#I AM VERY NORMAL ABOUT HIM AND I AM VERY NORMAL ABOUT ANIMATION

[yannaryartside]

I am tired of Sydney being a “knight in shining armor” for these immature men

The trailer of s3 made me reflect on a big problem with the show for me so far. The use of Sydney on the plot overall and in the character arcs of men. This is a rant, if you happen to be on the side of the fandom that think these men are perfect and Syd is valued as their support, feel free to scroll.

Part 1: the woman

Sydney Adamu is insecure on her leader/social skills and her creative habilities. That, and her kindness, is what makes the audience root for her. She is releatable but most important she is real, she has taken it impulse by impulse, creating on the fly ways to succeed in a industry not very welcoming to people with her personality (or that look like her). All of that makes sense in a story of an underdog.

But yet, the show has normalized at this point how much shit she takes from a group of really emotionally immature people. And how much they expect her to figure it out answers to the problems that they themselves cause.

Thinking about it like an animal getting into a new pack without the capacity to defend herself from any attack. The shitshow she tolerated in s1 has never been properly addressed and it seems like the worst storm is yet to come in s3. She fixed the logistics of the beef and implemented a hierarchy. Things that Carmy was incapable of doing due to his story with the staff and his own mental turmoil. In s2, she was the only professional chef actively making decisions and efforts in the future of the restaurant. Carmy even reprimanded her for not making the decisions he was supposed to do. And she reminded him “you wanted the final say, this is on you)

Syd is not helpless in any way, but she has applied kindness and fairness most of the time to this point, and I wonder if this time that is gonna cut it. I am mostly tired to get her back to that scenario again. If anything, the part that got me the most excited of Richie’s redemption is how she could actually rely on him. And then it came the trailer.

Part 2: the men

The part that got my blood boiling in the trailer is the response “Show me a functional one” from Richie and Carmy.

We are in season 3, and with all the growth and all those balls, these men seem to expect her to fix an issue, wich core is actually their own emotional immaturity. I am sick of it. “Mother, maid, therapist”🎶

She must deal with Carmy’s recklessness and the fight between him and Richie. A very green new staff and a unqualified old staff mostly. All of that creates the dysfunctionality in question, and I wonder where her character will go to resolve it. The restaurant had a shaky base (particularly on front house staff and line cooks) and now Carmy is getting on everyone’s nerves. Putting fire to an already unstable chemical.

Part 3: Heroine’s Journey

It would take a pro to resolve all of this shit, and the people involved (and responsible for the problem) turn to this young, inexperienced woman for guidance and answers because the only person in the kitchen with actual industry experience is trapped in his own destroying tendencies.

That is not only the underdog story that is human vs forces of nature, another common plot structure. Forces of nature incarnated in unstable men and our hero is a woman. That is so fucked up and yet so real. That is the value I give to this scenario.

I really don't think that, besides Tina and Nat, there is a single member if that kitchen aware of how much Syd was alone last season picking Carmy’s slack. And even they were barely able to help her. Everybody else was to happy for Carmy loosing his virginity apparently. All this scenario could very well repeat itself this season on how much they are insisting on Claire and Carmy getting back together.

I know the show is about leaving toxic cycles and the people who can help you get better. Sydney is supposed to be made from a different matter than the Bearzattos because otherwise, the toxicity will continue. I just wish she could coldly let them know how much of a pest they can be sometimes. And not be treated as unfair because she left her “role” in creating a new system. Anger is boundarie setting emotion and it can be very constructive, and expressed without the chaos of the Bearzattos. She did this in s1 and if done again I think this time the general audience (except the racist/misogynistic obviously) will understand that this tough love is necessary as well.

Let's not normalize (in this show) women taking shit to be good women and a reward for seeing the potential of men. It is not like society is not doing that for us already.

Sydney is not a punching bag, and she knows it, she definitely will stand her ground this season, wich can be very encouraging to young woman entering a workforce that is not designed to support them. I think she will go to Ember to work closely with Chef Terry (Olivia Coleman) to get knowledge of how women can shape this toxic places. It will be her version of forks. The toxicity may escalate to a turning point for her. She tolerated (and transformed) s1 and s2, we know what is in her heart. The point will definitely come, because this is the time for evolving or dying, for everyone.

