#honestly this can apply to like. any fandom ever

[music-orthemisery]

Hi! First of all I wanted to say how much I love reading your posts on p2 and fob in general, blogs like yours are MY happy place 😊

Second of all, I’m genuinely surprised, that nowadays with Pete being a family guy, for the lack of better term, is focused on his projects and his band, and his children, doing pretty tame things, like playing golf with his dad, for love’s sake! And some people still find some things to shitpost about??? In that case, I hope he’s not so much of an online presence anymore and things like this don’t get to him.

Aw, thank you so much! Like I said, I come here for fun. If my silly yappings make it fun for someone else too, then yay!

I’ll be honest when I say the stuff re: Pete doesn’t surprise me. I think Patrick said it best in the Zane Lowe interview - Pete is an interesting dude, and how people react to that will vary.

Obviously Pete has faults, and pre-h Pete…kinda sucked sometimes. PETE even recognizes this. He has said multiple times that he did not like who he had become and had to do a lot of work on himself during the hiatus.

However, Pete is also a human being, so OF COURSE he is going to have faults. Everyone has regrets for things they did/thought/believed. It’s a universal human experience. People don’t just…magically lose their humanity when they become famous.

I was a counselor for many years, and I wonder how my client’s would’ve progressed if I told them, “Well, you sure have fucked up. And it doesn’t matter what you do now because all that matters is what you’ve done in the past.” Like, who deserves that?

Obviously nuance is important here because, sure, there are some actions that are worth continuing to acknowledge. But Pete has not done anything that warrants that, and anyone who claims he has is basing that off of highly unreliable narrators, and/or cherry-picked sensationalist “reporting,” and/or applying current social norms onto the past, and/or slapping labels on things that do NOT apply, and/or racism, and/or lack of understanding/empathy toward mental illness.

Again, who deserves that?

Also worth mentioning - what a huge insult to Patrick to say that all of his success and art he has created was because Pete manipulated him. What an insult to Joe and Andy to reduce them to just tagging along for the paycheck despite secretly hating Pete.

What a miserable experience to be a “fan” of a band you actively despise.

I don’t get any sense that Pete allows internet shit to get to him these days. I think it’s safe to say that we are seeing him genuinely happy and content, and that came with years of learning who to actually listen to. <3

[artytaeh]

⋯ ⋯ ﹒ 🪻 ’

can i disagree with some of this fandom's perception of tom riddle? surely he won't be a sweetheart like lorenzo, but...

┊ i also don't think that he'd be so intentionally rude, so cold towards his significant other. i honestly think that if tom ever becomes infatuated with someone, he would take pride into getting this someone to belong to him. willingly! 🌷

౨ৎ i guess i'll never know the reason why you ♡ ͡

love me like you do; that's the wonder of you . . .

... tom riddle is a smart man, you see. love, romantic feelings, to act like a couple and all of those things— these might be the most confused that tom riddle will ever be, because otherwise, he's an extremely competent, capable young man.

tom riddle does get confused, a little lost on what to do; he'd torture himself by discreetly watching couples at hogwarts interacting, maybe make some research (= read novels. romantic novels. it was a discovery of a new medieval torture for tom, seriously, to waste his precious time reading some sappy crap like that.) to better understand how to handle you.

how to deal with you.

how to cherish you, so that you don't ever entertain the idea of leaving him. you see, tom is a practical man— he'd rather not commit mistakes, because to fail, means to spend extra time fixing his error and doing the same thing twice, so that this time, it's done correctly.

applying this ideology to you, it means: that 1) tom riddle prefers to always keep your heart happy, so that you don't have doubts about him; so that 2) he won't have to take twice the effort to conquer the city of your heart again.

some think that tom wouldn't like petnames. to be fair, tom would frown at many of those, at first— thinking that they were cringe, disgusting or a psychological way to acquire diabetes. however, when tom gets used to this stir on his heart, those loud heart beatings that cloud his rational thoughts...

... it's excused to say that tom's preferred petname to call you by, is 'my love'.

tom reasons that's because it isn't a lie at all. well, you're certainly his— and because of you, because of your existence, of this enchanting aura of yours; that's how tom riddle discovered love. there are few things that tom is attached to. even fewer that he shows to care about, to have affectionate feelings for; one of them is the basilisk. others are his favorite books, all of them first editions that were troublesome, but endlessly worth it, to get. nevertheless, at the peak of the pyramid, there's you.

you. oh, how your name sounds so angelic, so right, so perfect on his lips. sometimes, tom doesn't call you by any petnames, so that he can mouth each syllable of your name, tasting the acquaintance of the name of his darling on his lips.

⋯ ⋯ ﹒ 🪻 ’

he might call you by other petnames, depending on the occasions:

darling; which, in his opinion, is fairly one of the best petnames to be shared between a couple. because you, reader, are endearing to his eyes— a darling, really, whose presence immediately softens (ever so slightly, because tom riddle still is tom riddle himself, and that mask of stoicism of his won't be broken without putting up a fight.) those previously icy, cold eyes of his.

dearest; if tom is trying to reason with you. unlike what many think, tom would take a deep breath, put on that handsome smile of his, and use a gentle tone to convince some words inside that pretty little head of yours. 'dearest', he calls for you— so gentle, so full of affection; as if reminding you that you are the object of all of his affections and desires. you, his dearest, the one he adores the most. the reminder of such a fact easily melts you in less than a few seconds, which tom sees as too perfect of an opportunity to lose to convince you much faster.

doll; if you look rather ravishing to his eyes, whenever you dress up even prettier than other school days, and wear such pretty clothes and many accessories to further optimize your beauty. beautiful, perfect, flawless; like a doll. a carefully made doll. a doll, that sits there quiet and all pretty, obedient, doing as she's told.

( i must warn you, though, that tom won't entertain silly nicknames from you. tom riddle will ignore you, march forward without sparing a glance at you, not even acknowledging your presence should you insist on the matter. tom won't answer you, should you refer to him by such hideous petnames. you could be about to fall from a mountain, and yet tom won't help you until you address him properly. baby? he's not a child, for salazar's sake! pookie bear? now that might make tom riddle himself throw you off from the mountain's edge— call him such a monstrosity like that, and tom will lose every drop of faith on you. you're a lost cause. )

if he had to choose; yes, tom would prefer if you were obedient. contrary to popular belief, tom riddle is quite fascinated with sweet personas. to have a sweet significant other, who's all smiles and considerate words— it's so, so much easier for tom.

between a brat that trashes around for his attention, and a sweet girl who gently tries to indulge (purely out of concern, wanting him to share his problems with her!)— tom would rather choose the latter.

⋯ ⋯ ﹒ 🪻 ’

quite the darling you are. to boldly take tom's hands between your own, with that frown of yours. no, you're not being whiny; yet tom can see that there's consideration, there's time spent on that little brain of yours, that tries to find the right words to speak with him.

then, when you voice your concerns— that tom spends some time alone from time to time, seemingly hiding something from you, as if to shoulder all of those burdens all by himself...

tom takes a deep breath, swallowing his temper. trying to keep his composure, because tom hates having to justify his actions. with a smile, tom puts on a facade, with a too much convincing tone: "oh, dearest, no. i'm flattered that you noticed that i haven't been having the best days; however, your presence makes everything better. in fact, being with you now, makes all of my problems seem insignificant in comparison."

should his sweet words not be enough to keep your nose out of his business, then tom takes a step further. holding your hands, tom squeezes them between his fingers, gently at first, tightly when you're too stubborn: "my problems are mine to solve, my love. i would never put such a heavy burden on you; your smile is too precious for me to ruin."

sweet, sweet words; some that tom mentally grimaces at, but knows that are necessary and effective with you. talking as if he's doing you a favor on keeping you away from his PERSONAL thoughts and goals.

and that's how tom pushes you way. gently, smoothly— so that you'd have to rethink this moment over and over, for you to understand that once again, tom riddle has tricked you; tricked you into doing what he wants. because without a fight, without you daring to bother him further... tom riddle made you go back to your own business, and leave his alone.

⋯ ⋯ ﹒ 🪻 ’

however, when tom is in a better mood and less stressed with his own goals, he'd find it funny, entertaining even, if his darling tried to be bossy. to pout, to want some sort of control. it's hilarious for him.

so, he indulges you. well, sort of— tom tricks you into thinking that he gave in to your commands. to your whims. in a sneaky way, tom makes you think that you're in control!

the one who's in charge is you. yes, darling, of course. he pats your head, gives you that charming smile of his. with such a serene expression, tom briefly raises his eyebrows, mocking you inside that devious mind of his, as he says: you are absolutely right, dearest.

tom riddle doesn't really mind that you aren't consciously aware that the one in charge is him. that's fine; no, seriously, go and brag about it!

because ultimately, tom knows that what he says, goes. that with some sweet words of his, a little touch here and there, that you'll soon see the reason and comply to whatever tom wishes you to say, to do, to behave.

he does is so smoothly, that even for the outsiders, well... it'd be hard to realize that all that tom riddle is doing to you, is nothing but manipulation. and you're oh so easy to manipulate— it was a challenge at first. now, it's more of a chore; tom barely blinks through it. he knows you so well.

however, so that you whining and getting used to think that you're having things done your way, tom throws some praises and compliments here and there.

touching you chin, gently brushing his thumb on your lower lip; tom's gaze intentionally softens, as he praises: 'you're just too good to be true, my love.', whenever you act accordingly. when you do as he says.

brushing a strand of yours away from your face, so that he can further admire the physical features of his beloved: 'i sincerely can't take my eyes of you, darling, when you are so good for me like this. pardon the way that i stare— you're too beautiful.'

and with even more sincerity, tom riddle isn't sure where his manipulation ends and his genuine care for you starts; tom isn't sure, whether his words are now a muscle memory of his, or if he truly means them.

but he never allows himself to discover the roots of this thought. to actually find out if he truly is such an emotionally shallow person, or if his weakness for his darling is deeper than he realizes. no— this is one of the few matters, in which tom would rather remain ignorant about.

