#criticism and rejection

[utilitycaster]

[longing-for-rain]

So we can dismiss this comic as “out of character” but every little scrap of “new content” Avatar Studios pumps out to retcon everything about this atrocious relationship that fans have complained about is fine?

These people are hilarious, you can’t hide behind canon if you’re going to blatantly ignore everything that makes your pookie bear look bad.

[yaralulu]

”We want a rejected mates trope !!” who the hell is we 🤨⁉️.I cannot think of something more depressing to read about than two mates rejecting their bond.Especially when one person still longs for the other and has already lost the person they thought was their mate in such a tragic and brutal way.Now their actual mate wants nothing to do with them to the point where they want to reject their mating bond? Fucking ouch.Just something about two people whose literal souls are tied to one another ending up with other people doesn’t really read as romantic to me.

I understand that sjm might want to explore the rejected mates trope but why does lucien have to be the guinea pig?? I cannot think of one character less deserving to go through this trope than lucien.Not just because of his history with jesminda but because he genuinely hasn’t had a moment of peace since the beginning of this series.He does not deserve to have his mate reject him on top of everything else he just doesn’t.I want elain to be happy but if that’s gonna cost my favorite character his happiness and possibly his sanity then i’m allowed to be a little annoyed.

If elain really does reject the bond with lucien I don’t wanna be here to read that scene and I definitely don’t want a lucien pov of that.Can you imagine the fucking anguish and heartbreak of a scene like that yeah no thank youuuu.

[kyouka-supremacy]

At the very end, I really don't care whether Fukuchi's plan makes sense or not. He directly caused Akutagawa giving his life for Atsushi / one of the most homoromantic scenes in manga history, makes sense or not I'll never stop being grateful to Fukuchi for it.

[rawliverandgoronspice]

Actually I think we should all collectively work harder at misunderstanding TLoZ canon and simping for Ganondorf and I'm not even kidding.

[reblogandlikes]

SJM has a fated mate rule. Literally, all her characters, mains or background, ends up with their mate, whether having a mutual love or not. Any story of rejection causing the males to supposedly go mad has never been seen upon a physical character, but more so as a warning from tales before.

If you tell me that Elain will get the actual choice to reject my love Lucien, I think I'd flip. Not because I want her forced in this predestined relationship or even him, for that matter. I'd be weary of that shit too as a previous human, now forced to be fae in a world that's not mine. But because Nesta got caged...erm, let's try that again. SHACKLED in hers without even the possibility to reject because when she tried to keep her distance she was hounded at, shouted at, downtrodden and had forced proximity with a male that she still believes she doesn't deserve because she thinks so lowly of herself at the end of her book.

If an argument can be made that Feyre only felt 'love' with Tamlin because he was her first true comfort after years of never experiencing it and then moved on to someone whos more compatible to her, then it's the same for my girl Nesta, mate or not. Hell, does Cassian even truly make her feel loved and safe and wanted, or are those feelings she knows she's meant to feel, thus tried to manifest them despite them not fully being there? They had something, I can admit, but from ACOFAS onwards...yikes.

All in all, this post is to say I shamelessly want her with Eris. 🔥

[urproblematicfav-arsonk]

I think the worst thing about Stolas is that he's an absolute picture perfect victim in nearly every situation he's in.

He's endearingly, and relatably sad and insecure. He articulates his feelings and sets "boundaries". He admits that ".... GASP I'd be a monster if I let this relationship go on." He's in a loveless marriage and struggles with selfworth because of the abuse he faced as a child.

Everything about him makes all his behavior have this air of plausible deniability and excuses at the ready for any possible criticism.

Stolas is outright abusive and neglectful of his daughter, repeating the cycle, and regularly prioritizing sex over her mental health? No! He said he was sorry, :(((. His neglect is actually Stella's fault because she's such a BITCH that he can't focus long enough to notice that his kid is suffering.

Stolas has a emotionally and sexually coercive relationship with someone who he knows can't leave/break up with him because they literally need him to provide for his family and not die from poverty? Nooooo! He's insecure!! He just wants to be loved/desired and wasn't thinking clearly. He didn't notice all the blatant signs that Blitz wasn't comfortable with their relationship because....... Reasons!!

Stolas is classist, openly racist and demeans Blitz publicly and completely refusing to stand up for this relationship that he "cares" so much about? Nnnnnnnnnoooo, again! Insecure and sadboi. He was just embarrassed because he doesn't want people to rightfully judge and look down on him for abandoning his family to fuck some guy he just met. Thats not his fault!!! He even tried to emotionally manipulate Blitz into forgiving him by romantically leading him on after basically admiting that he doesn't respect or even actually like Blitz that much!!!!!!

