#not tagging this either negative or positive cause it's not about the show really

[risingsunresistance]

twitter is entering their "rts > likes" phase now that likes are private after they spent years calling us ungrateful for being demotivated by ratios lmao

[utilitycaster]

Saw a post in the tags; did exandria historically have a thing abt persecuting ruidusborn? The post mind you was largely lambasting the gods along the lines of "these gods should shut the fuck up abt their extermination when their followers in modern day are going after ruidusborn" which... Doesn't seem like the same thing for a number of reasons but also I wanted to ask a wiki person because i didn't think that anyone was actually doing that

Hi anon,

I don't know if I've seen that post precisely - there's a very good chance it's from someone who I have blocked and haven't thought to check to see what wild stabs in the dark they're making now, to be blunt about it - but this is pretty much entirely incorrect and/or deliberately leaving out crucial context.

Exandria historically had a stigma about Ruidusborn. There has been no evidence of widespread persecution specifically for being Ruidusborn. What little negative responses we have seen and have evidence of has either not actually been specifically "this person is Ruidusborn" but rather "this person has uncontrolled and invasive psychic powers that are negatively impacting me specifically and so I am, understandably, put off"; or has been a mere acknowledgement that a stigma exists. Notably, this has not specifically come from followers of the gods. We haven't seen any information about the presence of religion in Gelvaan and Laura herself as Imogen has alternately said once that she did pray to the gods and multiple times that she didn't, so anything here is entirely presumptive. (We also know that Imogen literally didn't know what Ruidusborn were until it was told to her, so I think we can pretty safely say that prejudice against Ruidusborn simply for being born under the moon, rather than like, the invasive psychic powers, was not the issue there). Alma, Orym's mother, mentioned that the Ashari attempt to avoid having Ruidusborn by delaying birth simply because of that stigma (episode 3x66) and the Ashari aren't affiliated with a deity.

The Ruidusborn page on the wiki is here, and you can cross-check with the citations (I am flattered that you ask me as a wiki person, but a wiki is a public document anyone can edit - if you are wondering, and especially if you are trying to debunk something, please cross check citations for the source of truth). I cover the key ones below.

Per Call of the Netherdeep, page 6, the widespread superstition about Ruidusborn themselves is that they are "destined to bring suffering to others, or to experience great tragedy in their own lives". This is actually less harsh than the superstition about those who study Ruidus, who are believed to be "compelled to cause misfortune and woe". Estani, in Episode 3x19 states the following: "Many important, whether for honor or great sorrow, individuals of history have been claimed to have been born under such a ruddy light." We also know, from Call of the Netherdeep, that Alyxian the Apotheon was both Ruidusborn and a devotee of the Prime Deities, receiving blessings from three of them. Obviously Fearne lived a weird and sheltered life, but we didn't find out she was Ruidusborn until we met Birdie, and she never experienced any prejudice about it during EXU or early C3 or really after that, unless you count the fact that people attuned to the conflict on either side (see next two paragraphs) like Otohan and Groon noticed it. In short: the lore about Ruidusborn and the responses to Ruidusborn in history are varied and complicated.

Finally, just from watching the show: people who do not know Imogen is Ruidusborn nor related to Liliana and whom she does not use her psychic powers on tend to respond pretty positively to her now that those powers are largely under control. I've talked before but there is a certain type of fan of Imogen that leans heavily on the "stripped of choice" narrative in which she has never done anything wrong in her entire life and has always been a victim of cruel circumstance (and more generally tends to abdicate all responsibility for their blorbos - and, frankly, themselves - not realizing that people who squirm out of their obligations are loathed for good reason and they're only worsening the response to both their blorbos and themselves). Anyway, the idea that she was persecuted simply for the circumstances of her birth and not that those circumstances led her to do things that are genuinely extremely offputting, even if done involuntarily, is a relic of that "stripped of choice victim" false narrative.

Now: it is technically true that followers of the gods in Exandria in 843 PD are going after a large number of Ruidusborn. If you have been watching Campaign 3 of Critical Role and are not absolutely fucking stupid you may have noticed this is because the Ruby Vanguard, which heavily recruited from Ruidusborn, have instigated widespread unrest and are actively trying to kill the gods by unleashing Predathos. They are not going after all Ruidusborn; in fact, they've worked with several Ruidusborn prior to Imogen and Fearne and their main reason for suspicion was "you are literally the children of generals for our enemies, and also all other Ruidusborn we previously worked with ended up leaving to join the other side", not "you are Ruidusborn and so you are bad." They are going after the army that recruited Ruidusborn to kill the gods. The Ruby Vanguard shot first.

Really, it's the same nonsensical circular logic being put forth re Aeor and Ruidusborn. The people who specifically plotted annihilation of the gods first were Aeor (with the Factorum Malleus) and Ludinus and the Ruby Vanguard (with the Malleus Keys and the intended unleashing of Predathos). To be clear: I am not denying people may have had negative experiences with the gods, but in both cases, their response wasn't to spite them: it was to attempt total annihilation. It was to create something with the intent of destroying every single god. We do have a word for that, and people keep solely using it about Aeor while ignoring it was the instigator. The gods (and their followers) are in both the case of Aeor and the Vanguard responding to an attempt at their extermination, and then these people are like "um, why won't the gods just sit still and let themselves be executed? Figures that these horrible entities are trying to stop the firing squad that has their guns pointed at them. This is just more proof that they should die - what kind of terrible person doesn't lie down and let themselves be killed!"

For what it's worth, I do not think that if Bells Hells and the Exandrian Accord foil Ludinus and the Vanguard's plans they will then proceed to exterminate all Ruidusborn, because their intent is stopping people from unleashing an existential threat that would kill all the gods, not murdering people because they were born during Ruidus flares. The goal here is not extermination; the goal is their own continued survival which requires the painful and difficult choice of sometimes killing those who are dedicated to trying to kill them. This isn't like, a novel concept in fantasy, history, nor ethics, but we are not dealing with the brightest stars in the fandom firmament here.

I mentioned before that I have yet to see a post that posits all the gods should die or that sides with Aeor entirely that isn't riddled with factual inaccuracies from the lore, and that I wish we had "readers added context" options on Tumblr; sadly, we do not. I am happy to answer questions like these, but I do want to encourage people to check the actual text. If anything seems off? You can definitely ask me (and I do have all the CR sourcebooks so if you don't, I get it) but also we've got searchable transcripts that I highly recommend using. Don't take any posts - mine included - at face value if it doesn't line up with what you personally understand. But also make sure what you personally understand is supported by the text.