⋯ ⋯ ﹒ 🪻 ’

because tom is such a gentleman with you...

opening doors for you. walking two, three steps ahead of you as soon as the entrance is upon sight, tom will open the door for you; his arm keeps it open for you to enter or leave the room first, and so those grayish-green eyes of his watch you, as you pass by. then, tom will enter just behind you, following your lead, quickening his steps to go back to his rightful place by your side. he lies to himself, saying that he only does such a small gesture to effortlessly keep you by his side. tom would be telling the truth, if he doesn't interrupt the thought that he enjoys to escort you— because, deep down, tom genuinely appreciates your company. every step, every minute you spend together. 'here, love. please, continue; what did you tell your housemate, then?'

tom riddle refuses to let you carry heavy books. so, as if it was muscle memory and so smoothly that you can't do anything about it, tom will carry your books along with his, as soon as you leave the classroom. it's not that he finds you useless, incapable; rather, tom riddle perceives you as a... preciously delicate, fragile little thing. most of the times, tom does it so nonchalantly that you don't even notice; you're too distracted by your conversation, to notice how tom carries your stuff, busying his arms. however, should you notice or worry that you're being a burden to tom in any way; tom shakes his head at you, waving off this silly insecurity of yours: 'i know you can carry them, beloved. however, allow me to do it for you. i am your boyfriend, am i not?'

offering his hand for you to take, whenever there's a higher step to be climbed up, or tricky stairs on your way. tom will do it too, to give you some kind of support, should you jump off of a particular high edge. whenever you wear high heels, tom would be specially careful with you— he offers his arm or hand for you to take, walking in a much slower pace than usual, so that you won't overexert your feet. we can't have his darling getting hurt, now can we? no bruises, no pain, no redness on your skin undesired by him, nothing to interrupt the lovely time you're spending together. 'take my hand, my love; it's quite high for you. that's it, darling, good girl.'

whenever you're about to sit, tom grabs the back of your chair, pushing the seat backwards for you to take, then helps you settle closer to the table. only then, will tom take his own seat in front of you. it's something that becomes so, so common between both of you, that sometimes you find yourself taking a few more seconds to sit down, whenever you hang out with your friends; unconsciously, you'd wait for tom to gently guide you to your seat. oh, you're spoiled.

leaning down to get the material you accidentally knocked out; if he's not quick enough to notice, then tom will keep his hand on the edge of the table, so that there's no chance for you to hit your head. 'quite the klutz, aren't you, darling?' — with a lighthearted tone, so that he doesn't come by as mean, tom couldn't help but to tease you just this time, — 'next time, let me get it for you, dearest. now, careful with your head.'

⋯ ⋯ ﹒ 🪻 ’

... and because he's always so soft-spoken with you, well, how could you listen to your friends, in case they notice that maybe tom riddle isn't as a good guy as he lets on? that perhaps, he is a little controlling. that maybe, he's too overprotective of you.

→ and of course, being the fool you are, you stroll to the lion's cage (or should we call it snake?) and deliver all of this information on a silver platter for him.

SAT SIDEWAYS ON HIS LAP, tom settles your thighs to rest on top of his, while a hand is respectfully kept there; caressing the smooth skin, rubbing circles on the bare skin of your thigh, just inches underneath the hem of your skirt.

tom riddle keeps up a serene expression, sometimes humming in acknowledgement, to show you that he's listening to this ramble of yours. if it's a topic that seems to have bothered or upsets you, then tom will keep another hand on your lower back; he soothes you with small movements of his fingers.

oh, how funny. so this ravenclaw friend of yours, told you that it isn't normal for tom, your boyfriend, to comment whether you roll up your skirt during summer? that such a thing is being controlling? now that's something tom will have to deal with. perhaps, he'll only have to frame this irritating ravenclaw girl; have you ever thought that maybe, she's interested in tom? that must be why the ravenclaw is filling your pretty little brain with such absurd exaggerations of his doings. how lucky you are, to have an attentive boyfriend that easily notices when a friend of yours has bad intentions.

( for obvious reasons, tom despises amortentia. he finds it disgusting, but more than that, tom riddle perceives amortentia has a rather pathetic tool to get someone's affection. tom will never use it on you— he doesn't need to! however, he will get his hands on one, to use it on that nosy, insufferable ravenclaw friend of yours. only to prove his point. so that this nosy girl acts disgustingly flirty around tom, so that you'll come running back into his arms, crying about such an awful friend and that once again, tom was right. you apologize to him, for doubting his assumptions. you end this friendship and cut ties with the ravenclaw girl. and tom, well, tom riddle has once again rid both of you from troublesome outsiders. )

ah, now this is entertaining! so these friends of yours, housemates, have noticed that tom has been keeping an eye on you. now, dearest, that's rather silly, don't you think? so what if you seem to find the same familiar faces in the same space as you? do you really believe your friends' theories? that he sends his followers ''friends'' to follow you around the school? darling, hogwarts is quite enormous and spacious, yet all of you study together in the same castle. it's inevitable, to see familiar faces, here and there.

( however, tom will blame his followers. how difficult can it be, to follow, to stalk a girl like you? and to go unnoticed as they do that? sincerely, tom stares at them with such disgust, such disappointment, that his followers tremble under his gaze— the future dark lord even mentions the idea of getting rid of them. of throwing them away. after all, why would he need such useless, such incompetent boys like them, if they can't follow simple orders correctly? it's excused to say, that you'd never suspect being stalked again. 1) because tom reassured you that such a thought is rather silly; and 2), because these followers of tom riddle do a much better job. out of fear. )

oh, darling, what silly friends you have! sincerely, it seems like you only attract observant delusional friends, or attentive paranoid companies!

in the end, it doesn't matter if your friends tried to alert you about tom's toxic concerning flaws traits. because in the end, at night, he will have you nuzzling on his lap, holding you so tenderly; all of these warnings disappear into thin air, when tom makes you laugh at such accurate ridiculous accusations.

in conclusion: no, tom riddle would never be rude or snap at you; not if he can help it, not if he can keep his temper in check. he believes that the best way to keep you so effortlessly devoted and infatuated, to keep you willingly by his side, is to treat you with care (even if sometimes he has to manipulate his way into it). how lucky you are, to have such a obsessive caring boyfriend!

🪻 ; . . . fandom : harry potter.

— i'm endlessly faithful to theodore nott. however. the first to kick the entrance door to my heart was tom riddle. and what a man (i can't fix him. i would let him ruin my life him tho!), ladies and gentlemen.

the headers + gifs + icons aren't mine. credits to the respective creators ! 🌷

[snoopledrooplecheesedoodle]

Ideas to feed the kiddos before I disappear to cry (Yandere NightClub)

I live in a state of depression so deep that a YouTube short is the only reason I've popped back in to bless you with a concept. I hope to finish my Greek mythology oneshot but we'll see.

Also, ya'll loneliness is scary so stay safe and know that cheese cares how you're doing. That's right I'm actively promoting a parasocial relationship between me and my readers (jokes (unless-))

Genders not final okay so don't be shy to ask for another gender than the one I use

Imagine for me (this can apply for any of my fandoms as well):

You my cute little MC are a bartender at one of the sketchiest clubs. Either you are a complete airhead, no one else would hire you (criminal record), or you getting that big bag (your boss spoils you).

Because of this you have seen the poisonous underbelly of the city you live in because this club only seems to attract the worst people (yanderes). Under the influence of alcohol these people tell you all their deepest darkest secrets (you need therapy more than ever). Gods forbid you even think about being nice to them or giving them advice. Kidnapping didn't go well. Maybe you should go on a date (like a normal person). Or you could just drug them (that was sarcasm on your part).

Now you've got repeat yandere clientele asking you to help them with their darlings believing you to be some expert in the field (you'll say anything for the money or you just stupid stupid).

Some of these people might just be looking for a way to kidna-court you. These questions about your exact height and weight are very invasive.

Beware to these clients because your boss and coworkers won't let these "customers" have you that easily (all are trained killers).

Rich flirty childish boss who wants to give you the world just stop calling him "kid" he's/she's/they're five years older than you (bad case of the baby face). Wants to wrap you in his/her/their fluffy pink coat and take you home (to his/her/their cozy luxury condo). Honestly kinda want to either write an absolute boss babe or twink if I'm making an oc of this person.

Fellow bartender who is the most normal of the bunch. Pretty tall and bulky but a total sweetheart who gives you the best advice (keeps people from giving you spiked drinks). Constantly offers you rides home; they can't have you walking by yourself people want to snatch you up (them too). Probably the most normal to get into a relationship with and won't do too much against your will (unless you get hurt). Himbo vibes (genderless)

Bouncer of the club is intimidating and bulky and also very shy. Wants desperately to talk to you and tell you how he/she/ they feel but oops they just put the fear of a thousand gods into you. Thinks you're absolutely precious and wants nothing more than to take you away from all this (wants a cozy home with as many animals as possible (you'll have to stop this person from adopting all the animals in the city))

Stripper/consort who is very down to earth and flirtatious at the same time. They are a whore but know when to tone it down (consent is sexy). They get all touchy and apologize claiming it's just second nature to them. Always offers a free lap dance or something else if you're up for it ;).

And anyone else you can think of please don't be afraid to ask.

[secretmellowblog]

Jean Valjean's Canon Toxic Unhealthiness around Romantic Love

( alternate titles: “Does Jean Valjean is Gay?”, or “Does Jean Valjean is Asexual?” Or: “Why is it so difficult to slap an identity/sexuality label onto Jean Valjean?” Or “LGBTPTSD+”)

I was looking at the responses to this poll about whether people interpret Jean Valjean as gay/asexual/straight or something else….and it got me thinking again about Jean Valjean’s canonical intense, complex, awful, toxic, and overwrought emotions around identity/ romantic love. I want to talk about that for a bit because I think it often gets overlooked in fandom!

I've noticed that Les Mis fandom/analysis often tends to interpret Jean Valjean as being far more content, more "at peace with himself," and more "comfortable in his own skin" than he ever is within the novel. This is also a common change in adaptations. The musical's version of Jean Valjean is great-- but he also seems a lot more self-actualized, more like he's gotten himself completely "figured out" by the end of the story. Other, bad, Les Mis adaptations — the adaptations that generally portray Jean Valjean a worse more violent person — also usually make Jean Valjean more confident in himself, more confident in his own feelings/desires, more certain that he’s entitled to certain things, and more willing to demand or take what he wants.

