#the way they just take over our fandom discussions anytime new art of them comes out lmao

[tokyo-daaaamn-ji-gang]

Just Haitani things????

[thejustmaiden]

Why do you think Sunrise did that event in with Sesshomaru and Rin's VAs mirroring InuKag? They have already done that CD Drama, do you think they did that to give hope to the shippers? What if after so many hints, if they reveal in the anime that Sessrin isn't canon, aren't the shippers gonna be disapointed? This may be a dumb question and your answers are always smart and well-articulated, but i seriously don't understand their marketing strategy, do you care to explain for me?

Oh, hey there! I appreciate all the love you've been leaving on my blogs lately. I really hope I'm able to give you an answer you're satisfied with. Sorry it took some time to get back to you. I hope this makes up for it. 🙏

I'm not gonna lie, I'm up and down about how I feel about that livestream and what it means for the future of this ship. My brain has been on roller coaster mode since basically the moment the sequel was announced. We're in the home stretch now, and we better get the answers WE WANT the second that sequel comes out. Since it's evidently not going to happen anytime sooner- welp!

Before the livestream aired, I really thought us fans were on the verge of discovering the mom and that it was going to be Rin. We still had hope she wasn't, but at the same time most of us antis were "bracing for impact." lol

Then nothing happened.

We were pretty shocked but obviously relieved. The days before it came out, I was telling others (as well as myself lol) that just because Sesshomaru and Rin's VAs had a livestream together doesn't confirm anything. Besides, why does that have to automatically mean that both pairings need to be romantic? We all know how integral these characters are/were to each other's storylines, so these pairings make the most logical sense, wouldn't you say?

In the previous livestream with the voice actors who play Inuyasha and Kagome, they discuss the new character Moroha and introduce her as Inuyasha AND Kagome's daughter. Now let's compare that to the other livestream with Sesshomaru and Rin's VAs. When they described Towa and Setsuna, they did so as Sesshomaru's daughters NOT Sesshomaru and Rin's daughters. That to me is the most telling piece of evidence.

Like how could they not use that prime opportunity to tell us Rin's the mom when her voice actor was literally sitting right there??! We were all expecting it and they still insisted on giving us nothing! What this tells me is that it's possible this mom is a new character, and it even appears she is quite pivotal to the new series. I keep changing my opinion on that part though to be honest with you, because sometimes I think she won't be important at all in the grand scheme of things. (See what I mean about being up and down? lol) Idk about you, but it seems to me like we haven't even met her character. If it was Rin, why keep it a mystery? It's not like Sessrin's popularity is exactly a secret in this fandom. Why wait until the big reveal if it's "so obvious" in the first place? How does Sunrise benefit from hiding this information?

If it does end up being Rin, it would've been better to just come out and say it. If this ain't just pure fanbait like some of us still hope it is, why hold back? Give 'em what they want already and let us antis be at peace. If they hope to think that I'll change my mind and give this sequel a go just because I've waited this long so might as well, they're sorely mistaken. If anything, I'm going to be pissed they kept us in the dark this long when they could've just saved us all the trouble. I imagine that goes for a lot of us, shippers and antis alike. Whatever way you look at it, I won't be invested in this sequel if Sessrin goes canon- period. I cannot and will not be on board with a series that promotes such a harmful and insulting dynamic.

Which brings us to Sunrise's marketing strategy. Well, I definitely think they have been catering to the fans of this ship for quite some time now. Because, ya know, money. Whether that's because they plan to make this ship canon or not remains to be seen. "Show meee the moneeeeyyyy!" *yells in Jerry Maguire*

There was first the drama cd and more recently that calendar which included art of adult!Rin with Sesshomaru, but neither of those are canon first off. Also, does anyone know if it was actually confirmed to be pro-Sessrin fan art? I mean, I know it doesn't look very good when the artist who made it is a Sessrin shipper and certain fans are fawning over their OTP, but that doesn't necessarily mean the calender automatically is either last I checked. I wonder why it can't simply be Rin as an adult visiting with Sesshomaru. I believe in one picture she's seen giving him a flower, much like little Rin would've done, or just as any child does for a loved one. So if Rin is still bringing him flowers as an adult, I would assume that means their relationship dynamic hasn't changed at all. That's what's supposed to happen, too! If an adult's relationship was established with another person while they were just a child, then that adult will always view them as a child no matter what and vice versa. Even when those children become grown-ups, that won't change. That's just how things are, or how they're supposed to be rather. In other words, a normal healthy adult-child bond does not resemble one like Sessrin.

Both Sessrin fans and antis agree there haven't been any romantic implications between Sesshomaru and Rin in the original series. That's why I can't understand for the life of me why we're even having this discussion. Alas, here we are. This is what happens when society has conditioned us to believe that the only proper (aka "best") way an adult male and a young female's closeness can evolve is with romance. So maybe it's not obvious at first (because that would be illegal), but we should EXPECT their relationship to shift in that direction. Why, you ask? Well, simply because sexualizing young girls is the norm so why not, right? No clues or foreshadowing required! Because like I just said, that would be illegal. Fiction has loopholes for this kinda stuff, so problem solved?

Nope! Aging her up counts too, folks! When you look at a girl character and the first thing you think is, "I can't wait till she grows up so she can f*ck" then, yeah, you're a part of the problem. You may not realize it, but you are. That's not to say you're a bad person or that it's even your fault, just saying that there are times in all of our lives where we start to question some of our beliefs. If you not only support but desire the idea of a romance eventually forming between a grown man- yes, 19 is an adult- and a young girl, then you should probably ask yourself why that may be and re-evaluate. Please stop using cultural differences and history that dates back almost a thousand years to justify this so-called tradition.

"You all shouldn't think too deeply about this, it's just fiction! Ugh, you're ruining the fun! Antis should all just shut up! Only we can have problems, but when you do it's just complaining!"

Right....

And by the way, most of us are not even complaining. We're being critical of the content we're watching. Criticism isn't always pretty unfortunately.

If Sunrise and Rumiko do decide to go through with this, then I will disappointed, sure, but not surprised. Romanticizing these sexualized images of young or pre-pubescent girls has been happening for far too long, after all. We've become desensitized to it sadly enough, especially when the media continues to glorify it. I wish we'd realize how many young girls- or minors in general- we're putting in danger by sending messages such as this.

To you young teenage girls and even boys reading this, you may not fully understand right now, but it's never okay for anyone to tell you that your body being sexualized is a natural and beautiful thing. It's going through through a lot changes at your age, yes, but they should never use your curiosity to satisfy their sexual needs. Don't allow some of these stories to be an example of what is acceptable to occur in your own life if you were ever to encounter a similar situation, especially if fiction is all that you have to compare it to. It is not in any way, shape, or form okay for an adult to say or do sexual/romantic things to you. Even a conversation that may seem harmless at first could have dire consequences. No, not even if you trust them and they're one of your favorite people in this world are these things ever appropriate. What they're asking from you or showing you is dangerous, and even if it doesn't seem like it they are very likely taking advantage of you. If you're ever unsure about something, don't hesitate to come to me. Or maybe you have a loved one that you can go to, that works too. 😊

Idk if I even gave you a definite answer, but perhaps it's because I'm still figuring it out myself. If I ever do, ha! I hope by allowing you to get inside my head for a little bit you got a better idea. Or maybe not, and I just made it more confusing for you. Oops! lol Feel free to hit me up again, dear, and have a nice day/night!! 👋

[angelofbenignmalevolence]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Thunderbirds Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Scott Tracy, Virgil Tracy, John Tracy, Gordon Tracy, Alan Tracy, Grandma Tracy, Brains (Thunderbirds) Additional Tags: Dungeons and Dragons, Game Night, Fluff, Humor Series: Part 4 of IR Relief 2020 Ficlets Summary:

A massive storm has grounded the Thunderbirds and the boys are bored. When the power goes out, Alan decides to bring his family together for a rousing game night featuring Dungeons and Dragons!

“Any younger brother teaching Scott something he doesn’t know” submitted as a prompt by @tsarinatorment for International Rescue & Relief (https://nutty.gumnut.net/irrelief/). If the reception to this is good and I continue, there may also be a hint of "Here be Dragons" as a prompt as well. Hope that a two for one is acceptable!! :D

---------------------------------------

This was not your average storm. This storm had been building in power for days and it was one of the very few times that International Rescue had been grounded due to hazardous weather conditions. If they couldn’t safely get the birds in the air, they couldn’t rescue anyone. Even John had come down from Thunderbird 5. If anything went wrong up there while the storm was passing over them, there would be no way to get in contact with Five, and after Scott had heard that communications had been wiped out in the areas that had already been in the storm’s wake, there had been no room for discussion.

