#simply because he gets so terribly ignored and not just by the fandom either

[sundayinthcpark]

actual life goal is forcing spirkers to acknowledge bones at all

[milffies]

Hiiuuu luv hru!? ❤️ you're LITERALLY my favourite writer who writes angel devil so well!! If you're well and still into csm, is it possible for u to write for him? Maybe more nsfw? (Feel free to ignore this if you don't feel like writing this!) MISSED U SM

hiii nonnie , i'm good , just real busy!!! i'm so glad u like my writing :3 i'm still into csm, just haven't seen the fandom that active but i love angel a whole lot so i enjoyed writing this sm . <33

— ౨ৎ : warnings angel devil x chubby! reader . basically a smutty character study, very tame.

to start things off, angel is terribly gullible !! either he doesn’t care enough, or hasn’t been exposed to people for that long to understand when he’s being 'played'. sweet boy is very, very mallible !! <3

with that said — getting him into a contract that’d allowed for you to freely touch him without risking your lifespan wasn’t all too difficult. once again, it’s between equally likely possibilities that angel let this happen because he admittedly craves touch, or simply didn’t expect himself to get tricked. if you’d ever ask him about the matter, all you’ll be met with is a lazy shrug and an ‘i’dunno’ on his end.

butbutbut!!, once you’ve introduced him to physical contact, and he see’s that it’s something enjoyable, angel very quickly becomes a lovey, mushy, needy puddle. calls you his ‘favorite human’ and all !! though, he is still a devil before all else, and combined with his already nonchalant personality, he’ll process emotions ‘n whatnot very differently. give the poor thing time, though — he’ll get better at this for you !!

the first time you touch angel’s hand — you note that it’s surprisingly soft. after a second of thought, though, you conclude it isn’t too shocking considering this is angel devil. the devil with big, expressive eyes and pretty pink lips. lips you often times find yourself imaging not being lethal.

he jerks his hand away from yours after you’d two had made a contract that’d give you free reign to touch him. you watch as he looks at his hand as if you were the one that could drain his very life essence away. the thought makes you wonder if devil’s even have the life force to even get sucked away.

those same doe-like eyes of his blinks in succession a few times before landing on you.

“soo,” you’d drawl, a small, knowing grin on your lips. “i feel fine. i’m guessing that didn’t take off any of my time?”

you’re met with a shaky nod from the smaller figure. he licks a stripe over the thin expanse of his lips your eyes still haven’t fully moved from.

“can….can you touch me again?”

the only, truly proper way to describe an early ‘relationship’ angel is as a needy kitten. the ones that very and visibly clearly want affection and attention — but never initiate physical contact first. at times, he’ll reluctantly sprawl himself on you, a guiding hand on your wrist being led to his head. nono — of course he doesn’t need your attention !! you just happen to be a convient source of it (he convinced himself this to be the reason why he likes being around you.)

as angel is exposed to more affection and touch — and you bring him to the revelation that it can be sexual — a noticable spike in his clinginess is very obvious. constantly seeking out reassurance when nestled into you — a shy, reluctant: “we can uhm…cuddle…right?”, an unsure: “work was soo tiring today, can we hug ‘n stuff…?” to the suprise of none; he didn’t really do any devil hunting — but that’s an afterthought to him when you coddle him as if he’s some little, helpless thing. he’s too precious like this, how can you not take advantage of the moment !! <3

if you’re chubby: angel is all over you even more !! so soft, so warm — you’re pratically his own heated, weighted blanket. angel knows he’s more petite and lithe, by human standards, and clearly by devil standards. loves how nice his smaller frame slots so perfectly against your own larger body though, constantly nuzzling up against the softest parts of you.

“stop movin’ s’much,” a muffled voice murmurs, the owner of the voice’s head comfortably buried in your chest.

“tryin’ to get comfy.” angel lazily says, gazing up at you, his pretty long lashes obscuring parts of his irises. he’d been that close to probably having the greatest nap in his life, but he couldn’t find himself fully drifting off because of you shifting around. truly, you were a blessing and a curse. cozy and soft to the touch, but always moving — interrupting his plans to laze around. </3

with a small smile and a hand to his scalp, a muttered apology is given to him. how can you not adore him like this?; pressed so close to you as if he’s trying to melt into you, breathes shallow and not completely taken with the bratty front he usually puts up.

angel feels your own rising chest even out, letting out a content sigh. finally, it’s hard trying to get proper shut-eye when your human pillow can’t stop moving.

“thas’ better…” the devil murmurs, pretty eyelashes fluttering, before closing.

like i wrote about in this post, angel, like everything else, is very lazy when it comes to him and sexual encounters. this doesn’t in specific mean that he’s not a good partner, or unattentive to your needs — he just doesn’t know. that, and, he never puts extra energy into anything he does, even if this, (to him) unknowingly jeopardizes his own pleasure. baby doesn’t just yet grasp the concept that, the thing that already makes him feel good and overwhelmed, could somehow be better !! </3

very, very sweet and absorbed in what makes the two of you feel the best. especially you. kissing this part of you makes you let out those pretty noises for him? noted. pressing, and rubbing his fingers in unsteady circles has you closing your doughy thighs around his hand? angel’s certainly keeping that tucked away in his head. will want you desperately to talk him through it, guiding him where to touch, suck, and kiss. actually puts in effort when you praise him, don’t acknowledge the fact he lives off this though — he pouts !!

angel’s hips rolls against your own softer ones at a languid pace, occasionally pistoning down to give a proper thrust.

“w—warm…” he lets out — the sound a mix between a murmur and a whine. he bites his bottom lip and hides his face in your neck to cut the sound off prematurely. feels too good for him; too squishy, too syrupy. god, how did he manage existence for so long without ever feeling this ?

“yeah?” you tease, a hand coming to comb through his slightly damp locks. at the touch, angel properly lets out a whine, his hips giving one, two, then three quick thrusts into your too-tight pussy. though his moves are uncoordinated, the shakey rocking of his pelvis against yours has your pussy rewarding his movements with tight clenches. and of course—

“yeah.” he echoes — he whimpers. "feels s’good — feels good f’you too…right?” how eager he is to please. though, he’d never admit it. but you can tell, especially with how he’s zeroing in on rolling his hips in tight circles — knows that gets you to tighten up around his pretty cock and let out hushed moans of your own.

“good boy, angel.” you sigh, head lolling back, prompting him to bury his face deeper into your sweaty flesh. needs to be close to you, needs to know this is real.

angel’s too precious like this — not fully understandant on how to please sexually. the small devil is unintentionally edging you, you’re so close to making a sticky mess over the petite man — if only he was a ‘lil bit more experienced.

though, that’s what you’re there for, right? <3

[iwriteasfotini]

Where do we draw the villain line?

Something which is so intriguing to me about the Harry Potter fandom is how flexible *most/some/a few* (honestly IDK how many) people are in giving the villains of the story their own story. Personally I LOVE THIS. Because the best villains are the ones who aren't simply macho bad guys (or gals) who are bad because the author said so. The best villains are the ones you are almost rooting for. The ones you begin to think... wait maybe that person isn't so bad. Or the ones who earn some empathy. And then go and be total arse holes anyways. Because a good story needs a villain, it's simply a fact.

If there was ever a time to remember humans are each living our own story, it is now. It doesn't excuse ANYTHING. It is infuriating and sad. But it is reality. Someone's villain is someone else's hero. And vice versa. But let's not get off on a tangent.

Now the curious thing is while certain HP characters are given some grace where their evil deeds are concerned, others are not. Like at all. Have any of you read Crimson Rivers? Of course you have! If you want to shift your mindset on how you view most of the Death Eaters, read that fic. But in it, I do not remember Mulciber or Avery being mentioned in any sort of good light. Walburga... her terrible parenting is quite undisputed. Umbridge! Barty Crouch Senior! I think Vernon Dursley falls into this category. There are still characters who are seen as simply evil for the sake of evil.

So how did Tom, Bella, Barty, Draco (but I mean, Draco is really a terrible villain to begin with) and a few others end up with backstory, humanity, and quite a few people invested in them. I don't have the answer, but it is an interesting phenomena. Because I am quite new to the fandom and it took all of three tumblr posts to get me fully on board with Rosekiller. Bella, I don't like her, but she is a fascinating character to write for. And she has redeemable qualities. Tom is a cold hearted killer who might have turned out completely different if he didn't have the childhood trauma he did. I imagine Tom's orphanage life was about as void of love and affection as it is possible to be. Sure his basic survival needs were taken care of, but he wasn't loved. And that was his life from birth.

Perhaps it is the fact there is just enough humanity given to these characters in canon that in fandom we take that nugget of humanity and turn it into a full fledged backstory. Barty is a great example. He is screaming at his father during his trial and his father flat up ignores him, all while his mother is weeping in the background. His mother sacrifices herself for him, then DIES two days later (clearly she wasn't in good health to begin with... hmmmmm...). Does Barty even have a Dark Mark? WE DON'T KNOW. Does Barty feel like he has a personal connection with Voldemort, yes, their fathers were both pieces of shite. How did Barty learn this about Tom? It means Tom went out of his way to connect with Barty on a PERSONAL level at some point. Why would he bother, he so rarely give away personal information? Also I feel Barty has a relationship with Winky which is reminiscent of Regulus and Kreacher. Basically there is mutual love and respect on some level (while some wizards see house-elves as servants only).

The fact we can ask all these questions about someone who essentially guided Harry to his should have been death and then was kissed by a dementor (which Dumbledore was LIVID about BTW) makes him such great fodder for the fandom to sculpt a intriguing if not rich back story. It's why I was able to get on board with the Barty isn't a pure villain idea so fast. And I think it really enhances the fandom.

On a side note, Peter's an interesting one as I feel like he is often either forgotten about or lumped into the evil for evil's sake category. Peter made appalling choices, but I think he has a backstory, just like everyone, which can at least account for some of why he did what he did. And it does not have to do with him being bullied, pushed around, or constantly berated by his supposed friends. The Marauders loved each other, and Peter was included in that love.

That being said, there are plenty of people who disagree. Who like to see the Death Eaters as evil. Who cannot fathom how anyone in their right mind can ship Jegulus or be invested in a villain. But to those people I say, Regulus committed suicide as part of taking down Voldemort, Remus put peoples lives at risk every time he left the shack while he was at Hogwarts, Sirius has made some very questionable choices, Harry uses Sectumsempra on Draco, Severus was a Death Eater who changed allegiance, Ron deserts his friends/Harry when they need him, even Fred and George test products on first years and give Hermione a black eye. The lines between good and bad (which are at least somewhat defined in canon) become far less clear in fandom. As Sirius says, the world isn't split between good people and Death Eaters.

If you have read this far into my rant, kuddos to you. If you enjoy thinking and talking about backstory of HP villains, maybe we can connect in some capacity and exchange HC's and thoughts. I also hope you will check out my very epic series which has started posting on Ao3 because I am striving to tell a lot of people's stories in a fast paced, entertaining way.

Thank you for your time and attention. This concludes my rant.

