#i doubt its gonna be that unpopular and as long as i enjoy making it itll be fine but... yeah

[chocolatespyro]

insert relatable line about having a really fucking awesome idea but not having the energy or motivation to carry it out

[aquagustd]

seriously jk cracked me up this chapter, its literally like

"jungkook whats wrong?"

"oh you know, sora dumped me *pops champagne* im devastated"

i enjoyed reading it so much.

something that really saddens me is how much im starting to doubt tae. i was so sure he would be a great partner to oc but now i dont think he would. i dont know if its intentional, but the way he's acting last couple of chapters feels like a switch with jungkook's character. when tae's introduced to us, he's this really stable man, has a great, not illegal (i hope) job, and he seems like a perfect opportunity for oc to finally settle down and find someone loving and caring. when we first see jk he's a dick, he's there then he disappears, appears again when its conventional for him, but he's never really there for oc and barely there for their son. gradually, we see jk turn into a man tae once was and tae became the way jk was in the beginning (he leaves when things dont go his way and doesnt answer oc's calls or texts but we know he's fine and having fun with other people) while jk tried so hard to be a better father, oc's support system and even buys a factory to run a "normal" business (im still not sure if he's honest about that but lets say he is for the sake of it). that being said, i really hope oc doesnt end up with either of them lmao it would be nice if jk and oc were to have a healthy co-parenting relationship but nothing beyond that. neither of them actually deserve her, poor girl always one of them is stressing her out, if its not tae then its jk.

also, i really like sora? i feel like its a very unpopular opinion but she is so interesting to me. i always imagined her as devon so i was happy when i found out we imagined the same, but after watching eve's scandal i see her as sora idk maybe its bc of the name (if you like to watch kdramas, i highly recommend bc acting is just top tier). if she was the main character i think more people would like her too, but we naturally lean towards the oc bc a lot of people think oc characters in general need to be these perfect could-never-do-anything-wrong type of characters. also why people get mad when oc does smth stupid ??? yeah people make mistakes, dont you? i also kinda wish there would be sora x jimin spin off (i know you only write oc ff, but a person can hope 🥲) i would read this shit of it even if its just them being business partners and friends.

sorry for the long message but i really appreciate your time and effort to create these stories, thank you so much. remember to stay hydrated and take care of yourself, much love

thank you so much for reading & dropping your thoughts <33

i’m gonna be honest. tae & jk’s character hasn’t switched tbh. tae did ONE thing wrong that affected oc & hurt her feelings which was him ignoring her. which doesn’t compare to anything jk did tbh.

tae is the owner of a hotel chain !! they haven’t switched personalities at all :/ jk isn’t becoming the man tae was in the beginning.

it fascinates me when people say they like sora. you’re right maybe some readers would like her if she was the oc. but tbh then we’d get her pov so we’d know that she doesn’t like junho at all :/ and she’s fake with him all the time. even jungkook can’t pick up on that. but it was evident when she was sulking throughout junho’s bday party and then complained that jungkook was wasting money on his son. maybe it’s bc i know more about her but imo i don’t think many readers would like her if she was the oc. her backstory is interesting but she’s really not a good person.

but that’s bc i know more about her maybe 👁

[papabirdurskeks]

I ask this both for Baron Dark, Ariandel and SkekSo !

Give me a character and I will answer: @ben-the-hyena

Oh boy a triple feature! :D Here we go, folks!

Under a read more cause its going to get long but each listed character will be split apart evenly!

First up is Baron Dark!

Why I like them: He is just bombastic in personality! He lives loud in his actions and words, participating in most of the action himself while also showing he is a threat and menacing altogether! I also like that he is one of the few villains that shows he cares for his crew as a “family” (at least for most part of the series before being overtaken with obsession to have power more on his own). Given the dynamic we are given from the show, its obvious he cares and treats them all on a level of respect as well, something so rare to see nowadays! And I also enjoyed that his reasons to take over and do the shit he did in the series, “Because I can!” is just as refreshing and fun to see in a villain too!  And again, his design is a top tier design I love overall! Its menacing, powerful, and outright amazing! Definitely adds to the character and how well he works in effect to keeping my attention! Like just look at that design! And his VA did a wonderful job of adding to that charm that is just delightful to see in his personality! Overall, he is totally a villain I would love to see more of in the future!

Why I don’t: I say my dislikes often fall on the usual tropes of a kid’s show of the 90s. He talks too much when he could be doing things himself and falls victim to the typical “I am too powerful” but doesn’t think of the obvious steps ahead that will be his downfall. But honestly, its so small I don’t find it jarring or that bad to be in the way! It was the 90s and aimed at kids at the time, so we can’t expect TOO much out of that xD

Favorite episode (scene if movie): Oh man, that’s a tough one cause every scene/episode Baron is in he totally slays it! Its either a tie from the first episode to the very last one cause the stakes of start and finish are so well done, I love it all! 

Favorite season/movie: Obviously, the TV series is the best version of him! The comics sucked and turned him too OOC from what was initially given! Like how does one go from point A to be Z so freaking fast? xD

Favorite line: “Because I can.” Yeah, not gonna lie this was indeed my favorite line of his xD

Favorite outfit: Honestly, the outfit he gains near the end of the series is by far my favorite! Its like a mix of the Bejeweled Catacomb Saints and Mictlantechutli put in one and its befitting of the Baron given his gain in power! 

OTP: Baron and Cyborn are my OTP and are married, fight me. 

Brotp: Definitely Brotps with the rest of his henchmen though I see them more being like his adoptive children! 

Head Canon: Baron is of indigenous background! I also like to headcanon that the white tuft/strands in his hair are truly his and have been there since birth!  (I have so many more HCs for him but I will keep it short cause it can go all day x’) )

Unpopular opinion: Don’t think I have one, at the moment at least. 

A wish: To have gotten more information/lore on him and the entire cast, honestly! I would have loved to see more of his character explored and what more he could have had to offer as a series main villain! Hell, the whole damn series had so much to offer! And just the relationships he has with the others and what more he could have done post season and before! So much potential there to be explored! I honestly would not be objecting to a reboot/revival or continuation of the series! 

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen: Though with that said, if a reboot does come around, don’t turn it into the mess of current cartoons we have. Not that they are all bad but most of them have been very disappointing in keeping my attention and liking. Keep the same type of messages it had before! It worked beautifully as it did then and still does work now! I’d love to see the same formulas used while also updating it to be more gritty and mature like they did for Castlevania! Just... Don’t turn it into a cringe worthy mess that will ruin Baron and all the characters in the series! Don’t do what the comics did! 

5 words to best describe them: Charmingly evil, badass, fun, conniving bastard, and menacing. 

My nickname for them: Mega dork (affectionately speaking)

Next is Ariandel!

Why I like them: Oh boy, there is a lot to say in terms of why I like him but I will try to keep it short and simple for time purposes!  His design is top tier for me! Like a rotting skull like face? Check! A monstrous body much like a bird’s? Check! And to add he is a giant Corvian, which are one of my favorite enemies in Dark Souls III!  His personality also differs from the usual loud, bombastic, and proud characters I tend to gravitate for. Instead, he’s withdrawn and rather sad to look at and hear. You know he’s going through a lot but don’t know exactly what it is. In game, one can sort of get hints as to what has gone on behind the scenes but at the same time, its still vague and hard to really pinpoint what really did happen. So he has that air of mystery to him that I honestly adore in many characters as it leaves room to explore deeper into their lore! But I also find his personality relatable as well as sympathetic.  But that’s just me, I can gush about him all day but I will cut it short here x’)

Why I don’t: To be honest I don't have any reason not to like Ariandel other then the small fact that he followed Friede and let the Painted World rot in such a terrible state. But that is so minor of an issue to me to really make a difference, lol. I adore this giant bird man!

Favorite episode (scene if movie): I have to say the scene where he ultimately snaps and breaks out of binds after seeing Friede's lifeless body before him is my favorite scene of his. The amount of pain and anguish heard in his scream and the way he moves prior and after; I can very much relate to that feeling. Sometimes, actions truly convey the emotions better in the most powerful means necessary. And this scene alone truly nailed it.

Favorite season/movie: He's only ever seen in the Dark Souls III DLC, so obvious answer points to the DLC!

Favorite line: "When the Ashes are two, a flame alighteth. Thou'rt Ash, and fire befits thee, of course..."

Favorite outfit: Uhh, he doesn't really wear any clothes save for his cape? So I guess the cape does him well as he is, though I always draw him without it xD

OTP: To be honest, I don't ship him with any canon characters within Dark Souls. Friede does not deserve him..

Brotp: Ariandel being best friends with the Ashen One is my ultimate Brotp! Just think of how much of a valuable ally he could have been!

Head Canon: I know his origins are debatable, as either theory I have for him can be plausible but I often lean more towards the idea of him being half Giant and half Corvian! IDK why but I just like it a lot more x’)

Unpopular opinion: While Ariandel is partly responsible for what happened to the Painted World, I still feel he was manipulated overall and probably at one point did have a change of heart before being forced into complete isolation. He plays more the role of the willing/unwilling accomplice then the actual perpetrator of the crime.  

A wish: He could have had a happier ending without having to die for Friede. I know, its Dark Souls. Such a thing is expected to happen in the Soulsborne series but its a wish, right? 

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen: That anything beyond the infatuation he had for Friede took place. Just.. No. He loved her but never could ever have her in that sense and never did. Just no, she is horrible to him. 

5 words to best describe them: Sad, lonely, birdman, withdrawn, and tragic

My nickname for them: Papa bird

And lastly for skekSo!

Why I like them: I think its as obvious as the case for Baron Dark. I like evil, smug bastards that shine through their wickedness and don't usually hold back. In the case of skekSo, I actually didn't care for him at first but then after my second viewing of the show, I started to like him more and enjoy his villainy! He's selfish, arrogant, vain, and conniving and I love it! Added that his design is really appealing to the eye and how he carries himself out, I gotta say he's one of the few villain characters from a show that makes the turn around for me to like them instead of hate them more. Also, his voice. Can NOT go wrong with that voice cause DAMN, its good and shows just how powerful a villain can be with a voice like his. And those eyes. Oh man, those eyes!

Why I don’t: Despite his villainy being the main point that caught my attention, its also a part of his downfall too. His constant greed and arrogance pushed him too far into doing what he did and ultimately cost him everything in the end; including loyal allies that end up dying for him in the long run. I hate how easily and quickly he changes his mind when actual logic is put into perspective of his plans and how quick he is to dismiss someone else when they don't please him anymore or things don't go his way for the smallest things. And yes, that is part of his character, I know that. That is what makes him as scummy as he is and why I love how trashy he is. But I also can't ignore just how easily he pushed skekVar away and believed skekSil despite knowing just what a lying bastard he is. IDK, it just feels too obvious but at the same time, it is what it is and I am not upset about it in the least x)

Favorite episode (scene if movie): Honestly, I enjoyed all the scenes with him in the show but mostly in particular with his interactions with skekVar, especially towards the end of the series. It showed a peak part of his vulnerability in his character that honestly I doubt he ever shows to anyone else. He spends most of his time pushing others around and making them fear him but with skekVar there is a sort of mutual respect going that really speaks out in a different way. Maybe I am just reading too much into it, but I always did enjoy how they interacted with one another!

Favorite season/movie: Well, skekSo didn't get much screen time in the movie other then him dying and turning to dust so.... Definitely enjoyed him more in the show then the film xD

Favorite line: "NOOOOO!" (Yes, this scene is still very infamous to me for personal reasons but the way he carried out his "no's" cracked me up each time xD)

Favorite outfit: Honestly, the main outfit he wore throughout the show. It's just so regal and goth, I love it! And as a goth and fashion enthusiast myself, I am all up for the style he has! The battle armor he wore near the end made it a tad more laughable to be honest.

OTP: I started shipping him with skekVar but ended up with an OT3 of skekVar and skekZok. So now all three of them live in a happy relationship with each other in my noodle~

Brotp: I see him being on neutral terms with skekMal! 

Head Canon: I feel that even in the show it wasn’t seen or given, but he did feel a lot of remorse and regret after the loss of skekVar. He seemed very close with him and spoke with skekVar with more trust then he did the others. Perhaps in secret he did mourn the General’s loss. 

Unpopular opinion: Does this count as an unpopular opinion? I know most people see him with just a few strands of hair but I tend to see him with a head full of long flowing white locks he keeps hidden beneath his clothes. It adds to the extra layer of vanity for a proud Emperor such as he! He looses it over time the darkening consumes him and withers down his health. 

