#ranting about fandom again

[starker-raving-mads]

Posting this on my Starker blog because I don't have an active Hannibal one right now, but:

As someone who grew up in the south, in a similar but slightly better upbringing than what we heard about for Will, I can just about guarantee you it WAS worse than the show implied. If you were poor in the south, then you held down jobs through connection. The "good ol' boy" network.

The fact that Will's dad couldn't hold down a job and stay stable in one place with a kid speaks volumes. He didn't (wouldn't? couldn't?) make connections like that. Which meant the jobs he did get were the jobs no one else wanted to do either because of what they were or what they paid. Regardless, it undoubtedly ended up with Will being underfed and in less than ideal clothes and housing circumstances. And for a parent to just...deal with that, with a kid? I'm not saying that his dad didn't have the potential to be a good father, and I'm not saying that parents who can't provide these things for their kid are bad parents. But it does imply a pattern of behavior where:

1, keeping Will was more important than handing him over to the state for his own protection, whether due to Bill's pride/ego or some other reason. (This is the most arguable reason as to why they moved around so often in my opinion.)

2, Bill had such a personality to him that he couldn't or wouldn't make connections enough to grow his network and find a stable place to settle down even at a lower income.

or

3, Bill simply not caring about Will enough to do these things for him and following his own wants and needs above his sons, which therefore implies the capacity for much worse behavior.

And each of these three distinct, easily spotted patterns are bad enough on their own, but in reality it was likely a combination of them. That's why I can see how fandom reads into it so much more deeply than the showrunners did. For them, they're looking at present and future of this character. For the fandom, we're looking at how his past influences his actions in the present, which influence in the future. We're all constantly thinking about our past in one way or another, even if it's just "yeah that brand of coffee was ever so slightly weird that one time so I don't get it anymore." With fanfic, you have to weave the tapestry of the character and their history is a huge part of that, so it's pretty necessary to dip into it. So when you don't have a lot to go on, you take what building blocks you do have and extrapolate.

In Will's case...the extrapolation just isn't pretty.

i love how will graham’s childhood in the show is just “my mom left when i was a baby and my dad and i were poor and moved around a lot” and the fandom has collectively been like “hmm no. it was much much worse than that”

[henry-or-something]

Me: oh cool! a canon aroace spectrum character that is well fleshed out. I never see rep of someone with the same sexuality as me. I hope the fandom appreciates this queer representation.

The fandom: *one of the most shipped characters* ArOaCe PeOpLe StIlL dAtE!!1!

Me: ...

[santezziz]

Before I started watching the anime I've seen people saying that "The first and second arc have a lot of IR scenes added unnecessarily". I generally tend to like canon ships, so I decided to just pay attention and watch anyway.

I pick up a manga right before Hueco Mundo arc, take a look: and you know what? All the IchiRuki scenes I thought were filler are actually CANON. The Urahara-Ichigo talk? Canon. Renji looking at Rukia all like "I haven't seen her this happy in a long time"? CANON!

That scene where Ichigo is clearly upset and only Rukia is able to cheer him up? Sure is canon.

They have to gaslight the first-time watchers so that they believe the canon ships are more valid than they actually are. This is absolutely insane, btw.

[himluv]

Idk, man. Seems like a buckwild take to say that just because Lucanis can't heal with Neve the way he does with Rook makes him and Neve a bad pairing. Like, there's no one right person for anyone. One True Love™ isn't real and there are all kinds of relationships that work just fine. There's no one right way to deal with trauma. And love comes in so many shapes and sizes.

I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility that Neve and Lucanis help each other get better together. It won't look the same as either does with Rook, because, well, they aren't with Rook (???).

But I firmly believe that both of them would hold their partner to a higher standard, demand that they accept more love than they think they deserve, because they want better for their partners. And while that might not lead to Lucanis unraveling his trauma à la Mind Prison, it doesn't mean Neve couldn't help him find another route through.

