#it turns into me analyzing why
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I was thinking about how Bucky just shows up places without being invited or letting the person know ahead of time, he just kinda puts people on the spot and completely imposes on them. And I was gonna say how it’s funny (bc it is) but now I’m actually thinking about it. And I headcanon that Bucky does this bc he’s scared of being rejected when asking permission to come over or meet up. So he’d rather impose himself on Sam (and whoever else) and come across as a careless douchebag. To Bucky, it’s easier to have Sam be annoyed that he rudely showed up unexpectedly, than it is to grapple with the possibility of Sam saying no and not wanting Bucky around at all. It’s a double layered defense mechanism, where he first protects himself from being turned down. Then, Bucky puts on the facade of “Idgaf I just do whatever I want” and pretends that’s why he’s there, to hide that being around Sam is something he genuinely cares about. Which of course Sam sees right through bc Bucky’s reasons are very thinly veiled and he’s actually not as good at hiding his feelings as thinks.
#anyways just some thoughts#and basically I’m rambling and this is prolly incoherent and badly worded#I swear every time I laugh at how weird Bucky is#it turns into me analyzing why#I’m still gonna laugh at him tho bc he’s a weird ass man and does so much weird shit#bucky barnes#sam wilson#also could really talk about how absolutely terrible Bucky is at trying to be stoic and how Sam is actually the one who successfully#hides his feelings but that’s a convo for another day
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The Arcane fandom, especially on TikTok is never beating the allegations because why, now, some fans act like it's too inconceivable to imagine that Ambessa was, not only, pregnant twice but gave birth twice as well? And their reasoning for this is "She looks like the type to get a man pregnant instead" or "She's too tough for that, I just can't see someone like her going through that." There are layers to these statements because, for one, just because someone, especially a woman, is a dominant force doesn't mean that they can't get/don't want to become pregnant (do you believe overtly dominant men can't be fathers?) It's also very weird because the undertones of misogyny and misogynoir and the overt masculinization of black women are there because, not only are they viewing pregnancy and giving birth, in general, to be viewed as something "weak" (even though it's grueling hours of labor that results in tearing the body apart, sometimes even death) but also attempts to strip Ambessa of her nuance. Yes, she is strong and very dominant, but she also deeply loved her children, who she birthed, and when one was taken away from her it changed her deeply. It's very gross to view a character like her in this way because it also reflects how you view dominant women in real life, pregnancy, and childbirth as a whole. Like how are you going to praise Arcane for having such a wide and diverse ensemble of female characters, but then have misogynistic takes like this? Make it make sense.
#arcane#ambessa medarda#arcane ambessa#anti arcane#anti arcane fandom#bc if i said the “she gets a man pregnant bc she's girlboss” also plays into misogynistic tropes bc it not only#devoids female characters of their nuances but also frames pregnancy as something “weak” or those who go thru it as “lesser than” but always#pressing the pregnancy in question on male characters who they either ignore (so they only view pregnancy for breeding and nothing else) or#infantilize (so you only view pregnancy as happening to someone who is submissive?) there's layers to this#and bringing it back to the masculinization of black women especially dark skin women people are already viewed as#existing outside the stereotypical lens of “femininity” and that in turn includes pregnancy and childbirth (which is viewed#thru a stereotypical lens as well) and bc people already don't view black women to fit the first box they definitely don't for the other#especially if she matches ambessa's body type &/or personality#even tho a big part of ambessa's character is literally her being a mom!#and don't get me started on how some of you view mother characters as anything outside of motherhood in general#(but a part of that is also bc the media doesn't give them much at times either but fandom still gets it's lashing too!)#like lets analyze: why do you think female characters who are “too tough” can't be pregnant as well? why do you think they can't be mothers?#why do you think they are “too tough” to give birth? is it bc u subconsciously view it as a weakness?#why do you think black women especially those like ambessa can't give birth & be mothers? is it bc you have biased views towards motherhood#where it's stereotypically “feminine” (yte) and black women don't fit that mold in your mind?#like i could go on!#(if i also said back to the girlboss & get men pregnant thing how a lot of it carries undertones of misogyny as well id be wrong but-)#some of yall did the same thing with mel & continue to do so when those pregnancy rumors were coming out#masc women can give and want to give birth while still being who they are (it literally happens in real life) so why people act surprised?#tw pregnancy mention#tw childbirth mention#fandom racism#fandom misogyny
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maybe if i just put these screenshots together youll understand why i think their relationship just Works so well as it pertains to the characters and themes of S4 in general
neither of them know what theyre doing, but theyre figuring it out Together. the old ways are dead. and together theyll build a new future thats worth fighting for
#twdg#violentine#clems “i dont know” paired with violets “lets figure it out together”. screaming crying throwing up#clem never knew what she was doing!! she was just trying her best!! and now shes tired as SHIT!!! she wants a break 😭!!!#vi helps take that weight off by supporting her as much as she does (which is A LOT!! and clem supports her in return. they grow together)#that bit in the woods where instead of getting grossed out by the guts vi crouches down to ajs level and keeps the situation calm#and she looks up to clem and gives her a little smile. and clem just relaxes and smiles back !! DO YOU UNDERSTAND !!!#clem being anxious about her reaction. violet putting her at ease. clem getting to Relax for 2 seconds. they help each other CHILL 😭#ALSO why their walk home talking about ericson and renaming it and imagining what they could add to it is just so good narratively#they turned that prison into their HOME!! a place worth fighting for!!!#tenn wanting to help rebuild. vi saying Everyone will :') its a home for ALL OF THEM 😭 its about the COMMUNITY !!!#this is also why i think the friends route still works but theres just even more Juice with the romance. even ignoring minnie#violets “you better not disappear on me”. friended clems “ok” to romanced clems “i promise”#in a season about building a home and a family that second one just hits harder you know? and like above with the learning to dance#i just feel like their romantic relationship specifically fits into the overall themes of the game the strongest and elevates it#me talking at the wall (tumblr drafts)#all of my friends who have played twdg are too normie so i gotta make posts like this instead. or i'll die#wont somebody analyze narrative with me#it speaks
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WHY are BT shippers so vehemently against actually analyzing the symbolism and choices made for this show?
