#its one thing to agree or disagree with someone elses opinion and its one thing to start calling people names

[lewyn-martell]

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[thesunisatangerine]

Stop being a weirdo, Alexia literally talked with Mapi during the game on Saturday, saw it with my own eyes, not everything needs to be on social media

'weirdo', hmm is that what you always call someone for expressing an observation? someone who doesn't have the same opinion or set of eyes as you?

and if you comprehended what i wrote in the tags, its literally what you just sent me. im merely implying that its not a good look for her because, like it or not, she is a PUBLIC figure and with that, along with her title captain, comes expectations so what happens if those expectations don't get satisfied? people talk, people discuss. and discourse is what we're doing here on tumblr, on a social media site, where people talk and discuss.

[kisskissgotohell]

i just wanna point out that, like. it's okay to disagree with the main character. just because they're the pov of the story doesn't mean they're infallible or that their word is law? you can like that character that tried to kill the mc. you can think the mc made the wrong choice. you can forgive things that the mc would never forgive, or choose not to forgive things that the mc does, because you're not the main character. you are the reader of the story, and just because you can't change it (and it's not the author's responsibility to capitulate to fans) doesn't mean you can't form your own opinions about it. it's fictional! that's the point! have fun with it!!

[zoroslost]

I can’t stop thinking about Lawlu being in a relationship where no one can figure out what the relationship is and everyone has a different opinion

Like Jimbe joining the crew and having to figure out what’s going on with them but not wanting to seem nosy so he goes to everyone else to ask them.

He goes to Zoro first, who only stops his exercise for a moment to tell him that he doesn’t know and he doesn’t care. And Chopper, trying to be cool like Zoro, saying the same thing even though he really wants to know because actually has no idea what their relationship is.

Then Nami and Ussop who are gossiping in the crows nest join the conversation by Nami just saying “oh they've definitely explored each others bodies.” And Ussop disagreeing because Law is just so creepy.

Then Franky popping up and crying about how they’re just such good bros and their friendship is so SUPER. Brook 100% agrees with Nami and the two of them start speculating.

When Sanji eventually joins the conversation he adds that he thinks that they are still pining and haven’t gotten together yet. He's trying to seem nonchalant but internally is very envious over their mutual feelings and thinks its very romantic.

Meanwhile Robin, who is the only person who actually knows what’s going on (and cares because Zoro actually does know he just doesn’t give a shit), refuses to answer because the disagreements are much more entertaining.

Bonus: Law and Luffy also don’t know what’s going on

Luffy thinks they’re married but that Law just isn’t interested in romantic or sexual stuff and that’s fine with him because he isn’t particularly either.

Law thinks his feelings toward Luffy are unrequited and teleports away anytime someone suggests that he might have feelings so he’ll never figure out that most people think otherwise.

(The Heart Pirates just want their captain to admit that he enjoys spending time with Luffy so they can stop having to come up with excuses to run into the Strawhats and just plan meet ups like normal people)

[wolfstarwereinlove]

honestly even if izoch didnt become canon, i think they still had the best conclusion out of any relationships. the last climax of the final war was their talk, izuku basically calling ochako his hero and holding her hand? meanwhile we havent even gotten an actual talk between bkdk and izuku didnt even acknowledge anything bakugo did for him. thats why many people think hori chickened out from confirming izuoch and just left it soft canon/implied at the end.

i disagree with u, but i respect your opinion, i will show why i disagree tho

first:

izuku and ochako are definitely important to each other this is canon and is beyond love relationship, they are friends first, like everyone in class 1A, this is the canon part that is not implied. Obviously if some people view more as love it’s ok too!

but now let’s talk about the importance of the acknowledgment of the hero thing and the hold hands in mha!

calling someone hero there is to show how this person is important, it’s not romantic at all. Izuku is kota and eri’s hero and obviously this is not romantic, it’s a way to show to that person how much their existence impacted on them. (and shoto also said something similar about izuku being he’s hero) And izuku calling ochako hero there make total sense, why? because she was struggling because she didn’t save himiko, that’s way he said that ochako was he’s hero, because even tho he couldn’t say that she was himiko’s hero deku needed to show her that she is important as a person, not as a friend, not as a lover, as a hero.

and i love this part because shows a lot about uraraka’s development! and i will also say the importance of him calling her by hero and not heroine, as her japanese VA said, uraraka is a hero so she is a woman that goes there and worked for her own things as a HERO, she recived and sacrificed herself for that work, if hori used heroine so this would make them being implied because heroine is the love interest, the girl who is a hero but is always saved, and kidnapped, and used as a weapon of torture, to disturb the hero

and who recived that cargo? katsuki.

now the hand hold, this is way more symbolic because it’s like a izuku’s thing and iz//chas used that as the biggest reason just because the hand hold has more history with bkdk than with anyone else 💀, but in mha holding a hand is to support someone or/and asking if they are by someone’s side, just because someone hold the others hand this doesn’t imply nothing and i say that for bkdk too! Iida, kirishima, ochako, aoyama, tenko, all of them had their holding hand, kiri with katsuki and the rest with izuku and this just shows the importance of the “hold hands”

but why this is important for bkdk? because katsuki rejected. Again this doesn’t mean that they are a romantic pair! BUT ITS MORE SPECIAL BECAUSE ITS THEM. the thing is the whole bkdk development was around that fucking river scene with the no hold hand, so the importance of this to bkdk is to show their development and their relationship, but not to say like omg they are canon, if was just because of this so half of mha would be canon. And the problem is that iz//chas misunderstood that and made this as the final point, but there was just two friends talking about how ochako was sad because of himiko (who i dare say had more impact in ochako’s life than deku did, because she showed to uraraka her importance and made uraraka understand more the villans and watch them with another eyes)

and obviously the reaching for izuku’s hand is one of the biggest reasons why the hold hand with bkdk is important in another level, this represents katsuki accepting izuku and he’s friendship, it’s when he decided to be different, to be better and be with izuku for the rest of their lives

second:

i’ll be sincere to you, i also missed a scene with a bkdk talk. But i do not agree when u said that izu//ocha had the best conclusion, because mha is about izuku and katsuki. The manga started with them and ended with them (and all might). Platonic, romantic, whatever they are, they had the best conclusion because the show revolves around them, without one there would not have the other.

All katsuki’s development was around izuku and he’s relationship with izuku, everything he did was to izuku or for izuku, he grow up, he died, he cried, he trusted, he changed because he understood through his relationship with Izuku.

And izuku didn’t have to acknowledge anything because he already trusted katsuki even from the beginning and izuku called katsuki he’s hero a long time ago, AND izuku saw katsuki crying because he lost he’s quirk so he knows.

they know eachother more than themselves so has no need to do such things.

third:

izu//cha was not implied at all in the final, they didn’t even talked in the time skip, while bkdk talked before and after so, has nothing implied there is actually about iz//cha

but kacchan spending years saving money with their classmates and all might (with him being the heart of it) and working harder everyday so izuku and him could be heroes together for the rest of their lives? oh this is a romantic thing to talk about

and he finally reaching his hand back? i dare say CINEMA

[myfandomrealitea]

I really wanted to ask you about this:

Do you have any advice of how to develop critical thinking and media literacy?

There are many, many ways you can practice critical thinking, evaluation and media literacy. At its most basic, you can access student resources for lower levels of education like earlier high school years and look at the examples and guidance given there. Rehashing this will often give you a good foundation to build off of and apply.

One of the main aspects of critical thinking involves discerning what is fact and what is opinion. A good portion of media analytics is opinion. What is 'bad' by one person's standards is 'sub-par' or even 'great' by another's. Similarly, the majority of fandom space is opinion-based. The main pitfall of fandom spaces is that everyone wants their opinion to be taken as fact, which is where critical thinking and even basic communication begin to fall away.

"I'm right and you're wrong" and "this is the way it should be, if you do it or think differently, you're wrong" are common roadblocks people run into when engaging with things like media analysis and even basic fandom activities like fanfiction.

