#I have a normal healthy relationship with this piece of media

[d4ll4s]

Ancient Takumi doodle which is a redraw of an even more ancient doodle. Battery hell. I still like this piece so I’m posting it. If ur wondering why he looks like that it’s bc I refuse to draw his anime design (why did they give him big biceps…)(also the manga/novel design is more unique) I might post new Battery art too after I finish my art debt.

[sehtoast]

Cant stop thinking about Homelander sitting on the floor, crying and hugging Ryan’s backpack. The fact that he was so mad at Ryan, he destroyed his own apartment but still didn’t stop him or didn’t chase after him. He is so miserable without him but can’t do anything about it…

I believe Ryan is the only person he loves (as much as he is capable of loving someone) but he doesn’t know how to show that to him. I mean who can blame him, no one ever loved him or even cared for him, he never even had parents or parental figures in his life. Ryan is the closest thing to a family Homelander had and now he lost him, probably forever. He is his only weakness and will be his downfall imo.

i really wish we would've gotten at least one last scene with Ryan after he talked to butcher. I'd love to know where his mental and emotional states are in regards to Homelander now that grace spilled the beans.

homie is so... just fuckin' tragic, honestly. he wants so desperately to love and be loved, but he was never loved during his formative years, or even into adulthood, to gain the emotional development to be able to give and receive love the way normal people do. he's constantly trying to relate to Ryan, to bond with him, to love his son as best as he can, and I think the ONLY way he knows how is by treating Ryan as if he were a carbon copy (and he likely couples this with unrealistic media portrayals of familial love). the only person he knows how to love, despite how toxic, is himself. and it's genuinely so sad.

i think we've seen him grow and learn bits and pieces on how to love another person in the time he's been around Ryan. I don't think they've manifested in healthy ways despite the fact it's clear that he's trying, but he is trying blindly.

I think it's incredibly interesting that, despite having learned to give ryan space and his beginnings of acknowledging his son as an autonomous person, Homelander cannot fully separate himself from the concept of ryan's personhood.

homelander's relationship with the mere concept of love will always be so damn tragic. the way it affects his relationship with his son is even more so.

it will be interesting to see if Ryan comes back to Homelander. I think he will, at least until the plot demands he defects. it will be nothing short of agony to see homelander's world shatter like that.

[tkdrawz]

Some of the TMNT fandom (and, frankly, society) really ain't shit.🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️

[From left to right: Princess Fiona (Ogress Form) (Shrek) Eep (The Croods) Gloria (Madagascar) Dijonay Jones (The Proud Family) Luisa Madrigal (Encanto) April O'Neil (TMNT Mutant Mayhem)]

These ladies are female protagonists in their respective franchises. All of them have different body types that contrast from the default thin, petite body type that we're used to seeing. And all of them are BEAUTIFUL! 💖

Three of these ladies became love interests that ended up in healthy relationships with partners who love them for who they are. Also, four of them are women of color. (idk if Fiona counts. While she is green, she started off white so... 50/50? 🤷🏾‍♀️) That part is especially relevant to this post because Twitter got me EFFED UP. I'M ON ONE, ON TWO, ON THREE TODAY!

So the concept art of Mutant Mayhem's April O'Neil was revealed by James A. Castillo, an artist who worked on the movie.

And people are DRAGGING HIM LEFT AND RIGHT! Being disrespectful to both him and April's design. I can tell you right now not even a third of those quotes aren't positive! There is a vast difference between criticism and insults:

💛"I do not like this design. Besides the color yellow and her red/ginger hair, she simply doesn't read as April O'Neil." That's criticism. This expresses disproval of the design without any vulgarities.

💔"Rethink your entire career. "Artist" my ass! This shit is garbage! She looks like she sleeps in a van and smokes so much weed she reeks of it. You failed." That's disrespect. And I don't think I need to tell you why.

Normally, I tend not to discuss such sensitive topics on my blog (religion, politics, discrimination of ANY kind, etc.) for my sanity and out of respect for others with opposing views. But today, I will make an exception.

I would love to include Luisa, who alongside April was mocked and disrespected heavily for her appearance, but I wanted to speak on this matter from the perspective of a plus-sized African American woman. Luisa comes from an completely different background whose culture and standards I am not entirely familiar with. I can't speak on what I don't know. Respectfully.💜

In the black community, women are faced with colorism, texturism, constant comparison, and body image negativity on a daily basis. And a good amount of it comes from our own community! Our shade, our 4C hair, our weight, our attractiveness, our lifestyle! It's brutal out here!😭😭😭

However, in terms of media a plus-sized black girl is seen as ghetto, loud, and undesirable with a side of attitude. The best example I can think of is Dijonay from The Proud Family.

This is the show I grew up on! The theme song, the characters, the Suga Mama, ICONIC! I love Dijonay to pieces, but as I grew up I realize that she was, in some aspects, a negative portrayal. She was always chasing instead of being "the chase". She was a horrible friend to Penny. And she sucumbed to a lot of negative stereotypes with barely any redeeming qualities. And this was very disheartening considering that she was the darkest one in the group. And the heaviest. And as a little chubby wubby in the 2000s with THIS as my representation? I have to give the writers a bit of the side eye. Was she any better in The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder? To that I would say.... meh. I love her in the reboot, but they could do so much more with her in my opinion. I still haven't seen them address the issue of colorism. 👀

While she is not a human, Gloria is voiced by a black woman (Jada Pinkett Smith) and imitates the sass of a black woman so... yeah. She's included. Gloria was persued by two men. One was the suave, flexing hippo Motto Motto. And the other was her friend/neighbor from her childhood Melman. She chose the latter for good reason of course. Now in Madagascar, Gloria wasn't mocked or criticized for her weight. In fact, hippos are known for their weight. However, she was seemingly fetishized for it. By Motto Motto to be exact. And being fetishized is NOT better than being ridiculed.

Unlike Dijonay, April was the chase, a love interest for Leonardo. I admit, I was SHOCKED that she was gonna be persued. Let alone that the writers wanted to try another Turtle/April pairing considering how April and Donnie went...😬. Now her backlash was on a completely different level. One that I wasn't even prepared for....

While Gloria and Dijonay are original characters, Mutant Mayhem's April O'Neil is a different interpretation of the character that has existed since the 80's. The same can be said for the Turtles, Splinter, literally everybody else! Every show and movie for that matter! And with every story, she changes. Design, motivation, relationships/dynamics, even race as of lately. All of it changes. And change isn't bad. In my opinion, it keeps things fresh and interesting instead of spoon feeding us the same story and concepts over and over again. Change challenges us. Change motivates us. However, some people don't like change nor want to accept it and adjust. And that's life. That's just the way it is. But change is necessary in order to progress.

