#that sadly got flanderized

[waddei]

yeah those types of cinniters have been vilifying cwilbur ever since he left ctommy in his finale instead of protecting him (even though there was a whole stream demonstrating how badly that goes and how bad it is for his mental health), but they couldnt justify vilifying him til now because their flanderization of him wanting ctommy to die with him in the explosion and shit is so blatantly rewriting the story in their head, rewatching literally any pogtopia stream especially oct 17 will prove that untrue

but when wilbur got outed they saw it like a trump card to get away with any flanderization they enjoy, no amount of canon citation can get through to them that theyre reading cwilbur wrong because they WANT to be stuck inside the confirmation bias of “cwilbur and wilbur are exactly the same, cwilbur deliberately conditioned and abused ctommy because wilbur did that” because they enjoy that version of the story better and have done for years lol, youll notice its always cdiscduo fans trying to make ccrime into cdiscduo 2 because they like that dynamic

half the time they dont even like the dinamic they just want a double abuse sandwich so thye can project more into ctommy

wouldnt even call them inniters tbh theyre more like annoying fucking cunts ok bit mean there but i do hate them a lot

made a post a while ago about people rewriting cwilbur just cus the cc is bad and sadly it has not gotten better

[mercysong-tardis]

Meeting Alex Kingston in Moll Flanders cosplay at FanX 2023

Just over a year ago, a little birdy (@now-theres-a-spoiler-for-you) informed me that to the best of her knowledge, Alex Kingston had never seen a Moll Flanders cosplayer. And as an avid appreciator of the Miniseries, I took it upon myself to become the first.

The Miniseries, "The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders" (1996) of which Alex Kingston starred in alongside Daniel Craig, was Alex's major breakout role which led to her role on ER and her subsequent claim to fame. So considering the prevolence, I had to make it special.

I put in a LOT of work researching, sourcing fabric, internet deep-diving, and reading before I ever got started on the dress. The actual hard work of sewing the dress took a few months to make once the initial homework was done. Undergarments? Structuring? Patterns? All of these took a lot of guesswork on my part.

The original was created by costume designer, Trisha Biggar (Which if you are in the costuming community you will know her as the designer of Padme Amidala's wardrobe and the designer for Outlander) for the 1996 miniseries. The dress was constructed of fabric Trisha Thrifted in the 1960s in Sweden, most of which I am fairly certain is Indian Fabric specifically used for Banarasi Sarees. The dress is inspired by a common silhouette from the 1670s London England, based on common evening gowns worn at the time. Considering the substantial trade happening between India and England at that time, it makes sense that a dress is fine as this would’ve been historically constructed with Banarasi silk.

The original evening gown:

Sadly, I cannot afford to construct a dress entirely out of silk in this American economy, so sourced much of my fabric overseas and while I was in Egypt and Israel this summer. The rest of it was either Thrifted or appliquéd by hand by me. All of the notions and ribbons were Thrifted. I believe in doing everything possible to keep cosplay sustainable. There is a video on my TikTok which goes into detail on my construction process.

But once the dress was done, I was ecstatic, and It was time to debut it at a convention. The morning of Thursday FanX SLC, I got some pictures (in my River wig to preserve my curled hair) and this is how they turned out...

Then it was time to show The Queenston herself. I had been a little bit stressed that she wouldn't recognise the dress or wouldn't be very interested, but I held out hope.

Spoiler Alert; I had NOTHING to worry about.

Before I got to Alex, I got an autograph from Karen Gillan, who's table was next to Alex's. While in line, I was staring in awe at Alex, as she was just under twenty feet away. In between people, Alex glanced up to the crowd, then did a double take, and leaned over her table to see me through the crowd. Her mouth dropped open, she pointed straight at me, and she got all excited, and mouthed “You! Moll Flanders! Wow!” Time slowed down and I froze until I gave her a big smile (and I think a thumbs up?) and I was so starstruck that I was convinced I was hallucinating until she added “you look amazing!” still smiling, before going back to the next person. 

When I got to her table, she greeted me as Moll,and she said she'd "Never ever, ever seen a Moll cosplayer!" and I got to tell her that I made the dress. Alex absolutely loved my Moll Flanders cosplay. She told me it was the first one she’d ever seen. She was so sweet. I wasn’t anxious at all. I was so excited to finally meet her but I didn’t cry. I was actually so relaxed, which came as a surprise, as I have a track record of being emotionally overwhelmed and crying in front of Celebrities.

She was so nice and was so impressed with the dress. We got a Photo together and she ended up grabbing the shackles (is it even Alex Kingston without a cheeky touch?)

Then she signed my Making of Moll Flanders book and she flipped through it “oh this really takes me back. This was my favorite dress. The red velvet one. It was quite warm. I loved the big hat!”

For reference this is the dress she was talking about:

Then she looked up back at my dress and asked me “aren’t they fun to wear? Don’t you feel sexy?”

I said yes.

I was a liar.

I was actually incredibly uncomfortable but I would NEVER SAY THAT TO THE QUEENSTON.

So I just smiled and said yes. (I did feel sexy but 17 hours tightlaced in 1670s stays is not fun to wear)

Then at the photo op, Alex played with my hair XD

So that is the story of my most insane cosplay yet! I hope you enjoyed all you people out there on the internet.

[ghosty-schnibibit]

alright, so, now that i am not an incandescent ball of fury:

i was extremely disappointed with go2 and downright angry about the way it concluded. i've already read some excellent posts by other lovely people that articulate some of my grievances really well (which sadly i can't link here or the site will eat this post entirely) but i want to add my own to the pile. if you enjoyed the season then more power to you, but i very much did not.

after this post i won't be complaining about s2 again or really posting anything about it at all, positive or negative, and will probably just block the tag entirely. like i said in my much shorter vent post last night, i just want to get all of my negativity out in one go and then pretend it doesn't exist. with that out of the way:

the pacing was terrible. the plot went in circles around itself and the mystery was handled so poorly that it somehow managed to be too convoluted and too simple at the same time. we spent five entire episodes wondering what was going on only to have it resolved by an exposition dump of about five minutes. the mini-sodes ground multiple episodes to a halt and squandered the majority of the season's runtime on pointless fanservice that cheapened some of the previous season's most emotional moments, runtime that could have been better spent setting up the gabriel mystery or developing literally any of the new characters introduced. speaking of which,

the new characters were pointless. nina and maggie were given no characterization beyond being pale expies of az and crowley, and the fact that a substantial part of the b-plot revolved around them makes this even more apparent. i do not remember the name of the angel pretending to be a constable and i don't care enough about them to look it up, they had literally no plot significance whatsoever. same goes for the processing demon from the third episode. the flip with jax from being a somewhat neutral character to a big bad in a party city wig felt like a failed attempt to recapture some of what made hastur and ligur work in the previous series.