But one major aspect of book Jean Valjean's personality is that he does not have a healthy relationship with anything about himself. He has a tortured broken relationship with his own identity. He repeatedly thinks about “Jean Valjean” as a person outside of himself, a person who he finds frightening, repulsive, savage, and horrible— like a wild animal he needs to sedate, or beat into submission. He is obsessed with self-denial and self-repression. He is fixated on the idea that he is subhuman, that he is not allowed to want things or to pursue having any kinds of relationships with other people-- and that the most heroic thing he can do is "grab himself by the collar” and violently force himself to stay away from the things he wants. He is desperate to be loved and fixated on being unworthy of love and on denying himself love. He is absolutely not at peace with his identity: to paraphrase Jean Valjean in one of the later chapters, he believes he can only gain inner peace by “eviscerating his own entrails.”

He is never truly content with who he is, what he wants, or what kind of love he wants— and he never learns to be. The novel ends with him cutting himself off from his only family, breaking ties with the only person who loves him, and essentially slowly killing himself out of self-loathing.

There are other characters in Les Mis who seem very content with who they are and what they want. Enjolras is self-assured in his identity, and doesn’t appear to feel like there is any kind of love that is missing from his life. Whether you interpret him as gay or ace or trans or w/e, book!Enjolras is written as someone who is extremely self-assured and has a loving support system that is enough to keep him happy. But I don’t think that’s true for Jean Valjean at all XD.

And that’s why it's hard to apply labels like “aromantic” or “ace” or gay/straight/etc to Jean Valjean, when talking about his canon characterization. Those labels imply the person has a basic level of comfort with acknowledging their own desires/lack of desire/identity. And Jean Valjean never achieves that level of comfort. What “label” do you give to someone whose relationship with their identity is “I do not belong in a family, I have no right to want things, I have no right to be happy, I am outside of life, and I will never be at peace until I eviscerate my own entrails?” Is there a “self-disembowelment" pride flag? XD I've seen a lot of interpretations that go "Jean Valjean never expresses any interest in romance, he's perfectly content just to have his relationship with his daughter" but I honestly don't think that's true. Jean Valjean tries to content himself with having only Cosette. But part of why everything explodes so catastrophically in the end of the novel is because he needs more than just a paternal relationship. He doesn’t try to have a “normal” father-daughter relationship with Cosette, he tries to force his relationship with Cosette to be literally everything and everyone to him, for her to be his entire world: and it doesn’t work.

There’s a passage in the novel that talks about how all the love Valjean is capable of ends up being suppressed/sublimated into his relationship with Cosette. The love of a brother, of a friend, of a father, of a husband, the love of everything he is capable of, gets repressed so that he can throw every part of himself into being a father. There are Bad les mis adaptations that incorrectly misinterpret that passage to mean that Jean Valjean is incestuous/grooming Cosette. But in context, that’s not what the passage means at all.

The passage specifies very explicitly that Jean Valjean “did not love Cosette otherwise than as a father,” that “no marriage was possible between them,” that his feelings for her are absolutely paternal. But the passage does show how Jean Valjean is doing a very different unhealthy thing: he’s relying on Cosette to fill every single emotional void in his life.

He’s relying on parenthood to fill the grief/emptiness left behind by all the other kinds of love that he has wanted, but never been given.

To quote a bit of that passage:

Jean Valjean did not love Cosette otherwise than as a father (…) Let the reader recall the situation of heart which we have already indicated. No marriage was possible between them; not even that of souls; and yet, it is certain that their destinies were wedded. With the exception of Cosette, that is to say, with the exception of a childhood, Jean Valjean had never, in the whole of his long life, known anything of that which may be loved. The passions and loves which succeed each other had not produced in him those successive green growths, tender green or dark green, which can be seen in foliage which passes through the winter and in men who pass fifty. In short, and we have insisted on it more than once, all this interior fusion, all this whole, of which the sum total was a lofty virtue, ended in rendering Jean Valjean a father to Cosette. A strange father, forged from the grandfather, the son, the brother, and the husband, that existed in Jean Valjean; a father in whom there was included even a mother; a father who loved Cosette and adored her, and who held that child as his light, his home, his family, his country, his paradise.

Jean Valjean reminds me of a Failmode I’ve seen in a lot of different real-life parents? There are parents who cope with their own hard lives by telling themselves that parenthood is their sole reason for being alive, and who obsess over their child’s success as their only source of purpose, meaning, love, happiness, community, and validation. But it’s a bad idea to rely on one child to provide the emotional support that should be shared by friends, parents, siblings, every possible loved one, etc etc—- One child can’t actually heal you from your trauma, be a replacement for your broken relationships, pull you out of your grief, save you from your adult loneliness, etc etc etc etc.

When I see the common interpretation that Jean Valjean is perfectly content just to be the father of Cosette, I think of this line:

Thus when he saw that the end had absolutely come, that she was escaping from him, that she was slipping from his hands, that she was gliding from him, like a cloud, like water, when he had before his eyes this crushing proof: “another is the goal of her heart, another is the wish of her life; there is a dearest one, I am no longer anything but her father, I no longer exist”; when he could no longer doubt, when he said to himself: “She is going away from me!” the grief which he felt surpassed the bounds of possibility. To have done all that he had done for the purpose of ending like this! And the very idea of being nothing!

On one hand, the terrible Les mis adaptations that portray Valjean as Incest Creep are incorrect and wrong. On the other hand, though, Jean Valjean IS unhealthy about Cosette— just in a different and actually sympathetic way.

He has made fatherhood his only purpose, to replace every other purpose he could have in life. So he can’t be “just Cosette’s father.” He can’t imagine her becoming an adult and leaving the nest, like children do. What does he have if he’s not taking care of her? What is his purpose in life if she doesn’t need him to be her parent? He's not just being her father, he's relying on her to be his entire reason to exist. He hasn't been allowing himself to have things outside of her.

And speaking of things outside of Cosette: segue time. This post was supposed to be about Jean Valjean and romance, so let's switch gears and talk about his canon 'romantic experiences' more:

We’re told that in his youth he “never had a sweetheart” because he “never had time to be in love.” There is no indication that Jean Valjean never wanted to be in love. The opposite is implied. Hugo frames it as a tragedy that Jean Valjean’s does not experience young love; it’s the horror of poverty taking yet another thing from him.

Within prison, Valjean is “gloomy” and “chaste;” when he traumadumps to Montparnasse about it, he talks about women looking on galley slaves with horror and disgust. Romance, at least “normal” heterosexual romance, is no longer something that is permitted for him. Jean Valjean knows very little about romance/love/sex and it repeatedly messes up his life. He spends 19 years in the all-male environment of prison, then about a decade in the almost-all-female environment of the convent. He has very little experience with how men and women are supposed to interact. The oppression Fantine faces as a sex worker, and Cosette's relationship with Marius, are both two big 'blind spots' that he struggles with.

At one point romantic love is described as “The only misery Jean Valjean had not yet experienced, and the only one that is sweet.”

In his massive confession to Marius, he agonizes over how he is not allowed to be part of a family, and is incapable of being part of a home. He compares himself to someone sick and diseased, that poisons good and normal people with his presence, and cannot be allowed to make himself part of their families.

So Jean Valjean doesn’t frame Romance as “a thing he doesn’t want:” it’s a thing “he is not allowed to want,” it is one of the many things he is banned from wanting. It's impossible to tell what kind of things he would want, if he were allowed to want them.

One of the most interesting things to me, however, is his general attitude towards Marius/Cosette.

Obviously his first reaction to Marius snooping around is fear and resentment— he doesn’t know to interact with romance, having never experienced it, and immediately begins catastrophizing. He views Marius as a privileged booby ruining his life for something as frivolous as a love affair: it reads to me as partially envy, envy of the fact that Marius lives the kind of safe comfortable life that allows him to experience young love.

Jean Valjean added: “What does he want? A love affair! A love affair! And I? What! I have been first, the most wretched of men, and then the most unhappy, and I have traversed sixty years of life on my knees, I have suffered everything that man can suffer, I have grown old without having been young, I have lived without a family, without relatives, without friends, without life, without children, I have left my blood on every stone, on every bramble, on every mile-post, along every wall, I have been gentle, though others have been hard to me, and kind, although others have been malicious, I have become an honest man once more, in spite of everything, I have repented of the evil that I have done and have forgiven the evil that has been done to me, and at the moment when I receive my recompense, at the moment when it is all over, at the moment when I am just touching the goal, at the moment when I have what I desire, it is well, it is good, I have paid, I have earned it, all this is to take flight, all this will vanish, and I shall lose Cosette, and I shall lose my life, my joy, my soul, because it has pleased a great booby to come and lounge at the Luxembourg.”

But, even though Jean Valjean views romance as something he isn’t allowed or have or to want, views it as a threat and catastrophizes over how it will ruin his life……he seems to also put heterosexual romance on a pedestal.

The way Jean Valjean idealizes marriage is one of his weirdest character notes for me.

He views marriage as Cosette’s “happy ending.” It’s her “happily ever after” point where she won’t need him anymore, where she won’t need anyone outside of her husband. A Man And a Woman Are Meant to Get Married, It's Fate, and It Means They Will Live Happily Together Forever. Marius is “the goal of her heart, the wish of her life; her dearest one.” Nothing outside of that matters anymore.

He treats her marriage as if romantic love is inherently always more important than any kind of platonic relationships, and always takes priority over them. He later dismisses the unconventional family structure he has with Cosette, saying that despite his love for her he was only a "passerby" and was not actually her real father, because they were not biologically related.

There's a moment where Jean Valjean is described as someone whose ideal is to be angel on the inside and a bourgeois on the outside. Jean Valjean's worship of bourgeois social norms, norms he can never truly be a part of, is one of his character flaws. He has a similar "guard dog" energy as Eponine does when she defends Rue Plumet from her parents.....Eponine and Jean Valjean both become the guard dogs of a kind of romantic relationship they believe they are banned from having. Jean Valjean believes that getting Happily Straight Married in a Middle-Class Home with a Picket Fence(tm) is the ideal path for life....but believes himself broken/incapable of ever following that path. And so he instead throws his entire life into securing that future for Marius and Cosette.