i mean i saw multiple people saying we were overthinking the vertigo poster. they were saying that it was weird to assume that Buck would fill the pining best friend role that Midge did in the original movie??? (haven’t seen the movie, i just read a few synopses)
i’m sorry, so you agree that he put Ryan Guzman in the main character and Devin Kelley as the love interest because they’ll fill those roles in the storyline, but we’re overthinking when we point out what role he put Oliver Stark in?
or when i bring up the possible symbolism of Tommy always calling him Evan, the only response i get from BT stans is “well he would tell him if he didn’t like it” or “i think it’s because he was introduced that way and that’s why” or even “i think he probably likes that Tommy calls him Evan” (all real responses i saw) and it’s like, yeah that’s cool, those are great headcanons for you, but that actually isn’t what i was talking about. nothing wrong with having a headcanon, but it doesn’t explain anything about the show or answer any of my questions.
i mean in s4 he corrected his PARENTS and told them his name was Buck, and in s6 it was used to emphasize the strangeness of his coma dream, how everyone was calling him Evan, the whole show him being called Evan has almost always been used to emphasize that someone doesn’t know him very well, how are y’all convinced that it’ll mean something different this time? i get that some people think it’s supposed to be growth, that he’s cool with being called his first name, but if that’s the goal it definitely isn’t reading that way to me.
like i wish i could see things through the same lens as these people so it could make sense to me, i just don’t get how you can willfully ignore SO many hints just so you can ship what you want.
no hate to the ship or the shippers obviously, i’m just baffled by the lengths they’ll go to in order to convince themselves that plot device man is endgame for Buck.
#buddie#i know now that i’m not allowed to tag this bucktommy#i still feel like i should but i know they’ll get mad at me#911#911 on abc#evan buckley#eddie diaz#tommy kinard#and like it’s fine to ship what you want but why do you have to try and convince everyone it’s endgame?#like just ship it and be happy you get content#you actually don’t have to convince us to ship it as well#you don’t have to try and stop buddie fans from shipping what we want#you are actually allowed to ship what you want without trying to discredit everyone’s theories#plus like even if i’m wrong theories are still fun#even if the show turns out nothing like i’m predicting it will(it most definitely won’t turn out like my predictions)#i still had fun speculating#even if it is all over analyzed (it probably is) it’s still fun#also didn’t tim minear say this season would parallel s4?#in s4 it was HEAVILY emphasized in buck begins that his parents calling him Evan made him uncomfortable#if this season really does parallel s4 (not seeing it yet but idk) then that choice HAS to be intentional
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I’m still s h o o k that people do not see exactly what’s going on with Moiraine throughout s2 and people are dragging her and dismissing her without an ounce of empathy for what she’s been through, so I’m bringing the full character analysis for y’all (and my own sanity). So this is a big ol in defense of Moiraine (and Lan) rant, so if that’s not your thing, scroll down now. Here we go.
I just… The AUDACITY some people have to look at Moiraine and be angry and pissed off at how she acts in S2. To not feel any sympathy and empathy for her and the monumental weight she’s under every goddamn day. There’s a reason we start with that bath scene in 2x01 – it shows you everything. How she’s just going through the motions. How she only lets herself cry when she’s alone in the water. How she literally curls into the fetal position and looks reproachfully devastated over her knees as she hugs them to her chest in a futile attempt at comfort. Not to mention the direct comparison/callback with the bath scene in 1x01, where she has both her power and Lan still, and now she’s lost her connection to both of them.
How is it not painfully obvious that every interaction she has after that bath scene is infused with a trauma response? Let’s tally up the devastation she’s been through. At the end of S1, she was 1. banished from the sisterhood of the white tower (they literally turned their backs on her), 2. was separated AGAIN from the love of her life fully expecting to never see her again, 3. was cut off from the other love of her life (that would be Lan, for the record) which is all the worse bc it’s her own fault for masking the bond, 4. was fully made to believe she’s been stilled from the one power aka an integral part of her being, AND 5. she’s “failed” her mission at the eye of the world – the one goal she’s had for the last 20 years, her life’s purpose – because instead of locking away the dark one she’s directly caused Rand to set Ishamael free.
You don’t think it's justified to be a little pissed off and standoffish after all of that? You don’t think the weight of that guilt, grief, pain, and loss is a reasonable cause to be distant, cold, harsh, having a little bit of a death wish? That’s TRAUMA, baby! She is absolutely wrecked, and it’s coming out in the worst way in her interactions with others (especially Lan because we’ve seen how they should be), but it’s absolutely not because she actively wants to hurt the people around her. In fact after almost every moment she lashes out at someone, we see an equally sad/grief-stricken/devastated moment from her and THAT’S the real emotion hiding underneath the anger. This woman needs therapy and understanding and patience, and does not deserve to be judged at the worst time of her life.