gabriel and beelzabub. their relationship was unbelievable and clashed so heavily with their previous characterizations. i called it from the first episode and dreaded its conclusion right up to the finale. they feel like an ill-thought parody of ineffable husbands pulled out of an enemies-to-lovers crackfic. every romantic moment in the last episode was insipid and cloying, and them getting a consequence free happy ending retroactively cheapened the stakes of the previous season. it honestly felt like the writers just wanted to mash their dolls together.

aziraphale's character was assassinated and crowley was basically just there to play the hits. both of them were flanderized to the moon and back, but poor aziraphale got the worst of it. all of his character development from the previous season was thrown out the window in order to give us the big angsty conclusion set-up for a third season. they were both utterly flattened and i feel so bad for michael and david, they were clearly doing the best with what they were given but what they were given was just plain bad.

most of the humor and warmth from the book and the previous season were just… gone. no narrator, only one or two comedic asides from the title cards, a total of maybe three minutes of queen music across the whole thing (and most of that a piano cover), and a whole lot of little stylistic touches that went by the wayside and left the world feeling a bit hollow. also the comedy in this season was much more reliant on a "hey, aren't the characters acting so silly right now? aren't they failing at looking/acting normal? isn't that funny?" style of humor than on the wit and subtle satire of the first.

it was nothing but set up for a third season. learning this after finishing the season did not make me feel better about any of it, but it does explain a bit why it felt like all set up and no pay off. i have zero confidence about the ship being righted in a potential s3 that we likely will not see for many years (if at all, i'm already hearing murmurs about the show getting axed).

so that's basically it. i'll reiterate that if you enjoyed this season then i have no beef with you; your opinions are your own and, while i have no desire to have a dialogue about them, i respect them. but the original good omens book was very personally meaningful to me, as was its adaptation in s1, and this poorly thought out continuation has disappointed and saddened me to the point that i feel like i don't want to engage with the fandom in its wake.

[davekat-sucks]

Jane Crocker is pretty great when you don't got a little bitch in your ear telling you she sucks

Why do people hate her so much? Shes just a normal teenage girl? Was it because of that thing she said to Roxy? She immediately apologized and regretted doing so, when she lashed out at her birthday party and ran off she got pretty concerned that she just ruined her relationships with her friends who acted shitty towards her. She's pretty forgiving and caring despite all, people who bring up crocker tier stuff are full of shit because she was mind controlled. She didn't hold anything against Roxy for planting a bomb in her computer while she was already getting threatened daily. Was it because she got in the way of dirkjake? Don't act like their relationship was healthy. I genuinely just don't get it

People dislike her for the fact that despite she was suppose to fill the same role as John Egbert, she couldn't pull the same kind of silliness. Part of it was for the fact that the romance drama took up most of Act 6. Nobody, not Hussie, not even the readers at the time, wanted to recycle the same old jokes, gimmicks, and bullshit that made us love the Beta Kids in the first place. We did it for the trolls and now we do it for Alphas. Some had also expected that she carried some similar traits as Nanna. But upon reveal, she was not even close to it. One could argue subversion this and that like how Jake is seem to be a fool despite the fact he was an engineer, understand the basics of time travel, and was able to communicate with Jade. In the end, however, Hussie's writing was full of crap for this approach. And of course, the only ones who were close to the actual guardian counterparts were Roxy Lalonde and Dirk Strider due to the Strilonde favortism by the fandom. By Epilogues, they cranked her horniness up a lot when it came to Jake and Gamzee. Much similar to Jade. Do the people working there just hate the daughters of the Egbert Crocker English Harley family? Or is that a coincidence? However, she actually did rape Jake by using the lollipop juju. I'm not sure if Calliope was aware of it still in her possession or if she knew, why didn't the Cherub stop her. And during the time, the real world was dealing with elections and Donald Trump. Andrew Hussie and WhatPumpkin think it will TOTALLY NOT BE DATED to have Jane Crocker be an allegory for President Trump. Thus, they flanderize her to be an awful person. Another is that people took the whole moment of her being mind controlled by the Condesce, to still be on her own doing, similar to Jade when the Troll Queen made her Grimbark. The worst part of it is in a Patreon post for Homestuck^2, Andrew Hussie or WhatPumpkin imply that she WAS NOT fully brainwashed when it happened. Thus, all the sexual harassment was fully on her. Just like how Mindfang did rape The Dolorosa, but that bitch got away because strong woman, lesbians, and her connection to Vriska, who you know, can NEVER do wrong.

And of course, she got in the way of DirkJake. Just like how people hated Jade got in the way for Davekat. Caliborn's distaste for the female girls, was suppose to be poking fun at the fujoshi who dislike the females for that reason. Sadly, it is lost on them in today's times. Not many people want to label themselves as this because it now suddenly means 'fetishizing gay men', when it really wasn't.

[faye-writes-stories]

A Soldiers End

My english assessment for last terms mark is finally out!!! This means I can post the thing!!!

I got an A- lol

So, it's inspired by the poem 'In Flanders Fields'

When I stood, I could no longer feel the grime that covered me, feel the wind in my unwashed hair. I could no longer smell the stench of blood, of burning flesh, of death. I couldn’t feel the sogginess of my shoes, and as I observed my surroundings, I noticed everything appeared grainy, blurry, and I couldn’t focus on anything. It simply didnt feel real... 

I looked around slowly, my gaze unfocused, and then something... No. Someone, caught my eye. He looked oddly like myself, although honestly? Most of us looked relatively similar here. Same uniforms, haircut, and I couldn't see this guys front. I’m overreacting, right? It’s just... I have this odd feeling that I can’t shake... Either way, he was collapsed on the ground, gun wound in the head. 

I sigh. I may as well move him to the side, wouldn’t want someone tripping over him... But when I lean down, when I try to roll him over, I couldn’t touch him. My hand... it went through him. 

I scramble back, shocked, eyes wide, passing through a comrades' legs as I did, not a single one so much as noticing me! I fell, landing on my ass, and realised something. On top of the mud, I was blood splattered, blood all over me. Usually there was a lot less, but I’d been standing next to poor old Tom when he got shot last week...  

We’d been friends for a long time, you see. Our mothers had been friends for years, and we’d been raised together, so it’s no wonder. I told him everything. We shared our secrets. It was only because of him I'd gained the courage to talk my beautiful girlfriend, Mary... 

We’d been dating maybe three years now, and I’d promised her. I promised her that when I came back from the draft, that we would get married. But... that could never happen now... 

I curled on the ground as my throat closed up, I could feel the tears burn my eyes... But before I managed to break completely, a familiar face caught my eye. I rubbed my fists over my eyes as I slowly came to my feet, staggering closer. 

“Tom... is- is it really you?” I stare wide eyed at him, a man who’d supposedly died a week prior... Bullet in his head. He’d stuck his head out above too long. 

He chuckled to himself. “Yeah, James... ‘fraid so.” 

I stumbled back a few steps, yet he just smiled oddly, offering me his hand. 

“I was hoping we wouldn’t see each other again this soon, old friend...” 

I choked back more tears as he spoke, and seconds later I’d rushed forward, flinging my arms around him. 

“I thought I’d never see you again!” 

