#i know this is a matter of some discussion among the fandom and i think this explanation makes sense

[the-eclectic-wonderer]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I think both of Blanche's middle names are real. She was named 'Blanche Marie Hollingsworth' at birth, and she later changed her name to 'Blanche Elizabeth Devereaux' when she got married. The middle name 'Marie' was too painful a reminder of her mammy Viola (from the way she says it in her episode, it sounds like she used to call Blanche by her full name pretty often), so some time after Viola left Blanche started using 'Elizabeth' as her middle name, probably told George it was her middle name, and took the chance when she got married to formally change it.

[ilikekidsshows]

Many people said "CN is not a good fighter' and I just realized how the narrative really make it looks like that's really the case despite of him being supposed to be a fencer champion and know martial arts and I was?? Baffled?? He even beaten by Scarabella despite being more experienced in fighting than Alya?? Either this show favor the girls more to the point it want to show that boys are incompetent or the boys are really incompetent in universe idk

---

The Scarabella thing is a combination of three things, at least, in my view, and some are problems that were always there, while others relate more to the retool. 1) The writers are pushing this being a girl power show so the girls always have to be smarter and stronger than the guys. You can see a bit of this in the preretool show where the boy classmates are, to be frank, already depicted as a bit more stupid than the girl classmates. Compare what the boys get up to when they gather together (throw a frat party) with what the girls get up to when they gather together (fashion shows, planting trees, hatching get Adrien quick schemes). 2) Cat Noir/Adrien is too popular so his role in episodes and importance to the narrative have to be diminished as much as they can while still keeping him around enough for his toys to sell. I’m actually starting to think “and Cat Noir” was a purposeful decision to make the show more marketable that Astruc then didn’t want to commit to. 3) Ladybug has to be the greatest at everything ever, regardless who is being Ladybug at the moment. Ladybug can’t lose to Cat Noir because she’s the better/more important/stronger hero.

Please ignore how Ladybug’s “fighting ability” in most episodes with actual villains is running away while Cat Noir fights them head on. Please ignore how Ladybug’s strategy for physically strong or fighter type Akumas is to have Cat Noir fight them while she comes up with a plan. Please ignore every single time there’s a horde of enemies, outside of Rena Rouge’s introduction episode, where Cat Noir was worfed to make her entrance more impressive when she saves him (wow look, another pattern), Cat Noir is the one who takes them out. Please ignore how Cat Noir utterly destroyed Miracle Queen’s elite fighting force with the most broken superpowers at their disposal.

Like, before I was done with the show and fandom, I tried to avoid saying I think Cat Noir is the better fighter. I said it was a “matter of taste” instead of “Ladybug gets handed the most important powers and the writers obviously favor her and her fighting style so this comparison is incredibly unfair on Cat Noir”. But, even then, I have always thought that Cat Noir’s fight scenes are just more often actual fights versus Ladybug’s super planning skills making her the most important character ever. Miraculous leans into trickery in fights, because that’s Marinette’s strength and lets her be “the best in a fight”, but in terms of actual fighting ability, Cat Noir just shows more actual moves and strength and tactical thinking in a moment. In a battle shounen series, Adrien would be the better fighter, and Marinette would go through a training arc before she can best him.

We also have a bunch of evidence that Cat Noir is physically stronger than Ladybug from the OG show, but I could never say that straight-up, because, even before the retool made discussing this show into a minefield, Marinette stans were a fucking annoyance on the fandom who’d dogpile anyone who said anything that could be construed as “Marinette salt”, like, “I think Cat Noir is physically stronger and her wins are based on strategy and not strength”. The reason this statement would rub people the wrong way is because Marinette is always needed for the win condition, so she has to be better, even though Sailor Moon is the worst fighter among the Sailor Scouts and still has the purification powers. There’s also the sexisim of the girl character needing trickery to win, while the guy wins in honest hand to hand more easily. After all, the Miraculous fandom’s logic is that pointing out obvious writer biases means you actually hold those biases.

In a fight between any type of Ladybug and Cat Noir, Cat Noir will lose because it’s Ladybug. In addition, the boys are provably depicted as more incompetent than the girls, especially when they're shown doing something side by side. But, if we look at actual fighting accomplishments, Cat Noir has more impressive fight scenes under his belt than Ladybug, because the people making this show are actually pretty sexist in what they actually show their girl characters doing.

[truuskn]

As someone whose first interaction with Prowl was in the G1 cartoons, you absolutely get it. There needs to be more of Prowl written like that and not always delegated to being a prick.

first of all, i absolutely agree. secondly, actually, the situation with how the fandom sees prowl is very curious. and kinda unique? i may be wrong, but it seems to me as if his idw version has affected his character much more than other idw versions affected people's views on other characters. i'll explain that in a moment but let's start from afar :D

i think the version of prowl you meet for the first time can really make a big difference in how you see his character in the long run. i first met prowl through idw and it played tricks on me. you know, i actually like idw prowl, but i have 2 problems with him:

a) he's a poorly written character. the idea is good, i really think so, but the writers didn't do a good job. he has a lot of interesting moments, but if you look at him in the perspective of the whole story... nope. bad job. i'm not going to talk on this topic, i've seen discussions about this on tumblr more than once, so some wise people have already said it all for me a long time ago :D

b) he's... technically the only nasty, manipulative jerk prowl among his other variations? but his popularity makes it seem like all prowls have always been like that. and when i first started getting to know this franchise i thought so too... i thought he was like that everywhere and all the time

when i first started reading tf comics i only did it with knowledge of tfp, rid-15 and rescue bots and i immediately jumped right into mtmte. i didn't watch g1 or any other shows. i didn't understand who was who or what was going on. and i automatically started hating prowl, because, well, everybody hated him?? even comics characters?? i thought it was the right thing to do. i didn't know anything about him, but because of his image in the comics and fandom i just accepted that he was a prick, a bad guy, a bastard and hated him. and i didn't want to get to know him any further

so when i finally started watching g1 and especially reading marvel comics i was so surprised... what the?? who's that?? why is prowl like this?? and i didn't understand what was going on at all again. yeah, it took me some time to realise that in this fandom in different continuations sometimes the only similarity from the same character may be the name alone (tfa prowl, tfa elita, tfp arcee, yk)

so it was marvel comics that made me love prowl. this is my favorite version of him. i'll write more about him someday but in short i'm just in love with how loyal, faithful, hopeful and kind he is here, how he fights despair, how continues to move forward no matter what, how hardships bend but don't break him... ugh. so many good stuff with him. especially the exodus arc (i don't remember what it's officially called but it's the one with the op death, leader grimlock and withering cybertron). anyway, perfect prowl in my mind. without him i'd probably just forget about prowl and focus on other characters. so i really miss him being like this. and even tho rn i appreciate and love any version of him, i think he's interesting both as a calm, cold and collected person and as a ninja bot and as an asshole, etc, etc, but still. it took me a while to get into it and i don't think i was the only one. it's sad that idw image is hurting this character and his legacy. again, i still like this version of him, but i don't like this situation

so. i wish people would stop automatically attributing the same characterisation to him everywhere. for some reason i get the impression that prowl is the only one this happens to? megatron, for example, can be a gratuitously bad guy, a tragic villain, a redeemed hero (which i'll be honest i like in tfe but hate in idw) - and everyone is used to it. no one equates him to one characteristic, knowing that it can easily change, he's accepted differently. but for some reason it doesn't always work with prowl... anyway, i really hope we see more variety with prowl in the future. preferably in the direction of g1. i really like tfe and idw2 takes on him! and i'm very interested to see what he'll be like in skybound (well, if he ever appears there, haha)

[klaraslevi]

Levi and the most irrelevant topics about his character

I have been seeing so much discourse in the fandom lately so I wanted to clear a few things up. I think Levi and his great character gets lost in all the pointless discourse.

His sexuality

Oh boy, you people make me irritated with this one. It was never confirmed or brought up simply because it doesn't matter, it is irrelevant as it gets especially for a character like Levi.

One thing I see poeple often bring up a is an "interview" where Isayama supposedly says that Levi like tall people and I would like to make one thing clear, that is an answer with no written down evidence or an actual translation. There is a version where Isayama says "does he like women?" And then there is another version which says "the type of women he likes?" Among 30 other translations and some fans saying that this was never even said, you cannot take this as canon, let alone give someone a screenshot from a random article online to convince people into your headcanons. This interview, be it fake or not, is not canon evidence and shouldn't be taken so seriously. In canon? Levi showed no interest in either genders. Using offical art as evidence that he is straight or gay based on way he is sitting standing or how he dresses is the dumbest thing ever and I don't even think I have to tell you why.

Bottom line: Levi has no confirmed sexuality, he could be straight, bi, gay, pan, ace etc. It is irrelevant to his character and wouldn't change a thing about him. You're free to headcanon Levi as you like just don't push it onto canon when none of us know and quite frankly, shouldn't care that much about it.

Ship wars/ships/Levi's love interest

Again, another topic that people take way too seriously. Ship wars for Levi shouldn't even exist but he is among the most popular anime characters so I suppose naturally they will. Levi doesn't have a canon love interest and no matter how much some push thier ships into canon, it won't change that fact. The shipping fandom is having fun most of the time and you actually going into thier spaces to hate on them is stupid.

Shipping community is huge and most poeple are having fun. You cannot group a whole shipping fandom into the toxic bunch which I see so many poeple do. No Eruri's, Levihan's, Rivetra's, self interests etc. aren't all bad because you saw one toxic fan send hate to people who don't ship or ship a certain pairing. People seem to forget that the person they are attacking over FICTIONAL CHARACTERS is an actual person, with hobbies and emotions. Sending someone death threats or hat over a ship they ship or don't ship makes you an asshole and shouldn't be a thing.

Fun fact: Japanese fandom has a name for poeple discussing Levi and his love life. They call it "landmine" because it's so irrelevant and poeple get so worked up over who he should/shouldn't be with rather than just acknowledging the story and his character for what it is.

Bottom line: Levi has no canon ship or a love interest. Headcanons are fine and having an opinion is too but pushing it onto canon and hating on poeple because of ships is not a way to go.

The sub or dom debate

Do I even have to explain to poeple why this is stupid?

It's mostly discourse around Levi x reader writers on here and other platforms. I am a Levi x reader writer, I have a separate blog for that but as I said many times before, those things are just my little fantasies and I never push those into Levi and his actual character. I see so many get worked up when someone sees Levi as a Dom or a sub and someone doesn't agree. This is fanfiction, it is not an analysis on his character. We don't know how Levi is during sex or if he even had sex in the first place and the fact that people actually get so worked up over it is ridiculous. This is super irrelevant, has zero baring on Levi and his decisions in canon. I have my headcanon, we all do but let's not pretend like we actually know anything about Levi in this context because we don't and it's the last thing we should focus on. None us are right, it is not that deep that someone sees Levi as a sub while you see him a Dom, trust me, this shouldn't be in discussion, it had nothing to do with canon. And who even actually cares? How does this affect Levi?

__________________________________________

Levi is a great and complex character, the fact that people let all his qualities get lost in such discourses is upsetting. We can't decide these things because we emotionally attached ourselves to a headcanon or a ship. Levi is not something because you "feel" he is, remember facts over feelings. Worrying about these irrelevant things makes Levi's character get lost in pointless and never ending debates.