'Mischaracterisation' is fanfiction is one popular topic, especially here on Tumblr. What people often fail to recognize is the true creative depth of fanfiction and using someone else's pre-existing characters. Characters as they are in the source material may not make the choices or behave in the ways necessary to activate or validate certain plot material or author intentions in fanfiction. Which is, inherently, one of the main points of fanfiction. Exploring the alternate.

While you might immediately recoil and say "he'd never do that!" you then have to sit back and recognise that that's exactly the point. That this iteration of that character is not meant to directly reflect the source material. Its a re-imagining, a re-interpretation. That doesn't mean its bad. Its simply different.

'Mischaracterisation' is only actually applicable in fandom spaces when someone is trying to insist as a blanket fact that a character would do something or behave in a way that blatantly contradicts their canon behavior, opinions, morals and perspective or deliberately interpreting an action in biased bad faith. It is not actually applicable to fanfiction where creative liberty dictates you can do whatever the fuck you want with a character because you're not trying to claim it as part of the source content.

Questions To Ask Yourself

Am I reacting to [media] emotionally instead of rationally? Is my emotional response to [media] blinding me to the rational or critical approach(es)?

Am I allowing my expectations to get in the way of me understanding [media] fully? Am I forming a biased negative opinion of [media] because it isn't meeting my expectations?

Even if I disagree with [media], do I actually understand it? Can I recognise the reasoning behind choices made or actions even if I don't agree with them?

Am I searching too hard to hidden meaning or purpose in absolutely everything? Can I recognise what is simply passive information/detail and what is active information/detail? (E.g; English tutors saying a character's curtains are blue because they're depressed when throughout the literature its passively reinforced that blue is the character's favorite color.)

Even though I disagree with the statement or opinion shown, is it necessary to argue against it? Is there any benefit to making my counter-opinion known or is it simply a no-end argument? Am I just using arguing as a means of release/fulfilment? Am I treating this person poorly because of their opinion/statement?

Resources

Critical Thinking Exercises & Explanations #1 The Critical Thinking Activity Workbook Early Stage Critical Thinking Games Five Media Literacy Activities Six Media Literacy Ideas

[shiny-jr]

hello! this is like the first time I'm sent an ask on this app ever so i hope I don't embarrass myself 😭 this isn't a request at all so dw!! sorry if this is super long!!

I wanted to say how I loved you wrote the MC's in the damnation au. I was on your page when I saw someone talking about how the MC's act and how they are inherently bad people at heart and their actions show that.(That really captured what I had thought so kudos to them 👊🔥) I love the idea on bad people just doing bad people things for their own gain and reading their thoughts while also (somehow) gaining the attention and (obsessive) love of the other characters even if the MC's did not have the best intentions for them at all. Even if it was under the guise of wanting the best for them, I love how you portrayed that.

I also wanted to talk about how the MC's react to the characters idk how to word this but like confessing(??) their love with the intention of keeping by their side whether they like it or not and the MC's not being okay with that. I love how you wrote their reactions and how you just wrote that they are not happy at all with that arrangement.

Its probably just me but I don't like MC's who just go along with a Yan's and like love them. Its always felt very, very icky to me. This is probably just my own opinion but I don't like how some MC's focus on loving a Yan and ignoring the stuff they do for them or worse acknowledging it and just flat out ignoring it or seeing it as some weird love language. But what makes this worse for me is how readers react to a Yan's actions. I never liked how readers would comment that "it's so hot that their doing bad things for us" or like "OMG like take me" like um ew??? This would also apply to authors since I mean they are the ones writing it. I love the MC's not liking being kept under lock and wanting their freedom. I also like how the MC's don't grow attached to the Yan's in the story and how their just playing along.

Anyways, I just wanna say I love your writing and this au. The concept is super interesting and I love how the MC's are written and portrayed. I'm looking forward to more!!

Feel free to ignore this and super sorry if this feels really wordy!! Thank you!

Don't apologize, I love reading super long messages that go into depth like this! My only regret is that I usually don't know what to say by the end of it, especially without sounding repetitive if a previous ask brought up similar topics. The point is, I don't want to sound like a broken record, agreeing or disagreeing and saying the same things over and over again.

Anyways, I think one I haven't talked about too much is the acceptance of yanderes. I have talked about it here and there, but not as much as other topics. You'll never see me writing an mc that truthfully and wholly accepts the yandere. The only instance of an mc accepting a yandere that I will write, is if the mc is using them and doesn't truly love/want them. Such as the mcs from damnation that play along with the roles to reach whatever devious goal they have in mind. So yeah, I agree with you on that part.

I can't think of much else to add because I only recently woke up, so sorry about that. 😭

[hawkins-batman]

hey dude um so i saw the post you made replying to someone else's post about noah and, while i do agree with you, i don't think that you or any of the anons should be specifically finding noah antis. that just kind of starts discourse and people are allowed to express their opinions, even if they differ from yours.

i know this happened to one of my good friends recently (noihavenosanitythanksforasking) and they were kind of shook up from what happened. i'm glad that you try to educate people, and it also comes across as a bit more personal and rude than someone who just wants to help.

i'm very sorry if any of this has come across as rude, i promise that is not my intention and i'm just trying to show that those people are also just people and its not their fault that they don't have all the information. i dont know if "kindness is the key" sounds cheesy, but it is very true.

blocking them and not interacting is probably the best thing to do instead of finding them just to disagree and having anons find posts and send them to you. if you or anyone else doesn't like what someone else posts, it's best just to scroll (and even block! that is definitely an option and i see you're doing that already so good job 👍)

sorry about this ramble and when you reply to this, if you do, i just want you to know that this was sent with the best intentions and also this is not about noah, anything that happened with him, or other people's views on it. this is just about how you could deal with people with differing views from you a bit better than what you have done in the past.

kisses kisses and byler endgame, love, anon

You weren’t rude — so don’t worry! However, I am going to push back (kindly - since you were kind).

First, I suppose I should say that I don’t seek these people out. Most of them I find during my daily scrolls of socials. Other times, mutuals will link me to them, and sometimes people will send them via Ask. But I don’t go looking for “Noah antis.”

Second, and more importantly, I want you to do a hypothetical with me. You saw someone getting viciously bullied. Not a friend, but nevertheless, other people were threatening them, calling them slurs, and harassing their family. They were also spreading lies to continue to inflame others to bully them.

With me so far? You’d want to stick up for them, right? Because there’s really no pretext before which any of that behavior is okay, right?

Now imagine, a year in to this relentless bullying campaign, you STILL see people spreading the lies, getting others inflamed, reigniting the bullying again and again. Imagine you KNOW that this endless bombardment has sent them to therapy and driven them from any place that gives them joy.

Would you just ignore that? Would you turn a blind eye? Would you chalk that up to just a “different opinion”?

I hope not. Because I won’t.

I’m sorry your friend was shaken up. But I’m one person. Noah gets the treatment I just described to you from HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of people. There are hate accounts with 40K+ followers solely dedicated to posting things like this bit of homophobia:

Look at the likes on that.

And that’s one post. That doesn’t even show the ones wanting to kill him. Or do viler things.

Or how about these cheering for his suicide (EDIT —> see the bottom of the post)

He can’t just log off and ignore them or block theee people either because they send it to his home. His family. They track him in public and send his location to big accounts that will tweet it out hoping someone will hurt him.

So, I mean this with sincerity: Good. I’m glad your friend was shaken up. I hope to shake up more people before I’m done. Maybe they’ll think twice before spreading lies that inflame people to post shit like that 👆🏻

That’s not a difference of opinion. I don’t mind if people simply don’t like Noah. But be honest. Do you post about people you don’t like? No. This is not simply disliking Noah. It’s contributing to homophobia and antisemitism and it’s wrong.

And until people get their senses back, I carry on.

[eebibly]

I don’t reaaaally like the stardresses

But not for the same reason I’ve seen others dislike them? The biggest argument I see against Lucy’s stardresses is that it’s too much like Erza’s requip. I don’t disagree with that specifically. The thing is, in a roundabout way, I would argue that the issue with Lucy’s dresses is actually more of a reflection of the issue with Erza’s power (which I may or may not make a post about). What I mean is, if Erza’s magic was better developed, Lucy’s magic would seem more original.

