#well. i warned y'all in advance that i'm tired and also frustrated

[iamanartichoke]

I've been DMed a few times asking me to participate in this, which further makes me wonder exactly what the perception of me is in this fandom bc if you think this is something I'd participate in, well, you're not correct. It's one of those things that I am aware of and have ignored, as if I don't have an opinion on it, but fuck it. I do have an opinion, a rather strong one. I agree w/ the commentary on this post and I'm honestly so exhausted, like -

(I am going to apologize in advanec as this may not be as coherent as I'd like it to be, but I'm super tired and the adderall hasn't kicked in yet.)

For one thing, it is definitely about shipping. Watching the discourse evolve over the months since the show aired has been fascinating in a very twisted kind of way bc I feel like I watched it go from "Loki is ooc" to "Loki is being underutilized" and TVA-framing wank to evolving (or devolving) into being about ships ... and making it about ships, especially when the argument against said ships is so nonsensical, undermines the real, valid complaints and criticisms that maybe, in another universe, would have possibly been addressed and/or corrected had the fandom not gone entirely insane in the interim.

What I mean is, I agree that there are issues regarding the show's implications in regards to minority characters. Boastful Loki, as @thelightofthingshopedfor pointed out, is a prime example of the handling of a minority character being tone-deaf at best. There is a nuanced conversation to be had on the topic.

The genderfluidity is another legitimate criticism. The interviews from the showrunners/actors and the promotional materials made it seem like Loki's genderfluidity would be an aspect of his character that would be - if not fully explored - addressed. Instead, my honest opinion is that the showrunners think genderswapping (generally a fictional trope) and genderfluidity (an actual identity for actual real people) are interchangable, and they explored the former, kind of, while calling it the latter. I mean, that is fucked up there is a conversation to be had on this topic, as well.

So it's not like there isn't valid criticism that the showrunners should be aware of, is what I'm saying. But irl harrassment isn't the way to make them aware of it, nor is a letter-writing campaign that is so obviously rooted in shipping war discourse that has, by now, become so convoluted and frankly ridiculous that there is no chance of anything legit being taken seriously.

I have said this before (yknow, kinda), but selfcest is not a legitimate thing and even if it was, the Sylkie ship is not an example of it bc nothing in the series implies that Loki variants share genetics and, in fact, it goes out of its way to establish that Lokis come in all shapes, sizes, and species. (Again. ALLIGATOR. Like, if TVA Loki and Croki fucked, there'd be a lot of wtf-ing about that and I guarantee not a single bit of it would have anything to do with selfcest and everything to do with Croki being a literal alligator.) What Loki variants are, are incarnations of the same soul or energy. They exist in different universes and timelines, and they all play the same role: they're the chaotic entities, the tricksters, the monkey wrenches which turn everything on its head and make things generally more complicated.

And, according to the TVA, the root of their chaotic nature is to cause destruction and death and to ultimately be defeated so that the heroes around them can become better versions of themselves. (Don't come at me, I don't agree that this is the role Lokis are supposed to play, I'm saying that's the role Lokis have been assigned by the wizard of fascism behind the TVA curtain.)

(For the record, though, I do agree that Lokis exist to be the trickster archetype, I'm just saying that existing as a trickster has nothing to do with being the designated villain and that the latter is something that has been forced on them under the guise of it being a natural consequence of their nature being the former.)

That's what a variant is. An incarnation of energy that plays a specific role in the overall universe in which they exist. I mean. There's a reason why one of the processing steps at the TVA is to have one's soul photographed (I don't actually remember what that machine was supposed to do and everyone was so caught up in the whole "what if I didn't know I was a robot" thing to pay attention to the actual purpose of that step).

Energy isn't genetics. If you believe in reincarnation (that is, that your soul or energy comes back again and again), you wouldn't say that you share genetics with a past life version of yourself because you don't. (Granted, it might be a little weird if you time traveled and fell in love with your past life self, but objectively there'd be nothing wrong with it, and also it could never fucking happen, just like selfcest can never fucking happen bc it isn't real -)

ANWYAY my point is, objecting to ships on the basis of morality is a flawed approach in the first place but taking that flawed approach and using it as a foundation to scream about how ~problematique~ the Sylki ship is for months, and then adding, oh yeah, and also the show is racist and genderfluidphobic and Loki is ooc and we demand that you change this, right now, is like -

Those letters are going to get tossed in the trash three sentences in, and that's being generous enough to assume they get opened in the first place.

I didn't mean to rant, and I'm sorry this is so long and disorganized. @lazy-cat-corner if you'd like me to make my own post instead of reblogging, let me know and I'll do that and delete this.

But I'm just. So beyond frustrated at this point.

I share people's criticisms, to an extent. I do not, in any way, shape, or form, think that this series was the best it could be in regards to Loki's character (both personal development and external journey). I think there are conversations to be had. I do not agree with the bullying and the vitriol that is now becoming rampant on both sides of the wank. I kinda hate what this fandom space has become and I'm only sticking around in the hopes that it'll get better; if I didn't think it would, eventually, I'd have peaced out months ago.

I just also think that the series was good in a lot of ways, too. I think that a lot more critical thinking needs to be applied to certain aspects of it (again, on both sides). I think that people should be expressing their opinions and talking about them, positive or negative. It should be done on people's blogs, it can be done in twitter threads that do not tag or involve anyone involved in the show. One could even write a formal review and submit it to websites like Screenrant or Buzzfeed (not objective sites but when you're not a professional reviewer your options are limited) if they want their opinions to be heard by a larger platform or be noticed by the showrunners.

Writing letters demanding change isn't going to do shit. Furthermore, a campaign like this that is rooted in people being salty about their stupid ships, and the inherent ~immorality~ therein, is only going to undermine the legitimate criticisms that should be addressed. The people writing these letters don't speak for the entire fandom and, in fact, are making it harder for constructive criticisms and discussions to take place.

So can we just fucking not.

God that letters twitter thing 🤦‍♀️ people will just search for any type of oppression on google and write an email saying marvel is doing it. I worry for all the young people that think they can learn what transphobia and racism is from a bunch of randoms online. Instead of yk. searching for actual specialists on the subject that are most definitely outside of the fandom echo chamber.

In all seriousness it baffles me how some people deem themselves capable of giving unbiased opinions on social issues when they haven’t interacted with anyone that isn’t a marvel stan in ages.

Yeah, those letters in my opinion are going too far. I understand wanting the writers to see your opinions but the best way to do that is through creating content that they will see. Videos, articles, podcasts. Those are productive and meaningful ways to express one’s opinion without harming anyone.

I think sometimes when a person’s expectations are not met they feel disappointment so their knee-jerk response is to blame something or someone. It’s happened again and again in other fandoms, just not in the same way. How I Met Your Mother, Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, Star Wars (all of the trilogies lol) and Lost. These are just some that come to mind. I think this half-baked queer theory criticism is a new one though.

Film analysis and examining film/television through a queer lens is fun and all but I think fans are misunderstanding that this type of analysis is not meant to express hostility or anger on the creator, more so rhetorically asking “how could this be improved?” What is it about the way this story was framed says our values and understandings about the LGBTQ+ community? It’s meant to ask a bigger question than “is movie good?” It’s meant to look at ourselves and how we perceive the world.

Furthermore, saying that someone is transphobic or biphobic because they don’t align with your viewpoints is not only childish but an ignorant thing to say that further harms those in the community. You don’t know these people you’re talking to and you’re not making the impact you think you are.