In what manner was Jean Valjean to behave in relation to the happiness of Cosette and Marius? It was he who had willed that happiness, it was he who had brought it about; he had, himself, buried it in his entrails, and at that moment, when he reflected on it, he was able to enjoy the sort of satisfaction which an armorer would experience on recognizing his factory mark on a knife, on withdrawing it, all smoking, from his own breast. Cosette had Marius, Marius possessed Cosette. They had everything, even riches. And this was his doing.

TL: DR:

Jean Valjean's gender/sexuality label is “idk but he’s super fucked up about it.”

[lynxgriffin]

Yeah, the fact that Noelle can equip some swords is fairly ominous! And It's definitely interesting that the shard is one of those few objects that doesn't seem to change between worlds. Just really wonder what is going on with the Knight that they can look like that even jumping between worlds!

Yeah, it's honestly something I really appreciate about the fandom. It's also just a cool time capsule to see what people thought might happen between chapters, and what people prioritized, and then how those priorities and ideas shift with new information. If Undertale was in part a warning to players that overusing a game will detach you from its characters and world, I really feel like Deltarune is an encouragement to engage in fandom in order to take characters beyond what's already been set out for them.

Mmm no, I believe that part of chapter 2 did happen...it showed Queen's car in that scene, and the little bit you do drive her car she literally just has you barrel through everything in the way. That said, it really does feel to me like Susie is the lynchpin to change how the prophecy goes, just based on what Gerson tells her throughout chapter four. What that ending is, though, still don't know.

The images we see describing the heroes are frustratingly vague. Even the silhouette of "the girl" I feel has a duck-or-bunny situation where it could read as Susie facing left with her hair behind her, or Noelle with her hood up and wearing the tattered wings. Hell, I'd even say Ralsei is not 100% certain...during the sermon, Catty describes one of the heroes as being fluffy with horns, and sounding cute. Is that Ralsei or Asriel? Who even knows right now!!

It's hard to focus on because I feel like that could apply to any one of the main characters, or to none at all and something else entirely. All options would be bad!

Heck, right now I'm already afraid of the fact that there is a scary amount of foreshadowing that Kris will lose a hand before we're done!

Geez I have no clue how to choose. Hard to go wrong with Black Knife in chapter four, of course...but I think a lot of my favorite tunes are weighted towards chapter four. From Now On, Hammer of Justice, Gya Ha Ha! are all bangers... Right now I've got Second Sanctuary on repeat. Heck, even 12AM might be my new melancholy "Quiet Water"-esque favorite.

It really does seem to be there's some bigger conspiracy at work with people working with each other in different capacities...Kris and the Knight are involved, Kris and Carol are involved, Carol and the Knight are involved, Asgore is in that mix somewhere as well, and possibly also Alvin?? Honestly I'm going to need a Pepe Silvia corkboard or something to try and work it all out in my mind.

Dragon Blazers is such an interesting aspect of the game, because Dragon Blazers is the in-text media that Deltarune uses to talk about itself. (Cat Petterz almost seems like the inverse of this, the off-the-beaten-path game in comparison to Dragon Blazers' more straightforward adaptation.)

And yeah, that very well could indeed be a reference to something happening to Dess...I think that was a thought some folks had even before the new chapters. The "stay in the party" part could just be about reinterpretation telephone, yeah. It'd be really nice if we had a copy of Lord of the Hammer and knowledge of what happens in Dragon Blazers to compare, but I don't think that'll ever happen.

The prophecy is so vague on both the terms and symbology used that it could refer to Susie and Kris or the Vessel and Noelle. I don't know if we can say for sure that it's not one or the other. I lean towards the latter because I do like the idea that Susie is the wrench in the prophecy, but there's just as much evidence towards the fact that it IS supposed to be about Susie and Kris.

But man, after Susie's whole development where she's so excited about finally being picked for something, about actually being a hero...getting that rug pulled out from under her is going to really hurt if it happens.

[devotion-disorder]

UR ART IS SO PRETTY 😍😍🙏🙏 lT MAKES ME WANNA GOBBLE IT UP

Have any tips? I've been tryna get into drawing but i'm rlly strugglimg 😭

First off THANMKYOU FOR YOUR NICE WORDS....🥺🫶🫶

i'm gonna assume you're asking about advice for people that are just getting started with drawing! Now im not a ~seasoned~ artist or anything, i've only been drawing on-and-off for about 7 ish years? so this is all coming from someone who only approaches art as more of a casual hobby... also if you're asking about more technical/ practical advice then feel free to send another ask because I don't really go into that here lol :p

Honestly, i recall that being a beginner artist was tough, because the gap in my skill level and my expectations seemed so daunting. The hardest part was probably having to motivate myself to keep going even when it's hard to see actual progress and, again, the disappointment in "what I draw does not match what I envision in my head". It's hard and sometimes I question what am I even doing all this for. As of right now I can say that this feeling doesn't ever really go away, just that now I've managed to build a bit more confidence in my stuff.

So how I see it is that it's important to find a way to keep yourself motivated no matter what, so that you have it in you to keep practicing, improving, or at least, to just keep drawing. This is something that is gonna look different for everyone so I think it'd be a good idea to explore yourself what can keep you motivated. I was very lucky in that the people around me were also into drawing and were always really nice and supportive, so they played a huge role in building up my confidence - such that I wasn't afraid to experiment and take risks, which is necessary for learning and getting better.

Another major thing for me is to remember to have fun with art, and understand that as long as I managed to enjoy some parts of the process then I've "succeeded" so to speak, even if I don't like the end results. This still applies now...it's frustrating when something I spent time on doesn't turn out the way I wanted, but at least rendering it was fun and relaxing, so it was still a good use of my time. Its about striking a balance i guess; its important to practice and do fundamentals etc etc but imo its equally important to draw things that will make you want to keep drawing. for some this could be doing fanart, for others it could be original art. Social media and fandom-ry is a whole 'nother can of worms, but I will say that they were helpful to me in keeping me motivated and inspired. so basically its this *taps sign*

anyhow i hope that was helpful,,,,, i hope I didn't come off as preachy because im the last person with any authority to be telling other people about art so it was mostly just my own experience with art...but i think its really just about finding your own rhythm and if you keep at it you will get better...either way GOOD LUCK I BELIVBE IN YOU AND I HOPE YOU HAVE FUN🫶🫶🫶🫶

[atiny-for-life]

A general rant about shipping and all that stuff...

I was asked by @thirstkanaphan for my take on this post so I've gathered my thoughts and realized I actually have a lot to say about the topic, broadly speaking and beyond the scope of what was mentioned there.

Before I begin, I'll preface this by saying I think about all of this extremely differently than what's talked about in the post. I personally also don't feel comfortable applying fictional shipping dynamics onto real people, but I also don't view it as harmful as long as it maintains restricted to fandom spaces and doesn't get pushed out to the ones it's about, so I hope we can all be cool about this!

Also, I'm 29 now and I've seen the way shipping culture has impacted real people's friendships and such, so I'll abstain from interpreting into any of their dynamics - I'll just go based on what I see and what they've said.

#1 - The Current Drama (apparently. I was previously unaware of this.)

Regarding the whole WooSanSang shipper-drama, all I can think is... this is just history repeating itself. We had the same stuff going on in the BTS fandom when certain Taekook shippers started piling onto Jimin for no reason. And what did that accomplish? Nothing. Precisely. It just made everyone, especially Tae and Jungkook, uncomfortable.

Back then, Tae even specifically called those shippers out and yet they still wouldn't stop:

So please, guys, let's not follow in those footsteps. Be better than this!

#2 - The Main Topic: Ateez vs Fanservice and Group Chemistry™

I definitely won't sit here and claim Ateez don't do fanservice - they do a lot for the fans directly (certainly more than I think they should feel obligated to) and they're obviously aware fans scream louder when any of them get close to each other, so they most likely know the most popular "ships", but I personally think comparing any of this to the Thai BL industry is taking things too far. Way too far, even.

But I'll explain myself:

I remembered them directly addressing this type of thing before so I dug around a bit and found the discussion I was thinking of in this 2020 video:

From that, we can already gather that group dynamics and chemistry have always been fluent in their heads and it's not about couples - duos, trios, the 99 line, Tropical Boys - it's all on the same level for them, all of it contributes to the Group Chemistry™.

Hongjoong here is still hilarious to me though:

On top of that, I genuinely don't think the company cares much about any of this. They just let them do whatever as long as they don't go causing controversies. That's also why they let the guys loose without media training. (The Jumping Ban™ was always a joke btw - it was never real.)

You gotta keep in mind KQ was originally a management agency - they were never following the same grain as BigHit. They also never had Ateez on a dating ban. I really don't think ships were on their mind much at all for a long time, probably right up until WooSan shippers felt the need to act up and start micro-analyzing and interpreting a million things into every small exchange which must have been impossible to ignore.

I do think that sudden shitstorm made all eight of them more aware of the many eyes that have been newly aimed at them and it's made them more careful and reserved in regards to certain things like having arguments on camera and such - they used to include moments like those in Logbooks sometimes.

But regardless, as someone who's been on top of Ateez's content since 2021, I honestly can't say I ever sensed a strain in any of their dynamics. They all very clearly adore each other a lot and, as time passed, they all collectively got closer and closer, but as they've matured, new dynamics also emerged (Topaz, for example, got really close really quickly, but also JongSang have gotten wilder, SanSang obviously got closer, and Wooyoung's lil crush on Yunho was addressed openly - and often jokingly). But that's just what happens when you're around the same 7 people day in and day out for years.

We see the same thing in groups like NCT Dream who all grew up together and have been together for ages. They constantly shift who they're obsessed with, but the overall family dynamic never wavers. I think that's just human nature - you switch up your favorite person to hang out with which keeps things interesting.

What I think is generally noteworthy though is that multiple duos can be doing the exact same thing, but only the most popular ships will be talked about and it'll be seen as A Moment™. This happens all the time.

