#I agree with everything else

[vaguely-concerned]

lucanis is a 'I could sit in our quiet kitchen on a grey tuesday afternoon drinking coffee and talking with you about nothing much in particular forever and be the happiest man who ever lived' romantic, not a 'classic tropes and grand gestures' romantic. this is a distinction and conceptual gap I personally feel is crucial to understanding what's going on with him when romanced. for all his almost painful sincerity and clear depth of feeling he's not a very effusive guy by nature, but in the history of time no one has ever, with their whole soul, chest and being, been so genuinely and openly happy to just do laundry and taxes with you.

[glitchdollmemoria]

please can we stop describing bigots as delusional. please. im so fucking tired. someone being sucked into a hate group surrounded by others who believe minorities should be oppressed and encouraging them to believe in conspiracy theories that the rest of the group believes, is fundamentally different from someone having a mental illness that causes delusions.

delusions, by definition, cannot be explained by things like cultural background - such as having a belief constantly reinforced by intentional attempts to rationalize it for the sake of maintaining power over minorities. yes, someone can be both delusional and a bigot, and yes conspiracy theories can feed into delusions, but the two are not fucking synonymous.

i did not spend my teen years convinced that i was being stalked by demons just to hear so many of you people equate my disability with incel behavior and genocidal propaganda. stop reinforcing harmful connotations about mental health struggles.

[burningcheese-merchant]

BS is trying to buy GC a cake real

Bro thinks he's slick... Bro thought we wouldn't notice... Bro thought he could walk into a cake shop and demand order a cake catered to Golden Cheese's exact tastes and no one would ask questions... Bro thought none of the Wild Spices would notice that it's a fucking cheesecake... Bro thought they wouldn't realize that there isn't a single flavor he actually likes in that cake, it is 100% tailored to what GC likes and no one else... Bro thought we wouldn't see all that cash in his pocket, meaning that he was ready to pay a fortune for that cake... Bro thought he wouldn't be caught sighing dreamily while sitting on his throne eyeballing the cake because he's imagining him and GC feeding each other cake... Bro thought he could do all of this during the wedding update!!!

🤨��

[secriden]

Not to be a Style apologist, but I feel like some viewers haven't quite picked up that Style's brand of wooing Fadel is quite literally intentionally designed (by both the writers and the character) to be as annoying and frustrating as possible.

Lets consider:

Style thinks his bff is in love for the first time in his life. He thinks Kant is genuinely down bad for Bison: let’s not forget his clear surprise when Kant agreed to give up the car. As far as Style is concerned, Kant is acting really out of character and it's because Kant desperately wants to be with Bison.

He also thinks the only thing standing in the way of True Love™ is Fadel, who according to Kant is being unreasonably difficult about Kant and Bison dating. He doesn't know that Kant has a secondary motivation, nor does he know about the mind games that Bison is playing with Kant. Worse, he has no frame of reference or context to make any of Fadel's animosity towards Kant reasonable.

Moreover, while I think we all agree that Style made a terrible first impression on Fadel, the same has to be said of Fadel towards Style. Like, yes, absolutely Style was in the wrong, but Fadel came off as not only condescending and impatient, but unreasonable (and very weirdly cagey) when Style tried to immediately offer a resolution. Again, Style has no frame of reference for why Fadel would first demand that he take responsibility for his actions and then immediately after claim to have no time to entertain Style's attempt to take said responsibility.

Also, it doesn't help Style's wounded pride that Fadel keeps 'besting' him at every turn. So at this point I think a significant portion of that initial attraction (in ep 1) has shifted to annoyance when it comes to Fadel. By the time he gets his hands on Fadel's information, I think he's more than a little invested in some payback. While I think Style very much still wants to help Kant (and Bison) out, at least a part of him figures as long as he keeps Fadel busy, he kind of meets his goal. And if he gets to embarrass, frustrate and otherwise harass Fadel along the way, all the better!

