#i have Thoughts but there’s too much nuance imo to put in tags on a tumblr post lmao

[pixelephant]

[willel]

Why is twitter so toxic? I think you wrote something about it some time ago, that on tumblr, for instance, there’s no immediate incentive to write a hit post and then to come up with the most outrageous claims that create "engagement"? Or because it’s not really about direct conversation made of short messages when everyone wants to "win" the argument, but favors calm analysis instead. Anyway, I just can’t go there anymore right now, too much hate and stupidity, I’m glad there’s still blogs like you and a few others to enjoy some ST escapism.

Twitter's short form context was pretty great when it came out years ago. "Tweets" were generally someone putting random thoughts out in the aether or a quick notification or an alert to check out news on this site or that site. I feel like it wasn't meant for what it is today, for people to be interacting with each other in a meaningful way. Like, what are you gonna talk about in 100 characters or less? That's why you'll sometimes see old tweets of celebrities floating around of the most random nonsensical statements with no context. That's what twitter was as its core.

Now combine that with people starting to use twitter for more than just random thoughts that popped into peoples head. It started to be used for political activism (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) and fandom activities.

We all know how bad politics fandom can get on long form sites like tumblr and reddit. Imagine how much worse it is when you cut away all context and nuance to fit in a tweet.

Imo, it set twitter on a downward spiral. Doesn't matter how much they increase the character limit, the culture now is tweet fast. React fast. Argue fast. If you lose, resort to other means. Anything to win. Anything to get your tweets more attention that the other person.

It's like a game. I'm sure that plays into the desire to be "famous" that a lot of social media enjoyers crave.

I'm not saying tumblr is much better, but I feel the culture here is more like "take your time" or "time doesn't matter, old stuff is good". Tumblr does have an issue with people not reblogging content, causing good posts and content to go unnoticed given there is no real algorithm here, which is sad. But for the most part, ain't nobody here trying to get famous. Everything is talking and creating stuff for the sake of it.

Most of the time even the people arguing here are arguing about stuff that happens off site or they stay in their corners and tag correctly. (if you don't tag correctly and start fights on purpose, I immediately assume you must be from twitter)

People who have been here on my blog for a while are probably thinking "Tch, what do you know about fandom conflict?" and let me tell you, in my youth I participated in a ship war. It was just one,but still. I didn't resort to name calling or doxing people though, that's for sure. I wrote essays and essays in response to people, defended my ship, made stuff for my ship (which I still do), the whole shebang. It was all here on tumblr and deviantart. I do have a twitter for that fandom but I don't use it for any drama. I can say the drama on twitter is MUCH WORSE than anything I experienced on tumblr.

That is the ST fandom on twitter in a nutshell. No one can mind their own business. They're constantly spying on each other, posting using common search terms of the people they don't like and then acting surprised when the people they don't like respond to them. It's all like a game. Every blue moon when I go there to see if there's WillEl things, inevitably I will see shippers using it to fight against each other or crap on Will or El.

Once a week it's the same suspects saying the same things over and over again. Finding something pointless to be mad about. Sending angry anon messages. Never actually sitting down to enjoy the ships/relationships they claim to be a fandom of. Cannot mind their business and always have something negative to say. Denying what is literally in the show because they personally don't like it. Literally the worst kind of people to have in your fandom. (I associate that kind of behavior with like.... Riverdale drama or something. Sorry if you're a Riverdale fan. Lol)

In conclusion, yeah. I think twitter is that way because the short form context has breed a culture of "win or lose". Mixed with a little bit of celebrity idolization and a desperate desire for people to interact with you even if it's negative.

[jiangchengneedstherapy]

Pretty sure it’s been repeated many times already, the reason why “canon jiang cheng” tag was made, was because if someone so much as quoted the novel was told ‘stop jc hate/put it into anti tag’ or ‘make your own tag!’ I feel like that is one of the reasons now that people have been making posts talking about reclaiming him there’s lot of passive aggressiveness in the responses, because it feels like you’re agreeing with that at first glance. “I have no issues with varying perspectives regarding jiang cheng or any other character, I just care that you use the tag “canon” for only one of those perspectives which I think takes away from the nuance of the topics and the story as a whole.“ I understand where you’re coming from, though the tag was made by fans who wished to talk about jc the way he was in the novel, it now does have stans and antis alike using it which you can ask the majority neutral tag users who use it for intended reasons have already blocked, or are responding to them. However, there comes the prev point again, we can’t tell what someone’s intent is behind posting, for example your post felt very sweet and neutral to read (at least to me but I also see why others confused you for another person trying to ‘reclaim’ the tag) and just feels like a neutral discussion but there are still things that are a bit unsure on what you’re saying. For example: “I have no issues with varying perspectives regarding jiang cheng or any other character, I just care that you use the tag “canon” for only one of those perspectives which I think takes away from the nuance of the topics and the story as a whole.” can mean anywhere from you wanting a more in depth talk in his character than simple ‘jc was bad in this’ to..well In the past if someone even said “hey isn’t it terrible that jc declared wwx an enemy to sects even though they agreed to tell people wwx left the sect?” they would be told thats hate, thats anti, and not a canon statement, even though the person would be using direct quotes from the novel next to interpretation.  So yea when you just say that canon tag is not accurate, its hard to tell if you’re talking about the bashing posts that have entered the tag through some antis or just any interpretation that talks about negative things jc did canonically. “my proposed idea was to change the content of “canon jiang cheng” because it doesn’t accurately represent, imo, what the word canon means in the fandom context. considering most posts criticize jc’s actions, a tag like “jiang cheng critical”  most posts (once again, not including the bashing/stan posts that have entered the tag) criticising jc do it in regard to what the guy does word to word in the novel.  Like quoting the novel where jiang cheng uses a dog knowing wwx fears it more than death as way to torture him, or jiang cheng’s own thoughts along with his disciple quotes proving he in fact tortured innocent people who were not wwx come back from the dead even after zidian confirms it, in these contexts, if the person adds their interpretation that ‘hey thats a shitty thing to do’ and criticise him, i think that is still under canon category (the tag was made for any discussions in line with canon because if you were to say ‘hey jc was shitty in these scenes’ in the jc tag there would be 15 different comments telling them how wrong they are and how they need to put ‘jc hate’ into anti tags)  like if we say ‘look how shitty wrh was/jgy was in these scenes’ in wrh/jgy tag there’s nothing wrong about that, but jc tag was too overtaken by fanon that it finally ended in people making the canon tag out of frustration to just discus what he does in the novel (ik im sounding repetitive here but im trying my best to explain haha)

So while i get what you’re saying that ‘canon’ tag should only have quotes, i do think if the discussion is based on canon facts and interpretation is following novel quotes/isn’t something that goes against the novel or what the novel is trying to tell, i think that does have a place in the ‘canon jc’ tag because that was what the tag was made for.

“omnipresent can still be a biased narrator. just because we know about scenes where wwx isn’t present, doesn’t mean we understand or know their motivations or thoughts behind said scene - wwx is the main narrator and we know his thoughts specifically (though there are limited exceptions like jc and the core-reveal). mxtx definitely flips back and forth between omnipresent and omniscient but regardless, biases and unreliable narration can still exist within those.” This part however, is a long known fanon pet peeve because in certain scenes the novel goes into the heads of characters like what jc is thinking, it has info wwx has no way of knowing like jgy giving jl the dog during the time he was dead, there are even scenes where wwx is not present at the time like the discussion conference, even jzx’s perspective and what jyl was secretly doing, wherever its wwx’s perspective the novel makes it clear like ‘wwx thought/wwx saw/wwx believed’ etc, while other times it goes ‘jc thought/jyl secretly unknown to everyone/some sects were gathered and talking’ without wwx’s perspective on things its not limited in switching povs and i get what you’re saying, that canon jc tag shouldnt be considered ‘true’ perspective, i agree, nothing other than novel texts can be considered ‘true’ and any and all interpretations will always be interpretations, thing is how close to ‘true’/’canon’/’novel’ are these interpretations to make them canon compliant. 

See, I would believe that people who were originally on the "canon jiang cheng" tag were using it as a space to discuss his more morally ambiguous decisions except every other post on there was also tagged "anti jiang cheng". Also using canon in the tag is very bold especially when it's all individual interpretations of the character, which means it falls under fanon instead.

I would also have a more positive perspective if the tag was "jiang cheng critical" if the goal was to have engaging discussions but the audacity of tagging it "canon jiang cheng"....

So yea. So going forward, I propose:

Jiang cheng critical - if you wanna engage in discussion and debate

Canon jiang cheng - for gifs, quotes, fanart etc.

Jiang cheng - for people who enjoy the character and/or canon jiang cheng content

Anti-jiang cheng - for those who don't like the character and don't enjoy him (essentially please by sympathetic to people who actually enjoy the character and related content)

[kyanitedragon]

My Spoiler-Free Thoughts On Digimon Survive!

All-in-all, I really enjoyed it! I was fully and excitedly expecting a visual novel, and it delivered!

I’ve only seen “cheaper” visual novels before, like DDLC or Dream Daddy or Hustle Cat. And in comparison, Survive has much more work put into their sprites. They have a surprising amount of animation to them, compared to how static your typical visual novel is, which helps make the scenes a bit more dynamic.

The game was admittedly a bit text-heavy at times, but I personally found Cyber Sleuth’s text much more boring and painful to get through.

I really liked the Karma system! Most choice-based games have a very simplistic Good / Bad / Neutral system, but the system here felt very nuanced. There were multiple times where I felt the Wrathful option seemed more Moral and vice versa. I went into the game playing naturally and not aiming for any particular ending, and despite having a mostly unchanged mindset the entire game, at different points I felt myself leaning more towards the different karmas.

The characterization of the human characters is really good. You can see references to the original adventure kids, but the survive gang is so vastly different from the adventure cast, or even any of the other digimon anime casts. Personally I like digimon's reuse of tropes throughout the anime series, but getting new characterizations here was really refreshing. I found Aoi and Saki a bit lacking, and felt they were reduced to just being The Girls, but Miu and Miyuki I really enjoyed and they ended up two of my favorites.

The characterization of the digimon is especially really good. Each digimon has a distinct personality and gets a lot of screentime and attention. Some of the anime series lacked on developing certain digimon, but Survive does it really well! Even the digimon villains I felt had more character and motive than your typical digimon adventure villain did.

I really liked the choices for the main characters’ digimon and their digivolutions. And it was really nice to see the lesser-seen digimon get such a large and well-written role!

As for the digimon options for joining your party, I was a bit disappointed at how few there were. Cyber Sleuth had so many! And the digivolution options here were very v-pet-like — they don’t really make any sense. I was a little frustrated that two digimon would be in the game but not in the same digivolution lines. But it also made guessing the lines more fun.

I also really liked that Survive touched on quite a few dark themes that would have been too dark to cover in the anime series. Even Tri, despite being advertised as dark and adult-oriented, really didn't contain anything worse than the kids anime. But Survive definetly does! These dark things I had been wondering but fully accepted would never make it into the series for being too dark, and was pleasantly surprised when they showed up here. They broke my heart, in the best way.

There were a couple translation errors, but nowhere near as bad as Cyber Sleuth – which mistranslated the word “monster” as “Bakemon” repeatedly and made the game very confusing at times. The most distracting errors I found in my playthrough were:

randomly changing pronouns for the digimon partners (which imo works out, since Digimon arguably don’t have gender, although this game never covers this idea)

at one point, in someone’s dialogue they mention Miu instead of what is supposed to be Miyuki’s name, but this error is pretty clear from the scene’s context

One of my favorite and most appreciated things about this game: There are so many Quality of Life features in the game, available from the get-go!

