#what can I say im critical of the content being produced

[ofswordsandpens]

actually I do love getting comments on my criticisms of the pjo show that are like "it feels like you're just nitpicking" cause its like yeah I sure am!! welcome to the blog!!!

[nyacchiiatos]

my issue with littlest pet shop: a world of our own

hi! as you can see i have a bone to pick with this show, but i'm going to be criticizing the overall premise rather than individual episodes (i can't bring myself to watch any). nothing exactly provoked me to post this, it's just something i felt like ranting about because i always found it pretty strange and sort of like a slap in the face towards those who liked the 2012 series. very long post incoming 😭

first of all, the entire concept of AWOOO (im going to refer to it as that because the title is way too annoying to type out each time) in context of lps' brand as a whole doesn't make sense. hasbro refers to it (in a backhanded way to jab at 2012) as "a pet-only world made by pets, for pets." this premise alone is contradictory to the entire lps brand. it's called littlest pet shop, not littlest animal universe. the 2012 show made this work by having an actual pet shop with a daycamp area like you would expect irl. yes, the show had humans which i agree sometimes took over a bit too much, but it's meant to be a city-based slice of life cartoon. the main cast are actual pets, they have owners, they have their own homes, like any pet irl would. that's... why they're called pets. whatever AWOOO was trying to achieve just completely defeats the purpose of a pet shop existing. i have no doubt in my mind that hasbro felt so inclined to sweep 2012 under the rug by rushing this half-assed reboot out as fast as they could to satiate all the "bring back the old lps" commenters. there was literally nowhere online you could view content of the 2012 series in ANY site, without the comments being FLOODED with "bring back the old lps." it got to a point where fans were borderline harassing the hasbro employees, recording themselves calling them on the phone for views and clout, and encouraging others to do the same. and guess what? it worked. instead of continuing working on the show while easily selling toys that fans were more in favor of, hasbro thought it would be a better idea to just completely abandon 2012 as a whole and then proceed to act like it never even existed. there was no good reason for them to not continue producing the show (iirc it had pretty good ratings and was one of the most popular hub shows next to mlp ofc) while also selling toys that would cater to both newer and older fans (granted they probably can't sell multiple generations at a time, but still). so ultimately, they hurried this little reboot to get it out there as fast as they could and passively shit on 2012 while talking about its premise. seriously? "no humans getting in the way anymore! we have a WHOLE NEW lps cast with no big headed humans named blythe or her ugly friends! no more communication barriers, because thats no fun! isnt this show just SO much better than 2012?" they were so ready to just throw the 2012 series and everything related to it in the trash. AWOOO was not made out of love and respect. it was made as a way for hasbro to try and get their fans back by proving just how much better this reboot was in such non-discrete manners. they thought of the quickest and easiest way to regain their audience and ran with it, without ever thinking about how it completely diminishes what all the previous generations stood for.

i was one of the very few people who loved the 2012 lps series since it premiered. being a child on the internet in the early 2010s definitely brought down my happiness when watching the show because of the overwhelming negative feedback it was getting along with the rebrand in general (something im VERY nostalgic for). regardless, i continued to tune in whenever it was on tv and i saw myself growing up with the characters. to say that this show had potential is an understatement. the producers intended to make more seasons and you just knew they wanted to keep it going (this was confirmed btw). they weren't in a hurry to get something better out there, until the "bring back the old lps"ers finally got their way. but honestly? it's not completely unheard of for large companies to eventually cave in to the public opinion if it means they'll make more profit. they were desperate, and it was definitely showing.

one of the things i have the most issues with is how hasbro proceeds to COMPLETELY ignore everything regarding the show nowadays. as some of you know the show's 10th anniversary was last november, which i and many people had participated in a large art collab to celebrate and honor the show's legacy. want to know what hasbro did to celebrate? nothing. absolutely nothing. what's even worse is that michael kopsa, the voice of roger, had passed away very shortly before the shows 10th anniversary. and guess what? complete silence. that's just incredibly disrespectful to be completely honest. someone who brought his best work to your show and others on the same network (if im remembering correctly at least) and was such a joy to be around, and this is how you thank him? not a single piece of acknowledgement, all because you're too scared to ever talk about 2012 again because of the scary older fans that persuaded you to pull the plug on the whole thing? you weren't even willing to make one little post offering your condolences? oh because you just can't ever mention that show ever again, it'll spark those negative comments just like before. and you've made it abundantly clear that you care more about profiting off these people than having some kind of self awareness.

i apologize that this got so heavy, i've always wanted to properly write down my honest thoughts about this whole thing because ive been unhappy with it for years and years now. if you like AWOOO, i don't care. i wont give you a hard time for liking it, because the show itself isnt inherently bad. just what went on behind it is what bothers me so much. the fact that hasbro can completely ignore their own creation for what... 7 years now? is beyond my comprehension. they can keep pretending it never existed, but small groups of people online have been rediscovering this show and remembering how much they loved it when they were younger. you had a good thing going here hasbro, it sucks that you had to completely abandon it. but i think i can speak for a few people that this show has always and will always hold a special place in my heart and my childhood memories. even if we can't get more from it, we shouldn't forget to appreciate and cherish what we did get. and nobody can take that away.

[silvernyxchariot]

“dni gamers” you post about games im confused?

You're not confused, just ignorant. You omitted "meta-slaves" in your question purposefully.

The "meta" in my DNI is used as an adjective that is attached to "slaves/gamers," in other words, meta "slaves AND gamers." The whole part is separated by commas.

I'm not targeting all GAMERS as a whole. Only a select few. And thank you for providing another example of media literacy and reading comprehension being dead.

I will now use your question as an explanation post of what "meta" means as I have observed it:

"Meta," after a quick Google search, is an acronym for "most effective tactics available." In Genshin/HSR terms, the characters and builds that produce the most damage and help you clear content. But with characters that cause a lot of damage and clear content faster, their popularity begins to intertwine with the meta. My opinion of meta is as follows,

"I believe the meta is a good outline on how people can start to build their characters and teams, but it should not be forced down everyone's throat as the only way to play."

I've mostly seen the issue of players fighting and arguing over character builds... everywhere, TikTok, YouTube, HoyoLab, Amino, and Twitter.

This will become more "expressive" from here on out. People have also attacked me for my Kaveh builds specifically and his "synergy" with Al Haitham because I play them together. And to that last point, I say, skill issue. I've cleared content and events with a trial version of Wriothesley and Neuvillette, both of whom are on-field damage dealers. So, what's the excuse then. There are people who make my blood boil whenever because all they do is talk about meta builds and big damage. The way they give advice is essentially, "My way is the only/best way to play.✨️" When it clearly is not, esp. because artifact RNG is different for everyone. So, for example, the Catch on Xiangling is good for them, but Scarlet Sands or Hu Tao's weapon might be better for others.

If you cannot build and rotate characters on your team to make them "synergize," as everyone loves to throw around, that's YOUR fault. Genshin is an open world, action-adventure game. Players have every right to play the game however the fuck they want. If you play only the meta or only want to talk down to others who don't play the meta, stay with your own kind. The rest of us who like to play the game and customize characters however we want will be having fun.

Much like my take on art and artists, if the player did not ASK for "advice," they did not CONSENT to your "advice." They did not consent to your "help." You just want to be haughty and feel good about yourself by pretending you're helping. "But if it's out in public, the player is consenting to criticism." Do you use that excuse for sticking your nose into everything even when you go to work or public spaces? Keep your hands and mouth to yourself, but clearly, the people who raised you failed to teach you manners.

With my rant mostly done, as for more casual players like myself, give me your characters and teams that you WANT to work on and how you want them to be build. I will work with you, not against you. But if you want it to work, you have to put in the work and collect the materials.

Examples: DPS Barbara, fuck yeah. Pyro YaoYao, Bet. Healer only Furina, plausible. Plunge DPS Kaveh, GIMME. You still play DPS Yanfei? Fuck yeah.

TL;DR Genshin is an open world adventure game and mostly single-player. Play however the fuck you want. The meta-gamers and meta-players (is that clear enough for you) have no right to lecture or criticize you for your play style.

[neutrallyobsessed]

I challenge you to make a tier list of your opinion on Ace Attorney ships >;)

Challenge accepted motherfucker >;))))

i did like 5 different lists cause not all them where complete enough to my tastes and then i found this MASSIVE tier list (with a lot of crack xdd) so i was able to do it, fortunally the nrmy week gave me some time to work on this and EVEN THEN some kinda obvious ones were missing so i had to edit them in from the other tierlists, plus stuff i made up lol

also, for it not be too long and mark very clearly my Heterosexual Bias, the list was divided in two, so let's start: (spoilers for investigations cause shih-na doest appear as shih-na)

The OTP category is very self-explanitory, so the second place is all other ships that i like and ship too just not as hard since i have OTPs for the characters already~~

Ohters I like and Im listening have varying degrees of crack but im still considering as potential ships to like seriously

the canon ships acting as a neutral divider, they are canon, you can't complain about that (or you can im just a tumblr post you can do what you want forever). if they arent higher is cause they are not as interesting or funny as the above ships, i still love them very much

then theres the absolute crack that i find amusing but couldnt take to ship it seriously and then ships that are either boring: too tame, lack spice, feel like avoiding being problematic was the priority instead of they'd be cute togheter; or ships that feel a bit too cruel for comfort and i percieve as no longer fun, but sad

this tier list didnt have ema/nahyuta but did have poly ships that included the three so there we go, the only het ships i dont like (2)

finally, the only gay ships i consider to be neat, silly funny friends-to-lovers not overly popular, very cool and epic

And now, the interesting one:

Rangu referenced and teased by canon joke ship goes first of course!

for real tho, there's friends to lovers OR rarepairs OR lawyer x assistant ships, being my go-to in het ships they'd rank higher here

Evil People In Love! What else can I say? When 2 people are down bad for each other and down for destroying everyone and everything whether for revenge or the lulz cause they're bad and they're doing it togheter it's just beautiful~!

anything crack or toxic in a funny way goes next

incest as a neutral divider since being gay is super normal thus uninteresting but adding the taboo incest spice that will NEVER be approved by society IRL will make me a bit more interested but like you know- neutrally

any boring crack or toxic in a unfunny way goes next

and finally we reach my real (yet still neutral) beef with the ace attorney shipping fandom, being the popular ships that get talked about ad nauseum and if you wanna talk about any other ship you get ignored at best or harrassed at worst. Overrated could be the perfect way to describe this ships as they're so oftenly rated over other ships when they're SO LAME AND BLAND AND BRING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. i am not criticizing originality, you know im unoriginal as well, but other fandoms have this something called ✨VARIETY✨ that EVEN IF the boring bland m/m ship still is number one ship of everyone and their grandmas, it'll still be in a relative equal number of fans and content (or directly opposite where Super Popular Ship has like 100 fans producing stuff and literally anything else has like <5, so you only have to block 1 or maybe 2 Super Popular Ships and then is smooth sailing full of variety~)

tl;dr they're annOyedTPs actually they're not bad, they are meh plus the over exposure can really grind someone's gears, second place being not AS popular thus annoying but still pretty much talked about and liked by many people as they are second places to ships in the normie zone

and finally finally what i actually dislike, shipping canonically het married characters with same-sex characters (and not in the funny way)(specially the gay best friend in love with their straight friend, my absolute belothed) or any flavor of enemies-to-lovers, whether it's a tame rivals-to-lovers or a legit hero x villian (stockholm syndrome can be fine but it depends on how its presented....or if it's... y'know funny) or same-age shipping where the characters maturity levels are SO DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT idk it feels kinda icky :////

In any case, i'm still answering asks for particular ships if y'all want a more in depth opinion ^w^

[marias-wonderland]

I posted 1,508 times in 2022

That's 925 more posts than 2021!