Much like almost every other magic in this lazy-ass written universe, I don’t like the ‘rules’ (or lack thereof) for summoning them. The power scaling in FT is infamously terrible, so I’m basically preaching to the choir, but brain rot takes over my typey fingees sometimes.

So I’ve been reading the manga because the anime recently upset me, therefore I’d now rather quickly read through FT: 100YQ than invest a lot of emotional energy in an adaptation that really slows the pacing of its printed counterpart. That being said:

Part 1: Aquarius

First of all, I don’t agree with the fact that Lucy can still use Aquarius’s stardress. I understand that it was gifted to her by the Celestial King during Tartaros, but that only should have lasted as long as that war. I think it undermines Aquarius’s sacrifice and I also believe it would have benefited Lucy and her goals as a character for 100YQ. Giving Lucy Aquarius’s stardress could have represented the end of an era but the start of a new one. And it does, ostensibly. Aquarius is basically Lucy’s first spirit, someone who has both a strong connection with Lucy and with her mother. It’s a difficult bond to break, but a testament to Lucy letting go of a piece of her past to protect her present bonds. As a reward for such a sacrifice, the Celestial King gives her one last chance to fight for her future with an old friend’s power. It’s a beautiful moment that acts as closure for Aquarius’s “loss”, but also a hint at the new possibilities for Lucy’s new abilities. And that’s all it needed to be.

However, despite the fact that her contract with Aquarius is, for that time being, null and void, Lucy now overuses ‘Aqua Metria’ at every turn instead of bothering to actually summon the spirits with whom she currently has contracts (and seriously, is there no reason she can’t use Regulus Impact? I feel like it accomplishes the same… impact). This paragraph is just me venting, I find it quite annoying… Not to mention that not having the dress until she gets the key back could be something else to look forward to! Also Aquarius’s dress is probably my least favourite… so boring and just another excuse for Mashima to draw as little clothes on Lucy as often as possible.

Part 2: Borrowed power

Or at least, I feel that her stardresses should be considered borrowing a part of her spirits’ powers. Celestial magic is unique in that the wizard doesn’t just need to understand the mechanics of it, or how the magic flows within oneself. It also requires an extra level of bond and trust for it to function at its fullest. It’s actually a really beautiful power, one that I really admire. Which is why I’m so sad that it’s so misrepresented by its own creator. This is my opinion, but considering that summoning spirits is the main facet of her magic, I strongly feel that summoning a stardress should cost more power than opening a gate as well as be less powerful than the spirit whose dress it belongs to. That way, it’s still more worth it to summon the spirit, but is also a testament to the wizard’s magic power and their bond with their spirit since they are willing to expend even more power just to be able to fight alongside them. Not only that, but it feels to me like the dresses should be the spirits sharing their power with Lucy. However, it feels more like Lucy is summoning an entirely different entity that scales purely on her own magic power. Doesn’t that make her spirits obsolete? She barely ever summons them anymore because it seems that choosing to summon a stardress and skipping the spirit is not only more cost effective, but also makes her combat more efficient. If she fights better by herself than with her spirits, why even have spirits?

Considering how poorly written the spirits are, I’d almost argue that the stardresses, and only the stardresses, should’ve been Lucy’s power from the start. If you can’t do it right, then don’t do it at all.

On that topic:

Part 3: Is he bored of them?

I’m genuinely wondering if Mashima grew tired of his own concept. And by that I mean, the spirits specifically. Because he clearly loves the moral behind them. You love and respect them even if they’re not human. A moral developed really well, at least as far as I’ve seen in the anime, in Edens Zero. I won’t spoil it because this is a post about Fairy Tail, but I really like how that moral is done in that story. But he made 2 major mistakes in Fairy Tail. 1) Celestial wizards are rare. How can you fight for a cause if there is no cause to fight for? He tries to make up for this by Lucy starting to connect with other characters in the way the other protagonists just can’t, like Eclair from Phoenix Priestess and Athena from 100YQ. Great, point for Lucy’s character, really well done. Why can’t she extend that to her spirits on-screen? 2) he seems to have decided that because the spirits aren’t human, they must be one-note?? And only one spirit can have depth at a time. When he needed Aquarius to matter, Loke devolved into the thats-my-wife-guy. Meanwhile Aquarius evolved from raging PMS b*tch to ‘well maybe I do love Lucy after all -3-’.

He has written so so so many characters into his canon, but the celestial spirits, nooo that’s too much to keep track of. Despite how much he hammers home that they matter as much as everybody else. Worst of all, most of the time that they’re summoned, Lucy just seems annoyed or disturbed. So which is it???

Part 4: Help

I wish I could let go, someone help.

If you got this far, thanks for reading ✌️

[heartofbusan]

https://www.tumblr.com/heartofbusan/761266981122048000/nuanced-its-always-very-telling-isnt-it-when?source=share

Agreed. I was reading the comments of a AYS reaction video where the reactor asked about Jimin and Taehyung fighting (remember in episode 6 Jimin mentioned the members used to fight a lot) and tkkrs on the comments keep saying that unlike the other Jungkook and Taehyung never fight each other and that's why they're so special a.k.a that's why they're a couple. And I was like, have these people ever been in a relationship? Hell, have they even ever seen other people in a relationship? Cause if there's a couple in this earth that never fought then there's something up going on there. Of course couples shouldn't be fighting all the time, but a fight here and there is normal. When you spend a lot time with a person and have a strong emotional relationship with them, you're bound to clash. People who never fight are people in a more mild, most likely plantonic relationship where there isn't a lot of intense feelings so it's easy to never get on each other's nerves. All the biggest fights I've ever had have been with the people closest to me. There's a certain type of anger or disappointment that can only be caused by the people who mean the most to you, people who make you feel the most, and sometimes those feelings won't be positive.

Think of the whole pink sausage situation (I'm sorry I can't take that name seriously, why is ever BTS fight about food?). Notice how Jungkook didn't care much that Taehyung disagreed with him. He cared that he was being disagreed with but not that Taehyung was the one doing it. But the moment Jimin agreed with Taehyung instead of Jungkook he immediately got upset. Even though Taehyung was the one who started the argument, Jimin was the one Jungkook was upset with, cause that's who's opinion he cares about. If your friend disagrees with you then that's annoying but you'll get over it. But if it's your partner taking someone else's side instead of yours? Yeah, that's gonna get to you.

But the thing with tkkrs is that they have a very surface level understanding of what a romantic relationship is. They don't know what a real couple should be like because they don't ship a real couple, they ship a fictional one. And in fiction romance is always easier and less complicated then in real life. In real life there's no "And they lived happily ever after", but there's "And they lived in ways that were sometimes messy and sometimes difficult to get through, but the important part is that they lived" and that's more than enough.

When indifference starts to creep up inside of a relationship, that's when you know it's very low stakes for that person. Nothing to gain, nothing to lose there. Just stick to the status quo because it's easy that way, and you know what you can and cannot expect. Such friendships are easy and safe to maintain, especially when you're both very busy.

If, however, one is passionate and fiery regarding someone else's opinion and what will that person think of this topic, and how will they like that topic ect..whoah boy, that's when you know a relationship still has plenty of spark to last a lifetime because there is still curiosity there.

I totally agree. There's never a dull day whenever jikook are together.

