#so please don't try to engage me in discussion or argument about this thanks <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[diamondcitydarlin]

i would so so love it if we could not do the usual moral / 'healthy relationship' expectation projections on n@ndermo , that thing we do where we have to pick apart every aspect of every era of their dynamic to make sure that they absolutely do not violate any of the 'healthy relationship' laws tumblr set down long ago that i'm -still- trying to figure out. cause I'm already seeing posts like, 'i dONt tHINk guillermo and nandor are EMoTIonALLY MatURe ENougH-' please. for the love of everything please can we not do that cyclical rhetoric this time. of course neither of them are 'emotionally mature', which is entirely the point.

i'm not trying to be mean or downplay anyone's concerns etc etc etc but...yall. this is a universe where people casually get killed and eaten in such a way that is not meant to reflect on the characters' moral codes or the way we perceive them as sympathetic or not. Shadows is not working within the boundaries of 'trying to set an example that all of society should follow' lol it has literally never been that kind of show. it's a show for adults (though that's not to say younger people can't watch it ofc, but it's helpful to understand who this show is written for) who understand and accept that these characters are not role models of how real people in the real world should behave, its a fun comedy about a supernatural world where just about anything goes. the entire point is that the main characters are all a little bit toxic and 'morally bankrupt' to a degree, at least in comparison to the ethical standards that tumblr holds its fictional characters against normally. again tho, none of that is meant to lessen our sympathy for and investment in the characters and their relationships with each other, or lessen our desire to see them succeed and be happy. that has always been the deal.

are we meant to criticize and/or care less about Sean's friendship with the vampires because they were going to (albeit mercifully) rip his head off? Because they over hypnotized him? Because, as vampires, they have an inherent power imbalance with Sean, as a human? no, of course not, because that's not what the writing of this show is leading the viewer to do.

and yes, admittedly this is a little frustrating to see for a pairing that is breaking boundaries and expectations of what we normally see with queer mainstream representation; it feels as tho we're holding a pairing of two non-white queer men to expectations that, frankly, I hadn't seen anyone in the show held to within fandom before. why now does it have to matter that everything is textbook ethical? while i don't think it's the intent to be regressive, that's still kind of what's happening here imo. gay poc men are allowed to be fucked up in shows too sometimes.

the show is not meant to be rubric for real life behavior. while we are meant to love and root for the characters and their dynamics with each other, it is understood that Shadows is not romanticizing anything into a unironic example of 'healthy irl person' / 'healthy irl relationship'. that romanticization of unhealthy behaviors in fictional narratives is why we have these discussions in the first place and shadows isn't guilty of that for the reasons I listed above.

i mean whatever obviously people can have whatever discussions they want lol, I just had to get this off my chest as I'm already seeing the posts here and there about ' why n@ndermo is problematique ' and lest i throw myself into the abyss i just had to whine for a second on an untagged post.

[gralunaisland]

An Anti's Request for Discussion with a Pro-Gr///via Fan

Honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever understand gr///via fans at this rate, so I’d like to do something proactively.

My friends keep telling me not to tag "gruvia" because that’s Tumblr etiquette, and I completely understand their sound advice.

However, I’m thinking, will it be okay to tag it to ask for a discussion? I’d like to hear the opposite side.

So here’s my official request for pro-gr///vian fans: would one of you be up for a discussion? A discussion about why you think your ship is a good one? I’d love to have a peaceful, respectful debate, devoid of ad hominem and offensive language.

I have hope that there’s a gr///via fan who’s out there ready for a harmless conversation on this topic. We’re big kids. We can discuss ships without taking personal offense, right?

If you want to discuss with me, please comment below your reasons for liking gr///via or juvia or whatever!

Please do not however comment on my other posts for discussion. This post is where I have delegated my discussion. I appreciate people making comments with questions or critiques about particular parts of other posts on those same posts, but people have been just being rude there while picking fights with me, and this blog is still an Anti-space. Thank you for complying!

And N.B., I am not putting any Anti tags because Pros may have those blocked and this post exists for the purpose of having a discussion with the Pros. I am not not-tagging it because I want to sneak attack the Pros. I am also not not-tagging it because I have turned over to the Pro side in case that wasn’t clear haha. I simply want to hear an argument that isn’t heated and pointed from their side to see if I can understand them better.

Edit: I’d originally made an edit where I added that I would stay an Anti, and thanks to a Pro commenting, (quite rudely I must admit), I’ve decided to get rid of it as it isn’t conducive to discussion. I do not think my mind will be changed, but that doesn’t mean I cannot be open to what they have to say. That was my sentiment from the get-go, but my wording needed work. Thank you, Pro, for the criticism!