You can skip through dialogue and scenes!

You can set battles to auto!

Auto-battling comes with several options! You can set them to: (1) no auto-digivolving (2) auto-digivolving (3) using items (4) keep the digimon together to have a better chance of tag-teaming and powering up each other (5) send your digimon to split up and fight enemies one-on-one.

You can change the difficulty before any battle.

If you fail a battle, there’s not a game over and instead you’re given several options to try again: (1) try again with no change (2) change the difficulty (3) get brought to an area to grind and level up before trying the battle again

Changing the difficulty does not change the EXP or prizes you get. As someone who’s not always the best at video games, I really appreciate how it doesn’t penalize you at all for playing on a lower difficulty.

I did get some spoilers before finishing the game (entirely my fault) but none of them took away from the game. Even when I knew certain things were going to happen, I was still shocked by them. In some ways knowing the spoilers enhanced my experience, because it upped the tension a lot. And the spoiler I had been most upset by, ended up being an early reveal so it didn't ruin the story nearly as much as I had feared it would.

So if you've gotten spoilers, don't worry! Survive is definetly the kind of story to stand on its own and still keep you entertained and surprised and guessing, even if you've gotten some spoilers!

[norgestan]

crisana, norandro, jorgeva and amira x dani

ha, anon just wanted all the canon couples. fair enough!

CRISANA:

see, skam s3 is my favorite season of all time, but it has never been because of the love story. isak's story hits in a lot of sensitive places for me, and isak was also the first main character i encountered that was my age. i have a really special connection to him for that reason. on the other hand... i enjoy evak for what it is, but i never saw a future for their relationship after the season ended. in a lot of ways, isak's season ended just as their relationship started, a trope that i've never liked because how am i supposed to think that they will last? how am i supposed to know how they will work as a couple? it's just, ugh.

i had similar thoughts about crisana when i watched s2, except that the love confession scene and cris as a character made it even harder to get into the couple. moreover, the way people brush other characters' roles and presence on other seasons because they're so caught up on cris and joana is like... blegh. like it makes me forget that they're actually a well-written couple at times. because imo, og they never did anything really interesting with evak once they got together. but eskam........ oh, dear eskam.

there's something so beautiful about thinking of all the girls, the teenagers that will grow up watching a relationship like theirs on popular media. their entire subplot (??? can i even call it that) in s4 is proof of how GREAT of a relationship they turned out to be. like, i just wanna SCREAM thinking about it because, how is it possible that eskam saw evak and said "we're gonna make this SO good and we'll take our time and then tie it up in an incredibly satisfying and emotional way" and then did exactly that!!!!!! the way they respect each other, communicate, genuinely try to get to each other without dumb miscommunication. the way they understand each other and lift each other up! the way joana knew how to recognize cris' intelligence when everyone was telling her she's dumb, the way cris knows how to make joana feel worth it and show her affection in such a selfless, loving way. their last scene on joana's pov in s4 was the first time i cried during that season, just because it was all wrapped up so beautifully. because eskam understood that although the appeal of their relationship comes from the soulmate status of every evak couple, they had to also put in serious work to make it all work and they also managed to get that across with grounded drama, and also a hopeful message for people struggling with mental disorders. like AAAAAAAAAAAAA god what a great couple they are. maybe i'm too much of an eskam bootlicker but they're genuinely the best evak there is. i'll die on this hill. i'm so happy young wlw get to watch them as a guideline of what they should expect of a relationship.

NORANDRO: already done :)

JORGEVA:

i mean... it's eskam's fault, without a doubt. i love what eskam did with them in s1: the change of pacing, the way they created jorge, the little story changes to make it more nuanced, i think come together in a pretty satisfying way to show a teenage romance with no real support to last for more than a while. i don’t think eskam fully got the gist of what jonas was supposed to be, but it’s for the better if we think of the message in season 1. for that reason, jorge is like the one jonas who i really wouldn’t mind coming back to his eva. so why don’t i like them?

the answer is simply that i don’t enjoy their trope and i don’t think eskam made a real case of eva and jorge getting back together. they work well as friends, sure, and it’s clear as day that jorge still has feelings for eva, sure. but like, what tells me that they’re just ready to go all in again? eva goes through a really great arc and i would definitely agree she’s in a good place to be in a relationship again, but we know NOTHING about jorge’s journey. he’s just, silently pining on eva and that’s it. i do think it’s sweet and the hints of their lost romance throughout the show are wholesome, but there’s just nothing more to it. jorge and eva work AMAZINGLY as friends! i don’t see why they should push a romantic endgame for them. in my head, eva kissing jorge at that party was just a mesh of the excitement of a new era, the nostalgia of ending highschool, the high of being on this place with someone she really cares about, stuff like that, but it just ends there, and it’s great that way. nothing about eva’s character really led to her aching to be in a relationship again, and for me it feels right to end things with her being single and surrounded by great friends.

MAYBE if eskam had devoted some time showing us their progress and romantic potential instead of trying to convince us that kasim was a real, compelling character. maybe. lol.

DAMIRA:

(god, i don’t know how long this will be LOL)

i have. so many thought about this fucking pairing. let’s see what we can do LOL. the thing about damira is that i don’t think it’s a pairing that eskam had in mind when they laid out the first two seasons. the little hints of a friendship/childhood crush that happened during cris’ season really got the fandom and they quickly became the most popular non-canon ship in the show, so that’s where i think eskam said “okay, let’s run with this”. but it’s just...... meh. like i can tell that relationships like crisana were carefully crafted (well implemented in nora’s season, greatly wrapped up in amira’s season) but i cannot say the same for dani and amira. it’s almost like virihugo, where they just started giving each other Eyes on the middle of season 3, out of NOWHERE. it just feels forced to me and so i never really felt anything for the couple in question... like, for starters, i think nora and miquel were WAY more shippable than those two, strictly talking about their setup.

if you ever saw any of my posts during s4 then you should know how i actually feel about how they developed their romance (check my anti damira tag for more?) and i don’t wanna go through all those specific points again... but damira is not only an infuriating romance, but also a bad pairing in a narrative setting. like, damira clearly exists to answer amira’s questions about how would the future of a romance with a white guy would be, right? does she get an answer? no she fucking doesn’t, their final clip is like “after all these weeks, we still have no idea so we’re gonna cut things short, go back to our initial dynamic, and wait to see if amira any of us change our minds <3″. so like, even in that sense damira is a HUGE waste of time, and just like everything that happens to amira during her season it has no lasting impacts on her character or her settings.

and personally, i love couples where they’re both equal, and communicate at last, and both make great efforts to change so the relationship can flourish. this is why i offer so much praise to norandro and crisana, where in the first couple both character go through tremendous character growth and work through their problems individually before getting together, and in the second couple they show them clashing and fighting just to display their resolutions and show how willing they are to actually talk to each other and keep their relationship stable. dani and amira, on the other hand.... blegh. eskam wants me to think dani is a knight in shining armor for liking amira but that’s all he ever does. he doesn’t defend her in front of his friends, he doesn’t make efforts to get to know her and her world, he doesn’t communicate his real feelings to her, and the one time he did he humiliated her in public. like, idk, like, even MIQUEL explicitly defended nora when his roommates berated her for not drinking alcohol LOL.

at the end of the day the problem with damira is that it completely misses the point of yousana and its target audience. making yousef a white guy is not necessarily a bad choice if you implement it well (which eskam didn’t do btw), but you have to take into account that sana’s season exists to make a primarily white christian-raised audience relate and stand up for the muslim characters in the show. when the lazier partner of the main couple who makes zero efforts to work on the relationship happens to be white, it just means people will be sympathetic of him, and nor amira - and that’s exactly what happened in the show. people either thought amira was being too harsh by laying conditions for dani before they even began dating and making sure he respected her boundaries, or just wanted all the drama to go away soon so amira could kiss dani by the end of the season. so like, yeah. terrible stuff.

i would’ve liked damira’s impact on the season and amira’s journey a lot more if it had been about a one sided childhood crush from amira’s part. i thought their friendship was charming up to s3, and i simply hate that dani is literally in no way an older brother figure for the girl squad, since it’s a dynamic that’s lacking in the show and it would be a nice way to make dani be some sort of non-creepy eskild for the girl squad (but noooo, his only interactions w the gs are hooking up with eva and dating amira. smh). it would’ve been fun to have amira intimately dealing with those feelings just to learn a lesson by the end of it, at the time that she also falls for her muslim love interest - which is actually the isak/jonas/even dynamic when you think about it, also something that eskam didn’t really do with cris’ season. but also, all of this would mean that eskam had to do the good writing thing for s4, which they kinda forgot to do throughout the entirety of the season so, yeah.

[humanwheatleyslefttoenail]

Number 15 :o)

NUMBER 15 BURGER KING BURGER-

Ok all jokes aside, unpopular opinion time. 

- It’s cool if you just personally don’t like ChellDOS, but shipping aside, I think they are coded as a couple. I mean, GLaDOS sings her Cara Mia and Don’t Say Goodbye, which are objectively love songs. Want You Gone and You Wouldn’t Know are breakup songs. There’s deleted content where GLaDOS passive aggressively gets mad at Chell “cheating on her” by talking to other cores. GLaDOS begins to use “we” in old Aperture and starts treating Chell like an ally, then saves her and lets her go, all while revealing the humanity she’d promised not to reveal to anyone else. The ENTIRE FOCUS of the series is on their changing, dynamic relationship be it as friends or enemies. Their arc is also literally just... an enemies to lovers set up lol. Again, I’m not saying it’s canon per se or that you have to ship it or like it, but I am saying there’s a lot of canon subtext there. (Also btw I heard somewhere “cake” in Argentinian Spanish is slang for lesbians so maybe the cake isn’t a lie-)

- Wheatley is very flawed, and throughout the whole game. I don’t think he was always evil and I definitely think he got corrupted just like GLaDOS, but I also don’t think it was a case of “Corrupt The Cutie.” He’s never been a cinnamon roll or whatever the fandom calls it - he’s shown having some implicit sexism, he’s cowardly, he’s flighty, he’s so obviously a show off because he’s so underconfident. People seem to gloss over these things, especially his actions in the mainframe (which, btw, he is at least partially responsible for), but I feel like if you do that and then justify everything he does... you don’t have Wheatley anymore. Wheatley’s flaws make him *more* sympathetic imo, not less - like I see fics and art where people insist Wheatley doesn’t need to redeem himself or grow in any meaningful way and just want him to be forgiven. I really don’t like that because A) It’s just not true and B) a flawed but likeable character struggling to be better is so much more compelling and relatable. 

- Chelley is. Not a good ship. But. I still like it out of nostalgia and because Blue Sky lol. I think it could work post-canon but first Wheatley would need to do a lot of work on his end and actually prove to Chell that he is worthy. Unfortunately, a lot of Chelley content doesn’t actually do this and has Chell do all the emotional work for him which I don’t like. I consider myself a fan of this ship and I think if you search it up, I’m one of the blogs that comes up, but I don’t like it as much as ChellDOS and I wish people put more consideration into their fanworks when portraying it. 

- Cave dying was actually kinda sad - like he was a bad person and everything but his last few intercom messages still really get me after everything he did. He made so many fucked up decisions but like, I think it’s very relatable - this idea of getting so caught up in your own ideas that you hurt everyone around you and don’t realize until it’s too late and you’re going down with them. It’s sad because like... there were so many chances for him to stop and they never happened, and with the lemon rant he’s still struggling against everything. He still never gave up. And like... idk it just makes me emotionally because he was a bad guy for sure but he’s very human. It doesn’t make me sad in an “oh he didn’t deserve that” way, but more like the way you’re sad after finishing a Greek tragedy kinda way, if you get what I’m saying. 