He laughed quietly, hugging back. 

"Well, you thought wrong, didntcha?” 

I choke out a laugh and nod, squeezing tighter. He always had this way of making me feel better.... 

But then he sighed softly, nearly inaudible, shutting his eyes for a few moments before standing up, pulling me with him. 

“Well, James, you’re the only one in my sector who died today. You’ll be buried later, but for now, you should come with me. Meet the others.” 

And that made me frown. 

"What do you mean, Tommy? Aren’t we going to pass on?” 

He smiles sadly, shaking his head. “’fraid not, James. None of us can. Not until this war is over, whichever side wins... We’re stuck here for God knows how long... And none of us know how to fix it. So... we might as well get used to it, hey?” 

I let out a long sigh, but nod. 

“I mean, I suppose so... but uhm... what do you mean by ‘sector’” 

“Well basically, us dead people – there’s a group of us – we sort of wander around parts of the battlefield to take the newly dead, and explain what happened. Mine is relatively small, I requested to be near you so that if you died, it wouldn’t be a stranger here now.” 

I nod slowly, my brow furrowed as thoughts rush through my head. Would I have to watch the battles tomorrow? Would I have to explain this? I didn’t understand, myself, surely they wouldn’t expect me to explain! But of course, I don’t say a word about that. I just sag against him and sigh. 

“Whatever you say... But where to now? Do I just.... stay?” 

He grins, taking my hand and leading me to a nearby hill, a hill that I knew. They called it Flanders Fields, it was where the dead were remembered... This would be my life now – if it could even be called as such – and there was nothing I could do about it. 

[ben-the-hyena]

Quick little rant y'all can ignore (I just love ranting too much)

Unpopular opinion : it is NOT to be a hipster or to be like "I'M NOT LIKE OTHER GIRLS~" but very often either I will hate or just not be interested to watch at all the newest Tumblr fandom. I really feel like a Tumblrite but sometimes it feels like I just can't enjoy or be hyped by whatever the others are hyped with without doing it on purpose, as if we have nearly no common taste. I mean sure we all are unique and loving everything others we do is boring and impossible and would prove the person is shallow and can't be true, but just, absolutely nearly every big Tumblr fanfavorites annoys me

Superwholock ? Sherlock was nice but not THAT nice and the others never interested me. HH/HB ? Loathe the characters and story. Lackadaisy ? Don't understand the hype. Nimona ? Don't care. She-Ra ? Hated it. The Owl House ? Can't stand the posts on my dashboard nor the charadesigns. Centaurworld ? I know it is one of those things that look lame in the trailer but from what I got gets deeper, but I saw it being so much overhyped I can't. Green Eggs and Ham ? Ugh couldn't it have just been the old cartoon ? Arcane ? The more people said it was revolutionary the less I wanted to check it out. SU ? I used to love it but then it betrayed me with how badly written it endes up to be. SVSFOE ? Except one or 2 arcs it was not my type and the ending infuriated me. Ducktales ? Only season 1 was good to me. Miraculous Ladybug ? It broke my heart so fuck you show. Encanto ? "Narcissic families are ok and misunderstood if they are pretty". Wendell and Wild ? The demons did look interesting and I was curious for them but sadly the main character is insufferable and Idgaf she is sad she is still an asshole but gets away with it. Wednesday ? Tim Burton understood NOTHING avout the Addams Family and flanderized Wesnesday. HtTyD ? Should have been a standalone. LOK and to be fair ANYTHING coming after ATLA books comics and upcoming series included ? Burn em to the ground. Rise of the Guardians ? Seriously the animation is gorgeous but you have the blandest plot and characters ever but everybody calls it original and groundbreaking wtf ?! Arlo the gator boy/I Love Arlo ? Ew it looks ugly as fuck and I am VERY wary of titles that self congratulate (coincidently the Lou! franchise became very shitty when it was renamed into I Love Lou Very Much so it ticks me off) makes me wanna do the contrary and hate Arlo. Carmen San Diego ? Didn't care. The Cuphead Show ? Only season 1a is good 1b and 1c are shit but because "gae devil" everybody loves it holy shit the game is better. Frozen 2 ? Admit it, you liked it ONLY because you see Elsa like a lesbian and wanted to go "HAHA GET FUCKED" to Let It Go. AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON LIVE ACTION REMAKES

Some I even actually just didn't dislike it or care at first but it was seeing all the excessive posting and love for it despite 1) not wanting to watch (I love Arlo, never I wanted to kill a gator child so much force of seeing him on my dash) and/or 2) seeing legetimate problems and flaws and yet everybody ignoring it (Encanto, I hated the end but I did like the movie itself but seeing everybody justifying the end made me loathe it) it turns into hate. But some I hate from the start but seeing everybody love it anyway makes me wonder if at that rate the problem is me and I nitpick too much or of course like everyone I just have my own tastes and what pops up on my dash is not a reflect of universal taste ?

But I often call it a curse because everybody seems to have fun and it's as if I am doomed not to like and it looks like what the audience usually loves is just not my type, which sucks because I don't have many people to vent about it, not many people to gush about the obscure things I love because I am cursed to really invest myself in old fandoms I only find about now or stuff that don't even interest much people but fit my specific niche tastes, dashboards flooded with "OMG GUYS WATCH IT IT IS *SO* IMPORTANT AND THE BEST EVER" making me want not to whereas only 3 likes on posts of franchises I love that are barely known or loved... Probably why I have so many obscure fandoms actually. I am SURE it is subconsciously why I wanted to give a chance to Elemental and Avatar 2 since nobody talked about it in good or at all here !

I am not even sure and just like me those who love these franchises and are part of these fandoms must just have their own specific intersts peaked of course and if so it is absolutely alright ! But often I see they all have a pattern and I feel like, like when I ranted in my posg that defends Elemental, that they will love it and adore it just for ONE element not matter the rest hence why they only talk about that one element that irritates me when I am flooded in posts praising it but really it is just that element. "Omg so much representation" ok cool what is the plot "it is a trans allegory" yes but more precise ? "it is so GAY (affectionate) and girl power !!!" yes but ? The characters ? "Oh the characters are minorities some are LGBT half are POC and some even have a disability and they fight heteronormativity and traditional beauty standards" ok ok I GOT it but what are they like as people !?! "there is a canon gay ship in it I love them little blorbos" I DON'T GIVE A SHIT DAMMIT WHAT IS THE PLOT AND HOW ARE THE CHARACTERS "also it has a varied cast and is made by minorities and women !" Ok bye now I won't be able to help but see it being loved only because of those and not for its story and it will make me bitter about it as if there is nothing else but that to defend because it implies the scenario itself isn't that special for people to only talk about the Christmas present package rather than the content

