#something that is consistent across all my blorbo guys is that they can NEVER.

[beelzeballing]

was just rambling on my insta story earlier when i said the line "season 4 jon is just like... 'oh my god he is being consumed by the horrors', y'know? he's being consumed by the horrors and he is slowly becoming the horrors that consume" and i think that went hard

[sokkagatekeeper]

i don't mean to be rude to either you at all but i do just want to say gently as a mutual-in-law of both of you who was a fan of atla but who never posted about it and that this blog and the attitude with it is basically the reason who if that makes sense? like i understand it both because a lot of your takes are really good and its clear you both put a lot of effort into them and because there are 100% some awful takes in this fandom (including ones based in bigotry that 100% need to be called out) but something about the "our takes are the only right and correct ones" attitude that come across with this blog (im not even saying either of you have that attitude in just saying its very much the impression you give off) made the idea of being in the fandom and engaging in with this show with my mutuals and the groups they're part of honestly kinda terrifying just because the fear of being judged or having the wrong opinions to the point were its totally turned me away from the show and the idea of enjoying it at all. im not saying this to attack either of you but i do just want to say that at least in my experience the way you present this blog does create a really judgmental attitude and i just wanted to let you know because i dont think its at all helpful for anyone involved and just causes more harm than good. thank you for reading and hopefully listening.

look. i'll say off the bat that it upsets me that there are people whom i've caused pain with the fact that, to some, i give off the impression that im very judgemental and need people to agree with me. i understand that people can take those things more seriously than i mean them, and can feel judged because of it. if you, anon, are expressing this sentiment, it's likely that there are at least a couple other people who feel similarly. and i hate that! i wish that this blog didn't make people scared to make their silly little posts. as im gonna get to in the rest of this answer, i don't know that there's anything i can/should do to stop people from feeling this way, but i wanted to acknowledge it.

one thing that i consistently try to impress upon people, especially when i get the sense that people are (somehow?) developing parasocial relationships with me, is that i am just some guy. i know that's a common statement in this corner of the internet, but i truly, deeply mean it. i think that i have a very good understanding of this tv show that i am quite abnormal about, and im gonna say so. and it's true that on this blog i put on a bit of a persona as if im far cockier than i am irl, or even than i am on my main (which is y'know. related to the fact that, as i said, avatar: the last airbender is indeed a subject i know very well and i can therefore act confident when talking about it). but at the end of the day, i am just a guy. i am a teenager with an internet connection and i often use it to make posts on tumblr dot com. you have no obligation to take me seriously.

there are so many popular posts on this website that essentially say “omg it's so hard being the only person who has good takes on my favorite show :(.” when i reblog those posts, i promise that am self-aware about them (and i assume that most people who reblog them are self-aware about them). this means that i understand that there is not, in fact, any sort of morality tied to one's takes on one's blorbos (unless y'know. said takes are bigoted, as they often are). when i reblog those posts, i am simultaneously saying that i relate to the sentiment expressed (that it greatly annoys me when i see posts about my blorbos that i don't like), and making fun of myself for having such an outsized reaction. no, i do not actually believe that im carrying some great burden by having a good understanding of this show. when i claim that i am, im satirizing myself. because again, im self-aware about how abnormal i am about this show. also, im sorry if it doesn't come across as self-aware, but im personally against the online practice of putting a million disclaimers on joke posts. i think it assumes that people are reading things in bad faith (which they often are to be clear), but i try not to assume that.

the thing is. like i said, i do think i have a very good understanding of this show. and sometimes i'll be annoyed at people, even mutuals, for disagreeing with me. sometimes i'll even dm my friends a post bc the post annoyed me. this is all, imo, normal? like yes, i have stronger opinions than most on this relatively inconsequential topic, but like. it's normal to get annoyed at people you care about sometimes. im not gonna unfollow a mutual just because they annoyed me. im certainly not gonna make a callout post. im sure i annoy my mutuals sometimes. which is.... genuinely fine. as long as we don't cause drama over pointless things and get other people involved, it's fine to cause each other annoyance.

(this is the part where i begin psychoanalyzing you likely more than is warranted).

you say you can be scared to post, so what exactly are you scared of? that your mutuals will think you're wrong? i don't mean to minimize your feelings, but if you don't have incredibly mean mutuals, nothing bad is going to happen because of that. believe me, i really do understand fear of judgement, but the solution isn't to tell virtual strangers to stop having/expressing strong opinions, it's to stop caring as much about those opinions. i get that that can be difficult, but it's important for like. your long-term mental health.

so like. ultimately. there are definitely times when i've been more judgemental than warranted on this blog, but please do not feel scared to share opinions. worst-case scenario is that you annoy people. and also like... i really do love it when people express disagreement with me, as long as they're not saying something that particularly annoys me. sometimes people contradict me and are more correct than me, which is great! maybe this is just because im jewish but. i don't want people to always agree with me. i want for people to think critically, and that includes questioning my takes on things, even if you've (rightfully, imo) decided that i usually have true and insightful things about this show.

anyway this got very long but. anon im sorry that this blog has hurt you in whatever way it has, and i hope this explains the way i think about things better.