[house-of-cards-and-crime]

new hazbin hotel VA analysis and thoughts

okay so, for anyone who didn't already know, Prime Video released this video earlier today (Dec 15), announcing the official new cast list for the Hazbin Hotel voice actors

i, in all of my neurodivergent hyperfixation glory (or whatever), have some THOUGHTS on this, so i’m making a series of posts analysing/talking through all of my thoughts and emotions about the new VAs! gonna try and keep everything either positive or neutral, i’m not gonna be, like, an outright dick to any of the casting choices because honestly i think they’re all very good in their own right!

anyway, yeah, this one is the first one! going below a cut because even though most of them aren’t that long on their own, it’s gonna get REALLY long once all of them are added in the reblogs (going to add characters to the tags on this OP of the post as they're posted cause reblog tags don't do shit, wordcounts after this one will be in the respective reblogs' tags so they're visible and comprehensible)

the characters i’m planning on doing, ones that are posted already will be linked from the word!:

Charlie (this one!), Vaggie, Angel Dust, Alastor, Sir Pentious, Husk, Niffty, Vox, and Valentino (if/when it's released, i'd also like to do one of these for Cherri Bomb! i haven't seen any talk of her VA so far though gdfjhk)

word count for the FIRST analysis after the cut: 337

so! the first of many! to start with, Charlie’s new VA is Erika Henningsen! we got to hear quite a lot of her singing voice in the announcement video, as it was, well, a music video, but what about her speaking voice? linked here is a video of her speaking, to use as reference next to the announcement video itself! of course, she may speak differently for the actual role, many VAs do that (many also don’t!), so she may sound slightly different in the show!

main thoughts: i really like this choice for Charlie. i thought her original VAs (singing and speaking) from the pilot were brilliant, but both the “OGs” and Erika fit the character really well. i think she sort of sounds hopeful in a disney princess way, which i’ve seen a lot of people saying in a negative manner but i think in this context it’s a good thing! it adds a sort of upbeat element that makes her stand out from the other characters we’ve seen, which i think ties in really nicely with her character and personality

i will say, in the pilot, i was never particularly attached to Charlie as a character. i of course do love her, i love almost all the characters, but she was never one that stood out to me nearly as much as, say, Alastor. that being said, i never formed a notably strong importance to her voice in my brain, compared to some of the others from the show, so while her voice is noticeably different, for me personally i don’t expect it to be nearly as jarring as it will probably be for some of the others

i’m really excited to see where Erika takes this role, though, she seems like she has the ability to voice Charlie really well, and especially as the main character (or, one of them), i think her voice is gonna be able to be a strong foundation to go off of with taking the character even further

[pointless-party]

alright here we go again, time to talk about the v5 refs now that (presumably) all of them are posted. if someone's not mentioned then i just don't have anything to say about them. this post contains both positive and negative points.

usual warning for text/image heavy under the cut, along with a few preboot images. there's also a very brief s/h mention under doom's part. read all of this knowing i'm an amateur artist and that all of this is my personal opinion.

barry's finally chubby again, you love to see it!! i love that his scars are more pronounced too, especially his new top surgery scars. the yellow threw me off but then i remembered these images from the preboot site that i found which is what i'm assuming it's harkening back to.

i don't really understand the sharp change from a fairly pale green to yellow, but i don't think it looks bad, just kind of jarring. barry's last saturation change also felt jarring to me so i think i personally would just have to get used to it.

overall i really like barry's new ref! the pose shows some of his personality while still making it easy to see his torso scars (unlike the v3 ref where he's standing with his arms crossed). it's one of the better ones imo and that's why i'm starting off with it.

god please let her cane stay. God Please Let Her Cane Stay and be used in multiple scenes without it being a plot thing once like jay's mobility scooter. it's interesting that his feet were also retconned back into being backwards (i believe in newer art they were normal? i could be wrong though, either way it's never brought up). not much to say on this one, just that i hope its mobility aid and disabilities are mentioned more especially since they have a fictional disease that gets more attention.

why is her neck so... scrunched??? she looks like she was too tall to fit into the page. it might just be me but their head looks disproportionately big compared to the rest of them, along with being pretty narrow compared to other art. it just looks odd to me. like, compared to her v3 ref:

where the proportions feel more evened out. she also looks shorter in her new ref which is something i've noticed in quite a bit of kneeby's new art.

i'm glad she's finally getting her gender corrected on refs though; the amount of confusion that's been caused because information isn't clearly stated outside of tumblr asks and the faq is absurd. i know it's been changed on the cast page but still.

only a few points on carrie's. once again, their head looks really... narrow? i don't understand why her stripes are darker either when she isn't more saturated otherwise, so it's clearly more of just a meta design thing than a story element. masky is definitely a choice but i don't have a negative or positive opinion on it. moving on.

following up because similar to masky i also have no real opinion on skully. all of these refs are kinda busy but doom's ref feels busier just because of them having both a coat on and off ref. i like the burn mark on his coat, it's a nice continuity nod while also emphasizing that doom doesn't care enough to get new clothes even though it's damaged. the gloves off arms threw me off because i assumed they're s/h scars but nothing was tagged for it, so it might just be fur, but fur is never really drawn on characters? i'm not sure.

i don't have anything to say except the proportions also look kind of weird here? i don't know if it's just me but similar to uni her head looks disproportionately big compared to her body. my eyes might just be shot from staring at these for so long though.

i love his whimsical pose here! her tail being a muffin is really cute and fits well with the curls on her head to add onto the messy and fluffy appearance. it's pretty busy like the rest of these, but the posing and proportions here feel solid, and it's nice to see a ref where the character isn't just Standing There (plus fitting with funfi's whole theme of being deceptively cheery). this is another pretty good one imo!

i have no gripes with his design nor the anatomy/posing but. i am so confused as to why his tail works like uni's horn? he's a party anthry, but so is funfi, so shouldn't funfi be able to do that too? uni makes sense since she's a unicorn that can do magic, and it was mentioned that spinch dragons can also do the same:

which again, with them being mythological creatures that possess horns and magic in this world, makes sense. which is why i'm confused as to how pinata can do that too? it probably doesn't mean anything but i don't know, it's kind of a weird decision to me.

the way cuddles keeps changing every volume is... something. anyway, i'm actually really glad kit got rid of the wrinkly hands; not great to have a conventionally unattractive trait on the main villain (dismissing every other problem with reboot cuddles). the doll(?) limbs as opposed to stitches gives off the impression that he's one of those cheap plastic toys, which i think isn't the worst thing for cuddles since his whole thing is putting up the front of being a good person, but most of it is definitely kneeby's new art style that shows in some other refs.

his eyes being missing now is kind of an interesting change to me. i still miss his fake angel wings. moving on.

following up with puppy because of the "cheap plastic toy" thing. i don't know if it's just because the lines look thinner, but lov looks so. like. marketable in this. i love that she's chubbier don't get me wrong, that has nothing to do with it, but the combination of the art style with the thinner and rounder lines just make her look kinda weird. that might just be me nitpicking though. i have another separate post on puppy i want to make but that's unrelated to this so it stays in the drafts until later.

i actually don't have anything constructive to say here i just wanted to mention how much i love and miss kills. /gen

i don't understand why she's not saturated? maybe she hasn't been a nurse for long or she stays away from the main stuff the hospital does but like... she was around for the social worker thing, so no doubt she's seen stuff. is she just built different or something??? no complaints on the art itself i'm just so confused as to how she's still pastel.

only one thing to say on reese,

where did their crest go....... i know this one is nitpicky but stuff like this has become more noticeable in a few recent works.

yeah he looks like a dorito here. i don't have an opinion on that but it's there. i'm adding this one to comment on their pose, which looks a bit odd but i think that's just because of the perspective. he's clearly playfully bowing, so his head is in the forefront, but the thickness of their legs along with the very small space where you can see their gown crease makes it look kind of weird. especially with it looking like his head was plastered onto his body; i think it's just the angling and my eyes not wanting to look at it properly (which to be fair could probably count for a lot of these).

was cyn always meant to be chubby?? nothing wrong with that, obviously, but it looks short here, especially when compared to its v3 appearances.

it could be something else retconned but again, jarring.

ohh poor jandy i am so sorry. this time i KNOW there's nothing wrong with my eyes; her head is wider than her chest. again, nothing else to say, but the proportions look really weird. i do like the posing to show off her more brash characteristics!

give him their claws back!!! (and their old name while you're at it). the holes in the mask is kind of the end of an era but it's whatever. anything i'd say here is nitpicky since i kin party so i'm leaving it at that.

they look. fine? the rings around their limbs were nice but i understand why they were simplified (i also wouldn't want to draw them every time). i kind of dislike the bloodied clothes, it just doesn't look that good imo, but that's not really important. their preboot design was still peak.