This explained why the five Tracy brothers, Grandma Tracy, Brains, Kayo and Max were currently hunkered down in the bunker built under the island for just such occasions. John sat at the table, twisting a hologram of the Earth as he continued to monitor the path of the storm. As soon as it was safe to fly again, there was a very good chance that International Rescue would have their work cut out for them. Virgil sat in front of an easel in the corner, working on his latest masterpiece as he hummed softly to himself. These quiet moments of interlude were often the only opportunities he had to work on his art, and he made sure to take full advantage of them. Brains and Scott spoke in hushed tones about new research and development ideas moving forward. Kayo watched the room silently, her security instincts always on high alert. The Hood had gotten to Tracy Island once. She wouldn’t put it past him to try again under the cover of the big storm. Gordon and Alan sat at the table with Grandma Tracy, a deck of cards between them all.

“Read ‘em and weep boys,” Grandma said, laying out her cards on the table, eliciting groans from the two youngest of the Tracy brothers.

“That’s six games in a row!” Gordon groaned as Grandma Tracy moved the pile of chocolate candies they had been using as the betting pot over to her side of the table.

“What can I say?” she said with a smile as she began to shuffle the cards again. “Your grandfather used to be quite the card shark in his day and I learned to play cards with the best of them. Another round?” Alan pushed away from the table.

“I’m out, Grandma,” he said, moving over to one of the open couches and flopping back on the cushions. His eyes traced the lines on the ceiling. While he was always grateful for a brief respite of constant call outs, Alan was very easily bored. There were only so many card games, so much homework, and so much time sitting around waiting for something to do that he could handle. The storm had knocked out all server connections to his online game, so he didn’t even have his normal escape from boredom. He let out a sigh. Man, this blows. I wish there was something that we could all do together.

The room went dark. The sudden lack of humming from the lights and the quieting of the whir of Tracy Island’s innards was nearly deafening for a few brief moments. The only thing they could hear in the darkness was the distant whoosh of the storm that was currently buffeting the Island.

“What just happened?” Scott asked. Alan heard him getting to his feet in the inky darkness of the room.

“Looks like the power went out,” came Gordon’s voice, the ever-present mischief in his voice not dulled at all by the occurrence. Alan smiled as he swore he could almost hear Scott glaring into the darkness.

“Obviously,” Scott replied.

“The back-up generators should k-k-kick on anytime,” came Brains’ voice, followed by Max whirring as he moved across the floor to where Brains sat, unimpeded by the darkness. Kayo shifted uncomfortably as the several seconds it should have taken for the generator to kick on again stretched into a minute, and then more.

“The generator should have kicked on by now,” she said, all her security instincts on alert.

“It has been awhile since we’ve done a test on the generators down here. It’s p-possible that the redundant generator could have been knocked out as well,” Brains reasoned. The bunker was used so infrequently that the maintenance on the Thunderbirds often superseded the six-month checks on the equipment down on the bunker. And once it had been delayed, it was often forgotten in the hum and excitement of the near constant rescues.

“Maybe I should go check it out, just in case,” Kayo said, and there was the sound of her getting up off the wall. The sound of a chair scraping against the floor indicated that either Gordon or Grandma Tracy had gotten to their feet as well

“Are you crazy?” Gordon’s voice hadn’t moved, meaning the slow footsteps across the room belonged to their grandmother, which was confirmed with a soft oof and a couple muttered words. “It’s pitch black out there. And we don’t know about comms with all of our systems down.” There was the sound of a cupboard opening and some rustling.

“All the more reason for me to check and see why our power is down. If it’s a matter of the storm and there’s something that’s preventing the generator from working, we should know that,” she said. She didn’t voice her concerns that the Hood had infiltrated the Island again. A soft aha preceded a flash of light from the kitchen area as Grandma pulled out a battery powered LED lantern. After the momentary blindness from the suddenness of the light, the whole room was bathed in the muted blueish glow of the lantern. Grandma set it on the small counter and ducked into the cupboard again.

“I know we have a couple of these to spare,” she said. “I can send one along with you, Kayo,” she said, rifling through the cupboard.

“M-M-Max can go with you too. If it is a mechanical failure, he has been uploaded with the schematics of everything and can help you fix the problem,” Brains offered. Kayo nodded to him.

“Thank you, Brains,” she said. Grandma brought over another lantern to her and Kayo turned it on, moving to the door. “C’mon Max.” The little robot whirred happily at being given something to do and rolled away after Kayo. The clunk of the door echoed softly for a moment before the room was bathed in silence momentarily.

“Well,” Virgil said, getting up from where he was sitting in front of his easel. “I guess that’s me being done with painting for the time being. I have to let the layer dry anyway.” He plopped down on the couch next to Alan, moving his brother’s feet to make room for him.

“Yeah, I think that’s most of us being done for the time being,” Gordon lamented as he came over to join the rest of the family. “Not a whole lot to be done in the dark. Except, you know, ghost stories or whatever.” No one else seemed as enthused as Gordon about the idea of ghost stories, but the idea sent Alan’s mind churning. Maybe not ghost stories but…

Alan sat up, Virgil looking at him as Alan’s limbs flailed into a seated position on the couch. That’s a brilliant idea! Alan thought to himself. All I have to do is convince them it’s a good idea too.

“Everything ok, Al?” Virgil asked.

“What? Oh, yeah, everything’s fine,” Alan said. “I was just thinking…there is something that we can do while it’s dark and it would give everyone something to do.”

“Oh?” Gordon’s curiosity had been piqued.

“I’m listening,” Virgil said. Alan hesitated for a moment.

“Well, I was trolling the forums for Cavern Quest the other week and some of the older players were talking about an old school tabletop roleplaying game called Dungeons and Dragons and I was looking into it and it sounded really cool. It’s where you have this dungeon master and they start a story and the players are all a part of it and based on the decisions you make, the story changes and…” Alan started, his words almost blending together in excitement but as his brothers continued to stare at him, he began to trail off. Gordon’s face was the first to break into a smile.

“That sounds amazing! Count me in,” he said.

“Sure, I’m game,” Virgil was next to chime in after a short pause. “It’s better than sitting here in the half-light.” Alan’s eyes lit up. That was two of his brothers.

“Oh, why not.” Alan turned, a little surprised to hear his grandmother agreeing. “I played once or twice when I was in college. Don’t remember much of it but I’ll play. Brains will too.”

“I w-will?” he asked, but Grandma was already ushering him over to the table. Alan’s face broke out into a grin. He had expected to maybe get all of his brothers on board, but this…this was even better! He turned to his other two brothers. He turned puppy dog eyes on John, who sighed.

“If you can convince Scott to play, I’ll join in,” he said. Scott had little time to brace himself for the full force of Alan’s hopeful expression.

“Please, Scott? Pleeeeeeeeease??” Alan asked. Scott internally winced at how hopeful he sounded and how devastated he knew his brother would be if he didn’t agree.

“Al…I don’t know how to play...” Scott tried to sidestep the decision. His brothers were always the more creative ones, whether it was Virgil with his art, Gordon with his pranks, John with his inventions, or Alan, who had a five page backstory written up for his character on Cavern Quest. Scott was much more logic minded, rooted in numbers and systems. Alan was undeterred.

“I’ll teach you, Scott. It doesn’t take that long to get the hang of it. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease?” Alan asked again and Scott felt his resolve crumble.

“Alright, I’ll play,” he said and Scott was almost surprised that Alan didn’t launch himself into orbit with the excitement that exuded from him. He took Scott’s hand and dragged him over to the table, mirth in John’s eyes as he followed a bit more sedately. Alan bounced over to where Grandma had stocked a small cabinet full of games and dug around for some dice sets he knew were in the back behind all the boxes. He brought them over to the table and passed them around to everyone.”

“Ok…so first…let’s roll up characters!”

[theliterarywolf]

So... Let's talk about Hetalia. Controversies, Specifically.

Tagging @apply-force-too-begin since they’re the one who was interested.

Hetalia was one of my first big fandoms outside of 'The Big Three' anime (Naruto, Bleach, One Piece) and outside of video games (mostly whatever wee babby weeaboo me could get on the Gamecube).

And, you know what? It's a dumb, silly anime about stereotypes, poking fun at the absurdities of History, and one's relationships with clashing cultures. It's dumb... But, remember, we all need our daily thirty minutes of dumb. And some of the characters are cute.

And, you know what? Most of the most engaging aspects of the fandom were those who used the initial shallow splash of history that the anime gave them to actually research and make engaging, well-written, culturally-sensitive content.

