#i love him but the way this fandom coddles him annoys me

[191004]

i can’t imagine any other atla character (whether it’s the gaang or the dangerous ladies) get away with some of the stuff that toph or zuko say. sokka could (he’s another fan favorite) but people still drag him for his sexism but it’s also very mild and tired so yeah….

[requiemforthestars]

Being back in the Dragon Age fandom has awakened something long asleep within me, which is a seething deep, feral hatred and disgust for Cullen and dismay at the way everyone in the fandom is head over heels for him. Literally it's as fresh as it was on the first day. Truly, things you feel at 15 years old do not wane.

[caramel-ribbons]

I just watched Avatar for the first time all the way through, and yeah, it’s great, but the one thing that surprised me was how different Katara was compared to the fandom interpretation I’d seen and internalized before watching.

Like, before you watch Avatar, you’ve seen all these memes about Katara and her mom, and based on those memes, you assume it’s one of those lines you have to get used to hearing at least once every episode. But then you watch the show and realize that she only talks about her mom maybe five or six times per season and you also realize she only brings her up when she’s trying to comfort someone or empathize with them because that’s how she processes her grief and that’s one way she connects with people.

Or you hear the infamous line, “then you didn’t love [our mother] the way I did” and you prepare yourself for one of the worst character assassinations ever only to see the scene after nearly three seasons worth of context and realize she was kinda right. She’s been the mother, the nurturer, the comforter. She’s been patient, gentle, and accommodating where everyone else has gotten to be insensible and reckless and childish, and the one moment where she allows herself to feel her grief, suddenly she’s this evil bitch and not, y’know, a 14 year old girl whose been thrusted into adulthood in a way no other character has. A 14 year old girl who should be allowed immaturity and raw emotion and anger instead of the patience and grace she’s been forced to extend to every character without even the smallest amount of gratitude or even consideration in return.

Or you see all of the clips where Katara puts Aang in the “friendzone” and you expect to have this wishy washy back and forth where Aang is putting his feelings out there only to have Katara neither commit nor express any clear reciprocation or rejection. Then you watch and realize that, as cute as the ship is initially, that there’s never a point where Aang returns any comfort or grace to Katara despite her always doing this for him to the point of coddling. That for as much as Aang says he loves her, he never seems to outgrow his perception of her so he can recognize her as someone who feels grief, anger, and pain as much as she expresses love, kindness, and maturity. And instead of having moments where he learns to see her beyond her strength or compassion, you’re instead given moments where Aang forces his feelings onto her, both romantic and non-romantic, and Katara is expected to just…shoulder those feelings the way she shoulders everyone else’s.

Katara is the most misunderstood character in the show. As much as people recognize the complexities of Zuko, Sokka, and Azula, they struggle to do the same for Katara because they see her struggles as somehow lesser, and therefore, less deserving of sympathy. They can handle her so long as she’s being endlessly patient and loving and kind, but the moment her endless love, patience, and kindness runs out, she’s suddenly this annoying bitch who can’t shut up about her mother or reciprocate Aang’s feelings. But Katara’s trauma does matter as much as anyone else’s. No, she wasn’t banished from her kingdom. No, she didn’t lose her entire community, and no, she isn’t the only one who lost her mother. But the difference between her and everyone else whose experienced loss because of the Fire Nation is that she’s never given time to process her trauma. Aang gets to lean on Katara constantly. Toph gets to express her feelings to Katara, and yeah, Sokka also lost their mother, but unlike Katara, he isn’t put in the position of being a substitute for everyone’s parent. He even admits that he sees his sister as a mother. The only characters who ever comfort Katara or allow her to vent is Zuko and her father and that’s, like, three scenes in a show where the other characters are consistently given opportunities to seek out Katara for unconditional support.

The fandom interpretation of Katara has been so bastardized that even those who haven’t watched the show know her for this fanon version and not for who she is. She’s such an interesting character beyond her fandom limitations, though. She’s brave, hot-headed, and hopeful as well as gentle and caring. She wishes to learn waterbending, not only because she wants to fight in the war, but because she wants to continue her culture’s practices because, and people often forget this, she also lost an entire subculture within her already fractured tribe. And she wants to defeat the Fire Nation both because of her deep love and empathy for other people, but also because she wants to avenge her mother. But because some of the fans have reduced Katara to a bitch who constantly whines about her mother and friendzones Aang, you wouldn’t know any of this, and it sucks because she’s the only character whose been dumbed down to such an extent.

[franki-lew-yo]

An 'A-ha!' fandom moment, ft. The Owl House

These comments I screencapped from a user I watch elsewhere really hit like a brick in the face to me. I'm blotting out OP's name, mostly cuz this was just a shower thought they had rather than any meaningful open discussion with people, but it ended up making me realize something (also NO they're not some contrarian AntiSJW type or even hate TOH; they're a very gay+trans writer themselves. Sorry if youknowwhoyouare sees this and recognizes ur posts but you don't allow reblogs or comments and I wanted to present it on my own):

The Owl House was always hampered by being killed halfway through, writing wise and that will always be it's greatest 'sin'. However, OP's comment made me realize how much the show kind of tells you it's characters are flawed rather than actually give them arcs to suggest it, especially in season 1. When I say flawed I don't mean lacking quirks that are relatable but human: Eda is a recluse criminal; King thought he could kill people and acted like it; Luz is a genki girl; Amity starts off as a bully; Hunter...is unfortunately Hunter, ect. Those ARE flaws, character wise, but in the presence of the complete story (as complete as the show will ever be) they really aren't actually flawed, bad people in anyway.

Before I go further, two things: 1, IN ALL FAIRNESS, this is why myself and others particularly LOVE the characters and why TOH was a comfort show for me rather than a 'high-tension narrative'. The characters are a lot of what you want and hope to be like and I think that's really sweet and enjoyable, especially for horror and especially for kids.

2, NO! I DON'T think any particular bad faith cartoon reviewer opinions about coddling certain characters and punishing others IS WHAT DANA and co did at all here! Steven Universe and certain crap-reviewer's takes ON Steven Universe and how it's characters were flawed but overly forgiven by the fandom the show itself are NOT the b-all end-all of this discussion, nor are they the reason The Owl House is the way it is!

The context op was talking about was how in the upcoming hate crime The Last Airbender live-action show the showrunners are going to tone down Sokka's sexism because they think it's 'unlikable'. Even though, we all knew as children that this was an arc for him and it was WRONG, so axing it because we the audience lack nuance to recognize characters we love doing problamtic-sisms is BEYOND annoying.

Op's point is how The Owl House in particular doesn't actually expect much or want much out of it's characters. Or audience. For any infighting early on about how much Amity should 'die' because of reasons, that's really just fandom infighting when you get right down to it. There's nothing on par with the disagreement people have over, say, the Diamonds from Steven Universe and how Steven 'totally forgave them or 'should have murdered them in cold blood' about The Owl House. And like...from a fandom point of view that's good, but otherwise the show is pretty concrete the way you're supposed to see certain characters vs other shows which allow you to make up your own mind.

Avatar, Star vs the Forces of Evil (pre finale), Centaurworld and Amphibia all showcase your protagonists being genuinely, intensely flawed. Sure, maybe some neckbreather crap-pseudocritic complains that they 'made the unlikable' or whatever (i.e. me with Friendship is Magic) but overall the actual point is HOW the characters actually have grown and have ended up with the ending and morality they need. The villains, no not Zukos or 'redeemed' villains who joined the protagonist squad, VILLAIN-villains, will always be at least one serious step behind the protagonists and that's what give the protagonists the cautionary wherewithal to end them like they should and not 'be like them'. It's such a fufilling narrative, there's a reason people like it so much because it's really good when it's delivered well.

Removed from my fandom gaze; the Owl House feels like it's saying it has that ultimate messaging and character arc when it actually doesn't. Your protagonists have the endearing aspirational-part totally covered, but as far as the actual 'edge' and nuance? Well...

Eda is, at most, naughty. She really isn't any kind of morally sidetracked character. She's an outlaw because literally her society is awful to her and she's in the right to be against it. She's cursed but she's not addicted to her potions or hiding it or not really taking care of herself or her loved ones because of it. Her actual biggest flaw is that she's been 'running away' from problems rather than dealing with them, but I'd be lying if that wasn't suggested more than it's actually portrayed; or at least, dealt with fast enough in "Eda's Requiem". A bigger issue I see, even if it's what's also endearing about her, is that she REALLY isn't a flawed caregiver at all. It's portrayed as her most redeeming feature that she's otherwise a good mom and mentor, but Eda having virtually no problems in raising Luz and King just, again, makes her feel ONLY aspirational. All of the angst about 'failing' to parent and making up for it is moved all onto Camilla and sadly all of that angst for her is mostly within an already bloated episode. Eda, while an absolute mood, lacks any real kind of edge. Does she need it or not? I don't know. Discuss, kids.