[pilfappreciator]

ATTENTION TROLLS FANDOM!!

This is very important. Mostly to me but maybe you guys have been wondering this too idk but anyways:

How does troll reproduction work exactly?

Cuz I'm genuinely curious. I dont think anyone on the series production team has said anything and so far I've seen absolutely no one touch on this subject but as someone who's always had an interest in the habits of creatures (both fictional or otherwise), I kinda sorta maybe NEED to know this otherwise I'll never be able to sleep peacefully again

Full disclaimer that I'm specifically talking about the whole egg situation, I am NOT ASKING HOW THEY GET IT ON IF I WANTED THAT ANSWER I'D GO TO DEVIANT ART OR TWITTER OR WHATEVER LAWLESS PLATFORM GOD STEERS CLEAR OF. This discussion shall remain STRICTLY educational, thank you very much

But anywho. Let's dive in

So trolls come from eggs. This is basic knowledge. First instance of this phenomenon (as far as I know, I've only seen the movies) is from World Tour.

Egg pops out of Guy Diamond's hair, egg hatches and BOOM, (literal) baby. Now I understand that this whole sequence was probably just a gag and a way for DreamWorks to implement another (merchandisable) addition to the cast HOWEVER this sequence also raises a few questions

First off, as far as I know Guy Diamond has no partner (again: I haven't watched any of the spinoff shows). Either that or maybe the other troll was a sorta one-night-stand/no-longer-in-his-life kinda situation? Which is great either way cuz its shown he obviously cares for his son and we at Tumblr appreciate a loving single father no matter the circumstances, but if my former theory is correct than that would imply that trolls are capable of reproducing asexually. Like onions.

Now if that hypothesis is, as they call it, "cap" then that would mean that some sorta hanky panky has to go down before an egg comes into question. And if that's the case, does this mean that male trolls are traditionally the ones who carry the eggs?

But that can't be right, can it? Afterall, World Tour gave us yet ANOTHER egg scene later on in the movie

In Cooper's flashback, we clearly see Queen Essence being the one carrying the eggs meanwhile King Quincy is eggless. Now, as far as i see it, this could be explained either one of four ways:

1) Quincy was the one who actually produced the eggs and Essence is merely holding them for her husband (since her hair seems more fitting to be a makeshift nest compared to Quincy's)

2) Female trolls are the ones who produce the eggs. Guy Diamond is just a trans icon

3) Troll reproduction differs from genre to genre

4) There is a... *sighs* a/b/o type of dynamic among troll kind where certain trolls are capable of giving birth/siring children depending on a secondary gender

In regards to theory #3, this could also explain why Guy Diamond seems to reproduce and hatch an egg in such a short amount of time (like 5 seconds I'm pretty sure) as opposed to Queen Essence/King Quincy who's eggs presumably went a while longer before actually hatching.

Actually, speaking off eggs, are trolls the only species in their world that reproduce that way?

Because now that Band Together has officially been released, we now know for certain that it's possible for different species to crossbreed. Biggest example? Resident DILF Bruce and his giant muppet wife

(Credit to @captainunderkrupp )

When I saw these two... I swear...

And these two already have a shit ton of kids okay so like... either Brandi was the one giving birth or trollsona Daveed Digs was over here pumpin out eggs, which I mean-

DO YOU SEE HOW BIG THESE THINGS ARE COMPARED TO BRANCH AND POPPY?? Believe me I am PRAYING that Bruce gave himself some serious maternity/paternity leave because my guy is honestly a trooper

But yeah any thoughts? :))

[milliekenobi99]

The Obi-Wan Kenobi Problem

More specifically, the Fanon Obi-Wan problem.

(Alright, my tiktok buddies convinced me to get tumblr just to share this here. I caved, because I do think this is much more fit for tumblr. So, hello everyone).

It goes without saying (if you know me) that I am a fan of Obi-Wan Kenobi. I could sit here and talk about how much he’s influenced who I am, and how my experience is just one of many lives that Obi-Wan has touched, but unfortunately that is not my purpose in this rant. Despite occasional exceptions, Obi-Wan is generally beloved in the Star Wars fandom, to such a scale that he is known for being beloved.

Among this, of which will be found in every fandom, one contrived of millions of people no less, issues and mischaracterizations will arise. Even in all my years of loving and studying this character, I am still trying to wrap my head around how deeply these fallacies run when it comes to Obi-Wan Kenobi, still trying to untangle the fabrication from canon.

I will make a few things abundantly clear before I lay my discussion. In no way do I claim to understand or love Obi-Wan Kenobi “the most”. Such a claim cannot be made by anyone, nor does it matter, when millions of voices so frequently join to celebrate this character. I am not here with a possessive mindset, nor am I trying to exert moral superiority. However, animosity for the fanon version of a character who has captured my heart so fiercely has been building for as long as I’ve been a Star Wars fan, and I am finally making an effort to properly give my voice and hopefully debunk popular fanons of Obi-Wan built on false foundations.

The Perfect Jedi, The Unfortunate Candidate

Many Star Wars fans are familiar with the glaring issues in the dynamic between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, no matter how much love the two characters had for each other. Obi-Wan concluded that the best way to guide Anakin in the Jedi way was to emulate a so called “perfect Jedi”, while Anakin took this as Obi-Wan being such a model Jedi, that he could never relate to Anakin’s struggles, thus Anakin tried to hide his true emotions from Obi-Wan. This misunderstanding is the eventual downfall of their relationship after years of harboring resentment. None of this is new to us as fans.

Even while knowing this, several in the fandom, whether consciously or subconsciously, have fallen for Anakin’s misjudgment of his master. It is laced in the language they use for Obi-Wan, in their view of Anakin’s fall to the Dark Side. How can this be?

As Far As Your Wisdom Goes, You’re No Qui-Gon Jinn.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is a vessel utilized by the Force directly many times. Obi-Wan’s entire life is dictated by the will of the Force. Even if he is not the Chosen One, he directly mentors both Chosen Ones. He was responsible for Anakin Skywalker for a decade. Playing such a crucial role in the fate of the galaxy, so integral that some of been moved to say “there is no Star Wars without Obi-Wan Kenobi,” criticism of his behavior will arise, as of course it should. The beauty of fiction can often be highlighted most in character flaws.

Natural, too, is the comparison to Qui-Gon Jinn. Especially when considering the individual role’s Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan play in the will of the Force.

“After all, if Obi-Wan had been the one to die on Naboo, wouldn’t the rise of Darth Vader and the downfall of the Republic never happened? Isn’t that why it’s called Duel of the Fates? Obi-Wan was overly critical, and held Anakin back from being a master, which harbored Anakin’s resentment for the Order, ergo Vader.”

I will give flowers where flowers are due, there are true elements to such a viewpoint. And in simple terms, yes, Obi-Wan needed to live for Darth Vader to be born. But he is not the origin of Darth Vader, nor is Darth Vader a direct design of Obi-Wan Kenobi, as some fans like to claim.

Am I in any way going to imply that Obi-Wan was a perfect teacher? Not at all. Is he above criticism? Of course he isn’t. However, I do believe such popular fan conclusions do not depict an accurate image of Obi-Wan’s role in creation of Darth Vader.

In the claim that Obi-Wan was presenting as the perfect Jedi, many take this to believe that he was harsh, dismissive, and unfeeling. In such assumptions, it is obvious that they do not understand the Jedi Order at all. Nor do they understand Obi-Wan’s failure in his perfect Jedi mask.

There is a recurring impression that Obi-Wan left Anakin alone to flail in a sea of unfamiliar Jedi tenets, and expected Anakin to fall in line with a foreign Order without exceptional difficulty. This couldn’t be farther from the truth, and is a basis that relies on a weak foundation of if it wasn’t shown on screen, it didn’t happen.

Obi-Wan is shown both critiquing and praising Anakin throughout Attack of the Clones. In The Clone Wars Season 4 Episode 11, Kidnapped, Obi-Wan talks with Ahsoka about making sure to look out for Anakin, considering his past as a slave, as they had been sent on a mission to free Togruta colonists from the Zygerrian Slave Empire (the argument that Anakin should not have been on such a mission in the first place will undoubtedly arise, which of course is true, although not something Obi-Wan can control. And if Anakin himself is being brazen and headstrong about the mission, restless to barge in “guns o’blazing”—how much less can Obi-Wan dictate where he goes and what he does? He is no longer responsible for Anakin.)

In Season 6, Episode 5 of The Clone Wars, The Rise of Clovis, Obi-Wan takes the initiative and privately talks with Anakin, to offer a listening ear and hopefully some comfort to Anakin after Obi-Wan noticed Anakin’s troubled state. In the scene, he approaches Anakin not as a Master, but as a friend, eager to ease Anakin’s discomfort. Obi-Wan encourages Anakin to open up about the true nature of his feelings for Padmé, gently promoted Anakin to reason aloud that it was jealousy that had him perturbed. This scene has always struck me, because Obi-Wan himself goes as far as to open up about his feelings for Satine Kryze, even though this couldn’t have been more than a few months after her death, very likely less than that. Obi-Wan’s demeanor and voice are gentle, non-threatening, not accusatory, not judgmental. He talks to Anakin with a perspective of understanding. It is Anakin who brushes him off and refuses to confront his feelings for Padmé out loud to Obi-Wan.

In fact, Anakin is shown lashing out far more than he opens up. In most cases, while Obi-Wan tries to level with him, Anakin is far more inclined to point fingers. Again, this is not to say all the time. In Revenge of the Sith, Anakin sincerely apologizes to Obi-Wan for his bad attitude, and Obi-Wan reinforces his admiration of Anakin. I am not trying to paint Anakin as the root of every issue, but I am saying he was responsible for his own decisions.

The creation of Darth Vader should not be attributed to a single moment. But I am of the firm belief that fans give Anakin too much credit on this front. It is shown as well as stated in The Phantom Menace that Anakin always had the Dark Side of the Force in him, in a way that would result as an unbalanced, unstable Jedi. This is not something I am trying to blame Anakin for, at the time he was a child. In fact, having Anakin trained at all doomed both him and his Master. I believe making sweeping claims of finality about either’s attitude completely misunderstands the point of Star Wars. The situation was greatly complicated, and I have no intention to oversimplify it. Both master and apprentice had their strong moments and their incredibly low ones, but I also believe that Darth Vader will always boil down to Anakin’s inability to accept his own failure, Anakin’s arrogance, and Palpatine’s years of manipulation, not Obi-Wan’s conduct as a master.

You’ll forgive me, I have scoured the internet, but I cannot find the source of this comic panel. If anyone does know, please inform me. However, there is a lovely post by @thesecondbatgirl that I think drives my point home.

The suggestion that Obi-Wan is insensitive, harsh, cold, or anything of the sort, are all ideas given to us from Anakin’s point of view—Anakin, who is known to be arrogant, and unable to face criticism.

Knowing all of this, it is logical to conclude that Anakin’s judgement of Obi-Wan’s performance as a master cannot be a fair one, with this hubris and tendency to blame Obi-Wan for things that are not Obi-Wan’s fault so painfully obvious. Even so, many fans have adopted his attitude towards Obi-Wan, whether consciously or subconsciously.