26 posts created (2%)

1,482 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@shinzo-no-yami ~<3

@louisfriend-ironsulfide

@funnytwittertweets

@kaoribriefs

@my-mild-ginger

I tagged 966 of my posts in 2022

Only 36% of my posts had no tags

#hellsing - 308 posts

#clarice starling - 236 posts

#hannibal - 204 posts

#hellsing ultimate - 198 posts

#clannibal - 193 posts

#alucard - 156 posts

#alucard hellsing - 151 posts

#silence of the lambs - 144 posts

#integra hellsing - 108 posts

#integra - 97 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#but perhaps try to actually be content with the life you have before start criticizing people that seem actually ok with what they have???

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Hello to the 10 people in this site that are clannibal fans! I found (and finished) this EXCELLENT piece of a fanfic and i thought i should share it with the rest of you!

The story is about rewriting the books -silence of the lambs- and -hannibal- but let me tell you, the writter did a superb job at this! 

In this scenario: Hannibal meets clarice when she is 18 and he is 38. She is still at the orphanage and wants to become an FBI agent. Hannibal is...well, hannibal, but they develop a special bond (obviously) and change each others perspective about reality. Im not gonna say a lot, only that the last chapters are full of plot twists!! (and yes, there are a lot of clannibal moments in there :3)

only thing though: the fic is in polish so ya have to use google translate.

22 notes - Posted January 14, 2022

#4

*Alucard and Integra making out in her office after a mini fight they`ve had*

Seras who walks in at the wrong time: :O 

Pip: Damn, that osculated quickly :3

32 notes - Posted January 22, 2022

#3

Post-SoTL letters

So I've been thinking of writing a post SoTL Clannibal fic in which they sent letters to each other. But because my energy levels reach negative amounts, I never did it. Yesterday i found out about the theory of Solipsism and it seems our good doctor wanted to share it with Clarice (please share with me if you liked it and if you would like to read more.)

Dear Clarice

Please tell me Clarice, are you aware of the theory of Solipsism? If not, it is the idea that only one’s mind is sure to exist and that everything outside of it, external world and other minds, cannot be known and might not exist outside the mind.  While it is not widely accepted by the vox populi, I included, I would be certain that you not only exist but also enhance my own world. You are the last virtue that came out of Pandora’s Box, Hope, and I could not be gladder that you escaped of your prison. A militant spirit encompassed with the credulity of a sheep truly makes a memorable existence. But even if the theory is true and you never truly existed, you are my most perfect idea I’ve ever been able to grasp, an entity that I would never dare to abandon. I will keep carrying you within the rooms of my own mind for the rest of my existence.

Prattling sure makes time fly, please share with me your opinion about it and perhaps deign to show me a piece of your own mind palace.

Ps: I promise I will not snoop around the nearby doors but, I highly suggest you lock the ones you do not wish me to find for the time being.

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Dear Dr. Lecter

I would lie if i say i wasn't touched by your remarks about me. As for the theory, my answer is that i didn't know about it, thank you for enlightening me. I find it rather absurd that existence only exists within one's mind, how can the mind of a clueless man produce the reality in which we all more or less live in? I would argue that perception of said reality can be interpreted differently depending on the individual and on what kind of path they've chosen to follow but, this is beyond my understanding.

You said that i represent the freed hope, the embodiment of every virtue that is worthy of being kept alive in this sorrowful world, your most perfect creation. And yet, how did you choose to treat this embodiment? You lied to me and used me for gaining your freedom. You manipulated me and due to that, 2 officers lost their lives. If the theory is correct, why did you choose to center yourself around despair and chaos? Why does your mind only produce horror and sorrow? The theory elevates us one step before God Himself and yet, you chose to almost show me your cruelest face.

Our meeting made me stronger, wiser, better and more confident than before so I have to answer honestly. I would never allow of myself to remain locked within no one's mind, Doctor, no matter if i were a real person or not. Be aware of that.

Ps. It's in your nature to try and unlock the locks of one's mind. You are welcome to remain in the first rooms but i will also make sure the rest of the locks are double locked

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Dear Clarice

Unbeknownst to you, the secrets of your inner mechanisms have been slowly revealing themselves to me. But I suggest we rash for no revelation yet, shall we? The Cartesian egocentric view of the mind and of the physical existence ,Clarice, does not depend on your average Joe for producing the world we are living in. Solipsism rests upon that all experiences are necessarily private to the individual. Because of its “occult” or ephemeral nature, can never literally be shared. No two people can ever be said to have the same experience.( Just like our first meeting one might say. We certainly carry different memories of the same events)You know I would never lie to you (But unfortunately in that case, someone else was the first who betrayed my trust). When I say you are the embodiment of every little good virtue in this man made world I truly mean it, we both spare ourselves the use of vacant statements.You keep asking me these questions Clarice and yet, why do I feel they are directed at someone else? (perhaps someone who enjoys the destruction of the faith of His believers?). I would suggest you start unlocking those locks not for me, but for yourself. Please tell me, what does it lay behind those well kept locked doors, all dusted and hidden? Is it perhaps pent-up anger? at me for betraying your trust which was build in a manner of days or is it directed at your daddy for abandoning you, because he was so caught up with his own image of himself that a couple of hoodlums had to remind him of his place in the food chain?

I said to you back then the world is more interesting with you in it, and I still hold that belief. Your place is not being an usurper’s ownership but you belong out there, wherever you wish to be. If there is something I enjoy, it is an intellectual conversation with you. Please, don't hold back the acute criticism you so much wish to hurl at me. Ps: I found the use of the word ‘almost’ amusing. Even at your most confused state, you never dare question my appreciation for you.

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Dear Dr. Lecter

I think it is time to put aside philosophy for a moment because that is not what you truly want to discuss with me. These meta-theoretical ideas were never useful to me, I had to prove myself worthy in different aspects.

You said that I am in a ‘confused state’ and yet, it is you who can not seem to decide in which end of the spectrum you fall in. You keep talking about this indescribable adulation towards me and yet, you refuse to confess you betrayed my trust. A young woman was in the hands of a serial killer you very much knew of and yet, you toyed with me and with the entire FBI for your own delectation. Υou have decried every person that has ever wronged me in your eyes or does not treat me with the respect you think i deserve and yet, you are no different than them. They view me as a fragile defective girl, not potent enough for the world of men but unfortunately to them, i proved to be more adaptable to change.  You, on the other hand, also dehumanize me. They did it for the sake of their vested interest, you did it for completing your self made image of an idealised woman.

If there is anger within me, it is for the ones who wish to deceive and harm the innocent. For those i hold no remorse or sympathy. I loved my father and no one can make me question that. And since you patronised me to do not hold back my critism, i find your speculations about me poorly executed, especially for someone who claims he has started understanding my inner world.

Let me unlock a door for you. I wish to find a person who views me as I truly am. No country girl or wounded entity. Just my name would be enough. Just Clarice. Do whatever you want with this piece of information. I have never shied away from myself and i will not start now. Ps: Our conversations can truly be meaningful when you don’t wish to stir up past emotions and regrets 

38 notes - Posted November 28, 2022

#2

I did something (feel free to add more)

88 notes - Posted September 13, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

110 notes - Posted November 12, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[fernposting]

ok i know my opinions are unpopular but this is my blog i do what i want. for context i am a schlatt enjoyer! i do like his content and i #Believe in him so im not a complete hater, i just look at all my media with a critical lens unfortunately. i also still watched chuckle sandwich even thru the rough patches bc i put it on while i eat breakfast its habit at this point

chuckle sandwich used to be my favorite podcast so when it started going downhill (in my opinion) i started lowkey hating it lol. there have been some great newer episodes here and there but whenever i go back to rewatch an episode, it's almost always something from the first year or so of the pod.

charlie leaving was terrible for the podcast since it left the dynamic very unbalanced. that part isnt rlly in anyone's control except charlie's but i definitely found myself enjoying the episodes less when it was just ted and schlatt. charlie, schlatt, and ted had perfect chemistry as a trio but there have been some episodes w just ted and schlatt that were hard to get thru imo.

i also think schlatt has recently (within the last few years) become way too comfortable just sticking to his character and not adding anything new to it. if i listen to a weekly comedy podcast, i dont just want to listen to the same jokes in a slightly different font every time. i think he's much better on sleep deprived where he seems a little more authentic while still keeping up some running bits. on chuckle sandwich it started feeling like schlatt wasn't even friends with ted lmfao and it doesn't help when he would constantly joke abt hating the pod and getting wasted just to get thru it each week.

then ted gave tucker a mic and camera and while it is better than just having ted and schlatt talk in circles for an hour, tucker is literally just some guy and i didnt like how ted keeps shoehorning tucker into everything when he is supposed to be a "producer" not a third member (and the tucker haters fuck off meme got annoying REAL fast once tucker actually became a speaking member. it was rlly funny at first bc he didnt really say anything but now its just like i HAVE to like this random guy who just showed up one day) (speaking of him being a producer tf is he producing 90% of the episodes are over discord)