🙁

what? happened to her?? again with the bloody clothes thing but mostly just... she just looks odd here. her head looks so stretched out. and some of her spots are the same color now!! she's missing her claws too which is a downgrade, why are all the hospital staff getting declawed? compared to her old ref:

it just looks so... i don't know. it doesn't look good imo. plus the claws on her feet being gone too meaning she's been reduced to having flippers like everyone else. i know it's simplified but it still sucks. she faces the same problem as puppy in lov's ref where she just looks kind of marketable.

also, what happened to her it/its pronouns?

this is such a specific thing that probably nobody remembers, but her it/its pronouns were revoked :[ it's probably because she's one of the morally questionable characters but c'mon. it kinda sucks when only two characters use it/its (polly + cyn) and even then other pronoun sets are used. this is excluding things like masky and skully because those are actual objects.

anyway i've been typing for like two hours and i don't have anything else major i want to say so smaller things to wrap it up:

each staff member having a personal badge reel is cute and does well to match their characters

what i can only describe as the gentrification of this art style is made really obvious through some of these. the flipper feet have spread to everyone

why doesn't chip have his overgrown teeth anymore

that said even though i'm personally not pleased with some of these it's still nice to finally have proper ref sheets for everyone that isn't just the main cast

and while the refs are busy i don't think that makes them better or worse

the more diverse body types is a really nice step in the right direction and i hope they remain consistent

polly's mobility aid being in their ref gives me hope that maybe stuff like that will be more casually shown in-comic rather than for plot reasons. i'm holding out hope on that one

i like the slight changes in poses vs having everyone just 🧍‍♀️🧍‍♂️. funfi's in particular is really fun to me

a lot of these probably seem nitpicky since there aren't many design changes but that's just how it is. sometimes i can't articulate any more than It Just Looks Odd, but really some of these look weird to me. along with a lot of kit's new art. sorry none of this is polished my head is starting to hurt from staring at this post for hours lol -🐍

[yibo-wang]

Summary of what happened at the Hidden Blade Guangzhou RoadShow.

I have been away from my phone all day today so I only found out about what happened a few hours ago. I don't like bringing weibo/twitter drama to tumblr but everything that's been happening made me really angry.

It was expected that the antis would definitely try and ruin it as much as could cause they've done that every single time something important happened in yibo's career. But to think they would sink as low and involve big directors and actors for their petty and selfish acts is a new low even for them.

While yesterday was Hidden Blades first release in cinemas, it did exceedingly well for a film that's undoubtedly different from the usual spring festival movie genres. The GP and fans both had positive reviews about the movie and Yibo's acting.

As far as I know the hateful words and reviews against Yibo have been increasing. Antis who weren't even in China were sending reviews that they hated the movie etc when the movie hasn't even been released anywhere else? Give me a break. (Below antis leaving reviews but their location is from out of China)

They're trying to suppress the positive response from the public on weibo, saying hurtful things towards the movie, director and actors. It's really disgusting.

You see Cheng Er and the rest of the cast and crew and anyone Yibo has worked with before know how sincere and dedicated he is to his work. For Hidden Blade especially they've praised his acting, his professional behaviour and it's not just one person it's the director, it's Tony Leung himself, it's Wang Chuajun, Da Peng and so many others.

It's actually breaking my heart when I saw the videos from today because why do they forget he's also a human being? That's he's only 25 years old?

Idk what image everyone has of Yibo in their mind but to me he's really very innocent at heart. Never in my years of watching him have I seen him have malice or hatred against anyone.

At the Roadshow today, despite everything that was happening he was really very thankful towards everyone who came, especially to the audience who came to watch the movie more than once because they loved watching it the first time and enjoyed the details.

One encounter today that really moved me was between him and a fan who was sharing her experience of watching the movie.

Translation: I would like to add one more thing. I was asked to convey this message from our group. Though we are Yibo's fans, after watching Hidden Blade, we turned from his fans to his movie fans. Thank you for being a good actor. We wish hidden blade success.

Yibo was really holding back tears 🥺

Cheng Er talked about how he really appreciates the sincerity the audience who watched the movie showed towards the film and how much he appreciates Yibo as an actor.

You see this is probably the first time Cheng Er had to experience such disturbing behaviour towards his film. Yes he's a grown man with years of experience with him but this is not negative reviews because people didn't like the film. This is because of their hatred for Yibo. And Cheng Er knows all of this cause repeatedly he has spoken or either posted against whatever lies the antis have spewed against the film and Yibo.

Cheng er: As all of you are audiences who really watched Hidden Blade, I believe our efforts including yibo’s will live up to your expectations. He has worked really hard —his image & expression in his eyes. I'm very thankful to such an excellent actor. I only dare to say this because all of you have watched the movie. I don’t dare to praise him recently because… [Audience asking that he should praise Yibo more] so I hope people who really watched the movie can sincerely spread the true situation and quality of our movie (link to video)

Once again despite everything, Yibo isn't forcing anyone to like him. All he asks is to be sincere in their remarks about it cause the movie isn't just him. These blackened tags and reviews affect all the people who have worked day and night for Hidden Blade to come to life. He accepts the criticism if it's genuinely because of his acting but not if it's just because their hatred for him.

Yibo: Like what the director and that audience said, a movie can create a lot of thoughts but you still need to continue with your life. For Hidden Blade, I hope we can exchange sincerity with sincerity. We made this movie with our heart, so we sincerely hope that people will like the movie. I also hope that audiences can sincerely appreciate the movie. Of course, you can also not like like the movie after watching it, there’s no problem. [Fans: we like it!] Exchange sincerity with sincerity. Thank you.

I do want to say that despite the antis efforts for the smear campaign, the passerby comments and almost all of the general public had a good experience while watching the movie and relayed good reviews. (Some of them down below + Link to one of the film critics review)

The thing is I'm really happy with how the GP is talking about HB. Infact Yibo was very happy during the other times in the roadshow. He kept smiling, talked so animatedly and with enthusiasm it was delightful to see him that way. But what bothered me most about the whole thing is that this situation was big enough for Yibo (who doesn't let useless remarks affect him) and Cheng Er to be bothered by it.

[cursed-princess-club]

It's okay to ask 2 things at once?