A wish: To see what he was like as an urSkek prior to being split up into a Skeksis and urRu. Yeah, I know people don't care or like the urSkeks all that much but honestly, I would LOVE to see more urSkek lore and see what it was that made SoSu so special among his peers. It was said, after all, he had a voice that could move the stars but was conflicted and consumed with darkness. Honestly, I want to know why and who he was prior to all of this mess! SkekSo even says in the show he still has nightmares of the life before so I wonder, what they were and how it was! So much potential here, man!

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen: I don’t think I have any of these to be honest? At least with skekSo. Not that I can think of on top of my head now. 

5 words to best describe them: Proud, absolute piece of shit, pretty, conniving, and menacing. 

My nickname for them: Stupid idiot

[mellarkably]

3, 7, and 18 for the Nhie ask game 😊

Who is your favorite overall character? And why?

originally, it was kamala, but i'm gonna have to say devi now, ngl. i know many people were pissed off by her decisions this season, me included, but i truly feel like she's grown so much and i just love the fact that she's given so much nuance and room to make these shitty decisions, considering that she is a south asian woman. we rarely get representation that isn't simply a flat caricature resulted from stereotypes. so i love my messy queen devi. (right behind devi would be kamala, nalini and ben, for mainly the same reason. i enjoy the fact that they, for the most part, feel real and complex).

What’s your most unpopular opinion?

hmmm, i'm not really sure. i guess me thinking devi and paxton are cuter as friends is unpopular? OH. i have one that i feel like i might get crucified for. i like fab, el and devi's friendship, but i'm not particularly fond of it. for some reason, i find fab and el's bond to be much more stronger than their bond with devi as a trio. though s2 did majorly improve my opinion on their life long female friendship, and i love the dynamics between the three of them off screen, i'm not really sure why i'm not overly sentimental about their triage. i love the way they're written in ffs i've read however. and of course i love what they offer individually.

What’s something that you wish they would have done differently this season?

at first, i wished that they kept ben and aneesa as friends. i loved their dynamic and i just really liked the idea of ben having a friend that's a girl and not catching feelings. but later on i came to understand that if he wasn't with aneesa, devi wouldn't have ended up with paxton. so i understand its job as a plot device. doesn't mean i look forward to seeing how that (honestly wholesome but kinda flat) relationship might end, especially since i love ben and i love my girl aneesa. i just want them happy. (i also wish they kept devi single at the end, but if they did, many people would get furious so i'll give them the benefit of the doubt lol)

additionally, i wish they gave ben an individual plot this season. i feel like they brushed over his family problems way too fast, and as much as i love the scene in 2.04 after the tattoo bet, there was a missed opportunity to delve into or even reference how his abandonment issues (that devi is well aware of) worsened that pain of being a second choice.

there's more. i also wished they put more effort into el's subplots. it felt kinda, idk, empty to me? i liked the message they were going for with malcolm and teens having toxic relationships, but i wish they focused on her stepmom more.

other than that, i didn't really have any other problems! this is just me being picky. it was a great season and they really upped their game. although kamala should not be drinking coffee in a lab but that's for another day-

[redxblueihateloveyou]

What did sk8 do to make you so mad? XD I try not to read posts abt it cause it's just... well you know they're dumb. But what exactly made you write such a rant I'm curious?

It’s not like I got super mad about this one thing, it was more of a last straw, that made me realize just how far from the reality they truly are. They started a nsfw magazine and said to ppl to send them their ID pics through twitter DMs for applications, they cancelled it now after being severely roasted in  the comments by ppl explaining that its violating the data security and illegal in some places. Bc of course, why bother to read or ask someone when you’re not experienced enough to organize such things. Good thing they were stopped, bad thing, they weren’t stopped by their own fandom lmao. Now they just cancelled both sfw and nsfw versions without explanation, bc.. I mean, adult ways lol.

why I’m mad truly? bc the majority is so dumb they’ve actually ruined all the fun of being in a fandom.

- bc I have to read stuff like “Langa will die, bc he has same hair as Ash from “Banana Fish’” and yes, if a person directed a drama once, no matter of the genre of their other creations, it’s all end in a drama. Like do you think Utsumi left a note, before she left Free!, that Rinharu must drown at the end of season 10? The answer is “definitely, yes”.

- bc I have to read stuff like “my ship is gonna become canon cause studio Bones also made No.6. Yo, BNHA, where is my shonen-ai?! What do you mean “you’re on vacation”, Logic?

- bc even tho this show has some good points and gay metaphors, it’s mostly just a fun entertaining one, that you need to admit is pretty ridiculous at times and very soap-operish. It is in fact not an oscar nominated Tarantino movie.

- bc if your ship is doing perfectly great, what the point of the mocking other ships and characters with an absolute vile words, that carry too much weigh in real life to be used so loosely in a fictional world, when you can use some actual good arguments instead and be an adult? You still feel threatened or something? Bc as an experienced viewer and reader, I actually just might make an assumption here, that the plot of this is pretty basic, so consider maybe, that Langa is in fact not Adam’s Eve, Adam’s just confused where his happiness lies, like any period romance heroine usually is. And yes, Adam is the main heroine of this show.

- bc aparently high schoolers can’t kiss and NEVER do anything sex related. Yes, in fact all the guys I met waited until they turned 18 to lose their virginity. Truth. They also never touched themselves bc everyone knows that masturbation and yoga pants are a straight way to hell. 

And I mean, also how dare Onodera want to sleep with the love of his life in high school, I mean, the unholy act of this is killing me to this day, my eyes are always bleeding, when I’m watching him and Takano. Cancelled, cancelled.

- bc their fandom events are organized by some 2021 spanish inquisition squad and those who agree to their dumb “rules” have no self-respect in my opinion.

- bc their character analysis are vomit and they try to find depth where there is none and fail to see it in a places, where all the depth truly is.

- bc one stupid cow started a trend of cencoring Adam’s name and all the sheep followed and now Adam is Voldemort? And bc the same person who called Adam a “desease” have Dazai as her icon and calls him her sunshine.

- bc they can’t separate fiction from real life and don’t get that what’s okay in fiction is not okay in real life and vice versa.

- bc the same person who yells that shipping a 17 year old with a 24 year old is a pedophilia, turns out to be shipping Gareki and Yogi, who are 15 and 21. I’m like “do you talk about yourself or.. like how does this work?”. Like at least delete it then, if you’re trying to make a point. How stupid can you be?

Trying to explain to them that by their logic 70% of canon iconic ships are cancelled probably gonna be like talking to a tree tho.

Also I can only imagine how they’re watching Noragami and 1000 year old Yato’s shananigans with his 15 year olds crew. Like even if you close your eyes on him actually living for so long, his actual body is still 20+, so just this dusgusting pedo in a training suit, I’m so disgusted lmao. 

- bc they trash some characters for absolutely everything, but when their fave is clearly in the wrong, they’re suddenly blind, cause “see, mommy, he’s so relatable, I don’t have to apologize for any of my trash or grow, everything is gonna be fine as it is”.

- bc both me and the creators think that the more interesting and complicated storyline is the adult storyline, but when I come to the tag, like only 2% cares and I have to go through the 40% of the dumbest shit and 58% of rainbows and roses and unicorn’s vomits and *dam, Ad*m, Ad8m.

- bc “you can’t sexualize them, they’re underage”, but “we have a nsfw magazine coming, so pls tweet us a photo of your documents, your security number, your pet name and a brand of the soap you wash your ass with”.

I can continue, but long story short... bc in this fandom the amount of hypocrisy and stupidity everywhere is too damn high and bc a sane person, who just wants to have fun and enjoy the fandom would need xanax after going to this anime’s tag. That’s all.

(I btw always appreciated the rinharu fandom ppl, but in moments like this you just start to appreciating them 100 times more. thanks for not being pretentious, for good organizations, for rinharu weeks, zine and just all the pleasant experience overall and healing my soul in hard times.)

An unpopular opinion just to give someone a heart attack, but putting renga in line with rinharu and victuuri is ridiculous in my opinion. So far they’re not even in the same book, they’re more on the timon and pumba ‘hakuna matata” level, which is cute, but definitely doesn’t hold up to the level. And I honestly doubt they will. it’s a different type of ship that’s all. Also if that Langa “confession” scene makes a ship canon, then do I have some news for you.

Peace out:

[avenger-hawk]

I was thinking about something, on the subject of fanfic writing.

Long post ahead. Feel free to skip but I gotta rant.

Fanfiction is less direct than fanart, that strikes immediately. Fanfiction requires an effort to read, even if it’s a pleasure once you read it. If you like it ofc.

I am a fanfic author. I wrote Naruto fics like you guys know, and I wrote fics for a small fandom that ships 2 italian singers who dueted once.

I observed fandom dynamics in this small one because I could see how it was born and how it proceeded and ate itself, because in most fandom there is some event that divides people and leads to the end. For Naruto it was the ending as before there were ship wars and many dramas but they weren’t as tragic as the ending, its pairings and the new shit. In this small fandom I wrote analyses that were incredibly appreciated, even more than my Naruto ones, and ofc I wrote headcanons and mostly fanfictions. Darkish and darkfics actually, and in the beginning there was no moral issues because people in Italy understand that fiction is not reality.

But shit happened anyway, because of twitter and details that it’s pointless to mention. This made most people act like hypocrites, and I called out these things, I wrote unpopular opinions especially on one of the parts of the ship and I was targeted as enemy lol. I argued back, you know how it works. I blocked people, I kept on doing my things. But with people blocked and unpopular opinions expressed, I was no longer popular. It didn’t matter that one of my fics was a Psycho Pass crossover, with inspiration also from dystopian literature classics, set in a retrofuturistic Italy where a sort of consumeristic fascism enabled mind control, and despite that technology being available, its slow bureaucracy still exists and influences the system, where I chose all the characters for all the roles in the most careful way, and where I made aesthetics and a soundtrack....it didn’t matter that this fic was very popular when I first posted it on tumblr then Ao3. It started to be ignored. Just like my other fics.

I kept on writing because I do it for myself, my girl whom I met in that fandom, and the occasional 2 readers, but whenever I post smth on my other tumblr I see how I am totally shunned, while a mediocre author who writes the same plot over and over, is adored. This other author periodically writes reviews to others’ fics, where she apparently praises but actually talks low and criticizes everything, but she’s popular because she writes a lot, like, AUs of all kinds with no regard for ICness, and her reviews happen always when she posts something new, so other authors feel compelled to review hers. She’ll become a politician I swear lol

Sure it’s not because person 1 is a better author, it’s because she’s got better manners. Even person 2 has because she’s fake and ppl don’t see her insults in the beginning. So it’s about manners, and this is what I wanted to express because it’s happening in this fandom as well.

Because I don’t like to see things that piss me off and I don’t like to discuss or worse, to be fake, I blocked so many people I don’t even remember, and among them there were big blogs as well. I wrote unpopular opinion, about Naruto the character and his dynamic with Sasuke, but mostly about Itachi, and this made me unpopular because how dare I not call him a cinnamon roll right? I am also sincere when I receive asks, which means being blunt at times, if smth pisses me off in my blog. And I’m too sincere when I say I don’t read others’ fanfictions because I was disappointed too many times lol.

In short, I don’t keep contacts. And in a fandom, having this or that blog ‘recommend’ you is crucial, like in real life, apparently.

Not blaming anyone here. I made my own choices, I have a hard life already, I sure don’t care about being fake nice when I have opinions. I would like to read some good fics but I don’t have the patience to look for good ones cause I know I won’t like most of them and I can’t pretend. And I learned the hard way that if you tell (some) ppl that you would like some respect they’re gonna feel attacked because (some) ppl feel entitled to tell the author whatever, but they don’t tolerate if said author talks back.

So, I am happy to see that readers always like my Itasasu fics, despite my unpopular opinions, I’m really happy. But I don’t always feel like writing IS as you guys know. Right now I’m working on 2 fics at the same time, a dark N*rusasu that is the sequel of another dark NS, and I don’t expect this to be popular because it’s a dark NS and Nar is not a ball of sunshine, actually I received a lot of hate for OFAF already, or for In The Dark, I’m actually surprised whenever I receive a positive comment lol. I’m also writing Broken Things, which is Shisui x Sasuke, which is a super rare pairing, and while I know that rarepairs are less popular, I remember how much more enthusiastic ppl were about my other Shisasu fic, Victims of Peace.

