#some of you have zero media literacy and it's showing

[sharonccrter]

I still feel the fight in 1x05 was a mistake. And I only say this because the writers clearly didn't mean it to imply that Lestat was this irredeemable abuser and some gotcha moment for certain fans to proclaim Loustat shouldn't be together. The writers saw it as a way to show Lestat's cloud gift; they clearly never saw it becoming what it became within the fandom. I mean, this is a show about vampires.

And this is not me saying what Lestat did wasn't fucked up because it very much was. However, I once again see people putting too much of their own morality onto a show about vampires. I see it all the time now, everyone wants to put characters into "good" and "bad" boxes, and that's all their allowed to be; people don't want to stan "morally grey" characters; there has to be an apparent "victim", and a "villain" and that's all these characters can be.

That's simply not the story the writers are telling, and it certainly isn't the story Anne Rice was trying to tell. The revisit in 2x07 didn't change that much. However, it continues to strengthen the idea that not all is as it seems. And if the writers revisit the scene again in season 3, it's because there is more they want to say about what happened. There is more to the story than what we've seen.

The idea that they shouldn't revisit it again because the fans have already decided what happened is ridiculous. I need you all to realise the genre you're watching and the books it's based on. Unreliable narrators and things not being as they were first presented are the heart of the story Anne Rice was trying to tell.

There are no good guys in The Vampire Chronicles; they are all century-old vampires who've done terrible shit, who've all been victims, and predators in equal fashion. Some of you will enjoy the show going forward a lot more if you're willing to accept that.

[bellabrady]

every tevan shipper who's surprised about the breakup or says that there was nothing pointing towards this simply has zero media literacy. like, i'm sorry but it's not everyone else's fault that you can't pick up on the most in-your-face hints possible.

i do agree that ultimately the reason they broke up was weird and came a little out of left field but the breakup itself? that absolutely didn't.

since the moment tommy came back, everyone in interviews said almost outright that he's an entrylevel relationship, that tevan becoming a thing was a spontaneous decision, that tommy's a plot device, etc. in the beginning, even lfjr said that! he only started baiting all of you when he realized he could get some money out of it.

there was absolutely nothing hinting that tommy would be anything more than temporary — the opposite was hinted at repeatedly, in the previous episode alone.

like, what did YOU think it meant that tommy got next to no screentime all season except for the episode before the one in which we knew buck and tommy would have relationship troubles? did you really think they gave him screentime all of a sudden for any reason other than to make the inevitable breakup more impactful?

what did you think it meant that they didn't share a single kiss the entire season? that there was zero PDA between them?

what did you think it meant that eddie was involved in 90% of their relationship?

what did you think it meant that they made it a point to show that tommy isn't actually all that close to buck or his circle (not knowing who sargeant grant is, not being in the gc, etc.)?

what did you think it meant that after 3 months they were still in the 'getting to know each other' phase of their relationship?

what did you think it meant that their last scene in 8x05 was at a literal graveyard and that there was a huge physical distance between them?

and all of that isn't even mentioning all the ways in which they're simply incompatible and have been from the start.

be disappointed if you want, but don't blame everyone else for your blind optimism

[richardsphere]

So there's a strange "defense" of Miraculous I've seen crop up on occasion. The idea that everything wrong about the Lovesquare powerdynamic is deliberate and will all be explored next season (lets put aside that this defense has been cropping up for 3 seasons now). The claim that Soon(TM), the writers are gonna make the characters face the concequences and explore the fallout of the entire jenga-tower of BS they've been "carefully" setting up all along... Which... isnt a defense I vibe with, cause it fundamentally boils down to "its not a Kids Rolemodel Show, its a deconstruction of a Kids Rolemodel Show". It's a defence that would place Marinette alongside Tyler Durden, Walter White and Rick Sanchez in the "you werent supposed to relate to them" pantheon. And while i think there are plenty of reasons that deconstruction is a usefull tool (even if i hate the dime-a-dozen "Childrens Fairytale but its depression" and "Superman, but psycho"' decon-stories out there). I'd argue 'Kids Rolemodel Show' is the one genre that should never be deconstructed, or at least not in the slow-burn,long-form way the people arguing this claim the show to be doing. And i hold that stance for one simple two-part reason: Poe's law, and the fact that the deconstructed genre is aimed at an audience with absolute zero media-literacy. (reminder: "5-6 year old kids" is the one audience where that is not an insult, simply a statement of fact.) A show aimed deconstructing a genre with an audience for whom it may actually be their first big piece of media is legitimately dangerous. Because there is no way a 5 year old can be expected to tell "deconstruction of a formulaic kids cartoon" from "Formulaic kids cartoon". The idea that "they've been making Marinette into a bad example deliberately and are going to reveal the entire show to have been a carefull ruse in season 6/7" is supposed to be a defense? Its frankly absurd. A 6 year kid who watched the show when it first aired and idolised Ladybug, could be old enough to drink by the time S6 reveals she was supposed to be a bad example. A little girl who based her relationships on the way Mari pursues romance would have a restraining order by the time the show indends to pull this twist. And some of y'all are claiming that "actually its a long-form deconstruction" is a defense? I legit don't get y'all.

[blitzwhore]

I just saw Blitzø get called Stolas stockholm victim I can't with this fandom anymore😭

😂 As outrageously incorrect and stupid as that take is, I'm going to go on a tangent here. I hope you don't mind.

I think every fandom has annoying people with awfully terrible takes in it. People with zero media literacy. People who hatewatch. People who think they're entitled to the exact show they would've wanted, which has nothing to do with the actual, existing show.