She wasn't bad in the movie AT ALL. I absolutely adored her! And the dynamic between her and Leo wasn't akward or uncomfortable at all. It was handled really well. Ayo Ediberi did an incredible job bringing her to life! (GOD, I loved her in The Bear! Shameless plug lol)

That being said, I understand some of the sensitivity that fans have when a character changes so drastically you can barely recongnize them anymore beyond the bare minimun. (See also Sonic Boom's Knuckles) But the blatant discrimination, rude comments, and the boldness, THE AUDACITY, that some of these nasty Twitter fingers with their dirty fingernails have to type such disrespect to the artist that I can't repeat up here was wild af. Like, I can't believe we have to share a planet with some of them! Uggh!😷(But that's Twitter 24/7 so what's new?) Her and Rise April don't deserve the hate they get. You don't have to like them. Art is subjective. But to insult and harrass the artists and the people who look like the characters, then mask it under the umbrella of "tHaTs mY oPiNiOn" is 🐱. I said what I said. And I will say that shit again.

Also, just because she's black doesn't mean we can't have another white April O'Neil ever again. We know goodness well they could make another iteration of TMNT and make her white if they wanted to. Heck, I encourage them to explore other races and cultures too! New York is full of them! And it's not like all the other versions of April up and vanished. You can watch them anytime on Hulu, Netflix, Paramount Plus, etc.

One more point I'd like to make is that I am an African American woman who is currently on a weight loss journey. As a plus-sized girl, I had incredibly low self-esteem and picked up toxic, unhealthy eating habits from starving myself to overeating BECAUSE I starved myself. Also, I have experienced both sides from being disrespected and made fun of to being complimented and persued. I was at my biggest weight 2 years ago and I have made incredible progress to lose weight since then. People can lose weight. It is achievable! I went to school with some people who were way bigger than me that lost the weight by senior year! Just because she's big in this movie doesn't mean she can't lose weight by the sequel. Like I've said before, it's not wrong to encourage health and fitness!💪🏾 In life, they call this a glow up. A "remember how you treated them in high school" type of comeback. People can, and are allowed to, change. And it's not wrong to embrace your body and the skin you're in. It's all relative!💖

This post isn't to convince you to change your mind. And it won't make the bullies go away. I can't change the world overnight, nor am I trying to. At the end of the day, you're the consumer. It's your choice. Your prefrence. I can't tell you how to think.

I just wanted to spread a bit of awareness that plus sized people exist. And they will always exist. Everyone is deserving of representation in media in all facets. No matter their shape, size, shade, or sexuality. There are so many people from different walks of life who deserve to be seen and on screen. And the amount of visibility for black girls this year alone is amazing! And I want the same for other women of color, too!

Don't let this trash ass society and the people in it who prefer AI/robots over human beings, fake over real, and bad over good tell you otherwise. YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. YES I AM TALKING TO YOU. YOU ARE AMAZING! YOU DESERVE ALL THE GOOD THINGS IN LIFE AND MORE. YOUR STORY CAN CHANGE LIVES. BEING A GOOD, HARD WORKING PERSON DOES PAY OFF IN THE LONG RUN! YOU ABSOLUTELY MATTER IN THIS LIFE AND THE NEXT. WE SEE YOU. I SEE YOU. AND I ADORE YOU. RAISE YOUR SELF ESTEEM, ADJUST YOUR CROWN, WEAR IT PROUD, AND DO YOUR BEST!

Be good to one another. Take care.

💙 -TK

[effypcfcwrites]

The Owl House

(Originally posted on my personal Facebook dated April 25, 2023)

This is probably the first time I'll be posting a detailed review of a piece of media that I like, so witness me sing all of my praises for this animated series from the House of Mouse, because wow, I've never been so invested in a Disney show after rewatching Gravity Falls.

For those unfamiliar, The Owl House revolves around Luz Noceda, a teenage girl who stumbles upon a portal to an alternate world called The Boiling Isles, meets a witch named Eda Clawthorne, learns magic under her tutelage and eventually enrolls in Hexside, a magic school where she makes many friends and goes on multiple adventures.

I binged this whole show in a span of weeks and even stayed up all night on my day off to finish it up to Season 3, the first 2 Seasons being on Disney+ and the latter on Disney Channel's YouTube page.

Simply put, I love it so much! I love how it reminds me of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, and, dare I say, Harry Potter, which it even poked fun at, at times. Well-deserved, considering J.K. Rowling’s transphobic views and HP’s underlying anti-Semitic undertones.

I loved the pop culture references to Thor: Ragnarok, Howl's Moving Castle, Metal Gear Solid, and even Hades, among many others! I thought those were very clever and funny, and just a treat for fellow nerds, geeks, and fans of fantasy stories, anime, and video games.

I love the LGBTQ+ representation all throughout the show, which was such a bold move considering Disney’s iffy stance on the subject. None of them were antagonized for it, and it was treated as something normalized in both the Human and Demon Realms. The show featured 2 gay dads, non-binary and aromantic-asexual characters, and one of the internet’s favorite sapphic/WLW couples Lumity, which is the ship consisting of canonically bisexual Luz and implied lesbian Amity Blight, whose rivals-to-friends-to-lovers relationship was just so wholesome, so natural, and very healthy, considering they're both teenagers. Suprisingly, there was very little melodrama, not once were they petty towards one another whenever either party did something wrong, and they never got tired of showing affection towards each other. I found myself shamelessly gushing over how cute, adorable, and supportive they were together, and tearing up a lot during key moments of their relationship, especially when they both found themselves in dire straits as the story progressed.

I love the writing and the character development of them all! None of them felt static, they all grew throughout the series, maturing, getting better, and healing from their own insecurities, trauma, and guilt. The humor and comedic timing was a nice touch, and I was really taken aback by how S2 ended on such a dark cliffhanger with all stakes raised to the roof, similar to A:TLA S2 and The Empire Strikes Back, as mentioned earlier. That season wasn’t afraid to have such a grim ending, with such a great payoff by the end of S3 which is worth celebrating.

I love the animation and art style, which blended colorful and whimsical with eerie and ominous in just the right amounts. As a sucker for animated movies and series such as Adventure Time, The Prince of Egypt, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, it was just such a delight watching it.

I love the overarching message of the show, which is to be truly yourself, to embrace your quirks, and never to limit yourself and your potential based on what the majority of society and the powers-that-be expect from you. All throughout, you’ll find the characters challenging pre-established norms and roles, and it’s just so satisfying seeing them all win.

11/10 top-tier show. Don’t @ me, it’s hard for me to find something I disliked about the series. It's definitely a must-watch, especially if you're sick and tired of all the bleak nihilism of modern adult animation, and you just want to baby your inner child and escape to a whimsical fantasy world with characters you can all relate to. Betting my bottom peso you'll all be hooked, like I was.