Luz, like OP says, is treated like this high-energy super-optimist. She's like Star Butterfly in that her fangirlism and impulsivness are supposed to get her in trouble. But, she absolutely just isn't one when you break it down. Besides episode 2, Luz really is never that inconsiderate or lost in her fantasies ever again throughout the show. She never has anything like what Steven goes through where he hops into Larz' body and makes things worse for people by trying to fix things- which is not only good filler but it calls forward to the ultimate ending of Steven's arc for the series - Luz is just sort of adorable. Luz has blindsided by hype moments of weakness, like when she accidentally hurts Owlbert or messes with Amity's secret room, but still always level headed and down-to-earth. Her impulses are always kind of treated like...excusable? Because, again, they usually are. This is a large part about what makes her self-hatred at the end of the show about accidentally helping Belos' feel 'forced'. Even MOREso than what Hunter and Daddy Titan explain about Belos using her, we the audience never see Luz's choice to go back in time and try and get answers from Philip as being anything other than just, you know, logical. Because it is. The show acts like what Luz did was reckless and bad and that she was SOOO overtaken by her fangirlism about Philip and now just how much she has to live with the guilt and regret of helping being duped by him...it just doesn't come off that way at all. She was only so much excited about meeting him and her interest was getting home to her mother. In terms of comparing her to Philip, that's all fine and good, but again it's not 'flawed'. Not really, anyway.

Lilith absolutely has it the worst...but I kinda think people know that. She arguably does have the most morally-gray turning point in the show given what she did to her own sister. But neither the characters nor her nor the show really hold her accountable in any lasting way for cursing Eda. Lilith is the closest we get to that 'Diamond'-dilemma. She does 'make things right way too quickly and it's obvious to even her biggest fans that her character is really rushed in this area. They lampshade what Lilith did and that she was their villain in season 2 and 2B, but lampshading isn't the same thing as progress. As a result, as a Lilith fan you kind of never really forgive her for what she did. None of that's her fault, cause' you know...she doesn't exist, but it makes it frustrating that you the fan watching the show is doing the heavy-lifting in your mind in this area.What you come away from is this feeling of loving the characters for being able to work everything out. They're engaging and nuanced in theory, but you also feel robbed, w or w/o the Disney interference, of them being fully rounded or WHOLE. It kinda feels like 'and suddenly, he wasn't racist, anymore' all the time with every character ever with except Amity's mom, the Titan Trappers and Belos.

The reason everyone dunks on Star vs the Forces of Evil's finale, (besides being salty over ship wars and declaring THAT'S the reason for the drop in quality) is that 'Cleaved' could have not only worked but REALLY worked. It just needed to be better written and processed as an ending. Instead people reviled Star, the protagonist we're supposed to be rooting for, for what feels like impulsive apathy and cruelty towards everyone else by destroying magic, as opposed to it being an actually selfless sacrifice that makes her different than Toffee. Ultimatley, I do prefer The Owl House, unfinished as it is, to any of that. But yeah... I can now never unsee the characters as being what they are: fun but indulgent when they're supposedly complex. Indulgent is never bad u guys, but the problem is when you only have that to go on while insisting you have fully developed characters, there's a lot of the show telling you how to feel and how to come away from it rather than letting you, the audience, make of that yourself. As annoying as fan-wars can be over this stuff and when people are either WAAAY to forgiving of their villain blorbo or form hate-campaigns over Glub Shitto for ruining their life, it is ultimately a good thing that shows give you that chance to really see the characters that way at all.

The Owl House is, as OP calls it, "tumblr feels" not for being gay and magical and fun and wholesome and indulgent like that stuff is GREAT. It feels 'tumblr oriented' in that it all kind of feels too easy even when it's not for your protagonists. It's never actually "challenging". I guess, in as far as 'good' indulgence is concerned, it's as warm and fuzzy and a happy AU fanfic you found but not so much the Pacifist Ending of Undertale where you really do feel bad if you rectify the good ending in anyway. It's fun and it's comfort food, but not entirely lasting as you want it to be???

Amphibia, I think, was also way better than Owl House in this respect. It wasn't perfect cause nothing is but you really got a feeling for HOW flawed Marcy, Sasha, the townsfolk and even Hop Pop throughout their arcs-- which made it so SO rewarding to see them get their happy endings and come together to defeat the core and be the better people they needed to become.

The Owl House is my favorite where I think Amphibia is the better of the two.

[wienertit]

SUPER LONG ITAPAN RAMBLE INCOMING!!!!

OKAY. OKAY. its been a while since ive rambled on this account so today im going to clear up how i see itapan so that no one gets confused when i say “i dont think they would ever date” and then proceed to draw them making out or whatever.

when you hear “one sided itapan” you might think italy has the stronger feelings (because he’s the one approaching and hugging and kissing japan or whatever) but i feel that it’s actually japan with the stronger feelings.

when italy’s affectionate towards japan, its not because he’s necessarily attracted to him, but that’s just how he behaves. i think that he’s kind of trying to lead him on so japan is nicer to him. italy has been coddled his entire life like he’s been taken care of by austria and hungary and spain and france and germany and literally everyone loves him. and he KNOWS that everyone loves him so he purposefully babies himself to others so he can get even more special treatment. hes an annoying little asshole who uses his good looks and weakness to get out of trouble and i love it!!!

throughout the series (both in anime, manga, and a little in hetamyu), japan actually grows a bit of a soft spot for italy because of how weak and pathetic he makes himself seem. at first he’s polite and awkward because he idolized italy to be strong and capable, but once his expectations are SHATTERED he gradually begins to want to take care of him in a way. he doesn’t get mad at him as often and sometimes even defends him when germany is upset or lecturing him (like in hetalia fantasia). he tucks him in bed and lets him sleep on his chest and share a bed and bathe together and do the gayest shit ever. i probably would’ve thought “well thats because he’s too polite to refuse” but he ACTIVELY wants to do this stuff with him. he puts a hand on his back to keep him in place when he rests on his chest. he visits italy often and loves to cook with/for him. he wants to learn how to hug and kiss him back even after italy says its fine. he writes him letters and a SONG where he asks italy to visit him and gives him a pressed flower bookmark. japan goes out of his way to return italy’s affection and spend time with him while italy just does it because he’s italy.

i dont really think it’s a “sad” one-sided crush because in the end they’re still friends! they still both care about each other and confide in one another and hang out. italy isnt just affectionate to japan because he wants to lead him on and get more special treatment, but because they’re friends and he does still like him platonically! they can act like a couple without actually BEING one and thats insane!!! i love that shit!!!!!

ive mentioned how itager/gerita was my first hetalia ship and it still stands as one of my favorites. the problem is that im PICKY with it because i dont like a lot of the fandoms’ interpretations of them. i guess i wasnt as picky with itapan and liked it simultaneously with (although much more than) itager. but when i rewatched all of hetalia over the spring i realized how much MORE i liked itapan in the context of itager, which kind of blew my mind. like i remember mentioning to some itapan friends how i think they would never date and i still stand with that today. like italy and germany are too busy trying to win eachother over and they would just get together instead. japan actually likes his friends though and wants them to be happy so he would just go “ok” and move on while still doing all that gay shit with them. i guess jt makes itapan more of a brotp but it doesnt make it any less enjoyable for me. i LIKE to see them hanging out and being friends and dont really mind fanart where they’re dating or whatever because i can just pretend that they’re not!

anyways sorry for being a little insane i hate itapan but i actually love itapan okay i love them okay yahoo!

[acourtofthought]

Hi, how are you? Sorry, I'm popping in here to rant away a bit.

I just really don't get why people want to read a story about a rejected bond?? They find the mates trope boring - but the 3 sisters+3 brothers thing not? If the mates trope is not for you, maybe don't read SJM books? Because in her universe, mates are the ultimate HEA.

I certainly don't want to read about Lucien and Az going through the pain and suffering of their bond being rejected. It would be the most miserable book in existence.

But ofc, this is the only way that a certain ship would work, so they cling to that one scene where Feysand discussed the mating bond and call it foreshadowing. I personally don't think Sarah wrote that to foreshadow a bond rejection, certainly not for the main characters, but it was important to understand for the readers that even if there is a mating bond, there is still choice.