You can see him start to have some fun with it. He ramps it up SO much in ep 2. He gets to lean into that wild, brash, playful personality because he doesn't really care if Fadel likes him. Style gets to be dialled up to extremes, and I love that for him because he's honestly kind of justified because he knows so fucking little about what's really going on. I think it's only fair if the other 3 are playing 4D chess while Style only has the Uno game rules in front of him, he gets to be the most Unhinged about it.

So, yeah, while I absolutely agree with all the posts out there that recognises just how reasonable and polite and tired Fadel is, I do think we need to give Style some credit here. He's absolutely SO extra, but he's also the one, arguably, that has been lied to the most and I feel that he deserves some slack for that.

[humbuns]

For pride requests, like, Shu has something going on. Something dysphoria, maybe ace too but maybe he moves past repulsion once he figures out the gender thing, I don't know, what's your read?

oh i 100% agree, i have always seen shu being a little uncomfortable with their existence because it reminds them that they are a little too human (in his heart and in his mind) so it will probably take them a while to realize anything in some form without layers and layers of deflections but they're getting there (this is the sole reason why i like to see shu as a gem slowly being polished, they were always brilliant but it takes time to see it and accept it yourself)

[blackflash9]

On a side note, since it's brought up, I don't think Su cares much about finding her Dad, especially not now, at least. The "void" left by her absent father has largely been fulfilled through her own family and Zaofu.

She'll be all for tagging along and helping Lin find Kanto in The Search 2: Beifong Boogaloo, though.

A fellow Lin and Toph side-eyer. An individual of taste.

Lin........I understand holding a grudge. I know people that went to their grave hating someone, on top of their family continuing to hold on to the grudge. But bro. You're a working 22 year old woman, beefing with someone who's in high school. Probably had a maths test that same week. Please be serious.

Her smoke should have more been with Toph for how she handled the situation and not her sister. I know siblings don't have to get along. Hell, they don't have to like each other. But Lin just came off as........bitter. Her arc in Zafou was just.........ugh. There's a difference between righteous anger and just being vindictive. Her anger came from her belief that Su was spoilt and got everything she wanted, while she (the dutiful daughter in her mind) got nothing. But instead of channelling that rage at someone who warranted it, she blew up on Su. Like sis. Just tell her that you don't fuck with her for x,y,z reasons and get it over with. Communication skills clearly weren't taught in the Beifong household (you see this with Toph too).

(Also, I did not like how she dealt with Korra when she first came to Republic City at all. Now that I think about it, the scene where she attempted to arrest Su and the one where she snatched up Korra and Naga are nearly the same. The only difference is that Su resisted and Korra didn't. What are the odds that she's the aggressor in both cases?).

Toph..........*hides under a table for protection*. Is it a bad take to say that I kinda foresaw her being a selfish parent if she ever became one from her ATLA days? No mom is perfect, obviously. But she truly continued the cycle of generational trauma from her parents. And that is the damage we see in both Lin and Su. And both of them broke the cycle in their own right, but not completely. Neither of them hold her accountable for the mess she caused (and to be honest, I don't think it would have changed things if they had).

I also find it hard to believe that neither sister went looking for their fathers on their own. Especially Lin, who had that as a random side arc (her being upset about not knowing who her dad was). You're Beifongs. Y'all have the money and the resources to dig up people if you wish. Plus their grandparents are still alive (at least when they were teens) and seemingly on talking terms with Toph if she sent Su there. Surely they knew something. Names at least. That arc just got shoehorned in there for no reason.

Lmao thank you anon. I do love Lin and Toph as characters, but I specifically love them as the flawed and falliable characters they are presented as.

Despite sometimes goofing on her, I don't hate Lin, and I think she has some very good moments to shine as a character. She just kinda gets a bit static and repetitive over the books. I adored the Zaofu arc, because it actually did something interesting with her character.

Lin being a bitter and overly aggressive character is a decent core flaw, and it's nice to see when it's chipped away at. It's one of the reasons people adore her so much. I just find it so odd that people find some weird nobility in her behaviour, despite it being self destructive and leading to her lashing out towards others.

