#this isn't directed at a specific fandom btw

[inkyprince]

Can we please stop normalizing telling people to kys for liking things you might not like? Like... It's absolutely insane. The block button is right there... Theres blocks for tags even. Stop telling people to go die just because they don't share the same opinions.

I should also say this;

You're allowed to not like things, and that's okay! Not everything is for everyone! You are free to not want to interact with things or fandoms you don't like. I'm not saying we all have to get along. B/c that's near impossible.

Seriously. Stop telling each other to kys. Stop normalizing that shit. That's seriously not okay.

And people wonder why fandoms aren't fun anymore.

[sainteclectic]

and btw since I'm posting a lot of wholesoul content (intended as platonic but still), i do want to make it clear: my analysis of whole as a character is purely within the narrative of the story! while i am aware that behind the metaphors is whole is cj himself, that's never what i'm writing whole as in my work. basically I'm using the internal logic of the fiction (whole as viewed by the characters in the album) rather than the reason for the fiction existing (as a fictionalized version of chonny's mental state), just like i do with all the other characters. it's important to make that distinction when you're dealing with a piece of fiction so heavily based on the creator i think. I'll never use cj as a basis for how I write whole because I find that a little off putting tbh ^^;

basically I'm playing with touys. ok? play touys with me

[exoflash]

You know what. I genuinely find the view of villainous or morally grey characters in some fandom circles fascinating. More specifically, how fans of those characters are treated.

Note: i am NOT talking about meta, when a character does something crappy that's treated as perfectly okay. That's just bad writing. I'm solely talking about fandoms.

The MCU fandom is particularly guilty of this. There's a trend there where essentially, if you're a fan of a grey or villainous character, people will villainize said fans themselves and treat them as if they're saying "I think everything this character did is okay", rather than "I think this character is interesting from a writing standpoint", or even more common, "hehe. they're silly :3" Compare this to, say, the Doctor Who fandom, where people literally call the Master babygirl and scrimblo sckrunkle the third. Even though that character is arguably FAR more evil than, say, Wanda. Absolutely insane difference

Villains are written to be likable. Every character is technically written to be likable. It is not a thoughtcrime to like a fictional character, they are all pieces of a machine that function together. Liking a character does not equal justification of their actions.

Fandom needs to learn critical thinking and media analysis, desperately.

[meguchi512]

I wish I could explain this without sounding like a hater but yea I'm honestly kinda tired of the reductionist approach this fandom has to characterization, and it gets to the point where everyone feels comfortable completely mischaracterizing the mcs and nobody says anything because their fanon perception is just so widespread

and whenever someone mentions this people are like "so true!! mafuyu is not a depressed emo girl..." and yeah that needs to be addressed 100% but what if I said. akitoya

like some of you take these two guys specifically as either. "stupid ugly ginger x the prettiest princess ever yaoi" or an empty vessel to project yourself into (which I completely understand btw) but also. GOD I wish I could find an angst fic of them that isn't pure projection. I wish people would care more for their characters and their personal issues because it really is interesting

and about the first one, I honestly think that even if it was a joke initially some people really do see them like that now lmao. I came across some adult akty headcanons where they had a child and everything and there was just so much focus into making them into a "mom and dad" (NOT transfem) that it's like... wow some of you really are reinventing homophobia over here lol

to be clear I'm okay with transfem headcanons or even gay headcanons in which one character has a more "feminine role" in the relationship but like. the way some of you take an otherwise masc mlm relationship and try to fit it so tightly into heteronormative gender roles REALLY rubs me the wrong way

this is so messy but idc I should reiterate that this isn't directed at anyone and I've found some really cool people that characterize them well but there's just such an overwhelming amount of people who don't (especially on prsktt) that I think should be addressed

[gaoau]

i've been thinking a lot about Suo and i need it to stop, so i wanna analyse him a little bit and say things into the void. normally i like to psychoanalyse characters in fics but i've seen that side of the fandom and i do NOT wanna go there, so i'm saving myself by pulling the same thing i did with Nanao ig.

disclaimer: this isn't necessarily a theory about his backstory as much as it is what i personally wanna see happen. see, if i were writing him, i'd do very specific things that could go in various directions, but since i am not, unfortunately, writing him and he's not my character to fuck with, all i can do is yap. which, also, probably won't be very eloquent.

manga spoilers for literally the whole manga up to date btw.

i don't think we won't be getting a backstory on him, to be honest. with a character like him, yeah, the mystery is part of the charm, and having this much anticipation can suck ass if once the secret gets revealed, it doesn't stick the landing. but i doubt Nii Satoru doesn't have something planned for him. why would bro be leaving Suo's room illustration out of the fanbook if there wasn't something there to talk about? what is in his room to talk about? but that's not what this is about.

anyway i'm gonna be so fr Suo's built like a dog. he's clearly full of shit, and yknow, that's fine, good for him, but there are things that are so painfully obvious he's just straight up lying about. after his fight with Kanuma, which is deadass the first time we see him fight, he says he "doesn't usually get so emotional," which ?? shut the fuck up? that's not true.

i know a liar when i see one. we've seen him fight five times? six if i wanna be generous; in three of those he got crazy emotional (Kanuma, keel, and Endo), and just a tiny bit miffed with the gymnast guy idr his name fuck that freak. which, listen, to be fair, if someone touched a single hair on Nirei's head in front of me, real me too i'd kill a guy. but look me in the eye lil bro don't lie to me. real talk, though, he was more than ready to kill the keel dude, and was going to. he wanted to. he was shaking while Sakura held him back, don't play with me. he wasn't gonna stop just cause someone was interjecting.

