#much like me emotionally but that’s a different tag rant

[transmechanicus]

Woke up from my little power outage nap and couldn’t even manage to eat a full box of macked cheese, grad school will fuck you up for life kids, do it at your own risk.

[brucewaynehater101]

I miss the feeling I had when I first joined this fandom, I knew virtually nothing so everything was correct and I loved everything, even if that stuff just isn’t true, i was like

Bruce is a bit emotionally constipated but loves his kids? Hell yeah sounds legit

dick is a silly happy flippy man who is a bit promiscuous? Love that for him

Jason is a mega feminist literature nerd who is also buff and takes care of the street kids? Perfect man honest

Tim is a nerd who never sleeps and is queer and has never known the touch of a man nor woman? Sweet

Steph is waffle obsessed goofball? Well I prefer pancakes but right on

Cass is a mute badass who loves her fam? I love her

Duke is a normal dude? Well someone has to be and he seems neat

Alfred can do no wrong? Aight, I love old perfect tea men

Damian is a little prick? So are all middle schoolers give him time

But then I had to go learn about the characters and now I have complex opinions about them, and can see the inherent racism and sexism in how they are portrayed

You know before I joined the bat fandom I did not use the exclude tag in ao3? Like tmnt and dp have some bad stuff but usually I could just scroll past.

but now I am having to avoid fics where whole ass adults are bullying and/or oversexulizing a child

Im constantly on the look out for untagged batcwst

I struggle to find fics that don’t describe dicks ass

I have been in this fandom for probably about two years now and y’all I swear

sorry for ranting, and don’t worry I love all your stuff and I know the just back click don’t leave mean comments rule

I’m just tried bc most of the stuff I thought was true turned out to be false

Mm. I do find it a little exhausting trying to navigate the lines of what's canon, what shouldn't be canon (but is due to racism/sexism/homophobia/etc.), and just having fun.

I'm also trying to cultivate the mindset of what I've seen on Tumblr about not policing other people's ships/ideas. I am highly uncomfortable with some (particularly underaged people and adults dating), but I'm also not leaving hate comments. Like you said, the backspace exists for a reason.

Idk. There's a toooon of takes/ideas about the batfam that are inherently false, but as long as they aren't racist/sexist/etc takes, I don't see the harm in them. So what if someone wants a coffee obsessed Tim? So what if Jason's kill code is very strict? As long as they don't claim it's canon, let them be

But yeah. I have a mile long exclude list for fics on AO3. I used to use it only for triggers (I can not do stockhold syndrome, my lords), but now it's got other weird ass shit I've stumbled upon (I saw a fic where the batkids were spanked as punishment??? Like I said, not gonna leave hate comments or single anyone out. Just not my cup of tea).

I also am usually not a fan of romance/sex. It's why the batfam intrigued me so much (found families usually don't have that in it). I like exploring dynamics outside of romance and thus love the batfam. They've got so much going on that romance/sex is not needed. They are such a mess without that dynamic being added (talking about the Bats getting with a third party, but, again, trying not to yuck anyone's yum).

However, I agree. There's a ton of misinformation within fandom. I like how complex canon gets with the characters, but there's also widely different takes with them (mostly talking about Bruce here. He can either be trying or just a straight up horrible dad).

[gurobitsu]

Hello hello, I’m sorry for doing this anon but it links back to my dead main that I don’t use anymore 😅 I saw your reblog of my Mista backstory rant and the tags reallyyyyyyy interested me, we have a lot of the same ideas! If it’s alright with you, would you be willing to share a more in depth version of it? I’d love to read it! (o^^o)

YIPPEE i’m so happy to hear that!! i pretty much never talk about my own hcs (kinda nervous 😛) so here’s what i got…

* for the gurobits nation keep in mind this is SPECIFICALLY only for mista IN JJBA, usually the mista i draw/my “version”/characterization of him is a completely different au. this is just how i see Him as the Character in the show

⚠️ TW for some sensitive topics !!

guido mista backstory written by yours truly…

* i’ll use an asterisk for when something that’s ACTUALLY from his canon backstory pops up

mista, youngest of 4 (3 sisters who are 10+ years older than him), was born to (unnamed… never headcanoned a name for them…) mother and father in palermo, sicily. i’d picture his mom to be short and stout, and his father tall and bulky. his mother was loving and sweet, but his father was a deadbeat jackass who… wasn’t a good rep for mista, the only other boy in the family. and despite being a caring mother, she couldn’t be a good mother. she couldn’t always be there for her children due to their household already struggling with income, living in a poor part of the city, taking care of 4 children, and verbal/physical abuse from mista’s father. and being a victim, she ended up also contributing to the cycle of abuse but in a neglectful/emotionally unavailable way.

later along the line, mista’s parents divorce and his father eventually goes to prison (either for battery or assault… smth bad but expected). mista is around 10-12 now, and is pretty much told to be the “man of the house”. their way of living was honestly… heavily patriarchal.

* this is around the time his neighbor’s eye got scratched by the cat. he may not have developed a fear of the number 4 because of it, but it certainly made him scared of cats lol. and also! i don’t really think there was any big event that “gave” him tetraphobia. i personally headcanon he has ocd and has always been particular about numbers and patterns in general, and as a kid he learned and observed 2 things: 4th cat went crazy, and he’s the 4th child (at this point in time he began to really hate his life and had become heavily neglected).

he was homeschooled until 14 when he started high school. a very bad student. big jock though. no he did not get along with the ladies, no he was not popular. he was bullied actually. skipped all the time, which is what caused him to drop out. started smoking and sneaking out a lot, quite reckless behavior. not to be “cool” or anything, but just to feel something. he’s honestly always been alone with only a few friends who were neighbours, street thugs, or… dealers

* a funny little thing i like to think is that mista always had long curly hair that went to his neck/shoulders. around 15, he got lice and had to go bald 😭😭 and he hated it and wore a beanie all the time. which is why when we see him at 17 in his backstory, he has a buzzcut (he just decided to continue keeping his hair like that because he thought if he grew it out he’d get lice again) and that damn hat he STILL doesn’t take off (he’s insecure about his hair. i also think he was bullied for his hair BOTH when it was long and after he had to shave it. poor boy)

he left at 16 after dropping out and financial issues in his home. it wasn’t “kicking out” necessarily, his mother didn’t want to, but she couldn’t afford to keep him in the house and his sisters were already beginning to move out. his mother also got in a fight with him the night before about dropping out of school and not getting his life together, so he technically it was also his choice to “run away”. she basically implied she was kicking him out, but he decided to take on the decision for himself (like finishing off what she started i guess).

mista is now homeless. he had frequently stayed either at friend’s places or on the street (upgraded to a tent at one point). eventually, due to mutual connections, he ended up getting close with a group of people who were… up to no good, to say the least. bad, bad people. think narancia’s backstory. but they didn’t treat him badly — just got him into bad situations. lots of drugs. clubs. hookers. started smoking (don’t really think he stops until bucciarati discourages it, but he was never strict enough to make mista quit). and the classic beating up people for money (over clint eastwood. this petty mf 😭). but mista never really saw it as “bad”. he was having fun, making money, had friends, and wasn’t getting abused. in his eyes, at least.

eventually he ended up prostituting(?) himself… like, shin-from-nana style. and that’s how he got places to stay and made good money. often from older women and sometimes men. he never really saw it as “wrong” though, because he didn’t know any better. but he glorified it and thought he was the luckiest guy ever because “ooh they all think i’m mature for my age and are letting me into adult spaces! and i’m getting women! cool!” (no mista you are a victim)

* aaand now he’s 17, with a decent rental apartment. he’s not as close with the “bad” group anymore, kinda stopped being into it. didn’t leave them in bad faith tho (he’s just a chill guy like that… literally “i have no enemies”) (although let’s be real he did NOT need to be put in those situations at that age).

* and then boom ladidadida the same backstory sequence you see in the anime.

—

and if all of this was hypothetically canon, we can extrapolate so much more from his personality/character, like:

- hypersexuality due to Exposure throughout his life and especially during his teen years

- lots of insecurity… that never gets talked about because this boy REPRESSES!! doesn’t like showing vulnerability.

- mommy issues and daddy issues

- used to being independent, but DESPERATE for attention and love. but won’t accept that 🤪🤪

- not including hookups, he’s never been in an actual relationship. he’s too messyyyy and has commitment issuessss and doesn’t know what real love feels likeeee

- he’s not a suave playboy he’s a WEIRDO. an oddball. he’s a strange NEURODIVERGENT man with TRAUMA (i mean yeah, he’s a sleazy outgoing flirt, but he does NOT have game)

- he misses his family a lot. especially his mom. he regrets leaving her but he’s too afraid to come back. he doesn’t like facing reality. he’s all for blissful ignorance. a bit selfish, yeah. his family was left to assume he was dead. he wishes he got to enjoy his childhood more. although he was never really able to.

- also he had a family dog. one of his sisters took it though (he’s a dog guy, really likes animals actually. took care of the dog a lot as a kid. that’s kinda why he’s good with the pistols)

- actually like tons of untreated diagnoses holy hell

- i’m probably forgetting more rahhh

—

anyways, hope you all like it !!! idk if this is an unpopular opinion but i really do believe mista’s personality is a complicated one. i feel like everyone slightly mischaracterizes him one certain way, even if only slightly (like if he had a route in a dating sim, it’d probably be the hardest one. he’s a messy character). he’s not quite a “himbo”, but he’s not smart either. he’s flirty but he isn’t a charmer either. he’s outgoing but he isn’t a people-person either. i think that’s what makes him so interesting, he’s the most realistic character to me.

that’s honestly why he’s my favorite, he INVOKES something in me and captured my attention in such a way that i HAD to investigate him and understand him further… IK his ass is hiding so much. i’ve psychoanalyzed him so much that i’ve accepted him as an oc atp 😭🫶 can’t let him go…

feel free to share your ideas everypony!! ^_^ i’d love to hear more… (this was super long sorry)

[jacarandaaaas]

I notice how (most of) the fandom likes to pin Mirabel as motherly but...Camilo's right there. I can see him getting strict when he needs to be or blurts out the right advice at the right time...which literally shocks everyone when he does but still. In other words, he's the "mom/dad" friend that everybody needs at the right time.

He takes care of kids all day + Is a natural caretaker like Julieta is. We don't know much of his personality other than "mischievous" but taking care of kids from an early age can surely make someone responsible and mature overtime.

Mirabel isn't the town babysitter; she has her own things going on. And I know she loves kids and all, but she strikes more as an older sister/ "aunt who gives you the candy you aren't supposed to have" kind of gal than a motherly type. Don't get me wrong, I honestly think she's good with advice too, but Camilo comes in a close second.

Yet, there's literally a tag on ao3 that's "Mirabel Madrigal acting as Antonio Madrigal's parental figure" that belongs to 94 fics. It's not a lot but still.

I'm okay with it being an au and all, have your fun, but Camilo takes care of kids on a regular basis. Shouldn't he be the one that's seen as parental?

It would be funny to see the slacker get fed up with someone's antics and start scolding like a parent would. I'm sure when it happens it makes the person do a double take because it's not something he does often. Rarely even.