Like the Zaofu arc for Lin was extremely on the nose with having Lin so stressed she was getting so physically ill that she even concerned one of the antagonists.

Aiwei : Lin, you do not have to work while you are here. You need to relax. Lin: I'm fine! [Groans uncomfortably again.] Aiwei: It doesn't take a truth seer to know that you are under a dangerous amount of stress. If you don't deal with your suppressed feelings, there will be severe consequences to your health ... and your job.

She was given, through the two episodes (and presumably pre canon when Su reached out to her) multiple opportunities to deal with her and Su's past in a healthy way. But Lin is very much a character who isolates herself in a bubble of what she finds comfortable, even if it is not sustainable.

And we obviously see that negatively affect her, and that it's obviously good for her once she starts actively talking with Opal and Su. Up until she has some sort of relapse in the Terror Within when she becomes convinced that Su is part of an international terrorist organisation and staged an attack on her own city. Still not sure what that was about.

Like the messaging of the episode is clear "closing off from those who care about you and stewing in bitterness will only hurt you and others". And then a shocking amount of the fandom was like "no actually we loved the stewing in bitterness that's the good option".

Like it still surprises me how many people think it was somehow think that Lin's behaviour in Zaofu was very justified and everyone was being so very unreasonably mean to her in it.

And like the flashbacks kinda give you a kneejerk reaction of siding with Lin because they're all from her perspective, offer us no insight into the tension between the sisters from Suyin's perspective. We also enter these flashbacks with the preconceived expectation that these flashbacks will show us why Lin hates Su so viscerally, so the magnitude of these events is already enhanced. Though honestly if you distance yourself emotionally from the flashbacks and remember that Lin is like 6 years older than Su it kinda becomes comical, in a way.

Like I don't blame Lin for doing her job and trying to arrest Su. I do blame her for escalating the situation as far as she did, especially as both the cop, and the adult in the situation. I Especially find it upsetting because Su didn't even initially seem to be a flight risk. Like she stood there and tried to explain herself, and part of me wonders how this would've gone if Lin hadn't pulled out the rather threatening "I'm not going to let you get away with this". Which like, I too would rather not go with the cop who seems to have a clear agenda against me and is also punching cars.

I always find it so interesting how whenever Su and Lin get into an altercation, it is always Lin that escalates it to the physical level

The fun thing about Lin as a character is kinda that whenever she does something questionable, I can initially see where she's coming from. Like her trying to arrest Su and doing her job is totally fine. Her being mad at Tenzin for breaking up with her is also justified. Her not liking Korra initially is not a sin. Her being upset with Su is not to be unexpected.

It's just how she goes about this is what gets me. Like she often goes overboard with both verbal and physical violence, which, not a good look, especially for a cop who often uses her job as a moral highground. Also the prior mentioned self and outwardly destructive habit of holding grudges and isolating herself.

I will say that, in Lin's defence when it comes to Korra's arrest, I think it was Saikhan who initiated the arrest, and I'm not sure how imvolved Lin was in the situation. She was definetly going unnecessarily hard on Korra after she was arrested. Like idk what it is about 16 year old brown girls but they are to Lin Beifong what a red flag is to a bull. Also Korra absolutely rssisted arrest though. She kicked an officer of the law in the face and it was epic.

Though there is also something to be said about Lin projecting her issues with Su onto Korra, as we see her hallucinate young Su in place of Korra, and there are some similarities between them, at least from Lin's perspective. Though we're also told that Lin's hate for Korra in B1 may have been due to Korra being associated with Tenzin. Which it would be fucking hysterical and not terribly out of character for Lin to just project anyone who has ever slighted her onto Korra.

You're also very right about Lin's anger at Su being misplaced. But also, from Lin's perspective, it makes much more sense and is much easier to blame the sister you already kinda hate than the mom whose affection you're trying to win. Like Lin dedicated her life to trying to win Toph's favour by imitating her.