This is especially true for queer media, and especially true for queer cartoons. (Hi, yes. I was active in the Adventure Time, Steven Universe, Voltron, and She-Ra fandoms when those shows were airing, respectively. I've seen some stuff). Some people just can't handle queer cartoons, period. If the queer characters/ships are soft and wholesome, they're infantilising and boring, and if they're complex and nuanced and actually have conflict, they're abusive and problematic. You'll hear the same recycled arguments over and over again. Like, the shit some people are saying about Blitz and Stolas after The Full Moon? Is literally almost word-for-word what they said about Catra and Adora post-season 3 of She-Ra (and even at the end of the show).

Here's the thing, though! Those people and their bad takes are not what I want to think about what I think about a fandom. Those aren't the people I want to call the fans. They don't deserve that title. Not when so many other people are out there dedicating their time to making gifs and art and meta posts, and writing fic, and commenting/reblogging to show support, and sliding into people's DMs to scream and squee together about a thing they love.

At the end of the day, "fandom" is just a lot of people each doing their own thing. Which people you engage with and allow to stay within your line of sight will determine your fandom experience. Fandom can be a huge, convoluted, online space full of people who are constantly arguing with one another and whose takes make you unfathomably angry... Or it can be you and your 5 friends and mutuals who scream gleefully at one another in 2-note posts. You can't control what others post online, but you can control your engagement with it.

How? Well, here's what I personally do to avoid getting upset by people's stupid opinions online:

Filter 'critical' and 'anti' tags (eg. #anti stolitz #anti vivziepop #Helluva Boss critical #HB critical #vivziepop critical). Many people actually do tag their critical posts because they know it's the respectful thing to do!

If I come across a post that has one or more of those tags, obviously, I don't click through to see it under any circumstances.

If I stumble across a stranger's untagged post with hate/criticism that upsets me: I stop reading and BLOCK. Immediately. I don't look back. I don't finish reading. I don't engage. I just block block block. I <3 the block button, seriously.

If I feel my mind reeling from a bad take I just came across: I take a step back, close my phone, breathe, remember life is beautiful sometimes. Go back and watch an episode I really like. Clean my living space a little. Vent about it to a friend (but only if I really need to, because if not, I'd rather not dwell on it).

If I'm starting to feel the need to reply to someone's bad take (directly or via my own post), I instead make the decision to channel that energy into making fandom posts out of love. (I don't do this just with fandom. If I see something transphobic online, I usually react by reblogging a bunch of trans art or trans positivity posts on my main, for example). I like to think of it as putting some positivity out into the world to compensate for the negativity I just saw. So, for example, if I see someone shitting on my blorbo, I may make a silly post just saying how much I love blorbo. Or I'll make (or draft) a post about how interesting I find some of blorbo's actions. Or reblog another person's positive/interesting post about blorbo.

And finally, I stay the hell away from Twitter. Or at least, if I go on Twitter, I try my best to avoid any tweet that has text in it instead of just art. Even the people who have good opinions spend too much time arguing with the people who have bad opinions on there. I don't want to see people's bad takes! No, not even while reading founded and perfectly articulated criticism of those bad takes! So I just limit my time on Twitter. And again, if someone is putting bad takes on my TL (even if it is to counter them), I unfollow and block as needed.

All this to say, yes, it really fucking sucks to read the opinions of people who don't understand and who hate the characters and ships and worlds you love. Gosh it's the worst. But you can curate your fandom experience. You can focus on the things you can control. You have the power to decide if your fandom experience is draining or fun!

And because I don't know how to finish this, here, have a Stolitz kiss to heal you:

We will keep winning and there's nothing the haters can do about it. 😌

[thats-ill-eagle]

HELLUVA BOSS DEVIATING FROM ITS ORIGINAL PREMISE FUNDAMENTALLY DESTROYED THE SHOW

So, it has already been discussed many times in HB critical community that HB deviated from its premise after S1 and that anyone with an once of media literacy can tell that you can't describe it in any way other than horrible writing.

Now, I'm going to ask you this for a second - imagine that you haven't seen S1, the pilot or read the premise of Helluva Boss anywhere. Imagine that you watch all (available) episodes of S2 and are asked to write a premise about it on some movie review website. How would you briefly describe what happens in S2?

Oh, you can't or are having major trouble doing it? Don't worry, you are not media illiterate, my friend. That is the case because IT'S LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL WHAT HELLUVA BOSS IS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT ANYMORE.

There are many flaws that your writing could possess - inconsistent characterization, too fast/slow pacing and so on. However, they do not automatically derail your work. It is very much possible to recognize those faults, learn from them and do better in the future.

But the premise of your work is its literal BONES. You build up the plot and characters based on it. You just can't expect your show to be good, if you tear out its basis. Of course the pacing, character development and how plot points are wrapped up in HB is horrible - how can anything function without the very thing that holds it all together?

And I MEAN that the premise of HB completely disappears, not shifts or changes. Like, seriously, what the hell is HB supposed to be about now?

Stolitz?

Their interactions indicate zero meaningful development and are tediously spaced out to the point that it's hard to care about their relationship. It is made even worse by the fact that Stolas, just like in S1, still keeps pressuring Blitzo, despite him being clearly uncomfortable.

Blitzo making amends with people he hurt?

Even ignoring S1's nonexistent buildup of this plotline (Blitzo looking at photos on his phone doesn't count, since it's literally the ONLY moment that barely suggests it), there's no buildup in S2 either, when it comes to both Barbie and Fizz. It is certainly not helped by the fact that Barbie just vanishes after Unhappy Campers and Blitzo and Fizz's beef is resolved in a single episode.