It is very occasional I will actually get curious because it IS my type thanks to Tumblr : WOY, Pinky and the Brain Undertale, Good Omens, TDC : AOR. It needs to strike a sort of special chord in me to go "uh !?! A modern cartoon that feels like an old cartoon with funny designs and animation and funny characters !??! Uh !?! 2 gay mice that were probably not meant to be gay but they accidentally cracked many eggs in their portrayal and to think I was not interestee when I thought Brain was bidimensional and didn't give a shit about Pinky like I thought ??! Uh !?! Fun skeletons and a macho fish woman with cute pixel style !? Uh !?! Angel and demon are friends and were on Earth for years looking for a kid !?! Uh !?! In that prequel it shows one reformed Skeksis being actually good helping Gelfling and in a relationship with his Mystic ??!" And other Tumblr favorites I loved like idk FNAF, MLP FIM, Spiderverse, Puss in Boots 2, The Bad Guys and usually in general most popular big studios block buster animated movies I loved and others did were stuff I found by myself which Tumblr just coincidently did too so it doesn't count. Some I even discover them years later when the hype died down and nobody speaks about it anymore (reinforcing my idea that IS probably wrong that they don't even really love it but just go "OO SHINY" when something is new and pretty) that I can notice and love years later or at least late a franchise, like I don't wait on purpose I just really discover it at this moment or something peaking my interest only happened recently or peaked my attention now

Those aside most of the time I will really not be interested, a third of the time because "I am told to so I don't wanna" and it has to be myself or it will feel like a chore like when I am recommended stuff IRL I will actually postpone even if if I had not been recommended I would have started watching it earlier (I heard from a friend this looks like a symptom in a type of neurodivergence but I AM NOT SURE), a third of the time it really doesn't look or sound like my type of story at all and I keep wondering why there is nothing new for me and why everybody is so hyped by it, and a third I actually give a try and I end up straight up hating it or just finding it meh and overrated. I just need to find my own fandoms myself, even if they are obscure, that spark my interest, hoping they don't become bad in the end (SU, Ducktales, the Cuphead Show, Miraculous Ladybug etc. Sigh) which happened too many times already and makes me even more wary force of experience about what is popular since even when I myself find it becomes shit people still love it. And of course they totally HAVE the right to never would I harrass and police what people have to like and dislike, but it kind of feels lonely at times and sometimes it makes me think if something is wrong with me not to enjoy what seems to be enjoyed by everyone else and if it is my fault ; and thinking that even makes me anxious and guilty feeling like I am ranting for nothing and people will think I am an attention seeker making me even more gjulty and so on which becomes a vicious circle with my anxiety

[dontbotherwiththepronunciation]

Hey! If you don't mind sharing, can I ask what surprised you most in the responses you got to the Theon survey? Any trends in fandom opinions that you hadn't expected?

Sorry this took so long! I originally wasn't intending on giving my own opinions on this but I will take this chance so I can rant! Thanks a lot. : )

1. Do you think Theon was sexually repressed before his torture by Ramsay?

This one showed some of the dangers of phrasing and how depending on the words we choose people will have very different reactions. Overall it was one of the most fascinating ones for me to read. One of my favourite things to come out of this simply because of how hilarious the dissonance was.

There is this very common take that has been spread by very popular Theonblogs about pre-torture Theon being sexually repressed (and often in modern aus or more lighthearted takes) a homophobic homosexual and it has always bothered me tremendously. I fully disagree.

Theon comes from the Iron Islands, a place that is more open to less defined gender and sexual roles (Asha and Qarl have their entire gnc-cnc thing going on, Hagen's daughter openly asks Tris and then another Ironborn for sex and there is no social stigma around this, and Victarion (sadly) doesn't really show a lot of concern or disgust at his ironborn raping a young maester), the text implies he has been involved in a threesome with Patrek Mallister (another man), and he doesn't seem to mind taking a more sexually submissive role when having sex with women (Esgred, being Kyra's little spoon). He might even find it more enjoyable if we think of his enthusiasm when interacting with Esgred as opposed to the captain's daughter.

More often than not it seemed to me this entire concept of him being sexually repressed/homophobic homosexual was based more on flanderization than actual text.

So, when I asked "Do you think Theon was sexually repressed before his torture by Ramsay?" (meaning: Do you think ACOK/AGOT/Pre-ASOIAF/Modern AU Theon is sexually repressed?) I expected an abundance of "Yes" and hopefully some argumentation. Instead, what I got was a misunderstanding. Many people, especially throbb shippers, who had previously, when speaking about what they enjoy in their respective ships, talked about some form of sexually repressed/closeted in denial Theon, took the words "Do you think Theon was sexually repressed before his torture by Ramsay?" as "Do you think Ramsay was Theon's sexual awakening?" and holly hell I did not mean that but I love it that their brains went in there! There is some subconscious acknowledgement in there.

The numbers between "Yes" vs "No" almost ended in a tie but it was only because a majority of those who said "no" interpreted the question very differently. I know for a fact a few of them have liked/reblogged sexually repressed Theon takes but then were almost outrageous about what they thought I implied and fully defended a sexually comfortable non-repressed pre-torture Theon. One of them even cursed me for what they thought I was hinting at. Very fun. Not quite a piss on the poor situation but still very enjoyable.

2. Ships

One of the dangers of doing these type of projects and allowing people anonymity is that many of them will forsake decency in order to spill out things without any real nuisance or consideration for others.

I encountered three types of reactions when it came to thoughts on the ship you like engaging with the least.

a) A short and brief "It makes me uncomfortable/It's uninteresting to me/It just irks me the wrong way, no hate to the shippers" or something among those lines

b) A relatively long analysis explaining to me in detail why, often with well-founded criticism that doesn't feel malicious or born out of petty competition: "Most of the fanwork focusing on it is very pro-Stark and I dislike how Robb is whitewashed / The way Ramsay's abuse is framed by the fans feels very divergent from the canon dynamic once they allow Theon enough agency to give consent / Book Theonsa barely exists, it's just show Theonsa and thus it often implies things about Theon's redemption arc that I don't agree with / I think adding romantic undertones to his relationship with Jeyne diminishes the selflessness of him rescuing her / Jon and him can mainly bond over things that are holding them back in their development and identity arcs, the wish to be a Stark, so I wouldn't want their relationship to become very intimate."

c) The dreaded and hateful "People who like [insert ship] are [insert insult] and I wish they would [insert harmful action]" often based on very hypocritical and not well thought argumentation. "How dare you ship him with a child?!" said by person who also ships him with a child. "That relationship could never be consensual because of the power imbalance" said by person who also ship him with someone who clearly holds power over him. "TaKe OfF tHe StArK GoGgLeS!" said by person who is wearing them too. Or the less hypocritical but equally disrespectful in the sense that it tries to limit interpretations and engagement with more niche parts of the fandom "Why'd you ship him with [insert ship] when [insert more popular ship] is right there?!"

And to be honest, I loved getting the b) variation! It was the rarest one, with sadly the c) variation being the most common but there was still a lot more of it than I expected there would be and it was so fun! Even when I didn't agree with an argument, or when it went against one of my ships (Out of the 5 options I listed in the survey the only ones I actively search for are Greysnow and Theyne, I occasionally go to thramsay but rarely to "shippy" works because I am only interested in it as pure horror, and usually I feel uncomfortable by the Stark involving ones so I avoid them) getting to interact with friendly criticism instead of straight up hate was so refreshing and oddly exciting. Like, yes! Give me your insight!