[stuck-in-the-ghost-zone]

HIIII FINALLY BACK THINKING ABT. GRAYSCALE WIBBY.!!!!!!!!

actually i'm. more gonna b thinkign abt like canon wiwi in worm terms bc i hav.e. fucking. NO clue how grayscale arc will translate and i'm genuinely thinking i gotta revamp his entire powerset maybe but we'll see!! i'm SO so so so excited to get ur essay on it………

anyway. new haven wards at least a 7 or so!!!!!!!!! they could fucking kill people very very very easily!!!!! they are genuinely terrifying & they r teenagers!!! clingy sad teenagers who it would take several other capes and a ton of armed soldiers and maybe like a tank to bring down!!!! a big part of my reasoning for this & them being insanely fucking op is like… they're the heirs to the triumvirate-equivalent!!! they're out here being hand picked & groomed for the roles of shit like "level cities" and "throw yourself into leviathan" and "fight the slaughterhouse 9"-- they have to be. so scary and have so much on their shoulders & also be fucked up teenagers. to me. i feel incredibly normal about this btw. also i'm sure they all feel so normal about this i'm sure grayscale wiwi sees so much protocol being enacted because of him & feels normal about it!!! im sure people love having his powers used on him and think he's cool and great and not a sick twisted fuck!!! im sure everyone's reactions to him r awesome and have a good effect on his psyche!!!! (also i have. thoughts. on like. vigilante or rogue nhw. head in hands.)

anyway anyway anyway. BACK TO WIWI. I AM PUTTING HIM AT A 9 OR 10. THIS IS. MMM. DEFINITELY WEIGHTED WITH A CONSIDERATION TO THE PANIC AND COLLATERAL DAMAGE VARIABLE. it is genuinely fucking insane to me that william wisp can create perfect simulacra of people that are such close and perfect imitations people Can Not Tell Them Apart. and also that he can create and control MANY SIMULTANEOUSLY. WHILE BEING A DISTANCE AWAY FROM THEM. and they can ATTACK YOU. even more fucking insane is that he can do it with the environment too & can create illusions that massive without anyone even noticing??………. like. just. think about it for a second. grayscale arc is literally already worm world but think about the fucking shit someone could do when they could create such visually perfect copies that no one can tell unless they touch them or he fucks up somehow. think about the shit he could do by faking an entire environment or explosions or anything else perfectly. literally going insane thinking about this & how well it's used in grayscale arc & fucking imagine if that's just. what he did every day!!! god. anyway everything u say about wibby causes me such immense pain i cannot stop fucking thinking about "what do u think he'd do if he saw civilians being evacuated because of him". head in hands. this is literally so incoherent btw sorry but like. wiwi................

GOD. DUDE. I HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY IN REGARDS TO WIBBY BUT I CANT TELL YOU YET. GOD. i feel really normal about wibby and david. they have a normal and healthy sibling relationship (<< me when i lie)

i would suggest . not . totally overhauling your ideas for wibbys powers yet. maybe altering them a little but . keep them as is for now. smile. i have some ideas. im like. on the CUSP of learning more about cauldron and the artificial powers i think though so on the basis that i dont want to sound silly about my mutuals favorite piece of media i think i will hold off on that for juuuust a little longer. side note unrelated question. i know hatchet face's power was. like. cancelling out other capes powers. is there something in worm that like. temporarily or permanently removes someones powers. that would be so fucked up! but i am Thinking. how would we go about wibby power loss arc. WOULD we even need to do this. many thoughts head full.

um . hi. roswell my beautiful friend and mutual. "groomed for roles such as 'level cities' and 'throw yourself at leviathan' or 'fight the slaughterhouse 9'" do you want me to die? do you want me to die. also thats got me thinking- do you think part of the reason they chose dakota was his anger for the s9 and what they did to his parents. actually on that note would that be his trigger event???????? i dont remember if we've talked about trigger events for nhw yet. speaking of which i think wibby getting the smoke powers should be a secondary trigger event for him. i still think about that moment a lot and it hurts me so bad. mallard conway im going to kick your ass. would the smoke powers be classified as Master since theyre like... controlling minions or whatever?????? you are the worm master (<< awesome title i just came up with) id love ur thoughts on power mechanics.

im so fucking tempted to give u a little bit of the wibby david essay here but theres a specific scene in grey i need you to hear before i go full tilt into that. for now i will just say. remember the "i thought you were the first good thing to come out of deadwood. the first thing that wasnt sick and twisted" line? yeah. god. uhhhhh finding out the older sibling youve looked up to for basically your whole life is actually a horrible piece of shit person and would throw you to the wolves if it benefited him in some way. but instead he turns you into the wolf and sets you loose on people who you used to think were your friends and you dont even realize it until its too late (yes i used the wolf metaphor on purpose be so proud of me)

ANYWAY. UM. YEAH. greyscale wibby fucking. stalking through a building and all of davids hired guards see the shit hes doing and decide its better to abandon their orders and face davids wrath later than to stick around for this horrifying cape shit theyre not equipped to deal with in the slightest. wibby starts hearing radio calls of hired hands telling each other to get the fuck out of there and he realizes the reason they sound so scared is because of him. and yet. he has to keep going he HAS TO or else this will all be for nothing and hes already done so much damage he CANT let it be for nothing. but all these people are afraid of him now

[ilovebeingt4t]

a (not) little rant about total drama’s portrayal of dissociative identity disorder in ROTI and AS

a few little tidbits before we get into the juice…

-i don’t have DID ! i have a dissociation disorder and i’ve done a lot of research on DID, but that obviously doesn’t mean i know as much as someone in a system would. if i make any mistakes or you want to add/correct anything, please do !

-since there isn’t an official name for the system as a whole, i’m gonna use “mike system” to refer to mike, chester, svetlana, vito, manitoba, and mal as a system

-before anyone says it, i know it’s “just a kids’ show” but it’s a kids’ show i’m insane and not normal about. so i’m very passionate about this. also kids’ shows should still be normal about mental illnesses/disabilities so idc

alright stinkers… let’s get into it

ok ! mike systems DID in ROTI isn’t GOOD representation but it isn’t like. the worst out there compared to some other media. some huge positives are the way the alters have actual triggers, and that everyone in the system IS portrayed as their own person, not just an extension or part of mike. i interpret the “gasp” the body does with switches as a stand in for dissociation (since they couldn’t really have him just sit there and stare into space bc of plot/time reasons) and it’s very easy to assume the role of everyone in the system from their personalities and triggers. the best example of this to me is vito ! vito is a “tough guy” who’s triggered to front by his shirt coming off, it’s easy to put the pieces together and assume his role is a protector who formed due to sexual abuse.

obviously, the use of the outdated term multiple personality disorder, the very quick switches, the fact the writers obviously did not actually research DID and just wanted a silly crazy character, and probably more i’m forgetting rn, are NOT issues to just ignore because of the good stuff. it’s definitely NOT good or super accurate representation by any means, but i don’t think it’s exactly super bad either. it’s iffy but has redeeming qualities to it.

another plus about mike system in ROTI, even though this isn’t really part of the portrayal of DID as a disorder, is that mike has a love interest that isn’t written as a joke. i feel like having mike in a romantic relationship is a BIG positive representation wise. it’s really important to me that even though zoey is confused and weirded out when she didn’t know what was going on, once she found out mike was part of a system she became more understanding and didn’t give up on him. being part of a system doesn’t mean you can’t have a partner, friends, etc and mike being in a wholesome healthy relationship is a nice breath of fresh air compared to other media portraying DID.