[strawglicks]

something i really wanna see explored more in TTCC lore overtime is how Cogs. Inc affects the cogs themselves. the individual workers and the company are not one in the same, and i think thats smth that never gets discussed.

while i think the toons are obviously in the right for protecting their lands, i think there are many cases in some of the individual managers where it is clear that this is not a black and white, good and evil issue.

Misty is probably the most obvious case here, being that they dont even have any desire to fight the toons and instead wants to be friends with them. Misty is probably one of the most controversial characters due to this, being that fandom looooves to take morally grey/complex characters and devolve them to either "perfect innocent wittle angel" or "demonic demon from hell", completely erasing the original character's complexities and flaws. the things that makes them..them. the things that make them interesting. and it sucks to watch ppl erase characters like this. (I could do a full analysis on her and probably will but it would be some time i have to refresh myself a bit on her)

That "good vs evil" view that toontown originally built itself on was challenged by TTCC's manager cogs when they were given more depth. and a lot of people who loveee to see things in black and white dont like characters such as misty challenging their point of view. and its saddening.

i personally love to see this built and expanded upon. i LOVE that TTCC focuses on the individual cogs and makes them. well. individuals. rather than focusing on the big bad company as a whole. theres no doubt Cogs Inc is terrible. so imagine how terrible it is for the workers serving said company.

"they applied for the position" yea so like theres a fancy thing called rent. in a world of capitalism like this, cogs need jobs and money to support themselves. (some proof of this being an issue for the cogs is graham freaking out at the end of MOTM when his chances of getting the job are threatened and he says his "life is in jeopardy". NO ONE talks abt this btw.) i think once again this excuse drives from people focusing on the big bad company rather than the individuals. so lets talk about the individuals.

Mary Anna. She applied for the position because she believes toons are the issue, they are the ones polluting the waters and environment, and she has good intentions joining this company and trying to put a stop to them. How he came to this conclusion is unknown, but does Cogs Inc give a shit? No. they care abt hiring employees so they can make money and function as a business. so, knowing mary is wrong, they do nothing to change it and simply use her beliefs to their advantage to keep her hired and doing her job.

You know whats funny? Most of the fandom either flat out ignores him or makes him out to be a complete idiot for thinking toons pollute the environment. Mary may be wrong, but his intentions are proof that cogs are not just. blank slates. And people HATE thinking deeper than just black and white. So they hate cogs like Misty and Mary and put them down for challenging their view.

You could go on and on, case by case. TTCC PURPOSEFULLY builds on these characters so you AVOID that boring black and white view of "toons good, cogs bad". I think the situation is more like "toons good, Cogs Inc. bad".

Companies like this destroy both outsiders and the people within the company. And so far, TTCC has done a good job displaying that. and people choose to ignore it. and it saddens me.

[fanonical]

I see your point about June (and June is my favorite too). And I've definitely seen people headcanoning trans boy John out of really blatant spite, and complaining about June in a way that felt extremely pointed, like her mere existence is an insult and a source of hurt.

Buuuut on the other hand, many people loved transfem Roxy for a long time before the Epilogues, and I think it's fine and fair for them (... okay, us) to feel fleetingly disappointed that Roxy is transmasc in the Epilogues. I also think it's fine and fair to continue headcanoning Roxy as transfem, because the Epilogues were very explicitly in-text framed as one possible continuation out of many. I won't lie, I just love that t4t f/f Roxygen.

So my line of thinking is, it's probably still fine and fair to also love trans guy John, if people are inclined that way. It's more about the way that they do it? If you're finding yourself framing June as some kind of invasion on your holy safe space by the mean and terrible new writers of Homestuck, you need to take a step back and reexamine the transmisogynist bias there, and most importantly you need to stop being so goddamn rude to the people making art that just isn't for you. But on the other hand, I think simply ignoring the Epilogues and doing your own thing with trans boy John and his shaving cream trauma, that to me is perfectly in line with - and in fact respectful of - the spirit of the Epilogues.

(Similarly, I don't think it'd be bad to do a reading of the TUA comics where Vanya is a trans girl; I don't even think it'd be bad to write an AU genderswap of the TUA show universe where Viktor is a trans girl, though I'd greatly prefer if other characters' gender was changed too in that case.) (For example, I'd enjoy a full swap where A and V Hargreeves were the only "boys" growing up, and then V transitions and A is left all alone with his masculinity and he lets it steep into resentment. Also, sometimes you want trans girls with violins blowing up the world.)

Right, I hear what you’re saying but I think there’s a couple of key differences here

First of all, we know for a fact that Roxy being transmasc was prompted by a transmasc writer who was repeatedly & horribly transmisogynistic about transfem headcanons, so I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to assume that he really did specifically hate transfem Roxy headcanons out of spite so much that he made it an impossible reading in both timelines. But even then — I do think that if somebody specifically just decided Roxy is transfem and everything else from the Epilogues is the same (or magically headcanoned away as making sense somehow) then they would be intentionally misunderstanding & rejecting the text too. Like, that’s ok, that’s literally what a large part of fandom is, but the reasons for doing this are not neutral, and they reflect hegemonies & wider values.

In the case of transfem Roxy the point is to pointedly reject something we think is transmisogynistic — we have been teased with transfem Roxy for years, it’s an obvious & clear reading of her relationship to Callie in Act 6, and so I think it’s a legitimate criticism of the Epilogues. Meanwhile, there straight has not been years of hints for transmasc John, in fact, to headcanon June as transmasc you have to pointedly ignore her already extant queer narrative.

I also think you either misunderstand or are intentionally misunderstanding how alternate realities work in The Homestuck Epilogues & Homestuck Beyond Canon. They are not just one continuation out of many — there is only the two as far as I’m aware. I’m not up to date with HSBC but it’s my understanding that reality was cleft in two.

i agree with you on the Umbrella Academy! because this is something that has been like rebooted to switch things up, those characters are gonna get remixed. i’d love to see a transfem Vanya somewhere down the line. but if i only blogged about the tv show and i was constantly & loudly explaining how i prefer transfem Vanya and how she should be transfem in the show then I think that would obviously be in poor taste.

i think what bothers me is the boldness of so many men to be like “idk i just prefer this as a man character” right in the replies of posts where transfems are gushing about/sharing their transfem headcanons. I can’t even talk about June being trans without a few people saying that, and that’s actually confirmed as 100% happening, so it’s even more impossible to escape with like transfem Link headcanons etc.

i think all in all, transmascs, trans boys & trans men should try and leave more space for their sisters in the community. it is not subversive to wish every character was a man. just misogynistic. leave room for transfems, trans girls & trans women in fandom and beyond, folks.

[lesslie-sass]

Here's my advice

Stop being sexist against your own sex, and go get some therapy for several things

No rational human being wants you dead

But you do really like to be terrible and make yourself the victim

But I don't condone people telling you to off yourself

Grow a spine and realize when you're insulting people like me that have to deal with mental dissorders too. You're not the only one

Or perhaps simply move communities so you don't have to deal with people that have proper media literacy and a want to respect people with mental disorders. Either works

Again, obviously no rational human being wants you to die and no one should ever tell you to. But we don't want to deal with your shit if you're being sexist and ableist. Stop being an absolute hypocrite

Jeez, put your hate boner away, I can feel it from another continent

First of all, just because I don't wanna excuse female character's terrible behavior doesn't suddenly make me a "women hater" like you want to see me as, I don't care what gender Uzi is and still would've thought she's annoying brat. For the "ableistic" shit, as again, mental problems doesn't excuse terrible behavior, acting out only makes situation worse and people around either annoyed or creeped out (like Uzi's classmates but I guess their feelings don't matter near your gothic waifu) and for your "she's heavily implied to have BPD, PTSD, autism, etc." I have one small question - did Liam or Glitch officially state that Uzi has any of those? No? Then shut up about your headcannons, or rather delusions and projections, that has no ground to be used as argument.

Playing the victim, huh? Oh sorry, how dare I be openly upset about getting dogpiled and hated for my opinion that others, you as well, could've easily ignore. That people got butthurt I wasn't backing down and destroyed my reputation in return, blocking me, spreading how terrible I am, how wrong and toxic I am, encouraged others to do the same. You didn't need to do this, but you did and encouraged it anyway, not carring that I have problems, that I may not be doing great irl, that I actually might've had something to do with myself, only because you couldn't just move on. Just because fictional character and ship getting shitted on was more important in your eyes, compared to me who didn't harrass or insult anyone directly, you have fucked up priorities.

I had every right to get you all to fuck off, when you didn't wanna listen to any of my points AND ignored Lizard literally wishing me to die, or even someone close to me to die. You just want to have some kind of "enemy" of the fandom, target those who's vocal about their negative opinion about MD and make fandom bring them down and tier them apart, to feel better that you "defeated" them and saved the fandom from such "toxic" individual.

And who the hell are you to tell me or anyone else if they should leave the fandom? That "you" don’t wanna deal with my shit, when it's not even directed at anyone directly? Or is it more like "we accept you the way you are, cringe and free! ...until you have different opinion than we do"? Like the same thing with VanityMoth, with people like you invalidating his opinion that happened to be the one you don't agree with and making him this big asshole who's terrible and should just shut up for good. (I use him as example for how this isn't one time accident with me, I may not agree with every point he makes or his behavior, which might as well got worse because of huge hate he got, I speak here only for myself and how this kind of situation was towards me) It's not that people think you can't handle criticism, it's that you clearly show you can't.

AND...

Why I should ask anything from this person, who was all to happy to add fuel to the situation and clearly doesn't like me either? Heck no, they're in my block where they belong.

And therapy is expensive btw and with your creepy ass obsession towards me you need it more, perhaps in good place like Mount Massive Asylum OR perhaps listen to your own advice and leave me alone

[demonsfate]

Angry Depressed rant about Tekken fandom

It's now three more days until Tekken 8. One of the only things I want from this game is just to simply do damage control and retcon Tekken 6 already (just fucking say Azazel brainwashed Jin like how Ogre brainwashed Nina in T3 or Cammy was brainwashed by M.Bison) - I mean they can fucking retcon Jinpachi having the devil gene and Heihachi's motivations in Tekken 7 but not Jin starting a war??? Let's be real, Tekken 6's story mode and Harada's fucking favoritism for his precious creator's pet Heihachi Mishima ruined everything EVERYTHING. Harada and Murray keep basically villainzing and putting both Jin and Kazuya (aka the true tragic victims of the story) in a bad light to make Heihachi and Lars look good. Not even Masashi Kishimoto's favoritism for fucking Itachi Uchiha or Studio Pierrot's favoritism for Hinata Hyuga was this BAD. They fucked over Jin in Tekken 6 for the sake of Lars (that would be like if Dante from Devil May Cry was suddenly a genocidal war criminal for the sake of making Nero look good or if Mega Man X became a genocidal maverick for the sake of making Axl look badass - it's just cheap, lazy, and insulting). Kazuya is a victim of Harada's bullshit too, I mean in Tekken 7 they basically villainized a child abuse survivor who lost everything all because of his father while trying to make his abuser look sympathetic because Kazuya has the Devil Gene. Which makes seeing all the stupid Jin vs Kazuya debates bullshit on twitter and r/Tekken even more painful to look at because at the end of the day, the truth is that their characters got ruined for the sake of fucking Heihachi, Lars, and Reina.