Any other plotlines of S2, like Fizz's job, Crimson, Striker, or Stolas and Stella's separation are just too small or insignificant to be considered part of the supposed premise, INCLUDING the assassination business, which arguably takes up the least amount of time of aspects of the show listed.

It's no surprise that Helluva Boss is slowly crumbling. At this point, it's just a paralysed zombie who completely forgot what it once was. And it's damn sad to watch, because the show comforted me during some dark times and, despite Viv being an awful person, I truly hoped for HB to be great.

[buddiebeginz]

Everytime I see a B*mmy edit where they're comparing that ship to the gay couple from s2 I want to scream. Like tell me you have zero media literacy without telling me. All of the scenes with that couple are about what it means to build a life with someone. To love and support and be there through the good and bad times. To see someone for who they truly are and love them anyway. Which is exactly what Buddie have done for years. They are the couple that have been building a life together.

How anyone can compare Buck and T*mmy to any of that is beyond me. Not only have B/T had barely any screen time together what they have had has repeatedly shown how very not compatible as a couple they actually are. T*mmy doesn't seem to get or even care really about who Buck is as person, right down even to the name he uses for him. Almost every single scene with them has examples of T*mmy being dismissive and or patronizing in some way to Buck.

I know that Buddie fandom has a lot of headcanons and some of what we talk about isn't stuff that's actually happened on the show, still our headcanons usually have some connection back to the actual history of the characters. The ship that B*mmy's talk about feels like it's been made up entirely in their heads way more than anything we've seen on screen. I get that they like T*mmy and I get that they like Buck and T*mmy together but they talk about them has having this great soulmate kind of love and there's literally nothing to back that up. Yet they continually try and downplay Buddie and call us delusional when we have six going on seven years of Buddie canonically being written to parallel the main romantic couples of the show.

[impactrueno]

I saw your twt about holding back on telling stories with serious and deep tones and it reminded me of an issue I had a while back. Im a south park fan and I loved reading deep analysis of the characters. and south park being south park, people dont take it seriously and think its just funny so it doesnt deserve deep analysis like other forms of media. I always came across comments saying "its not that deep" or "doing all of that for south park" and I used to hate that so much because why are you commenting that under the authors post? In media there is like a "spectrum" of how deep you are in it as a fan, and it doesn't make you less of a fan if you like to binge watch the show when you feel like it because its funny. Someone who makes fan fiction and psychoanalyses the characters doesnt make them a better fan than you. I hate "it's not deep" because it is that deep to me, I enjoy it, but it dismisses critical thinking and discourages deep discussions about our interests. I want to learn more about the turning point for eric cartman and the friendship dynamics between the main 4. I want to read psychoanalysis of the characters and understand why they do the things they do. I loved reading fan fics with an author that understood how the characters work and put them in situations while making it believable. Whether the content was deep and serious or lighthearted and silly. I don't see those as cringe at all. What I see as cringe is trying to downplay someones time and effort. you dont care for it. cool, just dont make it our problem.

I believe in recent years, this cringe and its not that deep mentality is linked to media literacy/reading comprehension issues. On top of the fact, that fandoms right now has been "normalized", so alot of mean and rude kids and adults are in this space not having a mature and respectful conversation and discussions, as well as zero fandom etiquette. (I understand the past wasnt this magical respectful place but this behaviour has increased compared to past years).

Please don't worry about making deep content, its super fun and there will be fans of what you write/draw that will definitely be into it.

GOSH anon you are absolutely right. cringe culture has done some serious damage to people's creativity and freedom of expression. doing things in earnest is now cringe to so many people (specifically that 18-21 age where they think they're better than everyone else and everything is cringe to them, image is everything) and they actually give you shit for it?? it's crazy. the most harmless thing in the world. whenever my hey arnold comics would leave my target audience on instagram i would get the meanest comments for no fucking reason, because i was taking hey arnold "seriously" (nevermind that hey arnold is probably the nicktoon with the most emotional depth and moments besides ginger but i digress) but hey at least i'm not the one losing my marbles over some random cartoon comic on the internet.

i think rudeness in general has been too normalized not just in fandom, but in social media in general. it's sad. the only thing you can do about it is be kind as much as you can to counterbalance it. i'd like to think that rubs off on people just like how being rude rubbed off on them.

i said that thing about holding back because i'm admittedly too hard on myself sometimes. no one is calling me cringe or making fun of me for what i do, thankfully, people have been super cool and supportive. and it means a lot to me because i'm very earnest about everything i create, even when i try to hold back. i literally cannot help being myself. it's all i know how to do. i'm just glad i was able to grow a platform where i'm free to be openly passionate about the things i like, talk about them and why i like them, the little things that i find fascinating, the emotions they make me feel, all of that shit is awesome and i wish more people did that.

[theheirofthesharingan]

"i will always thrash itachi haters and madara and obito fans because hypocrisy"

"Also, yes, there is a divide between their fans. But I've never Itachi fans being aggressive towards others. Being defensive of him, yes, but hateful and aggressive, no. At least not to the degree it's become a norm."

maybe dial down the violence a few notches? anyone can be a fan of whoever they want and hate whoever they want it's fiction. threatening violence on fans of a particular subset right after making a post saying you haven't seen itachi fans be as aggressive as other fans is what is hypocritical. maybe you need to accept that not everyone has to think like you do. i don't know how old you are but younger naruto viewers don't need to see you threatening them just because they don't worship itachi, and a large number of anime fans are kids. fandom shouldn't be so violent over opinions. 

Whoa, calm the hell down. Okay?