Ok fine, you say, but Lan IS patient and understanding with her! And she’s still an asshole to him! You’re right, Lan is absolutely trying his best and doing just about everything he can to be there for her in 2x01/2x02 (with a little help from Verin and Tomas). But 1. It’s STILL not about him, Moiraine is not obligated to respond in a certain way to her grief and pain that makes him feel better, and 2. This is Moiraine goddamn Damodred and even her trauma response is also a front to protect him, to push him away from her and what is now certainly a suicide mission to fight the dark without her powers.
This is SOOO important to really get Moiraine’s character — y’all gotta understand this: Moiraine truly loves only TWO people on the whole fucking planet: Siuan and Lan. They are also the only people who truly love her, unconditionally, with all of her flaws and imperfections. Please please ingrain that into your brain, especially for Lan, in this context. (Siuan is a whole other conversation I won’t get into at the moment.) Moiraine loves Lan, he loves her, deeply. That’s the foundation of everything they go through with each other in this season, despite what’s happening on the surface.
Once you accept that as fundamental truth, everything makes a whole lot more sense. She is a dick to him to push him away. Literally tells him he failed her to put the final nail in the coffin of driving him away, which is his worst nightmare. On the surface it seems egotistic at best, plain cruel at worst. But look underneath. Moiraine always has reasons 2, 3, 6 layers deep for everything she does.
With everyone else she’s mean to this season, namely her sister and her nephew, it’s born out of distrust (and the aforementioned trauma response). She can’t afford to trust anyone because anyone could be a dark friend. (And if they’re not a dark friend, then they become a liability and endangered.) Anything she lets slip could be used to hurt/control Rand and push them all one step closer to eternal darkness. Oh and when we see Barthanes’ true nature that turns out to be fucking justified, by the way. But I digress.
Right so why is she an asshole to Lan then? Because she doesn’t trust him? I don’t believe that for a second. These two have been on the same page, literally sharing the same headspace, for the last 20 years – she knows he’s the best person she’s ever met, the least likely to ever turn to the dark, ever. It’s an actual impossibility. So it’s not that she doesn’t trust him. She literally marvels at how courageous he must be to fight the dark with only a sword.
The true reason is: she does trust him, she does love him, and she KNOWS him. She knows that he will never leave her like this, in her darkest hour. He is both honor-bound to her (which he takes very seriously) and deeply cares for her. The problem is that now his life is in serious danger by staying with her. But there is no calmly explaining to him that he should return to the white tower for his own good and bond to another aes sedai who can actually channel, who can actually hold up her end of the partnership and protect him and heal him in return for his loyalty and sacrifice. Or better yet, find Nynaeve, who is not only ridiculously powerful and has probably the best chance of protecting him out of anyone, but who also loves him.
If Moiraine loves him and wants him safe, the ONLY option she has to protect him, the one good thing left in her life even if their bond is masked, is to drive him away. To make it so that he’ll stay far away from her of his own free will, and never come after her and her suicide mission to defeat the dark. Because she has already lost everything, she has no control over her fate anymore (if she ever had any to begin with), but the ONE thing she can still try to do is keep him safe. And hopefully, maybe he’ll be happy, one day. Her reasoning is directly confirmed for us in the last thing she says to him in 2x02 before she leaves: “Light protect you, al’Lan Mandragoran.” That was her goal all along, to protect him.
That’s the true reason she’s Like That to him. It’s all out of her love for him, and a desperate desire not to drag him down with her when she’s sure she’s destined to die on this mission. Is her strategy misguided? On the one hand yes, because she does need people to help her and she needs to trust someone, as he points out. On the other hand, she’s absolutely fucking right because look what happened with the Fade fight at the end of 2x01. Both her and Lan would have died without Verin and Tomas, and it would have been because she couldn’t channel. He is factually, logically, physically better off without her as long as she’s “stilled.”
This is why it makes sense how Lan eventually responds the way he does. He initially sees right through what she’s trying to do, he literally says he won’t let her push him away. He knows her too, better than anyone, including Siuan at this point. But he isn’t expecting her to go as far as she does, and it shakes him to his core. She tells him he failed her, has his worst fears confirmed, and then hears the words “we were never equals” and hears that she thinks she’s better than him, when she means the exact opposite. Tomas tells him to really listen but he can’t, in that moment.
But then he gets some distance, and some perspective thanks to Ihvon and Maksim, and he remembers: he loves her. He believes in her and he knows her and he knows what she’s doing to push him away (although maybe not why, when it comes to protecting him, because he doesn’t see himself as someone who needs protecting). Even better, he realizes that her situation is actually not what she thinks, that she’s shielded not stilled, and he can do something about that.
I LOVE Lan in 2x07 because he’s got Moiraine’s number now, and he will not be swayed by any further attempts (rather weak attempts at this point) to lash out at him. He just takes all the shit she throws at him, and calmly asks her what he needs to know and tells her what she needs to hear (“hopefully everything we’ve lost” and “that’s what I thought” and “you need to trust someone, Moiraine”), and is truthful with her even if she is still putting on this act with him in her fear and grief. He isn’t having any of it, he sees straight through it to the fear and pain underneath. And he literally DECIDES they are going to be okay, and then he fucking. Follows. Through.
He is not a doormat to her rage, he is not her servant, he’s not going back to her with his tail between his legs. He SHOWS UP for her in her darkest hour, when NO ONE, not even Siuan, can see what’s going on with her. That’s a true friend, a true hero, and absolute king behavior.