The mating bond did not force Feyre to give Rhys a chance and eventually fall for him, same with Nesta and Cassian. Even though the males were aware of the bond.

They-who-must-not-be-named are so loud advocating for Elain's choices, yet they still ship her with a male that wants to coddle her despite her wishes and speaks on her behalf. Oh and what about her choice of giving back the necklace? She never gave back Lucien's gifts or Graysen's ring. She basically rejected him and I really don't see Az seeking her out after this to f/ck secretly.

The thing about Elucien is, short of declaring publicly 'I reject you now good sir', in my opinion they pretty much doing the bond rejection right now. It's been two years - they made zero progress in getting to know each other, they live far away from each other, trying to do their own thing. Yes we see the longing on Lucien, as it is harder on the males, but he still respects Elain and tries to give her space. The bond clearly does not force them to be together. So if Elain decides she gives Lucien a chance eventually, that will be because she chooses to do so. And this is where the choice thing comes in with mates.

I also feel like the Vassien ship is a byproduct of that ship, because they know if A+E were to become a thing, Lucien will basically go into the trash. So they try to justify it with 'but look he is sooo into Vassa he spoke this 3 sentences about her!!' which for me is absolutely ridiculous.

Another point conveniently forgotten, that not just Elucien needs to reject their bond if they want their ship to work, but also Azriel and Gwyn his future mate, and based on what we know about Azriel so far, I really don't see that happening. He wants the mating bond like his brothers.

I'm also fed up about the claims how this forbidden love would be such an epic love story. Firstly, this is not even forbidden love, because it would only take like 2 conversations to resolve the whole situation. If Rhys would feel they genuinely want to be together, he would do everything in his power to sort things out. And if you take into consideration Az's past and traumas, forbidden love would be the most harmful thing for him. It would take a huge toll on his mental health. He has so many issues and love alone will not able to heal them. I think his journey will be a dark one, much like Nesta's.

So if part of this fandom thinks Az's book will be him and Elain dodging the IC left and right and f/ck secretly, they will be in for a surprise...

Thank you for coming to my TED talk, it was sponsored by annoying instagram comments.

TED talks are always welcome 😁

I have to agree. A bond rejection would be so pointless and uninspired.

"Lucien, I don't want to be with you and I'm freeing you of our bond".

"Alright, I will respect your wishes".

That would be it. Despite what E/riels try to force as the narrative, Lucien has never pushed Elain to make a decision about the bond. He respects that he believes she wants nothing to do with him and stays away as a result, only coming around on holidays or when Rhys and Feyre invite him (considering he does work for the NC).

A rejected Elucien bond would look a lot like it currently does so what was the point of making them mates in the first place? In a novel, there's no point in adding something to the story just to prove it's a possibility when it doesn't actually add to the plot. How does a rejected Elucien mating bond really add to the plot in a meaningful way especially when we've never seen them try to interact with one another to prove they are not well matched?

If Elain and Lucien were spending time together and we could see that he was mistreating her or that they were poorly matched then we could understand why their bond didn't work and that they at least gave it consideration. But you don't give two main characters a bond in book 2, set it up so Elain isn't over the fiancé that left her (so she's not ready to address the bond), set it up so her sisters prevented them from interacting (so she can't address the bond), set it up that Elain first decides to have a rebound (which is all it can be since Az confirms they don't talk or see one another and this creates yet another roadblock for her not to deal with the bond) only to never have her talk to Lucien about their bond and reject it outright. We know she still has trauma so that's just adding to why she's not ready to deal with her bond or have a real conversation with him or her to know him. Just because Rhys's parents weren't matched (which they only figured out after getting together and the reason for that was because he was a cold, vicious man while she was soft and fiery) doesn't mean Elucien won't be and they definitely won't know for sure unless they try. SJM set up a bond between two heterosexual (in this scenario) main characters which in the authors words is the pinnacle of romance (if it turns out to be a soul mated bond) and if she's not going to attempt to explore what exists between them, what was the point? There are so many emotions that anyone with a bond is going to be feeling and for it to fizzle out without having them interact seems like such a waste. There's no tension in that, no raw emotion. (I added the heterosexual aspect because if there is any chance that Mor, a main character, was given a bond with a male, there would be a valid reason for a bond rejection because it wouldn't matter how special of a connection it was, the male could never be her ideal of peak romance. Same sex mating bonds are a possibility but as it stands, we haven't gotten hints that Mor has a bond with a female).

The fact that she's kept them apart for so long should be a hint to readers that she's building up to something big for them and having Feyre suggest "why make them mates?" in ACOWAR seems like an obvious misdirection to keep us wondering if they will get together rather than having it be so obvious. SJM is creating tension and uncertainty and that all makes sense if you want to be a good storyteller.

SJM didn't have Rhys casually slip in that Mates will always feel drawn to one another even if they reject the bond for no reason and that fact trumps Feyre wondering how the mating system works (especially when we know she doesn't grasp who Elain is or what she wants. Her reasons in questioning E/riel is based on them sitting quietly together and "how handsome they'd be" which are extremely shallow reasons. Knowing that even if you end up with someone else but you'll always be thinking of "the other guy" isn't all that romantic in a romance series.

There is not 4 books of buildup for E/riel. There is 4 books of buildup for an Elucien "will they or won't they?" accept their bond which was one of the MAJOR reveals in book 2 (not Az smiling politely at Elain, talking about how he and Cassian can fly while he stared at Mor's back with hunger elsewhere in the series) that we have yet to address and we've never really seen Elucien interact on a consistent scale. SJM didn't drop that bomb on readers then create the tension between Elucien after multiple books just to have them shake hands and walk away and she definitely didn't continue drawing attention to their similarities, changing Lucien's father to the High Lord of Day when we know Elain needs "Sunshine" for them to continue ignoring one another and not eventually realize how well matched they are (and nothing like Rhys's parents).

And you remind us of a good point. If Elain and Az would get together, that means there's a chance he finds his own mate someday (possibly Gwyn) and that means two characters would be together while always feeling drawn to others. I'm fairly positive none of us would want to marry someone in real life knowing our spouse feels a stronger pull to another at times.

Like you said, Fated Mates is a trope and when an author writes that trope it shouldn't be that surprising when their main characters end up with what they have decreed as the greatest possible love someone can be given.

[voidcommascreamintothe]

I really like your posts, they are so well thought out and well written. I have to ask, what are your thoughts on Elain and Lucien? I'd love your analysis. Do you think they will end up together?

Have a lovely day!

Hello anon,

Thank you so much for your kind message 🫶

This question is something I’ve wanted to talk about for some time so bless you for giving the me opportunity.

Elucien is endgame. As I have talked about previously, Maas writes HEA, so of course they will end up together. But I need the fandom to understand that Elain is well within her right to ignore him, and possibly reject the bond. I don’t really like Elain, I can’t connect to her in the same way as I did with Nesta and even Feyre, but when I saw her ignoring Lucien, I felt her pain and how impossibly overwhelmed she must be.

She was in love with a human man, who now hates her very being. She has to grieve not only the relationship but also the life she would’ve had with him. And she is not asking for help or guidance. If Nesta represents the anger and acceptance stage of grief, Elain is denial (and possibly bargaining). What has always angered me about the Inner Circus’ treatment of the sisters, is that they never extend the same curtsey to them as they did to Feyre. Feyre was allowed to grieve and sulk for months. And even Amren came to her aid once. But not Elain, and especially not Nesta. They only know Nesta from Feyre’s perspective, and lets be honest here, that is not the whole story. The same can be said about Elain.

Middle child to the core, she is overlooked and not taken seriously. She clearly expresses her grievances about how her trauma effected her sisters, but not how it effected her. She stood up for Nesta during the dinner scene in ACOMAF, sharing the blame for Feyre’s burdens, and yet that tidbit is seemingly forgotten by everyone else, including this fandom.

So, when she is seen as docile and in need of coddling, do you think her grief would be taken seriously? Do you think they will stop and think about her needs? Will they understand and hear her statement that she needs to do things on her own? Or will they scoff and regards her refusal of Lucien as an inconvenience?

It is a known fact that Lucien is from the Seasonal Courts where you can simply stake your claim on your mate. Rhysand knows this, and being someone who sacrifices family for the sake of politics, he intervenes between Elain and Azriel, prioritizing Lucien’s diplomatic talents over his own sister-in-law and a person he regards as a brother.