In the same post you're quoting, you also read: People with zero reading comprehension skills and media literacy rotting in the depths of Mariana Trench keep attacking Itachi and Itachitards, and still came here to type ALL of this and pressed the send button as if to prove my point? Duh.

Why are you so upset? Even if I alone am going to "thrash" Itachi haters, which, for some reason you associated with physical violence (or internet harassment), Itachi's fans in general don't do it. How the hell was that your only takeaway from my words. Never mind, I'm not an Itachi gatekeeper (although I do wish I were. sighs! things we can never have). xD

So maybe, try to understand the context and that not everyone on the internet means words they say literally. I don't need physical violence to upset Madara and obito fans anyway. They get offended when you show them Manga panels.

Or maybe you meant to send this ask as a ragebait and I took it (good for you - you got 2 minutes' attention, but also I'm feeling terribly violent these days, lmao, so thrashing you here).

Now, before sending another rude ask try to calm down a bit and understand that manipulating someone's words or putting them into someone's mouth and trying to gaslight them into thinking something they neither intended nor said is a LAME and DISGUSTING thing to do.

Did you feel this offended when some people were using garbage vocabulary for Itachi and his fans too? Proving my point again and again, honey?

Although, now that you mentioned it, I will actually be doing it. As an Itachi fan, I want everyone to love him. And they have to think like I do. They have to worship him just because I love him. I will never accept that some people don't like him.

They. Have. To. Love. Him. Just. Because. I. Do.

Period.

And to make that happen, I will be thrashing all those who don't. For some, I'm going to hire assassins, kids or adults, I don't care. To some, I'm going to whip with barbed wires. And I will make this world love Itachi.

All while laughing like this.

Now in the gentlest way I can say: Get out of my blog, you repltie. Or you're going to be my first victim.

[sapphic-agent]

Is Mitsuki Bakugou Abusive?

I mean, you all already know my answer. I've spoken about this before. But some Bakugou stans feel the need to turn everyone who doesn't worship the ground Bakugou walks on into the devil, so let's talk about it.

(Yes, I just got into an argument with one of said stans. Yes, I'm salty about it)

The conclusions people draw from this scene are so interesting. Bakugou stans are of course always up in arms about it. But as we know, they have zero media literacy. So let's examine the facts:

1. Mitsuki is smiling the first time she "hits" Bakugou. Her demeanor is playful if anything, and it's clear her intention is not to hurt him. She isn't even angry at or scolding him.

2. Bakugou's immediate response is anger. He isn't afraid or in pain. He's not afraid to stand up to her. Now, I don't mean to generalize abuse victims, but I'm assuming a child who's "beaten regularly" (this particular stan's exact words, despite there being zero evidence for it) usually wouldn't boldly threaten to kill their abusive parent. In his mind, she isn't a legitimate threat to his safety, or else he wouldn't feel so comfortable speaking to her like that.

3. It's only when Bakugou literally threatens her with violence that Mitsuki gets harsh with him. And understandably so. My mother has never hurt me in my life and I wouldn't dare speak to her that way no matter how angry I was. There is a little more force put into this snack, but even then it's not meant to actually hurt him. It's also interesting that none of his stans feel it necessary to criticize Bakugou's threat and immediately harp on her response to it.

4. He continues arguing with her after the hit. So the smack didn't seem to deter him at all. Almost like he's completely unfazed by the thought of her hitting him again.

5. Aizawa and All Might don't speak up about it at all. If Aizawa is really such a protective teacher, you think he'd let so-called abuse go on in front of his face?

6. Masaru isn't afraid to speak up against her. People assume that he rolls over and lets Mitsuki abuse Bakugou, but clearly he doesn't if he's fine intervening when he feels either one of them is out of line. He's calm, but he clearly isn't as passive as the fandom makes him out to be.

7. Mitsuki actually shows concern for him and wants him to improve. She's actively supporting him and believing in him. It's so funny how this part of this scene is completely overlooked. Almost like Bakugou stans cherry pick whichever aspects of her fit their narrative.

Now, am I saying that there's zero chance a parent like Mitsuki is abusive? No, of course not. But Bakugou is fictional. What we're being shown is meant to be the entire picture. Anything past what we've been given is purely fanon. Mitsuki "regularly abusing and beating" Bakugou isn't canon and cannot be used to defend his character

[landofourwins]

i actually love everyone taking a clip of an interview out of context! it clearly shows how gullible people are!

how are you going to believe something when you don't see the full version of it? lando did not fucking even mention max in that clip you are all going so crazy about. it was about his luck with the red flag.

some of you have zero media literacy and it shows.

[cosmicjoke]

Levi’s selfishness when it comes to Erwin is crucial to understanding his character arc, and understanding why Mikasa was able to break Ymir’s curse, and not Levi

Why do you think the story took every single opportunity they could to remind you everyone thought that Levi made the wrong decision by letting Erwin die? It was because it had to set up the contrast to Mikasa, who had the courage to do what was best for humanity, vs Levi who couldn’t bring himself to do what was best for everyone, instead he did what was best for him and Erwin.

You're an idiot.

It's pretty obvious that you can't think of any way to hold Mikasa up without putting Levi down, which shows that you don't actually understand Mikasa's character, or Levi's on any level. You're so determined to paint Mikasa as the one, true hero of AoT, that you clearly feel threatened any time someone even suggests that the other characters can also be called heroic. Specifically, you seem to get a bug crawling up your ass and dying each time I make a post talking about Levi's heroism, to the point you constantly have to send me these lame as fuck anon messages trying to "prove" that it's Mikasa who was the hero, and not Levi, constantly pitting them against one another when my posts talking about Levi's heroism have zero to do with Mikasa. And you know what? I think it's because you know, deep down, that it's actually Levi who most genuinely embodies that ideal.

