#who wants to think that their faves are horrible people? well! guess what! some of them are. and the time that fucks us the most is when

[musicrunsthroughmysoul]

Might want to do a bit of reading about the Ramones. Several sources point to their anti-blackness and siding with white supremacy groups at their shows, as well as supporting presidents Reagan and Bush. Dee Dee was also a pedophile, grooming a sixteen year old when he was in his forties

Unsolicited but I am assuming well-meaning anon, thank you for the heads-up about the Ramones, but in case you could not tell from a very basic search of my blog, I do not give a shit about the Ramones - which is to say that I've never liked them or cared for their music and find them vastly overrated and mediocre, anyway - and the only time I ever intend to post about them is in relation to someone I certainly like better (who I, most likely, find quite a bit less overrated and mediocre). Nonetheless, it's good to know about their anti-blackness, although to be fair (not to them - just in general), that could very, VERY easily be said about almost any white artist (at the least; they would otherwise, of course, have to be rather vocally anti-racist!), which is not at all meant to be in their defense but is just to suggest, why single out the Ramones when this issue is rampant in all art forms? Honestly, it should be acknowledged in regards to everyone's white faves, and my white faves are no exception (though I am not, of course, at all saying that the Ramones are my faves. LOL I could not care less about them, except for the way their music was given far more credentials than women and non-white, and especially non-white women, in punk were ever given; THAT! I CARE A WHOLE FUCKING LOT ABOUT!! And I've posted about this before, although I will say, it does suck that my primary example is Patti Smith given her history of anti-blackness. I can certainly rethink who and how I laud those who spearheaded punk, but I also think there are lines to be drawn). Nonetheless, aligning themselves with white supremacy groups at their shows is FUCKED!!!! And that does make me consider the way my faves have associated themselves with the Ramones. Oh...*is now deeply unsettled* yeah, that's really fucked up. I will be thinking about that quite a lot more now, so thank you for that bit of information in particular. But also, *coughs* I have a song to share that speaks to that history of white supremacy in punk - from a very beloved folk singer, no less. :') (Brief, historical context for that, btw: she was in punk before she became a folk singer!! So she was there witnessing this stuff around that time - the late '70s and early '80s, which is exactly why it's relevant.)

Still! Despite my defensiveness, I do appreciate the heads-up about them, and I will gladly (I guess; just to be informed, because when did that ever hurt anyone...rhetorical question!) read about them as you suggested. So thank you for bringing that information to my attention, and if you have any recs about where to read more about them concerning their anti-blackness and association with white supremacy in particular, that'd be super helpful, but I'm never afraid of a little research, anyway.

Note: sorry to gloss over the "Dee Dee was a pedophile" bit, but...not that I am defending pedophiles in any area of anything whatsoever, but there have been far more pedophiles in areas of 'popular' music than just one of the Ramones and punk; there are people that we do not talk about (for this reason, or do so very carefully), or people who we still laud to this day, and probably always will, despite the fact that they were absolutely, 100% taking advantage of young people and children, and I'm sorry that I cannot sugarcoat that. My acknowledgment of this is not to say that we should not talk about them, nor do I think it's right to continue to give so much credit to people with so much fame, and thus power, let alone to give them more fame and power, when they've done such reprehensible things. Rather, I would like to suggest that we think about and discuss ways in which we can PREVENT things like fame, and proximity to fame (and thus power), from empowering these people (men, women, and people of any gender) to take advantage of children, young people, and young fans. Because that's a significant part of what has been happening for all these years, and it will continue if we do not consider ways to check famous people - and fame, in general - and those in power. (And if you happen to think of the whole J*ffr*y *pst*in situation, that's a great starting point! Let's consider the ways in which they're all connected, but in particular, WHY!!!)

[fumifooms]

Marcille & Chilchuck contrasts & similarities

Yesterday in the Dunmeshi Discord we talked about narrative foils and I ended up writing a lot about my fave duo so. Informal character analysis time. I give some in-depth interpretations on aspects of Chilchuck’s character near the end as well, not just analyzing their characters in how they contrast each other

Marcille and Chil are so foils to me. "Has experienced loss through death and now clings onto the people around her and is overly interested in engaging in social gossip" vs "has experienced loss through rejection and now refuses to open up to anyone until socially starved", both are responding to their experience with loss in fully different ways, socializing and trying to learn all she can for the short time she has with others but trying to keep digestible enough that she’s not too attached if she loses them, vs refusing to socialize so the problem stops before it begins but eventually unable to resist the pull that comes with being a social creature. Like I guess what I’m trying to say is that Marcille engaging with social gossip could be a shallow way for her to vicariously experience social relationships if she feels like forming deep bonds is unsafe. Family is a core motivation and value for them but in different ways. Both want to keep the status quo but in different ways.

Divorcee who avoids love wether it be in the people around him or thinking about his own (past?) romance vs hopeless romantic that idealizes love without herself having been in a relationship or even in love herself as far as we know. Middle child vs only child. Emotional constipation vs emotional intelligence. Streets savvy vs prestigious academic, field experience vs book smarts. Crass vs prim. Overbearingly social vs private to a fault. Never externalizes his feelings and to a degree represses them vs wears her heart on her sleeve and her feelings on her face. They start out underestimating each other in different ways, one by assuming his age and the other by undermining her skills, experience and willpower. Both seeing each other’s motives as somewhat skewed (money and research of shady magic respectively) but growing to respect them.

They also both seek approval and validation from others, unlike Senshi and even Laios who don’t seem to care about outside perception as much, Marcille worries early on that she’s not helpful enough and slowing the party down meanwhile Chilchuck is almost always trying to prove a point early on that he’s capable and mature. Coincidentally enough, Chilchuck’s approval was both the catalyst and the key to resolving her arc about it in the mandrake chapter, meanwhile besides Senshi Marcille is the one whose perception of Chilchuck gets the most changed over the course of the whole manga. Something else notable is how they deal differently with their races being judged, while Chilchuck reaffirms himself as a proud half-foot, Marcille hides her half-elf nature and is embarrassed of it when it’s revealed. Something subtle yet interesting is also how they both are shown to prefer lying in a way that makes them look bad rather than admitting ignorance on something. Chilchuck says that he cheated on his wife and that’s why she left rather than just saying that he doesn’t know why she did. Marcille in the mandrake chapter says that she has used a dog to harvest mandrakes (thus killing it) before while in truth she never has, and everyone including herself is like "That’s horrible… The poor dog!"

Their dad dies. Chil is like "Hm. Cool. Anyways he died doing smth he loved right so haha lemme drink myself into an early death bed too yolo ���🤟" vs "He died and it shattered my world and I must devote all my life to wiping death out of existence".

"I am going to knowingly shorten my lifestyle through unhealthy habits actually."

Problem solving approaches

One thing I love about them is how they have complete opposite approaches to problem solving. Besides striving for workers’ rights and job stability for halflings with an union, he’s very "laissez-faire". He won’t do the righteous thing just because it’s the right thing if he doesn’t have an incentive or a safety net, like going to save Falin. He doesn’t chase after his wife to talk it out and make amends, he gives her space and either hopes she’ll talk when she’s ready or figures that he shouldn’t try to do anything about it. He doesn’t mention the mimic he noticed to the others to not make a big deal out of it and hopefully it won’t come up again. He’s a "if the glass is half-full that’s fine enough for me, I don’t need things to be as good as they could be" type, a "leave it alone until it figures itself out" type.

Marcille? Marcille is idealistic and in-your-face. If there is an issue you better believe Marcille will address it and try her hardest to fix it, will talk it out and attempt to understand & strive to make things as best possible for everyone involved. She will FORCE you to talk about your FEELINGS wether you like it or NOT. Leaving it alone? Keeping things as just okay when they could be great instead? No no no no no, that’s not right, she’s going to try and fix it now. She will make you stand up and fight for the best that your life could be, to be honest when something bothers you and do something about it, will make you stop suppressing yourself because you’re scared of things getting worse.