bro was itching to kill, side-eyeing Sakura, spitting snark cause how's the hot-headed mf who jumps head-first into a brawl without a second thought staying more rational than him, the rational one? Sakura's talking to him the same way i talk to my dog after she tries to kill my cat. i'm ngl my dog has better self-restraint than this kid. he also just straight up xd's his way out of it? like "oh whoopsies! mb gang! i was just feeling silly goofy! 🤪" like he forgets he's not supposed to glare at people with murder in his eyes.

speaking of murder! this is where i want him to have killed someone before Bofurin. he's, like, 15? so there's not much time to work with, but the same way Kaji was going feral at idk 8 years old, i can see a world in which Suo actually went overboard when he was a younger kid. (i'm not saying this is what things are pointing at, but i want this to be the case. i would do this myself.)

he is emotional, i don't think that's up for debate. i understand why he gets so emotional and i do think it's very noble and cool and swag of him, that's a good person, somewhat, he cares about his friends and it pisses him off when they get hurt. i fuck with that. that's great, get him an ice cream (if he even eats fucking weirdo). but why are we acting like "i am chill ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ" when, clearly, that's not true?

here's where his teacher comes in. for how much grief i'm giving him, i don't think he's all lies at all. i don't think him liking Nirei and Sakura enough to not only speak highly of them, but also fuck a guy up for them, is a lie. i think he is as kind as Umemiya describes him to be, cause honestly, if Umemiya says someone is kind, then they probably are.

i don't think this is necessarily fake as much as i think it's borrowed. it's learned behaviour. it's teachings passed down to him by his teacher. it's discipline. it's not something that comes naturally to him, but it is something a person he respects and looks up to taught him, so he tries to live by it. he's very clearly been disciplined, probably got beaten into the ground by his teacher, got his ass handed to him again and again and again until he sharpened his reflexes and learned how to control himself in a fight.

he talks a lot about adulthood, talks a lot about maturing, talks a lot about self-control and whatnot. which, by the way, this is a child? lil bro you're fifteen go play on your switch idk. but i'd like to think this comes from someone telling him, "hey, what you did was not okay. you have a lot of strength and you're not an animal. use it wisely so you can one day grow into a proper adult." solely cause i want him to have killed someone. that's all i want.

i think it would make sense, really. how funny would it be if he was living similarly to Sakura? i've seen people headcanon him as a rich kid, but he lies a lot, and i wouldn't put it past him to be living in a sad, lonely one-room apartment. there's a billion ways things could be done with him. maybe his parents didn't care to try disciplining him, maybe he grew up with no parents at all. he has a short fuse, that's easy to tell, even if he acts like he's got everything under control. it's a very Suzuri type of situation, so maybe it's not the direction Nii Satoru is gonna take things, but one can dream.

as for the eyepatch, i haven't really thought much about it. the way i see things, he's gotta come from a neglectful background, so losing an eye would make sense. or maybe he did it himself, i'd love to see that (i would do that with a character like this if he was mine). if his eye is even missing at all, cause all things considered, it might be sort of just a way to give himself a handicap to remind himself not to go overboard.

which, circling back to the self-restraint thing, i like to think that's the reason he doesn't really use much excessive force. not to say he doesn't kick and punch, cause lil bro packs a mean punch, but he doesn't gravitate to hitting people. he's usually using his opponent's weight and momentum against them, which is why i was decently surprised when i saw him grab the keel dude and wind back to bash his face in. he's not violent, until he lets go of what little self-restraint he has, and then he is. it's values and principles that come from someone else telling him how to behave, except he still struggles to hold himself back.

to put it in simple terms, if he were my character, this is what i would do. i'd have him kill someone by going overboard as a kid, have him be taken in by this teacher, have him disciplined and clean his act up by beating his ass, and then have him parrot all these teachings at people he meets later. cause that's essentially what he's doing, he's just repeating things someone else told him. what does bro know about being an adult he doesn't even pay taxes go do your trig homework. but he tries, and you can tell he's trying, even if it doesn't come natural, he cares about his friends and he cares about becoming a better person, he's just a little too quick to snap.

you know what i mean? he cares about Nirei in particular, he loves Nirei, he tries to learn from Nirei. (guys i love Nirei i wont shut the fuck up). but fr, he's got that Nanao complex where he instigates things or sets things into motion and doesn't quite participate. he watches from the back, for better or for worse, but he doesn't necessarily involve himself in things. he keeps a distance. he feels like the other side to Sakura's coin sometimes, learning about people and how warm they actually are. he's all prim and proper and nonchalant, but he recognises he's no match for Sakura and maybe even Nirei. after all, it's always Nirei the one grabbing both of them by the arm and dragging them places.

he talks so big and maturely about not meddling too much with people who can't quite handle friendship yet, and then goes "!" when Nirei tells him "? fuck are you talking about? that's the more reason to teach Sakura about friendship." it's the look on his face after Nirei, despite Suo's long-winded and logical argument, goes to Kotoha and insists they help Sakura anyway. he's learning from Nirei too. also Nirei's crazy endearing so real me too but that's beside the point.

i don't think these parts of him are fake, but they might just be artificial. he's still integrating them into his own person and making them his, but he still slips here and there. he's not quite there yet. i hope he killed someone when he was 8yo. that's all thank you for reading thumbsup

[roboj0e]

Wade would bully Peter bc someone said he would and wrote it happening and bc y'all are so boring and annoying. Fanfiction isn't about what's canon or strictly in character thats why they're called transformative works. I think y'alls weird obsession with what's cannon while also trying to heavily police what and how ppl make fiction is honestly been the death of fandom and creativity.