In conclusion, Moiraine’s behavior in s2, while not cute, is totally justified given the trauma, circumstances and everything she’s dealing with (jfc the lack of sleep alone) and makes sense in light of her ultimate goal to protect the world, which includes protecting Lan. And Lan’s response, once he figures out what to do, is the absolute correct way to handle the situation and is not weakness at all but strength in the highest order.
I’m so glad we got the payoff of all that with their conversation in 2x08 and reconnecting the bond. It was so beautiful, so earned, and reminded us of the level they’re on with each other — which is a soul connection way beyond what any of us can imagine.
#well this kind of turned into a ‘why I love Moiraine and Lan so much’ post#I could literally analyze every conversation they had in this season for days#it’s so layered and so well done#not to mention the body language/facial expressions#like if you think Moiraine is just being a bitch this season you are’t paying attention#like at all#but seriously it’s the lack of empathy that kills me the most#do you people see what she’s been through???#make this a learning opportunity bc god forbid something traumatic happens to anyone you love#and your response is to dismiss them if they react in a way that’s not ideal for you#Lan is teaching us all how to show up for the people we love#and I love him for that#wheel of time#the wheel of time#moiraine damodred#lan mandragoran#wot#wot on prime#moiraine and Lan#wot season 2#wot s2
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ITS SO MIZUOVER!!!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 ANYONE HEAR THOSE OMNIOUS BELLS TOLLING??????? 🤣🤣 NO????? JUST ME???????? 😭😭😭😭😭😭
never ask a mizuki fan OR ANY TYPE OF PJSK FAN FOR THAT MATTER what happened on october 12th 2024
anyway this is me over-analyzing the mizu5 cards because this event has ultimately crushed me, i literally feel every emotion that mizukis feeling like deadass
again, it is so mizuover
#mizuki akiyama#mizu5#mizuki pjsk#niigo#niigo mizuki#n25 mizuki#over analyzing#sobbinf#god save me#mizuki oh how i love you mizuki#mizuena save me mizuena#so glad ena didnt turn out to the the villan#villian mention#mizu5 has crushed me#mizuki is TRANS DEAL WITH IT#SHE IS NOT A CROSSDRESSER#THERES SO MANY REASONS WHY SHE ISNT
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Finally glad the mouthwashing fandom-at least on here- is finally coming around to see the idea that neither curly or jimmy are completely innocent nor should be babied or completely villainized because to do that you'd need to *checks notes*
Completely ignore how mouthwashing is a story of how systems of abuse are kept in power. Particularly rape culture and the patriarchy that encourages these actions while also encouraging bystander effect from other men close to predators...which is all encouraged under a system like capitalism.
Idk read more of tha rant in tags I got carried away I fear.
#its all interchanging systems babe#if i see another post babying curly#or removing any amount of humanity from jimmy#im going to assume you simply dont want to interact with the meat of the game#you just looked at overall plot points and story beats with a glance and refused to give this wonderful game its flowers#stop turning these complex character into one dimensional things you can comodify like prepackaged food#this also heavily includes anya and the weird way you guys also baby her#shes a grown woman...a tramatized one yeah? but a grown woman who should be treated decently#not just spme one note preformative doll you wave around in order to comfort and baby curly or to shit on jimmy in the most ooc way possible#same with swansea#my goodness#mouthwashing#seriously ik fandom always does this but mouthwashing tumblr somehow impressed me?#with how much they could miss themes and intricacies for their preformative turn to the camera so they can say#“grrr this character bad and is monster lets throw a bunch of cluster b disorders at them and remove any character to prove a point ”#“wow this character is completely absolved from his actions and is too innocent to be deeply analyzed...#lets give him a playtoy supporting female character to dote on him and loft him up despite her own trauma!“#rant#im sorry its just soo annoying#usually im a “do everything you want forever” type girl#but its seeing the fandoms hypocrisy in jow they treat charscters like jimmy and curly and swansea that makes me realize#media literacy is soooo down hill.#quick give me a 500 word essay on why you think *shittiest take ever* is acceptable!
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oh I just realized that my interest in anime and my interest in clowns are linked by the concept of "exaggerated silliness". hmm!!!
#Robin processes emotions on main#live jojoblogging#I once wrote an 18 page paper analyzing the specific humor style of American circus clowns + hobo clowns#it seems that I just really like to study the Concept Of Silliness#your honor simply I love cultural ideas of silliness your honor I want to know how jesters work#your honor ever since I was a little girl I've conceptualized myself as serious + dark grey but I put on the persona of a jester#and turn myself pink and white and I study how other people react to it. your honor I like parodies because they open up to me#how and why the originals work#like a gift#like a teacher handing me a primary source document that talks about another primary source document and saying yes study it#study it and enjoy it#permission to do two layers of study at once#drives me crazyyyy#and a HUGE part of the appeal of JoJos (AND CLOWNS) to me is that they both have humor styles I don't personally naturally resonate with#so then my Silliness Analysis brain kicks into overdrive#trying to figure out WHY they work for some people#oughhhhh#okay#should get to bed but this is so energizing 2 me#thank you anyone who has read this far <33333#someday I WILL make a whole analysis post explaining why jjba humor is fundamentally the same as clown humor#and you will suffer me
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[YTTD Spoilers/Theory] So a few days ago I was in a Discord call with my friend, and we started doing a "YTTD Character Tier List", and we got stuck on Megumi for a few minutes
We were discussing whether she was a good person or a bad person based on the little to no information there is about her
I mean, of course she is a bad person, with the whole thing about being avoidant when talking about "Why Mr. Redhead Policeman was fired?" and the "background deal", but we were discussing if she did that beacause she wanted to or if someone forced her to it, if she had ill intentions or not
Now this is where the fun begins, my friend's theory below:
He shared a theory he have about Megumi's wish and how that's directly connected to Redhead officer's death, the theory being that: Megumi's wish was to kill him.