👍

👎

Thank you ><

yeah of course!! :D

for what i love about the fandom?? cpcblr is always gonna have a place in my heart :) i love sharing ideas and everything with everyone here as we all collectively brainrot. i am so glad to be a part of this i love you all. big fan of the analysts and theorists and artists and lurkers and writers and everyone who's been kind enough to stop by or scream at the tags, i enjoy it every time!!

negative experiences here are pretty rare!! for me i'd have to be like. actively looking for them too haha. but that's out of the webtoon comments section because holy SHIT the webtoon comments section can be brutal. aside from the usual stuff, saemi's mentioned before how protective the comments section can be over gwen- not sure if infantilized is the right word?? but they treat her like she can't do any wrong and that anyone who shows any sign of negativity towards her is automatically trash.... which kinda sounds like jack's mindset.... hmmm...

i should elaborate to explain that gwen isn't perfect like that!! and that's not BAD. she makes bad decisions sometimes, she chooses to lie to people close to her to bottle up her feelings, cause she feels trapped in her choices. yes, gwen is a good person, but those actions aren't healthy for her!! and i don't think they should be viewed/idealized as a POSITIVE EPIC SACRIFICE because it really ends up negatively impacting gwen :( gwen's sweet and kind and that isn't a weakness though either!!

like they see any character they view as hostile and are like "GET AWAY FROM GWEN GO EXPLODE STINKY TRASH" but then turn around and say "GWEN WHY DON'T YOU LOVE YOURSELF!! I DON'T UNDERSTAND" (this is about a very specific type of person in webtoon comments by the way!! everyone here is chill)

it just. reminds me of the whole era of the internet where the terms precious cinnamon roll and mary sue were tossed around a lot-

gdiufnyaefi sorry this was more serious than i usually am haha

[dizzybojack]

on penny and bojack

Recently replied to a reddit post about penny and bojack that was basically trying to pin most (if not all) of the blame on Penny for what happened after her prom. This was basically my reply (edited for tumblr). Also if you find my reddit, no you didn't!

Spoilers below.

The first time I watched this episode, I also thought that Penny was being stupid during this part and was partially to blame for what happened. She definitely needs a little lesson on taking a "no" and consent, but I came to realize that Bojack was also, once again, being selfish and wrong during this storyline. Remember, Penny is JUST over the line for sex with a major to not be considered statutory rape. Bojack at the time is in his 50's. That's pretty disgusting. I concede, Penny definitely shouldn't have kept pushing and accepted Bojack's no. Her behaviour isn't excusable either and shouldn't be simply written off, but we have to keep in mind that Penny is only 17. She isn't aware of the implications of this sexual encounter. She clearly needs to relearn a bit about consent and accepting rejection, but she is a TEENAGER and the fact is that she shouldn't be in this position in the first place.

Bojack isn't stupid. When he dances with her on the top of the water tower and tells her she looks like her mom, he knows he still has feelings for Charlotte. He knows his history of sleeping with younger girls that he is a father figure to (ie: Sarah Lynn) and making terrible shitty decisions. [OP said] it was common sense for Penny to know where this would go, because Bojack has a crush on her mom, but Penny didn't know that at the time. In fact, I would flip it around and say that it's common sense for BOJACK to know where this is going to go. Bojack knows that he still wants Charlotte, he knows that Penny is young and vulnerable and willing. And very similar to her mother, as he says on the water tower. He knows his history, his feelings, his recklessness better than anyone.

I also don't believe Penny was ever "playing the victim" or trying to ruin Bojack's life. We see when Bojack goes on the bender with Sarah Lynn that Penny almost has a panic attack when she sees Bojack. One of her first questions is, "Did you come to find me?" It's heavily implied that Bojack literally gave her a panic disorder. And this is all without even being able to see how Bojack has affected her relationships and ability to trust people! Bojack was a father figure or at least an older man that Penny looked up to and trusted. I'm sure him wanting to have sex with her has affected her future relationships and caused her to be deeply mistrustful of anyone who shows interest in her.

Although he refused the first two times, that's just proof that he knows how fucked up it is when he eventually accepts. He knows he shouldn't and he knows exactly how wrong it is, and yet he does it anyways. There is no excuse for this. If Bojack weren't so self-centred he would have gone straight to Charlotte to tell her what Penny had done immediately to make sure it doesn't happen again. But he doesn't, because he's selfish and a coward. He wants to stay here longer, please, just a bit longer, away from LA and from the mistakes he's made and the people he's hurt and the consequences of his actions.

If anyone disagrees or wants to discuss anything I said, please do. I've lately come to realize more that Bojack is actually just a really shit person as a whole (not to say he can't be redeemed or he isn't deserving of love) so this post is more Bojack-negative. Will tag Bojack neg with #bojack neg so anyone can mute if they don't want to see it.

[kittyphoenix12-xx]

Hi!

About that why did you get billy hate poll... Personally i dont post about billy or harringrove so i never had any hate targeted at me, and i cant vote in zhe poll because of it. BUT i had to block so many accounts and tags because i couldnt go into the billy hargrove tag without encountering these mile long posts about how awful we all are. I know you know these posts too well, so i wont detail how according to the antis we are all racist assholes. The worst part is that when i first joined the fandom i saw so many of these that i almost believed them. You know, when a bunch of people are all saying the same bs but you start to doubt yourself, it really sucked. It effected me enough thst i had a hard time "confessing" to my real-life (aka not online) friends who are casual fans of the show that he was my favourite character. And the funny part is most of them couldnt even care less, cause being such a passionate anti for a fictional character and writing 10k essays on how awful that FICTIONAL CHARATER is and therefore his fans and the actor too IS NOT NORMAL BEHAVIOUR! It is as chronicly online as it gets. There was only one friend of mine who was suprised and since she is a very opinionated person started to explain to me how SHE COULD NEVER LOVE HIM and she is suprised that i care about him. I tried to explain to her that i know that he behaves like an asshole but its due to his background and i believe would he have gotten the same treatment as steve he could have been redeemed, i was hit with the classic tonedeath answer:

Well my home life wasnt sunshine and puppies either but i dont go around beating up kids

At that point i just gave up in arguing honestly and then i felt like an idiot for not putting up more of a fight, cause this made it feel like her argument i agreed with. God.

I love billy so much, but all this negativity that comes with being in the fandom just drains me.

my dear anon, you are absolutely correct and i hope you have a lovely day.

i confess that when i first watched stranger things, i didn't like billy that much. and i handled that by not engaging with media about him, you know, like a normal person. this was just after s2 came out so i wasn't active on tumblr, i wasn't writing fanfiction, i wasn't in the fandom (and I'm glad let me tell you). but i was also thirteen and related to max more than billy, but the older i got, the more mature and aware i became of just the world in general.

in my humble opinion, the vocal billy antis are ignorant. they don't want to a conversation, they don't want to discuss nuance or entertain the idea of people unlearning things.

we've reached a place in this world where racism and homophobia and ableism are so prevalent that people forget that these things are taught and can therefore be unleant. because a lot of the real life people don't want to unlearn, or can't.

and that idea as spread into fandom spaces. I've said it before and I'll say it again, but the fact that people's response to children/teenagers saying racist/homophobic things is to immediately call for their death is a bad thing actually. and yes, it's spread to characters as well.

it's all performative. i made that poll just to see how performative antis are and, yeah, the results aren't great.

another thing i've noticed about people in general is that they tend to hate characters that exhibit their *embarassing* flaws. media that has racist/homophobic characters in the bad positions aren't really loved by people who hold those views.