There hasn't been a large scale cross over in fandom in years that either wasn't completely ironic or torn down by bullies that it fizzled out bc y'all don't know how to have fun. Even that recent debate over how sans would react to his brother death is further proof of y'all's lack of understanding of interpretation and fan works. Fanwork are supposed to exist in the reality of the fiction of the person who wrote it. NOT what IS the right interpretation bc there are NO right interpretation except for what is made canon which can be anything bc WE aren't the creators.

Who cares what happens in the comics. The comic themselves don't care what happens in other comic runs unless it's specifically meant to be a spin off/continuation.

Wade is SUPPOSED to be a morally ambiguous character. I know y'all have washed him of all the ambiguity bc ppl have told you that how ur supposed to approach fiction and y'all can not perceive a protag who might not be the best person who ur also NOT supposed to hate (god forbid a protag not have Jesus adjacent morality) but thats what he is. He'll do whatever anyone wrote him doing bc he's not real and also anything thats morally ambiguous or toxic bc that's one of his character traits and what was supposed to set him apparent from other heros he's not even a hero he's an antihero. I can not believe y'all are moralizing something as tame as bullying. Bullies making up with their victims happens in DISNEY movies now y'all tryna make that into some problematic take. OMG. And this is from someone who WAS bullied briefly until I learned how to fight and stand up for myself.

Thinking that someone who romanticizes something morally wrong couldn't have possibly been through that experience is the direct antithesis of fiction. It also makes no sense. Plenty of ppl write from experience but also sometimes turning it into a story in which they control how they interact with a bully does A LOT FOR REGAIN CONTROL OF THOSE NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES. STOP TRYING TO SUS OUT WHO HAS TRAUMA OR NOT. also STOP thinking that you are an authority of certain traumatic experiences you aren't every experiences are very VERY personal and the portrayal of those experiences should have NOTHING to do with yours bc there is NO way to encapsulate all lived experiences. And even if someone hasn't been bullied who cares again decenter yourself from a fictional scenario that should in now way be a representation of you bc u are not the center of the universe.

(THIS SECTION UNDERNEATH IS MY HEAD CANON U DONT HAVE TO TELL ME U DONT LIKE AGE GAPS IDC)

Secondly wade only wouldnt bully Peter TO ME bc I'm not a teenager in highschool like some of y'all and highschool fics don't interest me and wade to me shouldne even be in highschool and always be the much older one in the dynamic. They shouldnt even be near the same age for me. But whatever floats ur boat. You can do whatever you wan't but when y'all make these long posts telling OTHER ppl what they can and can't do OR how you think YOUR interpretation of the character is the most right your crossing a line frl.

Edit: I read both Deadpool and spiderman comics btw plus the very wonderful spiderman/Deadpool run. GASP I know someone who likes the source material but doesn't adhere strictly to it bc I actually have an imagination and like to have fun instead of kissing marvels feet and remaining in a narrow interpretation of a character. A rare breed I guess.

Edit edit: I also think alot of y'all have a very romcom take on spideypool. And thats definitely fine love my fair share of fluff. But I have a much more complicated take on them. Again I think an age gap compliments these complications. It adds to an imbalanced perspective of both of them towards each other. I'm also very uninterested in a spideypool that grow healthy together or peter "fixing" wade. I want them to overcomplicate their relationship but for it to also be a healthy balance of comedic and fun and hot monkey sex that keeps them interested in a less than perfect relationship. A sorta push and pull from both sides.

[gildedmuse]

Fandom rookie here. Could you please walk me through your Zoro/Law and Zoro/Ace HCs? Love your humor btw!

Ahhh! A little fandom greenhorn! So cute!

You have asked the wrong person the wrong question, newbie.

ZoLaw:

Zoro is from the East, and while he isn't use to Winter Island Cold, he naturally runs hot. Law is from the North and while he HATES being stuck on Summer Islands on hot days, he naturally runs cool. They balance each other beautifully when they share a bed.

Up in the North Blue, it's considered weak to admit that you're cold. Weaknesses gets people killed in the North Blue, so having someone imply you need an extra blanket is a direct insult to a person's ability to keep themselves and their loved ones alive. So obviously Law would never need the extra heat.... But he MAY find himself scooting closer to Zoro-ya on the chillier nights.

The handle of a katana isn't the only thing Zoro can talk around.

...

(Cock. He can talk around a mouth full of cock. And Law LOVES it. Its the only time he can stand one of the Strawhats yapping on).

Look, Law is scientifically minded and likes to believe he is very rational (that's open to debate). He's seen Zoro-ya in the sea and knows he doesn't have a devil's fruit. But sometimes it feels like he does. SPECIFICALLY, one that somehow manages to undo every single one of Law's plans. Because the problem certainly isn't in Law! His plans are complex and perfect. But anytime he comes up for one about how to, say, ask Zoro-ya out it always somehow manages to go terribly wrong. It MUST be a devil's fruit ability.

The first time Zoro actually properly asks Torao out, he first bows to and addresses Kikoku. Since it's imperative he has the curse blades permission to touch his master (especially with all the touching Zoro has planned).