But again, I need these men (besides you, Marcus, you are going to be her rock) to start taking responsibility for the shit they are fucking up. That would be nice. I am sure there will be moments of it since this growth is literally the show's theme. I am just kind of tired of the “Mother, maid, therapist🎶” undertone of it all. It could be applied to Nat and Tina as well.

[generic-anime-boy-bracket]

Final Round

Kim Dokja vs Shinpachi Shimura

Reasons for being generic + Propaganda below

Kim Dokja

Reasons:

Everything about him screams generic. Generic hair generic face generic eyes (dare I say: generic name). Multiple times in the story he tried to pass himself off as one of his (much handsome-r) companions and everyone is like. Hmmmm I'm not too sure about that. I've heard he's a lot more handsome and you're kind of mid. There's practically a running gag wherein his closest companions say something like "wow kdj has anyone ever told you that you're ugly"

Chapter one he tells us that he’s an ordinary salary worker with no friends whose most interesting hobby is reading webnovels on the subway. This hobby proves to be useful thanks to the entire plot of the story but there is a running gag that people think he looks mid or can’t remember what he looks like at all

Propaganda:

"Hi my name is Kim Dokja :) no there isn't anything weird or off-putting about me :) I am a perfectly normal man :)" <- real quote from Kim Dokja seconds before doing something weird and off-putting Jokes aside he is. Very very generic. It's an actual element in the plot that he's generic. He also keeps trying to convince everyone else he's just some normal dude but he's NOT and they DO NOT BELIEVE HIM He also keeps trying to pass himself off as his much more handsome companion and it only works because they've never seen him before (there's at least three paragraphs every time this happens of "hm no I heard YJH is really handsome. This guy is kind of ugly ngl")

Shinpachi Shimura

Reasons:

black hair - brown eyes - literally 16 - usual attire for the time and place he's from (late 19th century Japan) - glasses (which the other characters mistake for him regularly because of how boring he is) - THE audience surrogate - so generic that in a q&a in one of the anime episodes(https://youtu.be/7GkFQ7nCwPU?t=49), the answer to the "how do i draw Shinpachi" question was "draw [an ordinary guy]. make it lack as much personality as possible. then, give it glasses. <...> all the characters are based on Shinpachi."

Propaganda:

- he ranked 8th in the Gintama popularity poll, and was told in-universe that it's the highest possible position for an ordinary and boring character such as he - the normal one™ in the universe of weirdos and morons (affectionately) - calls everyone out for their bullshit (before doing the same as everyone else) - the braincell holder™ - he's an idol otaku. what's more generic - the straight man™ - he looks even more generic in comparison to the other characters from the same animanga - the only other normal/plain/boring character in the source material is still somewhat bizarre - in the obligatory NGE Congratulations Parody Scene he was parodying Shinji Ikari, The Generic Anime Boy Blueprint

[lovablethings]

Welcome to lovablethings!

inbox: OPEN! Check what's next here: link

This is a blog created by @raygunwestern and his system to reach out to and support the kin community.

How do we intend to achieve this?

Promoting Discords, projects, and other blogs similar to this one!

Offering advice and ideas where I can. (I am NOT a medical professional and cannot and will not provide medical advice or therapy.)

Helping folks get kin calls out there.

And, what you're probably here for- fulfilling requests!

Requests? What requests do you do?

A few kinds. While Raygun is the only mod, the following will be offered:

Name + pronoun ideas

Recipe ideas (PLEASE let me know if you have allergies or specific foods to avoid!)

Shopping / selfcare kits (6 items relating to your kin)

Icons (including pride edits and matching icons)

Sketches or emotes

Read for more info beneath the cut!

What rules do you have?

While not a RULE per se, it should be noted that this blog has a specific focus. The following types of kintypes are welcome to be requested for:

Real animal species, domesticated or wild.

Fantasy animal species in general, such as dragons, unicorns, etc.

Fictional species of animal/monster from media (such as night stalkers from Fallout).

General non-human identities (such as spirits, demons, angels, etc.) including concepts and objects.

Basically, because I admittedly live under a rock and am LARGELY unfamiliar with most sources, I'll be mostly focusing on therians, otherkin, adjacent fictionkin, and the like rather than specific characters. I have nothing against fictionkin! I have many fictionkin types myself, and our system has a couple fictives. I just don't want to disappoint anybody.

If you have a fictionkintype that is an otherwise normal animal (such as Rex from Fallout), if you're willing to give some extra details about what you're looking for, I might be able to help.

