#i'm really annoyed by how often she gets sidelined in fandom?

[le-jardin-inculte]

t

drives me insane that so much of the tristamp plot is driven forward by meryl. them interviewing vash? meryl ties him up & drags him to JR. staying in JR? meryl. following vash after JR? meryl. meeting ww? meryl. following onto the steamer? meryl. getting info on the Plan? meryl

she's rash, she knows what she wants and she will seek the truth and justice no matter what — she's young and a newbie and doesn't know how to quit and doesn't understand the dirty crevices that truth brings with it but she will.

[victimsofyaoipoll]

Round 1

Propaganda Under Cut

Christine Canigula

This has enraged me for YEARS. She is constantly sidelined in the fandom in favor of the main m/m ship which itself its fine but the way people treat her drives me NUTS. When I actually was in the fandom, Consistently! her crush on the main character which is a CENTRAL fucking plot point is just explained away to make room for yaoi. If they even have that kind of decency. Like 99% of the fics just say "oh! she's a lesbian actually totally this was comphet im not a misogynist" or "she's Actually Aroace" and not ponder on the optics of sanitizing the CANON fucking attraction of a chubby easian girl. It's sososo transparent and another fucking example of she's actually the Mom friend! or other annoying racist and misogynistic tropes.

She likes play rehearsal. She's the love interest of the main character, Jeremy. Jeremy also has a best friend, Michael, whom he's usually shipped with. And since she's the canonical love interest and as such often gets in the way of their beloved ship. They are very creative in finding the ways to get rid of her to ship Michael with Jeremy, ranging from making her asexual(because ace people can't date apparently), completely kicking her out of the last two songs of the musical and putting Michael in her place, to vilifying her and claiming she was never interested in Jeremy in the first place, despite musical explicitly saying the opposite.

Love interest of the main character Jeremy Heere and therefore stands in the way of the fandom's most popular ship, boyf reinds. Being specifically a love interest we don't get. A whole lot of her but she's fun! She's a theatre kid. She is silly and goofy. Also has a one off line in one of the songs that mentions she has ADD. Idk what I'm supposed to say really and I'm always bad at talking about characters so.

Yennefer

Constantly villainized because one way or another she gets in the way of a MLM ship (though at least one of them would probably be fine with a poly relationship). In the show version of her, her love interest bound her to him via magic, never told her until someone else brought it up despite it the bond causing them to meet over and over, her love interest didn’t understand why this upset her and brushed it off and still has never apologized for it because apparently it was the only way to save her life, she had better chemistry with Jaskier (the other half of the MLM ship) and had a semi-decent rivals to frenemies thing going on, the show took away her powers (which never happened in the books) to have her go on a pointless quest to get them back that worsened her relationship with her love interest because they had her try to kill her love interest’s adopted child (which now justifies why he doesn’t need to apologize of course), and all of that was after she’d already had an arc regarding sacrifice and how power wasn’t really what she wanted.

she's an incredibly powerful mage and drop dead gorgeous and deserved so much better!!! justice for yen

God forbid women do anything. She either gets hate or is ignored, really classic stuff. And she's Geralt's gf but you know, *gestures at geraskier*

[qprstobin]

i used to like steddie but tbh its just boring now. everyone writes the same tropes and now there's a/b/o flooding the tag and like fine whatever but it's just so boring. not to mention most fics are so out of character...and don't get me started on how they treat robin, she's completely sidelined it's annoying. they make steve this feminized uwu babygirl and robin into a mean lesbian that contantly berates hi its disgusting!

I'm ngl. Same. Ste/ddie is what got me into the fandom! I still really like the characters a lot but the way fandom has been handling them is just not my thing lol. I like both my Steve and my Eddie a little mean and rough around the edges but carrying and that's just... not what I am seeing at all lol. The fandom trends in this ship have been absolutely wild. Like I said last night, the fic that we were getting in October/November of last year is soooo different from the fic we are getting now.

I miss early days Ste/ddie, the relationship just felt much more balanced? Like both sides brought things to the table? But yeah, I'll admit I've gotten pretty bored with it too. I have a fic or two in my wips folders that I still want to write that have Ste/ddie in them, but I've sort of hit my limit with fandom consumption of it lol.

Omegaverse stuff can be fun on occasion but I'll admit aside from one or two fics I've seen so far, I don't super vibe with it. (Where is my alpha/alpha and omega/omega content!!) Omegaverse has always been a "my hormones are out of whack" fic time for me lmao. But this is one of those things I don't think is ST exclusive, a lot of fandoms I'm in have seen an influx of omegaverse and mpreg lately. I didn't even notice at first because Star Wars fandom is always a mess of kink, but it's legit everywhere now.

Gods yeah, the babygirl Steve was fun at first, I love me a pretty boy. (Anakin Skywalker fan here lmaooo) but yeah it's been taken to an extreme that feels less like oh this is just a little sexy thing on occasion or "yeah gender exploration!" thing, and more either fetishizing or heteronormativity. Like I was talking about yesterday I swear some people write tradwife Steve which is just wild to me. Love househusband Steve but tradwife Steve?? Where am I??

And yeah, even back when I liked the fanon characterization better, Robin so often got sidelined. Literally only there to be a supportive best friend without her own plot or to help further drive Steve into Eddie's arms, which is sad! This show is about friendship first and foremost and it feels like fandom doesn't appreciate that anymore.

(I will be fair though, pushing aside the best friend for the sake of romance is a tried and true shipping thing across many fandoms, but it did feel startling when so many post s3 fics about either of Stobin were about their friendship, and it just kind of all got taken over by shipping fics in s4.)

Like idk, I will say I still like the ship and Eddie but the fandom has definitely exhausted me a bit lol.

[omnipah]

1, 8, 12! ^^

1: the character everyone gets wrong

my dearest darlingest sadboy, daniil pathologic. anyone who is more sympathetic to him than me is woobifying him and ignoring all the times he's deliberately abbrasive and also The Atrocities, anyone who is less sympathetic to him than me is being unnuanced about the emotions and traits that lead him to suck so much.

like can we not all just acknowledge the objective truth that he's very sexy covered in blood while also being the most pathetic little walking tragedy in the world??