Edit 2: Also, I didn’t think I’d have to clarify this, but I would like an actual discussion, not someone sending me the link to their post and telling me to figure it out myself. The point I’m aiming for is a peaceful debate, a live conversation where we can answer questions as they arise. I want to be able to actually connect with a Pro on this matter, to see if there’s any common ground, and even if there isn’t, to give both sides a chance to defend their position in a way that’s digestible, at least legibly, to the other. Is that really too much to ask?

Edit 3: Just a PSA I suppose, this isn’t a trap somehow😅. If you want to discuss, discuss. If you don’t, block me and skedaddle on your way. But discussion is a two-way street, so I don't get why a commenter is calling me a bad guy for responding to someone who was kind enough to try to engage in a conversation with me. Both sides get to talk. I thought that was clear when I said debate…

Anyway, have a wonderful day! Thank you for your time as usual!

[styrofauxm]

An overly in-depth and personal look at Harry Potter and JK Rowling

1. Obviously there's going to be transphobia and stuff discussed, I'm leaving content warnings up here as they come up, please stay safe. If I forgot any, let me know (I can't put them in the tags now, thanks Tumblr).

(Content Warnings: discussions of transphobia. Mentions of racism and ableism. Allusions to slavery. Cursing)

2. I'm tagging this "harry potter", but please don't put it on your blog if you still engage with JKR's content unless you are committing to not do so anymore

3. This is mostly for myself, however, I'm fine with criticism on this. It's messy and imperfect. But I'm not going to bother with any TERFs

Part 1: Background

I used to be really, really, really obsessed with Harry Potter. I read it in second grade, at a time where I was behind in reading, math, etc. for my age and grade level. The challenging vocabulary and complexity led to me becoming a better reader. Reading it took me over 6 months. It was the first goal I ever achieved. And it meant a lot to me.

And then I read it again. And again. And again, and again, and again. There's an argument to be made that almost all of my close friendships was cemented with a conversation about Harry Potter. I spent hours with my friends arguing that something was a plothole, while they insisted it wasn't. I read the books over and over, until quotes became embedded in my vocabulary, and I didn't even realize.

My parents begged me to find different books to read, even though I spent at most 2 weeks a year actually reading Harry Potter.

So yeah. It was important to me. It was my comfort series, my go-to books, a major part of my personality, and honestly a big part of my life.

I read Harry Potter 17 times. I had planned to read it 50 (because I set weird goals as a small child). I found a lot of joy in it.

And then, soon after I had finished the series for the 17th time, JKR made her second hint that she was transphobic (the first being a few years prior when she "accidentally" followed transphobic accounts). And I was a little upset, but I brushed it off. Until I couldn't anymore.

Part 2: In the past two years

At first, I was miffed, but I never really cared about JKR anyway. She wrote my favorite books, but ultimately she was unimportant. I just decided that as long as I don't buy HP stuff it'll be fine.

And then she said more stuff, and did more stuff. So I decided I wouldn't read the books in public anymore. Then I decided not to talk about them anymore (seriously if I had made this blog 3 years earlier it would have just been HP nonsense). And then she started saying that all people reading Harry Potter agreed with her. So I stopped reading the books (mostly. I've read the first few chapters on really bad days).

There was some other stuff involved, like crying at 1am after staying up all night watching this Contrapoints video. Which is a good video by the way, but a bit older than some of JKR's more recent TERF shit.

And yeah. Not engaging with something I used to engage with every day sucked. I based a lot of my identity around it. (I even used it to help myself understand trans people better). It had a big impact on me. But I had to let it go. And honestly, everyone else does too.

Part 3: J.K. Rowling........

JKR is a TERF. She's racist. Ableist. Bigoted. And probably much more. JKR hates trans people. She uses her platform against them.

At this point there's no arguing that she made a mistake. That she didn't understand. That she's trying her best. She's not. She knows what she's saying and doing and she doesn't care.

JKR hates my friends. She hates my family. And she hates people I've never met. She actively works to harm human lives.

Reading HP stuff, talking about HP, having pins or stickers for HP, watching the movies, etc. all benefits her. It gives her a platform. It gives her a place to sing hate from the rooftops. Continuing to engage with Harry Potter is ultimately complicity.

Part 4: Semi-conclusion

I get it. I get that its hard to let go. I still haven't fully.

I fully understand how much it sucks to give up something that means a lot to you. I know how awful it feels to have a bad day, think about what to do to feel better, and then not do it. I've done that multiple times over the past 2 years. I haven't perfect, but I'm doing my best.