Lin: When I was younger, all I wanted to do was please my mother. I became a police chief because I thought it would make her happy ... but it didn't. You need to make your decisions based on what you want. Don't make the same mistakes as I did.

If Lin admitted to herself that maybe Toph didn't care about being Chief that much, and probably might not care for Lin following in her footsteps, it would be a little bit life shattering. So it's much easier to think that the 16 year old single handedly ruined Toph's career.

Lin: When we were in Mom's office that day, you could've taken responsibility for what you did. But instead, you stayed quiet and let Mom throw her whole career away. Suyin: Mom didn't throw her career away. She retired the next year. She was a hero. Lin: You think she wanted to retire? She was so guilt-ridden about what she did to protect you that she didn't feel worthy of her badge.

Mind you, when we meet Toph in B4, we see none of this guilt, and we get the implication that she didn't really enjoy her time as a cop. Like this feels like mild idolising of Toph from Lin's pov.

It kinda feels like, to me, the reason Lin was so hostile towards Toph in B4. By making up with Su in B3, she'd demystified Su as the villain She'd built up in her head for almost 30 years. Therefore, she could no longer pin Toph's shortcomings onto Su.

And I kinda adore how flawed Toph is in tlok. I don't mind her being a shitty parent, it kinda felt a little bit inevitable. I do find it deliciously tragic that Toph tried to give her kids the freedom she never got but ended up essentially pendulum swinging into causing almost as much damage as her own parents.

When it comes to Lin and Suyin's dads I'm... conflicted. On one hand, I can absolutely get behind arcs of them finding their dads. On the other, the last thing we need is "The Search 2: Beifong Boogaloo" . I kinda respect the mystery around the dads. It's a ballsy move from the writers if anything. I have my own headcanons and I kinda love that everyone I've met has their own fanon lore around Toph's babydaddies.

[assorted-aesthetics]

like i want to write a fic where england executes eleanor and her ghost claws it's way back to nassau but someone already made that and it's called black sails seasons 3 & 4.

[inkskinned]

it mattered because when my brother asked me what if this is the happiest you'll ever be? the best you'll ever get? the thing i felt was fear, not peace. everybody thought you were so perfect for me. even i thought you were "helping me grow". i had to challenge every internal clock. make myself more thoughtful, more kind, more beautiful.

i told my therapist it was good because i like the changes i made and there's something so strong about saying i did that. the problem is that i can like the difference all i want, but i changed for you. something akin to getting your name tattooed, all my progress is stamped with fuck you.

it was the happiest i'd ever been and also the best i'd ever gotten. i would still get in the car and think what the fuck just happened.

[webothblackedout]

i don’t remember who but at least one of sam nivola/patrick schwarzenegger (although i would guess sam just based on the tone of a lot of his comments) has said they think lochlan and saxon just never really talk about what happened again and their relationship never rebuilds but i just simply do not think this is true. i think there has to be a breaking point. and i think the text supports this; even after the “let’s just drop this forever” conversation, saxon and lochlan still look at each other knowingly when tim mentions the lack of trauma in their family’s lives during the murder piña colada toast. that’s not “dropping it forever”! and the fact that it’s not even a full day before they’re acknowledging it again to each other tells me that this breaking point isn’t going to take a very long time to reach. i give them like a month at most before they’re tearfully making out in their shared room at the holiday inn express or wherever they’re staying post canon

[aroaceleovaldez]

The himbo, malewife, goofball -fication of percy jackson is such a crime by both the fans and riordan. It has made Mr not like percabeth as a couple because in all posts and in later books annabeth is such a girlboss, while Percy's dumb and can't fight his way out of a paperbag without her. All the posts are about how annabeth will be an architect and percy would love to be a trophy husband.

Even the humor in the books went from Percy's sharp wit and snark to 'my pancakes can't drown because I'm a son of poseidon.'

And now this recommendation letter bullshit.