Of course, I'm not going to ignore how... Over-the-top some members of the fandom have been. We've seen how, whenever recent political conflict or natural disaster have occurred, we have to remind younger members of the Hetalia fandom to not cutsiefy it with the Hetalia characters. Examples that come to mind are: when the conflict between Russia and Ukraine was surging up, kids kept trying to draw art of 'Russia just wants his big sister back~!', and the last major earthquake that hit Japan that had people making fanart of the Japan character which, while some was tasteful and was meant to bring awareness and donations for Disaster Relief, not... all of it was...

Hell, that’s not even bringing into account the last time I went to Anime Expo (way back during Hetalia’s hayday), I was walking around and saw a bunch of Russia and Baltic State cosplayers being interviewed by the news and the one dressed up in a USSR uniform was holding up a Communist flag and shouting ‘Whoo! SOVIET TAKEOVER!!’

However, one thing that I have noticed, while researching for this write-up, was this:

Most of the controversies and pieces of fandom-wank that have surrounded Hetalia and its fandom... Aside from one instance... Are the results of the Western-fandom and Western-localization of the anime  via Funimation.

Aside from one... Most of the issues surrounding Hetalia are due to the West and not even the source media in of itself.

So, with that in mind, let's talk about the main controversies of both Hetalia and its fanbase.

Controversy 1 – The South Korea Controversy/Protests

As I recently answered a question about this, so I'll just pull that answer for this segment:

'To summarize it: there’s a Hetalia character meant to represent South Korea. As every Hetalia character has a gag related to them (America gorges himself on fast food and constantly proclaims himself to be the Hero, Italy is cowardly, Germany is constantly angry, China constantly builds Chinatowns wherever he goes and sells bootleg merchandise, etc), so did S. Korea.

His gag was calling all the other Asian countries ‘big brother’ as well as groping the chests of male characters (China and Japan mostly), proclaiming ‘these mountains belong to South Korea, da ze!’

Of course, people would draw pictures of S. Korea doing his thing but one day during a meeting between a bunch of South Korean politicians and representatives, someone brought out a piece of fanart that depicted S. Korea groping Japan’s chest with the latter looking embarrassed and what not.

They interpreted the character as being an offensive, lecherous stereotype that was somehow belittling S. Korea’s worth as a country.

There were a bunch of small protests until, finally, Himaruya Hidekazu (the creator of Hetalia) just decided to say “you know what? Fine! I’m not getting rid of the character but he’ll never appear in the anime adaptation, okay?!’

So… Yeah! Fun times…'

Magnitude of Controversy – MAJOR

Like... In what universe is 'this meme hurt my feewings, we need to take VALUABLE TIME DURING GOVERNMENT FORUMS to talk about it RATHER THAN OTHER PRESSING ISSUES' a good response? And the fact that people took to the streets to protest? Come on, guys! There's so much more to worry about in this world...

Controversy 2 – Emperor Heliogabalus and Himaruya's 'Transgender Erasure'

There was a section of time where Himaruya Hidekazu, rather than focusing on the nation characters of the series, made chapters and updates about certain historical figures. They were all done for laughs while interspersing various bits of trivia and facts about them.

One of these updates centered around the Roman emperor Heliogabalus (or 'Elagabalus'). And this is where certain portions of this hellsite got soooooo upset...

You see, Himaruya titled the update centered on Heliogabalus as 'The Emperor Who Tried to Live as a Woman... Even Though He Was Really a Guy'.

Almost immediately people were typing up callout posts about how 'transphobic' Himaruya was for the title and 'how dare he misgender my precious trans baby~!' or 'this just goes to show how ignorant Japanese people are to Western history' and so many more, all because Himaruya didn't use out-and-out female pronouns for Heliogabalus.

Now. Mm, two things!

One! This was during the time when Himaruya had an open blog where, not only did he post pictures and updates about where in the world he was traveling and what he was researching, but it also had an inbox that was open for people to send insight to him.

So, if people were really incensed by this, you would think that they would use such a means to let a creator know 'hey, this is kind of problematic; can you edit it to show this information', right?

Right?

NO ONE tried to inform Himaruya of their upset; they literally didn't want an answer, they just wanted to be upset!

But, here's the kicker: the guy that all of these people were stanning for? Emperor Heliogabalus?

WASN'T FUCKING TRANS!!

The real Heliogabalus was a sadistic little shit who was connivingly put on the throne by his mother via a bunch of espionage and assassinations... Who, as thanks, had his own mother murdered once he was emperor. Other wonderful exploits of this 'icon' that tumblr kids decided to stan was:

Getting politicians and countrymen drunk and then, while they were passed out, brought in lions to kill and eat them

Deciding 'fuck Jupiter, Helios is my husbando – We're all going to worship him now!'

Completely wrecking Rome's monetary system

Promising favors to his lovers (whom he called his 'husbands' despite not making anything official) that strictly contradicted favors to his other lovers

And just generally being a hot mess

So... why were tumblr children so insistent on him being a transgender woman?

You ready for this?

Okay.

Because he occaisionally dressed in women's clothing and called his male lovers his 'husbands'.

Yeah.

One of the earliest case of tumblr children trying to ruin someone's life because they didn't follow their headcanons.

Magnitude of Controversy – Honestly, this was just fandom-wank. But it was one of the earlier instances of fandom brats using serious terms (transphobia) to justify being upset at a creator not following their headcanons.

Controversy 3 – The Passover Photoshoot

…

…

I'm sorry, just...

Everytime I remember or have to go over this one, I have to stop and reflect; maybe grab a drink.

…

Okay.

So, pretty early into the Western reaches of the Hetalia fandom, a group of friends and Hetalia fans decided to meet up together at a mall for a cosplay photoshoot.

Okay. Cool. Fine.

They were all dressed up as their favorite characters from the series! Germany, Austria, Hungary, P-Prussia, Holy... Roman Empire...

Ahem. Okay. Cool. Fine.

So, they get to the mall and start taking pictures. But then someone in the group gets the amazing idea for everyone to do certain poses.

I... You know, why did I start this, I could have just not done thi--

Nazi salutes. You had a bunch of dumb kids dressed up as Germanic nations. Performing Nazi salutes and shouting 'Heil Hitler'.

Now, as bad as this was... you could have just drawn it out as shitty edgelord humor; we still have plenty of that going on today.

H-however. There were two factors that made this photoshoot 50 Shades of Tasteless.

Number one. This photoshoot took place during Passover.

And number two. The mall that this photoshoot took place at...

WAS JUST A HOP, SKIP, AND A JUMP FROM THE UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MUSEUM!!!

This is the one, THE ONE, instance where, anytime someone talks about 'lol, young Hetalia fans are so cringey', this is what pops into my head.

Those of us older members of the fandom can never fucking forget this. Yeah, the perpetrators were called out; yeah, they learned their lessons, yeah it opened up a conversation about appropriate behavior in fandom. But this one event will always remain as the big 'Ooh, baby, nooooo! What are you doing?!' moment in the fandom.

Even moreso than what the current batch of hatedum is about.

Magnitude of Controversy – Huge. The South Korea controversy was discussed on a governmental scale, but the Passover Photoshoot is what remains as the biggest mark on the fandom.

Controversy 4 - FUCKING FUNIMATION!!

Okay, I... 

This one is so infuriating because it’s the result of Funimation just not giving a DAMN.

So, Hetalia got popular enough to be localized! Yay... And it was going to be handled by Funimation. Yay... They do quality work... Sometimes.

*kicks the Black Butler dub into the sun*

So, they dubbed Hetalia. And, you know what? So many questionable decisions went into this fucking dub. 

You have Vic Mignogna! You! *clap* Have! *clap* Vic! *clap* Mignogna! You could have easily put him as one of the Axis characters or the Allied characters and you...

Don’t use him...

Until three seasons down the line...

And then you have him as Greece. 

A character who barely says anything.

... And this was WAY before the clusterfuck of KickVic, so they really had no excuse. 

Oh, also! For China, who is a main character, maybe we should have an actual voice-actor?

Pssh! Fuck that shit, let’s just have some random chick from accounting voice him. 

... They literally had some random-chick from accounting do an overly stereotypical Chinese accent and said ‘yeah, that’s fine; print!’

And she gave us such... wonderful line-reads as: during the Hetalia movie Paint It, White! --

“SUCK BALLS! I knew za fortune cookie today was bad ruck~!”

But as bad as the dub got sometimes (Oh God, I’m having war flashbacks of Russia...), the exchange from the dub that people constantly point to as ‘see! This show was antisemitic all along!’ were these: 

Exchange 1 - 

S. Italy/Romano - ‘Hey asshole, I have a surprise for you~!’

Germany - ‘What is it? Another Jew?’

And, you know what? As asinine and idiotic as that brief exchange was... 