2: common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

not that everyone is wrong about per se, but the discourse that crops up occasionally about which version of fma is the best is deeply tiring, and the inevitable "they're both equally good stop arguing" is just the most annoying cop-out. like i'm willing to give the 2003 version some slack considering they weren't adapting a completed product so there are some things that don't work that i think aren't necessarily anyone's fault. however, they truly did not have to do That to the plot, the characters, the themes.

meanwhile the brohood adaptation is extremely well-structured and tight in terms of plot, while still having space in it for all the little character b-plots. also imo the animation style is way better, and the soundtrack is used much more effectively.

3: the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

again she's not unpopular exactly but. underappreciated. ms clara pathologic is one (or two) of the coolest characters in the game and, while i do see some appreciation of her, it's always a bit sad seeing So Much content for the other two protags just because they're more easily shippable, while clara is often a bit sidelined or treated as a minor character just because she's female and younger and doesn't have an obvious person to ship her with.

that's not to say there isn't really cool art and analysis out there, it just makes me sad to see how little there is in comparison.

as for why everyone should like her, a character who literally comes into existence the second the story starts, and who knows things she can't know because the player has to have completed the story before playing as her, and who spends the entire story trying to build her reputation as a saint and struggle against the people calling her a thief and a liar, only to find out that she is a thief and what she actually stole was her twin's destiny since she was meant originally to be the plague and the villain (even though her twin didn't exist until she lied her into existence because she can't lie even when she tries to because the minute she says it it becomes some version of canonically true) is uh. in my books a pretty cool character

[woodsinfusedcorpse]

List of shounen anime with well written female characters!

Cause sometimes it's annoying to watch girls constantly being sidelined or just so not written as an actual person

First 3 are the best written:

-Jujutsu Kaisen (I'd say this has the best written female characters you could find, they're amazing and well rounded and actually have different opinions and struggles and don't only revolve around men 10/10)

-The Promised Neverlands (I've only seen the first season but may read more, do not watch season 2, and Emma is amazing and also the main character which is fucking awesome)

-Chainsaw Man ( to put it simply: women are written as integral characters, written as people with their own wants and desires and fears, are entirely as important as male characters, closest to 1:1 ratio gender rep I've ever seen, uniforms are not gender based, girls can look and have cool moments. Honestly I would put this as first but I know a lot of people are uncomfortable with Denji and his obsession with sex or the Fandom. I don't want to go on to long about this or spoil things so I'll just say it's important to read between the lines and pay attention to small details, things are not face value in this.)

-Full Metal Achemist Brotherhood (tbh I've only seen FMA but I hear FMAB is a lot better and also has a lot more characters so hell yeah more cool girls. Negative is they don't really take center stage but they're still amazing)

-Attack On Titan (Mikasa is pretty average but all the other girls are top tier. I'm not counting Hange as they are gender nonspecific in the manga but Hange also rocks)

-One Piece (this may come as a surprise considering how their bodies are later drawn and same face syndrome but Nami and Robin are amazing, I loved Perona and Iiii haven't gotten passed the clown laboratory place but hopefully the women that show up later are just as awesome)

- Gintama (this is a weird anime and you probably need to have watched a bit of shounen already to get at least a bit of their references but anyways a significant amount of the woman and girls are amazing and just as weird and gross as the dudes in an unsexy lighting. Also they're cool)

Hunter x Hunter (Once again girls are not in a main focus but they're pretty great when they show up! Plus they have a transgirl who's amazing!)

Soul Eater (This one is a split, I don't have any problem with any of the girl characters but some just aren't their enough for me to consider them well written. but the ones thst are are fantastic. I believe Maka and Soul mainly share the main character role so another female lead kinda)

-Dr. Stone (the author seems to like women in general and includes them a lot but they definetly feel less important to the story and don't often push the story forward on their own. Have yet to see a women have an interest in science,which the series revolves around, but maybe there is later? Also only skimpy girl outfits and the girls have a faker looking eye style making them seem kinda less human? I doubt that was the intention but it's a little jarring)

-Demon Slayer (Most of the girls seem pretty great but I'm not counting the main girl Nezuko. She's really got no personality other then loving her brother and humans and kill demon.) UPDATE: girl characters are underutilized and often stuck with feminine rolls which the anime doesn't challenge. I like a lot of them in theory more then in practice and wouldn't recommend this to someone for fem representation but I wouldn't diswayed them from watching it either

-Claymore (I don't know if the anime is any good but the manga is great and also has a main girl character! And I love a lot of them but I also haven't read this in probably 7 years)

-Bleach (this is low for a reason, some of the girls are very well written, some almost were but them bombed and some just arent)

-D. Gray Man (I think I remember them being surprisingly good. I'd put this higher on the list but I don't fully trust my memory)

-Jojos Bizare Adventures (I have never watched this, I really don't know but I've heard about them being great and based of their designs alone I'd agree)

‐--------

It is super okay not to want to watch/read any of the above for whatever reason, these are just suggestions

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

On another note hear are ones to avoid if you specifically want to see well written female characters

Naruto/Boruto (they're so badly written... and always pushed to the back... and mainly are healers... and fuck Boruto for what it makes most of them become. Fun series but ugh)

Death Note (I love Misa and that one FBI agent but the fact I don't remember her name is pretty telling. This one's more on here because it feels like the writer actively hates women. I mean it works since Light is a piece of shit and him being a misogynist really works but it can be annoying to watch sometimes. I love this show and hate it <3)

-Fairy Tail (constantly sexualizing every girl character and they're pretty bland writing wise. If you don't mind that then watch it if it sounds appealing)

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hi,love your work and thoughts behind them.I was wondering if you would answer a few questions.You can skip any if your uncomfortable.

1: Favorite cliche or scenario to write for.

2:What got you into Twst.

3:Any other fandoms your involved with.

