#is the healthiest way of navigating fandom

[dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram]

Louis is not gay because Louis himself said that he is straight for a fact. No matter how long your posts get Ralph you can't change the sexuality of the man who declared that he is straight.

You're right that nothing I say here will make any difference to anyone's sexuality.

But plenty of gay men have described themselves as straight. Some thinking it's true, some knowing it to be false. I've described myself as straight.

Like I said to the other anon - it's kind to believe people, but not an obligation.

[lookingforsneha]

Okay but Noah Kahan's 'She calls me back' is so Jason and Piper coded. (HOO and TOA spoilers ahead!!)

Because like, firstly the whole theme about unrequited love. Because Jason still loved her after the break up, he felt empty after it. And he died for her too.

And so much of Jason's character revolved around death and sacrifice. Most of his life (before HOO) he grew up thinking all he was there for was to die, almost like the goal of his life was to die like a hero, in combat.

And him (during HOO) getting a girlfriend, him finding close friends, it feels like around that time, there was more to living than just the glorified idea of dying as a hero.

'I do not exist to die'

Although most of HOO is about them being the seven from the prophecy, of being the ones that would stop Gaea and all that, it's also about them bonding. Becoming a good team. And for Jason, a lot of it is new: he didn't exactly have friends before (except maybe Reyna?). And he's falling in love too (and I will fight anyone who says it's fake, because even if those memories were planted into their minds by Hera- still doesn't change the fact that they ended up liking eachother. They started to create their own memories- that was the point of their arc, to find out what they feel for eachother on their own and separate it from the memories Hera created)

So he starts finding new purpose- separating himself from who he was forced to be as Preator. He has more to live for now.

'I do not exist to die, but live to die while saving you'

And it just hits so hard when this line comes up because like, the Roman's literally trained him that all his life was worth was in the cohorts- what he could give to camp Jupiter. It was never a two way relation, like the Greeks, like when percy got lost, they sent out search parties- Jason got none of that, even with all he did for camp Jupiter, because they couldn't waste resources on just one guy or whatever.

So when he dies for Piper, it's like- it's worth it to him. Like, to him, this is the healthiest relationship he has had, it gives him more to live for- and by extension more to die for.

And then, Kacey Musgraves verse resonates so perfectly with Piper's Character too, because in it's essence its about the 'unrequited love' theme. She doesn't love him anymore, at least not romantically.

and then the ending with, 'all the pain I should have saved, oh I was too afraid of living life in your footsteps,' feels like it fits so perfectly with the whole thing where Piper says, "That we'd be together forever like Percy and Annabeth?"

(I feel like this is more concerned with the Fandom culture of hating Jason and Piper together just cause it's threatening to be like Percabeth, the fan fave. Rick Riordan eventually gives the audience what they want. But if you ignore Fandom culture and all of that, I think the love they shared held so much value. They had such a unique start, different problems: it was so interesting to read about how they navigate their problems. It's just the constant comparison to Percabeth: both in the book with the characters; and out of the book with Fandom culture. They were too afraid of being confined to the thought of being like Percabeth, that what they did build up was never given value. -but that's a discussion for another time-)

Anyway, I wanna hug Jason so bad rn, I can’t read this anymore and I feel like I can’t listen to this fantastic song anymore cause all I think of is Jason and how he deserved the world but got literally nothing.

I wanna write an essay about him :( and hug him.

[forcebookish]

Sometimes I think. You know. I probably would have enjoyed only friends more if I didn’t see people saying stuff like “Boston and Nick had the healthiest relationship among all the couples!” On this hellsite.

I actually don’t think it was terrible. Especially after rewatching it. But I can see the flaws and things that could have been done better.

I saw someone say that it’s a show that feels like halfway through airing someone edited the episodes badly not caring about continuity. Like that there was meddling somewhere along the way. And honestly I sort of agree. Something feels. Off. About the way things were handled. Like if the Top and Mew smashing stuff scene was removed from its episode, why was it still in the trailer for that episode? Was it that down to the wire. That seems like a bad idea to edit major scenes out that close to air time.

