#your eyes aren't always great at seeing flaws in our work

[oifaaa]

A lot of people seem to genuinely not know what's the point of flipping the canvas in digital art is so I'm gonna explain but first please note I'm not telling you you have to flip your canvas to make art (or else traditional artists would be screwed) it's an art tip that you may or may not find helpful depends

Basically when you flip the canvas it gives you a new perspective on your drawing and helps you identify flaws that you might not have noticed, when you draw a picture for hours your eyes can get used to seeing it a certain way so you don't notice the nose might be a little too low or an arm that's a bit awkward, flip that canvas and suddenly your seeing your art with new eyes

This is also why it's kinda a running joke with artist that flipping the canvas is the worst since you think your pictures all good you flip it and now you see all the flaws and have to start correcting, but not all bad since the flaws would still be there even if you didn't flip the canvas, you can just see them now, and also flipping the canvas can help if your struggling to draw the other eye or a hand from a certain direction

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Regarding the post about Marinette being punished for trusting people and the response to it, this is something I always have trouble explaining because it sounds callous? But fictional characters aren't people. It's not that their lives just so happen to get in the way leading to something bad happened the writers decided that should happen, and it's important that you stop and ask WHY this happens. If the camera is "on" per se, people assume it's relevant and will tie into something larger. So like if the camera is on and all we see is Alya revealing her identity and then the result is she's outed in the same way she was in Heroes Day, the audience naturally concludes it's connected and thus realizes the lesson is either "Alya learns she shouldn't share her identity" OR "Marinette learns she shouldn't trust people" or both.

Secret identities are a great example of this phenomenon. We're NOT shown every time a villain's plan is foiled because they didn't know the heroe's identity, we ARE shown every time a heroe's identity causes friction in their lives. As such, large parts of the audience think of secret identites as inconveniences because that's what's shown (not just in Miraculous Ladybug, in tons of other shows)

Like you are supposed to make connections in Television about what's being shown to you that no one would make in real life (or at the very least no one SHOULD make in real life) because there's a limited space to tell the story and the audience is assuming the writers aren't wasting our time.

If these were real people it would be unreasonable to say because people have their own lives Marinette can't trust them, but in a story where Marinette is the main character who is explicitly always supposed that's. An accurate way to read the story!

And I also understand that this is a very boring construction if you're making headcanons or thinking about these characters! But that's a different lens, it doesn't make the broader writing lens invalid. You're speaking different languages at that point.

Anyway I hope that helps someone, that's my two cents

You summed it up perfectly! There's a ton of valid criticism to be had of Miraculous, but you can tell from the narrative framing that almost all of it comes down to writing choices and not things that are supposed to be seen as in-universe issues even though a lot of fans treat them as such. It's really weird to see things like people complaining about everything revolving around Marinette as if it's a personal flaw of hers and not the result of her being the main character in a fictional world. "Main Character Syndrome" literally pulls its name from the fact that this is how main characters work in a lot of media. It's a flaw when a real person does it, but in terms of story telling, it's extremely normal - and often good story telling - to have everything revolve around your main character or a core cast.

The issue with Miraculous is that they chose a lot of poor conflicts if they wanted Marinette to be the one and only main character, but that's not her fault. She didn't decide to have the rules around identities make no sense. The writers did. She didn't decide to make the main villain Adrien's dad while also keeping Adrien from being involved in the story. The writers did. The list goes on and on and, because none of it reflects badly on Marinette in the writers' eyes, the show doesn't act like Marinette is in the wrong. Remember, these are the same writers who think that Derision was a great episode that added depth to Marinette instead of destroying her character and making her look unhinged. Their judgement is clearly a little skewed.

While the writers love to make bad plot choices, they are generally using proper story telling language to make those choices, which is why I can tell you how characters' actions are intended to be read. The Rena Furtive and Nino example is a great one because it allows me to show that the writers do understand how to set things up. In fact, once they've decided that they're going to do a thing, they pretty much always set it up at a basic level. It's rarely spectacular and often frustrating, but it's never shocking.

In Rocketear, Alya promises Marinette that Nino will never learn about Rena Furtive. The episode then ends with her breaking that promise via the following exchange:

Alya: (sighs) I'm still Rena Rouge. (Nino gasps.) But now I'm in hiding and that's why Ladybug asked me not to tell anyone. Nino: But why are you telling me if no one's supposed to know? Is Ladybug cool with this? Alya: I can't hide it from you, because I love you, Nino, and we share everything.

Look at how this confession is presented. Look at what the dialogue focuses on. When Marinette confessed her identity to Alya, it was all about the confession and supporting Marinette. There was no discussion of this being a problem for Chat Noir or anything like that because - in the writers' eyes - that wasn't a problem for some reason. This is why Chat Noir almost instantly absolves Ladybug of blame once he finds out about the identity reveal (see: Hack-San.) The writers didn't want it to be an issue so it wasn't:

Ladybug: I'm really sorry, Cat Noir. I should've told you. I mean, if I found out that you told someone about your secret identity, I'd... probably be upset, too. I'm really sorry I hurt your feelings. Cat Noir: You didn't hurt my feelings. You did everything right

But when Alya confesses her identity to Nino, the conversation is not just about her confession. It's about her confession and how she's not supposed to do this. That's why Nino's response is not loving support. Instead, he asks if this is a good idea and if Ladybug knows.

These things are getting focused on because the writers are telling you that this is a bad thing. It's supposed to feel ominous. When I first watched Rocketear, I assumed that the season was going to end with Gabriel getting the fox off of Alya due to Nino because that was an obvious way to raise the stakes and they'd just heavily implied that Nino knowing would be a bad thing. I was, unfortunately, right. The only on screen consequence of Nino knowing is that he outs Alya to everyone in an incredibly forced series of events (see: Strikeback):

(Ryuko successfully prevents the Roue de Paris from hitting them, yet, it flies to the direction where Rena Furtive is. This causes Carapace to panic.) Carapace: Rena! (takes out his shield) Shell-ter! (Carapace's superpower successfully prevents the Ferris wheel from hitting Rena Furtive on top of the Tour Montparnasse. But the information of Rena Furtive's active status shocks the heroes, as well as Shadow Moth.) The heroes: Rena?! Shadow Moth: (from the top of the Eiffel Tower) She's still active?

Of course the Ferris Wheel goes straight for Alya's hiding spot and of course Nino screams her name before casting his power and of course the villain overhears it. It's all so forced and unnatural, which should make it glaringly obvious how much the writers wanted this to happen. This wasn't something they were kind of forced to do because it made sense for the narrative and they wanted to tell a good story. Instead, they wrote an awkward series of events because they really, really, really wanted Nino knowing to be a bad thing that outs Alya so that Marinette loses all of the miraculous even though none of this makes much sense.

How the hell did Gabriel hear Nino's shout from so far away? Is he able to overhear everything the heroes are saying? How does Nino even know that Alya is hiding there? And since when was a Ferris Wheel a threat to these guys? Your girlfriend is a magical girl and she's in her magical girl form, dude. You could drop a building on her and she'd be fine, a thing you have to know because this scene literally goes on to have Chat Noir go flying into a building, hitting it so hard the cement literally cracks, and no one really cares. I guess it's fine if Adrien is a punching bag, but Alya must be protected at all costs...