He explained that maybe when Redhead discovered "the secret dark side of pollice", Megumi didn't like that and promptly fired him, but getting him out of the force wasn't enough since he could still somehow find more information about said "dark side", which led Megumi to make a deal with Midori, to kill Redhead with the ASU-NARO vow (I guess some could argue that we're making a bit of a stretch with a theory like that, but still what isn't a stretch in a game with almost no information)
Supposing we're right, this part of Megumi's victim video could mean 2 things:
She was following the demands of another higher up, leading to her wish with the ASU-NARO vow being to kill Redhead, which means that the isn't that bad
She was straight up lying in hopes that if pretending to be a victim herself, Keiji would give in and save her, which means she was a bad person all along
My thoughts? I'll go with 2, I like the ideia of her just being an asshole, we need more mean women in this game! /j
Jokes aside, it's the idea of "Good cop/Bad cop" and "The only good cops are fired cops", good cops are those who aren't on duty anymore (Keiji) and bad cops are those who are still on duty (Megumi), since she's already a bad cop for still being on the force even after knowing about the "dark secrets", why not commit to the fullest and be a bad person too?
Everyone (And by "everyone" I mean the participants) in this game is "an asshole but with somewhat good intentions", I think it would be cool to have a change, to have a character who was a dick with ill intentions all along
Anyway, I would love to know what you guys think about my friend's theory! All kinds of comments are welcome, I'm eager to know if you agree or disagree and why! :D
#Your Turn To Die#YTTD#YTTD Theory#Megumi Sasahara#Mr. Policeman#Officer Tazuna#Joe's dad#HOW DO I TAG A CHARACTER WHO HAS NO CANON NAME?!#Hope you guys like this theory#Because I sure do#I used to think that Megumi was a victim of ASU-NARO and all that but the idea of her being just as bad as them just makes me SO EXCITED#I can't explain why...#I just really like complex and mean characters#Like as in “I love to analyze them” and not “I love them”#I fucking hate them#But making analysis? Super cool
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Sorry guys I gotta speak my truth on this one
I'm not kidding when I say that I think that blaming shit media literacy from fans on shipping/shippers avoids the actual root of the problem to throw people you can easily throw under the bus (simply because it's not unpopular to consider people who post about ships or ship characters in media as having lesser or derivative tastes by default)
And here's why.
I think when you blame people who are "shippers" or "consume media through shipping lenses", the true root of it all is a mindset problem.
In actually, putting on shipping lenses can be helpful when trying to analyze a piece of media. When analyzing media you're supposed to approach it through a number of mindsets and put on different lenses (both to deepen your personal understanding of the media, and to pick it apart and see what you can find there (whether intentional or not on the author's part)), and different ships can be some of those lenses
When it comes to ships between main characters (for those who are genuinely willing to see what the narrative is showing with their relationship and what it's doing), there are times when analyzing it from a shipping lens may be helpful. As someone from KH fandom, I have seen people come to deeper understandings and pick canon apart in the process of analyzing a relationship that is genuinely integral to the story (platonic or not). I've also seen people get into rarepairs of characters who barely interact or who just suffer little screen time, and I've seen them come to better understandings of those side characters and how they potentially fit into the world of the media simply because people are now focusing on these characters and how they fit into the narrative.
Frankly, I resent the idea that the only way to truly objectively analyze a piece of media is by turning off the part of your brain that gets excited over relationships and individual characters. Don't get me wrong, that is a way to approach a piece of media and a valid one at that, but the truth is that we cannot be free of bias.
For instance, I was watching House MD with my parents circa last year. At some point I started heavily tuning into what was going on with House and Wilson's relationship. My parents, on the other hand, were largely watching casually. They're not thinking of character relationships or getting heavily invested in most characters, they're watching because they like watching. One of them in particular did try to analyze things that were happening in the show as they happened. However, when it came to the scene late in the series where House threw out Dominika's letter approving her American citizenship, my parents could understand that he was doing that because he didn't want her to leave, but not much beyond that. I ended up explaining to them that House's fake marriage for Dominika was an explicit parallel to when Wilson was living with House in the early seasons. Both situations started with House being none too happy about it but ultimately letting them stay, spending a considerable amount of effort getting them to leave/getting this situation to be finally over so he didn't have to deal with it anymore, and then by the time a piece of news comes through that would mean the person in question actually leaves, House hides this news as long as he can. Because he doesn't actually want them to leave and has grown attached. And by doing this he became a self fulfilling prophecy. By reacting to the truth of Wilson and Dominika leaving him the way he does, he seals his fate and they ultimately leave anyways. Maybe I ship Hilson, but becoming open to how their relationship was handled allowed me to transition to doing character studies and recognizing patterns/parallels that I wouldn't have noticed if I didn't particularly care about the characters or their relationship.