I will forever mourn the loss of a scene of Force acting his ass off as Top while realizing he isn’t over Mew cause he can’t hook up with someone else.

Anyway. It was still nice to see the actors all get to stretch as performers and go outside of high school and tell slightly more mature stories, even if it was far from perfect.

oh, p'jojo literally confirmed that they were re-editing every week based on fan reactions. it doesn't just feel like it was meddled with, it straight up was! and definitely to the detriment of the story.

however, there are some glaring issues that still would have been present without the hack-job the series got, because it's not just the editing that goes off the rails in the end: the writing suffered as they ran out of ideas while also trying to cram ideas that didn't fit into the narrative (read: boeing's pointlessness). they should have spent more time workshopping and fleshing out boeing's character. in a series full of well-rounded, realistic characters he just felt tacked on and couldn't even serve the purpose of developing said characters. it's like they couldn't decide between being a show that actually explored these relationships and friendships or being a show where everyone just kissed for no reason. you can thread the needle between horny and well-crafted storytelling, but it fell apart.

it is HYSTERICAL to me that people think that nickboston was the healthiest. yeah, the couple where one of them bugged the other's car out of jealousy then listened to the sounds of him fucking another guy on repeat, leading to the other shouting at him and hitting him at his place of work... only to end up together literally only because nick was the only person left in boston's life who loved him... broke up because boston, despite saying he wanted a relationship, kissed some rando while on a date with nick. they only ever talked about what they really wanted out of the relationship in subtext and code or when it was too late.

yeah. picture of health.

i really need fandom, BUT BL FANDOM ESPECIALLY, to stop measuring couples based on their "health." although it can be a perk to certain ships, it's not the point. nickboston being unhealthy is what makes them interesting! they're both super fucked up and the unpackable baggage between them makes them fun to watch! that's not to say that a fictional couple who are healthy can't be interesting, but that just doesn't apply to nickboston.

THAT BEING SAID, topmew are easily the healthiest couple in the series, but a fandom that focuses on top having to "change" for mew (soooo, quitting drugs for someone is only good when ray does it?) of course isn't going to notice the way they navigate the relationship through talking about their feelings and desires while setting boundaries is what a healthy relationship actually takes. and even without the inciting incident, that dynamic was still interesting because there was still tension within the relationship. that's what actually makes relationships in media interesting: tension. the characters have a give and take, either they clash or play off each other. a healthy relationship is about wanting the same thing out of it and working toward that goal together: that goal can still be interesting.

and i'm not just saying that because i prefer them over the other couples, because I WANT TO REITERATE, THE HEALTH OF A FICTIONAL RELATIONSHIP IS NOT SOMETHING NEEDED FOR IT TO BE APPEALING. and it's really annoying how fandom will just say that a ship is healthy when really they mean, "i like it." you can just like things, mary.

and yeah, i probably would have enjoyed the series more if i hadn't seen this fandom's bullshit every week - but even if i'd binged it those last episodes would have driven me crazy with how much they lost the plot. and i just... really can't get over how annoying ray is. if i do rewatch it, i'm probably going to skip most, if not all, of his scenes because i truly cannot stand his whining. i see those "na, naa, naaa, naaaaaa" compilations and i go ????? really???? you all like this??? "you would give in too" no i would the fuck not

maybe i'll just stick to that topmew-only cut for the time being🤷‍♀️

as always, i wrote too much and i mostly just repeated myself, but thanks for stopping by and giving me an excuse to rant, anon!🥰

[ramblingaboutglee]

Brittana. Thoughts?

Ooh, question!

I will try to restrain myself from full-on rambling again. They’re sweet! Like, they’re not my absolute favourite ship on the show, but that’s more because I gravitate towards ones that are fun to make angsty and messy, and brittana aren’t really that? They’re two people who know one another so well, and will always support one another, and they’re just sweet on those grounds. 

Dynamic wise, I love the fact Santana will find any excuse to insult someone, but when it comes to Brittany she’s instantly supportive (shout out to “Our prom theme is dinosaurs!” “Sheer genius.”) Absolutely no one would get away with even half of what Brittany does if they were anyone else, but Santana has a secret soft side and it’s adorable. Equally, Brittany low-key being very perceptive and being willing to go just as far for Santana makes them a good match. 