The examples I listed on the b) option are all paraphrased opinions that were submitted and the only one I disagree on is the Greysnow one, but even so it was explained so respectfully and without this sense of superiority and self-righteousness of "I understand the character and story better than those shippers!" so it still felt like something worth reading.

Happily surprised to see how some saw the window for complaints and took the opportunity to give actual complaints.

I block people for the mildest annoying thing they do and part of me regrets it because of the echo chamber I'm building around myself, but I think we should also be able to differentiate between "Hate" and criticism. Every now and then I remember that post on "I like being a hater" and no! I don't think most people like being haters, but when fair and valid concerns get dismissed as "hate" it becomes frustrating. Option c) is hate. Option b) is interesting and often constructive!

And the opposite also holds!

Throbb specifically is a ship I never understood the appeal of and disliked engaging with but a few of the responses explaining why people enjoy it opened my eyes about it. They offered perspectives I hadn't considered in the past and to some extent they made me more tolerant.

Some examples (including things I don't really agree with but still found insightful and interesting):

I only mildly dabble in shipping in asoiaf at all, however Throbb Is nice as when its done well It tends to have a lot of what I like (kidfic, canon divergences with some political element and happening around the early ACOK node, very specific hurt comfort dynamics, role reversals (enjoy Robb Is the one who had to experience Ramsay AUs even) exploration of the cultural/identity issues through conflicing loyalty etc . It rigorously has to be by people who love Theon better than Robb though

I'm someone where I will take whatever I can get tbh. All of the above. I do really enjoy stories where Robb is a darker character though, and relishes in the power he holds over Theon. Also just like playing with the theme of the Starks being wolves? And how the Ironborn were called like sea wolves by those in the riverlands and westerlands. It's very fun. I also do indulge in modern AUs where Theon is an unofficial member of the Starks. It's just very comfy. I like it less-so in canon fics because I think it very much writes off Ironborn culture in place of Northern culture. I am picky with them though because some of them are very much in the lane of "the Starks can do no wrong" and nope, the Starks can and have.

I am truly here for literally any Theon ship and they all appeal to me in different ways for different reasons. Robb and Theon - Personally I think it's really interesting how Robb is upheld as this very honourable gentleman-type but he never calls out Theon on his horrible treatment of women or other uncouth behaviour and it's suggested he actually kind of admires him for it? It gives me the impression that Robb lives vicariously through Theon a little bit and I'm fascinated by the idea of them being devoted to each other but also jealous of each other? We never see Robb's POV in the books but I think he's interesting to view through a lens of a young guy with an immense amount of pressure and responsibility on his shoulders (even before Ned dies he has the responsibility of being heir and the pressure to live up to the Stark name). I imagine that Theon is one of the few people Robb felt he could be himself around without any pressure to be respectable or honourable. He probably craves the relative freedom Theon has whole Theon longs for the status and respect that Robb has. It's an interesting dynamic! Also there's the fact that Robb is literally the only person who likes Theon and trusts him when no one else does which makes it even more heartbreaking when he betrays him. 

This last sentence I marked on blue was so captivating because it opened a can of worms regarding ACOK-ASOS Robb and how much he seems to be imitating Theon's own (failed) leadership, which, yes, we have tons of meta exploring their similitudes but combined with the "Theon treats women horribly" take (in my opinion, yes but not much worse that the rest of men in the story) makes me think of Robb's dubiously consensual relationship with Jeyne W after he and his army take over her castle and Theon having Kyra be brought to him after he takes Winterfell (and a few weeks later raping her). Interesting things to dwell on.

3. (Anti) Sansa-Dany (Stan)

Something that surprised me positively was that the division between Anti-Sansa/Anti-Dany was a lot less present than I usually perceived it to be. The majority was sympathetic to both without seeing one as a villain and the other as a hero. There were still more Sansa stans than Dany stans but it was much less extreme than I thought. I wonder if this is tied to the show fandom dying and people being more aware about thematic and textual similitudes between Dany & Theon and Sansa & Dany now that the show-made dynamics have been fading. People have been slowly realising that Theon being devoted to a Stark might not be the hill we want him to die on and that Daenerys' ambition for the throne is similarly to Theon also motivated by a deep longing for home.

There is still a preference for Sansa but the animosity for Dany was much less than I expected and that made me very happy. Very proud of the Theon fandom for this!

Thanks for asking again. It's very nice of you to show interest and I hope this hasn't ben very disappointing.

[kinopioa]

900th Adventure notes (not much about Ian and Evan!)

-Nigel Kitching, from Sonic the Comic, interestingly returns. His writing is more dramatic at first, but it was all a ploy to distract Metal and ease off the effects of the Topaz

His mannerisms are a little snappier, which given StC makes sense, same for brief descriptions cuz he British. Sadly Knuckles didn't do anything, but I like Sonic's characterization. He's cheeky, but not obnoxiously dissing like Flynn's, and his ploy exposes a good context intelligence unlike most of IDW

The art's weird. Apparently both Fonseca and Rik Mack worked on it, and while I see Fonseca's influence, it deviates from his still at bits. Not bad, though Knux's anger seemsmore exaggerated than what the writer intended

-Daniel Barnes has Sonic a bit more mouthy to Eggman/bots specifically. I like the idea that Eggman's testing out mechas in remote locations. If they fail, he won't be penalized. His mecha also is actually new, about time! Oddly, the city seems to be based on OVA...

Sonic noticeably isn't too bothered by the bots, and his priority of the Topaz over Eggman is seen. Only fault I can think of is fans misreading this as him not taking Eggman seriously out of context (note this further shows that Sonic can deal with Eggman not existing unlike Boom)

Art by Min Ho Kim (Dee Gee Min) once again is very detailed both drawing and rendering. .

-Aaron Hammerstrom. So the first thing I noticed, Cream!

She's been weirdly absent before this for Blaze use, you know, Blaze's first friend. That said, don't like the >told me I shouldn't help cuz dangerous. Feels counter to both games and that Annual, but this is IDW so bleh

Despite Rush refs, noticed Zero Gravity here. Also the first Aaron draw Sonic from the front

Also not a fond of the "Blaze be solo" retread. Brief, but still bleh

Shame, I love Aaron's art, especially with Foundraine coloring. Sonic's characterization is also better than Ian's, so double shame Cream got the short end of things initially, and Blaze too

Caleb

first, yikes. No offense to Abby Bulmer, but her art...isn't too good for chars and color. First I've seen their name though, for a 900th adventure issue special that's...odd. Wonder if this was done last minute...