Law doesn't get jealous. That's petty and below him

Law has personally threatened at least three shichibukai and one very (also highly annoying) horny yonko. Not because he was jealous, they just need to step off and stop looking at HIS Zoro-ya that way.

If you ask the boys when they started dating, you get VASTLY different answers. Law would argue that while he'd of course taken notices of the other Supernova back on Saboady, the boy then disappeared for two years and besides Law had a lot of plans that he needed to focus on and execute perfectly. They didn't really see each other again until after Punk Hazard and of course Law was very distracted until after Doflamingo..... Then the horrors they saw on Zou, though, admitedly he may have found himself distracted by Zoro-ya once or twice even at the time.... You know, he would say it was Wano. It was Wano when he realized what an idiot the other boy was, and how he absolutely needed Law on the ground watching after him or he would do something amazingly stupid like... Like listening to Law's plan for instance! When Zoro-ya endangering his life was CLEARLY not what Law intended! Yes, that is when Law decided this boy simply couldn't be considered safe unless Law is there to watch after him..... Also, it's sometimes nice when Zoro-ya looks after him as well.... SOMETIMES.

Zoro would say "Did you see Torao cut that island in half?" And that is all he has to say on the subject of when they started dating.

Law has noticed that Zoro-ya doesn't seem to pay much attention to what he wears, just picks up what is nearest and easiest and throws it on. On an unrelated note, Law has been "accidentally" making sure to strip down right by their bed, and leaving his shirts right there. His shirts with his jolly roger.

Nico Robin had to use not just her ability but her most Teacherly voice in order to separate Luffy and Law when Zoro shows up with the Heart Jolly Roger on his shirt. Law's smirking about it (while Zoro remained utterly confused through the entire fight) didn't help.

Zoro is super weak to people playing with his ear. This goes double when it's Torao and his stupid, sexy hands. He already wants to squirm whenever he watches Torao do that stupid switch-switch thing, but once Torao starts to sit closer and, even while reading his fingers seem to find their way to Zoro's earrings..... Twirl twirl twirl, TUG. Its enough to break Zoro's brain.

Historically, Northern denizens tended to have shorter and much more dangerous lifes compared to the relatively safe and stable East Blue, leading to them having a much different view of things like romance and marriage. That's part of why tattoos are so popular among North Blue denizens. However short your inevitably short life is, a tattoo is permanent. You can't change your mind or take it back. It's a way of wearing your loyalty.

Right behind his ear, the same side as his piercings, Zoro has a small black heart tattoo. He got it on their way up to Wano.

Usopp still doesn't understand how Zoro got lost on a submarine. He didn't see him for a whole four days! What's so funny, Robin.....

I actually have a number of HCs for these two that basically boil down to "Each Island should have its own culture, and by extension, each Blue should have its own culture the way each state has its own culture but the USA also has its own general culture." This can range from things like what I mentioned above, about North Blue having historically shorter lives due to the harsher environment or being more technologically advanced. But I also had smaller things like Law kissing Zoro-ya on the nose, since up North that was how you showed affection to family or younger friends and acquaintances. I also went the entire opposite direction of "smaller" and invented an entirely Shinto derived religion that's customs and kami differed based on the Blue.

I even came up with particular weather that happen almost strictly up North (Ice Storms which are incredibly deadly at sea and Black Mist, a yet unexplained phenomena that seems to choke the life out of any one who gets caught outside) and then wrote up an entire "Old North" mythology that explains the two phenomena and why they often follow each other even though one happens strictly on land and the other typically at sea. I pretty much full on created a whole religion and mythology and wrote individual stories just so Law could have a whole culture that belonged to HIS blue. The myth in question involved a human falling for a siren, and just like actual myths I created multiple retellings and versions where the characterization changed depending on the message the storyteller was trying to express. But in most every version the Siren, Isa, had green hair (because of course the North associates green hair with fertility; oh that's another thing, I created a whole sex profession hierarchy for the North Blue with the one common feature among different types of sex workers being they typically dyed their hair green, like that was a way to physically depict that you were fertile and later that you were, you know, open to being fertilized) and regardless of how they are depicted they end up turning into the shards of an Ice Storm either because they accidentally take human captain's life, do so and then regret their hunger, or are told they have killed them and in turn kill themselves. Law was told the latter version as a child and so always felt bad for Isa, who didn't know they were eating the captain's life force but the crew could have just told him and he would have left and instead because he is "different" they think it's better if he simply destroys himself. It's a character Law can both identify with but also see aspects of Zoro in; both his physical appearance which I'm sure to Law he just pictures Zoro now, but also in his loyalty and honor which aren't as important values up North which instead values survival and strength.

As you can see if I presented an accurate list of my HCs for these two, it would be insane and make no Earthly sense. I just really enjoy world building, especially when that world building leads to two hot sword boys pining after one another.

Oh, did I mention the whole "green hair = sex worker" association and just how personally All Hearts Law takes that when applied to his Zoro-ya?

Yeah.....

ZoBurn FistRo PortZoro

ZoAce:

Upon meeting him during Alabaster, every single non Luffy Strawhat was - at least a little -totally into Ace. He just seemed so cool (and also hot.) He's like a sexy Luffy and the whole crew wanted some.

Zoro wanted it the most, bitches

[orphiclovers]

yk, I was goaded into reading Self-Cest for the Danny Phantom fandom (it was a good read and I stalked the author’s entire dischoreography afterward) but now I’m wondering how that would go for Han Sooyoung and her avatars. Specifically 1863rd Han Sooyoung.