This is kinda making me doubt the value of Broken Things, even though, rationally, I know that it’s a completely different thing, as the plot is less important and it’s more slice of life-ish, and even though I’m enjoying writing it very much, maybe because I had this unpleasant experience with the other fandom, I kinda associate the two things.

Anyway. I wanted to let this out. If I’m not a popular author it’s not like I’ll stop writing. In fact I’m also writing fics for the other fandom cause instead of interrupting them I intend to finish them, because I value my writing more than popularity and more than being nice at all costs lol. You guys do you, I’ll do the same lol. Hawk out

[lillupon]

So, I've got a very long rant/opinion here and Idk really know how to say this without coming off kinda bad but I'm gonna say it anyways. I agree with the fact that the seventeen tag has been kinda dry lately on most fanfic places, but it's really only in the smut area. It's the sane way with other groups too I feel like. All of the nice little innocent tags are boomin to this day and thats completely fine. I think the smut tag is dry tho bc lately I feel like a few social issues (like sexualizing people and disrespecting them and their identity) have crossed over into kpop and have been ?blown out of proportion? Lately there's been a rampage of people who like to say that writing smut about someone is disgusting and is dehumanizing because people want to assume that it would make the idols uncomfortable which could equate to some morality issues on how you are reducing someone only to their body without their consent and a bunch of stuff like that. It kind of pisses me off bc this is fiction. About grown adults. Clamping down on horny people who simp over hot asian men isn't going to solve the issues we face in real life. I think a shit ton is wrong with the world we currently live in, and deciding to come after something that isn't even real bothers me. Like what does that actually accomplish. But yeah, I think thats a reason why smut has been dying down. I mean, on youtube almost every video about unpopular opinions, or things they dont like about kpop will include something about shipping idols in fanfics. And then everyone in the comment section will talk about how its all fine and dandy in moderation, but once people start writing smut it's crossing the idols personal boundaries. It's something I've been seeing a lot more often and I think people who are interested in writing smut are being turned away from it bc we've gotten to a point where people are being called disgusting for having fantasies.

Hi Anon, thank you for sending in this Ask. 

I want to preface this by saying: when I write or talk about Mingyu and Wonwoo fucking on my blog, it is a fantasy. I am not speculating about what the real Mingyu and Wonwoo might be like in bed. I am imagining the versions of Mingyu and Wonwoo that I have created in my head, that exist only in my stories. None of it is real. I understand that this can be a blurry boundary for some people. But for me, the separation between fantasy and reality is well-defined. Now, on to your Ask!

You’ve hit the nail on the head with this one. You’ve also touched on many of the issues I have been struggling with myself as of late. It’s difficult to argue about morals since everyone has a different set of values, as well as different comfort levels. Some people think real person fiction (RPF) is a gross invasion of privacy. Others are fine with it. And others don’t care one way or another. There is no single answer; I can only offer my answer. Which means, of course, people are welcome to disagree with it, or parts of it. 

In this essay (LOL But forreal: this is an essay), I will be sharing my experience in the k-pop fanfic community from 2014 to present, the etiquette I personally abide by as a reader and writer of RPF, as well as my stance on RPF in general.

I started reading and posting fanfics back in 2014/2015 on a website called AsianFanfics (AFF). Obviously, no one on that site had a problem with RPF, since AFF is a platform made specifically for sharing stories about Asian celebrities. For many years, I read and enjoyed RPF with zero guilt. I scribbled away by myself in my own corner of fandom and curated my own content. I didn’t interact much with other fans, readers, or writers. I didn’t have a Twitter, and I only used tumblr to reblog memes. As a result, I’ve been able to avoid a lot of anti-shipping discourse, as well as purity and cancel culture. I had no idea there were so many negative opinions about RPF. It wasn’t until I became active on the subreddit r/Fanfiction last year that I learned about all the discourse surrounding RPF. 

This newfound ‘awareness’ does make me feel guilty at times—but only because after mulling this over, I still don’t think this is something to feel guilty about.

Here’s what I remember, first and foremost, when I create and consume RPF: fanfics and my favourite ships are fictional, and fiction is fantasy. This is basic etiquette when it comes to RPF, and most people in the k-pop fandom understand this. Delusional fans exist, of course, but they are not representative of the entire k-pop community. 

Another point of etiquette is to keep fanfics within fandom spaces. I would never push my fics into celebrities’ faces, or go around claiming that my fanfics are accurate representations of a k-idol’s life or personality, in any way, shape, or form. I would also discourage directing ship-related questions to official accounts, or bringing them up during fansigns or other face-to-face interactions; I believe that in these instances, shipping does have the potential to strain real-life relationships.

So with basic etiquette out of the way, let me share my approach to RPF in general.

As much as we like to think we know our favourite celebrities, we really don’t. All we see is their public persona. And this public persona is intentionally controlled, managed, and curated by a team of people: directors, tabloids, editors, makeup artists, publicists, etc. How “real” are these celebrities? We are so distanced from them that they may as well be fictional.

I draw from the public persona that idols project, and I work them into my own writing. But at the end of the day, these personalities are my own interpretation. My interpretation is probably nothing like an idol’s actual personality. I just use the “public persona/character” that idols portray as inspiration for my own stories, which are set in wildly different universes.

More than anything, I think of k-pop idols as “actors” in my fic. You know how when you write an original novel, you scroll through Google images, looking for the perfect person to portray your original character? RPF is literally that, except you might build upon pre-existing dynamics and personalities.

When it comes to explicit fanfiction, two main concerns are prevalent: one of consent, and one of sexualisation.

If we argue against explicit RPF due to lack of consent, we should be willing to apply the same lens to all explicit works. How do we know that the creator of a movie, book, series, etc., is okay with us using their characters in our stories, explicit or not? We don’t. Perhaps some creators encourage fanfiction, but don’t want their lovingly crafted characters engaging in sexual acts or experiencing trauma. We just don’t know. I feel this line is even more blurred when we talk about characters from movies or TV series.

Let’s take Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, as portrayed by Chris Evans and Sebastian Stan, from the Captain America movies as an example. I am willing to bet that when people consume and create explicit fanfiction about Steve and Bucky, they are imagining Chris Evans and Sebastian Stan in their heads. I doubt many people are imagining the 2D cartoon versions of Steve and Bucky, even though they’re technically the exact same characters. Why? Well, it could be because movies are more readily and easily consumed than comics, and so people are unfamiliar with comic book Steve and Bucky. But it might also be because fans find Chris Evans and Sebastian Stan attractive. Is this really any different from RPF, where fic authors make up everything about a celebrity’s life?  

When readers and writers of fanfic talk about how hot Steve Rogers or Bucky Barnes is, those comments are about Chris Evans and Sebastian Stan’s bodies. When reading explicit stories, fans are going to picture Chris and Sebastian’s bodies in their head, doing sexual things. Can we say, “Well, it’s not really you, Chris/Sebastian”, when in a way, it is?

The reality is, people are going to thirst over celebrities, regardless of whether or not explicit fanfiction exists. They’re going to post thirst tweets on Twitter. They’re going to talk to friends and strangers online about how hot [insert celebrity name here] is. They’re going to fantasize about dating and having sex with their favourite celebrity. Or, as it is in my case, they’re going to make up stories in their heads about their favourite idols dating and banging each other. People are going to do all of this without ‘getting consent’ from the celebrity. Cracking down upon and shaming writers of RPF isn’t going to change any of that.

To be honest, I’m not sure why people think it is disgusting to imagine sexual scenarios about real people. It is okay and normal to have these kinds of fantasies. I suppose the alternative is to fantasise about having sex with cartoon characters instead? It’s a very binary way of thinking to say that if you imagine/write real people in explicit scenarios, you are immediately sexualising, dehumanising, or objectifying them. There is more to dehumanisation than writing smut about our favourite celebrities. For one thing, you can love someone and appreciate all parts of them, and still want to fuck their brains out. And generally, fanfics come from a place of love—love that is not only sexual in nature.

Is it the sharing aspect inherent to fanfiction? The possibility that a celebrity might stumble upon explicit works about them? The chances are very low, I think, of the k-pop idols I enjoy writing about coming across my English fics. But I also believe in curating your own content, and that applies to celebrities too. Perhaps a celebrity should not go searching for fanfics about themselves. And of course, people should not show celebrities their fanfics, unless invited.

Another argument I hear against (explicit) RPF is, “How would you feel if someone wrote fanfiction about you?” First off, I don’t like this argument because there’s a difference between someone who decides to be a public figure versus someone who decides to remain a regular private citizen. Celebrities should and do know what they’re getting into when they choose their occupation. (This is not to say, “They are celebrities; sexualise them all you want because that’s what they signed up for.” Here, I am only acknowledging that people might have sexual fantasies about celebrities they are attracted to. Presumably, celebrities are cognizant of this.)  

If someone (whose existence I am not even aware of, mind you) decides they want to write explicit fanfiction of me in some tiny corner of the Internet, I wouldn’t care so long as: (1) they don’t shove it into my face, and (2) they don’t harass me and ask invasive questions about my personal life and relationships. It’s not hurting me or negatively affecting my life, so it wouldn’t even register as a blip on my radar. When fanfiction remains within its appropriate spaces, it is largely harmless. 

Now, if a k-pop idol were to ask their fans to stop writing fanfiction about them, would I? Yes, I would. However, I can’t imagine that happening. Judging by the number of ‘sexy’ concepts, fanservice moments, and variety shows such as ‘We Got Married’, I am certain that k-pop idols realise they are the stars of many fantasies—some of which are explicit in nature. Considering the prevalence of shipping in the k-pop industry, I would argue that shipping is subtly encouraged.

It’s sad that so many talented writers are shamed out of fandom, or feel that k-pop cannot be the medium through which they tell their stories, or explore their sexuality, or cope with trauma, or simply have fun. Professional works and Hollywood love their RPF—readers and writers of fanfics should be able to, as well. 

As you said Anon, “clamping down on horny people who simp over hot asian men isn't going to solve the issues we face in real life” (this is a lovely sentence, by the way). The kind of person who dehumanises another and reduces them to a sexual object will do so some other way, if not via fanfiction. I don’t think the issue of fetishisation can be fixed simply by telling people not to write explicit RPF. In my experience, people who read and write RPF are more respectful and thoughtful about these things than the general public. We’ve all seen the general public say highly sexual things about celebrities in the media and to their faces, or tag celebrities in their thirst tweets. Are these things less invasive than fanfiction? Personally, I don’t think so. And in my opinion, there are more pressing and damaging issues in stan culture than fanfic.

In conclusion, I don’t think there is anything wrong with creating and consuming RPF, both explicit and non-explicit so long as we:

Remember we are writing fiction

Keep RPF within its appropriate space, and

Do not harass celebrities about their personal lives and relationships

RPF is not for everyone. There may be people who enjoy RPF, but draw the line at explicit stories. This is fine. Everyone has their own personal preferences. What is not fine, however, is attacking people for creating things you don’t like. I’m not sure what kind of moral crusade people are on and what they hope to achieve by shaming writers of RPF, explicit or otherwise. Ultimately, fic authors are writing a fantasy. It’s not real; no one is being hurt. I think it’s important for people to curate their own content, and AO3 makes it very easy to filter out explicit works and unwanted tags. 

Maybe this is me trying to justify my own participation in explicit RPF—I don’t know. What I do know is that I love k-pop, and fandom is an important part of my media and entertainment experience. I adore the k-pop idols I write about, and I just want to imagine them being happy and getting lots of love and orgasms. Let a bitch be horny, goddamn… 

Some bonus fun facts!

At the time I am writing this, on AO3:

26.2% of Stray Kids fanfics are rated M or E

26.3% of Seventeen fanfics are rated M or E

29.0% of Merlin fanfics are rated M or E

34.9% of Captain America (Movies) fanfics are rated M or E

40.1% of BTS fanfics are rated M or E ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Coincidentally, I saw this post on Reddit this morning: Can we have a RPF positivity post?

[yaboyspodcastpalace]

For the character asks: Jon, Peter Lukas, Annabelle Cane? (giving multiple suggestions so you can pick one in case you get the same character twice in different asks)

very kind of you to assume i get many asks :') THANKS ill do all of them u_u

[Send me a character and i'll tell you...]

(under the cut bc i love talking and this got long lmao)

Jon

First impression

he's a uptight prick with obvious favoritism for sasha and tim and i love him so! much!!!!!!