(I also think it's a bit unkind to think a 35-36 year old man who has already dealt with his childhood trauma (re: he "doesn't resent Caterina anymore", implying he once did and he worked through his shit) wouldn't eventually work through the Ossuary and Spite on his own. It would just be slower and look different and that's OKAY! Romance is not a prerequisite for dealing with trauma.)

Also, and I will die on this hill, it is not "bad writing" to have Lucanis be unromanceable by a Rook who chose to save Minrathous. Lucanis views that choice, as logical as it may be, as a betrayal. You've betrayed Treviso, the Crows, and him. And, he's someone who REQUIRES a close emotional attachment to feel attraction (demisexual, hello???). So, yeah. You let his city and people die a slow terrible death to the blight, he isn't going to fall in love with you. He literally can't. It makes complete sense and I thought it was a BRILLIANT choice by the writers. If you save Minrathous, you get a totally different Lucanis and I think that's incredible.

Neve doesn't lock you out if you save Treviso because she is a much more rational and logical thinker than Lucanis. Lucanis is called "soft-hearted" and "sentimental" multiple times across the game and tie-in media, where Neve is known for her icy exterior, wit and cleverness. It makes complete sense.

I am begging people to stop calling elements they personally dislike "bad writing".

[thereweredragonshere]

Listen there are a lot of things that piss me off about the hidden world (it's general existence being the main one) but the whole notion of 'Hiccup gave Toothless his freedom'

????

HUH

WAY TO MISS THE ENTIRE POINT OF THE FRANCHISE??? WHAT??? WHAT DO YOU MEAN??? HAVE YOU WATCHED GIFT OF THE NIGHT FURY??? HELLO???

And no hate to any thw enjoyers, everyone has an opinion. My opinion just so happens to be that it sucked and should be put to death (I will say the animation was amazing, if not a bit too polished)

[minervamidnight]

Drew something very silly for the wonderful Liquid (@wanderingblindly)!

Inspired by her fic Paranormal Investigaytion (aka one of the cutest and funniest things I've ever read! Go check it out if you haven’t alreadyyyy)

Blurred version & Original meme:

[cilil]

Ok, really not tryna vague or be shady, but I just gotta say: I do not and will never understand why there's so much drama around ships becoming canon or not.

Seriously, why do you care. Is your ship game that weak? Do you need a stamp of approval from other people for what you like and how you creatively express yourself? Because, sorry, but that's technically what that is and you don't need it.

C'mere. Come to auntie. Listen. I multiship like crazy and lots of weird and niche rare pairs too. Whenever any of my ships become canon that's pretty much an accident and a statistical outlier and because I just happened to like what the creators like for once. And then I usually think "oh that's nice" and go on with my madness. No getting smug and using it to put others down either!

I'm telling you this because I simply can't stress enough how much more chill and fun shipping is if you become deeply unbothered by what's canon, what the creators think and what other people approve of. Again, you need nobody's stamp of approval. And if people nag and bully you about what you like then these people suck and they have no right to demand explanations from you.

Make your case not to justify yourself to bullies - they won't be convinced anyway - but to get other people interested. Make your case through your art, your writing, your headcanons, your conversations with other fans. Make your case through passion.

And stop letting others tell you what you can and can't ship. Which goes both ways, just saying.

Ok, that's it, bye

[dewwshi]

i liked the sparring scene from the start of siege of darkness a normal amount

[narancia-answers]

OOC but I hate how Narancia is characterized by the fandom as the "uwu baby soft boy idiot." Like yes, he's the most childish of the group, displays empathy, and wasn't educated. But shockingly, the fandom is completely minimizing his character. (i say, sarcastically)

For one, he's incredibly violent?? From the start this boy has been whipping out a switchblade at anyone and everyone who bothered him. This 17 year old leaves a trail of swiss-cheesed bodies in his wake but somehow gets characterized as an "uwu smol bean". Narancia would beat you up and mow you down if he thought you were an enemy and not lose sleep over it 😭

He's also not stupid? He's often characterized as such because he is shown as naive, uneducated, bad at math, etc. With the exception of math, I'd argue he's just the average 17 year old. One of his major character flaws is that he trusts and loves his friends too much, as shown in his backstory and how he quickly grows to trust both Giorno and Trish, who are newcomers. His naivety is also why he's uneducated, because he ran away from school and home to go be with people he thought cared about him. This ultimately became a decision that Narancia regrets and is actively trying to make up for. Despite complaining, he wanted Fugo to tutor him, to go back to school and to make up for his mistakes as a young child.