How would they get over the dispute over who the true hsy is? Would they conclude that they’re just two different people because the 1963rd was only possessing the other hsy to write? Would they be able to differentiate? Questions questions questions

The fic was by Dream_Trance if ur curious

'goaded' I like that word. I too have goaded people into reading selfcest content I think.

I'm guessing you read my recent Han Sooyoung meta where I talk about how I think their split happened and then sent this ask. You got me absolutely right in that case, there IS a secret selfcest version of that post I didn't include because of woke (well, actually because I want people to focus on the theory lol and weird selfcest shipping distracts from that).

The thing orv does with the alt universe selves that is sooo interesting to me is all of them, and I do mean all, have these twisted and complicated feeling about their other selves. And that's all canon, all I do is tint those feelings in a slightly more romantic direction. for fun. (despite all appearances I'm secretly a canon purist. no, not really. but imagine if I was)

So, what is Han Sooyoung's whole deal?

From what we see in orv, their whole dynamic is basically.... 1863 is cool smart badass powerful protagonist-like and 3rd is the 'rip-off' constantly trying to catch up to her awesomeness / keep up / 'plagirizing' her. This happens a lot, starting from when Han Sooyoung is 13 years old and accidentally plagirises herself for the 1st time.

1863 writes Ways of Survival? 3rd gets vague dream-memories and writes SSSSS grade infinite regressor.

1863 becomes a constellation named Architect of the False Last Act? guess what 3rd does.

See how the narration always mentions 'btw 1863 did this first' - I'm not making this up. 3rd even plagiarizes 1863's lost memories into existence again !!

So if there is one 'true' Han Sooyoung...it is pretty clear who that would be. But crucially, 1863 does not mind at all being ripped off and isn't bitter about it. (unlike sp, who is very bitter at first.)

When Kim Dokja comes to her like 'someone plagiarized your novel!!1!!1!' han sooyoung says lol idc because she knows its just 'daytime ego'/3rd.

Even during the scenarios, 1863 is constantly helping her out because she sees 3rd as a bit of an idiot who does not know anything (very sp style) so OBVIOUSLY she needs to come along and save her while pretending its a huge hassle and she totally doesn't want to. (very 'this will be the last time i help you' for spyjh).

Like, for example, way before 3rd gets Predictive Plagiarism, 1863 is giving cryptic dream hints to help her, and when that doesn't work just straight up temporarily passing on the skill.

but she's totally doing it for fun and because she likes to throw a wrench in others plans haha and not because she cares or anything. totally.

And ALSO let's just talk about this epilouge moment that drives me crazy. 3rd is doubting herself and crumbling under the pressure so 1863 emerges from their subconscious to help her one last time and says LET ME DO IT. Aargh!!!

selfcest yuri...

So yeah, this is a brief look on how I interpret the 3rd/1863rd relationship (Han Sooyoung version.) I have more thoughts on them during the epilouge specifically and the avatar skill but. different post.

[thrandilf]

while i fully agree with the thesis of your gay best friend mei post (she is often pushed aside in fanworks and her friendship with red son is undersold) but i think you might have gone too far in the opposite direction regarding mk and red sons dynamic?

obviously they dont have as much plot-relevant screentime as mei and red but mk is still important to red son. even disregarding their s1 nemesis dynamic, red son still regularly brings up mk in his conversations with mei during the s3 special, announces his entrance to mk in the mech, and asks about him on meis stream in 401, all of these feel like intentional writing choices to imply he cares about mk (and mei, but thats more implicit with him saying her name and such) more than he lets on

that is to say, i dont think shipping mk and red means someone doesnt value mei and reds dynamic or think its unimportant, just like shipping red and mei doesnt mean disregarding mei and mks bond

i hope this doesnt seem like im trying to pick a fight or anything, i just wanted to put in my 2 cents :v (also tumblr is being shit so sorry if this sent twice)

MK and Red Son are definitely friends, not denying that, but the show doesn't have an interest in developing their specific relationship further past like... halfway through Revenge of the Spider Queen. MK says they should trust him, and from there on out the two banter or work together sometimes, but nothing between them really gets going or more intense

Because after that the majority of the time is spent developing Mei and Red Son's dynamic (which was already starting in S1, 1x08 in particular I'd argue, but it was still minor then).

Her and Red Son constantly get paired up onscreen together in RotSQ, both on the main quest and then in like... every shot possible. The piggyback ride thing is actually a romance trope as well, btw. 3x06 involves everyone, but it's Mei who Red Son touches and has the Samadhi Fire connection with, and even then it's Mei who interacts with Red Son before they leave and she leaves her plushie, and then -insert the special here-. MK comes up in their conversations, as Mei comes up in MK's conversations with Red Son, so that segment's even to me, but then the Samadhi Fire ending is kinda like. Man. That's unique to Mei and Red Son and it got build up. That's something intimate and between just them

Don't get me wrong, I don't think shipping Has to be about who a character values most, because my arospec ass doesn't think that there has to be a One person put above all else. But it often comes across that way in shipping. I guess a fic doesn't have to include people who aren't in the pairing, but it does feel like it skews Mei's importance to MK and Red Son.

TBH, entertaining my own idea of a Most important person, even liking Red Son and Mei together, I think think that MK is more important to Mei than Red Son is, if she had to choose. Frankly I also think both of the boys would pick Mei before each other if they were in a situation where they had to choose, MK as Mei's best friend and Red Son, to me, having Mei as his anchor to the group considering how S3 went. They all matter to each other, but in different ways.