Really, Blitz is the asshole there. I mean, what kind of a self hating idiot do you have to be to NOT immediately forgive the guy who thinks your nothing but a sex toy and when faced with the idea that your relationship is more then that, he acts like your disgusting and he's ashamed of you. Like, wow. He offered to hang out? Is that not fucking enough for you?

Meanwhile, Blitz just isn't really given the same grace. He's an idiot, he's an asshole for not talking about his feelings properly. He reacts badly to being accosted emotionally, and is blamed for not listening to his abuser's placating. Stolas is fair to be upset and want to be wanted after coming from a society where he means nothing outside of his ability to have children. But Blitz was fucking SOLD as a child. Considering how Fizz is also being sex trafficked by Mamm, and how "popular" he was as a kid, I can't imagine Blitz faired much better. Blitz was seen as worthless, only of use if someone bought him and forced him to do labor. All of which are things that heavily impact his relationship with Stolas. He isn't insecure when he's panicking over Stolas' offer, he's having a trauma response to the idea that he isn't doing his job as a body and product. Blitz has so much being held over his head. His daughter's future, his employees and found family, I hate that Stolas' stupid fucking emotional state is also something he has to handle.

All it takes for everyone to be on Stolas side, or to think Blitz needs to be more responsible to their relationship(the cheating accusations are fucking throwing me for a loop)is just some Therapy Speak and SadBoi Songs about how you're upset you got too emotionally attached to a guy you were assaulting.

Because Blitz is messy, and mean, because he's Fight and not Fawn, he's treated as the bad guy in this situation.

I think this problem comes up a lot in stories about mutually unhealthy relationships. I think about Spuffy a lot, where Buffy explicitly lead Spike on for literal YEARS, taking advantage of his feelings so she could feel good about herself and use him as a tool. And when Spike finally snaps(in an extremely out of character way btw)in Seeing Red, its framed like Buffy getting raped is her rightful punishment for being a tease. We don't address the ways she abused him until she's been punished, and we can use her abusive behavior to excuse and rationalize Spike's assault. Its no longer a conversation about unhealthy relationships and now is about how The Bitch needs to comfort and tell The Rapist that it wasn't his fault, it was hers!!!!! he's sowwy :(!!!

Similar problem with Stolitz I think. Blitz is shitty, he is mean and can be hurtful and manipulative. But we're only talking about it within the context of how Stolas needs to be coddled after being called out for his abuse. We could've handled this better. Considering the obvious care and EXTREME caution ValAngel got, I don't see why we couldn't have done that here. I don't understand why Angel gets special treatment and every other character thats sexually and/or emotionally abused gets treated as either a joke or just not given the same effort. They clearly can do it!! Because they literally did!!!!!! I love Angie and Fizz, but like man, we don't got the energy for anyone else, huh?

[mixelation]

on itasaku: there is some interesting meta to be made about sakura's apparent need to fix sasuke people emotionally and also her world-class ability to fix them physically. but mostly what i like is the idea of her being extremely I CAN FIX HIM about itachi and then she does get to fix him!! physically. and it took so much work she forgot along the way all the problems with his personality and insane worldview which no force on earth is fixing. and also itachi agrees with her

sakura: I FIXED HIM

itachi: she did. she fixed me.

sakura: WITH MY LOVE

itachi: with her love. and also her highly impressive jutsu

[fellhellion]

genuinely p4 fandom outside of tumblr makes u feel like ur living in an alternate reality. You say hey I think u can easily read trans subtext and text in Naoto’s story because the game quite literally talks about transition surgery, and people act like you’re the insane one.

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

oh don’t mind me, just thinking about the contrast between hordak defying his abuser in order to protect entrapta, and catra using her abuser as an excuse to hurt adora in all ways imaginable.

[utilitycaster]

Robbie's been playing Dorian as fairly quiet since coming back (as Marisha-as-Laudna pointed out), and I think this episode put a lot of it into perspective.

Dorian is profoundly unsure of his place - in general. The Crownkeepers are scattered and while Dorian is welcome in Bells Hells - is a member of Bells Hells, without question - he's been absent for many of their adventures.

