#no wonder these people are so negative

[billowyy]

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[i-still-dont-know-a-username]

Don't get me wrong, "The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite" is a quote that absolutely hits me square in the chest every time.

..But I feel like putting it in italics under an aesthetic picture is kinda neglecting the context, since Piranesi has Nearly Drowned when he first says that.

[bumblingbabooshka]

I hate when Chakotay is watered down to be Janeway's yes man because their disagreements are actually very interesting. [A lot of rambling analysis of this debate in particular below]

Chakotay in Parallax is very interesting in that he has to navigate a lot of different dynamics. Balance a lot of plates while being watched keenly by everyone around him. Immediately preceding this scene we see him ask B'Elanna for her opinion on the bridge - both as a chance to show her knowledge in his bid to make her chief engineer (because she wouldn't get a chance to otherwise as Janeway has clearly indicated that at this point she views B'Elanna as a troublemaker who won't be considered for the position) and because he just thinks she's a better engineer than Carey and wants the best possible chance of them succeeding. Janeway sees this as unacceptable. Carey is the chief engineer and so he should be called and Chakotay NOT asking for his opinion is an insult to Carey, Janeway, and might make the crew doubt Chakotay (and by extension the Maquis') loyalty to the Starfleet crew.

At this point it seems that to Janeway integration ["They're not your people"] means the path of least resistance, specifically tailored towards the Starfleet crew. She wants Chakotay by her side to keep the Maquis crew calm but also seems unwilling to consider them for important positions aboard the ship. Though she says that the Maquis are not Chakotay's people, not his crew, she certainly doesn't seem to consider them hers [Compare this to later instances where she stresses 'our' crew, here she simply says they aren't Chakotay's: Whose crew are they? Are they crew at all?]. This less leaves the impression of "We need to be a cohesive team" and more "You're not in charge here." She essentially accuses Chakotay of playing favorites. In her mind Chakotay's actions are not conducive to integrating the crews which would (again, in her mind) mean the Maquis being docile and accepting, obedient and content - not making trouble for the Starfleet crew. Chakotay counters Janeway's accusation with one of his own: That he IS trying to integrate them into the crew but her not allowing the Maquis any opportunity to prove themselves or succeed, not showing any trust in any of them (except, implicitly at this point, him) is making things difficult. At this point the Maquis crew are ready to mutiny on his word at any time. He knows this for a fact. Aside from that looming threat (the threat being that tensions are high and if nothing changes and they remain high there might be a mutiny even without his word) - Chakotay knows these people and trusts them. Though Starfleet and Janeway think of the Maquis as a violent bunch of criminal terrorists, Chakotay and a good number of the Maquis joined because they believed in the cause they were fighting for. These are people Chakotay knows WILL fight fiercely for what they believe in and conversely, AGAINST what they perceive as injustice. Even if they're not in the majority - they're used to picking fights which seem impossible to win. At this point Janeway admits that she ISN'T making it easy for Chakotay to integrate the Maquis - specifically talking about practical concerns; how she doesn't feel she can let Maquis crew have roles of importance on the ship because they lack the ability to hold them. "They don't have the discipline, they don't have the training," - asserting that they just aren't prepared for any such roles and it doesn't have to do with them being Maquis specifically. Ostensibly, she's treating them as she might treat anyone unqualified for the job.

Chakotay maintains that some of them, like B'Elanna, have the ability to be trained - challenging her point by saying that IF they're trained there's no reason for any Maquis member NOT to be given a more prominent role on the ship. He isn't suggesting they just unqualified people important jobs. If the problem is that they aren't trained, let's train them. These people have the ability to succeed if you give them the tools they need and a fair chance, he insists. Janeway then switches gears and her argument becomes not "The Maquis are untrained so they can't be given those jobs" but "The Maquis crew are unworthy of those jobs when compared to Starfleet personnel" saying that it'll cause insult and upset among the Starfleet crew if any member of the Maquis were to be promoted above them. Again, her idea of integration is based more on Maquis subservience to the Starfleet crew than it is the two crews working together. (Not that I believe she looks at it that way, it's just where her 'path of least resistance' leads) - though she accuses Chakotay of being too focused on "his" crew, she is admitting here that she believes her real crew are the Starfleet officers aboard, not the Maquis. She also admits here that the system she wishes to maintain (and is asking Chakotay to enforce) is one where there will ostensibly never be any chance of a Maquis crew member being promoted because no Maquis crew member will ever be more qualified, more worthy, than a member of Starfleet. We can see how it'd be difficult for Chakotay to convince his crew to remain calm under these circumstances. There's also Tuvok's behavior toward him at the beginning of the episode where the Vulcan nearly goes over Chakotay's head and when he doesn't do so (as Chakotay reminds him that HE'S the superior officer, the First Officer in fact,) Tuvok acts as if him backing down (partially) and conceding (partially) to Chakotay's authority is a favor to Chakotay.