Brittany able to be casual enough that there’s no pressure on Santana when she’s figuring herself out, that side is just sweet. And then as the years go by, the flipside - I feel like the break-up episode of S4 is endless drama in the fandom, but I kind of love the fact that the two that get the healthiest ending are brittana because, like, they know each other better than the rest, they are more mature than most of the cast. They’re that dynamic Glee seems to love doing, the cynic and the optimist, the cynic helping balance out the optimist from going too into the clouds, and the optimist just lighting up the cynic’s life. 

Like, they contrast each other in so many ways that you can imagine people not really understanding why they’re together, but the fact they are ends up making a lot of sense. 

(Also First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, not strictly a brittana song but it has a moment and it’s my fave cover on the whole show so I’m mentioning it here because I can)

If I’m going for a potted season-by-season:

S1 - okay I saw the “Sex isn’t dating. If it were, Santana and I would be dating,” clip before I saw the show but I didn’t realise it was basically Britt coming out so. I support her?

S2 - ...yeah I’m just going to skip this. From what I can tell S2 is very love-or-hate? And I just. Do not like any characters or ships this season. Brittana are not immune unfortunately. 

S3 - okay, there is the one Episode that probably merits a rant-post at some point, but in general I love them here. Troubletones were great, they got more chance to show why they worked well together, and mutual care. This, for me, is when a lot of ships took off, and Brittana are definitely contained with that. We see Santana in a more supportive role than her usual, see the side of her that loves, and they shine. 

S4 - yes, break-up angst, but couples that can break up and still navigate a friendship can make for compelling drama. The fact all of that care is still there - the fact that Santana seems to be less jealous that Britt’s with someone else, and more of the fact that she can actually see Sam being a good boyfriend and that potential ‘not endgame’ getting to her, it’s messy but it’s compelling. I love when Britt’s the more grounded one of the two of them sometimes as well, really shows how they complement each other. 

S5 - as a follow-on, it’s nice to see the roles reversed for them - Santana coaxing Brittany back to being cheerful, while Brittany is the distracted realist. (Who has terrible maths teachers by the way). Like, it’s small, but it’s a sweet continuation for them. 

S6 - I had a grin on my face for the whole wedding thank you

You can probably squeeze jealousy angst into them (as mentioned, I love that S4 ‘Santana broke up because it was the best thing for the both of them, but she does miss Britt even if she’s trying to put on a brave face and not hurt her’ and ooooh “To cry in front of you, that’s the worst thing I could do,” is a glorious re-use of the lyric) but for the most part, they’re two people that care for each other deeply and will do what they can to make the other happy and, yeah, sweet. 

There’s less to dig into, I feel, beyond the ‘two people that complement each other wonderfully,’ but sometimes that’s just enough. (With the caveat, as ever, I do get the most drawn into the post-graduation dynamics, which does limit brittana interactions). 

I can’t speak as to the history of them because I wasn’t there, but I know they were a huge deal to a lot of people when the show first aired, so that definitely earns them a few points too. 

...I rambled anyway didn’t I?

[letmereadinpeace4]

Hello Luta. If I may, I would like to add some observations as to why people do not like Mame.( I apologize in advance for typos and repetitions, as I write on mobile and English is not my first language).

In my opinion, it has less to do with actual objections to what Mame writes, and more to do with people getting pissy and repeating each other's points ad nauseum until people say they do not like Mame and that she sucks because "everyone" says it.

The thing is, Mame has been upfront about the things she puts in her writing from her very first drama adaptation Love by Chance. This drama series featured many of the things she would become known for : multiple ways for young men to experience their sexuality (Pete, Ae, Tin and Can all have different perspectives on their attraction to a man and their sexuality in general, that can for some be perceived as "problematic"), a focus on the sexual aspects of the relationships, the presence of dub or even non-con (notably with the controversial inclusion of Klano), the navigation of various traumas and the unhealthy ways one can process their traumas, and a focus on the relationships being based around navigating obstacles coming from both internal and external sources. And people were fine with it, with people even calling AePete the healthiest relationship ever. Sure people were complaining about Klano especially, but the reactions were mostly positive.