Which, you know, both methods certainly have their pros and cons, but they’re very complimentary in that way. He grounds her into a more down to earth mindset and teaches by example that it’s okay if things don’t necessarily work out and moving on is possible and not necessarily miserable, while she encourages him to not give up so fast or stay quiet on things that bother so much. He soothes and she emboldens 🔥 Funny, because you could have thought it would’ve been the contrary, which is not untrue either, but he’s the "has experienced the harshness of life and has settled for something comfortable but modest" while she’s the "wants to make the world better and goes to great lengths to change it while still trying to find herself & uncomfortable with some aspects of life like loss".

One overly focuses on dealing with issues by changing things around her while the other overly focuses on only changing himself.

——

Chilchuck leaves things alone if he thinks they’re best left unaddressed or thinks they’ll work itself out. Like the mimic he didn’t tell the group about but it backfired later. Like how he didn’t chase after his wife or seemingly tried to contact her at all. Like how he prefers not to dig into people’s personal issues in parties and be left alone to deal with his stuff on his own as well.

Meanwhile Marcille is overbearingly in-your-face and loud and "if there’s a problem we’re dishing it out right here right now. Your wife left you?? And you didn’t try to get her back?? I am going to write out a script and a plan for you to apologize and please bring these piles of presents."

She’s secretive about her fair share of things as well but she’s very proactive. While she seeks to research something that’s a core motivation and life goal to her + save someone she deeply cares for Chil is there for his job and to get money and "hey if something happens I’ll have done my part. I took you guys here now you guys figure out the rest and fight the monsters or something". They both like to have a say in the strategy, Chilchuck moreso as time goes on, but Marcille involves herself much more into almost everything.

Espescially early on, they’re always sticking by each other judging Senshi & Laios together and being like "Am I seeing this shit right. They’re crazy right? Tell me I’m not the only one here with common sense" and forming a 🤝 relationship over it and considering that, it sometimes feel… Contradicting? How they also have a lot of conflict together over time about how different they truly are. But it’s interesting and nice to see how even though they do have arguments it always gets resolved pretty promptly, like they’re truly hashing it out as equals and then when that’s done they’re back to being on the same wavelength. The exception would be Marcille taking a long time to come around on Chil being old, but arguments and debates like the one on dark magic and if it’s okay or wrong to use it, which was pretty serious and not just banter? They came to find a middle ground or at least understanding, and it didn’t seem to lower the respect they hold for another afterwards.

Chilchuck’s repressing habit

I do think Chilchuck has a repressed thing where he doesn’t WANT to think about it about his feelings sometimes, like with his wife- and maybe with his father? But the way he was so casual and nonchalant about his father dying has always struck me. I’m not sure if this is a "my feelings on my father were mixed and complicated at best" thing or a "I just don’t want to spend time thinking about it" thing or something else, but it gives food for thought.

When it comes to alcohol there’s this saying where an alcoholic parent will have 2 kids and one will grow to be alcoholic too while the other will never even touch a drop of alcohol and both when asked why will say "I watched my father". Chilchuck is def the first I think. He gives the vibe of "An alcoholic parent puts a strain on familial relationships?? Pshh, my father was and look at me! I turned out great!" Which is something I’ve heard irl lol which always makes you go like 👀 yes indeed you’re perfectly well-adjusted and haven’t been affected by your father’s alcoholism at all it’s clear as day. On that topic, Chilchuck’s family, both currently and when he was a kid, are very interesting topics to theorize about with the hints and cues we have, how his wife truly felt and what happened for her to feel unappreciated enough to leave, how distant is he from his daughters if they haven’t seen each other in the same year either and Flertom was the only one to send him a letter? But that’s a topic for another day

Chilchuck probably has such a complex…. Of like not being… Like allowed to take space I guess? And he does wish to affirm that right, he takes space and asks for it so very overtly, he formed a half-foot guild to demand better working conditions as one of the biggest examples of that. He grew up poor and undermined but he knows that he’s capable and someone worthy of respect and demands it, and takes every opportunity to prove himself. But on the other end, he doesn’t seem to want to keep his hopes up in general, like asking for something to be better is bound to fail, that it’d be too good to be true. He tries to keep out of where his job doesn’t need him, from a sense of efficiency that cuts down on unnecessary stops but also because he just thinks it isn’t his place to do so. It strikes me that it’s hinted that like… He doesn’t even really consider the possibility of going to his wife and trying to mend the relationship. Like it’s either she’ll decide to take him back on her own or he’ll be left out in the cold waiting, never knowing just where he’s truly at with her and if things are over for good. Like… Shooting his shot and making his case doesn’t even register as an option? Like he’s not worth fighting for, like whatever he did wouldn’t change her opinion anyways?

He def has a "life isn’t like a fairytale where everything goes well" philosophy where sometimes it feels like he just gives up on how things maybe could be better, especially interpersonally. Maybe it’s why he focuses on simple joys like alcohol instead of trying to keep up with relationships which can be complex and very fickle, in his own words. Something like alcohol is predictable, always there to fall back on, safe, gives him sensations without other emotional/social risks attached. Ironic for someone whose job is all about risks, but understandable

He contradicts even himself… Bro yes you’re capable, yes you’re great, yes you matter, now maybe speak about your feelings maybe??? Or do you not think your emotional issues deserve to get fixed and have closure???? Are you so used to being dismissed, overlooked and undermined that you think no one will listen even if you speak up?? And this recontextualize his "I’m not even gonna try and talk this issue out because I know (assume) that it won’t solve anything anyways" approach, doesn’t it.

"I must break my party members’ stuff or lie to them because if I just tell them my opinion and my feelings that I don’t want them to die they won’t care anyways and keep going"

In a way everyone is the glue of the party in different ways, Laios giving the group a direction and a plan, Senshi keeping them fed and grounded, Marcille making everyone more social and encouraging bonds to form, and for Chilchuck he’s the one most focused on actually keeping everyone alive I think.

Conclusion

Idk I’m not gonna repeat every point but have this as a parting contrast:

Guy with shortest lifespan possible who doesn’t mind knowingly shortening his own with an unhealthy habit, here for a good time not a long time, VS girl with longest lifespan possible who wants to lengthen everyone’s life, who focuses on how long she can keep something or someone rather than how happy her time with it has made her already. They’re both loud in their own way, and both are still insecure despite appearances. In a way, both of them focus on taking care of others while overlooking their own demons.

[fortunatelyannoyingcrown]

Does anyone else hate when some Stans try to tell you how you should/shouldn't feel about their favourite character(s)??

Case in point being this recent Reddit post.

This is so weirdly condescending.She is acting like she is raising some big question here about why people "hate Rhysand".Like it's something so unusual and wrong.Just stop okay?We get it.You love Rhysand and you "love" Nesta because she is so "complex" and so "unlikeable" but you also "understand why people hate her" because she was such a big bad meanie to your precious Ferret Feyre so you clutch your pearls every fucking time people defend Nesta or love her and understand that she was mistreated by Feyre and every one of your faves.

Let alone the fact that y'all constantly preach about how everyone should "bE aBlE tO LiKe wHo ThEy LiKe" and "aGrEe tO DiSaGrEe" or whatever iteration y'all come up with, whenever y'alls BS is countered with factual evidence from the books. So, does this only matter when it comes to your faves ?

In this same post, OP, you've gone around telling people why you "understand why people hate Nesta" but then you act dumbfounded when Nesta's Stans hate Rhysand?You're all like "Oh but it's so obvious why Rhysand hates Nesta, it's because she was a meanie to Feyre, so be nice to Rhysand because he makes sense"

Like honey no.No I am not going to be understanding or nice towards Rhysand's character.Why should I?Why should I or any Nesta fan care what that garbage male even thinks?Because we don't just hate Rhysand for disliking Nesta.We hate him for disliking her so much that he treated her horribly because of it.But since OP seems to be so confused and can't piece this together ,I will answer it for her .We hate him because he👏🏽 is👏🏽 a 👏🏽piece👏🏽of👏🏽shit.Its that simple.Not only to Nesta(although that's a big reason why Nesta Stans hate him) but to everyone else including Ferret Feyre.And he has absolutely no reason to act the way he does, other than it just gives him an ego boost(and he is an insecure man child).Yeah, locking Nesta up, sending her on dangerous missions, threatening to kill her were absolutely not essential to helping her.He did it just because he could and because he is evil AF.Just accept that some Stans just won't like your precious Rhysand and Feyre, just like y'all keep shoving down everyone's throats about how much y'all hate Nesta/Tamlin/Lucien everytime our side presents valid factual evidence for why we love them.