- I wish I saw more content for the P1 cores because they’re adorable. I want to give the Curiosity Core and the Cake Core hugs. They are babey. 

- Wheatrat and Chellmann aren’t that popular rn because Doug never actually shows up in the game, but both these ships are seriously underrated imo (maybe that’s just the multishipper in me lol). ChellMel and Chellyx are also good and I wish there was more content for that, too. 

- It’s 2020. Can we stop acting like Wheatley did nothing wrong. Can we stop acting like GLaDOS is Only Mean And Has No Other Traits. Nuance is a thing, and the Valve writers didn’t spend hours meticulously creating these three dimensional characters for the fandom to turn them into UwU Cinnamon Roll and Mean Evil. 

- I think Chell is actually a pretty kind person - the fact the game gives you the option to save companion cubes and the oracle turrets, the fact she still tries to stop Wheatley from going to space, the fact that she allies with GLaDOS despite everything, the fact that you physically cannot let go of Wheatley in the first half when you’re holding him - Chell really only does bad things when it’s a literal matter of life and death. She’s a good person just looking out for her own survival, and I don’t like how the fandom has decided she’s mean, angry, or just as bad as GLaDOS and Wheatley when she’s pretty clearly not.

- We as white portal fans need to do better and think critically about the way we’re portraying Chell, be that drawing or writing her. Stuff like not portraying her as an angry stereotype and not whitewashing her. It’s really sad to see the amount of implicit racism in the fandom. 

- Blue Sky is still good although GLaDOS being the bad guy again was a bit OOC. I think it still serves as a good study of Wheatley and I like that it acknowledges his flaws and ultimately makes him responsible for his own redemption, not Chell. Also, “Prove it” was a raw line - I still can’t get it out of my head. 

- He’s unpopular for obvious reasons, but I really like Nigel from Aperture Tag. He’s so charming and quirky and then when he betrays you, he’s such a fun and charismatic villain. I love to hate Nigel and I wish Wheatley had been more like that when he turned evil. Nigel is a good combination of weirdly cute, intimidating, and frustrating. He’s a really well written villain and I wish more people knew about both him and Aperture Tag. 

- GLaDOS didn’t delete Caroline. I don’t think she physically can, and I think she was just lying so that Chell wouldn’t come back or think GLaDOS had feelings lol. I think even Ellen said she thought Caroline wasn’t deleted. 

[chatxkilluaxnoir]

I was gonna send some other Asks, but then I realized, that they were or could basically be replies and/or reblogs to ur answers to my Asks.

So I am doing some replies and/or reblogs instead! This time.

"hai again >:3"

Happy to be back sending more Asks and stuff again.

"hehe i love the character analysis u have of them here"

I am really happy u liked this! And I had so much more too. Like, Ep3 and Ep4 (esp. Ep4, but Ep3 gave a lot too) had so much interesting stuff to chew on, theorize about, and talk about. So you will probably be seeing more analyses and character analyses from me. Hopefully before the next episode comes out. And hopefully in general. I know I can be bad about actually doing things timely or at all, lol. But hey, at least when I do stuff, I tend to go all out! Like with my Asks. Hahaha.

Anyways, u will probably be seeing more analyzing, rambling, etc. from me in the form of Asks, reblogs, replies, comments, etc. One of those "etc." being me just making a post, probably putting it and/or at least some stuff under a "read more" and just tagging you at times (if I do, and if I do, it probably won't be all that often) my thoughts and stuff, if that is okay.

"(AND HAPPY U POINTED OUT THAT THE GHOST MONSTERS ARE ABLE TO SENSE IT HELL YEAH)"

It was very interesting to me!

"i find exploring the characters, dark sides to be fun mwehehe,"

I can tell.

"especially when it come to portraying them correctly."

Which u certainly do. Like, u do this so well, and so much better, than a lot of people (not other people don't do it well, or that other people who don't do it as well, can't do stuff well too. But like, I just think u are one of the best at portraying characters)

"usually people will get too focused on one aspect (dark/comedy side of their personality) and dismiss the other."

Oh yeah, this happens quite often. I certainly see it happen with UT characters, and it certainly happens with the skelebros. They can get particularly bad when it comes to this, or when it comes to focusing too much on extremes in general, instead of doing more nuanced takes, for very nuanced characters.

"I want to be able to capture that perfect balance of unsettledness and fun sides of all the characters, especially the brothers <3" Which u certainly do! And you defin. succeed at doing so with the brothers. U hit it out of the park!

"Deadringer is a big focus on the colors purple, red, and yellow, so i might not show Sans with his yellow eye despite him doing it a lot in canon, though his yellow eye would be in bonnytale 100%, underhell maybe"

Understandable then, u might not be able to show his yellow eye much in DR then. Yeah, the focus on red, purple, and yellow is really cool. Also other colors too. DR has such cool use of colors and color palettes and stuff. Ur other stuff too; though their color focuses are usually different. Like Bonnytale and Underhell.

Happy we will get to see his yellow eye in BT, and maybe UH. I love Sans' blue eye very much, but I feel like his yellow eye doesn't get shown as much. Even though it is also cool and fits Sans. Plus, while the blue eye and clothes look really cool. Blue and yellow also look really good together imo.

"hehe, i’m glad you liked this ep!"

Well, it was awesome!

"i don’t mind the asks they make me giddy >:)"

I happy u enjoy me Asks and stuff so much!!

Might some of this under a "read more" later, might not. For now, I am going to keep this as is.

I am back once again after having both read all ur answers to my Asks. Thank u so much for loving them and some of the ideas I gave for ur HH AU. And now, having also finally finished Ep3 and Ep4 of Dead Ringer. And OMG, they were so good. I think Ep3 and Ep4 are my favorite episodes now; even though all the episodes are great.

I adore how u write everyone, but the way u write Sans (both Dust/Murder Sans and the other Sans) and Paps (both Phantom and the other Paps). As well as Chara and Frisk are esp. great and a real highlight. I have a feeling they are going to be great in Bonnytale and ur Hazbin Hotel AU, considering how u do them in Dead Ringer, and what I have seen of those AUs. Alphys is great too.

And the bits we got with Mettaton, Napsta, and Mad Mew Mew were both funny and interesting (no wonder Mettaton looked scared, he was able to tell Dust wasn't their Sans. Find it so interesting and cool how the ghost monsters can tell he isn't their Sans).

Haven't seen that much of Asgore and Toriel, but they seem sweet, and I love how they look (I really love how u give them rectangle goat eye pupils). Oh, and Flowey in Ep4 in the flashbacks was awesome! Probably one of my favorite Floweys now. Loved Flowey's dynamic with Sans and Paps too.

I now understand even more why both Sanses should be on an FBI watchlist now. I will say more about this in a reblog or something that I am planning on doing talking about Dead Ringer, because I don't want to bombard ur Asks so much and stuff.

(Edit: This has gotten longer than expected. And I am going to have to do separate Asks anyways again. Lol. I do still plan to probably say even more in reblogs, comments, or whatever though).

But I will say this; God, do I love when Sans more moral grayness and/or dark sides and stuff are explored, and do that VERY well. They are both so twisted, to a point, that I don't even know which Sans is more twisted (will say more about this in my reblog or whatever, hopefully). They are both so supremely screwed up.

(I am pretty damn sure the flashbacks - which btw in one of those flashbacks, one of the later ones, the fricken art that focused on Sans and his blue eye and the leaves or something in the BG when he was talking about Frisk and their utter hatred for them and other disturbing stuff and then flashing over to a more of a Dust Sans, looking Sans in Judgement Hall all in red was freaking gorgeous, terrifying, and haunting. Man, Sans' blue eye, can be just as terrifying and cold, if not, even more so sometimes, as Dust's more red ones. I wonder how Sans' yellow eye could look in ur style -

(We see in Ep4 is the Sans, Dust is trying to replace, not Dust, and then there is the stuff that gets revealed when Phantom conjures up mimics of both their brothers and stuff. Frisk not wanting to say stuff about their Sans to Dust Sans, when he was questioning them, and the stuff at the very end, after Chara calls him. What he says in the blue text against the black BG. And/or etc. And Dust being twisted is very self-explanatory, I think.

(If I am right about this, that makes that really cool and pretty art that showed the title of the episode, that showed two 2 different Sanses, and I think a scarf, but dead Paps, and alive Paps, even better than it already was).

I am happy both Paps do understand that their brothers (Sans) do love them both very much, in their own, Sans and/or twisted ways, at least.

The two Paps's bonding about their Sanses both being miserable cowards, that don't tell them anything, and push them away, and won't show their pain and suffering, and won't let people in/help them, and how their Sanses do both love them very much, was somehow sad, heartwarming, funny, and messed up all at once.

Ep3 and 4 were very funny at times too; while also being very dark at times. Sometimes they were both funny and dark. Esp. stuff with Sans (both Sanses), Paps (both Paps's), Chara, and Frisk. Flowey too. Though, it makes sense to me, they could have dark humor and/or things could be both funny and dark, considering how these characters are. It is fitting.

Oh, Alphys was also quite funny in the episodes. And Metta got a chuckle or 2 from me. 1/?.

hai again >:3

hehe i love the character analysis u have of them here (AND HAPPY U POINTED OUT THAT THE GHOST MONSTERS ARE ABLE TO SENSE IT HELL YEAH)

i find exploring the characters, dark sides to be fun mwehehe, especially when it come to portraying them correctly. usually people will get too focused on one aspect (dark/comedy side of their personality) and dismiss the other. I want to be able to capture that perfect balance of unsettledness and fun sides of all the characters, especially the brothers <3

Deadringer is a big focus on the colors purple, red, and yellow, so i might not show Sans with his yellow eye despite him doing it a lot in canon, though his yellow eye would be in bonnytale 100%, underhell maybe

hehe, i’m glad you liked this ep! i don’t mind the asks they make me giddy >:)

[hoe-doroki]

Hey, if you're leaving a comment on a fic you love, do you think it's ok to also tell the author if they missed a word or misspelled something? At what point should you just say, "I'd beta this for you?"

Oof, Nonnie, you probably came to the wrong place 😂 Not because I'm not happy to answer--I totally am--but because I tend to be the lone person who feels differently on this than my friends, so I'll try to answer more from their point of view than mine.

Basically: if it's me, go for it, say something. If it's someone else--probably skip it.

The bottom line is that a small handful of typos isn't usually enough to stop a reader from enjoying a fic. As you said, you're hypothetically talking about a fic that you love. And so, if you say something, you're risking making someone upset over not a large potential gain for you or for them. So def err on the side of not saying anything.

You probably shouldn't offer to beta a story out of the blue either. It can come across as saying "you did a lot wrong, and you don't know anything about me, but I think I can do better than you." Even if you try hard for it not to sound like that.

It's not your job as a reader to 'fix' a fic. So if that's the angle you're trying to come from, it's not the best way to engage with an author.

I'll answer with more nuance below the cut, but that's the gist and probably what you should take away. Unless you know them: don't. But if you wanna chat more with me about this, because it's tricky, my dms are open.

Okay, let's start with who. Some authors put in the notes on ao3 that they're accepting concrit. Then it's probably fine. But also beware that a lot of people around here seem to think that what they're saying is concrit because they think it's helpful, but just telling someone that you think they're wrong about something is not usually helpful. So make sure to put a lot of thought into your phrasing, and give the author the benefit of the doubt if it's something more than a simple spelling error.