4:Who do you hope to voice any character in the upcoming Twst anime.

5:Is there any topic you want to write for ,but don't have the you can pull it off well

6: Thoughts on Grim.

7:Any things you want more of.

8:Are you into the Obey Me fandom

9:If so are you excited about season 4.

10: favorite flower.

That is all have a good day.

I don't know, 10 questions seems like more than "a few" to me--

My responses get a little lengthy, so I'll slap them under a cut!

1. I don't have anything specific in mind, but what I enjoy writing the most are character-focused pieces where the conflict is one's inner turmoil or coming to terms with one's own emotions instead of something physical. (To clarify, I do NOT mean pining or anything romantic here, I mean just a character growing and changing over time from impactful life experiences like Overblotting or losing a friend.) I feel like self reflection is very important, and something that's not often explored because it's abstract and doesn't have a clear answer or a definitive ending. Personally, I really like the open-endedness of these kinds of pieces, as they help me really analyze and understand the characters on a deeper level.

2. I wouldn't consider myself a Disney fan, but I do really enjoy Toboso-sensei's art style and storytelling! I had heard rumors online that she was working on a new project with Disney (which turned out to be Twisted Wonderland), and I've been following it since.

3. I play some other gacha games (since it helps curb the temptation to impulse pull in TWST), and I enjoy various shows/anime and manga/books, but I'm not actually that involved in other fandoms. I'm generally a casual fan that just sits and quietly enjoys content from the sidelines.

4. I mean, I thought the current VAs would just be reprising their roles for the anime? I don't really care to remember or to follow VAs (or celebrities in general), so I don't have anything to add.

5. I think that with enough time and research, I could write anything if I was interested enough in the concept. However, there are certain topics that I would like to avoid writing at all costs (not because I think I can't write them well, but because they are personally triggering). You can find a list of them in my writing request rules.

6. Honestly, I don't know why people find him to be so annoying (well, maybe except for his voice). The only reasonable explanation I can think of is maybe players are annoyed that Grim "steals the spotlight" from MC/Yuu, but I don't mind that because I think it's pretty funny. I really enjoy Grim's snark. He's not as mean-spirited as Ace, but he knows what he wants and how he's going to get it, even if it sometimes backfires on him. Grim is basically my first companion in Twisted Wonderland; he's been with me through it all, the good and the bad. He's really the one I truly consider to be my friend, not Malleus. In fact, I'm way more attached to Grim than I am to Malleus 😂 Grim being a cute, fluffy cat also helps his case, since I really like cats!

7. I'm always hungry for more TWST world and family lore! I'd really like a "parent-teacher conference" event where we get to meet each of the boys' parents and siblings! It would be super interesting to see what the students' dynamics with the family members are like, and how their families would react to hearing about how they're performing in school. It would really help to highlight the differences in each boy's upbringing and background, from healthy relationships to unhealthy and even toxic ones. Also, it'd be hilarious to see Lilia pull up as Silver's guardian--

8. I tried out Obey Me when it first came out, and it... well, it wasn't for me. That's not to say the game is bad, but it just wasn't to my tastes. I was expecting Obey Me to be something that it wasn't, so of course I was disappointed when it didn't meet those expectations. More power to you if you enjoy it, though! I can definitely see why it appeals to a certain demographic or why it's good as just some nonsensical fun. Here are my general thoughts on Obey Me:

The characterization and the jokes seemed repetitive. There's only so many times they can joke about Mammon being "the dumb one" or Beel eating so much before it loses its magic. There's also the problem of each boy being defined almost entirely by their "sin" or really basic character tropes (like Asmodeus's narcissism) rather than having any character outside of that.

In my opinion Barbatos, Simeon, Luke, Solomon, Diavolo, etc. are much better characters than the 7 brothers, because they don't have a single sin to rely on to be their entire personality. I stopped playing before those guys became "playable", so I'm a little sad that I never got to grab them.

I feel extremely weird about the plot twist about who the MC really is, and how all the brothers continue to aggressively hit on the MC despite knowing their true identity. Besides that, I felt like the main story and the events never took themselves seriously. I would have preferred it more if there was something more at stake instead of being 98% fluff.

If you hadn't told me the characters were demons, I'd have thought they were just generic pretty boy designs. Like... nothing about Asmodeus's looks screams "lust" to me, nothing about Satan's looks screams "wrath", etc. Meanwhile, you can take one look at Idia's gloomy face and stooped pose and immediately guess what type of personality he has. I felt like there was so much potential with the characters being angels and demons, but it was never capitalized on and therefore went to waste.

I never understood why everyone thought Lucifer was so hot? Maybe I just have shit taste--

Gameplay-wise, the events and new cards were too frequent. It was a very "pay to win" model, which required constant attention without allowing you enough time to properly save or to plan for new card drops if you didn't spend a cent on the game.

I'm not a fan of the general art style, but those little shadow demon dudes are super cute!

It's hilarious that the anime adaptation depicts the MC as a sheep ashdasidasibdagofuyabsdais;basd--

9. I don't know what "season 4" means, sorry!

10. Lilacs, gardenias, jasmine, and peonies are my favorites smell-wise, but I like all flowers. They're very pretty and calming to look at.

[buddha-in-disguise]

Discourse, Supergirl and fans.

The Supergirl situation with William Dey, is far more than about William Dey per se.

I touched on this when I first posted about David Harewood.

What I have seen, and I am still seeing is while some SuperCorp fans were annoyed about the preview for episode 12, this was also coming from a diverse section of the fandom. That David (and others) have singled out the SuperCorp fandom is both unfair, and unhelpful. But that is a different discussion altogether.

So - I am going to repeat and expand on some of what I wrote at the time to try and explain why I, (and others) have found Supergirl to be really problematic at the moment.

First of all: There is no doubt Supergirl currently has a diverse cast, inc. LGBTQ representation. 

However, all the diversity in the world means absolutely nothing if a program is seemingly only playing lip service to the characters. 