I am not saying Obi-Wan never misjudged Anakin, or that he always reacted well when Anakin made an understandable, youthful blunder—but that’s exactly my point, sometimes is incredibly different from always. Just because it exists doesn’t mean it exists all the time. Obi-Wan is the farthest from perfect, he is shown making terrible mistakes, especially in The Clone Wars, like in the Deception arc, where Obi-Wan did not take into account just how deeply his actions would hurt his loved ones and severely broke trust

However, the notion that Obi-Wan was an unfair master who expected too much of Anakin is one that must be stopped. In reality, Obi-Wan was just as desperate to please Anakin as Anakin was to please him, if not more so. After feeling cast aside by Qui-Gon, then bearing the undeserved responsibility of training the Chosen One, it is ridiculous to assume that Obi-Wan could fit well into the ideal Jedi mold. Or at least, what people perceive to be the “ideal Jedi mold”.

Does the Prequel Trilogy clearly explain the causes of Darth Vader in a way that is sound and cohesive? In my opinion, no. There is vital context added in The Clone Wars, such as Anakin’s Padawan leaving the Order. So too, are his actions explained more soundly in the Revenge of the Sith novelization by Matthew Stover. Therefore, I cannot completely blame those who attribute more blame to Obi-Wan than is necessary, especially if they are a more casual fan, given the poor framing of the movies.

My point is, Obi-Wan (and by extension, the Jedi Order) is commonly used as a scapegoat, discounting any and all good he does especially towards Anakin, typically to bolster Anakin if they favor his character. Therein lies a refusal to see things from Obi-Wan’s point of view, and in doing this strip Anakin’s agency from him by blaming Anakin’s actions on others. This also suggests a muddled view of Anakin’s intentions. At the very least, there has been a failure to offer a little more grace to Obi-Wan, who always gave his all to everything he did.

Now that I have laid my case about Obi-Wan and the creation of Vader , the rest of my discussion will delve into a far more widespread fanon. And one that in my opinion, paints Obi-Wan in a far more detrimental light than any unfair ridicule he might face.

Fandom’s Chosen One

If you consider yourself in a Fandom, then you very likely have some experience with fanfiction—whether having occasionally skimmed websites, to your fic being the main project in your life. From fanfiction, essentially anything can blossom. Many times, perceived versions of characters stem from fanfiction, and bleed into our perceptions of canon. This can be great fun, and a great tool. Sadly, it is all too easy for such perceptions to be misguided, to an extent that does a disservice to the original story rather than showing honor and appreciation for it.

Before we get into the fanfic contents, we should at least consider what these fanfiction writers are basing their works off of.

George Lucas has never been subtle in his storytelling. Much of his writing in the Prequel Trilogy relies heavily on exposition. Lucas has also been very transparent about taking inspiration from real-world events, which is evident especially when considering the timing of writing. Despite this, unfortunately, a large number of fans have missed the clear messaging from Lucas, and Obi-Wan is by no means an exception.

George Lucas wrote Obi-Wan Kenobi with heavy East Asian coding, as he did with the Jedi Order as a whole. In the Original Trilogy, Obi-Wan was meant to be Lucas’ version of the wise, Samurai mentor stereotype. Lucas’ initial idea in writing Obi-Wan was for Toshiro Mifune, a Japanese actor, to portray him. Mifune turned down the role, however, and Alec Guinness was cast. Asian influence is perhaps most obvious in Obi-Wan’s name, which follows similar consonant-vowel patterns found in Chinese and Japanese.

But what does any of this mean for Fandom, our perception (or misperception) of Obi-Wan, and our patterns in portraying him?

“Space Scotland”

The name Stewjon is the only specific thing we know about Obi-Wan’s home planet, because the Jedi Order are meant to be perceived as his culture and family—his adopted heritage.

Ewan Mcgregor is a Scottish actor. Because of this, many fans have decided that Obi-Wan’s home planet should be based off of Scotland, and this has turned into relatively popular fanon. Fans quickly latched onto the playful remark made by Lucas as an homage to Jon Stewart in calling Obi-Wan’s home planet Stewjon, and such, a relatively consistent culture of Stewjon has remained prevalent in fanfic. This is hardly questioned by those interested in exploring what has been written of Stewjon. I was in a similar boat, I had seen jokes of Obi-Wan being Scottish by birth, never thought about it one way or another, because I knew what little information we had about his origins. As far as my personal projects as of yet, Stewjon was not relevant to me or my portrayal of Obi-Wan

Mcgregor brings none of his Scottish heritage into his portrayal of Obi-Wan, not even using his natural accent. So then, why? Why must Obi-Wan be Scottish? It seemed random to me, the more I thought about it. There is no inspiration taken from Alec Guinness’ background to comprise Obi-Wan’s birth culture. Moreover, the concept of “Space Scotland” goes against what we do know about Obi-Wan’s culture in canon. That being his name.

Below, I have linked two essays from Archive of Our Own that expertly provide answers to such questions of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s heritage and the fanon that has been built around it. The first linked is written by tellinowritesmeta (tellino), a Scottish Star Wars fan, giving a full explanation of why Obi-Wan Kenobi is quite clearly not Scottish, and never has been.

Stewjon Isn't Gaelic: Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Problem with "Space Scotland"

The second, an essay that came before tellino’s and inspired it, is by an Asian American Star Wars fanfiction writer, detailing the East Asian influence in Star Wars, and the coding around Obi-Wan specifically.

Obi-Wan, Ben, and the AU

I cannot fit every essential point surrounding Stewjon specifically here, my intention is to connect such issues to a larger misinterpretation of Obi-Wan, which is why I implore you to read both essays linked if you can. They both give far more in-depth, relevant information regarding how Fandom treats Obi-Wan’s mysterious Stewjoni heritage, and lead to points of my larger critiques of how fans choose to view Obi-Wan himself. If you are a Star Wars fan who loves Obi-Wan, both are worth your time.

But what is the issue here? Isn’t “Space Scotland” still technically treated as a Fandom inside joke? Or, relatively harmless fan-speculation utilized by fancreators?

As tellinowritesmeta’s essay throughly explains, “Stewjon” is commonly presented as a lazy mockery of what non-Scottish, people unwilling to do research perceive Scottish culture to be. In everything I have read detailing Stewjon, it has been a mock-up of Gaelic cultures, mixed and matched, based off of stereotypes, with some aspects of Scottish culture being completely thrown out, presumably because it didn’t fit the “aesthetic”. But beyond the ignorance prevalent in such fanon, “Space Scotland” tosses the culture Obi-Wan was written around aside completely.

George Lucas wrote the Jedi with heavy East Asian coding, basing their tenets off of Buddhism, basing their style off of samurai warriors. With the Force, he echoes Chinese concepts such as Qi.

So, we have his adopted culture, the inspiration for his character, and the name Obi-Wan Kenobi.

All of which have been almost completely disregarded by Fandom.

In a refusal to embrace what we are given from canon, in a refusal to understand the Jedi, they do not understand Obi-Wan. They cannot reflect him accurately in their portrayals. They look at him, how loyal and devoted he is to an Order that seems so mystical and foreign. Perhaps this stems from a misguided view of the Jedi, because of Anakin, or some internal bias. And they refuse to acknowledge how these ideals, this culture, these beliefs influence, Obi-Wan. It’s not comfortable. So, they strip all of that away, they don’t take into account the heavy coding around East Asian culture Obi-Wan was written with.

“Space Scotland” is a concept just foreign enough to still intrigue them, to make Obi-Wan “exotic” while still fitting him into their mold, making him more palatable. There is even a trend to rename him Ben—as a given name—not to acknowledge someone who has been torn from their home and is now isolated (as is what Ben means to him in canon, the whole point being that it’s not the true him) as reflects the lives of many diaspora—they use it because it’s familiar in western culture. And then, they make a ridiculous pastiche of Scotland, one full of stereotypes and a blatant lack of research. There is absolutely no basis for it whatsoever. It’s for the aesthetic, it’s convenient for them. It’s nothing short of erasure.

There are headcanons, patterns, memes, that I have seen from fans that have for years led me to the realization (though I had not truly comprehended how large the scope of it was until recently).

So many fans do not want Obi-Wan Kenobi. They want an attractive white man who they shape to become more relatable, more familiar, so they can mold him into something that never aligned with his character, while keeping just enough of the “exoticism” by having him based off a foreign culture. Because how could they possibly relate to him without all those pesky Jedi teachings in the way! Well maybe, just maybe, he doesn’t live a lifestyle like yours.

(Note: this is not me saying that exploring Obi-Wan as a non-Jedi or bringing him into a modern AU is at all wrong in itself, but it is all about how it’s presented and the attitude towards him and his coding as a whole.)

Now that we’ve identified the all-too-common Obi-Wan caricature, we will consider another area in which he has been completely divorced from his canon portrayal.

The Negotiator

Obi-Wan Kenobi is portrayed by Ewan Mcgregor in the the prequel trilogy. Ewan Mcgregor is a conventionally attractive man. Obi-Wan is canonically described as charismatic, and dubbed “The Negotiator” for his diplomatic skills. Obi-Wan is appealing to Fandom. Of course, how could he not be? He’s kind, his sarcasm and wit entertains us for hours, and he never loses his integrity, no matter what he faces. Fandom has been enchanted by him for years, and will certainly continue to be.

He’s a stylish man, flashy to an extent, obviously gives a damn about looking neat, and isn’t afraid to utilize his charms.

However, aspects of him have been cherry-picked, and specific traits have snowballed. Specifically, the idea of Obi-Wan using his body, for business and for pleasure, is taken as canon. Frankly, I would be surprised if you had not heard the term “Slut Obi-Wan. It’s played for memes, it’s expressed in fanfiction, in casual mentions of his character. Frankly, it is everywhere.

What aspects of his personality allude to this? Well, the first and foremost thing has nothing to do with his personality at all, because it’s simply: people are physically attracted to him. In itself, there is nothing wrong with this. However, this, paired with his charisma, projection onto the character himself has been blown ridiculously out of proportion. But what does the text say? What would happen if we really looked at these interactions? But, of course, most of Fandom will not do this, and I do not expect them to. Why examine any further, after all, when it’s so easy and comfortable here?

But don’t take my word for it. Let’s examine Obi-Wan’s mindset from the canon.

I’m sure no one is surprised that the first interactions we are going to examine are those between Obi-Wan and Asajj Ventress. In almost every duel they have, playful banter that often crosses into flirtatiousness is played for comedy.

In the canon (as of now) novel Dark Disciple by Christie Golden, this is addressed directly.

However, it is stated to be purely tactical in nature. (Note: this discussion will not be me dictating who you can and cannot ship him with. merely, when we refer to canon Obi-Wan, and how he has processed romance and intimacy).

Nothing about this is for physical pleasure, merely a mental challenge, a way to hopefully catch the other off guard. It’s not difficult to understand that Obi-Wan Kenobi and Asajj Ventress have no genuine interest in each other, aside from the possibility of an amusing challenge from an intellectual equal, hence the mind games. Adding to this, too, they both have different canon love interests, and both characters are shown to be devoted only to their canon love interests, as far as romance goes.