NOW. LETS ADDRESS MAL AND ALL STARS. GOOD LORD.

all stars has an issue with watering down characters and making poor plot/character choices in general, and in my opinion it’s the worst with mike system. ROTI had questionable at times but ok DID rep with mike system, which is why it’s so disappointing that AS took the “evil alter” route and whatever the hell the button thing was… bc they were SO close with having ok representation and then they threw it all away for an overdone and harmful stereotype. mike system in ROTI is a MASTERPIECE compared to whatever the hell was going on in AS.

even when you take into account that in a real life system, mal is most similar to the role of a persecutor (an alter who sabotages the body’s relationships and causes harm to the body/other alters as a way to “protect” everyone in their eyes (oops ! i was wrong. a persecutor isn’t always a protector, however they can take the role of a persecutor and protector which is where i got confused. mal is a both a persecutor and protector to me)) which makes SOME of his actions explainable TO AN EXTENT, it’s clear the writers didn’t have that intent and just wanted a spooky evil alter, which is really disappointing. along with the button issue, which is just…. so insane….

i choose to believe for my own sanity that the button was sort of an emergency temporary dormancy button and that chester fr just lied/didn’t know and made something up. but that obviously isn’t canon, and IN CANON the body’s trauma and serious disorder was literally gone because of the PRESS OF A BUTTON and it is absolutely ridiculous. and it’s portrayed as a GOOD THING.

systems are systems because it is the only way the body and brain can maintain stability and live after serious repeated trauma. in a real situation with a system, if there was somehow a way to get rid of alters in literal seconds, the consequences would be ABSOLUTELY DISASTROUS and unstable. obviously, integration and dormancy CAN be a good thing depending on the system, but it is a LOOONG and complicated process and watering it down to the press of a button in your brain is so inappropriate and insensitive. literally why did they do that. it’s just so disappointing to go from what mike system was in roti to what they became in all stars.

sorry u guys i am just passionate about this

[devine-fem]

Hii I know the post is a few days old by now, but I just wanna say I get you with the fact that "lego batjokes is the only okay batjokes"

I LOVE that movie with a passion, but I will become its number 1 hater if someone uses it to push puritan shit on me

The ship itself is okay, but I don't think it's a good batjokes shit I think it should have its own little corner separate from batjokes tbh

No, I actually cannot stand it anymore like I don’t seriously, seriously hate it that bad its just like the constant remark of how people are gross for shipping batjokes outside of one piece of media is literally SO ANNOYING.

STOP BEING A COWARD. you’re not better than anyone here. like dude, if you want to ship just one specific iteration of batjokes that has not been touched in years, SHIP SOMETHING ELSE. We don’t want you here.

Honestly the WHOLE “you can’t ship this ship anywhere but this universe” IS SO ANNOYING IN THE COMIC BOOK FANDOM. like i even get that for jondami where people said you can only ship them in dceased. DUDE JUST SHIP THEM, NO ONES JUDGING YOU AND NO ONE CAN STOP YOU. STOP MAKING IT EVERYONE ELSES ISSUE.

like huh???

its just annoying like i want to make these people bite concrete. like lego batjokes is a bit cute but the allure of batjokes is that its messed up.

okay, let me calm down.

the appeal of batjokes is exploring the relationship between bruce wayne and the joker if you add explicit romantic or sexual elements to it. its more of a study than anything. what would happen between these characters if you gave them a bit of dick?

BUT ISNT THAT JUST SHIPPING IN GENERAL. like yes, its toxic, yes joker is horrible, yes bruce is horrible but like thats the point, it could have an interesting turn about to it THAT YOU WONT GET WITH HEALTHY SHIPS.

did you ever think about how interesting it would be to watch bruce jump over mental hurdles to pursue something with the joker WHEN HE HAS KILLED JASON? CRIPPLED BABS? did you ever think about how someone likes that?

you ever read dark romance in your life cause lemme tell you… and it might surprise you… ITS DARK. GASP !!

like yes my only option is to be a hater to lego batjokes now. do i hate them? nope, because i ship them and i love every version of batjokes because i ship them dude and media like lego batman and telltale batman is a TOOL FOR ME AS A FAN TO USE if i want something more healthy and domestic between these characters, not for some rando who doesn’t touch comics to use against ME for BEING NORMAL. oooo, you don’t like this piece of media the EXACT SAME WAY I DO AND CONSUME THE EXACT SAME WAY I DO, GROSS! kys.

sorry, i get passionate about batjokes but oh my god, one day can we PLEASE stop saying this. its so annoying.

[scared-cr0ws]

hi everyone! i have seen a lot of arguments recently unwillingly on my feed about pro proship (in particular the supports incestuous or pedophilic media kind and not the ships crackships kind) despite having numerous tags blocked for it. so perhaps for the chance that i reach just one person on the fence about the whole ordeal i suppose it to be only fair to speak my mind. that and to clear up any misunderstanding by anyone who supports my art.

i do not support proshipping and i encourage anyone who does to block me. i do not want you anywhere near my work. these types of themes run RAMPANT in the utmv community and it breaks my heart knowing how many younger people are often active here. it is SO demoralizing to see that even the most morally sound and seemingly at-least-semi-aware of consequences people would sit there and not be able to put 2 and 2 together and understand that they are going too far. that being able to mentally justify any representation of incest or pedophilla in any way that isnt condemning it is WRONG. It could be as fake as you want but youre still perceiving and enjoying, or even worse, using your talent to CREATE the type of media that makes genuine scum of the earth feel like they have a place in society and the fact that you either refuse to acknowledge that or just simply dont care makes you just as vile as those who partake in it..

i often see this “if you don’t enjoy something that someone else enjoys just move on” argument but its not about enjoying it versus not enjoying it its about not having the backbone of a soggy piece of paper and knowing that the things you think you shouldn’t romanticize in real life are things you shouldn’t romanticize through the media you consume just because you repeat the fact that its ‘fiction’ over and over.

you FUNDAMENTALLY shouldn’t enjoy seeing two related characters in romantic relationships

you FUNDAMENTALLY should not enjoy seeing an underaged character with an adult

and if you DO its NOT good. it is not good for your psyche and your perception of life and i urge anyone who DOES enjoy these things to seek therapy especially if it comes from a source of past abuse because it is NOT HEALTHY.

i don’t care about crack ships or ‘unhealthy’ ships or literally ANYTHING as long as you aren’t enjoying media of literal ILLEGAL and IMMORAL relationships because of all the media you could consume WHY consume the media that normalizes such awful things and produces content for people who would do such things in real life

and what draws the line between you and them. truly.

