent traits, I am one of those people as well so I can totally understand.  So, them seeing themselves in Laois and their acquaintance in Toshiro people accuse him of being ableist, but this:

Is not that. First of all, it’s important to note that Toshiro’s complaints come from his cultural background as an easterner, where he is used to subtle communication, and by his upbringing as an heir of his island (something that is explained by this thread in great detail!! But to summarize it basically says that he has become more reserved due to his retainer’s overbearing nature and do to being compared to his father constantly and by being surrounded by rumors of his family, so he chooses to not speak out as to cause more trouble for himself). Second of all he doesn’t really do anything ableist… many people say that they hate him “because he was a huge dick to Laois” but apart from expressing his frustration by yelling and fighting, something rude of course, what ableist or horrid thing did he do?  He didn’t call him names or anything, and even acknowledges the fact that Laois is someone who acts in good fate and doesn’t mean any harm to him, but he still dislikes his actions (not a bad thing at all). It’s also important to note that Toshiro is TIRED in this scene, he hasn’t eaten or slept in 3 whole days and suddenly he bumps into a bunch of problems and the girl he loves turned into a monster by this guy who seems WAY to relaxed about it and who he already has gripes against, my question is: Who wouldn’t lash out? Additionally, this scene is important for him too!! As he finally stands up for himself and expresses his feelings, something that drives his character development into being a better guy.

On top of all that, it’s also important to note that Toshiro himself shows signs of being neurodivergent just that in a different way than Laois. For example, his hyperfocus on saving Fallin making him ignore his needs, his overreliance on social cues to understand others, his stand offish an awkward nature that doesn’t let him connect with the people around him and his difficulty to express his needs. These are things many neurodivergent people can relate to, and dare I say, things Laois shares with him!! They both suck socially which is literally what causes this, so what makes him so different? So hard to forgive? What makes it hard to understand him but not Laois? And let’s all not forget the fact that Laois has been pulling a microaggression on him by calling him a butchered version of his name this entire time! It doesn’t make him evil! But it shows how they have a complex relationship where both sides where right. (Also, I know this is a complicated topic and I know there are poc people who hate him BUT, to me the issue is that he 1. Has a meltdown and 2. He’s not white. Like it is very known and said that poc cannot express themselves in such freeing ways as our white counterparts, so it’s harder to be nd and poc than white and nd, which is somehow the case for Toshiro as well xd. Many people say that he shows how people only like nd traits when they’re palatable, but this argument goes back to you, you might find nd traits better when it’s on a white guy you can baby and not on the Asian guy who should know better. None of them should have to, characters are allowed to do bad things and fix those errors).

 Lastly, Toshiro mends his mistake immediately!!  He doesn’t hate Laois, if anything he holds complicated feelings towards him for a while, which most of the cast do (more on this later). Some people seriously act like this didn’t happen, but at the end of the fight he admits that he doesn’t hate Laois (media literacy check but not everything a character says while angry is true!!) but envies his free spirited and straight forward nature. And if this doesn’t seem enough to mend his mistake, he gives Laois the calling bell, which will immediately send someone to help him and fetch him to the east. Would you have a guy that you HATE as a refugee in your country? Plus, he’s serious about the bell too! This scene wasn’t added in the anime, but there’s a point where Toshiro and Kabru are leaving and they keep hearing the bell, which they point out as annoying, despite that Toshiro always keeps it with him and says that if the noise stops, he will know to fetch Laios. If he really hated him, why would he keep a loud object around him just to make sure he is safe? (There’s literally a scene where it goes off after Laois throws it and he just acts embarrassed that it’s interrupting a conversation, but he doesn’t leave it or anything).

2. Toshiro is a huge hypocrite for liking Fallin.

With that point out of the way, lets get to the 2nd problem: Toshiro’s crush on Fallin. Let me preface once more by saying I LOVE Farcille and think they’re a very cute ship, but using Toshiro as your angst bait is not cool and super ooc (clarification: I don’t mean like a respectful joke about him getting rejected or exploring marcille’s thoughts on his proposal, I mean bashing on him hard or saying that he would intervene or disapprove of a farcille relationship).

Ok so in this case, many people say that Toshiro is a HUGE hypocrite because of 2 things: 1. He likes Fallin but dislikes Laois even though they’re almost identical, and 2. Because he claims to love Fallin while abandoning her and condemning black magic.

So, let’s get into why this is not true:

We have already discussed how Toshiro does not dislike Laois, but pushing that out of the way, the one thing he “dislikes” about Laois is the one thing he does not share with Fallin, which is their social awareness. Fallin is significantly more socially aware and tends to do things as to avoid burdening others, putting her needs aside, she’s someone who is very thoughtful and mindful of the people around her, unlike Laois who, while also thoughtful and kind, is not as receptive (Also crazy to note that her and Toshiro share this “not fully sharing my feelings as to not burden others” thing). Besides that, he likes that Fallin likes bugs/nature (the same thread from before has a nice possible explanation if you want to check it out) something that could be related to Laois’s love for monsters which, fun fact, he doesn’t hate at all!! Something that, funnily enough, others seem to give Laois flack over but not Fallin (crazy how there aren’t as many people shitting on Marcille or chilchuck for this?? specially since Fallin also likes monsters but Marcille never says anything about it and centers her annoyance on Laois? Wow… (I don’t hate Marcille for this either btw, I’m being sarcastic). And on the topic of this double standard, I’ve seen many people ask how he thinks he can marry into the Toudens while hating Laois (bad), while at the same time seeing so many “omg marcille thinks the only downside to marrying Fallin is Laois” (funny), crazy how its bad when Toshiro does it, huh? (Even crazier is the fact it’s only half true for both of them xd, they like Laois he is their friend)

So, once more he dislikes that Laois doesn’t give him space but likes Fallin because she does, especially because they aren’t very close at all. Toshiro has a hard time getting close to others and it’s stated that he tends to put barriers around himself with people who are “close” to him like maizaru and Hien. But since Fallin is an acquaintance at best it’s easy to like her from afar and the traits she seems to show outwardly.

Which leads me to the next point: Toshiro mani pixie dream girlifies Fallin. It is true that Toshiro has idealized her and doesn’t know her too well because they don’t talk but... is that a crime? There are many characters who hold biased opinions on others (like kabru with Laois or senshi with marcille or marcille with the orcs, etc.) and that doesn’t really get critiqued either. I don’t think it’s the sign of a horrid man for him to like Fallin without knowing her to well xd, it’s pretty normal for a crush and also if you consider his nature. Besides, this is once more influenced by his background: in one scene chilchuck mentions how the proposal thing is common in the east + he is an heir xd, so it’s only logical to be thinking about marriage, specially since his dad has high expectations for him (something that I know has not yet been shown in the anime, but it is present on extra manga content). It’s important to note also, that he doesn’t claim that he knows her best, puts words on her mouth or push his feelings towards her either. He proposes, she says that she will think about it and as far as the anime is concerned, he waits patiently for her answer. He doesn’t say “curse you woman you are coming with me!” or anything like that, and even if he expresses that he wants to leave with her to the east, that is ONLY if she says yes and agrees to that, so its illogical to say any of these things without proof.

Now onto the 2nd main point of this section: He abandoned Fallin and hates black magic. 1st of all, he didn’t abandon Fallin, he left to gather his retainers to search for her in a way he thought more efficient and once we see him again, he HASN’T EATEN OR SLEPT IN 3 DAYS OUT OF DEDICATION ALONE!! (If you use the argument that he abandoned Laois, that can also be explained by this). Now, him hating dark magic and claiming to turn in Marcille to the elves. This is not the best, since it poses conflict for our protagonists but 1. He doesn’t even end up doing that and helps them out after all is explained and 2. Put yourself in his shoes, what would you do if your crush turned into a monster that killed all your party? “Toshiro didn’t love Fallin enough to accept her as a monster unlike Marcille” Are you guys listening to yourselves? What he sees is a Fallin that has been desecrated and turned into a monster, something that will harm her and others + he’s not a magic specialist so how would he know or believe that they could turn her back to normal? He condemns Marcille but not out of lack of love, but I would say because of it, as far as he knows this could only turn worse for her anyways. Also, Kabru points out his illogical line of thought, claiming that it would be better for Fallin to die then, and Toshiro realizes how stupid he sounded a moment ago xd; Kabru points out how he also would have done anything to save her, and he backs down in agreement.