In The Clone Wars season 2 episode 17, Bounty Hunters, Obi-Wan and a bounty hunter named Sugi are somewhat depicted to be fraternizing, with playful banter that wouldn’t be a stretch to label as flirting. However, if you’ll notice, the second she turns away, Obi-Wan’s demeanor completely changes, with his face immediately hardening into something devoid of playfulness or anything resembling desire. It is clear his only purpose in entertaining such a dynamic with the bounty hunter is to keep her as an ally and soften her view towards the Jedi’s involvement.

In The Clone Wars episode Innocnets of Ryloth, a droid states that General Kenobi is “known for his deceptive maneuvers.”

Obi-Wan is also shown using his charisma in ways that don’t involve anything flirtatious or remotely romantic. He is simply charming, puts people at ease, a balance of non-threatening calm with the confidence of a leader. He is shown staging fake surrenders, and speaks calmly to his enemies far more than he raises his voice.

So, in the canon, is Obi-Wan seeking physical pleasure, or does he merely act out of tactical necessity?

The Real Voyage of Temptation

Among the many things Fandom will happily graze over to stuff Obi-Wan into their caricatured version of him, how he processes sex and romance is one of the most prevalent misinterpretations. In the novel Padawan by Kirseten White, Obi-Wan explains that sexual intercourse always seemed “more like an obstacle, rather than a temptation.”

Because of what is in canon, I will now mention his relationship with Satine Kryze through his eyes. However, I will reference his EU love interest, Siri Tachi from the Jedi Apprentice series, because the same points apply.

We don’t have much about Obi-Wan and Satine during the blossom of their romance. We know that they were between the ages 15 to 18, that they had a year’s worth of time in proximity, and that they were constantly in life-or-death circumstances. Mirroring his relationship with Siri, he and Satine would often bicker. The root of the tumultuous bickering with Satine is typically their differing political views, but as with Siri, it is meant to depict their begrudging romantic attraction. However, both overcome their difference with Obi-Wan. The basis for romance had a foundation of trust and compromise. And in both cases, Obi-Wan chooses duty over love.

Despite fanon speculation (such as the theory that Korkie Kryze is the illegitimate son of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Satine Kryze, one Obi-Wan does not know about) in Obi-Wan’s relationship with Satine, it is implied that they do not acknowledge their feelings aloud until long into after they have built lives in which the other had no involvement. The first time they confess to each other’s faces is during a famous confrontation in The Clone Wars episode, Voyage of Temptation.

When Obi-Wan says his famous line “had you said the word, I would have left the Jedi Order,” what struck me upon first hearing the line is his use of past tense. He is admitting to Satine that he loved her enough to leave the Order as a teenager, but now he has so much more responsibility and such a different life, it is obvious that he would not leave the Order for her now. This is proven when later this same episode we see the two sharing a bittersweet goodbye. This situation mirrors Obi-Wan’s Legends romance with Siri Tachi. The two Padawans planned to leave the Jedi Order to be together whilst forced into proximity on a mission. However, upon their return to the Temple, they cancelled this plan and vowed to never speak of their feelings for each other again.

Siri Tachi and Satine Kryze both die in Obi-Wan’s arms during the Clone Wars, and they both reaffirm their love for him as they do so. Obi-Wan lets them both go.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is only ever shown having romantic interest for someone he trusts deeply, and has a strong emotional bond and sense of camaraderie with. And in both cases, he chose to stay in the Jedi Order.

In Padawan, after being away from the Temple for some time Obi-Wan identifies a desire for attachment—but not necessarily a romantic one. He describes having a best friend, a true one, a confidant, an equal, someone he can share emotional intimacy with.

“Obi-Wan was hit with a sudden pang of longing. Not for any of them, specifically, but for that intimacy with anyone, generally. To clasp fingers, sneak off into the dark, have the weight of secrets, and affection and… connection. Attachment.”

However, immediately after identifying this, he rebukes himself, saying it bordered too close to attachment. This is obviously sometime he had to fight all his life. And, of course, the fight was hard-won, but won nonetheless.

Obi-Wan Kenobi was loyal to the Jedi Order, whether he wanted it or not. In both timelines where he has romantic feelings for someone, he never forgets them, nor does he let his attachment overcome his life.

On another extreme, there is a tendency to undermine Obi-Wan’s love for such characters in a way that infantilizes him (again, this is not to say not shipping him with these canon love interests, I do not ship him with these characters. This is something else entirely). Among his choosing to stay in the Jedi Order, I have picked up a mild trend among fanfiction, that show characters such as Satine Kryze, or perhaps whomever the author would prefer to pair Obi-Wan with, emotionally or even physically “preying” on Obi-Wan. There is a delicate balance between how much he desires romance, how much he desires sex, and his dedication to the Jedi Order, all of which are blown far out of proportion by fanon. Once again—the issue lies when such things are taken as canon. His sexual desires are extremely low, as is obvious in many Star Wars novels, and yet he is objectified heavily. He can recognize his romantic feelings for both of the love interests he has had through Star Wars, while also deciding the Order is where he belongs.

These are his desires, and his priorities. Obi-Wan Kenobi’s actions speak of someone who is fiercely loyal, who loves deeply, and who is certainly not self-indulgent. Nothing about him says that he would share himself in such a way with a stranger, especially not if he harbored romantic feelings for someone else. Especially not when it took so much for him to fall in love in the first place.

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Why This Matters)

“Millie, why does any of this matter? Fandoms have been mischaracterizing & embellishing canon since the dawn of time. Why do you care so much?”

Well, I could state the obvious that anyone who loves storytelling in some capacity will have to be familiar with, fiction reflects reality. So, yes, it does and always will matter how we chose to portray our world and the people in it.

Years ago, I finally made the decision that I would stop kicking around what little information I had with the core nine movies and finally watch The Clone Wars. And since then, I have loved Obi-Wan so deeply it has uprooted and changed my life. I have studied him as best I can. I’ve made wrong assumptions, I’ve concluded things about him that were false. But every single time, I have done all I could to research what was given to me from canon. There are trials in this, Obi-Wan has been portrayed by a myriad of different authors and writers over the years, and I have identified discrepancies between portrayals, especially if one considers canon vs. the EU. But beyond that, I just want to try and know him. And because of that, I am angry at what this Fandom does to him, and will no doubt continue to do to appease their idea of what he should be.

If you genuinely don’t care about him—if you enjoy your, fetishized, simplified, empty version of him after reading everything just covered, then there is likely nothing I can say to give canon Obi-Wan a modicum of merit in your eyes.

But if you do claim to love this character—not an idea of him, not a watered down version, stripped of nuance, and cultural coding, and subtext—but him, and you still refuse to acknowledge what has been given to you from the canon of Obi-Wan Kenobi, if nothing else, pause to consider: is that love?

[oishitea]

Seeing a lot of upset posts about how the show ended with Boston and feeling like something really went over a few heads. Do I also believe Boston deserved better? Yes. But let's be realistic in the way Jojo and Ninew approached this.

Boston and his promiscuity have been the target of harsh judgements from episode one. And the writers have stated that he has a moral code, it's just very different from others. I was never expecting him to state it outright, that it would just be a thing worth paragraphs of speculative meta, but he does!

Boston stated his definition of boyfriend. If he wants to be exclusive, that's for all the emotional bonding that he desires with someone special, but does not deny him the ability to fulfill his physical desires with whomever he wishes. That's not just polyamory, it's a very specific kind!!! And it's entirely different from the traditional sort of relationship society has accepted. The thing is, he wouldn't have discovered that possibility without knowing Nick.

Boston did genuinely fall for Nick. But how could he have handled that properly when he has no experience being loved and has never learned how to love someone back? Moreover, how could he come to the conclusion that he likes being exclusive in one way but not another without absolutely fumbling the bag with someone who's on a different page? It's not exactly Nick's fault that he prefers physical affection to be exclusive as well, that's just how he is. There couldn't have been any discussion about this, it was a discovery in the making.

The truth is Boston would still have a hard time finding happiness in Thailand due to the political climate, especially with his father being a politician. He's gay and that alone makes achieving his dreams more difficult, but being as promiscuous as he is means even a majority of the queer community will shut him out. He's better off moving to the states where at least he has rights and better acceptance for who he is. And that's what happened.

Because having a sexual or romantic appetite outside of monogamy is still looked down on. I still see it in the BL fandom. I see it just in general. 3 Will Be Free is so often cited as a must-watch, but how many people stick to their comfort branded pairings?* How many people have made or heard jokes about the "Seattle polycule"? How many romantic aces and allosexual aros get othered and excluded and judged for their identity?

Jojo said there was no intended message, but that doesn't mean there isn't one to be found. Boston's arc is a prime example of how slutty queers get treated even by their own peers, even by people who care about them most. It's a cry from the cold and lonely dark that if we think these people deserve better, we need to change existing paradigms and find how we can give them that!

Nick wasn't prepared to do that because he is still hurting, and that's also okay. Not everyone has to change themselves to make the puzzle pieces fit. Boston and Nick's story centers around that so much. Nick being jealous and trying to copy Top, Boston trying to be what he thinks a boyfriend is - they only hurt each other because the parts that don't fit are digging in.

I hope we get a second season, but if not friends, remember Boston. He represents such a particular demographic that gets hated on and ignored constantly, and they deserve a chance. They're not easy, but that doesn't mean they're not worth it. Remember Nick too. We all have a Nick in some manner - someone that made us want to try, but no matter how much we cared for each other it just wasn't going to work. Family, friends, partners, whoever.

Instead of being outraged with the show, be outraged with society. Do something about it. Be kinder. Community is important, now more than ever. I cannot possibly overstate how much we need community, especially among minorities.

*this isn't meant to be judgmental toward fans who prefer branded pairings or aren't interested in that particular show. I know watching anything requires time and energy and scratching a certain itch at the right moment. It is, however, a concern that so many fans complained about numerous aspects of OF to the point where the creators went to the effort of explaining themselves on a weekly basis and editing certain parts to avoid backlash. I mentioned 3 Will Be Free because it's another example of Jojo's work. Many BL fans have heard of it, but only a small portion seem to have watched, and that can be an indicator of certain biases. This is not to imply anyone who hasn't seen it has said biases and is only intended to encourage reflection if needed.

[tenpintsofsundrop]

Fanfiction Etiquette 101

(Things You Didn't Know You Need To Know)

So, I have seen some discussions about these things on my dashboard, and I know some people are new to tumblr and new to fanfiction in general, so I decided to put this list together in case it might help people. And this stuff goes for all fandoms, no matter what type of fanfiction to write and post.

Also fyi, this post is mostly for people who write and post fanfiction.

1: Putting A Readmore/Cut On Fanfiction

So a 'readmore' (also known as a 'cut') is the ability to put the body of your fanfiction under a cut off link so that people's dashboards are not clogged up by long sprawling paragraphs of text. This is also helpful if your fic contains smut and people don't want to be subjected to smut - people have to click through to keep reading sensitive topics.

The button for it looks like this on desktop:

And this bar of options comes up on desktop when you hit 'enter' on a blank line.

And it looks like this on mobile:

Tumblr put it permanently into the hotbar of options so that it's easier for people to put a readmore on their posts on mobile.