Likewise, I've seen mutuals complain about how people who don't like or don't care about certain characters often overlook these characters (what they're actually like and their place in the narrative), while the mutuals in question (by default) are able to come to deeper understanding of what the writers/story is trying to do because they care about this funky guy
You can't eradicate bias when you're engaging in media analysis, but you can consciously put on a range of lenses and observe the media through different povs with the goal of understanding the media better or bolstering your reading of it. And those lenses/povs can include focusing on specific relationships or the perpective of certain characters
And this is why I say it's actually a mindset problem. Shippers and people who have this one blorbo they like a lot aren't inherently terrible "fandom brained individuals" who are the root of media analysis problems. The problem only arises when people's readings/analysis of a piece of media are inherently restrictive/narrow and self centered. Your problem is with people who view a piece of media through a ship they like but don't keep an open mind about it, and whose "media analysis"/views on canon cannot be split from fanon and their comfortability levels. These are the people whose "media analysis" starts and ends with justifying their fanon as canon, whose views on media revolve around sorting characters and relationships into categories they personally enjoy rather than trying to understand what's going on.
Here's another example.
Here we have a fictional ship we'll call uhhhh...Blanebin. this fictional ship I made up on the spot for characters that don't exist named Blane and Corbin
Person A is super into Blanebin. They're part of the main cast of characters and canonically childhood best friends, so person A (as much as they enjoy fanart and fic) is also enjoying analyzing how narratively important to each other they are. Recently, Corbin started dating another character in canon, but Person A is enjoying watching how Blane is reacting to this. "Is this potentially a tell that Blane is jealous or is having complicated feelings about this? What if he was, how would that contextualize his behavior this season? Here's what I think based on how Blane dealt with explicit jealousy last season in a different situation". It's not impossible that person A is still missing further understanding due to their obsession with Blanebin, but at the end of the day this obsession has allowed them to start picking through the characters both in and outside this relationship. It has allowed them to see potential subtext and theorize on what might happen next with these characters' relationship. Not to mention that with addition of Corbin dating someone else, instead of trying to erase this fact or state that Corbin canonically isn't into that person, Person A is trying to factor in how Corbin's current dating life affects his relationship with Blane (irregardless on personal views on the nature of Corbin's relationship with the person he's dating).
Person B is also super into Blanebin. They really enjoy fanart and fic of the characters, love obsessing over their moments together, and just feel like there's really something between the characters. To person B, every moment between them is just further proof that the writers are ship teasing them. But Corbin getting together with someone else this season? Oh that pissed person B off. They cannot believe that even though Corbin and Blane are CLEARLY gay for each other the writers had Corbin get with someone else this season. Perhaps, they think, it was even a decision specifically made to spite fans. How evil of the writers to tease a perfectly good ship and then have them not get together first? They must have been just doing those teases to get views from Blanebin shippers those scoundrels. To Person B, since Corbin started dating someone when he obviously has some chemistry with Blane (even though the series is far from over) means that Blanebin can never get together now and Corbin x person he's dating is ruining Blanebin by existing. In fact, they think, this is terrible writing for Corbin to be dating someone else because they don't like that relationship and don't see the point. Obviously if the writers were good then Corbin would have started dating Blane instead because this was supposed to be the Blanebin show.
Person C despises Blanebin. Don't get them wrong, they've always enjoyed the character's childhood friendship, but they actually have always thought Blane would have been better off with Victoria. They have a lot of moments too! But they're tired of seeing people ship Blanebin. Corbin just got together with someone else, so obviously that's not gonna work out. Plus Corbin and Blane totally has always given person C bro vibes. In fact, person C thinks, sure Corbin and Blane have a close friendship, but people shouldn't be shipping them. Person C likes Blanetoria and Blanetoria can't be canon if Corbin is in the way of it. So Person C likes to read Blanebin as siblings anyways. Sure they're canonically friends, but obviously their friendship turned into brotherhood. This means that nothing can be in the way of Blanetoria and Corbin can keep dating the person he's already canonically dating. Actually, now Blanebin just straight up makes Person C uncomfortable. Don't the pesky shippers understand that Blanebin are sibling coded because they're childhood best friends and that they're important to each other because they're brothers? It's obvious to anyone with eyes.
Sure, ships are involved here, but is the root of this problem shipping? Character A isn't as knowledgeable of other characters in the plot due to this lens they're using, but at the end of the day they're dedicated to analysis. Their love of the characters is pushing them beyond what they like or dislike to try to understand what might be happening through their lens. Not perfect, but they are slowly broadening their horizons. But Person B and C's problems here are their restrictiveness. What is or should be canon to them is tantamount to what they personally like or find comfortable. Is person C actually analyzing the this fake show when they decide to "read" Blanebin as basically canonically siblings (and this all of their moments are totally a bro thing) just because they don't like Blanebin and the idea of them getting together over Blanetoria makes them uncomfortable? Is person B actually analyzing this fake show when their "analysis" of Blanebin goes only as far as asserting it's being ship teased and deciding anything short of canonizing Blanebin is a targeted attack or "bad writing" because it's not what they wanted personally to happen?
This is what I'm talking about. This is the mindset. Shipping isn't the problem. The problem is when people marry fanon and canon to the point where they have a vested interest in superimposing their fanon over canon as "a reading" and trying to make "collective decisions" on what is canon (or what canon is trying to say) based on what does or doesn't make them uncomfortable. The problem is people being restrictive and centering their own likes and dislikes in the conversation, so they can only interact with canon "analysis" wise by deciding what is canon or should be canon "as obviously agreed on by everyone". You can't simply claim you like media analysis. To be able to analyze media and bolster your views on any given canon, you must be open to looking at it through multiple povs, to studying characters without trying to pretend things you don't like don't exist or do like do exist. There is a balance that must be kept between trying to keep objectivity and putting on specific focus/bias based upon the lenses you're putting on. You have to be willing to try to figure out what a media is doing or saying, not saying you're trying to figure out what it's saying while in actuality trying to define the narrative around what people believe it's saying in ways that suit you.