If they're a friend, it's probably fine to reach out personally. If it's an author you didn't know but are having a back and forth with, it might be fair to bring up if it sounds like they're looking for feedback (I've done this before, but you def have to be careful!). If it's someone you've never interacted with, again, probably don't.

Now where. If it's on ao3, it can be tricky since you can't message unless you leave a link to another account. I'll admit, the thing that makes me different from my friends is that I'm a fan of leaving and receiving reviews that have things I like and things I question. Admittedly, I don't know if all of these reviews have been well received--I'd actually bet that they haven't. But, imo, I'd always rather receive an engaged review that's not 100% positive on a story than one that just says "omg, I liked this so much 😍". Writers so rarely get truly engaged reviews, so that's why I leave them. But, nonnie, without knowing what kinds of reviews you leave and what you think is appropriate, I can't recommend you do this. I'm not even sure it's right that I do it. Some people are grateful, most don't say anything, so idk what the odds of a positive reception is. So, if you're questioning if your review will be well received or not, take out the part you're questioning. Better safe than sorry.

If it's on tumblr, don't leave it in a reblog, even in the tags. Maybe dm the person, if you're kind about it. Or you can leave an ask, but I definitely recommend not leaving an ask on anon. If you're willing to put your name behind what you say, then that should tell your gut that you don't think what you're saying is alright. If you feel the need to hide, that feeling is coming because you think that you're wrong, so just don't. An author will be more likely to give you the benefit of the doubt if you put your name behind it too, or they can follow up with dms or answer privately instead of publicly.

That's my gist. Like I said, I don't really have the answers here, because it's personal. If you're really wondering, and if it's someone on tumblr, you can try asking them. But a lot of authors around here are pretty sensitive about stuff like this, so be prepared to get a negative response and apologize, just in case.

The best you can do most of the time is just let it go <3

[passionesolja]

Here is the fun part, taking this mf apart and explaining what tf I wrote and what it stole from. I’m going through this chapter by chapter. Imo, a lot of this is ripped from the OG books. I always heard rumors of the AI stealing Ao3 fanfics but I didn’t wanna give too much of a damn. I don’t think it matters if you delete or private the fanfics because the first 4 or so books in OG blood Tribune were deleted (bc I wanted to make the story better) and it still ripping me off

Chapter 1: Echos of the Past

Right off the bat, the AI has stolen my words. I know that introduction to the Sith Pureblood society because I wrote it. It was my concept and my writing. Even the word “Council of Blood” is ripped off of the Blood Tribune name because what is another for Tribune? COUNCIL. But of course, the bullshit AI doesn’t realize any nuance or even in-universe reasons for why Tribune is used.

Now, it does take some stuff from Korriban. Like the “Sith Purebloods embracing their culture” BUT, it steals that idea from me and it also guts all nuance and style I put into that idea. Because this lil dumb ass bitch is a robot. It doesn’t understand Star Wars lore like me, it can only steal from me.

Chapter 2: The Hidden Citadel Deep

This chapter steals 2 separate concepts and meshes them. The Hidden Citadel is ripped off of the Hand Citadel, and the idea of it being an military base underground where Sith operate is ripped from the Jen’Ari Imperium—an humancentric Sith Order style cult who operated underground. I have no idea why the fuck the computer thinks the Sith would be hiding underground on Korriban but go off ig

The stuff with Ardan isn’t from me, but I can tell it’s an generic Sith Pureblood/Sith Empire character like dude is generic. This is like Swtor Sith Warrior level boilerplate. Which is fine but like don’t take my whole story that I put my life force into lmao

Chapter 3: the path of ascendancy

This is just swtor. They ripping off the swtor warrior and inquisitor stories. It ain’t got none to do with me.

Chapter 4: Shadows of Intrigue

The whole “while the sith enjoy a tenuous peace within their civilian, darkness looms overhead” COULD be read as ripping off my ideas for the Blood Tribune. But I’m sure they don’t mean it in the same context so I’m just going to say it’s an generic thing. Again, like I could be a bitch and say “hey that steals my idea of the different cultures within the Blood Tribune always being kinda at odds with each other” but ima not nitpick.

Chapter 5: Shadows of Intrigue

Much the same boiler plate bullshit that’s so painfully boring and drab that a mf yawning but ima say that I do see subtle things it’s stolen. Like yes it don’t make sense for Korriban sith knowledge to be hidden from sith who live on Korriban, but in OG blood tribune, the fact that Sith don’t truly know shit about Korriban is a plot point so ima say that mfs have bit from me.

Chapter 6 and Epilogue

Again it’s a mix of my concepts and the generic sith empire/fantasy tropes. I really don’t got much to say other than an AI could never do what tf I’m doing so anybody who says AI is the future is wrong bc mf it steals ideas and concepts so really humanity is the future

Tagline

"Sith Pureblood Chronicles: Bloodlines of Korriban" explores the rich and complex society of the Sith Purebloods, delving into their customs, politics, and spiritual beliefs. It is a tale of power and ambition, highlighting the eternal struggle for dominance within a civilization consumed by the dark side. As Ardan navigates the treacherous landscape of his people, he must confront his own demons and ultimately decide the fate of the Sith Purebloods

This tag line is an absolute rip off of the summary I used. Mf I wrote that. Mf that my swag. That my drip. Seeing that last part is what inspired me to even share my thoughts on the fact that I know have confirmation that AI is actively stealing my shit.

How do I feel as an writer about having my work now easily accessible for plagiarism?

Ngl, it don’t feel good. It don’t feel good knowing that some AI nerd Star Wars fan may one day just steal my ideas, concepts, and work and just re-package it as something else. Mfs not even stumbling across the same idea as me by chance, they just stealing it. I will stunt and flex and say that Blood Tribune is original given what subject matter and concepts it has.

However, now everyday I gotta now live with the knowledge that some tech-bro or lazy fuck may just generate an gutted and highly watered down version of my story and just have it published.

I’m not a crab in a bucket ass bitch but goddamn dawg I’ve been developing this book since 2019, have over 1k pages of it written and I put heart and thought into this. Reading an mindless clone of my writing is a lil irksome or some shit.

The takeaway

Bitch any mf who tell you “ai is the future, writers watch out” is lying. Mf this shit (even if it stole) was TRASH. Like I get it, it’s a summary blah blah blah but mfs steal my ideas and can’t even do it right. I do not think AI will replace humans because the computer ain’t as innovative and creative and 5D chess as me so it had to steal.

ChatGPT is trash and it had my whole original idea and still made it generic. Yeah

I can’t believe that ChatGPT ripped off pieces of my fanfic Blood Tribune. So, I’m going to post it below the cut and then let y’all read it. I’ll post my commentary of what I think the computer stole from me after the cut.

The CHAT GPT Rip Off of Blood Tribune

Title: "Sith Pureblood Chronicles: Bloodlines of Korriban"

Chapter 1: Echoes of the Past

Centuries have passed since the fall of the Sith Empire, and on the remote world of Korriban, the Sith Purebloods have carved out their own independent civilization. Shielded from the prying eyes of the galaxy, their society thrives in secrecy. Led by the Council of Blood, a ruling body of ancient Sith Lords, the Sith Purebloods embrace their heritage and continue their pursuit of power through the dark side of the Force.

Chapter 2: The Hidden Citadel Deep

within the catacombs of Korriban lies the Hidden Citadel, a sacred stronghold where the Sith Purebloods conduct their rituals and train in the ways of the dark side. Aspiring Sith warriors, such as the protagonist, Ardan, strive to prove themselves and earn a place among the elite. Ardan, born with potent Force sensitivity, carries the weight of his family's legacy and seeks to unleash his full potential.

Chapter 3: The Path of Ascendancy

Ardan embarks on a treacherous journey to master the Sith arts. Under the guidance of his enigmatic mentor, Darth Veritus, he learns to harness his anger, fear, and pain, channeling them into raw power. Alongside his fellow Sith acolytes, Ardan faces grueling trials and duels, testing not only his combat prowess but also his resilience and cunning.

Chapter 4: Shadows of Intrigue

While the Sith Purebloods enjoy a tenuous peace within their civilization, darkness looms on the horizon. An ambitious Sith Lord, Darth Maldera, plots to overthrow the Council of Blood and seize control of Korriban. Manipulative and ruthless, Maldera's actions threaten to unravel the fragile balance that has kept the Sith Purebloods united for centuries. Ardan finds himself entangled in a web of political intrigue as loyalties are tested and alliances are forged.

Chapter 5: Forbidden Knowledge

As Ardan delves deeper into the mysteries of the Sith Purebloods' past, he uncovers a hidden archive containing forbidden knowledge. The ancient texts reveal the secrets of forgotten Sith rituals, lost techniques, and untapped sources of power. Ardan becomes consumed by the desire to unlock these ancient arts, even if it means challenging the Council's authority and risking the wrath of Darth Maldera.

Chapter 6: The Battle for Korriban

The tension between Darth Maldera's faction and the Council of Blood escalates into open conflict. Ardan must choose a side, torn between loyalty to his heritage and his own quest for personal growth. The Sith Purebloods' civilization becomes a battleground as rival factions clash, unleashing devastating displays of Force power. Ardan's choices will not only shape his own destiny but also determine the future of the Sith Purebloods. Epilogue: Legacy Reborn After a cataclysmic clash between Darth Maldera and the Council of Blood, the Sith Purebloods stand at a crossroads. Ardan emerges as a pivotal figure, leading the remnants of his people towards a new era of unity and strength. Guided by the lessons of their tumultuous history, the Sith Purebloods reaffirm their commitment to the dark side and forge a path towards greatness.

"Sith Pureblood Chronicles: Bloodlines of Korriban" explores the rich and complex society of the Sith Purebloods, delving into their customs, politics, and spiritual beliefs. It is a tale of power and ambition, highlighting the eternal struggle for dominance within a civilization consumed by the dark side. As Ardan navigates the treacherous landscape of his people, he must confront his own demons and ultimately decide the

[lavenderek]

hi, A/3 volunteer back again! i hope i can answer your questions properly, but i’m on mobile so sorry if i get a bit confused. it’s also going to be quite long but i hope you can figure out which questions i’m replying to. let me know if you need any more clarification!

1 - as tag wranglers, we don’t moderate content via deletion, etc - we just move fics into the correct tags, and it’s typically on a fandom basis (for example, i might solely wrangle for something like the supernatural fandom only). i’ve never come across ‘problematic’ tags since most of the time, it’s just sorting tags into like... more general tags? so example - someone tags a fic with ‘kinda fluffy kinda angsty’. we would then kind of make it so that tag redirects to ‘fluff with angst’, even though it still appears as the original tag on the fic. does that make sense? i’m also a little unsure of the other questions you had here - which is totally my fault, i’m in the middle of writing an essay for uni that needs to be in in like... 12 hours and my brain is frazzled - but if you were asking about a situation where if i was concerned that a single user had a collection of fics that were all entirely based upon something illegal and reported their entire account to mods, would it be deleted - i’m not sure. tag wranglers are kind of like low-level moderators, and we’re not what would typically be thought of as moderators since we simply reorganise content versus actually removing it. since the reporting process is typically through the site itself and is handled by an entirely separate team, i cant speak for how they think or what their process is.