Once you have inputted it, it comes up as a light grey jagged line, showing you where your text cuts off in the main post aka what text is visible before the cut and what's not.

And generally, I think it's a good idea to put the readmore after the first paragraph of your fic, or after the description/summary.

I have noticed that some people put it in after several paragraphs for a longer fic, but I think to make fics easier to reblog, you could put it closer to the top. And even if you're writing smut blurbs, you should put it close to the top to keep smut concealed in case people don't want to read or see smut.

If you don't use a readmore, people are less likely to reblog your fic because they don't want to put a long text wall on other people's dashboards.

2: Using (Stolen) Gifs As Fanfiction Covers

I have seen some discussion about using gifs from google, and people putting a gif that they have downloaded and simply writing under it 'this gif is not mine, please DM me if it's your and I will give you credit'.

It's generally established among gif makers that downloading random gifs and putting them on your fanfiction is bad etiquette. Those are considered stolen gifs.

Even if you say it's not yours and offer to give credit, any gif you repost that is not yours is considered a stolen gif.

Fanfiction writers and gif makers need to work together, not against each other. Reblog gif sets you like, and don't download random gifs, no matter what the source is.

The best way to use gifs as fanfiction covers is to make them yourself or to use the tumblr integrated gif search system.

The gif search system is in the same hot bar as the readmore, labelled under 'gif'.

When you pull it up and click on it, you type in the name of the character you are looking for, and then you can scroll through the results. You can click on a gif to add it to your post, and remove it if you don't like it. So you can try out different gifs to find the right fit of what you're looking for.

And when you find what you're looking for and put it on your post, it automatically credits the gifmaker.

And the credit appears like this. And the name of the gifmaker can be clicked and then it takes you to their blog, so you can see who made the gif. This is a much better way to use gifs, because if someone likes a gif they see on your fic post, they can click through to the original gifmaker and reblog it.

Alternatively, using stills from the show/piece of media you're fanfic is about is a great way to avoid using stolen gifs.

2.5: Using Flashing Gifs On Fanfiction

I have noticed that a lot of people use flashing dividers for their fics, and they don't tag it with a flashing warning (#flashing gif or something similar) and they don't see this as a problem.

Using a flashing gif in fanfiction without a warning can negatively affect disabled readers. Not just people with photosensitive seizures, but people with migraines and different types of eye issues.

3: Using Coloured Text For Fanfiction

Speaking of accessibility issues, I have noticed that many people (especially people new to tumblr/new to fanfiction) use Tumblr's coloured text option to differentiate characters in fanfiction - assigning one colour per character with dialogue.

Some people also just use coloured text for the whole body of their fics, just making it straight up unreadable for disabled people.

Using coloured text in fanfiction makes it inaccessible because certain types of colour blindness makes it unreliable to see on a white background, and bright colours can cause eye strain for different types of disabilities.

It is kinder to use the traditional black text for the body of your fic, and any important information (like the content warnings, DNI criteria, etc).

4: Putting Thorough Content Warnings On Fanfiction

Speaking of content warnings - I could (and probably should) make an entire post about this topic alone, because many writers (both new and old) are severely lacking in this department.

Content warnings are supposed to be more for just smut - and if you do have smut in your fic, you should put warnings for that, instead of just releasing for fic into the wild with no warnings at all. Content warnings are supposed to be for anything that could be potentially triggering for a reader - phobias and fears, sensitive topics, uncomfortable or fear-inducing situations, and kinks and nsfw topics.

Tbh I think not enough people put warnings for alcohol and alcohol consumption in their fics, because alcohol is far too normalized to most people, but again - I could probably make a whole post just about content warnings in fanfiction. Basically: if you think your post could be triggering to someone with an addiction or in addiction recovery (or triggering to a sober person who doesn't want to read about drugs or alcohol) - then include those things in the content warnings.

Fanfiction is about informed consent.

People need to be better informed about what the content of your fic is before they consent to reading it. Also, if you're worried about the warnings being too detailed and giving away 'spoilers' for your fic, then you're probably worried about the wrong thing. And you can just put a warning at the very top that says "the content warnings of this fic contain spoilers for the plot of the fic" and let people make their choice if they want to skip the content warnings or not.

Please, write about all the dark or sensitive topics that you want, but just put detailed warnings on your fic so people can be informed about it before reading your fic.

People always appreciate thorough warnings, and they are more likely to read your fic if they are fully informed before clicking into the body of it.

4.5: (Not) Censoring Content Warnings

Tumblr is not tiktok. (Same goes for posting fics on AO3, but this post is mostly about Tumblr fics.) On Tumblr you can say/spell out any word you want without your post being suppressed or taken down - suicide, kill, murder, fuck, abortion, hell, porn, tits, cumshot, etc.

So that means that when you're writing out the content warnings of a fic, you should write them out fully, rather than putting slang or alluding to the topics in a fic. (Again, informed consent.) Rather than saying 'this fic contains SA', say: 'this fic contains sexual assault' or 'this fic contains rape'.

I saw someone using the term 'unalive' in the content warnings of their fic, and tbh, that's what inspired me to make this whole post.

If you're not mature enough to spell out all the topics in the content warnings of the post, you're not mature enough to be writing and posting about those topics.

Also, try not to use terms that need to be looked up/implicit terms. Certain terms for kinks (like dacryphilia or somnophilia) might lead a person to google those terms and find things they don't want to see. So instead of using those terms, just say 'crying kink' or 'sleeping kink' instead, so that everything is spelled out plainly.

...

This is all I can think of for now. Basically, just be kind to others when posting fics. Be kind to gif makers, disabled readers, and anyone from your fandom who might have an interest in your fic! Be safe and have fun writing! <3

[requiesticat]

i was scrolling through the clinical trial game and i couldnt help but get caught reading your post; the one about homie. just wanted to pop in and say, as someone who's been in that circle for more than half a decade, i think it's kind of inevitable for another big thing to happen. sadly no matter how much he proves that despite the content he makes and consumes (not that it actually matters, but you know) it does not equate to real life morals, some people are just too self centered to actually understand the nuance of said content, and the reasons behind making it. because if it truly were as straightforward as "degen perv content", then clinical trial wouldn't've been anywhere near as successful as it is. puritans love to cherry pick what they consume, and to decide when it's bad or not— mostly when it's convenient for them.

the public eye just has access to whatever's public. the proship art, the discourse, the rumors. but they'll never know what goes on behind the scenes, and the things some people have had to deal with to get to that point. i guess what i'm trying to say is that when you explore as delicate and obscure horror tropes that aren't as conventional such as proship in an actual deep way, there's bound to be people that simply do not agree to their portrayal simply because they think it's immoral. and there's not much one can do, except just move forward. homie will keep working in his projects no matter what the public says or has said. if he wanted to stop, he would've done so already. i'm just really happy he's doing good now, considering everything that went down last year.

btw, feel free to just not reply. just wanted to share my grain of salt from someone who's been in the community for years and has seen and gone through the same kind of treatment he did.

Sorry for late reply. Yeah, I get what you mean. I don't really support anti ideology- it's too much like religious rhetoric for my taste, but things like that are going to happen as the fandom grows. Fiction should not be equated to real life. Art can and will be disturbing to the viewer, and it's best to try to understand where those that enjoy disturbing art are coming from rather than just judging them outright. Both sides, regarding proship and anti, should be criticized. I've been active in fandom circles for a long time, developing a "live and let live" attitude in the process.

I stated in my original post that I was following Homie's work, so I more or less saw what was happening in real time, regarding drama. Before that, though, his vent art spoke to me more than the nsfw pieces. I was going through a similar situation with my family and things weren't great at home, so it resonated in a way that's hard to describe. He drew Full Metal Alchemist fanart a lot, but there were Mob Psycho, Danganronpa, and Deltarune comics too, among other things. He was always kind to fans and regularly engaged with them, especially when the big guy, little guy comics got popular. I never saw him say a bad word about anyone, so to watch people pick apart his life was surreal, to say the least. Homie lost his leg to a disease, but rumors spread that he engaged in self harm deliberately as part of a fetish, which is... yeah. Maybe I'm wrong there. I don't know all the details, especially since he hasn't come forward to defend himself. His artwork really was harmless in the end, exploring themes like what we see in Clinical Trial (kidnappings, gore, being locked up) but never went too far with it. Adri is actually one of his older OCs. I got super excited to see her again, since he hadn't posted in more than a year. However, I don't want to speak for him, either, since we'll never know every side of the story.

To move forward is the best option. Media literacy often gets misconstrued, which leads to people developing the wrong ideas and so on. I think one of the game's strengths involves having nuances and complex topics that open the door to discussion. Unfortunately, some will look at that kind of thing and automatically equate it with degeneracy. It's unavoidable at this point.

Sorry to hear you had to deal with that kind of treatment yourself, by the way. I've dealt with that myself.

[caldella]

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to Stolas that you like?

AND/OR

8. What’s something the fandom does when it comes to Stolas that you despise?

I thought you might like the choice to do a positive or negative post (or both!) 😊

Oh this is a good one! Had to think about giving one or two answers for a bit.

7. One thing I like: the creating!

Overall the Hellaverse has some of the most creative fans I've seen in a long time. From cosplay to art to fanfic to fan merch, it's incredible. I mentioned yesterday that Just Look My Way was basically my intro to the show. Paranoid DJ originally made that as a fan song back after Ozzie's. Without fans and what they create, especially for Stolas, I might have never checked the show out, who knows?

I also have a decent amount of fan merch (not as much as actual haha), and a lot of it is Stolas, so that falls into creating.

Some of my fan merch:

Second thing I like: the (productive) discussion!

Stolas has a lot to his story. Emotional neglect, a shitty life situation, domestic abuse, anxiety issues, depression issues, heavy behavioral masking, almost definitely neurodivergent (and I subscribe to the fan theory that he's autistic)... he's very complex. It's impossible to fully understand him without breaking down the how and why he got to who he is in the show. I see a lot of that, especially on here. And it's really interesting to discuss all of it and get standpoints/details that expand on him or make me understand things even I didn't get. I've had some incredible conversations about him and other characters, which makes me appreciate all of it even more.

8. A thing I don't like: misunderstanding/taking him at face value

None of the main HB characters can be taken at face value - they have way too much going on. I personally love when a story slowly develops to give us reasons/depth behind a character's actions, which is what they've done with Stolas. But I have seen some fans not understand it or complain that he was changed in S2, even though hints of all of this were already in S1 (seriously as someone who experienced an emotionally/verbally abusive family member, I started clocking the potential for that at Episode 2). People claim he's been 'woobified,' the ignore a lot of the behavior of other characters that might be similar, and they tend to pick apart his faults a lot. He does have a lot of them! But people hone in on the power dynamic the show starts him in and fail to see the deeper realities of it all. In fact, they seem to pick apart his faults more than other characters in the show. Stolas is a representation that being wealthy or from a good family doesn't shield you from abuse - that someone in a position of privilege can still be outcast and isolated. Someone can be comfortable in physical needs but emotionally miserable. I think someone here worded it that "the rich cannibalize their own" when someone among them doesn't fit into their strict expectations, and that's what Stolas is an example of. People who don't understand that really don't seem to 'get' what he represents, or they blame him for being abused. Blaming an abuse victim for their abuse really gets me. Escaping abuse isn't easy, no matter who or what you are, especially when you don't have a support system. And the point of his flaws are that his upbringing created a lot of them. He never had exposure to experience that might teach him better. My (least) favorite besides people excusing his abuse is when people want him to act more grounded in real/normal experience and social skills right away, when the show's gone to great lengths to tell us he's almost never had the chance to experience any relationship close to normal or healthy.

