#i wish it was discussed more in fandom

[fromtheseventhhell]

I love how people are only ever interested in defending Arya's right to be weird-looking. It's never defending her intelligence from people who claim she's incapable of thinking for herself, highlighting her importance to the plot and refusing to see her as just a prop, acknowledging how much of her story gets stolen and given to other characters, talking about her trauma or how often it gets erased and overlooked, seeing her as more than just an attack dog/bodyguard, etc. Nope. It's just a "why can't people let Arya be ugly/unconventional looking? :(" post every other week because people are, for whatever reason, obsessed with how Arya is visually perceived. One of the most misinterpreted characters yet the issue is only ever with her being portrayed as "too pretty" or the wrong "type" of pretty. This fandom will entirely rewrite a character's motivations, values, and role in the story to the point that they consider references to canon "hate" but! The true injustice to canon is we acknowledge that she is described as pretty several times. Arya simply existing as her pretty, important, and non-conforming self is too complex and confusing for people to comprehend 😔.

[sukibenders]

Some fans: Eloise is such a fake feminist, doesn't she see how some girls and women enjoy marriage? Doesn't she see how her privileges give her luxuries others don't? She's so selfish. She doesn't even use her words to support other women!

Also same fans: I wish Eloise would stop talking, like her speaking about feminism at every turn is getting old. Can't she just be quiet and let everyone enjoy the fun? Like yeah talking about women's lack of personhood without a male figure in society, or how they can't go to university, or how sometimes they marry men who will only hurt them but need to for their status is sad to see, but THE ROMANCE-

[madbard]

“This life is amazing when you greet it with open arms.”

Most of the fan art and content I see for Polites shows him as a complete ray of sunshine. And I get it, I do. In the Troy Saga, Polites is a much needed source of hope and optimism. It isn’t a mistake that in “Full Speed Ahead,” Polites is the first man to see an island in the distance. This is, of course, immediately followed by “Open Arms,” a song so catchy it can’t help but raise the listener’s spirits (at least, until they remember what happens next), with lyrics that speak of second chances and a persisting love for life. Throughout this saga, Polites’ voice becomes associated with hope and safety, which is part of what causes his strangled final word in the Cyclops Saga and the aching reprise of “Open Arms” in the Underworld Saga to hit so hard.

So, yes, prior to his death Polites is strongly associated with positivity and optimism. That optimism even places him in danger at points, as he fails at first to realize the dangers of the glowing fruits. But - and I will die on this hill - Polites is not some naive, innocent child.

No optimistic character, it seems, can escape some level of infantilization by the fandom. When it comes to Polites, I’ve seen so many depictions of him that make him out to be foolish, his optimism a simple trait derived from naïveté rather than philosophy. Let’s be clear - Polites is a member of Odysseus’ crew, sailing back from the Trojan War. Judging from the musical (I admit I’m unfamiliar with the source material so correct me if I’m wrong), he would have fought alongside Odysseus. Our optimistic character who sings about leading from the heart almost certainly killed on the battlefield.

I’m not arguing for some edgy Polites here (that would be hilariously out of character) but I think it’s important to keep in mind that when Polites sings about second chances, he’s singing about second choices for himself, as well. He may not have committed infanticide like Odysseus, but he definitely committed acts of violence that he can’t undo. In “Open Arms,” he deliberately chooses to be peaceful. He chooses to put down his weapons, to move forward and heal - and this choice is not derived from naïveté or innocent foolishness. It is a sign of wisdom. It is a sign of strength.

I would like to see more of that Polites.

[tikara]

Sometimes I miss actively participating in fandoms, but sometimes I see things that remind me how these days I find myself having a better time just keeping to myself and the small handful of people/groups I trust while still tossing some art out there publicly every so often.

[leezuhh]

it's crazy to me that there are people out there who still think that media and fiction do not affect how people think at all

[copia]

i'm going on exam season lockdown as of today, which means no more gifs/edits/anything else because i spend way too much time on them for an engineering student in the trenches lmao. posting this not because i think anybody will notice or care, but so i can hold myself accountable and get embarrassed if i break the pledge. see you on june 3rd for a ghovie creativity extravaganza

edit: besides the ghovie trailer 😭 i cant restrain myself from that one

[kiwisandpearls]

the statements “platonic relationships should not be undervalued” and “it’s ok to ship wlw ships and mlm ships even if the characters involved have no canonical romantic interest in each other” are not mutual exclusive.