[wickmitz]

How do you think about Frepper? I'm neutral about this ship, but the fans Frepper attitude towards confuses me, Ivy and Freckle have only been dating for a week and know each other superficially, but everyone already thinks that by the end of the comic they will get married, I think differently, I think that in the end they will break up with each other because they are too different personalities, I literally can't imagine that both of them will be happy with each other in marriage, Ivy is assertive and active, on the other hand Freckle is passive and just agrees with Ivy, this is not a guarantee of a healthy relationship where a partner completely dominates the other, plus to all that, I will not forget how their relationship started, Ivy just decided that they were dating, and without asking Freckle's permission, she just KISSED him, again without his permission, Frepper fans think that it's cute, but when I saw it, I thought "what the hell did I just see?", in general, it's strange for me that Frepper fans are okay with such things, of course later Freckle shows attraction to Ivy, showing that he likes her in some way too, but I still won't forget how their relationship started and how Freckle used to try to escape from Ivy when she squeezed his hand tightly and forced him to her …

I'm not against Frepper, but I don't understand his fans who don't see these issues and who treat other points of view on their relationship (like mine) as … um, as nonconformity? Fans from reddit are just obsessed with Frepper, I don't know about other networks but that's how it is on reddit, I think there are people who have my opinion but are afraid to say it because of fans, of course, I met Frepper fans there who normally accept such an opinion, but still there is a feeling that such a opinion cannot be told

Simply put, Ivy and Freckle are a couple that will eventually break up with each other unless there's an event between them in the comic that changes my opinion of this couple, but that's how I feel about Freckle for now. I didn't plan to express my opinion, but it happened that way, I hope you don't mind it

first and foremost, i don’t mind seeing someone express their opinion in my inbox! you and anyone else are free to do so, even if i may disagree. this blog’s entire existence was made for me to share my opinions ( and love! ) for lackadaisy, as well as engaging with other fans, because what else is the point of a fandom blog? and as far as i’m aware, this is unpopular opinion central! most of my thoughts aren’t exactly the ones with the most voice behind them i’ve found, so i welcome all manner of different views. every fan is entitled to their own perspectives and opinions, and should be allowed to share them as they please! but with that disclaimer out of the way, i’m more than willing to discuss frepper in its entirety.

for me, there’s little confusion i carry where it concerns this ship’s popularity amongst the fandom. freckle and ivy, if we are to strip them down to their bare essentials, are a rather stereotypically ‘cute’ relationship : people enjoy opposites ( see zibwick or vikdecai for example ) and there’s an endearing quality found in puppy love dynamics. seeing ivy wear the pants and drag a shy freckle around by his ankle makes for quality content in a way! think the ‘excuse me, but he asked for no pickles!’ meme … ivy and freckle very much fit that sort of mold, and it helps that most fans are too scared to ship them with other characters in the cast too, due to what they perceive to be a lack of options. thus, frepper is an extremely ‘safe’ ship! you cannot get in trouble for enjoying something that is not only canon, but is relatively adorable ; and so i don’t believe a lot of the fans are actually thinking too deeply about the likely endgame of it all. most don’t! it’s fun to ship, and that’s all they really need i think. it’s also very easy to dismiss ivy’s forwardness as a quirk of being a young girl who’s of her temperament, recklessly boycrazy although still carrying sweet intent. this behavior is easier to hand wave when neither ivy or freckle are experienced at the dating scene as well … freckle due to his extremely religious upbringing and hermit nature, and ivy because of viktor’s constant meddling, which would hold her back more than you’d think. with that said, i don’t think any of this is excessively complicated. some shippers are rather simple minded and do not care for details and characterization all too deeply. enjoying dynamics is, at its core, supposed to be fun -- which makes simple ships like frepper prime targets for a very vocal and tight knit fanbase. there are other things i could speculate about why these two may hit so pleasantly for others, like how there’s an underlying queer theme to it ( what with ivy being the pursuer and freckle the shy, blushing flower ) or that it’s tropey enough to hit the right spots for others … though it all boils back to mere speculation. perhaps they still have time to escape this gangster lifestyle and live happily ever after? and that appeals to the lackadaisy fans who still want some sort of happy ending? it’s all a combination of frepper being easy, i think, and containing two young cats who still haven’t done anything particularly ‘unforgivable’ yet action wise. this is a ship you can root for without an ounce of worry in your heart, and so on and so forth.

but although i understand why others are so vocal about them, i don’t exactly agree with fanon’s views either! while i heavily enjoy frepper, i enjoy them as they are, and that includes their looming flaws and inevitable tragedy. they are bound to break each other’s hearts a lot on their current path ; even if they were entirely perfect for one another, this lifestyle isn’t kind to anyone, meaning if they don’t separate, they could always be forced apart via bullets and such anyway. they are young and woefully inexperienced in a manner of things, the last thing they need is the stress of a rumrunner life driving their every action, you know? i know people see them getting out together, and that is likely on the table! i do see that in many ways, but i’m also of the opinion that ivy and freckle will diverge onto different paths at some point and temporarily call it quits. from where the comic currently stands and given my view on ivy’s arc, i see her growing disillusioned with where she is and the honor and fun she saw within it as a royal spectator will fade ; she will become wary, fearful, and her resilience will die … meanwhile freckle will embrace it, similar to his cousin, fully understanding what it is and what he’s getting into ( like rocky, again ) but being unable to leave his refuge. i know lots of people think freckle will leave the lackadaisy first, but given his old concepts and former title as one of mitzi’s ‘trouble boys’, i think he will become lost in the sauce for a myriad of reasons. frankly i enjoy that twist on their relationship! since i believe ivy’s character development will revolve around maturing, changing as time stretches forward, because her character is ever growing, what with her entire schtick being the fact she’s everything a 1920s girl was during those times. she embodies that unladylike youth and manipulative sweetness, so i’d imagine a lot of her path is falling from such naive thrill seeking and stumbling upon a harsh reality. she will mature, and the very thing that should make their relationship stronger will be what divides them indefinitely. everything they have is founded on this bloody, varnished soaked ground after all … they are young adults who are experiencing what closeness feels like outside of family or platonic friends for the first time, so naturally they will overindulge in their own amateur games ; find respite in the boogie and kiss like couples do on the silver screen, laugh about it, talk about everything and nothing at all … relish in each other’s warmth and stupidly loyal protection. i’m sure frepper will grow closer before any falling out, because as it stands, it’s one of the few things they have in such a scary situation that feels comforting and kind. they will impact each other in the fundamental ways first relationships do and, to move towards your biggest gripe, do things they’ll regret or allow things to happen to them that they’re not entirely okay with.

ivy is very forceful with freckle initially, albeit in her typical saturated way ; and i can see why that would be hard to parse! especially when freckle spends a majority of their first scenes together squirming away and hiding, trying to duck her affections and bolt for it. there is a lot of boundary crossing between them! but not in a necessarily malicious way … like most things with frepper, this circles back to their mutual inexperience and how, in a lot of ways, this is their first ‘serious’ romantic relationship ever. and it’s rather common for such firsts to involve gray areas, since neither party is entirely sure of what their own boundaries are just yet! while freckle did appear frightened by ivy at first, it’s important to note that tracy’s mentioned him having a flight response whenever girls flirt with him … he is prone to run away instinctively, which if you consider his extremely religious upbringing, isn’t exactly a surprise. nina would no doubt look down upon freckle engaging with girls his age due to what most girls his age are currently doing in the roaring 20s they’re living in. sneaking out and engaging in illegal activities, dancing in a way that would disgust most of the more traditional and older generation, casually engaging in any manner of sexual activity before marriage, etc etc. and this isn’t even listing freckle’s cagey nature due to an incident we know was bad enough to send rocky packing for years, and fundamentally changed freckle himself at such a young and impressionable age. he is … very troubled! and rather scared of himself and the world around him … at this stage in life, freckle is perpetually unable to make any progress towards anything he may want, and so i have little problem myself with ivy mostly taking the lead. when left to his own devices and allowed to choose outside of influence, freckle did in fact sneak out of his mother’s house to go to the lackadaisy, surely well aware that ivy’s intention had been romantically inclined. so, to me, he has always liked her ; perhaps found her cute, in a shallow way, saw her eccentric behavior as endearing and frightening in equal measure, and while he’s still wading into this whirlwind pool unsteady and shaken, he -- wouldn’t mind it if ivy pushed a little more, or moved him around to her ( and what she perceives to be, their ) liking. perhaps this dynamic is familiar enough to him that it becomes comforting, since rocky was very much the same way in their adolescence. tugging freckle around and pulling his tail for whatever rocky wanted them to do, with little care for whatever his baby cousin desired at the time, ignoring his protests and chasing him ; nobody’s at fault here either, kids are extremely self absorbed and this is a flaw they’ll usually mature past, and while ivy and freckle are adults during the comic, i don’t think ivy’s outgrown this linear view on things just yet. she is extremely entitled! she is used to being the apple of everyone’s eye at the speakeasy due to her jazz baby status as atlas may’s goddaughter, and this gangster connection excites and awes the ladies she attends classes with at her university too. ivy pepper is used to getting her way and this has only fueled her determined attitude, her ‘pull it up by the bootstraps’ mindset, and in many ways, this is something of a flaw for her. it’s not bad to be confident and headstrong, although when you add that into a dangerous mix of rumrunning and gunslinging, it may become a problem rather quickly. but i digress! point is, ivy and freckle are hardly at fault for the awkward way they handled the start of their relationship, when it’s so new and fresh to them both.