I like Lucien. He will end up with Elain. But the way that the story gets there can make or break it for me. Elain must have her time to accept Lucien on her own terms, and Lucien must stop annoying her. It irks me beyond reason how he just keeps persisting and keeps giving her gifts. Give her room to breathe for Cauldron’s sake!

I feel like by the end of ACOSF, Nesta does let go of her feeling of betrayal on Elain’s part and lets her be by herself - this is done through them being practically low/no contact for a while. And yet Nesta is made out to be the one giving up on her sister yet again. So much misinterpretations of canon! This gave me a headache, and I wish I had that tonic Elain gave Azriel.

Will she reject the bond? No, but it should be ok if she does. Will she and Lucien be together? Yea, this is romantic fantasy, they will be (hopefully on their own terms).

This is hopefully a good answer to your question anon, and I hope I gave a good analysis of their situation.

Have a lovely day 🫶

[golbrocklovely]

You say you like both boys, but you seem to be very biased towards Colby. Reading through you're blog you seem to take every opportunity to attack Sam and call out his flaws while letting Colby's slide even way back in your blog in years past. You say people baby Sam and attack Colby while doing the opposite yourself by babying Colby and attacking Sam making you a little bit of a hypocrite.

You should let people know you are more biased towards Colby so that they understand your answers to their questions might be weighted slightly in Colbys favour as people seem to be asking you for unbiased opinions on things when you're not unbiased at all.

usually with asks like this, i just ignore them and move on. but i have the time today.

i'll get all of the initial things out of the way first: everyone has a bias. shocking, i know. having a bias isn't a bad thing inherently, especially in cases like this where we're not talking about life or death topics. we are talking about fandom nonsense and nonsensical things like who's the better singer or who could be a model or what hair style looks best. who cares if i have a bias? none of this matters ! you're asking for my opinion, and this is what my opinion entails. if you don't like it, don't ask. or ignore it if it goes against what you want to hear. if you want someone to just agree with you, find someone that will. i'm not trying to change anyone's opinion, i'm just stating my own. and again, there's no such thing as an unbiased opinion.

out of all the ppl on this site that answer asks about sam, i'm one of the few that is actually nice to him. me calling out things that i think are a bit strange about him, or flaws of his, is not an attack. there are plenty of asks i've answered over the years where i have defended sam from anons who downright hate him (or at least sound like they do). i give him the benefit of the doubt a lot of the time. just bc recently i haven't agreed with the way he manages to not edit videos doesn't mean i'm attacking him.

i've tiptoed around saying my full, god's honest opinion about this fandom for a very long time, bc i think it's gonna piss some ppl off. but i think it's time i say it.

this fandom loves to coddle sam and full on hate colby. personally i believe that some fans that claim they love sam don't even like him. they just hate colby so much that sam is the only other option to them. that's not to say no one likes sam. i love sam. i care about sam. but that doesn't negate when he does things wrong imo. i don't have to turn a blind eye to them just bc i like him. and that applies to colby too.

the amount of asks i have answered over the years pointing out colby's issues in relationships, how he treats himself, his terrible choice in friends outside of sam, his ability to purposefully tease the fandom only to them complain about it, the times he has disappointed me, ect… i've talked about that ad nauseam. but so has the rest of the fandom as well. and not just on here; on sites that colby can actually see it on. ppl point out colby's flaws all the fucking time and no one cares. no one is coming up in my ask box saying "hey guys we don't know colby like that. let's give him a fair chance now." I'M the one saying that. but sam…. i have to walk on eggshells just to talk about in fear that someone is gonna get pissed bc i said he's a bit annoying sometimes.

let me point out some examples.

colby literally gets slut shamed very frequently. hell, there are ppl on here that do it often. i don't do it bc i would love for him to go out and have fun as much as he wants. but anytime he's even near a girl, it's "omg colby's at it again, acting like a fool. when is he gonna give it up and stop sleeping around?" but all of sudden bc sam is single it's "i can't wait to see sam hook up with girls. i wonder who his next gf will be." no issue there. sam was literally dancing up on a girl at jc's party, but colby's the one that gets called out for standing next to the same girl all night. okay then.

colby got berated on here a while ago for having a possible type - white, skinny, dark hair, light eyes. even tho he has been with girls that don't look like that. but bc it's believed to be true, he's a dick for having a type. sam literally followed like 10 asian girls in a row, some of which were onlyfans girls (which btw colby also got hate for following onlyfans girls so there's another example) and it was seen as "omg sam is so funny, what is he doing following all these asian girls???"

another prime example: kat is getting hate for writing music about sam. why? bc it doesn't favor him. bc it points out that maybe he wasn't the best the entire 8 years they were together. she has borderline albums dedicated to that man but all of a sudden it's an issue when she writes a song that doesn't metaphorically suck his dick. yall don't bat an eye when major artists shit talk their exes. it's tea, it's drama. but kat can't do the same to sam bc…. you like him?? not to mention, kat is now getting called a slut for talking to other guys (some of which are just her friends) when again at the SAME party, sam was with a girl and then admitted to hanging out with her after the party.

let's get into more, quasi serious, examples.

who participated in queerbaiting? sam, colby, and brennen. who apologized for it? colby. who got yelled at for not doing enough and not being sincere about it? colby.

who got yelled at for not talking about jan 6th on jan 6th as it was happening? colby. who got called misogynistic for wishing happy international women's day? colby. who got called out for not posting links to reputable sources when stop asian hate was trending on twitter? colby. do you know what sam did? nothing. he didn't post anything until colby eventually did, the difference is he didn't get yelled at for it. he didn't get cancelled for it. am i saying that colby didn't make some fuck ups during this time period? of course not. but the difference between what was said to him and what was said to sam over the same exact situations is a bit confusing.

colby still gets called an asshole for the killing best friend prank, a prank that BOTH OF THEM participated in and were in on.

i have seen this discourse happen on twitter a bunch: a lot of sam fans wish that he got recognized just as much as colby does. but do you know what that recognition brings? a tremendous amount of hate. colby receives that DAILY for almost every decision he makes. he loses followers when he grows facial hair, he got a death threat so bad when he was getting cancelled that he left twitter for like a week straight so his mental health would go back to normal. kat's own fucking fans rejoiced when colby lost his journal and was emotional about it. there is a level of respect that sam receives that colby doesn't.

sam and colby fan accounts can exist, sam accounts can exist, but colby accounts get called rude bc they forget about sam, or they get told "it's sam AND colby." yet weirdly, who's saying that to the sam accounts? bc i have a sneaking suspicion no one is telling them "hey you pay too much attention to sam, give colby some love too." bc i'm gonna take a wild guess that you wouldn't have sent this ask if i favored sam over colby.

i could go on, but i think i've made my point clear: do i have a bias towards colby? sure. i've openly admitted to favoring him sometimes or saying that he's my type more than sam. but i'm also right when i say this fandom babies sam. colby gets a lot of love, but a fuckton of hate on top of it. there are things that sam has done that colby could NEVER get away with. the amount of times sam doesn't address shit and just goes quiet and ppl just move on from whatever drama it was…. that could only happen to colby in a completely different timeline. i love sam dearly, but me pointing out that sometimes he's out of touch or isn't the nicest doesn't mean i'm attacking him. i call out colby for the same shit but no one cares bc shitting on colby is an everyday occurrence in this fandom. sam is literally known as the smart one of the two. you don't think that in itself kinda proves my point? colby is literally seen as the dumb one. what about that screams unbiased??

[keybladeofsteel]

Honestly, why do you care so much what Roman haters think or say at this point? Nobody even said anything about him, so I don't understand what you're complaining about so much, or even talking about. Even if they did, again, why are you giving them any kind of attention? At this point, you're never gonna be able to enjoy your fave in peace and be happy if this is the route you keep going. As much as it sucks and as much as he doesn't deserve it, you're not helping matters and only making it worse. It's been the same song and dance since 2015 and that's unfortunately not gonna change anytime soon.

And as for his coworkers, you are aware they're in character when they talk about his schedule, right? So, they don't actually mean the shit they say. Literally everyone in the locker room, veterans, legends, newer talent have had nothing but kind and positive things to say about him. They have nothing and love but respect for the guy. Even then, they're not obligated to do it all the time and to kiss his ass 24/7.

You all act as if Roman is such a helpless and defenseless victim, like he's the black sheep and just oh so hated by everyone. And this need to protect and defend him so much is getting a bit embarrassing. The dude is almost 40, he's more than capable of defending himself and holding his own. He doesn't need you coddling him like a child.