Impression now

my poor little mew mew hm................I've got a complicated relationship w/ jon bc i love him a lot, but i loved s1 him the most, and literally everything else just makes me really, brutally, sad ;_; The way he tries so desperately to cling to his humanity and how other characters just call him by the title imposed to him makes me wanna cry

...also he just cares so much ;_; i cry

Favorite moment

probably his interactions with georgie at the beginning of season 3!!! From s5 id say when he killed not!sasha, it felt vindictive ù_ú

Idea for a story

Dhfhdh im p basic when it comes to him ngl, either jon/tim/sasha friends to lovers or jon and desolation!tim or *something*!sasha trying to stay as human as possible, together 😔 (or just any of them living and coping together in s4 n s5)

Unpopular opinion

Im just not a fan of monster jon, at all! He's not the type of character that i enjoy seeing having a corruption arc unfortunately!! It just hurts!!! (and this Is from someone that Loves corruption arcs!!!)

Also i really hate moth jon imagery??? For not particular reason, moths are pretty, but i still hate it u_u AND THE ASSOCIATION OF GREEN W/ JON (or the beholding in general!) I CANNOT STAND IT!! i know its bc of the tma logo but guess what! Its wrong! Purple jon rights!!!

ALSO ALSO the so called pining he had for martin just.... didnt felt like that at all! i have Many feelings abt this!

Favorite relationship

either georgie in s3, or sasha!!! i love how he always praises sasha in her research in s1 and even thought he's at his driest & sharp Trying-To-Project-Professionalism-And-Skepticism she still rolls into his office, interrupts him mid statement to banter w/ him abt pronunciation n stuff and its just Normal, like that speaks volumes of how comfortable they felt around each other! they were friends gdi! the moment he realizes she died and then everytime the not!them mocks him w/ her death makes me wanna break smth q_q

im not even gonna mention tim bc even though i love their relationship It 👏 makes me👏 very 👏 sad 👏

non shippy and also staying strictly canon, i love his relationship with melanie!

Favorite headcanon

sometimes i think abt that one hc that hes really good with arcade games bc he lived near the coast and i smile bc thats cute :) also hes a trans man 💙💗🤍💗💙

Peter

First impression

Mystery evil captain man!!! Fog?? I LOVE him :)

Impression now

I STILL LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!!!!!!!! Hes an asshole and has a lovely voice and smile and hes not, hes not Dumb but also he's far from the whooooa evil lonely influence he think he is (played like a cheap fiddle). He also makes me sad in ways i cannot and wont describe, and its a shame that he died cuz he was the best part of season 4 😔 rip you beautiful bastard man i still miss you </3

Favorite moment

"It has blood on it" "thats Leitner's too :D". Also when martin was angry abt idk, breekon? Jon going into the coffin? Cant remember, but peter was like I said id protect the institute, that guys not my problem ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Idea for a story

dfgdfg i have..... a petermart story that dealt with the different flavor of loneliness they both had, half smut half genuine meta of both of them and theorization on the branching of an Entity & how their powers manifested in other people...

basically, peter thinks hes hot shit when it comes to loneliness but gets overwhelmed when martin accidentally projects his feelings abt *fic's plot stuff* on him, its fun stuff!

Unpopular opinion

people either paint him like an absolute devil or an incompetent idiot and hes neither of them! hes an asshole who loves being an asshole but far from the worst monster in the show and he tried to do a clever scheme TWICE on his life and 1. while it was established that any of the rituals wouldnt work singularly the Silence was still a pretty clever attempt if it weren't for gertrude! and 2. well... he tried to manipulate someone petty and formerly supposed to be a web avatar, again not his fault, cant call him stupid for trying dfgdfg

i Do think hes kinda pathetic in some sense considering his backstory, but more out of personal pity than anything else

Favorite relationship

Canonically speaking him and martin! The pull and push of them was The best thing about season 4! Peter being a quite dangerous avatar and martin, beautiful and scared and kinda feisty, confronting him every chance he gets, peter doing his best to manipulate him and martin letting him believe hes succeeding (even thought, he is, partly). They're fascinating characters to have side by side

Favorite headcanon

Partly canonically speaking him and mikaele salesa :) they do bets together! They're lonely sea men! What else could you possibly want?

Also non shippy i like thinking abt peter's and simon's relationship but thats entirely non canon ♡

Diversity wins! The heir of the lonely is a gay man!

Also I think as every rich household(?) the lukases had many paintings and peter as a kid saw the ones w/ sailing ships and imagined sailing far far away from his family. That and seaman aesthetic fucks, which is why he always has the same vibe going on as an adult. He does Not know half of the things he'd need to know to have a ship though but hey he's rich and thats all he needs

Annabelle

First impression

thats a horrible psychological experiment they're making there D:

Impression now

THATS STILL A HORRIBLE EXPERIMENT AND ANNABELLE DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER............. idk! she makes me sad in the same way jon (and to a degree, peter) does! to be a living puppet for the thing that traumatized you as a kid and that later kinda killed you / is the only thing keeping you alive, to be devoted to it scrambling to believe in a higher reason for all of it to happen bc to believe otherwise is............. anyway. i love her, and i feel so so sorry for her

Favorite moment

her "maybe ive never been to the beach" at the end of ehr statement (that i fully believe its bullshit but, yknow, i love that she adds that), most of her convos with martin, her "i told you this might happen" "you did, you did" with mikaele

Idea for a story

i think a lot about her having conversations w/ either mikaele (platonically) or sasha (shippy) and their different points of views and treat with her making her doubt the web a bit

Unpopular opinion

listen, listen, i know it sounds like im woobifying her i Know it but reading the scraps of her story how can i Not feel sorry for her? when the story framed her very similar to jon? the supernatural childhood encounter that gave them arachnophobia and the subsequential joining with an Entity against her will? the fact that both the story and the fans treat her like a spider woman always sat very very bad to me, and the fact that the story itself always framed her like a villain (considering All The Other Characters that get the benefit of the doubt) was extremely disappointing

Favorite relationship

her and mikaele!!!!!!! wish we could have seen more scenes of just the two of them!!!!!! *singing* he is her daaaaaad, hes her dad! boogie boogie boogie! (ok no but like... their offscreen friendship is my favorite thing of season 5 ;_;)

Favorite headcanon

Sigh i dont know...i still think she's scared of spiders which make her current existence harder but thats a sadcanon :/ umm...... i love the idea of mikaele and her cooking together from time to time! Mikaele showing her some plates he used to eat as a kid as he talks stories about his life :) and she listens and sometimes tells a story of her own! its been so long since he had a quasy normal conversation! its weird yet nice!

[bobasheebaby]

I wanted to talk about a point someone made about mentioning mutuals on your fics that you think will enjoy reading. Its a great idea bc it’s a nice boost that can help make new/unpopular writers comfortable. It’s actually how I started off when I was new and didn’t know anything about "etiquette" or rules. People were actually supportive. Whether it was reblogging stuff or just being very nice to talk with. I never felt left out even though I wasn’t popular (1/5)

Oof Nonny a lot to unpack here.

Okay, first we all started out small, all had zero readers and yes it’s nice to think you can tag your mutuals and yes there are also those who don’t like being tagged when they didn’t ask. If it’s a really good mutual you are gonna know if they mind. I will sometimes tag my mutuals in things I found with low note counts when I know they will enjoy them.

There is no quick and easy way to find readers. I know I probably look dumb with my high note counts saying that but here’s the thing, not every story is for every reader. Even people on my perma tag who asked to be there aren’t into every story I’ve written, I have some fics that blow up and others that get crickets and I’ve been here for two years. You are going to lose loyal readers because they lose interest in the fandom or aren’t into the pairing you are currently writing but you will also find new readers in time. I have fics that posted at the beginning of me writing still getting notes, the right readers will find you, they just might not be here yet.

The person who suggested tagging mutuals also brought up a very good point, there are books and pairings in those books that are more popular than others. If you are writing for let’s say wlw there is a much smaller reader base there but it does exist. I wrote f!Cassian and got crickets but I also know that not everyone has f!Cassian.

I promise every single one of us still remembers when we were small, some of us still stay up all night to finish a fic. We also know that it takes guts to write and post. There are many blogs out there willing to help elevate newer writers, I am one of them @darley1101 is another who expressed the willingness to help.

I do understand the frustration and the hurt you might have felt when you read that post. That post wasn’t a way to keep you down. And yes it may seem like the bigger blogs only reblog each other but I promise we don’t.

Many of us have fallen behind in our reading. I know some have gotten to the point that if the person doesn’t reblog them they won’t give the same courtesy. Again this isn’t a way to keep anyone down.

We all have the same number of hours, but we all have different number of things to fill those hours. For some of us it’s not worth it to read and reblog someone who never reblogs them or anyone else because they only have so much time to read and they would rather spend their time reading and reblogging people they know appreciate them.

I promise we aren’t sitting on top of high towers laughing, we have the same insecurities and anxieties about posting our fics. We just have found a community of people that we fit into and yes we might read them first but there are many reasons you may not be getting read.

Tumblr sucks and isn’t sending notifications

Tumblr keeps changing the algorithm to be found in the search tags. Once upon a time you could tag, link your masterlist and be found in the searches, for a long while you couldn’t tag or link in the main post. It’s still hit or miss for me with tagging in the main post if I will be seen, I’m not linking because most of those aren’t being found.

No one is reblogging. There are more and more ghosts readers or people just liking. Likes are great but they aren’t seen. I tell this every time half of my favorite writers I found via a reblog that ended up on my dash.

Reblogs are being eaten. The amount of times that I’m in the middle of a long and wordy reblog and end up being tagged in the middle and tumblr decided I’m that blog is insane. When this happens my reblog is gone. I have to exit from the app and renter to be me again and start over, unless I was making notes as I went the reblog is never the same, I end up making it shorter cause I’m mad at tumblr especially after three or four times of this happening. I also know some people who thought it went up and it didn’t. It sucks. Also there have been times that tumblr didn’t bother notifying me that someone reblogged or commented on my own post. Tumblr really sucks.

The best way to guarantee you will be found in the tag search is to tag appropriately. Only tag the characters appearing in it, though I’ve seen some cases of that backfiring so tag the pairing and the LI in the pairing might be better. Tag triggers. Tag NSFW content. There are people who ask to be tagged but won’t reblog NSFW or certain triggers.

I wish I could give you a foolproof guaranteed way to find more readers but the truth is it is hard for all of us even if it doesn’t seem like it. We all fight for those notes. We all have to remember that we may not be everyone’s cup of tea. We all get anxious and freak out. We all spent hours on our fics. I promise it feels hard and like we are out to get you but we aren’t. All I can say is keep writing keep posting, don’t give up. There are other platforms you can try like AO3 you will see every hit but you don’t always get a million comments or kudos. Writing is hard for all of us, you have to have a passion to keep doing it, I still have waves of doubt and think “is it even worth it to keep writing” at least once a month but I keep going because at the end of the day I’d go crazier keeping my stories in my head.