AND they stopped doing remote guest episodes which was an awful idea idk why they did that

and with schlatt seeming so miserable all the time now i just wanted him to quit and focus on his own content lmao like i could tell he knew the pod had overstayed its welcome and he desperately needs to lock in and re-evaluate some things

TLDR: schlatt seemed like he hated being on the podcast in recent years and i dont want to watch a podcast where someone is being held hostage to tell jokes once a week. i honestly expected it to end like a year ago or something. now that it's over we can have new, better content from schlatt (and ted.. and tucker i guess)

CHUCKLE SANDWICH IS ENDING

[pumpkinpaix]

this is gonna sound so harsh but im legit tired of chinese diaspora people who think that bc they are of chinese descent and they have pleco they can act like voices of authority in the fandom. if modao is the 1st chinese book you have read pieces of with a dictionary, if you have never interacted with the actual chinese fandom, you are not part of the intended audience and your biased opinion is not the One And Only Valid Truth 🍵

strongly agree | agree | neutral | disagree | strongly disagree | this is really hard for me to express in terms of an agree/disagree axis lol

genuinely cannot tell if you’re trying to shade me here anon lmao 😂

this got long and rambly (of course) asldkjfslj. i would love to make the excuse that it’s bc i’ve got a migraine and had No Sleep but. let’s be real i’m always like this.

ok i’ll start with where i agree: i don’t think anyone has the right to act like an ultimate voice of authority in fandom. i think different people with different backgrounds have varying realms of expertise and they should be respected when they share that knowledge, but that the instant someone starts to use that kind of power as a weapon against people they personally don’t like, i think they forfeit that privilege. no one has the one and only valid truth about a piece of media because that’s fundamentally impossible. i have definitely interacted with diaspo who behave like their heritage gives them some kind of incontrovertible authority over everyone else, and they’re fucking insufferable and often rather cruel, even/especially towards other diaspo. meet me in the denny’s parking lot and fight me for real. i’ll kick ur ass. >:c

however, I also think it’s true that there’s a lot of dismissal of heritage fans in this fandom, if that makes sense, from both sides of the equation: non-Chinese fans ignore our cultural hangups because they’re inconvenient, and non-diaspora disdain us for being not Chinese enough. that puts a lot of us in a position of feeling disrespected just for being who we are, or having our very real knowledge and unique experience as individuals devalued because of it.

regardless of my identity, I have formally studied a lot of things: literary translation, media analysis, the politics of oppression, film critique, religious studies, philosophy, four foreign languages etc. and that is all knowledge that I had to work for, and work hard for. I do have a certain measure of authority on all of these subjects over a layperson (to varying degrees), and there are going to be times when i will be more correct than someone who disagrees with me -- but I’ve also absolutely experienced people talking over that specialized knowledge because of who I am, which is, to be clear. extremely infuriating and hurtful. like, i have cried so much about it in the last 18 months. people see my racial and cultural identity before they see anything else, which is understandable to a degree, but upsetting when it becomes the basis for how my work is judged, whether positive or negative. i don’t want you to trust me blindly because i’m abc. I want to you to trust me because you have examined my work critically and judged it to be trustworthy!

so i guess this is getting into the strongly disagree part of the answer: i’ve been speaking a lot with other diaspora fans lately, and it’s been simultaneously hugely relieving and also really saddening. relieving because oh thank god someone else Gets It, and saddening because pretty much all of us, no matter what kind of diaspo we are (north american, european, SEA, taiwanese etc), we’ve all experienced a lot of pressure in this fandom, from non-Chinese, Chinese, and other diaspora fans alike. we’re all acutely aware that we are not modao’s intended audience because being diaspora vs being “from the mainland” or whatever, are actually quite different things, but modao still feels close to home. even if it was not written FOR us it is still familiar to us.

and, because so many of us are multilingual and multicultural, we end up being the bridge between the “actual” chinese fandom and the english-speaking fandom, which is largely made up of non-chinese. (sidenote: I hate it when people say things about being “actually” any identity because it’s almost always for the exact reason you brought up: to use heritage as street cred. it’s like damn, being “actually” chinese doesn’t make ur opinions any less rank. sure you might be “actually” chinese, but do you have basic reading comprehension and literary criticism skills? no? ok then sit your ass back down) many of us are most comfortable in english! so we produce our content in english! but we also DO often have a somewhat privileged access to the culture that underlies mdzs and can explain it in a language that other non-Chinese fans can understand. so it’s not surprising that people flock to us for answers to their cultural questions. and like. if we think we know the answer, it’s natural for us to try and help. this is fandom! we’re here to have fun and find community! and it is definitely a little bit nice to have my culture treated as something desirable for once instead of just like. a weird exotic curiosity that no one really cares too deeply about. and, since a lot of us are able to do things that non-Chinese fans can’t (research in chinese, for example. ask family members for help and more information etc.) we end up just having more information to share.

I think this sometimes results in a tendency for fandom at large to put heritage/diaspo fans on pedestals and tout them as authorities (or use our conflicting viewpoints as ammunition in fandom drama) when the diaspo in question have repeatedly stated that they should not be taken as authorities on something -- and then, once you reach critical mass, your reputation starts to precede you, and I think there’s a lot of misconceptions of how a lot of diaspo act in this fandom simply because of that phenomenon. most of us know that we’re not ultimate arbiters of some kind of cultural gateway, and it can be very tiring both to be treated as such when we insist we are not, and then punished by other people who assume that we acted like we were.

i don’t think there’s a benefit in trying to keep en fandom and cn fandom totally separate, and I also think it’s unfair to consider the cn fandom the “real” fandom. i think that way lies deeper misunderstandings, gatekeeping, etc. i think we can definitely acknowledge the differences between them, but i think trying to make meaningful connections between fandom circles is really valuable! i don’t think i’ve ever made it a secret that modao is my first cmedia fandom? so it’s also the first time i’ve had reason to interact with chinese fandom, which has been super enlightening and interesting! i’ve made some super cool friends and learned a lot about how fandom works in china, how it’s similar and how it differs from the fandom i’m familiar with.

and then, kind of circling back around, there’s also a bit of a sense like, okay, so if diaspo don’t belong in the CN fandom, but we can’t talk about our own culture with some degree of confidence in EN fandom, then like..... where do we go...? if we see EN fandom doing something that contradicts our cultural knowledge, do we just. not say anything? do we not count unless we’ve already ingratiated ourselves to CN fandom? that’s probably where the core of my strong disagreement comes from, because criticism of diaspora fans as like, acting above their station so to speak, feels just like a tired continuation of the same shit we’ve had to deal with for our whole lives, being told we’re not good enough for anywhere and that we should just be quiet and keep our heads down and get over it. that our opinions, despite coming from a unique perspective with a unique relationship to the subject in question, are less valid or real than “actual” chinese people, you know? and sometimes i see that and im like lmfao just sneer at me for being jook-sing and leave then if you’re so eager to think of me as lesser.

so yeah, basically im of a few minds: true! diaspora fans don’t get to throw their weight around just because they’re diaspo. they don’t get carte blanche to act like bullies or try to shape the fandom to their own personal liking and crusade against people who disagree with them. they don’t get to pretend their heritage makes them superior to everyone else, and i think western diaspora especially need to be careful when asserting any kind of moral lens over the text to acknowledge that we have our own biases to interrogate. i am not immune.meme etc. on the other hand, this vein of criticism tends to put all diaspo in a bit of a double-bind, and also, however unintentionally, plays into the general, continuous trend of dismissing diaspora for being diaspora, and i’m really not about that. i don’t think that’s the motivation behind opinions like this, but i do think that when the basis for the argument hinges on the idea that diaspora are not “real” chinese, no matter how much I too have beef with certain diaspora fans, the argument needs to be revisited. 

(ko-fi)

🍵 ((un)popular) opinions meme

[mallowstep]

what's ur opinion on incestuous/abusive rarepairs? ive been seeing some talk abt it and im confused. if this is too personal or u don't want to answer for any reason, no pressure! hope ur doing well

okay, i've been thinking about this for a bit, and i appreciate the question. it means a lot to me, y'know, that you care to ask for my opinion.

there's a lot of angles to look at this from, but hey, i'm a utilitarian*. i think what's right is what minimizes harm and maximizes happiness.

* not a philosophy person, i just keep agreeing w my professor about utilitarianism.

so. i want to look at it from that angle, because i think that will keep us all on the level and straightforward. the rest of this will be under a cut, because some people don't want to engage with this in the slightest (valid), but i'm going to avoid as much internet discourse rhetoric as possible.

there's not really a great place to start with this, so let's do the housekeeping:

i'm going to skip over "no one HAS to like XYZ," because it's just a lot of words for something i think we can all understand. nothing i say is meant to imply anyone has to like or engage with any form of content.

i'm also going to be folding everything into abuse. incest is a form of abuse, not an issue i'm qualified to speak specifically to, and i'm trying not to overwork my wrists, so i'd like to save the characters.

i will not necessarily respond to follow-ups on this. bad faith asks will be deleted-and-maybe-blocked. good faith asks depend on the ask, how i'm feeling, etc., but you're welcome to send it.

now, onto the show.

my metric for judging anything is basically, "does this hurt other people?" and "does the person undergoing this fully understand the risks?"

in general, as long as the answers are no and yes (respectively), i'm probably fine with it being a thing that exists.

(ex) am i okay with recreational drug usage?

yes, as long as people are fully educated.

(ex) am i okay with high school football?

no, because teenagers are not fully educated about the risks, and even if they were, i don't think a fifteen year old is mature enough to decide if those are risks worth taking.

(ex) am i okay with people writing about abusive relationships?

yes, because it doesn't hurt others, and there really aren't many risks involved.

let me call the hypothetical audience member i use as a rhetorical device often...drew.

drew: the question wasn't about writing abusive relationships, it was about shipping.