So, when it does happen, it's shocking.

It would be nice to have Camilo be painted as someone who is emotionally mature. Maybe not to the extent of Mirabel, but like I said, he takes care of children. That has to make someone emotionally mature to some extent.

It would be nice to see Camilo not painted as a jerk for once. Sure, he's incredibly blunt but not a jerk! And yes, he's a teen boy, he's going to feel emotions like one, but we SAW him giving tea to his mom when she was freaking out.

Not jerk teenager would do that unless they were forced too. Camilo isn't forced, he wants his mama to be calm so SHE can feel a little better. We can see that by the way he's talking to her.

It would be hilarious to see Camilo using a chancla on someone (maybe a bully who's harassing Mirabel) and ending it with-

"AND DON'T THINK YOUR PARENTS WON'T HEAR ABOUT THIS!"

Sorry for the rant, I didn't intend for it to get that long.

anon you are speaking my language!! I’ve talked about my dislike for parentified mirabel before so it’s nice to see I’m not alone on that!

camilo definitely has a more nurturing side and we see it as early as the opening song! Whilst I wouldn’t go as far to say he acts like a parent he definitely knows how to discipline children and is just naturally good at dealing with them! I would love to see more content that talks about how caring camilo is (I am sick of the jerk camilo thing he’s not heartless guys!) I can definitely see him as more experienced with kids than mirabel as he’s the babysitter she’s more just the fun one who hangs around with them! it’s a very different dynamic as we don’t really see mirabel necessarily looking after kids only entertaining them! As for your point on camilo being emotionally mature I would have to agree! the mothers wouldn’t trust him with their kids if they thought he would be irresponsible! he definitely knows how to scold them even if it’s surprising when it happens! I’m glad you mentioned the tea scene, as I think it shows a different side to camilo! he is caring and he’s good at comforting people! he isn’t gonna try make a situation worse he cares about his mother and wants to assure her! and I hate when people use that scene against pepa too! it is normal to make your mother tea weirdos!!! I love that scene despite how brief it is and we see glimpses of that side of camilo in the comics too!

As for mirabel 100% agree! she definitely strikes me as someone the kids would view as the cool older best friend much more than a parental figure. They don’t want to make her mad because in their eyes she’s cool! she’s fun and entertaining and they don’t want to make her mad! it’s not the case of a parent where it’s they know they’ll get in trouble for it! that’s partly what inspired my camp counselor au lmao! the fact mirabel is so good with kids in a way she makes them feel validated she doesn’t reprimand them she is someone they view as a friend! The mirabel is antonios mother fic genre is one I completely avoid i love their relationship because she is so much more of an older sister figure to him! I’ve said before I don’t like these fics so I tend to avoid them even if I don’t really read fics anymore lmao!

but I agree with most of your points! camilo is always seen as the fun one whilst mirabel is the parental one when in canon it’s the other way around! that’s not to say camilo isn’t fun because he absolutely is but we see him actually babysitting we see mirabel just hanging out with kids for fun! what I really need to see is mirabel and camilo as a babysitting duo that would be so fun!! both of them are 15 and deserve to have fun!! let mirabel have fun!! I would love to see more stuff involving camilos nurturing side for sure though!

[megaderping]

Saw a rather mean post last night, and genuinely, I do not understand how people can play Persona 5 (particularly Royal), and come out thinking Akechi genuinely hates Joker when Morgana outright states for the audience, "You don't really hate Joker, do you?" Akechi laments how they didn't meet a few years earlier and how they could've been "great rivals, perhaps even friends." o_O Like... is this a vanilla thing? I genuinely don't get it. The interrogation room wasn't even his idea (SIU director mentions as much). It's not even about the ship- the game spells out that their bond is more complex, and it just so happens that a lot of people like to explore it as one. Even as platonic, tho, there's a shit ton of depth. Idk, any time I see discourse (especially people making fun of Shuake fans and stuff), I just question how many people actually paid attention to the dialogue. Even the "I hate you speech" reads as him being extremely emotionally constipated and conflicted. Plus, y'know...

Very hateful. Sure. :p Idk, maybe certain playthroughs of the game remove all those moments where the game spells out that they have a special bond (Maruki even states it isn't based on hatred, but that's only if you get his third awakening). Just wish people would get off their high horses, if anything. Sometimes I see people get really condescending about liking Akechi or liking Shuake, and like... just block the tags if you don't like these things instead of posting untagged ship/character bashing and making fun of fans? At least have the decency to tag it as something that Shuake fans can filter because some of those posts are really mean-spirited. :/ You think we haven't heard it all before? I may be new to the fandom, but I have heard that this BS has been going on for years.

I don't think it really matters if there are "healthier" ship options because some of us prefer the messiness, the depth, and complexity. It's not for everyone, and I respect favoring more straightforwardly sweet and wholesome dynamics or wishing your favorite pair got more spotlight. I'm a Riku and Kairi shipper in Kingdom Hearts, for crying out loud. :P I get it, but you're not gonna win anyone over to your side by telling them that [insert ship here] is better. In my case, it makes me more averse because of how deeply their relationship in the confidant, engine room, and third sem touched me and seeing people go "yeah, but you are wrong for feeling that way, THIS is better" is just... yeah. :/ (Also, people gotta learn the difference between hitmen and serial killers. Akechi is the former, which I've ranted about before, but yeah.)

So many fandom problems could be solved if people didn't take the piss out of others for shipping something they don't personally like. x_x; By all means, feel the way you feel, it's okay to not like things.

[greatqueenanna]

What do you think of those videos on YouTube that bad mouths Frozen/Frozen 2 (ex: Frozen is a Pathetic Mess. Frozen 2 is a Pathetic Sequel. Frozen 2 is a Mess etc?) and how do I a fan of both Frozen & the Sequel deal with it?

Everyone is allowed to have their opinions of art, and if someone doesn't like Frozen, F2 or both, that is fine. They can absolutely say and create whatever they want.

I do think however that if someone has a video with the word 'pathetic' or 'mess' in the title, they're obviously doing it for click bait; not because they actually want to have a genuine discussion about the films. It automatically makes me not want to see the video. That's just me though.

The best way to deal with criticism for something you like that means a lot to you, is to not take it personally.

I completely understand and know the pain of seeing a video or reading a take that makes you frustrated, and it sits with you for the rest of the day and ruins it. In this case, you basically just need to accept that people have different tastes, and just because they might've said something that is wrong or just frustrating, doesn't really take away what the franchise has done for you.

The films are still there for you to enjoy whenever you want, and there are plenty of fans to discuss the films in a way that makes you happy - and maybe even openly and comfortably discuss any flaws you might've had issues with the franchise without feeling like the thing you love is being attacked.

This leads into to the second thing you need to do - knowing your limits.

If you do not feel like you can emotionally handle something you love being criticized, and do not want to engage with that type of discussion, then take steps to avoid this as much as possible. Block users and tags, tell YouTube to stop recommending certain types of videos or creators. Make your space a place where you can enjoy what you love in a way that makes you happy, not frustrated.

Yes, as mentioned, people can discuss art in any way they like. However, you also have the freedom to disregard them.

Now, if you do get the itch and want to respond to the criticism, and feel like you can handle it in a way that is respectful, then I recommend not doing it right away.

Take a deep breath, walk away from the post/video, and gather your thoughts and emotions first. That way you don't say or do something you later regret, or engage yourself in a discussion you really didn't want to have in the first place, but now you're in a full on debate and you don't know how to get out of it.

I've made the mistake of creating rant posts while I was angry and saying/doing things that were not handled the best way. I'm human after all. Thus, always take a step back before you respond to criticism. In the end, when your anger has died down, you may not even be bothered by the critique anymore and don't' feel the need to say anything.

So that's my recommendation on how to deal with type of thing. I hope it helps a bit!

[joandfriedrich]

Hope you don’t mind me ranting a little, I was looking for fanfics of Amy and Laurie and I’m kinda sad that a lot of them have him cheating physically or emotionally cheating on Amy with Jo. It’s like people just can’t accept that Laurie grew up (with a little help from Amy) and fell in love with someone else. Jo herself says she isn’t in love with him. And she found a beautiful love with Friedrich, I wish people could let it go. And maybe I’m wrong but with how Laurie was written in the book, I don’t ever see him cheating on Amy whatsoever with anyone. And Jo wouldn’t cheat on Friedrich with Laurie because she was never in love with Laurie!!! It feels so incredibly out of character for the both of them.

There is a way in Archive of Our Own to look for main ship tags. That is what I always do when looking out for Little Women fics. It filters out all the unwanted ones.

For your question, it is what I have been saying in the LW podcast since the beginning, I think the biggest problem is the lack of Laurie's characterization in Little Women adaptations and romanticizing his and Laurie's relationship.

Long loving looks

1949

1994 the non-required kiss

2019 Jo wanting Laurie back out of nowhere, and people even saying that "Gerwig" fixed Jo, for wanting Laurie back. Also Timothee Chalamet and Gerwig both saying the promotional tour that Jo and Laurie should be together.

Those are of course just a few examples, but then there is the actual story in the book. No I don't think Laurie would ever cheat on Amy and Jo would certainly not cheat on Fritz.

I personally believe that LMA planned both marriages years before she wrote the novel. There is a book from Goethe called "Wilhelm Meister's apprenticeship" one of Alcott's favorite books. Wilhelm is very much a Laurie type of character. During the novel he grows as a person. We see, this in the terms of character. He moves on from unhealthy relationship to Marianne to one with Natalia. In LMA's notes, she calls the relationship with Natalia "beautiful". This is both mental and spiritual transformation, it also happens when Jo moves on from Laurie to Fritz.

I think that is one of those things that people miss on Louisa May Alcott's writings. Person "transcends" in this next relationship, and becomes a better person.

In general I think, most of Laurie's characterization is missing from the adaptations. i know I sometimes critizise him, the way he behaves as a young man, but I think that is the point because he grows out of that behavior when he is with Amy. Had she stayed with Jo he would have remained as a man-child, and they would have both been unhappy.

-Niina/Little Women Podcast

-----------------------------------------

I totally understand your pain, because a few years ago I read a fanfic where Jo gave birth to her son Teddy, and pretty much everyone knows that Jo and Laurie had affair that resulted Teddy, and Friedrich was just fine with it even if a little sad. It is one of the worst fanfictions I have ever read, and I wish I never seen it.

I just have a hard time believing that either Jo or Laurie would cheat on their respective partners, or be the lover to someone married, it is just not in their personalities. Laurie had a crisis when he realized that he wasn't in love with Jo anymore, do people really think he'd just be ok with having affair with someone? The guy would be so racked with guilt that he'd confess to it immediately, he'd even tell Amy about how another woman hit on him and he'd apologize.

Jo clearly had no interest in any man until Friedrich (Jo, and even Friedrich, can be read heavily as being demisexuals), and she has made it incredibly clear that she has no romantic or even sexual feelings for Laurie, constantly calling him her "brother", even trying to set him up with her sisters at different points.