But here's the thing. As much as I or anyone else found comfort in HP. As much as we took away vastly different messages than were actually there. As much as it feels horrible sometimes, supporting HP content in any way harms people far more than not reading a book series harms you.

I have more to say on this. I have thoughts and feelings and points left unsaid. Some of this isn't refined or concise, and some of it has gaps I couldn't fill with words. So I might add onto it.

Part 5: Bonus Ramblings

- Not promoting hate is a duty that we have. For the first time in my life, my family is sending me Harry Potter stuff. I'm not going to watch the reunion. I'm not going to watch the new Fantastic Beasts. I want to. I can't express how much I want to. But I won't. It's taking most of my self restraint to not watch the reunion. Sure it doesn't involve her. But she will use people watching it as a way to say that they agree with her BS. So I won't. And no one else should either. (Plus they used clips of her in it so they probably have to pay her something).

- Also, don't interact with content from other shitty people. I'm working on covering up stickers from the Illuminae Files because one of the authors is openly racist and the other basically is.

- No, this isn't cancel culture. It's literally just not letting bigots have a platform. If you have a problem with that, think about why you think deplatforming hate speech is a problem.

- I really want JKR to apologize and do better. But even if she did, I'm not sure I could read the books again. Or like it to the extent I used to. Which is really sad to me.

- The interpretation you had of the books vs what JKR was intending to say doesn't matter now that you know. I saw them as inclusive and anti-hate, but now I can't think of scenes the way I used to. Most people thought JKR was putting Hermione in the right with the house-elf thing, but all of the textual evidence contradicts that. Most people thought that there was anti-hate messaging with the Death Eaters being bad, but she's expressed no issues with the Weasley's ostracizing their non-wizard family members. The books aren't what most people thought they were, and at this point, you aren't going to get the messages you used to reading those scenes.

- If I have other stuff to add it'll probably be in reblogs or replies, and like I said, I am fully willing to discuss it (so long as you aren't trying to argue that JKR isn't a bad person. She is)

[unknowncrashingthroughthewindow]

[1] Ok so I've just finished the Ray Route for the first time w/o spoilers successfully! Thanks for answering all my nonsensical asks all throughout these 11 days. I'd thought I'd collect a few of my thoughts and put them here: (1) I have to say Saeran is now my favourite character. He's. Just a cool dude I guess (2) Cleansed Saeran is basically Edge Boi™ who dressed up for a job interview at Hot Topic. He tries to scare people but he fails poor boy (3) Ray is,,, kinda clingy I don't know man he

congratulations on reaching the finish line!! glad to talk to you over those chaotic 11 days! since you sent me these asks in parts, i’ll answer them accordingly under the cut!

1. saeran’s a GREAT dude he’s been through so much but hes so good and so strong and hes VERY GREAT n i have a very high fever so all my brain cells are bringing to the table is inane shouting and “ohoogughhug saeran good”

2. cleansed saeran as a phrase still dealt me 50 poison damage because i cannot Stand people yelling at me Ever because i am just a tiny creacher…..but its good that it didnt affect you too much!!

3. now ray’s character is really a Hit Or Miss and the way you view him is completely valid but its important to understand exactly where he’s coming from, especially in his own route. i think recognising why certain habits of his are unhealthy to himself and those around him, as well as recognising why he has them, is a crucial part of ray’s route (although you probably know that already!) so all im saying is its very good to call him out for his unhealthy habits! but please try to be nice to him ^^;;

4. its probably not that funny but the entire time v’s telling rika how much he still loves her he looks like he’s passing the fattest kidney stone so judging by that im pretty sure they’re gonna burn like saeran’s house :/ 

5. rika is designed to be a very morally ambiguous and morally provocative character, and the way someone perceives her is almost always entirely dependent on their own experiences, which is why i believe that you’re in no way wrong whether you like her or don’t like her

personally i have a lot of Thoughts on rika that i might discuss in detail sometime later, but the general gist of it is Good Intentions, Bad Actions. everything she’s done has been under a twisted conception of love, and the moment she started involving other people she became exempt from being easily excused for her actions, but i think her desire to be a good person means that she has the potential to find a kind of love that’s not destructive to herself or others, and i’d like to hold her responsible for self recovery more than self retribution (of course then my argument brings up the whole “then no criminal would actually be a criminal” issue and yeah this whole debacle is messy and deliberately situational but since i’m not the one in charge of Rika’s Divine Ruling, i dont reckon there’s any point to thinking about it too much…… im just gonna go with my gut sjhgckf)