I love Roman as much as the next person, but a lot of you really don't make it easy for others. You all like to complain about fandoms being toxic, but guess what? There are plenty of Roman fans who are just as toxic and you fall right into that category.

Wow, this is very long for someone asking me why *I* care.

Sometimes a topic will be going around on twitter and I'll type a sentence or two on tumblr about it cause I'd rather say it in a space where random people aren't wishing cancer on him. Pretty simple.

I am very much "enjoying my fave in peace". Seen him in person multiple times actually but thanks for the concern! And, yeah, I get annoyed by some of his coworkers because you can tell some genuinely feel a way (like with that Sheamus interview that leaked) and I just think it's wack when people act like they wouldn't take a cushier position if they actually could. I thought ROMAN was wack for talking like that about Brock. But I'm coddling a grown man lmao trust me, my feelings aren't hurt for him, I'm just speaking as an adult with a job who isn't gonna hate on being able to take higher pay, more clout, and less work especially if it's the kind of work that destroys your body.

Again, you have a lot of feelings for a short post I made that I literally forgot about until I saw this ask. You could type his name on my blog, filter the text posts, and you'd see I don't even make enough posts myself about that nigga at all let alone ones ~defending his honor~ to warrant being called "toxic". This shit is always so wild to me cause I don't think I've ever cared about anything fandom related in my life to send a stranger something like this and yet I've gotten 3 or 4 weird anons this year.

[2n2n]

everytime you make a post dunking on kou… I feel like I get 20 years of life back… I don’t hate kou!! I like him!! I like every single weird funky character in this weird funky manga… but it’s so refreshing, so cathartic!!! to get a kou post that ISN’T “precious sunshine best boy who’s better than X male character uwu” (UUUUGH). in other words: THANK YOU!! being a kinda shitty love interest to Mitsuba with his milquetoast bullying… kou’s annoying battle shounen protagonist traits… should be called out more… bc the fandom’s obnoxious about him and I’m too petty these days to care lol

HAHA ah how funny, I mean, yeah. I'm also always just thirsty for an original take, even if it isn't one I agree with or feel super hard. I'm glad someone's amused by it.

With Mitsuba I'm like, "omg Mitsuba doesn't need this CAVEMAN RIGHT NOW, help".... Mitsuba responds best to Yashiro, who is peaceful & passive.... and despite everything, Tsukasa does coddle/baby Mitsuba, which is what he legitimately asks people to do ("Take care of me, PYON!").... I have no idea what Kou's shitty screaming really does.... and then he says such horrible things in Picture Perfect, and then he's legit terrible at listening/paying attention....... Mitsuba will be emotional and. Kou is going to throw a fucking rock at his head, PLEASE, YOU NEANDERTHAL, ARE YOU NOT CAPABLE OF JUST HUGGING HIM ..... ??? He's really more of a 'pure goodboy' with Yashiro..... but that's boring and she's not into him, so eat it, Kou. She likes the bad boy tragic murderer. Why does he love to yell insults at Mitsuba. Why must we call the guy who had no friends and died alone girly and annoying. I know Mitsuba kinda sucks but I don't get it. I should hope if I died as a lonely ghost someone wouldn't come around me to be like, "you're a bitch and dress weird". Well I did die alone so I do know that. What the hell Kou................................................................. the Minamoto clan are beasts.......................................................... we must end them now, before they traumatize more souls for eternity

.......................nonetheless their (Mitsuba/Kou) fates/arcs are obviously tied, so there must be a plan. A novel endgame. It's one of the few things in this manga I have 0 predictions for. Like, I have more predictions about Teru, Tiara, and Aoi. I just have no clue where thisssss dynamic crests at. Kou has been AT A SNAILS PACE gradually wrestling with the bogus belief system he so proudly touted in Picture Perfect (God am I waiting for him to regret saying all that he did there-- HE SLOWLY HAS BEEN)....but like, we must be 'saving' whatever his eventual epiphany about personhood and identity will be, for later........... probably whatever conclusion he's CRAWLING to, about Mitsuba's authenticity, is going to tie into whatever epiphany he and Yashiro have to reach about Tsukasa's identity & authenticity. Them both contesting with the little Tsukasa's contradictory existence, surely will fold into how they have to process if Tsukasa 'is' Tsukasa, and how they should regard Mitsuba.... so odd that in PP, in the very moments Kou is rejecting Mitsuba as 'the real Mitsuba', doubling down on declaring his fakeness, Yashiro is naturally folding 'Amane' and 'Hanako' into one person. the chad Yashiro!!!

*shakes my head, snapping out of a haze* where was I? Oh right....

YOU KNOW, I don't even hate Kou. There are characters in other media I actively could say I hate, but, baseline everyone's interesting in JSHK, and I don't feel I disagree with the entire world's function and shape. We need someone like him to embellish the story-- that is-- someone so fucking dense and slow at grasping the world's shapes. But I am naturally exhausted by Kou and watching him crawl his way up to speed is sometimes tedious. I would like to take him to task and see him knocked down a peg-- in manga and out-- and I mean-- of all characters, he can take it, he doesn't have many problems, lol. He feels like the perfect guy to be frustrated with. Guy's got a beautiful family who loves him emphatically, spends every Tanabata or w/e in bliss with brudder and sisser, he can deal with me pushing him into a gutter.

I feel you on just being a bit tired of hearing the same things over and over... I feel like ah, groupthink in general is a real modern fandom problem, actually. If I'm being honest.... it often is something where all sides are doing something like...... hmm... "I am a nasty gross person, and I love this nasty gross character who is nasty and gross!" and then the other side is like, "I'm a good and honorable person, and I love good and honorable characters." Haha. But it's all sortof equally reductive, isn't it? You'll have one side stanning Tsukasa and believing he's an irredeemable rapist... and another side stanning Kou and believing he's composed of pure virtue...... or something like that. Isn't it boring....? Soooo boring... I don't like any of it....

Neither winds up feeling very genuine, or very interested in the actual written narratives, or the fiber of the characters in a meaningful way. It all comes across kinda phony, don't it? Or put-on? For-show? Whether its to show off how Bad you be, or how Good you be. It's odd when everyone all converges on one perspective. Loving Kou, Mitsuba, Aoi, hating Hakubo, Tsukasa, whatever.... weird, right? I never knew it to be like this, when I was younger.... I felt like me and all my friends would walk into a manga, and come out of it all liking wildly different things. Sometimes it feels like, maybe people are more 'fans' of the 'fandom', than 'fans' of the media itself, you know? Spending more time in servers of 200 people all chatting, reblogging each other's posts, and... less time rereading the thing itself.

It's not all of fandom, at least. Frankly spanish-speaking fandom seems completely unchanged from how it used to be and seems much chiller, more individual and sentimental ... well, so is JP, KR, CH fandom haha, who are making the MMD/AMV/etc I adore. Lots of original concepts and fanwork to parooze on pixiv and bilibili, thank god. But walking into eng spaces for 1 second, I see a lot of Kou suddenly. And I'm like.... this lame ass? Why??? Because he occasionally says pure things and is sad he's not strong like his cop brother??? Because he swings a sword?? Because he punches Mitsuba?? lol. I do have a little more taking him to task to do about a few things, but I keep having to try again at rewording a post to sound more neutral, 'cuz I get too annoyed with him hahahaha. Maybe I'll give up soon and just let it be what it is. I WANT TO BE NEUTRAL *SHAKES FIST* IMPARTIAL...

I had never 'observed' any of the fandom at all, I read it blind. I kinda live in a bubble with my husband..... I didn't catch sight of much of it actually until the Sumire/Hakubo arc. It felt like out of the woodwork came 200 Kou stans, I was like, whaaaaat??? it felt soooo out of left field, unpredictable, bizarre!?!? Like a wild coincidence. Like I lifted up a log and there was a new sort of bug in the THOUSANDS congregating. Weird! I didn't expect everyone to sound like clones of one another.... so weird.... eerie.... freaky....

Totally sounding like a codger though, so forget me.

I always want me disliking anything to just be funny.

He's most interesting for me in the Ghost Hotel AU, where for some reason he's completely insane and ripping off Mitsuba's limbs to add to soups. I also want whatever the hell this is to come back around:

but maybe I just want to make things more difficult for people who love him, haha. They should have to put up with something......

[marisdisry]

Entry IX: 08.31.2024

I love my grandmother, she saw my wrist and immediately her first thought was, "are you in a frat?"

Time sure is interesting.