2 - it’s up to our judgement as to if we want to report it, but again, the tags we wrangle are VERY general. tags like ‘dead dove don’t eat’ and stuff that are typically full of polarising content arent something i’ve come across, because i think they make up a minority of most fandoms when put against tags like ‘fluff’ and ‘angst’ and even stuff like ‘chocolate’, lmao. i’m not certain what happens when a report is processed and the fic is found to be removable - what i do know though is that with fics that are seen as breaking specific laws (i.e depictions of CSA, slander, etc) mods are often a lot more hard-handed for several reasons (reputation both within the community and in terms of the fact they could very much get in legal trouble). again though, i’m a low-level moderator and don’t see that side of the process. however, if i report something and it’s not taken down, i’m not implicated in any way. it’s been a while since i’ve been on the site and reported anything so i’m not entirely certain if reporting is 100% anonymous or if you have to supply details like email, but i think if you DO supply things, it’s to ensure you aren’t mass-reporting someone (bc i think that counts as targeted harassment). email is also possible to fake, so i think you can make the process anonymous if you want to. as for how often i personally report fic - not often. i’m a CSA victim (which is why this topic is touchy for me tbh), and i don’t like to go through the process because i find it arduous - you have to give an explanation as to why you’re reporting the fic, and i find it triggering at times. i’ve also never been in a position where i have found a fic while actively volunteering that i feel has been necessary to report, so i can’t speak for that either. all of that being said - i’ve heard of and seen on one occasion fics and entire accounts be deleted for harassment/slander - in particular, i’ve heard multiple times that accounts dedicated to purposely like... making fun of? or like technically harassing? kpop boy group members have been taken down because even though their content is ‘technically’ fanfiction, it’s obviously just there to incite hatred against a specific person. so, imo, if mods are quick on taking down accounts obviously run by 14 year olds in fandom drama writing numerous fics where boyband member A calls boyband member B stupid and tells him nobody likes him, i think they’re very likely just as serious about taking down more serious content. that’s just my opinion and my personal experience though, and it’s distinct from my volunteering.

overall, on the whole topic of CSA on the website - it’s really tough even just as a basic content moderator. there’s lots of reasons as to why people post it, and though people are very obviously welcome and encouraged to think critically about everything, it’s a fact that the topic is really really difficult to manoeuvre (culture, who is posting it, when was it posted, why it’s being posted aka vent fics, etc). as i said, i’m a CSA victim myself, so i understand the frustration, but it’s too nuanced and difficult a topic to be able to say ‘ban it all’. however, i do think the site is doing their best to crack down on stuff that is very obviously on there for one specific reason, and i also think generally, they’re changing things so people are able and sometimes encouraged to anonymise themselves by not giving any profile info and to protect themselves by turning off comments completely, etc. i find that you can make it really easy to curate your posting experience so that essentially, you can post but nobody can really interact.

3 - i like tag wrangling! i got into it because i saw a position on the front page of the site and decided to go for it. it wasn’t very taxing to get into and you don’t have to put much work in - a couple of hours a week is enough, and they’re understanding about work/uni/etc. it’s easy to meet other people through volunteering, and they ensure everyone is over 18. i don’t read through fic myself - just through tags, and then i sort them into their proper places. if something is tagged wrong, we don’t get in touch with the author, we just do our best to reorganise the tag so it redirects into the correct place - again, for instance, if someone writes a fantasy AU that they tag with ‘high fantasy prince/princess AU’ and that tag doesn’t exist, we would sort it into the main tag for a royalty AU or something like that. re: monetisation of fics: technically, monetised content is not allowed on A/3 - if someone is advertising their patreon or kofi in their authors notes or profile, you’re supposed to report it just as a general user. i think it’s because it puts the site at risk of being sued or something? but as a low level mod, i don’t HAVE to report these things unless i see them while i’m tag wrangling (aka i see a tag like ‘my patreon is XYZ!!!!! send me money!!!!!!’) and i personally don’t report monetised fics because ... i don’t find it a prominent issue, lmao. people are also learning to avoid it by being like this is my tumblr or this is my twitter, and when you click on their social media they link their patreon or whatever There instead. also, idk who decided the colour scheme! i think it was just like a generally agreed upon thing with the site designers. i also think there’s been convo for a few years about dark modes and stuff on the site, but i’m pretty sure the site has to get a few more things out of the way before they’ll prioritise that (i know they’re trying to work on a better moderating system for things like spam and harassment atm bc the spam filter absolutely sucks dick lol). i’ll totally drop a mention like WOW, wouldnt it be AMAZING if we could have this SPECIFIC COLOUR SCHEME, tho <3

thank you so much for responding!!! this is really cool to know, i've never even seen a post by an a*3 worker before so you're a total unicorn right now

heh uni-corn because you're in uni. sorry i'm tired too

good luck on your paper!

[miggydiaz]

for the salty ask: 3, 7, 10, 11, 15, 16, 19, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 27 for spn

I had to do this one today because I have a LOT of Supernatural feelings and so a lot of these are even longer than my CK one. But thanks for the ask @wonderwolfballoon!

UNPOPULAR SUPERNATURAL OPINIONS AHOY: INCLUDES ANTI-DESTIEL SENTIMENTS AND OTHER UNSAVORY ELEMENTS

3. Have you ever unfollowed someone over a fandom opinion? 100000000% I have unfollowed someone over a fandom opinion in the SPN fandom. SPN was the fandom that taught me to make JUDICIOUS use of the blocking feature tumblr offers in order to curate my experience. I would actually encourage anyone and everyone to use the blocking feature if they disagree with people. Honestly, we don’t owe anyone our time or energy, especially on the internet! It is much healthier than sending or responding to hate, IMO. 7. Is there anything you used to like but can’t stand now?* This is actually a hard one for me to answer, so let me start by saying -- I have not seen a SINGLE episode since 9x05? I think? Whichever episode was the Dr. Deanlittle one where he talks to animals. I just couldn’t do it anymore. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the first 5 seasons, and they are all I watch anymore and I pretend nothing else exists after that (except The French Mistake because that episode is hilarious). But uh... I guess the simple answer is when I was originally watching it, I really loved Dean. He was brash, snarky, rough around the edges... but kind of soft in a I’m too toxically masculine to deal with my softness sort of way that I love seeing characters grow out of as they mature. But when I go back and rewatch now, much older than I was in 2006 when I first started watching, I see how awful a lot of his older behavior truly was. I still love Dean, and I will be a Dean girl until I die probably, but sometimes you gotta remind yourself that your faves have been problematic in the past so you don’t put them up on fandom constructed pedestals.

10. Most disliked arc? Why? AND AS A BONUS, MY ANSWER to 11. Is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why? I could write a literal essay about all of the problems I have with the later seasons (the ones I watched, which encompasses 6, 7, 8, and a few episodes of 9). But by far and away, the thing I hated most, was the Men of Letters.

Okay, this is where I am going to recognize my love of certain characters is at FUNDAMENTAL ODDS with how that character develops later and what history and background we get later on them. I RECOGNIZE this character is problematic, and I would NEVER STAND for his shit IRL, but fiction is complicated and nuanced, and fantastic circumstances do not make for normal behaviors. That being said, with all warnings I could possibly give, and with the full understanding that what I am about to say is basically fandom blasphemy of the highest order...

I like John Winchester’s character.

I know, I know. If you wanna stop reading and block me now, you are free to do that. I will not hold it against you. I am not about to apologize for anything he has done. I just need to contextualize why I have such an issue with the MOL storyline and it starts with the simple fact that I liked John Winchester as he was originally presented.

To me, and with the full understanding that I am answering this from the perspective of someone who DOES NOT regard anything past season 5 as personal canon, John Winchester is the perfect example of a truly complicated character. Here’s a parent who, if we take the pilot and the original s2 Djinn episodes at face value, could have been a great parent, who then got shoved into a fantastically impossible situation and made terrible choices that he thought were necessary in order to keep himself and his sons safe. That does not EXCUSE the heaps of abuse that he piled onto Dean in any way. We know John and Mary didn’t have a great marriage. But we also know from the pilot that John was at least a caring and present father, mostly,  for the 4 years he got to parent in a normal world, and that if Mary had lived, John would’ve been a softball playing dad who raised his kids and had a loving marriage with his wife. (Again, I need to reiterate, I did not watch anything past the early episodes of s9. If there is later canon that negates this, I do not know about it, nor do I want to because I don’t think of anything past 5 as canon) This is all important to me because these things emphasize that John was “NORMAL”. He was a mechanic, from a family of mechanics, whose father didn’t bail on him (a man in the episode where Dean is transported back in time to Lawrence tells John to ‘say hi to your old man for me’ or something to that effect). He was just a midwestern dude. Giving John Winchester a fantastical background through this Men of Letters bullshit made me SO MAD. First of all, I hate when later canon negates previous canon. I cannon TELL you how much I hate it. And the later seasons of Supernatural are riddled with stuff that doesn’t make any damn sense in the context of original, Kripke written canon, which is exactly why I stopped watching. That’s not ~Evolution of the show.~ That’s conveniently forgetting stuff that made your show and its premise so successful to begin with in order to keep filming episodes so you can keep making money. It’s the sacrifice of art for capitalism and yes I know this is a stupid TV show but as a writer myself it PISSES ME OFF.

/rant

ALSO, the idea that this toxically masculine family was set on this path by Heaven, and inherited this curse that put them on this path from their mother was such a good plot twist in its heyday. We spent four seasons thinking of Mary Winchester as a victim of circumstance, whose fate could not have been avoided because she was the mother to Sam, who is effectively cursed. And then, we learn that its BECAUSE of Mary that this ball even got rolling in the first place. IDK if you were around for that time in the fandom but at least in my circle, this was a big fucking deal. There had been so much (rightful) discourse about John before this, and what kind of parent he was, that Mary became almost deified in the same way Dean deifies her. And then we find out that this whole story gets set in motion by a decision she made because this was the life she found herself in. This was great. It was interesting. And even though the MOL doesn’t negate any of this, it does give John this weirdly fantastical that isn’t necessary. Let this guy be just some Joe Schmoe who fell in love with a kick ass hunter and had no idea any of this even existed. Let Mary and her want to be ‘normal’ be a complicated moral choice that fundamentally altered the paths of her husband and sons. It’s good tv!

Also, I fucking hate the bunker. The best episodes are Dean and Sam having moments in the car, or while in motel rooms on their cases, or whatever. I don’t mind them having a home base. I’m fine with that. But if a building could ever be a Mary Sue character, the bunker is it. I hate all of the MOL storyline, starting with this place.

I may not even tag this as Supernatural, I don’t need angry later season stans in my inbox.

15. Unpopular opinion about the manga/show?

There’s nothing good about anything that happened after season 6. It’s all a bunch of retconning bullshit. Season 6 had its moments where it was interesting, so I cut it a little bit of slack, but as far as I’m concerned, the show ended in season 5. I’m not sure that’s necessarily unpopular, but it does feel that way on tumblr, so. 

16. If you could change anything in the show, what would you change?

Aside from ending it in season 5?

Oooh, I’m about to blaspheme again. I am definitely not tagging this as Supernatural.

I would never have introduced Castiel, and I would’ve given that entire storyline to Anna. Or, alternatively, I would’ve flipped their story lines.

Look, for whatever it’s worth... I agree with the idea that Dean Winchester is a repressed bisexual. His Dr. Sexy love, the entire storyline with Benny in season 8, etc. I just don’t think he feels romantically about Castiel. And like, that’s okay! Just because you’re not into someone who is into you doesn’t mean you owe them a relationship or anything, no matter what the fandom thinks.

But I also think Dean has a big problem when it comes to women. Again, obviously later on in the series, Dean shifts and Charlie happens and Claire Novak and I know all of these things from gifs okay, context is not applicable here because I have none. But early on, Dean struggles A LOT with thinking of women as A) capable and B) trustworthy. He exists in a perpetual state of identifying women along the Madonna/Whore binary. Even Jo, however you feel about her, and to be clear, I loved Jo, but he doesn’t stop thinking of her really as a kid until they’re about to shoot the devil. Up until then, he’s genuinely surprised Ellen lets her out of the damn house.