It's crazy how desperate the Jo and Laurie shippers are to try and make them work when Alcott is rolling in her grave to think that people didn't get the obvious that Jo and Laurie do not belong together! Thankfully, there is more than enough good fanfics out there to wash the awful taste in your mouth.

-Christina

[pitchforksraised]

~

Hello!! Welcome to my intro post!

The name’s Announza! Feel free to view my pronoun page here for info on, well, me!

~

Donation asks are unfortunately out of the picture. I do not answer asks relating to topics like Palestine, I reblog them. I am not capable of donating, and I’m afraid of answering a scam. Please respect this or you’re getting blocked.

~ LISTS ~

DO NOT INTERACT: — Anyone on a basic DNI list — If you’re on any basic DNI list — If your blog is 18+, NSFW / NSFT, minors DNI, etc — If your blog is centered around any kind of discourse — If you enforce or heavily pressure your religion onto others — If you actively support a problematic person / people — If you support AI art — If I blocked you (I blocked you for a reason. <3) — Selfcest shippers (Selfcest makes me EXTREMELY uncomfortable.) [Note that this may change overtime, and that I do NOT support ANY problematic creator of games / videos / misc for their actions. I simply like what they have created and interact with content made by other fans.]

THIN ICE: — If you ship mirrormystery / Rodger x Glisten (I personally hc them as related and dislike this ship heavily. I don’t care if you do ship it, just don’t bring it up around me, please.) — If you ship host x contestant (It generally makes me uncomfy for some reason I can’t describe well. I don’t mind if you ship anything of the sort as long as it ain’t problematic, just don’t bring it up to me pls.) [This may be updated in the future. This is all I have for now.]

BEFORE YOU INTERACT / NOTES: — I am a minor. Don’t be weird or else that block button is getting pressed instantly. <3 — I am very emotionally unstable. I’m trying to work on my anger management, so I apologize on my own part if I say or do anything dumb, because my emotions are quite literally what I base my decisions off of. — tone tags are my life support please use them or some kind of tone indicator — I likely have ADHD (hyperactive impulsive) and fucking up reading seems to be one of my main hobbies!! Be patient with me please. — I enjoy condensing my speech a lot. If you need me to restate things in a mostly grammatically correct manner, I will! — I will correct your grammar, it’s wired into my silly lil brain I’m sorry lmao — Mass liking and reblogging is my way of showing care. If you don’t like it, please tell me, because I’ll stop as soon as you ask me to. — I refer to characters I like and relate to a lot as “me”, especially Pitchfork from AIB, Razzle and Dazzle from Dandy’s World and Quintagon from TPC. If you ever have a problem with this, PLEASE let me know. I myself am not a fictionkin, fictive or anything of the sort, so if this ever becomes a problem to you I’ll change it asap. — I will probably rant about women from random games from time to time (I love women) — Sometimes I replicate speech patterns, mannerisms and accents of characters I really like lol — I genuinely think I have a more minor case of theophobia (the fear of god or religion, religion in my case) so please keep religious topics five miles away from me or else I’ll get all awkward and nervous

~

that’s really all you need to know, but there’s more under the cut if you want it ^_^

~

Here’s just a whole list of stuff I enjoy lol. Stuff I REALLY like is bolded

— Object shows (more specifically AIB) — Dandy’s World — Just Shapes n’ Beats — The Pink Corruption (I consider them two different things. If you don’t like this, don’t fight me over it; just DNI and move on, please.) — Pikuniku (I love this stupid game SO MUCH I could ramble abt it for hours) — Bugbo — Sprunki — Pressure — The Robloxia: Until Dawn — PHIGHTING! — Mouthwashing — ENA — Baba is You — Parkour Civilization (100% unironic btw lmao /srs) — Kaleidoscope — Forsaken — Outlaws of Robloxia

~ TAGS ~ Note: may change lmao,,, they change too much I’m sorry!!!!

Checkin the mail! — Inbox answers

Showing you my art! — Art posts! (No ai. fuck off ai /gen)

Talkshow sillies — Stupid shenaniganry posts

~

ty for reading !1! have some user boxes on your way out :3 [ CREDITS LIST (May not be in order): 1 (me) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ]

~

[pinksilvace]

Hey fern, what if you dropped a top 10 favorite cats the musical characters list

omg 😳😳😳 maybe we could find out 😳😳😳

1: Alonzo

Surprise, surprise, I know. Silly little vain/uncertain/bravado guy. What is he doing. I just know he's so full of anxiety but he's also probably emotionally illiterate. He's SUCH a big bro figure in my brain in a number of ways, but mostly because I think he'd be the kind of guy to try and fix problems, fail, and dejectedly call for mom's help after the fact.

There's not much I can say about Alonzo that I haven't already said:

Here's where I ranted about his adjectives.

Here's where I ranted about his design for the Egg Cracker Bracket.

Goodness knows I've probably ranted across many many many tags as well. Idk man he's just so Gender to me and I think he's really funny and I love that he's a bit of a loser depending on how much the actor plays up the "uncertain" part of his character (the one that prominently comes to mind is here during Grizabella, the Mac scares, the end of M&R, and the IMMEDIATE change in demeanor during the Song of the Jellicles). I LOVEEEE that he's often shown to despise Tugger; it's such a funny dynamic. I love that different productions have him looking to Munkustrap, Skimbleshanks, and Cassandra for guidance. I love that fics make him a bit of an ass sometimes. For whatever gripes I have with Broadway revival choreo, I also love that it gave him some more character moments than he used to :D.

Every depiction of Alonzo I see gives me a new, interesting look at the character. I have yet to find one I dislike.

Aghhhh we've reached the point where this ranking gets really hard 😭😭😭 LMAO

2: Demeter

She was my favorite when I first got Really into cats circa 13 years old. I'll forever be bitter that she had no presence in 2019. She's LITERALLY the second most important character for the sake of the plot and they just LEFT HER OUT??? Just because she's hard to recognize after only a single watch or two??? hhhhhhhhhhhhh

The way actors portray her is ALWAYS entrancing. If cats is Subtext: The Musical, Demeter is Subtext: The Character. The Macavity number??? Come ON. The fact that she opens the show? Her reactions to literally everything??? Oughhhh sometimes she makes me want to chew on concrete.

Sometimes, there are portrayals of Demeter that I dislike, though. I guess it makes sense for a character whose words are skittish/cautious/paranoid, but sometimes, those traits seem to supercede her personality, which is always a shame. I particularly enjoy her interactions with Munkustrap and Bombalurina, of course, so when those are overshadowed by just how scared she is, I think it tends to weaken stuff overall. After all, those relationships thrive on how they interact and curb that fear.

I don't spend nearly enough time thinking about Demeter and it's an absolute travesty. Ma'am you are the heart and soul of the show to me. You keep everything thematically linked together. I love you

3: Munkustrap

I think that Munkustrap might be the definition of a comfort character for me. His mental health is rock solid. He's so dad-coded it's unreal. I desperately need to watch a production of Cats and only focus on Munkustrap, because his interactions with everybody are spectacular. There is so much character fit into this guy. He's also entertaining to me because I would NOT guess his adjectives, ever; they always come across as a characterization secondary to his role, and I like that quite a lot.

And oh my gosh, his DESIGN!!! I think Munkustrap has some of the prettiest makeup in the show, and his whole look is pleasingly cohesive. There's so much happening on his face, but when it's good, it's PHENOMENAL.

COME ONNNNNNNN, the HIGHLIGHTS on those WHISKERS??? The gradients on the cheeks and nose??? oooohhhhhhh it pleases me IMMENSELY. I also really like how the makeup blends into the wig, and the shape of the wig is also one of my favorites in the show - especially when it's a bit droopy, like Michael Gruber's in '98.

let's not forget about the collar

Anyway YEAH!!! He's one of my favorites to see actually moving onstage, consistently has a beautiful voice, and has some of my favorite relationships in the whole show :D

4: Admetus

This is a bit of a cheat listing. I really don't think about Admetus that much, but I would REALLY like to think about him more. I want to know what his deal is. Like Munkustrap, I think he has some fascinating relationships onstage that all present very differently - his time spent with Tumble/Pounce, Victoria, and Alonzo come to mind.

But also

THE MAKEUP

THIS LOOK WITH THE BIG LOWER LASHES??? GIRL HELP YOUR CAT IS GNC AS HELL. EASILY my favorite cats makeup look EVER. I know it's just because they have to slather on Mac's stuff later but I love that most of the face is left plain so they went absolutely ham with the eyes. It's the opposite of Munkustrap's. Brilliant.

anyway yeah he looks cool and I think his role in the tribe is in a really interesting flux stage

5&6: Pouncival and Tumblebrutus

They are a pair... do not separate

okay okay OKAY I know I often talk about my favorite characters in terms of how funny they are, and these guys??? Absolute clowns. The product is exactly what's written on the tin; they sure do pounce and tumble!!! Even a few weeks ago, they probably wouldn't have been so high on the list, but writing CFP and forcing myself to learn more about their characters as a result has skyrocketed the amount of love in my heart for them. If I had to choose, I'd probably say that I like Pouncival just a tiiiiny bit more since I think he's more memorable and I prefer his design, but the way they both look up to almost everybody else in the show is intoxicating to watch.

My favorite moments of these two are, of course, Pounce here (2:35 onward) and Tumble here (2:14:25 onward). I just think they're neat.

7: John Partridge The Rum Tum Tugger

(Okay, but, like, John Partridge is the ultimate here. My second favorite is probably Zach Bravo since his take on the character is so different, but there might never be a Tugger as suave as Partridge ever again.)

Going back to his antagonistic relationship with Alonzo, I think it's interesting that they share "vain" as a descriptor. I also think that Tugger's relationships are interesting in that a lot of them aren't necessarily dissimilar with one another (they're all quite teasing, whether romantic or platonic), but they are unique to him. The dynamism of his character is probably what makes me like him the most; I love how he code switches between his own number, Old Deuteronomy, and Mr. Mistoffelees.

Aside from all that, come on. The swagger is magnetic. (I'd write more but my fingers are starting to hurt)

8: Bombalurina

women <3

(I do have additional thoughts about her character! She's intelligent, generous, and flirtatious, and though she's always seeking romantic/sexual attention, those interactions are always secondary to her relationship with Demeter, which is something that I really like. Depending on the performer, she can easily come across as one of the strongest characters.

...but yeah. women <3)

9: Skimbleshanks

(swings microphone around) I am once again answering on the basis of "I just think they're funny"

Seriously though, at this point, there are so many characters that could make it onto this list. I think Skimble juuuuust made it here because EVERYBODY loves him, and that just makes me love him more. He and Mistoffelees definitely seem like the most popular choices for fanart from folks outside of the fandom, 2019 or otherwise.

Also, whenever I need an answer in Quiplash and can't think of anything, I put in Skimbleshanks, and without fail, somebody always votes for it, even if they have no idea who (or, in their mind, what) Skimbleshanks is.

There's not a single thing I dislike about this cat or his number; I couldn't possibly begin to list everything here. I just haven't thought particularly hard about him as a character yet.