Honestly now I'd wish percy just separated from annabeth (but they remain best friends.) He stays home with his family, becomes a camp counselor, helps young demigods, holds God's accountable and eventually becomes a social activist. (I also dislike him doing something marine biology related. It's clear he hates academics but he always wants to help people. Him helping demigods and mortals is such a wholesome profession for him.)

I fully agree with the first half of this, though I slightly disagree with part of the latter.

The later-series and fanon mischaracterization of Percy is at least a solid 50% ableism minimum, full stop. He's being warped into a very stereotyped ADHD character and the exact reason why he's being characterized as "dumb" is because of ableism. Percy is a very intelligent character! That's exactly why he's so in sync with Annabeth and they're such a strong duo! It's just generally Annabeth is more book/academically smart.

I disagree with where you say he hates academics - because that's one of the common misconceptions about his character. Percy doesn't hate learning or academic subjects! He's not even bad at them! We know explicitly that when he is in an accommodating environment he is interested in learning and gets significantly better grades! Percy only dislikes school because it is generally an environment that systematically he struggles with. It's literally just he has a learning disability (two, actually)! That's it! When his learning disability is accommodated for he does well! It's almost like that's what accommodations are all about! We know this from the first series! It's discussed pretty in-depth! Percy isn't a dumb character and he doesn't hate learning, he's just been let down by school systems so much that he's inherently distrustful of them. If they actually accommodate him though then he does just fine!

And that's exactly what CHB was all about and why New Rome University was supposed to be such a big thing for him! CHB is a learning environment geared for demigods. NRU is a demigod college. Both inherently imply an environment meant to cater to and accommodate students with ADHD and dyslexia! They are both systematically structured to be able to accommodate him! Heck, CHB and CJ even both address in the wider themes of the series a metaphor about how ADHD and dyslexia are commonly seen as childhood disabilities, and how it can be more difficult to find accommodations into adulthood because of that attitude but those disabilities don't just go away - that's why CHB is a summer camp but they talk about how demigods outside of CHB don't often fare well. The metaphor there is those who are not getting help or accommodations are struggling. Because that's how that works! This is a fully intentional metaphor from the first series! CHB is never framed as being perfect for demigods, because one of the entire central conflicts of the series is Percy and Luke going back and forth about this flawed system meant to help and support them but still letting people fall through the cracks. The "claim your kids by 13" thing is a metaphor about how acknowledging a child's disabilities (and possibly getting a diagnosis) earlier/as early as possible means they will have more time to learn and build up resources and support for themselves to be able to use later in life. One of CHB's major flaws is that it can accommodate demigods to a certain point, but it can only do so much before those demigods have to leave (the metaphor being accommodating school systems when those disabled students do not have any other forms of accommodations in their lives.)

And that's why Camp Jupiter was framed as being so revolutionary for Percy because it had an environment acknowledging that this is not just a childhood disability, adults with ADHD/dyslexia exist too and still need and deserve accommodations, AND is a place where those accommodations are available. That's why Camp Jupiter and NRU are treated as such special and important things to Percy, because it's essentially Percy being shown this type of thing can and does exist and it is available to him. It is an option he never thought was possible. Percy never thought he'd be able to go to college because he would not be able to go through school without accommodations, but NRU proves otherwise.

The part that's absolutely stupid is Rick then proceeded to retcon NRU so that apparently it's not a full college and Percy still has to take classes at normal mortal college which DEFEATS THE ENTIRE PURPOSE OF NRU EXISTING. Rick has fully retconned that demigods struggle past the ages of 16-18 when they're on their own (see above elaborated metaphors) and in doing so we have fully killed all symbolism in literally all of that. It's so stupid. And by having the plot of the CoTG trilogy entirely be that Percy is not actually allowed access to NRU in the first place because he is a son of Poseidon and has to do extra to even be accepted is stupid!