neither of them have boundaries at this moment, as they either have no clue what those are or simply haven’t realized they should set them. so, in turn, there are things that the other may do that could cause their partner discomfort … and it’s mostly done out of obliviousness and good intentions and your classic dose of intense affection. doesn’t mean it isn’t messed up to a degree, but i think it’s rather realistic, and is a hard truth that comes with many first relationships of that sort. sometimes you don’t know how to say ‘no,’ or you agree and regret agreeing later, or perhaps you simply don’t understand there’s certain things you aren’t ready for or genuinely just don’t like. again, it’s a very muddied area, and the two of them are vaguely navigating what is mostly foreign to them. they’re bound to mess up! so i ivy some slack here, and applaud tracy on the realistic writing more than anything usually. young love also happens to be a great device to use for inexperienced characters finding themselves, through the good and bad of their relationship, and frepper is all about that. maybe freckle will inevitably bring up how he feels like he would’ve preferred it had ivy asked him out properly, or gave him time to court her in a traditional fashion … and she will be surprised ( and a little wounded ) by this, since she had never considered it before … too used to her way of things to realize there’s another path they could take. i think this aspect of the relationship is important, and i can understand wishing that more frepper shippers would view it as such, or comment on it's morally gray nature without just calling it ‘cute’ and leaving it at that.

tldr : they will most certainly break up at some point, maybe even multiple times! tracy has said before that they both have some serious maturing to do if their relationship is to be long lasting, and i doubt that maturing will happen to them both at once … since they have different things to work on emotionally. but they will probably strongarm some major personal development within each other, as well as love one another with a fierceless abandon that most kids do. i could see them getting married, i could see them not, but i agree that if they were to be wed happily, they’d have significant hurdles to overcome. but personally, frepper is something i adore mostly due to the impact they’re bound to cause each other, and even if they are to separate and find someone new and more fitting, they’ll always remember one another -- perhaps fondly, and sadly, and with some anger. a time they’d like to forget, but a person they’d like to remember … which is my cup of tea overall! they much more interest me as they presently are anyway, where i can fiddle around with their budding romance and friendship bonding. and as lackadaisy grows in popularity, i do hope there’s more frepper fans who see their complexity and flaws and explore them with all of it in mind.

anyway! i hope this was coherent, and that it was obvious that i agreed with you for the most part. i haven’t really talked about frepper before with anyone so many of these thoughts sort of burst out of me! and i feel like i have more to elaborate upon, but for the sake of simplicity i kept this short. oh well! surely this is enjoyable and informative regardless.

[esta-elavaris]

A/N: So, this is the same OC that I wrote with Beckett a little over a year ago, but I have since begun another full-length (non-Beckett) fic that features an OC with the name I’m using in that, so this OC used to be Cora, and is now Clara. So totally different. The depths of my imagination continues to induce awe.

Also a disclaimer – what little I know of the British peerage system is more around hierarchy, and what I have gleaned via excessive period drama consumption. There will be flaws here. I am mildly sorry for them x

Was there anything more tedious than the festive season?

That wasn’t a rhetorical question – for the answer was yes, and Clara was discovering that first-hand. Guests during the festive season. Especially when one was an eligible young bachelorette, with already two seasons under her belt and no husband. At least her mother was despairing. That was rather funny. Though she kept that from her face and tongue both.

It was just so ridiculous. Had she dragged herself through two seasons with no offers, she might be worrying herself, but there had been offers, they just weren’t particularly good ones – not by her own reckoning, at least. They had money, yes, and social standing, of course, but they were so boring. Smiling, tittering, flattering, agreeing with every word that came out of her mouth until she wanted to ram her head through the nearest window just to wipe the insipid smiles from their faces.

 They’d give an opinion on something, anything, only to then immediately switch their previously very firm stance the moment she disagreed. They’d declare they much preferred summer over winter, she’d declare an adoration for the cold just to be difficult, and in the next second they’d be wittering on about how summer was intolerable and how they could not wait for a chill to return to the air. She’d make a terrible joke, and they’d laugh like they’d never heard anything funnier. Sometimes she even turned it into a game, seeing what she could make them laugh at, stripping them of what little dignity they had one quip at a time, and at least that was amusing. For a while.

But over the festive season, she was at least free of it. Ordinarily. But her mother’s despair had driven her to desperation, and now they had guests for Christmas. And really, what sort of desperate creature came to visit someone who wasn’t family at this time of year? Was this to be the sort of man she’d be foisted upon? It was lucky that her father was so fond of her as he was, or else she’d be being fitted for wedding dresses before the New Year was even upon them – but even his patience had its limits, and she doubted it would extend past a third season. There was eccentricity, and then there was stupidity.

So, she found herself garbed in golden florals – not the mulberry silks her mother had wished for – on the front steps of their country manor, alongside all of the servants, and her parents, watching as the carriage trundled up the path. This gown wasn’t her best, not with her colouring, but that was deliberate. She’d tempt the fool either way, so why bother making the effort? It also had the effect of making her look far more girlish than she truly was, which was good. Let him think she was a little idiot, ready to simper and smile at his every look. Let her enjoy the look of realisation on his face when he realised that he was wrong, far too late.

The drew to a halt at the centre of the drive and a footman stepped forth, opening the door. Out stepped Lord Warrington, their invited guest, and after him...well, it had to be Lord Beckett. His invited guest. Really, coming to bother non-relations for Christmas was one thing, but bringing cronies? Clara’s lips pressed firmly together as the man stepped down the carriage steps and then straightened. Imp-sized cronies, at that. Warrington had some nerve. She smiled prettily as he approached.

That smile remained frozen on her face as her parents and their shiny golden titles, Viscount and Viscountess, were introduced, and then finally the two men turned to her.

“...and this is Lady Clara Thorne,” Warrington spoke to his friend, before turning to her. “Lady Clara, this is Lord Cutler Beckett.”

She gave an incline of her head and a twitch of the knee that might just pass as a curtsy to those keen to see one. “Charmed, I’m sure.”

This Beckett was more dour than Warrington, bowing at the neck after affording her a look that lasted only a handful of seconds. And then her mother took over. Luckily, she was useful sometimes. Just, typically, not when Clara most wished for it.

The day dragged on. They sat through tea in her mother’s sitting room, during which she made all of the appropriate comments about the weather, and whether or not they were in for a white Christmas, and after that topic had been suitably exhausted, Warrington regaled them with tales of the journey here. Although ‘tales’ seemed a poor word for how he felt the need to divulge every detail of every weed the carriage had rolled past, every sharp turn it had to take, and every gust of wind that hit its windowpanes.

Beckett tired of it swiftly, retiring to the opposite corner of the room with her father, and bits and pieces of that conversation trickled in here and there, filled with words like pirates and Jamaica, and all were far more interesting. Unhappily, however, that conversation was closed – with a handshake, no less – long before Warrington was done droning on, and on...and on, and Beckett took his leave of the room shortly after her father did.