^^^^ i think this summarises what i'm trying to say. no one wants to be the bad guy, so when they see something that forces them to confront that part of them, they push it away, deny it.

billy/harringrove stans have been harrassed, told to kill ourselves, called slurs and yet the people who say those things think they're right because they can't fathom being wrong.

so, anon, what i've learnt from my six months in this fandom, is to embrace it. yea billy was going to hit the kids with his car, i actively encourage that now. yea billy was going to kill everyone, he should've killed them all.

but no matter what, we love and support each other. so feel free to ramble in my ask box whenever, start posting on your blog about billy, do whatever you want.

they don't matter to us. they can't matter to us. fandom should be safe and it should be fun and those people are making themselves miserable. and that isn't our fault and it isn't our problem.

[redheadlesbianfreak]

For the writing meme: 📡☯️💝

📡Why is sharing your writing important for fandom?

Thus far, I've only ever been interested in writing for small fandoms and posting for small fandoms. I've never written for anything big, so I don't know if I'll ever understand the huge impact that BNFs have on communities (though that sounds a little intimidating). For smaller fandoms, I feel readers tend to appreciate your work more, as it's less common to get stories from authors. A big reason why I can find it hard to write for bigger fandoms is that a lot of the ideas have already been taken (though this isn't quite true, there's always a story that someone hasn't written).

In little fandoms, you'll almost always be the first author to take a huge leap, and there's the idea that you might leave a bigger impact. I also think it's important to support smaller authors and less popular stories in general, especially if they resonate with you. I've met authors who are the only writers for their fandom, who are the ones who started their tag and carry dead/dying fandoms on their backs. It also inspires us to write more, and it inspires other people to take that leap and write their first story for the fandom.

☯️How do you think engaging with each other through tumblr, twitter, comments, kudos, creates healthy fandom experiences? How do you deal with that if you're not a social person/experiences social anxiety?

This one will tie into the answer to the previous question. I think that fandom survives with engagement. There are some authors that really do need that engagement and others who do everything for themselves. While I do think that you can get to a point where needing engagement is super unhealthy, I feel that both of these mindsets are completely valid. When you work so hard that you pour your heart and soul into something, you do want to gain something in return. Obviously, we don't do it for money, and most of us don't do it for fame either. We do it because we want our work to resonate with someone, to inspire them.

I've been in fic communities where people write for insanely small communities. And more often than not, the lack of engagement can truly get to people. It can cause people to give up on stories to make writers feel like they aren't appreciated. So honestly, anything to show us you care can help. Even a kudos can make someone's month, and a comment can be treasured forever. I'm really grateful for everyone who commented and kudosed and read my fics, because hey, they really didn't have to do that, but I did think that kept me going for as long as I did.

I do get a lot of anxiety interacting with strangers on the Internet. Responding to comments on Ao3 and on Tumblr can be a bit anxiety-inducing. Sometimes, I feel kinda guilty when I get comments on my work telling me that they thought it was good, which is really weird, isn't it? I think I need to get better at taking all types of feedback, negative and positive, and getting used to people interacting with my work. One thing I've loved about becoming an author is that I used to be too shy to comment. Now, I realize how important it is to get engagement, and I do it more often.

💝What is a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

I think that the answer to that is the first fic I ever published and the first fic I wrote for the Futurama fandom, which is Escalating. I'm not really sure what I expected to happen with that fic. I really didn't think it would get any engagement in such a little fandom, but it garnered way more attention. Now, it's one of the top Futurama fics on Ao3 in terms of stats, which is kinda wild to think about. It even surpassed some of the fics that inspired it in the first place.

I've debated as to why this ended up being the case at all, and I think it has a lot to do with a number of factors. For one, it was luck. I started posting in the summer, and I finished the fic very quickly because I had a lot of free time. It was the first fic for the pairing that I wrote that got over 50,000 words and got completed. On top of that, no one else was really writing for that pairing at the time, so that also helped. I don't think it would've been as well-liked if the circumstances were different.

One thing I'm worried about is that I don't want my most popular fic to be the first fic I wrote. No writer wants to peak early like that, we want to get more recognition as we improve. But I also have my eyes set on writing for even less popular fandoms now, so we'll see if that happens. Maybe one day I'll write something that will surpass it in stats. But it's important to remember that stats are never a guarantee that a fic is better written than something else.

[twotangledsisters]

How do you decide what fics to comment on?

I laughed a lot seeing this ask cause, am I acquiring a reputation as a commenter? That's not a bad thing by any means! I just can't help but laugh at the fact I've been talked about for leaving long comments more than I have been for my own art and fics. But I guess that just means those comment leave an impression?

Anyway, sorry for the ramble there for a moment, onto the question!

To answer this question I probably first need to ask another question:

How do I chose what fics to read?

Because... I read the fics and then I comment on them... Obviously.

And I read mostly Cassandra, Eugene or Arianna content. I will read anything tangled, but generally for me to stray from the norm it's due to recommendation from mutuals, friends, just random posts talking about how much they love a fic?

And if I read something, I comment!

It's very rare for me nowadays to not comment, I would have to either not have anything good to say (which hasn't happened.... ever? I think... Thanks to Ao3's amazing tagging system I imagine!) or I read it on kindle and forgot.... (I am so sorry...)

BUT! There are rules? Exceptions? I don't know...

Here's the thing, I know the way I comment, the length, the quotes, it isn't everybody's cup of tea and I respect that!

Before, I assumed people would tell me if they didn't like it.

But I no longer assume that.

Now, I will go full in with my first comment, and if the author responds positively (like, a single word can be positive, if they just says 'thanks' that is positive), I add them to my green-list (this only exists in my head). I trust them to have been honest in that response and I assume they enjoy long-form comments!

If there is no response, which is perfectly fine, I will assume there is a chance they HATE those comments, and aren't willing to respond saying that as the response would be public and a lot of people are too shy to give negative feedback... So I will stop commenting in that way.

I won't stop consuming content, leaving kudos or anything like that, I will even continue to leave short comments!

But I will cease the long comments out of, honestly, social anxiety and not wanting to be hated by the fandom I'm in!

I know this might not be the best attitude. But I just have too much anxiety and I end up feeling like I am harassing people if that makes sense?

Oh, also, obviously, if I have a negative interaction with someone on tumblr, or they blocked me, or they spoke badly of me at some point, I will cease consumption of those fics! (I do make an exceptions for co-written fics, but that's more complicated).

But yeah...

If you have a fic you want to recommend umm... DO!

Like, please!

Especially if it's your own cause I feel so much more at peace when commenting on fics from mutuals on here cause I know they aren't going to get angry at me for long comments!

I feel like this got long rambly and probably shows just how much my anxiety has been eating at me these past few umm.... weeks, months? I lose track of time.

I've been putting of answering this ask because I had completely stopped commenting for a while there... I'm kinda getting back into it now! But answering this at a time when I was not commenting felt very wrong... Almost like fake? I don't know...

My brain is kinda semi turned on right now, I'm so exhausted...

But I do welcome recommendations!

Especially one-shots!

I really need to get back into reading and commenting and I think just jumping back in is the way!