Tuvok in this conversation is downright insubordinate to Chakotay. Despite Chakotay being the first officer, he doesn't take what he says seriously, argues that his own opinion on what should be done should be followed rather than Chakotay's, lectures the first officer about his conduct, and then almost seems to threaten him with a report. In Starfleet's rigidly hierarchical rules, acting like this to a superior officer (ESPECIALLY the first officer) wouldn't be tolerated and Tuvok knows this perfectly well. He isn't a rebellious character and clearly in other episodes adheres to these Starfleet hierarchies and codes of conduct very strictly. He values them highly. But Chakotay, a Maquis, shouldn't be First Officer. Why should he be given respect for a title he didn't earn? [Affirming Janeway's argument about how Starfleet officers won't be eager to follow a Maquis senior officer] Even though Chakotay tells Tuvok off for it ["I don't have to explain myself to you"] he doesn't threaten to put Tuvok on report or explicitly mention his insubordination. It's unclear if this is Chakotay's personality or if he just doesn't feel he CAN do that. Tuvok is one of the three most senior officers aboard and very close to Janeway. Chakotay has to think of the optics of any situation at all times - we see seconds after this conversation that rumors have already started swirling around B'Elanna being relegated to quarters that've fanned the flames of mutiny. Though we know Tuvok has personal reasons for behaving the way he does toward Chakotay (which he later admits), I really don't think it'd be out of the ordinary for this to be how most Starfleet personnel would treat the Maquis if they weren't outright hostile: Like they're only pretend crewmen. To a lesser extent we even see this with Janeway: In the following staff meeting, she clearly doesn't consider B'Elanna a viable option when Chakotay brings her up and almost ignores the suggestion entirely.

It also, again, leaves Chakotay in an impossible position. If he doesn't protect and fight for the Maquis crew, they won't ever be considered a true part of the crew and dissatisfaction will likely spread among them. Dissatisfaction which the Starfleet crew will then use to further label the Maquis as insubordinate, uncontrollable, unfit. Not to mention that if he doesn't advocate for them, he might lose their trust. However, if he DOES try to help the Maquis crew advance the Starfleet crew will view this as 'favoritism' and will further distrust him, won't respect the people he puts forth as worthy. Janeway seems to be intent on not advocating for any of the Maquis crew and also seems unwilling to ask that the Starfleet crew grant leniency. She implies that the Maquis crew need to learn to get in line and keep quiet and it seems almost like [we must remember the optics] she has Chakotay as the only Maquis in a position of power to facilitate that. Chakotay recognizes and pushes against that, saying that he won't just be her token Maquis - there only so she can point to him and say "See? We don't discriminate against the Maquis here." effectively a tool used to shut down any arguments of unfair treatment and a tool to quell the Maquis if any talk of mutiny DOES arise. In this model, Janeway can just tell Chakotay to calm them down and they'll listen because they trust him. She also doesn't have to really listen to anything he says: A token First Officer has no authority; his words don't hold weight. [Chakotay isn't Maquis anymore, they aren't his crew anymore - ok. What is he then? What are they? Nothing, without respect.] This plan seems untenable, as much as Janeway frames it as sensible: "I can't make it easy, Commander. Surely you can understand that," and alternatives as impossible "How am I supposed to ask them to accept a Maquis as their superior officer just because circumstances have forced us together?" - in the long run, how would this be sustainable? In any power structure, you cannot expect a group of people you're unwilling to grant trust or agency to obediently follow you forever. This proposed form of 'integration' in which the Maquis are kept on the bottom rung and told intermittently to stay there quietly by the only one of them granted permission to stand at the top would never be sustainable - especially with a group like the Maquis who again, were founded on the belief that its members should fight against inequity and are already on the verge of mutiny.