So sure, I don't think shipping automatically means that a dynamic is skewed to exclude or devalue a character, but it sure comes across that way when paired with seemingly ignoring all Red Son and Mei do get together, as well as how often I see people trying to give the Samadhi Fire to anyone but Mei. This is also a fandom where it seems like Lady Bone Demon's nameless male sidekick gets the same amount of content she does, which makes me scratch my head

Like, if Drag-onfruit was m/m, would Red Son and Mei be the rarer pair? Would ppl keep trying to give the fire to anyone else? For me it does read as fandom sexism with a gay hat slapped on. At the very least it's MK/main character bias, even though Mei is the female lead

No one Has to ship anything to be clear, Drag-onfruit isn't canon, but maybe it's because I watched the series all in one go that hitting the end of S3 and imagining going, "Who do I think Red Son is most likely in love with/has the most compelling relationship with? -insert anyone but Mei-" baffles me

I certainly prefer Drag-onfruit where MK is deeply important to both of them, even as a sort of platonic third (1x05 shot down MK and Mei or chimera faster and harder than any other ship known to man for me lmao) and to be fair I rarely engage with Red Son and MK shipping because it isn't my thing for multiple reasons, so maybe there is a lot of stuff out there where she's really given the love and place in their lives that she canonly has and I just don't know it, but the Mei treatment that I see in fandom does seem to be a side effect of said fanon favorite ship which is how I landed on the original post I made about her getting shoved aside to be the sassy bff who's conveniently fanonly a lesbian (for reasons I don't get) so people don't have to consider that she could have a relationship MK doesn't get to have

Maybe I'm a pessimist but this is how I've perceived it. TLDR they're a delightful trio regardless

Thank you for being polite btw, I know this got long winded but I appreciate being able to discuss!

[theconfusedacorn]

Greetings! :D

How've the tf2 fic recommendations been going? (this is, of course, assuming that you've had time to read any of them lol)

What do you think of them? Any favorites? Any types of fics you want more recommendations for?

HOLY SHIT, HI!

ALRIGHT, THIRD TIMES THE CHARM

I have tried to answer this two times already because my damn internet keeps trying to stop me, but by God, I am going to answer this if it kills me!

So, first off:

I've read a small handful of the fics I got recommended and have enjoyed EVERY ONE so far!

I FINALLY read "Running Blind" (my friend who has been recommending me it for MONTHS thanks you, I'm sure), and it was AMAZING! Absolutely ADORE feral guard dog Sniper! (I also just love Sniper, so perhaps I am biased, but STILL!!!) I read the ENTIRE THING in one 4 hour sitting, and I DO MEAN SITTING. Specifically, under some public stairs on the cold hard floor because I am a maniac. My back hurt like hell, but my brain was quite happy!

I must say, I've always been a shipping fiend, as in I rarely read anything besides ship stuff, but that is changing because of the TF2 Fandom, and I, for one, am QUITE excited about it! Not to say I'm not still a ship addict, Speedingbullet, my beloved, but I'm really enjoying the variety!

Your short Spy fic, "Tastes like Minerals" (I think that's the name??? Sorry, I can't check rn, lest Tumblr delete my response again O-O) was really silly, and I loved it! It's not something I've thought about, but Spy definitely does seem like the type of guy with really attuned taste (Suffice to say: you have given me a new headcannon), and the other mercs betting on said sense of taste is HILARIOUS.

I still have a decent sized pile of fics to get through, BUT if you had any fics you REALLY LIKED and/or wanted to recommend to me, FEEL FREE! This applies to anyone who happens to read this as well! Please feel free to send me fics! I'm not all that picky, and I'm open to reading just about ANYTHING TF2!

My only real no-no is spy/scout. I'm not here to judge people, but kindly respect that I don't really care to interact with that. Thank you! (This isn't directed at you, Lepidop, btw. This is just a general thing. O-o)

Anywho, hope that's a decent answer for yah! Nice to see you in my ask box! ^w^

[fictionkinfessions]

[Vent content warning]

okay, so, I can't tell if I really fucking hate this fandom, I feel like I'm not respected at all, but then again it's also in reality just a me thing. Like, it isn't that big of a deal at all that people use my name as their user or relate to that character or are fictionkin of that character or selfship or any of that stuff, I just get very I guess triggered by it and get uncomfortable with it. I really wish I didn't because I'm not wanting to judge them, especially since its harmless, but my fictionkin identity and all those feelings just get in the way and make it uncomfortable. I can't deal with doubles or anything of the sort I guess. Like there's a person in a server I'm on, and they're genuinely cool and stuff and thankfully don't act weird with me, but they're a selfshipper of my kintype and make comments about it sometimes and, even though I don't care if people do that and also that it wasn't directed towards me specifically, I still get uncomfortable with it (no hate to them btw, I think them selfshipping with my kintype in the end is harmless, but it does seem to affect me) I sometimes really, really don't like being fictionkin.

-Hoops (Hoops and Yoyo) [☎️🌀]

2

[gaytommykinard]

the buckley parents have more than one "child," btw, they are trying with buck, but what about maddie and what she went through from childhood to her time with doug and everything after

this isn't necessarily directed at *you* just the fandom in general

i addressed this here - although it's not a fully thought out response. i haven't forgotten about maddie. i have a lot of thoughts about maddie. one day i'll put them in a post all on its own 🫶

and this isn't directed at you also, but there are people in the tags saying this, or mentioning other parents, and i feel like they have missed the point of the post. i specifically wanted to point out the woobification of evan buckley and how people bashing on his parents is a direct consequence of that behaviour. today on "buck's a grown ass man" you know?

and while i'm here: i specifically abstained from commenting on the diaz parents because to me, the situations are not comparable (i would say eddie and maddie have suffered from parentification, but that's the extent of the similarities) and honestly, i haven't fully formed an opinion on the diaz parents. (just because this was also mentioned in the tags and good lord!!!)