This is a multi character series and each fan will love and despise some characters over others.Not everyone will love your faves and guess what, that is bloody okay! This fact isn't just applicable to the Rhysand/Feyre/IC defenders.The other side of the fandom also can perfectly reject characters who treated their faves poorly, even if they are the main characters.

And finally, to people like OP: Stop calling yourself Nesta's fans.Because y'all are bloody hell not.Y'all are just Ferret Feyre Stans who despised Nesta until she was broken down in ACOSF and moulded to fit your particular preferences. That's your new found love for her.Y'ap don't give a flying fuck about her well being or that she was so mistreated throughout her own book by your "power couple" and that she didn't even get an I love you from her own mate.Why?Is it because it was Nesta?If it was your fave who didn't hear an ILY from Rice, y'all would be screaming, crying and throwing up. Y'all just wanted Nesta to be taken down a peg, beaten and broken down for "letting Feyre hunt" and so you don't mind that she could only accept the bare minimum.Because you definitely wouldn't be doing all these mental gymnastics if it was Feyre in Nesta's place and she was treated by Rhysand like Nesta was treated by her so called mate, Cassian.

[sourholland]

teardrops on my guitar || jack hughes

making the bold choice of writing a fic for every song on debut by taylor swift, i’ll do it sporadically and for different people as well!! once i finish debut, we will see if i’m feeling fearless tv ☺️ ambitious, believe me I KNOW. anyways send requests

this is dedicated to @folklorelvr333 —tomg is her fave song on debut and jack is her fave guy (appreciate this bc i had to learn jack hughes LORE for this)

debut masterlist

Jack had moved to Michigan during his last years of high school to further his career in hockey and to try to secure his spot as a draft pick. When he started playing for the U.S. NTDP, he attended Plymouth-Canton Educational Park when he wasn’t on the rink. There, he met you.

Jack hadn’t ever claimed to be good with girls, not really. He liked you, though. He liked you a lot. He remembered being paired up with you in lab during his first week. He thought he’d made his interest incredibly obvious. That was, if his pink cheeks and clammy hands weren’t a telltale sign of his trying to flirt with you. Mistakenly, he’d realized he’d done just about the exact opposite. He’d made himself out to be a best friend to you, a shoulder to lean on.

It wasn’t like the NTPD staff had really given him the choice of having a girlfriend, they’d actually discouraged it more than anything. He was on an extremely strict schedule, right down to the time he should be in bed every night.

“So you’ve pretty much got it all laid out for you then?” You’d asked him at lunch one day, sitting across from each other and picking at your food.

“What’s that’s supposed to mean?” He laughed, confused.

“I just mean—I don’t know, you’re seventeen years old, Jack. You’re always here or at the rink. I get it and everything, like you’re going to go pro and stuff. I just wonder sometimes if you ever do anything for you, you know?”

Jack’s lips formed a thin line, inhaling deeply as he thought about your words. It wasn’t like he didn’t understand where you were coming from, it was just all he’d ever really known. His parents had him on the ice before he was two years old. He’s eat, slept, and breathed hockey his entire life.

“I do all this for me,” he finally said. “I want this.”

“Come on,” you huffed, teasingly. “You’re telling me you never think about going out and partying? Or like, I don’t know, having a girlfriend?”

His face flushed almost instantaneously, trying to avert his gaze to anything but you. Of course he though about having a girlfriend. He thought about it every time you’d call him after practice to talk about homework. He thought about it each morning when he pulled up in front of your house and you climbed into his passenger seat, laying your hands on his forearm to tell him whatever girl drama you’d found out the night before.

“No, I guess I don’t really think about it much.”

“Bullshit,” you chided. “If that’s true, do you think you have erectile dysfunction or something? Like a hormonal imbalance?”

“What the fuck?” He laughed, nearly spitting out his Gatorade. “No, I definitely don’t have—”

“You’re blushing!” You cut him off, smiling ear-to-ear.

Jack cherished your time together in school; he rarely had a free moment outside of classes that he wasn’t playing hockey. He always felt horrible declining your offers to hang out, but he genuinely couldn’t find a free moment.

A part of him feels this is to blame for your relationship never progressing further. He thought you’d maybe felt something more than platonic feelings for him at one point, but who wants some guy who is too cool for any school functions and can’t see you on weekends because of practice or tournaments. Although, he’d never been honest with you about his feelings either.

It was only a matter of time before you moved forward with your life, leaving him to wonder what could’ve been.

Jack wouldn’t lie and say it didn’t sting every time you’d bring a new guy up, what might’ve taken the cake was when you’d brought one to a hockey game of his. It was like one of those movie moments, Jack thought at practice the next day. He’d seen you in the stands, face lighting up, only to notice the guy beside you with his arm around you.

He wanted to hate the kid, too. Only then did he realize how jealous he truly was. He was heartbroken over a girl he’d never even dated. How was that even possible, Jack would wonder as he stared up at the ceiling in bed.

He could’ve told you, could’ve been honest about how he felt about you. Who knows what would’ve happened, but at least you’d have known. It was too late, he saw how happy you were and had to match your expression with fake smiles and words of encouragement laced with frustration and envy.

Jack tried not to hate himself for how he’d let the situation play out, but he truly couldn’t.

You’d fall in love, and he’d watch. And there was nothing he could do about it.

[thenanamisimp]

Danmei and MXTX novels

Would you look at that, another post that's not about anime? WILD. It is about MXTX novels though so the hyperfixations continue. I'm actually in the process of planning a very lengthy analysis of all three of her series but this is a warning, don't expect too much. I was never good at those in school plus it's been almost 7 years since I've last written something like that but I feel so passionate about her works that I really wanna try to share what I thought about the novels. Nevertheless, this isn't actually those analysis posts since those are gonna be separate and will probably be written after I re-read each series. However, since I'm actually finally fully done reading all her series - including the extra side chapters - I wanted to quickly share some of my opinions and how I feel after finishing all 18 of the books.

This goes without saying but just in case - SPOILER WARNING for Heaven Official's Blessing, The grandmaster of demonic cultivation and The scum villain's self saving system novels.

First off, if you haven't read any of MXTX's work before, prepare for trauma and tragedy. Most of her characters are either deeply traumatised already or in the process of. I will always encourage people to read content warnings before reading her books.

Starting off with my favourite - TGCF or Tian Guan Ci Fu (aka Heaven Official's Blessing). This story means a lot to me. I got introduced to TGCF through the donghua before I even knew it was queer fiction and even with censorship, the closet is made of fucking GLASS so I had to look for the source material. Honestly it took me a while to commit to reading the whole series as I've been struggling to pick up books for years now but TGCF actually got me back into reading (I think in total it took me about 8 days to read all 8 volumes). More than just the story telling being good, I got so incredibly attached to every single character (except Jun Wu, he can eat shit - tho the fact I'm even saying this speaks volumes about how well MXTX can write characters. It takes a lot for me to hate a character this much).

Taking place in a beautiful fantasy world, we follow Xie Lian and Hua Cheng through tragic traumatic past and present and we learn of the horrible truths about the lives of immortal beings. We also see two idiots in love take their sweet ass time to confess. I love me a good slow burn full of longing and pining. I eat that shit UP every time and MXTX gave it to me with every single one of her series.

TGCF for me was a journey full of kicking my feet at fluff, second hand embarrassment (because xl I stg, what do you MEAN you were taught how to resist the advances of women but not how to resist hot men you gay lil shit the closet is made of glass) and honestly, lots of crying. The hundred stabs incident, ruoye's creation and hcg's last death made me sob and scream (no exaggeration, I was stomping around my room, crying and yelling GIVE HIM BACK RIGHT NOW).

Also, in a not so unpopular opinion (I think?), Pei Ming is my fave because 1) he's the no.1 Hualian shipper - check the whole Mt Tunglu adventure for proof and also 2) he's just a lil slut with a big heart. I could seriously talk about him forever because I went from hating him after he tried to throw the blame for the Banyue Pass incident on Xie Lian, to loving him after I realised that everything he does, he does because he is truly just a kind man who loves a good fight. He's so silly! Just a lil guy! Go Pei Ming go!