10: Electra

I must admit that I've barely spent any time at all thinking about Electra. HOWEVER, her interactions with Munkustrap are adorable, and the single father alonzo fic has irreparably changed my brain chemistry, and for those reasons alone, she's earned her place here. I also think the unitard design is really unique and beautiful :D

Honorable Mention: Tantomile. She was my favorite when I watched Cats '98 as a young'in :).

[anothd]

Im so fucking sleepy yet I can't sleep. Way too much thoughts. So maybe ill rant and get them out. It feels bad to talk about things like this, but oh well. I'm already exhausted emotionally and confused and all this stress makes me barely have any sleep at night (if im lucky enought to sleep tho).

The way they all lied to me and never told me anything. Three. Three different persons knew about it and no one tried to confront or ask me shit, just made their little theories. I understand one of them knew my blog. And i understand they checked it cause they noticed my mental state shrinking. But at the same time lying about not checking it? After accidentally leaving a heart on my intro post another (probably, maybe that was truth) lie that "they checked their followers" and accidentally went on my blog? I mean how dump do you think I am? Who follows you? Especially when you don't post a shit. Anyway sending screenshots of my vents to others is understable, but at the same time would be cool if i got to know about it all like in the span of a hour or two. Not several days later. Also some of the things i saw on screenshots just hurted me. "Like, i like him as a friend, i really do but how tf do i handle jirai". Bro i told you I'm jirai before we became friends. And why you act jirai is the problem? I still feel hurt. I still dont even feel like i can trust any of their words. He himself told others to talk about their emotions and all and dont give silent treatment. What i did to deserve this hypocritic behaviour from him? Litteraly both of these two others he told about this (not suprised that he told it after basically i got to know from them and not him and told him about it) accoused me of trying to distance them from the rest? Also one accoused me of bpd and being a yandere? I mean the bpd one and yandere was basically a child, but it still hurts. In the instance of me having stronger ed than usual and getting all this info randomly and litteraly needing to confront everyone and talk to them for longer amount of time to get to the maybe truth? I mean he lied way to many times and his promises seem hollow. I probably need time to get used to it but oh well. Im just tired. Tired of walking on eggshells to not make anyone uncomfortable nor to make them randomly worried or "try to make me say it". Say it yourself young man and dont try to force me by manipulation to say it to you. It all just made me relapse and suicidal again. I hate it. I hate them. But why i still care and im way to worried about them? Litteraly im worried after the tone of their message is wrong. Yet they dont seem to really care nor worry about me. Well maybe they do, but i dont feel it. Maybe leaving would be better. I would had another reason to end it, well loose reason to stay so itll add to reasons to end.

Ngl won't tag it as its more of private thing and not wanna get it seen by more people, but still some attention and reaction would be cool.

[ikuzeminna]

Who are your top 5 favorite atla characters

This might surprise you, anon, but this is a difficult question for me. By the way, I hope you’re a Gundam Wing fan who noticed me in the ATLA tag and not someone from the ATLA fandom just asking me a question because boy, is this gonna be an introduction to my blog.

I can tell you my favorite character right off the bat, which is Toph. She’s cool, and badass, and sarcastic, and wise, and self-deprecating, and saving the day left and right, and just all around awesome. That is to say, she is a joy to watch and there isn’t a single scene in the series where I’m annoyed by her. What is also in stark contrast to Aang is her commitment to improving herself. Toph is introduced as one of the strongest benders in the series, but does that stop her from evolving? No. She confronts and masters her weaknesses, sandbending and metalbending, going so far as to invent the latter to do so. This is what keeps her from being an obnoxious Mary Sue, even though she can take down armies by herself; Toph earns her strength. Unlike a certain someone who is only the strongest because he has the glowy uber mode.

Number 2 would be Katara, who provides a very nice example of a rich and complex character, who also gets to have a very unique relationship with the former villain, Zuko. She gets a lot of really good writing, which is the reason I like her so much. The contrast between her Book 1 self and her Book 2 self and onward is also very interesting to observe, as we get to see what a healthy serving of self-confidence can do for Katara as a character and for her personality. She isn’t exactly different, but there is a noticeable level of maturity added with her mastery of waterbending. She also gets the most emotionally intense episodes. A Katara episode is always a good episode.

From here on though, it gets difficult.

Zuko is somewhere on the list of favorites, too, but only if I ignore the annoying parts, the greatest being the obsession with Iroh. I’m not gonna launch into a rant, because that would be a 20 pages long essay on its own, but know that no other character in the history of media has ever held my ire to the level Iroh does, not just on his own, but for the way he ruins other characters, too. Seeing him gets the same response from me the way mentioning the British Museum does to every culture the Brits looted.

Aside from that, one thing that has always gotten on my nerves with Zuko is how we see nothing of his supposed princely background. Running around and throwing temper tantrums to get his way is how a brat acts, not necessarily a prince. Weirdly, they get it right with Azula. You can tell from a mile away that she’s nobility. Zuko? Zuko oscillates between ridiculously crafty and effin’ annoying. There is only one tiny hint I can identify that speaks to a higher standing and that is the way he sits straight. Other than that, nothing. No impressive vocab or signs of higher education or flowery language or sense of perfection and finesse. So another point for bad writing.

I just need two more, right?

Hmm. I’m gonna cheat with those and pick Piandao and Ursa. lol

Piandao, because he is the poster boy for a proper master. He is insanely skilled and seemingly eccentric because he abhors over-inflated egos, being a humble and open-minded person. He teaches Sokka because of his own morality and conviction and seems like someone who genuinely wants to help people. He doesn’t troll people like Bumi, nor does he abandon his nephew to go on a glory crusade. He’s also not a drama queen like Jeong Jeong. He’s a good role model and should have been the sole leader of the White Lotus, seeing as his house is plastered with lotus symbols. And he never should have accepted Iroh and Pakku. >_>

Here is where I run out of truly favorite characters. Ursa is not so much a favorite as she is interesting to me because I’m digging the family dynamics the series hints at. One NATLA picked up, too. It’s not the abuse victim/hostage nonsense the comics threw at us, which is offensive beyond belief, but a wonderfully complex mess that, if added to correctly, can turn Ozai from a flat pancake into a fully rounded character while enriching Zuko and Azula, and provide a parallel to Katara’s and Sokka’s family, too. But I’m gonna spare everyone a lengthy explanation for this, as that could be another post on its own.

Suffice it to say that while Ursa looks like the angel to Ozai’s monster and the series, for whatever reason, tried to paint one bloodline as good while the other is eeevul, it’s her who killed Azulon. Give me all the gray characters.

This should answer your question, anon. Now to blather about the stuff you didn’t ask me for.

~Part deux~

As I said in the beginning, picking five favorite characters in ATLA is difficult for me because I don’t have that many characters I truly like. It’s not that I necessarily hate them, I just don’t care about most characters.

Like, I don’t care for Sokka. He's the comedic relief, okay, whatever. If he gets a moment of awesome, it feels unearned. Him being touted as a great leader makes me laugh since the series implies it’s because he’s suddenly the only one who can read a map. He’s horribly written. Everything is rushed, from his romance with Yue to his one-day mastery of swordsmanship. That crap takes years. Never mind him getting a super special awesome space sword that’s practically a lightsaber. So it’s not even his own skill?

Same thing with Suki. I’m not bothered by her character the way Sokka annoys me (I do, in fact, dislike him when the series over-inflates his worth) but she’s just not interesting enough for me to care about her. Her being tethered to Sokka does her no favors in my book either. If you remove every scene where she interacts with him, is there any screen time left for her?

Aang is a can of worms. I like goofy Book 1 Aang. I absolutely loathe Bryke’s self-insert Book 3 Aang. And don’t even get me started on the shipping. It’s like pairing kid Goku with teen Bulma. Just, no.

So do I like Ozai then? No. Unless I make him interesting, he’s boring. Azula started out very strong, but then fell apart because the show decided to strangle itself with binaries. She’s also incredibly isolated, having only pancakes and her brother in her orbit. Mai and Ty Lee are flat. Jet got killed off before he had the chance to develop layers. That leaves me liking blank slates like Kanna. Yes, I will prefer the stock character over the badly written, flat ones.

This may all sound like I don’t like the series or, at the very least, don’t enjoy it, but that’s not the case. I have plenty of episodes I watch and rewatch because it is a fun show and I don’t need to like all the characters to enjoy an episode’s story. Being flat or inconsistent doesn’t bother me when they can manage to be consistent for an episode at least. And the bending battles are cool to look at. The trouble starts when we take all the series into account because the wasted potential through shoddy writing becomes more apparent, especially towards the end.

When you compare the characters and their writing to the likes of the Gundam Wing cast –and now we swerve to my blog’s main theme– the difference couldn’t be more glaring. This blog is dedicated to one single series, with me writing meta upon meta, sometimes about the most minute detail in one of the first episodes because it’s a hint for something that happens after the series, in the movie following the show, because the level of care to get the characters not just consistent but also massively layered is utterly insane in this show. If you were to make a character relation sheet, you’d just end up connecting everyone because every character gets a unique dynamic with everyone else. And this series doesn’t even focus on the characters. It’s plot-driven. It’s about politics and war.

Ironically, I have a harder time picking a favorite episode in Wing than I would in ATLA because I enjoy the characters in their entirety, which is reflected in the entirety of the series. Wing is hard to watch because it’s not episodic. Some of the coolest moments happen without fanfare. But I’d have no problem listing five favorite characters. Duo at the top because he’s the best, hands down, then Relena, then Wufei, then- wait no, first Meilan, then Wufei. And then it’s a battle between Trowa and Noin, with Dorothy being close behind.

[fangs-claws-paws]

Ranting

Just wanna put a bunch of petty, angry thoughts down somewhere.

99% is gonna be Warhammer 40k cuz dear god have some things been bothering me for a bit!

I honest to god care so little about the primarchs it is insane. Like I don't hate them, nor do I think they're bad, and I do genuinely like some of them. My problem is most writing and anything specific has to do with 'omg konrad so hot!' or 'magnus is bae!' p much insert any primarch there and its the same thing. And I just sit there with a grimancing smile cuz I just don't care for them like that, they're interesting characters in their plots, but I don't feel any sort of obsession or compulsion to write more about them, their story is told in the setting and that's good. I really don't want to read the 200th shipping piece about them with each other or insert guilliman/yrvaine, or primarch/self-insert, they are nothing to me. I care leaps and bounds more about the space marine's themselves, more about their loyalty to their primarchs and how that makes many do things they never would have done otherwise. Like the butchers nail in the world eaters, stuff like that. But at least on AO3 fanfiction its so rare it might as well not exist.

I guess bold words coming from the writer of the horniest/most fucked up space marine fan fic on the site. But I am allowed to bitch.

Other thing I hate with AO3 warhammer fanfiction, though looks more general, is the fixation with cross-over writing. Like there at least 10 fics there that are warhammer 40k crossover with my hero academia of all things. Let alone the 50+ fandom crossover fics that are a chore to scroll past due to the length of their tags (thankfully that's mostly reduced thanks to the tag limit AO3 had to enforce). None of them offer anything new, or interesting, or really anything I find worthwhile to read. Most can be boiled down to 'we took academia characters and hastily jammed them in roles of the primarchs' or something else just as uninspired. and again, like you do you, but it's miserable having to scroll through most fics and except for maybe 1 or 2 they are all pretty much the same thing with different window dressing.