[piosplayhouse]

Just saw someone call wangxian "randoms" in comparison to the raven cycle gay guys... I'm giggling and chuckling . I WISH wangxian were randoms.

[g0nta-g0kuhara]

I saw a comment on the post-trial shortonegaming video that went something like this: "everyone loves Gonta, but no one respects him," and honestly, I think that's a great way to sum it up. They all love him and care about him, but they don't really take him seriously.

And it's noticeable in smaller things, like when almost everyone brushes off his comments about tiny bugs (and in bonus interactions he talks about it A LOT). But in the 4th trial this is even more obvious. They don't see him as a person who could kill for everyone's sake. They only see him as a victim.

Gonta is a very observant person with strong moral principles and a desire to be helpful. But mostly he's seen as a kind but very naive child. And this is a different, but really heartbreaking kind of pain💔

(Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember people saying much when he calls himself stupid. He does this a lot, but people often don't go out of their way to convince him that it's not true. They scold Kokichi when he says this about Gonta, but they don't say much when Gonta says so himself. Of course, I could be wrong, maybe I need to pay more attention to it next time)

Anyway, I really enjoy reading your thoughts about Gonta! I liked him before, but you made me appreciate him on a whole different level❤

I haven’t seen shortonegaming’s post trial video yet, but yeah. That’s a really accurate way to put it. Gonta has always seemed so isolated from the others, never having one close friend/ally for longer than one chapter. He was always appreciated and loved, but not respected as a person so never fully integrated into the group. Its part of why I think going from having a small group of people working with him in the student council to being completely by himself in chapter 4 (with his ideas always dismissed in this chapter, even if it was to stop him from sacrificing himself) added to everything he was feeling at the time.

And it SUCKS. Because as you said, nobody says anything when he self deprecates, only when Kokichi really pushes it in chapter 4. Even when Miu is rude to him in previous chapters a couple of times, nothing. Because they take his self loathing at face value despite the fact that he IS smart. He’s very thoughtful, observant, and brave. One thing that stuck out to me in trial 4 was Himiko defending Gonta from Kokichi’s accusations, she said something along the lines of “Gonta couldn’t have done all of that! He’s not smart-“ before getting interrupted by Kokichi with something else. Not only do a lot of them casually brush him off, but they also agree with his own judgements of himself without questioning it.

The only person who ever tried to push back against Gonta being hard on himself, if I remember correctly, was Kaito. Sometimes, when Gonta would apologize for something a bit excessively, Kaito would say “a man shouldn’t apologize so easily!” (Which isn’t exactly a good way to correct that but. Thank you Kaito for trying). The only other time I remember was that moment between them in the virtual world right before Gonta goes to kill Miu, where Kaito directly counters him calling himself stupid. But I genuinely can’t remember any other character saying anything like this. (If anyone else remembers, please let me know!!)

But yeah. It’s just so so tragic. And it’s why I think post game Gonta would be such a lonely person.

And thank you for the kind words q^q it makes me more happy than you could know to hear that me posting about Gonta has got people to appreciate him more. He’s such a special character to me and it’s so rare to find fanworks going into these parts about him

[throwawayasoiafaccount]

hotd never fails to disappoint

[jaguarys]

Coughs.

[perenlop]

i know in OBT, damini is clearly the worse parent because she didn't even attempt to raise dielle and clearly sees her as a failure, and she wouldn't have been a good parent even if she stayed.... but damn it, the deviantart comments are so annoying about mateo that i'm this close to stanning her anyways. very epic of her to subvert gender roles by being the deadbeat dad. hashtag feminist icon.

[unreadpoppy]

Internet 101, Fandoms and curating your online experience

I saw some stuff happening both on tumblr and on twitter (and sometimes even on instagram) regarding some fandom stuff and I wanted to make a post about, but in more of a "How to keep your peace of mind and create a healthy space" sort of post. These are just some things that I do that allow me to have a better experience on the internet as a whole, but especially on fandom spaces, and idk, I wanted to share bc navigating this sort of thing can be hard and it doesn't hurt to try and help.

One thing that I've learned very early on by people who had been on the internet for longer than me is that you do not feed the trolls. Listen. People will post shit to stir the pot, and you giving them attention is falling into their bait.