Compare and contrast with Legends of tomorrow. They have 6 women. 2 Muslim superheroes (a TV first). 5 characters are LGBTQ, including Charlie; who is recognised as gender fluid. 4 people of colour. The lead is a woman, who is bisexual, in a canon relationship with a lesbian, and is a superhero. 

They do this without it being made a big deal of, enjoyed by LGBTQ and heterosexual audience alike. But it is a huge deal for many because of that diversity, and just as importantly they haven't overloaded the cast numbers, so they all get good solid storylines through a season. A season that is also shorter than Supergirl. 

Legends are an example of how you can put in a diverse minority cast, without it becoming forced or cumbersome. It isn't without fault sure, but no program is. 

So where is Supergirl going wrong at the moment? 

Let's use William, as the crux of the problems are best shown with his character, but it isn't limited to him. I will put first - this is absolutely *not* a criticism towards Staz Nair, who I respect (& like, as far as one can from limited SM interaction). All too often the accusations are made that if you don't like a character, you hate the actor. That is categorically not true for me, nor others I've seen posting about this. Of course if anyone does hate on the actor, that is not okay.

So, back to William. I get the reason he came along in regards to Russell and so the Andrea connection. That story made sense.  What hasn't made sense - William being used as a journalist, when Nia is right there! Nia has barely had any screen time, and virtually none as a journalist; you know - her actual job. I'm not sure what the minutes on screen ratio has been this season between the two, but it has felt completely slanted towards William as a viewer, at least until now. 

First instead of Kara and Nia investigating Leviathan after William was 'exposed' in the earlier episodes, now Nia is sidelined again, because they want Kara to team up with William to investigate Lex.

Why? Why do they need that journalistic pairing, when Nia - who as a Superhero, is better placed if danger from Lex occurs. But no, they're making it about Kara having to work with William because Lex threatened to kill him. Plus Nia was being mentored by Kara. Is she no longer being mentored by Kara? Are they a team? Even if the mentoring has ended, Nia is still not being utilised as a journalist.

I am utterly baffled as to why they feel this arc makes any sense. Moreso when an already established character gets sidelined. 

I'm also getting tired of seeing anyone who sees these valid opinions about current storyline as being trolls (or the comments all SuperCorp fans are just outright haters. No - SuperCorp fans are a large diverse group, that have incredible artists, fanfic writers, and social media users. Many also multi-ship. To place a blanket statement about a whole fandom as large as SC, is hateful. All fandoms have some who are problematic, but to single out an entire group is not right). 

So back to my thoughts. An episode can have some great aspects to it, but it can also be highly problematic to some fans, & receive valid criticism or valid opinions for it. For example, the latest episode of Batwoman. The Alice/Beth story was great. The acting superb. What I found worrying was the way they made Sophie feel guilty for legitimate reasons why she had led a closeted lifestyle. That lifestyle is valid, for Sophie and many LGBTQ people, and for good reason, including keeping some people safe from harm. I felt it was a clumsy attempt for Alice to get into Sophie's mind; it could've been tackled other ways, so it felt wrong they used her sexuality as a way to achieve that. Being closeted for many literally keeps them alive. So that was one hell of a poor choice in my opinion. Yet others have made perfectly credible counter arguments that it showed the difficulties faced by many LGBTQ people. So, great episode, valid criticism/opinion from both points of view. It also highlights you can have excellent episodes, but they can have legitimate issues.

Nor does differences of opinion, as long as it is respectful, makes those voicing them a bully, no matter how much you disagree. 

At the end of this, if you don’t agree, and your opinion makes you say something that is intentionally hurtful (directly or indirectly to a person or group of people), it's a bad thing. The key word being intentionally. We all make mistakes, and responses that could've been better, & we all need to be aware of that, but if it is an intended attack, don't be surprised if others call you out for your behaviour. 

So now what in regards Supergirl?  

I know ultimately that this show is about Supergirl, but it is also about those around her as family & friends. I understand there are only so many minutes in one episode. What I don't understand is why those precious minutes are going to a character, when they have one perfectly placed to do the same role. Why they have to potentially explore another relationship, when we have one canon relationship, one canon on/off again relationship & one relationship that while isn't canon in terms of romantic, it is a big story in terms of best friends, all seemingly sidelined. Which brings me to the Kara fighting for Lena's soul aspect. Again, I am not seeing a lot of fighting for anything, except more and more fans fighting themselves and cast. 

Then you just need to look at the dislikes that teaser was given on YouTube, and compare them to previous ones. I've attached screenshots to show this.

A serious misjudgment was made by someone on how that teaser would be received, and again I will stress, this dislike hasn't just been from one area of fandom, but multiple areas. For many it wasn't just about William, but the culmination of unease that has built for a few episodes. A prime example of the straw that broke the camel's back. If you are solely focused on one area of fandom for this discourse (as many blame SuperCorp fans), you need to step back and recognise you are not allowing yourself to see the whole picture. To focus solely on one thing, rather than acknowledging the wider audience are saying this, does not make you the better fan. To dismiss it as trolls, is being dismissive of good, regular fans with legitimate questions or concerns. It is insulting to many of us.

I will be honest, I had high hopes for this season. I also knew it was likely going to be pretty confusing at times since it was given as 'our Black mirror season' and 'nothing is as it seems.' I accepted that.

However, all it seems at the moment is a jumbled mess from pre and post Crisis. They just doesn't appear to be any cohesion at all, which is making it really difficult as a viewer. Add in the changes post Crisis and it feels even more of a mess.

Of course, they could bring in more cohesive elements soon, but considering that we know episode 13 is 'It's a wonderful life,' and Alex Danvers in a later episode is wearing a Super suit - I just sense this whole 'nothing is as it seems' side we appear to be getting isn't changing any time soon, & with episodes running out, with so many strings running through at the moment, it feels really discombomulated. If by seasons end, they pull it off and you can look back and see how it's played out as a whole, I will be the first to say well done for that part. 

I do though think right now Supergirl feels chaotic beyond expectation, and no end in sight. I feel there have been too many character additions this season (particularly Andrea & William) that is taking screen time away from Kara, Alex, Nia, Lena, Kelly et al.