I specifically find the statement "How am I supposed to ask them to accept a Maquis as their superior officer just because circumstances have forced us together?" to be interesting because personally I'd say that being forced together for the rest of almost everyone's natural life is a pretty good reason to ask people to adapt and Janeway does understand this but only applies it to the Maquis - the Maquis are the ones who have to adapt, not Starfleet. The only thing the Starfleet crew have to do is tolerate their presence on board.

At this point Janeway again claims that if Chakotay can show her a 'qualified' Maquis candidate she'll consider them. I believe this is true but we already know that Janeway's standards for qualification will likely not fit the vast majority of the Maquis and Chakotay ignores the claim in favor of putting forth B'Elanna again, firmly. Janeway predictably dismisses her as unqualified and Chakotay disagrees, arguing that he knows her. He's worked with her. He KNOWS that B'Elanna can excel at the job even if she doesn't meet Starfleet/Janeway's qualifications. He doesn't value those qualifications over what he's observed about her - just as he didn't value Carey's title over what he knew about the gap between his and B'Elanna's abilities. Then, Chakotay switches gears. He admits that Janeway's right - he does view the Maquis as his crew but that's because Janeway (almost self admittingly) doesn't and if he doesn't, who will they have? [What kind of captain, kind of man, would he be?] "You're going to have to give them more authority if you want their loyalty." "Theirs or yours, Commander?" Janeway frames Chakotay's words pointing out the flaws in this plan which I outlined earlier, as almost a threat (if she doesn't have Chakotay's loyalty it'll most definitely mean mutiny). Chakotay asserts that it wasn't a threat, he's only trying to help by telling her how the Maquis crew will react to what she's telling him. "I'm sorry you can't see that" - not an apology for what he said but that she isn't willing to budge, not willing to listen to him and acknowledge that she might be as biased towards her crew as he is towards his. Chakotay is trying his best to acclimate his crew but if Janeway isn't willing to do the same, to talk to her people as he's talking to his, then this will not end well and that isn't a threat. It's just the reality of the situation. He then asks permission to leave, showing he is willing to observe Starfleet protocol (just as when he asked permission to speak freely), and Janeway lets him go, exhaling at the intensity of their debate when alone in her ready room.

[skyfallscotland]

I think what frustrates me more than anything in modern fandom, is the lack of reading comprehension skills people seem to have. Is it brain rot? Is it modern media? Is it the education system? I don't know but it feels like whenever I say something (mostly anywhere but tumblr) people literally ignore half of it and then tell me I'm wrong because *checks notes* well, it definitely does seem I'm wrong if you ignore half of what I fucking said 🤦🏼‍♀️

Like, me: 2+1+1=4

Them: No, it’s definitely three because there’s a 2 and a 1!

Me: I…? Did you see I said….? Never mind 😒

[aroaceleovaldez]

one thing running @riordanverse-ship-polls has gotten me thinking about is that the fandom should bring back a lot of old ships that got dropped. Just to mix things up and add some more variety into the fandom again. The community used to have a lot of really interesting and really varied ships but now most of the stuff you see is canon and maybe a couple of leftover things from that time or some rarepairs and that's it (and a lot of weird aggression towards people who diverge from canon ships at all). Half the major characters don't even have prominent alternative ships to canon these days. Like, did you know Hazel/Piper used to be a decently popular ship? When was the last time you saw Hazel/Piper stuff? Probably never if you're a newer fan.

anyways we could really stand to have more variety. together we can bring back variety. the fandom needs to get weirder again. like cmon we've got some new characters let's thing of some new combos.

[spitblaze]

Local Tumblr User Learns That Members of a Different Community Than Theirs Will Often Have Different Opinions on Certain Topics, More At 11

[todayisafridaynight]

everyone wanna talk bout rgg until rgg start postin bout 'yakuza wars' girl what the HELL is this

[femmesandhoney]

i actually despise the "dark humor because im mentally ill" jokes so much of my generation does. the perpetuation of negative self talk as a way to be relatable to others and bond with people is so fucking harmful? the constant negativity, the eternally glum disposition towards everything, it literally makes you feel terrible even if you think it's "funny". it will lead to a cycle of negative thinking and your brain will believe what you're saying and it will reinforce itself. i wish we could make positive self talk a trend. love yourself bc life is tough and MIs can be hard, but hey look at the positives in life. bond with others over the smallest and most trivial but positive and loving things. im sick of seeing this disease spread. negativity isn't a cure for anything, ever, honestly.