TharnType pretty much confirmed all of these elements, while adding more NC scenes. And again, people mostly loved it. Sure they were complaints, but reactions were mostly positive and TharnType was mostly held in high regards. Again, most of the "problematic" elements were already there, but people either did not care, were fine with it, or ignored it.

But everything changed with TharnType 2...

Regardless of how one might feel about its actual quality, TharnType 2 disappointed a lot of people. Many of the choices made in terms of writing were controversial at best, and the introduction of new characters and couples when Tharn and Type used to be the main focus pretty much made things even worse. And because people were disappointed, suddenly they started caring about all of the elements that were "problematic". Because it is not enough to say "Well, I didn't enjoy the writing decisions in this show and I feel like it is inferior to its predecessor". It is not dramatic enough. You (general you) have to justify your dislike. And the best way to justify your dislike of a BL drama in the western fandom is to come back to all the arguments that have been repeated about BL, (or even romance is general). It fetishizes gay people. It is problematic because it has unhealthy elements. Because the author writes it it means she supports it. It corrupt people into thinking problematic behaviours are okay etc etc.

Because Mame has such a strong presence and is so implicated in the production of dramas adapted from her novels, people naturally turned their animosity towards her. Suddenly she became the black sheep of the BL fandom and people called her unimaginative, problematic, obsessed with including sex in her work at the detriment of the development of the relationship, and just plain a bad writer whose success was entirely due to the chemistry of the actors. That most criticisms of her can easily be refuted if you actually take the time to think of it more than a few seconds doesn't matter. She "ruined" TharnType, so she must be bad.

Because she was, and still is, disliked, people have developed standards for her work that they do not apply to other works. The best example is with Love in the Air when people started complaining about how "there was no plot" even though dramas where the relationship is the plot have been common and present in BL from the very beginning, without this criticism ever being raised to this degree. People look for a reason to hate her, and because the haters are so vocal, and the arguments sound right, people want to be on the right side and repeat the criticisms.

I have heard people, notably the great Luta who is probably bored of me already, hypothesize that Mame's writing is therapeutic writing and that she is a victim herself who processes her trauma through her writing. While the theory makes a lot of sense and I agree with it mostly, to me, she does not need to be a victim for her writing to be justified. She can write whatever the hell she wants, and fuck the haters. The point is, her stories and her characters, even the most problematic ones, resonate with people,and when you write romance, this is pretty much the most important thing. A romance that is completely healthy, but leaves people completely detached and uninvested, is a failure, because the success of a romance is not dependent on plot, on whether it is healthy or not, or even on the NC scenes. The success of a romance relies on making people feel things. And Mame happens to be extremely good at it.

Hi Luta!

Happy Holidays and I hope you get some time off to spend with your family!

I discovered your blog around KP era (I think?) and I just want to say you are amazing and I am so grateful for the deep dives you go into.

I have a question about MAME because I watched a few of her creations and people always mention that they hate her but I’ve never heard the whole story of why. Personally, most of the adaptations I’ve seen really resonate with me as there’s usually a traumatized character who I can see myself in. Latest example is PrapaiSky from LITA (I don’t have the trauma Sky does but I’m as severely traumatized just in a different way) and seeing how Prapai cared for him was super healing (or at the very least comforting in a projecting-myself-onto-characters kind of way). Is that the reason so many people hate her? Or does it have to do with consent? I think PrapaiSky were perfect with that but I’ve heard other stories have issues.

Sorry for my rambling and thank you! -MA

Hey MA!!!

Sorry that I didn't answer this last night. I stayed up writing and then was like, I can't answer this tonight if I wanna answer it properly.

I am off for the next several days, woot! I hope you and your family have an amazing holiday as well. 💜💜💜

Oh. You've been with me for a while then. Thank you!!! I appreciate it!!!

There are several reasons that people give for not liking MAMA.

