#this wasnt the best write up of the situation the fandom was very divided and there was a lot of discussion happening at the time

[wheezingghoulbois]

Hi, I've always wanted to ask but felt incredibly silly and dumb asking this, but I really wanna know now, so here goes..

I'm seeing alot of discussion for the Steven Lim appreciation blog, which I'm super here for and will celebrate till the end of the world, because that man deserves all of it and more.. my question is, why do ppl say Steven is homophobic? Is it because he said/did something in the past, or because he isn't respectful or something? Idk, I'm asking because I'm kinda new to this fandom, but still know enough, but not enough to understand why ppl say so? Like even in the HWYD podcast, he always refers to the ppl asking questions as they/them if he doesn't know their gender, so I'm confused..

You don't have to answer this ask if you don't want to, it's completely fine, and I'm super super super sorry for such a long ask, I really am.

Also, I am ✨obsessed✨ with your blog and art, you're doing amazing!❤️

oh, hi! okay. im just gonna do a v quick rundown of what happened, if you want more info, feel free to dm me, or better yet, the apology video the bois and katie did for the ep gives a better idea of everything than i could sum up in a short textpost. but basically there was an ep of hwyd, where the last q was asking what to do when you have a homophobic friend. steven’s answer was very... roundabout, i’d say. he chose words very poorly, and ended up basically stating it’s okay to be friends with homophobic people as long as you Think you can change them. (i don’t truly believe this is what he meant btw, as he explains in his apology later, but it Definitely came off as such.) and obviously, that implies homophobes are okay to accept and homophobes will take that as vindication that their hate for others is okay. on top of this shane and katie (ryan was on vacation) didn’t disagree with him or question him or anything of the sort and just moved on. this then led to ppl pointing out all these tiny details and tearing steven apart trying to prove HE’S homophobic. (which is also where the whole “put ur pronouns in bio steven” really gained traction and literally for months every tweet steven did was just filled with that and it was just rude of ppl at that point , quite frankly, pestering him like that is not gonna make him do it). but back to the point, then steven quickly put out a written apology, and said a formal video apology/explanation was coming soon (bc tbh that short apology was moreso explanation of his statement rather than really apologizing for it which left ppl unsure of how to feel). but then within the next few days, the formal apology/discussion video happened, and for the most part, ppl accepted it as it seemed heartfelt, sincere, and honest. responsibility was taken and an effort to do better in the future was promised. and steven also did just plainly state he’s Not homophobic and amended his advice accordingly and genuinely said sorry to the people who’s feelings he hurt. I’m being purposefully vague here because honestly, I don’t remember exact words that were spoken, but i do know i thought long and hard over this and discussed with others and decided to forgive steven and honestly, their apology was very good, and an example of why watcher is one of the best. they didnt try to just ignore the issue and delete the evidence and put out a short shitty apology. they went in and completely discussed the issue at hand, from all sides (because again, shane and katie (and lauren the editor) were at fault here as well for not pointing out “hey thats not great advice.”) and how to move forward. it was a well rounded and in depth video.  hope this is helpful

[gringoslur]

Curious Beginnings: Mollymauk (Part 1)

I’m re-watching campaign 2 focusing in Mollymauk’s behavior and trying to analyze it. I don’t know i will continue this, or the reaction that this might get, but here it is. It’s a simple way to divide canon/fanon Molly that i enjoy doing, so just...you can read it and comment your opinions if you want. Sorry if there’s any mistakes or nonsense in my writing, english isn’t my first language. (next part) (all parts)

The first encounter is easy: both Molly and Yasha enter the bar where the rest of the group just met. This is interesting because it makes you think why Molly, who is just leaving invitations and selling the event, needs security there? Did something happend in the past that made them do this together or is just simply two besties deciding to do a walk together while they spread the news of the circus? Matt mentions how Molly jumps from table to table ~the tiefling engaging in some distant conversations, leaving a slip of paper, walking to the next table. Gauging the atmosphere, not leaving a slip of paper, and quickly moving on~ this honestly makes me think that something DID happend in the past and thats why Yasha is there, especially because Molly is a tiefling and he has a bold personality. But he can read the situation and remove himself from it quickly before having to deal with the consequences, even if he is someone that a lot of times tries to be persuasive. Matt mentions that the table where the group is, is very awkward and tense. Taelisin asks if he sees any coin and Matt answers that no. The combination of awkwarness, tension and no coin is not good for someone that is trying to sell something, but Mollymauk for some reason still decides that he will talk with this group. Which also means that the other tables that he did not engaged a lot with, it wasnt for the lack of coin or the amount of awkwardness\tension.