IT WASN’T IN THE ORIGINAL MATERIAL!

Funimation, in their infinite wisdom, wrote that in and thought ‘yeah, that’s fine; print!’

So, there goes another issue of ‘problem that only existed because of the idiocy of a Western presence’.

Magnitude of Controversy - Well, people are still talking about it, despite it literally being because of Funimation’s laziness, so...

'Controversy' 5 – The Civil War fanart

So, this segment will be short because it doesn't even need to exist. But, you may have noticed an upsurge in people hating on the series again; even going so far as to raid Discord servers for fans of the series with gore.

Hell, I even scrolled past one person doing a 'call to arms' for people to spam any server that has to do with Hetalia as a big 'gotcha'.

And you wanna know where this fandom-wank started?

Someone on tumblr re-posted an old piece of... questionable chibi fanart of Confederate!America and Union!America. Union!America is hiding a slave woman behind him while shouting at Confederate!America to 'Pick your own damn cotton!'

(deep breath... okay)

And, while the art in of itself is... not great, the fact that it is an old piece of fanart and that someone posted it onto tumblr for the 'lol, look at this cringe' lolz, is what rallied some people to start shitting on fans of the show and raiding servers.

There also may have been some drama over on picrew by some teenage LGBT user lashing out at the whole 'stop spamming Picrew with gay shit' sentiment and then some edgelord over on this hellsite screencapping their game and talking about 'lol, of course it would be a cringey Hetalian to post some dumb shit like this; get off the site, queer' but, honestly, this last one, while being the reason why people are acting dumber than usual, is the most inconsequential.

Magnitude of the Controversy – It would be minimal at best, especially compared to the other ones in this write-up, but like I said, it does have some trickling into the current hatedumb.

So, yeah, here was my little write-up/mini-dive into the madness. You guys can let me know if you want more insight or if you have any questions, and I love you and buh-bye!

[jlf23tumble]

Fic rec anon here, and I'm blanking in the moment! I know you have a lot of recs and I love them all. Maybe your favourite AUs? Broadly speaking? Seeing some of them might help jog me into more specific categories ! xx

Gotcha, sort of like my prison rec list, only I like to think of it more in terms of what would I have on my phone to read when I’m bored and traveling, lol. Obvs, this sort of list is super hard, but having it focused on AUs kinda helps? At any rate, this isn’t a deep dive, it’s just my top level, so hopefully it’ll spark you. These are in no particular order, so come back if you want more!

Tuxedo Dress-Up, by Blake (honestly, ANYTHING in this fandom by Blake, I file this one under hot and hilarious, but every line is just swooooon). Louis is an aspiring song writer by day, a makeup artist for drag queens by night, and masquerading as a full-time real estate agent for his third most famous (and first most handsome) client Harry Styles.Or, five times they fail to fuck in a closet, and one time they get it right.

Once Upon a Dream, by objectlesson (again, ANYTHING by Phoenix, and most of it is canon, but where to even start with her AUs, jesus god, I struggled to rec just one, so I went with the AU she gifted me, ilu!!!!). “M’not gonna half-ass our fake relationship,” Louis almost snaps, voice sharp with a defensive edge, like Harry wandered too close to a bruise with needy fingers. “Now kiss me again. We’re gonna make every shitty tourist here wish they had stayed in the Midwest. We’re gonna burn Disneyland down with our gay.” Or, a fake dating AU where everyone is lying and they happen to be at the Happiest Place on Earth.

knock knock, i love you, by @thelovejandles aka beautlouis (another one of my fave authors in this fandom, proof that wips DO finish, and they’re absolutely worth it). Harry and Louis get kicked out of a statistics exam for passing a knock knock joke note, and subsequently fall in love. Harry's a virgin, there's a cat, a hot cocoa date, a lot of sex, even more knock knock jokes, and everything is lovely and happy.

Tied Down, by @ham-palpert (the twists and turns here, my goddd, just masterful) The most interesting case in Liam and Niall's careers falls directly into their laps, courtesy of an epic fuck-up of one Harry Styles, partner to the almost-infamous drug dealer Louis Tomlinson. The investigation yields an unexpected yet satisfactory outcome for Liam and Niall. For Harry and Louis, however, things are far more complicated.

Alien Roadtrip! by @helloamhere (needs ao3 account; I love desert roadtrips, and this captures that vibe perfectly, plus it’s hilarious). For the first time in his life, Louis doesn’t know where he’s going. Harry doesn’t mind. Or, a roadtrip with desert feelings, too much snack food, and empty motels. Harry is definitely absolutely not an alien. That would be ridiculous.

Harry Styles Cooks..., by @magicalrocketships aka sunsetsmog (aka the very best wip on earth, I weep with joy whenever I get the notif). In which Louis Tomlinson can’t cook, there’s a very special shower curtain, and Harry Styles used to be a baker. Or Louis owns all of Harry Styles’ cookbooks, and he never intends to cook a single thing out of any of them.

just call me inspiration, by @hereforlou (in which I *am* Liam Payne, porn editor!) The truth is Louis knows he’s going to hell, if there is such a thing, but it isn’t because he writes erotic fiction for a living. If anything, it’s because his muse, the reason he’s inspired to write about people shagging in increasingly creative ways everyday, is the sweetest, loveliest, most genuine (and completely oblivious) future children-book illustrator in the world.

Buried Like Treasure, by @becomeawendybird aka quickedween (marcel marcel marcel!!!). Prince Harry Styles is very private. He chooses to keep himself out of the public eye but feels lonely and isolated while surrounded by people in his hectic royal life. When he finishes his dissertation, he decides to take a solo holiday to one of the royal family's properties in the Swiss Alps. Semi-retired thief Louis Tomlinson has been pulled in for one last job: steal a painting from an uninhabited mansion. Neither one of them expects a natural disaster.

into another serotonin overflow, by @mercutionotromeo (this story packs a LOT into a little, it helped inspire my sideblog with smaller fic recs, actually). Harry's the yearbook photographer who's been assigned to take pictures of Louis, the new captain of the football team. Harry's got a massive, obvious crush on Louis and somehow, Louis feels the same way.

Turning Page, by @daisyharry aka purpledaisy (pretty much every on-set picture I see of Harry these days just makes me tag it for this fic). “You wanna buy Harry a drink?” Louis lets his eyes drip back to Harry, to his wide eyes and the way his shoulders curve down. He really is pretty – Louis will be the first one to admit it and the last one to ever say it out loud. Louis almost smirks and his lips twitch as he tilts his head, “Not particularly, no.” An AU where Harry Styles tries to get lost in a place he’s never been. Louis Tomlinson has been perfecting the art of being lost for years. What they don’t expect to find is each other.

hush. by wankerville (this story is achingly evocative of just about every shitty small American town, but my god is it beautiful, the sweetness of how it ends). “I don't like you like that, Harry.” “See,” Harry starts, Louis can hear the smile in his voice, “that's where I think you're lying.” Or an AU where small towns suck, louis is losing it, and harry’s just too perfect.

Three French Hems, by @gloriaandrews and @100percentsassy (I wish I could pick just ONE of my top three from these two, but alas...do persimmons smell like come? discuss).  In which Louis is a designer at Burberry and Harry spends December wearing Lanvin… and Lanvin… and Lanvin.

Thought the Song Was Sung, by @gloriaandrews and @100percentsassy (see above, pretty much, and how happy I am that the tweets still show up! with Dame Julie Andrews even!!). Louis never auditioned for the X-Factor. Years later, Harry's just another gay ex-boybander who lives alone with his cat... until Niall decides to take matters into his own hands and set up a profile for Harry on a dating website.

Wild and Unruly, by @gloriaandrews and @100percentsassy (Iconic, even the abstract is iconic, everything still holds up. oh for cute, etc. etc.). Harry is a cowboy sitting on the biggest oil reservoir in Wyoming, and Louis is the paralegal assigned to pressure him into selling his land.

Are You Gonna Be My Girl? by loadedgunn (another one that inspired my sideblog dedicated to short fics! So much greatness packed in, Jesus, it’s in my top five for sure). Louis reenacts his first time, and Harry wants to be his good girl.

“burn this flame” by @rainbowninja aka rainbowninja167 (anytime I reread this, I smile...filed under hot and hilarious). When Harry gets invited to play in a celebrity charity match with Louis Tomlinson, Manchester United's star player, he's determined to impress him with brilliant football skills. The only flaw in Harry's otherwise foolproof plan? He has absolutely no football skills, brilliant or otherwise.