[suncchaser]

some time ago i fell down the rabbit hole of booktok and it fried my brain and put me into a bad metal space for a few days ngl, then recently i got back into the marauders fandom and something similar happened. now going down the rabbit hole of booktok again and reading into it more at a different angle, i'm starting to recognize similarities and realize why the marauders fandom has made me feel, not bad but almost unwell when engaging with most of the fandom that isn't a few fanartists. the focus on tropes and ships is the main similarity and reducing these characters abd their story/stories into just tropes individually + as couples/ships (eg; wolfstar = tall smart bad boy x dumb short boy. regulus = basically a tsundere. james = sunshine. jegulus = grumpy x sunshine. etc.). and i feel that as most of the new fandom joins because of ao3 fics specifically jegulus fics recently, those tropes are what they joined for now the books anymore. now the fics are basically the foundation of their love so they see the characters as these tropes and the ships are what they focus on and they lack basic knowledge of these characters and in turn just like the characterization in that fic or au. causing a lack of care for the canon characterizations. this isnt a bashing btw just pointing out the similarities between these two communities.

This is probably quite a pretentious take and I am admitting to it straight up but I find it strange that some people are willing to go on AO3 and reading gigantic fanfics on Harry Potter’s dad and his godfather’s brother without having any care for the source material and pre-existing love for any of the characters rather than picking up an actual book. There are wonderful, beautifully written queer literature out there if a queer story is what they are looking for.

I will never understand reading fanfiction when you aren’t a fan and that being your introduction to the fandom. It’s like reading Larry fanfiction without caring for Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson or One Direction. I would genuinely love to have a conversation with anyone who entered the fandom like that so I could try to make sense of it because I haven’t. Because my experience with the fandom previously were that everyone were originally Harry Potter fans, who simply developed a greater interest in the Marauders Era. Now, the Marauders are no longer a sub fandom but a completely separate thing.

[hxhhasmysoul]

What makes you dislike kurapika as a person and a character?

The character I think I explained in the previous ask. Their backstory is extremely by the numbers but also done is a very shallow way. And then they've been going into a pretty predictable direction, it's all about their revenge and they are consumed by it blah blah. But omg now there's a little baby so maybe Kurapika will grow... Out of the main 4, Kurapika's story barely, if at all, deviates from the blueprint. And that's a really disappointing thing for HxH specifically. In any other manga Kurapika wouldn't probably stick out like a sore thumb.

As a person... How do I explain this?

Killua calls Gon stupid repeatedly, he can be mean and abrasive. He can be disrespectful to people, he's not a great person. But with Gon you never feel that he doesn't respect Gon, that he doesn't admire Gon. Not with everyone, but with the people he cares about (that's a very low number btw) Killua never crosses the line into being condescending even if he teases and is rude at times.

Kurapika doesn't toe this line with Leorio. Like it feels very clearly Kurapika doesn't see Leorio as their peer. After they learn Leorio's backstory the benevolently give him a pass. There's such a difference in the way Kuarapika interacts with Gon and later with Killua who they see as strong and as assets and how they talk to Leorio.

And I know in the fandom people think it's cute. I know that people think that Kurapika is like that but deep down inside they actually... That it's about the contrasts...

Personally I despise this kind of dynamic, especially when it's a ship dynamic. It comes from my and my family's history of abuse. The deep down inside doesn't matter, not to the people on the receiving end of it. Because yes, you can delude yourself that the deep down inside exists but you never know, you don't live in that person's head. and if a relationship is built on believing in the deep down inside it's just fucking horrible. And Kurapika doesn't show enough of the supposed deep down inside for me to believe in it.

And even if Kurapika actually deep down inside believes they truly like their friends, they truly care for them, even for Leorio... So what. To paraphrase ATLA it only starts to count when it's on the outside.

For a relationship not to be god fucking awful both parties need to be mindful of each other's needs. Of course these needs will never be exactly the same and complimentary. Sometimes you can have a decent enough relationship and don't meet that many of each other's needs but with a mutual understanding that it's impossible and kinda working around it. Kurapika doesn't give a single shit about anyone else's needs in the relationships they have with others. All those relationships exist because others try to uphold them. It's clear that they have need for this friendship, for interactions with Kurapika who doesn't do a single fucking thing to facilitate them.

As to an argument that they don't want the people they love to get hurt... By assuming other person's needs and acting solely on those assumptions you're guaranteed to hurt others. It's also extremely convenient and selfish.

And everyone is understanding of them, everyone goes out of their fucking way because Kurapika has a tragic backstory and is consumed by their rage...

It's extremely evident when Kurapika doesn't even pick up their fucking phone when Gon's dying. The friends are there to fight for their attention despite them making it hard for them. If they care they will fucking jump through all the hoops and try as long as they have to, right? Isn't that tru friendship TM.

What's going on in those friends' lives? Irrelevant. If they can't be the audience to Kurapika's internal turmoil fuck them, honestly.