Also wish there wasn't a treat of woobifying chaos. Acting like they're secretly the real good guys. Aside from being resoundingly not based in canon even remotely, it removes why I love chaos so much. I'm not a fan of chaos cuz I think they'll make everything right, I'm a fan cuz they just wanna watch everything burn and do horrific shit. Maybe I am tired of being nice, maybe I do wanna go ape shit! That's the appeal, the catharsis of being something so horrific and beyond good, and loving every step of the way.

Also not a huge fan of the new thing being hating space marines as boring generic action heroes, which I do kinda get bc GW loves using them as poster boys. But I dunno, I've just related to space marines more than the guardsmen. Not that I've ever been in war or some of the horrors they face. But when I relate is the isolation and seperation from the average human, like I loved reading in one of the Ahriman books how a space marine sat in a human chair and how it struggled to not shatter, how it made at least me aware how the world is not designed for them. They're children who were taken at an extremely young age and honed into weapons to be wielded, and I love when we're reminded that they kinda still are and how they're dehumanized by the Imperium. While space marines get along decently with each other, they struggle to understand the average human, how technically they're still emotionally children who have been given extremely dangerous weapons. That despite being angels of death for the imperium some humans still see them as freakish mutants that are barely tolerable only because they are weapons.

Like I know its extremely childish of me, but I do feel a little upset, annoyed, etc when space marines get parodied as obnoxious, stupid, hyper-masculine action hero jokes. Like 'oh ho ho! Bad ass space marines have to have their cybernetics tended to by humans, just proves regular humans are so superior to dumb marines!' Like yeah, but do you not see how it can also reflect the level of trust these dehumanized potentially deeply repressed traumatized individuals have to have that they allow select humans to help them with their disability, something that space marines shouldn't have, at least according to propaganda. Or how war can irreperably change even someone who is now seen as a tool, or that space marines are seen as just as replaceable as the cybernetics that they are augmented with. LIke IDK, maybe I see too much of myself in fictional superhuman dudes, but it irks me to have them only be seen as either just cool (which I tolerate infinitely more) or as something that must be constantly parodied and treated as something to be derided as pathetic masculine fantasy (which I detest)

[icedteasandparliaments]

Rant: Love life, story, troubles, venting, need advice

This is a long rant, but something that has really been consuming me. Its about a guy I like, and I desperately need some advice. It is a pretty interesting read, so if you have the time to, please read or share.

So there’s this guy. Let’s call him James. We’ve known each other for two years, and we were both in open relationships when we met. Nothing happened, we just hung out, met up at bars, were affectionate (pecks and some light cuddling). I did ask if he wanted to get fully undressed once while we were cuddled up and about to sleep, and he said no (I dont exactly remember the phrasing), so we just kissed and went to sleep, and I left it at that.

Anyway, this past May we were both at EDC. My bf was with me on Friday and went back to LA Saturday morning. James and I unfortunately didn’t get the chance to meet up inside the festival on Saturday, but I met up with him Sunday evening before the festival started. He was about to head back to LA in a few hours, and his roommate was going to end up there by himself. I obviously invited his roommate to tag along with us since he needed a ride too.

We get to the festival, and his roommate tells me that James thinks I am really special, and that I should really go for it with him. I was confused, as I didn’t really feel that from him and I was beginning to see us as friends. Oh, and we were both still in the same relationships I mentioned earlier.

A few months go by, and my bf and I are arguing all the time. I know he cares about me and loves me so deeply, and would do anything for me, but it is clear now that we are not very compatible. We see things very differently, and we argue about the dumbest shit (he’s the instigator, as he’s OCD and insecure, and the fact that I am so laid back actually upsets him further so I was at a loss, as even my tools of diffusion, talking calmly, trying to use reason and logic, would upset him even more)

Towards the end of July, I could feel my depression coming back. My bf and I get into yet another argument, and my energy felt so depleted. I fully withdrew - emotionally, mentally, physically. The next few weeks were tumultuous to say the least. Another major argument followed by the end of August. I ask for a break, to which his response was “that’s a break up with extra steps. If you’re already there we should just break up.” … and so we do.

2 days later, James texts and invites me to a pool party at his friend’s place. I really needed a change of scenery, and I haven’t seen him in a few months. I drove up to his place and we drove another hour to his friend’s place. We talked and laughed the whole drive up, and right before we get there he tells me he called it off with his boyfriend, and I tell him the same happened with me. I felt an energy shift, but that was that.

We get to the pool party, and he introduces me to his friends. It turns out, I spoke with one of the hosts on grindr so many times, and we just never met up (he lives an hour away, lol). We didn’t realize it at the time, and it’s not relevant to this story I just thought it was a funny coincidence.

The party was more-so a gathering, as we were just around 10 people. I was getting to know them throughout the party, and I don’t remember spending much alone time with James. I really hit it off with one the guests though (much older and ruggedly handsome), and we ‘snuck off’ for a bit to make out. We left about an hour later, and James drove me back to his place. We saw an episode of Ted Lasso. He got up when it was over and said he was going to shower, and I could crash on the couch (I think that’s what he said, I was pretty tipsy). I said I should probably head back and I gave him a quick kiss good night and left.

Another week goes by, and I hit him up first. We made plans to drive up to Tahoe with my friends but a storm came and we cancelled. He travelled to see his family instead. I waited until he came back and texted him first again, which is when he invited me to an overnight gay event in the woods. I wasn’t going to go, especially since my bf and I had talked and said we’ll do the break instead of a breakup. Friday night passed, and he calls me Saturday morning asking me to come for the last night of the event. He got me a ticket and a place to stay, so I didn’t really have an excuse. I went, and I am so glad I did because it was a very magical night to say the least, and we were really vibing with each other. I met some more of his friends, but I was now mindful of the fact that what we have going on might be more than a friendship. I wanted to shoot my shot and let him know I am starting to like him, but more on that later.

He was truly the life of the party. He befriended everyone. He’s so sweet and special, and his energy is truly infectious. I started feeling myself blush and getting butterflies when his attention was directed my way (which it was for most of the night). He is just so charismatic. During a show that night, we were cuddled up and holding hands the entire time. His head was resting on my shoulders as he hugged me and wrapped his legs around mine. It felt amazing. We go back to the cabin, and he jokingly says that we should date (in front of his friends) after celebrating that he’s single. We ended up on different substances that day, and so were on different wavelengths.

The party picked up throughout the night, and I start to back out of telling him I like him. Just as I was texting that to a friend, I see that he’s kissing someone else. I shrugged it off and went back into the crowd to dance. He finds me 20-30 mins later, says he’s been looking for me, grabs me and we start making out. It felt surreal (I am sure it was the drugs too, and the fact that I wasn’t really knowing whether to expect that). He came up to me another hour later and asked if I was hitting it off with a guy I was talking to, to which I replied that it wasn’t sexual. He then said not to worry, and that he’s very easy, and we made out again. I saw him kiss two other guys that night, and back and forth we went. It started feeling like we were just special friends, and I began to accept that by the end of the night. I finally gave some attention back to a cute guy that’s been checking me out all day.

James and his friend (our cabin mate), the cute guy I just met, and I started walking towards the afterparty. The cute guy asks me how I know James, and I stuttered before saying “we’ve known each other for 2 years … and I guess we’ve been friends ever since.” A few minutes later, I turn around and see that James and his friend went in another direction (presumably to check out an orgy), so I just texted him to check up and said ill be at the afterparty. He said he was just in and out and it wasn’t his vibe, but I didn’t see him at the afterparty for a while (it was small, and so super hard to miss).

So the cute guy and I go to the afterparty, with the trippiest music, bohemian decorations in an indoor/outdoor space with blankets, pillows, and super cuddly vibes. He pulled out some Ketamine and asks if I want some. I am very used to psychedelics, but I have never tried K, and it was honestly the perfect setup for it. I tried to get a hold of James, but he didn’t respond. The K hit me fast, and I immediately wanted to lie down and cuddle up. I lied down and the cute guy started spooning me. I look up and see James, call him and he just says hi and that he’s looking for other people. I said okay and lied back down. He was within earshot most of the time, but I was too out of it to actually hear anything besides his voice. He came up to me before he was heading out, knelt down and kissed me. “Good night babe, Ill see you back in the cabin.”

I got up a few mins later and told the guy I should head back too as to not wake them up. I go back to the cabin, and he asks why I didnt bring the guy back and jokingly said he’d be down to watch. I just laughed and went to sleep. I debated asking if he wants to cuddle, but we were in bunk beds and he fell asleep really quickly, and I also felt odd about having just cuddled up with someone else. The next morning as I was heading to the bathroom, he saw me getting up and reached his hand out to hold mine as I was passing through. I gave him a quick kiss good bye, and I drove back home.

A couple of days later, I hit him up again, and ask him out to a show that upcoming Friday with my friends under the guise of “an extra ticket”, especially since he had gotten one for me the weekend prior. He said yes, but I started feeling sick that day. I later tested and I had COVID. I called to let him know, and that Friday would be my 5th day. He said he doesn’t mind and would still like to go if I am feeling fine. I was still really tired, but I really wanted to see him. I was planning to have my mask on all day, but he asked me to take it off after we sat down “so he could see my face”.

We had a really great time, and even snuck into much better seats (they weren’t taken), so we ended up spending the entire concert by ourselves w/out my friends. We took a little bit of mushrooms, and we were so intimate all night (his arm around me, holding hands, slightly squeezing my butt, my arm was wrapped around his thigh, my head on his side (he was sitting on top of the chair while I was fully seated, so he was significantly higher most of the time. I am pretty sure he saw me visibly blush a couple of times but I really tried to hide it for some reason, I didnt want to come off too strong …). The show ends, and he asks if I want to go out to a gay bar. I was so tired and just wanted to cuddle up and smoke a bowl and watch tv, but I said yes only because I wanted to spend some more time with him.

Before going, we decided to check in with my friends and quickly met up with them at the bar they were at. My friend’s coworker (a woman) was so into him, and after telling her he was gay she wanted to set him up with her husband’s brother. She asked if he was seeing anyone, and he stuttered before saying he’s here with me. When she asked if we were dating he said that we’re just friends and we both recently got out of a relationship (this conversation was relayed to me by a friend). Anyway, we leave 30 mins later and go to the gay bar.

We order drinks and food, and he was hitting it up with some cute guy for a bit while our order came (which is fine). We went to see a drag show and he again put his arm around me. My friends came an hour or so later, but one of them was too drunk so I went to meet them outside. My car was already at my friend’s place, and I wasn’t going to kiss James anyway seeing as its just my 5th day still. I waited for him to come out, hugged him good night, walked him to his car, and went back home with my friends.