On that note, you are very welcome to make requests for your nonhuman alters! Those who don't align themselves with any of these terms but still see themselves as nonhuman in some way are welcome to send in requests, as well, so long as you generally follow the above guidelines.

Furthermore, the actual rules are as follows:

Please have a specific request, at the very least what kind of post you'd like me to make for you! Details relevant to what you're asking for are great, too!

Please be patient. Raygun is the only mod right now and has a brain that beats the hell out of him sometimes.

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All messages regarding any kind of discourse will be promptly deleted.

Why?

lomebly :( and wanted to be helpful,,,

[citrus-cactus]

I wish I wasn’t so obsessed with this GI Joe-ass looking man, but here we are

[jedi-starbird]

No one ever tells Obi-Wan that he is his Master's padawan.

Of course, for most people who had known Qui-Gon Jinn, telling someone else they resembled the the man would in fact be a thinly veiled insult. But still, Obi-Wan feels the absence of comparisons almost as strongly as he feels the absence of his Master.

There is no one for Obi-Wan to push against now, no strong presence at his side, ready to grab him by scruff and pull him back from another reckless stunt. It's an odd feeling. He has been set loose against his wishes. There is no one to his left and Anakin at his heels, but Anakin had needed, still needs, a strong, gentle figure for his prickly but sensitive heart. For even their worst bickering could not hold a candle to the scathing remarks he and Qui-Gon had shot at each other and Obi-Wan knows he cannot push and needle Anakin in the same way.

When Qui-Gon had been alive they had been an amusing, mirrored pair, the maverick and his rule-following padawan. Opposites clashing against each other, yet working together to complete the most difficult missions. Few saw that Qui-Gon's impertinence had indeed rubbed off on his padawan, cultivated from that small, angry initiate, because the only way to rebel against the rule-breaker had been to parrot the Council fastidiously. No one would ever get to see that again. Obi-Wan is one half of a mirrored pair trying to complete a routine on his own. What once was an impish, teasing compliance is now a betrayal of all his Master's values.

"How could Qui-Gon raise such a model Jedi?" He hears them say, "It's admirable that Master Kenobi was appointed to the Council despite his Master's maverick ways."

Padawan Kenobi would have yelled and kicked and screamed. Master Kenobi is serene. It should feel like an achievement. It feels like a disappointment.

Sometimes, Obi-Wan looks at the shape of the man he has moulded himself into, and aches to be his Master's padawan.

[shibari-benihime]

[bandtrees]

“My only hope is for one word. A simple, trivial word from a certain person…”

bungou stray dogs is an anime that iv had a fondness for since like..2018. but only now am i doing fanart for it, as iv gotten back into it via a rewatch with my friend ^_^ akutagawa was my favorite character as a mentally ill 15 year old and continues to be my favorite character as a mentally ill 20 year old

[showyoumyfavoriteobsession]

Me at 10:30pm, delusional: I can definitely do the Cazador fight and then go to sleep at a normal time

[miss-allsundays]

I stay up at night thinking abt the (probably passive aggressive) clash between kaiser and rin (when germany and france will play against each other) purely because of their rivalry with isagi

[picopubbydawg]

me and the bestie (we have matching evil demons sealed inside of us :3)

okay sorry for hashtag vanishing i forgot ab tumblr uhhhh going to make all my followers regret following me in a single post yes this is naruto art i am a naruto fan and i feel no shame 💪💪

[lokh]

god i gotta crank out at least one akaza print before the con

[lamb200345567]

how’s one piece going i feel like you definitely must have passed me right now

Oh yeah im fully caught up (like since last monthish?) ngl. I hate it, what do you MEAN i have to wait WEEKLY FOR NEW CONTENT!!!!!! ITS ONE PIECE IT HAS OVER A THOUSAND EPISODES!!!!!!!!!! BUT NOOOOOOO IM CAUGHT UP AND NOW I GOTTA WAIT A WEEK FOR NEW STUFF >:I youuuuu (and Valor) diddddd thissssss tooooooo meeeeeeee (it is fully my fault for being like this tm) i hate one piece btw, it sucks (lying) I have FIGURINESSSSSS (3) DUDE WHAT DO YOU MEANNNNN i hate this i hate it here you did this i have one piece in my brain now how could you do this to me (i am having so much fun this series is so good i love it but also how Dare you tm <- this is also aimed at my friend Valor who (re)watched with me)

[tamagoneko]