[broomsick]

Is it alright if I ask you for some guidance on connecting with the Norse pantheon? I'm entering into a really scary time in my life, grappling with going to college in the city despite being (up until now) a lifelong country bumpkin and possibly even moving out for the first time, all while being a timid autistic person with a terrible anxiety disorder.

Basically if there's ever a time I'd need the gods to be present in my life it's now, but I still struggle to feel connected with them sometimes. I still connect with them, I've had dreams where I talk with Odin and Thor and Freyr, but I can't say they're a completely consistent part of my life. Sometimes I even question if they're really protecting me, even though I know that's almost certainly the anxiety talking.

Is there anything you'd recommend doing to connect with the gods during a really stressful time? I have a very small and honestly not very impressive altar so maybe I should work to spruce that up more. Any guidance would be appreciated, sorry for bothering you 🙏 Thanks!

Hi there! First of all, I want to tell you that moving out is indeed scary, and it's very brave of you to consider moving so far! I definitely understand your situation, as I haved struggled with anxiety pretty much forever. Unfortunately, being a pagan with this sort of mental health challenge can bring about a lot of insecurity. And I find that sometimes, it can also make us feel disconnected from our spirituality. I don't think that this is something we can completely overcome. As a matter of fact, I find that it's better to ask yourself "why do I feel this way right now?", rather than say "I should be feeling this way, so why don't I?". What I learned with time is that our day-to-day circumstances affect our spirituality more than we think. For example, I often start to feel disconnected from my spiritual life when I've had a stressful week at work, or even just when I try too long and too hard to connect with the Gods. And on top of that, with social media being the way it is, people cant help but compare themselves with pagans who have more time and money on their hands. Now, I'm no expert on all things psychology, but I do know about spirituality. And I know that it comes and goes in waves: every single polytheist I've met experiences moments when they don't feel as connected to their Gods as they used to. Even those whose very career was tied to their spiritual practices. But those are not bad news! It only means that you have a healthy relationship with spirituality, and that you're not letting it overshadow the other important aspects of your life.

But more on the tips to stay connected to the Gods. What I know for certain is that sometimes, we have no control over how connected we feel to them. But there are a lot ways for you to keep them close to your heart. The first, in my opinion, is to make your spirituality into a safe and happy place. Find ways to make it fun! By listening to music that feels spiritual to you, writing down prayers or devotional poems when you’re inspired, wearing a piece of jewelry in their honor, making a Pinterest board into a little online shrine, drawing a rune or sigil which represents them on your skin, making art of the deities you love… In other words, don’t be afraid to mix your passions and your faith. No matter how “casual” it may feel! Sometimes, “casual” is what we can manage given our busy lives (which is why the size of your altar does not matter, it’s the love you pour into tending it that makes all the difference). It’s both perfectly normal and healthy. And if something about your practice/belief doesn’t feel right anymore, simply let go of it. Same goes if you don’t resonate with something that every other pagan seem to do.

Another tip I can give you is to simply try (don’t worry, I will elaborate). By this, I mean adopt simple gestures to honor them, even if there might not necessarily be a response. I find that this is especially important in moments when you struggle to feel the presence of your Gods. Leave them a small portion of your dinner every now and then. Do a little bit of research on this or that deity when you can. And if you’ve got the time, offer them a fruit, or a cup of coffee! Anything will do, no matter how small. Light a candle for them every night (routine helps a lot), and pray if you’ve got something on your mind. It’s normal not to see some sort of immediate response. But if you look around yourself during the day— if you look at the sunset on your way home from work, at the trees that rustle with the wind, or at the rain pouring outside your window—, and if you listen carefully to what people tell you, you might start to notice some signs. Recurring patterns and omens are a typical example of signs that a deity might send. It’s also fun to draw parallels between every day things and your deities. For example, to think of Freyr when you tend a cute new house plant. Or to pray to Skaði during a snowstorm! I have always loved “inviting” deities to witness certain events, so as to share the joy with them. I simply close my eyes, focus of the deity I want to call out to, and speak their name aloud, or murmur it. Actually, if you’re interested in this topic, I have written this post, which could be helpful to you!

Don’t be afraid to keep trying, that’s my most important tip. There’s really not much else we can do when we feel disconnected from our faith. Make your belief into something that feels right. Spirituality should be a happy place for you, and not a reason for worry. You deserve for your practice as a norse pagan to feel joyful and fulfilling. Above all, don’t force anything: these sorts of moments are inevitable. I’ve known them myself, and so has every other pagan. But things will get better soon, that I guarantee!

[epiphainie]

u have a very eloquent way of speaking and will get the idea across way better than I could so what do u think about how people are twisting tommy’s mentions of jealousy regarding having and wanting a family and a father figure that he’s brought up on two separate occasions? the way some people are coming at him as someone with absolutely evil and malicious intentions to idk take over and steal bucks life is so wild to me. largely because of you are truly harbouring an evil form of jealous and have the plan to take someone down, you don’t let the person know that you’re jealous of them in a vulnerable and intimate way. what to me was a moment of healthy communication between two people in a developing relationship other people have turned into proof of tommy and buck not working out because tommy’s jealousy comes with some sort of malicious hidden agenda. I also just wanna know how jealousy is an inherently bad emotion? sorry I can’t quite articulate by thoughts properly but I hope u get what I mean and maybe articulate them better lol

Hi anon!

I think you articulated it very well. I gotta admit I ignored all of those takes, didn't even take a glance because they are simply so silly. Trying to find anything as a precursor to BuckTommy's 'inevitable' fall results in the wildest takes as you said because for what we have of BuckTommy so far, no interaction between them has been played as a potential flaw. Like I said before, when you watch this arc like a normal person (and not someone who found themselves looking for some sort of validation through a fictional piece of media approving your beliefs), BuckTommy are kinda sickeningly good for each other so far. The moment they realized bi Buck wasn't a stepping stone to their fantasy endgame, there was no escaping their bad faith interpretations, but it's been kind of funny with how ridiculously normal and healthy BuckTommy has been in the actual text. I can't even imagine what we'll deal with next year when they actually experience some relationship drama for the development.

Like you said, there's nothing wrong with vocalizing your jealousy. No emotion is inherently bad and talking about it with the person you're pursuing a relationship with is good, it's healthy. Jealousy is not this monster where you're dying inside to get what you don't have, sometimes it's an expression of dismay that things didn't work out the same way for you. Most of the time it doesn't even have anything to do with other people, it's about the experiences you've had. How would this even cause a problem for a couple, like? Sorry babe, I can't stand that you wanna be friends with my friends too?

Anyway, forgot what I was saying. It's just all very dumb.