Anyway, while the above series of events was annoying, none of it was surprising. In fact, it would have all be perfectly predictable even if Alya outing herself was that treated as a more neutral event. Her choice leading to bad things falls perfectly in line with a truly bizarre running theme in the show: outing your identity to the person you love romantically is a bad thing that leads to bad consequences. That's why Chat Blanc and Ephemeral ended the world and why Nino knowing cost Ladybug the fox and why the character they call Joan of Arc has to give up her miraculous to be with her love and why the Kwami's have this absolutely asinine dialogue in Kwamis' Choice:

Plagg: Sugarcube! Having to force them to choose between love and their mission is just awful! Maybe Master Fu was wrong to choose them. Tikki: No, they’re made for each other. Love is what gives them their strength. Plagg: But the impossible part of that love is destroying them, and I know a thing or two about destruction. Tikki: (sighs heavily) What can we do? Plagg: We must free them of that impossible choice. We must… free them of us.

This is the voice of the author telling you that outing the identities is not and never will be a good choice for the love square. Never mind that Alya is allowed to know Marinette's identity or that Gabriel finding out is what actually ended the world in the alternate timelines or that Felix outted himself in public but is still wielding or that freaking Gabriel was allowed to know half of the temp heroes' identities while they were still actively wielding. For some reason, those things don't matter to the narrative, probably because romantic love wasn't involved. The "identity reveals are a bad thing" rule only seems to apply when romantic love is a key element to the point where it's a reoccurring theme in this supposed power of love show.

[icarusbetide]

why it's okay that hamilton the musical is terribly inaccurate

i'm feverish so none of this will make any sense, but i wanted to get it down somewhere before i lose all train of thought. a lot of hamilton the musical's discrepancies with the historical record make sense if you remind yourself that it's inherently meta. it's equally about our perception of these figures and their legacies than the figures themselves. not sure how much of that is deliberate - i would argue a fair amount, since the play is literally haunted by history. "history has its eyes on you", "history obliterates", "who lives who dies who tells your story". and that's going to bleed into their musical characterization and relationships. the musical exaggerates and caricatures them, and is self-aware of its tamperings. the way burr as a narrator expresses the same frustrations we feel, not being in the room where it happened. how it puts words into eliza's mouth and speculates that she burned the letters because of the reynolds pamphlet, and she wanted to keep it from us.

alexander hamilton was not jumpy, awkward, and incredibly abrasive in real life. he was all accounts charming, and apparently even aloof in certain situations. but his writing was aggressive, heavy-handed. we all know when that led to disaster. his written work aka his largest legacy informs the character we see.

same thing with burr. it's really funny because musical burr is so shy and quiet compared to his real-life counterpart who was charming, popular with the ladies, and very hilariously unhinged. but it makes sense. because when we think of burr, we think of a guy who doesn't believe in anything, who quietly slipped through the political parties, etc. and that's the personality he carries.

and that's why washington plays a different role in hamilton compared to washington in turn. we aren't supposed to get close to him, seeing his temper or his flaws. washington in the musical is always above everyone else, spectating. he's even in the background of "my shot", watching hamilton contemplatively before nodding and slipping away. obviously he wouldn't have been aware of hamilton during the new york pamphlet era; most likely he wasn't serving as a father figure during hamilton's wedding, fixing his collar. but historically, washington's quiet support did allow hamilton to move forward with his political goals - in the musical that bleeds into their personal relationship and physical staging. he's often looming over hamilton in some way. i'd even say that some people very convincely argue that in hamilton's perspective, washington is the most important person in the musical. he's the person hamilton is most often watching. and washington probably was the most important relationship hamilton cultivated.

probably the most egregious example would be jefferson, whose shy personality is not explored at all in the musical. but the cock-fighting, taunting, flamboyant jefferson next to hamilton on stage? that's their political, newspaper rivalry for sure. they have to be seen as equals, and in a musical format, that means jefferson needs to be hamilton's equal in rapping, fighting.

i mean, the entire plot follows the relationship of alexander and aaron burr over the years in a parallel doom situation. it's probably wildly inaccurate! burr wasn't hamilton's first friend, and though they did work together and were apparently on good terms for some time, i doubt burr lived his life obsessively following hamilton's career. but our understanding and speculation on their relationship is heavily influenced by their end - and so the musical versions of the characters seem pre-ordained to reach weehawken. burr has to be in hamilton's shadow, burr has to believe in hamilton's greatness more faithfully than any other character; their fates have to be tied together, because they are tied together in death. you'll never be able to separate alexander hamilton from aaron burr.

and musical burr knows that. he knows history obliterates, and the picture it will paint. hamilton's so much a play about how we try to rationalize/dig into these human people that we unfortunately will never really know. i still think there are flaws that weren't deliberate, but that's another story.

i'll probably elaborate/edit this later. it's already a shitton of run-on sentences lmaoo.

[otwdfanfic]

Okay okay so i went to see the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes yesterday (and i loved it) and after your post about the Nuff lookalike, I got to thinking about the games themselves

How do you think would the otwd gang respond in the event of being thrown into the hungergames? Like how would they act, would they group up, who would take care of others, who would eventually win (and maybe how would that affect their psyche and mental state afterwards oop)

This is just a very interesting question to me and id love to hear your thoughts about it!! For me this has always been a way to build certain parts of characters that aren't necessarily shown in stories, but are still important to know as the hungergames often drive people to either their lowest lows or their highest compassion

Anyways

Yeah this franchise is just smt that always me thinking LMAO

Omgg this is a difficult question! Prev gen is quick and easy: Gustav is obviously a district 4 boy and very clever but easily gets in over his head so he'd probably befriend a Career pack or somehow form an alliance with Cato. Unlike our fav Career of the same name, Cato is extremely district 12 coded (all lucy gray's songs!!!!) and very unfriendly and independent haha so despite his hunting skill I think he'd be underestimated and unwilling to join a pack. If he was in the same game as Gustav, he might join him but then (when he begins to suspect that he's next on Gustav's list) stab him in the back (or the eye). Cato is likely winning any game they throw him in, but in an actual hunger games au his rage against the Capitol would make him a risky victor. He wouldn't be cooperative afterwards and that could get him killed.

I don't wanna get into the Hiccup gang bc that's too difficult haha but my bets are on Astrid. As for the kids, it's hard to think about district splits bc it messes up their family dynamics so I won't try to sort that out.

Baldur and Rilla are textbook Careers, well trained with most weapons. Baldur in particular can win over a crowd and he's less honorable than Rilla so I think he'd get far and probably stab her in the back. He usually overestimates himself though, and that's one of his major flaws.

Nuffink is a loner, he wouldn't trust anybody in the games. He's mostly avoiding others and hiding, I can also see him luring others into striking range and he's pretty feral when forced to fight. I'm thinking of Thresh from Katniss's games. He gets a favorite weapon in itpn but not one that's usually in the Games afaik. I think a Career pack would have the best chance of taking him down.

Zephyr would have a Katniss-like technique, a mix of hiding/surviving in the wild with traps and occasionally ambushing others. I can see her and Bjorn teaming up regardless of if they know each other. I don't see Zephyr winning, though, even if Bjorn was trying to protect her. Like Peeta, he's charming the Capitol, winning lots of sponsors and working well with other tributes. It's been mentioned only once or twice, but Bjorn has well rounded talent with most weapons. Particularly spears. And he'd be an ideal victor, "a real hero" like his playlist says. Someone who can manage to win the Games in an honorable way despite the odds. The part of itpn I'm most excited for involves Bjorn being challenged and pushed to his limits in a way that's spiritually similar, I cannot wait to write his plot!