[motleyfam]

Imagine Bruce starting therapy and learning about all these cool new tricks and gadgets that can help with emotional regulation and getting super invested (because I mean, c’mon, the dude’s like the king of gadget hoarding, he’s got a utility belt for goodness sake)

Then imagine the learning curve of him realizing that just because something works great for one of his kids, doesn’t mean it works for all of them, as illustrated by this memorable incident:

Jason gets really upset and starts having a minor panic attack about something

Bruce, proud owner of 14 new weighted blankets (in various styles, weights, and sizes), tries to wrap his adult son up in one to ground him

After all, Bruce himself finds them super comforting because it’s basically a socially acceptable alternative to wearing a massive Kevlar cape 24/7 like he’d do if he could

(Tim loves them too, so like, kid tested, parent approved™️)

Ends up totally backfiring when the added weight & restricted movement sends Jason into a full-blown flashback of digging out of his own grave, taking this panic attack from like a 4 to a 10

Whoops

[feliciadraws]

*WANDERSONG SPOILERS*

I wanna talk about Audrey, the so-called 'Hero.' Now I'm not that good at writing or posting meta but man oh MAN Audrey is actually so much more interesting than I initially took her to be; she's actually deeply insecure about not only herself but how the world perceives her AND has a skewed, dare I say, SUPERFICIAL, idea of what it means to truly be the hero. She primarily sees it as a role she has to play or fulfill, rather than something someone chooses to be, and while she "knows" herself to be the hero, she doesn't actually BELIEVE she is A hero in herself. Even further is that she WANTS to be The Hero but is so dyed in the proverbial wool in both her insecurities and her perception of her role as The Hero that she doesn't want to stop, she wants to fulfill the role she was given so bad that she broke her promise to the Bard when she said she wouldn't kill anymore Overseer spirits upon killing the King of Hearts because, how she sees it, 'that's how it is.' What was interesting is that Audrey spoke about her dislike of being told what to do and where to go when Eyala was acting as her guide, that she found it demeaning that she couldn't think or act for herself, but was that her interpretation of being told to back down by Eyala? After all, Eyala did mention to the Bard that when she warned Audrey, Audrey felt that Eyala was 'taking something away from her', and that something was the role of The Hero, without which she would still be a nobody that no one saw or knew or cared about.

She wants to be the Hero and is so attached to that role and the adoration it had brought her and wants to fulfill that role because she believes that what truly makes her and that without the title of Hero and the Sword and the powers, she can't be A hero. Her insecurities tell her that she can't be A hero outside of being THE Hero, and she can't understand not only how the Bard had gotten so far but how he continues to have hope, despite his own innate feelings of despondence and his own melancholy. But he keeps going because of his hope, hope that he can still save the world and that there is always another, better way, a way that one can choose. A different way to be a hero, if you will. And I personally think that the Bard's approach to being a hero, it's confounding to Audrey for many reasons, one of those being that he wasn't chosen by anyone or anything to be a hero per se, but he chose to be a hero HIMSELF, despite everything acting against him, including Audrey herself. The Bard admitted he's jealous of Audrey being chosen to be the hero and her sword and her powers, not knowing that his innate goodness and his CHOICE to be good make him a hero, without the need for a sword or a title or a higher calling.

I honestly love how Wandersong toys with the definition of the word 'hero', and not only subverts the typical fantasy RPG hero archetype with Audrey, right down to the outfit and the magic sword, but DOUBLE subverts her; she could have been a twist villain who was simply a villain masquerading as a hero, but even this was subverted by making her not a hero, but not quite a villain either, but an insecure girl who sees herself as a nobody and is so obsessed with fulfilling a role that makes her a somebody that she's going to end up destroying the world and herself (both figuratively and literally), but is blinded by her self-perception and insecurities so that she can't see anything within herself that's heroic, making her both a mirror and a foil for the Bard.