Thank you for the ask! <3

Link to the Ask Game for those not in the loop/curious to ask! (This is for any HB or even HH character or any other show/media I like tbh)

[eviltothecore13]

I wonder if the writers ever regret putting the rebecca easter egg in

I am not sure the writers have much interaction with the Western side of the fandom, and I don't know what the Japanese-language fandom reaction has been to it. So I don't know for sure that they're even aware there has been a fandom reaction to the easter egg that wasn't viewing it as funny or just going "hey a hot girl" as the average cishet male gamer in the late 90s unfortunately would have.

Honestly people seem to have talked more about the easter egg in the past year than in my entire time in the fandom before that? Like, yes there were always a few people who headcanoned something creepy going on with Wesker and Rebecca because of the easter egg, and there were always a few people who shipped them, too, and also that one old fic that explained it with "she's his secret daughter and he just wanted to keep a picture of his daughter where she was happy and playing basketball like she loved doing, rather than only having an official ID photo of her", but it used to be much easier to talk about Wesker without people mentioning it? Most people in the fandom never really seemed to give it that much thought beyond "yeah, yeah, 90s videogame sexism, trying to 'reward' you with a picture of a girl, kinda cringe", and most discussions of Wesker's characterisation never really seemed to involve it.

For that matter, before RE6, the primary assumption among the fanfic/fanart side of the fandom was that Wesker was 100% gay (generally using his distaste for Excella's attentions as proof). The "gamer guy on Reddit and/or videogame forums" side of the fandom, meanwhile, didn't so much see him as straight, as take a position somewhere along the lines of "Wesker is such a badass killing machine that having any kind of relationship or even being attracted to anyone is beneath him, all he thinks about is mad science and world domination". (Large numbers of people on both sides of the fandom--not just the gay headcanoners and Chrisker shippers as you might think--derided RE6 as OOC because they simply could not picture Wesker ever having had sex with a woman! It's just that one half thought he had sex with men, while the other half thought shipping was lame and for girls and can we get back to the zombies and explosions now.)

"Wesker is a sexual predator who preys on women" wasn't a nonexistent position back then, but it really wasn't the majority, and most people depicting him as such were...well, straight women writing 50-Shades-esque fantasies, rather than people who seriously thought he was a creep and hated him for it. And those would often involve Claire or an OC rather than Rebecca.

It's only the past couple of years that some people have been loud about using the easter egg as 'proof' that Wesker was preying on Rebecca and as a reason to hate Wesker, and only the past few months that I've started getting LOADS AND LOADS OF ASKS about it.

I'm rather surprised by this turn of events and wonder what caused it, to be honest, it seems like a very sudden switch. Is it just the RE2 remake reminding people of it? Wesker seems a more controversial character in general these days though than he used to be. He used to be unquestionably one of the most popular characters with a very high demand for more content of him, the decision to put him in MVC3 being very popular, him regularly placing highly in "best character" polls, lots of people wanting his return from the dead, etc... sure he was evil and there were people who "disliked" him in the sense of "he's an awful person who I'd hate in real life" or maybe "he hurt my favourite characters", "killing him in-game is satisfying because I'm beating the bad guy" kinds of dislike, but not "I wish he wasn't in the series" "I want to see less of him" "I hate anyone who likes him" kinds of dislike, you know? Mostly he was viewed as a badass scheming ruthless supervillain with cool powers, and frequently also as hot. Obviously enthusiasm for "MORE WESKER!!!" will die down after it's been so long since his death (though DBD revived it a bit) but I don't know where the increased amount of outright hate for the character and his fans has come from over the past few years.

Is liking villains just less popular? It used to be a fairly common belief that, no matter how evil they might be (in fact, the more evil the better sometimes), the villains were always the coolest characters in anything. Especially in horror, considering the number of horror franchises that are ultimately villain-based (the Cthulhu Mythos, most slasher things, a lot of kaiju things though how much those count as horror varies, basically all of Universal Horror though Dracula isn't the coolest character in the book). But I know some other villains who used to be seen as a main draw of the series now have a lot of people wanting them killed off for good.

In some of those cases, though, I think decreased quality of the writing is in large part to blame (the Joker used to be seen as an entertaining source of dark comedy and was one of the most popular characters in BTAS and the Arkham games, but now liking him--far from being an uncontroversial opinion--is associated with a Very Specific Unpleasant Type Of Guy...but that's probably because a lot of recent writing of him just hasn't been that interesting or funny). The increase in people who really vocally hated Wesker happened BEFORE RE4make, at a time when he'd basically not been in anything for years, so can't really be blamed on "he recently appeared in something badly written"--so I'm not sure where it's come from.

[affogato-analysis]

Is Jinx a terrorist?

A dive into definitions, political science and arcane.

Hello there! Time to get controversial about some of the least controversial aspects of Arcane! Why am I picking an umpteenth fight that no one cared for? Because I can, thank you.

Jinx has been called a terrorist unequivocally by the entire fandom and I haven’t seen anyone – hardcore fans or arcane criticals – discuss the accuracy of that claim.

I’m gonna have to put a couple disclaimers in there already.

1- I’m a master student in political science. While that gives me some credibility in what i’m saying (that, and the fact that I'll be quoting my sources), that does not immediately make me right, this blog is not peer-reviewed (lmao) and you should have critical thinking while reading.

2- This is not me promoting or endorsing terrorism. I aim to have a neutral take on it, following the methods of scientific writing. I do have my own moral judgement on the matter, but it’s not the focal point of this blog. Just because I will write in a very neutral manner does not mean terrorism stops being terrorism.

3- My incoming points are argued towards a work of fiction, and you must be careful if you decide to translate that reading to the real world. It certainly isn’t a complete and exhaustive view of terrorism and politics certainly require you to have critical thinking and better source than a tumblr blog (hence the quoting my sources part).

4- The goal here is to give various ways to read Jinx’s actions, not to give a definite name and judgement on them. This text is entirely subject to your criticism.

With this out of the way! Spoilers ahead for the entire show (and while we won’t really discuss season 2 act 3 here, there will be spoilers anyway) and let’s get into it.

And we get into it through a definition (everyone’s favorite thing, I know). For a proper definition, I looked into the Encyclopedia Britannica, the article on terrorism written by John Philip Jenkins.

In this article, he says: “Terrorism is not legally defined in all jurisdictions”. Which. ah. That doesn’t help. No, to be fair, he does then say “Terrorism involves the use or threat of violence and seeks to create fear, not just within the direct victims but among a wide audience”.

Later down the line, we can read: “In order to attract and maintain the publicity necessary to generate widespread fear, terrorists must engage in increasingly dramatic, violent, and high-profile attacks. These have included hijackings, hostage takings, kidnappings, mass shootings, car bombings, and, frequently, suicide bombings. Although apparently random, the victims and locations of terrorist attacks often are carefully selected for their shock value.[...]The goal of terrorism generally is to destroy the public’s sense of security in the places most familiar to them. Major targets sometimes also include buildings or other locations that are important economic or political symbols, such as embassies or military installations. The hope of the terrorist is that the sense of terror these acts engender will induce the population to pressure political leaders toward a specific political end.”

Yes, it’s a bit long, I’m sorry. It matters that y’all know that because that’s what I’ll be referring to as terrorism: dramatic, violent attacks that target symbolic places; military and civilian populations alike to instill fear in populations. The ultimate goal is (usually radical) political change.

This is really important! Terrorism is a method. NOT an ideology. Terrorism is in service of an ideology (it has been used by anarchists, communists, fascists, the KKK, ISIS… these ideologies are not alike) and we can separate both aspects of the fight. Namely, you can think one method is great but the ideology of the group using it sucks or vice versa. It can be used by states against their population to subdue any opposition; by revolutionary groups, by religious groups, individuals… Some ideologies are closely linked to terrorism of course, but you get the gist. Method.

And just because something isn’t terrorism doesn’t bring people back to life. Some attacks aren’t terrorism, but they’re still deadly and not any less or more morally condemnable.

Since we’re looking specifically at Jinx in this post, we’ll only discuss her actions. We could expand that conversation, but it’s not the point here and now.

Jinx does multiple acts of violence, and I’m gonna list off the ones we’ll examine here.

Season 1 episode 4, the fight between Jinx and the firelights when smuggling shimmer into Piltover.

The attack on the tent when she steals the hexgem during progress day. (also episode 4)

Episode 7, the attack on the bridge right before her fight with Ekko & the explosion that almost kills both of them.

Episode 9 and her attack on the Council.

Season 2 episode 3, the clouds of Grey sent through the vents to Piltover by Jinx and Sevika.

We won’t discuss individual beefs: namely Cait’s kidnapping, all the times she fucks with Sevika, her fight with Ekko precisely because it’s individual and targeted. Terrorism implies aiming much larger and the goal is violence in symbolic places and on symbolic populations for shock value and fear mongering, it’s never just personal conflict.

First instance! The fight between Jinx and the firelights when smuggling shimmer into Piltover.

The goal here is to protect the cargo, not send a political message. The attack wasn’t planned, it’s an answer to a targeted strike on strategic interest. The goal is not fear, not political change. This is more of a routine fight between rival groups.

Verdict, not terrorism.

Second instance: the attack on the building when she steals the hexgem during progress day.

Attacks on places without victims are a bit of a grey zone in the definition, but there are victims, because Jinx does call for help, impersonating a lost young child to draw in enforcers.

It’s decently targeted on military populations (Piltover’s enforcers are obviously both police and military forces in Arcane), because Jinx was obviously aiming for them (you can’t kill someone’s parents in the fuck around part of your life and not expect an angry orphan once you reach the find out part). It’s symbolic, because this.

But it’s more mocking, taunting that it is meant to be scary.

Her goal is stealing the gem first and foremost, to impress Silco.

Verdict? Debatable. It can be read as terrorism, it can be read as a tactical strike against Piltover’s forces, it can be both. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Third: the attack on the bridge, right before her fight with Ekko.

Attacks on the bridge are not that symbolic anymore, consequences of constant fights on said bridge. At this point, it’s as symbolic and surprising as finding a mine in a minefield is. Fork found in kitchen type of shocking. The symbolism is more in the weaponery, she uses the bugs engineered by Piltover.

It’s targeted on enforcers, specifically the ones that will get in her way to get the gem back. It does not aim to instill fear. It does not aim for radical political change through fear.

By my books, not terrorism.

The explosion that concludes her fight with Ekko is ‘just’ a murder suicide attempt, not terrorism.

Fourth: episode 9, the rocket and the Council.

Ooh, spiky territory.