All that to say, I agree the marine biology feels like a huge cop-out and a disservice to his character by reducing him to just a son of Poseidon. The literal only reason why it's the default option people take for him is because oh, fish thing, fish guy. But I feel like everyone ignores the really obvious answer for what Percy would want to do which is - writing. Both his parents are writers/authors and he clearly admires that about them. Percy likes telling stories! He canonically is already a published author in-universe! That's what the books ARE in-universe! The first series fully exists in their universe and Percy is the author! This is explicit canonical information! Percy canonically has help physically writing it down (accommodations) but he is still the credited author! Percy is a writer! Already! Canonically! Why are we making him a marine biologist he already has a profession that ties into his character significantly more. Like you said, Percy likes helping people. That's what the books in-universe are supposed to be for! It's point blank at the beginning of the series! Book one! The thing everybody quotes all the time! The books exist because it is Percy trying to give advice to other demigods who don't know what's going on yet! It's Percy's writing down his experiences to help new demigods understand and contextualize their experiences so they can understand themselves better and figure out what's going on - WHICH IN ITSELF IS ALSO A METAPHOR ABOUT ADHD/DYSLEXIA! Because the core of the series has and always will be built around ADHD/dyslexia! Percy as a protagonist EXPLICITLY was created so that ADHD/dyslexic kids could see themselves as a hero!

Sorry that all was a very tangential rant but my point being: Absolutely. Percy in newer stuff in the franchise and in fanon is horrifically mischaracterized in ways that are functionally either fully ableist (shoutout TSATS for just outright claiming Percy is intentionally lazy and skips school out of disinterest, which is like the number one ableist attitude towards kids with learning disabilities) or a complete erasure of Percy's disabilities. Also I think he should be a writing major not a marine biologist.

[honeysucklethornsandalligtrhorns]

see now i think my problem is that i find the horrifying evil terrorizing monster character to be the funniest silliest most specialest little guy i ever did see. and then people in the computer expect me to find his words and actions 'wrong' and 'immoral' and 'unforgivable by literally anyones standards, literally'. what if he was just having a good time. fuck you.

[shanklin]

Stanford never became friends with Fiddleford.

Instead he got himself a different small friend group who cares a lot about him. At least about the Ford he pretended to be in college.

A kind, soft spoken formerly bullied genius who researches very dull stuff in Oregon and definitely not anything weird. Their Ford would never break any rules or ignore safety measures [unlike that other student they heard about during their college years.]

And then Ford stops answering their calls and loses his grant. 

It’s time for an intervention and they start pestering Ford with letters and calls until he finally agrees to meet them at a science convention, but he’ll take his brother with him.

They’re relieved! Ford is with Shermie! They like Shermie! It's a good thing that Ford still has one brother who isn't a good for nothing selfish criminal who destroyed his entire future!

If they ever get their hands on Ford’s evil twin they’ll make sure he’ll regret ever messing with their friend. Ford is too nice for revenge. They aren’t.

Meanwhile at the not-yet Mystery Shack, the Stans freshly survived their own angsty canon divergent tale of two stans AU and locked Bill out of Ford's mind like a week ago.

Stan: I don’t know how long Ford will keep me around but this will be good for him. He needs some friends to take care of him after I inevitably get kicked out again!

Ford: I only agreed to this because Stan insisted and I still haven’t found a way to thank him and apologize. I hope all my “friends” die in a fire.

[sysig]

Justify away (Patreon)

[mcytegg]

can jumper please please do some terrible horrible things to keep rek and ro safe before the season ends. can she be put into a situation where she makes an incredibly selfish and hurtful decision so she can better protect her team. can her sworn loyalty be put to the test.

[optimistic-autistic]

nothing so aggravating as seeing people claim what Hades did was just a misunderstanding because he ''loved Persephone too much''. like i don't know about you, but it's pretty hard for that to turn into building a town based on slavery and later getting a girl and assaulting her (even if it's just implied, he still at least had to pretend to do something like it, because his goal was to make Persephone mad).

[tweedfrog]

Brat and it’s the same but team green is there so it’s not