Eret's odds aren't great I fear. She's better trained in plants and climbing than fighting, similar to Rue or Foxface. She'd definitely try to sneak around poisoning people. She'd also be good at charming the Capitol in a real au scenario. But I don't see her winning either, somebody ruthless like Baldur or Tryggir would get her :(

Tryggir is a Career pack type who relies on others to back him up (like how Coral led the others), but I don't think he'd work well with Baldur or Rilla, so if he joins them he's going down early (or managing to take Baldur out). Either that or stays a loner until they take him out anyway.

If Sikka was in their Games (despite her age) she'd have a good chance too. Super sneaky and clever, super good tracker, good at fighting, very Katniss like in skill and temperament. She'd have a good chance at taking Bjorn down too.

So I think it's a coin toss between Bjorn and Sikka, with Sikka maybe having better odds. Probably not what you were expecting since they've barely been involved in the plot so far! But they will be :) They'd both be able to cope with life post games in a mostly normal way, I think, and they'd be good mentors. Both would understand that doing what it takes to survive isn't their fault, it's the system they live in. And I think they're both ideal recruits for a rebellion :) Characters like Baldur and Tryggir would be shameless victors, gloating and reveling in the attention. Nuffink would be a wreck as usual and I think Zephyr would be drowning in guilt. Eret and Rilla would be more like Sikka and Bjorn if they won, though I think Eret and Sikka would be very private and try to disappear from public eye.

I would ask the same about your ocs but I don't wanna put poor Siri through that 😭 the kids though mayhaps?

[talkingtothetallman]

Be a Scholar

2022.

What a year this has been. It's been one filled with highs of great proportion and void of deep sorrows, for that which I'm thankful! If I had to classify all the fruit from this year and combine them into one word, it'd mostly likely be growth.

Yes, after sitting here for a moment, I believe growth is a good word to sum up 2022.

This has been a year of growth, all different sorts of growth at that. Growth is such a powerful concept and reality that God has blessed man with. I believe that all experiences are meant to be used to grow, whether that be physically, mentally, spiritually. In those three areas correspond these titles of mine:

Me as an employee. Me as a husband and father. Me as a disciple of Christ.

Let's knock the first one out of the way. This was my first full calendar year as a UPS driver, and admittedly I really love my job. Genuinely, I do. This is what I want to do for the rest of my career, and by God's grace I won't get injured and thus put my career as a driver to an end. Over the course of the year I've had two routes to myself, covered most of the routes in the building (and lots of which I learned quite well), and accomplished one year of safe driving. Not bad for a year's work! But at the end of the day, a job is a job. It doesn't truly define who I am. Because when I punch out, I don't really punch out. Not truly anyway.

Being a husband and father really humbles you to the point of making you wonder if you're really ready for life's challenges. Things seem so perfect when you see them with a certain lens of a single guy living at home, wanting only to be married and be a dad. And the best way to describe those things is that they are perfectly imperfect. I'm not perfect, and Abby isn't perfect. Therefore, our marriage isn't perfect. I'm not perfect, and Quincy isn't perfect. Therefore, I'm not able to be a perfect father to a perfect son. Life isn't that simple, and thankfully God knows that.

Being a dad is a wonderful thing though! It's kind of a surreal feeling looking into your child's eyes and thinking, "I helped make him." He's beautiful. He's joyful. He's innocent. He's so loved. It's truly amazing to look at Quincy and see him grow into a curious, fun little toddler. If he isn’t sitting, he’s running as if he's always late. He even says "go, go, go" so I suppose that proves it :) But the growth of being a dad who shepherds his child down the right path has already started. Even if he doesn't speak in full sentences, he's rebellious by nature. He likes to skirt the limits of what is okay, and what is not. He's pretty good though about knowing what no means. He even shakes his head.

It is by His grace that our marriage is strong. I love my wife more everyday, because she proves herself faithful to me, even when I don't deserve it. There are days when I need her because I'm feeling really sick. There are nights that I come home and just need her to listen while I rant about how stupid UPS is (believe me, there are some days!). And there are also mornings that I wake up with her next me and just think, "Dang, I get wake up next to this pretty girl every morning." She's just wonderful in so many regards, and I love her to death! But as alluded to earlier, being a husband isn't always easy. There are so many challenges, so many times that you think you're doing the right thing, and then you realize you aren't. Those are the times that you see your growth. Those are the times you realize how flawed you are and how much you need Jesus. And those are the times that God has given you to see how much you love your spouse. She is the one. Forever and Always. Your job is to learn your wife, to grow with your wife.

My job is also learn about my Savior. That's one of my New Year's resolutions, because this year I really fell short in that area. I spend too much time thinking I know, rather than taking the time to truly know and truly understand my God. I still love my Lord, I still long to serve Him thoroughly and completely. But also I realize how I need to take the time to study his Word, giving Him my full, undivided attention in my life. Man, I really stink at that. I feel like that verse in James, where it says that the one who hears but doesn't do is like a man who looks in a mirror and at once forgets what he looks like. I feel that so deep, because I often forget how sinful I am, comparing myself to others and saying, "You're better than they are." How foolish I am! It's a constant battle of fighting the flesh. But You never stop pursuing me Jesus! You keep loving me despite my shortcomings! All praise to You!

Growth. Yes, that is a great word to describe 2022. But I want to move beyond growth in 2023. I want to be a scholar.

A scholar is someone who strives to learn, who chooses to study a specific thing. Whenever I got the door for my mom when I was younger, my dad would say, "A gentleman and a scholar." I think those are two words that should be described of a man: someone who treats everyone with respect, and someone who never stops learning. To stop learning is to think you're complete and perfect. I am not that. You are not that. Therefore, to continue to learn is of the utmost importance! Everything in my life, from my wife and son, to our first house, to my walk with Jesus, requires learning, especially from the times failure seems to be inevitable. But with that failure comes an opportunity to grow much deeper as a human, a man, and a Christian.

Thank you Lord for the ability to learn! Teach us to be more like you, and lead us to repentance when we aren't. Amen.

Here's to 2023, to a year scholarly learning!

[reginarubie]

Genetics in A Song of Ice and Fire

@sansaissteel and I were talking about it earlier and she actually made a very poignant observation.

And she told me "the genetics of asoiaf don't work" I mean, just because your dad has blue eyes and dark hair doesn't mean you are turning out to have dark hair and blue eyes always and without fail.

Actually... Ned is pushed toward the truth of the parentage of Cersei's children by their resemblance to their biological parents and not to Bobby B, and by the book he reads about the genealogy of the great Houses of Westeros we get a view in what people in medieval time may have thought.

Genetics is pretty recent as a science and up until the forties of the last century people did not know much about it - which is also why some absurd and wrong concepts like the superiority of the aryan race were able to take root into people's mind, but I am digressing - in the Middle Ages people believed that certain families shared common traits - physical and behavioural - between themselves that helped separate them from the others also because they founded their suspects about the parentage of children on the lack of so called physical and behavioural traits the children apparently missed, but that wasn't always true as we very well know.