Hyper targeted strike on Piltover’s governing body – with debates over did she know they were in here, considering it was night + the lights were off –, meant as highly symbolic (tower of the Council directly, using hextech to power her rocket launcher), clearly meant as a shocking start to all out hostilities (“We’ll show them all.”), on technically civilian populations (although very specific people), and the goal is so obviously radical political change (as she’s walking in Silco’s shoes).

The question is, of course, the fear element. Is it her immediate intention to scare Piltover, or is this a targeted strike to weaken it?

We will never know because Arcane season 2 immediately forgets that this happened and that Jinx had thoughts and a political intent when she shot and then takes a severe turn away from the Zaun/Piltover conflict towards Noxus and magic so we don’t know.

I argue against calling it terrorism, because of how targeted it was, but both sides of the argument are interesting.

Season 2 now!

There are significantly less instances, because the show focuses on Viktor and Jayce a lot more than the sisters in season 2.

However, there is one specific instance of Jinx committing violence that is neither self defense or personal beef with a specific individual. I'm referring to the end of arc 1, with the rerouting of the vent to send the colorful clouds into Piltover.

Dramatic and shocking actions? check.

Highly symbolic? Jinx’s colors, reminiscent of her attack on the progress day of season 1, using the Grey through the vents (an invention of the Kiramman meant to pacify relations between Zaun and Piltover despite the many implications of still unequal power relations) check.

Targeted at civilians and military populations indistinctly, with the intent of doing damage? check.

Destroy the sense of safety in public spaces? considering where the attack happens: everywhere, including the streets and the peaceful gardens in Piltover; and the fact that the paint will stain and leave its mark, check, yes.

Aim for radical political change? check.

Aim to instill fear to subdue a population and force them into political change? Well, I’ve never seen a picture that said “we can reach you everywhere, expect us” as much as this one, so check, absolutely.

Yeah, this is terrorism.

While we don’t know if there are casualties from this attack, we do see a hurt child. Grey is insanely dangerous, it’s not unfair to assume that people with some breathing difficulties or a weak immune system would die from it. Ambessa doesn’t talk about it, so I’m gonna say no, else she would have instrumentalized it. However, just because no one dies doesn’t mean no one is hurt and it does not refute the terrorism accusation. (it’s still terrorism if it fails)

This specific attack is textbook terrorism.

…

…

But.

Right before Sevika triggers the explosion, Jinx yells “No! That’s not what these are for!” (or something close enough, i don't have my eyes on the episode right now)

so. what the fuck were they meant to be for. Did she mean wait until we’re all out of there, it’s not meant to be used as a weapon against Vi and Caitlyn but specifically on Piltover. Did she mean there was a completely different use she thought of for the vents and the bombs. If yes, I have no clue what it was meant to be used for, but sure.

Mainly, if she did mean she never planned to reroute the grey into Piltover, it means that she never tried to commit that terrorist action, and instead it’s Sevika who’s responsible for it.

Verdict, terrorism? yes. Jinx, a terrorist? well, question mark still stands.

So, should we call Jinx a terrorist?

Well see, I asked a question no one ever asked, sprinkled sparks of debate in a very agreed upon topic and I don’t even have an answer to provide!

And to delve a bit more into that method doesn’t equate ideology, reminder that you can agree with a fight for Zaun’s independence and freedom, support radicality in these actions and even endorse FICTIONAL terrorism and still wish the clouds were aimed at actual strategic targets. You can hate the entire thing, or only agree partway. It’s fictional and no one actually died in real life, so we have space for purely hypothetical, pointless debates over semantics and what-ifs that real life terrorism tends to cut short.

What do you think? please do share opinions, i need to know.

here’s the proper citation format for the article i used as my baseline definition for terrorism :  Jenkins, J.P. (2025, March 18). “terrorism”. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/terrorism.

(yeah i have been formatted to provide proper bibliographies in every paper i write)

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

I love reading your realizations about TTPD! I think that just bc of the dense and emotionally challenging content matter in TTPD it can be harder for people to just drop in and out of casual convo about it (which is why discussions seems to be more lively around more surface level interpretations/muse talk/current events in swiftdom). Not that people don’t want to talk about the deep stuff, but it is harder for the whole dash to be cooking the same sauce at the same time bc some days I might just be too sleepy to delve into the psychoanalysis of exorsizing traumatic demons 😅. I find it helpful when people reblog their own related posts when a new interesting one pops up (and that’s also the best part of tumblr; the zombie like resurgence of older discussion material).

I do also think, fwiw, that there is a lot of hesitancy to discuss certain topics among fans who were on here when Taylor was. It’s not good or bad, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with airing on the side of respect. I feel like sometimes the culture on here tends to rely on euphamisms or censoring ourselves bc we’re worried that others might think we’re crossing a boundary. (Especially if we are trying to take our cues from people who have been here a long time - which could be a good thing!) And the tumblr culture of passive aggression and vague posting can end up being a strong persuasion against posting something that might be more “risky”.

I’m always trying to figure out where my boundaries are wrt what I will get into on my blog, and I often feel like my instincts are not quite in line with the majority of swifties I really really respect. So I keep my thoughts to myself… but maybe it’s okay to push a little further into more interesting subjects and there’s ways to do that and still be respectful. maybe Taylor herself changed the “rules” when she made it clear that she is not on tumblr (at least using her real name) anymore. I think that action sort of reestablished this space as a fan-only space and not a mutual relationship, which might change the approach to discussion, and maybe it’s okay for different blogs to have different personal boundaries. I would probably post differently if Taylor followed me, but she doesn’t, and idk if I would want her to 🤷🏼‍♀️ .

I think it’s okay to talk about art in a deep way and include public knowledge of the artist, and to connect it to my own life and even it’s okay to be wrong (not ok to spread lies maliciously though). Taylor releases art, not an autobiographical testimony (even if TTPD purposefully invokes and validates that!)… I honestly think it sometimes does a disservice to her artistry when we self-sensor our commentary. Art should be talked about!!! Idk I think I’ll always be navigating that dilemma as long as Im active on my swiftie blog (and, I think she will always continue to wrestle with her end of that bargain in her art for as long as she chooses to be in the public eye). And! I adore the space you’ve carved out here and the perspectives and opinions you share about Taylor’s ouevre!

Anon thanks for your very thoughtful insight!

I do get that TTPD is dense and I feel like I should get better at tagging so that people can skip it on their dash if they're not interested or something because my thoughts are often equally dense lmao.

That's actually a really interesting observation that perhaps some of the self-regulation comes from the fact that this actually used to be a platform Taylor engaged with and I hadn't considered that. I guess that may be one of the byproducts about being a latecomer to the online fandom (though not to tumblr or to Taylor's music-- e.g. I knew Taylor was on Tumblr but I was invested in other fandoms at the time so never really engaged in Swiftie tumblr until the pandemic because I can only handle one fixation at a time apparently lol) in that I don't don't know how much that has influenced fandom behaviour.

I count myself extremely fortunate for finding a small community here that has welcomed me so generously, so I largely don't see or experience negativity and have a mercifully curated fandom experience. But even at that, I feel the unease about the potential threat of, well, unpleasantness, and it's a weird sort of limbo to find yourself in when at the end of the day, you're just a person with a blog typing from the safety of your own little hovel like anyone else here.

And it's also such a fine line to straddle because on the one hand, you want to be respectful and not invasive, but on the other hand, the art is SO rich and SO revealing, and Taylor herself has spoken about how gratifying it is for her to be known, even the parts that would be considered unsavoury or unpleasant or prying, which I find incredibly brave. Obviously that doesn't mean people should be stalking her or making insinuations or presumptions or whatever, but I also absolutely agree with you that I think sometimes the policing (and I'm not talking about anyone in the community here, I'm talking about the internet in general) almost does a disservice to that wish of hers to be seen. I don't know if that makes any sense.

For instance, you all know how much I love TTPD with all my heart and think it's the quintessential thirtysomething album, because its themes and experiences are so, so, so common, if not in detail than certainly in emotion. The same can be said for her other albums. I have friends who have gone through the oven-microwave/wedding-no wedding/etc. experience and I wish they were Swifties because I feel like they'd be blasting this on a loop lol.

I can think of so many other examples, but the other day I was in the car with a friend and she started talking about something difficult she'd gone through last year in a way she's only beginning to really process now, and I had to resist the urge to say "there's a Taylor Swift song about that," but it was true-- what she was saying was just like, exactly what the song was about, with pretty remarkable parallels (and even wording). And all jokes aside about there being a song for everything, I was thankful that by being familiar with Taylor's work, I actually felt like I had an even better understanding and way to be supportive of my friend in her sharing this. And what I mean by this all is, what a gift it is that there is this art that delves into these very human experiences: not just the difficult, the sorrowful, the painful, but also the joyful and life-affirming. I'd have to imagine that's part of why Taylor feels it's so important to share her work: not just so that she's known, but that others can feel seen in return. Nobody is alone out there when you know that someone else has been there or can understand you. And why the good feels so good after going through the bad.

(Actually now that I think of it, I was at another friend's house the other day and we also had a completely different conversation that was exactly in line with "Robin" which is another example of the breadth of Taylor's songwriting and reflections on life.)

So while I absolutely understand being sick of rehashing the same old things all the time, to me the reason why I'm constantly thinking of this music is BECAUSE it's so relatable. Having conversations with friends here sheds light on new things or forms new connections. Thinking about my own experiences or those of my loved ones connects even deeper. I don't want to make presumptions, but I would venture to guess Taylor would find that really wonderful too, as someone who spends her life distilling her own lived experience into something weirdly universal.

There's obviously a line fans shouldn't cross when talking about these things, but I guess it's trying to figure out that line. And personally I'm just always trying to be conscious of if I'm being annoying by talking about these things over and over again, even though I'm not coming from a place of like, obsession (much lol), but more like, new understanding or appreciation on each listen. I've said before that Taylor's music scratches the same kind of itch that prestige TV dramas do, in that they're not only entertaining on a surface level (to listen to), but the storytelling is so interconnected, and having knowledge of not only her discography but the experiences that informed it I think makes it even more poignant. So you can enjoy the music for what it is (which I absolutely do -- I'm not saying I do a critical analysis on each listen! Some days I just want to yell I LOVE YOU AIN'T THAT THE WORST THING YOU'VE EVER HEARD), but it's also not wrong to be impressed by and inspired by the layers underneath.

I suppose I'm lucky in that my platform is tiny and inconsequential so I have certain freedoms I know many blogs don't, and I probably don't need to tread as lightly as I feel like I do right now. Maybe I'll get braver in the new year if the mood strikes lol.

Thanks so much for the food for thought anon!

[lugarn]

On Jason Lee and Realism

I have seen some saying that Jason Lee's portrayal as an abuser in Playboyy isn't realistic, and I have to politely disagree.

(Spoilers for Playboyy through the finale. Trigger warning for abuse + discussing the mindset of this type of predator/abuser.)

Jason Lee is very realistic. All it takes is one look at real-life examples like Harvey Weinstein or Larry Nassar to see it: predators like this typically hurt a wide pool of people, not one or two specific victims.

This is just the way they work, because many predators are opportunistic. They can't let an opportunity (like one of their adopted son/sugar baby's school friends befriending him) pass without taking advantage of it. They can't let the opportunity to have the system protect them while they're perpetrating abuse pass without taking advantage. 