Challenging Nature: A Look into Male Lactation, by @jaerie (hands down, one of my fave kinks, handled fantastically well...and this isn’t the author’s only one!).  Even taking into account all the bizarre things Harry has subjected himself to in the past for the sake of an article, Harry has received his strangest assignment yet. It comes up as a random misunderstanding in a meeting and builds into a conversation — can men breastfeed? Internet searches reveal documented cases of male lactation popping up at different times throughout history, but are any of them true? Can a man will himself into lactating? Harry has two months to make it happen.

like how your hands feel me up and down, by ballsdeepinjesus (this author wrote a lot of my faves back in the day, I have so many ~thoughts about the amazing writers in this particular era). “It’s -- you’re tight,” Louis chokes. “It’s tight, I mean. It’s. Yes.” His hand is curved around his hip now, squeezing lightly. “Tight’s good, right?” Harry murmurs, batting his eyelashes. He almost can’t believe himself. “Very good,” Louis grunts. Or louis works in a halloween shop and harry needs a costume.

baby look what you've done to me, by ballsdeepinjesus (see above; even the username kills me). The next day kind of turns everything upside down, though. Louis gets another lingerie catalogue addressed to Harry. He’s about to toss it when he sees a personalized note stuck to the front; it thanks Harry for his previous purchases and offers him a complimentary six-month subscription to their magazine free of charge. Or louis moves into harry's old flat. harry gets a lot of mail.

Take Our Bodies Higher, by @littlelouishiccups (I’m something of a connoisseur of the phone sex trope, so the way this author flips it and makes *Harry* the operator plus what ensues? chef’s kiss!). Harry wasn’t often caught off guard at his job anymore. He called different men Sir, Master, or Daddy for work almost every week, but he’d never been told he was a good boy in a voice quite like that. In which Harry is a phone sex operator and Louis dials a wrong number.

Make a Dime Go One Hundred, by @screwstyles (I’d rec this for their jobs alone, but everything in it, just wow). “Do you think you could trust anyone enough to have full control over you?” he asks into the night, hoping his sentence won’t break their bubble. It doesn’t, if the way Harry’s eyes meet his is any indication.“What do you mean?” Harry’s voice is barely above a whisper, rough from the singing they had done earlier. Louis wants to keep this memory forever.“You know, if someone wanted to, uhm,” he coughs, “to tie you up, or blindfold you.” Or a friends to lovers AU where Harry volunteers to help Louis experiment with bondage. Things don’t go exactly to plan.

it ain't trickin' if ya got it, by sarcasticfluentry (needs ao3 account; I often stare at the wall and wonder what another installment in this universe would be, fuckkkkk, it’s so good, I only wish the social media was still in it). 28-year-old blockbuster actor Louis Tomlinson rushes home to give his 20-year-old model boyfriend Harry a good seeing-to after a particularly provocative Instagram post and, in his excitement, alerts the entire world. Featuring daddy kink, anal beads, and feelings.

If You Asked Me if I Love Him (I'd Lie), by allyasavedtheday (needs an ao3 account; it’s a sequel, but I reread it over and over vs. the first piece).  Or the one where Harry and Louis eloped but neglected to mention it to anyone. Meanwhile Lottie is getting married and the only way for them to not steal her thunder is by pretending they're just friends for the weekend. Featuring Harry and Louis as terrible liars who don't know the meaning of the word platonic and some Tomlinsons and Styleses who definitely don't believe them.

Damn, I could go on, but I’ll stop! My sideblog dedicated to short fics is @marathonficbreak, and it has some smaller ones, if this is too intimidating, lmao...hope some of them are new for you, enjoy!

[snkpolls]

SnK S3E06 Poll Results (Manga Reader Version)

The poll closed with 490 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that this is the results of the manga reader poll. Anime only watchers are suggested not to read if you do not wish to be spoiled about certain events! Anime only viewers, click here to view your poll results!

NOTE: Another week, a few more mess ups and overlooked things. Upon realizing that we are rushing ourselves a bit too much and the poll dropping in quality is the unfortunate side effect, we will be moving the poll to Tuesdays from this point forward. This will allow us more time to see what others are discussing, think up questions, make sure we’ve touched on all of the important points, and to proofread more thoroughly before publishing. Thank you for being patient with us throughout this whole process! We apologize for our mess ups over the last couple of weeks.

RATE THE EPISODE 478 Responses

Overall the episode got high rankings and positive reviews!

I loved it, just wish they had given the Grisha vs Frieda segment more time and fully animated it rather than show it in flashes and stills. Though it wouldn't surprise me if they do later when we get his full story.

It was awesome! I'm starting to enjoy this season more with each episode. I'm hyped for the action next episode.

the best episode so far

Once the uprising arc is done, this episode will definitely be included in my favorite episodes list.

I was skeptical at first of the changes they were making to Frieda's foreshadowing, but the sequencing of events in the episode made up for it! Everything flowed so smoothly, from Eren's memories to Historia's, introducing the concept of mindwipe immunity followed immediately by Kenny's old talk with his grandpa. Each point led right into the next.

This week's episode felt almost slow with the way it ended. I'm not complaining, although I feel the sting of all those missed moments that got cut off prior to this.

This episode was freaking awesome. I keep replaying the scene where Eren sees Grisha's memories. The whole sequence and the OST is amazing!!

When it comes to rating these last few eps, I keep second-guessing myself on how to rate them. On the one hand, they've been fairly faithful to the manga and the animation, as always, has been top notch. So in that aspect they are good and deserve a high rating. It's just that the Uprising arc is so incredibly dull to me, that I am also not exactly excited about these eps and probably will skip all of them on future rewatches. But the anime is not to blame for that.  ¯\_㋡_/¯

ep of the season so far

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING SCENES DID YOU ENJOY THE MOST? 485 Responses

Eren unlocking Grisha’s memories was the big moment of the episode, winning the majority vote. Followed closely is Historia unlocking her memories of Frieda, Rod’s retelling of Grisha’s attack and Kenny’s flashback to his talk with his grandpa.

I also enjoyed the Ackerman talk, it gives more significance to what’s to come in the future

OPENING SCENE WAS BOMB

I absolutely love Frieda! She was the greatest sister ever. Too bad she had to die so young. I liked her voice as well :) The scene with her and Historia symbolized peace, love and happiness, while the scenes in the crystal cave symbolized pain and sorrow. I liked that.

KENNYKENNYKENNYKENNYKENNY

Is it weird that I liked the Zacklay part more than the flashback? C:

My fav scene was when Mikasa and Levi were talking about Mikasa's past and their awaking of power

Really liked the focus on each character when Levi asked them if they were ready to get their hands dirty. They looked resolved.

The Ackertalk!!!!!!!!

ON A SCALE OF “I’D RATHER IT WAS DIFFERENT” TO “SAWANO IS A GENIUS!” HOW MUCH HAVE YOU BEEN ENJOYING THE SOUNDTRACK TO THE SEASON SO FAR? 482 Responses

As expected of Sawano! The majority of respondents are enjoying the music this season. A few think the picks could be better, however.

The OST in this season has been awesome.

To the music part: I haven't found a track that really stands out, I want something as good as youseebigttgirl

WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO EREN’S MEMORY SEQUENCE? 477 Responses

The majority of respondents were overall pleased with the way that Eren’s flashes of the altercation in the cave went down. A few would rather it have been different.

Frieda was beautiful and that's all I care about

I love the way wit did Eren's eyes during the flashback sequence. Honestly it made me feel more like dead

I loved it, some amazing voice acting with Erens scream at the end

While the fast flashes made total sense to me as a narrative choice I would have personally liked it better if it was Slower

Great paths depiction, mindblowing OST, not biggest fan of how they presented goblin Eren in just two still images

Pretty awesome. I don't like how Frieda's titan looks however, I thought that the manga design gave off a far more divine and powerful aura than the anime one, which honestly just looks like a regular titan with different eyes.

The P A T H S visuals were beautiful but I feel like the flashbacks themselves could have been done better. The RIP Grisha scene was practically still images when it could have been one of the most visceral and intense moments in the series. Idk I just found the flashbacks themselves very underwhelming

openly sobbing

Eren’s shocked expression while seeing those memories/listening to rod talk makes me feel bad for him all over again, but WIT also gave a lot of shots of his abs and back muscles *-* like, idk if I wanna hug him or fuck him

could've been much better. kid Eren screaming after realizing he ate his dad was heartbreaking though

HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT THE MECHANICS OF ZACKLEY’S “ART”? 479 Responses

It goes without saying that most respondents were put off by Zackley’s torture device, although there’s a sizable amount who did find it amusing. Generally speaking, most fans aren’t happy about the scene being included overall.

AoT will end, but Art will last forever

I HATE THE SHIT MACHINE!!!!!!

I cant believe we got the shit machine! Art is still alive!