Fuck you Jun Wu. Again. (I hate him just as much as I hate Mahito. Maybe a little less. I really hate Mahito).

Moving on to my second favourite (but honestly it's such a close one), MDZS or Mo Dao Zu Shi (The grandmaster of demonic cultivation). Take a wild guess about how I got introduced to it... Fandom of course, because very few people talk about TGCF online without mentioning MDZS so I just had to give it a chance.

The great grandmaster of demonic cultivation has been dead for a while but when he gets gifted a new body through a not so well known demonic ritual, he runs into an old acquaintance. We learn about Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji's past and current world of cultivation and hear stories about messy betrayals and conspiracies. Aaaand we find out about some more trauma and tragedy because is it really an MXTX novel without it?

And talk about a rollercoaster because (and please don't hate me for this) I found Wei Wuxian annoying initially.... But it's okay now because I kin him so go figure. Tho I actually kin only his adult self, I was a very introverted and rule abiding teenager, a lil more like Lan Wangji. In any case, wwx is the same stupid chaotic bisexual that I am and he is babygurl. Yeah and what if he murdered 3000 people? It was self defense. THEY ATTACKED FIRST. Your honour, he did nothing wrong and he does not deserve to be punished!

On a serious note, MDZS explores so many themes that are personally important to me, my favourite being the power dynamics of the world. It’s truly moving that even with all the pain Wei Wuxian went through, how far in his cultivation and how powerful he got, he still couldn't protect those he loved (until Lan Wangji of course because Wangxian is perfect together and they always protect and defend each other. Wangxian my beloved). While it might be a stretch for some, it really reminded me of how powerless we are in the world. People aim to educate themselves and go on to do whatever they can to better the world in their own way and yet, it really feels like nothing’s improving sometimes. I could talk about this for hours but maybe I’ll leave that for another time and another analysis post since this is supposed to be a shorter one (lmao)

Last but not least, RZFZX or Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong (honestly this one I use the english name for because I can’t pronounce the chinese as much as I try - The scum villain's self saving system or Svsss). This one I actually kinda struggled with - first of all because WHY BUGS MXTX. Not much bothers me in fiction but BUGS? Too far. Heads with spider legs? Raw flesh with maggots? Blood mites? I was out (for about half an hour and then I kept reading). Please note that it's not the raw flesh that bothered me, it was the fucking maggots. I can read about graphic murder, creepy hauntings, torture and many more but as soon as there are bugs? Nope! I’m done. People have phobias and that’s mine I guess. Enough ranting about bugs!

The story follows Shen Qingqiu, the scum villain of the hit web novel Proud Immortal Demon's Way (or PIDW for short, as it's referred to in Svsss) who is actually one of the original readers - and haters - of PIDW, who transmigrates into the book in order to fix the plot holes left by the original author. With his guide “the system” he does his best to lead the male lead of PIDW, Luo Binghe, down a better path than in the original story.

Svsss employs a comedic way of storytelling, with our protagonist being omniscient, it allows for the narration to be sarcastic and poke fun at a lot of moments that are cliche or badly written, as interpreted by sqq. Honestly, this is just a personal preference but I favour the more serious storytelling way of MDZS and TGCF (give me hurt until the very end when the main characters get together and then give me comfort).

To me, Svsss is a lot harder to analyse as a lot of its themes are unfamiliar to me, especially considering I’m the furthest from having any sort of humanitarian education (I have 2 engineering degrees). Using a story within a story, MXTX is able to deliver two main overarching themes; one about abuse and its results through Luo Binghe as well as one about the relationship of author and their readers, the feeling of being trapped by the readers' opinions and wanting your story to be liked through Shang Qinghua (to be honest, I hadn’t really picked up on this one until I saw discussion about this in the fandom).

If I'm being completely honest, I don't think I grasped this series as well as the other ones and I'm finding it hard to digest lbg and sqq's relationship. I'm unsure as to what it is that's holding me back from loving them as much as Hualian and Wangxian. I do tend to prefer tropes like theirs more than the whole "had to convince him to date me" thing which is what Bingqiu's relationship seemed like to me up until the end of volume 3. It’s also why I'm glad I actually followed through and finished the extras in volume 4 (I was really tempted to stop reading once I finished volume 3 not gonna lie). I believe those to be integral to understanding sqq's feelings towards lbh and while I understand that sqq did actually love lbh from the beginning (denial is a river in egypt and the gloset is made of glass - what the fuck is with MXTX's bottoms and the damn glass closet), I struggled to see the tipping point of where he actually understood his own feelings and what was going on in his head and that he was actually in love with lbh. Which is why I think to really understand Svsss, I would seriously need to reread it.

I also would love to eventually talk about queerness in MXTX's work because in each book, sexuality and queerness is explored and examined in so many different ways. As a queer person myself, it fascinates me as I can relate to so much of it. To be honest, I think I could write a short thesis on just this.

Honestly, while I'm very passionate about my favourite pieces of media (if you've heard me talk about any of my top 5 anime you'll understand what I mean), there hasn't been a lot of things outside JJK and MXTX's novels that have made me wanna dive deep into analysing every single detail. It genuinely makes me feel like I'm gonna implode sometimes. These 3 series have seriously reignited my love for reading. I was shown that a good book - in my opinion of course - doesn't need to avoid difficult topics. It simply needs to use them well as a means of delivering a message and a story, rather than them being included just to be included. They also reminded me that I love queer fiction and I need to read more.

I actually would really like to read Erha (or 2ha or The husky and his white cat shizun) but I've read the content warnings and I'm ~~apprehensive~~. While not a lot of things bother me, I'm not sure I want to read about that stuff (please look at the content warnings of this book, or any piece of media in that matter, especially if you have topics that easily bother or trigger you). Remember, it's our responsibility as readers/consumers to look out for ourselves first!

Please recommend any good danmei (other than MXTX) and possibly include links where they can be read! I would also highly appreciate recommendations for some good wlw fantasy fiction as I really would love to read some wlw novels - or even anime/movies/webtoons/manga. Just in desperate need of quality wlw content.

Also while I said I'd keep it short, it seems I ended up writing over 2000 words…

PS. I proofread this about 5 times and during one of them my file crashed, so if there's any mistakes or if I’m not making sense somewhere, blame my deep-fried brain, thanks

Thanks for reading my novel ramble! Enjoy reading :)

theNanamiSimp

[eisforeidolon]

Hey there, I hope you don't mind me dropping in here on a topic from a few days ago and harping on about it (I'm not very well-versed on ask boxes so I'm a bit unsure of the etiquette. If I commit a major faux-pas, forgive me). Apologies if this ends up a little long and a lot sarcastic - I have opinions about this. It's given me a fair bit of grief over the years.

Y'know, I see these 'abusive Dean' takes float across my dash a fair bit (apparently not being into Destiel or Wincest means I must be a Bitter Sam-girl instead and hate Dean, according to Tumblr). The oh-so-delightful 'abusive husband Dean and beaten wife Sam' takes. People calling Sam 'beaten wife coded' in general. One based on a grand total of two instances where he flinched cause Dean made a loud violent noise near him (who the hell wouldn't, you don't need to be 'beaten wife coded' to flinch when someone chucks a chair at a wall, it's almost like Sam has some kind of trauma about various other things and might be generally jumpy...). Or taking the end of S10 out of context and choosing to forget that Dean was nearly fully taken over by a mark of fratricide (which he still managed to overcome, they conveniently fail to mention that). And I just... ugh.

What I never understood about these takes is like... why? There's trying to paint your fave in a good light and a character you hate in a bad one, but then there's making the heart and soul of the show itself into something so ugly it ruins it for other people, like your Anon, and honestly this happened to me too a while ago before I forced myself to stop listening to the greater fandom and find a few I trusted (like you). Even still, it gets all up in my head sometimes. Why are these people finding such glee in making the central relationship so awful? What are you getting out of this show if you think that about it?

Like, imagine looking at the finale through this lens. Congratulations, you turned something sad but ultimately bittersweet into something horrible, the 'beaten wife' dedicating the rest of their life to their 'abuser' then being forced to be with them for eternity, and this is portrayed as a good thing. Why would you ever want to view it that way? Plus, it's rather forced if you take it as a whole - the few times Sam stood there looking contrite while Dean did something stupid pale in comparison to the number of times he calls him out on it, even in the later seasons (14x12 Prophet and Loss, anyone? 15x17 Unity?).