We know that those genetics that are hinted at in the book of genealogy Ned reads aren't true 100% since Cat and Ned have four children and while Robb, Sansa, Bran and Rickon share their mother's red hair and blue eyes, Arya has the pointed features of Ned and his brown hair and steel grey eyes.

So the point I am trying to make is... we are taking for granted that the genetics of asoiaf is wrong and doesn't work, which is true, but only because we take it as something real, instead it is only the perceptions people of that time and background had. Genetics work normally as they do in our time.

And it got me thinking...

...we always comment on how we are surprised that Daenerys does not have the Habsbourg's chin or an equivalent and I suddenly was hit by a realisation... who said she doesn't? I mean we are told that some people believe Daenerys to be the fairest woman of the whole world and in her own chapters she tells us she has the fair features of the Valyrian - gold-silver hair and purple eyes and fair skin - but we have yet to see her from another's eye in which they comment on her beauty.

What Quentyn tells us is that she intimidates him as much as her dragons do but does not lingers on her physical traits (and I don't recall Barristan ever commenting at length on Daenerys features, does he?) and Daenerys has spent the most of her life in foreign lands immersed in different cultures than Westerosi (which is supposed to be the most similar to ours), before her brother's idea that Targaryens are the aryans of the world of asoiaf and should keep the blood pure, then the Drothakis and the people of Essos and comparing beauty standards around the world today we get completely different things between State and State, let alone continents.

And with this I am not saying Daenerys is not beautiful, yet I would find immensely pleasing as it would be realistic for her to meet Tyrion who often lingers on physical appearance of the people he is with and see maybe some traits of her she may think normal or even beautiful because of the context she has grown up with and find them displeasing to look at because of the standard of beauties he has grown up around (Cersei is considered an extremely beautiful woman in Westeros by more than just herself, and people often comment on Sansa's beauty from their own POV not Sansa's own).

I mean in some countries set-apart eyes and kite noses as a must've or crooked teeth. Who's to say she doesn't have a slightly pointed chin or some other physical flaw she doesn't detect as such but may be the product of generation of intermarriage, that Tyrion may notice upon meeting her?

It would be a small detail, physical nonetheless therefor less important than the Targaryen inherent madness due the heavy intermarriages they did, but it would be milestone of the unfolding of the POV trap regarding Daenerys Targaryen and the kind of realistic twist I would expect of GRRM. Readers would start to question...if Daenerys has a not-universal perception of herself physically, what else she may have interpreted of herself different than it is? And boom, the POV trap falls apart with just a few swift strokes.

Especially since in F&B he doesn't shy away from telling us that Targaryen were not so physically exceptional or untouched by normal physical flaws common to all men, so why would they be except of the flaws typical after generation of intermarriages? (I mean, one Daenerys dies from shivers like any other human being not strong enough to survive the illness and Rhaenyra never looses the weight she gains with her pregnancies).

And, btw, don't bring to me the fact that Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen did not have any of these physical flaws so the Targaryens don't either, because Cersei's children come from one generation of sibling-relationship and one previous generation of intermarriage between cousin (which genetically speaking is less bad than sibling incest because there is more variables different than between siblings), it is not the same as the Targaryens who have many more generations of intermarriages and incest between siblings to account for.

Although them coming by two close-together incestual relationships (first cousins Tywin and Joanna, who perhaps share other cousin marriages because all great houses did have cousin marriages and aunt/nephew and uncle/niece marriages in the centuries before so it would be only expected of them to share more than the genes normally shared between modern cousins, and siblings Cersei and Jaime) would explain (especially if there is truth about the theory about Cersei and Jaime actually being children of Aerys instead of Tywin) why Joffrey had the cruelty of many Targaryen kings before him (and would make the whole kinslayer instead of kingslayer debacle and "he's the dragon's heir")and their penchant for madness (torture, homicide on large scale - his father's bastards - and so on).

C'mon Martin, I am rooting for you, give us something.

[on-a-lucky-tide]

that's such a shame that the fandom ruined jaskier for you for a while! im glad you've found ways to write him that You enjoy because he is a really good character and i agree that the fandom has kind of... hm.. like you said the 'saviour complex' thing. which.. i think stems from people only knowing fanon jaskier and then reusing those traits as opposed to Canon jaskier/dandelion which imo is way better and more interesting to read. and like you said with the 'he can't have faults that aren't quirky', yes! because like.. dandelion is a flawed man, he gets geralt and himself into trouble and is a general nuisance but people tend to.. make him too soft and 'can do no wrong' and that bothers me!! AHH. anyway sorry for the rant but this is something that has bothered me since I started reading the books. anyway! i hope you continue to have fun writing him!!

The fandom does that if you let it guide your enjoyment too much. I left the space that was trying to restrict discussion and feel much better for it. It's so important to find a small group of people that you can write/create anything with. That you know separate actors and characters, and preference around fiction from you as a person.

Fandom isn't a cult. You shouldn't have to like/think/write a certain way to belong, and I would encourage anyone feeling insecure about their interpretations (particularly if they go against the trend) to tag me so I can cheer you on. Even if I disagree with it, I maintain that variety and transformative work is at the heart of fandom. There is no right way, only personal preference. I agree with you about Jaskier/Dandelion being far more interesting when he's a bit icky, but I've also written 'soft' versions at the beginning of lockdown when I needed it the most.

Since moving away from the Jaskier fandom (as a writer) and into the Witcher fandom at large, I've only grown as a writer and been much happier. I still very much adore many of the writers who write Jaskier and I think they're talented, kind, generous (Cake Shop, lookin' at you, beau, along with all the creators on my rapidly growing rec list) and cheer them on. Because they're kind and deserve it.

I've loved the Witcher since Game 1 came out, but I was brand new to fandom, so wanted to interact and wrote what I knew everyone wanted to see. I think a lot of us do that? We want to be friends, we want to geek out, and the easiest way to do that is to write the popular character and the popular ship. We judge our enjoyment by the kudos and the comments, rather than the process (do I love this character? Did I enjoy writing this story? Did my one fandom friend who loves me like this story and squeal with me?) I do this too. I'm getting better at not doing it.

As for changing your perspective after the books, I think this is perfectly normal and good. There are so many canons to choose from and it's great to dabble in all of them (while approaching them all with a critical eye). You can be a fan and still not like all of the thing. And it's super interesting to understand why people don't like things, because it's often rooted in their interpretation/life experience. It's like "woah, we read the same thing but we read it differently and let me in your mind so I can understand". Maybe I'm weird. Dunno.

Anyway, sorry for the long post, Anon. Always happy to chat about preference and interpretation. Enjoy the rest of the books and come scream at me when you get to Lady of the Lake!

[siimjaeyun]

01: Immortality

Synopsis: it is part of human nature to be flawed and imperfect, maybe even vengeful when things don't go their way, and when seven boys find themselves in power to show those who are wrong that actions come with consequences, will they choose to keep their immortality?

masterlist

tw: mentions of blood, stabbing, murder, death and slight choking

-------

"Wait let me get this straight. Your solution to the problem is for us to get killed over and over again instead of reporting them to the police?" Sunoo stood at the edge of the room, completely baffled by the older boy's plan. 

"You don't get it Sunoo. This is part of the plan, it's always been. Why did you think we saved you?" Sunghoon took the glass of water from counter and gulped it down slowly before staring at Jungwon and Riki. 

"Your immortality is precious and it's a form of power. This is your new job." 