It feels like a mess of unnecessary pairings and the crux of the story seems to have been lost in the midst.

That is causing confusion for fans, that is also beginning to become frustration. That frustration is spilling over. Add in the genuine and extremely legitimate concerns over the LGBTQ issues that have arisen (again from far more than just SuperCorp fans), and the frustration has built even more. 

I can only hope the next couple of episodes address some of this and not complicate the mess further. 

Whatever happens, Supergirl is not doing well in terms of a storyline that is gripping for fans, that is now top heavy with regulars, taking screen time from established characters, and a social media blunder that has so far only exacerbated the simmering uncertainty being felt by many.

It might improve, and I sincerely hope it does, but they are edging into the potential for the anger felt by fans to become an all out riot if they don't stop and see where valid criticism is being given. If this season continues on in this vein, then there is going to be huge swathes of fans drifting away. The concerns are legitimate. I wish it could be seen as that.

[angel-with-a-pipette]

Why does Xion saying that "she'll fight for Kairi" annoy you? I'm really curious.

The fandom has a tendency to downplay Kairi’s importance to the point of actively hating her.

“She’s never around” is suddenly Kairi’s fault despite Nomura being the one who doesn’t let her be around.

“She’s weak and useless” is used to hate on her despite being put on the sidelines by Nomura so she can’t really gain any fighting experience

“She’s boring and has no character”. Used often by people who don’t take the time to look at the few scenes Kairi has.

“She gets in the way of the slash ship!” Yeah no comment on that one…

And you know what’s kind of funny? Kairi shares some of these things with Xion. But everyone loves Xion.

Is Xion in every game? Nope.

Is Xion a power house? This one is debatable. She did spend part of her game “useless”, but she was also the main boss of it. If anything, KH3 and Re:Mind especially showed that Kairi and Xion are pretty balanced fighting wise.

Does Xion have a more interesting character than Kairi? What if I told you she doesn’t… because that was the whole point in the beginning!! But for Xion it’s okay to be a blank slate (which makes sense since that’s how her story starts but), for Kairi it isn’t (and it’s not even the truth in the first place).

Does Xion get in the way of a slash ship? She does, but she has the advantage that it’s been frowned upon for a while now and thus she gets a free pass at Roxas - and everything that people hate about Sokai suddenly seems to be no problem in Rokushi.

And if that wasn’t enough, they have LITERALLY THE SAME FACE because Xion is a memory clone of Kairi - Kairi the way Sora remembers her. Isn’t it funny how Sora remembers Kairi to be a fighter, then?

So I’ve been through extensive Kairi bashing in the fandom for years, see Nomura underutilize her while just the mere mention of Xion gets the entire fandom going crazy - and then the game that advertised Kairi to be a fighter, to be a guardian of Light, to change her status quo for good, sidelines her in the worst possible way, after a fight that has been designed to only last 90 seconds max because then Saix’s berserk kicks in, only for face clone to chirp up and say “I’ll fight for her!” and the fandom goes “UWUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU” and “man Kairi is so weak am i rite guys? USELESS. STUPID. WRITE HER OUT OF THE GAME, NOBODY CARES ABOUT HER ANYWAY.”

Can you understand now why it irks me?

It’s like a slap in the face by Nomura himself, as if he agreed with all of the haters. That shit just hurts.

[fiveshots-nokills]

not really a ship Q but why don't you like mer//cy? just curious, i'm not really the biggest fan of her either

got this ask a few times lol but uhh i think mer/cy is highly overrated by the fandom? i find her character to be a bit boring at best and she has the potential to be ... downright awful. I play a lot of mercy in game, and i dont have a problem with her mechanics or anything but the fandom really glorifies her a little too much and glosses over her mistakes (turning gen/ji into a weapon, for example -- whether or not it was her choice, she still complied and operated on a man without his consent using experimental technology that had quite possibly already failed once // the possibility that she revived re/yes, though that isn’t confirmed canon it seems to be heavily implied) in favor of like. “her parents died! she had it hard too!”

i also think that michael chu really just wanted a Sexy Nurse kind of character but he knew that it couldn’t come off that way so he made her a doctor. obviously this may not be the case, but based on mercy’s design... she’s a hair away from being the sexy nurse. sorry.

until her character gets more development i will likely continue to not be interested in her character-wise, and so its often annoying seeing how much attention she gets from the fandom when other characters with more interesting stories (particularly characters of color, like symmetra) get sidelined.

i have the same issue with jun/krat, btw.

[thelegendofclarke]

I'm sick of people saying Sansa isn't "Stark enough" Also tired of seeing how headcanoning Sansa (just in my mind/art) as Queen is criminal. My intention isnt to erase other characters. I personally don't care if she is QitN in canon. I'll just be glad if GRRM gives her a decent ending. But only imagining Sansa as Queen surely cant be a crime. Sansa has given me a lot of hope irl; helped me deal w/ depression so wanting her success,happiness rulership even it's cathartic

Hi! QitN Sansa anon here. I just wanted to rectify that the word I wanted to use instead of cathartic was therapeutic. I think they both mean same but I’m not sure. Sorry. English is not my native language and I struggle w/ it. Thanks for understanding.

Hello Anonny!

First of all, please don’t apologize for your English, it is seriously EXCELLENT! It’s probably better than mine tbqh. Secondly, I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK ME SO LONG TO ANSWER! I have no excuse, I am The Worst. 

Getting to the down and dirty of your ask… My dear Anonny, I totally hear you; and if it makes you feel any better, you definitely aren’t alone! Your frustration is honestly one of my main ~grievances~ with fandom and why I honestly having a really hard time engaging with like 85% of the ~meta side~ of fandom. I am in some fandoms, GoT/ASoIaF included, that have some incredibly smart and talented meta writers who are so passionate and hardworking and insightful. The things that they come up with sometimes completely blow me away! It can be easy to fall down the meta rabbit hole and get caught up, especially when people are seeing all these interesting things and coming up with all these amazing and intriguing theories that you NEVER would have thought of. But on the flip side, it can be really frustrating when the meta you are reading just doesn’t resonate with you at all. I mean don’t get me wrong, I am Here for meta as a concept and I usually really love seeing what people come up with. My issue is often in the execution. Sometimes it feels like meta crosses that ~fine line~ between showing you one way to think vs. telling you how to think. 