Only when the man sitting on the sofa across from her began to talk about his predictions for the return journey back to the city did she have enough and took her leave, citing a headache...before making swiftly for the library. Her bedroom would be the first place they’d look for her, and the gardens next. The library afforded a good view of the gardens, and so she’d see that happen and be able to act accordingly.

Leaning back against the library door, she closed it as softly as she could, and then uttered a soft ‘ugh’.

“The universal sound of Christmas cheer, I gather.”

At the flat words that were spoken to the far right side of the room, Clara whirled and saw Lord Beckett, sitting at the desk by the window, evidently making the most of the dying daylight.

“What are you doing?”

Beckett gave her an exasperated look – one which he then transferred down to the letters before him, and seemed to decide it was answer enough. He returned to his writing.

“That’s my father’s desk,” she said.

“Well, I hardly thought it belonged to a stranger, Lady Clara.”

“He’s rather territorial about it.”

“Then I shall consider it a great honour that he offered it for my use,” his tone remained bored.

“To work?”

“Evidently.”

“On Christmas?”

“Christmas eve, technically.  Though it makes little difference.”

As he spoke, Clara swept closer, lowering herself down upon the settee nearest to the desk – though she turned her side to him, pretending instead to contemplate the fire.

“You’re not a fan of Christmas, then? Some might deem you a heathen.”

“By all means, invite me to dance around a bonfire on tomorrow’s eve.”

“That doesn’t seem like your ideal pastime.”

“I told you to invite me. Not that I would attend.”

She snorted. Before she could help it. And that was quite enough for her. Rising, she made for the door, but he called after her – not loudly, but his voice still rang clear throughout the otherwise empty library...where they were entirely unchaperoned.

“That eager to return to Lord Warrington?”

Outrage and intrigued clashed within Clara. Fascination that he should so easily see her distaste for his friend, but annoyance that he would be so brash as to point it out without care.

“Why shouldn’t I be?”

“Because you can stand him little more than I can. Unfortunate, it seems, for you, given that he doesn’t intend to marry me.”

“He hasn’t proposed.”

“He intends to – on New Year’s Eve.”

The news came like a bucket of ice water dumped atop her head. She shuddered as though seeking to shake it off.

“Oh, God in heaven...doubtless with some terrible little speech about along the lines of let this be the last year we spend without being pledged to one another.”

Now it was Beckett’s turn to snort, though when she stared at him, his features remained expressionless.

“It’s as though you were there while he practised it in the carriage.”

“He didn't.”

“I’m afraid so. It was the longest journey of my life. You’ll only have to sit through it once.”

“You didn’t have to give an answer.”

“No, you’re right. Nor sit through the next fifty years of wedded bliss, for that matter. All the better for me. Were I you, Lady Clara, I’d pray for an early death in childbed.”

He’d have never spoken to her like this had any other been present – not so frankly, nor so...so vulgarly. So interestingly.

“God isn’t that good,” she muttered.

 There was a light sort of clattering sound as he set his quill down, and when Clara looked to him next, Lord Beckett was…considering her.

“What will you tell him?”

“I don’t know.”

It wasn’t any of his business, and her first instinct was to tell him so rather than responding honestly, but they’d fallen so swiftly and easily into this refreshing sort of honestly that once again donning the mantle of the good and proper Lady Clara Thorne seemed too heavy a burden for her shoulders, currently.

“You like him little,” Beckett pointed out. “I should think the answer would be obvious.”

“If you thought it so obvious, you wouldn’t have asked the question.”

“Perhaps I wanted to see how you would answer.”

“And now you’ve received your answer,” she countered.

“Yes. A nonsensical one.”

“Oh don’t be so naïve,” she rolled her eyes. “Warrington’s an idiot, but he’s an idiot I can handle. I won’t escape a third season without accepting someone, and what if the next lot of candidates are worse than him? It’s just…good business.”

He smiled then, and his smile was a strange thing, bitter and utterly devoid of mirth. He wasn’t a particularly handsome man, and the expression added little to that fact. But god, how she preferred it to all of the tittering and simpering that was going on not two rooms away.

“Not overly confident in your ability to handle a man who isn’t an idiot, then?”

“When I meet one, you’ll be the first to hear it.”

“Speaking of idiocy,” he replied, “I could go and tell them all precisely what you’ve just told me. Being Lord Warrington’s friend, it would be my duty, would it not?”

“Perhaps. If you liked him at all. But who would believe you, Lord Beckett? Knowing that your assertions were the mere fabrication of a jealous man, one who finds himself ungrateful to his hosts at that, telling such lies about their only child?”

“Warrington might still doubt.”

“But he’d want to believe me. It’s amazing, how powerful that can be.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why is he that desperate to wed you?”

Clara’s eyes flashed. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, don’t go down that route, not when we were speaking so frankly. You’ve looks. Plenty of women have looks. A sizeable dowry, no doubt, but there are others with that, too. But that’s it. The title can’t go to you, nor to him by extension. Nor the land.”

“Says who?”

“The entail, I imagine,” he said frankly. “Tell me, who does it all go to? Some distant cousin?”

“How do you know that?”

“It’s how these things go. Why not marry him? It would be very neat.”

Clara’s lip curled.

“Ah,” he said knowingly. “Not one of our sort, then.”

“My sort,” she corrected. “Tell me, Lord Beckett, has the wax seal yet dried on your shiny new title?”

He was unfazed. She liked that.

“What is he? A politician? Lawyer? Banker? Bricklayer? Stable hand?”

“He’s none of your business, is what he is.”

“Correct. Happily.”

At that, she said nothing. There was nothing to say, and she’d come in here to escape pointless conversations in the first place. And Beckett was alarmingly close to the mark, in any case. This cousin was the last living heir who could claim rights to their titles and land both, once her father was no longer around – as they’d discovered in a most unwelcome manner, when he’d been trying to a string or two to force everything to work out in their favour.

“If you think Warrington’s an idiot, this cousin is the king of all idiots,” she grumbled.

“As well as the soon-to-be king of this estate,” Beckett mused, casting an appraising eye about the library.

“Why are you here?” she asked.

“We’ve established that,” he replied.

“Not in this library, here at all. For we’ve also established that you relish all of this about as much as I do. So why come?”

“It’s unbecoming for a bachelor to spend this time of year alone in his own home. Apparently.”

“Ugh.”

“Quite.”

It was then that he returned to his letter – impressive, really, given how the dull grey of the day was now dimming to the point where they’d soon be able to see their reflections in the windows more than they’d be able to see outside.  Her mind drifted, and for a moment she considered picking up a book, but she knew she’d only stare at the ink much in the same way she stared at the fireplace now, so it seemed yet another tedious venture.

Only when she heard a door click open somewhere out in the hall did she snap back into reality, straightening and then tensing as Warrington’s grating laugh echoed outside...and then grew softer, signalling that he was walking away rather than drawing nearer. Sighing in relief, she leaned back against the sofa once more. And pretended she didn’t feel Beckett’s eyes on her all the while. 

A/N: More parts of this pairing to come -- and then I'll post 'em all on AO3 when this is done!

Dividers by cafekitsune.