But the fact I have to regularly fund my own stress relief because p0rn addiction is too damaging is kind of annoying. It's pretty funny too, the fact that a nerve-ruining, mentally-shitting form of pain is less ruinous to the population than p0rn. Blades get rusty quickly so I do my best in always covering them properly and only slit once a week. Not like my schedule would give me more time, anyway.

It's also been a while since I last wrote, I finally got a twitter account so my small number of mutuals get the brunt of my thoughts. Which includes the usual depression and occasional fixation on webcomics I read. Most recent finished one was Oyasumi, Punpun.

There's too many feelings for me to cry properly in the end, but a chapter that hit me like a ten-wheeler does an unsespecting animal was the one where Midori violates him. She was the only relatively parental role in his life, but I doubt all his depression stems from that moment, maybe his sexual habits did though. I see myself in Aiko, devastating in the way she explained her thoughts on love and how she wishes to be saved. But worst of it all, I developed a crush on Punpun Onodera. It's pathetic, I'm all too aware.

I think it's the way he does a complete 360 once finally having Aiko in his grasp. But even before that, something about him triggers this need inside of me to care. To coddle his hurt feelings in my arms and pour every ounce of motherly warmth he never felt in all the years he has lived. Tell him, "you're not so bad. Even as worthless as you are, you could be my world if you let me." I don't care to improve his life, only to see him smile and relieve the thoughts that plague him into insanity.

I loved it. Although I understand how people reacted to the manga, saying things like it's the saddest piece of literature out there or that it changed their brain chemistry. Maybe I'm just dense, but I didn't get any of that, I don't relate to most of the fandom and it makes me feel moronic. I thought it was wonderfully written in showcasing how people change and how cruel the world can get when you're useless and damaged. How love is formed in every way, even damaging.

Maybe I'll write fanfiction about him, who knows? My fixations run deep sometimes.

It helps me out of the days where I think to just drown myself lol.

The reality that this is no longer just a teenage phase is starting to get... scary. What if I never recover? I try, no matter how rarely, I do try. But it seems everything just gets worse — from the eating, to the thoughts and the cutting. What's there to recover for anyway, though? I'm not even BMI 17, I haven't gotten beans, not even a single attempt. I need to get worse. I'll never be valid enough to fuck if I'm just mildly sad or the type to restrict 1k only to binge 3x a week. No.

It's either get so bad and die, or die trying.

This is still fucking stressful. But being with my grandmother helps relieve some of it. My oldest uncle died though, and my cousins are a mess. I'm strangely calm. And have eaten at least 3k calories. Why can't I just end it all.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hi! I loved reading your character bingo analysis so far, could I please ask for Riddle and Ortho?

Ortho Character Opinion Bingo here!

Lilia Character Opinion Bingo here!

Ah, it’s not really meant to be analysis 😂 I’m just expressing my opinions! I only really go in-depth when I’m explaining where I think the fandom does a character dirty.

***Standard disclaimer: These are just my personal opinions of the character(s); regardless of what I may think of them, sharing my thoughts is NOT meant to offend or to shame anyone that thinks differently.***

***CONTENT WARNING: mentions abuse!***

In terms of how much I like the dorm leaders… Riddle firmly sits in the middle, and I think a lot of that has to do with me looking at him through (pardon the pun) rose-tinted glasses. I have a lot of nostalgia for Riddle since he was the first dorm leader released to the public eye; I’ve basically known him since day 1 😂 Even before Riddle, I followed Black Butler—and since Riddle resembles Ciel Phantomhive, I got a very strong sense of deja vu. If it weren’t for all the nostalgia, I would probably dislike Riddle more than Vil.

To comment a little more about his design, I’m not a fan of the heart ahoge. It looks,,, fine???? But then the longer I stare at it, the more I realize that they remind me of antennae, and when paired with the red color of Riddle’s hair, it makes him look like a cockroach… and honey, that is NOT cute. His eyebrows also kind of turn into a weird shape when he gets angry and red-faced??? I get that this is all to make him more closely resemble the Queen of Hearts, but I think it’s all a little too on the nose. That aside, I don’t really like characters with Riddle’s particular… body type 😂 (aka short and child-like Riddle, please don’t behead me). It’s not something I personally find appealing, and the other issue with it is that short characters tend to get irrationally upset when someone points out their height (a trope which I find to be annoying 😓),

I do like that Riddle is talented and responsible for his age, but that likability goes right out the window because he can simultaneously act very arrogant and self-righteous about it. Even post-episode 1, Riddle is shown to be very fixated on following the rules strictly, and he assigns great importance to titles and positions. He talks down to a fellow dorm leader and acts as though he knows better than all of his peers (something which he also does more prominently in episode 1, pre-OB). I understand that this way of thinking is very much a result of how he was raised, but it still doesn’t change the fact that this behavior is very narrow-minded and an awful way to treat others. Like Ace says in episode 1, people can blame Riddle’s parents all they like, but ultimately Riddle’s words and actions are his own, and Riddle needs to accept responsibility for the people he has hurt.

I think the fandom does Riddle dirty the same way it does Jamil dirty; it feels like people drastically oversimplify Riddle’s situation without truly realizing the complexities of child abuse and how its effects carry over into adulthood. I see so many cursing out Riddle’s mom and saying nasty things about her without ever condemning Riddle himself for lashing out or behaving just as badly. It gives the impression that Riddle’s mom is entirely to blame and that no one holds Riddle accountable for his own actions, despite what episode 1 and Ace told us, and I don’t think that’s wise to do. I’m NOT going to sit here and defend Mama Rosehearts because what she did to her child was indeed awful and she deserves to be called out for it. However, Riddle shouldn’t be treated like he’s entirely innocent or coddled like a child, because he has also done awful things to others. As much as people can hate on his mom and the way she raised him, no one is holding a gun to Riddle’s head and forcing him to act a certain way. Yes, his mother may have influenced him to a degree, but the words and actions are still Riddle’s and Riddle’s alone.

One thing that truly kills Riddle for me is his absolutely atrocious temper. It’s usually played off as just a joke, but it’s so frightening to me how fast and how easily Riddle is set off (yes, even after the events of episode 1). I’m legitimately scared of him when he lashes out; I’d always walk on eggshells around him or avoid him entirely for fear of doing some minuscule thing that might send him into a fit of rage. I don’t very much fancy the idea of being screamed at and/or collared…

That being said, I can never really bring myself to “hate” Riddle, because I can relate a lot with where he’s coming from. Having grown up sheltered and raised by tiger parents myself, Riddle’s childhood echoes a lot of what I experienced in mine. I was that sad little child at some point, forbidden from having sweets and prevented from playing with other kids because “studying is more important”. I didn’t realize how little I knew about the world (like, I didn’t even know you could cook rice using methods OTHER than steaming it) until I made friends in school that were willing to teach me. I think that’s why I like Riddle best when he’s just being a regular kid… hanging out with people, learning and trying new things! It reminds me of the joy that I experienced myself whenever I made a new discovery. I truly hope that Riddle has the chance to keep learning and growing.

[bigasswritingmagnet]

Uncle Bob

Fandom: Psychonauts Rating: G Summary: Bob Zanotto does have roots, if he'd like to reconnect to them. Lili has a plant question, and Bob's got an answer.

"Ok, see the bolt your hand is on?" Helmut asked.  

"Yes..."

"Not that one. Go left. Left. Left. More left. Less left--"

Bob looked away from the block of grease and rust that was the Feel Mobile's engine, and leveled a flat stare to the brain ball beside him.

"You mean right?" Bob said. It was hard to feel annoyed or upset with someone when you forgot how to breathe every time you remembered that they were alive, but he was  definitely  about to manage some exasperation.  

"This would be so much easier if I had hands. I could just point!"

"Helmut, if you had hands, you could do this yourself," Bob said. "Why don't you wait until we get back from Grulovia?"

"I can't wait that long! Look at the state it's in!" The ball rolled forward until it thunked gently against the side of the bus. "My baby."

"What if you got Otto to help you instead?"

"Oh no no no, not while I don't have the hands to stop him from making "improvements" while he's in there."

Bob had to give him that one.

"We can do this!" Helmut insisted, with such enthusiasm Bob couldn't help but smile. "We're a great team. Just put your hand back where it was and move it very slowly left until I say stop."  

"Hey guys!" Rescue came in the shape of Raz rounding the corner and waving. "Whatcha doin'?"

"We're fixing the Feel Mobile!"

"We are trying to fix the Feel Mobile," Bob corrected. "But I don't know anything about engines, and Helmut doesn't have hands. It's a process."