Even worse, no one ever acknowledges this shit. NO ONE ever does. They just hate on Jin for ONE fucking game. They keep characterizing Jin like how he was in Tekken 6 - like that is how he always was since the beginning. Ignoring the existence of his personality and potrayal in Tekken 3-5. I remember having seen so many terrible Jin Kazama bashing fan fiction where Jin is potrayed as a ultra pure evil sociopathic r*pist monster who kills and r*pes both Hwoarang and Xiaoyu to make other characters like Kazuya and Lars look good. I have seen a god awful Naruto/Tekken crossover fanfic where Jin r*ped poor Sasuke Uchiha 50 times and pissed and pooped on Sasuke just to make Sasuke's lover Naruto and his brother Itachi look good and prove that Naruto and Itachi are the strongest anime characters of all time. Fortunately those god awful fan fictions are gone for good after the great fanfiction.net purge of 2012. But now there's still some fanfic on ao3 where Jin constantly gets r*ped by either Kazuya or Miguel as "punishment for his war crimes". Also don't even get me started on all the repetitive discourse about "Jin Kazama bad/evil because Tekken 6 so he should fucking die" on r/Tekken and the Youtube comments section that is still ongoing to this day. At this rate, if things don't get better I might actually take a break from Tekken and migrate straight back to the Berserk fandom and the Naruto fandom. Damn it...sorry if got too emotional there, I just wanted to let my thoughts out of here and I want things to go back to the way they used to be for us Jin Kazama fans.

I'm at the point where I seriously believe they're not gonna retcon Jin's actions in Tek8 and they seriously are just going with the "I'm sowwy I'm good now tho fr fr :3 :3" bit. Which... YEAH, while I'm still glad that Jin is returning to his old characterization, I do find it extremely difficult to fully enjoy it when they're still treating Tekken 6 as completely canon. Just because if it's not gonna be retconned, there's just no real explanation why Jin would suddenly turn into the cruelest motherfucker in Tek6, only for him to... revert back to his caring self in Tekken 8???? Like it's so inconsistent, and VERY bad inconsistent. Especially when all the characters (HIS VICTIMS!!! SUCH AS LARS AND ALISA!!) are being so supportive of him. Which some ppl would try to say "oh, well it's either be nice to the war criminal or get killed by Kazuya!" And it's like... ok. True. But there is a difference between being nice to somebody you need, versus telling them how proud you are of them, being straight up buddies, y'know? Lars and Jin literally have a reference to Ken and Ryu lmao.

And I will just NEVER understand why they don't retcon 6. It's so bizarre. No, I don't think everything should just be retconned but like. If you're gonna retcon things that weren't even problems to begin with (as you said, Jinpachi having the devil gene) then why can't they retcon something that most people DID have a problem with? Something that REALLY IS an inconsistency with the plot? Brainwashing is an easy excuse because it happens so often in fighting games. If Azazel can telepathically speak to Jin, then who's to say he couldn't do anything else to Jin's head? They can also use that as to why Jin was wildly inconsistent in 6 itself. (Going from insulting Alisa while she died, to claiming he's doing everything for the better good. You can say he wasn't in his right mind because he was literally brainwashed, but trying to break free from it - which he successfully did right before defeating Azazel.) I've said this several times now, but even if it was retconned that Jin was brainwashed - you can still have the whole "guilt" plot with him. Because yeah... even if somebody wasn't in control of their actions, they might still feel guilty if somebody used their body to carry out atrocities. Or like I often state in my depiction, Jin also feels guilty for his weakness, for not being able to fight off Devil and keep control.

It DRIVES me wild too. Like people talk about how Kazuya is being villainized just to prop Heihachi up, but for some reason not as many people bring up how Jin is also a victim of this. Both Kazuya and Jin, who were literally abused by Heihachi as innocent minors, are being depicted as The Worst People. Yeah, Kazuya's a pretty scummy guy despite what he went through... but to act like he's worse than Heihachi by retconning Heihachi to look better all while making both Jin and Kazuya worse is just wild. What made me really, REALLY mad is when Harada noticed that fans were still INSISTING that Jin's a hero, and he had to actually say "UHM ACTUALLY JIN STARTED WARS JIN STILL MORALLY GRAY CUZ OF THAT" but then he had THE GALL to say that Heihachi just "looks like an evil character"

OKAY, so JIN IS EVIL, OR AT LEAST, QUESTIONABLE BUT HEIHACHI IS NOT EVIL. Because... he's honest with himself???? He sure as fuck wasn't honest with nobody else! HE LIED TO HIS GRANDSON FOR 4 YEARS AND THEN KILLED HIM ONCE HIS GRANDSON WAS OF NO USE TO HIM. This really just shows how Harada views the characters based on his favoritism. (Even if he claims that Jin is his second favorite. Sure.)

Even though I like Lars, I'm gonna be honest - like most things in Tek6, I don't really fully understand the point of his character (in that game). Jin was already supposed to be the "good Mishima" - that was the whole point. So... why make Jin actually Bad, only to introduce... another Mishima that's the "good Mishima"????? Why not... just keep Jin the way he is lol. My brother said the point was that Lars was supposed to go evil, too, because Heihachi said some stupid shit about Mishimas all betraying each other and being bad to him in 6. But I'm really not sure if that was their intention or not. Like if they were really gonna go with the "All Mishima Bad" story, then why not have the main character be somebody totally unrelated? And idc what anyone tries to say bc Harada lied about it, Jin was never intended to be a bad guy, he was just a tragic hero - that's it.

And REINA... my god, Reina. Like yeah, she looks cool - I understand the hype. My biggest problem with her (originally) was her connection with Heihachi. I didn't care for another Surprise! Mishima family member. But My God, it really does feel at times that... Jin and Kazuya are being overshadowed because of the Reina hype. It actually had some fans asking if she's gonna be the true main character. Which I find it very disappointing that the long awaited Jin vs Kazuya fight, as well as Jun's first appearance in a main game after 27 years is being overshadowed by a new Heihachi kid OC ffs. I mean, when the game was first announced - they were hyping up Jun. But then after Reina was discovered... it just seemed like Reina Reina Reina lol.

FANS DRIVE ME WILD TOO OMGGG. Like fans will ALWAYS refer to Jin as a Forever The Worst Character Ever because of Tekken 6. Which is really bizarre, because they can acknowledge when they believe Kazuya is being written worse just to make Characters Look Better, yet... they can't acknowledge that Jin suffered from Character Assassination in Tekken 6 and how it was literally the only game where he behaved like that. Yes, in 7 - his depiction wasn't great, either. But it was still an improvement from 6. And in 3, 4, 5, and 8 - Jin's character is still mostly consistent. He's a quiet man who wants to help save the world despite the circumstances he's placed. He's a caring person. Yet BECAUSE OF 6... now he's forever seen as a horrible edgelord who's a hypocrite. 🙄 Honestly, I think a retcon is the only way to salvage fans' perception of Jin, and even then... I still think 6 will forever be a stain on Jin's character. Which I'll never forgive it for that.

As for fanfiction... there's a reason why i don't really read fanfics and I'm glad I don't lol. Yes, I know there are good ones... but there are just sooo many bad ones and I just don't really care to read 'em to see if I'd like 'em or not. But when going through live journal for Classic Fandom Posts just to see people's thoughts on Jin back in the day, I did find this post...

and it did make me think there must be a lot of those fics floating around at the time. You've only confirmed that, unfortunately.

I wish things would go back to the way it was, too. (Even if I can't remember what that was like LOL) Because God, I'd LOVE to be able to love this character and go through his tags without seeing a barrage of hate and why the character should die. I'd LOVE to be able to even BRING UP how much I love the character in public spaces without people saying "BUT HE STARTED A WORLD WAR!!111!1 HE'S HORRIBLE AND DESERVES NO GOOD THINGS!11!!" It just gets so exhausting and I understand why it'll upset you. Obvs, it upsets me a lot too, hence why I often go on my own rants. But I think the best thing for you to do is... rather than just completely staying away from the fandom, it's probs best to create your own little space. Like me for example, I've basically stopped interacting with those on Reddit and even on the majority of Tumblr. But since this is a Jin focused blog only, luckily other like-minded Jin fans find my blog, and we can all enjoy the character and understand what he is and isn't without others trying to hate on him. While I don't have fun on other websites, I can at least have fun with the character here and that makes me super happy.

[bleeding-star-heart]

And boy howdy, it is a bad self-insert fic. For starters, canon! Marsilla would never push random servant girls down the stairs. She was conniving and classist, but she wasn't some evil stepsister cliche. Canon! Marsilla didn't have time to stoop to cheap bullying; not when she had a social ladder to climb. Even worse, Count Darian absolutely wasn't in the habit of rescuing said servant girls from their tormentors. Especially not if they were half-elves-he hated half-elves for fuck's sake! Count Darian was a racist, power-hungry monster who canonically married Marsilla for her father's money. But unfortunately, he was also hot; as you sadly knew from seeing way too many thirsty Tiktoks praising his abs, his dark hair, and sharp green eyes. Which was probably why the count was currently escorting Elisen-the purple-eyed, silver-haired, half-elf servant girl in question-to the castle physician instead of being cruel to her. It was a tale as old as time. With terrible men, the fandom either redeemed them, swept their appalling behavior under the rug, or even fetishized it. Terrible women, on the other hand, were almost always transformed into shrill harpies. You sigh and run after them, withdrawing a tin of ointment from your apron as you do so. Like it or not, there was only one way to survive in this stupid fic; getting on precious, precious Elisen's good side. But the more you hang out with Elisen, the worse it gets. As the day wears on, three more eligible bachelors meet and fall in love with Elisen. The "eligible bachelors" being as follows: Crown Prince Mathias, General Draegan, and Tristan the court bard. All of which is wrong on so many levels. Tristan, being the protagonist of Sing Among The Flames, has or will have his own love quadrangle to deal with-apparently Elenwen, Greagoir, and Moira just don't matter to the author. General Draegan is not only 40 years old but yet another evil, power-hungry villain, one who teams up with Darian to start a civil war. And Crown Prince Mathias is canonically gay-not just that, but him being gay is a crucial plot point. Unfortunately, all of these men are hot, so into Elisen's harem they go, canonical sexualities and relationships be damned. The author isn't satisfied with just screwing up canon to build her own personal harem, however. By the end of the day King Valtus has straight up promoted Elisen to the position of Queen Sarae's lady-in-waiting. Which he would never do in canon, which nobody would do in canon, because in canon only noblewomen were appointed as ladies-in-waiting. Don't worry, you were also promoted-to the position of lady's maid for Elisen. Which means it is officially your job to suck up to her. Fortunately, Elisen proves to be easily flattered-all you need to do is brush her hair later that night and harp on about how beautiful she is-and instantly the voice of The Narrator declares that you are her best friend. Ah, yes. The fucking Narrator-only you seem to be able to hear her, for some reason; everyone else just ignores it when she randomly infodumps from up above. These infodumps are a distracting nuisance you could do without, especially since you can't see her and strongly suspect her to be this fic's author.