Narancia also carries two solo fights with Aerosmith (which really isn't the best stand out there), winning in some part due to the fact that his opponents always underestimate him. Just like a large set of the audience, they assume Narancia's stupidity due to his lack of a formal education. And yet, he 2v1's the boss's elite guards (with an assist from Giorno) and paints the streets with Formaggio, a trained assassin. He also knows enough about the human body to cauterize his hands mid-fight to keep GIorno from getting close to him!

TL;DR- Calling Narancia a "stupid smol boy" or similar is reductive of his entire character, especially when he shows emotional and battle intelligence throughout the entire part.

[eloquentsisyphianturmoil]

It’s just that Fingon’s like that stereotypical son who calls his mum and walks old ladies across the street, mows the lawn for his neighbours, brings home nice, pretty girls who want to be kindergarten teachers or something and is really passionate about some niche compassionate topic like children in poverty’s access to multiple sclerosis treatment and who everyone says is ‘such a nice boy’ but then he goes and dates the eldest kid of Mr. Stay Away From My Boys, Son, a flaming ginger who most people haven’t heard speak. And this is hilarious.

[iconicname]

I'm all for jason as a parent, I think he'd be great at it. But can we stop with the "jason becoming a parent to someone who's basically his age or straight up an aldult" because it's weird

[imaginethathaikyuu]

Em can we please talk about Tsukki. Everyone keeps writing him as a mean dom and it’s killing my soul. Please say it isn’t so 😭😭😭😭

Lowkey hc Tsukki as ace and super sweet on his person… like he just simps and is very soft in private. I just wanna kiss his pretty fingers. but I’d love to hear your takes.

okay like ive beeeeen saying this since day one, popular fanon characterization is NOT satisfying for me.....

tsukishima kei would arguably be the best partner...imo... LIKE i think he'd be an annoying little fucker at first when you don't know each other well. but as you get closer he becomes the softest sweetest kindest bf.

especially as things get more serious, when he can let go of all of his insecurities and finally start feeling equal to you, his curtain of arrogance drops and he can just be himself :]

he is sooo cat coded imo like he's just always There. he will randomly lay next to u and put your hand on his head (instead of asking u to play with his hair) and just sit in silence forever. Annoys u just for the sake of being a Bother. puts cold drink on the back of your neck, pulls ur hoodie strings closed, places ur fav snacks on the highest shelf. but also ties ur shoe for u and remembers ur coffee order and compliments u every day. wait i love him

but also like i get the fun in writing him as big mean dom who fucks like if that is what u like to read i love that for u and honestly i see why some ppl write him as like. a big doodoo meanie like thats a fun path to go down too. that just isnt the tsukishima kei who lives in my house u know what i mean

[youeverjustmarryabountyhunter]

Sometimes I hate getting attached to fictional characters because I never just like them normally. No no, instead I have to be plagued by them. I have to suffer through the emotional torment of thinking of them 24/7. Like why am I crying over a fictional man.