I definitely see the value in discussing different interpretations of stories and characters, and I even enjoy reading most of them. But too often I feel like people forget that meta is still just an interpretation, it’s as though there has become this ~thing~ where calling something meta automatically makes it infallible. But it’s really important to remember that with meta in regards to literature, while it’s generally meant to be an academic and unbiased approach generally, is still just one person’s interpretation of the facts as they see them. Meta has somehow become this competition about Who Is Right and Being the Rightest, and it just completely disregards how inherently subjective and personal fandom is. I will always and forever maintain that is absolutely impossible to be completely objective in fandom; your opinions, your biases, your Faves, are always going to affect your interpretations and and resulting opinions, that’s just human nature. I don’t get this whole demand for objectivity thing; if people were truly objective about fandom, I don’t think we would even be having this discussion, because no one would be discussing much of anything. Yeah, its important to maintain some level of objectivity, especially when you are having discussions with other people about fandom, but tbh being ~completely objective~ all the time sounds pretty boring. Honestly, I feel like most of the time people who claim they are being “totally objective” when they talk about things like character arcs, possible end games, ect. are even less trust worthy than those people who are up front about their favoritism; imo it usually means they are either totally unaware of their own biases, or that they refuse to acknowledge them.  

I also feel you on the whole thing of “headcanoning Sansa as QitN is erasing other characters,” it’s frustrating to me as well. Because you’re right, wanting Sansa to be in a leadership role does not automatically mean you are disregarding other characters. Positions like Q/KitN or Lord/Lady of Winterfell are exclusive positions by nature, there are always going to be unequal power dynamics based on that alone. It’s also like you were saying, seeing Sansa in a position of power and leadership role can definitely be cathartic and therapeutic (I think both words work btw!). As a character who has essentially been completely robbed of her agency and self determination and has been at the mercy of others for almost the entire series, it would be extremely satisfying to not only see her regain some of her autonomy, but also be in a position where she could control her own fate. It would also be really satisfying to see a character like Sansa who has had to rely so much on her more feminine, intellectual “soft power” to be in a position where she is clearly powerful in a more traditional, tangible sense. Does she have to be QitN for these things to happen? No, obviously not. But then it also stands to reason that none of the other Stark siblings HAVE to be in that power position to be important either, the same basic logic applies. To say that Sansa fans are “sidelining” or “disregarding” or “erasing” other characters by theorizing or headcanoning that Sansa could be QitN or Lady of Winterfell then means that fans of ANY OTHER CHARACTER who headcanon or theorize about that character holding a position of power in the North are therefore intrinsically sidelining/disregarding/erasing Sansa based on their own argument. Honestly, debating like that sounds tedious and counterproductive and more than a little annoying. Because honestly, it could go on FOREVER, we could be here for the rest of our gd natural born LIVES arguing about this. People are always going to disagree with you, that’s just life. And they are free to do so, just as you are free to disagree with them. But there is a notable difference between disagreement and downright derision; one is totally fine and can be done respectfully, and the other is kind of a dick move. 

And also, like I was talking about earlier, our faves are our faves. In fandom, you are allowed to concentrate on YOUR FAVE and their significance and where you see their story going. That is totally and completely 100% legit! Characters like Sansa are very easy to connect to and care about, especially for people who see themselves and their own struggles in her story. And I think the same goes for Arya… They are these two young characters who experience similar trauma and abuse and honestly just horrendous things that no child should ever have to experience, and they deal with it in such vastly different narrative ways. Arya takes action and lashes out and lets herself be sad and angry. Sansa rationalizes and compartmentalizes lies to herself and everyone around her in order to get through the day. Sansa is pretty much a poster child for traditional femininity, while Arya’s character has so much focus on defying gender roles (or disregarding gender completely in the case of the faceless men). Both have their moments of weakness and strength, both have their aptitudes and their flaws. Relating to and connecting with either on a personal level, as is common with fictional characters, is completely possible and understandable. That’s one of the most beautiful things about the Stark Sisters imo, together and separately they appeal to such a wide array of readers. 

There is no “wrong way” to fandom, there are no “wrong reasons” to love certain characters or story lines, there is NOTHING wrong with Sansa Stark being your favorite character and caring about what happens to her. And also, probably an ~unpopular opinion~ (but idgaf tbh), there is nothing wrong with caring about Sansa (or any of your faves) more than you care about other characters! It’s natural, you are not doing anything wrong, and your interpretations and opinions are no less valid than anyone else’s. That’s the great thing about fiction, it is literally impossible to have a “wrong” interpretation of a fictional work. You don’t even have to agree with the author to be ~right~ about a work of fiction because according to “death of the author” an author’s intentions and biographical facts should hold no weight in regards to an interpretation of their writing; a writer’s interpretation of his own work is no more or less valid than the interpretations of any given reader. Debate is fine, discussion is cool, dialogue about differences of opinions and interpretation can honestly be awesome. What’s not awesome though, is when people think that their interpretation is not only and absolutely correct one, but the sole correct one. That seems, like, wildly narrow minded and more than a little bit cocky tbh. Fandom isn’t a dictatorship; no one’s interpretations are law that can be enforced, no one’s preferences are superior, no one’s faves are automatically more important, and no one is The Great Supreme Rightest (or whatever a fandom dictator’s title would be idek). 

So the point is Anonny, YOU. ARE. VALID. Fandom is all about connecting with a story and it’s characters because they make you feel things. Something or someone in that story made your sweet little anonny (or in my case, cold dead salty) heart fall in love. So just keep fandoming and loving Sansa exactly how you want in a way that makes you happy!