But if you zoom out and actually keep track of all of them, it's clear to see they're all constantly all over each other - both with words and actions. I mean, all of these are from the same recent Logbook alone:

These guys just really, really love each other a lot and they're super comfortable in each other's space. They also all talk about each other all the time, whether the others are around or not. And whenever they have a solo schedule it's all "the members this", "the members that" - it's super sweet.

But more importantly, as they've gained popularity, they've also gotten more and more opportunities to build their careers, both as a group and individually. And this is exactly why I think this is no way comparable to the Thai BL industry which is wholly centred around couple-dynamics.

Ateez have been and always will be primarily about music, dancing, occasionally modelling, and whatever other passions they have. Since the beginning, they performed in zombie make-up, with masks on, etc. - they want to be known for their performances, their achievements and that's what they promote.

Whenever they do do fanservice, it's very obvious, honestly. For example, the duo fancalls recently where they were acting out what the fans wanted (the SeongJoong hug, Wooyoung sucking at Yeosang's cheek). Or when they play games where they have to get really up close and personal, they'll often exaggerate it and make teasing comments. Or when Wooyoung rubbed up against everyone while dancing to "Sexy Back" (San and Seonghwa's faces here are so friggin' funny lmao). But even when they do this type of stuff, they clearly still have fun with it themselves.

#3 - So what do I think of SanSang?

I think San just adores Yesoang a lot and he feels very protective of him. San's always been a protector even before he bulked up and, now that Wooyoung's really grown into himself and gained a lot of confidence, San may have instinctively moved to Yeosang who, honestly? Needs a protector more than anyone else in this group.

Wooyoung's already protected him for a long time and we've heard the stories of how that went - Yeosang getting fooled by a prank call, accepting strangers' invitations to pet their dogs, often needing instructions explained twice because he zones out a lot. He's not incapable - far from it (I mean, he chose to leave BigHit for his own good, thinking Wooyoung wouldn't follow, he's LOCKED IN whenever he performs, etc.) - but it is good he has people around who'll stick by him and watch over him.

#4 - San hiding his anger?

I also think San being different on- and off-camera isn't all too surprising. From the beginning, he's always acted the most while filmed (pitching up his voice, acting cutesy) because he was worried about coming across as scary or intimidating , and now he's likely concerned about being misunderstood or causing negative press if he allows himself to slip and let his anger show.

Mind you, I think his anger is likely primarily directed at saesangs, reporters, perhaps certain interview questions or other shit going on in the Kpop industry or just the world at large (politics, social injustices, etc.). We know he has a huge heart and he cares deeply and feels very protective, so seeing the state of the world right now will likely make him no less angry than it does the rest of us. But since he's a public figure, he has to sit on it a lot more.

#5 - 8 Makes 1 Team!

Now regarding what I think whenever the members flirt with each other, bicker, hug, kiss, etc. - I think they just do it because it's fun! They enjoy the fans getting so loud and hyped up while they're on stage, but they clearly also love seeing each other's reactions, pushing each other's boundaries, exploring how far they can go before the other one puts a stop to it. I mean, they've always been equally affectionate off camera too.

For example, Wooyoung biting Yeosang shortly after meeting him, WooSan being seen with their arms around each other while walking down the street years ago, all the 99 liners going to Seonghwa's bed for cuddles when they were still all sharing a dorm as eight (Seonghwa mentioned it in a live once when Yunho came to lay down with him).

They always pile onto each other, whether they know they're being filmed or not. It's likely what happens when you've been through hell together and we know their path to success was tough and included lots of abuse at the hands of Mnet, people who called themselves fans but aren't, award shows, and more. Not to mention the shit Jongho's been through with his former label and Mingi needing a mental health break and time to reconsider whether he even wanted to continue on this path or not.

Them having been this open with their words and physical affection from early on (thanks, Wooyoung <3) is clearly also what has gotten Jongho to be so much bolder now compared to when they first debuted. He even thanked them for it in 2019:

Ultimately, I don't know if any of them are truly dating or have ever dated. Just as I don't know if any of them have had or currently have romantic crushes on each other. All I know is what they show us and what they say and anything beyond that is for them to know and them to know only. I'm just happy to see them happy and thriving.

In conclusion:

I don't want to shame anyone for how they interpret and interact with the content Ateez puts out. If you like to ship, ship away within fandom spaces. All is good as long as personal boundaries are respected and everyone remains conscious of where they post and who might see it.

Please also keep in mind that everything I said here is simply how I see it, but if you'd like to chat about differences in opinion and such, please do feel free reach out - my ask box and messages are always open! <3

[mikuchan]

Fandom theory:

Most fans do not like engaging with female characters because, deep down, they haven't worked on a bias they hold in favour of male characters and against female characters. Some even view them as competition. They view female characters as obstacles and people in the way of their ships instead of their actual characters, or even what they could have been. It is why they often disengage, hate, or flanderise female characters.

It is also why they are able to see the potential of male side characters who appear for few scenes and second, but treat canon, main female interests or deurogatonists as if they never existsed or like the worst female characters to ever exist. They build such a negative rapport of them and make it seem as if they were a big villain (news flash: they are traumatised individual).

This got long, so I'm putting it beneath a read more.

disclaimer that this is all lay opinions

deep down, they haven't worked on a bias they hold in favour of male characters and against female characters.

yes, for sure. I mean, the other options are either that the majority of media does just have awful/boring/flat women characters, or that women are just innately awful/boring/flat, and neither of those are true. In some media franchises, maybe accurate. But as a large-scale pattern?? Come on.

Some even view them as competition.

Yes. Fandom is very ship-heavy, and there is a tendency to sideline any potentially romantic competition (whether to enable a m/m pairing or to ship an OC). Ye olde Supernatural fandom was a biiig example of this lol, BBC Sherlock too. This line of thought opens up a whole other can of worms, of course, because that alone shouldn't automatically favor men -- every source but one* that I could find showed that while fandom is predominantly women, it's not predominantly straight women. We should be shipping everybody with everybody, by all rights, but every fandom-popularity metric (AO3 stats, Tumblr year in review, literally just scrolling through tags) does not reflect that at all.

(And honestly, even if it was all straight women in fandom, the whole 'it's all straight women, of course they'll focus on hot guys' excuse still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Media and culture popular with straight men isn't often about women; not from the top and not from the audience. Men, on a societal level, are expected to read and think and play games and write about men; and they do. Consider stereotypical nerd culture -- a comic convention, a game store, an early D&D campaign -- and, yeah, female characters like Lara Croft and Catwoman were there, but by and large it was men interacting with men about men. So it feels gross when that's tossed out as an explanation, as if it's reasonable for women-heavy spaces to also revolve around men and only men.)

It's not a one note issue, though, and I don't think it's all shipping. Again, lay opinions, but I've seen a lot of rhetoric basically saying: male characters are more fun to interact and play with because they offer a sense of space, and with that, emotional safety. Bodies/body shape, emotions (and how others perceive yours), relationship dynamics, pregnancy and families...topics that can feel very loaded when applied to a woman can become more manageable when packaged in a (cis/conventional) male character.

I do think Astarion was a shoe-in for Tumblr Sexyman anyway, but his themes of being trapped and abused clearly resonate with people, too. It's not all shallow. And while Shadowheart (and Karlach, and Minthara, and others) offers very similar themes, and a similar sense of catharsis when she stands up to her abuser...she's also a woman. Maybe she hits too close to home. Maybe you can't stop comparing yourself to her (which, as a woman, you've been trained to do basically since birth. I struggle with this a lot tbh, it is hard). Maybe she presses on whatever biases and issues you have inside. Whatever the reason, it's easier for some people to work through issues via a masculine or male character and sidestep those other issues.

So like, in that sense, I don't blame people for saying if I pay attention to Orin as well then I might think about why I like her less than Gortash, and then I might realize it's because I am unhappy with myself, or because I dislike my status as a woman in society for x reason, and that hurts and it's hard. fuck this, I want to sympathize with Gortash only. I'm not here to hurt and do hard work, I want to reblog cool art and write drama. but like ! this still sucks. It's a reasonable reason, but not exactly a good one. It's just capping the lid and saying mm, not dealing with that.

And I want to make very clear that I'm not saying girls should only care about girl characters because we have super special girly issues that can only be solved by writing fanfics about Minthara not Halsin because Halsin is a yucky boy. I'm trying to say: many women hold other women, including themselves and fictional characters, to unfair standards, or hold internal prejudice against them for sexist reasons, and turn to male characters for safe catharsis instead. This is understandable, but not healthy.

(Or they see any/all women characters as a Threat to their Hawke's adoration of Anders. Similar bias but less understandable/sympathetic, super annoying.)

*and that study is from 2008 (older than some tumblr users now) with only 3400 participants; we can contrast this information with centrelumina's much larger and more recent survey.

[shall-we-die]

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{Jealousy}

How jealous do they get? || What do they do when they're jealous?

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↬[Fandom]•⊰ {Moriarty the Patriot}࿐

↬[Warnings]•⊰ {None}࿐

☰[Main list]•⊰ ─────┈┈{0003}┈─╮

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╰┈➤Likes/Reblogs are appreciated࿐

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↬|William| (9/10)

• William will get jealous when someone he cares deeply for, gives equal or more affection to someone else, especially if that person isn't truly worthy of their attention, or worse. He's quite possessive by nature, if that wasn't obvious.

• If you prefer spending more time with others compared to him, he'd honestly be jealous. I suppose you'd know when he's jealous when he starts clinging you, demanding your attention.  He'd just try to keep you for himself.

• When he's jealous... he thinks about all the things the other could be doing to 'steal' you away from him. How they spend time with you, talk to you, make you laugh...I mean, you're an amazing person in William's eyes, and he wants you all to himself.

• William mostly gets jealous when someone flirts with his lover or when someone shows any kind of attraction towards them, since he considers them to be *his* and only his. This is especially true after a while, since William can develop an unhealthy kind of attachment to his loved one and start to consider them as an extension of himself, a sort of possessive attitude that he knows is wrong.

• and When it comes to getting rid of a love rival who thinks it's funny to play with his heart, he would simply show the other side of the coin. The savage side of it.

{"I could be the worst person they'll have ever met. Ever"}

• You can be very comforting after he got jealous by showing that you care and understand his  feelings. Reassure him that there's no need to be jealous as you only have eyes for him. Comfort him with words of affection and appreciation.