I feel kinda tired of the whole shitmachine stuff. What is so special about some old, fat, ugly, nude, sweating dude who was forced to drink own piss? Why so many fans is obsessed with it? The episode had so many great moments - but almost everything I'm actually hearing about it this dumb shitbitchmachine.

I still fail to see what that machine added to this part of the story....

HOW DADDY IS ERWIN’S NEW HAIRDO? 480 Responses

Although there were mixed responses, overall the fandom is digging the new hairdo. Many even think Commander Handsome is looking even more dashing than before! ;)

Can we get more scenes with Erwin being Commander Handsome?

Erwin looks much younger now on my opinion XD

OMG ERWIIIIIIIIIN SO HOT

GRISHA’S EYES WERE GLOWING GREEN BEFORE HE ATE FRIEDA, AND THEY STARTED GLOWING PURPLE AFTERWARDS. DO YOU THINK THIS HAS ANY MEANING? 481 Responses

The overwhelming majority believe that the glowing eyes do have significant meaning. We covered this concept in more detail a few questions down!

Erens attack Titans eyes glow green too, I think it's just for effects

Yes, Frieda was not tasty and Grisha's stomach hort a lot after eating her

I didn't even noticed XD But I'm not sure if it has any meaning

Super saiyan

Frieda's eyes were purple during her Titan transformation. Grisha's eyes changing to the same colour after he ate Frieda, meant that he gained the Founding Titan power, gained Frieda's memories and the memories of the previous Founding Titan holders.

It could hardly be a slip of the hand in the animation department. They did it for a reason

The purple is the same as Frieda's Titan so it's likely because he came in contact with a Titan with Royal Blood and that changed his Titan's eye color

it's his magical girl transformation

WHICH TITAN WORE THEIR CHEST HAIR BETTER? 478 Responses

This was a close one! But ultimately Grisha inched just a few percentage points above Zeke. The commentary also reflects this and, frankly, we are a bit concerned. Are you guys okay?

Gaston ain't got nothing on Grisha Titan's chest hair.

Grisha's titan can spank me

Titan Grisha can mount me anytime.

WHEN FRIEDA READS HISTORIA THE FAIRY TALE, THE “GOOD GIRL” CHARACTER IS NAMED KRISTA. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS ADDITION?  478 Responses

It was a close split between excitement over seeing (or rather, being reminded) how Historia got the name “Krista” for her persona  and those who are questioning the validity of the name in the book. We also received plenty of snarky reminders that we overlooked the detail of this being mentioned in chapter 51. Perhaps it’s time for us to take a week off!  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I love how they’re differentiating the Marleyan legend from the Eldian one

I thought I was supposed to be Ymir, but I think it’s a really interesting addition to how Historia got the name Krista.

Since we know Rod gave her the name Krista, it felt kinda irrelevant. It also somehow implies that Krista's personality is the result of what remained in Historia's head from Frieda's preaching which I don't think was necessary to justify at all. Historia could've chosen to be the kind of girl Krista is by herself.

I love how, as time passed and memories changes, Ymir Fritz became Krista Lenz. And so, both Ymir and Historia got named by someone else after the same person. I love it.

It's not really an addition since her name appeared in the manga (at the beginning of chapter 51 when Historia goes crazy)

It did make things pretty confusing. I think that the government could've entirely changed the story of Ymir and the titan's and renamed Ymir in the books, and that's why she is now called Christa.

On one hand I think it's appropriate because the Reiss family didn't want Historia to know the Eldian history, yet I think the specific name of Krista wasn't a great decision because as I remember it, Rod was the one who made Historia take on the name Krista, so to suggest that Historia chose it because of that story is inconsistent.

‪Historia did say Krista was “a girl from a book she read as a child” in chapter 51, but learning in chapter 86 that the girl is Ymir Fritz led some people to believe that, back then, Historia was referring only to the girl's personality and not her name. The anime just clarified that in Frieda's book she is indeed named Krista, perhaps suggesting the story has different versions in Marley/the world and Paradis.‬

IT’S CONFIRMED THAT GRISHA’S AND FRIEDA’S TITANS HAD GLOWING EYES, SIMILAR TO THE PURE TITANS THAT THE COORDINATE CONTROLLED, DO YOU THINK THIS RELATES TO EREN’S EYES GLOWING IN LIBERIO? 466 Responses

As reflected above, most respondents believe that the glowing eyes do bear significance. 41% of voters believe that it’s indicative of the power of the titan taking over its host, while 32% believe the significance is something else. 16% of voters think it’s simply just a cool aesthetic effect. 

I don't understand anything any more

Woah I've not thought about that enough to give an answer!!

I have no fucking clue, this stuff is confusing.

I honestly just think those titans happen to have glowing eyes. Nothing more.

WHICH TRANSITION DID YOU LIKE BETTER? 479 Responses

70% loved the transition of Kenny looking into the knife and revealing his younger self. 

I truly love Kenny <3

Kenny is beautiful and the transition from younger to older Kenny in the reflection of his knife was my absolute favorite part of the entire episode.

Kenny was a highlight in this episode once again, I especially loved the flashback scene with him and grandpa Ackerman talking about family history after Levi and Mikasa's Ackertalk. The transition back to Levi was really unsubtle, though.

WHICH PV SCENE ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THE MOST? 482 Responses

Generally, the majority are most looking forward to the showdown between Squad Levi/Hange vs. the Interior MP Squad. About 31% of voters altogether are looking forward more to more Jaeger/Reiss focus, however! 

Can I vote again for Hange is a BAMF?

i honestly don't care at all about the interior MP v.s squad levi fight. I just wanna get back to the reiss/jaeger action

Give me Levi yelling Hange's name or give me DEATH

can't wait for the next episode and the showdown!!!

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

Finally we arrived to my favorite part of this arc. Even though it doesn't have that much action as the other seasons, this is the part I love the most. Knowing how Eren got the Attack AND the Founding titans, Historia becoming the rightful queen of the walls, Levi's backstory, Kenny's dream and his friendship with Rod Reiss' brother, learning that there's a world outside of the walls by Keith Shadis; all of this until the fight against the collosal and armored titans back in Shignashina district and everybody discovering the sea.

Now I finally understand why Kenny killed so many MP officers. I used to believe he had done that for fun. Now I know he did that to protect his family. I really enjoyed the moments between him and his grandpa - it made me to feel how important the bloodline was for him.

I'm a bit disappointed that they made Frieda's titan hair black, I was hoping for it to be a lighter colour, and I preferred the lighter hair a bit more. But overall her titan form was pretty cool!

They left out the part where Kenny tells Rod he is looking for a bathroom because he has to go #2! ಠ_ಠ How could they skip that after they included the whole poop machine scene?! I also wasn’t sure how I felt about the girl being named Krista in the book being read to Historia. I thought that was supposed to be Ymir. Otherwise, the episode was superb.

Erwin is my husband and I love it when he goes into Commander Mode™. Also so not ready for more information about Levi’s childhood, and yet also I need to see Little Levi™ at the same time

FRIEDA WAS GREAT

Now that two big plot points are over (the overthrowing of the government and Grisha’s deed) and another one is under way, I can say this season is so underwhelming compared to the manga. There is no suspense, no feeling of satisfaction, no tension, because they cut too many parts in the beginning that hinted at future events (eren’s experiments for examples) and simplified characters’ moral struggles that i think are understandable only to us manga readers because “we know”. I think, for a story (the one of uprising) that relied on suspense so much, this lighting-fast, confusing pace just made every victory totally underwhelming. I’m left with a feeling of “oh...okay” and i am hating it because the Uprising Arc is my favorite manga Arc.

With this episode I'm back to being sad about how coldly Erwin is portrayed again, but I guess that is just the way it's going to be. I don't think anyone can be as successful of a leader as Erwin has been with such a cold and uncaring facade, so I'm just going to agree to disagree with Isayama and WIT how a character like Erwin should be portrayed. The only positive about the anime is how Erwin's developing depression is really hammered home in this and the previous episode. From the manga it was quite unclear to me how all that had happened, but now I can see the progression very clearly starting from Erwin's little talk with Zackley the Creepy Artist and continuing with Pixis' merciless opinion of Erwin and his gamble.

Yeah for all the flashbaCks! And omg Frieda!! I love her sooo much! I was looking forward to see her in this episode and I'm not disappointed at all! I just wanted to hug her and little Historia! ;-;

THOUGHTS ON EPISODE 5:

104th celebrating their freedom was dope

I really loved this episode because Erwin had his chance to shine for once. I especially loved the foreshadowing of what a huge mistake they might have just made with the coup d'état. And I loved seeing my second favourite commander, Nile, as well! He's been growing on me for a longer while now, but the anime is really reminding me how Nile has always been a sensible but kind person.