Once more, maybe annoying but not bad guy material. What’s more, this one is a really pressing matter as I have seen SO many Farcille fan artists and editors using him as an easy villain that hates Marcille (he is canonically scared of her) or as a cuck that doesn’t get Fallin. Somone pointed out once how he gets treated like a female character that gets in the way of an mlm ship and I agree. But while sometimes funny, it gets absurd at times and tends to border on making him someone he is not. I’ve even seen people say he’s homophobic (XD) or make him the token straight guy (something that in most fandoms means being an annoying incel character). In addition, many people say that Fallin would hate him for being “mean” to Laois but 1. She is very kind and would probably understand him. 2. If she realizes Laois has forgiven him, I don’t think she would meddle in to fix her brother’s problems because he wouldn’t want that and that’s just not her personality.

2.5 Small section.

Before we move into the last section, I’d like to add a small section called: you guys don’t understand Toshiro’s personality. Let’s be clear Toshiro is a shy, quiet, reserved, sentimental, rigid and half-hearted guy. It’s not common for him to start things, he tends to leave problem solving to authorities, he isn’t too confident in himself, and he is also an outcast in his homeland. Yet so many people describe him as being arrogant of self-absorbed and I really don’t know where that is coming from. Like, I’ve seen a bunch of people say, “oh how can he think he’s good enough for Fallin?” or variations of the sort but... I don’t think he thinks that he just decides to shoot his shot anyways. I’ve also seen some people describe him as some “pretentious rich asshole”, but this is also never showed or implied in text. Toshiro does not flaunt his wealth; he doesn’t act like he is better than ANYONE in the party, he just has money by being an heir (something not fun for him) and that’s it, but he doesn’t even use his status to get anything from anyone either., so… where is this coming from? (Racism? a need for a bad guy? who knows?) Plus, many people seem to dislike him because he is an aristocrat but… the system is not the same as being like a prince, his family just has influence in the east. Besides, characters like Laois or Mithun were also well off and from influential families and don’t get that type of flack. There’re also characters like Laois and Kabru, who express the desire to join this “aristocratic/monarchy” system by becoming king and lord of the dungeon. Who, then again, don’t get that flack.  

3. Toshiro was racist towards itsutzumi.

With that out of the way, we have reached the final point: Toshiro owns people (making him racist ig). Ok so let’s preface by saying 2 things: 1. Dungeon meshi is not a racist story, but a story with racism and many complicated race relations that get treated respectfully for the most part. With this is included, the complex treatment of beast skins and other races seen as less human like kobolds or ogres like Tade.  2. The retainers are not slaves; they are servants for Toshiro’s family.

Ok, so it is true that Toshiro’s father bought itsutzumi from people who were abusing her (and Tade as well but people don’t bring her up when talking about this xd) and later put her to work as a retainer, so therefore he owns her right? Yeah, but not as a slave. Slaves do forced labor and are kept in inhumane conditions, which she is not, as she is given a home, education and the most labor she does is chores (which she usually avoids anyways) and probably some fighting of the sort. In fact, you could even say that she was enslaved prior to being bought by Toshiro’s father (not that this is an excuse for buying her necessarily, but once more this relates to complicated race things). It is also important to acknowledge that as a beast skin itsutzumi (a non-human) is seen as less valuable and gets treated unfairly by maizuru. And while it can border on othering behavior, like being tied up for misbehaving, this is once more pushed by maizuru and not any of the other retainers or Toshiro himself.  With this argument usually comes the mention of the cursed collar that was kept on her, which is definitely a bad thing, but once more it is made by maizuru without Toshiro having ANY knowledge about it. I don’t judge any anime only for not knowing this, but in one extra it is revealed that Maizuru actually used the collar on Toshiro himself as a child, so that he would not leave too far from her side, so she explains that she made a similar one for itsutzumi; in this extra he looks surprised and remembers the traumatizing experience so... yeah, he didn’t know.

Additionally, many people compare the argument that he doesn’t own them, but his father does with the sixpence drama from a long time ago. Saying that this doesn’t excuse the behavior and that he should have done something, but that can also be explained. 1. Toshiro actually doesn’t meaningfully associate with any of the retainers prior to leaving to the island, (as explained by the adventurer’s bible and other extras) except for Hien as they are childhood friends and Maizuru. Besides that, he holds no relation to any of them, so he could not have known about itsutzumi’s situation, and it’s even shown that he doesn’t know how he should treat her at all. Despite that Toshiro does show consciousness towards their situation, saying that he would like to talk to Tade about being so adoring of him and his father, but he isn’t sure how to approach the issue. With that, we could assume the same could be said about his feelings towards itsutzumi. 2. “He left her to die”, technically no. They know she’s a capable fighter, so they probably didn’t see any problems with leaving her and also, itsutzumi scapes his party. Meaning that they know she doesn’t like them so why would they go back and search for her? If anything, Toshiro might have thought of it as an easy way to give her freedom, once more, why would you force someone back when you know they don’t want to be there?

“Why didn’t he let her go sooner?” This is explained by the first bit that he didn’t really know her and by asecond thing: contrary to popular belief, Toshiro doesn’t have such a big control of the retainers as it may seem, and it is ultimately maizurus or his father’s choice as to what to do with them. Like he didn’t want them to come with him to the island, but they don’t heed to that and come anyways. So, what makes anyone think that he could just change his fathers wishes? So yeah, he doesn’t own people they work for his family and that’s it.

So, this is the end of the post, if you read all of this, I greatly thank you and I hope I could make at least one of you change your mind. If not, oh well. Once more is valid to dislike characters, you can keep doing that but stop seriously stop with the angst bait or misinformation spread. That is all I want to say, so thank you again and see you later.

[strawberryraviegutz]

Oh and another thing, forgive me if this rant is too long, but I’m sick and tired of those stupid ass memes of Steven Universe and Jack Horner about Steven screaming and Crying for Jack Horner to change into a good person, mischaracterizing the hell out of Steven. It’s so damn annoying. Most of these people most likely have not seen or watched the damn Steven Universe movie and or show.

Steven was less of a pushover when he grew into a teenager in Steven Universe Future. Heck I don’t even think he was much of a pushover to begin with. Steven just likes being nice to people which eventually caused him so much stress due to his constant need of wanting to fix things and not wanting to end up alone.

HE WAS A CHILD. AND EVEN THEN HES STILL A CHILD IN FUTURE! AROUND 16-17 YEARS OLD. YALL ACT LIKE THERES SOMETHING INHERENTLY WRONG IN TRYING TO SEE THE BEST IN PEOPLE. THE REASON WHY STEVEN SAW GOOD IN SPINEL IS BECAUSE HE SAW THAT SHE WAS HURTING THANKS TO HIS MOM ABANDONING HER FOR 6,000 YEARS!

And no Steven didn’t forgive the “space Nazis.”(kinda find it funny when people call the diamonds that and claim that Rebecca’s telling is to forgive our bigoted oppressors/Nazis when Rebecca themself IS JEWISH). He never completely forgave the diamonds. When they wanted him to come live in the palace with them, it made him extremely uncomfortable and he also felt a bit on edge around them when he went to go see them a second time.

Not to mention he almost shattered white diamond by smashing her head into a pillar when he was controlling her because of the fact that he wanted revenge for White diamond pulling Steven’s Gem out. And no a hug didn’t “fix everything” either at the end of Steven Universe future. When Steven went back to normal after being corrupted her didn’t “get better” he was a bit emotional even though he calmed down a bit. Like literally we get it you hate Steven and or the show Steven Universe in general. You want a cookie or something?

I’m tired of people using Jack to put down other types of villains especially sympathetic ones like lmao these are the same people who said that the whole “evil just because they love being evil” (especially Disney) trope was overdone and wanted something else. And when people were finally given something new like tragic villains or generational trauma(WHICH IS AN ISSUE THAT PEOPLE SHOULD TALK ABOUT) now it’s all like”What ew we don’t want this.” “The twagic villain twope is overdone.!!!11!!1 it’s been awhile since we’ve seen an actuwal evil viwain.” DUDE the evil just because they love it is a trope that has also been ran into the ground. And this is coming from someone who likes both villain archetypes. AND FOR GOODNESS SAKE STOP SHITTING ON TRAGIC VILLAINS OR GENERATIONAL TRAUMA LIKE IM SO TIRED. DISNEY ONLY MADE TWO MOVIES ABOUT GENERATIONAL TRAUMA AND YALL LOST YOUR DAMN MINDS. YOU ACT LIKE TRAUMA DOESNT CAUSE SOME PEOPLE TO HATE THE WORLD AND OR PEOPLE AROUND THEM CAUSING THEM TO WANNA GET REVENGE OR DESTROY THE WORLD OR SOMETHING. LIKE YOU CAN LITERALLY CRY ABOUT IT. Just gives people like me more comfort characters to relate to, to help us deal with our own issues along shitty people like you.🙃(not saying Disney doesn’t have their own flaws as a company though.)