[most-canon-non-canon-ship-poll]

that boy is GAY

Why Mileven is shit - a submission-based essay, part 2.5/3

Mileven - a currently canon het ship from the Stranger Things fandom between Michael (Mike) Wheeler and Jane (Eleven) Ives/Hopper/Byers/IDK

Mileven is built with peer expectations, pressure, and heteronormativity at its core. It has steadily gotten worse over time as El and Mike have grown and both, in my opinion, realized that the relationship is not working but they still hold on to it because of the safety and familiarity it offers. That being said, it doesn't serve the main theme of the show nor does it add anything new or revolutionary to its genre (and we know the Duffers have been clear that Stranger Things is not Nostalgia jerk off bait or an homage, they take a lot of pride in it and wanted to create something new from something old, revolutionizing an existing piece of media). Mileven is, however, a poignant example of how homophobic people and people who are not comfortable, familiar, or accustomed to queer joy will immediately embrace it just for the sheer virtue of it being comprised of two good-looking, popular actors that are cis male and cis female. Aside from my personal belief that Byler is superior as a ship, I also think that Mike and El are the worst versions of themselves when they are together. They aren't honest with one another, they don't encourage each other's interests or try to understand each other better, and contrary to fanon belief, I don't even see a healthy foundation for a friendship there. This is due to the amount of force in their relationship - force from Mike to lie, avoid his friends, get snippy and short, hide away and tuck his emotions and personal interests deeeeeep down so he can be someone he is not (and just "grow up" because that is what he thinks he has to do now that he is getting older), force from El to try to be the perfect, happy, normal girlfriend. Heck, there has even been a ton of force from both of them not just to fill these conventional roles properly, but to say "I love you" which should NEVER need to be forced in a healthy relationship! Loving someone should be the easy part, that should be the thing you're excited to say when you feel it. So why is this such a problem between them? Mike cannot seem to climb this hill despite already blurting it in the heat of the moment when El was not in the room! (I do think this damage can be undone, but it will only get worse the longer they date.) I want Mike and El to have growth, self-acceptance, and ultimate happiness in the end - they will not and can not achieve this as a couple. Their relationship is so tightly woven in parallels to other failed couples or platonic pairings, and Mike's struggles with identity truly make no sense if he is just going to stay with El forever and have babies and live at the end of a culdesac (why all the contention with his own parents then? Why the tension between him and Will that just keeps growing and growing? Why all the queer imagery around his character and the tenderness he exhibits with Will? Why the built up frustration and frustration with Will? Why the DIRECT parallels between his interactions with El "You never say it/I say it" and Will - "I didn't say it/You didn't have to?"). They do not fulfill each other or love each other unconditionally, and I strongly feel that El is happier just enjoying the love of a family and unconditional friendship.

[mesaylormoon]

MaXXXine: A Review

We are finally entering a refreshing period of history in which our culture is becoming more open-minded to the idea of exploring sex in pop culture. After decades of treating the topic as taboo, it’s important — and even healthy — to normalize the subject as a part of human exploration and even a device to build relationships in film. Shows like Euphoria have helped push the envelope in regard to showing sex in media and MaXXXine is another entry into the category. It stands out as a surprisingly entertaining piece for anyone familiar or unfamiliar with the series.

Pros:

* The presentation and cinematography in this picture are fantastic. Every frame of the film is dripping with atmosphere. The color palette of muted burgundies, midnight blues, pitch blackness, and grainy visual qualities all give this production a unique, even recognizable look. The scenes that take place at nighttime in the city are especially beautiful and feel as if they were ripped right out of an old Hollywood piece

* Director Ti West expertly commits to three genres in one movie: film noir, murder mystery, and old western. It’s very difficult to find a balance when combining dissonant styles and tones, but the three somehow blend together seamlessly to create a film with a standout visual language, tone, and aesthetic

* Although the costume design and stereotypical lean-in to 1980’s nostalgia is a bit tired, the time period MaXXXine is set in gives the film a very cozy feel and it’s fun to see archival remnants of the era (VHS tapes, video stores)

* Mia Goth’s performance as Maxine is the true X-factor of this movie. The lead actress perfectly depicts the tiredness, ruggedness, frustration, brokenness, and pained complexities of a character the audience has gotten to know over the course of three films. Kevin Bacon is also a fun addition to the cast whose fate is enjoyably fun to watch near the movie’s climax

* I really like the story, conflict, and setup of this third installment. I had no idea what to expect from MaXXXine but was worried that, without knowledge of the last two pictures, I would have trouble following this one. Not only does it work well as a standalone outing, I think the simplicity of the protagonist’s motivations make the movie engaging and easy to follow

* The pacing of the movie works surprisingly well. While it is, for the most part, slow-moving and driven by character interaction, there are just enough action scenes dispersed in between to keep the conflict interesting

Cons:

* Sam Levinson’s thumbprint is very evident in MaXXXine. He is featured as a producer credit and his obsession with excessive sex scenes, over-the-top violence, and messy narrative are on display throughout the movie’s runtime

* While Maxine’s motivations to transition from adult films to Hollywood and apprehend her friends’ killers is well-established, her relationships with the supporting characters are not. Perhaps I can’t appreciate this detail as a result of having not seen the previous installments, but this was a huge flaw that severely hurt the picture’s quality for me

* The reveal of the twist villain is especially weak. It’s interesting to include an antagonist with a personal connection to the heroine, but this is a plot device that, at this point in cinema history, has become a bit overused. Moreover, his reasoning for attempting to ruin the protagonist’s career are not well-established

* A24 has made it a frustrating hook of their filmography to incorporate heavy-handed, obvious themes of anti-religion, and its use in MaXXXine is not very purposeful. One could change this element of the story and not really miss anything

Verdict: This has certainly been a contradictory review of mine, but overall, I enjoyed MaXXXine much more than I thought I would. I’m glad I took a risk on seeing this in theaters. Traditionally, I tend to like lots of A24 releases (as do most movie buffs, due to their above-average quality) but not every film developed by the studio has been a hit for me. (I absolutely hate Lady Bird and I’m not proud to say it was my first A24 viewing). Tangent aside, MaXXXine is a solid mystery movie with a strong visual identity and memorable moments that make it worth more than one sitting.

[istorkyou]

The Price Of Love (Modern!Ivar AU)

A Modern!Ivar x F Reader

Warnings - See individual chapters. STRICTLY 18+

Synopsis - Money isn’t everything.

Word Count - 1340

Note - This is the second fic I ever wrote and I’m not sure why I never posted it. I think I started writing The Arrangement not long after and kind of fell out of love with this one. Still, it’s been festering in my completed docs for well over a year so I figure I might as well post it 😬 It’s fluffy, and maybe a little cheesy (and by a little I mean a lot!) so if that’s your bag I hope you enjoy it!