They talk about the consent because they are completely unfamiliar with and respecting of the fact that not everyone likes vanilla sex. There are different ways of giving consent, but they are stuck in a black and white mentality. They are unwilling to learn about different people and their sexuality because, in their opinion, we are wrong. And that's that.

Too much sex. Which is unrealistic. Life is full of those that have a lot of sex, those who are just sexual, and asexuals. There is a full spectrum, and they should be represented. Take UWMA, Dean can barely get a kiss from Pharm while Win is banging it out with Team on a regular. This is realistic. So for people to be so prudish as to put down those of us who like intimacy. Regardless of what reason they give. It's essentially failing to recognize that people are different, and we should all be represented.

They think Queer media should be held to a higher standard than straight media. Because what if straight people use this to say, blah, blah, blah. That is an injustice to Queers. It's being ignorant of how equality is actually gained. Catering to the ones that have issues with you is not how you gain respect. Besides, it becomes problematic to only show nothing but perfection. Art is meant to make you feel and think. There is a movie called Pleasantville that I feel captures this concept really well.

They think that all things problematic should be canceled rather than seen as art and a discussion point. Cancel culture is the removal of allowing people to think for themselves. Acknowledging that people are culturally and fundamentally different, and we should be trying to find out why others think the way they do, versus canceling them. It's that black and white mindset again. Which anyone with an actual understanding of Psychology will tell you is a very dangerous way of thinking. When we cancel things and remove things that we deem "inappropriate" We remove the ability for critical thinking. And if we don't think for ourselves, who will?

This turned out to be a lot. 🤣🤣🤣 Hopefully you find it helpful.

[aceredshirt13]

Hey, just a quick question. What's the Phoenix Wright Kink Meme thing? Because I see that on Ao3 allllllllll the time and I don't know what it's about at all. Could you maybe explain to me?

Hello, and of course I can!

I don't know the whole history of it, because even though I've been in and out of the AA fandom for nine to ten years at this point, I'm STILL not “old fandom” enough to have been around for the kink meme's creation (because back then I would have been a pretty small child). But basically, it began as an old forum on LiveJournal where people would anonymously write prompts for Ace Attorney fanfic, and people would anonymously write fics for those prompts (or "fills", as they're called). The concept exists for numerous fandoms, and has probably existed for just about any fandom you can think of, particularly slightly older ones in the scope of the Internet (Homestuck, Persona 4, Hetalia, etc.) - and as the name "kink meme" would suggest, the reason for the anonymity is the pornographic and oft-kinky nature of the requests. In terms of content, it tends to be pretty no-holds barred, from the fluffiest, healthiest sexual relationships to the darkest and most deeply fucked-up ones.

However, the Phoenix Wright Kink Meme has the honor (?) of existing in a continuously operating state for longer than any other kink meme of any fandom ever, and this is often attributed to the fact that while there is certainly quite a lot of sexual content, it is not solely that (which distinguished it from other kink memes of its era, I believe). People request non-sexual prompts and platonic prompts on there right alongside the sexual ones, so it functions more as a general fic request forum than one specifically for smut (not that there’s anything wrong with smut ofc), which allows it to attract a more diverse audience of readers and writers alike! Certainly, it is nowhere near as populated as it was in the days of yore, but it is still alive and well, and people are still filling out prompts to this day (like my most recent published fic, which I wrote in response to a prompt a few days ago - many people now cross-post their kink meme prompt fills to AO3, as I'm sure you now know).

It is, however, very difficult to navigate, because you can't really search for anything - you just kind of have to go through the parts yourself and look for anything that looks interesting to you. An artifact of an older Internet, even though the forum it's currently hosted on is much newer than LiveJournal was. This also means that in the search of content you'd like to see, you will inevitably see prompts and fills that are very much NOT the content you'd like to see. So if there are any kinks, pairings, concepts, etc. that are triggers for you, I would strongly advise you to be careful, because there is not really a way to avoid things like that. But that also means that if you like a kink, pairing, or concept you aren't seeing a lot of on social media or AO3, you just might find it there.