The way that Jason Lee exists in the world, and by extension the sex that he has, is entirely about power, conquest, and control. 

He didn't make Aob blow him in front of a bunch of guards because he thought the sex would be better. He made Aob blow him in front of a bunch of guards because it was a power play. It was remember who you are + remember the power I have over you.

People like Jason Lee have an ability to tell when someone is less under their control, because the control is what they're in it for. Not sex. The sex is incidental! They crave the power/control, and so when they don't get it, they are hyper aware.

Just like any predator, Jason could tell that Aob's loyalty to him was flagging, so he upped the amount of power he exerted over Aob. Instead of just giving him orders, he sexually humiliates him and gives him orders at the same time. He doesn't let the opportunity pass to remind Aob who he is and that he is powerless. Aob received the message loud and clear, too, you can see from him getting the fuck out shortly after.

It's very realistic for someone like Jason Lee to hunt for victims in people who already lack power. Jason Lee targets people who socially lack power (sex workers), young adults whose idealism isn't tempered by real world experience (queer students at private school), and young adults who need something and are willing to bargain (anyone needing a scholarship). We know for a fact that his victim pool includes not just sex workers but also students at one particular school that he is a major donor for. He provides scholarships, and as mentioned, a predator like him can't let opportunities pass unexplored.

How did Puen ended up at Playboyy and not working independently? Not that it matters at this point, but I do wonder sometimes when Jason Lee clearly has no qualms about hunting for victims among his son's school friends--one of whom stayed with Porsche at Porsche's house for a time. That's right, remember that offhand comment that Nant and Porsche lived together for a while in first year? 

For me it would be shocking at this point if Nant hadn't also had a similar experience as Zouey and that was part of his desire to expose Jason Lee. I have a feeling that based on Teena's reaction to Zouey's painting that the 'I had sadistic sex' from Teena in episode 6 at the party was Jason Lee too. 

A connecting thread that I haven't seen people mention is the letter necklaces. Teena, Nant, and Phop all have them. We know where Phop got his, but we don't know where Nant or Teena got theirs. In a show with this much visual language it seems like an interesting thread which hasn't really been considered by fandom yet, so I urge all of us to think about the above facts and other visual cues to better understand what is going on.

Jason Lee's main victim pools are Playboyy and the International School. It would be very surprising to anyone familiar with this type of abuser if he didn't hurt an extensive number of people in both of these pools. We know of three victims for sure, but there are a lot of cues that point to the idea that his victim pool is much larger. 

The size of the pool is not unrealistic at all. It's incredibly realistic, to a point where it's uncomfortable to watch and think about deeply sometimes. But that's for me part of why I love the show: we just don't typically get this level of realism about sexual coercion and abuse from BL. Playboyy makes me feel seen in this regard because it's somebody finally showing the systems of abuse and power that I'm most familiar with from my life experiences. 

Media representation isn't just about the good parts. Seeing the worst parts of my life onscreen and watching characters navigate it with the safety/distance of fiction has been super healing in a lot of ways for me. 

Jason Lee is realistic. That's why Playboyy makes me feel like someone understands me and some of my traumatic experiences.

[sgiandubh]

I'm interested to know whether you came to enjoy Greek music during your many years living in Greece. Do you have any favorite Greek artists or songs that you'd be willing to share? I always enjoy your posts about Greece and all your travel stories for that matter 🙂

Dear Greek Music Anon,

This is a beautiful question and you have made my day: thank you for asking and come back whenever you want, whoever you are - you are always, always welcome!

If you think Greek music is just this...

... then you are touristically biased, Anon. And that is ok, to some extent and not really your fault, because this is exactly what they will have you listen to, when you make the childish mistake to book that Greek Evening on your cruise or tour. For some unfathomable reason, this is what they imagine foreign guests should be shown. But then there is music for their and their friends' souls, something completely different and a whole universe to discover.

This is Greek music to me, Anon:

The best Greek female voice of all times (Callas does not count, for innumerable reasons, we do not discuss a Goddess), Our Lady of the Rebetiko: Haris (it means Grace, by the way) Alexiou. A true Dame Blanche, witty, warm and rightfully worshipped. When I was first introduced to her, I was so moved I almost couldn't open my mouth in awe. I was stupidly glued to my French formulaic praise and I remember I just mumbled something along the lines of 'eh merde alors, fuck it, I just wanted you to know that to me, you are not only the voice of my teenage years: you are the Voice of Time itself'. She laughed and the rest is, as they say, history.

This happened in November 2018, after one of her concerts at the Gazarte hall in Athens: a dificult comeback for her, after a cancer scare. We were very moved and fangirling AF, my Culture and Press colleague (remember her from the Mycenae story? Greek music made us instant friends - I was the only one to know what she was talking about) and I:

I have blurred my former colleague's face. I am not sure she wants to be seen on Tumblr, LOL. And see, Anon? I really look like an overwhelmed twat, in this pic. Chances are I'd look the same at Landcon 2025 (what was the last price, 149 euros? Sweet Baby Jesus, the results).

Haroula's one time lover (speculation is still rife and many shipped those two during the late Eighties and early Nineties, unaware it was completely true) and probably the Greek equivalent of Sinatra is George Dalaras. A., my colleague, is absolutely nuts about him and as such a big, boisterous presence in this man's fandom. She follows him just about everywhere (I didn't understand her and residually still don't, to be honest), so it's not a surprise I quickly got to meet the guy, after one of his extraordinary stunts at the Klimataria, a well-known tavern and rebetiko joint smack dab in downtown Athens (I think it was one week before I met and befriended Haroula, funny that):

Now, he looks like a banker. But back in 1993, he looked and sang like this:

This is his greatest hit, if you ask me. Βαμμένα Κόκκινα Μαλλιά (Dyed Red Hair) is the score of a very successful Greek TV series during the Nineties (don't ask, it's very syrupy) and legit one of the most beautiful Greek love songs ever written. But unlike A, I am completely chilled as far as Dalaras is concerned and I think it showed, when we met. He offered an autograph and I said no, just because I am completely dumb, like that. The trouble is, he gently remembered me and he always brought it up every single time we met (at a couple of events and receptions) - how's that for totally embarrassing, eh?

And then you have the opera divas, among which is my dear friend Sonia Theodoridou, one of the best Greek sopranos after Callas. Sonia came back to Athens after a rich career in Germany right in the middle of the economic crisis turmoil. Things were not easy for her and I have to say, bless her heart, she is not an easy person, either (which opera singer is, mind you?). But her voice is magical and she loves to play with it. See what she can do with a really meh song, written and successfully performed by Pandelis Pandelidis, the one-time local Justin Bieber (he unfortunately died in 2016, in a motorcycle accident):

The strange instrument you see in the clip is a Cretan lyra, by the way. I hate it with a passion. But I still love Sonia, no matter what.

We shared a lot of things, Sonia and I. Here is our first pic, together with her ex-husband, Theodoros (still a friend):

These people are those I personally know and like/love. I haven't told you anything yet about the formidable, mythical Maria Farantouri, Mikis Theodorakis' muse or Vicky Moscholiou, another diva (different niche, though). Nothing about Miltos Paschalidis, either, the mathematician turned singer or Alkinoos Ioannidis, perhaps the best Cypriot voice after George Michael. The only reason I won't, for now at least, is that I don't really like mammoth posts. And this is quickly turning into one of those.

But I digressed. You asked me about my favorite Greek song, Anon. It's Manos Hatzidakis' Kemal - a masterpiece with a strong, subversive political message in the guise of an Oriental cruel parable:

Do I know it by heart? Of course I do (and I always, always cry, because I am a sentimental idiot, like that). Singing along with the locals at concerts, in taverns, in your car, on that bus ride, is a mandatory part of the Greek experience. And the most heartfelt homage you can pay to all those wonderful men and women who make our world a brighter, better place.

[atamascolily]

As someone who makes fanvids and AMVs, I spend a lot of time looking at media in unconventional ways--cycling the same clips over and over again, jumping around in a non-linear fashion rather than watching straight through in chronological order, etc, etc. Usually, this is in service of getting shots to line up with the music or finding that one snippet that perfectly illustrates a lyric, but it also means I spend a lot of time engaged with the source material at a level of repetition and detail that most viewers do not indulge in.

I thought nothing would be able to top that level of granularity, but then I started making text post memes by juxtaposing media screenshots with clever and witty posts made by strangers on the Internet. Instead of watching the same clips over and over again, I was now watching specific individual scenes shot by shot, searching for the perfect frame to pause and screenshot. Suddenly, I was engaged with the source material on a whole new level, staring at stills I have never really looked at before, despite having watched them in motion a billion times already.

This was especially true of Madoka Magica and even more true for Rebellion, where the animators had lovingly incorporated whole new levels of detail I had never encountered before--some of them so complex and intricate, they could only be fully appreciated as stills, either because they were only on screen for an instant or because there was so much action/other stuff going on in the foreground that drew my eye when I was watching casually or for plot. (As much as I love subtitles, they did not help with this, since their presence meant my eyes were also naturally drawn to the bottom of the screen as well instead of focusing on the background.)

I started documenting my PMMM observations here on Tumblr, partially because it was low-stress and informal fun, and partially because this site has such excellent and convenient image hosting (for now, anyway) that it's really easy to discuss and compare multiple images at a time, which I think is more effective than reams of text at proving my points.

When I look at a screenshot, I have two major questions in mind:

1) What am I looking at? 2) What does it mean?

The first question is one of observation and identification. This part is usually straightforward, but can be more complicated if the animators are drawing on an element of Japanese culture that I'm not already familiar with. The answers to this question vary considerably depending on context, but they're usually not a source of tremendous controversy among the fandom; they are fairly objective, with a definitive right or wrong answer.

The second question, however, is more complicated and subjective. This is where analysis and interpretation come in--of the shot itself, the scene in which it occurs, and how it fits into the installment/series/franchise as a whole. It's entirely possible for different people to have wildly different takes on this, and multiple readings can and do exist simultaneously.

In my meta writings, I usually attempt to answer both questions: first, by pointing out details that I think are interesting, and then by offering my interpretation of them. Rebellion in particular is so visually dense that it's possible to randomly pause at any scene and find something new; no matter how much I watch it, there is always more to analyze.

To be clear, I don't think that watching Rebellion frame by frame is inherently better than watching the whole thing straight through, just that different perspectives and insights are possible. In this sense, both Madoka Magica TV series and Rebellion are inherently fractal in nature, with meaning multiple levels and layers regardless of scale. Unlike real-life fractals like the Mandelbrot set, however, there is a clearly defined limit to this--I doubt once you zoom into the pixel level there is anything to find, but hey, you never know with SHAFT.

I generally prefer to work with material that has already been released rather than stuff that hasn't, but I try to ground my predictions in my observations as much as possible--by which I mean, consistent with the show's themes and motifs on both a macro and micro level. That in itself doesn't guarantee that they're right, but I like to think they are plausible, which is all you can really hope for with that sort of thing. And of course, all my analyses and predictions tell you as much about me--how I see the world and what I value--as they do the work itself.

I used to joke that I was working on an honorary master's in media studies and Rebellion in particular, but after looking back at my output over the last six months, I'm not so sure that's a joke anymore...