After Elisen has gone to bed, you receive a mysterious summons from Queen Sarae. Curious, you obediently make your way over to the queen's chamber. Where, to your surprise, Queen Sarae is dressed not in a nightgown but in a cloak, rough linen shirt, and trousers. "You must be wondering why I summoned you in the middle of the night," the queen acknowledges, pulling on a fair of fingerless gloves. You nod, even though you're actually wondering what the queen is planning to do this late at night, and why on earth she isn't simply using a catspaw to do it instead. "I summoned you because I noticed-and I think you must have too-that something strange is happening." "Like what?" you ask neutrally. Normally, that something strange would be a result of the villains' schemes, but canon has gone so off the rails it could be anything. "Like Count Darian ending his engagement to Marsilla Hendricks," Queen Sarae answers, pursing her lips. "Even though he is strapped for cash and Jens Hendriks has made an obscene fortune in the silk trade." "Perhaps he is too proud to marry a merchant's daughter, no matter how wealthy," you suggest with a shrug. It's the only canon-preserving explanation you can muster. "He did not seem so proud as that before today," Queen Sarae muses, "In fact, before today he appeared quite enamored with Marsilla." Crap. Of course he' would-Darian and Marsilla had never had relationship problems in canon before she backstabbed him in the final book. "General Draegan is also very interested in elven customs all of a sudden," the queen added. "During dinner the court was treated to a lovely ballad about some mysterious purple-eyed beauty, and I found this in my son's chambers." Queen Sarae hands you a piece of paper, which to your horror contains a love poem about Elisen. "I'm not asking you to be disloyal to your mistress, but I swear she is connected to it somehow. I just don't know how." Tears of joy leak out of your eyes. Finally. Someone else has noticed how off the rails everything is. But then the Narrator interrupts, yelling: "Wait, what are you two doing? You're supposed to be Elisen's friends!" You then hear a furious scribbling sound from above, as if someone is crossing out sentences in a giant notebook. "Fine," the Narrator whines. "Have it that way. But little did Elisen know that Emily was plotting-" "Oh, do shut up girl," Queen Sarae snaps as she looks up at the ceiling. "You've been a nuisance all day." "You can hear her?!" you gasp, unable to believe your ears. Queen Sarae looks back at you, blinking in surprise. "And so can you, apparently."

You are transferred into a novel you love but notice something is off. The characters are acting like a parody of themselves and you see someone you KNOW was not in the original that the world seems to love. You have the realization you were transferred to someone's self insert fanfic instead.

[yuikomorii]

Hello there, I would like to ask you something.

Why is the Sakamaki family your least favourite if your favourite Diaboy is a Sakamaki?

// You kinda answered your own question, Anon. :”)

The reason why I don’t like the Sakamaki family is ✨Ayato✨ or the way he’s treated there, to be more precise.

Ayato is without a doubt the most unfairly treated member of that family, even Kanato is more loved than him, although he’s supposed to be the one nobody understands.

No one ever thinks about what he had to go through, despite the fact that his past was extremely painful. It didn't leave "scars" like Laito's, but pretty reminder that Ayato was the most tortured Diaboy in the entire franchise, given that the lake scene was only one of many near-death experiences Cordelia forced him to go through, and he was also very emotionally and mentally abused for centuries. But does anyone really care? Apparently not.

Either his brothers are incredibly ignorant, or Rejet simply does not know how to write trauma. Only because Ayato appears energetic and unbothered does not mean that he is without inner struggles or insecurities. They pretend that in order to be considered traumatized, you must hate yourself or be depressed, which is a very wrong mindset. I also dislike how many characters, particularly Laito, find Ayato's life ideal to the point of envying him, despite the fact that being in Ayato's shoes would be a terrible fate.

Now, let’s get into more serious stuff. Ayato may not be a completely innocent character, but he would never betray anyone or project his insecurities onto them.

If you ever feel pathetic, read this YOUNGBLOOD chapter, where Shu and Subaru both backstab Ayato and use him as bait while he is being beaten up by ghouls to help his brothers find out more information. The fact that they casually talked about betraying Ayato makes it even worse, and I can't understand how people here are excusing their behavior with "They were just children." Being a child is not an excuse to be a jerk and ruin someone's life. Ayato wouldn't have been cursed if they hadn't left him there.

This really dark secret has been confirmed in Laito's LE route, and while I love Laito, this literally makes him far more toxic than he was before. So, basically, Laito wanted to kill Ayato when he was younger. It would have liberated Ayato from Cordelia's abuse, but he also has a desire to live, and taking that away from him would be evil. Again, I've seen people justifying it and they were all like "Poor Laito..." . He had his reasons but what he wanted to do is still very wrong, Ayato did nothing wrong to him.

Reiji is also really mean towards Ayato, plus was the source of Ayato's breakdowns in LE, but I don't have high expectations from Reiji because, like Ruki, he isn't sugarcoated and he talks ill about everyone. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but Kanato is Ayato's brother who has hurt him the least; they insult each other, but he hasn't done anything cruel to him for no reason (not counting bad endings).

And now people will probably come to me and say that the Sakamakis do care for each other, but their "love" for one another is phony and forced to me.I'm not including the Tokutens, where they appear to be having a good time together, because those aren't 100% accurate after all. I honestly don't care if they're family-oriented in other routes; if they can't be like that in the most canon route, with a guy who's almost always supportive of them and apologizes if he ever does them anything wrong, they're no longer valid to me and the best ending for Ayato would be to leave that household as soon as possible.

Bonus— Here we have two DL characters able to stand up for themselves and for others, who are never afraid to help someone but still get mistreated, while the fandom keeps mischaracterizing them:

[juana-the-iguana]

I made a post a few days ago about why the narrative that Aang understands Katara's loss in the Southern Raiders is made by the fandom. I made the claim that he never compares her loss to the loss of his people, which a number of people (not-so-kindly, but justifiably) pointed out was incorrect, many of whom took it as an opportunity to attack my personal intelligence (which is not justifiable).

I defended my position to one person who reblogged it, stating that while I forgot about that line, it doesn't change the fact that the Appa-Kya comparison was BS and making that comparison alone disqualifies any claims that he understands what she's going through. They were not the only person who reblogged it and, quite frankly, I didn't care enough about that post to defend its content against other people, nor deal with the shit I was getting for it by simply having it up.

I feel the need to make this post, not so much for the handful of people who saw my original post, but for my own peace of mind, so I can feel like I've explained my point.

One thing that a lot of people brought up, which was interesting and I feel is worth addressing, is how Appa was Aang's last living tie to the Air Nomads and losing him was akin to losing Kya, because Aang was severed from that tie when Appa was gone.

Here is what I have to say to that: Appa was gone for months, Kya was dead for years. Aang never knew that Appa was dead so he was able to hold onto hope of being reunited, Katara knew for certainty that her mom was gone. Appa did not disappear, because he was protecting Aang, he disappeared because he was kidnapped while waiting outside of the library, which he physically could not enter, and Aang and his friends thought that there weren't threats in the middle of the desert (an understandable, but negligent assumption), while Kya died to protect Katara. The loss of Kya fundamentally changed the course of Katara's life and robbed her of her childhood, while the loss of Appa did not have that same effect on Aang, even during the time period when he was missing. And, this is important for context, by the time Aang was making that comparison, he had already been reunited with Appa. He had received a type closure that Katara could never have had.

Even comparing the two is condescending. I get that losing Appa is the closest experience Aang has to what Katara went through when her, but he should realize it's not the same and claiming otherwise shows a fundamental lack of understanding of her situation. Katara repeatedly helped him work through his anger and grief in a kind, sympathetic way and never claimed to understand what he was going through if she could not relate, let alone make such a claim in order to dismiss his feelings. If Aang could really empathize with Katara, he would treat her the same way that she treated him.

Instead, he tells her that she can either forgive Yon Rha or seek vengeance (which shows that he does not understand her perspective at all) and compares her to Jet (which is the antithesis of sympathy).

Pointing this out does not mean that I am ignoring that any of this happened. Pointing this out is not minimizing the suffering Aang went through when losing Appa and when finding out his people were killed. Pointing this out is not saying he had an easy life, that his pain doesn't matter, that he is terrible. His pain matters a lot and he gets the opportunity to deal with it a lot throughout the series, when he is overcome by grief and goes into the Avatar state, or otherwise lashes out (like he did after he found out that Appa was taken).

So yes, I was wrong to claim that the idea that Aang could relate to Katara over the loss of their culture was a narrative put forward by fans, because the writers did have him say those words. This is just another example of how Aang, despite having a lot of things in common with Katara (like losing his people), still does not understand her, and does not extent to her the same grace and patients that she repeatedly gives to him, which would be necessary to understand her.

[winchesternova-k]

former fan here: it abso-fucking-lutely does not

molly was the most well rounded female character on the show and most of her depth came from the fandom and was retroactively added in season 4. the treatment of irene adler was appalling and i still get mad abt it every time i think abt her or see her in any other adaptation.

all the female characters revolve entirely around sherlock (and ik the whole cast does but it’s to an even greater extent with the women.) molly’s main character trait for the first two seasons is that she’s in love with sherlock and the writers want so desperately for the audience to see this as pathetic, bc she’d NEVER be good enough for their special man. she’s JUST a woman and no matter how kind or clever or friendly she is she can NEVER be as smart as sherlock, and being kind is WEAK. and when she DOES try to move on the writing mocks her for that too. first bc she’s so desperate to be with a man that she ignores that moriarty is dressing flamboyantly and refuses to believe he’s gay (and nothing in the text refutes her! moriarty even says he dressed this way to annoy sherlock!) and THEN bc she was too ‘stupid’ to realise that her boyfriend is a mastermind criminal, despite there being no indication of this for her, AND that at the time sherlock didn’t know either. her relationship isn’t even about her! it’s about two men having a pissing match!

there’s slutshaming of a woman in the first ten minutes of the very first episode (sally). the woman in the pair is the only one attacked not the man, even though he’s married and she’s not. no, no SHE’S the disgusting one bc she gave him a blowjob and was rude to sherlock. (again, he’s MARRIED for fucks sake and equally rude). he also got a ‘redemption’ arc while she got written out. i also don’t think it’s a coincidence that he was a white man while she was a Black woman. (i use the term redemption arc very loosely bc the terrible crimes committed were; not believing everything sherlock said, and not kissing his ass. that’s it)

mary was probably the least terribly written woman on the show but there was still a lot of misogyny in her writing AND they fridged her. i didn’t even particularly like her when i was a fan (for the record i was 17 and tjlcer, so i was biased and not as media savvy) and i still thought she deserved better. she is somehow both praised and insulted for wanting to quit being an assassin and settle down to have a husband and children.

this isn’t even getting into the way the fandom reinforced this in a lot of spaces (obligatory not everyone, but it was Bad from a lot of ppl) or the characters that were only around for one episode (the latter simply because it’s been years and i don’t remember much of individual plots anymore just overarching season plots). i DO remember one of the characters from the blind banker who was written as needing men to protect her in a v specifically orientalist and racist way that was different to the white women on the show. there was a lot of racism in that episode generally which has been written abt at length by people far more qualified to talk abt it than me (googling ‘bbc sherlock racism’ or ‘the blind baker racism’ should bring up multiple articles and blog posts).