He asks me to let him know when I get home, and I can physically feel the butterflies in my stomach. I feel like I am falling for this guy fast, and it is starting to scare me. I don’t know what we are, or where this is headed, and whether he’s even emotionally available. I seem to always be hitting him up first, and he’s so different in person than he is over text (one word responses, never initiates, feels like its a chore, only calls me “babe” and says I am really cute when we are together in person). Even when I say “hey babe”, his response back is “hey” or “hey you” … which is 🤦🏽‍♂️. Then he keeps inviting me to places and agreeing to go places with me, so I am really not sure what’s going on.

We made plans to spend 4 back-to-back weekends together starting a month from now. Yes, FOUR. It seems like we’ve confirmed on 3 so far, with one being tentative, but that’s still really significant. The last weekend is an out of town trip. I figured id just lay back for a while and let my emotions process. Out of sheer curiosity, I go online to check the compatibility of a Pisces-Pisces relationship. It was … SCARILY on point. This is what I found:

“At first glance, two Pisces representatives might become a perfect couple, but when we scratch beneath the surface, we might see that they have real trouble getting close to each other. Their sex life can be magical, but in many cases they will not even get to the physical contact, keeping their relationship senselessly platonic.”

“Trust is a very difficult subject when two Pisces representatives begin a romantic relationship. Their main problem is in the fact that they know each other too well. They can both recognize their own unstable and unreliable nature in their partner, so instead of building trust and changing them both for the better, they will easily get caught in a circle of attempts to be honest and dishonest, without the need for their flaky nature to change. The best way for them to create a safe and trustful atmosphere is in a lot of meaningful communication that they both usually find obsolete.”

“Although they will share their dreams with one another, and probably inspire each other in many ways, it will be difficult for them to have discussions on ongoing things in their lives. They will both have their own image of what is important for their partner to know about them. It is a good thing they will have such a strong feeling on each other’s point, because they would probably never meet each other at all if there was no emotional connection between them.”

“They will have a tendency not to move from a certain point, both of them intensely focused on the idea of love, rather than actual activities. This will easily lead them to a place where there is really nothing else to share and talk about especially if they don’t share the same group of friends, or have other joined activities that they can discuss on a daily basis.”

“When they fall in love, this is a fairytale romance and their emotional contact is something that no other sign can reach. Two of the representatives of Venus’ exaltation in the same relationship, are love multiplied. Their tenderness and the way they nurture their emotions toward each other, will be a true inspiration for everyone around them. There is no better partner to understand the emotional nature of a Pisces partner, than another Pisces. Their mutable quality will show through emotional changes and apparent inconsistency, but in truth, they will know exactly when to separate and when to be together in order for their love to remain exciting and beautiful.”

I truly wanted to just let it be and go with the flow, but I am worried that we are both taking the same exact approach, and we will just be stuck in this will-they won’t-they forever. Honestly, all I want to know is whether this is just a friendship or if there’s something more, and if he’s willing to explore things emotionally. I am at such a loss because I don’t want to keep texting him first either, and I am a little worried still that he sees me the same way I see all my friends-with-benefits (hot men whose company I enjoy and who I care about, but nothing more).

Should I just wait and see what happens over our next few outings? The last weekend of the 4 is an out of town trip (with friends). Do I tell him then, or before? Or just let it be? I am just torturing myself here. Can someone please offer some advice? (He is 11 years older in his mid 30s if that makes any difference).

What the hell should I do and how do I handle this? He already knows I think he is super cute (to which his response is always “so are you, so sexy”). He already saw me staring into him a few times and saw me blush when he caught me. The way I smile and look at him would give me away to anyone else. I also kept noticing him looking at me from the corner of my eye during the concert. He also just got out of a relationship, and said he’s young and wants to enjoy his life without the confines of a relationship. We’ve been friends for two years but we’ve never had sex … Why is he so confusing? 😭 please help. What would you do in this situation?

[lumiereandcogsworth]

how does belle comfort adam and how does adam comfort belle whether they have a hard day at work or are just feeling insecure or unsure of themselves (also, angst one shot? I love your writing)

when adam is feeling exhausted from a hard work day or just emotionally down, he’s usually very gloomy but quiet about it. he hates to burden belle with his troubles, and equally he’s learned to isolate/suppress feelings when he feels sad because he’s never really known how to lean on someone for emotional support. early on in their marriage, this frustrated belle because she just wanted him to open up and tell her what’s wrong, but he really just doesn’t have the words to do that. over time, she picks up on the signs that he’s not feeling well mentally: he’s more spacey, more tired, more easily agitated at little things. (and, over time, adam does get better at telling her about his feelings. but that takes years of baby steps.)

anyway, when belle notices he’s feeling down, she usually asks if he’d like to take a rest with her. she wants to read, maybe he can lie down on the bed while she reads? she’s learned if she just outright tells him to go lie down, he won’t do it. so, she asks if he’d join her, and 9 times out of 10, he’ll agree. whether he picks up on what her ulterior motive is or not, he knows laying down with her will help him feel better. and sometimes, when they’re in bed, that’s when he’s able to open up the most and vent if he needs to. and belle is always happy to listen.

when belle is sad or exhausted, it’s a much different story. she’s pretty vocal about her frustrations. granted, she does often try to handle it herself, because things frustrate her when she can’t work them out on her own, but she’ll still go to adam to rant about it at some point. generally, adam just needs to give her the space to complain about her annoyances, and in doing so, she’s worked out the solution (whether he’s given input or not) and is able to carry on with the day.

sometimes her worries or troubles do bring her to tears though, in which case adam provides all the soft, gentle support in the world. he holds her and listens to her and tells her everything is going to be okay. he’s not the elaborate problem solver that his wife is, but he keeps her grounded when she needs it the most. and that is exactly the comfort that belle needs to feel better.

i’ve said this on its own post, but it seems fitting to say it here too: adam and belle work well together because belle is always up in the clouds, her mind scattered and wild, and adam keeps her grounded. equally, adam is always drowning in his emotions, and belle keeps him afloat. they balance each other out very well, this way <3

(also thank you, that’s so kind!!! 🥺 i have a section of my angst one shots titled “emotional hurt/comfort tag” on my masterlist right here :) and i can definitely tag you/DM you for future ones i post!! feel free to DM me if you’d like, but no pressure☺️)

[tsukiyadori]

On the Use of cheese, fluff, spice, chili and Other Things Luna-Lingo

There are some self-coined words in my personal use that frequently confuse people, but some people to whom I talk with more frequently have come to get used to them with a more or less rough idea.

I have also been using them rather freely in the ramblings on this blog as well, as most of those posts were originally written with just me or at best that audience in mind, but it looks like there are some silent readers joining in as followers and other people occasionally drop in via the tags. 

So I figured, maybe I should just assemble what these mean in one linkable place.

This will also include a bit of a historical excursion of how they came to be. If you are simply just interested in TL;DR definition of each of their meaning, skip to what's bold. 

General Luna:

Lunatastic: Everything very Luna. Basically the adjective to the noun Luna.

Moon Resident: Luna hails from and mostly lives on the Moon (not exactly behind the moon) and is therefore a moon resident. (Which is my preferred term to being an alien.)

Earthling: Everyone who lives on earth. In most cases can be substituted as "normal people", I guess.

On Cheese

The roots of this one go back to my adolescence and up to my early adulthood. Those years were spent with pretty much no clue getting crushes, falling in love, dating and other things that make up the average usual teenage puberty insanity. Education on it in school and from actual people in my environment was, let's say, underwhelming if it wasn't outright applied shaming upon any attempt to actually learn anything about it from someone. One of the still nicer things I got told was that I'll learn it in due time. Once I fall for someone, I'd know, or I'd have no choice but to want to know. And before that was to happen it was indicated or make clear in a variety of ways that there is no use talking about it, because neither would it be relevant nor could one even talk about it, because it's like talking to somebody color-blind about colors. (I shall not rant here, but everything about this is very very wrong if not outright dangerous.)

There were two collateral effects to this: 

While I never really had an emotional need to really get behind these things, I still did not feel particularly great about not knowing "the obvious". So I tried to fill in the gap intellectually, which resulted in some, admittedly, pretty bizarre questions people didn't know how to answer or didn't take seriously. People are to this day still bemused how innocent and unknowing I can be and at times or outright think I must be trolling at other times. I can handle this a lot better today and see things embedded in a bigger picture, but back then I was eventually just feeling angry, insulted and other things upset about anything in this subject territory.

The second thing was, people, well, did not particularly enjoy ever talking to me and while there are a multitude of different reasons this was surely part of it. Sex-ed and the like in school was underwhelming for any of us, but all this stuff is ultimately a huge part of puberty and people were actively curious and emotionally in need to fill out the gaps and I think most people learned it with private talks to parents, other adults in their families, mentor figures slightly older or their age peers. What formed were things that look to me like secret conclaves over common issues, problems, same to similar storms to weather. These things probably also brought a lot of people together at the time and gave grounds to form bonds of any level of depth. I for my part did not even hold the most basic 'we are peas of the same pod' entry ticket, and then I was asking all my incessant exhausting questions which didn't at all obfuscate the fact there was zero understanding of it as well as hardly any sort of empathy present that people could expect to draw from me about their own cheese worries. People were exhausted by their own hormones wreaking havoc, so of course I was just a headache to deal with and people kept their distance.

Which also meant aside from having no clue about everything love, crushes, dating, romantic/sexual relationships I also didn't have much of a clue about common friendships, casual friendships, camaraderie, "nakamas", buddies, pals and where the boundaries from one to another are being drawn.

And more than anything was I somewhat full of scorn. This was basically my face at the time:

So right in line with the mood, the first term that came about was the German word 'Schnulze'. If you look this up you get this from the dictionary: weepie, sobstuff, slushy or schmaltzy song/book/flick.

'Schnulze' is a term mostly applied to soppy ass sappy soap operas that make no sense, are overly dramatic and theatrical and feel staged and unreal. And more than anything, it's derogatory. Which was the point, it expressed my scorn. And I pretty much misused it on anything that even had a slight whiff of all those things I did not understand nor anyone managed to ever explain to me. I wanted to stay away from it all, which I did by shunning it and for a couple of years that was a somewhat simple thing to do.

I wasn't very present in any English places, but in earlier terms I mostly used something like "dumpster love nonsense" or calling cheese-stricken characters having completely fallen on their heads, "Moe-blob-idiots" or some such.

Eventually, life caught up with me in young adulthood. You cannot live in this world without having a decent idea of these things. It causes damage to anyone around you due to negligence and carelessness. It can also bring danger to yourself all the same. That took me a long time to learn and realize as a fact. I also slowly caught up that a few ideas and conclusions I had from observing the surrounding 'madhouse' were, let's say, extremely off.

And the more I learned about this, now in an environment with access to more sophisticated books, internet, people's reviews and reactions to fictional media, discussions thereof of what's plausible, buyable, realistic or not, adult lunch break talks and presentations of talks from sex/love therapists and whatnot I slowly started to get some clues.

It didn't change however that I still had no idea about where the boundaries of romance/sex and any other sort of amical bounds were. It also didn't change that while my scorn faded it was still all annoying me, because I did not have a clue or not enough of it.