This ask did, kinda hit a nerve with me as well, it made me feel for a few moments that perhaps my only contribution to this fandom is my comments? Like, my art flops so bad on tumblr... my fics do really well actually I'm always shocked how many people read them, but... my brain just isn't processing stuff right, it's looking for the negatives right now. It's not a good time for me.

But after some thought I realized this is a nice ask!

I'm glad people like those comments, I'm glad I can contribute to the fandom and specifically to fic writers in that way!

I want to do it more.

I'm just, recovering mentally right now from some stuff, heavy fics are kinda off the table and... Even searching for fics feels like a chore?

See, even writing that I feel lazy for saying it xD which is silly, like, I'm not being lazy I'm just ill...

Rambling aside.

Send recommendations.

I'm sorry I haven't been commenting!

I appreciate every ask even if I'm kinda slow at answering sometimes!

I'm going to bed.

[starseedfxofficial]

The Directional Movement Index & Retail Sales: Hidden Insights for Next-Level Forex Trading You know those cringe moments when you buy something on sale just to realize later that it's probably better left in the store? Maybe a pair of bright yellow Crocs that seemed trendy but quickly found their way to the back of your closet? Now imagine that same feeling, only this time it's your trade that's plummeting like a bad sitcom plot twist because you misread an indicator. Trading is a bit like shopping—with a higher emotional price tag. Today, we're diving into two critical topics that can make or break your Forex trading journey: the Directional Movement Index (DMI) and Retail Sales data. But before you roll your eyes and yawn, let me promise you this—there’s a hidden world of untapped potential here that’s like getting front-row seats to an exclusive trading show (minus the bad popcorn). Buckle up, because I'm not about to throw your usual cookie-cutter explanations at you. We're going deep, with humor, a bit of wit, and advanced tactics that might just make you do a victory dance at your trading desk. The Directional Movement Index: A Trader's Secret Weapon (And Why You've Been Using It Wrong) Let's talk about the Directional Movement Index (DMI), an indicator designed by J. Welles Wilder. It's like that veteran coach that’s been on the sidelines for decades, waiting to teach you a move that'll make your trades legendary. The DMI helps determine the strength of a trend, which is crucial because most traders think they should only worry about price direction. Big mistake, my friends. Why Most Traders Get It Wrong Let me be blunt—most traders get the DMI wrong. They assume it's all about catching the right direction, but DMI is more about understanding the momentum behind the market moves. It’s not just telling you which way the market's heading, but also how much power is in that direction. Think of it like a relationship: It’s not just about whether you’re heading towards love, but also how much enthusiasm both parties are bringing. No one wants a half-hearted "sure, let’s grab coffee sometime" when you're expecting "let’s elope to Hawaii right now!" Most traders simply glance at the positive (+DI) and negative (-DI) lines and leave it at that. But here’s a hidden gem: Pay attention to ADX (Average Directional Index). The ADX is like the referee, confirming if either side’s really winning or just throwing random punches. A rising ADX above 20 tells you the trend is growing stronger—that’s the time you want to be in the game, not hesitating on the sidelines. Pro Tip: Pairing DMI with Retail Sales Data What does Retail Sales data have to do with DMI? A lot more than you’d think! Retail Sales can often move the market more than a central bank governor's speech—especially when they come in hotter or colder than expected. Imagine combining DMI with the punchy movements from retail sales numbers. It’s like adding a turbocharger to an already fast car. Insider Tip: Timing is Everything Here's where we get a little unconventional: Use the ADX to confirm a trend before retail sales data is released. If the ADX is indicating strong momentum in a specific direction, it’s likely that a surprise retail sales figure could provide the final push in that direction. Think of it like watching a game of Jenga: If the tower is already unstable, even a small nudge (like surprising Retail Sales) could cause it to topple. Timing your entries around these news releases can make the difference between being the one cheering or the one nervously biting your nails. Retail Sales Data: A Mirror to Consumer Confidence (That Traders Love to Misread) Retail Sales data is more than just a number; it's the ultimate indicator of what’s happening on Main Street. People’s wallets are like windows into economic reality—when consumers are spending, it’s often a sign the economy is in good health, but there are nuances. A big retail sales jump might be good, but sometimes it can signal overheating. It’s kind of like when your friend buys three new gaming consoles because they "just had to have them"—you know something’s not quite sustainable. Hidden Patterns to Watch For One underground trend to monitor is how Retail Sales impact specific currency pairs like the USD/JPY or GBP/USD. An unexpected retail sales result can lead to increased volatility in these pairs. Why? Simple: Retail Sales act like a reality check to the rosy projections made by central bankers and analysts. When Retail Sales miss expectations, you can bet that the USD is going to have a reaction. But don’t just trade blindly on the headline—watch for a confirmation from the ADX line in the DMI to know if the reaction will have legs or not. The Contrarian View: Why Bad Retail Sales Might Be Good News Here’s where things get interesting—a contrarian perspective. Bad Retail Sales numbers don’t necessarily mean doom and gloom. Sometimes, weak numbers hint that the central bank might start leaning towards a more dovish stance, and that’s where the savvy traders jump in. Use DMI here to gauge whether the market trend is beginning to lose momentum—a falling ADX below 20 might suggest that investors are reconsidering their positions based on shifting interest rate expectations. The Forgotten Strategy That Outsmarted the Pros Here’s a little-known secret: The real power move with Retail Sales and DMI is in patience. Instead of reacting immediately to the data, watch how the market digests the information over the next few hours. Often, there's an initial knee-jerk reaction, followed by a more meaningful trend as big institutional players make their moves. Use the DMI and specifically the ADX line as a guide to know when the market’s reaction is losing steam and when it’s time to pounce. Common Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them - Over-relying on DMI Alone: The DMI is a fantastic tool, but it's not a magic crystal ball. Pair it with other indicators like Moving Averages or even Fibonacci retracements to get a fuller picture. Using it in isolation is like relying on a compass without a map—it might give you a direction, but not the full story. - Ignoring the ADX Component: Many traders ignore the ADX line and only focus on the +DI and -DI. This is akin to judging a book solely by its cover—the ADX reveals whether the trend strength is actually worth trading. - Getting Emotional: Trading around Retail Sales can be emotional. It’s easy to get caught up in the hype and make decisions that aren’t rational. Have a plan in place, use a stop-loss, and follow your indicators. The Hidden Formula Only Experts Use Here's an advanced tactic: Before major Retail Sales announcements, use the DMI on multiple timeframes. On the daily chart, the ADX may indicate a developing trend, but switch down to the 1-hour chart, and you might see opportunities for short-term moves. This multi-timeframe approach is a secret weapon most traders overlook. It’s like having both binoculars and a microscope on hand—each gives you a different angle of the market picture. How to Predict Market Moves with Precision To predict how Retail Sales will move the market with pinpoint accuracy, start by combining fundamental expectations (analyst forecasts) with the technical momentum from the DMI. If market sentiment is leaning heavily one way, but the ADX indicates that the trend is actually weakening, there’s a good chance for a surprise reversal. You can call it contrarian magic—or just the result of doing your homework while everyone else is playing checkers. Summary: Elite Tactics to Apply Today - Use ADX as a momentum validator before trading based on Retail Sales. Remember, it’s not just about direction, but also the strength of that direction. - Combine Retail Sales releases with DMI insights to identify false breakouts and genuine trend continuations. - Patience is key: Let the market reaction settle before jumping in; often the second wave is where the real money is. With the right application, the Directional Movement Index and Retail Sales become more than just numbers and lines on a chart—they turn into a strategic edge, one that can help you trade smarter, dodge those cringe-worthy moments, and maybe even end the day with a grin. So next time you see that retail sales figure, you’ll know exactly what to do—and it's probably not buying those bright yellow Crocs. —————– Image Credits: Cover image at the top is AI-generated Read the full article

[ravenspeakrp]

Welcome to Raven’s Peak, Pea, we’re excited to have you! Marisol Gabriela Nunez Acosta (Jeanine Mason Witch) has been accepted. Please be sure to stop by the CHECKLIST for the follow list, tags to track, and other reminders.