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 9/30/20

Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter, Vol. 6 | By Reai and Suki Umemiya | Seven Seas – Another series down to “once a year” release—I had to jog my memory at the start to recall what had been happening. Many things are going wrong for our heroine, who is trying to be strong and tough but is also starting to break down, and I felt that the scenes with her and Dean struck just the right balance of comforting and letting the heroine cry without making her seem weaker. This sets the stage for her comeback, which is extraordinary. (And also has a corrupt Church, a constant in Japanese light novels, though at least here there are also honest and good religious people in it.) That said, eventually Dean’s identity will come out, and I do wonder how this very good “villainess” isekai will handle it. – Sean Gaffney

The Ancient Magus’ Bride: Jack Flash and the Faerie Case Files, Vol. 1 | By Yu Godai, Mako Oikawa, and Kore Yamazaki | Seven Seas – A faerie switched at birth for a human child, Jack never fit in in either world. Only in the mortal realm could she earn money for anime collectibles, however, so she decided to make herself into a tough, capable woman like her literary heroes and set up shop as a detective. Together with her fellow changeling, Larry the werewolf, Jack takes on supernatural cases in New York City. In this volume, Lindel tasks them with tracking down a missing dragon egg. I liked the resources Jack uses to obtain information, which include a dapper theatre ghost and a spell with components of rat whiskers and taxi tires because “Nobody out there knows this city better than them.” I still found this a bit hard to get into, though, especially the parts involving a perpetually tearful off-off-off-off-Broadway actress and her pickpocket boyfriend. Still, I will check out volume two! – Michelle Smith

Black Clover, Vol. 22 | By Yuki Tabata | Viz Media – At long last, this interminable arc comes to an end. I enjoyed a lot of it, but I cannot deny it should have been about two volumes shorter. Most of the book is taken up by shonen battles, with the villain being nigh unkillable, the heroes almost breaking themselves to stop him, etc. Fortunately, the day is saved, and even the Wizard King turns out to be… sort of alive again? Shota fans should be happy. Asta fans perhaps less so—the sheer amount of damage done to the kingdom in this arc means someone has to be blamed, and give Asta has the “dark evil magic” it’s gonna be him, especially when he takes the incredibly obvious bait they use to get him to fight. Oh well, if Asta were smart, this wouldn’t be Black Clover. – Sean Gaffney

Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro, Vol. 3 | By Nanashi | Vertical Comics – Part of the problem with titles like this and the other teasing works (Takagi-san less so as Nishikata doesn’t fall into the category) is that they are, at heart, the classic “extroverted girl acts overtly extroverted to bring introverted guy out of their shell,” and that’s not really a plot that feels comfortable in the Gen Z days, where you’re more likely to say “why doesn’t she just let him be in his quiet, safe space?” And by she I mean they, as Nagatoro’s two friends appear far more often here, which offers some good two-way teasing action, as they clearly see her crush on him, if not why. It’s still sort of hard to read, but if you pretend he’s more OK with it than he actually is, this is cute. – Sean Gaffney

Failed Princesses, Vol. 1 | By Ajiichi | Seven Seas – The concept of “popular girl meets unpopular girl” is a common one in yuri manga, and we do indeed hit several of its tropes in this first volume. The amusing thing is that Kanade, the shy outcast girl, is perfectly aware of how things are supposed to go, and keeps pulling back a bit to try to save Nanaki from, well, making herself an outcast by associating with the wrong people. The best part of the volume is that Nanaki really doesn’t give two shits about any of that, and seems set on making Kanade her best friend… and also making her over, which backfires a bit as Kanade cleans up nicely. I hear this gets a bit dramatic later, but for the moment it’s a cute and fluffy proto-yuri story. – Sean Gaffney

In/Spectre, Vol. 12 | By Kyo Shirodaira and Chashiba Katase | Kodansha Comics – The first story in this volume is another “Rikka tries to make people understand Kotoko is an evil Machiavellian schemer,” this time with one of her ex-classmates, but again the response seems to be “we know she’s a manipulative bitch, but she’s a good person anyway.” The larger story, which will continue into the next book, seems to be a chance to write Kuro and Kotoko as an actual romance, as the man we meet here and his relationship with a yuki-onna… as well as his penchant for attracting misfortune… very much parallel them. That said, they’re very cute together, which is why I hope he avoids the murder charge he’s now being investigated for. Still a favorite. – Sean Gaffney

Interviews with Monster Girls, Vol. 8 | By Petos | Kodansha Comics – The author knows what people want to see, but also knows that the best way to get readers is to drive them crazy by not showing it. We finally get what we’ve been begging for here, as Tetsuo asks Sakie out on a date. (This is after rejecting Kyouko’s love confession, both because she’s his student and also, as he is forced to admit, as he likes Sakie.) The stage is set for the date… and the rest of the book is thus spent with the three main student girls going to Kyouko’s for a fireworks viewing and meeting her family. They’re good chapters, and I really liked showing how difficult Kyouko has it as a dullahan in terms of everyday life, but GOD, please get back to the teachers, I beg you! – Sean Gaffney

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 16 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – The series has gotten to the point where the more rewarding chapters are the ones as part of a larger arc. Not that the one-shot chapters are bad—though Maki’s journey to India may be the most pointless thing in this entire series to date, we do get Chika’s iconic “shut up or I’ll kill you” here. But the larger arcs, featuring Miyuki and Kaguya attempting to date without interruptions, and setting up Ishigami and Iino for a romance—though given the number of limbs broken in this book, and Iino’s own horrible lack of self-awareness, it may be a ways out—are better. This series is still hilarious, but we’ve come to read it more for the heartwarming moments. Heck, there’s even some serious drama here. Very good. – Sean Gaffney

Nineteen | By Ancco | Drawn & Quarterly – Although it was translated and released second in English, Nineteen is a precursor to Ancco’s internationally award-winning manhwa Bad Friends. The volume collects thirteen short comics originally published in Korea over a decade ago which absolutely remain relevant to today’s world. While understandably not as polished as some of Ancco’s later work—one can observe her style evolving and growing over the course of the collection (which is fascinating)—the comics still carry significant emotional weight and impact. Nineteen includes diary comics, which tend to be more lighthearted, as well as harder-hitting fictional stories, many of which also have autobiographical inspiration. As a whole, the collection explores themes of young adulthood, growing up, and complicated family relationships. In particular, there is a compelling focus on the relationships among daughters, mothers, and grandmothers. Some of the narratives can be rather bleak, but a resigned sense of humor threads through Nineteen, too. – Ash Brown

Ran the Peerless Beauty, Vol. 8 | By Ammitsu | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Shoujo manga that has couples getting together BEFORE the end of the series is inevitably going to have an arc dealing with how far the lead couple should go now that they’re dating, and this is Ran’s turn, as she and Akira and their friends go to a beach house Ran’s family owns and have some beach fun. Unfortunately, the cast gets winnowed down one by one until it’s just the two of them… and her overprotective father, who arrives in time to provide the cliffhanger and no doubt ensure that nookie does not ensue. Not that I think it should—these two kids are even purer than the couple from Kimi ni Todoke, and I think they should mature a bit more before going further. Plus, watching them blush and kiss is wonderful. – Sean Gaffney

Spy x Family, Vol. 2 | By Tatsuya Endo | Viz Media – Having spent our first volume establishing that our found family can really come to love each other deep down, this volume shows off how they are also, at heart, fundamentally awkward and unable to socialize normally. This is unsurprising—hints of Loid’s life we’ve seen show him as a war orphan, Yor is a contract killer, and Anya basically grew up being experimented on by bad guys. As the school soon finds, this leads to issues. The second half of the book introduces Yor’s sister-obsessed little brother Yuri, who turns out to be a torture expert for Loid’s enemies. As always, half the fun is that everyone except Anya has no idea who their real selves are, and the cliffhanger tells us we’re in for some hilarious family fun. I love this. – Sean Gaffney

Spy x Family, Vol. 2 | By Tatsuya Endo | VIZ Media – After a brief spell atop the waiting list, Anya officially makes it into Eden Academy. Loid is anxious to progress to the next stage of his mission and, believing there’s not much chance in turning Anya into an elite scholar like his agency wants, focuses instead on having her befriend the younger son of his target. It does not go to plan, of course. Anya is very cute in this volume, and I also really appreciated how Loid genuinely listens to Yor and values her input. The arrival of Yor’s brother, a member of the secret police, is going to be a fun complication, and another cast member with a secret, but my favorite part of this series is probably always going to be how much love these three are already feeling for each other. So unique and good! – Michelle Smith

Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization, Vol. 6 | By Tomo Hirokawa, based on the story by Reki Kawahara | Yen Press – The weakness of this manga is the same as always—it’s written to tie into the games, and features several characters I just don’t recognize, which can be a problem given this is the big final let’s-save-the-world ending. That said, this is still a decent SAO title. Kirito gets to be cool and badass, but because this isn’t written just by Kawahara others do as well, and it’s a nice balanced effort that focuses on heroine Premiere. I also really liked the point where all the NPCs are worried when everyone has to log out for several days for maintenance. While I’ll still remember this as the “SAO only everyone is alive” manga, I enjoyed reading it, when I wasn’t confused. – Sean Gaffney

By: Ash Brown

[abbeyroadie]

1 - Unpopular opinion but Antoni hasn’t been with Kevin long enough for the way some of you talk about them. Maybe don’t jump the gun just yet. And not to pull focus but Trace was successful without Antoni too. Owns his own business. He didn’t need the fame either and yet was constantly accused when he never posted photos with the celebs he hung out with. All these things you guys are saying about Kevin you either said about Trace or accused him of the opposite and it just seems a little weird.

2 - Trace looked at Antoni like he hung the moon too and they had cute moments cuddling at home on the couch at the end of a long day. There really is no difference except that Kevin smiles in photos and doesn’t thirst trap on instagram but considering that Antoni thirst traps too, I don’t see why anyone should have such an issue with that. I don’t care about Trace beyond his association with Antoni but the difference in how people have treated him vs Kevin has bugged me for a while.     

3 - I think you were the only one who even liked Trace because you like to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. You were saying the same stuff you’re saying about Kevin now about Trace when they were dating. You even created a couple tag for them too. The fact that you can’t stand him now after how much you liked him and them as a couple before should at least make you more wary about Kevin or anyone Antoni dates. But you’re always all in so quick and it’s fascinating to me.   

~ 

I’ll admit that I did like Trace while he was dating Antoni.I was always defending him when people questioned his integrity and motives.And I did point out that Trace and Ant had their cute moments, although thosemoments were few and far between when it came to public consumption. You reallyhad to dig deep to find smiley Ant and Trace pics. Doesn’t mean more of thosemoments didn’t exist in private. On the contrary, I’m sure they did. Did theycare for each other? Yes, I believe they did. Did they love each other? I don’tknow, but I assume things were serious since Trace packed up all of his stuff fromLA intent on moving permanently to NYC, assuming he was moving in with Antoni.And then something happened. Something really bad. There is no denying it. Evenwithout in-depth knowledge of what went down, we know Trace fucked up. He fuckedup so badly that Ant shut him out completely. Trace was in limbo because all ofhis belongings were packed up to move and suddenly, he had no place to move to.Ant cut him off. He erased Trace from his IG, he stopped following him,multiple of Ant’s friends stopped following Trace one by one. That doesn’t soundlike a relationship that just “ran its course.” It doesn’t sound like anamicable split at all. One minute everything is fine, and the next minute yourpartner doesn’t even want you to exist in any part of their world anymore. That’swhen I realized that Trace wasn’t the person I thought he was. I wasn’t privy tohis past relationships or his current dealings with drugs. But that’s allspeculation (depending on who you talk to) so I’m not even gonna go into all ofthat. All I know is somehow, someway Trace hurt Antoni. And, with me, that’slike flipping a switch. You hurt someone that I care about and you are DONE. (Irealize I don’t know Antoni personally, but I know enough about him to careabout him, so don’t come for me, lol.) Once the rose-colored glasses were off,I started to see things about Trace that other people were seeing. Again, I won’tgo into detail because that’s beside the point. But dig a little deeper intoTrace’s past and you’ll see what I’m referring to. And I don’t think that allof it is just in the past.

Which brings me to Kevin. I was wary of Kevin at first because of what happened with Trace, and then I realized comparing Kevin toTrace isn’t fair to Kevin. So, me being me, I’m giving Kevin the benefit of thedoubt. I know Kevin isn’t perfect. His excessive drinking and general talk ofdrinking/alcohol worries me a bit. Not that there is anything wrong with it – Kevin isof age and he can do what he wants – but the fact that he’s now dating someonewho has had issues with alcohol in the past to the point that they don’t drinkanymore PERIOD gives me a little bit of anxiety over how this may impact theirrelationship in the long run. But Kevin has already taken steps to show that hecan and/or will compromise certain things for Ant. Participating in Dry Januaryis something he may be doing for Antoni’s sake, or he could be doing it forhimself. But the fact remains that he IS NOT drinking at all for the entiremonth of January. This from someone who constantly enjoys parties and alcoholon a regular basis. Is it a permanent fix? Of course not. Does it show that he’swilling to try to do things with his boyfriend’s best interests in mind? Yes. Buthonestly, here’s the deal: If Kevin fucks up like Trace did, I’m done with him,too. I want Antoni to be happy, and right now Kevin is making him happy. So Iam going to support them any way I can until I see that Antoni isn’t happyanymore. But until that time, just like I did with Trace, I will support Antand Kevin’s relationship and be a Kevintoni cheerleader until I have reason notto be.

Bottom line: I am a fan of Antoni. If you makeAntoni happy, we’re cool. If not? All bets are off.

[renchanworkshop]

some offtop stuff as always

I’m sorry for lack of updates, there were a lot of going on in my life and to be honest I completely forgot I didn’t uploaded anything here for a while. I’ll dump a looot of stuff which stockpiled over this time is couple of minutes, but before that, I’ll write some offtop things for those who care a little bit about what am I doing  etc :D 

First of all, regarging Pokemon Sword/Shield “teh true fans war”. I am out of this bringback nonsense. I’m gonna  buy both games and enjoy  them and I’m sure they will be great. Unpopular opinion, but I think it will be even refreshing to have incomplete pokedex. It is just healthy for competitive arena. And as I am more competitive than casual player - I am ok with pokedex shortened for those games as I think it will refresh meta and make battles more interesting. I understand those who are upset, but attacking those who are going to buy games, harass Masuda and GF workers and spam all pokemon related social media is ridiculous. If you are one of those who does this crap - booo, shame on you.