"Fortunately, I am excellent at instructions," Helmut said. "Just because I don't have eyes doesn't mean I can't see you rolling yours, Bobby."

"What brings you out to our neck of the woods?" Bob asked.

"We had a plant question," Raz said, triumphantly. There was a brief pause.   

"Is that the royal 'we', or...?" Helmut asked. 

Raz looked at the empty space at his left. He looked at the empty space at his right. He looked back up the way he came. He gave Bob a slightly embarrassed smile and held up a finger, backing away.

"Gimme one second."

Bob tossed the wrench into the tool kit and stood, a process that was a lot more involved than it used to be.

"Jeez, you sound so old," Helmut teased.

"I am old, you--" The words cut off short, caught in Bob's throat at the flash of dark pigtails zipping back behind a tree. Bob looked away, wiping his hands off on a rag, but he couldn't stop Raz's words from drifting into his ears. The kid had lowered his voice, but not low enough.

"You can't be shy, you're you. ...What? ...Why wouldn't he?"

"Bobby?" Helmut asked, softly.

"It's Truman's daughter," Bob said, gruffly, focusing very hard on getting the grease out from around his nailbeds.   

"Oh."

What must she think of him? The last time he'd seen her she wasn't even walking yet. She'd only know him as the crazy old hermit who lived on top of a thorn tower and hated everyone. Or worse, as the drunken mess who screwed up so many missions his own nephew had had to put him out to pasture before he got somebody killed--

Something bonked insistently against his ankle.

"Hey. Hey. Stop that," Helmut ordered. "You're great and she'll love you."

"But--"

Another bonk, this one so hard it actually hurt.

"You're. Great. And. She'll. Love. You."  

"Of course he'll like you! ...My psychic senses tell me so. ...It'll be fine, I promise."

Lili stepped out from behind the tree. She looked exactly like the pictures Truman had sent, minus the usual glazed look that came with a school photo. She was clutching a terracotta pot to her chest, one far too large for the sullen, drooping stalks that protruded from it.

"Hey there!" Bob said, trying to sound as cheerful and un-evil-hermit-that-lives-in-the-woods as possible. She approached slowly, but at least didn't look like she was on the verge of running away.

"Hi," she said, softly. "Um...Raz said you might be able to help me with my amaryllis. I've been trying to get it to bloom again. I let it go dormant twice, but it still won't put out any buds."

Bob reached out, and then hesitated. Lili released the pot, which floated over to Bob and hovered. Bob examined the plant, curious. He was impressed, to say the least. Second bloom or no, there weren't a lot of ten year olds who could successfully winter an amaryllis at all, let alone twice in a row.

"No fungus, no pests," he muttered. "Soil seems fine. Is it getting the right kind of light?"

"In the window, sunny and south facing," Lili said, with more confidence. "I checked the soil acidity, I used filtered water, I tried different kinds of plant foods, I tried playing music, I tried talking to it--"

"Yelling at it," Raz corrected.

"I was only yelling because talking wasn't working," Lili said, narrowing her eyes at him. Bob cleared his throat to hide his chuckle.

"Welp," Bob said. "I figured out your problem."

"You did?" Lili's eyes lit up. "What is it? What should I do?"

"You got a dud bulb," Bob said. He prodded the limp leaves, which looked like tangled green shoelaces. "You should just toss it."

"...what?"

Bob gave her a large wink, then continued loudly.

"Yep. That's amaryllis for you. They're weak, give up easy."

The leaves twitched.

"I never bothered with them, honestly. They need so much hand holding, and as for looks, well..."

"You're right," Lili said, nodding sagely. "They're just not pretty enough to justify all the work I've been putting into them. Maybe I should just dump them and grow tulips instead."

"Honestly, you're better off with roses--"

The stalks shot up, straight as arrows and quivering with indignation. Lili laughed in delight as first one, then two, then three pink bulbs swelled and unfurled into three perfect flowers.

"I can't believe that worked!" she cried.

"...did you just use reverse psychology on a plant?" Raz asked, nonplussed.

"Yep. Nothing like spite to put a little color in a flower. Amaryllises are divas," he told Lili. "You need to treat them carefully, but don't coddle them. Make 'em work for your attention." He took the pot in his hands and held it away, leaning down to mutter "And they hate roses."  

"It's a plant," Raz said, in the same tone.

"You get used to it," Helmut said.

"But it's--"

"Let it go, kid. Trust me."

Bob handed the pot to Lili and opened his mouth to ask Helmut to explain just what that was supposed to mean...

But the girl took the pot in both hands and beamed up at him with a smile like the sun, and said "Thanks Uncle Bob."

It made it very hard to think of anything to say other than 'sure thing, kiddo.'

[justanisabelakinnie]

Aww man, aww fucking man, I just thought of this today and I hate it. Was thinking about how Camilo was going to be the antagonistic force towards Mirabel instead of Isabela in the early development stages...was thinking about how Isabela is more than absolutely demonized by the fandom due to being the hyperfeminine girly girl who is arrogant and aloof towards our perky and relatable protagonist and so to them she is all too easy to hate and shove into the “mean girl” category in spite of the fact that the movie makes a conscious and in-your-face attempt to subvert this expectation and show her as a multi-faceted character worth sympathizing with even if her ways of dealing with her frustration were still not up to par...and about how if Camilo was the one being a bitch to Mirabel the situation would be TOTALLY different. 

How the fandom would still eat him up just as much as they do now, possibly even more so, how they would bend over backwards to coddle him and excuse his fuckery and recognize him as a three-dimensional person with justifiable reasons for what he did, how “omg poor Camilo is so suffocated by family expectations of course he takes it out on Mirabel!!!” would take precedence over the way that Mirabel would suffer because of his treatment, how people would like Camilo from the start despite or even because of his meanness rather than come to love him once he becomes nicer, how Mirabel would 100% ABSOLUTELY be seen as the one to blame for how Camilo treats her, with fanfics demonizing her as evil or annoying or somehow prompting Camilo’s bad attitude towards her and thus deserving it(the same way they do for Pepa and Bruno and the latter wasn’t even intentionally being antagonistic!), how simps(and proshippers) would absolutely swoon over how much of a bad boi husbando he is, how he’d be loved for all the same reasons that Isabela is hated. 

And it utterly infuriates me. 

I mean the fandom quite literally lost their shit when a comic--ONE COMIC--had Camilo make fun of Mirabel for lacking a gift in like literally one scene because “oh no they demonized the poor boy the real Camilo would never do that he is just too nice!” meanwhile they demonize the female characters for the slightest provocation or even no provocation at all. So try looking me in the eyes and telling me that the fandom wouldn’t pull this shit. 

Fandom misogyny how you been doin’. 

[niksfics]

↬ WHAT COULD NEVER BE PT. 2

↬ PAIRINGS: Atsumu x f!reader (ft Bokuto)

↬ WARNINGS: sad shit, horrible writing (I feel like I botched this) kagehina mention, cheating, alcohol mention, reversed unrequited love. !! UNEDITED!!

↬ SUMMARY: honorable mention goes to @multi-fandom-fanfic for giving me this idea in the comment section of the first part it’s not exactly years later but it’s still some time later

↬ A/N: I totally did not cry while writing this pft

↬ WC: | 1.5K |

↬ TAG(S): @erinoikawa @fromdelos

“What does she have that I don’t” the amount of times that, that sentence had played over in my head was starting to exhaust me. Remembering the desperation in my voice caused my nose to scrunch up in a cringe until I shook the thoughts out of my head. Walking away from bokuto that night had been the second hardest thing I’d ever had to do in my life so far.

Weeks and weeks later I’d still had the ache in my chest the tears still welled up in my eyes whenever I thought about him with her, but these tears never fell. I hadn’t fully cried over him in weeks and I patted myself on the back for that. I could feel myself starting to move on. To forget.

I still cheered for the MSBY Black Jackals, but I had started online college to get my fashion degree. I’d always had a dream to work for a big corporation like vogue. Things in my life were finally starting to look up, and Miya Atsumu had taken the place that bokuto had left open that night.

He was my support system. Coddling me when he could in the weeks following bokutos wedding. I was unaware of his feelings. Oblivious at first. Until I started to notice the lingering touches he left, and although I was worried about hurting him, it excited me.

— — —

Two years had passed since the night I realized I would never feel my best friends embrace they way I craved. Two years, and now I craved a different persons embrace. The person I’d been dating for a year now, and in the second year of the two years I’d spent healing I’d slowly started mending my friendship with Bokuto. Of course I’d spoken to atsumu about it, and he’d shared his concerns but I was serious about the blonde man who’d unexpectedly stolen my heart.