Giving him a strong, capable woman who rebels against Heaven for HIM would have fundamentally altered Dean’s perceptions of women much earlier on than we get and would have forced him to examine some of that misogyny head on.

Dean has no problems trusting men. This is why the entire Gordon fiasco happens, right? It was less work for him to trust Castiel because Castiel is the inverse of Ruby. Angel to her Demon. Angels and demons don’t really have genders, but for the sake of presentation of vessels, man to her woman. Not even getting me started on the problematic parts of having significant demons mostly symbolized by women (Meg, Ruby, Lilith) and having significant angels mostly represented by Men (Castiel, Michael, Lucifer, Zachariah, Gabriel, Raphael), and how that ties into the idea of Original Sin and yada yada, but just like it’s interesting to have Mary and her decisions be the catalyst for the story, it’s interesting to have this badass warrior angel in Anna who marches down to Hell to yank Dean out, and through her interactions with him, decide to rebel against the ultimate patriarchy, while Dean gets an equally strong female counterpart to Sam’s Ruby, a woman for all intents and purposes that he respects as a soldier and an ally and not just a potential piece of ass.

Also, Castiel fans being literally unbearable is why I left the fandom. Nothing against Misha or anything, and not even anything against Cas as a character (who I very much enjoyed in seasons 4 and 5), but his fans have always been the worst and they try to insert him into everything.

19. What is the one thing you hate most about your fandom?

Castiel/Destiel fans, which even though I also hated the direction the show was going, drove me out of the fandom. Not like, personally or directly, but just the sheer mental hoops they had to jump through in order to make their ship work and I just got tired of seeing all of the contrived meta on my dash. Oh, and the rampant misogyny that came out of those early Castiel fans. I didn’t appreciate it from the Wincest corner, and I definitely didn’t appreciate it from the fans of the new guy. Gross.

22. Popular character you hate?

Oof. I don’t know. I don’t really hate Castiel, because again, I liked him a lot in seasons 4 and 5. Even 6 was interesting, even if I don’t regard it as my own personal show canon. I don’t think there was a popular character in those first five seasons I ever really hated. I didn’t fundamentally hate a character at all until the MOL stuff came around. Um. Yeah, I don’t really have an answer for this.

23. Unpopular character you love?

Pretty much every female character ever. Jo, Ellen, Ruby, Meg... although Meg became more popular as the series went on, Anna. Um. OH, BELA. Bela ESPECIALLY, I recently rewatched season 3 and I cannot emphasize how MUCH I love Bela. She was the best purely human foil ever. Bela is hands down the character I love most that the fandom had frothing at the mouth hatred for. It doesn’t help that I legitimately think Lauren Cohan is one of the most beautiful women on the planet. But seriously, Bela. Hands down.

24. Would you recommend XXX to a friend? Why or why not? 

I have! Many of times, and ALWAYS WITH THE CAVEAT to stop at the end of season 5. Not a single one of them has listened to me and almost all of them came to me at the end of the finale and were like WHY DID I WASTE SO MUCH TIME, and I don’t want to say I told them so, but like, I explicitly in neon colored text once told them so, so like, idk what to tell them. But yes! I think if someone is interested in some classic mystery television that has an overarching theme of family and forgiveness and striking out against the boxes that life tries to put us all into, SPN is a great show. But only the first 5 seasons. Also, be prepared for some thematically problematic parts of the show because there’s a lot of cishet toxic masculinity in those early seasons, and we should examine our media critically. There’s also a lot of good though too, and IMO, the good outweighs the bad.

25. How would you end XXX/Would you change the ending of XXX?

I would’ve ended it at season 5. I would’ve had Sam escape the pit and seen him standing under the street lamp, but then I would’ve had him walking away to leave Dean with Lisa (btw, side note, I DIDN’T like Lisa because I don’t think Dean would ever be truly happy with someone completely outside the life). Not because Sam doesn’t love his brother, but because he *does* love his brother, and because he would want Dean to be happy, even though Dean and Sam’s ideas of what makes the other happy have always been a little bit screwed up.. but that’s a different story.

27. Least shippable character?

Probably Zachariah. God, could you imagine? And... maybe Alastair, but I’m sure there are fics out there that I do not want to think about.

[brightblueinky]

Long winded ramblings about a Bronycon video

So I’ve seen some hubbub about a YouTube essay going over the history of the Brony fandom up until the last Bronycon. (You can see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fVOF2PiHnc ) I just got around to watching it today and I was...somewhat confused by some of the stronger negative takes I was seeing floating around Twitter, and I’ve been in a “fandom discourse” mood lately so, hey, I thought...why not talk about it. The first part of this was originally going to be a Twitter thread until I realized Twitter wasn’t going to let me keep going on the thread so I gave up and decided to put it here instead (lol) so it’s probably going to be a bit choppy since I was trying to keep it readable for that format.

So first of all, my background, so I can be completely honest about where I'm coming from and try not to portray what I'm saying as like...an end-all-be-all take here, because I don't wanna do that. I was never really an MLP fan. I watched the first season of FiM and really enjoyed it, but I didn't really engage with the fandom because by that point I'd gotten to where I didn't spend much time in huge fandoms. So I can't come at this from the perspective of an MLP fan. When I’m addressing the fandom here, I’m coming at it as an outsider in the sense that I am not a MLP fan/brony. What I AM going to do is come at this from the perspective of something of a "native" to fandom. I've always been a geek. I've engaged in online fandom in some form or another since I was about 8, which was in the mid 90s. I've been around the fandom block. Actually, I can even say that I used to lurk on 4chan a lot and I saw a lot of the early Brony discussions there. I also watch @JennyENicholson's videos, and yeah, there's been times where I've been bugged because we had a disagreement of opinions and felt like it was a little harsh. She's got a dry sense of humor and sometimes it's hard to read when she's joking and when she's being genuine. So like, I wasn't surprised when I saw some hubbub from some people online about her doing the video about Bronies. Not at all. But I gotta say...I am really surprised by some of the more INTENSE takes on the video after watching it?? The LARGE majority of the video is @JennyENicholson covering this fandom from an INSIDER'S perspective. She was an MLP fan before FiM, she was active enough in the fandom to be a BNF. A huge, huge amount of the video is positive and nostalgic. In fact I now wish I HAD been in the fandom! It seems like it was a lot of fun! The only thing I felt was maybe harsh in the video is I think she gave the impression that being "furry" is exclusively a sex thing, but by the end she talks about furries being a community that's a very inclusive, kind community with a lot of queer people, so even then I think if you're really paying attention to the whole video you're not going to come away with the idea that the furry community is bad. Just maybe could've had more nuance earlier in the video?  So from glancing through mentions of her in a Twitter search (which is definitely not going to be a perfect sample) from what I can tell there's like two things that people seem to be upset about with the video: 1, the idea that the fandom is "dead" and 2...just...Body Pillows. So let's talk about the dead fandom thing first. As I mention, I have been in fandom a long, long time. Although I (usually) shy away from big active fandoms now, I started off in bigger ones--Sonic, Pokemon, Digimon, LOTR, etc. The two fandoms I currently care about the most, though, are definitely fandoms that tend to be called "dead" and were never HUGE to begin with (Princess Tutu and Chrono Crusade). I think I can count on my hands the number of ppl who actively discuss or create fanwork for CC.   So I guess what I'm trying to say is, I've been on both sides of the coin here. And let me reassure Bronies: "Dead", while maybe too strong of a label for what it actually means, does not have to be a negative thing and you don't need to defend your fandom from it, IMO. I think the "dead" label simply means that interest in the fandom has cooled, the number of active participants is significantly down from the heydays of the fandom, etc. And I don't think that's an unfair label for brony fandom from what I know.   If there was a large scale replacement for Bronycon then maybe it'd be unfair, but...yeah, if you're losing your large hubs for the fandom community, if the flow of fanwork and discussion has slowed, I think "dead", as it's used, isn't an unfair label.   But again, I don't think this is a bad thing! I'd imagine that even the current state of the brony fandom is larger and more active than the Princess Tutu fandom at its greatest heights. It's a pretty relative term. It doesn't mean nobody cares, or that you can't still enjoy it! All the "dead" label really means is acknowledging the change in a fandom. It's not a bad thing. I might be 1 of ~30 writers for Chrono Crusade on AO3 but I still have fun writing fic and I still get hits and occasional positive comments. It's not bad. Just different. Okay so now let's talk about the body pillow thing and oh man, is this going to be a minefield, lol. Let's first talk about my personal lens I'm going to come at here... I've created NSFW fanwork. Some of it taboo. I'm also (somewhat) a part of the "proship" discourse on Twitter which is basically a community of people that push back against another community of "anti"-shippers who feel that some ships are problematic (because of character age, power dynamics, etc) and shouldn't be shipped. (I think that simplifies a lot of the discussion on both sides but it’ll do for the purpose of what I’m getting at here, I think.) At its worse this debate has lead death threats and suicide attempts. I have seen people get treated abusively for fanwork (sometimes NSFW but not always). (And I also want to add that while I think the major component of the pro-ship discussions on Twitter are anti-harassment, there’s been some ‘edgy’ types who think that it’s fun to harass antis with NSFW fanwork and the like and I want to make it clear that is ALSO ABUSIVE AND NOT OKAY.) Basically, I want to say I'm sympathetic to a knee jerk defensive reaction over NSFW fanart. Okay? I can get why people might want to push against criticism of stuff they enjoy/create, and that there’s an element of possibly being harassed for fanwork you create. But the thing is, I don't think this is really the attitude Jenny is taking in the video. She lightly mocks NSFW stuff and body pillows, but often describes it as "harmless" and "fine". The only time she's critical of it is when she notes that sometimes body pillows with suggestive poses could be on display at conventions where young kids were present--at a con celebrating a show MEANT for young kids--and that probably shouldn't have been allowed. She's not saying you can't buy a body pillow, or create one. She didn't even say that while discussing body pillows of characters who were 10! She expressed personal discomfort, but the only restriction she really suggested was "keep this out of the sight of minors." And I don't know why that would be a controversial take. I read lemons when I was younger so I'm not going to sit here and act like it's going to completely ruin kids lives or anything. But I ALSO think it's appropriate to have boundaries for sexual materials for kids (or anyone who doesn't want to engage for whatever reason). I want my stuff to be clearly labeled as NSFW, with tags being clear about the content, so people know what they're getting into. I’ve grown to care about this even more as I’ve gotten older. I don’t really want to know about minors reading my nsfw fanfic or anything. I’m not going to, like, parent them and shame them if they do, but I don’t want to engage with it, I want my stuff to be labeled, and I am DEFINITELY not going to put it on public display at a place where I know kids are allowed, ESPECIALLY not when it’s work based on stuff MEANT for children! I mean, I grew up in a fundamentalist Evangelical household and I will rant at you for hours about how damaging I feel that environment was, and that I don’t think kids and teens should be completely shielded from sex, etc. But that doesn’t mean that having boundaries in place is a bad idea, especially when minors are involved. I also think that boundaries are good just for the sake of consent, too? I’m not saying that someone accidentally seeing suggestive art is the same as them being raped, please don’t conflate it like that, but if people don’t want to see it for whatever reason they should be given the opportunity to make that choice as much as possible. The stuff that Jenny mentioned brony conventions would do (requiring stuff to be sold under the table, or having late night hours for the dealer’s room where 18+ merch could be displayed and sold) seem like really good policies and pretty similar to what I’ve seen at anime conventions I’ve attended (although occasionally some stuff that was maybe a biiit more suggestive than I’d be comfortable displaying in public...but hey, my local con allows kids but also makes it clear in their rules that it’s mostly geared for 13+ attendees and that it’s up to parents to decide what’s appropriate for their kids, and I think that’s fair). And yeah, I know, nothing that Jenny showed in the video being displayed at Bronycon was 100% explicit, just suggestive. She notes this in the video herself, saying that yeah, it doesn’t show genitalia, etc...and as I’m writing this I think I’ve maybe rambled too much about NSFW fanart when most of the stuff we’re talking about here is more “suggestive” than straight-up porn, since that’s probably muddying the waters a bit. But I gotta, gotta, GOTTA address the sentiment I saw multiple times on Twitter in response to her video: “Dakimakura/body pillows aren’t sexual and to say that is orientalist.” I...what? What the fuck? Okay, again, I’m going to make it perfectly clear what my background is here so that I’m not claiming to have some expertise that I don’t have: I am white. I am VERY white. My parents did the DNA test thing and the most “exotic” thing that came up is that my dad is 3% Spanish. Not latin american, I mean from Spain spanish. I am sooooo fucking white. I’ve studied a LITTLE of Japanese culture in college classes but that wasn’t even my field of study (Communication major on a Broadcasing track, minor in Theatre) so I’m not going to tell you I’m an expert on Japanese culture. I’m just a weeby geek that grew up in anime fandoms and never really stopped consuming Japanese pop culture. I have a very limited experience with Japanese culture. I am NOT an expert on what is and isn’t orientalist. I know I’m really hammering in this point here but I think it’s really, really important that I make it clear that I shouldn’t be used as an expert on this subject. But what I DO have a background in is someone who has engaged in Western fandom of stuff from Japan from a young age, I did spend a lot of time on 4chan, this is NOT the first time that I’ve seen some form of an “this isn’t sexual at all and you’re just a PERVERT” discussion about fanservice and...okay first of all, I highly doubt anyone saying this is any more qualified to define what is and isn’t orientalist than I am. I think this is bullshit and it feels like an attempt to make your opinions more legitimate by implying people that disagree with you are some form of bigot. (And look, I was a sheltered, insecure, stuck-up teenager in fandom, part of the reason I feel like I can recognize this is I totally pulled the same shit. I am not going to act like I have never tried to pull this and that I’m a pure innocent woke intellectual who’s never said something foolish, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let it slide, either.)