i should also add that mrs hudson mostly escaped this treatment but i truly think that’s only bc she was too old for moffatt to find sexy and subsequently sexualise and too dainty (im not sure that’s the right word) for either moffatt or gatiss to find threatening to their Male Power Fantasy TM. this is despite the revelations in s4 that she used to be involved in crime (maybe a syndicate? i really don’t remember) and that she maybe murdered her husband (or was at least suspected of doing so). it’s all treated as a joke in a way it wouldn’t be for any male character in her position. which is not to say that nothing abt it was funny, i’m sure there’s some non misogynistic jokes in there abt her past, but the main source of humour seems to be that she nice, and a homemaker and Feminine and therefore she can’t be a threat in anyway (i do vividly remember her shooting a gun but even that is shown as being non threatening bc sherlock is a Big Strong Man).

this also relates back to irene. her plot REVOLVES around her power being taken away bc the show asserts that she needs to be taken down a peg or two bc God FORBID a woman be confident and self assured and own her sexuality (and for that matter, not be attracted to sherlock) and know that she’s clever, and be secure in that fact. the only person who gets to feel that way is sherlock! her literal redemption arc is becoming humble and realising that she can never be as Clever or as Good as sherlock so that he can then rescue her from a very racist execution scene.

but in comparison, when we find out that mrs hudson was involved in crime and was clever enough to either not get caught, or form a successful life after (again it’s been a while and i don’t remember the finer details) bc she’s been shown as a Harmless and Demure and Humble old woman who in no way thinks she’s on the same level as sherlock (in fact she practically worships him the same way all the Good Women on the show do) the writers tell us that it’s okay! bc she knows her place and she runs to the Big Strong Men for Protection (usually sherlock but sometimes john)

and it could have been good! if the writers cared abt writing anything other than their own power fantasies (to the detriment of literally everyone else), the source material, or any group other than white cis men (mostly not queer, but also assimilationist gay men) it could have been an interesting take! but women, especially women of colour or queer women, and any other minority group can never threaten sherlock’s position (and by extension the writer’s position) of the Most Important and Special-est Person in the World

tldr; YES THIS SHOW HATES WOMEN

BBC Sherlock

Sherlock (TV Series, 2010)

Explain your reasoning in the tags!

[forever-rogue]

I got a whole 4 hours of sleep today and have to pull a 12 hour shift. So I apologize if it doesn’t make sense, I am new to the Bucky fandom!

I like the idea of his grumpy, refusing to let anyone in, be slowly ground down by reader, but teeters back and forth until reader is in some sort of trouble. Then the flood gates of vulnerability open because he was worried about them. I mean he hasn’t been with anyone since the 40s right? Would he still know how to navigate caring about someone in that way? I don’t know. It was something that has been buzzing around in my head for a week.

Pairing: Bucky x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 1.9k

Warnings: langauge, vague description of sex (minors dni!)

BUCKY MASTERLIST

MAIN MASTERLIST

»»————-　♡　————-««

You’d started out as neighbors - nothing more and nothing less. 

Neighbors turned into causal acquaintances, fueled by your constant baking and copious amounts of goodies. Casual acquaintances turned into friends that would spend an occasional evening watching television together. Friends quickly turned into best friends that became utterly inseparable....with the occasional hook-up. You were hesitant to call it friends with benefits because that just sounded so crass. It was more like best friends with the occasional stress relief.

Stress relief. Sure that worked.

None that you wouldn’t have minded more of course. But you weren’t about to make a move on James Buchanan Barnes and ask him out on a date. No, you knew your place and his. He was physically akin to a god, mixed in with a bit of fuck boy, and yet...you loved him. You’d fallen hard and fast for the man that had gone from a mere stranger to a welcome and comfortable part of your life. But you’d never tell him that. 

No, nope, hell no. Bucky surely didn’t reciprocate your feelings and you’d never been the type to make a move first. 

Besides that...Bucky didn’t exactly strike you as a relationship type of guy. You’d seen him here and there with a girl or two, but it wasn’t anything serious. And since the two of you had started hooking up, you’d never noticed anyone else. And you hadn’t been with anyone else either. It was akin to a non-exclusive exclusive not-really-a-relationship relationship. Neither of you pushed it any further - you both accepted dates here and there but they never amounted to anything. Wonder why?

Unbeknownst to you, it wasn’t that Bucky didn’t want a relationship - he did. He did very much with you. But he just...there was something about being a one hundred and six year-old man that just left him confused and worried. He hadn’t exactly had the opportunity to date much and now that he had the time it reminded him of just how different things were. Dating was this weird confused jumble, but you were a clear and obvious bright spot. He had his doubts that you’d ever want anything more from him. He knew what he was - a mostly stable old man with a body that people seemed to enjoy. He made the most of that - it didn’t seem like people were interested in getting to know him much these days. 

But you did - you always did. And, gods, he’d fallen hard for you - the kind of love that makes your stomach churn and heart feel like bursting and steals your breath away no matter how long it’s been. But what the fuck would you want with him? He’s a fossil with a boatload of mental trauma and even more sass and attitude.

You deserved the world and he only had himself to give. Of course, he was enough - way more than enough - but he didn't believe that. 

There had been numerous occasions when you'd tried to be honest, to confess your true feelings, but you'd always managed to fall short. Every time you got close, something came up. And after the last girl you'd seen him with, you vowed to take your secret to the grave. 

You had come close though - so close - especially the last time you'd hooked up.

»»————-　♡　————-««

You were under Bucky, both of you naked and panting as you quickly approached your highs. He was buried deep inside you, head dropped to the juncture of your neck and shoulder, nipping and biting at the delicate skin. 

Your legs were wrapped around his waist in order to hold him close. One of your hands was laced together with his while the other was wrapped around his neck. There was something so perfectly harmonious about how you always were together. 

His name fell from your lips like a prayer, James, James, James as he kept going. It was the only time you called him anything but Bucky. As your vision had grown hazy and you felt that familiar warm start to blood your veins, you’d let your true feelings slip. It was so easy, so effortless and in the moment it just...happened.

I love you. 

The declaration hung in the air as you felt your walls clamp around him and he reached his own eyes. That’s when you’d realized what you’d done. This time it was an entirely different sensation radiating throughout your bones - terror. Utter terror.

But if Bucky had heard your three little words he made no mention of them. Relief washed over you as you came to the conclusion that he was just as wrapped up in his own blissful haze that he simply hadn’t heard you. You were safe this time - but you’d have to be extra cautious from here on out.

Oh, but Bucky had heard you. Loudly and clearly. He chose to ignore your words because he was positive that he hadn’t heard you incorrectly. Surely you hadn’t meant to say that - and more importantly, it was a mistake. As much as he loved hearing those words from your pretty lips, he knew it was either an accident or a figment of his imagination. 

You both pretended that nothing had happened. 

»»————-　♡　————-««

Bucky rolled his eyes lightly as he watched his phone light up with a call from Sam. He was half tempted to ignore it but decided to answer anyway; he was bored and the call might lead to something to do. You’d normally be hanging out with him on a Friday night, but his calls and texts had gone unanswered.

“Hey man,” Bucky picked up the call and walked into the kitchen to grab a beer, “what’s up?”

“You need to get to the hospital,” Sam was speaking so quickly that it all came out in a single slew of words as Bucky’s brows knitted together.

“I know I don’t have a lot going on this Friday night, but I think I’m okay,” he snorted as he opened the bottle and took a swig.

“No, no, no,” Sam interrupted by almost whispering your name, “there’s been an accident. She was hurt and taken to the ER. I was on the phone with her when it happened - just come. Now.”

Bucky didn’t even wait for Sam to finish before he dropped the beer and ran out the door. His whole body felt like it was growing numb and the only thing on his mind was you. You couldn't be hurt...you just couldn’t. Bucky couldn’t imagine any sort of reality in which you weren’t there. 

»»————-　♡　————-««

As soon as he ran into the hospital, seeking out the emergency room, he was asking about you. He looked probably just as crazy as he felt as he was nervously directed to your room. He almost jogged down the hall and into your small space. Sam stood at the end of your bed, looking down at you with a concerned expression.

“What the hell happened?” Bucky could barely bring himself to look at you as you laid on the small bed, looking so helpless and fragile. You were sleeping, sedated from lots of heavy drugs, but hooked up to several beeping machines. Your arm was in a cast already, bruises and contusions and cuts littered every bit of your skin that he could see. His heart plummeted into his stomach. 

“She was crossing the street and got hit by a car that didn’t slow down enough in time,” Sam’s heavy was heavy as he rubbed at his tired, “I heard it all happen, Buck. It was terrible - but she’s strong. She’s going to be okay. No internal damage, luckily, but she’s going to be in a lot of pain for a while. The arm’s broken.”

“Jesus,” Bucky sighed as Sam nodded.

“I called her parents and they’ll be here soon. She’s just sleeping but hopefully will wake up soon.”

“Okay,” Bucky took a hesitant step closer.

“She asked for you,” Sam hadn’t been sure if he should have confessed that little part or not, “when they were bringing her in. Kept repeating your name. You should just tell her, you know. She’s obvious she feels the same. Don’t be idiots.”

“Thanks,” Bucky rolled his eyes dramatically as the two men shared a quick laugh before Sam hugged him, “I’ll stay here if you want to go. You’ve done a lot already. Thank you for calling me.”

“I got you man,” Sam gave him a half smile, “call me if you need anything at all...or if anything happens.”

“Goodbye.”

As soon as his friend left, Bucky came over to you, his fingers grazing the side of the small, horrid looking bed. He was going to help you however you needed it for however long it would take till you were better and out of pain. If he had the choice, he wouldn’t ever leave your side again.

This whole time he’d been so dumb, so silly. He should have just told you how he left - a long time ago and gotten over himself. A heavy sigh escaped him as you pulled up the uncomfortable plastic chair and took a seat next to you.

He gently, ever so delicately reached for the hand that was in the cast and held it in his. It almost made him laugh with how much smaller your hand was than his. They fit perfectly together.

He watched the steady rise and fall of your chest as you slept, wondering when you’d wake up. He hoped soon - so he could finally tell you all of those unspoken words. 

»»————-　♡　————-««

“James?” a croaky, dry voice met his ears as his tired eyes snapped open. He blinked a few times to adjust his vision before focusing on you. You were looking back at him with a tired, sleepy little smile on your features. You looked beautiful, so damn beautiful, despite the blues and purples painting your skin, “what are you doing here?”

He must have fallen asleep at some point during the night. He was still holding your hand. He beamed back at you, “hi pretty girl. Sam called me and told me what happened. I came right over.”

“I’m anything but pretty right now,” you laughed lightly but quickly grimaced at the pain, “how long have you been here?”

“Since yesterday evening,” he confessed quickly, “I didn’t want to leave - wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Oh Bucky,” there was that saccharine little smile on your face. The same one he loved so much, “you didn’t have to. I...I really fucked up movie night, huh?”