OUT OF CHARACTER 

NAME: Pea PRONOUNS: She/her AGE: 35 TIMEZONE: PST

IN CHARACTER 

FULL NAME: Marisol Gabriela Nunez Acosta SPECIES: Witch AGE: 34 DATE OF BIRTH: May 23rd GENDER IDENTITY: Cis female NEIGHBORHOOD: Downtown OCCUPATION: Scammer Freelancer WORKPLACE: Various, Pandemonium  POSITIVE TRAITS: Versatile, innovative, thrifty NEGATIVE TRAITS: Manipulative, opportunistic, inconsiderate LENGTH OF TIME IN RAVEN’S PEAK: Born FACE CLAIM: Jeanine Mason

BIOGRAPHY

TRIGGER WARNING:scamming/con artist, deadbeat father Being raised by a woman stuck on a terrible, no good, dirty rotten asshat of a man, has certainly made an impact on Marisol. Her father -- by her words, 'sperm donor' is more appropriate -- basically spent his time hopping back and forth between their family and another's, not really providing much in the way of protection or fatherly touch. It was more like, when he got bored, he showed up. And sadly, her mother was more often considered the other woman, or the mistress, who thought she could totally change him to be everything she and her daughter deserved and more. 

Nope, she couldn't. But that never stopped her from opening the door any time he decided it was time to see them both again.

Marisol grew up understanding what kind of woman she certainly didn't want to become-- one like her mother, dependent on a man and whatever value she felt he could give to her. Much like the other woman, who had it far worse than they, with several kids from that same deadbeat jackass. At least Marisol's mother was fine to at least have a revolving door of different men from time-to-time. Each one worse than the last. She couldn't fix any of them, either. 

But, that seemed to be a low-key curse for the Acosta women. As far back as their lineage went, they never could seem to keep a real relationship. Marisol often jokes that her life is much like that Practical Magic movie, about how the Owens women were troubled with never being able to have real love. Their family of witches were matriarchal and they almost always had girls. 

Despite the craft so thoroughly intertwined in her family's history, Marisol herself has never been that great a witch. While her mother has taught her everything she knows and Marisol has embraced the witch aesthetics whole-heartedly, her actual gift is shoddy at best and she doesn't know why. But, that hasn't stopped the woman at all.

She's always been something of a hellion. Her youth was spent causing trouble wherever she went, either on purpose or accident-- she'd claim it just kind of followed her around! A free spirit that never liked to be tied down, Marisol would march to the beat of her own drum and very much lived up to the Gemini ways. Unlike her mother, it was her going through people like tissue. One minute, she'd be with someone and the next, they were old news. She loved hard and fast, and people often described it like a whirlwind. Same with jobs-- she never really had a specific thing in mind and her interests changed on a whim. Like a leaf, she went wherever the wind blew her.

In the past several years, though, Marisol seems to have gotten involved with a lucrative way to earn quick cash and that's usually by scamming the idiots that come through Raven's Peak. Tourists that don't know what they're looking for, don't know what they're talking about, and definitely got no clue about a witch's touch. In her mind, she's not hurting anyone, right? She's got to eat too. She'll do whatever she needs to. Has this landed her in hot water? Oh, on more than one occasion. But Marisol has no plans to stop peddling her fake readings and fake crystals and fake-whatever these poor fools are looking for. Like Ursula, she's merely helping these poor, unfortunate souls!

EXTRAS

FILLING CONNECTION: No INSPIRATIONS: Pinterest

[nodraftsweball]

Hey!

This blog is going to be talking about ✨uncomfortable things✨!! Everything will be tagged properly. But! You may not want to be here regardless! (Or maybe you absolutely want to be here ;P Either or)

Things that will likely be mentioned/discussed (the associated tag will usually be, like, [subject] cw, ie. "#gore cw", unless otherwise specified) ; (blanket Content Warning tag if you dont want any of this)

Gore/Violence

Blood + Blood Consumption

Cannibalism (And technically not cannibalism, but humans eating sentient creatures and vice versa)

Torture

Self-harm and Suicide

Abuse

Incest (Including being portrayed positively and being portrayed abusively, depending)

Underage Characters doing things, which will likely be limited to just casual mentions, because I don't forsee myself posting actual NSFW on this blog any time soon (This includes age gaps!)

Dubcon and Noncon, again probably mentions only

Pretty much anything violent or sexual can be portrayed in a variety of ways, and it's really gonna depend on context if I show it in a positive, negative, or completely ambiguous light. There probably isn't going to be one singular game that does everything cut and dry, all instances portrayed in the exact same way. That's just kind of how I write.

I'm also not afraid to block anyone looking to cause trouble <3

If any of this makes you deeply uncomfortable and you never want to see me again, please block me at your leisure! It's VERY easy to block people on tumblr!! If you can't figure it out, ask a friend! <3

[goddamnwebcomics]

Hahahaha! You know, it’s funny. I looked back at all these posts and all it amounts to is shitting on Jon. Jon this, Jondunce that, Jonson and Jonson can’t clean up or keep his shit together, and yet there’s barely any mention of anything about his wife Whitless (the nickname I gave to Whitney). The instigator. The face/the mascot. The enabler of Jon’s shitty behavior. The one person that makes things uncomfortable when talking about Jon’s obsession. It’s amazing how someone that’s such a massive influence on the guy has very little mention in here. But I guess it makes sense. It just shows how much nothing or little of anything she brings to a topic. She’s mainly just a drama queen or diva with a short temper and a very fragile ego. A child is what she amounts to, which is ironic since she seems to be in her late 30s or so at the time of this typing. A woman that goes into a tantrum over a guy who gave some criticism over one cosplay art piece of Cat!Whitney while praising another and having a meltdown because that person “insulted” her, apparently. Because with her it’s either all positive or all negative when it comes to anything (not just an art piece). And instead of Jon calming down the situation, he sits ideally away from the conflict unless it becomes too much and blames the person for accidently stepping on her precious toes. Petty, childish, vindictive, and very much ego driven. That’s what sums her up, really.

Jon may be the “main man” in his own server or the problematic shit he does, but don’t forget the person who’s the enabler of those bad behaviors as well. A person that shares the blame, if not, is the cause of most of the problems that happen. At least with Jondunce all he is is an idiot who needs to have more confidence in himself (because he thinks he and his life is complete shit without his wife) and needs himself or someone to rain on his poor behavior. BADLY. But with Whitless. She’s someone that needs a wake up call when it comes to her unhinge actions and calm down with the petty tantrums.