"What job? I don't want this job." Jay let a hefty sight escape from his lips before pulling the three minors closer to him. 

"I get you don't want to be immortal. None of us chose to be here. Come." Jay went to the nearest drawer and pulled out a scrapbook. 

"This is before we were eighteen." Jungwon furrowed his brows and didn't see a difference between them. 

"But you look the same?" 

"Immortality keeps you at this age. But we were normal teens too, we had dreams." Heeseung and Jake looked down, remembering the days from their own past as well. 

"Then what happened?" Riki asked. 

"We don't remember much of what happened. Memories fade eventually. It's been fifteen years since we entered this new world." Jake waited for a response but instead handed the three boys their belongings. 

"Go on or you'll be late. We'll keep an eye on you from afar, but just go with your mind got it?" The three youngest didn't have much to stay and reluctantly accepted the very non-existent plan. 

"Are we sure about this? What if this is a prank?" Jungwon and Sunoo stopped in their tracks and looked at Riki. 

"I clearly remember being dead so might as well suck it up. Team?" Jungwon put forward his hand and the others followed shouting a cheer before entering the room. 

"Sorry we're late, we got lost since we're not used to the campus grounds." Three heads instantly popped up at the sound of their voice. Impossible: it was impossible for them to be alive. 

"You said they were dead!" One of them whispered, close to entering into a panic. 

"They were! You saw they had no heartbeat." The other responded. Their legs began to shake left and right as well as up and down due to fear, nibbling on their nails and surrounding skin. 

"No worries, just take a seat." As if a feeling inside his heart was about to over take him, Sunoo felt a need to take a seat next to one of the three boys. He plopped his backpack onto the desk and gave a smile wave to the tall boy. 

This was the first trial.

----- 

"Hey! You three come here." The basketball players waved their hands at them in a snapping manner and if on que, Heeseung smirks when he looks down at the time on his watch. 

"Humans really are predictable aren't they?" Jake agrees and continues to listen into the conversation. 

"We're having a party tonight, you should come." Again, right on time. 

"Uhh, I'm not sure…" Jungwon elbowed Riki in the stomach before accepting the kind invitation. 

"We'll be there!" Sunoo quickly answered before looking at Jungwon with confusion. 

"What are you thinking! This is a trap to clearly kill us!" Riki states in a distressed manner. 

"Something is telling me to do so, plus isn't that the plan?" Jay and Sunghoon were amused at Sunoo and Jungwon's quick adaptation to their life. 

"Seems like they've got this, but remember to get the car anyway." Sunghoon slung his backpack lazily over his shoulder and led the way as they waited for the second trial. 

------- 

The night had fallen and almost as if the stars had aligned, Heeseung glanced at his watch once more as Sunoo, Jungwon and Riki stepped into the home where the so-called party was being held. It took half an hour for the three school boys dressed in jerseys to drag out three black bags, body shaped to be exact. 

"Hurry the fuck up man, before we get caught!" The other two obeyed the orders and carried the bags into the trunk of the car with much speed. A small drive later and an empty lot awaited them. 

"Throw them there." The sound of shovels digging surrounded the nearby area, and with the rhythm of the sand and dirt hitting the floor, the three bodies were finally covered. 

"We take this until our death beds. This better get the job done." The car drove off; it allowed for Heeseung and Jay to approach the bodies underneath the ground. 

"5..4..3..2..1" The supposed to be dead boys came from behind the trees dusting themselves off from the sand. 

"That was even more terrible the second time. Drugging us and then stabbing us isn't exactly fun." 

"You did great. You're almost there." Jake complimented only for anger to resound in Jungwon. 

"Look no offense, but I don't know if we can continue this. I don't want to relive the trauma of being murdered over and over again." He loosened his tie and threw it onto the pavement. 

"I'm with Jungwon. Is this really the only way to get the job done?" 

"Yes, now let's go get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a very long day." Sunghoon patted their backs and led them back. 

Second trial was complete. 

------- 

"How are you boys holding up? Today's sort of the final trial." Jake walked into their room first thing in the morning, bearing food and other trinkets. 

"To be honest, I cried myself to sleep. I'd rather be dead than be doing this. Why were we saved?" Riki asked with slight hesitancy.

"Heeseung and I asked ourselves that every single day since our murder. We were the new kids and well, these two boys weren't exactly fond of us so their plan was to kill us and they were successful. We woke up to this new life and even though I've never been able to come with a clear answer, you'll find out in time. This is a lot. I get it, but you've got each other. This job isn't fun, but you get used to it. The pain isn't even that bad." He left the room almost immediately and went with the others. 

The same scenario repeated once more. Bewildered eyes met the three boys upon their entrance, and paranoia engulfed the three murderers. Heeseung went ahead and peered into the classroom. Shaky legs, check. Nail biting check. Sweat, check. 

"This can't be happening. This isn't real. What if this is a prank?" Sunoo once more waved at them slightly before leaning in towards them. 

"I had fun at the party last night, maybe we can do it again. Or maybe you'd like to rest since I'm sure digging and dragging must be hard work." With innocent eyes, he smiled slyly and gave a head nod to Jungwon and Riki. 

"What's next? I doubt that they'd be willing to get caught up again." It was lunch time, which gave them time to decide on their next move. 

"You go to them. After all, where else would you find your phone?" Riki began to feel into his pockets but found nothing. 

"Damn it." Satisfied, the four left the three kids on their own. 

The clock struck eight when Jungwon knocked on the familiar wooden door which was opened by the oldest school boy. 

"Y-you guys. Why are you here?" 

"We wanted to party like last night but I left my phone here." Jungwon went straight to the nearest bedroom and found his phone comfortably tucked away under a pillow with a recording. 

"Well what do have here? A memory from last night." Sunoo pressed the small play button and let the audio run though. 

"Hurry the hell up will you!" 

"Did you bring your dad's car like I told you? Get on with it." 

"I'm sad it had to come to this." 

"Get them!" Their hands became tightly wrapped around their necks and before they knew it, they had experienced their third death. 

They went back to the familiar lot, repeating the motions and excavating through the hard ground to create a burrow for the bodies. 

"Dump the brown haired one first." When they managed to pat the dirt neatly and move on to the rest of the bodies, they were gone. 

"Huh? Is this the end of the party? But I wanted to have more fun." Sunoo walked out first and showed a small pout while watching terror and horror overtake the players in their presence. Without a thought, the shovel was swung and he came down, falling unconscious. 

"Boooo, all we wanted was to become friends. Is this really it?" Now Riki emerged from the trees, crossing his arms while glancing at Sunoo's body. 

Another swing over took him, but it was time for the final show. 

"Hi! I'm Jungwon and these are my friends Sunoo and Riki. Please treat us well." Jungwon tried to approach them but they instead fled towards the car, struggling to understand what was occurring. 

"Get away you-you ahh!" Jungwon and Sunoo crept from behind while Riki dangled the car keys in front of them. 

"Have a safe ride! Stay safe!" With the final shouts, Heeseung, Jake, Sunghoon and Jay finally left the shadows. 

Jay let out a maniacal laughter, which caused confusion with the three youngest. 

"Good job boys. Good job." Those were the final words he told them before going home. 

As sleep entered their systems, they began to wonder about their actions and Sunghoon's words from two nights before.