“I’m in love with you.”

He finally got those damn words out before he could change his mind or think too much about it. Your face immediately lit up with a grin as you searched his cerulean eyes. 

“Do you mean it?” you asked softly as he nodded, feeling a blush creep into his cheeks.

“Of course.”

“I love you too, Bucky,” you replied, giving his hand a tight squeeze, “I’m in love with you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Good,” he whispered as he leaned closer to you, “because I’m not going anywhere, pretty girl. Not now, not ever.”

“I don’t want you to, Bucky,” you promised, “I want you with me always.”

“That sounds perfect to me.”

»»————-　♡　————-««

Marvel Taglist (add yourself to a taglist here!)(strike-through means I couldn’t tag you)

@qhbr2013  @greeneyedblondie44  @april-showers-and-flowers  @softboiipascal @im-an-adult-ish  @patzammit  @niki-xie  @xxlovingfandomsxx  @startrekkingaroundasgard  @welcometothepedroverse  @actual-spawn-of-satan  @punkerthanpascal  @lazybeeches @someday-when-you-leave-me @justgivemethekeys @salome-c @rosiefridayrogersunday  @neptunesglow  @artsymaddie @haildoodles @amneris21 @star017 @irepostthingsiwanttoseelater @its–fandom–darling @ayamenimthiriel @alyispunk @djarinbarnes @edencherries @ashamed23 @sunsetskywalkerr  @nikkixostan @spookispunk @cable-kenobi @hrtsgetbrkn @ironicfoxes @iilwjbb @cc13723things @thenormreedus @gooddaykate

[tobi-smp]

this is probably the last thing I’m gonna say about this (unless something Else blows up), but I wanna focus on something specific about this situation so if you want something more general then take these: (Link 1, Link 2)

people have addressed the fact that the situation with technoblade can largely be described as twitter taking things that people Could bring to technoblade’s attention to start a conversation that would hopefully educate him into tweaking some of his behavior (like making edgier jokes that use imagery from more serious topics) and delivering it in the form of a deliberate hate campaign mixed with so much vitriol that it is literally impossible for someone on the receiving end of it to take literally any of it in good faith and want to listen.

but what I Haven’t seen people mention is the fact that the things that technoblade is being asked to apologize for here Are Not Created equal. and while some of them are more minor accusations that technoblade could address relatively cleanly, those are Mixed In with serious accusations that are, frankly, Extremely bad faith to the point that it totally changes the nature of the conversation.

this right here?

absolutely Floored me. this is the reason why it took me until now to address this whole situation because I Legitimately could not stomach it anymore when it first started bubbling up.

to lay it out simply: in the wake of george floyd’s death technoblade made a tweet linking to a petition about it captioned with “murder is bad,” as pictured. he later had to delete that tweet because some people interpreted his tone as joking when he hadn’t meant it that way. now, you could certainly argue that it’s possibly a bit too blunt or that his intent would be clearer if he’d gone a bit more in detail, that’s certainly true. what you can Not argue is that this proves that technoblade is racist and that he needs to apologize for it A Year After He Had To Delete The Tweet.

this would be blatantly bad faith in Any situation, but it’s particularly difficult to swallow when technoblade is a 21 year old with adhd and anxiety who has a Shocking amount of ableism attached to how people read and talk about his tone in and around this fandom (the amount of times that I’ve seen techno, c! And cc!, called “emotionless” because of the way he talks is Extremely Uncomfortable). people were getting so worked up about this that they were angry at Tommy for responding to it with “agreed” as if he was in on mocking police brutality.

here are technoblade’s options in a situation like this. 1: he addresses everything and is forced to expose his massive audience to blatant bad faith made to make him look as terrible as possible when they otherwise wouldn’t have seen it, risking it mixing in with the things that he needs to legitimately apologize for in their minds. “didn’t technoblade make fun of george floyd?” is Not a rumor that you want floating around your reputation. people who passed around the accusation uncritically can now point to the fact that techno tried to defend himself to discredit the whole apology.

2: he focuses specifically on the things that he’s actually guilty of, that he doesn’t have to pick apart to explain why he doesn’t need to apologize, and risk people accusing him of avoiding his “biggest crimes” or trying to Suppress it which could give legs to a second wave of backlash given the right circumstances.

3: focus entirely on the biggest accusations like this one so that he can have an in depth conversation about them. people can now Either complain about the fact that he didn’t Really apologize he just made excuses for himself Or insist that he only focused on what he could debunk while ignoring people’s Legitimate criticisms.

4: addressing everything Vaguely rather than going into detail about what it is he’s apologizing for, allowing people to do whatever they want with the implications of that in the context of accusations like this.

5: try to handle the whole thing quietly and wait for the vitriol to die down.

technoblade was set up to fail on purpose, that’s obvious to us and would've been obvious to him. if someone accused me of mocking the death of a black man at the hands of the police for sharing a petition seeking justice for that man in the same breath that they complained about a joke I made in a minecraft roleplay and legitimately asked me to handle them both with the exact same importance I Wouldn’t Want To Address It Either. no one would. by mixing in plausibly legitimate if minor criticism with blanket accusations that are Big and Eye-catching they made a situation where any way that techno tried to address it he could be raked over the coals for it. the entire point of this was not to help technoblade Learn, it was to make him look Worse. that’s Why these things are mixed together and conflated. addressing it as it’s presented is a trap. I frankly don’t blame him at all for not addressing it directly.

[marunalu]

The denial about DFO is incredible, because as you said they ask for evidence and when you give them evidence they simply discard or ignore it and it isn't even a constructive criticism on the subject saying "well, but it can also mean something else", it's direct denial and calling the theory stupid. We are talking about a fandom that had Bakugou and Kirishima traveling in time as a theory and that later still insisted on the theory of time travel with Bakugou until it was confirmed that there is no such possibility. Why it's the big problem of that there are people who believe in DFO, it may or may not happen? Horikoshi still did not confirm or deny anything, even if people consider it a cliche, what is the problem that others enjoy as long as they do not harm anyone?

Oh please dont remind me of that stupid time travel theory, I still get a headache from that. People believed in that shit despite having zero evidence, except that second and bakugou have a similar hair style and third doesnt even look like kirishima at all. This theory was just created to give bakugou more importance in the story, because he doesnt provide anything meaningful to the plot and is simply just a fanservice character. This is the same fandom who thinks edegeshot folting himself into a heart to safe bakugous ass, who is already dead for at least 5 minutes now and should suffer from terrible brain damage if he wakes up, is peak writing and completly logical, but they draw the line at all for one having a douple life, owning a fire breathing quirk alongside the hundreds of quirks in his quirk arsenal and starting a family, despite all the proof we can show them. Of course they cant see it! I wouldnt be able to see it either, if I close my eyes every fucking time the evidences jump into my face! They dont like the theory, so they ignore all of it. Scroll past dfo metas, analyses and small posts talking about hints. I never really was a fan of the dabi is touya theory, still I knew it was canon, because the proof was way to obvious. With dfo its similar. At this point we have so much proof, we could write a mega meta, that would make tumblr crash down, because of its size!

In the end its still just a theory and speculation, its not that deep! If people dont like it because its cliche thats fine, but its no reason to attack dfo fans and their blogs, just because a harmless theory pisses them off so much! Its either canon or its not! If they dont want to see dfo stuff on tumblr, then by all means this people are free to block everything. But as soon as dfo is offical confirmed canon, they shouldnt crawl back and rant about how it doesnt make sense. If I refuse to give something a chance, I shouldnt be surprised if it doesnt make sense to me when it becomes reality!

[itsclydebitches]

I kinda wonder, what could bakugou do (hori write bakugou to do) to make him less popular with the "anti" crowd. Like He was a horrid child no doubt and people who try to put blame on Deku or lessen the terrible shit bakugou did aren't great. But as we don't rly see it, we have to assume bakugous behaviour wasn't stopped, we only ever saw his mum "punishing" him when he was being rude after getting kiddnapped. Nothing will excuse what bakugou did, but he has stopped? He's overall a harsh person but he's not harrassing and bullying people anymore, specifically not deku, he's trying to attone for what he did to deku and has now apologised for it. His behaviour was never viewed as justified or good in the series, he's a scary figure in middle school, we're not meant to like his behaviour, so the series itself hasn't justified his actions.

As someone who relate to both bakugou and deku more than I'd like to admit (never told someone to jump tho, that's fucked lol) so I can 100% understand not liking or even hating bakugou but as someone who's not 15 anymore, looking back I also made a lot of really shitty decisions and like bakugou have tried to make up for it, and like deku I was 'friends' with people who hurt me.

Is there anything he can do for the "antis" to just dislike him rather that be "anti"?

(I'm very sorry if you've talked about this somewhere, you can just tell me to look for it if you have, I'll continue to look for your posts on the subject)

Hey there, anon! I think I’ve spoken about this only tangentially and/or in my main Bakugo meta, which is too big for anyone sane to read. So yeah, let’s chat here!

For me personally—and that’s all I can ever do: speak personally. I think it’s important to keep in mind that there is no single solution to please the “anti” crowd. Each fan will be looking for something slightly different in Bakugo’s character, much of which might contradict what a “stan” is currently enjoying. Given how charged a character he is, I'm not sure it's possible to get the entire fandom to like him—what I’m looking for hinges on having a different reading of the story than you seem to. Meaning, I think the series does justify his behavior. Not in any overt, super obvious way like having all the characters go, “Wow, Bakugo! I sure do love how you threaten people all the time. That’s super cool and heroic!” Things are rarely that straightforward. Rather, it’s in a more subtle, but consistent manner that paints a rather conclusive picture across hundreds of chapters.

Simply put, Bakugo is continually rewarded for his actions. Or, if not outright rewarded, his actions are ignored in a way that implies silent acceptance. Characters may not always like what he does... but they're willing to let it slide because Bakugo's heroism was always treated as a given, not something he had to earn and prove.

With the ever necessary disclaimer that I’m not fully caught up yet, here’s a list of some of the things that stood out to me in the first half of the series:

Bakugo’s bullying made him the most popular kid in school.

Bakugo’s bullying was ignored by/outright supported by the teachers.

Bakugo’s bullying did not hinder him from getting into U.A., one of the most prestigious hero schools around.

Despite acting horribly throughout his time at U.A. too, this behavior was continually ignored by the teachers and other authority figures around him.

Bakugo’s struggle to realize that other people aren’t “trash” doesn’t hurt his achievements in any way. He still gets top scores, still wins the tournament, etc.

Bakugo’s behavior gets him special attention from All Might, the greatest hero and Bakugo’s personal idol.

His behavior doesn’t make others dislike him in any manner that’s taken seriously. Everybody is still willing to not just put up with Bakugo, but—in time—start treating his behavior as a quirk (no pun intended lol) that they’re secretly fond of, rather than something he should legitimately be striving to change. Kirishima is the most overt example of this.