Moodboard - The beautiful moodboard is made the magical, amazing @serasvictoria. Thank you so much xxxx

This was beta read by my aussie wife who has left Tumblr. All love, all the time Lou x

Tag List - Let me know if you want on or off :)@smears-and-spots @punkrocknpearls​​ @youbloodymadgenius​​ @momowhoo​​ @zuxiezendler​​ @not-another-viking-fanfic-blog​ @ivar-s-my-brat-tamer​ @pieces-by-me​ @heavenly1927​​ @berryonasummerevening @synnersaint​​ @out-of-the-box-and-into-alchemy​ @petite-hime​​ @serasvictoria​​ @mimiiinspace​​ @itsmysticalmystery​​ @lonewolf471​​ @mylifeisactuallyamess​​ @draculasbride-blog​​ @love-all-things-writing​​ @southernbe​​ @redhead7799​​ @kaybee87​​ @ivarlover​​ @ivarhoegh​​ @idgafiamallthefandoms​​ @darkphoenix5037​​ @profoundtyrantharmony​​ @snarling-through-our-smiles​​ @crazyunsexycool​​ @xceafh​​ @bragisrunes​​@noway4u @batmandallyboy​​ @complicatedbutrare @readsalot73​​​​ @meandmycherrytree

Masterpost

CHAPTER 12

The next few weeks can only be described as surreal. You go about your normal life but now some people recognise you, staring and pointing and taking pictures of you. It’s like being trapped in a weird nightmare.

Your shop is way busier than usual, you suppose you have to look on the bright side of this shit show.

There are countless articles written about you, Sadie tells you that most of them are complimentary, although some less so. She tells you the comment section and social media posts are really awful. You just steer clear of it all, the good and the bad.

Ivar is having a hard time at work because of it all. He tells you his mother isn’t pleased with him at all. He keeps most of the details to himself but he is definitely more stressed than usual.

You spend every spare seconds with each other, at your place. It doesn’t appear that your place is known to the media yet so it becomes your safe haven.

You find relief in each other. Every chance you get you are making each other come to try and release some of the tension. You try to avoid going out together in public, but having to hide away is not healthy for your new relationship. You aren’t doing the normal things new couples do, dating, getting to know each other outside the bedroom.

On a lazy Sunday afternoon you're both fed up with being cooped up inside.

“Let’s go out, Ivar. I can’t be in these four walls anymore. Let’s go out and get some lunch, go for a walk, let’s just go anywhere, I’m going crazy in here!” Your hands fly up in exasperation.

A massive smile cracks out on Ivar's face, “that’s my girl! Screw them baby, let’s just live our lives!”

You get ready and head out for a walk into town, you end up finding a street market and shop for things for dinner. It's so wonderfully cliched and normal; walking hand in hand, his arms around you, his face buried in your hair breathing you in. You barely notice if people are looking at you or not.

You head into your favourite pizza place for lunch and hear a massive roar of clapping and whooping when you walk in. You look over in the direction it’s coming from and it’s Iris, Sadie and a bunch of your other friends.

“Oh crap, that’s all my friends. I promise I didn’t know they were here!” You turn to Ivar and say, he just laughs at you.

“Shall we join them?” He asks. You smile and nod at him, he seems quite relaxed about it.

You head to the table and Iris stands up, walks straight past you and pulls Ivar in for a crushing hug.

“Don’t worry about me, Iris. Jesus!” You laugh. Sadie heads over and gives you a hug.

“So nice to see you, stranger! I had forgotten what you look like, it’s been weeks,” Sadie says to you, a slight scold in her tone.

“I know, I’m sorry, it’s been a very weird few weeks. All of the attention has been making me super uncomfortable,” you admit to her quietly. You look over to Iris who is still hugging Ivar.

“Iris, do you want to put him down?” you joke.

“Not really hun, he’s very huggable,” she pokes her tongue out at you and turns back to him. “You really are very good looking aren’t you?” He laughs, looking at you and a blush covers his cheeks.

“Come and sit down, we've been looking forward to meeting you!” Sadie tells him.

You spend the rest of the afternoon sitting in the restaurant with your friends, eating and drinking. You can tell by the way they react to Ivar that he has won them over, he is relaxed in their presence and hilariously funny. A massive feeling of pride swells in your chest as you watch him charm everyone.

“I must say, Ivar. You don’t seem anything like your reputation.” Sadie giggles at him. He turns towards her with the deepest scowl on his face you have ever seen, his face is tipped down and he is staring at her menacingly through his eyebrows. She lets out a terrified squeal and Ivars face breaks into laughter.

“Jesus, there he is,” Sadie exclaims.

“I’ve been a lot happier recently so the asshole side of me hasn’t come out for a while,” he tells Sadie then looks at you and smiles. You can almost hear Sadie swoon. You actually hear Iris pretend to puke then laugh. You smile back at him, blushing.

When it’s time to leave, Ivar warmly hugs everyone. “Iris, I will pass on your number to Hvitserk” and winks at her. You look at her quizzically.

“Oh, you think you're the only one that can pull a Lothbrok?” she retorts, leaving the table in fits of laughter.

It’s dark when you leave, not a photographer in sight.

“We needed that, didn’t we, Y/N?” He asks you.

“We did,” you give him a big kiss, “I’m missing your dick though, this is the longest we’ve been together without you being inside me. Let’s go home.”

—————-

“So, this annual ball thingy at his company is coming up and he’s been practically on his knees begging me to go for the last two weeks,” Sadie and Iris look at you curiously.

“Yeah, so what’s the issue?” Iris asks.

“There’s a red fucking carpet, that’s the issue. Apparently loads of famous people go every year,” you say with a worried look on your face. Iris squeals in excitement.

“No Iris, it’s not a good thing. It’s terrifying. What if I trip over, what if I have a nip slip, what if I fuck up in some way and embarrass him, and myself?!” You wave your hands around trying to get your point across.

“Yeah that would be bad,” Iris says seriously, catches the look of shock on your face and bursts out laughing. “Of course you won’t do any of those things! Have you told him you will go? You have to go with him. I will if you won’t,” she winks at you.

“Just do it, Y/N you will be fine,” Sadie says in a soft, encouraging voice.

“I haven’t said yes or no yet, but I have been on the lookout for a dress and I’ve found this..” You take out your phone and show them a picture of a long gown, clinging to the curves of the model beautifully.

“It’s nice, but it’s quite simple,” says Iris with a wrinkle in her nose, you give her a smirk and narrow your eyes the swipe to the next picture.

“YES!!!” they both shout at once! You are showing them the back of the dress, or lack thereof. It’s almost backless, the fabric starting again dangerously close to the model's ass. You nod and smirk at their reaction.

“It's amazing, right?!” You ask them.

“Oh. Oh!! Do you know what would make it more amazing?! I’m going to make you a necklace, a long string of zirconias that you can wear running down your back. Let me, let me!” Sadie pleads.

“Go on, let her, Ivar can use it like a lead in the bedroom after,” Iris says playfully, winking at Sadie. You burst out laughing.

“Not really the intended use for one of my creations but do with it what you will,” Sadie says, trying to be prim and proper but with a devilish glint in her eye.