(well, i'm making a quiet assumption it was.)

regardless, let's be frank, the sticking point for many people is shipping, so it's worth examining.

now, it's hard for me to ever make a statement that says shipping something is inherently bad. shipping is a loosely defined term, but it's still just an opinion, and an opinion isn't an action, so it doesn't have consequences, so i don't think it's wrong.

drew: you're being pedantic. opinions inform actions.

indeed they do, but holding that opinion still isn't wrong. acting on opinions might be, if it causes harm.

drew: so it's not wrong to have an abusive ship, but if expressing that causes harm, it would be wrong?

exactly, you get it.

now, i said writing above, specifically to set up the point that writing isn't necessarily shipping isn't necessarily publicly producing content. i think a lot of people will say, "this is okay, as long as you do it critically," or, "this is okay, but only if you don't share it." so i think...i think if you can't get to, "it's okay to hold abusive ships, and it's at least okay to privately make things about those ships," i don't think i can continue this conversation. i don't know how to get you to that point, if you weren't convinced by my little dialogue on opinions.

so i won't make you drag it out of me, is it wrong to produce content publicly?

let's consider:

if i post a fic about an abusive ship (and i have), what are the consequences of that?

there could be any, but...a quick search found me a fanfiction on ao3 with 5.8 million hits. that's roughly 0.07% of the world population, assuming each hit is from a unique individual, so even being obscenely generous, let's say fanworks, as a collective, affect 1% of people.

drew: hold on, what about other media? why are you limiting things to fanworks?

good question. because i have different opinions, because of a very different set of conditions. i'm focusing on fanworks because the question asked about that, and generalizing this argument doesn't work very well. my opinions on this are distinctly tied to the fact that fandom affects less than 1% of people.

drew: that's still a lot of people.

yes, but...look, fandom vs published media is a different discussion, alright? i'm going to move on from the numbers game, but i just want to make sure we have a good grip on the fact that fandom is not affecting the vast majority of the world.

back to the point, not a lot of people are reading fics. maybe a few hundred read my abusive ship fic. what are the harms?

well, one might be they get triggered. not posting would avoid that, but that would also avoid the potential benefit of someone feeling validated about their abuse. trigger warnings reduce the harm to almost nothing, while still providing that benefit.

drew: you're going to hinge your argument on trigger warnings? i know you've brought up how fandom used-to-be, when warnings were courtesies.

yeah, but i think making them a social norm was a good thing. drew, as a rhetorical tool, you hold no beliefs but the ones i give you to make a point, and in this point, it's simply that i don't like people assuming what i believe. oh, i state plenty of opinions. but don't infer based on that, or based on what other people who share similar opinions might believe. there are reasons i don't label myself.

more to the point, yes, i am. trigger warnings minimize harm, while allowing a work to still bring value to people who wouldn't get that value if it was never posted. maximizing happiness, minimizing harm.

moving on, another harm would be that an abuser could use it against a victim.

well, there's no way to stop that. if something is up, it exists to be used.

however, does me posting a work create more risk? no. even if everyone took down everything, there's still loads of published media that people could use. that's worse, because published media will present abuse as healthy.

drew: someone could do that in a fanwork.

right, which is why i think people should tag things.

drew: what if someone doesn't realize they're writing an abusive relationship?

then they'd still post it, if the norm was not to post abuse.

also, since published media often presents abuse as healthy, i would go as far as suggesting fanworks with tagged abuse can help people learn to recognize abuse. i don't know how defensible that argument is, but i can say, anecdotally, it is true.

some of you could probably list other harms, but i cannot, not off the top of my head, and i think you could probably trace enough of my logic to figure out the conclusion i'm going to come to: the harms just don't add up. the benefits outweigh the damages, and so i don't think there's anything wrong with it.

drew: i have some criticisms.

of course you do. i deliberately left space for them, because i thought this would be a more interesting way of discussing some of the nuances.

drew: first, you're assuming everyone will act in good faith and tag their works.

well, i'm not going to reiterate anyone who wouldn't tag would post abuse even if we banned it, especially since there's an easy refutation: we can just take banned topics down.

in fact, that was a refutation i ignored earlier.

but on ao3, if a fic has an untagged archive warning, and it's reported, the "creator chose not to use archive warnings" warning will get added to it. so we can solve that problem just as easily.

drew: so you think ao3's archive warnings are the only things worth tagging for?

getting aggressive, there. no, but i don't feel like splitting hairs, talking about the reasons ao3 might make decisions, even if there might be better ones...the point is simply that there's a solution to untagged works: if it's reported, add some kind of flag that this work might contain certain topics.

drew: but that's not very specific.

and it falls on people to decide whether or not they should take that risk.

drew: your argument puts a lot of weight on people reading tags and not having harm happen to them, instead of reading something accidentally, or...

well, yes. i said this implicitly earlier, but i also believe that you stop at the last point, if that makes sense. if there's a step between me posting and someone being harmed, we stop that step, not me posting.

i leave defending that as an exercise to the reader.

drew: okay, but you also didn't address uncritical works.

yeah, i know. i mean i did, implicitly, but i didn't say anything directly.

if a fic presents abuse in a positive/romantic light, but is tagged abuse? honestly, i think that's a net benefit. why is this abuse? it takes the reader doing thinking, yes, but an author can't control, nor be expected to control, how a reader views their work. i'm not responsible for that.

someone could always ignore my tags. someone could always not think. someone could view a healthy relationship as abusive. i can't control that.

ffs, last night, someone pointed something out to me, and i had to stop and go, "oh fuck, i'm not writing the healthy relationship i meant to be writing." and then faff around for an hour failing to fix that because i was exhausted. but more to the point, i want to be able to tag that work as fluff, so i'm going to have to fix it, but if i didn't?

i don't think there's anything wrong with posting it, and expecting someone to see a tag like "unhealthy relationships" and have to ask themselves why i used that tag. that's critical thinking, and it's good and healthy and, most importantly, how you learn to recognize abuse irl. you can know all of the signs of toxic, unhealthy, and/or abusive relationships (not all the same thing), and still be stuck in one, because you haven't been told how it feels. you've heard people say they didn't realize, or seen the cycle of abuse, but you didn't know how it would feel.

i'm not so arrogant as to say anything i write will do that. but i do know that works of fiction have done that for me before. i think it was two days ago that a friend wrote something that made me say, "oh, i have to think about something that happened to me."

and i can tell you, it's never someone saying, "this was bad, here it is:" that makes me personally feel like that.

drew: i still don't like it.

i know. i don't like lots of things. so i don't read them. sometimes i complain about them to my friends. sometimes i have complicated feelings. sometimes i like something, but i wish someone didn't do it like that.

part of life is accepting people will do things that make us feel uncomfortable. i will even argue that there are things that we might think are wrong, but don't do anyone harm, and part of life is accepting that. but whether or not you want to go that far...

drew: you're going to bring up the horror movie thing.

i'm going to bring up the horror movie thing.

you're one of three people: horror movie purist, horror movie neutral*, or horror movie hater.

* includes fan, i just like them, i don't like them, etc.

if you're a horror movie hater who thinks they just shouldn't exist, well, that's the rest of this post. but for everyone else, if i say, "watch a horror movie with the lights on," you're likely having one of three reactions.

the purists are upset. that ruins the experience. the haters are upset. they don't want to watch a horror movie. the neutrals don't see a point.

(and a few of you are either saying, "it's the way i like to watch them," or "ik where you're going with this and i like it." you are all excused early, have a nice day.)

if possible, i want you to give this a shot. you don't have to like it, but it's not going to kill you. no, you might never do it again, but...

if you're a purist, remember you don't have to do that again. someone else having that experience doesn't force it on you. it's not your life.

if you hate horror movies, grab a friend and laugh at it. i suggest "cabin in the woods," as it's a great movie for this purpose. it leans into everything i want you to get out of this, which is: even if i never want to do this again, i can understand that there's a reason other people might like this.

if you're neutral, just give it a go. i can't say you'll get anything terribly specific out of it, but i think it's a good experience for anyone.

drew: we good?

we good.

<3

[wickedpact]

so netflix just announced the schedule for that fan event on saturdays and now its official: there wont be a tog panel. charlize will make an appearance though, alongside other 5 actress in a panel about action movies. there's a moderator so its most likely gonna be a general discussion about the genre with an emphasis on female protagonists - she's certainly going to talk about andy and nile's characters as well as her experience as a producer - and maybe there will be a comment or two about the sequel, but i feel like nothing too specific or revealing and more like a brief statement. i hope i'm wrong tho! i mean they did kinda hint that there would be new content at the panel? (or maybe it was never gonna to happen and we're just clowns being baited yet again).

anyway, i keep wondering if its a case of netflix not giving a shit about promoting the movie, or if it there's another perfectly reasonable explanation for it and i'm being super extra about it.

because really, netflix has a lot of fucking money and they dont usually spare it on their marketing campaigns. and still we get nothing. not before the film came out (if i didnt have access to the gays from tumblr/twitter i would have never even discover the film - it had me at the joenicky gifs, obvs - and still, i had to introduce it to so many people from inside the community who had never heard of it.) and not even after people started engaging with it, basically begging for some crumbles. not a single photo or video of cast together, not any deletes scenes; we're all starving here!!! in fact, netflix just released the raw footage of an audition/chemestry test featuring the actresses from fear street vs the actual scenes from the film - including some dialogue that was cut from it which reveal some background info about the characters - so clearly they understand the appeal. SO WHY CANT WE HAVE THAT

[nonetheless i'm a fool who still hopes that someday we're gonna get more content of them together (i want behind the scenes footage! i wanna know more about their experiences training and shooting the film! i wanna hear funny stories from the set! i wanna see them teasing each other in several languages! also would sell a lung to watch luca and marwan taking part in back to back chef!). ]

anyhow, i honestly find that even when we take into account the global pandemic and its effects, the publicity was kinda wack; we can basically count on one hand how many interviews were made while they were promoting the film.

and i truly dont get it!!!!!!! im not even speaking as fan here. the old guard has the potential to be a hit among several demographics; now that disney took away what used to be netflix's flagship content the competition has never been more fierce in the superhero/ish genre!!! and its not like we're talking about some low-budget film cmon its a significal production with both experienced and emerging actors. its chiwetel ejofior ITS CHARLIZE FUCKING THERON. anyway my point is that in a time when movie theathers were closed and streaming reached its peak tog could - SHOULD - have been much more popular.