LIKE IM DONE, IM FUCKING DONE

Im tired of people mischaracterizing other characters for the sake of a stupid meme

Im tired of others using Jack to put down other villains archetypes

I’m tired of people using Puss in boots to put down Turning Red

AND MOST OF ALL IM TIRED PEOPLE MAKING THOSE DUMB EDITS OF JACK SAYING THE N WORD

YOU ALL MAKE ME GAG LIKE BE QUIET! SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH!

[winns-stuff]

LO RANT:

This will be short but I just absolutely love it when LO stans prove my points it’s so refreshing and satisfying for me. Mainly because I’m a sore loser and dread the feeling of being wrong (this is actually true although not in the way you’re thinking, don’t get me wrong I hate being wrong but I’m not the type to double down or insult or anything, I’ll take it and learn from it. Will I be embarrassed? Yes, will I beat myself up about it? Yes, but I’ll get over it. Most I’ll do is laugh in shock or cry in my corner) but also because it’s just so interesting to see honestly. What I mean by this is that a lot of the stans are only here for the imaginary sex scenes that we’ll never get, mainly because it’s on webtoon and the app has access to all which is why I’m always confused that they try and make it seem like webtoon is just this unheard of and adult app.

Like I’m not even being funny right now I’m pretty sure a lot of fans found this shit in middle school, maybe even lower than that so I’m not understanding why whenever we bring up the younger fans the older ones get so upset. Yes Carol, it would not look good if Rachel decided to draw full on NSFW in one of her chapters without putting into consideration the age range of her fans. But it is worrying how badly they want to watch each and every panel of how Persephone and Hades screw around, like they literally need those drawings at this point.

Speaking of the fans’ need for sexual activity, it quite literally seems to be the only thing they’re there for. Every single time I blink there’s another person commenting on how they want to see Persephone getting ��pounded” or how “they want to see them fuck each other” or even more descriptive language to describe their insatiable appetite for literal porn. They don’t care for the failing storyline, plot holes, bad pacing, terrible art, mischaracterizations, and even bad character design because they will continue to eat up every single mediocre chapter LO pushes out while begging and pleading for NSFW every other episode. It’s really annoying because not everyone wants to see that shit, never in my years of reading Lore Olympus did I ever display joy or even intrigue about Persephone and Hades doing it and I’m sure there’s a bunch of other people that agree with me, I don’t give a shit if the stans get mad at me for saying this but it’s not just you in this fandom and your opinion isn’t the only one that matters.

Crazy thing is that Lore Olympus fans have been disappointed and frustrated with the lack of actual story since the stans that want sex over story scream the loudest for it. You wonder why the wedding was so rushed I’m sure those stans wanted it to be done and over with just so they could see Persephone in lingerie and Hades with another boner, they’re only here for the “spice” yet their requests are the ones implemented into the story the most. No one wants sex like they do, we don’t want fluff, we don’t want flirting, and we sure as hell didn’t want a wedding. We wanted to see a loving and passionate relationship, one that Rachel herself said that she wanted to create yet we literally get no chemistry or romance between these two that isn’t manufactured and forced. I’m tired of the perfect love story why can’t we just have a love story between the gods? If you’re not going to make it a horror retelling at least make it a bearable romantic one.

But honestly I can’t blame it all on the stans since Rachel seems to be pushing towards only wanting to make sex and fluff between them. That’s all you could really look forward to since you can’t even tell me what the real plot of this story or the message is, it’s all been lost years ago and this comic has been going on for 6 years now. There’s been no progress and nothing exciting being brought to this story for the last two seasons so really the spice is the only interesting part of Lore Olympus as a whole and it’s sad. Instead of doing fan service to the minority in your fandom you could actually salvage whatever remains of your comic by listening to your actual fans who are here for you and your work which is your story, not your ability to draw genitals.

[greythroat]

Tumblr user greythroat reveals opinion of Blaze x GreyThroat VIEW NOW

I was gonna send myself an ask to have an excuse to explain my personal opinion on Blaze x GreyThroat but I’m just gonna write it out. I personally can’t see/don’t like them being in a serious relationship, casual flirting and teasing is the most I see it as. I just cannot personally see either wanting to seriously get with the other nor would I want to see it. Especially considering Blaze’s perspective imo. A relationship where your partner has so much baggage about and does not understand a core part of your identity and how you exist sounds draining and tiring. It’s like if I had a friend who was working on racist biases because idk they had family that fought in the Vietnam War or smth, I probably wouldn’t get with them. Like even if you think Blaze would, I’m not feeling that dynamic as a romance. I don’t mind/like a lot of love/hate or even just hate ships like for example Horn x Mandragora but like, no one has ever tried to kill me, but I know how it feels for people close to you to not understand a big part of your identity. Also a lot of Blaze x GreyThroat stuff really mischaracterizes Grey though I don’t think that’s entirely bc of the ship/GreyBlaze-exclusive, part of it is just that being the popular view of Grey and GreyBlaze being her most popular ship.

I stg if anyone crawls onto this post to imply that I’m homophobic because I don’t like ONE gay ship/think they would be a bad couple SLIT. I have experienced individually targeted homophobia irl for being same sex attracted, if you don’t like my opinion just move on.

[3fling]

I have a lot of thoughts about character development and their reception

(Obvi focusing too much on ghost and soap, which lead to focusing too much on project freelancer, and I’m reading too many books that are sparking the hyperfixation too atm, but if they inspire me to think then that’s fine.)

I love mischaracterization when they’re funny or just objectively good fandom choices. I don’t mind that much when characters are mischaracterized either. That’s not the point tho. The point is the depth of/implications made by really good character assessments.

Probably gonna be major spoilers for Red vs Blue, and the entire Mistborn series beyond this point.

(Maybe also for modern warfare 2 but I’ve never interacted with the source material and everything I know is from fan content so I don’t really know?? Anyway proceed with caution I’ll try to tag stuff as I talk.)

But like. Okay yes Wash is the tired dad guy in RVB post-freelancers. It’s very funny bc he’s a seasoned soldier and the reds and blues are pretty much useless. I’ve been rewatching seasons 9&10 lately, and I’m realizing just how much Wash has changed. He’s still a bit of a dick (which is fine), but when he was a true freelancer he was… personable? Optimistic? I would even say excited about being a soldier. Fast forward through 1.) losing everyone he’s ever known (yes Carolina too, but I’ll come back to that), 2.) being betrayed by some of the people he trusted the most, 3.) being forced to work with the animated corpse of his best friend and teammate and ultimately almost get killed by him before watching him die, and 4.) losing his last sliver of connection to the person he was before — we get to present day Wash (circa season 14, I haven’t watched past that). Wash is a broken man. Like so entirely and inescapably broken.

It takes him such a long time to start caring about the reds and blues bc he’s seen people he believed to be invincible get slaughtered. He watched his family get destroyed from the inside out. Every single person he knew all those years ago is dead, including the people he and Carolina used to be. He gets portrayed like “haha isn’t it funny how this seasoned vet has to hang out with these guys who have no idea how the military works?? Lol” and then at the same time he is just so desperately trying to persist. Not even survive. By the time Maine dies, I genuinely feel like Wash felt he had lost too much. He’s so reluctant to trust in and care about the reds and blues because he has been to the absolute depths of despair and loss and he doesn’t want to go back there.

Carolina, too. Like I didn’t realize the first time that she and York met before enlisting. That they enlisted together, that they were canonically romantically-involved like long term throughout all of the freelancer arc. They were a perfect match (I genuinely believe this, but I’m not going to take more space on this particular post to explore it). Then Carolina thinks he’s betraying her when he starts working against PFL and ends up abandoning him to die. She doesn’t realize until she’s also betrayed for real by active freelancers how wrong she was. The scene where she finds the Delta unit hit so much harder the more you dig into her and York’s story. Even after she abandoned him, York had faith he could win her back. He was planning to propose to her for YEARS. Even after she left him. He had so much faith that she would see the truth and they would make amends. She knows that now that it’s too late and she has to live with that knowledge for the rest of her life.

She was also betrayed by Maine, the man who took multiple shots for her and defended her with his life, only for him to turn on her and try to kill her just to loot her body. (Again I realize there was more to this plot point than that, but from her POV he had just lost it and betrayed her). Even Washington crosses her at some point. By the time she realizes how fucked up the entire PFL situation is, almost everyone she’s ever known has been murdered or is MIA-presumed-KIA and she has to live with the guilt of surviving that while defending the very thing that killed them all. So yeah, she and Wash “survived” but they are NOT the same people from the start of the story.