HE'S NOT REAL 😭

[ladyofchroyane]

few things annoy me more than some of this fandoms 1. weird pro-slavers anti-dany bias and 2. stripping a woman’s experience from female characters because they don’t ’woman right’ enough

i don’t even really want to discuss point one because it disgusts me so fucking much. not only is the logic convoluted and always hinges on interpreting dany’s actions in the absolute worst light possible. it is also very, very misogynistic due to the double standards necessary to condemn dany to such a degree while none of the male characters committing the same or worse offenses get even a smidge of criticism from these same people. i’m just going to say one last thing: if you are using pro-confederacy talking points to condemn dany then you are a vile person.

as for point two, this is much more insidious in my opinion. much of it is based on the idea that these specific (normally gender nonconforming) female characters were ‘indulged’ so therefore their experiences do not meet the necessary ‘standards’ to equate to a woman’s experience. it’s insane logic meant to demean a female character and condemn her agency and the choices she made. it’s the type of logic that always veers into the ‘arya was indulged and therefore her experiences are less valid’ or ‘dany’s power and agency makes her experiences less valid because she’s not suffering this specific way’ or ‘lyanna was indulged and is therefore selfish and her experiences are less valid.’ for some reason it is always. always. these three characters getting attacked in this specific way. all three female characters faced the same exact challenges as every. single. other. female character. the same barriers, they share similar experiences with male characters to varying degrees.

arya and sansa were both ‘indulged’ by ned. i agree that ned had an easier time connecting to arya (like how cat had an easier time connecting to sansa), but both girls were indulged (like most noble girls!) and this is framed as a good thing. please don’t turn it into something bad, especially when both instances fostered character growth. after neds death arya continues to have a variety of experiences, and through arya we actually learn what a peasant girls experience looks like! no, arya does not have a boys experience. a girl hiding as a boy in a war zone is a common occurrence in the real world, and it is not just valid to explore but key to understanding george’s views on war. so far though arya we see 1. a non-conforming little girls life whose father was kind but still held gendered expectations for her. 2. a common girls experience without family or class protections going through a war zone. 3. a servant girls experience under feudalism where servants have basically no rights. 4. arya also gives us a multitude of experiences after becoming an acolyte at the hobaw. all of these experiences (including the erasure of arya’s identity and her holding onto it) are important looks into different classes and how outsiders view westeros. people not respecting arya’s very female experience makes me fear that there’s a bit of a aesthetic/male gaze epidemic going on here. arya’s suffering isn’t pretty enough or isn’t in a romantic setting so it gets dismissed. it’s dirty and violent and crass and doesn’t conform to passive suffering. there’s also a classism angle to all of it, though that would require an essay of its own to cover everything. but please remember that at the core of arya’s storyline is a simple truth: the world is hostile to girls.

dany is oftentimes hit by two different anti views: 1. a focus on her lack of agency but no focus on her rise to power 2. a dismissal of the validity of her experience as a female character because she’s risen to power. both views are incredibly self serving and are meant to chip away at character relatability. focusing on her lack of agency is tasteless (imo), and suggests that the person sees dany’s experiences with men/women as a ruler as inherently invalid because she has power that places her above the pecking order. this makes me believe that you cannot handle a female character whose path to power stands as different from the rest. it’s odd to say the least, and tells me that you think there is a right way to gain power just like people believe there is a correct way to end slavery without upsetting the poor economy. as for point two, this is similar to most anti rhetoric levied at arya and lyanna. because the experiences explored through dany and arya and lyanna are outside the norm, and because they are incredibly active characters, they also make waves and are involved in things like… violence *gasp* death *GASP* adultery (this one just relates to dany and lyanna. arya’s three apples tall so this doesn’t apply to her) *GASPGASPGASP*. people seem genuinely unable to handle complexity in women’s lives. some people seem to have a very narrow view on what counts as a woman’s experience, but if a woman steps outside those bounds she is therefore stripped of her womanhood and is fair ground for attacking. this is something i see so clearly in every anti dany post. i’m exhausted tbh.