While writing this I googled ‘dakimakura’ to make sure I was spelling it right and noticed that Wikipedia does note that the origins of this style of pillow are sometimes used by Japanese kids as something like a security blanket, which I’m guessing is where the justification for the argument is coming from, but let’s be intellectually honest here--body pillow covers being sold at a convention aren’t primarily meant to be a security blanket for kids. And, okay, maybe you have a body pillow cover with a character on it that isn’t exactly in a sexual pose, just laying fully clothed on what looks like a bedsheet background. But I don’t think it’s an unfair argument to say that even THEN it implies a sort of intimacy, right, possibly a desire for a romantic attachment? Like, sharing a bed with someone doesn’t have to be sexual or romantic, I used to share a bed with my brother in hotel rooms when we were kids, but I’m also not going to share a bed with my brother and then hug him closely to my body no matter how he’s posed or what he’s wearing??? And look, maybe a body pillow isn’t ALWAYS sexual but to say it’s NOT sexual, which kinda implies NEVER, is so disingenuous. The top result I got when I searched for “anime body pillow” is a shop that includes categories like “18+ body pillow” and “sexy body pillow” and also SELLS FAKE BREAST INSERTS FOR SOME OF THE PILLOWS SO YOU CAN SQUEEZE THEIR BOOBS (obviously, NSFW link: https://www.dakimakura.us/ ) Like, COME ON, I don’t think it’s orientalist to say that something is sexual when Japanese people are actually selling body pillows they label as 18+. The second result even has a second for pillows you can insert sex toys into. And yeah I saw the guy saying “masturbation isn’t sex!” and sir at BEST you have a very narrow and incorrect definition of sex as simply being intercourse and, again, at worst you’re just being straight up dishonest. In fact, I’ll straight up call myself out for this. There’s a fanart body pillow of a fictional character I’ve considered buying several times! (Not porn but still probably NSFW link: https://www.etsy.com/listing/701912275/dakimakura-hypnosismic-doppo?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=hypnosis+mic&ref=sr_gallery-1-4&organic_search_click=1 ) Is this porn? No. You can’t see much. But on one side of the pillow he’s got his shirt untucked, you can see a bit of his stomach, and his fly is undone and you can see the band of his underwear peeking out. This is sexual. I’m not wanting it to like, get off on it, exactly...honestly it’s maybe a bit ironic, and a lot of wanting a body pillow in general is I like sleeping hugging onto something but I have a different sleep schedule from my husband I find him too big to hold all night and too warm in the summer anyway. But I’m not going to tell you that me wanting this PARTICULAR pillow case isn’t at all sexual, I know what I’m doing, I like the character and think the drawing is hot. I’m not saying don’t buy body pillows, okay? I’m not saying don’t sell them. I don’t think Jenny is either (she literally OWNS ONE that she shows in the video!!!). But don’t act like there isn’t ever anything sexual about it existing to try to defend their existence, okay? You don’t need to be a fucking coward about it, and you especially don’t need to say it’s racist if people call out something as being suggestive when, well, it fucking is. And I think it’s totally 100% reasonable for someone to say “hey I don’t think it’s a good idea to display suggestive art around kids, especially if it’s depicting young characters.” TL;DR -- Chill, guys. CHILL. Your fandom is getting smaller and the term people use for this is “dead” but that’s not a bad thing, you’ve still got the fandom, you can still enjoy it, there’s definitely no need to take personal offense over it. And enjoy your body pillows, but don’t be disingenuous about the fact that they can be suggestive and try to act like anyone that calls it such is racist, that is such bullshit. Like what you like, other people’s opinions of it is not automatically a personal attack on you, there’s no need to jump to being defensive every time someone says something vaguely negative about it. Chill, fandom friends. Fandom ain’t bad but it also doesn’t need to be the center of your identity and you don’t need to lash out against people for daring to have opinions about a thing you like. You especially don’t need to act like other people are perverts for noting something being suggestive. Chiiiiiiiiiill.

[skamofcolor]

Submission:

Hi - I’m curious about your thoughts on SKAM France season 4 so far. Apologies if you have already written about this. Feel free to link me. I am watching season 4 & supporting Imane. I try to watch the clips multiple times to get the views up but I’m finding this season exhausting story wise. Imane is starting to feel like the stereotypical “angry black woman” or do you feel this is in keeping with her character? My only point of reference is season 3 & even then my opinion of her is that they made her the “scary black woaman.” I’ve seen SKAM seasons 1 & 2 but not season 4 so maybe this is all in keeping with Sana’s character. Thank you.

------

I’ve written about this a bit on my Skam sideblog, and to be frank, I’m too exhausted by this season to reiterate all of that here, so for anyone interested, check out my fr meta tag over there. I know that’s a bit of a cop-out answer, and I’m sorry for that - but I think that’s also a very real and telling one about how I’m feeling about this season. I agree with pretty much every critique I’ve seen of this season that’s been written by a Muslim / PoC on this site. 

I made the choice to stop watching the clips because of how wildly disastrous, overly dramatic, and traumatizing this season has been. I know it’s not over, but I really do not believe in the French Girl Squad’s redemption at this point. I feel like the writers have been using this season essentially to police audiences of color and Muslim audiences’ reactions to racism and Islamophobia. This season was very clearly by white moderates who don’t actually understand a Black Muslim girl’s experiences, and have been equating Imane’s anger at racism and being treated unfairly by her friends with... racism against white people (which, hint: does not exist). They very clearly have no idea how to write about institutional or interpersonal oppression, and I’m almost positive the season is going to end with some kind of scene with Lucas, telling Imane to not be so angry, Imane apologizing to everyone, the Girl Squad doing some empty-but-grand gesture to “welcome” Imane back into the fold, and then a big party to show that Everyone Bleeds Red (or some shit).

This is sort of in keeping with Sana’s character/season, except it’s 80% worse. I had a lot of major issues with how the white characters were “redeemed” at the end and Sana apologizing to everyone without racism/Islamophobia ever being addressed, but I was able to watch until the end (and I was rooting for her friends to be better, and still rooting for the love interest at that point). With Skamfr I desperately want Imane to kick the Girl Squad to the curb and I’d rather her be alone than reunite with Sofiane. The only thing I want from this season is a resolution with Imane and her family and her Black friends, because I do not give a fuck about anyone else. However, I know that’s not going to happen. Because again... this was written by mostly white moderate men who think they’re “woke” by including microaggressions and having Imane point them out... but then literally not doing anything else with that. 

I empathize with Imane because her experiences feel so familiar and heartbreaking to me as a Black/Latina... but I think that’s my own reading into this character as opposed to any empathy or care that the writers have for this character. I think at this point we’re supposed to be sad for Imane but also want her to apologize to her white friends and become a “better” person by realizing what she did wrong. Which...she did do things wrong, but what I really want is for her to recognize that her friends ain’t shit. And that while she should also know she did some bad things, her feelings are also justified and right. And that she deserves better than how the other characters treat her. It feels like we’re supposed to somehow feel sympathy for these white girls and Imane and yet... all I feel towards the Girl Squad is derision.

 So. Yes, while I care for Imane, I also think that she is written as a stereotypical Angry Black Girl. Because it’s part of my experience, I recognize the nuance and necessity of her anger; Black girls should get to be angry. Yet from the framing of how everyone around her chides her for being too angry and changing and irrational (from her dad to Sofiane to her friends) that I think the writers don’t get or purposefully put in that nuance. I think they literally wrote an Angry Black Girl stereotype simply to “tear” her down and make her nicer to her white friends and palatable for their French white society. Imane’s “growth” by the end of this season isn’t about recognizing her worth, but about what the white writers believe a Black Muslim should be willing to take/accept/act. And that’s, quite frankly, bullshit, imo. 

It’s sad because I do want to support Assa, and I want media to know how important having Black/Muslim actors and characters is. But I don’t want to support this show any longer and I definitely don’t want to support the writers. It feels like a catch-22 because I’m sure the production company is going to think views went down because people don’t care about Imane. But the truth is, for folks like me... the views went down because it’s clear that the show itself doesn’t care about Imane - or their marginalized audience. 

- mod Jennifer

[syncopatedid]

Kazetsuyo Episode 8

Side musings first:  TIL that a treadmill is literally called a “room runner”  (ルームランナー)  in Japanese and it tickles my intermediate lvl. 日本語 to no end because that sounds exactly like the kind of mashpotato-bbq of English words I’d pair together to call a “treadmill” in Japanese when I don’t know what they call it there, ahaha. Moving on!

So I caught the Kazetsuyo Live action movie last week. It was all right and had its moments, but imo the movie cut a few corners and condensed too many important nuances that the anime does a better job of fleshing out. Thanks also to the movie, I now have too many thoughts.

Case in point with Akane: in the live action version of this scene or thereabouts, Haiji and Kakeru actually came close to a physical scuffle, and it happened in front of everyone as they were gathered around the feeding table. After his loss to Fujioka, Kakeru took his frustration out on everyone and especially on Akane, then Haiji got angry and spritzed him down with a shaken can of beer. More melodrama then happened with Haiji, which acted as a sort of catalyst that finally spurred everyone’s determination to make it to the Hakone Ekiden, and it cuts to Akane working out on his room runner and taking his training more seriously.