6. if they kill seven im gonna. well im. im just gonna cry BUT considering they brought ray back from the dead in the most arbitrary way in v’s ae im gonna assume seven’s chances are pretty fucking good (to be a bit more exact, you still get a few of seven’s thoughts on day 10 and one response where youre like “he might be playing around with the kidnapper’s wits!” gets a heart from him so if he’s alive enough to give you kudos for a comment he can’t even see then im gonna hope he’s alive enough to survive the ae)

7. v’s ae took a HECK of a lotta time but im assuming that’s because they had to lay out a HECK of a lotta foundations for this new style of ae, so ray’s shouldn’t take as long! maybe sometime near the middle/end of this year? its good to try be patient but if youre frustrated you cannn engage in the fandom annnndddd…….talk to……meeeee JHVBDGCVKFGJHJ im ALWAYS up for ray route talk >:3

8. (you didnt have point 8 but you do now) i really hope you 1) enjoyed the route!! and 2) get some Good Sleep im sending you sleepy vibbbbeess uwu

[transfagholmes]

[Video description: clips from different parts of the commentary track for Bride of Re-Animator with Jeffrey Combs and Bruce Abbot.

1. Dan and Herbert in discussion.

Herbert: She could be of use to us, Dan.

Dan: Not us! You.

Combs: There you go. Well, us. Actually–

Abbot: Yeah.

Dan walks away from Herbert.

Combs: Ugh, he just doesn't get it!

Abbot: What a great dynamic though, really, just a great dynamic.

Combs: Great f- great foils for each other.

Abbot: Yeah, they just... I don't think they've ever agreed about anything.

Combs: No, no.

2.

Combs: Okay, our living room.

Abbot: Oh, yes.

Combs: Why are we living together?

Abbot: Yeah.

3.

Combs: You just don't care!

Abbot: No, it's so... Unimportant at this point. He wants out. Dan wants out.

Combs: Yeah, but... I need you.

4. Herbert and Dan are having an argument.

Abbot: Oh, right.

Combs: "And put the– an put the cap back on the toothpaste." We're just roommates bickering that's just– that's all this is.

5. Herbert is showing Dan Meg's heart.

Combs: Look, look, look, look, look.

Abbot: Oh. This really borders on sexual for Herbert. Very much so.

Combs: Look it. I've just gotta lure you into this stuff.

6. Dan is hanging up his lab coat so he is topless.

Combs: Oh look at–

Abbot: No.

Combs: You are buff, babe.

Abbot: Unbelievable.

7.

Abbot: I think it's very interesting that Herbert is insanely jealous.

Combs: Yeah, well, he's irritated that you are so easily taken away from the work.

Abbot: Well...

Combs: There's so much, there's so much–

Abbot: Some psychologists may (laughs) care to go deeper.

8. Dan's face onscreen.

Combs: O-o-okay, Dan! C'mon baby!

9. Herbert hands Dan a gun.

Combs: See but I trust you enough! I trust you enough!

Abbot: Oh boy. That's an honour?

(They laugh)

10. Dan is shirtless with his back to the wall.

Combs: Buff, baby.

11. Dan is trying to stop Francesca from leaving.

Herbert: You should never have brought her here.

Dan: Get that thing out of here!

(Herbert steps in front of the re-animated dog)

Combs: We're still bickering, right?

Abbot: Oh, right!

12. Herbert stands in the doorway in a long blue apron while Dan sits in the foreground.

Abbot: He's a sensitive guy.

Combs: That's a– that's a nice shot.

Abbot: Love the apron, Betty.

Combs: Yeah, thank you, darling.

13. Herbert grabs Dan by the shoulders.

Herbert: Dan! Don't quit on me now. Please.

Combs: Come on, baby!

14

Abbot: Oh look at this false sincerity.

Combs: Ah, it's not false–

Abbot: How– why does Dan buy this?

Combs: It's not false. Because I'm playing your song, baby.

Abbot: Yeah, pretty much.

15. Herbert is showing Dan 'Meg's' body, and Dan is engaging.

Combs: Ahhhh, baby! Go baby!

Abbot: Yeah.

Combs: Yeah!

Abbot: Dan– he's business now, baby.

16. Herbert gives the serum over to Dan.

Combs: Ohhh, I've really got you now.

Abbot: Sure, why not.

Combs: Now you're committed.

17. Dan injects the serum into 'Meg' and Herbert stand next to him.

Combs: Look and I put my hand on your shoulder.

Abbot: Sure, sure.

Combs: Com– comrades in science.