Second, about somewhat a discovery for me - I tried Dragon Quest Builders 2 demo because of Switch news promoted it very often, and I after some thoughts and doubts I bought full game, and I never had any regrets about that since then. This game is amazing! No, it is not an “anime minecraft”, it is completely different thing. Game story is very long and very rich and for me it was a huge emotional rollercoaster, and this game overall is a gem for creative people :D Also for some reasons it reminded me of Animal Crossing and I guess it is never a bad thing :) I’m absolutely in love with Malroth and honestly I never cared so much about ingame companion, I wish everyone had a friend as good as him in real life. If you thought about getting this game - I highly recommend it! Try demo, if you will like it, get the game, it 100% worth its price.

About my entomology hobby - it all went not as planned. There were literally no summer where I live since mid June - it was very cold, and very rainy :( Hope next year will be better   

[riddlerosehearts]

okay, i’m on my way home from AWA and i’ve finally had time to actually look into overwatch 2 and collect my thoughts, so here goes... this is gonna get far too long and essentially be a big essay that i know most people won’t care about, but i just really wanna get my thoughts out so i’ll drop it under a readmore! also be warned that if you‘re super into the new character designs you won’t be into part of this post, lol. but anyway:

first off, i think a lot of the discourse i’ve seen about it seems... overblown and based on inaccurate info?? (don’t worry i am not talking about hong kong here, people are absolutely justified in hating blizzard for that and so do i). people keep acting like they’re gonna charge $60 just for new maps or something but for one thing no price or release date has been announced (in fact, the dev team doesn’t even know when it will release and it’s been said that we may have to wait until 2020 for a date, because it’s still early in development), and for another thing overwatch 1 wasn’t even $60 on pc at launch?? yes on console it was which sucks but most of the playerbase is on pc, and the base game was $40 at launch for us. blizzard cannot be so colossally stupid that they’d charge more for this than for the base game, and if they do i’ll absolutely be complaining about it, but for now we literally have no clue how much the cost for OW2 will be.

and on top of that, it’s... not just new maps? it’s new maps, yes, but also multiple new heroes at launch, a whole new PvP mode, a PvE story mode which is something people have begging for to move the lore forward, a new updated engine, and the PvE will have its own maps and brand new abilities and skill trees—with the abilities and skill trees being unlike anything overwatch has done before, and uniquely exclusive to OW2 and not affecting the PvP so you’re not unfairly disadvantaged if you don’t have OW2—and i also feel the need to reiterate that it’s still in early development so i highly doubt we already know all there is to know. blizzard hasn’t been entirely clear on what overwatch 2 even is tbh but it’s certainly not just new maps and if you think it is then i’m actually begging you to spend at least 30 seconds on google because 30 seconds is really all you need to click on one article and see that that’s far from the truth.

also if you’re not interested in the lore then from what i’m gathering you don’t even need to buy it because apparently OW1 is getting all the same stuff except for that? like, people are saying blizzard should just release it all as free content, but apparently they almost are since the new “push” game mode, plus the map that comes with it (and any future ones) is coming to OW1 and it’s gonna keep getting all the hero updates and everything that isn’t exclusive to the PvE mode and players will be put into the same PvP lobbies across games?? correct me if i’m wrong on that but it sounds like if you already own OW1 and don’t want the story mode stuff you literally don’t need to buy OW2 at all—so if you do then you’re just buying the story mode/PvE stuff, that’s it. and if you do, every cosmetic item you already own will transfer over! it’s also not like OW1 is done updating, as we know we can still expect new heroes in it before OW2 releases.

don’t get me wrong, i am a bit worried that the amount of new content won’t be enough to justify the price, i do still hate blizzard for the entire hong kong controversy and desperately wish they would do better, and as a massive lore enthusiast and someone whose primary reason for loving overwatch is based in its characters and world i am very frustrated that this is what it takes for the story to actually move forward, but i’m also really excited to see where this all goes and i honestly think people are largely just complaining without actually looking into what they’re complaining about. i also literally don’t understand the idea that “lol overwatch already had this for like a week before they took it out” about the PvE stuff and would like someone to explain that to me if possible because i’ve been playing this game since very shortly after launch and i’m confused asjdjdnfkd

that all being said i do have what i’m guessing is a pretty unpopular opinion though, and it’s that i... i don’t like most of the character redesigns we’ve seen, and the ones i do like i mostly just kinda like, i don’t love them or feel excited about them, while the rest i’m neutral toward or hate, and that actually really upsets me because the ones i hate most are for two of my most favorite characters and it makes me worried for what they might’ve done to redesign and potentially mess up my other faves—but i guess these will be the designs going forward, and everybody’s pretty fanart is gonna have these designs, so i’ll just have to get used to them.

to be more specific on that last point: i absolutely hate lucio and mercy’s hair and i’m honestly really sad about that, especially since i run a mercy appreciation blog and i don’t wanna celebrate her new design on it because i hate it so that would be very insincere of me but i don’t wanna say negative things and complain on it either, but i just think her hair looks so strange now. and i like lucio’s outfit tbh but his weird neon glowstick hair just... ruins it, it looks so bad to me i can’t stand it and i want his regular hair back. i would honestly prefer not to even acknowledge these 2 designs (well, mostly the hair i guess) exist if i could help it. i also don’t like reinhardt’s beard or bun although i am glad to see his face exposed and like the lion on his armor, and i can see his new hair possibly growing on me eventually. and while mei’s design is mostly okay i loved her old hairpin, it was distinctive and cute and i’m sad it’s gone because i dislike whatever it is that’s in her hair now sjdjdkgkd. also before seeing a side by side comparison i legit had to ask a friend if anything was even different about winston or if i was just blind—which i guess, considering how i feel about the others, is a good thing for me lol. but if you like all these designs that’s valid and i’m happy for you!! just don’t expect to see me praising them, but i’m also not gonna be super negative like this too often either.

for kinda-positives: i actually do really enjoy one single new design though, and it’s genji’s, but not for any specific reason other than i’m excited that he’s finally wearing clothes lol. i don’t feel strongly either way about the design of the clothes themselves (...though i do lowkey agree with the people saying they’re boring looking, but hey, my man is finally done running around naked everywhere, so i’ll take it). and i like tracer’s new glasses and the fact that she ditched the crocs finally!! i’d also like to talk a bit more about mei’s design—a friend of mine is saying people are complaining they slimmed her down, and i haven’t seen any of that for myself but if they really are then i uh... don’t get that? she still looks just as fat to me?? i’ll just let this comment i made in discord as soon i saw the new designs speak for itself:

so yeah, if she is any skinner it’s because of the newly normal-sized coat, because when i look at the models side by side she legit looks the same size to me or maybe a little bit smaller—but hey, who knows, maybe i truly am just blind! but anyway, if you gave her old hairpin back then i’d honestly have no issue with her new design.

i truly hope the new designs will grow on me more though, especially mercy’s because the feeling of having an appreciation blog for a character you love a lot and not being able to celebrate something like this is a feeling that really sucks, but i... feel very alone in disliking them as much as i do and while i’m glad everyone else is happy i’m sad about that?? at least all the old skins will still be there though, so ultimately i suppose it isn’t that big a deal, i just really really hope i don’t hate symmetra or hanzo’s redesigns too whenever we see them, assuming that every character is getting these design overhauls.

i’ve also had the time to finally watch the gameplay trailer and the cinematic, and you know what’s one of the things i’ve always loved about overwatch? the maps have always been gorgeous, and the ones shown in the OW2 trailer are no exception and i can’t wait to fully see them and explore them. the gameplay itself looks solid too imo and i am very excited to see sojourn will be added to the game, she’s gorgeous and i love her. and the cinematic!! it had so many cute little details, like the ana & baby pharah photo and the birthday photo, and tracer having that picture of emily. and the winston-tracer-mei friendship, getting to see genji and rein being badasses... seeing brigitte and then echo both show up, mercy and mei having that cute little moment, everybody working together and being amazing. the scene between brigitte and tracer that was adorable, the fact that rein made a terrible “ice to meet you” joke the second he was introduced to mei. seeing winston so happy to be able to say that overwatch is back. just... it was cute and cool and fun and i liked it a lot, it reminded me of what made me fall in love with this game in the first place and it made me really excited! i also think that the story should’ve moved forward like this much sooner and that we should’ve been getting much more shorts and comics in between, and i also wish that we didn’t have to wait until overwatch 2 to get sojourn because we still don’t actually have a black woman that we can play as and that really really sucks, but i’m still looking forward to everything as well.

so, in conclusion: i uh... may have mixed feelings about some things but i have to confess that i’ve loved overwatch for years, many of the characters are very special to me, and i’m genuinely excited about overwatch 2. i fully intend to start looking into charities that support hong kong as soon as i can because i want to actually do something for them and show that i’m not ignoring what’s going on over there, but i also wanna buy overwatch 2 whenever it’s released and i feel excited to play it. unfollow or block me for that if you have to but nothing good would come from me being ashamed to say it and i won’t hide it, i definitely hate blizzard but it doesn’t remove my love for the world they created. i‘m going to donate to hong kong charities and i‘m also going to buy overwatch 2 (which probably won’t even come out until 2021 or something), and i feel like giving more to them than i give to blizzard instead of just not doing anything at all is a fair enough way to deal with this issue especially since i am doing my best to boycott them otherwise. and if i play the new OW2 content and it sucks and/or just isn’t worth whatever the price is i’ll complain about it then, and if/when we see other redesigned characters i’ll probably complain about some of them too, but for now i really am excited for the most part!

[niennavalier]

Okay, belated Star Wars thoughts under the cut; no particular order, just as I think of them. Possibly some unpopular opinions, I dont really know, I'm not all that active in the SW fandom. So maybe I'll get roasted alive but...eh, whatever, this site is somewhere between an void and hell anyway.

Also SPOILERS BELOW (OBVIOUSLY)

[[MORE]]

Okay, so first things first: I enjoyed episode 9. A lot. It was really fun to watch, and just talking in terms of my experience in the theater, it was fantastic. It was so much fun to see the old crew back, all of those appearances were basically like happiness shots in the arm. It was really very cool. The Palpatine reveal and everything around it was pretty damn epic for the obvious reasons. And I absolutely loved seeing the trio bantering and arguing and passing each other - I always love stuff like that. I swear, just give me hours of good character interaction and I'll be happy. Kylo and Rey fighting together/him using the blue lightsaber was also some cool shit and basically like "yaasss heres the payoff for the entire trilogy let's fucking gooo"

Oh, and I need to mention that little droid that Rey fixes. That little guy was adorable and I want merch for him and I will not hear otherwise. (The droids are always great in all the movies fight me)

Also Zorii and Jannah. Badasses, loved watching them and the way they got to interact with the main cast. Just...wanna spill all the love for them in this sentence.

But there are a lot of other things I have to say about the movie - especially the more I think about it and the trilogy as a whole. Dont get me wrong; I still really loved watching the movie. There are just...certain things that feel like missteps or missed opportunities?

(Not counting how badly Oscar Isaac wanted Finn and Poe to be boyfriends, which I just discovered is a thing. And reminds me a lot of anytime anyone mentions Julian Bashir to Andy Robinson and his response is always "oh Garak wanted to have sex with him from the start". Which I literally love so much, this man is a treasure, and I'm glad that apparently the same thing is happening here. And it's not that I'm not gonna talk about it here cause I dont think Poe and Finn should've been boyfriends, but I'm pretty sure Oscar Isaac has much more to say about it than I do)

Gonna start where I always start when I have problems with writing: romance. Because IMO badly written/unnecessary romance can ruin any good story real quick. I'm talking about the kiss at the end. I'm not saying this to bash on the Rey and Kylo shippers. Generally, I dont care what you ship so long as you dont start harassing everyone else; I care even less when it comes to this fandom cause I just participate in it so little. So this isnt me bashing on the ship itself or the fans, but I just think that, in the context of the movie itself, the romance was really poorly handled. To the point that I saw the scene going that way and all I could think was "oh god please dont kiss, I'm begging you". And well...we all know where that went. But I just never got a romantic vibe from the two of them in terms of what was shown on screen. The chemistry always felt familial, at least to me, across episodes 8 and 9 in particular. I dont know if that's just the chemistry between the actors or what, but the tension between them never struck me as romantic - more like two people desperate for someone who understands the chaos around them, not lovers.