Episode was ok. The cinematography of the episode was rather lacking at points and without some of the conversations with Nile and Pixis, the confrontation is somewhat oversimplified.

The conversation between Erwin and Zackley broke my heart. Implying the two would have anything in common is outrageous, and Erwin's reaction to the comparison is the proof of it. Erwin was so human and vulnerable in that moment that I thought finally they did justice to his character.

EREN'S ABS WILL NEVER BE GOOD ENOUGH TO REPLACE ERWIN'S AND LEVI'S ABS!!! THAT'S THE WORST BETRAYAL EVER, WIT!!!!!

I like that there is more and more dialogue and information during the recent episodes!

i thought it was good. at the time i was sad the "do you remember your father's sin" reveal wasn't the cliffhanger but since it was the opening for this episode and it was amazing in my opinion i have no problems.

Eren is hot

Erwin=Daddy

That cliffhanger with Historia was great! I wonder if they'll be able to replicate the one in the manga where it looks like she's about to inject herself. It'll be disappointing if they don't.

The Hange monologue at the end, however, with Levi's input was really weird and it didn't make much sense to me how they could infer so many ""clues"" about the truth and the Reiss family from what Hange was telling. The same is true about Armin's sudden but oh so convenient musings about how Eren inherited his titan powers. It was clear foreshadowing, but really badly executed.

i was waiting for this question on ep 5 poll, thnks! Well my thought were "there's no way they'll animate the shit machine" and "I WANT MOAR LEVI"

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 468 Responses

We overlooked a platform this week, our apologies! 

Oi where's the 4chan option

Thank you again to everyone who participated. We’ll see you back on Tuesday! 

[twilightcitysky]

Hello and I’m really glad you wrote this, even though I can see it’s coming from a sad place. There are so many writers in the GO fandom who struggle with this, even though it’s rarely put into words as eloquently as you have done. It took vulnerability to express; thank you for taking that risk because I think what you said will resonate with a lot of other authors (including myself!).

Our fandom is awesome! It’s BUSY. There are a lot of creators making amazing stuff, both on the writing side and the art side. I feel super lucky for that… there’s more content than I could ever absorb if I tried, and I’m so happy that so many people love these idiots as much as I do and create such a wealth of fantasy scenarios in which to enjoy them.

But. If you’re not among the creators that everyone in the fandom knows and follows (every fandom- heck, every group of people larger than a dozen or so- does this; it’s a human thing), it can be hard to get noticed just because of the sheer volume or works being produced. The AO3 page for the fandom has probably 20-30 new fics every single day.

You’re NOT doing anything wrong, promise. I went and read What Is Asked, and What Is Needed just now, and it’s a complex, emotional, nuanced exploration of trauma recovery with some wonderful hurt/comfort. I enjoyed it very much and I plan to follow your work, op! It’s NOT you. It’s just a big (and wonderful! But big) fandom, and it’s more fragmented than it used to be when the show was new and there were fewer works that everyone was reading.

I totally get the feeling of wanting people to acknowledge what you’re writing. That a lot of the fun in writing for fandom is the engagement and the chance to discuss. That’s absolutely true, and I think people SHOULD say it. I’ll own that- I also get pretty bummed out if people don’t react to the things I post. I start wondering if I’m any good. But popularity in entertainment is not merit-based and never has been. I’ve read many amazingly well-written fics that didn’t “take off” and don’t many kudos/comments at all. You have to fight through that sense of imposter syndrome, keep creating (as long as it’s fun to do!), and have your own internal confidence in your work. The reactions of other people can’t be everything or you’re not going to enjoy writing. BUT let’s be honest… it is more fun to get more interaction when you post something. It just is.

That being said, here’s what’s helped me. I talk one on one to authors who write stuff I enjoy and seem like they want to engage (and anyone who wants to chat with me is always welcome!). I chat over discord with other writers and do my best to support them- which means not only comments and kudos, but also reblogs and recs on other platforms. Working on building up a group of people who like and appreciate each other’s stuff not only increases your engagement and hooks you up with awesome fics you might not otherwise have seen, but makes the creative process more fun from start to finish.

It’s okay to feel the way you feel. No one is above wanting their work to be acknowledged. And there’s nothing wrong with your writing. Come talk to me anytime ❤️.

I follow a lot of popular fanfic writers in my current fandom. I see them all freak out about each other's chapter updates, I see them reblog each other's fic links all the time, I see them all show up in each other's rec lists.

I'm trying to accept that I will never be one of them. Sometimes I'm okay with that. But sometimes, like now, it really hurts.

Idk, my little corner of fandom has felt real lonely as of late. It's super demotivating. It's like that whole tree-falls-in-a-forest metaphor: if someone writes a story and no one reads it, was it ever really written in the first place? Did it even mean anything? What was even the point of all my excitement if it's met with nothing?

Yes, yes, I write for myself, no creative work is ever wasted, insert encouraging platitude here. I know them all. And they're all falling flat for me right now. I don't just write for myself; if I did, I wouldn't bother sharing it with strangers on the internet. I also write—and write fanfic in particular as opposed to original fic—because I want to get really excited about something with other people, and have us all type in all caps to each other back and forth through comments. But lately...crickets.

I know some people are reading and commenting. The stats don't lie. But it feels so small right now and I'm just bummed out about it and feel disconnected to the rest of the fandom. I don't know what I'm doing wrong? But clearly it's something.

[ethanalter]

Comic-Con 2017: 20 Movie Panels You Won't Want to Miss

The heroes of the ‘Justice League’ assemble (Photo: Warner Bros.)

Perhaps thanks to a few high-profile film fizzles, this year’s San Diego Comic-Con isn’t quite as crowded with major movie panels as past editions have been. Some big studios — including Paramount, Universal, and Lionsgate — notably are playing hooky over Comic-Con weekend, which runs from July 20-23. That said, there are still plenty of film-related events to thrill movie freaks and geeks. Here are our picks of the 20 can’t-miss film panels at Comic-Con 2017.

THE BIG THREE

The Avengers assembled at D23 Expo (Photo: Disney)

Marvel Studios Expect an infinity (war) of Marvel heroes as Kevin Feige anchors the studio’s annual all-star panel. That Avengers trailer that played exclusively for D23 audiences will likely get a re-airing — and maybe a public release? — with perhaps a bonus scene or two to make the SDCC crowd feel special. There’s also sure to be more glimpses at Black Panther and Ant-Man and the Wasp, and maybe even our first official look at Brie Larson in her Captain Marvel uniform. (Saturday, July 22, 5:30pm-7:00pm, Hall H)

Wonder Woman takes point in ‘Justice League’ (Photo: Warner Bros.)

Warner Bros. Pictures Presentation All eyes will be on new trailers and/or fresh footage from Aquaman and Justice League — along with new clues about Ben Affleck‘s solo Batman movie directed by Matt Reeves, and the next Wonder Woman adventure. But there’s more, much more, to Warner Bros. than the DC Extended Universe. The studio also will be presenting footage from Steven Spielberg‘s highly anticipated adaptation of Ready Player One as well as Denis Villeneuve‘s Blade Runner 2049. Expect updates on the second Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, as well as the Pacific Rim sequel, now with more John Boyega! (Saturday, July 22, 11:30am-1:30pm, Hall H)

Logan (Hugh Jackman) and Caliban (Stephen Merchant) in Logan. (Photo: Ben Rothstein/Fox)

20th Century Fox Wolverine may be gone, but the X-Men film franchise will definitely live on. Expect Fox to reveal details and footage about upcoming franchise installments New Mutants, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, and, of course, Deadpool 2. Perhaps we’ll also get a status update on the future of the dormant Fantastic Four franchise given that — as we learned at D23 — Marvel’s First Family isn’t headed to the MCU anytime soon. (Thursday, July 20, 11:00am-12:00pm, Hall H)

BATMAN

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm: Remastered and Ready for Blu-Ray (Warner Bros.) The best Batman movie you’ve probably never seen, Mask of the Phantasm began its life as a direct-to-DVD spin-off of the beloved Batman: The Animated Series (which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year), but thankfully received a theatrical upgrade. Like the series, Phantasm is distinguished from its Bat-brethren by gorgeously Gothic animation and surprisingly sophisticated storytelling. The movie will look even better in its long-overdue Blu-ray release, available July 25. Hear all about Phantasm‘s origin, and legacy, from the project’s dynamic duo Bruce Timm and Kevin Conroy. (Thursday, July 20, 4:15pm-5:15pm, Room 6A)