Show him that you still want to spend time with him despite what happened. Make sure to remind him of his value and worth.

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↬|Albert| (10/10)

• Albert is fiercely protective of the people he cares about, and he'll be sure to show it. As a result, he gets very jealous when it comes to romance. He wants to be the only one who gets to take care of and spend time with his partner, and he won't tolerate any attempts by another individual to intervene. This can manifest in him constantly asking about his partner's comings and goings, or being openly rude to people who show interest in them.

• Albert's jealousy in a relationship is rooted in an insecurity. While he may seem like someone confident and suave, he's always afraid of losing his partner, feeling there is always someone "better" than him out there. He wants to be appreciated, and if he isn't, he'll act out, passive aggressively or otherwise.

• In the face of a love rival, Albert might become a little more flirtatious, a little more playful, little more dangerous in order to try and win back his partner's affections.

• He isn't one for direct confrontation without good reason, but he's not afraid of playing dirty. He's known to be quite manipulative and scheming when he wants to be, and this may apply to getting rid of a love rival.

• If his lover wants to comfort him, they must be prepared to give extra attention, show signs of affection and make compliments towards him as well as reassuring him he's their center of the world. He may not be able to admit it, but he wants to be *needed* and be his partner's center of existence, especially if he believes he's not their first choice in a romantic sense.

{"Jealousy? It's an odd thing, is it not? Jealousy stems from the fear of being without, the fear of being alone. When they stop caring, or when they pretend to care. When someone stops investing time and emotion into a relationship, when they grow complacent because they already have you. That's what creates loneliness, because you feel as if you're the only one trying."}

• yes he's also so dramatic...

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↬|Louis| (10000/10)🚩

• Louis is very possessive of his partner, and anything that he considers to be a threat to their relationship would make him very jealous. This includes any sort of deception or dishonesty, lack of communication, spending time with other people, and not placing their partner's needs or feelings at top priority.

• He would see a romantic rival in a very negative light, and would likely react in an aggressive or even violent way if they attempted to take over his relationship with his partner. He may become possessive and controlling out of fear of losing what he views as his property, and would go to great lengths to protect his relationship by any means necessary.

• When he's jealous, hus behavior can vary. He may becomes withdrawn and isolate himself from his lover or also may tries to make his lover jealous by showing interest in someone else.

• Louis may becomes distant towards his lover, or may even lashes out with anger. He may tries to ignore the jealousy and attempt to hide it away. In extreme cases, He may even tries to manipulate the situation and attempt to control his lover, which is unhealthy and not recommended.

{"Stay away from what's mine. If you even think about interfering with my relationship, you'd be making the biggest mistake of your life."}

• While he may feels insecure, you could reassure him and attempt to allay his concerns. You could have a discussion that's more open and honest, so that he may expresses his worries to you. In addition, you could attempt to show him your commitment and love for him, as this is most likely where his jealousy originates, from fear of losing you.

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↬|Sebastian| (4/10)

• He has always considered jealousy to be a rather negative and unnecessary feeling, particularly in romantic relationships. If you guys are in love with each other and you're spending time with other people, he would be rather happy for you. After all, it's very important for both of you to have your own interests and a sense of independence. There's no reason to be jealous of others enjoying their time with you.

• It's completely understandable to feel a certain level of apprehension when his partner gets close to another male (that he's not familiar with). However, he also believes that trust is an essential component of any romantic relationship.

• He's so confident in his role as a partner, and he trusts that anyone he has chosen to share his life with, wouldn't betray his trust. That said, if his partner were to take up a close friendship with another man, or was constantly spending time in places he wasn't welcome, it might make him question your commitment to this relationship.

• He's not one to tolerate jealousy or envy in his relationships, so if someone appeared who he felt was a threat to his love with his partner, he would be direct in confronting them. If he felt it was necessary, he would make his presence known in an attempt to intimidate or dissuade them from interfering with your relationship.

{"Sweetheart, let's talk about this."}

• After he becomes jealous of your interactions with another male, he would appreciate some reassurance and affection from you. He would like to have a meaningful conversation in which you let him know that he can trust you and you have no secret agenda with that person. Furthermore, some extra attention and affection would go a long way in making him feel better.

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↬|Sherlock| (5/10)

• Sherlock is not overly jealous by nature. Even with his love of the chase, he recognizes that jealousy is a pointless emotion that only leads to further conflict.

• However, he does get irritated when his feelings for someone seem to be unreciprocated, and he can be a bit possessive, wanting to be the only one that gets to spend quality time with them. He doesn't necessarily dislike the idea of sharing, but does want to be prioritized over other people. He is also very observant, noticing even the smallest change in behavior from someone he is interested in. Seeing this change could make him feel jealous.

• It's not really clear whether Sherlock is a particularly jealous person or not, it's certainly possible that he could feel jealous under certain circumstances. Some of the things that might make Sherlock feel jealous include seeing his partner interacting with another man, particularly if it appears flirtatious; learning that his partner is hiding something from him; or discovering that his partner has been spending more time with someone else than they have with him.

{"Jealousy is a waste of time, in my opinion, I feel no need to get jealous of anyone because I know our relationship is strong enough that no other person could weaken it."}

• Being protective of those he loves, Sherlock would be upset if he knew another person had entered the picture, and would do anything he has to to reclaim his partner's attention. He might get overly protective of the person he is pursuing, and use his skills in deduction and manipulation to sabotage the rival and bring his love back to him.

• When Sherlock feels jealous, he just needs a bit of reassurance and love from his partner. He needs to be shown that he is still their number one. This can include spending quality time together doing activities that Sherlock enjoys, complimenting him, and being extra affectionate. Showing him that he is still their top priority can go a long way in alleviating Sherlock's jealous feelings and putting his mind at ease.

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↬|John| (4.5/10)

• John doesn't usually like showing his jealousy easily. However, if you were to spend too much time with another person, or if you were to prioritize them over him, that would definitely make him jealous. He understands that certain things must be done for work or to help friends, but being ignored altogether is something he cannot deal with. It's a fine line between trust and insecurity, and John appreciates it if you're considerate of his feelings.

• John will usually try to suppress his feelings of jealousy and act outwardly composed, but if the source of his jealousy is right in front of him, he has been known to become cold and quiet. He may try to make light of the situation and attempt to downplay his feelings, but deep down he is stewing in his own hurt and anger. At times like these, he usually retreats into himself and tries to figure out how to move forward without coming across as an insecure and controlling mess.

• John tends to get jealous when the people he deeply cares about aren't honest with him, when he feels like he's being left out, or when someone he loves is being mistreated. He is also a very protective person and will get jealous if a friend or loved one is close with someone else, or if he feels like their attention and care is being divided. He's always worried about losing other people's affections. It's the result of being somewhat isolated during his childhood and needing to fight to find people to accept and love him.

• If John got jealous over someone, he would initially feel like he should say nothing and work through his feelings alone. However, if his partner noticed and asked him about it, he would try to be honest and explain his feelings.

{"I'm feeling a little bit jealous right now, but I still trust and love you. I'm just scared of losing you, so please don't take my feelings personally."}

• John would appreciate it if you took the time to reassure him that there's nothing to worry about, and that you truly are devoted to him and only him. He would also like you to give him some time and space to process his feelings, and you can help by being understanding and supportive. If you want to do something extra special for him, try and treat him to his favorite meal or a relaxing getaway to help him unwind. it's okay to give your partner the benefit of the doubt and trust their feelings for you, and John would appreciate the same.

||[🄹ealousy]||

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[martinblackwoodhater]

You answered an anon about jongerrymartin some time ago, and it made me think about the ship for a moment.

First of all, i absolutely CANNOT picture them getting together. With jongerry it kind of makes sense? - you have jon meeting book-gerry and they seem to kinda get on, and you can muster up something based on that encounter like AUs itd. I mean, as scarce as their interactions are, you have a pretty solid foundation and you can just make up the rest as you go. But i can't imagine where martin would fit in that. I cannot imagine him just... stumbling upon gerry.

But let's put their imaginary first meeting aside for a moment. Both gerry and martin had a complicated and frankly unhealthy relationship with their mothers, and i've seen a lot of people (shippers) making their bond revolve around that. Which is nice! Woohoo parallels!

And yet the ship between jon, gerry and martin just does not make sense from a canon viewpoint. And by that i mean the characters' personalities makes it impossible to work out. Or, to be honest, just martin's personality. That man is insanely jealous of everyone that dares to be near jon, and i dont mean it in a "silly quirky" way.

If they ever were to become a throuple (like in a completely detached from the canon setting) i feel like they would get on fairly well at first, but if they were to start displaying affection to eachother in a different way than simply friendly, martin would immediately become jealous and then just take apart their relationship with gerry piece by piece until only him and jon are in the equation.

(Honestly that's more about season 5 martin. If it were the earlier seasons martin, he would probably do the opposite thing and slowly remove himself from the relationship, because "they don't need him anyway" and "he's just happy to br around and help" and "he wouldn't want to get in the way of jon's happiness" etc.)

This got kinda long and im sorry. My main point is, as usual, that i am upset by the mischaracterization/misunderstanding of martin that's so popularized by fanon. I honestly feel like i could like him! Maybe even relate to him in a way! But because of the way he's presented by fandom, upon hearing the name martin every tma fan goes "aw hes the cute gay one! The guy thats a big softie but has an unexpected dangerous side! Yess king stand up for yourself!! Don't let them treat you like shit!!" And dear lord it's so shallow. He's more than that. His actions have reasons, and they are not always "good" reasons either!! Like jon smashing the fucking table and freeing the notThem - nobody's saying that it was a smart move!! Let him make mistakes i beg of you!

As im typing this I realized that most people who do that are the same people who relate to him, and it struck me that perhaps they reduce and compress martin's character to just make him into the traits they see themselves as, (i mean: shy, people pleaser, bad-relationship-with-mother, likes tea, big crush on someone who doesn't notice him - you know, those traits that could apply to basically anybody and ESPECIALLY to insecure teenagers - the main demographic) and then they fill the rest with their own personality traits.