With Mistborn: The Lost Metal, seeing into the depths of Wayne’s regret and pain really fleshes his character out in a way I had assumed Brandon had already covered. Wayne didn’t just ruin that girls life, he’s ruined a lot of peoples lives, including his own. The worst part is, he can’t bring himself to do anything to change it and he’s fully aware of that fact and it makes him feel even worse. When he says the worst thing in the world is someone who wants to be like him, because he knows him and he hates that man… when MeLaan confessed that she didn’t really love him she was just sort of passing time with him and his conclusion is that it was because he wasn’t good enough for her?? God that hurts. But it’s so real and I feel like people aren’t talking about that aspect of Wayne enough. He’s goofy and stupid as a form of self-medication (since he can’t drink away his problems) in order to distract himself from his crushing guilt, regret, and self-loathing. He doesn’t want to be funny just to be funny. It’s almost entirely self-serving as a way to give himself a sense of worth and as a distraction, and his character deserves to have that recognized.

With Mistborn Era 1/Secret History, I’ve seen a lot of people complain that SH betrayed Kelsier’s character and motivation, but I think it solidified what Brandon had been hinting at all along. While his motivation may have initially been to fulfill Mare’s dream, over time it transformed into a desire to destroy the upper class/Lord Ruler as pure, unadulterated revenge. Marsh says something at one point I think to the effect of “is this what Mare would have done? Would she have wanted you to do this?” And Kelsier just sort of tells him to fuck off, but he’s RIGHT. Marsh tells us that Kelsier is a little crazy, biased, ambitious, and takes things too far. In my opinion, his decision to give up the afterlife in lieu of getting to keep living and furthering his personal goals is a clear decider. I’m not saying he doesn’t still love Mare or want to make her proud, but his own ambition now usurps his desire to do what Mare wanted to do. He’s willingly turned his back on seeing her again in favor of continuing his work toward his goals. I still love him as a character, but I can’t understand how people miss this critical character flaw and chalk it up to bad writing on Brandon’s part.

Anyway this all came from seeing someone talking about how if we were gonna be honest Ghost isn’t baby girl and instead would be:

Very wary, scared of forming attachments

Anti-touch, loathe any and all physical contact

Terrible at empathizing or connecting or communicating

And how basically all the really sweet and wonderful aspects about his babygirlification would unfortunately not happen as he is (much like all our other war veterans in this post) a DEEPLY broken man.

Idk that’s all I’ve just been thinking about that a lot lately.

[ingravinoveritas]

I don't get this side of fandom. When Georgia doesn't post pics with David you lot (in a wider sense) start insinuating that 'something is wrong' with imminent divorce implications. When she does post pics, it's a 'photo op', PR, user behavior. I don't get how she (or any wife of any celeb who comes under this type of attention) is supposed to conduct her social media life acc to you. Fans' lil daydreams would look much more realistic and benign if they didn't hate on wives in such schizo ways.

Hello, Anon. Let me first say that I’m not sure which “side” of the fandom you are referring to, because--to politely yet entirely unintentionally borrow from Good Omens--I’m on my own side here. If people want to agree with what I am saying, the thoughts I’ve been sharing about Georgia, they absolutely can. Fabulous! And if people want to disagree with me, that is completely okay, too. Great! Differing viewpoints are always welcome on my blog.

That being said, because I can only speak for myself, I can tell you where I am coming from, and that I think you are mischaracterizing my position/possibly conflating things I have written with things people have written elsewhere (such as on Twitter). I’ve never once said anything about “imminent divorce” when Georgia hasn’t posted pictures of David, but I have seen comments to that effect from other people.

What I’ve mainly seen, though, is fans saying that they thought it was odd that Georgia wasn’t posting about David in the play, while at the same time repeatedly posting about Elliot Levey. It’s also worth noting that those comments came within a larger context of fans sharing that they’d had concerns about Georgia’s behavior long before this, because of reasons having nothing to do with pics on Instagram.

For me, as I believe you are referencing my tags on this post, I think it’s important to distinguish between a “photo op” and “PR,” as I was being specific in my use of the former. The definition I go by is that “PR” is something (a photo, an article, etc.) meant to cover up the truth or to sell something that isn’t actually real, whereas a “photo op” does not have that same “falseness” to it, but still has a self-serving purpose, and is taken regardless of the emotional/physical state or wishes of the other person/people involved. 

(Here is another example of a photo Georgia took when David also looked tired/fatigued/etc. that I would consider a “photo op” by that definition, as well as this photo she took at the Evening with Adele that she and David attended last year, when he was still recovering from Covid.)

When it comes down to it, though, I really, honestly don’t care that much about how Georgia conducts her social media life. I know she is going to post or not post whatever she wants, and there isn’t a single damn thing I can do about it, except share my thoughts on my own blog (which, of course, include flailing wildly whenever she feeds into the throuple/poly vibes with her, David, and Michael). And people can agree or disagree and follow me or unfollow me as they see fit.

The one final thought I will add, however, is that I probably shouldn’t have even taken the time to respond to this, because whatever argument you thought you had instantly discorporated the moment you used the word “schizo” in your last sentence. You may not have spent much time on my blog, but ableism/using people with mental illness to make a point is exactly the sort of thing I do not tolerate, and that will never go over well here.

And to me, that says that you didn’t have much of a point to begin with. Thanks for playing, though...

[angelssdecay]

Why Xiao isn’t just some edgelord, an essay by yours truly (or: I need sleep)

Before you read!! 

This was mainly written because I kind of got tired of Xiao being labelled as ‘edgelord’ a lot of times and while I have nothing against it when it’s jokingly said (after all I call Childe a ‘clown’ all the time or Klee ‘Arson child’ haha, you get what I mean) I also feel like him getting meme’d as that leads to a lot of mischaracterization. I’m not here to attack anyone or anything!! Just sharing my personal thoughts about him influenced by his canon lore in game + headcanons I developed while writing fics for him. I hope you don’t mind my brainrot.

-            I suppose that a lot of Xiao’s characterization as an ‘edgelord’ comes from his wildly dark history and the way he expresses himself (like growling when he’s thinking about his past memories) that is quite different from other characters in Genshin when he’s not like this because he wants to but because he’s been shaped by his trauma that reaches wide into the past and the fact that he doesn’t belong in the human world   -          he is stuck in the mortal world while having to defend it from otherworldly beings and forces that threaten to destroy the fragile balance between both worlds, and it’s a task he fulfils with pride because it was given to him by Rex Lapis, the god who saved him from his former master – 

-          an evil deity who had abused and used him and forced him to commit atrocities that still haunt him to this day; he never wanted to kill, he never wanted to have to take away someone’s dreams but he was helpless to resist and in the end he stained his hands with so much more blood than he ever wanted to   -          taking his trauma and the way he talks about it and labelling it as ‘edgy’ is plain disregarding towards the pain he went through in his early years when his innocence was stolen from him and then utterly destroyed until Rex Lapis saved him and gave him his life back, a duty he can be proud of and the chance to regain a bit of his former gentleness because that’s who he is deep inside: a kind and gentle soul that never wants to hurt anyone