These are of course my personal subjective feelings about Kurapika and I know this isn't a popular view of them in the fandom. Also I have nothing against people who love Kurapika.

[nikialexx]

very very tired of trying to engage with TLOU fandom only to encounter more Hot Takes about how certain episodes (and we all know which episodes) are 'boring' or 'unnecessary' or, perhaps most frustrating all, 'woke propaganda' so here is my take on it all.

first off, i really do think that all of these people need to take a crash course in the difference between a piece of media being 'woke' and something which simply showcases the existence of people who are not white, male, and/or straight.

but with specific reference to TLOU i think it's particularly exhausting because all of the criticism I've seen of episode 3 and episode 7 are that it doesn't advance the plot which- fair point, it doesn't, but this completely ignores the fact that storytelling is not solely devised from good plot execution and that it also heavily relies on things such as theme, characterization (this includes backstory), allegory, symbolism- all of which are pivotal aspects of these episodes.

and i think that if you lack the intellectual capacity and the media literacy to recognize these things and understand their importance- well first of all you shouldn't be watching the show at all, because it clearly wasn't made for you. but you especially shouldn't be criticizing it.

ep.3 for example, seems to me that is serves the same functional purpose as the direction that the game took Bill's storyline. Bill in the game was a cautionary tale, and in the show he was an aspirational one. But the impact he had on Joel was the exact same: he served as a reminder of the difference between surviving and living, a reminder that the most important thing you can do is to keep your loved ones close, a reminder that the world isn't all bad, even if it seems like it is, and that shutting yourself off from it in an attempt to avoid pain will only prevent you from embracing the good things. Bill's relationship to Frank is, functionally, the same as Joel's relationship to Tess and Ellie. Joel shut himself off from Tess and in the process likely missed out on what could have been a very good thing, and Bill and Frank and the example that they set is what gave Joel the push he needed not to make that same mistake with Ellie.

The changes that the show made to Bill's storyline is exactly what a good adaptation should do.

which brings me to my second issue with all the criticism: it also ignores the fact that this is not the video game, it as an adaptation. the purpose of an adaptation is to explore aspects of the story (note that this is not the same thing as plot!!) that the original source couldn't/didn't. It is meant to delve deeper into the story (note!! that this is not!! the same thing as plot!!) than the original source did. it's meant to be an alternative, updated take. it isn't meant to a shot-for-shot reenactment. if you want the exact same story that the game gave you with nothing added in and nothing taken out- that's great! good for you! go play the game and leave the rest of us alone. because why are you really here if you can't understand that film is a different media format entirely and that yes, it should play to its specific strengths.

furthermore:

ep.7 was not a 'filler' episode. It was an episode that explored Ellie's backstory (a particularly important backstory btw, given Joel's remarks in ep.6 that Ellie doesn't know what loss is. this episode showed us that yes, she very much does). And by doing that, it cemented her reasons for being so determined to find the fireflies and let herself be experimented on in hope of getting a cure (this, children, is what we refer to as a character motivation. It's a pretty important thing). It gave us insight into what Ellie's life was like before Joel- because, you know, she is her own goddamm character that can and should be able to exist without him.

and it's particular insidious to me that so many people are blacklisting this episode because 'it sidelined Joel' when, and I cannot stress this enough, Ellie is also a main character. She is arguably the main character. This isn't The Joel Show. If you can't stand to watch a 50 minute episode that focuses on Ellie, then why are you even here? Ellie's story is important to her, her loss of Riley is important to her, just as Joel's loss of Sarah is important to him, and both of those things deserved the screentime that they got. Ellie is not 'filler', you misogynistic dumbasses.

And from what I've seen, one of the most notable aspect of TLOU game has always been its focus on story (do I need to say it again? yes i do. this is NOT the same thing as plot), characterization, and the intimate relationships between the characters. So why did anyone start watching the show if all they wanted to see were guns and zombies. Go somewhere else. This clearly isn't for you.

[strangertheories]

This is from a ro nance and Nancy anti btw.

I understand why you wouldn't want to hear the hate on a ship you ship, because at the end of the day it is just a ship, but there's anti tags for nearly every ship and character. And I definitely think that antis who go out of their way to harass others need to stop because that's not okay, anti tags aren't meant for harassing others, they're made for talking about something you don't like in the tag. There's nothing wrong with voicing an opinion in a place meant for voicing that specific opinion. People are allowed to have opinions, people are allowed to ship/not ship whatever they please as long as they don't go around causing harm.

Also I don't remember why I decided to make this ask but what I'm trying to say is that if someone else doesn't like a ship and wants to talk about why they don't like a ship, just let them. And if someone wants to talk about a ship they do like, just let them. Also this isn't even directed towards you really I just mean in general.

Sorry if I phrased this poorly it seems jumbled to me.

I actually don't mind it at all! I think everyone's entitled to dislike and speak about things. But I'm also allowed to respond to anti Ronance asks as well as general sentiments I see from Ronance antis. I would never directly message an account or post in that tag, but I'm allowed to respond to criticism just as much as people are allowed to respond to me. This doesn't just go for Ronance, by the way. Whilst a lot of my responses to Byler antis are directly to anons, a lot are just from scrolling through that tag to see the general sentiment.

Just as you said, people are allowed to have opinions. They share theirs, I share mine. I think discussion is a healthy part of fandom as long as you are not being harmful. For example, if someone is homophobic about Byler, I will call them out and I may not be the nicest about it because that is not a healthy part of fandom. But if I disagree with something someone posts, I'm allowed to post about why I disagree.