Humans themselves were responsible for the consequences. They were complex creatures, sure, but driven by power and greed can betray the good of anyone. They never created the killer. 

Like a cycle, they went at a similar time to the school in the morning only to cause the three boys to break down in tears.

------- 

taglist: @the-moon-lost-in-joy @twntycm  

[mastrrt]

The Tigress Dilemma *fanfiction*

Usually, fanfic writers (such as I) have a hard time depicting complex characters such as Tigress, ergo this lack of this understanding about our characters can lead us to defile their original personalities and characteristics. I'm pretty sure most, if not, all of us are victims to the Tigress Dilemma, and this problem can only be resolved once Dreamworks has finished Tigress's arc. The Tigress Dilemma is basically what I mentioned above. We misinterpret Tigress and that could lead us to writing imposters instead. Now I have seen many fanfics, and all of them vary in the extent of how terrible their Tigress imposter is. I would say that for my fanfics, my Tigress imposter is pretty far off from the original character, but I feel I am getting there... it's a very slow progress, but every increment of time is making me better as a writer. Anywho, I'll be addressing some Tigress Imposter stereotypes. These stereotypes are the ones we want to avoid as much as possible. And if we do so, we can get closer to the original Tigress. Now, disclaimer, I am not here to tarnish the pride of any of you fanfic writers. I'm just here to point out my opinions and hopefully my opinions can do more good than harm. Also, to bring this blog a more positive vibe, I will be writing some Tigress stereotypes that we should all follow. But that'll be on the next post. 1. The 'Punk Girl School Bully' Type of Tigress. (LoA Tigress) Sleeves are for wimps... fat muscles... I got huge front teeth... i'll put your head on the toilet... pig anatomy on the facial region... you punk!... ILLL BEAT YOUUU UP!... girl that looks like a man... Those lines are all inside the ambit of any typical Buff School Girl Bully. And yeah, these types of people aren't the most likeable. Mainly because of their terrible ego and pride, their unmanaged temper, their constant screaming, and the fact that they bully. And these types of characters usually act upon their anger, and these types of characters are usually defeated by their own caprices. Now a lot of times, people usually confuse 'Punk Girl School Bully' as Tigress's characteristics.

For example, a lot of fanfictions tend to write this: Tigress was clouded with anger. How dare this cocky prick make fun of her name like that? She charged at him, trying to land a double fist strike on her belly, but it has seemed that her muscles were so angry that she suddenly turned into an amateur fighter and totally missed the cocky mite's stomache. Now she was even angrier. She gave a frustrated yell and pounced at the prick, driving her feet into a powerful tornado kick, but the man has sidestepped and she was too angry to use that momentum to execute another kick upon landing. Oh she was so so SO angry that everything turned red. Even though the man was merely a stranger, his smart remarks was enough to somehow make Tigress want to tamper him, as if her anger was derived from personal matter. Oh yes, Tigress was so weak that her peace has succumbed so easily to something as superficial as an empty insult. It isn't like she's a warrior who learned integrity, who lived by virtues and proverbs, and learned to swallow her pride the hard way. Nope. She was just the average hot head. "You! You idiot!" She yelled, driving her fist into arbitrary turns and twist with the speed of a toddler's fist in a fit of frenzy. And yet, after delivering such 'efficient' attacks, the man had avoided her punches the Muhammad Ali way. What's next? The rope-a-dope? Is that how weak Tigress became because of her anger? Oh, and since she's sooo angry, she also became majorly stupid! Since she's losing, she might as well become more desperate to win and because of this, she kinda lost 9/10 of her damn brain. It isn't like she had experienced worst before. It isn't like she's been in a tower surrounded by hundreds of adversaries, outmatched, outgunned, out everything, and still managed to escape through a genius idea to catapult her and her Enterprise out the flaming tower THROUGH the toppling flaming tower.

Look, Tigress can be hot head, but she doesn't allow it to manifest in a way that hampers her during battle. She's a warrior who for sure learned patience. Yes, she might have let herself succumb to her anger during the first movie (by trying to fight Tai Lung despite her master's efforts to stop her) but do understand that it was because of that cursed snow leopard that her father was just outright terrible to her, and 20 years of desperation and overwhelming commitment to kung fu led her to think that defeating Tai Lung is the key to Shifu's heart. Watch the Second movie through and through, with the eyes of a scrutenizing critic. If she is angry, it is usually to appear intimidating or lethal. It's a great strategy, escpecially now that her opponents would surely hold back once they hear the low baritone of her growl. But never, never, never, never, I assure you, did she appear angry and let that rage make her a haphazard, stupid, mess.

Also, fanfic writers tend to also write this: Tigress crossed her arms and growled. Po was so annoying! He wouldn't stop babbling about his new dumpling recipe. If he says 'broccoli broth' one more time, she is sure her dormant side would burst. "SHUT UP PO! YOU ARE AN IDIOT! YOU ARE SO CHILDISH! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE THE DRAGON WARRIOR!" And then, Po cried and ran away from the kitchen. The rest of the five gave her a look that could compare to the menacing glare of a thousand men, and they all left her to find the weeping Po. She sneered, she didn't need them anyways. She didn't have a family. And they were no friends of hers.

Tigress is not like this! She values her friends, and she talks to them like friends. Do no potray her the LoA way, because she's not always grumpy... and she is, by chance, grumpy, it's mostly for a reason. When the other five are irritated or even disgusted of Po, you can see that only Tigress smiles. And when she is in an argument, she usually deliver herself in a calm and threatening. Yeah, calm and threatening can be together. Tigress works as a paradox. I think the problem here is that people mistake seriousness and grumpiness as neigh synonyms. DON'T mistake those two different words with the same definition. Tigress is serious, but rarely grumpy in the way LoA/ fancfictions potrays her (just compare KFP 2 Tigress to LoA Tigress (there's a big difference I tell you that (mostly because she doesn't haphazardly turn into a big bish (is this even grammatically correct?))))

2. The Morally Deficient Tigress. I hate you!... you've always been terrible to me Shifu. So I hate you too!... you guys are not my family!... i have no family!... brat times twenty... your spoon is stupid... everyone is stupid... I don't wanna do this anymore... i'll turn evil in six seconds if you don't assuage my ego... cold hearted... insults everywhere... long sullen silences followed by mean comments followed by even more long sullen silences... angst angst angst for no reason... teenage i-have-20-pounds-of-eyeliner-under-my-eyes prototype. this type of imposter Tigress is probably one of the worst forms of Tigress out there. You cannot just ignore that she has been raised by two kung fu masters, one has morals that are so polished and perfect, and the other one with flaws but regardless still wiser than most. She's also follows a regimented schedule of supreme discipline throughout the course of her twenty-eight years, so surely she has been taught hardwork, patience, determination and other virtues that any average olympian athletes would typically have. Despite being called cold-hearted, stoic, perhaps even mean, do remember that she is also a HERO. With a hero's heart and the strength of a hero's mind. You can not simply ignore that she's a good person who had saved, quite possibly, thousands of lives, expecting nothing in return except the heart of her father and a place to reside. Do not mistake badassery with idiocy. Do not make her morally deficient like she's a little child with the mindset of a brat on a bad day.

Here's some examples of this nightmare: "Why do you keep these stuff? You're so childish, you don't deserve to be the Dragon Warrior!" Tigress looked around his loft, threatened by the action figures and the posters of the masters that adorned it.