[cravingpepsimax]

HI i am also an autistic nerd that loves critique and i agree w/ u. but i feel like i also get why ppl get defensive about it. a lot of proshippers have been unfairly critiqued for what they write, and struggle to separate that from well-intended, well-thought out critique. also rsd makes ppl's kneejerk reactions (often defensiveness) come out

but the thing is, if you disagree with someone's critique and dont want to engage with it, you can also just scroll past. you have to understand that other people like to see opinions that differ from their own. as long as they aren't butting into someone else's blog or fic to criticize it, ppl can discuss negative opinions, bc that is fun for a lot of people.

i have rsd so i also have a knee-jerk reaction to critique, but i also think that seeing opinions that differ from mine make me a better writer! in the right headspace, i can digest someone's negative feedback and apply others' opinions to my own work. i can understand that different people can interpret a character differently based on their lived experiences and what resonates with them. and, most importantly, none of those interpretations are necessarily right or wrong. you can like or dislike it, or personally believe that it's poor characterization, but there is no objective right or wrong. thats the thing about art - there is nothing objective about it. people inevitably interact with it in a different way. and sometimes, that way is by seeing it as a whole and picking out what you like and dislike about it.

i feel like the less confidence you have in your own work, the more likely you are to react with offense or dismay. when you rely on other people's positive feedback to want to write, negative feedback feels like the end of the world. i can say that bc i used to be like that, before i started drawing/writing for myself instead of other people. wanting positive feedback isn't bad, per se, but being unable to function without it isn't healthy or sustainable in the long run.

so, yeah. it isn't a personal attack for someone to dislike a characterization that you like - it just doesn't jive with them, and that's okay. and theyre allowed to talk about it, because negative opinions are allowed to be expressed too. if you cant handle seeing those opinions, it isnt a personal failure. it isn't your fault, but it also isnt their fault for having those opinions. they arent trying to hurt you. they just want to freely discuss their opinions, positive or negative, and i would think proshippers/profic ppl should be able to connect with that, even if they are used to being targeted by bullies. sometimes, seeing a post, even a tactically worded one, will make you feel bad, and it isnt anyone's fault. there is no ill intent. life happens. people discuss what interests them. sometimes, you won't like that, and thats fine. but you shouldn't make them out to be the bad guy for it.

and ik fandom is a lot of people's safe space where positivity trumps all, but it isnt like that for a lot of people. if you want fandom to be your protective bubble, you can restrict yourself to only those who share your opinions. but you also have the right to agree to disagree, and other people have the right not to want an echo chamber. if you treat a whole sphere of the internet like your own personal bubble, you will be sorely disappointed when it pops.

woof that was long... i really am not trying to start shit with anyone - that is the last thing i want to do 😭 but i wanted to share my opinion on this bc i am a critic at heart and that is not necessarily a bad thing

i agree with all of this!!!

"toxic positivity" is an overused term, but i think its use here is justified. i've also got rsd, and sometimes, receiving critique can feel really bad, too. my dad's a writer, and i always feel scared to show him my work bc i rlly respect him and hearing him criticize my stuff can rlly hurt LMAO

but. like. i recognize that as an issue. and i certainly don't get offended when i see people criticize a trope? i didn't make that. in fact, i find critique of tropes more helpful than anything -- they provide a perspective that i might've never considered that i can now add to my own works.

the emotions of proship discourse only amplify this -- i'm critiquing depictions of fictional rape. it doesn't matter that i'm not calling people or the fiction itself evil, it doesn't matter that my critiques come from a place of actual fiction analysis instead of a bizarre appeal to emotion -- i'm critiquing depictions of fictional rape. antis do that. i'm doing an anti thing. doesn't matter that the anti thing i'm doing doesn't have all the shit that makes the real anti thing bad.

i do think this toxic positivity is one of the main reasons antis have become such a problem recently, though. antis don't really care about the harm of proshippers, they think it's gross icky bad. but they can't just say it's gross icky bad. you can't express dislike!! that's being mean!!!!! you can ONLY express dislike for morally bad things!!!!!!!! so, they come up with moral reasons that don't actually exist.

people can dislike things. they can express that dislike without going "that's just my opinion tho!!!" a million times to avoid people going "shhh let people enjoy things". they can express that dislike without going "and that's why liking this makes you the devil".

[fatuismooches]

its your boy. the one and only 😈

i bring—surprise surprise! fluff.

recently i've been really obsessing at the idea of akademiya zandik actually having someone to look up to!! like his senior 🥺 someone who approves of his research and is actively critiquing him as an equal, commenting about his papers how he expected his peers would back then,, and i can just imagine a head over heels zandik trailing where ever you went,, because you have the sweetest smile and he feels so happy just being your side. and you seem happy having him close to you even though he's not talkin and just reading or writing. you tell him stuff he didn't know and he's in awe on how smart you are.,, you're not like those narrow-minded scholars in the akademiya, thats why you're far more famous in the akademiya,, like oh, your darshan's sage has their eyes on you??? everyone asks for your opinion or be in your expiditions???

and he feels sooo special when u refuse others because, well, zandik was first to get your attention so now he's going on an expedition with you. alone! and ahhh he LOOOVEESS when you defend him against others scholars whenever they comment on him badly.,, like zandik offers a solution that wasn't even inhumane but people still look at him in disgust because how dare he suggest even a thing when he's the freak of akademiya and you step up, agreeing with him and passive aggressively calling out others with a tense smile...

idk i really wanna give zandik someone who he could look up to n make him feel somewhat normal about his ideas 😭😭😭😭

OH MY. OH MY MYMYMY EUDEWWD i am actually eating this up so much... Zandik falling in love with his senior will be occupying my mind forever now thanks. Even better when you're a well-respected member of the Akademiya, everyone expects you to condemn and criticize the actions of Zandik. And he doesn't expect anything else from you at first, he thought you were just like the rest of them. But nope! Unlike the rest of your fellow scholars, instead of dismissing his work with barely a passing glance, you sat down and read it. You annotated it. You highlighted bits you agreed with, disagreed with, questions, parts that needed further clarification. All handed back to him with a smile on your face and a pat on his back, as you walked away happily.

Zandik's stunned and is already a bit head over heels.

All the other scholars are now blowing up at you. Someone like you shouldn't be doing this! He goes against what the Akademiya stands for! Why are you entertaining him! He and his ideas are freakish! You're going to regret it in the end! All you hear is a bunch of whining and crying. Sure, his ideas aren't quite normal, but perhaps the Akademiya needs to reconsider their standards! Maybe that's why nothing good ever comes out of the school besides scholars with a whole lot of ego with nothing to show for it! Your blatant defense of him has both your fellow classmates and Zandik shocked and quiet. Although Zandik was oddly touched by your attention to his work, he wasn't quite sure if you could be trusted or not, after all, he was used to people shitting on him all the time, but this declaration to the whole of the Akademiya just solidifies the beginning of his obsession with you.

Suddenly he has copies of every single academic paper you've ever written, thoroughly studying them and learning about your research and interests too. He realizes not only are you so incredibly intelligent, but you're open-minded to many things. The best possible combination. It's only this one time he slightly curses himself for not paying more attention to the Akademiya's affairs, because how did he miss how much even the sages like you and how people are begging you to reread their essays or tutor them? And then... it starts to go past that. He wants to know everything about you. Zandik wants to know what makes you smile, tick, what you do in your free time... do you have more things in common than he thought? No, no of course he's not trying to be your friend! He's merely interested. Curious.

Zandik's so strangely into you. Instead of locking himself up in his room all day, he finds himself coming out to find you, which he does rather quickly with how much people are crowding you with questions. But as soon as you spot him, you brighten up and break away from them, making him stiffen from all the eyes on him now. Though you merely drag him away from there and he lets you!! And you take him out to... lunch? With desert too? For such a genius, you are so... weird sometimes. You're the one chatting away and gossiping and dumping about so many things that aren't important at all while he's just nodding... but he likes it.

DUDE Zandik feels on top of the world whenever you ignore others for him 😭😭❤️🥺 Like he just gets this shit-eating grin on his face as he sneers at the other person. Hah, did they really think they were worthy of your attention? Your brilliance? These idiots don't deserve your brain much less your kindness. He still thinks you entertain them too much, your intelligence should be spent on far more important things. AND UGHH YESS <33 Being his #1 defender <33 He genuinely loves you so much for that, going out of your way to defend someone like him that everyone hates so much. He knows that no matter what you say people won't change but... it's nice.

You two going on expeditions alone... yes the work gets done obviously, you two are smart enough to get it done easily... but it drags on far longer than initially planned because you keep kissing Zandik when he starts talking all smartly, and when he gets a super cute concentrated look on his face... and then he yells at you for wasting time... and you kiss him again because he's cute when he's mad... yea the expeditions are totally productive! 🤭 I just think Zandik deserves to feel special and flustered. Bby needs some positive attention on him for once.

[raayllum]

25. a piece of advice for taking care of yourself in fandom spaces

I have two pieces of advice basically that loop back into each other honestly.