As someone who is introvert, Mollymauk's attitude is ridiculous but i know it works, he is fantastic at his job. Even if has a very strong presence, and he notices that Jester and Beau are the ones that seem to be more able to communicate with. When Jester asks if he performs, he says "AH......i'm less of a performer and more of an intermediary for these parts" you can feel his brain going around and changing the tactic to not lose the excitement that Jester is showing, thats why also he might not be so comfortable in what he is saying, unlike his first rehearsal speech "I do on occasion perform...ah...i can read fortunes-" he doesnt go too deep into anything, either because he's throwing things and seeing if he can catch anything or because is possible that the perform part is not that truth, or at least he's not that confident in selling that part of himself. So he goes with what he knows: fortunes. When Jester responds to that very excited, his seller confidence and ego go high again. (Jester) "You are so smart!" (Mollymauk) "thats what they tell me". And he sits down, completly confident on whatever he plans to do. Sidenote: he does this in the middle of Beau saying "I don't...think...". She kind of fascinated with this event and seemed very interested in the "good time" that Molly was selling without any animosity, thats it, until the mention of the cards. This is where this relationship starts to shift in the one that we all know.

Now, he's looking for coin. And Jester is right there. (J) "Do you know my name?" (M) "What is your name?" (J) "Jester" (M) "I know your name now!" *both laugh* ah, thats so fucking cute. (M) "And we are friends now!" like yes, Molly wants money from her, it might be kind of fakey, and thats not actually a bad thing in my mind. He's doing his job, trying to live and make others have a good time while he does that. I do think that he likes Jester, she seems a very nice client, i'm sure that he has to deal with some assholes. His job is engaging with the public, we all know that that is a nightmare. He introduces himself and then Yasha, adding that "she's a charm!" and then laughing. This happens, i think, because for him, Yasha IS a charm, he loves her. But he also is very aware of the importance of looks and presentation, which makes his words funny if you don't know her. He continues trying to sell the forture, and he is very sure on how much he wants: this is business, this is his nature and he is in his sauce.

Ok, let me stop a moment because...i knew that doing this was gonna kill me because of the Yasha and Molly moments but man, this is an early start. When Molly is trying to do the fortune for Jester, Yasha says her first long sentence "He's really quite good, you all should line up and get your fortunes told". Sure, she is selling the business but she's also selling his friend's "talent" and this is just such a sweet thing to say.

Fortune moment. Insight and sleight-of-hand. Matt focuses the insight in "what this person, Jester, wants". The proper reading consists in giving the client what Mollymauk feels that they want, again, gaining money but also making the other person happy. First card: Silver Dragon. "Pure, virtue, wonderful human being!" Love that, go secure: the bs that the horoscope always sells and makes the person happy. Adventures in your future, you have a destiny! (queue to Yasha doing "ohhhh" with Jester. guys this is so cute). And then Taelisin, or Mollymauk decides to grab another card when he hears about the snake adventure: the serpent card. Oh, he is now sitting in the throne of his own bullshit and he loves being the king: "i'm a simple vessel for highter powers"'. Jester can't be more happy. Curious and suspicious Caleb tries Detect Magic, nothing shows up. Without actually knowing how this fortune thing works, he whispers to Nott "he's bullshiting her". Tealisin laughs. But i can see also Mollymauk laughing to be honest. And then, the Eye card (which is interesting because there's so many mentions of eyes in this campaign), "you've already found the clue" which we know its true, because of Beau, the card and the Gentleman. Mollymauk was looking for a mysterious route, Taelisin at least knew that this was the beggining for Jester and this was the group that will be with her. He says that the specifics are much more expensive, and i cant blame him for looking for more money. Then, as the master seller that he is, he makes the compromise of doing an extensive reading if they show up at the show.