SO LIKE. WHY?????? does it have anything to do with skydance and copyrights? re: interviews, can it be that the cast just didnt sign up for this (is that even a thing? i dont know anything about the film industry, clearly)? unlikely for a movie that big i would guess but who knows??? i mean contrary to some hollywood folks most of the cast is extremely private and discrete people (GOOD FOR THEM) so perhaps they have some reservations about it? or we're really just the poor bastards that end up being obssessed with a media no one gives a fuck about it and thats it? WHYYY

p.s.: sorry for the word vomit! this was not supposed to be an essay i just had to get this off my chest and you're the most welcoming blog around these woods. thank you for the tea (or is it coffee? heh) and the biscuits and for always indulging our passionate rants. HAVE A NICE DAY I LOVE YOU

re: TUDUM, geeked week mentioned there will be a little interview thing for greg & leandro so i have a feeling if anything of tog importance will be discussed itll happen then

but yeah i get what youre saying; sometimes i wonder if the reason that theres like no bts content is bc it just.. .doesnt exist? just people didnt film things like chemistry readings or the like while creating tog and thats why theres been basically no crumbs? (but then again, it was gina who took it upon herself to post the hair & makeup test footage AND theres at least one deleted scene that we know of thats never been posted so maybe not)

and yeah it does seem so bizarre since tog got such a big response from audiences (it was one of netflix's most watched original movies!) and critics did actually like it, unlike some of netflix's most watched originals. PLUS it has that ✨ Franchise Potential ✨that everyone has been searching for as of late and it also gives netflix their sought after Woke Points. idk it just seems like they should be leaning into tog as hard as they can but it feels like theyve been largely ignoring it. i mean i get the holdups in regard to finding a new director but other than that the response from netflix has been so underwhelming

[endcant]

aimless musings on subgenre, citypop, and internet subcultures

theres something very interesting about watching citypop become very mainstream in korea and watching that feed back into both western listeners’ opinions and also into the sometimes-cynical efforts of a variety of kpop producers

a lot of people in the youtube/kpop sphere talk about the growth of citypop as if it were a spontaneous wave that appeared out of nowhere with mariya takeuchi’s plastic love getting picked up by the youtube algorithm in like 2018 or whatever, but thats a very like online-ignorant view of the interaction between vintage japanese music and worldwide online EDM production. citypop has been used in future funk and vaporwave for almost a decade by now, and, as a result, a number of citypop songs took off on social media here and there before plastic love’s acceleration— dress down by kaworu akimoto is one of the big examples off the top of my head, but there’s likely many many more.

“Plastic Love” by Mariya Takeuchi (1984). if you haven’t heard this yet, you’d better listen to it now. The video that first went viral was uploaded in 2017

“Selfish High Heels” by Yung Bae, Macross 82-99, and Harrison (2014) is a popular Future Funk remixes of Dress Down by Kaoru Akimoto (1986)

people who haven’t been very aesthetically literate online over the years— musically or visually, since those things are tied in subcultures— treat things like they come from nowhere. there are ongoing subcultural conversations that lead to certain aesthetic choices, and when someone tries to cash in on a trend without understanding what the trend is, that leads people to call bullshit. calling bullshit is not meanspirited, in my opinion, because it very much is like somebody who can’t speak a language getting up in front of everybody and saying “hey, i’m fluent!” and then speaking some vaguely that-language-sounding nonsense. of course people who genuinely speak that language will be outraged instinctively. it feels like being mocked.

that’s why the difference between music producers picking up on a trend cynically and music producers picking up on a trend with earnest interest in that trend’s origins feels different, even if the producers are similarly distant from the original subculture that produced that trend.

“Lady” by Yubin (2018) committed hard to the 80s JP citypop aesthetic, musically and visually, down to the sets, all fairly early in the major resurgence.

i’m sure that anyone with a passing familiarity with citypop and kpop can ascertain that not all kpop producers know what citypop is and what makes it citypop. all they know is that it is on-trend and they have to make it. not all kpop listeners know what citypop is and what makes it citypop. all they know is their idol said citypop as a buzzword in their little prepared statement. all this results in some interesting moments for me as a Music Fan, Online.

here is where i get to the thing that spurred this post: loona “did a citypop” for their japanese comeback. it doesnt sound like citypop.

“Hula Hoop (Citypop Version)” by Loona (2021). It has very odd percussion rhythms and mixing for citypop, no real attempt at a citypop verse, and strangely sparse gestures towards citypop in the form of a few seconds of bass and some synthesized orchestral embellishments that were taken from the original mix …all in spite of a very disco-inspired melody that should have worked perfectly for citypop

this is not a very big deal, and im not mad about it or anything. when a kpop act i like gets saddled with an unfortunate B-Side track i dont tend to take it very hard. however, it did raise a little bit of musical discourse in the loona fandom— in the form of remixes.

“hula hoop if it was actually a citypop song” by loonahatetwinks and Olivia Soul on youtube. this one has an original instrumental that is spot-on for contemporary k-citypop

My most favorite one of these remixes is a futurefunk remix by ZSunder, one of the very best LOONA fan producers. The fact that ZSunder thought to make a future funk remix at all speaks more to an understanding of the mutually supportive relationship between citypop and EDM genres than most kpop citypop producers or fanmixers seem to care to know about.

“Hula Hoop (Future Funk Mix)” by ZSunder is futurefunk made and mixed with such love that it has the infectious summery energy of a polished, big-name future funk hit

in the comments of this video, some people seemed to get the citypop-future funk connection and some didnt. many did get it, don’t get me wrong! but also, its not all that surprising for some kpop-focused listeners to not know much about EDM subcultures and the reasons behind various trends among producers, since kpop as an institution tends to take influences from any genre and culture it likes and then decontextualize those influences by just having their names used as buzzwords in the blurbs the idols have to recite when variety show hosts ask them about their latest single. this isn’t a criticism of the genre or the fans really, it’s just a part of the kpop industry that is used to add shine to an endless firehose-like stream of polished pop tracks. there are some issues with using whole genres and subcultures with complex histories as buzzwords, but god help us if we ever want a pop industry to give its influences their dues.

anyway, the intention behind ZSunder’s future funk Hula Hoop remix happened to remind me me of why i love Yukika’s discography so much, especially the Soul Lady album. I’ve seen some reviews online baffled by parts of Soul Lady, because the album in general is an exploration of that relationship between citypop and modern/internet EDM. i’ve seen plenty of Soul Lady reviews especially baffled by pit-a-pet, saying something along the lines of “what’s with the modern-sounding dance track in the middle of a retro album?”, but i think that pit-a-pet is a futurefunk-inspired track, at least in the chorus. considering both that and the Chill Lo-Fi Interludes, it seems like estimate’s team put together Soul Lady for Yukika in a way that shows that they love citypop and understand the online-specific electronic music subcultures that led to citypop’s resurgence.

“pit-a-pet” by Yukika (2020). the stacatto, bass heavy chorus is futurefunk enough, but the soaring orchestral part in the final chorus seals the deal for my interpretation.

“All Flights Are Delayed (1 hour version)” by Yukika (2020). Estimate literally released an hour-long youtube mix of one of the Lo-Fi interludes on Soul Lady as part of their promotion, clearly inspired by “Lo-Fi anime beats to chill out to,” which is another example of online producers from around the world using Japanese samples as a focal point of their music

Estimate, in the end, is still a Kpop production company, just the same as BBC, so they have no inherent claim over citypop, but the way that their exploration of subgenres clearly comes from passion and interest on the part of their production staff makes it so that their work with Yukika rings true. on the other hand, i really appreciate Ryan S. Jhun’s work on LOONA’s JP comeback, as well as on Not Friends, but the citypop mix thing was so clearly an afterthought to the point where fans of Loona who like citypop seem mostly just irritated by the cynical-seeming attempt.

heres one last good modern kpop citypop MV that has nods to the internet culture that led to its revival in the form of the videography— vaporwave, future funk, lofi, and other internet genres along those lines tend to have videos consisting of looping anime and vhs clips. future funk in particular is known for this, especially since a lot of future funk music, esp early future funk, is just loops of very short, catchy segments of citypop and disco songs. it’s all about the loops

“My Type” by Yoon JongShin ft. Miyu Takeuchi (2019). This song is so dedicated to the retro JP citypop sound that it’s almost beyond my personal taste. The singer, Miyu, was a headlining act at a seoul citypop festival and sang this song as part of her act (:

this video of “Only One” by Conscious Thoughts (2015) has a looped clip as an example for comparison with My Type. it also has a pulsing sidechain compressor working in time with its drum beat in a way that is common for future funk and that i think is a good example for my pit-a-pet yukika comparison to future funk

i guess the takeaway here is that media is more and more online, and the creation and propagation of digital audio and video content has been in the hands of literally almost anybody who wants to do it for the past two decades thanks to garage band and fruityloops and audacity and tiktok and youtube and bandcamp and soundcloud and myspace and newgrounds and p2p file sharing and so on and so forth. and therefore like… as with all things, the consumer class more and more is also the creator class, and therefore every member of an audio-visual subculture will have the ability to discern what is and isnt made with knowledge of the audio-visual language of that subculture

[bisexualhobi]

adding to the bts and their recent releases discourse— am I allowed to say that i am disappointed in my faves because they aren’t taking the risks? Like you mentioned — they’re in a position where their fans (us) will eat up anything they put out so why not be bold? it almost makes me feel … Idk how to explain it. It’s not like they’ve stopped caring because mono, d-2 are such wonderful pieces of art. It’s disappointing to me that they’re (and by they i mean, the artist and it’s management) are chasing the charts to such an extent. I’m kind of over the English releases solely for Grammy purposes. What’s a Grammy going to even prove??? Butter and Dynamite are fun songs but by no means will I reach for them as my favorite BTS songs. And then to of course use the “we wanna reach our international fans that’s why we did this song in English” rhetoric also disappointed me, because we all know that’s not why they dropped dynamite lol. But again… what could they have even said that would’ve been “politically correct” in that situation?

I adored BTS for standing tall, for always marking their own space wherever they went. A song would come on and people would be like “ah yes that’s bangtan” but lately it feels like some of that has been lost along the way along this mission to take over the American industry and then I wonder: do BTS really have no say in what their management does? That can’t be because then every rhetoric they’ve put out about being open with their company and decisions would be false. So BTS themselves want this, which is fine I guess… but it’s just not something I can align myself with.