(And on a totally mature, adult end note: fuck people who say Sansa isn’t Stark enough, what ever the hell that even means!? They are just jealous they don’t look that Boss 👏  Ass 👏  Bitch 👏  decked out in furs like a badass Northern Lady Pimp! QUEEN SANSA OF THE HOUSE SNARK, FIRST OF HER NAME!!!)

[anthony-kate]

The Salty Ask List is the best ask game tumblr has ever came up with. So for Shadowhunters: 2, 4, 11, 16, 21 and 27. I'm just ridiculously hipped about this game.

2. Are there any popular fandom OTPs you only BroTP?

Probably J/imon and C/lizzy. Oh and S/aphael, even though I feel that one is not such a thing anymore? Anyway, like I said before, I get why people ship them as OTP and all but to me, I will always just see them as brotp only. *shrug* I can’t really explain it, and it has nothing to do with the fact that I f.e. ship Sizzy, since I don’t mind J/imon or C/lizzy in fics. It’s just…. to me they are just friends/brotps.

4. Do you have a NoTP in your fandom? Are they a popular OTP?

I mean… C/lalec and S/eblec aside because that is not even a question, right? I think my current absolute notp is C/limon. Well, let me get this straight: romantic!C/limon. Because I really like the friendship between Clary and Simon, don’t get me wrong. But that romantic arc is just so… sorry, I feel so damn uncomfortable watching it, not just because of all the intimate moments they get when Malec was sidelined. But it also looks like a girl and a boy can’t be just friends for once. Not to mention that seeing Clary kissing Simon looks to me like she is kissing her brother, I am (not) sorry. I also feel so sorry for Simon. I mean the show at least tried to make it look not as bad as the books did but still… we all know how this ends and why it started for that matter. And it is fucking awful and sorry, I absolutely detest that pairing as lovers and I want it to be over like yesterday.

11. Is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

Uhm… Lydia maybe? I feel like she is getting a lot of hate lately but I still like her a lot (yes this might have to do with fanfics, I admit). And ngl I am sad that she won’t return. Alec and Lydia as brotp had a lot of potential. :/ 

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

The lighting!!! 😂

Episode 2x07 (lbr, not only the last Malec scene was awful, the whole episode was a big mess)

Okay, but in all honesty, I think I would take away the focus being on Clary and give it to a different character. Yes, Magnus would be amazing and I’d watch the hell out of a series focusing on him and him interacting with all the downworlders, downworld business in general, him being the bamf we all deserve and need, him fighting but also being domestic and in love with his shadowhunter boyfriend Alec. Imagine that show. Please. *heart eyes* 

But seriously, I would be even okay with Jace as the main lead. Because even he has a way better story to be told than Clary. The annoying and impulsive but most often stupid girl who is a shadowhunter for like 3 weeks but knows it all better, tazering her stepdad and simply not listening to anybody because she, the oh so great girl, knows best? I mean… please. I would be okay with her if she would be a bit more reflective and people wouldn’t stop calling her out on her bs. Especially in 2a I went from kinda feeling sympathetic for her to being incredible annoyed by her actions. Right now she just bugs me. Besides, sorry, but her story is definitely not as interesting (just knowing that she is and painted as the savior….when you have Magnus on the other hand… smh). As I said, Jace, Alec and especially Magnus are way more interesting than her and deserve so much more screentime than that silly redhead. (Here’s to hoping they go away from the books again because like I said I could bear her in s1 but in 2a? No, no, no.)

21. What are your thoughts on crack ships?

I don’t come around such things that often thankfully. Though when I do I am like…. why? Why would you even do that? Like f.e…. how often did I have to witness Alec getting paired up with some random white girl from whatever show/movie and the shipper acting like they did something oh so cool? Sorry, but Alec Lightwood is gay af. No, he is also not bi or pan. HE IS GAY! Honestly, is that really too much to get into your fucking head? (And don’t come at me that it is an AU!! Just…. don’t!) And no, pairing him with some random white dude who he clearly would hate with a passion doesn’t make it better. So yeah, people should leave my son alone if it ends with constantly erasing the character’s sexuality. Because lbr, Alec is very much in love with the most wonderful and handsome man ever, called Magnus Bane and they would find each other in every universe, bye.

Aside from that…. whatever, really. I don’t need to understand everything. 🙄

27. Least shippable character?

From “Shadowhunters”? Hmmm… I am guessing Valentine would be kinda lame, right? Though I am honestly very indifferent towards him. On every level. I dunno he had so much potential and he was/is such a letdown.

But back to the topic. With these characters it is kinda difficult to answer because I feel like you can ship pretty much all together, if you leave Magnus and Alec alone that is. lol But right now, I would maybe say Luke? Don’t get me wrong, I like him a lot. But I see him as this lone wolf. Sure, there was this thing with Jocelyn but as I stated, not a big fan of L/ucelyn because Luke clearly deserved better than her. Strangely enough I got some vibes for maybe Maia/Luke at one point (don’t ask why!) but I am hoping that this is not even a question because yeah…. just don’t. So yeah, Jocelyn aside, I know some people shipped him with Alaric but to me, I felt like he would be better alone? Lone wolf, as I said. And up to this point, I don’t have an idea whom to ship him with. Maybe an OC? 

Salty Ask List

[chocosweetbun]

@ghostlanxx and thats okay! I've made several several posts criticizing shows I've liked in the past. It's just so many people will often point out such tiny issues and blow them up into "the show is terrible". Hell there's like...two blogs that ive seen that seem to dedicate themselves to nit picking these flaws in such a way that says "this is why the show is bad." Why make posts dedicated to making people not want to watch something you claim to enjoy? (And it's not just ml. I love cartoons so i see this stuff a lot)

(This is long and not really related to you or your comment until the end. its just me at 8 am getting talky so just skip to the bottom (its bolded and purple) if you dont want to hear this college student talk about a show for middle schoolers)

It's also like that 2 hour long video floating around that explains the flaws of steven universe. Someone is going out of their way to 'prove' to people who like the show that the show is somehow not supposed to be enjoyed. Except many of these posts are by people who apparently enjoy ml.