Thank you for coming to my ted talk.
#fandom wank#on the flip side it really just doesn't all happen with shipping#doesn't this go the same way when someone hates a character so they brand them with terrible terms and act like they're terrible without#actually taking a second to analyze them simply because they dislike that character?#Hell I've seen people get really invested in platonic relationships on the fanon side‚ start labeling them as siblings because the idea of#people shipping them makes them uncomfortable‚ and then when new canon doesn't fulfill their hopes they still act like those characters#being siblings to each other is canon because it makes them uncomfortable if that's not true#I've seen people watch a trailer for a piece of media before it comes out‚ build up an entire story in their head based on that trailer#that they've designated as their perfect idea of how to handle concepts presented in the trailer‚ and then when canon doesn't end up going#that way they decide that it's bad writing simply on the grounds that this wasn't the story they wanted. so they unironically act like#writers can only be good writers if the writers play into their specific wants as the audience or things they as an audience member thinks#would be great#genuinely even if people turn off the ship side of their brain or the side that gets obsessed with characters they can still be one of those#people who acts like they love media analysis but ultimately are shit at it#I didn't put this in the body of the post cause it didn't really fit but I have to say this too#I think that 'There are multiple readings one can glean from a text and no reading is the 'true' one‚ and this is okay' and 'not every#reading is a valid one or a good one' are statements that can and should coexist#There is a difference between genuinely reading into a piece of media based on what is happening in it and purposely miscontruing and#twisting canon in a direction that contradicts text so you can then quell all criticism by saying that it's just 'a reading' and#'all readings are valid'#What I'm saying is that if you see a blue car‚ the way you get 'valid readings is people who are determining what shade of blue it is or#what it being a blue car means or the author's intent making the car blue or even speculation as to why it's blue and not potentially other#color. A case of an 'invalid reading' in this case is if someone pointed at the blue car‚ said it's canonically red and the author obviously#intended it to be red and it's canonically red‚ and then when people point out that the car is very much not canonically red (that you#can see it is a very clear shade of blue) this person doubled down and started saying that the 'haters' are being rude by implying that#their personal reading of the text is invalid (in other words 'no you can't get mad at me for saying the blue car is red because it's my#reading of the text and all readings are valid no matter what!')#anyways sorry for going off there#it just pisses me off when people repeat the argument that people who like certain things as fans are inherently unable to perform good#media analysis and are the root of fandom media illiteracy.
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Ironically, my tumblr dashboard's tendency to go fully and exclusively hater mode about fandom-related written works (claiming they're depthless and artless or universally/sweepingly stupid) is just as anti-intellectual as people who blindly consume media without thinking about what it means
If you Only focus on negative aspects of critique of this kind of fan work, and don't recognize the deeper symbolism or introspective qualities of the work and what it might be trying to say about the world, or even why the author might find meaning in things you find strange or off-putting, then you've effectively done the same thing as the guy who swears marvel movies are the best media of all time
#Yeah you're right some art is just kind of subjectively bad#But did you really analyze it's meaning and decide it's not for you?#Or did you just decide that it was bad because you find fandoms cringe bc it's cool to think that now?#You can just think a piece of art is bad or annoying. You don't need a reason or analysis for that. Sometimes a piece art just sucks to me#But the idea that negative critique is inherently more intelligent than praise is reductive.#Neither on their own are actually offering a fully nuanced analysis of a work#Whether that work is a painting on a wall or like. Hannibal fanfiction#It isn't that Hannibal fanfiction is as important as a painting on a wall. Viewing art thru the lens of inherent importance is subjective#But I do think that most art regardless of what it's about deserves good faith. Even if that art is strange or unimportant to you#amygdalae#Turning notifs off now byeeee#That being said I hate Harbin hotel and have no desire to analyze it. I just recognize that I hate it. No need to pretend I'm analyzing it#Bc im not fully analyzing it. I just watched it and hated what I saw and heard. I don't have the time to really explain why.#Do u get what I mean tho like what I'm getting at? Its OK to just be a hater i do it too but dont become an anti intellectual about it
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Brain: Hey what if I told you we'll be starting to develop a crush on that random human being?
Me: Okay! *distance myself from that person and make the relationship seem impossible in my mind until my feelings disappear*
#ways to cope with your feelings: drown them.#in a pool full of piranhas preferably.#just analyzing my own way of functioning and it turns out i have problems#*starts singing the brobecks while running away from my crushes* EEEEVERYONE ISSSS BEEEEETTER THAN MEEEEEE I THINK#no but fr i went from 'doing the unthinkable to be liked back' to 'they won't like me ever let's just drop this shit and run away'#that's why i relate to thins song yes i renounced to my own identity for a guy once#don't recommend it wouldn't do it again if you ever think about doing this slaps yourself ten times in the face and think again please#anyway that's it don't crush on real people they will break you down and let you die alone thank you goodbye#feelings#crush#crushes#being in love#mental health#mental illness#whispers from atlantis
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and btw im in my hater arc rn. as time goes on the more i find a lot of 'fandom' stuff insufferable (i like art n stuff. just the way that fandom refits every media to fit a single mold and set of boring archetypes is exhausting.)