  -          not to mention the trauma he experienced by having to watch the only family he ever had, the other Yakshas, perish one after another – whether it was because they were consumed by the darkness they fought and killed one another or because they died in battle – he wasn’t able to save any of them and while it’s never talked about in-game lore I doubt that their deaths didn’t leave a mark on him that lasts till today. To be heralded as the last Yaksha is surely not a title that Xiao is proud or happy about.   -          to get to his character trait of him usually keeping his sentences curt and to the point (like his good morning line ‘’We're wasting time. Let's go.’’) and him growling when he thinks about his sorrowful past that probably made people label him as edgy – does it really surprise anyone that he doesn’t talk like humans from Teyvat talk when he’s a) not human and b) has spent almost all of his life in solitude?   -          which would obviously lead to him being extremely used to dealing with emotions and humans; despite having such a kind and selfless heart (more to that later) but he’s just not used to conversing with humans - mainly because Adepti need to keep their distance from humans lest their adeptal energy will harm them   -          when Xiao kept his distance from humans all these years, it was for their own good (something he says during the first meeting with the traveller and something I think he firmly believes in because past encounters with humans never went well for them and again, he doesn’t want to hurt anyone and certainly not humans)   -          and while he’s gotten used to living in solitude I don’t think he actually enjoys having to live like this – he’s incredibly lonely and suffers from it - and just like every living being he longs to have someone to talk to and who understands him, even appreciates him although this is something he wouldn’t dare to wish for because it’s something that can’t be fulfilled (Lumine: sikes you thought you can stay alone forever, yeah too bad for you I’m here for you now)   -          it was stated in the article about Xiao and his creation process how curious he is about the human world despite trying to hide it from others (and himself too because longing for something you can’t have or take part in hurts like hell and god knows he’s experienced enough in his life) -  but it doesn’t mean he doesn’t yearn to experience those feelings of warmth and love that most humans as well   -          and when I say love I don’t necessarily mean romantic love although I don’t count it impossible for him (though it would take a long time for him to break down his own walls and find the courage to love and be hurt, and I think abrupt love confessions would frighten him because he simply never experienced it before – a life of bloodshed and battle certainly don’t help with understanding his own or other hearts)   -          no, what I mean are the different kinds of love he’s seen humans share with each other – a mother’s love when she puts her child to bed with a goodnight kiss, a friend’s platonic love when they hug their friend who’s sad or simply out of joy – it’s all things he never got to experience for himself but secretly longs to experience as well (fight me on that because I’ll die on that hill)   -          and this also leads to me firmly believing that he doesn’t hate humans no matter how often he ‘mocks’ traditions and customs – it’s mainly to hide his own curiosity and longing to join them knowing that he doesn’t belong with humans. But he certainly doesn’t hate them no matter his words because you can’t guard and protect someone without loving and caring for them. If he truly despised humans he would have never risked his life and soul for as long as he has to protect them.   -          and he knows that he will never receive any gratitude for the suffering he endures, nor that anyone will pray to him, or even pray for him to come home from battle safely – all he has left by now is himself and his duty he proudly continues to fulfil to honour his fallen comrades and his contract with Zhongli – and yet he keeps fighting such a thankless and seemingly endless battle without any complaints or lamenting his cruel fate; if that isn’t kindness then I really don’t know anymore   -          not to mention that if he truly was an ‘edgelord’ he’d be lamenting his cruel fate or curse at everything for forcing him to live such a life devoid of any warmth and joy – but he doesn’t. Because no one survives thousands of years with a heart full of hatred and no one understands that better than him who has fought against the lingering wrath and hatred of fallen gods.   -          and while Xiao himself doesn’t believe that he is kind (after all both his hands and soul are stained by blood, he’s nothing more but a weapon or so he would say if someone told him he’s kind) it’s his selfless and devoted nature and his love for the simple things in life – a nice dish of Almond Tofu, flowers, the soft tunes of a flute - that make him such a gentle soul – he just doesn’t realize nor acknowledges that part of himself   -          so if someone loves him they have to love all the cracks in his soul and try to pour their light into them, be patient with him because it will take him a very long time to get used to all these feelings, to the reassurance that he is loved and also deserves to be loved, after all this is so foreign to him and very likely to frighten him but in return he will love unconditionally and be forever loyal as he is loyal to the land he continues to protect 

...and what more could anyone ask for, right?

[sisterspooky1013]

Only One Choice, Part 2, Chapter 6

Read it here on AO3 / Tagging @today-in-fic

“I still think you should wear the blue one,” Missy says from her spot lying on Dana’s bed, having long ago tired of the lengthy debate over what she should wear for her date with Mulder.

It’s now 5:30 and while her hair and makeup have been meticulously complete for over an hour, she’s found herself unable to decide on a dress.

“I was wearing that when Ethan proposed to me, Missy. It’s tainted,” she replies with a glare, alternately holding up a red dress that hits just above the knee and has spaghetti straps, and a black one that is ankle length and has a halter top.

Missy rolls onto her side with an exasperated sigh. “It’s just a dress, Dana. And the man is already in love with you, I doubt he cares that much about what you’re wearing. You’re overthinking it, Sis. Though I think I do have some sage in my bag if you want me to smudge it,” she adds helpfully.

Dana gives her sister a pleading look.

“Fine. Wear the red one,” she acquiesces, moving to sit up. “I better get out of here before he shows up,” she says, and the second the words leave her mouth they hear a soft rapping on the door. They look at each other, Dana still in her bra panties, and then Missy stands. “I’ll let him in, you get dressed.”

Missy pulls the bedroom door closed behind her and answers just as Mulder knocks for a second time. He gives her a quizzical look and turns to check the number on the apartment.

“You’ve got the right one, I’m Dana’s sister, Melissa. We met once,” Missy says as she extends her hand.

Mulder takes it, nodding with recognition. “Right, I remember. Uh, is Scully, I mean Dana, here?”

Missy gives him a sympathetic frown. “No, I’m sorry. She changed her mind.”

Mulder’s expression falls until he hears Scully call out from behind her “Missy, don’t be a jerk!”

She crosses the living room, pausing by the couch to pull a shoe the rest of the way over her heel, and then arrives in the doorway. Mulder is dressed in a black suit and crisp white shirt, his dark grey tie patterned with little triangles. His hair looks freshly cut, barely long enough to run your fingers through, and he’s holding a small bouquet of flowers. He looks delicious.

“I think that’s my cue to leave,” Missy says with a mischievous smile, grabbing her satchel from the dining room table and slipping past Mulder out the open door. “You two kids have fun,” she calls over her shoulder.

Dana rolls her eyes at her sister's remark, then turns to see Mulder staring at her with an oddly intense expression, his lips slightly parted.

“What?” she asks with genuine concern, looking down at her dress to make sure nothing is out of place.

He shakes his head gently as if pulling himself from a reverie. “You look...you look incredible. I mean you always look incredible but now that I’m allowed to tell you that you look incredible…” he drags his eyes down to her shoes and back up to her face where he finds a soft smile on her lips. “You’re so beautiful,” he completes.

She looks away sheepishly, pressing her lips together to hide the grin that it would feel too conceited to let show. “Thank you,” she says quietly, then meets his eye. “You look very handsome yourself.”

They look at each other for a beat, and she can tell he wants to kiss her. She wonders if he will, and if she should let him. They’ve already done much more than kiss, but everything still feels so new. Starting over indeed.

“Oh, these are for you,” he blurts out, breaking the tension as he offers her the flowers.

“Thank you, they’re beautiful,” she replies, taking them and going to the kitchen for a vase. She can sense his eyes on her back as she fills it with water then sets it on the table. She feels a little tingle in response, one she hasn’t felt in a very, very long time. “Shall we?” she asks as she grabs a sweater from the closet, avoiding his eye lest she throw him down on her sofa and never make it to dinner at all.

He steps just outside the door into the hall, so close as she locks it behind them that she can smell his aftershave. When they turn to leave, his hand drifts to rest on her lower back and it sends a little shockwave through her, and a flush of warmth between her thighs. Knowing that they can actually do all the things she’s imagined is exciting and scary, and she wonders how long she can wait. Wonders how long she wants to.

———

He steals glances at every stoplight or stretch of straight road, basically any chance he gets to look away without causing an accident, to take in the stunning beauty in the passenger seat beside him. That little red dress hugs her curves in all the right places, the pale swell of her breasts peeking out and rising gently with each breath. He shifts in his seat, willing his dick to behave and not make him look like a sex crazed lunatic. Though he is pretty sex starved, so it wouldn’t be an entirely untrue assessment. Every bit of self control he’d mustered when they spent time together last year has worn thin, and though he knows that she is no longer off-limits, that doesn’t mean she’s ready to get physical. He would have waited forever for her, so what’s a few more days, or weeks. Months? He really hopes it’s not months.

They pull up in front of the restaurant and he jogs around to the passenger side to open the door for her before the valet can get there. She gives him a shy little smile when he offers his hand to help her out of the car, pulling her to stand in the small space between himself and the doorframe so that the front of their bodies are nearly flush. She tilts her face up towards him, her tall shoes still only bringing her to his shoulder. He lets his eyes fall to her mouth, which is bare of any lipstick but naturally pink and pouty. He could kiss her now and not smudge anything at all.

“Sir?” the valet interrupts, holding out his hand in request of the keys.

The spell broken, he gives over the keys and takes Scully’s hand, her slim fingers threading between his own as her thumb brushes against his palm, a secret acknowledgement of the moment they shared. He smiles to himself as he leads her to the front doors of Marcel’s, looking over to see her curious appraisal of the venue. She clearly hasn’t been here before, which makes him happy. They are led by the host to a small table near the window draped in white linens and she gives him a skeptical glance as he pulls out her chair.

“Are you always this chivalrous? Don’t set expectations you can’t live up to, Mulder.”