Anyway, I love BTS, I’ve grown up with them and I’ve watched them grow and I want nothing but the best for them. They seem like good people too. But a part of me is actually quite disappointed with this direction and I’m also disappointed in the fans for defending it so blindly. Loving someone doesn’t mean you have to agree with all their actions and that you shouldn’t criticize where criticisms are due. Too many stans these days see one tiny criticism and start calling you an anti. (This got long im sorry I usually am on stan twt where voicing such opinions is a sure fire way to get suspended)

kpop idols have very little agency to dictate their careers, it doesn't matter what they tell you. it doesn't matter who they are. shinee are owners of sm shares the same way as bts and yet kibum has never been shy to comment on how they're barely able to do whatever they want with creative freedom. ofc contracts vary and saying this is not the same as saying bts are puppets completely controlled by hybe,,, but they have contractual obligations and they can't walk out on them. that includes releasing content they don't agree with on a personal level.

i think hybe benefits a lot from the "bts are independent and do whatever they want" narrative the same way they benefit from the self produced narrative and the underdog narrative. that's why they will keep pedaling it and it's not like the boys are allowed to just say whatever is happening is against their will. that will never happen. ever. both because of legal reasons and also because i truly believe that bts are thankful and loyal to hybe. it's a matter of opportunity costs. will they be better off in another label or will they stay in the label that made them and create opportunities for themselves as the years go by? i would choose the latter.

i'm disappointed by a lot of things they do the same way i'm disappointed in my other idols. but as you say, i still love them and that doesn't mean i have to agree with everything they do. also don't worry, i'm glad there are twt fans that feel the same way because everyday i get messages from twt armys that are scared to voice their opinions in there. this is a no judgement zone so you're welcome <3

[legends-live-in-memories]

I Have Too Many Opinions. ep. 1

lmao. i got encouragement to post my opinions on fandom things and now i want to make a miniseries doing just that. so here i am. doing just that.

im putting it under the cut cuz this was 4 whole pages including the disclaimer. yes i put a disclaimer and i explain why.

Anyways, here is the first piece in what inevitably will become fandom info dump, this time on thomas astruc’s writing on miraculous ladybug. but only some of my opinions cuz we would be here all day otherwise.

So… a disclaimer before I begin… 

I do not hate Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir (yes i'm using their government name). I am quite a fan of the show actually despite its faults. I am also older than the intended audience but was obviously younger when the show first aired which is how my interest was piqued (the fact that its been 6 years and only 3 seasons says more about the show than me being a fan for that amount of time but also i never want to rush content creators cuz they're doing their best) and due to my age, there will be inherent bias in my approach of what i'm about to say as there is in EVERY opinion. The fact that it is an opinion should imply the presence of bias but most people tend to lack the critical thinking skills required to draw that conclusion ANYWAYS…

If I did hate the show I would not have this blog nor would I be even writing this because i tend to not give more than 2 seconds of thought to things i actively dislike (some of yall should give this a try) and i'm allowed to like things that are designed for an audience that i was originally a part of but grew out of. (I don't suddenly stop liking things because I'm older despite what many younger fans seem to believe about older audiences. I also don't need to be ‘allowed’ to do anything cuz i wasn't asking for permission anyways.)

This will not be character bashing, astruc bashing nor fandom bashing cuz, again, that would imply i hate any of those elements and if i did, i would not dedicate brainpower to them. Analyses and criticisms of media are fun and engaging and required if you wish to produce good enjoyable content. Now most of this should be already assumed and self-explanatory but people on the internet like to play morality roulette roll dice on purity culture and I rather have documentation that I am in fact not bullying fictional 14 year olds or a grown man. But alas, people get trigger happy whenever someone has less than 1000000% positive opinions on something they like and will throw out words they can't define (gaslight, baiting, toxic, problematic, gatekeep etc) in an attempt to defend their blind devotion, 

which is not needed, if you like something you never have to defend it, even if i don't like it. If you respond to anything I post saying you disagree with me, I will not argue with you. I won't debate back and forth and try to convince you that the things you like are wrong. Unless you are being absolutely tone deaf to what i'm saying, you wont get a negative reaction from me. So don't try to fish for a fight. Please. I got metaphorical hands for days and I'm mean, you don't want me hurting your feelings on the internet. Do yourself the favour. Difference of opinion is how we get diversification in media and is inherently a good thing. Now that that's out of the way, please don't ever let me have to say that again. I beg.

Now onto the fun stuff

I didn't know what I wanted as a first topic so my trusty internet friend @moonlitceleste suggested astruc’s writing… 

AND BOI do i got some opinions on ole tommy boi. Again I don't hate the dude. In fact, he has worked on a few shows that had defined my childhood, including but not limited to W.I.T.C.H. (all eps available on youtube for those interested, 2 seasons, general fun time all around).

So I don't think he’s scum of the earth but I do think his approach to writing mlb specifically has more misses than hits.

The first big miss is that he has no idea how to write 14 year old girls. At all. Almost every girl he has ever written feels like some terrible archetype built entirely for marketability and childish projection and pubescent self-insert (kind of). He has never been a 14 year old girl. I have. In fact when the show first aired, I WAS around the (assumed) age of the mlb characters. The behaviour he passes off as quirky or awkward or just the character’s genuine personality tend to perpetuate harmful stereotypes of teen girls found in the media and are never actually addressed as harmful. they just get swept under the rug. Marinette’s exuberant collage of teen heart throb model boi Adrien Agreste and her very painful almost fan worship she has of him (which flip flops like a paper sandal in the rain) being portrayed as a cute school girl crush uwu, Chloe being the y7 Regina George, Alya being the token best friend of colour with her ‘sassy’ personality (i want y'all to imagine me eyerolling so hard i bust a vessel in my eye), Kagami being the very damaging Perfect Asian Child stereotype. And before y'all get on your dusty soap box and defend going on about “BUT IT'S FOR CHILDREN”,,,, know this.

 i don’t give a solid fuck. 

Not one. 

Children arent stupid. Children are always going to remember the richy bitchy blonde who bullies the art kid, and the big kid, and the shy kid, and the non white kids, and was only nice to her equally rich white friend who she probably had a crush on or was only ever civil to her equally white lapdog. They're going to remember the half asian girl who was never allowed to actually be asian or the only black girl who existed solely as a soundboard for enabling bad habits or chastising the main character for the same habits she enables in the first place (boi aint THAT a topic for later). Like do i really need to explain that alya chastising marinette for taking max’s spot in gamer just to play with adrien rings absolutely hollow when she actively encourages her to sabotage the contest she’s in just so Kagami doesn't win?? Like I don't have to explain that right?? Again kids arent stupid and its quite something that Mari gets chastised for proving herself the best video game player regardless of her intentions just cuz it comes at the expense of max’s feelings/ego but is actively encouraged to sabotage not only kagami but herself by extension cuz kagami is ‘competition.’ Adrien is not a trophy to be won. And no I don't expect 14 yrs old to be perfect and to always make good decisions but these decisions are never addressed as being bad decisions. they get swept under the rug cuz those decisions were necessary for the ‘plot’ but astruc can barely keep characterization consistent and his characters suffer for it and it's the same children you preach are watching it that suffer as well. Cuz guess what? I KNOW 14 yr olds aren't like that cuz i've been there done that (this is the last time i'm saying that i promise) so I know astruc is just metaphorically throwing darts to figure out who says and does what without consideration for pre established personalities to drive the stalemate plot along. The same kids you say are watching this don't know that that's not how preteens work and will absorb and internalize those dynamics like baking soda and vinegar. Cata-fucking-strophically. 

And I haven't even gotten to the boys yet. Which honestly doesn't require much explanation anyways cuz they suffer the same fate as the girls. Tired archetypes with nothing to give them life. Nino falls into Adrien’s person of colour token best friend who dates the female lead’s person of colour token best friend so they can have cute double dates uwu. Except the plot goes nowhere and we have no inclination of romantic development beyond moments that only act to actively convince me to anti ship the lovesquare (i don't want to do that so i self indulge in fanon that actually cares about the characters and plot. may i interest you in True Sight on AO3?). Max is the residential nerd but it doesn't matter (cuz he and everyone are dumbed down for the sake of ‘plot’), kim is the sports jock (which interestingly subverts the asian comedic relief stereotype but only barely) and luka is cute older guy ™ that wears black nail polish and is in a band. The point of all this is to say there is no depth in the characters. It's especially blatantly obvious with the characters astruc doesn't like (chloe). Again, it being a show for kids is not an excuse to be absolved of putting effort into the characters you make.

This is one of the biggest misses astruc has. I haven't even gone into all the nuances of this particular miss. And i havent gone into how that works against him in the plot either. Mostly because the plot itself hasn't gone anywhere and partially because I wanted to go into the plot (or lack thereof) separately as its own miss. 

AND BOI is it a miss. 

SO home boy astruc wanted to reap the benefits of a serial show with ‘engaging’ plot without putting in any of the work to make a linear storyline and relying on the episodic format for, again, marketability. You can't have the best of both worlds, you are not Avatar: The Last Airbender. Which btw has a lot less episodes and a desired end goal that didn't involve top dollar. Legend of Korra did but that's not the point and it had its failings with that too. I challenge you, tell me how many episodes actually contribute towards a plot point or introduce new thematic elements to the show? Can you name them? I can and I'm going to include the plot points that moved the story in some direction if only temporarily. Yes only temporarily for some of these and i will explain later. (if you're in the server you already saw this list *wink*)

25/26. Origins- self explanatory, the beginning of the story, 

24. Volpina- introduction of the grimoire and Master Fu (kind of) and no, Lila is not a plot point,

28. The Collector- proper introduction of Master Fu,

37. Sapotis- introduction of Rena Rouge,

41. Syren- introduction of new aquatic power ups,

44. Anansi- introduction of Carapace,

47. Frozer- introduction of new ice power ups,

48/49. Style Queen- introduction of Queen Bee,

51/52. Heroes’ Day- introduction of Mayura and mass akumatization,

66. Startrain- introduction of Pegasus,

67. Kwami Buster- Marinette wears multiple miraculouses,

68. Feast- backstory as to how the miraculouses were lost,

69. Ikari Gozen- introduction of Ryuko,

70. Timetagger- introduction of Bunnyx,

71. Party Crasher- introduction of Roi Singe and Viperion,

73. Chat Blanc- alternate timeline that essentially means nothing but got a reaction out of fans anyways (myself included)

 77/78. Love Eater/Battle of Miraculous- Marinette becomes guardian and other heroes lose their miraculous,

New York Special- other heroes exist and there is an American miraculous box,

That's 21 episodes. 21 out of a heaping 78 plus 2 specials. Everything else was just your typical akuma of the day episode and everything that happened outside that had no lasting consequences on the plot thanks to the miraculous status quo. Was it entertaining to watch Lila stir the plot of the class dynamic? Hell yeah. Too bad it meant nothing by the end of the episode cuz we were struck with miraculous status quo. She literally doesn't appear again until Heroes Day. that is from episodes 25 all the way to 51, she means nothing and yet she is treated with the severity of a b-villain/rival thing. She means nothing by the end of Volpina if I'm being honest. She is only relevant for 20 mins of episode time she’s in then it's back to magic status quo that undoes any shift in dynamics and relationships. It's like Spongebob who can't get his driver’s license. The worst part is I actually like Lila and I wish the story treated her with the seriousness we as an audience are expected to treat her with. Despite being painfully inconsequential by the end of each of the 3?? 4?? episodes she’s in, it's entertaining to watch a character create drama just because. 