I FEEL LIKE YOU'RE ALWAY'S GEETING A NEW GYUTARO FIGURE! HOW MANY DO YU HAVE NOW? //SORRY MY KEYBOARDED IS BROEKN

i just per-orderd a bunch of stuff and things are slowly coming in lol

i have 76 figures in total and 8 of them are gyutaro/daki uwu

[dbphantom]

Speaking of that trans one/pie/ce oc

Did I mention he's a obvious self insert bc I definitely should have by now. Like. Literally drawn as me if I was in the world of on/e/pie/ce, spoke to Ivankov, and also 7 years older. And I love him. Just wish he had a name... That's always the hardest part ;_;

[mazojo]

That episode 9 Yuu and Maki conversation huh

[tofixtheshadows]

You guys really need to stop and consider the ways you're talking about Kabru I am dead fucking serious. Like I know that flattening characters is just what fandom does to a certain extent, but Kabru's actual personality is getting lost to the fandom hivemind insisting that he's aggressive/cruel/sociopathic/hateful, and these are particularly concerning takes to see leveled at the only brown character in the main cast day after day. "My poor sweet golden child Laios needs to be protected from this scary brown man" is not a good look! Like, it's very telling that the bulk of the hate and bad faith readings are reserved for Toshiro and Kabru. Everyone else's flaws get to be discussed and validated and forgiven (or erased), meanwhile people are straight making up things to be mad about with Toshiro and Kabru but patting themselves on the back for being smart.

The worst part is how undeserved it all is. I'm trying to lay off anime-onlys because we're still kind of in the red herring stage of getting to know Kabru, but I would still like to gently suggest that even if you think Kabru is up to something, you don't gave to get in the tags of every fan creator's post and bring up how you hate him or You Can Tell he's totally evil. Sometimes I think Kabru's blue eyes give people license to say things about his appearance that they know would sound completely racist otherwise, but referring to his blue eyes acts as a get-out-of-racism free card. The jokes about the dog with brown contacts are getting old, by the way.

For people who have read the manga, it's disappointing. Kabru is one of the most complex and important characters in the story, and if you base your interpretation of him and all your fandom interactions on shallow first impressions you are completely missing out.

I know part of this is because Dungeon Meshi is a comedy, but the story also wants to be taken seriously. For example, it's admittedly really funny when Chilchuck calls Laios "sick in the head", but that doesn't change the fact that the way Chilchuck casually belittles Laios caused him to hide the fact that he was "hallucinating" from his friends for weeks. Those feelings matter.

Like, this

is funny.

But this?

Is not. This is just a very clear example of a brown boy with PTSD. As someone else with PTSD, just looking at this fucking sucks, man.

The only reason why Kabru thinks about killing Laios is because he is in the middle of a flashback. He's struggling through a panic attack. If he truly wanted to kill Laios because he's violent or because he finds Laios inherently annoying, he wouldn't otherwise talk with Laios normally. Notice how he doesn't act this way at any other point in the story- it's just because he's triggered by monsters. Even when he's thinking about his plans to "deal with" Laios later, he's reluctant to actually kill him and only considers it to prevent another tragedy. Despite his deadly skills, Kabru relies far more on "soft" power- insight, persuasion, diplomacy. He's a rare example of a character who absolutely is, or at least can be, manipulative, but seems to use his abilities for good. He's not a pathological liar, he isn't looking down on everyone behind a smile. He's someone who is extremely emotionally intelligent, and he's willing to put aside all his own basic wants and needs to stop the cycle of dungeons devouring humans.

I'm going to cut a potential thesis on his character short and just give some examples of things that fandom should consider about his personality more:

Racism in fandom isn't just about whitewashing in fan art, or using racial slurs. The insidiousness of bad faith readings, reductions to racist tropes, lack of fan content for characters of color, and dismissal of a character's complexity are far more common. You can believe yourself to be completely neutral or even positive about a character and still churn out low-grade bile about them into fandom's collective unconscious. Fandom reflects real life.

And I have been around fandom long enough to see how these behaviors (mostly from my fellow white fans) affect fans of color, how it makes a fandom feel hostile and unwelcome to them. It's fun to make jokes and memes, I'm absolutely not saying that everything needs to be a deeply nuanced take, but we need to be careful that it doesn't veer into toxicity. Please think about how our contributions to fandom come across, and what sort of vibes they cultivate in this communal space.