The barmaid comes back with Yasha's ale and is on the house, because Yasha is intimidating as fuck. Both Molly and Yasha seem celebrate this and i can already see how this dynamic works and how they unite to get the most money and the least cost, honestly? bestie goals. Why the fandom doesnt have more stupid adventures of these two doing this kind of stuff?? gay disasters. and talking about gay disasters, Beau asks what Yasha does, and she answers that she puts the tent because she's very strong, but doesn't do anything in the show. She doesn't seem to make a big deal out of this. Molly immediately jumps and with some fancy language, he basically says that Yasha is "capable of keeping issues contained", implying the trust that they have in Yasha with their security, an important job in their line of work.

He shows even more of his skills of selling with Nott and Caleb, saying that they are gonna waste MORE money if they don't go to the show. He sells it so naturally that if you don't stop and think for a second on what he's saying, you totally buy it. I think that something similar happens with Percy in the last campaign, people think that he's really smart even when his plans mostly fail and sometimes what he says is just bullshit-but the confidence is what makes it all great.

Do you guys remember the moments where Fjord tries to make Beau more charming? that's exactly what i'm seeing with Molly and Yasha. I do think that they have those kind of conversations, especially hearing their goodbyes. (M) "You are all the most charming people that i've met in-" and then Yasha tries to clumsy copy it (Y) "Yep, nice to meet you all. You're so, uh, wonderful". Mollymauk, without laughing or making a joke of it, or at least i don't feel it, gestures to Yasha saying "Charm! Pure charm!" This feels like someone seeing their best friend trying to do the best and he encourages it. His interventions make Yasha's awkwardness less awkward, and shows his support.

And then they leave.

(I just watched one hour of the first episode, if someone likes this i can continue)

[morecheeseinthetrap]

I know you totally dislike the sulxinho ship but... in the end inho was never even a rival? like, he's in the logo of the webtoon and I guess I at least expected a confession from him... but all we ever got was inha telling sul "he likes you"? he never ever acted up on it!! and even if he wasnt a real rivaI, I always got the sense that they really cared for each other, so that goodbye scene felt so stiff and anticlimatic... anyway, thank you for sticking through this with us and ciit!

It’s not that I totally dislike Sul and Inho together (some very specific people that shipped them? yes. It applies to some JungxSul too) I just always saw it for what it really was, friendship and nothing more. Honestly the way they interacted for the most part was very sibling like (and if you really think it wasn’t it’s because you’re an only child, that or I need to talk to a psychologist about my relationship with my sibling). Soonki herself showed a sibling-like relationship by making it mirror-like to the type of relationship Sul has with Joon. I don’t know why so many people got it wrong, Sul always made it clear that she thought of Inho as a friend and later as family. It’s very daring to think that one understands the feelings of another being better than the person in question (even if it’s a fictional one). 

Inho and Sul did care about each other but their only real connection was always Jung, without Jung those 2 would have never met in the first place and because of Jung they could never have a permanent relationship, even if Jung had left his existence would have always interfered between those 2. It was wrong to believe that Sul and Inho’s relationship was independent of their own relationships with Jung, because it wasn’t. Inho was shackled to Jung by their past together and the only way Inho could get rid of the shackles was by leaving Jung behind and everything connected to him, and that included Sul who was Jung’s girl.