And I get it, I'm human too, I see someone talking shit and I feel the urge to give them a lenghty reply but at some point you gotta stop and think: is this worth it? like, i'm getting mad over a rando on the internet who'll probably just laugh at me. Even if we really feel like answering, it's probably always better to let it go.

And while I'm on the topic, I also want to say the following: no matter how many good arguments you have, no matter how eloquent you are, you cannot change people's minds. I've tried it and all it did was make me stressed. And especially with regards to bigots, they will not change their minds, so don't give them your time and your peace of mind because they do not care about you or your feelings. I'm a queer disabled latina woman, I get it, it sucks and it will always suck, but people will not change what they think because of lenghy ass paragraph someone on the internet sent them, so it's better to just...move on.

And by move on, I do mean do not interact in any way, shape or form. Just...scroll past it. Because it's not worth it, it truly is not, and more likely then not, even by just giving the post or person a small bit of attention, you could cause a whole situation. Do not give people clout, because then they'll get the satisfaction of both having attention AND causing such a reaction from another person.

Like, speaking from experience here, I have received a few hateful/mean spirited anons on my inbox over the years and you wanna know something? You will not find those asks on my blog because I have a 0 tolerance for hate anons. Replying to them only generates more hate anons (trust me, I've seen that happen to other people). When you show someone that you're not affected by the shit they're saying, they'll move on because you are no longer a target. This is why is so important to know when to not interact and just continue moving on.

Still on this topic but more related to fandom. People will have different opinions then you. People will have different HCs then you. People will misinterpret your favorite character. Hell, I've seen takes on my faves that honestly insult my intellect and you know what I did?

Let it go. Just scrolled past, made a mental note not to interact with that person, because again, people won't change their minds. And people are entitled to have their opinions, and enjoy characters in a different way then you do, and the best thing to do is not give them your time. Just don't. It's much better (and probably healthier) to spend your time interacting with people you like and who you can talk to then try to change a person's opinion and pottentialy instigate a fight.

For the sake of not making the same point again and again, I want to talk about blocking people, bc blocking people is the easiest way to curate your experience. There is no morality in blocking. You're not some evil bastard or a super hero because you blocked someone, so don't ascribe morality to that. Just block whoever (and whatever, because blocking tags exist) you don't want to see and move on.

Finally, my last advice is: somethings are best kept private and by private I mean get yourself some friend who you can just talk shit about to. Listen, sometimes the urge to be like "this bitch online is an idiot" is BIG and the best thing you can do about it, in a way that won't cause a fight or whatever, is to go to some friend and say "let me talk shit for a few minutes". Trust me, IT WORKS. So many times I've been tempted to say stuff, only to go to a friend and talk about the stuff and then boom, I was done. I was okay. So yeah, there's stuff that is better to be sent in a groupchat then to be posted about.

This post is longer than I intended but I feel like we should try to just have fun? This is the internet, the good part about it is that we can choose who we can engage with and what we want to say, and it's way more productive to spend your time with people that matter, that you care about and that make you happy then stressing over people who simply do not care and who will not change.

Anyways, peace out

[lesbiangiratina]

Not very fond of people like waving off testament’s gender as just a Gear Thing but well at least it becomes funny when people apply it to gears as a whole. Like yeah i can agree with that. It has nothing to do with being a gear tho theyre all just transgender

[electricfied-wolf]

Hiro photos because I absolutely ADORE this man and I think he really needs more focus and appreciation.

[tricksterlatte]

The Online Fandom 7 Deadly Sins

sloth: complaining about how no one writes the tropes or pairings you like and bashing what's already out there, while refusing to create anything you desire yourself

greed: zine and other finance-related scandals with zero remorse for those negatively affected

gluttony: spending rent money on merch, experiencing buyer's remorse, then repeating the same process next month

wrath: anon hate over literally everything under the sun, even harassing official writers and threatening them if they don't make your ship canon

pride: devaluing other's characterizations and ships to praise yours as better, whether through a canon perspective or a moral perspective, when neither matter in the long run when it comes to your own enjoyment

envy: trash talking others' fandom creations or saying you won't bother creating anything because it'll never be as good as them

lust: fighting over who tops or bottoms because of your personal preferences when one, both, or neither could happen, especially when most of these characters never even kiss canonically nor have most people fighting done any of these things irl themselves