That said, BG and perspectives are nice, and action/flow is good

As for writing, I like how Caleb references this even art BG wise (issue 15)

The scuffle with the Rogues is more comedic (also hey, Storm actually has a say here unlike Summer special), though I like this note

Of Rouge actually wanting to save the world, with treasure being secondary. Too often fans and Ian flanderize the treasure love

Shadow also is mostly decent, though I hated this. This is obnoxiously egotistic

In tune with Rivals though otherwise; He doesn't hate Sonic, but will not be afraid to beat him for the greater good

He also accepts Sonic making an option 3 (very much Sonic to say fuck da limits), and beats the Rogues from attempting to chase after they insult him. A little juvenile at bits, but "muh mandates" are further proven to be horseshit

So the end is Ian, and I won't talk much cuz it's basically Sonic putting the Topaz in its original spot, but this

Kinda cute in a "muh senpai" kind of way. Now if only I can forget how much Starline quickly soured

So overall, interesting filler, worst of Flynn didn't bog it down. Now here's the actual problem

It's filler

For a hyped 900th Adventure special, the fact it boiled down to "Sonic met friends and scuffled very briefly while running to an end" is...kinda nothing. There are other issues

-Eggman is here! So is this after or before IDW 57-60 arc?

-Richard Elton for cover made me think he was gonna do inner art too. Sadly no

-Same for Yardley

-IDW Sonic's continued tradition of lack of page numbers

-Knux again did nothing

-Rip Amy

Though a pro

-Credits are actually specified

-No OCs!

-ABT despite ehhh art for once isn't having chars weirdly talk when they shouldn't (the the yeah last page being closed mouth is hmm...). Actions are easier to read too!

It's overall ok as an anniversary filler story, but sadly is hyped to be much more

[goat-guy-tm]

CW// I am very negative in this post

TLDR; The TikTok side of the Aphverse fandom is making me hate the Aphverse and I will NOT be watching Season 7 of MyStreet. Oh and Jason is still a freak even if TikTok wants to paint him as a dilf, which yes I have seen at least one person call him that.

Tiktok has sadly made me start to dislike the Aphverse. I'm all for the hype for season 7 but it's obvious it isn't really for us anymore. The animation style alone, the kind of content CatFace have been making in the last few years.

Plus a lot of the TikTok side of the fandom seem pro Aarmau which,,,,I mean I've spoken my speech about them already, I doubt anyone who's known me wants to hear me again about it lmao.

And ever since Jess came out about how she "lied to Jason about her age and thus it isn't his fault" the TikTok side has just, accepted it and forgave him?? I've seen several people start talking about how hot they think he is now, but I mean hey, anyone knows there's a difference between how 15 and 18 year Olds act but I guess Jason just couldn't tell.

Plus I never even watched season 6, hell I barley watched season 5, I have no reason to even touch season 7 nor do I have any intrest. Knowing how the series was going anyways, I can only assume season 7 will be a whole thing of getting Aaron's memory back and going through everything that happened in the whole series, ya know like the last HOORAY! type season.

I've also gone on rants to people irl about how I dislike Aphmau's outfit in the season 7 trailer because idk if anyone else noticed it but as Aphmau got more flanderized and infantized, her outfits became more showey. It's probably a coincidence but none the less it makes me uncomfortable, like I felt physically ill seeing it.

Anyways, I have too many I'll thoughts about season 7 being announced and I can't word them all easily, but yeah I just eh.

[readingsquotes]

"At UVA, the claims of ​“safety” concerns had special resonance for the student I spoke with: ​“Contextualizing the University of Virginia as a site and campus where white supremacists felt comfortable enough in 2017 marching through the lawn with torches and guns, shouting hate speech, and realizing that they were not met with the same police repression we faced as people protesting the genocide against Palestinians, makes the encampment on UVA ground feel especially important in connecting the Palestinian genocide as a racial justice issue.”"

...The students were also inspired by the movement to stop Cop City in Atlanta, which reminded the Columbia grad student ​“just how much money is going to war basically inside and outside, and how the repression of protest is deadly.” 

...The Columbia graduate student noted that international students from the Global South, including Palestinian students, were at the heart of the movement; that for those students, it was the first time they had felt welcome, at home, at the university. They were deeply aware of how much the university was intertwined with the security state in a way that made it a strategic target: ​“We feel at the heart or one of the hearts of the empire in a very concrete material way, and all of the research of these groups have shown how much the investments of the university go to the genocide.” And how little of the university’s wealth is actually wrapped up in their education. ​“Sadly, the educational part is a smaller and smaller, it’s not a priority for the institutions.”

The encampment is a movement against the social imperatives of capitalism. Which is a fancy way to say that capitalism pits us against each other and the encampment — like the union, the membership group, the party in the old sense — brings us together. The encampment is the most intense of these, if usually the most temporary. It teaches something that the rest of the world does not.

...Encampments have a long history; the tactic was there for the taking. Laura Flanders, a longtime journalist and political organizer, recalled the first one she joined in the early 1980s, outside of the Greenham Common U.S. Air Force Base in England. ​“Women encamped there to do a variety of things, not just to protest, but to actually stop the deployment of cruise missiles,” she said. Turns out that it’s hard to move missiles and deploy them secretly when you have a bunch of screaming protesters following you. The encampment, she said, ​“was that experience of embodied protest that people are probably familiar with from strikes and picket lines and prison protests and hunger strikes. But the duration of it is unlike anything else. Something gets built that gives you a glimpse of the world you’re trying to make. Not a perfect one, but a sense that some of your conventions are mutable.” 

...Palestinians are treated with such disregard, she noted, that some of that disregard rubs off on American students like her. ​“We are some of the most privileged U.S. citizens, and simply for speaking out for Palestinian rights, we got an incredibly violent response from our own country. So imagining that they’re willing to do that to U.S. citizens fully, publicly, fully on U.S. soil with their own infrastructure makes it so clear that they’re not even trying to hide what they’re doing to Palestinians.” 

Like the Palestinians, the students get blamed for their own lack of safety. The NYPD, Grosso said, took its time posing for photos with its new weaponry—including an armored vehicle with ladders used to deliver armed police into the building — when it raided the Columbia encampment.

The concept of safety — or, more accurately, the concept of ​“feeling safe” — has been at the heart of arguments about Palestine since October 7, and perhaps since the beginning of the Zionist movement. Zionism is after all a project of colonization that is justified with appeals to Jewish safety; the genocide in Gaza is justified with repeated invocations of Hamas committing ​“the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.

...Feelings of safety, after all, can be wrong: many people, including perhaps some of the students brutalized by the NYPD at Columbia, might have felt safe with the presence of armed police, but armed police killed a record number of people in 2023, and they’re on track to surpass that number in 2024. 

The fact is that feeling safe does not mean we are safe; conversely, the term ​“feeling unsafe” in recent years often seems to be deployed in ways that mean something more akin to feeling uncomfortable.

...Demands for divestment then materially threaten the hierarchy of the university, Silas said. ​“I think they’re very, very afraid of setting the precedent that students do have power, and faculty do have power, and I think that’s part of why they responded so harshly.”