But now that you've heard all of that, if you are interested in requesting anything, filling out any prompts, or just checking the whole thing out, then you can find it here! For the most recent prompts as of my writing this post, go ahead to the post titled "STICKY: PART 34" and click on either the link that says "2850 comments" (or whatever number it will be by the time you click on it), or the link that says "You're about to view content that a community administrator has advised should be viewed with discretion." Then, if you go to the very last numbered page of comments, you'll find the newest requests - and from there, you can go back through each of those pages - and each of the other 33 parts - at your leisure. (And some of the most recent prompts may or may not have been requested by me...)

[discoursecatharsis]

I feel like the safest way to navigate fandom these days is just don't put 100% trust in anyone. Because they can, and will, turn on you at the drop of a hat. I'm the sort of fool who never learns this lesson and so I'm stuck in a never-ending cycle of finding people I relate to, trusting them, having them turn on me for this ship or that HC, swearing off fandom, rinse repeat. And every time I feel like it's this huge shock because I finally thought I'd found a cool group of people.

I don’t think that’s the healthiest outlook to have, if I’m honest. :\ I’m a pessimist person myself sometimes but... idk, have some faith and trust in others, anon. I’m sorry you’ve had some bad experiences though, but there are lots  of lovely people in fandom who would never turn on you. You may find people who disagree with you or who have varying view points, but it’s possible to have a mutual understanding, an “let’s agree to disagree” understanding when it comes to whatever the conflicting thing is. Anyone who isn’t mature enough to handle that isn’t worth your time anyway

[wayhaughtao3feed]

Please Don’t Leave Me

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2P0t8Vu

by sophiazyf

Waverly and Doc are stuck in an unknown place. The two must navigate their way out in time before Waverly turns to stone. All while Wynonna has to face an angry Nicole and Wynonna’s never been one to take emotions well.

OR

My take on how 3x12 and season 4 might end/begin.

Words: 1653, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Wynonna Earp (TV)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/F

Characters: Waverly Earp, Nicole Haught, Doc Holliday (Wynonna Earp), Wynonna Earp, Randy Nedley

Relationships: Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught, Waverly Earp & Nicole Haught

Additional Tags: Nicole is a mess without Waverly, Waverly is a mess without Nicole, Supportive Doc, Wayhaught - Freeform, Nicole is just a smol bean, badass Waverly, badass Nicole, Motherly Wynonna, wynonna doesn’t handle emotions in the healthiest way

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2P0t8Vu

[cheryls-blossomed]

I think for some it boils down to simply having a bias. It happens, sometimes it’s conscious, sometimes it’s unconscious. If you don’t like an actor, sometimes it’s harder to enjoy their work, it’s as simple as that. Some can look passed it and just focus on their performance, for others it effects that enjoyment. If you spend your energy dogging out a person, are you really then gonna tune in to watch that person perform and be objective? Probably not but than again some can. You can oftentimes clearly see the ones that can’t. It’s in their every comment, every response, every opinion. Some people can’t separate the actor from the role they play. We see that all the time. Whether they don’t like the character and project that onto the actor or don’t like the actor and project that onto the character, either way it happens a lot. Usually that leads to people not tuning in but for some, they still do for reasons. Fandom is what it is. You say it so often, cultivate a fandom experience that works for you because you’re gonna have all kinds in fandom spaces, it’s a diverse bunch no matter the fandom. Most fans that have been around for a while have already established a certain mindset so it’s a lot easier to pick out like minded individuals and ignore the rest. Keep doing you boo. Your approach really is the healthiest approach in navigating these fandom spaces and these asks. Your advice about cultivating a fandom experience that works for each person is so spot on. We really do control that. Take care

Thank you, nonnie! And for sure. At the end of the day, we do have to cultivate a fandom experience that is healthy for ourselves. That's all that we can really do. We cannot control what others do, but we do have the ability to control how we engage in fandom. At this point, it's like... we just have to do what's best for ourselves. Fandom can be a tricky thing to navigate, and so I've always endeavored to try and ensure that my fandom experience is what I make of it. At the end of the day, this is a television show.

[lovecolibri]

Exactly this! We all know that Malex is not in the healthiest of places and I don't think anyone expected them to be together by the end of season one. My issue is with them pushing so hard that a relationship with Maria is a "breath of fresh air".