i just get really easily annoyed lately. and have been unfollowing people on a whim a lot. its not personal i promise
#fandom culture has made me actively dislike shit i was fixated on a year ago. looking at your ninja turtles#its not even like what they were doing were particularly offensive it was just exhaustingly boring#im sorry i just really dont care about ur 2 million fics about leo being a sadboy. or one million seperated aus.#theres definetly a part of the whole situation in general which has been me coming to terms with my own internalized misogny#actively re-examining my tendencys to gravity towards male characters#idk maybe its making me dislike art more. but idk. ive always analyzed why i react certain ways to certain things. this isnt new for me#anywaays. i had been following a bunch of ninja turtle blogs and they sorta kept messing around with shows like ninjago too#and at some point i was just like. i dont know if these shows are actually that good guys. i think youjust like shows for little boys#and fandoms tend to shaft female chars so it sure helps that their casts are 98% male .#maybe theyre not your blorbo maybe theyre just Guy McAverageMan. thats not inherently bad but you have to consider it.#guys rottmnt is isnt even that good . its not that good ok. its alright/pretty good. and the movie does a few neat things#i feel like ive become one of those people that turn 18 and then immediately go 'minors dni'. im not there yet but i just.#we're watching kids shows. its ok . you can say it.#you may have noticed ive been reblogging a lot of dungeon meshi stuff. i read it all over the past week.#but here's the thing. i thought it was mid/good for like 70% of it.#i think its got some really really cool worldbuilding ideas and stuff#but i think a lot of the writing was sorta. uninteresting to me.#my discord friends have been raving over izutsumi for months.#but i found her presence in the story to be weird and underdeveloped. she felt out of place and her introduction felt clumsy#i felt when the story was ramping up the manga got a lot better. because again theres some rlly cool ideas at play#all the shit with the lion? incredible. the way all the infighting led to more problems bc the elves refuse to explain anything? rlly good.#marcille landing in power? reallly good shit. (i still thought it was a lil undercooked still tho)#i cant stop thinking about laios in that climax scene. i think he shouldve been feral a lot more often#uhh. i got distracted. fandom bad and annoying.#saw a post talking about marcille realizing izutsumi is only 17 and then describing how 'omg shes a mom now' and i wanted to throw up#im done. i swear. im done talking for real. aagh#text
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oh God. oh f*ck no just realized this after his conversation with Randy but Eliot was abused as a kid wasn't he. something happened there
#tv: leverage#leverage#leverage s2#the order 23 job#local gay watches Leverage (or their first American series in fucking years and gets a shiny new OT3 to show for it).txt#i literally do not give a flying f*ck and a half and three quarters if the show turns around and tells me that's not why later in canon#i refuse to f*cking believe it. i refuse to bc you don't understand you don't get it between the way he reacts to Nate's#drinking in the Snow Job and then how invested he is in Randy during the Order 23 Job.....................#you can't just write it off like that i am convinced this man went through hell in his childhood. the f*ck actually#God. not another traumatized character for me to analyze and adopt i have enough of them already pls
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im so bad at separating the art from the artist
#it takes me MONTHS to be able to enjoy their character or the music or whatever they do instead of just seeing what they stand for#i didnt rb any gifs of noah for months and now im getting back into byler and stranger things cuz i miss it but its still so hard for me#i see him and i dont see will i see a zionist and i am just filled with disgust#his face has become a reminder for me to do my daily clicks#and yes i did just obsess over yellowjackets for like 10 months straight but a big reason why i stopped byler posting everyday is bc of him#which sucks cuz i fucking love that ship and i LOVED analyzing it#and im seeing everyone else just byler posting constantly and it makes me feel kinda crazy#like are you just mentally good at separating the art and you dont support him or are you a fucking zionist too#theres so many noah apologists in the byler fandom.....#and blogs i loved too!!!!!#gathering my clips for the s3 gifset rn thats what caused this ramble#theres a solo shot of will that i love and it would be such a good gif but i dont think ill put it in#im turning anons off for a bit#yall were fuckin mean last time i spoke about it i literally almost deactivated
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#pickle pontificates#girl help is the lilyorcharddungeonmeshi video gonna be what finally drives me to make a video essay now that school's over#or am i just gonna watch it and rant to my sister and then forget about it as usual#OR am i gonna decide to be normal and not watch things i know are gonna make me mad#i barely know anything about The Discourse surrounding her and i do not care#i just know i saw the steven universe video and another one awhile back and i kept watching because i was hoping in good faith#that there would be A Point#but there never was#it's just a really weird anger and vitriol and attempt to justify not liking something by arguing that it's bad#and a stubborn insistence on analyzing the separate parts of a thing without even attempting to see whether there's anything#in how the parts fit together. like that's media analysis 101. you see what's there. you see how it fits together. you interpret it#you turn it around and play with the interpretations#you try to figure out what the author was trying to convey and then you look at what you got out of it and what others got out of it#you acknowledge that stuff can be good and you can still hate it. or you acknowledge that stuff can be bad and you can still like it#and you acknowledge that sometimes stuff is just neutral and may have different effects on different people#not just ''raaaaaagh this character did bad things and is therefore bad and irredeemable and there is no other option''#newsflash babe. most characters are like that#and like. i acknowledge that there may be ragebait at play here#but i do like engaging with weirdo opinions sometimes because it gives me a chance to articulate my own feelings and investigate why#i feel that way#but i do have to be careful to make sure i'm not just getting off on being mad and falling down the hole for no reason so. we'll see#edit: i remember what it was now it was the writing tips video#it's the weird black and white there's only one way to do art and i'm right about it all the time attitude
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