This is compounded by his behavior constantly being framed as humorous. Much like with Mineta’s perverted actions, characters might superficially go, “No, that’s bad!” but the story never demands any significant development because then we’d lose the “joke” of Bakugo screaming in rage at the slightest inconvenience, threatening to murder someone over nothing, constantly belittling everyone around him in a “funny” manner, etc. When fans talk about development of a manga character as archetypal and extreme as Bakugo, most don’t really want to see significant change to his base personality. Because then that would result in someone who doesn’t look like the “real” Bakugo: someone nicer, more even-tempered, more mature, etc. But for those of us who were never drawn to that personality in the first place, the continued acceptance of his rude, egotistical, and violent behavior is discomforting. The easiest comparison I can draw is between this and Bakugo’s mother slapping him. That slap is meant to be another “joke”—we see it constantly in shonen anime, something "humorous" you shouldn’t take too seriously because haha, it's just an overprotective mother—but many fans do take it seriously, using it as the basis for a whole “Bakugo was abused and this explains his behavior” reading. Well, I take the “joke” of Bakugo’s threats and insults seriously, especially in a story that starts with something like telling Izuku to jump off the roof. In the same way that many fans want others to treat Bakugo’s mother as a serious topic that has had a negative influence on his development, I want the series to take Bakugo’s everyday actions seriously as a negative influence on… well, everyone around him. But it doesn’t. His base personality is grudgingly adored.

The above two points are seen most overtly in Izuku, who never wavers in his respect for Bakugo despite how Bakugo treats him. Not just prior to U.A., but during their training too. Izuku, as the protagonist, is the emotional heart of this tale, so when he talks about how inspiring Bakugo is, it encourages the reader to see his behavior as inspiring too. Rather than, as said, something that needs to change. Izuku's continued friendship with Bakugo, his adoration of him, and his acceptance of the way he's treated has severely warped how the entire story sees Bakugo's actions. After all, if #pure Izuku can see the good in Bakugo, why can't everyone else? He must not be that bad after all.

I could get into detailed analyses of all the above—like how Bakugo was the one comforted after attacking Izuku outside the dorms at night and how the messed up relationship he has with Izuku is upheld as something to nurture; how the remedial courses he had to take were made to be rather silly, thereby undermining their supposed importance to his development; how Bakugo’s kidnapping had nothing to do with his flaws, but much of the fandom uses it as a way to dismiss any appropriate consequences because, “Hasn’t he suffered enough?” etc.—but in the interest of keeping this within a readable length, I’ll leave it at that. The point is that Bakugo has always been privileged when it comes to his behavior, resulting in others either outright praising it, ignoring it, or demanding that he change a miniscule bit, which always keeps him far below the standards of both his peers and the expectations of a hero. Everyone in 1-A must learn to be even better than the good people they already are... Bakugo needs to learn that other people aren't dirt at the bottom of his shoes. It's never been a particularly impressive development when pit against the rest of the class. All of which can make something like an apology feel pretty hollow. Yes, he’s apologized and I say with all seriousness that that’s great! But how does that apology stack up against 300+ chapters of content? As Bakugo’s words highlight, he's been a really awful person up "until now": he was consumed by Izuku being “miles ahead of [him],” he “looked down on [him]” because he didn’t have a quirk, he “didn’t want to recognize that,” he “hated that,” “grew distant,” “tried to beat you down,” “opposed you and tried to show my superiority over you,” and ends it all with, “it probably doesn’t mean anything telling you all this” before finally getting to the “I’m sorry.” This is basically a laundry list of how horrible a person Bakugo has been for the entire series, with an acknowledgement that this apology is coming really, really late. This is the moment where I could START to like Bakugo, depending on how he acts form here on out, but that pivotal moment arrived after six years of content and in the final arc of the story. It’s too late. Bakugo needed this kind of self-reflection and positive action 250+ chapters ago so he could (hopefully) grow into a better person across the story, not at the story's end. What we got instead is 322 chapters of him being a really horrible person, but the story going out of its way to excuse or even praise that behavior the majority of the time.

As a quick comparison to end on, I think what Bakugo needed was what Soo Jin got in True Beauty. You don’t need to have seen the drama to follow along. The tl;dr is that she has a lot of the core qualities of Bakugo: an all-consuming drive to win that was created due to abusive parents with high expectations, resulting in her bullying a peer to a pretty horrific extent. The difference between them is how the story frames their actions. When Soo Jin becomes the bully she loses everything. Rather than succeeding academically, her grades plummet, making it clear that this anxiety and self-doubt (things the fandom keeps insisting Bakugo is struggling with, but that rarely ever show up in the text) is actually impacting her day-to-day life. Her best friend drops her because she’s not going to support her choices. The boy she likes rejects her. She’s eventually forced to start over somewhere new - which importantly separates her from the girl she was bullying - and get some distance from her parents, resulting in the growth needed to become a healthier, happier, good person again. So when Soo Jin apologizes to the girl she hurt, it feels earned. The story continually recognized how horrific her actions were and put her into a place where she either had to change, or continue losing at everything else that was important to her. Bakugo? Bakugo doesn’t lose. Oh, he claims he does because he’s comparing himself to Izuku constantly, but that’s just him thinking in extremes. He still wins academically. Still wins many battles. Still wins at having friends. Still wins by maintaining the prestige of being a U.A. student. Still wins by getting All Might’s attention. Still wins by receiving Izuku’s respect and an agreement to maintain this rivalry that Bakugo is so obsessed with. Bakugo comes out well 99% of the time, he just thinks he's "lost" because he can't stand not being the absolute best.

For me, the story needed to have Bakugo face consequences for his behavior, not receive rewards and/or have others ignore it, and that revelation/apology needed to come way, way sooner. For me the issue is not a specific action that Horikoshi can have Bakugo do in the next chapter and them bam, I like him now. The problem is Bakugo’s entire concept, how he’s received by the entire cast, and his run across this entire series. "Entire" is the key word there. Which is why the “But he’s apologized. What more do you antis want?” reactions don’t sit well. What we wanted is a better written redemption arc across those 300+ chapters, not a single scene that’s meant to have us forget all the other problems inherent in the story. At this point it’s a far more complicated situation than, “Bakugo just needs to do X, Y, and Z and then we’re golden.” At the end of the day, Horikoshi failed to make me like him as a person and I’m pretty sure he isn’t going to change Bakugo enough to make him likable to me. Bakugo was never the sort of character I’d be inclined towards without a serious, nuanced redemption arc, but sadly, a core, crucial part of that redemption arc took six years to arrive. At this point there’s no way to change the problems in Bakugo’s writing for that huge chunk of the series and not enough time left in the series, it seems, to do the work we should have seen across the entire run. Honestly, idk if the Bakugo we'll get going forward is someone I can just dislike as opposed to being really uncomfortable with, but my money is on there being too little story left and too much investment in upholding Bakugo's base personality for that to happen. I could absolutely be proven wrong! But I think the problems are structural and needed to be better dealt with from page one, not hastily patched over in the final hour.

[sketching-shark]

LMK fandom: Oh, what do we do about this guy who has nothing but hurt Xiaotian, tried to replace Sun Wukong and his crew, hurt Tripitaka and ordered servants to cannibalize a monkey? Oh I know! We’ll turn him into our little meow meow~ he’s so innocent and Sun Wukong is obviously the villain!

What doesn’t help is this idea is perpetuated by multiple fan fic writers and artists for some reason. Especially some aus they make that turn SWK into a bastard for the sake of the story rather than considering cultural context and thinking they should be respectful.

And almost everyone lets them get away with it just because the art or fanfic is good and they get so popular that no one can point what is actually wrong without feeling like they’re going to get attacked.

I'm starting to feel like my blog is the one anons go to specifically to vent their frustrations about the Six Eared Macaque in his lego monkey show form & the associated fandom lmao. But I guess this makes sense, as I’ve had fun quasi-dragging him before & will in fact use this anon submission as an opportunity to have my own, to put it academically, bitch fest about not just this fandom's favorite protagonist-traumatizing meow meow, but about the way villains are often treated in not just fanon, but increasingly in canon works as well. But same policy as with the last anon; I'll post my opinions below the cut, and as fandoms love to say, don’t like don't read if you don't want to see me dunking on the six eared simian & common fandom tendencies towards villains.

Oh man I would say where would you even begin with this but anon you’ve pretty much started yourself with my main gripe with a lot of ways that the Six-Eared Macaque is portrayed in fandom; there seems to be this unspoken agreement that his acts of violence towards Sun Wukong, Qi Xioatian, and Qi Xioatian’s loved ones are either to be framed as somewhat or totally justified, to be immediately forgiven/excused, or to simply & completely be ignored. Like friends maybe this is just me not seeing the proper posts but while the fandom is inundated with art and fanfics of Macaque as a generally decent individual & a true member of team good guy, I have yet to see one person address the fact that this monkey literally kidnapped & mind-controlled Xiaotian’s best friend and father figures & forced them to brutalize Xiaotian while ol’ Six Ear looked on and laughed (X_X). Like this kind of fandom villain treatment is definitely not something that’s solely at work for Monkie Kid, but it is kind of nutty how fandoms will swing between yelling that people should be allowed to like villains without even mild critique, and then will just flat-out not address the villainous behavior, and will even bend over backwards to frame even characters who committed genocide as just poor innocent widdle victims who need a hug. At its worst, I’ve even seen tons of people in a fandom get really angry at other people who don’t like a villain, and will even start accusing those people of hating real-life mentally disabled or abused individuals all because they don’t like the fandom’s favorite literal war criminal. The Monkie Kid fandom is FAR more chill & better than a lot of other fandoms I’ve come across in that regard, but that is an exceedingly low bar, & the tendency to woobify certain kinds of villains-- as with Macaque and the extreme emphasis on his bad boy/sad boy thing--is very much at work.  