My face morphed into something more like this:

Instead of scorn (and maybe hate), it now was more something like exasperation and I wanted a new word, that was less derogatory, less of a misuse, a little bit more tangible, but also still on point about that exact exasperation and the still remaining traces of my scorn about it all. And where I didn't have to worry that much about the distinction between love in the romantic/sexual sense or any other. (It's still tricky half of the time.)

There is an expression in German called "Was für ein Käse" (lit. "what sort of cheese") with variants like "So ein Käse!" (lit. "what cheese!"). It expresses how something is rubbish or nonsense.

At the same time there is the english word "cheesy", which describes something sappy, corny, tacky. In German there is the word 'kitschig' for this, but somehow Kitsch just feels a deal much more derogatory to me than cheesy or corny would be. 

So I took up 'cheese', it represented the nonsense it was all to me, but I was still in need to somehow understand while it also kinda put me off like how cheesy stuff does. And because I had no clue about the boundaries, it didn't just apply to romance and sexual things, but could also apply to anything else, as long as there is a sense of cheesy tearjerky drama, jokes or exaggeration to it....... or well, came off like that to me.

Another part of it is I also happen to not particularly enjoy eating real cheese. The faces I make (or internally make) over the real and figurative cheese are pretty much the same.

HOWEVER!

There are circumstances where I will enjoy eating even real cheese (or even spice). I will not say no to a very good pizza or lasagna (albeit they are super hard to be found really well-made) and I will also not say to leave the cheese out of them, because some dishes need their cheese, or they just don't work. I also happen to really like cream cheese, which by all means is technically cheese, but does not taste like cheese.

And it's the same thing with figurative cheese, as I later found out. 

Enter the era of cheese subtypes! (This is the present era, still ongoing.)

So this is what there is to cheese currently:

Cheese: Umbrella term, cheese is my term for everything cheesy, gaudy, and well, that sort of embarrassing nonsense. It can be about, but isn't necessarily limited to be about love, romance, and sex. It can also be about nakama, friends forever, be your true self blabla, but quantitatively speaking the biggest share of it is made up by all the romance or horny porny gibberish.

Liebesgedaddel (lit: love+twisted version of "Gedudel" which means tootling, racket): German-sphere only. If I lack the opportunity to use cheese, but also don't really want to explain this whole essay and am somewhat sure it's likely more about romance/love, this gets used.

Gefühlduselei (lit. sentimentalism, soppyness): German-sphere only. If I lack the opportunity to use cheese, but also don't really want to explain this whole essay or really it has nothing to do with romance or even cheese exactly, but is just tacky.

Sappy Soppy (Ass) sap/cheese: Kind the same as 'Gefühlduselei', just in English. If I lack the opportunity to use cheese, but also don't really want to explain this whole essay or really it has nothing to do with cheese exactly, but is just tacky. May get combined with cheese for a superlative.

Regular Cheese, (Bog-)Standard Cheese: Your average cheese dish. Does nothing really wrong about it, but really has nothing really noteworthy or special about it either. Very by the book if you so will. Tastes about as Gouda tastes to me. I can eat it if it presents itself to me by the occasion, but I will not particularly enjoy it.

Bad Cheese or Rotten cheese: Cheese that is bad, stinky or rotten, so like, it's things that clearly do not really do the characters any good and, by extension, me the reader. Things that propagate your usually bad takes and ideas. I've been asked what an example for mold cheese types would be, the answer is, there is none, because just like real cheese, if I taste that the cheese is repugnant in my mouth I will usually not bother trying to figure out if it was Gogonzola, Camembert, Brie or hard cheese (stuff like e.g. Parmesan). Much like their real cheese versions other people may dig it anyway. But the most diplomatic face I make at it is something like this:

Toxic Cheese: This is always also rotten cheese, but these are extra bad, because they treat the bad takes as a given or even romanticize to glorify them. However, not every questionable or toxic relationship depicted will make the piece of work automatically toxic cheese itself. It highly depends on how the narration treats and paints it. (So like the thing Subaru and Seishiro from Tokyo Babylon+X/1999 have between them is basically everything a bad idea, but the story makes no qualms about how bad it is and what damage it causes and narratively, in a purely fictive sense, there is something fascinating about them to keep on reading/watching.)

Cheese Trash: This is always also either bog-standard or bad cheese, but it's so dumb and overly clearly dumb it's kinda less offensively bad rather than just dumb. Just gets tossed into the personal trash bin and will not be missed.

Dumpster Cheese: Cheese that is either bog-standard or has some really unrealistic or questionable takes, but there is a sense of self-consciousness, self-irony or narrative winking about it. Has this sort of trash entertainment factor to it. So it kinda serves up one after another and there's some morbid curiosity of how far it dares to go. Think of something like Domestic Girlfriend. Usually what separates dumpster cheese from bad to rotten cheese is that they tend to have at least some redeeming points to them and a whiff of self-deprecation because of the self-consciousness.

The Golden Rule of Cheese: This is a reference to the Golden Rule of Shoujo, but more generalized. There is also the idea that genre romance MUST have their romance pair work out, or it's not romance. And sometimes you just see everything in the world of the story is willed to have them get together, because that's just their fate. It kinda iffs me off more often than not, but if it does the characters good, and they walk out of it for the better, it’s fine. Usually gets used on things that are over about it from the beginning. So like your typical romance genre romance that from the beginning is set up to go down the route like this.

The Obligatory Cheese: Same as Golden Rule of Cheese, just in shorter, broad terms. About everything forced. Like when you just know it has to have cheese, because it has to please the readership, or if a story has this shoehorned ending of them getting together because that's the way it has to go. Usually applies to things that aren't focused on telling exactly a cheese story and have enough else to go to sustain it even without the cheese, but of course it must still have it. Because just because.

Cheese Infection: Basically falling for somebody, or getting infected with the sappyness of a cheesy friendship, nakamaism and whatnot. Anything that makes them go corny themselves. Usually used on the moment that causes a cheese affliction.

Cheese Affliction: Somebody infected with cheese. Mostly used on somebody having a crush or just getting really dumb due to said crush. (Think of Boa Hancock from One Piece for an extra notorious comedic example.)

Cheese Suffering: Somewhat self-explanatory. When characters suffer from their cheese affliction. So, like any type of lovesickness.

Hilarious Cheese: When their cheese affliction makes characters so dumb, it's funny again. Requires some good grasp on comedic skills in the narration.

Soft Cheese: Stuff like Mozzarella or Emmentaler in terms of real cheese. These are the cheese types among common cheese that I seem to prefer most in dishes that have cheese if they have to have it. For media stuff, it's a bit hard to draw the line of when something is still soft and not just common or even bad or obligatory cheese. Ultimately, it depends on whether it tasted to me or not. Soft cheese can actually contain spice and chili as well, so it's not really depending on how innocent it all is.

Mozzarella: A soft cheese and among the common cheese types that I find most edible. Also known for how much you can stretch it. Usually stuff that is commonly called "so cute that it just makes you feel happy looking at them" falls in here, but like. Mozzarella is also stretchy. While most would go Uwaaaah!, I'm mostly like: This is okay and nice and all wholesome, but does it really have a need for this extra emphasis? (Flowers, petals, feathers, glitter, pomp, extra huge paneling etc.). It feels… just a bit stretchy. If it's a shoujo it might also just get stretchy, because it takes forever to progress while sticking to the same piece of cheese.

Cream Cheese: This is a wild exception to cheese. For this is by all means cheese no matter how you look at it, but for some reason does not taste like cheese. Just like how real cream cheese does not taste like cheese and I very much dig cream cheese, while cheese is a range from sufferable to repugnant. The line of cream cheese in works of media is very blurry, and I have no idea beforehand what makes cream cheese that and not some other cheese. The only thing it seems to have in common is that cream cheese will always contain fluff (see below) in some way or another, but just having fuwa fuwa will not necessarily make it fluff or cream cheese. The term first came about upon reading Kimi ni wa Todokanai/I Cannot Reach you. This is a BL, while also being very shoujo and somehow it was kinda half clear it was ultimately going the Golden Rule of Cheese, and it's also walking from one romance trope to another, technically, but for the first four volumes it never really tasted like even soft cheese. The series however has had some takes on bad cheese in v5 and ever since v7 it's sadly become more or less regular cheese.

Some lingo for cute, moe, badass etc.

Too much sugar: Interchangeable with sappy soppy ass sap.

Kariessüß/cavietes sweet: It just much of the sweetness, whether that be the romance-sweet or overdone character cuteness of being small, little, round and some such. Some of Koge Donbo's works have had a naming of "Queen of Kariessüß" from me for a while. (She has been know as the Queen of Moe at around the late 2000s.) Mostly it was my disappointment, because I did like the second half of PitaTen quite a deal, but the other works are. erm. something. I guess. Usually this bunch includes the moe-blob-idiots.

Moe-blob-idiots: Seldom in use by now, but describes characters that were clearly conceived with moe traits in mind and tend to be extremely airheaded, clumsy, inept and if you want to be mean, overly daft in their heads. Mostly they tend to be very innocent, so sporting oblivious cheese all around, no intelligence for common sense, scheming or ability for ulterior motives. Of course they have no real clue about romance, spice and chili and I've (had? still have?) some major qualms against them, because their lack of any sophistication on anything more juicy is kinda implicitly explained by their daftness.

Rule of Cool: Something that is stylised to make a character look badass and cool on the regular, but usually it completely falls flat on me.

Badass: Some character that is just cool and rocks and just really rocks. But also isn't really a Mary/Gary Sue either. (And thus probably not out of some power fantasy work.) Or the rare instances where Rule of Cool actually worked on me. Or really I just am into the character and they show up too rarely, then any instance of them showing up may already count as badass (that's very rare tho.)

Eyecandy, Feast for the eyes, Augenweide: Characters that kinda are sheer badass just in being. Does not necessarily have to be actually good characters, this is more vibes speaking in how they presented themselves in the moment or scene. Black Lady from Sailor Moon is darn eye candy. (Galaxia kinda rocks, as well.) Kiss-Shot from the Monogatari Series is and sometimes Shinobu comes back to be like that. There is a tendency for these characters to be female strong characters who keep using every bit of their feminine presentation, but combine them with recurring traits of character coolness or owning the room/dominance/power that usually predominantly gets attributed to masculinity. Can be male characters, too, but it appears those fall more easily into slick suave turn offs or machos. Adult-Hibari from Katekyo Hitman Reborn's future arc for whatever reason falls into it too. (My best guess is that the way he wears his suit in combat is to blame.)  You'd think femme/homme fatale would meet it, and they tend to, but if the sexual sensitivity/electricity is too strong or wolfishly tauntingly there, it kinda doesn't work. So Mine Fujiko from the Lupin franchise for example doesn't fit in.  Characters who are onto emancipation and bla bla usually also don't fit in, because they tend to sorts of actively try denying their femininity they do have, so for example also no Utena from Revolutionary Girl Utena. (That does not have to mean female characters have to always wear skirts and dresses.)

On Fluff

This sort of evolved out of Cream Cheese and mixed itself with the normal vocabulary of 'fluffy'/'fluffig' or the japanese fuwa fuwa. However, fluff is a little bit different for me compared to those common terms.