“Sadie, thanks so much, I would really love that, you know I love all your jewellery.” You blow a kiss at her.

“I’ll get the dress then, I will let him know I am going to go,” you squeal in excitement.

You send him a quick message.

I will go with you to the ball ❤️

His reply is instant.

Good girl 😉

His response has you chuckling. “He’s happy,” you tell the girls.

Chapter 13

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

Howdy! Same person who stayed anonymous so I wouldn't get harassed by fans here, and I have another thing to say.

People think that media like this may not have an outside influence on the world, but in reality it does. It may seem stupid, but the media portraying relationships like these as normal caused me to stay in an abusive relationship for two years. I apologize if it's oversharing, but I used to watch shows like this all the time when I was younger (Not sharing my age because then people will try to claim I have no idea what I'm talking about.) and this, paired with other personal events in my life, made me think that relationships like these were normal and healthy. Luckily, I now realize they aren't.

The glorification of bad characters who have little-to-no redeemable qualities or ways to justify what they did just because they're "hot" or "sexy" needs to stop. It causes people to glorify abuse and abusers. I used to be a major SPOP fan and, shamefully, a Catra simp, so I could keep going on about a LOT of stuff this show does, but I won't.

I, once again, apologize for oversharing and for how long this post is. Thank you for addressing all this in the show despite the criticism you're getting.

you don't need to apologize! i'm so sorry you had to go through that and i hope you're out of that relationship now. this is exactly what i've been saying. i can understand why some people may want to believe that c//a is a good ship, especially considering that this is one of the very few queer representation we have. it especially concerns me that kids watching this may take this as good representation, i've already seen posts saying stuff like "i want what they have" or "i want someone to look at me the way catra looks at adora".

the only reason i spotted the toxicity in the show early on is because i was also in a close (platonic) relationship with a person who was very much like catra, and i was in the process of figuring out that this isn't normal. i tried to get myself to root for catra, but i just couldn't. and it confused me that the fandom didn't see the problem with this show and instead acted like it was the biggest masterpiece to ever exist.

relationships in the media are rarely realistic, especially the enemies-to-lovers trope. it may look exciting in a story but it very rarely works out irl. more often that not, when it does work it, it ends up being an abusive relationship like c//a. but there are healthy fictional relationships that you can look up to, and those ships don't get the attention that these toxic ones do, because they are labelled as "vanilla" and "boring".

the point of this blog isn't to start unnecessary beef with the fandom or demonize the show. it is to help people understand the red flags in catra's and adora's relationship. when consuming a piece of media, it is always wise to be open-minded and critical, because even the best of the best can have flaws. it's the same as reading the classics while also acknowledging that they were a product of their time, and most likely had some problematic ideals embedded into them.

i think it's still okay to like catra as a character. i like a lot of villains myself, because they are complex or sympathetic or just plain fun to watch. but you need to still acknowledge that these are objectively bad people, regardless of their motives. i've seen a few catra fans who admit that catra's redemption was rushed and that they didn't like c//a either. i respect these types of fans a lot, because they are able to like a character without being blind to said character's flawed treatment.

anyway, if any of you want to see actually healthy relationships and good queer representation in media, i suggest shows such as The Owl House, The Legend of Korra, Infinity Train, The Dragon Prince, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, Steven Universe and Arcane. please don't settle for the toxic relationships. not only are they not good representation, but they are actively harmful for the community. it's time we stopped romanticizing abusive relationships just because they are angsty and have "sexual tension".

[tanuki1029]

The most stand out in yer face fatphobic moments in Dungeon Meshi occur in chapter 32 and chapter 97. Just really had me as a fat reader myself sit back and go 'why did you need to do that?' when I was reading it. Seen a handful of other people (other fat readers mostly) pick up the thing in chapter 97 and say something about it but by and large the fandom seems to belive that there's no way that the manga about having a good relationship with food and being healthy can be fatphobic which is... not how that works. I just think folks going into it would want a heads up about it

Yeah, absolutely! Especially because, like, "having a good relationship with food and being healthy" is the motte to fatphobia's bailey (or the other way around, not sure off the top of my head which is which). It's like every piece of media about food has to have a caveat or some moment to assure readers that it's definitely fine to hate fat people.

I honestly really appreciate the heads up. Even if it's disappointing, it's better to be disappointed ahead of time. Wish people were more normal about when fat people point stuff like this out, but that would require they see us as people.

[mzannthropy]

There needs to be more anti Daisybilly blogs like yours tbh. I feel like shipping them romanticizes so much that shouldn't be. Especially since the people they're based off of has a terrible relationship. Her love should've been one-sided imo.

Oh definitely there's a need for more blogs like mine, lol (sorry, I just like blogging) but no, I don't know that I want to be known as anti-anything, it's draining. I do hate that ship, true, so I guess I can be categorised as anti d/b, if that's what you're looking for, but it's not why I'm here. I try to stick to "choose love, not hate", meaning that I prefer posting about things I like rather than those I hate (so, for example, post Billy x Camila rather than raging about the other ship)--but at the same time bottling it up is not healthy either, so sometimes you have to let it out. It's about a balance.

I want to say, though, I don't mind a problematic ship, it can be really compelling. But it depends. With Billy and Daisy, I just simply never saw anything there (two people who work on music, big deal!). Billy and Camila just had something that I found appealing. And I honestly don't get what the author was trying to say. Why have Billy struggle with drugs and alcohol, cheat on his wife (who is great) with groupies, then clean up his act--only for him to start an emotional affair??? If it was either one, or the other, it would still be more understandable. I agree that it should have been one-sided by Daisy. When I re-listened to the audiobook at the time the show was out, and it got to the part where they were recording Aurora, when Daisy wrote Regret Me, I wondered what she actually expected from Billy, I remember I was cleaning the bathroom and I said out aloud "but what do you WANT from him?"

Or better yet, this should have been two stories. One of Billy and Camila where everything is the same, except there's nothing between him and Daisy and he behaves himself for the rest of his life (and Camila outlives him) and the second one of Daisy, with all the mess and bad relationships she gets into, until she meets the one man (not Billy) who sees her true worth. I'd have been able to root for both. According to this Goodreads review, TJR has a habit of mistreating wives in her books. So that's that.

What I find more worrying is not the shippers, but the way all the official media promoted Billy and Daisy. As for MTV nominating that kiss for the best kiss, my jaw just dropped when I saw it, bc how is anything like that remotely okay (aside from the very fact that a category like 'best kiss' exists). YA books used to be mocked for featuring love triangles, but at least those were one girl/two guys, which at least one can understand if the target audience is girls who feel insecure about themselves (normal for teenagers) but this piece of fiction is for adults, and two women/one man, in the misogynistic society that we live in?

And it's not even that original a tale--Lennon and Yoko, anyone? (Except he did leave his wife.) Even Sam Claflin's ex-wife, Laura Haddock starred in a film that is basically the same shit. So, you know.