Po frowned, "But... but... items like these have very big value to me Tigress. Especially my action figures, I cherish them because it's a large fragment of my childhood memories!"

Tigress did not understand. Of course she did not, not only is she whimsy, grumpy, angry and stupid, she also lacks understanding and lessons that can usually be self-taught at the age of twenty. She acts like a little child and that's all her morality is limited to. "No! They're wooden things with no value whatsoever. Stop being a fanboy. Stop being yourself! I can't support you! You idiot."

And she left the room with grandeur ---Sharpei Style with the hint of swagger. Five days later... "It's all your fault why we're here Po! All your fault. It isn't like you made a wonderful plan and I kinda destroyed it after this cocky douche made me angry and I decided to fight him and ditch your plan. And since my dignity got the best of me, it isn't like I'm blaming you 100% on our unfortunate demise when I know 200% that i'm to blame." Po tried to speak, but Tigress continued, "Ya'll should have listened to me! Me me me me! Me me me me!" The end!

Okay okay, it's a little too exaggerated, but you get the point right? Tigress doesn't act like this. She is kind and nice, she's truly supportive even with her doubts, and she loves and values her friends, albeit these traits are not exposed because it's overshadowed by her stoic demeanor. Whatever... sometimes light filters through her facade and you can see her vulnerabilities.

3. The Profesional Becomes the Biggest Amateur. Gets defeated by a few alligators who could barely fight... can't get unstuck from a rope THAT ISNT EVEN KNOTTED NOR THICK ENOUGH TO CARRY TWO POUNDS... can't get out a sticky situation even though she has been through worse... pathetic tiger... no longer has super strength that she has been gifted with. Now I'm just a thread's breadth away before typing a full fledge rant. Yes! I get it. She has been defeated by people who Po can defeat. She has been defeated by Tai lung and Po was able to defeat Tai Lung. But that was because Po was in a special situation, and it was truly only Po who could defeat Tai Lung (I'll adress this in a new post.) Have ya'll ever of this rule, in both film making and book writing, that authors must refrain from degrading everyone's intelligence so that a single character can appear in the caliber of a genius? Basically, what I'm saying is that you cannot make the five (escape Tigress) leagues weaker than their original selves just for the sake of making Po or your main OCs appear stronger. One, that's a terrible illusion that even a blind man can see through. And two, that's just disrespectful for a The Five. Not only are the five overshadowed, but ya'll also heavily disregarded the fact that they are warriors that did a lot. You're forgetting that Tigress can do this

Do not forget that she is the person who can do so much more. If you want a story where Tigress becomes a damsel in distress, and Po is the one to save her, DO NOT get her kidnapped by five wolves. Or ten. Or even twenty. Because this tiger can handle of them easy. Make sure she is defeated by a whole fudging army, or a bunch of hooded warriors who are thousands of years old and are as good as Shifu in kung fu. Make sure her defeat is reasonable and respects what she can do. KNOW what she can do, so that you learn her limits. Give her a challenge, give her a run for her money. Don't make her pathetic just because you want someone else to seem not pathetic. Us fan fic writers say that Tigress is hardcore. Awesome. Badarse. So maybe we should write her that way. Some fan fics I read write that Tigress got defeated because she was hungry or tired and couldn't fight against a few adversaries. I roll me eyes. Bro! You cannot make hunger the reason why she's defeated😂 have you seen what she ate during the first KFP movie? Her meals consists of tea and a small, chewy block of tofu. Please. She had trained her body and mind to resist pain in a way that wouldn't affect her during battle. And don't go destroying her stamina either. If she can go the whole night just battling a bunch of wolves, without even so much as passing out then pulease, don't make tiredness as an excuse. But there are some exceptions though. Like maybe she got tired because she drained her chi. Then that's understandable. So much work.

[whispersnightcinema]

343

Have you ever been so into someone and you just miss them everyday and it makes you sad, like so sad until you get use to they're absence .. like you just woke up from the best dream of your life...

Fuck I can't get him out of my head, I day dream about us a lot. I've distracted myself as much as I can.

Sigh... sometimes I ask for his attention even though he's working, our texts haven't been long, it's getting shorter and I'm trying so hard to not fail at this. He is attentive when he's not working.

Idk I'm glad that I'll see him again in a few weeks, I crave his physical touch, his cuddles, the way he plays with my hair and my chain or heart lock on my collar.

I need affection, I need to feel safe, I need another human to just hold me tight... I'm so hopeless, my empty romantic heart, is so lonely over here.

I've gone out alot in the past month, distracted myself by just focusing on my workouts and just wanting really.... I haven't had decent sleep either , I don't know what sleep actually is, like I should be asleep right now. Ugh!

It's going to hurt seeing him leave again... thinking about when we'll spend time together, back to phone calls at night for 30 min. And texting... sigh.

Things that I have to adapt to doing, it's so much work, a lot of work. I'm happy to do it I'm putting my all into this, but I've just held back a lot.

I'm scared, i knew for a fact he doesn't feel as strongly for me as I do for him, we are always in each other's ear even when we aren't talking to each other and other ppl. While on the phone... it's just different type of effort we do for each other.

I've assured him often that he has nothing to worry about because I choose him as my person or partner, being in a very private exclusive relationship is great. I don't do all the typical couple things, I just don't want to be looked like a fool on social media in case things go south.

Something I'm Not Going for!

But yeah the moment that I'm use to his absence the easier it gets... but now I have to start all over again, adapting to him leaving me once again not seeing him for weeks prbly months.

I really hate this shit.

It makes me so mad that I'm gettng sad because my happiness is so far away. I don't even have a glow in my eyes anymore, they look so sad. I try so hard to always seem bubbly and happy!

My soul is dead. I'm just numb in this bliss, just make the best of our time together, I wish he'd tell me how he truly feels, but talking about it drains his energy. 😞😓

He isn't romantic at all... I throw hints but he's told me he wasn't ever like this, or he use to be a different way but could never get that feeling again, because he doesn't care, and he's not happy.

So this is what I'm left with.. really good man with certain flaws and things he needs to work on within himself... he's so good to me, treats me well, I'm just getting sick of missing him... it's killing me a lot.

He doesn't text back he misses me when I tell him "miss you" anymore... I'm doing too much alrdy, overthinking stuff ,

Sigh so hard to be into a person you want more then anything just to be close to them.

But all you have is device's to help you deal...

What a life I've chosen.

I hope he finds happiness with me someday like he's given me everyday ... isn't the such a sad love story...

1. You have a romantic lover girl

2. You have an empty soulless man.

How will this survive. Well answer is not giving up on each other... this is everything I deserve. I'll be the very best to him like no one else.

Because I want him to see that these real feelings do exist and he can have it all too. Sigh...

[moviepersonguy]

Letter to my future partner.

I've waited to share so much with you for so long. All my joy, the funny memories, the constant dumb things I say that despite rolling your eyes at you still stick with me. I know we both worried about if the other would accept our flaws but we did, neither of us are perfect but we knew that we were perfect for each other. Cheesy I know, (I like to think you love my cheesy lines) but you've accepted me, that means everything to me, not only the good but the weird and even my faults. I work to be better and you're there helping when I fall as I'm there for you, The tough days aren't as bad because I have you there, I know not every day will be great, some days we're angry with each other but we always work to get to a better place, we always want to work together and be happy. So thank you, for seeing me, weird and all, faults and all and saying that's who I want to be with.