[skaruresonic]

The "people only care about Shadow for powers" thing sadly is already seen in IDW issue 59 despite him still being as bitchy as issue 17, and plot wise, do the following

-Act bitchy for no reason

-Fight a horde

-Get overwhelmed

-Taken out of story for most of the rest of it

Yet, it only got approved cuz "Chaos Overlord". Even though he learned nothing, and is still OOC

Shadow is suffering what Dragon Ball chars suffer in feature olympics. It's painful

Sonic Team/Sega are 100% aware the fandom is suckered by this, and yet. It's been creeping since 2010, only now shifting audiences

I'm gonna say this. For as much as fans bitched about STeam not innovating after 2010, they love superficial references, dismissing reasons for lack of char use, flanderizing, and in the fangame community especially, nostalgia rehashing

I started the Echidna doc cuz general blanket perception of them severely wipes unique identity, and Knux's technical intelligence. Same for noting CANON Sonic and Knux interactions. I was steeling myself for the BS "Shadow is based on the Hidden Palace mural" theory, though closer inspection relieved me. But I shouldn't have been walking on thin ice for that...

To the fans I have to ask; How do you suppose Shadow lives in the world? And I don't mean during tense supernatural events, I mean live

Yet, it only got approved cuz "Chaos Overlord". Even though he learned nothing, and is still OOC

I don't remember hearing anything about a "Chaos Overload" Shadow... Do I want to know?

NOPE LOL WHAT.

Idk, this is the kind of thing that rubs me the wrong way when we spent several games establishing that Shadow is more than just a weapon of war. Focusing on his powers to this degree, to where he's a plot device or a deus ex machina rather than a character, borders on the very kind of objectification that Battle seemed dead-set against.

---

I'm gonna say this. For as much as fans bitched about STeam not innovating after 2010, they love superficial references, dismissing reasons for lack of char use, flanderizing, and in the fangame community especially, nostalgia rehashing

Omens pretty much singlehandedly proved that if Shadow fell into the fandom's hands, they'd chain him to his past forever.

That's why despite being an SA2 fan I'm extremely wary of any attitudes that SA2!Shadow is how Shadow "should" be, because it indicates to me that people aren't thinking about the overall thematic resonance of Shadow's character. Of self-actualization, not through power (because he doesn't abuse his power) but through personal growth.

They just see, idk, Forces!Shadow being a little snarky and think it ruins him even more than whatever the heck this stuff is. And it's like, I would rather take Forces!Shadow eating a slice of humble pie and learning to not take his friends for granted than displays of power that exist only to dazzle, and which do nothing for him narratively.

---

I started the Echidna doc cuz general blanket perception of them severely wipes unique identity, and Knux's technical intelligence. Same for noting CANON Sonic and Knux interactions. I was steeling myself for the BS "Shadow is based on the Hidden Palace mural" theory, though closer inspection relieved me. But I shouldn't have been walking on thin ice for that...

To be fair, people treat the theory like it's basically canon anyway. Can't imagine canon adding asterisks is going to fix the problem of people refusing to read the fine print.

---

To the fans I have to ask; How do you suppose Shadow lives in the world? And I don't mean during tense supernatural events, I mean live

A germane question, and not just an issue within the comic but within the games as well. Who is Shadow beyond his role as a solver of plot crises? What does he do when there is no world-ending threat to tackle? He can't just be a source of spectacle.

[freddybearuniverse]

And finally, the Wildbrain era of the original show, or the 11 minute era, or the soft era-- Ya know what? I'll just call it the elemental era, because why not? The elemental era is probably the weakest era now that I think about it. The Departed Era (Day Of The Departed-Season 7) was technically worse on a budget level, but at least it was still moving the plot forward, which sadly this era does not (at least to me). I won't say the show went downhill in this period, which it didn't, it was still really good, but you can tell that magic was starting to dim a bit. They were running out of things to do with these characters, and not really developing them much anymore. Some of them were even flanderized, like Jay and Kai (though Kai got better in Dragons Rising). The visuals, while still good, took a bit of a hit as well. What this era did right though (or at least one of the things) was fights. These fights were some of the best the show has to offer. I guess a good bit of the budget went to them. All and all, these seasons weren't bad (Seasons 13 and 15 (people say 14, but I personally call it 15), but compared to previous eras, it felt kinda..safe, which sucks, because it's the final era of the original Ninjago show.

[crotchety-old-emu]

tag game!

tagged by: @colettebronte many thanks <3

name: crotchety old emu

pronouns: she/her

where do you call home: flanders, belgium

favorite animal: foxes. borzoi. and giraffes. and crows. and cats. to be fair, if it's not an insect (and even then, i'm quite fond of bees), it's probably one of my favourite animals.

cereal of choice: it used to be creamy berry crunch special k (i think it's now called fruit and yogurt?), but it's been discontinued in belgium. i think my second favourite is probably lion cereal.

visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner: in most things, kinesthetic learning. if we're talking about actual studying, i need to write everything down.

first pet: a goldfish called jonas, which i got at the fair many moons ago.

favorite scent: perfume-wise, i like light and fresh scents -sadly, i'm allergic to most perfumes. as for scented candles and the like, i'm sadly unoriginal and really enjoy vanilla.

do you believe in astrology: i enjoy entertaining it in discussions, but i don't believe in it at all.

how many playlists do you have on your music service of choice: 2. one with pretty much every taylor swift-song ever. another one with lofi music for when i need to work, concentrate or wind down.

sharpies or highlighters: highlighters. the pastel ones.

song that makes you cry: i usually avoid those? the first that comes to mind is "bigger than the whole sky" by taylor swift.

song that makes you happy: "africa" by toto. instant happiness.

and finally, do you write/draw/create: i dabble in writing. i've written some fanfic and a couple of school plays. i draw badly sometimes. i like handlettering.

tagging but no pressure: everyone who feels like it, but i'll tag @princessgotham21, @anowlfulpun and @doom-cookie1

[thenonbinarydetective]

Do u think what nancy does in her relationship is okay? Like Ned's loyal to her and she just flirts with handsome guys and even says depends when anyone (in books, games) asks if she's single. I know it's only case of few books, but ned is treated more like an obligation than a bf. Like nancy happily flirts with someone and she remembers ned and very reluctantly and sadly stops it.

She's kind of like Joe in relationships

Well the thing is, that's not consistent. For a long time, Ned wasn't actually her boyfriend so she didn't need to be committed to him. In fact, he wasn't committed to her either. They were just "favorite dates" until the 80th Nancy Drew book.

Files is an absolute mess and technically not "main continuity" which is where most of that behavior is. In the regular run, Nancy actually strongly dislikes when other men flirt with her and doesn't do it back genuinely. The only times she does is when she's investigated a dude that's a total creep and that's the only way.

Files had a strange double standard. Pretty common for romances back then where the main character could do no wrong even when they repeatedly did things wrong. Joe and Frank are both guilty of this to some extent, but since romance isn't a "boy" thing it's not as present.

The games are kinda bad at romance. I don't think there is a couple that I actually think they portray well aside from Frances and Dirk. You know, the two dead people who aren't really even characters and their romances is partially affected from how we/Nancy understand it secondhand.