End description]

bride of reanimator’s commentary track said gay rights 🏳️‍🌈🧪

[confidence-i-like-it]

Despite not supporting boycott movement(which consists about two users only), I have to ask- do you realize that by "they have to give us what we want" most fans all this time mean "equality for lgbt characters and characters of colors"? I don't want to be rude, it's just very upsetting how you purposely simplified such an important issue to vilify certain group of people (based on act of the few)

Thank you for your respectful message, I mean that. Since you expressed your concerns so calmly, I took the time to elaborate my stance a bit more, since I also come from a place of being upset. It’s a deeply rooted sentiment, so I hope you can be bothered to sit through all of it.

Oversimplification is a problem when it comes to engaging in online fandom. Within the group that probably feel targeted after reading my previous post, let’s say there are three subgroups (since we’re all simplifying anyway, please forgive me). 1. There are people who genuinely argue in favour of more equality for lgbt  and poc characters with legitimate arguments I agree with 100%. 2. There’s also a group of people who hijack these legitimate issues in order to bash other fans, because how on earth can someone argue against that without coming off as a racist homophobe? 3. Then there’s a third group that leech of these first two groups that don’t bother beyond: ‘No one cares about het drama, gives us Malec’, ‘Not Malec, not interested’, ‘No one wants Clace’.

The first group I support. I agree with their arguments, and they bring up legitimate issues that ought to be addressed. However, acknowledging issues in representation of a lgbt/poc ship does not mean one can’t support a straight white ship. I can be upset about the ‘strategic fade to black’ that was Malec’s first time, while also being excited for a Clace centric episode. Call me greedy, I just want it all.

It’s the second two groups I have an issue with. Group 2 bases their arguments on semi-truths, or truths that are not relevant for the argument they are making. This gives the discussion a broken foundation to begin with, and thus is impossible to engage, because how does one come up with a decent counter argument to a broken argument? To me, this is very upsetting. Genuine issues become trivialised this way, and custom fitted into an argument. High expectations not being met is not queerbaiting. A Malec scene being cut is not an act of homophobia. Scenes get cut, c’est la vie. I think they came from a good place when they released that bts picture, and never anticipated this backlash. Making an episode is more complicated than assigning scenes to couples, as if they have a quota for romantic fluff. Also, whereas it may be a handful of people being serious about a boycott, the ‘they should listen to what the fandom wants’ sentiment is a lot more popular, the boycott is just taking it a step further. 

The third group makes itself very guilty of oversimplification as well. It’s one thing to say ‘I don’t care about het drama, I only watch for Malec, and I do not want Clace’. Arguing that no one cares, and everyone is only in it for Malec is just not true. (This kind of non-arguing of course also exist in other fandoms. I’ve seen plenty of Clace fans claiming no one cares for Climon, only to criticise Climon fans in the very same post.) However, people in this group also frequently feels justified in arguing on behalf of the entire lgbt community. And that is just wrong no matter how you twist or turn it. A recent example: I criticised the outrage when that sneak peak came out where Jace gets the promotion over Alec. I was subsequently slammed for not understanding what ‘we, gays and bisexuals’ go through. This person must have looked at my most recent reblogs, which were Clace related, and come to a conclusion about me and my sexuality according to those random gifsets. How bizarre is that, when you think of it? I’m sure I alsohave come to the wrong conclusion as well about people on here, based on their Tumblrs, but I wouldn’t attack an individual based on that. Either way, in this situation I hinted that I, in fact, am not straight, but apparently was too subtle, and thus got asked directly whether I am straight. As if only my sexuality would validate my arguments that did not consider sexuality in the slightest, it’s just that that sneak peek happened to involve a gay character. 

Pan and bisexual fans, including yours truly, risk being excluded from the lgbt portion of any TV fandom by showing support for a straight ship, yet some people exclusively shipping lgbt ships feel justified in arguing on behalf of all of us. You can’t do that, period. Surely it comes as no surprise that someone who is attracted to people from both sexes in real life, would be interested in both straight and same sex ships. Supporting a straight ship doesn’t make me any less bi, just like being attracted to a man would suddenly make me straight. 

So, my post was not just about some randoms trying to organise a boycott. The boycott is the tip of the iceberg of a much larger issue that exists in modern fandoms. The Shadowhunter fandoms seemed to avoid many of these issues for a long time, hence my disappointment to see Shadowhunter related tags filled with such negativity and toxicity. It’s such a shame that such individuals can throw such a shadow over something many people enjoy, and it’s even more of a shame that these people shout the loudest, and thus are the voices heard.

Thank you for your message, thank you for reading mine. Feel free to message me again if you wish to comment.