Mikasa learned her selflessness from Levi. Mikasa spends fully 99% of the story doing everything she does in the hopes of her and Eren ending up together, and in the last moment, is finally able to let him go. Her entire drive for the majority of the story is one of self-interest. She wants to be with Eren, she's in love with him, which is why she follows him everywhere and lets him pull her and everyone else into unfavorable situations and still refuses to accept what a horrible person he is. It's because she has an idealized image of who he is in her head, because he saved her life when she was a child and at her lowest point. And so she keeps dreaming of running off with him and them having their happily ever after, and everyone else can get fucked in the process. It's also why it's specifically Mikasa that has to break the curse of Ymir. It has nothing to do with her having some special ability to make the selfless choice when Levi can't, it's to do with her relationship with Eren being a distinct parallel to Ymir's relationship with Fritz. Mikasa has to learn to let go of her selfish dream in order to help save humanity, and that's what inspires Ymir to let go of her dream, too. Being with Eren is Mikasa's one, true desire, just like being with Fritz was Ymir's one, true desire, and why the Titan curse continued on through thousands of years. Mikasa learning to accept that Eren was a bad person and wasn't ever going to put her before his own, selfish desires, and that her dream of him returning her love was never going to come true, is what allows Ymir to realize and accept the same about Fritz.

That you don't see how Levi letting Erwin go, or how in watching Levi make that decision, Mikasa was able to learn to let go too, shows that you need to go back to school and work on your media literacy. If anything, it's Mikasa learning to let go from Levi that's then paralleled by Ymir learning in turn to let go from Mikasa.

And how the fuck was letting Erwin die "best for Levi", when, as I've spoken about innumerable times, it left Levi without any sense of direction and bereft of certainty as to his own role in their fight? Levi depended on Erwin to direct him, and guide his strength, and Levi willingly gave that up for the sake of Erwin's own sanity. Again, if you had any concept of who Levi actually is as a character, and what actually drives him, his desire to help people and use his strength to that end, you would understand why that loss was so devastating to him and why it had such a negative impact on him going forward. If you think that's selfish, then you've got a seriously warped definition of the word.

Your entire argument also hinges on the false conceit that Levi made the "wrong choice" by letting Erwin die, which he didn't, and I won't bother wasting my time trying to explain to you why, as I've gone over this so many times already and in painstaking detail. To put it briefly, though, again, the themes of AoT and actually understanding them depends entirely on understanding why the choice Levi made was in fact the correct one. Giving up ones humanity for any cause isn't meant to be seen as a good thing. There can be no "greater good" if in the process of bringing it to fruition, we lose sight of what makes us human to begin with. Floch is a good example of what it looks like when we lose our humanity to ideology. Zeke is another good example. Mikasa didn't have to give up her humanity in order to save humanity, she just had to give up the person she loved. She just had to give up on a personal dream. We see Levi's humanity and compassion toward others again and again throughout the story, because within the context of the story, he's meant to represent this idea of retaining ones humanity and empathy in the face of cruelty and against ideological pursuits. He's never able to become a monster, and he isn't willing to let anyone else become one either, and that's a good thing. It's heroic. It shows how much Levi actually believes in humanity's worth. And, ultimately, it's the one and only thing that will actually save humanity itself. It's what's best for humanity. Holding onto and refusing to give up the thing that makes us human. That's what Armin talks about in the end with Eren, and why we see his despair at Eren's decision to destroy humanity while fully understanding it would solve nothing and only perpetuate the cycle of hate. If we lose sight of our humanity, of our compassion, no matter the cause, then ultimately there won't be any humanity left to fight for. Ultimately, that's what leads to humanity's destruction, also laid out in the final pages of AoT, when we see Paradis destroyed and the implication of the Titan curse starting all over.

Also, you don't seem to be able to differentiate between objective reality and the unreliable narration of certain characters. Just because Hange, Armin and Floch think Levi made the wrong choice doesn't mean he did. Each of their individual characters are suffering from their own, inherent biases and insecurities and faults which drive them to view Levi's choice as the wrong one. Understanding that, though, would require you to actually pay attention to each character and their personal arcs and traits and to understand what drives them. In reality, the choice Levi made was correct, which is exactly why Levi doesn't regret it, as he clearly states in the end.

Again, Mikasa was needed to break Ymir's curse because her love of Eren was intrinsically tied to and paralleled Ymir's love of King Fritz. Levi didn't love Erwin in the same way, he wasn't in love with him, and he wasn't blindly loyal to him or blind to his faults the way Mikasa was with Eren, or Ymir was with Fritz, and so it would have made zero thematic sense for Levi to the be the one to break Ymir's curse by forcing Erwin back into the role of Commander. Levi's relationship with Erwin has little to no resemblance to Mikasa's with Eren's, and so Levi sacrificing Erwin's humanity and well-being for an ideological cause wouldn't have had any impact on Ymir whatsoever. Ymir specifically looked into Mikasa's thoughts because she saw in Mikasa a kindred spirit, her obsessive love for Eren reminding Ymir of her obsessive love for Fritz. Mikasa was willing to sacrifice everything for Eren and wouldn't, up until the very end of the story, have ever sacrificed Eren for anything or anyone else. Levi, meanwhile, is shown clearly and without hesitation, being willing to sacrifice Erwin for the cause of humanity two, separate times leading up to his ultimate choice on that rooftop. Levi had no such issues letting Erwin die for humanity. Because Levi and his relationship with Erwin shared no such similarity with Ymir, and so whether he'd given Erwin the serum or not would have had no bearing on anything to do with the curse. But this is what comes of idiots believing eruri is canon, I guess. No "contrast" was required between Levi's choice and Mikasa's. Mikasa's selfishness is clear throughout the story, her obsession with Eren on full display from beginning to end, and that's contrast enough for the audience to understand the weight of her sacrifice in taking Eren's life. Beyond that, there is no contrast between Levi's choice and Mikasa's, but only a parallel, because both choices reflect one another. Both are equally selfless. Levi's sacrifice is foreshadowing for Mikasa's. It lays the groundwork for Mikasa learning to put others before herself. In being able to find her own compassion and empathy beyond her self-interest.