Watch the ‘Batman: Mask of the Phantasm’ trailer below

DC Universe Original Movies 10th Anniversary (Warner Bros.) After a few false starts, the DC Extended Universe is finally flowering with this year’s box office smash, Wonder Woman. DC’s animated realm, on the other hand, is doing just fine, thank you very much. For 10 years now, Warner Bros. has been releasing direct-to-DVD animated adaptations of popular graphic novels and comic book storylines, from Justice League: The New Frontier to Batman: The Killing Joke. (Look for a comprehensive box set collecting every previously released title later this fall.) For a 10th anniversary present, the studio invites luminaries like Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett, and Kevin Conroy — the longtime voice of the animated Batman — to discuss DC’s animated legacy. (Thursday, July 20, 2:15pm-3:15pm, Room 6BCF)

World Premiere of Batman and Harley Quinn (Warner Bros.) The Dynamic Duo of the Dark Knight and the Maid of Mischief go on a road trip to find Harley’s best bud, Poison Ivy, and get tangled up with Swamp Thing and the Floronic Man along the way. Kevin Conroy reprises his role as Batman, while The Big Bang Theory‘s Melissa Rauch becomes the latest voice of Harley under the direction of DC animated universe mainstay, Bruce Timm. (Friday, July 21, 7:00pm-9:00pm, Ballroom 20; Encore screening at 9pm)

UPCOMING MOVIES

Will Smith in ‘Bright’ (Photo: Netflix)

Bright and Death Note (Netflix) Netflix is getting into the blockbuster business in a big way with Bright, a fantasy-laced action film from Suicide Squad collaborators David Ayer and Will Smith. Both Smith and Ayer will be on hand to screen footage (and dodge questions about what happened behind the scenes on Squad) flanked by co-stars Joel Edgerton, Noomi Rapace, Lucy Fry, and Édgar Ramírez. The streaming service is also presenting scenes from its controversial Japanese manga adaptation, Death Note, which has already encountered some of the same “whitewashing” complaints that hit the live-action Ghost in the Shell. (Thursday, July 20, 3:15pm-4:30pm, Hall H)

Entertainment Weekly’s Women Who Kick Ass: Icon Edition with Atomic Blonde‘s Charlize Theron The star of the new Atomic Blonde takes the Hall H stage to answer questions about her newfound status as one of our best action heroines. If we’re lucky, maybe she’ll provide a live demonstration of her martial arts skills. (Saturday July 22, 2:00pm-2:45pm, Hall H)

The LEGO Ninjago Movie (Warner Bros.) The popular Cartoon Network series joins the larger Lego Cinematic Universe with a new voiceover cast — including Dave Franco, Jackie Chan, Kumail Nanjiani, and Justin Theroux — who will be present to screen footage and demonstrate their mastery of Spinjitzu. Ask your kids what that means. (Thursday, July 20, 6:45pm-7:45pm, Room 6A)

Wonderstruck (Amazon Studios) A hit at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, Todd Haynes‘s new drama takes the iconoclastic director into new territory: young adult fiction. Based on the book by Brian Selznick, Wonderstruck follows two youthful runaways in two different time periods. While Haynes won’t be present, Selznick — whose award-winning 2007 novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, was previously brought to the big screen by Martin Scorsese as Hugo — will provide sure-to-be fascinating accounts of its adaptation and production. (Thursday, July 20, 11:00am-12:00pm, Room 5AB)

Brigsby Bear (Sony Pictures Classics) Kyle Mooney becomes the latest Saturday Night Live star to try his hand at feature film stardom courtesy of this offbeat Sundance favorite. Made in close collaboration with his comedy troupe, Good Neighbor — which includes director Dave McCary and SNL co-star, Beck Bennett — Brigsby Bear casts Mooney as a victim of kidnapping as a child, who is finally freed as an adult and experiences a rough re-entry to the real world. Members of Good Neighbor and their SNL kin The Lonely Island (which produced the movie) will be on hand to present footage and provide presumably hilarious answers to audience questions. (Thursday, July 20, 12:45pm-1:45pm, Hall H)

STAR WARS

Carrie Fisher in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ (Photo: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Lucasfilm Ltd.)

Princess Leia Star Wars Fan Club Tribute Presentation The dearly departed Carrie Fisher officially achieved Disney Legend status at D23. Now, the SDCC Star Wars faithful pay their respects to the fallen General with a sure-to-be-emotional farewell hosted by nationally recognized fan clubs such as Rebel Legion, Mandalorian Mercs, R2 Builders, and the 501st Legion. Show up to raise your lightsaber in salute. (Sunday, July 23, 10:00am-11:00am, Room 6DE)

An early ‘Star Wars’ Comic Con presentation (Photo: geektyrant.com)

Star Wars and Fandom: The Early Years Rewind the clock to 1976 when visitors to SDCC got their first glimpses of a sci-fi adventure called Star Wars, directed by the guy best known for American Graffiti. Former Lucasfilm fan relations director Craig Miller recounts those early close encounters between fandom and that galaxy far, far away with rare photos and press materials. (Friday, July 21, 4:00pm-5:00pm, Room 7AB)

HORROR AND MONSTERS

Reinventing Horror: What’s Next in Film and Comics! With the passing of scary movie masters like George Romero and Herschell Gordon Lewis, it’s important to continue cultivating a new generation of frightfully great horror directors. Several of the newest, and most talented, kids on the block will be at this panel, including Oz Perkins, whose chilling debut film, The Blackcoat’s Daughter, made Yahoo Movies’ list of 2017’s best movies so far; Roxanne Benjamin, part of the quartet that directed the Sundance-approved anthology feature, XX; and the Spierig Brothers, who will be re-launching the Saw franchise with Jigsaw, due in theaters on Oct. 27. (Friday, July, 21, 5:00pm-6:00pm, Room 23ABC)

Warner Archives Monsters From Hell It’s like Mystery Science Theater 3000 without the irony! Come celebrate cheesy monster movies from Hollywood’s B-movie golden age with other like-minded creature feature fans. When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, Demon Seed, and From Hell It Came are only some of the classically campy titles on the menu. (Saturday, July 22, 11:30am-12:30pm, Room 5AB)

Troma Entertainment If you love Guardians of the Galaxy, you have Troma to thank. This proud purveyor of silly schlock like The Toxic Avenger and Class of Nuke ‘Em High was the first studio to recognize the demented genius of writer/director James Gunn, setting him on the long and winding road that led to Marvel Studios. Troma’s flamboyant founder, Lloyd Kaufman (who had a cameo in the first Guardians) brings fans up to speed on the studio’s upcoming productions, including Return to Return to Nuke ‘Em High at the Cannes Film Festival and an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. (Saturday, July 22, 9:00pm-10:00pm, Room 23ABC)

BEST OF THE REST

Ghostbusters 101: A Ghostbusters Panel of Biblical Proportions! One year after Paul Feig’s underappreciated Ghostbusters reboot, Ivan Reitman is ready to talk about the franchise’s past, present, and future, with the help of the comic book license holders at IDW Publishing, Erik Burnham, Dan Schoening, and Tom Waltz. Expect Dan Aykroyd’s since-retracted criticisms to come up, as well as questions about whether Kate McKinnon will ever be able to reprise her scene-stealing role as Dr. Jillian Holtzmann. Memo to Reitman: cross whatever streams you have to in order to make a Holtzmann/Venkman meet-up a reality. (Thursday, July, 20, 10:15am-11:15am, Room 6DE)

1987: Greatest Geek Year Ever At Yahoo Movies, we have celebrated the Summer of ’86. Allow folks like Thor screenwriter Ashley E. Miller and Agent Carter co-EP Jose Molina to argue that 1987 is actually the greatest year ever for geeky movies. Considering that the ’87 release calendar includes The Princess Bride, Predator, and RoboCop, they have a very, very strong case. (Thursday, July 20, 3:00pm-4:00pm, Room 5AB)

The Genius of Animation: Cartoon Legends and Game Changers Speak Here’s a rare chance to hear about some of the pivotal moments in contemporary animation history from the men and women that experienced them firsthand. The line-up of panelists includes a healthy mix of veterans like legendary Disney journeyman, Floyd Norman — the first African-American animator hired at the studio when its founder, Walt Disney was still alive — as well as more recently discovered artists like Victoria Ying. (Friday, July, 21, 2:00pm-3:00pm, Room 23ABC)

Hollywood Location Scouts If you love to travel and have an eye for picking the perfect setting, you might want to consider “location scout” as your ideal career path. SDCC brings together six of the industry’s top scouts, among them Justice League‘s Scott Trimble and Logan‘s Shani Ornoa, who should have some fascinating stories to share about finding the best possible location for, say, a superhero brawl. (Friday, July 21, 1:00pm-2:00pm, Room 9)

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