Why is it bad that adrien is gary sueish? He's sweet and cute and the 12 year old girl i know adores him. She doesn't see chat noir being pushed to the sidelines like us adults do, she sees ladybug being strong and cool! Us adults are more keen on picking this stuff out and thats fine! But many dont understand that saying "this character is a m/gary sue" Isn't criticism. Criticism isn't directed towards other fans, its directed towards the creator. And the young fans SEE this stuff. They read these analysis posts that bash on adrien and how he's treated and then they start thinking that they shouldn't like him!

(When she was 10 the little girl i mentioned asked me why adrien was so nice. I said "because he knows what its like to have someone mean around him" and she said something along the lines of "my friends think he's boring". She's constantly online and more than likely talks to people in youtube comments because her parent's dont monitor her.)

That's like telling an elementary aged kid that teen titans go is annoying and only written to please simple minded children. A 9 year old is gonna feel bad for liking the show! What did the adult accomplish? Telling a child off for something they enjoy?

And the 12-13 year olds that still make their "bad" ocs and fanfics arent going to take this as "oh i do this stuff too maybe i should change what I'm doing" they're going to think "well crap I'm bad at art then". I didn't draw though out highschool because of this reason and i regret it so so much. Children shouldn't think that their creations are bad. Even if thats not the intent of the op it happens quite a lot in fandoms for children's media

And to mention the whole post i have about character growth for mari and WHY SHE NEEDS to be a choppy person in the beginning for it to work. Usagi was TERRIBLE in the beginning of sailor moon but by season 3 she grew. Part of peoples criticism for the 'bad lazy writing' of the show is partially because the fan base is so wrapped up in what /we want/ that we forget that telling a story takes time. If she was perfect in the beginning we would call her a mary sue gosh darn it! All fandoms are like this but ones for children's media are even more upsetting to see.

(Anyone who wants my choppy analysis on Mari and her parallels to the character growth of other magical girls should read it because i go ham there.)

No show is perfect but how upsetting must it be as a creator to see the target audience love the show, but also see adults tear it apart right in front of their faces? My original post said to talk about some good in the bad. Mari is hardheaded and so righteous that she can't see her own flaws AND she's also strong willed and very brave for her age while learning how to be more selfless.

If my art teachers only told me what they hated about my drawings I would be crushed. You have to add in the highlights as well! Too much shade ruins the meaning you know? But now I'm just repeating my original post ahhh

This was another tangent and you dont seem like someone who takes it this far at all, my whole thing was trying to say "a little is okay but its when many people do it and put it in the tags so often that it gives the fandom a bad taste kinda feel". A little is definatly needed to keep the fandom in check. Remember superwholock and how anyone who said cucumber wanst attractive got attacked? Fandoms who LOVEEEE their thing are just as toxic as the ones who hate the thing!

I just dont want to see ml get bashed so much that children feel bad for liking it (or start telling other children who like ml that they shouldnt. I see this on twitter sometimes) or that new potential fans dont want to see it.

I was told so much crap about shugo chara that I almost didnt watch it but DARN ITS A CUTE SHOW!! no one ever talked about its highlights and there are so so many! Now its known as the magical girl anime with crap characters and a terrible plot when in reality it taught lessons about overcoming loss and what its like to grow up. I don't want to see ml get sold as the "magical girl cartoon thats full of crap character writing and bad plot" when its a lot lot more.

For people out there who ARE harsh... Don't like the thing? Put it in a read more or dont tag it. For people who do like a little post summing up the recent eps, try mentioning what you like too!

(If you skipped to the bottom go to the bolded purple segment above to get to what i really should have said in the begining.)

Forgive any mistakes or grammar issues. Its early and i have a plane to catch soon hhhhh

[victimsofyaoipoll]

Round 1

Propaganda under the cut

Juno

She's honestly a way deeper character than people give her credit for, her arc is that of acceptance and being true to your heart despite what society thinks of you. Oh yeah and for the record she doesn't stand in the way of Lougosi because of her crush on Legoshi because I honestly think that she was more in love with the idea of being in a same species relationship than she was with Legoshi himself. I'm talking about the part where she falls for Louis and struggles with the knowledge that if she actually pursues him she's gonna be seen as a freak and never reach the social status she strives for. There's a lot to discuss with her character arc but NOOOO let's all just laugh at how she gets no bitches because Beastars fans see Juno as a joke. (I'm not mad I'm not mad it's fine it's fine)

shes cool but she doesnt have good chemistry with her canon love interest and therefore the fandom chalks her up to having no personality whatsoever. they see her as either an obstacle or a sex object basically

Done dirty by the writers and fandom alike

Keiko O'Brien

Certain People I Could Name insist on shipping her husband with the annoying twink doctor Julian Bashir because of the friendship they develop over the series. I maintain that O'Brien would never cheat on his wife, let alone with another man, and the response is often "they're in a polycule together!!!" which is even more out of character. Everyone please show my girl Keiko some more respect 😤

Wife of chief engineer Miles O'Brien, who is shipped with the chief medical officer, Julian Bashir. Show itself veered into misogyny regarding her and her marriage, manifesting as Miles constantly complaining about her and her encouraging him to go hang out with Julian and leave her and their daughter alone. Fandom responded to this by creating the "O'Brien polycule" including Keiko, Miles, Julian, and first officer Kira Nerys (who has another strange semi-romantic subplot with both O'Briens). Really, though, it just exists to have Julian/Miles without reckoning with Miles having to cheat to get there. I, too, was guilty of this in the past. Keiko had the potential to be a very interesting character (and started to be, early in the show) but it was never realized. She deserved better :(

keiko is a lovely lady and astrobotanist who had a whole romance with and married the more main character miles obrien but now frequently people sideline her to (semi-jokingly?) ship miles with his friend julian. she’s not the best written character and she deserved so much more from the narrative, but it still feels weird that the fan joke about her is always how much she is constantly encouraging her husband to cheat on her (which to be fair does happen a few times but not That much)