I had been so caught up in Miya Atsumu it was like highschool all over again. He made me feel alive, and I grounded him when he felt like he was drifting away. The separation from his twin took a harder toll on him than he ever would have realized. So being the loving girlfriend I was I’d organized a night out with the Jackals; Kotaro and koyuki, Kiyoomi, Hinata and kageyama me and Atsumu, and Osamu and his girlfriend. It would be the first time we would all be together since the wedding.

I was nervous and this night would be the start of something out of anyone’s control. It started off normal Osamu and Atsumu hugging and exchanging pleasantries before they would start bickering and trying to compete over something stupid during dinner.

Shy kageyama who had been so stiff at the wedding seemed to be in his element with his arm draped over hinata’s shoulders while he whispered in his ear. The ginger smiling lovingly at his fiancé and it got me thinking about marrying Atsumu. It sparked a tsunami of feeling throughout my body and I found myself smiling to myself before, Cadence —osamu’s stunning girlfriend from the states— bumped my shoulder with hers and smirked at me.

“I’m glad you came up with this idea. Samu was starting to get all pissy about not being able to see his brother.” I smiled sheepishly and blushed as I shook my hand, “it was nothing tsumu was getting the same way and I really wanted to meet you so it was a win win.” She smiled and I caught bokuto looking at me from across the table. The chair next to him empty.

I smiled and leaned across the table, “hey bo! Where’s the missus?” His smile faltered slightly and if I wasn’t so good at reading bokuto I would have missed it entirely but I didn’t, “oh she had to stay late in the office tonight so she couldn’t come.” I gave him a sympathetic smile and he shrugged before the waiter came to our table and I turned to Atsumu.

Later on in the night I had gotten pretty tipsy the champagne finally hitting me, and I smiled lazily at Atsumu, adoration in my eyes and he smirked, “s’the alcohol finally getting to ya pretty girl?” He asked and I nodded before putting my forhead on his upper arm and sighing.

He moves to stand up taking a glass and a knife with him, and my eyes widen in horror over what he’s about to do. He clinks the knife on the glass a bit to carelessly and it breaks, “ah!! tsumu ya moron what the hell are ya doin?” Osamu asks standing up abruptly to avoid the liquid as a waiter rushes over to clean up the mess.

Atsumu smiles and turns to the waiter and apologizes before looking over the table at our friends, “well I just wanted ta toast ta my amazing girlfriend who I would not have if it weren’t for that idiot right there,” I facepalm as he points at bokuto and bokuto winces slightly before looking at me pained and I mouth a sorry to him.

“So thank ya buddy cause if ya weren’t oblivious I would never have gotten such an amazing partner who loves me so much that she brought my annoying little brother out here to see me.” I hear Osamu groan and roll his eyes.

“you’re only three minutes older than me ya troll.” Atsumu smiles patronizingly at osamu, “shut yer trap samu yer elder is talkin'.” Everyone laughs at that and he finally sits down before I hit his shoulder and smile at him slightly, “you’re an idiot tsum-tsum” he shrugs, “but I’m yer idiot right y/n?” And then he plants a big sloppy kiss on my cheek and I squeal in disgust.

The amount of happiness and joy coursing through my body had been missed. I was finally over the one person I thought I would need to live, and with the person I was destined for. I finally had what bokuto had. I couldn’t be happier.

After that night things between me and bokuto were tense for awhile. I brushed it off as he thought maybe I was still hung up on him. Oh how I couldn’t have been more wrong. I had no idea the anger and jealousy that was bubbling up under bokutos skin, and the most frustrating part of all of the bullshit that was going on, was he didn’t understand why he felt like this. He was happily married. I mean as happily married as one person could be right?

It only got worse though when two weeks later Miya fucking Atsumu was calling him asking for his help to propose to his best friend. He was annoyed and irritated and his wife was coming home at two in the morning smelling different than when she had left. It was not a happy time for him, but he obliged telling him about how the beach would be the most perfect place, and to make sure that he does it at night.

He also added in that he should create a pathway lit by fairy lights because I would simply die over it, and how I didn’t like diamonds so make sure it wasn’t a cliche ass diamond.

And that’s how I found myself on the beach my heart had completely broke on, a week later in front of the man I love as he kneeled with a gorgeous jeweled ring in a black velvet box in his hands.

“Will you y/n y/l/n make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?” The tears collecting in my eyes were the happiest tears I’d ever cried in my life as I knelt down and hugged him around his neck, “yes yes!! Yes! Of course I will tsumu”

We hadn’t seen bokuto in the distance watching us with tears in his eyes as he realized what he’d lost. As he wished he could go back in time and do it all over. Do things differently.

Maybe he would have let you keep his jacket on in that storage supply closet. Maybe he should have asked you to get boba instead of koyuki, maybe he should have realized sooner he was projecting onto koyuki because he was scared to love his best friend the way he knew you loved him.

So as he stared at the RSVP card in his hands with yours and Atsumu’s names on it in fancy handwriting. He wonders if this is how you felt when you had gotten his card with koyuki, he wonders if you had felt as lost and hopeless, and torn between wanting you to be happy and also wanting you to be with him instead. So as he swallowed the same lump you had swallowed two almost three years ago he realized that this was some kind of sick karma.

He felt partially responsible for the mess that this had become. You and him were never meant to be.

[rigginsstreet]

I’m sorry in advance for venting but your blog is really refreshing because you say it like it is and there’s no need to use overtly complicated and polite language just so some ppl don’t lose their shit.

Anyway. I’m not even starting on St*ddie (I could go on forever) because honestly it’s clear that the D Bags and other producers or whatever knew that the ship/interaction between the characters would appeal to the audience and bring more ppl to watch the show, because it is just a cutesy little ship with no conflict whatsoever (which, y’know…boring af), so there’s no one trying to play the social justice warrior when they are shipping St*ddie.

But one thing I also don’t understand is the obsession over R*nance? Maybe it’s because I don’t like any of the Wheelers and how they are coddled every second of the show. But I just don’t see the appeal either, especially with the whole “let me help my friend try to get back to his ex” type of dynamic the group had.

Like, I get it, people want more LGBTQ+ rep, I want it too, but insisting on Nancy? I just honestly don’t get it. Like, whether the fandom admits it or not, sure Nancy can shoot guns, but she is still an entitled suburban girl. I don’t think Robin would go for her after her crush on Tammy. Not that Tammy and Nancy are the same, but still. If people want their rep, they should stop settling for crumbs and shit that just doesn’t fit.

And like maybe I am a bad sister or friend for this, but it’s getting so tiring listening to my sisters and friends raving over these ships when I just find it extremely dull. But god forbid I talk about Harringrove with any of them, since they fell for the “Billy is the ultimate villain” bullshit. But like…at least Harringrove has complexity and way more depth, so much potential. Idk.

Anyway. Thank you for being unapologetically honest! Again, it’s very refreshing. I really enjoy your blog!

Oof you hit the nail on the head about r*nonance.

I never like popular femslash ships lmfao content for femslash ships is rare enough and I always gotta make shit more difficult for myself by shipping the LEAST popular thing, just making up my own shit entirely 😂

And yeah it’s definitely because people so badly want femslash ships and get nothing so when they are served the barest of crumbs they go crazy. And I just… do not succumb to that way of thinking. Because above of all else, I want to be entertained ALSO I don’t just go around putting queer labels on characters for the hell of it (sometimes I do as a joke but right now I’m talking about when I’m actually shipping something) I have to actually see context for it within the narrative. And I know some people don’t like making it that deep and just wanna have fun but that’s just not how my brain works lmao things need to make sense to me

So when people start trying to make Nancy goddamn wheeler of all people queer it’s like…. She isn’t. Even remotely lmfao I know everyone’s all excited robin finally had a female to interact with in I guess a significant way but this is not the move it is not the vibe lmao

As far as your friends and sister go… talk about harringrove all the time. Walk into every conversation starting with harringrove. That is your right lmfao I’m so serious.

I only have one irl friend who is into stranger things in a remotely fan-ish fashion and she’s a big Eddie fan and she knows I love billy and we have this jokey beef going on but she hasn’t brought up anything about him being a villain to me… probably because we’ve been friends for over 10 years and she knows good and well my habit of latching onto whatever character has the worst personality 😂 she knows not to fight me. Which is my other advice. Be so annoying in your arguments that people eventually learn to shut their mouth around you. I condition everyone in my life to do this and I know peace because of it