If Michael had walked in and told Maria "I really need a friend right now" or even had a non-verbal interaction like when he comforted her about her mom, everything would be fine. She could still give him fresh and uncomplicated, and easy but as a friend while he took some space from Alex to do that personal growth thing and I think most of the fandom would have been totally on board with that! But because the show wants to portray M&M as a relationship, now not only is Maria betraying a friend, but Michael is coming off as a TOTAL douchebag. He is clearly using Maria and being totally untruthful about why he is there with her and his relationship status with Alex which is odd because Michael has repeatedly stated that he is tired of secrets.

We aren't upset that Malex isn't this perfect ship that solved their problems overnight, we are upset that we were shown over, and over, and over again that Michael and Alex don't have eyes for anyone but each other and we are explicitly told that their love is cosmic and that they are family (home). But now suddenly we are supposed to believe that Michael honestly wants to try and have a full-on relationship with someone else? When everything so far shows he hasn't attempted that in the 10 years since Alex left? 🙄🙄🙄

Michael has flings, and casual sex, and never anything more because he doesn't want anything more with anyone but Alex. He may not have had the same character growth Alex had over the season, but he had SOME, and moreover, Alex has made it a point since they talked in episode 10 to make sure Michael knows where he stands. He makes it clear that he wants more than just frantic, mind blowing sex, he wants friendship, he wants to talk, he wants to know all about who Michael is as a person outside of Alex. When he needs some space, he makes sure to communicate that to Michael, verbally stating what he needs (I just need some time), and that he has every intention of continuing their conversations (we'll talk soon) so Michael won't think he is walking away. Alex has, since the big talk in episode 10 stated with words, as well as very clear non-verbal cues (which we know Malex use more often than words and they are very good at reading each other) where he stands with Michael. And from what we know and have seen of Michael and his growth over the season, particularly in relationship to Alex, him going to Maria makes literally ZERO sense, even with all the trauma of the finale. I mean, just the scene in the trailer before he ran off for Max showed him being not only receptive to what Alex had to say, but also shaking his head in disbelief that Alex would ever believe something so ridiculous as Alex being like his father. He also verbally states what he needs here (I need to go) and that they are not done with this conversation (we'll talk in the morning). They aren't necessarily ready to start a relationship at this point, but they have both recognized that they could not continue on the crash-course they have been on for 10 years every time they were in the same city. They have both taken steps to be more open, and to communicate more clearly and to navigate out of their more negative tendencies. Because now that they are actually living in the same place they finally have a chance to make this work and they both so clearly want to.

For the showrunners to be coming back now and saying that Michael has no idea where Alex stands is just a way to retro-actively cover for the shoddy writing used to shoehorn in a love triangle that no one wanted.

Malex & Character Growth

Okay, RNM Fandom, I’m going to address this whole “toxic relationship” bit and not everyone is going to like what I have to say, but I’m going to say it.  Yes, I believe Malex is end game, and with Nobel turning out the way it did, that makes them my top ship of the show.  However, to me - personally- that doesn’t mean turning a blind eye to the negative aspects of a ship or the characters.

Alex and Michael’s relationship when it first starts in high school is beautiful and innocent.  They give each other a level of trust they don’t share with anyone else.  It’s a hint of what their relationship could be.  Then Jesse Manes and Noah happened, and both their relationship and their lives got fucked over.

Keep reading

[ramblingaboutglee]

Should Kurt have been with Karofsky, Adam, Sam Blaine, Sebastian or Chandler? Which is the most interesting relationship? Which is the healthiest?

Ooh, interesting.

See, Sebastian interests me because the impression I get is that if you watched Glee at the time, the Warblers just have a whole subculture? Sebastian feels like such a minor character to me, the equivalent of let's say an S6 newbie or Sunshine, and yet he has a huge presence that feels more down to fandom than, like, anything in the show.

So with my usual 'I am weird and engage with Glee incorrectly' disclaimer noted, let's go! Overanalysis!