I guess people can take from media what they want, it's obviously not my place to police people's enjoyment, but I just never got the appeal. It seems so counter to what the show was clearly actually trying to do, yet they tout it as fact (now where have I seen that before). Like it's somehow a bad thing to enjoy the show on its own terms. Coming across these takes still kinda bums me out. This goes for people insisting it's the other way around too - I can't stand any brother vs. brother stuff either, it's never anything but bad faith, and honestly kinda misses the point. Some of these people boggle my mind with their lack of empathy.

If there's one thing this fandom is good for, it's honing your ability to roll your eyes and move along. It's full of so much absolute batshit insanity that you'll never survive if you listen to every take. Trust me, I've tried. Do you know which tags to block to avoid this kinda stuff? Cause I never seem to be able to.

Sorry if this was a bit of a rant dump, heh. I'm usually a chronic lurker, but this discourse in particular bothers me immensely.

You're absolutely fine, I mind neither bringing up previous topics nor excessive length (be a bit of a hypocrite if I did, tbh). And yeah, it's one of my least favorite SPN fandom discourses, too.

It does feel like it's pretty hard to find any corner of the fandom where you won't at least occasionally see one side or the other's worst faith not!fave-brother-is-terrible takes. And oh, do I hate the 'beaten wife Sam' half of the 'Dean is an abuser' discourse equation just as much. Like, supposedly they like Sam, so why on earth would they want to pretend this stubborn competent badass of a character is actually a helpless pathetic marshmallow?! Same with Dean on the opposite side of the fandom - it's not just the character they're constantly maligning I can't recognize, the character they "like" similarly bears very little resemblance to the one I'm a fan of!

So far as I can tell, some people just desperately need their favorite character to be the best one who is always in the right. Whether it's over-identification or what, I don't know. They seem to think they achieve it by reframing large portions of the canon as justifying, unfairly attacking, or insulting that character as necessary. Except they don't see how from the outside it very often looks entirely absurd, regardless of if they're doing it in favor of Sam, Dean, or Castiel. Which is not to say there aren't parts of canon which treat all of those characters ridiculously in one way or another? But it's the total fixation on it only being the case with their favorite character in every possible situation where it gets weird.

Every great once in a while, I do manage to come across a take that really annoys me. But for the most part? The extreme ones are just so absurd, so divorced from what anyone even vaguely trying to understand the other characters' motivations and what the show quite obviously intended? I just can't take it at all seriously. Especially when they (as they so often do) get canon details wrong or pointedly "forget" all the canon points that blatantly don't fit their narrative.

Unfortunately, like with a certain ship, when it comes to tagging? You're kind of at the mercy of the self-awareness of the poster about how much other people may not want to see their hot takes.

[duskandcobalt]

Hiii, Santa here! Sorry for disappearing, it's been quite a few busy days, but I'm back with my questions hehe

Btw the anon ask about Elain wasn't me, but thank you for using the acotargiftexchange tag anyway because the more I know, the better! 🤍

Since you've mentioned it in that post, my first question is, Earth magic witchy Elain? Could you elaborate? I'm not sure I've ever heard that one before and now I'm curious 👀

Here's what I already wanted to ask:

1. Since last time I asked this about Elain, now I gotta ask about Azriel to make it fair. What's your favorite thing about him and is there anything you don't like?

2. How are we feeling about Christmas vibes in the fic? Or would you prefer a more everyday kind of vibe? And since we're on the topic of vibes, I was thinking of going with a fluffy fic because, well you know, it's Christmas. But if you'd rather read something else, please let me know 🙏🏻 I'm here to please

3. Is there anything you think you have in common with either Azriel or Elain? Passions, hobbies, personality traits… anything

4. How did you get into the ACOTAR books and fandom?

This time they're all acotar related, I'm sorry 😭 I have so much I'd like to ask but I don't want to flood you with questions, so I'll stop here since there are already so many (but I'll be back soon 😈)

Hope you have a lovely weekend!

-🎅🎅🎅

Hi Santa!! I’m so sorry it’s taken me five years to reply to this but I’m here now 😊

Okay re: earthy/witchy Elain… I am obsessed with the idea of Elain have some sort of witchy powers and working with herbs etc and I think she may also have some sort of power of life if that makes sense? I’m honestly horrible at explaining things but if you want to know what I’m on about, @wingedblooms has incredible theories that they’ve put heaps of time into explaining beautifully!

Onto your questions…

1. My toxic trait is that I loooove a quiet, mysterious man that doesn’t say much and is lowkey terrifying and Azriel ticks all those boxes. They’re like a little puzzle to solve and I love a challenge that has major potential to hurt me …. But!! I love that he really sees and understands people and you can tell that he genuinely cares for the people around him and even though he doesn’t talk much, he’s always listening and learning. One of my favourite things in the world is Azriel’s relationship with Nesta - the way I cried when he gave her the book light for solstice and she hugged him should be studied 😭😭😭 it’s one of my favourite parts of the whole series.

There’s not much I don’t like about him, to be honest - at least nothing that I can think of off the top of my head! I guess regifting the necklace wasn’t his brightest moment but in the words of Lana Del Rey, 🎵you’re just a man… it’s just what you do 🎵

2. I LOVE a fluffy, Christmas vibe!! Azriel canonically loves a holiday, who am I to deny him of a fluffy moment 🎄

3. I have so much in common with them, I think that’s why they’re my faves bc I feel like I know them personally 😭 I looove baking and cooking and I love to do things for people. I love a grandma craft. I don’t think we know much about Azriel in way of hobbies but I’ve decided he loves music and so do I. I am also a big time quiet friend (in real life, idk why I can’t shut up online), listener not talker, and so will dole out advice when necessary a la the spymaster so we’ve got that in common

4. I don’t even know!!! I’m so late to the game, I was a big lit fic girlie (still am) but my friend was reading the first one and I’d seen it all over TikTok and I am SO easily influenced… I picked it up July 8th last year and I’d finished all of ACOTAR and ToG by August 15th 😅 it’s a high I’ve been chasing ever since and it reignited my long lost love for reading so I’ll forever be thankful to it… plus it led me back to writing and this amazing community

I’m sorry I’ve yapped again!! Hope you enjoyed this novel lol

ILY!!!

[echoweaver]

15 Questions from Mutuals

@oasislandingresident, @hazely-sims, @danjaley, @anamoon63, and @olomayasims tagged me in this meme. This is the first time I’ve been able to actually do it! Thanks. I feel loved. It feels good to be included.

​ Are you named after anyone? My great-grandmother, father’s father’s mother. She and my great-grandfather were immigrants from Hungary. I have have a picture of her holding me as an infant. I’m sorry I didn’t get to know her.

When was the last time you cried? I cry all the dang time. I find it more notable when I haven’t cried recently -- when putting our cats down, despite me being the one person in the family who was tracking their health in detail and really worrying about their quality of life. I’m also the one who made the call and coordinated the final vet visit. There’s stuff in there about my personality that I’m pondering.

I guess the last time I really cried it out was over gender politics, if you would believe it. My wife is trans. The horrible state of conservative oppression toward trans people right now is terrifying. OTOH, I think that enemy has led trans advocacy to be less nuanced rather than more. The complex landscape of gender, sex, and safety is often trivialized, and people get hurt. When I can’t jump on the bandwagon, I feel like a traitor to my wife. I wish there could be more thoughtfulness and compassion and nuance, but with the wave of vicious anti-trans laws and rhetoric, I appreciate why it doesn’t feel like there’s space for it.

Do you have kids? One bio-daughter, age 12. We wanted to have another and couldn’t. Then we tried to adopt from foster care, which ended up being a miserable 5-year rabbithole that led nowhere. OTOH, we have a found-daughter who entered our life through the side door as our girl’s babysitter when she was young. It’s an odd family, and we’re still figuring it out, but it’s ours.

Do you use sarcasm a lot? I think of myself as fairly snarky, but actually sarcasm not that much.