I'm not sure where I was going and I know Wandersong isn't the first game to do this but I love how it was done here so far (I'm starting Act Seven), not least because I hated Audrey at first but she's actually growing on me, as much as I hate to admit it, not least that she actually resonates with me much more now this revelation has come about. I was pleasantly surprised and now I want to study this girlfail mess of a human being under a microscope.

[aiai-cafe]

seeing discourse pass by on the periphery is so crazy like what do you mean a majority of the fandom hates kabru?????? that boy is the most character ever?? hello??

[redheadedfailgirl]

From 'Dream of a woman' By Cacey Plett.

This sums up exactly how I feel about most transition timelines. As much as they reflect people's experiences, they are also a narrative. And the narratives that get shared the most tell a lot about what our values are. The timelines that get the most attention are the ones where people go from sad, loser, nothing boys into beautiful women.

But if you go to /r/transitiontimelines or a similar place, and sort by controversial or look at what has the least likes, its people who made timelines when they still don't 'pass' yet. Even if they're happy as can be, that's not what people are looking for.

I think it says a lot about what people expect from trans women, that they only want to see us be beautiful. In some cases, that they want to believe they can be beautiful. So there is no value in trans life if you're not beautiful.

[longagoitwastuesday]

Every day I am haunted by the fact JJK could be amazing but it will be just idk Bleach or something

[wenellyb]

I've seen people who ship non-canon couples could get toxic and in my opinion the writers never want to cater to those fans who harrass cast, complain constantly and spread hate on their official social media.

It seems like storyline always ends up becoming messy:

- Destiel, became semi-canon in the most chaotic way.

- Stucky: they had Steve go back in time to be with Peggy and even when he return made sure everyone knew Steve x Bucky was never going to happen.

- Japril, from Grey's Anatomy: they were canon but were divorced and then Japril fandom got super toxic when Jackson got with Maggie, in the end the writers wrote April off for seemingly no reason. I can't help but think that it was partly due to the fandom behavior.

My question is, do you guys know a fandom where the non-canon pairing became canon even though the fandom was toxic?

I only have these examples in mind but I want to know if there are more... because I'm thinking the writers usually will try not to "reward" that kind of behavior even when they might ha e originale planned to follow through with that plan.

I'm asking because I'm wondering what spm0e Buddie shippers think they'll acheive with their hateful behavior and also wondering why the normal shippers aren't calling out the toxic ones.

Your fandom driving an actor you claim to adore off of social media would be a wake up call for most.

[faunandfloraas]

Like I do think Seungmin got pigeonholed as Dandy Boy and the Straight Man of skz and even thought they're 6 years into this everyone keeps falling back to that time and again, once in a while he gets to go out of that zone but they always bring him back to it in the end because that's /his station/ but boy. Do I wish they'd move on.

[minediamonds]

So....I'm facing an issue and I'm not sure what to do about it. As I said in my last post, following back is rather slow on this blog. And I wouldn't mind if it wasn't for the fact that I have threads in my drafts currently for some people who haven't followed back. So I'd feel weird doing those drafts. That said, I'd also feel weird sending them an ask letting them know I moved. So...what do you all think I should do? I've posted on the old blog about this one, and it's even my pinned post. I don't want anyone to feel forced to follow back, of course. But I feel like most people don't realize I've moved blogs. Or maybe I just want to give them the benefit of the doubt because I really want to write with them.

I've adjusted my rules and if they've been consistently online yet haven't followed back in a month, I'll unfollow. Of course, I worry this seems a bit harsh, but I can no longer stare at people's blogs longingly wishing they'd follow back. Of course, people can change their minds and follow me if they want to at a later date, and then I'll follow back. I just can't do the waiting for months and months to (maybe) get a follow back, maybe not.

Anyway, I'm wondering if it would be considered rude or somehow bad to send a (kind) ask to some of the people who haven't followed back, just to let them know I've moved blogs. I don't want to freak people out or anything. It would just be like something along the lines of 'hey I've moved. I would appreciate if you would follow me here but if not that's okay too. Just wanted to let you know, that I will unfollow those who haven't followed me back but have been online consistently after giving them a month to follow back. I wish you all the best <3' Something like that. That said, I don't know if that would actually do anything, or if I should just wait and then unfollow as I say in my rules if they don't follow back. <3