I do think there have been a lot of posts talking about Whitney being exactly what you mentioned she was, and even with posts talking about Jon, I still feel that she is the enabler. You kind of get the idea. The more recent posts focus on Jon but back in the early days of Problem with Ponikvars tag, Whitney is frequently brought up as a drama queen who can’t take criticism.

[siekey]

hi i uh usually don't post personal things but i don't really have anyone to talk to about this but I'm so fucking anxious rn

so i work in a pretty casual office space of about twelve people that intermediately has to work front desk type work with a different organization. technically im supposed to wear a particular polo when I'm at this location but i don't typically do cause its a pretty chill environment and no one seems to mind.

however, this last week I've been on vacation and I've been kinda salty with work contacting me about non essential things during that time (I'm hourly). but today i came in on my day off of my own free will to help cover one of the front desk positions

my director, whose management style is very micromanagey and I've had issues with boundaries before and has been the topic of discussion in various capacities with my peers and other higher ups for a while, was very weird about me being there even tho this is the one that was mainly contacting me the week before. i was gonna stay a bit later to catch up on some general office tasks after covering the position when i was informed that "you need to do that when you're actually scheduled"

which fair, but this is the first thing they said about it when my general manager was fine with it in the morning and i had done something similar before going on vacation and my cfo and another director were fine with it

anyways I'm like. alright fine I'll head out then and tell my other coworkers bye

then my general manager pulls me aside to speak privately in the hallway to the bathrooms before i leave and informs me that the next day i was to have a meeting with the director and cfo about my dress code because the other organization had made a complaint

okay, i understand that I'm at fault and I'll apologize and be like my bad, no big deal

but my manager kept prefrencing that I'm not getting fired. while i know they most likely said this due to me noticeably and verbally voicing about how i hate having to have private meetings with superiors (lots of past trauma with authority figures) even if they haven't ever been bad or negative at this job and also my just very public dismissal (we have an open concept desk arrangement and my manager sits behind me while this director sits in front of me)

so now I've been fretting and analyzing every little thing that could be what got the complaint sent in about me which would have had to be either yesterday from my first day back or from like three weeks prior the last time i was at the front desk

was it just about the polo? was it about being perceived as showing too much cleavage as an overweight big tiddie person with the recent heat? was it the funny name tag that said frog man that was a good conversation starter with visitors that one weekend? was it the asexual shirt i wore under an opened button down that one time? is it that i don't shave my legs but i sometimes wear skirts and sundresses? is it my piercings that I've had since before i got hired last year? is it because i have beef with one person in the other organization for always mansplaining and ignoring me even when they expect things that would go against not just my work's policies but actual federal law?

am i just over thinking it? yes. but also is this something that's an honest mistake, a fuck up by me, or something that is not something that i should have had a complaint filed about?

(i do typically wear business casual when at the front desk places, usually a patterned button down and jeans, or skirts / dresses with some shirt / shawl to not have bare shoulders since i see a lot of old white men when sitting at the front desk and also im slowly but surely working on my body image issues and gender dysphoria.)

i do really like this job, but if I'm going to get in serious trouble over something little like this do i even want to work here? the pay isn't great but i love the team there (outside of that one director) and the work i do.

and yeah my fashion sense is a little eccentric but it's more your dad from the 80s meets miss frizzle than anything offensive, but I've literally been thinking about this for almost eight hours after crying on the drive home and i just needed to say something to the void about my feelings and honestly i feel a bit better now

thanks for coming to my Ted talk, hopefully the next one is funnier or about my specific blorbo of the week

[chaos0pikachu]

who said y'all can't live, laugh, like whatever you like? I'm really glad you don't see the same snaps I'm seeing all the time non-stop like god damn ask fans of playboyy how it was when the show was airing and we couldn't go into the tag without rancid take after rancid take about the show being like "watching zoo animals" or speaking over actual sex workers lmao hell I can barely look in any Mame related show tag without ppl still discoursing about tharntype or calling Mame a bigot or clogging up the tag with their "trash watches"

If you only watch a couple shows a year you probably don't see the same things I see or that I see my fandom buddies going through on the daily so like, maybe there's a wider context you're missing here cause I'm talking about a wider general fandom behavior not a singular incident or singular show

I got no problem with people hating, my ass can't stand most BL Classics like UWMA, Lovely Writer, 1000 Stars or most gmmtv shows but my ass is also not kicking in the door of the tag and breaking down why I think those shows suck - and trust I could, easily, on a technical film making level I could break those shows into pieces but I won't b/c why would I go into someone's house and tell them their food sucks?

I can keep that shit on my blog and out of the tag if I wanna talk about how X popular BL actor is actually peak overrated and also micro expressions aren't real b/c I'm not really looking to bring ppl who like The Heart Killers down let them have their fun? why is my "critique" so important it MUST be seen by fans?

the 4mins tag was a mess for like 2 weeks post finale with ppl just complaining and saying the show was Bad Actually if ppl are "allowed" to post all that in the tag why can't others be like "yeah actually I disagree and y'all are kinda annoying about this"? What's the difference here? Why are ppl allowed to post "critique" but others can't post critique of said critique? either the tag is a free-for-all or there's an expected fandom etiquette

y'all are absolutely allowed - who the fuck am I to tell you otherwise? I'm a stranger on the internet lol - to say "great and tyme's relationship is under development" my response to that would be "gucci, why don't you write or prompt a fic to fix that?" cause that's what fandom has always been about since like, zines during the star trek era and I miss it

Honestly back in the day there used to be more fighting b/c if it was in the tag it was open season to respond to - which I think is valid, you post something publicly in a searchable tag ppl are gonna roll up to it I knew what I was doing - but this caused a ton of in fighting so fandoms started making separate tags to curb the fighting. That's why there were things like "su critical" or "anti sterek" tags so ppl who wanted to talk positively about The Thing could and people who wanted to talk negatively about The Thing could without having to deal with each other on a large scale.

anyway my fandom experience isn't ruined, I like pancakes but I don't hate waffles it ain't that serious I just see less creation period in the larger BL fandom - or even the support of creation why don't ppl reshare ppl's fanarts or fanfic? my ass can't draw for shit but I constantly reblog fanart and talk with folks even random folks encouraging them to write or draw - and more ppl trying to gatekeep and girlboss various fandoms. Again, this is a larger issue I see within the general BL fandom along with other more recent fandoms

my thing about the current bl discourse of "all bls suck (except the ones I like)" is instead of whining in the tag for weeks on end every episode ppl could be like, writing fic to fix the shit they don't like.

you think great and tyme's relationship was under developed? gucci, write the canon divergence fic that gives them the development you wanted to see. you think We Are wasn't queer~ enough or didn't do found family well enough? aces, write the fic that puts more emphasis on queer found family. you think kidnap isn't dark enough or whatever? fantastic, write the dark mafia fic that goes there

like what, y'all thought supernatural has a billion fics because the show is GOOD? b/c fans were SATISFIED? what do y'all think ao3 is FOR? go wild, be the change you want to see in the world, let the freak flag fly, throw canon against the wall like an egg on mischief night