What sports do you play/have you played? I got into really physical stuff late-ish, close to 30. I got into weight-lifting and cardio rhythm games. No team stuff. Later, I took up figure skating when my kid was 4 and taking lessons. I love it. I think I could have been really good if I’d found it when I was younger, but I’m very YOLO about this stuff. If I’m going to be a figure skater in middle age, so be it. Convenient classes for adults were canceled during the pandemic, though, and I haven’t built up the momentum to return. I’m settling for a lower-hanging fruit at the moment and taking up Tai Chi.

What’s the first thing you notice about other people? I don’t know exactly what it is, but I get a sense of how easy it is to relax around someone.

Scary movies or happy endings? Those aren’t mutually exclusive. I like being scared, but not so much the jump-scare, blood-and-gore way. Definitely happy endings though. I’m only much into dark endings when my life is stress-free, and I don’t remember when that last happened.

Any special talents? I’m good at looking at a problem from all angles. I think this is objectively a good thing, but it’s also a pain in the butt because I can’t turn it off.

Where were you born? New Jersey, USA. Grew up in Indiana, just north of Indianapolis.

What are your hobbies? Dur. I knit, edit movies, mod video games, write fiction (sims and other), scuba dive, play board games, downhill ski, do amateur carpentry. I did some glassblowing in my 20s, and I’m finally getting a chance to take lessons! I do not specialize well. I also played the viola as a serious amateur. I bought a guitar and am going to try to learn to play so that I can sing and accompany myself.

Do you have any pets? One cat, down from 3 cats. Also one corn snake.

How tall are you? 5′4″ or 162 cm.

Fave subject in school? History, I think?

Dream job? I’m not sure all the stuff I’d want to do in a career can be digested down to 1 job. I’m pretty close to it at the moment, though. I write educational software on a small very family-like team at a university. Sometimes I fantasize about quitting and doing something with game modding that could somehow be profitable, but I’m sure if that were actually possible, I’d end up hating it because my hobby would then be my job.

Eye color? I have the exact eye color @zosa95 described in her reply to this meme.

It feels good to be tagged, but I still have this weirdo anxiety about tagging people. Plus this has mostly made the rounds. I’ll try @withlovefromayre, @declaration-of-dramas

[thatbitchsimone]

re gypsy rose: being center of attention is all she knows. i can't blame her for being attention seeking, because that's her whole damn life. she has always gotten attention from doctors, from people, from news, ever since she was a child. first she was the sick child and now she is the woman who was forced to fake being sick child who killed her mother, she lost the opportunity to normal life and normal behavior long, long ago. i can't blame her for going to the news or talking about herself, how can she know anything else?

thats also a really good point and theres probably at least some truth to that but idk if i agree that shes attention seeking in that way. like i dont personally think she craves fame or whatever i just think shes like… a normal girl i guess. like yeah she got onto social media right away, but tbh she would most likely do that even if she was completely unknown bc most women her age use social media and ofc she would want to participate and post cute instagram photos with her husband and pretty selfies etc bc why not? its what everyone does and shes finally free to take part in normal life.

and the reason shes even doing these press tours is to promote her docuseries which is where she for once gets to speak out fully and tell her story in her own words and be truly heard. she knows her story has been told by others, she knows about The act and the documentaries and how viral her story went while she was away, and now she wants to take her story back and tell it herself which is only fair and id probably do the same if i was her

and yeah she wants to meet taylor swift. well duh what taylor swift fan would not want to meet taylor swift? shes just sharing her dreams. shes always been a dreamer like that, and honestly if she gets the chance to actually meet her fave singer ofc she will take it. anyone would lol.

but anyway, she is used to having the spotlight on her just like u said but i guess rn thats almost a blessing in disguise in a way since that means she kinda knows how to handle it better than most. like id be overwhelmed as fuck in her situation but thats bc ive always been a private normal person who has never been in the public eye but shes sorta.. accustomed to it which is sad bc as we all know she never should have been bc she should never have been in that horrible situation in the first place but at least now that can be an advantage for her during the media hype. shes being smart with it and she wants to use it to help others and be an advocate which i think she will have lots of success in and do lots of good in the future.

i guess what im trying to say is that in my opinion shes not seeking the attention, the attention is already on her and shes just embracing it and making the best of it in order to do something good and to finally have her voice heard for the first time in her life. when u have gone through abuse and have had to keep quiet about it and keep it inside ur whole life ur gonna have that urge to scream it out and let the whole world know whats been done to u and its healing and freeing and empowering to do so when ur finally safe and ready to. she needs to be heard and seen for once and she deserves it bc everyone deserves that. its very human

[pink-strawberry-kissess]

It will be interesting to see how an RE6 remake where Leon is more suspicious of/aware that Carla might not be Ada plays out. Especially in regards to how this will affect his arguments with Chris about trusting her.

I'd also hope such a remake delves more into how Ada feels about having her likeness and identity used and abused in such a manner.

On a side note, I never understood why fans kept saying Claire was supposed to have Helena's role but was swapped out for the last minute given how different Helena is from Claire.

yes i agree, i feel like the disparity between ada and carla needs to be more uncanny valley and feed into the narrative that there's something horribly wrong with "ada"

i can get down with the idea of leon not realizing it's not ada at first. but i always wished that it was clearer that it turns at some point and leon vehemently knows and recognizes that she's not ada.

i love the idea of carla trying to fake ada's voice, or just being too outwardly grandiose with her actions so that she's so noticeable, (so it's easier to say she's wanting to frame ada) and so it would be odd if "ada" were doing that

i know people are worried about the chris leon fight scene being cut in a potential remake, but considering it was the most highlighted and used scene in promotional work, i kind of doubt it. there has to be a big conflict and the leon chris conflict imo worked well in re6.

it would be stupid on capcom's part to remove it

re6 IS ada's game. her campaign is the most difficult to complete and her's is necessary for understanding the narrative. it's a shame that people don't finish her campaign- guess those aren't "real resident evil fans" huh ;)

that being said, i agree that her story is the most sad and really highlights how much abuse she receives in the story and narrative and just in general as a whole if we're talking about the fandom. she's at the butt end of sexualized jokes because she's leon's love interest. she has at various points, overt sexual appeal so she's degraded and vilified. she's not white so add racism to that too.

i find people who want helena to be removed and replaced with claire just really disingenuous and or wanting to just stir shit up. in absolutely no circumstances would it be permissible to remove claire and replace her with another character, DESPITE the fact that claire is easily the most replaceable of the core 5 (leon, chris, jill, claire (i guess) and now rebecca ig)

people would be PISSED if claire was removed suddenly from ANY of her games, so why THE FUCK, is it okay to just remove HELENA, FROM HER GAME AND HER STORY also. (it's still also about ada, but helena's story is also so important)

it's assinine to me that people think that they (capcom) would ever rewrite the entirety of re6 and rev2 so that for some reason claire would be in re6. narratively there's no reason for claire to be in re6.

anyways i don't get the arguments of claire vs helena. both of them are white ladies. and like? helena has ALWAYS been more interesting to me from the two if we're gonna compare women. (also don't do that- don't compare women like that, that's so just anti woman what the fuck)

i've yet to see an argument for replacing helena with claire that didn't go further than "but we want more claire stuff!!! there's no claire stuff!!!"

OKAY???? SHUT THE FUCK UP FIRST OF ALL. THERE'S SO MUCH CLAIRE CONTENT WHAT DO YOU MEAN.

AND SECONDLY. WHY WOULD YOU GET RID OF HELENA'S ONLY APPEARANCE IN THE ENTIRE FRANCHISE. DO YOU HATE OTHER FEMALE CHARACTERS SO MUCH AND THINK SO HIGHLY OF CLAIRE THAT YOU THINK SHE SHOULD TAKE PRECEDENT ON THE ENTIRE FRANCHISE??

honestly shame on the fans would think that "claire has nothing," while in the same breath think that it's okay to remove helena's ONLY APPEARANCE.

it's SO FUCKING RUDE, to want to REPLACE characters with your faves. take your entitled ass elsewhere.

okay ty sorry for ranting

[got-into-worm-by-mistake]

“I wonder.  Rape culture is a funny thing.  People gloss over some pretty shitty, creepy, wrong behavior, little brother, when they know the person in question.  But you raise the reality of what they’re doing, and it’s a whole lot harder to shrug it off.” Rape.  It was a loaded word, but Cherish was right.  She was a horrible person, to be sure, but she was right.  Did I really want to face what Regent had done, before we knew him?  Rape.  Murder.  He’d said, this very morning, that he’d done what he did because he’d been young, but that was just an excuse.  The deeds were still done, the consequences very real.