He chuffs a laugh. “I actually am, it’s not an act. I was raised in a very upscale, old money environment. I can also tell you which fork to use for each course, if you’re interested.”

She lifts her eyebrows in surprise, watching him curiously as he takes the seat beside her, not across. He doesn’t want an entire table between them.

“Really? Where was that?”

“Martha’s Vineyard,” he answers plainly, not ever wanting that to sound like something he’s bragging about. “What about you, where are you from?” He changes the subject as quickly as possible.

She makes a face. “Nowhere in particular. I was born in Annapolis but my father was in the Navy so we moved a lot. The place he was stationed the longest was San Diego so that area feels just a little bit like home, but we’ve also spent quite a bit of time on the East Coast. We lived in Japan for a bit when I was a baby, but I don’t remember it.”

The waiter comes by to take their drink orders and Mulder orders a bottle of red he assumes they’ll have without looking at the menu. He watches out of the corner of his eye as Scully opens her menu and her eyes expand in shock. She closes it quietly and waits for the waiter to leave before leaning towards him.

“Mulder,” she says very seriously, as though she’s about to deliver devastating news, “that bottle of wine is three hundred dollars.”

He leans further towards her so their foreheads nearly touch. “Scully,” he says in an equally serious tone, “I warned you I was going to go overboard.”

He watches her try to suppress a surprised smile as she leans back, eyeing him appraisingly. “You’re quite the enigma, Mulder. With your fancy country club upbringing and expensive taste in wine in contrast to aliens and worn down bachelor pads.”

“Worn down?” he says in mock offense, “Priscilla will be horrified to hear that you said that.” The full-toothed smile he gets in response makes his heart swell, even if he suspects it has more to do with the mention of Priscilla than his winning sense of humor.

Wine and water are delivered, and Scully tries to order the cheapest thing on the menu before he insists that she wants the surf and turf and she acquiesces with a pained look.

“I think you’ve mischaracterized who among us is the enigma, Scully,” he picks up after their menus are collected. “I’m not sure I’ve ever encountered another Navy brat brainiac babe who cuts up dead people for a living.”

“Really?” she asks, eyebrows furrowed as though this is surprising to hear. “I’ll have to invite you to our next chapter meeting.”

“You’re also funny, add that to your list of enigmatic qualities,” he retorts, and she shrugs demurely. “Speaking of enigmas, there was a case I did a little poking around on, about some suspicious deaths in a community of carnies. There was a sideshow act where a man who was tattooed head to toe in jigsaw puzzle pieces ate live animals. He was sometimes called The Conundrum, and other times he went by The Enigma.”

Her eyes light up at the mention of his old work. “Was this an x file?” she asks excitedly.

“Not technically, no. This was just a couple years ago so the files were closed, but every now and then I get a lead and take some time off work to run it down.”

Scully looks a little disappointed. “Have you ever tried to have the X files reopened?” she asks, taking a sip of her wine and making a little expression that he takes as her being impressed.

“Sure, especially at first. The people at the heart of these government-run conspiracies don’t want the files open again, but the main reason bureau leadership gives for now is that I don’t have a partner, and they won’t let me work on them alone.”

“Couldn't they just assign you a partner? I’m not a field agent, but I was under the impression they somewhat randomly pair people off.”

He smiles sheepishly. “In theory, yes. But I haven’t had much success with the partners I’ve been assigned in the past. One might say that I don’t play well with others.”

“I find that hard to believe,” she says with a skeptical look, “you strike me as fairly easy to get along with.”

“Maybe so, Scully, but there’s a significant difference you’re omitting,” he leans forward and lets the tips of his fingers brush her bare knee. “I like you.”

There’s that million dollar grin again. This night is going so much better than he possibly could have hoped.

———

She could not have possibly imagined how good it would feel to be with him and truly be with him. No boundaries, no barriers, no lines to walk between what’s acceptable for ‘just friends.’ They openly flirt and smile at each other all through dinner, casually touching an arm or a leg, holding hands briefly a few times. She feels like a giddy schoolgirl and can’t recall the last time she felt this happy. So when the waiter collects their dessert plates and drops off the bill, she feels a little wave of sadness that the night is coming to an end.

She knows that if she invites him to come up to her apartment, he will say yes. And she knows that if she does that, they will end up having sex. She would very, very much like to have sex with him. But she’s also worried that she’s rushing things and potentially ignoring possible red flags or other signs that they might not be compatible because she wants this to work so badly. She decides she’s not going to invite him up.

They stand on the curb outside Marcel’s, waiting for the valet to bring the car around, and she crosses her arms and shivers against the cool evening air. Mulder notices and slides his arm around her shoulders, rubbing his palm briskly over her upper arm. Not satisfied that he’s done enough, he then moves to stand behind her and opens his suit jacket, pressing his chest to her back as he wraps the jacket around her, folding them both up inside it. He’s warm and firm and she lets her weight rest against him, the back of her head tucked into the crook of his neck. She sighs contentedly, feeling safe and cared for. It’s a feeling she’s really missed, being single.

On the short drive back to her apartment, he slips his hand over the console to rest on the seat next to her, an invitation, and she presses her palm against his, feeling the ache of missing him before he’s even gone. He pulls up to the curb in front of her building and they don’t let go, looking at each other in the dim glow of the street lights.

“Can I walk you to your door?” he asks, and she feels a mischievous smile creep over her lips. She nods.

They walk slowly, hand in hand, through the front doors and up the elevator. When they arrive at her door, she unlocks but doesn’t open it, leaning her back against the frame instead.

“I had a really nice time, Mulder. Thank you,” she says, her gaze lingering on his hooded green eyes and that full bottom lip.

“Me too,” he replies with a shy smile, stepping forward and placing his fingertips cautiously on her hips.

Her pelvis tips toward him unconsciously, seeking out the contact she has every intention of denying herself for now.

“Can I...would it be okay if I kissed you?” he asks, his eyes on her mouth. She opens it reflexively, tilting her chin up further.

He seems to take that as his answer, dipping his head to meet her at her level, and the pillowy press of his mouth against hers feels like such a relief she sighs audibly. His fingers on her hips press more firmly in response, pulling her gently towards him, closer still. She puts her hands on his forearms and slides them up until her fingers are gently scraping through the hair at the nape of his neck, and she feels his tongue slip out to taste hers. One of his hands leaves her hip and she feels it flutter over the side of her neck, cupping her jaw gently as they kiss slowly, languidly, like they have all the time in the world. His thumb brushes over the front of her throat and it somehow feels more intimate than if he were touching her in a more private place. To touch her in a vulnerable spot, one that can hurt and even kill someone, but to do it so tenderly feels erotic and exciting, and she takes his lip between her teeth and bites down gently to encourage him. He emits a little groan and arches his pelvis towards her, the stiff ridge of his erection grazing her belly.

“Mulder,” she says between kisses.

“Mmmmm,” he says in response, brushing his lips over the corner of her mouth.

“I don’t...I think….we should probably say goodnight.”

He makes a little sound somewhere between a whine and a sigh, but pulls away from her.

“I just...I don’t want to rush this,” she says earnestly, holding both his hands in hers. “I want to do things right this time.”

He nods, pulling her into an embrace. She has that feeling again, like she could crawl inside his chest cavity and make a home there, though this time it’s accessorized with an erection pressed against her.

“Sorry about that,” he says without embarrassment, and she laughs.

“I’ll take it as a compliment,” she replies, pulling away and reaching for the doorknob.

“You really, really, should,” he retorts, and she opens the door, backing in slowly. Once she is fully inside and looking at him through the slim crack she’s wedged herself into as though she were trying to keep him out, he leans forward so his face is inches from hers. “One for the road?” he asks hopefully, and she nods.

He presses his mouth against hers, chastely, no tongue, and holds it there for a very long time. Long enough that she starts to feel her resolve cracking. She pulls away.

“Goodnight, Mulder,” she says in a sing-song voice, and he backs away from the door with a dopey smile.

“Night, Scully,” he replies, not leaving until after she closes the door. She knows because she watches him through the peephole as he stands there smiling like a fool before looking up and possibly thanking the gods. Finally, he leaves.

Goodnight indeed. It was such a good night.

[thestupidhelmet]

[Different anon btw] I used to not understand why Goons and Zennies were at war back then. But honestly with what I've seen lately in fandom... I'm starting to get it. J/H are my otp, but it's getting tiring how ppl feel the need to put down E/D + Donna in contrast. The amount of fans that are still bitter that Eric and Donna proclaimed themselves "the perfect couple"... jfc guys it was a joke! They were excited to be back together let it go ugh.