You seriously need to get over your inability to accept characters other than Mikasa as heroic, because you just make yourself look like a clown each time you open your mouth on this topic. If Mikasa was really as great and selfless and the one, true hero of AoT as you want to force everyone to accept she is, then you wouldn't need to shit on Levi to do it, or keep making your pathetic and obvious attempts to downplay his heroism and sacrifices in order to make Mikasa's own look good or better.

Mikasa was a hero in the end. Levi was a hero from beginning to end.

[isa-ghost]

was reading through your q!phil hc masterpost and was wondering if you could add any of your codebreakers/etoilza headcanons into the fray…? :3

YESSSS I CAN'T BELIEVE IT TOOK THIS LONG TO GET ASKED /LH

qPhil headcanons masterlist

RESTATES for my and your convenience (heads up, there are a few suggestive/mildly explicit mentions!!):

--He's FWB with Etoiles. Extremely QPR, Etoiles is an aro king --He and Phil started out as friends and that has Barely changed if at all, but sparring matches get a little too homoerotic sometimes and neither of them can resist the other when they're popping off extra hard. Things have. Escalated a few times. If yknow what I mean. Of all Phil's harem members polycule partners, he & Etoiles have absolutely ZERO emotional investment in the Spicy(tm) things they do together. It's simply a very intimate way of showing each other their respect & admiration for the other. What they have going on is a "*spanks you* good game, let's hit the showers team" kinda deal. They're the type of mfs to finish in bed then shake hands like "gg." Casual sex is >>>> to these two, but it happens waaay less between them than it did Phil & Fit, Fitza was habitual (pre-Pac). Codebreakers is a once in a while thing --Etoiles has 100% asked Phil who fucks the best out of the polycule bc like everything else, it's a competition & he Must win, he Must have the best dick game. This amuses Phil very much --Phil is attracted to Etoiles the same way he's attracted to Fit, HOWEVER, the reasoning is different. Etoiles has raw skill and talent, but it's the way he wields it and demonstrates it that makes Phil wanna act up. Also Etoiles is fucking hilarious. Who can resist a good sense of humor? Those dramatics make Phil swoon --Etoiles is one of the people who is best at catching Phil's Tells for when something is wrong --Etoiles is one of few people who can convince (or goad) Phil into doing something he normally wouldn't, especially if he's drunk --Speaking of Phil being drunk around Etoiles, the way he can still absolutely body someone or snipe smth from miles away makes Etoiles want to kiss him stupid --Etoiles left a scar on Phil's back during Purgatory when he killed him Day 1. Phil didn't know for the longest time, but it took him a while to show him his wings after that. --Phil was genuinely afraid of Etoiles (& Fit) for a while after Purgatory --Sometimes Phil's laughs and startled yelps sound almost like squawks. Also his hiccups. It's very rare, but whenever it happens, he gets teased for it. Especially by Etoiles. --Phil goes back and forth on gifting one of his shed feathers to Etoiles --Technically all of the Polycule vs Ender King hcs apply to Etoiles in some way --Phil could listen to Etoiles teach him about French culture for hours

And now the new stuff :D

Etoiles's dramatics can get Phil in tears laughing. His sides and stomach will hurt before it's over, and Etoiles can go on for MINUTES. Sometimes he'll keep going purely because it has Phil dying so hard and he loves seeing what a kick Phil gets out of it

Etoiles is (playfully) salty that Phil is such a My Kids Come First kinda guy bc GOD does he want Phil to be down to do dangerous pvp and dungeon busting shit without the "euuu we gotta make sure it's safe" aspect more often. He wants that Angel of Death. Etoiles is the #1 Dadza (Derogatory) islander /lh

See, Fitza is more explicit and deadass about their,, Time together. Codebreakers is more subtle. Yknow that "media literacy is knowing when something that isn't gay sex is gay sex" post? That's Codebreakers. Sparring, dungeon busting, whatever high-risk high-exertion thing they're doing together. That.

It should go without saying how down Etoiles would be to throw hands with Ender King. It would be the most exhilarating fight he's ever had

Phil's still lowkey lost about the whole resistance thing. And schedules lately have not been kind to the two of them, so he hasn't had a chance to talk about it with Etoiles as extensively about it as he'd like to

Btw he's secretly concerned as hell smth bad is gonna happen to Etoiles if more of his body becomes corrupted by code :)

They 100% refer back to the time Etoiles said this regularly, and similar things like it. The same can be said for Fitza but my god the extent to which these two are more than willing to kill for each other. OUGH.

Phil does not realize how much pent up stress and emotion he can vent out via sparring or hitting something really fucking hard. Etoiles is going to fix that one day.