Again, granted, maybe that's just the way I read stuff, especially considering I really appreciate movies that don't feature romance arcs. I'm not sure how it read to other people, and I'm not gonna bash on the shippers who like it. I may feel like JJ Abrams didnt write a convincing romance - or just stuck the kiss in there at the end to fulfill some plan from episode 7 that didnt actually pan out - but I have no problem with the ship itself, or the people who ship it. (Because at the end of the day, this is all fiction, and I couldnt care less how anyone chooses to interact with it)

(And this isnt an entirely rated point but because I've seen it around:

In all honesty, I'm starting to think that the romance thing was just a symptom of a bigger problem with this trilogy: it doesnt feel cohesive. It's like JJ Abrams and Rian Johnson had two separate sets of notes and just refused to actually look between them. Two separate sets of ideas that they were too stubborn to compromise on.

And I have a feeling (at least, talking to my little brother, who definitely feels this way) that a lot of people are pinning this fragmented feel to the trilogy on Rian Johnson and The Last Jedi, but I honestly don't think that's fair. Because, and here's the unpopular opinion: I really don't think Last Jedi is that bad. At least, not bad enough to deserve all the flak it gets.

Won't get into that entirely here because that could be a whole separate post, but that's my opinion. Sure, it's not perfect, there are definitely a lot of parts that are pretty irrelevant and not really necessary, but that's true of everything. Frankly, its biggest problem was that it was written for the wrong audience. Which is a major problem, yes, but taken for what it is, it's perfectly decent. As I said before, I could write a whole thing on this movie and why it's not that bad (because I have my brother's points as to why it's terrible for me to argue against) but overall, my reading of 8 is that it's a movie meant to introduce wider ideas and concepts to the universe - particularly this very gray and murky area of morality and character - through stories that are closer to the characters and tied to harsher realities of war. Things aren't always black and white, people are complex, sometimes our heroes can be gravely wrong in ways that aren't glamorous.

Frankly, it feels somewhere between a super deep indie movie and Star Trek (particularly DS9, at least to me, because I love when that show gets to twisty moral stuff). So yeah, wrong audience, yet he decided to stick with his storytelling despite that. No matter I personally might fall into the audience that movie resonates with, it wasnt gonna resonate with most of the fandon.

Again, Last Jedi is far from perfect in other ways too, but it sets up some great ideas that I was really hoping to get some closure on. Honorable mention here is when Rose saves Finn when he's speeding out to sacrifice himself and because of the desire to save the people they love, which I always end up likening to the "we dont trade lives" sentiment. Mentioning this cause my brother always complains about it, but I was thinking this would be one of those virtues that separate the good guys from the bad guys and ultimately allow good to triumph. Yknow, sorta like how Voldemort's lack of understanding of love contributed to his downfall, to liken it to HP. I was under the assumption that would be the concept at some turning point in the climax, but...guess not.

Big one though, which was actually a pretty big disappointment IMO, was the whole neutrality argument, the existence of a grey area. The most interesting thing from Rey and Kylo's scenes in 8 was the notion that the Jedi and Sith could be left to die, and the two of them would essentially find a way separate from those two sides, walking a path down the middle. I know I'm not the first person to bring this up, especially because of how the Force just...works. That the scales need to be balanced. And so, given that, to have the Jedi always destroy the Sith - that's not balance. Give it a few more years and the same problem is gonna happen; if there are Jedi, there will be Sith and war is gonna break out. That's hardly resolution, so neutrality is the way to go. And, personal opinion - I loved that this ended up in 8. It's just a lot more nuanced than "good vs evil, good is victorious" and brought in new ideas to this universe that I really wanted to see explored.

But that just...never happened. Sure, Rey has that yellow lightsaber at the end, but it's really very little more than the barest hint of lip service to that entire concept. Because it's never built on throughout the movie. Kylo's insistence that they look for a different way turns into a demand that she basically become his Sith queen. Which isnt playing with the gray area - it's more firmly dividing light and dark. And as she's fighting Palpatine, he's all the Sith, while she's all the Jedi; doubt that needs further explanation. Sure yeah, she's dealing with the revelation of her bloodline throughout the movie, but that interaction with the dark side is very different than in 8; she's afraid of it (a character arc I love, dont get me wrong), not lured by it. The Sith are very clearly evil, and despite her family, she comes to embody the Jedi as a whole. The opposite of what was laid out in 8.

Which actually just makes her choice to take the yellow lightsaber make even less sense? Because...she has no reason at all to turn away from the Jedi and every reason to keep using the Light side. The only possible reason by that point is if she knows about the balance and makes that choice intentionally to prevent the rise of a Sith lord. But that choice is never shown, so I dont give that a pass. It just feels like the lamest nod to something from 8 - no buildup, no explanation, just there because it technically should be.

And that fucking sucks. What a waste. Puts so much space between these movies.

The romance might be another aspect of that - 8 didnt really give me a strong romantic vibe, and then 9 tried to benefit off of buildup of romantic tension that just wasnt there. And that romance isnt the only other one. Just the existence of Palpatine at all? Like, awesome plot yes, but not at all foreshadowed. The banter between the trio at the start? One of my favorite parts to watch, but it comes out of nowhere, and I guess we just have to live with the idea that all of the development happened off screen. Lame. The return of the fucking helmet? Fuck, i actually have more i can say about the way i interpreted the helmet, but this is getting long. So point being: it's like we just got zipped right back to episode 7 all of a sudden and didnt even get a symbolic moment of him losing the helmet in 9 (at least, not that I remember).

Really, on the whole, JJ Abrams basically did the beginning of 9 such that most of 8 could be made irrelevant. Because that's how I felt throughout the whole movie; like 8 didnt matter. And I know a lot of fans are honestly happy with that (so maybe if was actually the right choice on that front) but god does it make the whole trilogy clunky. Literally nothing flows.

And I think that's my main problem with the trilogy as a whole - or, rather, with the production behind it. It's like JJ Abrams and Rian Johnson were just so goddamned married to their ideas that they wouldnt budge from the story they wanted to tell. Like they put their individual creative visions above the quality of the story as a whole. Like they weren't willing to deal with any changes that they didn't put into play themselves. And the trilogy suffered for it.

Which is really so obnoxious to me. Because it is very possible to be flexible and improv and incorporate other ideas into what you already had; just look at D&D. That's the job of a DM. You can plan everything out perfectly, figure out the story you want to tell, decide how you want everyone to interact with your world, but the players will invariably fuck those plans over. And you just have to roll with the punches. But beyond that, those changes can be for the better, because those are ideas you never thought of, and incorporating those makes for an even richer story than anyone expected. All because the people involved are willing to see where the story naturally takes itself.

Just wish these directors could understand that.

(Also...what was Finn gonna tell Rey? I mean...? This is honestly the strangest thing about the movie because it literally felt like the writers just...forgot they ever had this plot point after halfway. Which just feels like sloppy writing, and I feel Poe when he seems to be really curious what Finn wants to tell Rey. Because...me too!)

[sigurdjarlson]

It would be cool to have a rundown of Guin’s relationships with all the companions (including maxson and whoever else you’re close to of course) ((I would say Lucille but I don’t know much about her sorrz)) like I know you don’t like deacon but does guin get along with him? Is she sneaky or all melee and mouthy like Hancock? Just curious!

!!!!!!!! Certainly :D

She’s mostly all melee (and mouthy) She is very fond of her rocket powered sledgehammer. And damn it but this girl LOVES a good fight. It’s great cuz she’s usually really nice so she’ll be like covered in raider blood and cuddling with a puppy. 

She’s absolutely vicious with enemies though. Well, i suppose we all have to work off our inner turmoil somehow.

(hilariously these are all simplified summaries of her relationship with these people. there are a lot of other things I didn’t discuss with some of them cuz it would just be..too long. So many layers to all these relationships and characters..like endless onions.)

I’m gonna start with Shaun briefly. 

Shaun: Guinevere never knew she could love something as much as she loved that little baby in her arms. He was everything to her. Despite honestly wanting to curl up and give up after getting out of the Vault she kept going for her son. Part of her reasoning for accepting Danse’s request to join the BoS was because..a military organization? They had to be the best chance to find her son right?

Then..she meets Father. She’s thrown for a loop but..he’s still her son? She tries. She REALLY does. She begs him to stop. When they attack and she finds him in his pod thing she begs him to come with her. She can save him just PLEASE come with her. His rejection devastated her and his death even more so. 

She knows the Institute needs to be stopped though so she swallows everything down and goes on with the plan. It very nearly killed her. She’s..suicidal afterwards and has come really close to ending it all. How can she live with herself? Killing her own SON? Her son was the only thing keeping her going. She’s always been reckless simply because she doesn’t care if she lives or die but it gets much worse after the Institute. (she also feels a lot of guilt for destroying the Railroad too tbh. She feels guilt for a lot of things..but mostly her son)

However she has synth Shaun and..he’s Shaun. She doesn’t blink at taking him in as her son because he IS. She absolutely spoils him. Maybe some part of her is trying to make up for everything and it comes out as her trying to give him everything. Well, that and she simply loves him more than anything. He keeps her going. 

Danse: He’s her best friend first. She falls for him pretty damn fast and why wouldn’t she? Under all that gruffness is a genuinely good man. She’s amazed by the complete and utter faith in her he shows when he brings her into the BoS. She’s only ever had that from Jax and maybe a couple other people pre-war.

He’s loyal to a fault, brave, and he genuinely cares for the people under his command as well as the people of the Commonwealth (only the people he considers people however..Which is where they would clash. Ideals. She has absolutely no problem with non-hostile synths and ghouls. She really doesn’t. She doesn’t like the way Danse treats them, she doesn’t like the way the BoS sees them and she’s honestly not afraid to make sure he knows it.

 At the same time she’s too forgiving, a little too willing to look away from the reality of just how shitty the BoS is because..she loves them. It’s her family. Danse and Maxson? She’s in love with them. Surely things can change right? It can get better..she needs to believe they can. (random: its not surprising she latched onto the BoS after going through so much damn trauma. flaws aside it’s a very tight knit group, she feels like she has a family again)

Anyway back to Danse in particular.. if they argue it’s probably about non-humans. Or her generally being self-destructive and reckless. 

However, BB comes and honestly there isn’t even a second where she considers hurting him. He’s Danse. He’s her Danse. It doesn’t matter if he’s a synth. She loves him and she knows him. She left the Prydwen knowing she was going to do whatever it takes to save him.

Danse..he loves her. She’s so caring (too caring sometimes), loyal, loving, brave, honorable. She’s also stubborn, reckless, hot-headed, sometimes a tiny bit arrogant and self-destructive. 

But her good qualities outshine her flaws in his opinion. God knows he has his and…well, she wouldn’t be HER without them. 

She brings a good amount of humor/lightness to his life. While she can of course be serious when she needs to be, she’s usually a bit of a goof and while he probably chastises her he’s usually amused by her antics. He’s baffled by the amount of affection/love she has for him too. what did he do to deserve that? he doesn’t know. 

They’re head over heels in love okay. She’s flirty and it would leave him speechless more often than not. It still does even when they’re in a relationship sometimes. But she’s always there for him despite everything she’s facing? He doesn’t know how he could ever repay that..except by being there for her too.

He’ll also stomp your ass if you hurt his girl. Like don’t do it, man. He will fuck you up. He’s a “little” overprotective sometimes. He’s terrified of losing her and she doesn’t exactly put his mind at ease by being as reckless (and downright self-destructive sometimes) as she is

As time goes on after BB he learns a lot from her, she helps him come to terms with his identity and..she just makes him happy. Life isn’t..easy. It never will be and god knows he’s hurting and so is she but..they have each other. That’s enough. 

Also they’re both a little bloodthirsty. Who doesn’t enjoy a good fight? Nothing like smashing some skulls and ridding the Commonwealth of assholes with your best friend and lover. #cutecouplethings 

Maxson: She immediately liked him a bit..if only because he’s a dork named Arthur who named his Blimp the Prydwen. As a fellow Arthurian Legend nerd she loves that. And also there’s something..hilariously ironic about them meeting. Arthur? Guinevere? Fate is funny like that sometimes, eh?