(2) It's got to a point where I'm not even excited to read JH fanfiction anymore. If your ship's that awesome, you shouldn't feel the need to compare them to others (or lie about them, bc Istg it's so obvious by people's comments when they haven't even paid attention to the goons' arc). I sure know that I love Zen, I'm not going to cry because their friends teased them at times.

I ship Eric/Donna, though not to the extent of J/H (who are my OTP). The T7S writers themselves didn't know what to do with D/E after season 5, and I think T7S fans are largely reacting to the lack of originality in D/E's storylines post-S5, true stakes, and conflict / tension. Hence, D/E are deemed boring.

Another issue is the fact while Donna has a bunch of passions outside of Eric, the writers gave Eric one main passion: Donna. He has a lot of personality and personality traits, but he doesn't have a lot of drive. Without drive or goals, that makes a character generally uninteresting to watch (or read about). Another tick in the boring box.

Then there's the rampant Donna dislike, where misogyny (internalized or otherwise) is a root cause. People either ignorantly or willfully ignore the truth of Donna's treatment of Eric, which often gets reduced to and mischaracterized as constant unjustified anger. People also get frustrated with her inconsistent feminism, but that's the writers' fault for putting punchline over fidelity to characterization.

Eric and Donna's arc (made up of smaller arcs) from S1-S4 is well-written, with plenty of foreshadowing and proper development. Unfortunately, the T7S writers lopped off D/E's S1-S4 relationship struggles with one line of dialogue in "Going to California" (5x01) to dive into the engagement storyline. Doing so disrupted the characters’ narrative throughline. They still could’ve become engaged, but it should’ve happened organically after they’d dealt with the issues that broke them up in season 3.

With the proper writing (and writers), Eric and Donna are an interesting, dynamic couple. They’re playful and have conflict derived from their separate baggage. Even the happiest, most self-aware couples will have moments of tension between them. That’s inherent to being in a relationship and sharing a life together.

[betafibiiiiiivviiixiiixxixxxiv]

so i saw a take about eula that made me mad so here’s my (biased) rant about her

i’m pro-end user license agreement, i think she’s cute, not just appearance-wise but personality-wise too

(didn’t pull her tho bc the kinda obvious powercreeping made me salty, might pull her when her rerun comes around just to have her and not level her)

but basically the gist of this rant is gonna be i think people unfairly mischaracterize her and i’m gonna talk about why i think she’s a good bean based on the two things about her that i’ve seen people mention they dislike the most: the way she talks and her relationship to/feelings about her family

disclaimer: a lot of this is my opinion and my interpretation of her character, probably has a lot of typos

this will probably be really like

incomprehensible i’m tired sorry but i’ll try to make sense

okay so

a lot of people from what i’ve seen dislike eula bc of the way she talks, but at least try to understand why she might talk the way she does

putting aside the reason why she talked the way she did to the people of mondstadt during her story quest (i’ll get to that later), let’s talk about her whole focus on vengeance first

imo her whole thing about vengeance is a shield of sorts for her

many of the people of mondstadt would only ever see her as a descendant of the lawrence clan, someone who means to do mondstadt harm

so might as well give them what they expect, even if it’s not what you really mean

her story in her character profile even says this

“Her grievances and vengeance are but a habit, a signal, a shield.

“What remarks she should just laugh off, what concepts she should bear in mind given her unique circumstances and position...“

one has to remember that eula is a descendant of the lawrence clan, a clan that is hated in mondstadt bc of how corrupted they became during the era of the aristocracy

it’s likely that when she was a child she was ostracized even though the sins of her family, her ancestors, aren’t her own

even if she wanted to make friends with the other children of mondstadt, they were probably too distrustful of her

in her story in her character profile, there’s no mention of jean or diluc in regards to her past, but amber is mentioned to have been her friend even before eula joined the knights of favnious

it’s likely amber was one of her few friends growing up, if not her only friend

and amber is a pretty easy-going and welcoming person; she probably didn’t care about the way eula spoke all that much and bc they’re friends she understands the feelings eula hides behind her seemingly contentious words

anyways about her and the people of mondstadt

the people of mondstadt only see the family she’s a part of; they don’t see her

from her profile story:

“Eula has been viewed with contempt by the citizens of Mondstadt since birth. The Lawrence name stands for a legacy of depravity and despotism that stains Mondstadt's past and scars the minds of its citizens even to this day.

“So, whenever Eula appears, old wounds resurface. People despise the aristocracy, and this does no favors for her reputation.”

“In truth, Eula is nothing like the fearsome predator many imagine her to be. On the contrary, constantly being met with prejudice at every turn means she is often the victim.

“At one time, shops would refuse to sell her their goods, restaurants would put no care and attention into her orders, and the citizens on her patrol route would refuse to cooperate with her. So, Eula's work is fraught with difficulties.“

and in her voicelines:

“The life of a Lawrence doesn't include much worth talking about... Basically, whatever you say, whatever you do, people will always despise you and treat you like a potential threat to society. It's nowhere near as bad as it used to be, though. Before I'd joined the Knights, good grief... I couldn't even buy groceries. Even Good Hunter and Mondstadt General Goods wouldn't take my money.”

“People tell me that if I just spoke more softly, or was more polite, or acted more deferentially, others may find it easier to forgive me, but the only reason they think that way is because they've never been branded a pariah before. There is no easy path to redemption when you're a social pariah. I'm more inclined to stop tiptoeing around everyone all the time and just get out there and make them respect me the old-fashioned way! As in, we square off and if they win, I humbly accept my punishment, but if they lose, they must acquiesce to my demands... Such as... Well, I mean, if I want to buy a loaf of bread, take my darn money, for crying out loud!“

the people of mondstadt wronged her and were mean to her simply bc of the blood that runs through her veins, and i think it’s bc of that she says that she’ll have her vengeance

imo her act of vengeance against the people of mondstadt is being a faultless knight, a knight who completes their duties flawlessly and is without reproach

from her story in her profile:

“...she is a law-abiding citizen and has never harmed another Mondstadter in her life. She may come across as having a somewhat frosty demeanor, but she is entirely scrupulous in her speech and conduct.”

“When Jean sends a new recruit to track down Eula in the wilds and deliver a new set of verbal orders, they always receive the same response: ‘If you have to resort to tasking the descendant of your former oppressors with doing your work, then perhaps you are not as strong as I thought’

“But despite the antagonism in her words, she will complete her newly assigned tasks to perfection. The new recruit is invariably forced to admit that with her abilities, it is no wonder she was able to achieve a captaincy within just a few years of joining the Knights.“

and honestly i just think she’s a tsundere

my evidence, your honor?

her “About Us: Feud” voiceline:

“Our feud is for the long term, so rather than get payback on a piecemeal basis, I think I'll make things easier for myself and wait for a day when I can settle the score once and for all. It could be in ten years, could even be twenty... But don't worry, I won't forget. In the meantime, I'll need you to take good care of yourself and have a happy, healthy life, okay?”

anyways about the way she spoke in her story quest

one first has to learn that this was what she was taught that way since she was young

reading up on the lawrence family based on her profile story, the renmants of the lawrence family are pretty much a cult i think

“The Lawrence Clan may have been overthrown a long time ago, but they have never given up hope of one day rising again and reclaiming their place as the ruling class. So that they are always prepared for this monumental moment, their offspring are subjected to an educational regime so unbelievably harsh that it is considered borderline abusive.

“’Noble obligations’ must be performed to absolute perfection in every possible sense, and these obligations cover etiquette, ritual, and study as well as cooking and other domestic chores.”

and also

she clearly doesn’t talk that way all the time?

personally the reason i think the mondstadters we talked to were like ‘ugh, this again?’ is bc all of the lawrence clan does it, and eula is part of the lawrence clan so it’s like, expected of her to talk that way

but the main reason she talked that way was to give an example to the traveler

she didn’t talk that way to us when we first met her, and she didn’t talk that way to amber and sarah

and some people think she still supports her family? like man

i don’t know if we went through the same story quest or not

but eula quite clearly ruined a plan of her uncle’s that was to harm mondstadt? and during that quest she quite clearly shows her disdain for her family and her family’s ideals?

“I’ve never experienced the age of ‘glory’ you always speak of, and I’ve never understood our family’s incessant pursuit of it. [...] The Lawrence Clan should never and will never become what you’ve dreamed it to be!”

not to mention her voicelines where she makes fun of her family often:

“Knights and aristocrats share the same cultural heritage, but the knights had enough sense to do away with all the superfluous detail.“

“Aristocratic etiquette is all just for show... Just smile and nod along! I was forced to learn all of the rules by heart, but even I don't take them that seriously.”