Imo in order to properly judge a character it's important to step aside for a moment and consider them from another POV.

I feel like ive done way too many "overly-long-rant-regarding-fanon-martin" asks and that im starting to repeat myself like a scratched CD. Im gonna have to cook up something about jon as well. AND his relationship with georgie.

people do seem to pick and choose what qualities they want to even think about when writing/observing martin in any way. obviously this is natural and makes sense with any character because people are going to focus most on what they're biased towards for a myriad of reasons, but it's CRAZY w martin fans ive noticed. which isn't necessarily a bad thing but also likeeee it does make for a less diverse experience, especially when most of the fans seem to focus on the same kinda things so some qualities get severely overlooked and this lowkey makes for a far less interesting character.

my point is that this is extra prevalent in shipping, especially with more like weird ships like this that are particularly unsupported in canon, and it's lead to somewhat of a weird like mass delusion almost ((obviously a hyperbole)) in terms of his character, where people are - as you said - pretty much just turning him almost into a self-insert. ive probably got more to say but not rn sorry im gonna go check if my waffles r done cooking

[danaig13-blog]

I honestly don't understand why some people believe that Dog Man books became worse once Petey stopped being evil

Ever since I discovered this series and fandom, I've been obsessed. I love the story, the characters and the art style and it's so fun to see the content from creators online.

When I first started reading the books, I noticed that there were many people who believe that as the series progressed, the story got worse. Especially after book 5. I was curious about it but so far, that doesn't apply to me.

I'm gonna be honest with you: I actually like that after Lord of the Fleas, the series started to explore some more mature topics. I always enjoy when children's books bring up more serious themes without losing their initial spark. Yes, action, puns and fun are great and vital in children's stories but in my opinion, a good series needs more than that to sustain its core.

I am 18 years old and yet these books had me laughing very hard and cry at the same time. I adore Petey's redemption arc, I really like how it has been handled so far and I cannot get enough of him, Lil'Petey and Dog Man (and 80-HD of course). It's very important to show that it is possible to change ourselves for the better and that we shouldn't let our past actions define us. This is a very important lesson and so far, it has been portrayed very well. Petey did not become good from one moment to another. He is still developing and learning to accept himself and he's still trying to adjust to the concept of love and care. He had been abused for so long by Grampa, so obviously his trauma still affects him. But the moments when Lil'Petey comforts him and tries to show him that the world can be a better place are so precious to me.

I understand that many people disagree with the route the series went to after Book 5. I get it, the first books had this Dog Man VS Petey theme and it would be fun if the whole series was centered around their rivalry. After all, Petey was the one who was responsible for Dog Man's creations (and technically, the death of his owner). So we could have seen more of that.

However, I think that had the series been the same thing over and over again, it wouldn't be that interesting. I will not lie to you, I love the first books but my interest peaked once Lil'Petey got introduced and started to chatter the walls around Petey's heart. Maybe it's because I didn't grow up reading these books to appreciate the more fun and childish aspects more, maybe it's because I love the found family trope, maybe it's because I am still new to the fandom…I still enjoy Dog Man's adventures and I like to see the variety of evil characters and how he can stop them with the help of his friends.

Another complaint that I get is that Dog Man has been sidelined in favour of Petey and Lil'Petey's relationship. However, I don't necessarily agree with this. He is still a very important character, he is still the best supa cop and he is still the heart of the series. He cares for Lil'Petey and it's because of his love that Lil'Petey is able to convince Petey that he can be good. I personally still love his antics, especially when it comes to Chief and he is my favourite cop.

In conclusion, while I respect different opinions on this matter, I think that it's baffling to say that the books in the series post books 4 and 5 are bad. Again, showing that it is possible to change and become better and overcoming your past is a very valuable lesson, not only for children but adults as well. Dog Man series handles the themes of generational trauma and self-growth extremely well and I wouldn't have it any other way

[smosh-fessions]

this fandom has become unbearable. i mostly avoid it (blocking and muting people), but the occasional post comes on my tl that just annoys me. my rant honestly mostly applies to smoshtwt, but smoshblr is annoying too. i won’t even mention the reddit.

people pick fights for literally no reason, and act like they are above one another for everything. for one, the ship war discussion is so stupid to me because most of you are too old to be speaking about real people in this way. why does it matter to you who somebody else ships when you’re doing the same thing with a different ship??

i also understand the interest for the bonds the people in the cast have, but none of you know them! a lot of you put such a pedestal to the relationships you’re seeing on your phone screens. it is also not fair to assume “this person doesn’t like this person,” or assume “this person is in love with that person” or whatever. many of you feel way too comfortable talking about them in ways you know you wouldn’t say to their face, whether “positive” or negative. thirsting, criticism, speculation/assumption, it’s all annoying. and many of you shield them as jokes. too many of you wonder why a majority of the cast hardly touch their socials anymore outside of instagram. or wonder why damien blocked like half of you on twitter

and speaking of damien... lmfao. look it’s fine to dislike a person but many of you are irrational about it. he’s a human, just as every person in the cast are. it doesn’t matter that hes a grown man, he deserves respect the same way anybody else does. dude has gone through a lot in life, the least you all can do is just let him exist. because while his fans arguably can coddle him, but they’re no different from the rest of you. you’re literally all the same and don’t see it! because i know damn well if more people commonly treated angela or shayne the way a lot of you treat damien, you’d be just as upset as his fans tend to be. also, same thing for courtney! many of you are so weird about them on here recently too?? i cannot believe how heavy discussions have been regarding them, especially in relation to damien. too many of you have been blatantly disrespecting them recently. just as i said before, they are a human being first and foremost. you are allowed to think whatever about these people, but goodness i beg you all to keep it to yourselves. i can only imagine the absurd speculation-heavy discussions they all may accidentally stumble across at some point.

i don’t want to ramble too much but i honestly don’t know how it got this bad. people will argue with the “have you never been in a fandom before” over and over again whenever someone complains about this one. i can assure you, smosh’s fandom is simply just bad. at least compared to more similar groups like dropout, try guys, etc.. idk what happened here. like to be fair, this has always been a parasocial fandom, but it definitely got worse the last few years. i’ve been on tumblr and twitter for a long time, i can safely say i miss the lowkey dead fandom era. post-2023, a lot of you made it more of a hell than it’s ever been, but act like you’re not the problem, or simply don’t care idfk. i just know that if you had a problem with any of what i said, it probably applies to you.

tldr: you are SMOSH fans. you’re ALL gay and annoying! just accept that, stop being the worst about literally everything and everyone, and please be decent human beings.

X

[bonetrousledbones]

i am sending this ask to a bunch of people. the reason is that i am curious. here it is.

what is your favorite thing about Papyrus in undertale?

do you think Papyrus will be important in deltarune?

what do you think will be Papyrus' role in deltarune?

what do you think of the "Papyrus is the Knight" theory?

what do you think his age will be? adult or teenager? (kid is not an option cus it would be stupid and no fun)

in what chapter do you think he will show up?

if Papyrus is the Knight do you think he will be nice or evil?

if Papyrus is the Knight do you think he knows what the Roaring is?

you are the fourth person i am sending this to.

well lucky you, you caught me in a rambling mood!

i talked more about this a lil while ago now, but to me the biggest appeal of papyrus is that i relate to him a whole lot, lol. his specific form of loneliness where he's very clearly trying really fucking hard and clearly doing all the things people say you're "supposed" to do to try to make friends, but it's just. not working, for whatever reason. it's a pretty hard-hitting feeling for me and it hits deep, and while it's not necessarrily a good feeling, it's definitely my favorite part of Papyrus if only for how well communicated and "real" it is.

putting the rest under a cut because it's gonna get long lol

when it comes to deltarune, my biggest thought towards it since way back in 2018 has been "i don't have any way of knowing what the hell is going on in that dog's brain." so i don't tend to speculate on the game very much outside of fun hypotheticals! i've honestly never been much of a theorist, i prefer letting everybody else be crazy while i'm just sitting back and letting things play out in their own time.

personally, i'd say it'd be nice for papyrus to have a big important role, but in full honesty i do have some doubts about how likely that actually is. for one, he's very much rooted in being a comic-relief character, so he very rarely seems to be written seriously in general, and for two, i don't think he would have much actual weight?

like, we know him as a character from undertale, and papyrus fans might know how mysterious he is, but most of the fandom doesn't see him as mysterious at all. on top of that, the characters in deltarune have no connection to him whatsoever. he's not one of their classmates, or neighbors they grew up with, or anything like that- he's just the grocery store clerk's shut-in little brother who nobody has ever met.

but, again, that brings me back around to "i don't know what's happening in that dog's brain." maybe they'll finally get to hang out with him & he'll become more involved in the story, or maybe he won't ever show up at all! idk!

naturally, all of that applies to my opinion on knight papyrus, too- it would be awesome and so so so so cool if it turns out to be real, but with the issue of nobody knowing him except sans, my faith in it gets a little dimmed. i do think the amount of hints that could connect him to it have been crazy, though, since most of them genuinely don't even feel like that much of a reach. i'll still be pulling out my cork board and red string whenever i possibly see a chance, rest assured

i really want him to be college-aged, ideally the same age as Asriel. one, so they can be besties obviously, and two, because if he suddenly becomes an underage character after ten years of papyrus fans fighting back against rampant infantilization i am going to fucking lose it

my own headcanon until we get to actually see him is that he's much more nervous, borderline agoraphobic, and much more awkward since he hasn't met any of the people that he very likely gained a lot of his personality from in undertale. considering he spends all his time in a dark undecorated house, the angst-loving part of me genuinely really hopes he's not just gonna be written the same as we're used to, lol

and sadly- judging from the previews we've seen of chapters 3-4, and the fact that they'll most likely take place in kris's house and then the church, i have some doubts that we'll see papyrus on june 5th :(. then again, the light world sections are apparently long enough to need their own save points, so maybe that's a good sign too! i'm personally not getting my hopes up, but it'd be a very nice surprise if we see him at all before chapters 5-7, even if it's just a really quick cameo or something :>

and finally, as for what he would be like as the knight & if he would know about the roaring, i actually thought about this some time ago too! i think he could know about the roaring and even actively be trying to cause it, but i don't think that makes him evil, per se. he doesn't know anyone in this town except his brother, making him even more desperately lonely than he was in undertale, and he's not even trying to overcome it this time around.

so, i think he'd get too attached to the fact that darkners literally have to like lightners and want to be their friends, and he'd want to cause the roaring either to be able to live in a world like that forever, or to then stop it himself and make friends by becoming a "hero." i can imagine him being not evil, and honestly not even all that bad (if you ignore the "casting the world into darkness to maybe make some friends" part), just really, really desperate.