The nuance is not quite the same in Episode 8 though, as the anime clearly showed that Akane’s already had the inclination of wanting to improve his time, with him contemplating buying a treadmill before Haiji and Kakeru fought about him. This nuance is terribly important to me, because the movie version made it seem like Akane only started pulling his socks up after the major kerfuffle and drama, which I feel would have invalidated the result of Haiji’s efforts at supporting and encouraging Akane all this time. As if a major shocking event needed to happen in order to trigger Akane into action.  Of course, it might still play out similarly in the anime, but you kind of get a stronger sense that Haiji’s unwavering faith in Akane all this time has already done the job of winning him over, and Akane would have come into his own eventually... albeit at a more organic and slower pace. 

Also, Kakeru. In this Tumblr we support and love Akane, but Kakeru’s position has to resonate strongly for anyone who’ve ever done team sports, or anything that is graded by team effort, for that matter.  It is frustrating to feel like the only one taking things seriously while others are fooling around or don’t even want to be there, and the way the rag-tag team was formed seemingly out of Haiji’s whims has not done much to inspire Kakeru’s trust in his teammates, especially from the loud complainers who were very vocal about their reluctance to join, like Yuki and especially Akane. To put it simply, if someone is always complaining, it's doubtful that their efforts are their best because doing something unwillingly holds you back. Kakeru’s loss to Fujioka and their conversation in the last episode probably only made things worse - besides the fear of falling behind, when Fujioka acknowledged Kakeru and saw him as the support for Haiji and the team making it to the Hakone Ekiden, the expectation of a well-respected athlete who is at the top of his game and the pressure to meet that expectation has placed an unnecessary amount of stress on Kakeru and urgency for results, which if you think about it, is kind of like the same thing that is happening with Nico-chan, who has also gotten impatient to improve quickly. Something to think about I guess.

[nerdygirlkerrie]

Top Ten Sports Anime Husbands

So I saw this thing going around tumblr not long ago and thought I would adapt it.  Anyone wants to do it too, feel free, but I’m not tagging anyone!

These are ordered, more or less by importance to me lol  Gonna be long

10.  Fuji Syusuke

Probably my first yandere, way back from high school.  Tenipuri was probably also my first real sports anime.  I literally thought he was a girl for like the first three episodes lol  But despite being, imo, possessive and teasing, he’s fiercely loyal, and will fuck shit up.  The lazy genius

9. Seung-gil Lee

I love me a cranky Korean boy.  I feel him on a spiritual level – I don’t like the general public and am suspicious of those trying to be friends with me lol  I also have terrible fashion sense and love my pet to death.  He’s just really interesting, and so vicious… already might be a theme 

8. Narumiya Mei

There always have to be one arrogant ball of sunshine, right?  Mei is so larger than life – completely a drama queen, but somehow without being super obnoxious.  He has the skills to back up his arrogant.  He is smol and extra™  (Although, is 5’7 really that short?)  He looks cuddly though, if you can get him to be still long enough lol 

7. Kakei Shun

The epitome of sarcastic and chill.  Kid was hanging out with an American street gang drinking at like 13.  He’s a badass, but not mean.  Is completely unintimidated by Hiruma.  You can almost feel the eyeroll when he deals with his teammates, but he’s loyal to them.  Intelligent and smoking hot 

6. Haibara Jirou

True smol and 100% adorable.  He’s 90% hair, but it kind of makes you want to run your hands through it.  He’s the heart of his friends and is surprisingly sweet.  Has a great sense of humor and is really, really caring.  Kind of secondary mom friend.  Unintentionally, and intentionally funny.  Plus has an adorable confidence issue.

5. Otabek Altin

Like Kakei, he’s the chill one.  Serious and mature, he’s surprisingly kind.  Somehow puts up with being surrounded by a bunch of extra fools.  Does things his own way, but is also pretty much the mom friend.  Secondary smol one, but it doesn’t even matter cause his shoulders take one’s breath away~

4. Akashi Seijuro

Anyone that knows me, knows that I fucking love yanderes.  I don’t know why, I just… do.  Like if I met one in real life I would run screaming, but in anime? Dayum.  Akashi is lethally intelligent, a little psychotic in the beginning, but he owned who and what he is.  I like characters that have no sense of humor but are some how funny anyway. His nuances make him super interesting. 

3. Yukimura Seiichi

Basically the Akashi of Tenipuri, right?  Control is his trigger and he has to always be in control.  One of three smiling evils on this list – looks pretty and sweet, but will fucking eviscerate you if given a reason.  Like Akashi, he’s delightfully non-functional, but is somehow terrifying despite, and not because, of this. 

1. Kominato Ryousuke

Okay, so I couldn’t choose a number one.  I love the last two equally.  Ryousuke is probably the most functionally savage character I’ve ever seen in sports anime (for like, non-creepy, legitimate yandere).  He’s not gross, but he will fuck you up.  Has an adorable complex about his height (smol and terribile™).  Wears that yandere smile beautifully.  He teases everyone, and can absolutely be vicious if provoked, but he’s not nasty for the sake of being nasty and is actually pretty awesome older brother figure.  To both his real brother and the other players. 

1. Miyuki Kazuya

Man, I don’t even know what to say about this emotionally constipated idiot catcher. He’s so beautiful it practically hurts to look at him, but he’s pretty messed up to.  He pushes people away using teasing and brutal honesty, but is actually pretty lonely inside.  He is also one of the most supporting boys in all of Seidou and is always going above and beyond for his teammates, he just shows it badly.  Doesn’t know how to interact very well, leading to some pretty big blunders (ie Nabe situation), or what to do with friendship.  Probably didn’t even realize he had friends until well after he’s named captain.  Being captain overwhelms him cause again, he’s bad at people.  But no one cares more than him.  Says he’s cold and uncaring, but probably the biggest softie, besides Mochi lol 

Honorable mentions in no real order:

[greenishbucket]

some assorted check, please! fic recs

not at all exhaustive, of course! but i’ve read a lot of fic in the years since i first came across this comic and probably not given any the amount of love they deserve, so this is just a selection of some

scared to let your guard down by cumulativeChaos (Ford/Lardo, 4.8k)

Ford isn't an art student, but she likes to visit the art building. It's got a nice view of Lake Quad, a nice view of the art pieces, and a nice view of the pretty senior girl who's always working on the fifth floor. 

Comments: I love Ford all the time despite the little canon we have of her, but I just love Ford here; the humour in her narrative voice, her sweetness, and her determination to make college good despite the isolation-in-a-crowd, nothing’s-wrong-but-it’s-not-right-either feeling which is such a staple of starting college imo. And while as a fic it’s more broadly about that freshman year character growth of finding yourself and setting down new roots, the Ford/Lardo grows from this base and is all the better for it! The way their gradual relationship development is weaved through the fic is really satisfying, and all their interactions are so, so sweet.

too complicated for simple labels (but they sure do help) by @pongpalace/jamesiee (aro!March, QPP March & Ransom, 4.5k)

“What’s 'aromantic' mean?” March asks suddenly, stuck on the ending. “So you know how asexuality is the absence of sexual attraction right? Aro is basically the same except it’s the absence of romantic attraction.” “Romantic attraction?” March hasn’t ever heard the two words put together like that. “Uh, the part of you that wants to like um, date someone. Crushes and stuff.”

Comments: I reread this fic soo often. March’s (and her friends’) understanding of her aromanticism unfolding is handled with such care and nuance. The attention to (especially physical) details makes March’s experiences so vivid and the fic really highlights just how much romance is assumed to be central to people’s lives in big and small ways. But alongside there are always hints of change, and willingness to learn and respect, that keep the overall tone hopeful! March’s relationship with Ransom, which is a delight of mutual respect and and finding peaceful reprieve in each other’s company with a side of dorkiness and cuddles, really cements that.

hold me in this wild, wild world by @queerbycrs/darlingargents (Lardo/Camilla, 666 words)

Lardo thought, sometimes, that Camilla was like the sun.

Comments: I’m not sure I’ve ever been so thoroughly affected by a fic under 1k before. It manages to capture the gentleness and constant-lowkey-settled-affection of a slice of established relationship life so well, and the use of art language/metaphor/etc throughout feels really fitting for Lardo.

untitled fic by @nanlicia (Ransom/Nursey, 1k maybe at a glance)

Justin unlocks the door to his apartment at 4.27am, fighting to keep his eyes open just a minute longer - he only has to make it the 12 steps to his bed.

Comments: Sweet enough to cause tooth decay, honestly. I love domesticity in all it’s slightly unappealing realness, the kind where the trying-to-impress period has passed, and here Nursey eating Ransom’s teriyaki and Ransom being too tired to have sex is a great show of that. The dialogue in particular is a delight.

Little Sour Hearts by @omgericzimmermann (Holster/Esther Shapiro, 6.1k)

The girl is wearing a candy stripe apron, and right as Holster walks into the shop, she makes a face like she’s just taken a bite out of a lemon.

“I can go,” Holster offers.

Comments: Woooooow! I love this take on Holster (and his growth!) and the whole construction of Esther who we barely know!! As suggested by the tags, they are both disasters, and it’s both adorable and achey and I could read so many more fics about these two. Plus their families! The section with Holster’s booming dad and Esther’s eyeliner and sharing truffles was just so much. Esther working in a sweet shop and Holster just taking whatever stuff she offers is a really nice opening-closing link, too, and throughout I just really enjoyed their whole dorky thing.

bless this mess and call it a home by pepperfield (Nursey/Dex, 27.4k)

The thing is, being able to talk to houses doesn't actually preclude them from conspiring to ruin your life. Dex finds this out a little too late. First comes the Dib Flip, then Nursey's bed, and the water heater...the Haus definitely has it in for him.

In which Dex has house magic, Haus has Haus magic, and at least one of them is in love with Nursey.

Comments: I feel like this must be a staple of any Nursey/Dex reading? But it deserves a mention here, because I’ve read it so many times and I adore the entire concept of a living Haus and domestic magic. The dialogue between everyone but esp Dex and Nursey is a delight and really enviable in how it feels so organic, plus the classic of Dex thinking it’s just the house’s feelings (oh, hon) stretches out for the most enjoyable length of time.

hand on your heart by @zombiesolace (Chowder/Lardo/Nursey, 6.1k)

Three struggling art students and a whole lotta love.

Comments: Very stressed but passionate and loving art students Chowder, Lardo, and Nursey is everything I didn’t know I needed. The detail of the Art Experience is really immersive and I loved how the three of them all linked up bit by bit. The inclusion of Charmer through text was so nice, too, and I really like how they all just go for it? I love some dragged out mutual pining but this was just so refreshing, and so fun! 

The Takeover by @giraffeter (Bitty/Jack, Shitty/Lardo, SMH friendship, 47k (WIP))

When Eric Bittle started his new job at a local tech startup, he wasn't expecting to find a home.

When pro hockey player Jack Zimmermann agreed to a sponsored Instagram takeover for his favorite nutrition tracking app, he wasn't expecting their social media person to be quite so cute.

When Shitty Knight founded a company, he wasn't expecting being his friends' boss would be this hard.

(AU in which the gang all work together at a tech startup)

Comments: It may be hot off the presses, but this fic has already made its place as one of my most fav Check, Please fics out there!! This is some of the most consistently enjoyable and on point characterisation, dialogue, and journeys of everyone and I actually really like the amount of insight into start up businesses! So so so satisfyingly cohesive, and just a general joy to read! Catch my probs v incoherent comment on the last chapter when it comes to get a more live reaction :D