as for lyanna… well... some people seem to believe that lyanna making active choices (knight of the laughing tree, running away, having a bastard) therefore mean she was ‘indulged,’ which is both true and not true. all noble girls are indulged more than their common girl counterparts, but lyanna was still placed under gendered expectations like all the rest of her peers. lyanna clearly just didn’t let these expectations prevent her from playing around with sticks and riding in a tourney as a mystery knight to defend the honor of howland (who would’ve been considered a nobody to most). her actions were clearly driven by her morals, morals she placed in higher esteem than gendered expectations. trying to strip a woman’s experience from her is just wrong. these people are practically telling on themselves and show that they cannot sympathize nor understand a female character who steps away from the beaten path, and does something considered ‘morally wrong’ in her world and in our own: having an illegitimate child with a married man. oh nooo… anyways. this just proves to me that many women cannot sympathize with a woman who does something they consider ‘wrong’ and that women will take it so far as to invalidate the womanhood of those they consider ‘not right.’ i think of lyanna as a litmus test tbh. i will absolutely judge you for your views on her. if you fail then i am NOT trusting your views on dany and arya.

i want to add onto this actually. catelyn is another character who’d place high on this list, though i’m actually really happy with the direction the fandom is going with her on this issue at the moment. many people struggle with cat because she… *GASP* doesn’t mother jon. cat’s a very active character, but thanks to fandom’s standards, she has the benefit of fitting into our preconceived notions of how a mother should behave—expect in how she treats jon. and then it’s a goddamn bloodbath. i’m glad most people now seem to agree that cat’s character is not only made better, but that it’s completely valid of her to not have mothered jon or theon. still, cat is often criticized for the choices she makes as a mother to protect her children. here, i see a dismissal and even a mocking of motherhood and Love as valid motivations for risky behaviors. and that does disappoint me. however, catelyn didn’t make my top 3 because she experiences confinement—she is stripped of power and agency—and this, i fear, is why she ends up meeting the criteria for what some fans view as a ‘valid’ female character. all because she lost power to her son :/. hopefully it’s obvious that i’m not dismissing this arc, because i do think it’s important to explore. but it’s still vexing to me that a woman’s loss of agency is so often treated as peak feminism (a trend i see a lot in modern feminist literature and one i honestly cringe at).

i believe i covered everything i wanted to. i’m just struggling with this fandom and the way people treat womanhood as some narrow thing with criteria one must meet. womanhood shouldn’t be something that feels so excluding. well, to me it should be embracing and kind and supportive of girls from all walks of life. being a woman makes you a woman. that’s it. that’s all the criteria you should need to meet to be embraced, and that logic should reflect back onto the female characters we all love and care about. thanks for reading :)

[maplethedarkshine]

I love idw comics but I gotta complain

Sonic just acts stupid this whole arc, but SPECIALLY regarding Metal

Brother Metal is quite literally lobotomized he does NOT have a choice and Sonic KNOWS THIS why dows he pretend otherwise???

METAL LITERALLY told him so to his face the previous arc, why did he forgot? Is he stupid?

Also also he CHOSE to let him go and “respect his decision”, but then goes and DOESN’T respect it when its one that he doesn’t like (again, not like it was a real choice on the first place, but IF it was, Sonic already knew that this would happen and was ok with it????)

Also, no, they DID NOT give him freedom, they literally had him there and instead of reprogramming him to stop being loyal to Eggman they just let him go. Why the hell are they acting surprised when the machine programed to follow Eggman… follows Eggman???? As programmed???? Idw is incredibly unfair to Metal, that man is a slave and the narrative blames him for it

More given the fact that Mr.tinker was in the same situation (Turning back to evil ways by something out of their choice) yet Sonic condones Mr.thinker and berates Metal for the exact same situation???? Sonic what is your moral compass on this arc I do not get you

This isn’t freedom, this is the illusion of freedom, they’re giving him an offering he really can’t take as much as he’d want to. They did absolute jackshit to help him, he lacks the agency to help himself then blame him for it

Honestly Shadow and Espio were right, the metal virus was Sonic’s fault, but not for letting Mr.Tinker live. His sin was’t his compassion toward him, his sin was expecting Metal to overwrite the coding that makes him a slave

Honestly I could make a whole rant about how much I hate Sonic’s writing in early idw but I won’t because they had gotten better and thank god he’s no longer like that

[urfavcrime]

dsmp is still SO insane to me. still not completely convinced it wasn't a social experiment. it is something that can never be replicated again due to the really specific circumstances that attributed to it's creation and popularity