But then she really meets him and he’s passionate as fuck and it’s impossible not to get swept up in that. And she sees someone who genuinely does care when he tells her “I care about them, you know. The People of the Commonwealth.” She believes him and she wants the same thing.

She’s intrigued after that first meeting. He’s..gruff but she still remembers the young man who looked so vulnerable during their first meeting. And for all the flaws she grows to learn he has? She still believes in that man. She believes he can be better. He just needs to..stop being a bigot and she believes that’s possible.

She’s idealistic in that way. Perhaps a better word for it is naive?

But in canon I have my doubts on if they could be “endgame” BB kind of put a huge damper on things aklfdkhfdh. She loves him still and she tentatively forgives him if only because he didn’t kill Danse. She knows he cares for Danse. She KNOWS that there’s a good man in there. She just wants..him to let himself be one. Why can’t he just LISTEN.

However this strange balancing act she has to do with the both of them post-BB is bound to end badly. You can only stuff things down and ignore them for so long and eventually their different ideals are going to clash. ESPECIALLY because Synth Shaun is now in the picture. If there’s anything she loves more than Danse and Maxson it’s her son. She loves Shaun more than anything.

I think it’s obvious why that might put a strain on her and Maxson’s relationship. ashgfdh

Sigh. Perhaps it’s an unpopular opinion but I believe there’s hope for Maxson. And the only way they’re going to be able to stay together is if he changes at least somewhat. If not, she’ll have to leave him eventually. And the BoS. Which..hurts her more than anything. Since that’s her family..and she does truly, genuinely love Maxson with all her heart but..she has to do what’s right for her and her family.

So in reality she’d probably end up with Danse and just Danse. She’d miss him till the day she dies though. 

Maxson..he’s..got a soft spot a mile wide whether he realizes it or not. Honestly let’s be real no one would get away with the shit in BB and still get promoted to SENTINEL except her. 

He absolutely admires and respects her as a person and a soldier. She’s..a pain in the ass sometimes but she’s courageous, strong mentally as well as physically, deadly on the battlefield, and kind (sometimes to those who don’t deserve it in his mind. god fuck you maxson) They butt heads sometimes just because they’re both stubborn and hot-headed but it usually doesn’t escalate into actual fighting. 

He falls in love with her. He doesn’t know how to show it or express it but he does. It scares the shit out of him but he craves it all the same. Like Danse he’s incredibility protective to the point of being annoying. 

She brings out some of his better qualities really. Since he’s always so serious it’s good to get a little lightness in his life and she genuinely does make him laugh. (and even smile). 

They clash on ideals. They’re both extremely stubborn and hot-headed. They honestly don’t fight often but when they do you can be sure it’s probably about differing ideals. That can get nasty.

Elder Maxson is..very different from Arthur Maxson. She’s so very in love with Arthur Maxson. That’s a big thing for him. He can be Arthur. He doesn’t have to be Elder Maxson with her. It means..a lot to him. He hasn’t really ever had that? 

He tries to be professional of course. To act as if he doesn’t have..feelings but he’s not as good at that as he thinks. It shows if you know what to look for. 

Random but he admires her mama bear attitude. She’s wonderful with the squires and they adore her. The way she searches so tirelessly for her son and then even adopts that..”thing” (in maxson’s asshole mind) and loves it? Sometimes, if only for a moment, he wonders what it would have been like to have a mother who loved him that much (NOT A MOMMY KINK THING THO FDHKDFh)

They love each other very deeply but my heart breaks because they don’t exactly have the most promising future in canon. (*latches onto my happy AU’S*)

Codsworth: Robot son. She loves Codsworth just as much as she loves Shaun. They’re very close and he’s always fretting over her. I almost forgot him and even though this one is short I want to stress he is very important to her.

Nick: Nick is her best friend. He’s not exactly..happy she’s in the BoS for obvious reasons but he knows she doesn’t share their views. She actively pushes back against them in fact. Like her he’s an idealist, an optimist and he believes that maybe, she will make the BoS a better organization. If anyone can, it’s her in his opinion.

She loves Nick. He’s been there for her through her whole journey pretty much. He’s always there to offer a helping hand or a shoulder to lean on. He’s always helping someone despite the fact people are cruel to him. He’s an amazing person and she’d lay down her life for him without question.

They “bicker” constantly which is just playful bantering back and forth. They’re very close though. 

Maccready: Her best friend. Neither really knew what to expect when they signed up together? But they quickly bonded. He reminds her of her late husband, Jax to be honest. He’s goofy, a bit morally dubious but he’s also loving  and loyal to those he loves. They’re both goofballs too.

They particularly bonded over the fact that they’ve both lost a spouse. They’re both parents and they connect over that. He’s there for her when she kills her psychopath of a son, when she adopts this..synthetic version of him. And he’s there for her and she’s there for him.

She’s never met Duncan but she already loves him as if he’s her own.  Amusingly enough she probably would have ended up with Maccready if she wouldn’t have met Danse and Maxson. 

Hancock: Like Nick he isn’t exactly happy she’s in the BoS but he knows her enough to know who she is. They get along right away. They’re both dorks. They’re both goofs and they both want to ultimately do good. He’s a “terrible influence” according to her boys and well..they’re not wrong. Like Mac they do get themselves into trouble a lot. She swears up and down she doesn’t do chems with him but she does lmao. More importantly though? He’s got her back and she has his. 

Piper: They’re both quite high strung. Passionate. So they get along really well. Piper finds her a blast to travel with and hey someone who’s fun to travel with and who also wants to help the Commonwealth? Doubly awesome! Guin tries to mother Nat sometimes who finds it a bit irritating. Piper finds it endearing.

Preston: They’re good friends and he’s more often than not quietly chuckling at her antics. They have a very soft, chill friendship. Sometimes they just sit and enjoy each other’s company. He admires her for her kindness and she admires him for his. 

Curie: She’s extremely protective of Curie. How can she not be? She’s so soft, gentle and endlessly kind. She nearly bit Danse’s head off for his comment about donating herself for dissection to the BoS. Curie loves her just as much. She makes her feel safe, loved and she’s an endless inspiration to her. 

Cait: RIDE OR DIE BITCH. The only thing Cait doesn’t like about her tbh is the fact that’s she way too..giving sometimes. She bitches about it but she usually just rolls her eyes and moves on. However they’re close friends and like Hancock and Mac..they get into trouble together (even after she’s clean heheh). Cait loves when she’s feisty. They both enjoy fighting a bit too much tbh. 

But it’s the unconditional love she shows her that gets Cait. She has no idea what she’s done to deserve it but..she’s glad she has it. And she loves her just as much. 

Ada: She like..adopted Ada the moment she met her. 

Old Longfellow: They’re good friends. He finds her a bit exhausting to travel with but in a good way. 

Gage: I honestly have never traveled with Gage so I can’t really say

Strong: He hates the men in metal suits..but he respects her. She’s a strong leader and she’s helping him find the milk of human kindness. He’ll smash all super mutants for her damn it

Deacon: She never met Deacon. She never encountered the railroad until she was ordered to kill them. I think I can say they would have..gotten along to some to degree if things had been different. She wouldn’t like his dishonesty though. Not at all.

X6: ^same as Deacon. She met him but never really traveled with him or became close to him. She probably didn’t even realize it was him she was killing. 

Also just for fun I want to mention.

She has a huge crush on Ingram. 

[kurisus]

Noragami. or, if you've already gotten that, Voltron

I’ll do both~

Under a cut for length + manga spoilers + salt

Noragami

my all-time ultimate fave character:

I can’t decide between the main trio I just Can’t I love all three of them So Much

a character I didn’t used to like but now do:

Nora. I wouldn’t say I LIKE her but I appreciate her character and I hope she can learn to grow past Father like Yato. It’s either that or a tragic end for her and I hope for Yato’s sake he doesn’t have someone else to mourn.

a character I used to like but now don’t:

No one’s coming to mind oh wait that’s because I love everyone except trash dad

a character I’m indifferent about:

Takemikazuchi because I spent so long being like JUST GO AWAY STOP FIGHTING YATO that I haven’t gotten used to him being sort of on the same side. Of course if there were more chapters my opinions would probably start shifting more.

a character who deserved better:

Everyone??? got damn. I have to say Yato and Yukine the most though. Because somewhere along the way you realize that literally every aspect of Yato’s personality, including the ones played for laughs, are the long-term effects of a childhood of abuse and now that I’ve realized that I can’t laugh at his clinginess anymore I just feel sad. As for Yukine, all we know is that his past is Really Fucked Up and I mean, he’s dead at 14 so there’s no doubt that he deserved better.

a ship I’ve never been able to get into:

I really really brotp Yatobisha but I can’t ship them romantically when Hiyori and Kazuma exist

a ship I’ve never been able to get over:

Yatori had me in its grips from episode 1. And as soon as Kazuma and Bishamon appeared I was like “hey I think they’d be a cute ship” and we all know how that turned out.

a cute, low-key ship:

Daifuku. It’s cute and I appreciate it but idk I’m just not as into it as some other people. I think they need more interactions like Yatori and Kazubisha get but maybe that’s a bad idea because of the Pain I suffer over both of those ships. That being said my heart was ripped from my chest during the events in chapter 71 because of Dadkoku and Kofuku being like NO NOT HIM PLEASE NOT HIM also I really want to die just thinking about it

an unpopular ship but I still enjoyed it:

As you can see from my answers I’m very mainstream in my shipping

a ship that was totally wrong and never should have happened:

No canon ships for me to drag. But I don’t like people shipping Nora and Yukine. She hates that kid, or at least she did. We may not know why she kissed him, but it’s pretty clear Yukine doesn’t have any affection for her. Whether or not that’s wrong of him is up to the reader but I side with my son.

my favourite storyline/moment:

oh god I can’t pick a favorite. The best moments in Noragami are also the ones where my suffering’s at its peak–Hiyori going phantom and Yato talking her back, Yukine getting locked in the box, Kazuma begging for Bishamon’s forgiveness, YABOKU. all of it. I love Noragami.

a storyline that never should have been written:

you will find no complaints here

my first thoughts on the show:

All my friends really like this show so I’ll give it a shot! Yato and Hiyori are cute haha I ship them

my thoughts now:

*deep breath* FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK

Voltron

my all-time ultimate fave character:

PIDGE PIDGE PIDGE PIDGE

a character I didn’t used to like but now do:

I think Lotor’s getting there for me

a character I used to like but now don’t:

No one?

a character I’m indifferent about:

Keith. I can never quite decide if I like him or not so I just kinda rest on indifference.

a character who deserved better:

Allura didn’t deserve to lose her planet and her people and to find out in an alternate reality they’re just as bad as the Galra

a ship I’ve never been able to get into:

Literally any of the ships the fandom is wild about. I don’t have any Voltron ships sorry.

a ship I’ve never been able to get over:

See above answer

a cute, low-key ship:

Ditto

an unpopular ship but I still enjoyed it:

Ditto x2

a ship that was totally wrong and never should have happened:

I remember when season 1 first came out and people were shipping Shiro and Pidge. Thankfully once they confirmed their ages that mostly stopped. Pidge is too small to be shipped with anyone.

my favourite storyline/moment:

Season 4 episode 2 was really strong but I have mixed feelings on it because they went MATT IS DEAD only to immediately pull a 180 and be like ACTUALLY NOT REALLY. It’d have been better to let us think he’s dead for longer if they wanted to keep that momentum going. Let us and Pidge think that Matt is dead but then show a shot of him being alive so now we’re screaming at Pidge to find the truth.

a storyline that never should have been written:

There’s nothing I’d say shouldn’t have been written but there’s also nothing that couldn’t use some improvement. If you saw my post about season 4, I’m mostly frustrated that they have all these potentially really cool plot points and they’re not using them at all. Like maybe they plan to drop them on us at the same time but then that’d be so hectic in comparison to how they’ve been going? Galra Keith was cool but like, when are we gonna learn about his mother? What about Lance’s insecurities, or Allura’s at being a paladin? What about the Shiro clone theory for christ’s sake.

my first thoughts on the show:

Everyone seems to really like this show and I’ve heard it’s like ATLA/LOK in space so I’m excited for it!

my thoughts now:

salt salt salt salt. Again as I said earlier I think it has all the potential (plus the popularity) to be something really exceptional but it’s been staying mediocre for four seasons. If they’re gonna pick up the pace it needs to happen soon. If season 5 is just more of the same I might stop watching because I think at that point if they’re not trying to make the show better then there’s no reason to believe any future seasons will be different.

[Send me a show]