Don't ultimately care about what anyone else says or thinks

Not caring about or trying to manage what other people think of you or your thoughts ≠ being rude or disrespectful, that doesn't mean it never happen - tone and frustration are absolutely real and I express the latter occasionally,

Other people are gonna ship things you don't or ship the same thing but in a way you don't like or just have opinions that are coming from a fundamentally different perspective or reading of the text and... none of it really matters. You don't have to conform to popular fandom if it doesn't fit what you think (that's basically been me in every fandom But TDP, so it's quite refreshing, and even then I very much felt like a lil island in the immediate s4 aftermath), you can ship whatever you want and so can anyone else. I think the most important thing with this is being self aware, though... like yeah I could hypothetically get annoyed over characters in TDP being childish, but coming-of-age stories are about kids and maturation, so like. I can vent in the proper tags but it may just mean the show isn't ultimately for me, y'know? Or at least that it's something I gotta learn to live with if I wanna engage with the show in a way that balances the salt and the sweetness

Additionally, one of the side effects I've found of being '''popular''' within TDP fandom is that my opinion will be taken as gospel or made out to be more than what it is, which is just my subjective opinion / interpretations, the same as anyone else's. Obviously I think my opinions are Right / grounded in the text (as do many people about their own opinions, whether they align with mine or not), but that doesn't mean everyone else is wrong, like... it's a children's cartoon show, if you're getting regularly butt hurt about what other people think or if they do or don't agree with you or whether ur ideas are popular or not you're not gonna have a good time, and fandom is a hobby. It's supposed to be a good time

Avoid taking things personally at all costs

In a similar vein to "don't care what anyone else thinks/says" that goes double for what they think or say about you / what you think. For me this means that unless I get 1) name dropped or 2) something that is so specific me it couldn't apply to someone else, I assume it's not about me. "Rayllum shippers / stans are so annoying"? Not about me and even if I am annoying - isn't everyone sometimes? Being annoying isn't a death sentence lol. "I hope the fandom takes this well"? Not about me. "People who defend S4 just can't admit TDP has flaws"? Not about me. "Snake boi Callum content is so dumb" is about a tag categorization I started for Callum's characterization, but has since more than taken on a life on its own... and isn't about me.

And even when it is personal, it says a lot more about what frustrates the OP or what they're trying to potentially wrangle than it does about me. Like someone disagrees with me or thinks I'm dumb, specifically? Okay, I know I've thought that about people on occasion, I try not to post it or make it obvious, but I can't control what you do. There were a couple of ZK bnf I thought were horrendously bad at meta that I knew by name bc they were everywhere, and it just meant forming my own atla communities/tags and/or stepping away from the fandom.

On a similar note, I'm still gonna keep doing my thing and I encourage people to block me and/or blacklist tags I use if they don't wanna see my stuff. I know how annoying it can be in fandom to feel like you still see stuff you don't want to if it's everywhere, which is also why I don't put all my stuff in the main tags either, but I'm not going to Stop Posting unless I... want to, which won't be happening.

I guess this all basically amounts to:

Focus on finding your people in fandom, cause they are out there

If you find yourself being annoyed by the fandom every day, or find yourself feeling like you have to rebut every little thing that annoys you (for ex, people saying they don't like Rayllum doesn't bother me, that's a neutral opinion. Ppl saying they shouldn't be in the show feels like more of a theme misread, however) work on stepping away and letting things go

Cultivate being fucking weird and unabashedly enthusiastic with self awareness. If you love a ship or headcanon or plot point that's fucking out there or clearly not happening, fucking go for it! Make or enjoy all the stuff for it you want. That said, maintaining awareness that the story doesn't need to go there in order to be good, or that there's not a lot of plausible grounding in canon, can be important especially if you want to connect with other fans.

Like CHET is my pet theory that has also been wildly fortunate enough to get a life of its own in the TDP / Rayllum fandom(s). I've been prepared to drop it three times. I think more than ever that's where the story is going in S7, and that there's a lot of continued setup for it / Something Like It, but I could be dead wrong, and I'm sure I will love if not prefer whatever route S7 would take instead. I love it, and I have a certain amount of attachment, but the story doesn't owe it to me, similarly to how I'm not owed in fandom to have people Like what I make or make what I like

Like respect should be given for sure unless I make a routine ass of myself, but again, I've been very fortunate that some stuff has caught on as much as it has because it clicked with other people who were already thinking the same thing, or found xyz idea made a lot of sense. And that's really nice! I think it's those things that help build a community. But in fandom you kind of have to be willing to be an Island first, and then if you get stuck being an island permanently, it may be worth reflecting on why sometimes — whether it's because of aggression, shyness, preference, or no real reason except your people haven't shown up yet

[sugarsnappeases]

hii hey....lilyminerva fan here.......quillkiller has directed me to you for some spare thoughts about them

hello darling sorry for the slow reply i was a firenze!! jen is right, i do have thoughts but i should say that most of them are about lilyritaminerva (i’ve written two microfics that you can find here & here if you’re interested) but for the sake of this ask i will endeavour to keep rita out of the equation…..

so. obviously it’s a lovely age gap dynamic. usually i keep them in the professor/student roles bc i think it’s sexy and especially sexy w them when it’s more of a unrequited obsession that lily has and minerva doesn’t really even realise or reciprocate…. although i am also enticed by the concept of an au where j&l live and harry goes to school and minerva is HIS teacher and lily is like an overly-involved mum who eventually ends up cheating on james w the teacher that she used to have a major crush on…. yummm

it stems mostly from lily being desperate for academic validation (aren’t we all….) and minerva being the one teacher that doesn’t like. readily give it to her. in canon, slughorn fawns over her, and so does flitwick. unless i’m forgetting something, we don’t hear about her from any of her other teachers but it’s easy to assume that she was pretty much adored by people like sprout etc etc. minerva on the other hand is canonically a Stern teacher and i think lily would really respect her for that. like she doesn’t give out her approval so easily, lily would have to work for it and that’s what makes her so desperate to be noticed by her, to be singled out as special, and that develops into a bit of a creepy, pathetic obsession, like my girl is Fantasising, maybe she's stalking minnie around the school a little, and minerva just does Not careeeee

especially if we consider how james is minerva’s favourite. he’s top of the class in transfiguration in his year (imo?? maybe canon but don't quote me) and THIS is very very veeeery interesting to me in the context of lilyminerva bc, i’ve spoken about jily before, but to me, lily’s relationship with james is Complicated, and based mostly on expectation and complacency and performance, and it’s interesting to add in a layer of her agreeing to go out with him in something of an attempt to steal the spotlight of minerva’s attention from him. like if she’s dating him, maybe minerva will notice her more, past just being a consistently good student, she wants to be the favourite…. maybe dating james is like the closest she'll get to that...... things to consider.....

anyway, she hands all of her essays in early, she writes them all out at least three times until she’s satisfied with her handwriting, maybe she even scents the parchment sometimes lmao. she sits at the front of the class in every lesson, trying to twirl her quill or her wand seductively, blushing every time minerva asks her to answer questions, focussing furiously on spells when they’re doing practicals, trying to be the first one to get them right, Fuming when its someone else instead (again. james), packing her stuff up so slowly at the end of each class in the hope that minerva might ask her to hang back and talk about something. yk how it goes…. the whoooole shebang…

i think minerva is generally entirely oblivious to this, especially if it’s hogwarts and lily is like. a child. like it just wouldn’t cross her mind so much. BUT i could be intrigued by a uni au or omg one time i had this thing about lily doing a masters and minnie being like an established critical author in whatever field it is and lily realllly disagrees with all her opinions and starts this kinda obsessive hate thingy wherein her entire thesis is mostly just like a rebuttal to all of minerva’s points… and they meet at some point..... that’s so crazy i completely forgot about that i will need to ponder further…. there’s also something to be said for the whole minerva as harry’s teacher thing and i think it could be so sexy and i need to talk to jen about it post haste!!! think of the possibilities!!!!