She's not wrong.

People get... I can't think of a better word than weird, but that isn't a great word, but... people get weird about rape.

People talk about it as though it is (literally) the proberbial fate worse than death, which is... subjective, I guess, but there's a lot of people who act like rape is so much worse than murder, which is... I guess subjective, but seems wrong.

More topically to fannish discussions, when presented with a character who rapes one person, and a character who murdered doezens or hundreds of people, large swaths of the fandom will be willing to forgive the mass murderer over the rapist.

This is not universal, many faves who raped or did rapey or otherwise non-con stuff will still get very beloved in the fandom, (sometimes by glossing over or ignoring the rape - of course, sometimes the canon does that too) but there is always a large phalanx that really will insist that the rapist really is so much worse than the mass murderer, that the rapist can never be redeemed but the mass murderer can be, because... reasons.

Now, obviously, some of it ties into RL issues around rape - rape is a much more... visceral thing, for a lot of people, and you're more likely to be raped or SA'd or whatever than murdered, and more likely to know someone who was or who nearly was raped or SA'd than murdered, etc. There's the fact that the victim is still there, still around, and in fiction if the rapist gets redeemed they're usually going to be around their victim a lot, if the victim is a major character as well...

I'm kind of getting well off topic, but the point Cherish makes remains true - the more abstract or distant or theoretical the rape, the more likely the fandom is to ignore it. The more minor a character the victim...

People get weird around the subject of rape.

[bcbdrums]

Are there any Kim Possible episodes you wouldn't really consider "canon?" Some of the dumber ones like Grande Size Me or Roachie or Blush for example that don't really add to the show.

oh, snap... truthfully i was a little taken aback by anything except Grande Size Me being called dumb, but then i recalled that on my rewatch ahead of the live action i was incredibly impatient with Larry's Birthday. i have since changed my tune, but i was on a binge at the time and eager to get to Graduation, lol.

but, no.... i even consider Grande Size Me to be canon. recall if you will... in fact i think i recently mentioned this... that Kim Possible as a show is chock full of genetic mutation. it's an even more recurring theme than Drakken trying to use robots or mind control to take over the world. so while that episode was made at the direct order of the Disney execs to make a healthy eating episode, and the creators made the episode as horrible as possible on purpose so the execs would stop trying to dictate the show to them.... i still call it canon.

if DNAmy can put Rufus and Barkin in a machine, create a mutant from both of them with the flip of a switch, and then an equally simple flip of a switch brings them back to normal.... yeah. yeah, i can buy the events of Grande Size Me. it's no leap at all, really.

and... okay, Blush??? that one's got me confused. Blush is a highly important episode. first of all, the entirety of the evil plot in the episode is...Drakgo trying to kill Kim "once and for all" in Drakken's words. Disney won't use the word "kill" but Wade explaining that she'll disappear forever is pretty self explanatory. so, the point is...Drakgo are willing to go that far. as if it wasn't already clear.

secondly, the ep shows how great and devoted a friend Ron is, that he risks his life to save not just her life, but also her date. canon tells us that Kim and Ron have secretly crushed on each other all along, but here Ron is helping her date with another dude go well. so to those people who claim Ron is useless or whatever... yeahhh far from it. he's always there for Kim and this is one of those eps where it's just in your face.

important side notes about the ep... we get that delicious defeat montage, which ends with Drakgo shopping together. ahhhh domesticity for my ship! not to mention all those lairs Drakken has... including a space lair. they've all already been to space, very important to note... additionally, we see that Josh isn't necessarily the greatest guy... kissing Kim at the end there after Kim had expressed some physical boundaries. sure the boundaries were because she was busy vanishing, but he still didn't respect them. and, AND...! this is the precursor to the plot of So the Drama, where Drakken first starts researching what makes Kim, a teen girl, tick. i could go on but...yeah this episode is great.

and Roachie is one of the many delightful shorts, expanding the KP universe beyond the weekly villains. i can't think of another show to reference right now, but some of the bigger TV buffs out there can certainly name some... like...i guess like Batman fights the Joker each week, defeats him, he's hauled off to Arkham, then back again for the next episode! like...very typical cartoon stuff. or Bugs and Elmer Fudd always trying to outwit each other. Kim always fighting the same villain(s) kind of limits the show and makes it feel like an even...lesser version of 'monster of the week.' sooooo....yeah, for starters, this episode brings something fresh. it always gives Kim a very human very real flaw, for the girl who can do anything. and it gives Ron yet another unique gift and moment to shine. and personally i loved the one-off villain. a person might get impatient with the episode and want to move on to their fave villains, i totally understand that. but...not consider it canon???

i.... i hope you can send me another ask of deeper explanation, Anon? because why wouldn't any of these be canon??? not someone's fave ep, okay that's fine, people's taste is subjective and that's everyone's freedom. but not canon? they all fit in perfectly with the KP universe and i'm quite perplexed by them being called dumb and not adding to the show.

[destinysbounty]

Which villain do you like?

Ooooh i like a lot of villains! Garmadon, Morro, and Harumi are all obvious answers, of course, i mean those are i think the top 3 fandom faves. If i had to rank them id say Harumi is my favorite out of the three, because i find her rawness so compelling. Like, shes what Lloyd couldve become if he hadnt gotten a proper support system, and thinking about how she and Lloyd are such incredible foils for each other makes me wanna start biting things. Shes so messed up and i love that about her. Part of me wants her to get therapy but the rest of me wants to see how much worse she can get.

So i guess, if you forced me to choose just one villain to call my absolute favorite, id say Harumi. But i feel bad about snubbing all the other delightful villains in this show! I gotta hand it to Ninjago, they really know how to craft a dazzling rogues gallery.

As for underappreciated/underrated villains i love:

Nadakhan. He is SO slimy, and he makes me SO uncomfortable, but honestly thats what makes him work as a villain think. Some Ninjago villains are lovable, tragic, or sympathetic, but hes just a horrible person and youre rooting for his downfall the whole time and its awesome. Also - sky pirate genie who becomes a pirate to compensate for how he can only grant other peoples wishes but never his own, deciding to take by force that which he cannot have, is such a great concept. Really his whole characterization, motivation, and general aesthetic are all very solid, and its a shame Skybound ended up as....messy, as it was. Because the season brings up some amazing themes, characters, and plot lines, but doesnt execute them as well as they deserve.

Aspheera. Not a lot of depth to her, but idk i just love her energy. Shes just my silly little war criminal and i find the pettiness between her and wu delightful

The Mechanic. I 100% support the theory that he was one of those background pirates on Captain Soto's ship who made a life for himself in the modern world by working for Chen. Idk im a sucker for characters who are tangentially woven into the plot - hes there, and the ninjas' actions have direct consequences on his life that turn him into a far more personal enemy. Also, i think the Mechanic should be a Pixal villain. Honestly i think she deserves her own personal villain just in general - poor girl deserves a nemesis 😭😭- and i think the Mechanic fits well into that position. Also, him becoming a major antagonist in Prime Empire and Crystalized was such a satisfying payoff imo. Hes rising up the criminal ranks, im so proud of him. My horrible guy, off to torture nindroids. They grow up so fast

Miss Demeanor. Is she really a villain? I dont care, shes wonderful. Shes got a fantastic vibe and design. Also, "blah blah blah - FIREBALL!" lives in my head rent-free. She honestly deserves more love and i will die on that hill. Shes not a main villain but shes the main villain of my heart and thats what matters.

Actually i change my mind, Miss Demeanor should be Pixal's nemesis instead so they can have rivalry tension. Think Detective Conan vs Kaito Kid type of frenemy action here. Also i just??? Think they would play off each other really well? Lego please hire me so i can write a Pixal focus season where she has funky lil nemesis rivalry with Miss Demeanor. I can make it happen. It would be amazing, you know itd be amazing.

Anyway, thanks for the ask!

[twotangledsisters]

Do you like Varian?

(sorry if somebody alredy asked you this)

Nobody has asked this before, which is almost surprising!