Fluff in media to me is if it inspires a feeling that is the equivalent of the following:

eating a very tastefully balanced fluffy and delicious mousse, panna cotta or some other creamy dessert. Especially mousse, which is very fluffy. It must have the fluffy texture on the tongue and melt in the mouth as such. (So e.g. candy floss does not count.) They can be fruity or even savory, have sesame, matcha tastes. Cream Puffs also do the job, albeit to a lesser extent than mousse. A good panna cotta is absolutely delectable.

the wholesome fuzzy feeling when petting a rabbit, which at the same time expressively makes it clear to be enjoying the pets themselves. This works in selective very rare cases also on cats and does the absolute opposite with dogs, which I do not like. Any other animal, no matter how much of a similar fur to rabbits they may have appears to stir absolutely nothing. It's paramount the rabbit is enjoying getting the pets. If it's just willing, but not exactly enjoying it (like when it uses it as a means to woo for food), then it's just the regular fuwa fuwa with fluffy fur, but it is not 'fluff'.

In some cases: the Hnngnnngh feels of fluff, when a peculiar of glaring haughty royal bun type is kinda being all really tsundere in its way of relenting and showing a little bit of trust in you. It doesn't have to be by willing get pets, exactly, but can be anything. So far, it appears to only ever work on tsundere and maybe kuudere types of characters. (E.g. the rabbit can also zoom around happily and would joyfully hop around while also taking clear notice of you and your presence is welcome to them rather than being a nuisance or blending into the background).)

The above two can be combined. When a tsundere rabbit decided to give you the cold shoulder play but actually does want the pets and then upon the pets give you the whole spiel of tolerating it begrudingly, but little signs like eye movements and teeth grinding betray a rather clear amount of enjoyment.

In some cases: When things just come together and spiral upwards, when it makes anyone and anything there improve and get out better for it, and considerably so. When there are plenty of what ifs floating around and most of any of them are worse off. That certain type of something uplifting, which entirely dodged being cheese in any way. (Massively rare.)

Fluff will therefore always be wholesome and always leave a feeling of being at ease and of comfort. This does not mean it must be sweet. It can be bittersweet, it can be salty, it can even be a little bit juicy and sour. But it must create this fluffy, airy, weightless sense of feeling to it. (This is not the same thing as inspiring hope, but can overlap.)

Anti-Fluff: This is when a downward spiral happens. Basically a reverse Little Lord Fauntleroy effect. When something happens and triggers anyone and everyone to walk out for the worse. When ruin is there, and it's nearly absolute to happen, despite you getting the feeling there ought to have been better ways, but the dynamics just forced it into flowing into the worst option. - This is notably different to something like a Hiob-style ordinance of suffering or other sorts of attention grabbing stylization and dramatization of narrative fatalism to make the reader feel entertained or put off.

The piece of media that introduced the fluff term for me was Otonari no Tenshi-sama ni Itsunomanika Dame Ningen ni Sareteita Ken/The Angel Next Door Spoils me Rotten (up to ch14 read so far.) Otonari represents nearly to perfection the chemistry which my self in younger years had somehow thought to be the sort of friendship on a level that truly can actually be called as such. Which however as I learned later in life usually is something you can only expect in such depth in actual relationships mostly romantically involved. By all means this series is a romance series and I know they do wind up getting together, and the way they are right there at the beginning does make clear that physical/sexual attraction exists for them for each other, the series isn't ignoring that, but there is so much more and else there as well that it takes up only a small slice of it all and even if those particular slices weren't present there is more than plenty to sustain a deeply seated connection and bond between them. It's wholesome. It's cute. It's fluffy. It's putting hearts at ease. It's extinguishing anguish. It's complementary. It's putting both of them at a better place emotionally and practically. It hits all the notes fluff on any immediate level.

What's also very fluff, but more like fluff in hiding is Tearmoon Empire (read up to v4 so far). Mia definitely was and kinda is a terrible person and ultimately everyone winds up having some flaws, but the entire dynamic of the cast and plot is there to create an upwards spiral that makes the characters be, effectively be or become a better version of themselves. Even when they aren't actually truly that themselves, the effect is the same and characters ultimately delightfully reap what good it sowed. It's one of the rare examples where it doesn’t go glorify being your true self, but you simply can be your better self. And there is this bit about some being able to see the silver linings even in those infamous and useless, and that willingness to not just toss it off away be what sparks and lightens up the path of that upwards spiral. (Anyone should have an Anne and Ludwig in their life.)

Speaking purely in terms of appetite, I could gobble up loads of those fluff desserts, but they are a whole huge health hazard, so I don't. Aside from that, they are terribly hard to find well-made to begin with. It really needs to be properly fluff, not too sweet, not too dry, not too fatty, not too… And rabbits typically don't like being cuddled and petted too much, so that avenue is somewhat limited as well.

Fluff to me is the supreme counterbalance to stress or anything else that makes life feel miserable where I do not hold the means to change the situation myself. It's just usually so hard to find…

On Spice, Chili, Porn etc.

I think hot, spicy and chili are kinda self-explanatory, as I use them pretty much the normal way, but apparently even those aren't always known, so here goes a whole list.

Hot: Something that stylizes itself to be sexually enticing in the common sense, but without necessarily being racy.

Spicy: Stuff that's hot with clear sexual innuendo. This may include any part of actual sexual intercourse, its foreplay to trying to taunt out such desires. Can be racy, likely is, but not necessarily. There can be spice, that's clearly hot and spicy and sexual to the characters, but aesthetically implied, so it's not outright porn to the reader. This is my preferred avenue. - For as much as I have rather little interest in spicy things, I dislike sex negativity even more. All that stuff is a core component of the world, please do not pretend it doesn't exist at all. I just don't like it all that much when it's overly obviously so explicit for the sake of the reader.

Ecchi: horny stuff, which mostly is like taunting fan service without going all the way down.

Smut: Horny stuff that actually gets to do the stuff. Usually in some ways or another obfuscated and censored and/or more the mild stuff. The line to hentai is sometimes rather blurry with very smutty things, especially in BL and some josei/seinen smuts.

Porn, Hentai: Horny stuff down questionable rabbit holes, more hardcore explicit stuff which makes no secret that it's entire point is to get to the explicit stuff as quickly as possible, and it's there mostly for the reader to get the hots in who knows what part of their bodies. I do not dabble in this section beyond stray accidents.

Sus stuff: horny things, but clearly with the connotation of being questionable content. Usually used on stuff that has a clear whiff of being trashy ecchi or actual porn/hentai.

Chili: When something is hot and spicy and pretty much so. Basically its noun. Probably has its source by the chili rankings that some Manga publishers in German use on signaling how much/explicit their content (mostly in the BL section) are on the back cover, promotion materials etc. Preferred term to concisely say there is fiery, passionate, racy, hot, horny or whatever you may call it-stuff happening in a piece of content.

Pepperoni: Rarely used, but sometimes when there's talk about differentiating how hot or not something is by comparison to another work.

These are more Luna-lingo terms again:

horny porny: when I kinda have no clue where to draw the line between horny stuff and actual porn, or I don’t bother to think about it, this gets used to have them all in one pot. Sometimes also used in exasperation and exaggeration, and then it may include just anything spicy or even slightly hot.

Bed Spice: Has kinda fallen out of use for the most part. Before chili emerged, there was bed spice. So basically spice that happens in bed, so basically euphemism for ecchi stuff happening in the bedroom, whether or not they go all the way into doing the deed, whether it's just playfulness or actual chili, but it's stuff clearly meant in that way in varying degrees of explicitness. Usually used when I do not want to use the f word or don't want to bother with differentiating content between smut, hentai or ecchi and/or when the s word is incomplete, because I don't want to bother to think about whether they went all in or not. (Frankly I'm not even sure how much in things must be, that it counts as is all in or all the way. There are conflicting opinions of measurement out there.) When I coined this I was thinking of a German word "Bettgestöber". There is "Schneegestöber", which means snowstorm or snow flurry, so Gestöber kinda is something stormy, rummaging, a bit chaotic and kinda intense hubbub, turmoil and excitement.

Bettgewürz: Direct German translation of bed spice. While I originally did have the German word Bettgestöber in mind when I coined myself bed spice, that word by itself does not actually exist (but is grammatically still correct because of composite rules). As a noun Gestöber usually is only used in combination with snow. (There is a trashy smutty BL localized as Bettgestöber though.) Upon reflection later, I felt like it sounded rather crude. (Maybe also exactly because of said BL.) So at some point I just went with the direct back translation (that again isn't an actual word in use, but grammatically valid) and apparently some people even find it somewhat cute to funny. Usually used when talking about content that's more grounded and serious and just happens to also be quite spicy at times as well, but I don't want to reduce it to just that.

Spice Action: Basically bed spice, but at some point I realized it doesn't have to necessarily take place in bed or the bedroom, so… Probably self-explanatory, as it references how action can generally be used as a euphemism for the f word.

[galaxitix]

Omg THANK YOU for calling out the op of that post! I can't believe how much of a hypocrite they are, policing katara fans and doing all kinds of other things but acting like they're not actively contributing to the whole policing thing themselves. Ugh.

It'll be a nice day when tumblr users stop being hypocrites.

That's just the thing cause let's be honest, every fandom have a wide spectrum of different categories. It's offer a large variety of content: art, fanfiction, AU's, theories and so much more. Everyone will have their preferences but that doesn't give you the right to judge other people.

I'm not saying I accept everything cause let's be honest all fandom have toxic people and I, as a person, am allowed to have preferenes. I do have lines I will never crossed so I don't interact with that part of the fandom, I will not go out of my way to tell them they're wrong or disrespect their opinions. (Though I will speak up if they attack me first) I also don't let one bad person determine how I feel towards a particular fandom.

Don't like it, Ignore it. Don't even interact with it cause you're just begging for people to target you and start an unnecessary argument that will get nowhere and will only frustrate all parties involved. As my mother said, "if you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all"

If you focus only on the bad parts or the things that disinterest/disgust you then you'll missed out on the parts of the fandom that actually resonate with you as a fan. There is also nothing wrong with setting your boundaries (a DNI list, blacklisting tags and so forth), cause once again, everyone has different taste.

It's like entering a restaurant then complaining that they have meat options because you're vegan, completely ignored that they also have a wide selection of non-meat meals.

The only time I would say something is if the creator, themselves, of canon has a problem with what is being done with their characters. Then I would respect their wishes. But I can only speak for myself, cause again, they're toxic people who will continue to do what they want.

Bottom line, it is called Fandom for a reason, it's a community made by fans for fans. Some fans love to explore possibilities that were never explored in canon. Some fans just like the dynamic of two or more characters. Some fans find themselves resonating with a certain character. And some like to theorize about canon. As long as it isn't hurting anyone, (speaking mentally and emotionally here), then I don't see why I should make it my concern. You can't control person's actions, thoughts or opinions so why bother yourself with even trying?

Just enjoy yourself and find others who have similar opinions and share your sentiment. Some people stick closer to canon while other's dive deeper into fanon. There's nothing wrong with either.

(sorry for the rant, just something I'm sick of seeing. Nothing is ever just black and white, there are always many different shades of grey in-between)