But overall, she's not always "nancy" when she flirts with these other guys. The players also have the option to treat him poorly as some half-assed attempt to create relationship drama from writers who, as I have said, are not very good at romance. There is also the additional issue on how they portray Ned. Something I, personally never have to go over again with how many posts I've made. They shot themselves in the foot early on and we're all suffering as each character got flanderized.

Overall, she's generally fine. Not the best at romance, but because she's not particularly interested in it. Something I guess Ned is meant to make up for, in a way. idk there's something about couples fulfilling what the other is missing.

The only thing that makes Joe worse is again, our enemy, misogyny

[elitesheepi]

So this is lowkey inspiring me to get off my ass and finish my Mai thesis. Cause despite everything, I loveee Mai. She was always a character I liked cause she was just "cool" to me. Cold, somewhat apathetic personality, her weapon style is awesome. And I agree with you, she's not a stone cold bitch, but I've always read her as apathetic to most things.

She didn't really seem to care about Tom Tom that much, but she made jokes with Azula and let Ty Lee hug her ("Clumps! They're clumps!" scene.) and tease her often. She's snarky, is shown to be a pretty enthusiastic fighter who shit talks with a smile on her face. She's more subtly expressive than outwardly which alot of people glance over.

I think the biggest problem with the perception of Mai comes from, fandom misogyny, fandom flanderization, and the writers not really knowing what story they wanted to convey with her.

Fandom basically writes her as a stone cold goth bitch who's all gloom, doom and hates everyone. (Something shared by the writers of that "I love how you hate the world" scene is anything to go by) and fandom flanderization knocks that up to 11. There's sadly also the fact that some of her moments do come across as adding further to Zuko's angst, and that just paints a further target on her back for fandom hate caus yknow--it's Zuko.

And that last point plus a point I vaguely made--the writers didn't really know how to convey her. Or atleast the point of her and what she brought to the greater narrative. She comes in as the girlfriend during Zuko's lowest, subtly encouraging him to play the roll of the perfect prince while failing to see that that's not what he needs. Then the Beach episode happens which put a deeper knot in the fandom's head that she's kinda a bitch for not being flattered by the seashell and his attempts at giving her ice cream. It just creates a further divide between Mai and the fandom. All of that plus the fact that she just ends the series back together with him despite the lack of redemption arc or even being bothered by what the Fire Nation--I see why people don't like her, but I do agree with you that she's not the ice cold cheating queen the fandom often portrays her as. Her best moments got heavily outshined by her worst and both the writers and the fandom is at fault for that.

i actually can't process why people don't like mai. is it because of the "i just asked if you were cold" scene. is that it. okay LISTEN i will go to bat for her. she says it herself in the beach episode, she's been raised to not share her opinion or like. care about anything. she probably deflects in that moment because it's obviously an emotionally heavy conversation and she's been told her entire life not to share her feelings. or share other people's feelings, tbh.

she's ngl pretty incompatible as a match for zuko, who is constantly full of feelings, and needs someone who can help him work through them in his life, like iroh or katara. but that does not make mai the stone cold bitch y'all haters want her to be. i promise she's fluffy on the inside, the stone cold bitch is but a thin outer shell that protects all the love and care she contains within herself

[teeto-peteto]

Apologies if you've already answered this question, but is there anyone in the sentinels roster you'd replace with someone else? If so, who?

this might turn as a surprise since i have always stated my very obvious dislike for the Sentinels of Light event and the whole thing around it but. No! I think the character picking is nice, actually! If anything i have some problems with the Ruined roster, but who doesnt, though?

The problem i have with the roster of the Sentinels is the fact that their characters either behave in completely different ways as canon was stated originally, complete flanderization of characters just for comedic relief and how some of them are either boring or annoying.

I believe Senna and Lucian are prooobably the ''best'' written characters, they made them confusingly mean towards almost everyone wich is somewhat understandable because of the situation of Runeterra but also it was sometimes pretty uncanny and odd how harsh they were towars the rookie and the team sometimes but, i think they were kinda good protagonist in the end. Again, the parallelism of Lucian and Senna's relationship and Viego's with Isolde was a good point, yet again it wasnt very well resolved imo.

I'll try and do a speed rant about the sentinels, again i actually do like the picks! they just didnt respect them at all for some reason...

Vayne was incredibly annoying and whenever she appeared on screen wich was sadly 80% of the story she is unlikable in most senses. I do not know if this is good paired with the canon, i know just the basics about Vayne's lore cause i dont care that much about her, but i mostly skipped all her dialog on the event cause she was pretty boring.

Gwen is nice. She's bubbly, she's cute and brand new to the world. Sadly, she's just comedic relief, and a plot devicer for the 'sentinel skins' to exist. She's important to the story but its never actually explored and we get no type of interaction with Isolde and her not even narrated. She just carries a bunch of 'why?'s that Riot didnt want to answer on this event.

Olaf is a fucking joke and at least they made him a bit more gullable because they got to put the 'honourful death' around wich adds up to his lore where he still keeps making it from hardships even if it's not truly his intention. But he's a joke... just pure, saddening comedic relief.

Irelia suffers the same as Vayne where she's basically mean and its understandable as she's teaming up with a noxian etc etc but... eh. sometimes she's too much imo.

Riven was okay...? At least she is sorry, it doesnt mean Irelia has to forgive her of course but. I guess she's okay?

Graves was an absolute fucking crime and i dont understand and i assume im allowed of my mind completely nuts but... what was that whole flirting with Vayne thing???? What was the point of that?? He's again a comedic relief, but his jokes were specially unfunny most of the time. He has this death animation in league with Twisted Fate's card, yet they made him so incredibly and creepily insistant with Vayne it was so painful to watch... I mean, maybe he is a bisexual king im not aware of but like... holy shit tobias are you seeing this shit?

also like being insistent to women and being all over them all the time is funny hahaha come on everyone laugh riot said its funny!!!

Rengar... is there. Comedic relief, again. Just like Olaf they made him stupid. There's nothing you call pull out of him from this event. He's quite useless. Nobody cared that much in the team i guess.

Diana is... there? I mean she's chill... but like, nothing happened around her character that was mildy interesting or had a bit of growth in her character. She just went and signed a paper.

Pyke is reduced to comedic relief wich is saddening at least for a person like me. He's just there like hii im crazy look at me i say silly stuff cause im crazy hehe!!! And thats it. Paired with Olaf and Rengar they are just basically useless to the team and only there to sprinkle stupidity and jokes. Wont say i didnt jump out of my chair in that scene where Pyke talks with the rook and when he got the wayfinder back, but the rest of the event was very much a let down.

Akshan is nice in personality but his introduction was kinda odd to me how they quickly tried to wrap up his whole lore and use of his weapon and the revive thing it was very fast and sometimes it wasnt adding up. Sometimes he was the soul of the team so... he kinda carried sometimes.

if i had to replace one then probably rengar but i cant think about any champion of Ixtal at that time that would accept/make sense to become a sentinel of light