The answer is... kinda?

I had a unique Tangled the Series experience because I watched the first season on television as it came out in Spain, then binged the last two seasons in disney plus. All without EVER interacting with fandom.

Meaning I did not have fandom influence my opinions during my first watch through.

So when I finally came to fandom, I was caught by surprise at how big Varian was.

I really enjoyed him as a S1 villain, I love the grey villains. I enjoyed him in S3. But one of my fave bits was him just listening to Xavier's stories. I love side characters interacting with each other rather than just the main cast!

So yeah, I liked him, but he was about as important to me as say Xavier, Adira or Stalyan to me. Interesting side characters for sure but never really my end all be all.

When it came to side characters, my faves were Arianna, Frederic, Caine, the disciples, Demanitus and Zhan Tiri herself. They were who captured my curiosity or heartstrings the most!

I think this all shows in how I handle Varian in my main fic. He does interact a fair bit with the main cast in S1 but in S2 it's mostly him interacting with Xavier or with Arianna. He has a role planned out for him in S3, but he never ceases to be a side-character who comes and goes depending on the plot.

But I'm guessing what brought the question up is that I NEVER talk about him here on tumblr?

And the reason for that isn't that I don't like him... But I don't like him enough to face the 'fandom drama' I've seen going on in my mutuals' inboxs since the start.

From the tall-short controversy.

People just being asked over and over again to draw or write him more.

People being upset over different interpretations.

The idea that a fan of tts should know the 7k lore (I do not).

I just see that, and I'm like... Nope. I ain't poking that with a stick,

And that isn't to say other parts of fandom aren't drama ridden or controversial, they very much are.

I've received literal 'wishes for my death' over New Dream and Cassandra stuff. I had to step away from tumblr it was very much a horrible experience.

But I adore Cassandra; I adore New Dream; I adore Arianna and Frederic. I don't like them; I adore them, so I risk seeing and being almost looped into drama to do with them for that reason. I try to avoid it but you can't stop asks in the inbox or people PMing you or even mentions.

I can't say I like Varian enough to dare enter that space.

Varian still has his role in my fics and stuff cause Ao3 is a lot more chill from my experience.

If I'm ever drawing a scene that includes him, I wouldn't purposefully exclude him.

But I'll probably never have any Varian focused projects or pieces here on tumblr because... I do not have the mental space for that drama.

I know this definitely isn't the answer some people wanted to hear... But I think it explains my pov pretty well!

And I still enjoy seeing content for literally everything Tangled the Series related! I'm glad so many side-characters got their time in the spotlight in fandom spaces.

And thanks you for the ask!

[psychopasss4]

You know I never say anything because people will call me a hater but the inclusion of Frederica is so bizarre to me.I have been saying for years that I’d like Akane’s design to be a little mature and her to be a part of field action?Lo and behold Frederica’s grand entrance in SS3.Not only does she have the greatest design among the female cast,she is an experienced fighter who can fight in red stilettos,a great sniper who handles a Barrett m95 like no one’s business.She also has a background in psychology and profiling(but she mostly used Saiga’s class to obsess over Kougami lol).It’s like the writers took everything I wanted for Akane and gave it to her.Also she got fanservice scenes with both Kougami and Ginoza eg the water bottle scene with Kougami in ss3 and the providence explosion scene with Ginoza.Also lots of shots of Frederica in ss3 where you can see her naked,taking a bath,or wearing pretty lacy underwear so I guess fanservice is okay if it’s Frederica?A lot of shippers pretend Kougami barely tolerates her but from what I see Kougami gets along so well with her(can’t blame him because obviously she’s sweet and pretty and flirty and also a great boss,things Akane was never allowed to be)and the horrible part is I can actually see them being a good couple.Even Ginoza was smitten enough to arrange a cafe for her when she’s stressed and he thinks she’s so cool that she’s the female Kougami?Wow.Is this about to be a love triangle?!!!But if I point these out obviously I’ll be called jealous and hateful.But this is what I have wanted for Akane for years now.I feel sad and disappointed and I can’t even talk about it.

~So sorry for the late reply, Anon. 😔 I've been hardly checking my inbox. And just catching up to post PP logs.

Anyways, as a fan's PoV, when Sinners of the System first came up, I remember Dir. Shiotani wants to intentionally introduce new characters who would play a major role. And when the fans pointed "Akane's lack of screen time" since SSS trilogy upto S3/FI, he said he purposefully wants to feature other characters as protagonist.

I would say Frederica is not a coincidence nor a side character. Once the PPP novel and Season 4 is out, I would expound on that one. For the meantime, I will patiently wait in silence 😅.

I don't consider her as a love triangle for KoAka (a.k.a. Shinkane) because Kogami x Akane is not a thing. As confirmed by everybody in Psycho-Pass Production Committee even the Seiyuus themselves (*Coughs* Seki-san 😷).

I leave it to my fellow fans' "profiling" and/or "deduction" abilities. But I think most of us have that gut-feeling already. But again, it's too early to say something and I can't speak on behalf of the PPC.

During the promotionals, I made some ノイズログ which expresses my personal opinion as a fan in this Tumblr Space. Because I don't want fans to feel betrayed. And at the same time, I can't stand the growing "misdirection" of some KoAka fans (Japanese Shinya x Akane fans) which they twist some points of the story. It seems like they only watch PSYCHO-PASS for Shinya x Akane only, instead of enjoying the overall plot.

For now, it is what it is until the official novel and potential Season 4 is released.

Meanwhile, I enjoy and cherish the interactions of Shinya x Akane as they are portrayed in the anime.

For the writer's and production crew, I understand about the marketing strategy but I think they should be sensitive on how the fanbase will perceive things before they start "selling out" those merch 🤭 P.S. no pun intended. [i.e selling KoAka merch while low-key supporting Fredegami 😅]

I don't have beef with the J-KoAka's, because there's no wrong in betting on our fave ship. But we should be open to all kinds of Interpretation the Production Committee is trying to convey.

Let's just wait for the next Season. And no matter how it turns out, Shinkane/KoAka fanbase will always remain as solid as ever 💖!!!

WE FANDOM ARE THE UNSINKABLE SHIP❣️

[winterandwords]

Favourite novel tag

The original post from @unhingednovelist says share a little about your favourite novel of all time! give us some reasons why you love it, ramble on for a bit. i am going to ramble, so go absolutely feral about it. i don't mind. i don't think anyone else does either.

Thanks to @reamous23 for tagging me in this one!

I'm absolutely horrible at choosing favourites. I always have at least five things that fall into that category, and the best I can do here is to narrow it down to two.

📖 Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis

I've loved everything Bret Easton Ellis has written, but Less Than Zero just hit me in a way very few other books ever have. There's a detached cruelty and pervasive moral bankruptcy to it that I don't remember ever encoutering in any book I'd read before (I was definitely far too young to have read it when I read it) and I fell in love immediately. Welcome to baby's first transgressive literature, I guess.

I have a weakness for books that imperceptibly shift my perspective as I read. At the beginning I was shocked by things the characters said and did, but by the end I was encountering objectively far more harrowing concepts and just drifting through them. I mean??!! Fuck yeah. What excellent writing it is to be able to do that to someone's mind while they inhale what you've created.

If you've never read this but you've seen the film, the book is nothing at all like the film. Seriously. Do not read the book expecting the film.

📖 Life After God by Douglas Coupland

Because apparently my favourite authors are mostly queer Gen Xers with a fucked up but weirdly poetic worldview FOR SOME REASON. I've loved everything I've read by Douglas Coupland as well, but Life After God got me in the feels so strongly and precisely.

Coupland has this intensely sharp and achingly beautiful observational writing style and a way of pulling out small details that get wedged in my brain forever.

There's a description of a nuclear explosion in Life After God that almost exactly mirrors a recurring nightmare I've had since forever. That kind of broke me a little bit, in the way that things do when you realise how shared, how collective, people's fears are and how some people know exactly how to put them into words.

📖 Honourable mentions...

Pretty much everything by Bret Easton Ellis and Douglad Coupland

Actually, pretty much everything by Thomas Harris too

Fight Club and Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

The Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I'm leaving this as an OPEN TAG and inviting anyone who wants to do it to @ me so I can see your faves 💜