Phil's Etoiles impression has made Etoiles attempt to learn how to mimic Phil in retaliation but he cannot for the life of him get the hang of Phil's fuckass accent. Geordies stay winning to this man's dismay

Etoiles is frustratingly yet fascinatingly hard for Phil to clock sometimes. It's difficult to gauge exactly how he's feeling or what he's thinking. And yet as inconvenient that can be sometimes, something about it is incredibly attractive to Phil at the same time. Which is funny because unpredictability is usually not something his survivalist brain would like. Something about how he trusts Etoiles and therefore his being a wildcard is not so scary,,

Etoiles 🤝🏻 Chayanne - Wanting Phil to take them on a flight

I don't know if I'd call Etoiles an anarchist the same way I would Phil, but either way he is SO DOWN to fuck with the Feds if it entails any kind of pvp or the need to be geared up

Ok listen I have to call back to the gay sex subtext thing. Things that are more sex than gay sex to Codebreakers: Sparring, adrenaline, battles of wit, flexing powerful gear, thinking too much about what an absolute potential killing machine the other is, watching one another be in The Zone during a fight

Phil has more physical strength than skill with weapons and Etoiles has more skill with weapons than physical strength. Ok now imagine that while they're in a 2v# fight

I would not put it past Etoiles to pull a Missa and say smth wildly out of pocket and suggestive so fast in French that Phil doesn't catch it.

[bullsseye]

some of the comments on the posts are insane. They genuinely don’t know what the show is about and when they get told what it’s actually about, they still refuse to watch it. There is no changing their minds which is sad because they’re going to miss out on a beautiful show.

“Don’t care about this show about eating expensive foods.”

“Actually! It’s not about expensive foods! It’s about bringing light to some amazing foods from different cultures!”

“What do you mean it’s not expensive?! What about the flights?! The hotels?! The people they have to feed?!”

It’s so confused 😭

Honestly at this point I don't care if they watch it or not!!! I just wish they would move on like they claimed they would when they supposedly all unsubscrubed and decided they'd hate the boys forever based on a decision that was 1) misrepresented and 2) entirely reversed!!!

I mean, its a shame because Travel Season is really delightful and a beautiful (and respectful) exploration of culture which is absolutely 100% part of what art and media is meant for but its clear these people don't want anything of substance and would rather make themselves look like dumbass clowns than admit they maybe overreacted or walk back on their own decision (funny how that works) because of spite alone.

And don't get me started on how hypocritical and transparently wrong or racist all the arguments are against this show. I dont take a single one of these people seriously, they have zero media literacy and are not worth the effort of engagement.

[chaifootsteps]

Ok, so this is just a hunch, based on literally zero evidence, but I have a feeling that a lot of people, who now dislike Jax (like full on think he is annoying, this is not about people who love to hate him) were or are fans of either the She Ra reboot or Helluva Boss.

Both of these shows had/have a huge problem of wooblefying their antagonist and severely downplaying the shitty (or downright horrendous) things they've done by retconning stuff left and right.

Considering the popularity of these shows, I wouldn't be surprised if they distorted how some people view asshole characters and expectations they have for how the show will treat the character in question.

I know the phrase 'media literacy' gets tossed around a lot, but man, just by allowing Jax to be an unapologetic asshole (and also letting Caine be full on Obliviously Evil), TADC is already doing wonders in restoring the harm She Ra and Helluva did to how people percieve the media they consume.

-Infinity Anon ♾️

Viv stans when people point out that the characters are inconsistent: No they're not, you just need to get some media literacy!

Viv stans when the asshole TADC characters Goose said were supposed to be assholes are assholes:

[blitzwhore]

Hello! I'd like to ask if you've seen the post with the screenshots that says Stolas inflicts his own torment by going with Stella's whims despite having more power and prestige than her. There is a rebuttal, of course, but someone else also added that the reason people think as the screenshot says is because the writers didn't put enough emphasis and reason on the hold Stella has over Stolas and his fear of her, as well as the fact that her apparent uninvolvement with Octavia makes his reason to stick with her seems very weak. They do put an intriguing essay on how the fear of Stella for Stolas could have stand out more.

Personally I think that he's probably desensitised and numb to her after with Paimon as well and the image of a nuclear family is a must for both society and daughter. Perhaps we'll have more answers in s3. What do you think?

Drink water regularly, may a good week come to you.

Hi! I haven't seen that post, no.

When I see posts arguing about the quality of the show's writing I almost always ignore them, because I'm not interested in discourse and I want my blog to be a place that's fun for me and others to scroll through. I don't want fandom wank and 'criticism of the show' on my blog because I go into fandom spaces to have fun, not to get angry. So if I'd seen that post, I probably would've just sighed really hard and kept scrolling.

That being said, because this ask touches on a subject matter that is extremely personal to me, I'll bite and share my personal opinion, which is that the writing is perfectly executed exactly as it is. Helluva Boss is a show for a mature audience—it says so at the beginning of every episode. That doesn't just mean "hey, there's sex and drugs in these episodes". It also means, "hey, some heavy themes are going to be handled in this show, and we're not going to hold your hand and walk you through them. It's up to you to use your media literacy and critical thinking skills to pick up on the things we're going to show you".

And maybe it's because I'm an abuse survivor myself and I know exactly what it feels like to go through decades of abuse, and maybe other viewers' interpretation of Stolas' character is completely different, but... I personally had zero trouble picking up on Stolas' motivations, fears, and emotions, or on why he made each decision at each turn throughout the show.

I'll put the rest of my answer under a cut, because it's personal and rambly. But in short: yeah, I do agree with what you said at the end of your ask.

1. "He's more powerful and has a higher status than Stella, so he's inflicting his pain on himself by not standing up to her"

So there's this thing called learned helplessness, and, fun fact, it is heavily linked with PTSD and depression.