He is also, suddenly, the heir and not the spare to the leadership of the Silken Squall, a responsibility he did not expect to have and which he fled shortly before the events of EXU. He mentions his feelings seem unimportant, a reflection perhaps on both how powerless he's felt as of late regarding the events of the solstice, and much more long-standing acknowledgement of a childhood that pushed him into a role that did not fit him. Bells Hells make him feel important - which is more of the same issue. When Dorian is important, his feelings can't be because perhaps more so than anyone else in the party, he knows of the sacrifices of leadership. And now, both because of Bells Hells' involvement in world events, and Dorian's new and unwanted role as the crown prince, those sacrifices feel more necessary to him than ever.

He introduces himself as a bad liar, and now he's simply honestly stating that he's not sharing information. He also says he knows it will come from him; he's not just no longer a liar, but no longer a runaway. Even on the run with the Crown Keepers, something found him; what's the point.

It is unsurprising (and entirely understandable) that Dorian has no desire to make deals with the gods, given how that turned out for Opal, but his view towards the gods is a much more nuanced one than Braius or Ashton's. He remarks that the simple harvest-based cultural reverence Whitestone holds for the Dawnfather is perhaps the heart of worship - an opinion that lines up with, at least, Nick's interpretation of the Dawnfather. He seems affected by the revelation - new to him - that when Predathos first came to Exandria, it killed two of the gods, whom he knows from the Occultus Thalamus see each other as family.

There are two questions Dorian not only doesn't answer, but doesn't acknowledge. He doesn't answer Laudna's question about whether he feels responsible, but I think we know his answer. And he doesn't answer whether he would bring back Cyrus, if he can (and he might be able to). I don't know if he knows; something, certainly, is keeping him up at night.

The most piercing questions Bells Hells ask of each other this episode center around what they might do in a desperate situation: whether Braius will choose to harm the Platinum Dragon instead of stop Ludinus (as Asmodeus chose in Downfall); what terrible things Fearne might do to protect those she loves (as the Primes did in Aeor). Fearne declines that answer. Orym and Imogen express their doubts that they can ever know what's right. Only Ashton displays any confidence, at least outwardly; but only Dorian, I think, has previously been forced to consider a future where he might hold the fate of a group of people in his hands, and it has abruptly become a reality not just for the current crisis, but for the rest of his life.

[jeanmoreaue]

this physically pains me, he’s on the brink of death and he’s apologizing. i cannot wait until this man undergoes enough healing to develop some kindness for himself

[hellhoundmaggie]

Do you have any SDV hot takes?

Boy do I ever Anon! Thank you for giving me the chance to get on my soapbox about this.

Shane doesn't relapse when he is happily married to the Farmer. The popular "relapse" interpretation is based on faulty assumptions about what substance abuse recovery is supposed to look like and flat-out misreadings of the text of the game.

Shane doesn't "start" drinking again: he never stops, just reduces the amount he drinks. (Unless we are supposed to interpret the phrase "cut back" in the 7 Heart Event as meaning "quit” or "gave up” for some reason. Or if we ignore the new 1.6 dialogue about him drinking less after his 6 Heart event.)

Shane's mess is not a consequence of uncontrolled drinking, but a consequence of his depression and possible under-managed ADHD. His room at Marnie's remains exactly as messy when he's in recovery as it is when he's spiraling, so the drinking has no effect on his cleanliness.

”Okay,” you might say, “but he still shouldn’t drink, and he should pick up his room.” And sure, yeah. Ideally we should all do the same. But that’s not always a fair or realistic expectation for everyone. Not everyone can quit their addictions or bad habits cold turkey. Not everyone is going to be the model citizen. That doesn’t mean they can’t live happy lives. That doesn’t mean they don’t have value. That doesn’t mean Shane doesn’t have value.

So instead of complaining about the ways that Shane fails to measure up to typical adult standards, it may be more productive to ask: is he happy? Is he doing okay?

By any reasonable measure, a married Shane is living his best possible life. He‘s surprised and delighted to be your trophy husband. He doesn’t have to worry about taking a soul-sucking job or struggling with unemployment. His drinking isn’t causing him any problems, and if he can’t keep his personal space clean, at least he doesn’t let his mess spread to the rest of the house. He has his own little coop for Charlie and it’s just adorable to watch him bounce her up and down. He actually makes time for Jas. I am not requiring everyone to love Shane the way he is written, or to make space in their farmhouse for him. But please, have realistic expectations for the character that exists. And do make friends with him. He gives you an OP recipe and access to blue chickens!

[essektheylyss]

Man, that Solstice really does just continue, huh? Sure is a shame that most of the Nein's babysitting options are otherwise indisposed dealing with the wards around the Blooming Grove going out of commission, or, I don't know, the newly-reimagined Nicodranas sewer system falling apart.

[lily-ohfally]

I see how it is..