[the-beauty-and-the-yeet]

Okay first of all, pan rep in the media is great we don't get it often like it's hardly at all that we get it.

Also, yeah, we are attracted to trans and nb people, were attracted to people in a way where gender doesn't usually factor into it. That's the whole definition. We see a person, we get to know them, we like them. I'm very confused how you're connecting our "hearts not parts" thing that other sexualities aren't inclusive for trans or nb folks. Okay, I think I can see how it can be a bit flawed; the "parts" part of it suggests that every other sexuality out there only focuses on what's in the love interest's pants but consider that parts could involve all of the human body, not just genitals, a lesbian can appreciate the female figure, whether that be curvy, muscular, etc. I'm not saying that she/they always do but it's just an example and also a quick point. Gender is fluid and so can love. Saying that pansexuality itself is claiming to be the only sexuality out there to include trans and nb people is both panphobic and transphobic(is there a word for nonbinary phobia?(nonbinaryphobic??)). This is actually in line with why a lot of people mistake pansexuality to be transphobic in the first place: putting trans people as a completely different gender. The trans flag does not represent transgender as a separate thing it's just a symbol celebrating who they really are after being stuck in the wrong body and being called something different because of it. Trans girls are real girls, trans boys are real boys and if I remember, identifying as anything besides the gender you were assigned to at birth makes you transgender as well(that part I'm not so sure about so if I'm wrong please let me know even though that sounds right to me). There isn't such a thing as a girl and then a trans girl. They're both girls. In the eyes of a pansexual person, we don't care. Not in a dismissive way, but in more "your gender identity doesn't really have anything to do with my attraction to you, but I still respect that part of you too" way or at least, that's how its supposed to be. Using lesbian as an example again, it's okay for a girl not to be physically attracted to a trans girl. Maybe to her the trans girl hasn't transitioned enough that she simply doesn't feel attracted to her yet. That can matter, looks can matter to a person; the lesbian may respect the trans girl's preferred pronouns and identity but her body might not feel attracted to the trans girl physically because it does not match up with the gender she's attracted to(I feel like I'm explaining this badly but I'm really trying). That's not always the case though. Every lesbian is different, every person is different with how they define their own sexuality. People find love that don't align with what their sexuality says they'd find love sometimes and they make the relationship work if they want to try.

For the idea that nonbinary people would theoretically only be loved romantically by pan people, that's also false. Gay, straight, lesbian, bi, etc,,,, people who fall into those categories then fall into another, more specific category. Some people desire strictly other people that identity as the gender the first person is attracted to. Yes this can include parts(genitalia). Others are attracted to certain aspects of what is usually assigned with a gender not so much about their parts(or about their parts at all, which is where asexuality comes into play). Some people are attracted to the idea or look of femininity or masculinity and stuff like that. Again, some people, not just pan people, don't care. Whether the nonbinary person prefers to look/act more feminine, masculine, both, neither, however they choose to express themselves, some people out there do not care.

Did I repeat a lot of what you said? Yes. That's because what we both agree on is indeed a fact but the point I'm making is that pansexuality is not flawed and I'm using bits of what you're saying to back up my argument as well. If a pansexual person were thinking the same way you describe them to be, there's a good chance that person isn't really pansexual at all and is just a confused, exclusive person.

Personally thats how I just see things and how I've learned things. Gender, sexuality, all that, it's a lot and can be very confusing (I still get confused by parts of it but I'm always open to learning more about it). I think pansexuals deserve our place in the community and the fact that we're getting rep in media and entertainment (albeit, very little but hey we gotta start somewhere) is a very exciting thing.

The Cultural Impact of Pansexuality

Ola from Sex Education

David from Schitt’s Creek

Ali from Big Mouth

Three different shows, three different ways of describing pansexuality. What do they all have in common? The assertion they are attracted to trans people. More than that, it’s the assertion that pansexuality is defined as a sexuality through attraction to trans and nb people. While some people might protest that this is an inaccurate representation of pansexuality, it is very much in line with it’s slogan: hearts not parts. This also has the additional implication that other sexualities are not inclusive of trans and nonbinary people or care more about genitals, which enables transphobes to define what it means to be gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Gay, lesbian, and bi people can and do have trans and nb partners and in fact are often trans/nb themselves.

Pansexuality going mainstream has revealed a lot of its fundamental flaws and it’s time to wonder if it’s time to break up with it entirely.

[call-me-a-s1nner]

One thing that really bothers me about me is how much I think. I feel like I'm constantly stuck in my head and it's exhausting to do all this running around in your own head all the time. But the thoughts that I'm currently having are hard to swallow and I just need to get them out so maybe they'll go away. I'm trying to process this painful realization and I'm not quite sure how to. I just feel like no matter what I did, it was never enough to make her see the good in me. I worked so hard to be the best version of myself for her, to prove to her I loved her with every fiber of my being unconditionally for the entirety of our 5 year relationship. Was I always my best self? Of course not because I'm human and I make mistakes just like everyone else. But my mistakes didn't include cheating, or lying, or having intentions or eyes for anyone else but her. I was accused of those things constantly even though they weren't happening and I fought even harder during those times to show her I'm all in with her and for her. I just feel like all those efforts are forgotten. I feel like who I was to her is erased. I feel like all my love was wasted. Because now I'm being judged on how it all ended which was messy and I'm fully aware I made a bad call in the heat of all the confusion, and the hurt, and the stress, but that's not who I am as a person. That's just a mistake I made, it shouldn't define me. And it shouldn't take away from all the right I've done and all the good that I am. But to her, it does. That reality sucks and it hurts. I'm constantly reflecting back on myself and the things I could have handled different, or reacted to better, or even changed. I'd like to think I'm pretty self aware when it comes to calling myself out on what I need to improve or tweak about how I act and who I am. Sometimes it takes me a little while to process but that's only because I can see every angle of a situation and I'm trying to figure out what I could have done better or different and it takes some time to go through all those motions in my head. I sit here and I beat myself up over not seeing things more clearly and handling something so much better than I did when the dust has settled and I realize I wasn't my best self in the situation. Regrets, you know, they aren't easy to live with. I'm my hardest critic, I promise you that. I think what really gets to me is hearing how easily others mistakes are forgotten and forgiven but, mine never were. This new girl is glorified even though I was told about the red flags, the sketchy behavior she had, and the crappy ways she made you feel and I just don't get it. Why was I not deserving of a break or some slack? Of some trust? Of a true clean slate? Of an actual fighting chance? At any point of our five year relationship, why couldn't I be given that? Why is it so easy for it to be given to anyone but me? I went through hell to try to be seen half as good as you can see her. Legit hell. I sat in the darkness with you, some of the darkest times you've had in your life, and tried to be the light in any way I could be. And I don't feel like any of that matters now. But it should, it should count for something. I don't think she would have stayed through what I did to try to prove to you that you are it for me, she probably would have ran for the fucking hills and never looked back. It's just so frustrating to realize she is getting what I waited for, what I fought for. Because despite her mistakes, despite her flaws in character, despite her hard to deal with sides, you still choose to see all the greatness she is and focus on all the reasons you have to love her and be happy with her and why it will work instead of focusing on the couple of reasons it won't. I just wish I was given that. I wish that's how it was for her with me. I hope she knows how lucky she is.