 I’ve also talked before about a kind of monoculturalization of certain character interpretations and story beats in fandoms, and one of the more popular ones that seems to be applied to Macaque a lot is the “hero actually bad, villain actually good” cliche, as observable from the general fandom assumption that Mr. Six-Ears he wasn’t even slightly lying or remembering things through a rose-tinted or skewed lens when he gave his version of his and Sun Wukong’s past. Like at this point it seems the possibility that people WILL NOT even consider is that Sun Wukong never did & still doesn't care that much about the Six Eared Macaque (in JTTW they weren’t sworn brothers & in Monkie Kid the only thing the monkey king really said to Macaque before attacking him was a pretty contemptuous "Aren't you ever going to get sick of living under my shadow?," & responds to his "beloved friend" getting blown up with "You did good, bud" to Qi Xiaotian, who did the exploding), or that their original fight may in fact have mostly been instigated by Macaque. After all, to repeat what this anon summarized & what I've said before about their original JTTW context (& in an example of the things that do feel like it's often lost in translation) is that the Six Ear Macaque was a villain not just because he beat up the Tang Monk, but because he wanted to take over Sun Wukong's entire life and identity so he could have all that glory, prestige, and power for himself. To quote the macaque himself from the Anthony C. Yu translation, "I struck the T'ang monk and I took the luggage...precisely because I want to go to the West all by myself to ask Buddha for the scriptures. When I deliver them to the Land of the East, it will be my success and no one else's. Those people of the South Jambudvipa Continent will honor me then as their patriarch and my fame will last for all posterity." And in order to do this, the Six Eared Macaque had apparently made Sun Wukong's "little ones," his monkey family, his captives through either trickery or force, and gotten a number of them to take on the appearance of Tang Sanzang and the other pilgrims. It's also made clear that in very direct contrast to Sun Wukong, he doesn't care about these monkeys beyond how they might serve him. In fact, after Sha Wujing kills the monkey posing as him the Six Eared Macaque not only all but immediately replaces him with another, but also "told his little ones to have the dead monkey skinned. Then his meat was taken to be fried and served as food along with coconut and grape wines." So this monkey is not only willing to risk the lives of a lot of other monkeys for his own personal benefit, but is also a literal cannibal. And yes yes, I know a lot of people have argued that Monkie Kid shouldn't be considered a direct sequel to JTTW & that's fair enough (for example, Sun Wukong probably shouldn't be smashing anyone into a meat patty in a children's cartoon lol). And of course, it needs to be noted that there are a buttload of really out there & really cursed pieces of media based on JTTW & that were created in China. Yet the above description is the oft-ignored in the west original facet of the Six Eared Macaque's character. And it is this selfishness, entitlement, and treatment of other individuals as tools for his own self-serving ends  that is, from where I’m standing, still very much present in Monkie Kid. Like besides repeatedly going out of his way to physically and psychologically traumatize Xioatian, with the last episode Macaque seemed to be going right back to his manipulative ways. I’ve seen people frame their last conversation as Macaque softening to Xioatian a little bit, but personally that read a lot more like that common tactic among abusers where even after they’ve hurt you they’ll dangle something you want or need over your head (in Macaque’s case, the promise of desperately needed training and information about a serious looming threat), with the implication that you’ll only get it if you do what they want you to, such as, in this case, Xioatian going back to Macaque as his student even after having been so terribly hurt by this monkey, which would give Macaque power over Xiaotian and probably Sun Wukong as a result. And it is this violence and manipulation that it seems the fandom at large has tacitly decided shouldn’t even be addressed, instead leaning more towards a (and this is an exaggeration) “Six-Eared Macaque my poor meow meow Sun Wukong has always been bad & has always been wrong about literally everything” reading. 

And while it is the case that I am not Chinese and feel that as such it would be best left to someone who actually comes from that background to provide more context into how common interpretations of the Six Eared Macaque from China may clash really badly with the stuff the western fandom creates, it also must be noted that, as much as we all want to have fun in fandom & in spite of all the out-there versions of JTTW from China, we westerners should recognize that there is a very long and very ugly history of western countries stripping other cultures’ important religious and literary works for parts & mashing them into their own thing while implying or even insisting that what they present provides a true understanding of the original piece. And while I trust most individuals in regards to Monkie Kid are able to step back and think “this is a lego cartoon and not a set guide for how I should understand JTTW” (especially given the insistence that JTTW and Monkie Kid should be considered there own separate works) there does nevertheless seem to be something of a tendency to take the conclusions people come to, for example, about Sun Wukong’s characteristic in his lego form & then assume that’s just reflective to Sun Wukong as a totality. I imagine a good portion of this is due to people not reading JTTW & especially to not having easy access to solid information or answers about JTTW’s many different facets (like geez awhile ago I was trying to get a clear answer on what is considered the most accurate translation of the names of Sun Wukong’s six sworn brothers & got like 5 different responses lmao), but that tendency to take a western fandom interpretation & run with it instead of doing any background research or questioning said interpretation is still very much at play. As such, & as made prominent in the way people have been interpreting the dynamic between Sun Wukong and the Six Eared Macaque in the lego monkey show, tbh it does seem kind of shitty for western creators & audience to sometimes go really out of their way to ignore all of this original cultural & narrative context for the sake of Angst (TM) in Macaque's favor, demonizing Sun Wukong, and shipping the monkey king with his evil twin (X_X).

And speaking of which, even beyond the potential inherent creepiness & revulsion that can be inspired by this specific ship given common interpretations of the og classic's original meaning (again, it's my understanding, given both summaries of translated Chinese academic texts I've been kindly provided with, my own reading of the Anthony C. Yu translation of JTTW, & vents from a number of Chinese people I've seen on this site, that the Six-Eared Macaque is commonly interpreted in China as having originated from Sun Wukong himself as a living embodiment of his worst traits, hence why only Buddha can tell the difference between them & why the monkey king is much more slow to violence after he kills the macaque), I'd argue that in the face of all the uwu poor widdle meow meow portrayals lego show Macaque is, especially if you include JTTW's events, still in the role of “Sun Wukong but worse” as he is very much a violent & selfish creep. Like he was basically running around in JTTW wearing a Sun Wukong fursuit, but there he had the sole reason of wanting to replace Sun Wukong wholesale so he could have all the good things in the monkey king's life without actually having to work as hard for them. But if you combine that with Macaque now claiming that he used to be best friend with Sun Wukong in his pre-journey days (something that's made funny from a JTTW context given that that status actually belongs to the Demon Bull King lol), his original violence has now blown into this centuries long and really unhealthy obsession with the monkey king. Like he's apparently gone from wanting to literally be Sun Wukong to being so obsessed with getting revenge on Sun Wukong that he's got basically nothing else going on in his life. Like he's only appeared in two episodes but...does he have any friends? Any family? A career or even a hobby that DOESN'T center the monkey king? Anything at all outside of his "get revenge on and/or kill Sun Wukong/use his successor as my personal punching bag” thing? Like dude! That is extremely creepy and extremely bad for everyone all around! As I’ve said before, this seeming refusal to see beyond the past or to do something that doesn’t involve Sun Wukong in some capacity is a trait that makes Macaque an interesting and somewhat tragic villain--he even seems to be working as Sun Wukong’s reflection in a mirror darkly, with lego show Sun Wukong pretty clearly not being able to heal from his own past which is hinted to be defined by one loss after another, and with Monkie Kid even kind of having these two characters somewhat follow their JTTW characterizations in that in the latter half of the journey Sun Wukong often gets sad & starts crying in the face of what seems insurmountable odds (& Monkie Kid Sun Wukong does seem to be hiding some serious depression behind a cheerful facade), whereas the Six-Eared Macaque retains a worse version of Sun Wukong’s pre-journey characteristic of getting pissed and lashing out if things don’t go his way--but it’s also what would make any current friendship or romantic relationship between these monkeys horrific. Although to be fair even the fandom seems to recognize this in an unconscious way, in that a lot of the art & fanfic seems to swing erratically between them kissing & screaming at each other in yet another example of bog-standard fandom adulation of romanticized toxic relationships lol.  

At the end of the day, of course, this is nothing new. You'll find versions of this dynamic across a ton of fandoms and now even canonical work. And as such, I can only look at this kind of popularized relationship dynamic with a kind of resigned weariness whenever it pops up, & my frustrated question with the popularity of this kind of pairing is the exact same one that I have for a multitude of blatantly toxic villain/hero ships, given common fandom discourse & the tendency to either ignore or justify the villain's actions & demonize the hero: if you're THAT convinced that everything is the hero's fault, if you believe THAT much that the hero is the one in the wrong for the villain's pain and their subsequent actions, then why are you so set on them not only becoming a romantic pair, but framing this get-together as a good thing? Like I know we contain multitudes but that's waaay too many contradictions for me to wrap my head around. And it definitely doesn’t help that one branch of underlying reasoning behind this kind of pairing seems to be the ever-present “you break it, you fix it” mentality, where the assumption is that if you’re in a failing, abusive, and/or generally toxic relationship (platonically or romantically), if you put in enough time and effort & attempts to compromise, you’ll be able to restore/have the relationship you dreamed of, even with someone who hurt you really badly. And this assumption isn’t limited to fandom: I’d even argue that it’s everywhere in the culture, hence why a lot of people feel like they “failed” if they have to get a divorce or make the choice to leave an unhealthy friendship. Personally, I feel like people could really benefit from more stories about how it is not only the case that the people you hurt don’t owe you their forgiveness & you can still become a better and happier person without the one you hurt in your life, & that while it can be really hard it can also be a good thing to leave a relationship, even if it’s one that once meant a lot to you. 

  But in all honestly, from my own perspective this kind of pairing is starting to read far less like enemies to lovers and far more like a horrible fantasy where you can pull whatever shit you want, even on the people you "love," & never be held accountable for your terrible behavior or even have to consider that maybe you were in the wrong. It's another facet that makes me larf every time I see people insist that fandom is an inherently "transformative" or "progressive" form of storytelling like friends you are literally just taking status quo toxic monogamy & rebranding it as somehow beneficial & romantic (X_X).

But as to anon’s last frustration, it is hard to know what is the appropriate response with this kind of thing...like for my own part I’m keeping my frustrations to my blog & now increasingly to posts that you would have to click on the “read more” button to see what I have to say, but I totally get the hesitation to give even a mild critique to big names in a fandom. Like I've now seen it happen repeatedly where someone who has a big name in a fandom will make something that's kind of shitty for one reason or another, someone will message them with some version of "hey, that's kind of shitty, you shouldn't do that," and the typical response is either to blatantly ignore the issue completely, or more popularly to make a giant crying circus that seems deliberately geared towards stoking emotions on both sides of the, for example, fiction does/doesn't affect reality issue so that something that didn't even have to be that big a deal gets blown out of all proportion, with the big name often framing what often started out as a very mild critique into a long crying jag about how the initial response to their kind of shitty thing was so mean/cruel and they're just a poor innocent & that YOU'RE the true racist/sexist/bigot etc. if you don't agree with their opinion. It must of course be noted that there have also been numerous instances of people taking it too far the other way & sending not just big names but smaller creators literal deaths threats over stuff like innocuous ships which like holy hell bells people that’s a horrible thing to do. But for the big names at least, the end result of all this fighting is usually that once the dust has settled they have more attention/fame/money/power in the fandom than before, and with anyone who might have a problem with their stuff feeling afraid to voice their opinion lest they be swarmed by that person's fans. In that way fandom does often seem to increasingly be geared towards presenting an “official” fandom perspective about various facets of a piece of media instead of allowing for a multitude of interpretations, and with criticism, no matter its shape or form or how genuinely warranted it may be, being hounded out of existence. I feel like a lot of this could be made less bad if there wasn’t this constant assumption & even drive to think that a different interpretation of or criticism of your favorite work of fiction or your fanwork isn’t a direct claim that you are a thoroughly loathsome individual (& maybe also if people cultivated an enjoyment of learning things about important works from a culture outside their own, even if what you learn clashes with your own initial understandings), but I guess we’ll see if that ever happens. 

So these are my general thinks about the Six Eared Macaque’s current fandom meow meow status & some of my bigger gripes with fandom tendencies as a whole. I stand by my idea that the most interesting & beneficial route for Macaque moving forward would be a kind of “redemption without forgiveness from the ones you hurt” arc--as I think was done pretty excellently with the character Grace in Infinity Train--and if for no other reason than gosh dern this monkey really needs to cultivate some sort of identity beyond his “Sun Wukong but worse” persona.