Too bad it means nothing.

Astruc is constantly building up suspense to something ‘important’ only for it to not deliver and fans are constantly having the rug pulled out from under us. Oblivio teased us with a reveal only that gets undone cuz memory akuma. Chat Blanc teased us with romantic development but that gets undone cuz time travel bullshit. Feast introduced more miraculous lore and the history of the guardians but that means nothing by the next episode or ever (i'm not including any reference to the season 4 trailer cuz i've been around the block a few times and im familiar with this lil dancy dance). Heroes Day teased us with a possible future team of heroes but that gets undone in Battle of Miraculous cuz ????? why?? (here's why; astruc was having a jolly ole time letting us know how irredeemable Chloe is at the expense of shooting his own stagnant plot in the foot. Again, discussion for later.)

Too bad anything that slightly swerves off course from the akuma of the day gets undone or ignored. Too bad nothing has any lasting consequence. I mean, if anything did, the episodes would have had a consistent order and release schedule so im not scrambling to watch the leaked ep in Portuguese or something while the french dub is two episodes behind while the english version hasnt even been dubbed. I really wonder how he plans to conclude the show when he’s so afraid to step out of the corner he painted himself in.

Again, not going into nuances. If you want you can ask for more specifics (i doubt anyone would) but this is really just a slightly detailed general overview of my opinions on astruc’s writing. 

I was going to include another miss in his approach to this show but imma save that for another time. 

How’s that for a ‘first’ post?

[xostrawberry-milkyox]

ooh yikes. People are vaild in what they missed/would have liked to see in the anime adaptation and I get fans are upset, but to have an animator come out and tweet that? thats low - deffo reminds me of that saga of aot fans harassing mappa animators months ago... I hope the workers are ok - its already bad enough with work conditions. Im so ashamed of the fandom :/

I think what bothers me even more is that people are comparing mha season five to aot season four. Which I believe is the same season fans were harassing mappa animators (correct me if I'm wrong though I don't follow aot closely).

It just gets under my skin how people were so concerned for the aot director when it was discovered he had massive eye bags and looked like he hadn't slept in days or the producer of wep being hospitalized twice due to being overworked. But then turn around and demand studios that don't deliver the same quality anime as the ones who's animators have shown to be suffering to get up to their level.

Like? Mappa and CloverWorks high quality anime comes at the cost real human beings living miserable lives, more so than regular animators because it's already a rough job. Considering they've been called out about it now, that's not something that should be encouraged.

I also hate the "well if the jobs so terrible then they should just quit" mentality. As if all of Japan doesn't operate on a work horse mindset. I'm sure animators would rather be working doing something they love than become a salaryman. Same could even be said for mangaka.

People are valid in their opinions, but just because you can say something doesn't mean you should say something. The animators people are "criticizing" are people too who worked very hard to make the content for season five.

It's like a slap in the face to be told your hard work is nothing more than slide show quality. The fact that an animator came out and has asked people to stop shows that they're seeing the hate and that is the most heartbreaking part of it all imo.

[sn4kebites]

hello im Late To The Party lmaooo but i think i've gathered my thoughts enough to form a decent ask 🦥

i honestly feel like the content in the tags is just so ... stagnant. like you go through any x reader tag and it becomes very apparent very quickly that everything is basically just half-assed copy-pasted headcanons that honestly...don't really involve that much thought. and the sad thing is that's what's popular, because its so easily consumable and so easy to mass produce, so ppl see that that type of content gets attention & followers so they start to copy it and it starts a cycle of boring content lmao.

i feel like this was really clear a few months ago where all these blogs under networks started popping up and you genuinely Could Not tell the difference between them...from the same themes to same content to literally the same carrds lmao (on a side note....the fact that so many of them had a "besties" list did not sit right w me lmao.... like it just screamed high school clique and clout chaser to me). like if that's all you're producing i genuinely cannot imagine being proud of your content like that ... and judging by the way so many of the blogs die out within a 2-4 month period . 🥴

and what makes me mad is that whenever we point out these problems and criticize the community all we get in return is "you're just jealous" and "let people read what they want" and a slew of hate anons putting u down to defend their favs. but the thing is, no one is telling them to stop. no one is telling them what they can and can't read—hell, even i end up reading that type of content occasionally because its just, exactly what's on the tin. it's easy. it's consumable.

but what is a problem is that this community settles for mediocrity. they raise the blogs that create this type of content onto a pedastal and act like they're the second coming of shakespeare when literally all they make is "how hq boys hold your hand" and "hq boys as tiktok trends" with no original thought at all.

there's no unique voices, at least not anymore, and i genuinely believe it's because of the burnout that this community has caused for them. writing is a hobby you do for yourself first and foremost, i know that. but there comes a point where when all you do is pour your heart and soul into creating fics and it gets little to no attention at all and that popular blog who made their 12th headcanon list about how hq boys as tiktok trends gets like 1k notes... i don't blame them for leaving :")

i might have more to say that i'm forgetting atm but these are My thoughts [folds hands] . if you made it through all of this JDKALW my apologies 🐌🐌

WHEW MEG WHEN YOU SAID HOW HQ BOYS HOLD YOUR HAND I FOLDEDDDD PLEASE UR SO RIGHT

i feel ppl are so dismissive of it but it's like so genuinely an issue and you cannot talk about it because people will really just call you bitter and it's like man i LIKE blogging. if i hated i wouldn't be here and me thinking about these things is not me being bitter

it's literally just evaluating the way content is percieved and how that has leaked itself into writing. fic writing is a form of meta analysis. when you focus so much on consumability i feel like you lose such a fundamental aspect of it

like.. character building, and plot and development - all of these incredibly important things get lost when people are too bothered to read anything over a thousand words. and it MATTERS because the core of fandom stuff is analysis and characterization and exploring a world anf these concepts and when you completely lose the space for that it's.. frustrating 2 say the least

and it's like.. i LOVE shitposting. i make fake tweets and shit like that because it's so entertaining but it's weirdly depressing to see how quickly those posts tend to circle around like IDK there's just.

I AGREE WITH ALL OF YOUR POINTS COMPLETELY THE WHOLE THING IS WILDLY FRUSTRATING

[briarrosescurse]

(dances) 📖 what if, idol au 4 all ur beebs

i may know shit abt idols and how everything works BUT id die on a hill for this au (dances with u)

also pls dont mind my inner kpoppie coming out, my bias for certain styles is rlly shining through... IM ALSO NO EXPERT, SO DONT JUDGE ME

idols au

roza: she is in an unit but occasionally releases single albums due to her astounding popularity! roza follows usually girl crush concepts or concepts focused around love (including heartbreak) but her fans also adore it when she deviates from that and takes another turn - for example, in their latest comebacks (and roza’s solo), their concepts changed more into self-love!

despite that, people are so surprised to find out how much of a playful sweetheart she actually is. due to her clueless but entertaining personality, people love seeing her in interviews or shows.

roza is vocally quite strong and is usually praised for her range. she definitely has room for improvement in the dance apartment, but in her unit, she is the main vocalist. other people would consider her to be the visual alongside with another member.

examples would be; blackpink and mamamoo but as well as heize and iu

xiang: this man works as a solo idol and he is known for his more mature, sensual and sometimes rather explicit concepts. his albums are always a... sight to behold, honestly. let’s just say, they follow rather risque ideas - but hey, the producers and managers can’t complain, he’s bringing in the cash.

xiang is most definitely a more visual and dance heavy idol - his good looks attract attention and not to mention his build allows for some rather unique wardrobe choices. fancams of those love to go viral and they make people’s jaws drop.

other than that, he is actually excelling quite well at demanding dances - people like to praise him for keeping up a great vocal performance despite the difficult dances.

compared to actor au, however, he is viewed with a much more critical eye; xiang’s bold and doesn’t hold back his tongue, after all. not to mention, his fans grow quite jealous of him being possibly involved in love affairs.

if i had to give examples of the type of music he’d have, i’d say... wonho - it’s exactly what i imagine for xiang. other than that, i’d add taemin, nct or vixx

theodor: sweet lil’ theo is in an unit! his height brings him a bit at an disadvantage but his vocal abilities are very outstanding for that. he very much fits in more cheerful and crush themes - people eat that shit up and think his unit’s eras with those concepts is where he shines.

people love to gift him plushies of alpacas or llamas during fanmeets. he keeps every single one of them and the amount of photos that he posts of them with himself is astounding - not to mention during the fanmeets, you can see him hugging them for almost the whole duration.

watching the dance practices is usually pretty fun because you can see theodor making funny faces; he always brings a lot of sunshine with that cute face of his into the room and that makes him a huuuuge fan favorite for the stans of his group.

examples would be: shinee and got7

balgair: ASSUMING balgair would be in stagrove as a sort of. subunit? OR AT LEAST in a group with a similar style. i’d say he is definitely a dance heavy idol. most likely lead dancer AT LEAST. i think of like... very on point and synchronized. definitely also pretty rebellious and bad boy concepts going on.

like i said, i'd deem balgair to be a lead dancer - people would say he is rather underappreciated and deserves a lot more recognition. they also complain about the lack of his lines. but further than that, balgair's got a very charming and charismatic character - he only lets his mischievous side show during shows or interviews. he also appears to be fluent in a few foreign languages, so international fans always joke about him having a secret account to see what content the fans produce for him.

during fanmeets people LOVE talking to him, just because of how extroverted and friendly he is. they also comment on how, close up, you can really notice his unique fox-like face structures.

examples: nct and block b

chloe: she's a rather more 'unknown' idol, if you are not part of the community, but still has a certain reputation. as a solo artist, she goes against the typical girl crush concept and follows something more gender stereotype breaking.

she's very heavy on the vocal parts and also is praised for her pretty face, despite the lack of facial expressions she shows during lives or interviews. however, according to her fans, the longer you follow her and her content, the more you realize she's just a very awkward girl, bad at expressing her feelings - but that's what makes her so loveable.

she isn't the most actice idol, thus comebacks are rather not frequent for her, but you can very often see ads where she participates.