[sasukekys]

Thoughts on narugaa?

naruto doesn’t see gaara that way, is never implied to, not even potentially. that would be enough for me to not ship it, but i find its shippers annoying so i also have thoughts on what they say.

narugaa is basically gay naruhina with minimal improvement. the improvement is that naruto at least has a relationship with gaara, he’s at least gaara’s friend in a way and has important interactions/insights with/about him (like them both being jinchuuriki and all). hinata gets even less than that, she gets naruto’s sympathy in chunin exams because what neji says about her can be applied to what people generally feels about naruto himself, and that affects him personally. nothing ever comes out of this though, naruto and hinata do not bond or even have a relationship because of his sympathy, in the end, this situation is more about his character and his goals, not hinata as a person or a potential influence over him.

i said naruto doesn’t see gaara in a romatic lense, but i do think gaara sees naruto that way. i obviously disagree with those people that say every guy is in love with naruto, that’s bullshit, naruto just changes people’s minds about him, and earns their respect and even admiration. but think it’s different with gaara. naruto “saved” him. but well, both gaara and hinata have this in common... naruto doesn’t reciprocate either of them, and he also has no chemistry with either lol. naruto rejects gaara in front of his family because of sasuke. naruto doesn’t pay any thoughts to hinata’s confession and then says the same things she said to him but to sasuke one arc later. and both fandoms seem to direct a lot of hate towards sasuke, who can’t be the right person to naruto because he is sooo toxic, because narusasu is not wholesome, because naruto and gaara’s friendship is soooo gentle and soft, sasuke isn’t like him (after his 180 twist) or hinata, who can only ever worship naruto and the ground he walks on. gaara and hinata do not challenge naruto in any way. and of course, those shippers also ignore important points of the story and of naruto’s character, like WHY narusasu is “toxic” and how despite all that, sasuke is exactly who naruto wants, he’s the only fish in the sea.

as if that’s not enough, this delulu fandom loves to fantasise about sasuke dying so naruto could be with gaara... i wonder why do they feel the need to take sasuke out of the picture? i guess they missed the fact that naruto would rather die if sasuke did too. and the biggest irony of them all is how narugaa shippers act like they are on a higher moral ground because narugaa is soooo wholesome and gentle uwu sanitised gays <3 as if gaara wasn’t on a killing spree for funsies, naruto and his comrades being no exception. wow so pure indeed. i guess it doesn’t matter cause gaara did a 180 twist and became a boring naruto follower, and he would honestly bore naruto in a relationship as much as hinata. boring ship for boring liars.

[valyrfia]

people playing morality wars with f1 drivers is so funny. "all f1 drivers cheat EXCEPT MY FAV!!" no babe your fav definitely cheats too

tmi time - i dated a pro athlete (not motorsports sorry) when i was in my early 20s and like...... it's the kind of thing where if you go into it knowing it's essentially an open relationship it's not bad at all, i don't think there's anything morally wrong with it. i'm sure that sounds a little bleak to people who love the idea of pure monogamy but it's not the same when you've already established when you're apart you're going to be spending time with other people 🤷🏻 the issue is only if they lie and say they won't but then they do it anyway, but i've honestly never met the partner of an athlete that seriously thought this. everyone i met during that period was actually really mature and understood what the open relationship meant (even though a lot of them were influencers and came off as vapid, i was humbled by how smart most of them actually were negl)

you also need to be capable of separating your love for the other person from your personal desires like with any open relationship.... which i have a feeling a lot of people who like formula 1 are too young to fathom (and to be fair some f1 drivers probably *are* too immature to pull off a stable relationship like this, but i wouldn't hazard to guess who - we just don't know them like that and i find people guessing usually devolves into low-key fandom wars)

we love personal anecdotes on this blog thanks for sharing anon! if you ever want to share more insights…..im fascinated to know more just ab culture/inherent power imbalance in WAG/athlete relationships….

I agree a lot of people in the f1 fandom still have a very fairytale view of relationships—which I argue the WAGs/drivers are also trying to sell you because it increases their PR power. Open relationships are more common than people realise (whether it’s handled with maturity….well that’s another thing entirely) and you can still afford a partner dignity and respect while being in one (whether all pro athletes are good at doing it is a separate thing). The realisation that physical intimacy and emotional/romantic intimacy are two entirely different things is a realisation that comes with age, and some people ARE very naturally monogamous and some people just….aren’t. There’s no wrong or right way to go about it so long as all parties know the expectations. I think the only place where I would apply morality/criticism to it is if a driver is very obviously humiliating their partner with their actions because their partner wasn’t aware. Otherwise who careeeees your honour.

Last point quick that I think sometimes people care so much esp in fandom spaces/spiral into fandom wars because it shatters a fantasy. Which, people are entitled to their fantasies but I also think one has to have enough self-awareness to know they’re being sold a fantasy. Which maybe comes with age. But either way I don’t really give a shit if let’s say Charles or Oscar or Max is cheating (apart from the natural titillating nature of hot goss) because no aspect of my moral ‘worth’ is based off my support of them, all I need out of them is good racing and rpf.

[vyadeity]

Being Army Can Be Exhausting

Some Army are going to hate me for this but at this point I don’t care.

First off, I really don’t expect anyone to read this and that’s fine because I expect it.

There seem to be some very blatant rules in being Army that I feel either get misconstrued or are enfrorced with iron fist and if not followed….well are you even Army? I’ve been Army for years but sometimes we can be toxic as all get out.

This of course doesn’t apply to all Army. Get it? Got it? Good. If you’re sensitive, leave. I’m not debating or arguing with anybody.

Now, I’ve made a few notes, walk with me here:

BTS Only!

Yeah, no. I’ve been a K-pop fan for 14 years now and I’ve seen this sentiment come and go. Guess what? It never sticks. While I love BTS, they aren’t the only group to ever exist. It may feel that way to a lot of Army, it’s simply not true. You liking other groups doesn’t make me or you any less Army. Sorry not sorry.

And while I’ve only ever loved two other groups as much as BTS (honestly I don’t see that changing), I’m not cutting off an industry because of some bs If Multi Not Army rule reinforced by some.

Being a Multi is not some grand betrayal to BTS.

Buy Everything, We Must Support!

I simply can’t express how much I disagree with this! You know how many people can’t “afford” to be Army if that’s the case?

This shit is expensive lol. It’s not for the faint of heart. While I’m fortunate to be able to fund my support for them, I very much recognize that it’s not the case for everyone. BigHit drops merchandise almost on the daily! Between BTS, solo endeavors, TinyTan and BT21 our money is vanishing out of our wallets monthly.

Now have I spent a good amount of money on BTS merchandise? Yep! Official and unofficial, I sure have. Even spent a good amount of money on both my BTS tatts. Is what it is. But again, that’s a privilege I recognize. Some Army can only show their support through YouTube streams. Why? They’re free. And I’m sure BTS appreciates them all the same.

The pressure to keep up with other Army financially is enormous and even if you don’t subscribe to that way of thinking, you’ve surely seen it.

“Look at my decked out BTS themed room or apartment!”

“I bought Gucci/LV/Dior because now that BTS are brand ambassadors I have to show my support!”

Good on them but good God. Next thing you know, you’ve spent thousands of dollars trying to keep up and living on ramen packets but it’s okay because…I dunno…Army? No! Get a white T-shirt, a permanent marker, write BTS across the front and call it a day. Again, you’re just as much Army as anyone else.

They’re a Solo! Stone Them!

Shut up!

This is my biggest gripe with this fandom.

They’re a solo, so what? It doesn’t automatically mean that they hate the rest of the group. I know, I’m cool with a few of them. Not all Solos are created equal. You people have turned them on par with Satan and it’s nowhere near that serious.

Sometimes, you gel with one member and one member only. Sorry people, that’s just true for some. Nothing against the other members at all.

And yes yes, they are some extremely problematic solos out there. Not negating that. I specifically talking about the ones that aren’t.

Have I personally been called a solo? No but that’s because I rarely express my views on anything BTS because you will be attacked for it if it’s not the most positive glowing view.

Also the things I’ve seen on X, Instagram, TikTok and here have shown me some of the idiotic reasons people are labled solos. These are the reasons I see the most on my side of these platforms:

“You only post one of two members”

It’s called having biases, have we forgotten about that?

“You only buy music from one member!”

My wallet, my prerogative. I love the group’s music but not all them seperatley. Oooo I said it!

Solo music wise I regularly listen to Joonie, Jimin, Yoongi and Jungkook’s music. I don’t necessarily vibe with Hobi, Tae and Jin’s music. I don’t dislike their music, it’s just not for me. But I do buy the albums in show of support.

“You only watch content with certain members and not others!!”

This goes back to my initial point, sometimes you gel with certain members more than others. I gravitate, like we all do, to certain personalities. It’s just that simple.

There’s also burnout. I can’t watch everything because I do sometimes get sick of them! Love them to Jin’s moon and back but sometimes, I need a break. Get over it!

Live, Laugh, Love, Breathe BTS

No.

We have lives outside of BTS.

We have other interests outside of BTS.

BTS paved the way? I agree but I’m not going to get into Twitter and other social media battles over it. What’s understood doesn’t have to be explained.

BTS have lives outside of BTS. Some of you need to follow suit.

All In All

There’s a certain sub group of Army that try to make the rest of us adhere to what their definition of what Army is. It’s not cool, it’s not fair and it’s out and out toxic. Your willingness to be incredibly overbearing and toxic doesn’t make you more of a fan than the next Army member.

It goes against everything BTS stands for and some of you have lost sight of that.

And I will forever die on that hill.

And if any of these bullets hit you, do yourself a favor and make Joon proud, do better.