Karofsky - Romantically, no, honestly. I love the idea of them having a more solid friendship, especially with their past, but honestly I find that friendship stronger than a romance? Like, they definitely feel like they have different wants in a romantic relationship, so I don't know if they'd necessarily be compatible, but I like their dynamic.

Adam - Okay yes the rights issues with the song are gross, but also. look, guy sees a cute twink, invites him to watch his show choir, and attempts to seduce him via acoustic "I like big butts." It's a crime he's not more recognised that is just pure Glee right there. I do have a soft spot for his arc tbh, so much of S4 definitely felt rushed and like it didn't have the time it needed, but that vibe of the NYADA equivalent of Glee Club being something Rachel was paranoid of, there's some fun stuff there. Navigating adult life was always one of the interesting things to see, and I can see the draw. (Then again I also like Brody so I might just be wrong about S4 relationships)

Sam - Huh, I never really thought about them, outside of the very start? If what I heard about Sam originally being intended to be gay is right, I could see something interesting developing way back then. Maybe being more open at his last school, and needing to find new friends at McKinley. That angle I like, but I don’t necessarily know that I see Kurt with Sam after he got more fleshing out. Unless we go poly with Blam anyway. 

Blaine - Who’d ship Kurt and Blaine? Weird.  Okay, seriously. I answered an ask on Blaine a while back, but the short version is, yeah, they have great chemistry and help push one another which is kinda what you want from a relationship. Blaine presenting himself as more put-together than he is, Kurt getting to know him, and them figuring everything out. Obviously, great stuff. 

Sebastian - As above, I wouldn't have called Sebastian as, like, in the running? I could see it, but that's with the caveat that part of what I like with Sebastian is his development, the "It's funny until it's real," which is. so much of Glee in a nutshell. I think pairing Kurt with someone who's more of a cynic could make for something interesting.

Chandler - ...unironically thought they were cute that episode whoops. Like, clearly just Kurt unused to meeting other queer people, but was sweet, if. Kurt baby no.

So, all in all:

Healthiest - are people going to be made if I say Adam? Like, no slight on any of the other ships, but it was generally a pretty healthy, comforting relationship. Adam wanted Kurt to find something he liked, Kurt seemed to find him fun, and it gave Kurt something solid in New York to lean on. Compare to say, Klaine, they have way more friction because Blaine can be a bit of a hopeless romantic and sometimes sees things differently to Kurt, while Adam and Kurt seemed to generally be on the same page.  Which, Klaine is just how relationships can be, it’s something people have to work through. But as far as Kurt and Adam go, it’s... simpler, and sweet. I’d liken them to Sam and Rachel (...which feels like another controversial opinion but hey), they’re cosy, if maybe not the stuff of epic love stories. 

Most interesting - huh. I'm tempted to say Kurt/Sebastian despite barely thinking about them before making this post. They definitely seem like they'd play off each other well. Plus, realistically, non-canon ships are always going to be more interesting than canon ones because there’s so much more ‘What if?’  Kurt seems to be someone that has a paranoid streak himself, so pairing him with someone that can be as cutting as Sebastian would make for a new angle. (Plus Kurt/Warbler means you get the scene of the Warbler having abysmal fashion sense because they’re used to only ever wearing blazers) 

Should have been with - Chandler I mean, gotta say Klaine. Maybe they have friction sometimes, but that’s just what happens in good stories, and where development comes from. The fact they don’t stay the same, the fact they’re comfortable enough to be completely open with each other in order to find the points where they clash, and they have the willingness to try and grow. They complement one another so damn well, even if they never quite seem to be what the other expected.  Like, comparing to the above - Adam is cosy, but the storyline with him has nothing to do with the romance. And Sebastian, post-development sees him turn into Blaine anyway, and pre-development needs to go through a heck of a lot before I can see him and Kurt being in the same room without attempted murder.  As far as ships that feel like they have a shot of being endgame - ones where, if a show ended on them together, I wouldn’t be sat around with the feeling that it wasn’t enough of a journey, or it didn’t feel like it would last - Klaine win out. 

Thank you! I, er, hope overanalysis is what you want because if not boy did you choose the wrong blog.