[burr-ell]

"the tendency of this fandom to only engage with what THEY want these characters to be#as opposed to what their creators are trying to do and the stories they want to tell" slap this on a bumper sticker, you just summed all cr discourse (about PCs at least) in 2 sentences

It truly is maddening (and it's not by any means exclusive to the CR fandom). The reason why the discourse always goes the way it does is that at the end of the day, the loud fanwanky people only see what they would do, if they were self-inserted into the story, as a valid choice; and they are, more broadly, fundamentally disinterested in what others think or feel. There are several examples of this, and the variety of spaces within the fandom that produce these ideas is an indicator that this isn't endemic to one specific group of people.

-Keyleth is an important character whose feelings and choices are validated by the other PCs and cast even if they still disagree with them, in spite of how she and her preachiness get in the way of the Murderhobo Jubilee? It's not because the cast are all friends and they genuinely believe Keyleth is valid and are interested in how these discussions and choices can guide the story. It's because Marisha is the DM's girlfriend, and also here's my totally unbiased theory that my pet favorite players Sam and Travis secretly hate Marisha and Keyleth.

-Vax's presence is still felt and nodded to in the post-canon VM oneshots? It's not because he was an important character who mattered. It's because Liam wants to make everyone talk about his tragedy because he has Main Character Syndrome. Scanlan Wishes for Vax to appear at the wedding? It's not because he cares about Vex or because Sam and Liam wanted a sweet tribute to Vex and Vax's relationship and by extension Liam and Laura's friendship. It's because Liam thinks Vex's life should always revolve around Vax, and Sam wants to enable him and jerk himself off as the one who facilitated it.

-Beauyasha and Fjorester become canon? It's not because the players wanted it and it happened naturally. It's because there was a secret behind-the-scenes push to "force" those ships to become canon instead, and like, Dani Carr is some sort of shipping puppetmaster who made the players do it, and "they" (whomever "they" is) decided to sink Beaujester or Widojest because it was "obviously" going to become canon before the pandemic hiatus gave them time to "make the corporate-approved ships happen".

-Beau and Caleb try to reform the Empire and dismantle the Cerberus Assembly from within? It's not because it makes sense for their stories or that people who would take this position regarding a corrupt government might have a valid perspective that differs from your own. It's because the people at Critical Role Productions LLC are all spineless neoliberal cowards who won't commit to real activism. The best activism, after all, is violent, and violent revolutions have always resulted in stable aftermaths, and the real world has never demonstrated that this mindset is foolish.

-Relatedly: Caleb doesn't kill Trent personally? It's not because the most poetic justice would be to deny Trent the thing he wants most from Caleb. It's because "Limo Brain" is too obsessed with tragedy to have the stones to do "what needs to be done".

-Asmodeus, DnD Satan, turns out to also be CR Satan? It's not because it fits with the cosmology and the lore; it's because Matt Mercer is too attached to the "establishment", and the Prime Deities should have actually turned out to be the bad guys because of my personal baggage about Western religion and Christianity they're a little mean to my blorbo sometimes.

There's a pattern here: fans had expectations that they'd built up for themselves after projecting and building up fanon and deciding what players meant before they explained themselves fully, and when the players strayed from that, they were derided for all manner of reasons. I think we're seeing that same pattern play out in C3 as the story progresses in a way that fans dislike, and in fact we have seen fanwank spread whenever someone does anything that interferes with personally catering to a) the favored ship and/or b) the favored philosophy. (Orym, Ashton, FCG, Percy, Pelor...all valid when they affirm the Fandom Opinions and all disdained when they don't.)

Don't get me wrong, I think there's a place for comfort stories that deliver a personal catharsis. And I'm not going to dismissively say "well if you want it so bad make your own" because, as an artist, I am very familiar with the fact that creating is hard and draining and sometimes you just need to consume instead. But when you become so wrapped up in yourself and your feelings to the point where your perspective is the only valid one, someone else's feels like a betrayal when it isn't. It's always "They aren't doing what we wanted and here's why they're terrible people because of it" and never "Hmm, why is this what the cast wants? Let's examine that."

This isn't a new phenomenon, but I think it ultimately stems from not assuming that other people can differ from you in major ways in good faith. There are a lot of reasons for that (some more understandable than others), but I think you rob yourself of the potential to enjoy something new when all you do is demand what you already want. No matter what you're doing or where you are in life, you tend to become a better and wiser person when you open your mind to what other people have to say, no matter how mundane the subject matter. Sometimes the stories people have to tell are challenging—and the only healthy way to deal with that is to engage with them on their own terms.