"(...) Learned helplessness occurs when someone repeatedly faces uncontrollable, stressful situations and does not exercise control when it becomes available. They have “learned” that they are helpless in that situation and no longer try to change it, even when change is possible." (source)

It's not about the power and capability to control the situation Stolas actually has. It's about the power and control he feels he has—which is none. Zero. He says this to us constantly. "Owl in a cage", "you have no choice", "my entire life's been written in stone, he taught me that I could choose".

He was told since he was a kid that his duties, his marriage, his life trajectory were non-negotiable. He never knew a life outside of his palace—his gilded jail. He doesn't know what we as the audience know—that there's a whole world out there where he can build a better life for himself with people who actually love him—because he's been raised to be a pawn in a game much bigger than himself, and he knows it. I don't need (and don't want) the show to spoonfeed me this fact. It's spelled all over his character if you know how to see it.

2. "Stella's hold of Stolas and his fear of her aren't emphasised enough in the show"

Stella literally tries to hit him at the end of The Circus and looks shocked and taken aback when he grabs her wrist to stop her. I don't need them to show me Stella hitting Stolas 15 times in order to know she's been doing it.

He hugs himself and makes himself small, walking away to remove himself from the situation as quickly and quietly as possible, when Blitz starts yelling at him in The Full Moon. I don't need them to show me Stella yelling at Stolas 20 times to know she's been yelling at him for years. We've seen her yelling at him in Loo Loo Land, in The Circus and in Seeing Stars. We know it happens. We know it always has.

I also don't need them to tell me that repeated physical and verbal abuse causes a victim to become extremely afraid of their abuser and causes them to be triggered by anything and anyone that makes them feel unsafe, because I've lived it in my skin. And I know plenty of people who watch the show who are not abuse survivors, and they're also able to see that Stolas is behaving like any abuse victim exactly with zero support would act.

In the moment, he freezes and flees. He makes himself smaller. He gets away from the situation in any way he can. He "keeps the peace" to keep the abuse to a minimum, doing anything and everything to please the people around him because that's the only way he can feel some semblance of control. ("Yes, if that's what Blitzy wants" / "Do you like it when I talk to you dirty?" / just him sheltering Octavia from his suffering to be the perfect parent for her, and give her everything she could ever want and need, going as far as making promises he couldn't keep).

In the long run, he becomes hopeless and drowns in guilt. He assumes he probably deserves what's happening to him, and thinks it's his own fault that he's so affected by the abuse for being too weak to stand up for himself. He blames himself for not being good enough for the people around him ("I'll believe him, and not the voice that says I'm not enough"), and mentally berates himself for being a coward and a failure, and for not knowing how to put an end to his suffering. He turns to passive (sometimes active) suicidality because that's genuinely the only way he can see of getting back control over his own body and life. ("When I'm gone you'll be okay" / "I'll give my life to clean your slate" / "I don't care what they fucking do, I'm seeing Octavia" / "do it, pussy").

3. Stella's uninvolvement with Octavia makes Stolas' reason to stay with Stella seem very weak

I... Look. I can't be the only one who grew up in a broken family, and surrounded by plenty other broken families. Kids, especially small kids, can't rationalise that family relationships don't always work out and sometimes divorce is the best option for everyone involved. Especially not in this society we live in, where divorce/separation are seen as a failure, and children are (at least passively) taught that divorce is their fault.

Stolas knows all this. He doesn't want Via to feel like she's growing up in a broken house, which is what separating from Stella would accomplish. We also don't know if Stolas would've kept custody of Octavia had he divorced Stella when Via was little. But it's very likely he didn't want to risk leaving Via alone with Stella, even just half the time. Especially not when Octavia has been having nightmares and crying over the mere thought of being abandoned by Stolas. Divorcing Stella would very likely result in Octavia feeling abandoned by him.

I don't know, man. I feel like I don't even have the right words to reply to this point. I still remember being 8 and sensing that something was very wrong with my parents and feeling like it was my responsibility to fix it, or else my world would end. Stolas tried his best to protect Octavia from feeling this way, from feeling responsible for anything that happened between her parents. He just wanted her to be happy. The only way he could do that was by playing 'happy family' in front of her so she could grow up carefree. He tried his best to give her enough love that she wouldn't feel the absence of her mother's love. I really don't know what else to say to this.

If you want media to spoon-feed you its themes and hold your hand as it shows you what each character is going through, then... I don't know, man. Stick to media that does that. There's media out there that genuinely does this really well. Heartstopper, for example. The Hunger Games, in a way. But maybe think twice before diving into adult media meant for mature audiences and criticising it for wanting you to be a mature viewer. Maybe it's just not for you.

Anyway. I'm gonna drink water now, please drink some water too if you're reading this (included, but not limited to, the asker). Hope you all have a nice day ❤️

[opossumbly]

People are being so weird on tiktok about Blue Eye Samurai. I genuinely think some people have zero media literacy and love shitting on anything popular (I know that happens all the time) but it’s one thing to dislike something, it’s another thing to FULLY LIE about it and convince people to not watch the show on baseless, biased opinions stated as fact.

I watched one person fully admit they didn’t finish the show, then proceed to tear into it for not explaining things that were definitely explained in later episodes. All of their issues revolve around the inclusion of whiteness. The racism that Mizu faces for being mixed, and how somehow that’s white victimization? And also the reason she’s so good at fighting?

Please shut the fuck up oh my god.

Also, people are tearing into anyone who ships Mizu and Taigen, claiming it’s problematic to ship enemies to lovers, and that Taigen never shows remorse for what he did. Obviously you know that isn’t true if you were paying attention.

I think these people are just young and need to find a hobby, but if their stupid takes get traction and season two never gets greenlit, I might just become like Mizu.