examples: moonbyul

madeline: good ol' maddy is the visual of his group. his vocal range is outstanding, but he is only considered as the lead vocal in his unit. he's another one where people like to say that his dancing leaves room for improvement; it's an inside joke in his fanbase that he is stiff like a log during dance practice.

madeline was formerly just an actor before he switched branches. his fanbase carried over as well, so he already made a name for himself. people did enjoy watching his growth, though; at first, it was hard for him getting used to teamwork, as he appeared to see it all as a competition instead of a group project, thus he was rather hostile in his trainee days. but he grew and developed and his fanbase really enjoys pointing that out about him.

his concepts are often a bit more on the emotional side; showing a rather vulnerable side of love, so to say. other than, his concepts are a lot more 'artsy' and tend to carry a convoluted plotline throughout the album. it's unusual, but certainly unique.

examples: bts and exo

briar: and lastly! our pricky prick himself! briar is one of the unexpectedly older idols but for that he is pretty much a talent in all fields - dancing, singing and even his visuals are nothing to complain about. he is a bit more... controversial, so to say? a lot of multistans think he is rather arrogant and really unfriendly - while they recognize his talent, they are critical of his attitude.

his concepts are varying, but it's usually also more of a bad boy and mature theme. his dance routines are fun to watch. sometimes, behind the scenes, you can see him teaching other members or helping them out. it's not too unusual for people to believe he is the leader of the unit.

examples: nu'est and 2pm

[ghoestys]

and this is ruby! my 4th and final muse! been wanting to use gayoung’s pretty face since she was in tempted and now that shes in true beauty it made me want to use her even more! and the content she gave us while playing yeo hajin? iconic this is ruby <3

STATISTICS

full name: ruby odette im nickname(s): rue, rubes, ro, odette, od, odettie age: twenty two date of birth: october 8th, 1998 hometown: tba! gender: cis female pronouns: she/her/hers religion: christian (raised, non-practicing) sexuality: bisexual & biromantic hair colour: brunette eye colour: brown height: 5'9″ tattoos: dainty colored lavender on her left ankle facing outward (ex) piercings: standard & upper lobe (both), forward helix & industrial (right), daith (left)

PROMPT + BLACKMAIL

a legacy and member of the yale's elite, they're twenty-two and a sophomore undergrad student majoring in law. they are as positive as they are negative.

● was caught with a dui and almost got her license revoked because of it, but she flirted her way out of the ticket and convinced the police officer to kill the report by giving him tickets to a movie premiere where she held a small role.  background: this happened in new york after she was attempting to drive home from a party with her 3 model friends who were also all drunk. she was 20 at the time and should’ve also gotten in-trouble for underaged drinking along with driving under the influence, but she truly utilized her fame status and looks. luckily no one got hurt and the road was pretty empty so there wasn’t many cars, but it was still dangerous and irresponsible because if she wasn’t pulled over, then she would’ve hit busier traffic and something definitely would’ve happened. after being pulled over and saving her ass, ruby stopped driving and ordered a lyft to pick up her and her friends to drop them back to her apartment in new york. 

● was convinced her father was having an affair with a news anchor, so ruby convinced producers, news channels, and everyone in the business to blacklist them from ever working and essentially ruining and ending the new anchor’s career. unknown to ruby, though, is that the news anchor was never having an affair with her father and it was actually colette who was having an affair with her father at the time.  background: her relationship with her dad has always been rocky, but the minute she found out he was having an affair and cheating on her mom made ruby go batshit. she wasn’t sure who the person was exactly except for that her father was having an affair because she was overhearing flirty & secretive phone calls and was seeing bills for expensive gifts that her mother was never receiving. when ruby saw her dad meeting with a news anchor frequently, ruby automatically assumed that was the person her father was having an affair with and essentially ruined that new anchor’s career. the new anchor’s career ended very abruptly and ruby loved seeing it. she loved her mom and she wasn’t going to let anyone hurt her- not her father and not the news anchor. unknown to ruby, though, is that the news anchor was never having an affair with her father and it truly was just business. ruby framed the wrong person and ruined an innocent person’s career for no reason. 

ABOUT

family/upbringing/childhood

ruby’s family consisted of her father (randolph im), her mother (marissa im, nee byun), and her three younger siblings (edeline, brietta, and dominick)

her father, randolph im, is a top politician and was formerly a senator before being removed from officer and losing to his component- senator ahn. instead of being a senator, he’s apart of the house of representatives. other than being a politician, randolph also runs a loan business that’s not  known unless you’re also apart of the top 1-10%. since they have so much money, he doesn’t mind giving out loans to those in need, but he always expects something in return (like a vote or an endorsement) and he always expects being paid back in time with interest included. if he doesn’t get his money paid back in time, then he’s a loan shark who sends his henchmen to do all the dirty work for him.

her mother, marissa im, is a house wife who happily takes care of her kids. 

the family is as tight knit as it can be. it’s not hard for them to act loving and family-like infront of the media because that’s how they are everyday. they have their tense moments like every other family does, but they’re healthy for the most part. 

healthy until it involves ruby and her father. these two are constantly butting heads and always arguing over something. maybe it’s because she’s the eldest daughter or maybe it’s because she doesn’t support her father’s shady loan business. she just doesn’t like him and the only time you’ll catching her supporting her father’s political career is when it’s family involved and her presence is required. other than that, ruby is typically absent from whatever political campaign her father does. 

ever since ruby was a toddler, she loved the spotlight and performing. she loved acting and she loved when the cameras were on her whether it be for performing something or posing for something. since her mother noticed this, she was quick to put ruby in auditions for acting and modeling and since ruby was a natural, her acting and modeling career began at a very young age. she acted in children’s shows, movies as the younger version of a character and modeled for campaigns and spreads for brands like guess kids. 

due to her career being a success at such a young age, ruby never experienced “real school” and was homeschooled her entire life. when she was on set for tv shows where she had to act in a school setting was basically her only experience as a student in a “real school”. 

although her siblings would grow up differently (attending private schools instead of homeschool), ruby never minded this and never felt like she missed out on anything because she still learned how to socialize and got to act out wtvr she was possibly missing out on

career/college/the elites

luckily, as ruby got older and went from being a child to a pre/teen, her career didn’t stop and just kept growing. she filmed some tv shows and mostly focused on movies. when she turned 16/17, that was when her modeling career began to become more prominent because she was “old enough”, looked old enough, and was taller. she was having fun, living life, and traveling the world. 

since she was a politician’s daughter, she was getting tutored on information about law and politics by the time she was 13. she had interest in law especially so she could spite her dad by telling him what he was possibly doing wrong, but also so she could negotiate her own contracts and understand what’s being said during the meetings. as a minor, she can’t sign contracts without a guardian but she sat there at the meetings feeling lost and wanted to know what they were saying. 

although she loved spotlight when she was younger, by the time she was twenty she was starting to get over the fame. her career was successful, but she was starting to see and feel all the negatives that came with fame (especially in the modeling world where they criticized her looks often) and simply wanted out

when she turned 21, as a gift to herself she decided to take a break from her career/the spotlight so she could attend school and actually get a degree in law so she truly could negotiate her own contracts and understand all the legal terms being used during those meetings. she applied to yale and luckily she got accepted (mostly due to her career and philanthropy and because of yale being her father’s alma mater). 

her father was a member of the yale elites, which makes ruby a legacy so that made her entrance into the organization very easy. 

she still does modeling when she has the time, but her acting career is on hiatus until she finishes her bs in law. 

don’t really know where to put this, but her stage name is odette im (her middle name) and only those that actually know her like friends & family call her ruby. she prefers to be called ruby because it’s her actual name, but professionally and in the tabloids she’s known as odette. she will still respond if you call her odette in a non-professional setting and honestly if ur muse met her while she was working then they probs know her as odette 

personality

out of all my muses, i think ruby is the most genuinely nice one with no ugly intentions. silvia used to be like this, but silvia was also just willing to do shady things versus ruby who only does shady thing when shes truly hurt or angry or doing it for someone she loves (like ruining a person’s career to avenger her mom) 

like taking care of people because shes an eldest daughter but also loves being taken cared of much more. whenever she’s being babied or treated as the youngest she’s happy because she’s used to have to take care of other people instead of herself

is honestly tired of the constant spotlight because she experienced it for so long, so think she’s more lowkey now except for those moments when shes modeling and partying at extravagant places and cities 

believes honesty is key and the biggest way to lose her as a friends is to lie to her. she grew up away from the political setting, but it was still something she was apart of nonetheless and she knows how shady that area can b. knowing this, she tries to b as honest as possible and likes to hold people at a very honest level too like pls just be real with her and she’ll be real with u

doesnt mind talking about herself because thats what shes used to (her having to do interviews n shit all  the time makes it easy for her to talk about herself) 

basically an open book and even tho shes an award winning actress, shes terrible at hiding her real emotions infront of people who know her on a non-superficial level 

can be very superficial with others due to her job and having to present herself a the best possible version of herself, but shes usually genuine for the most part like. if ur her friend then ur her friend she wont treat u like a professional associate or wtvr like??? does that even make sense

probs actually enjoys philanthropy work so shes involved n shit 

can cook because she was the eldest daughter and also because she had to take care of herself while being in different cities by herself bc she couldnt eat out everyday 

cant bake for shit tho like.. that shit is just not her thing. cant even make box brownies

fiercely loyal to those she loves and will legit do anything to protect them. also loves spoiling her friends bc like. if she has the money for it y not 

WANTED CONNECTIONS IDEAS

someone that her father loaned money to! ruby is aware of her father’s business and is also aware of the clients because her dad doesn’t keep it a secret within the family. maybe your muse borrowed money and still hasn’t paid her father back for the loan so now the father found out information about ur muse and is holding it against them. ruby could be aware of this and attempt to help you-- if the muses get along tho :) 

someone she met thru work! whether it be thru acting or modeling but i think that’d be so fun!! could be a good experience where they became friends or maybe they’re rivals in their careers that the media loves to put against each other. maybe they were even costars who didn’t get along, but the media loves making them out to be bffs! 

bffs! friends! close friends! 

enemies! betrayals! negatives!

cousins! because why not! 

romance! ex flings! flirtationships! someone who leads her on! 

ruby isn’t the type to do fwb or non-attachment style relationships because she gets attached to people very easily. with her job shes constantly surrounded by people and while she loves traveling, it can get very lonely. if she fell in love with u then she fell in love with u genuinely and whole heartedly. i think of all my muses, she falls in love the easiest