It was a very tangled situation those 3 were under: Sul cared for Inho in a different way she cares for Jung, he was a friend and she recognized him as such that’s why through the series she tried and tried relentlessly to get them to be civil with each other but neither ever wanted to. Inho was especially vocal against it, he adamantly refused to please Sul and just pretend to be civil (say what you will of Jung but he at least tried to pretend at the beginning before growing tired and annoyed, Inho wouldn’t even try to).   And once Sul realized that it was impossible for Jung and Inho to be friends again after that fist-fight and Jung’s explanation of the situation, Sul realized that she had to chose, only it was never really a choice, that’s why she distanced herself from Inho. Jung was always the most important existence for Sul, she cared deeply for Inho as a really good friend, but Jung was the person she needed besides her the most. For Inho too, as much as he cared about Sul, Jung was always a much bigger existence in his life, that’s why to let go of Jung, he had to let go of everything related to Jung, especially Sul who was the most important person for Jung.

As I’ve been saying for the best part of 7 years Inho was not supposed to be a love rival for Jung, that was not his purpose at all, Inho was supposed to make Jung realize what he was doing with Sul and what could happen if he continued doing the same. Unfortunately for Inho, he just happened to fall in love with his ex-bestfriend’s girlfriend. 

Think about it, what would a confession have changed for the characters? absolutely nothing. Sul already suspected that Inho might have had feelings for her, yet she chose to ignore it, she didn’t want to know, she didn’t want to get there. Inho was a friend to her and that’s how she wanted him to stay, she selfishly wanted to remain that way and I find that very realistic (I would probably play dumb in the same situation, if that can save my friendship). Int the end, when it was time to say goodbye, Inho didn’t confess because he wanted to acknowledge and say goodbye to the relationship that they did have, their relationship wasn’t about romance, it was about friendship, that’s what they held dear about the other, what had meaning. Their friendship was what was connected them both. Not a non-existent one, that could and would never be. Sul knew how he felt, Inho knew that she knew, but it changed nothing in the end. So why bring it up as they were saying their last goodbye? They wanted to part on good terms, they wanted closure and obviously Inho didn’t need to say it and Sul didn’t need to hear it fir that. It didn’t happen, because it didn’t need to happen.

~~The fact that these last couple of years most viewers of any manga/manhwa with 2 guys and a girl have the expectation of a full scale war between the 2 guys for the girl’s affection (which by the way most of the time is nothing special but whatever)…. baffles me, to say the least. I mean, what do people think of the concept of love now? They chose a team and root for them until the very last second, regardless of fact and reason. And I do mean it literally, I’ve seen so many fandoms divided into teams, it’s the most ridiculous shit ever. 

If what people want is watch is two teams going at each other until one of them comes out the victor, disregarding human emotions and facts just to get the “prize”….. May I suggest they watch sports? I mean, that’s what they were invented for.

Honestly the problem I see with people with “second-lead syndrome” as they called it, is that they refuse to see and take the relationships presented to them at face value. Always looking for what’s not there. I don’t like love triangles but I’ve been served my (unnecessary) fare share of them against my will when it comes to shojo/romance and I have never once got wrong who the girl is going to end up with, whether I like it or not. If you follow the thought process of the story correctly it’s always ridiculously obvious, predictable and easy to guess. There’s always two guys but one of them obviously has no chance and if you’re rooting for that one hoping to get that sense of accomplishment… again may I recommend sports manga? they’re pretty good and you can always count on the underdog MC to win at the end of the day. Of course there are also cases when the girl gets with “the other guy” but even then it’s still because the girl has stronger feeling for him, it’s not surprising. It never is. Real feelings don’t just suddenly pop out of nowhere. They just don’t.~~

I really dislike love triangles in a story because it reduces the characters to no more than: Who do you ship? And why? “he is hotter, they look cuter together, I don’t like the other one, they make a better couple, he deserves her” that level of superficiality is painful to watch and it doesn’t apply to Ciit. Inho had no chance not because he was better or worse than Jung, or because Jung “deserved” her more or crazy crap like that. Inho didn’t have a chance because from the very beginning Sul only saw Jung, she was in love with him. Simple as that, it wasn’t a competition, it was just the way human feelings work. And that was the whole point of cheese in the trap. People act upon their own feelings, not upon what others think it’s right or wrong. I could write an essay on this but I’ll stop at that. Cheese in the trap was a really wild ride but I enjoyed till the end nonetheless, so you’re welcome