“I heard that bard sing a few songs about the Lawrence Clan... They were lighthearted and funny stories that mocked the clan in a way I've never heard anyone else do. Even I couldn't help but burst out laughing... And for this, he must pay!”

“Technically, aged Dandelion Wine should be poured into a silver goblet and allowed to breathe for 12 minutes, then you're supposed to add ice cubes, ideally so 60% of the ice is submerged beneath the wine. I refuse to do all that though, it's not worth the hassle.”

and not to mention this voiceline where she outright states that if her family crossed the line she’d end her family herself:

“If my family members refuse to change their corrupt ways, or worse, continue to cause active harm in Mondstadt... I should be the one to end them, along with the Lawrence name itself. For once, it'd be a family obligation I'd actually enjoy. And once the deed was done, I'd be free to pick any name I wanted. Or even let you pick one for me!“

also about her saying she wants to avenge her kin in her voicelines, (this is me kinda reaching, ngl) imo it could just be her sarcasm, or she could be trying to change mondstadt’s view of the lawrence clan so that others in the family like her who aren’t as attatched to the aristocratic customs and share her beliefs can walk freely in mondstadt’s streets without fear of reprisal, which can be evidenced by this voiceline:

“The name Lawrence only became a social stigma after the clan fell from grace. It was once an honor to be called a Lawrence, but unfortunately, most people have forgotten about that part of history. The Grand Master says that I am performing rather well as a knight, and that if it's not enough to restore the honor of the Lawrence name, it's certainly a strong rebuttal against the one-sided opinions so many people throw around. I'm quite satisfied with that appraisal.“

furthermore based on her voiceline about barbara, i’m pretty sure she wants to be liked? to be acknowledged in a good way?

“Everyone loves her. What's her secret? Maybe I could learn a thing or two from her... Hmm, or maybe not. I can't imagine a ‘Shining Idol’ would want anything to do with a descendant of a depraved dynasty.“

like, she doesn’t want to be thought of as just a descendant of the lawrence clan

she wants to be known for who she is, not her family

i think this is why she avoids lisa too, since lisa would have read all about her family and she doesn’t want lisa’s judgement

lastly, what she learned from amber’s grandfather, found in her profile story:

“From him, she learned an open-mindedness and down-to-earth persistence that she had heretofore not possessed. Before grievance and vengeance, before clan and outsider, one must find "oneself" first.

“One's way of living, self-preservation, objects of perseverance...

“Then call it "grievance" and name it "vengeance" — that will not change its essential strength and goodness.

“It would be Eula's very own gentle path of revenge...“

she didn’t turn against the people of mondstadt and join her family in their crusade for glory even though the people of mondstadt treated her horribly

she instead strove to be someone worthy of being respected, someone who is more than just a part of a disgraced and despised family

anyways i think that’s all i wanted to say

basically tldr: end user license agreement is a sweet and gentle person and i like her very much

[take-some-vampire-money-bro]

i....am getting very very very sick and tired of people in the fanbase undermining Juno's abilities, esp his role in the carte blanche in s3. Did y'all like turn your brains off for the entire first two seasons? Juno isn't just some helpless dumbass who complains, that's such an oversimplified mischaracterization. just because Juno has his dorky/idiotic moments, and just because he complains a lot, does NOT mean that he isn't also intelligent as fuck and extremely clever. If he wasn't he would be dead by now. No normal person can go through everything he's gone through and come out alive.

a lot of ppl will insist that "his sharpshooting is all he's got" and like yes his sharpshooting is excellent but he has literally proven to be capable without that ability back when he first lost his eye. he had so much fucking willpower and just got through it all relying on his mind. just because we see him berating himself from his POV for not being a good enough shot doesn't mean that factually he wasn't good at what he did anymore. He's quick witted, clever, intelligent, and thinks outside of the box when he can. Being a good sharpshooter only takes you so far. that skill is nothing if you can't even have the brains to solve the case. the blaster has always served as a resource for Juno, but not his crutch. Like guys there's a reason Buddy wanted him in her crime family. Buddy is extremely cut and dry about things, she will never sugar coat anything. So if she thought that Juno wasn't capable for the job she wouldn't have ever reached out to him. So yeah, I'm a bit sick of people acting like Juno is a liability to the crew when he fucking isn't.

He made a genius plan in the s3 finale !!! he saved everyone in heart of it all because he was the only one to look at things outside of just spur-of-the-moment shit!!! Juno canonically made Nureyev feel embarrassed in man in glass bc he assessed the situation, gathered knowledge, and was observant in a much more effective way than him. He literally has saved everyone's lives several times in the course of s3. and it makes me so upset bc i saw a post where someone point blank said "he’s literally just there to complain, look pretty, pretend to be peter’s wife sometimes, and work through his issues" like???? can yall stop (btw if u know the acc please please dont harass them)

so yeah im angry :^))) let's just appreciate juno's intelligence as much as we do with his dorky/idiotic moments, mkay? in terms of emotional and interpersonal stuff he stumbles, but when it comes to tangibly solving things and getting through whatever case/adventure he's doing, he's dynamite.

tl;dr juno steel is a valuable member to the carte blanche, do not ever fucking forget that.

[heartless2008]

warriorlid14 replied to your post “everyone else’s opinions on the hunger games are...

”Ooh. What popular THG opinions do you think are...

@warriorlid14 oh boy oh boy ty for asking me! 

i think the love triangle is overrated, and when i say the love triangle i mean the whole love triangle. i don’t care about whatever romance is going on i care about katniss developing platonic bonds with people and living her best life. that being said, i do think that either they should all date or gale and katniss should just be best friends. overall though, i don’t care about the romance and i’m especially tired of seeing everlark content as i think that katniss and peeta’s story is complete. it ended the minute katniss said “there are much worse games to play”. it’s over guys why are you still making content about it. ALSO i hate how people make katniss fall in love with people BEFORE she gets to know them bc thats not how i see her character at all?? she only starts liking people romatically AFTER she gets to know them. fuck you. 

also i think everybody hates either gale or peeta depending on what part of the love triangle they prefer? that’s fucking stupid. yeah gale’s not the best person, but he’s not the fucking devil. yeah peeta’s less combat ready than the other two and prefers to talk things out with words, but he’s not fucking weak. both of them are good and valid choices, which is the fucking point! it’s a love triangle! neither is a better person than the other! it comes down to what katniss needs in romance! which is peeta, because katniss needs gale as a friend but not a romantic partner! fuck you!

also i hate when people mischaracterize thresh. he’s my favorite character but i can’t trust half the people in this fandom with him. fuck you.

[scandeniall]

I think I want to try writing do you have any tips on how to get the boys on character

Wow my first asking for writing advice. Whew idk why you chose to ask me boo because I just talk out my ass (I’m kinda kidding). Thank u bby and let me try to say something useful. Kinda long????

Well 1st off watching the anime/reading the manga is very helpful (although I havent read the manga in its entirety hence why I dont write some characters). Focus on who you want to write and pay extra attention to them and how they act/respond. Look at the wiki if you want summarizes personalities

However what I mostly do is READ. There are so many writers on here and more often then not people kinda specialize in a certain character/ group of characters. Find a writers who [you think] perfectly encompas what a character is like. Even if it gives you a slight direction. Like I’d like to think I have a pretty decent grasp on sakusa (or that’s what y’all mfs been lying and saying) For example to me noora (@ below) perfectly encompasses suna. (She also has character breakdowns too which are great) and with that I’ve built up my own idea on how he would act and it’s literally the suna in my head whenever I write him.

Another tip is pull from ppl you know irl. I tend to do that for atsumu and kuroo. Find some traits you think you can see a character do/say

Also: check out character breakdowns!!!! They are great as well as those posts that are like “most mischaracterized characters”

Ppl I think are rly good at certain characters

@watermelonsugawara i love her karasuno 3rd years in particular

@samwrights (I luv mom sam sm but that aside) I like how she’s written seijoh 3rd years but especially makki!!!! Even in her self ship type posts for him her makki is amazing

@inarzki queen of inarizaki ESP suna. Like come on now. Literally created the suna-verse here’s her character sheet post

@crocyoota has a being friends w/ seijoh 3rd years that I think is pretty spot on (also if u want nsfw atsumu your GO TO esp for his accent bc that shit be tiring to write but she did it)

I dont want this to turn into a recs list bc that’s be me doing too damn much but yeah here are ppl that I think about when it comes to certain characters. But ultimately hey it’s writing write what U want. there are more amazing ppl but yall i only tagged folks ive at least spoken to cause im shy

*check my tag: hq recs for recs.