#I will accept that their reasons for disliking Jack are valid

[batsarebetterthanpeople]

You know after thinking about it I think my main problem with Izzy stans once you get past the obvious one, which is the way that they are racist to Ed, (Clearly my main problem but not the problem I’m here to talk about) is that they don’t even like Izzy. They like Ed, and they like Black Pete, and they like Calico Jack, but they can’t admit that they like those characters for some reason? (you know why they can’t admit that they like Ed and Black Pete)

Like the ways Ed’s back story gets cannibalized for Izzy in a lot of fics and the way people will swap Izzy and Ed’s personalities is well trod territory. Ed is treated as enjoying violence and having a toxic masculinity problem and Izzy is treated like someone who’s trying desperately to make his working relationship with Ed beneficial when in the show those rolls are switched. You’ve heard this meta before. I just made a whole post about the way that Jack’s roll in Ed’s backstory (i.e. like 90% of the reason he exists as a character) gets ignored in favor of giving that roll to Izzy. And don’t even get me started on Black Pete. Both Izzy and Black Pete struggle with toxic masculinity, are obsessed with Blackbeard, and desperately wants to be in a leadership roll and aren’t very good at it. But so far at least Black Pete is the one undergoing the redemption arc and getting better, and Izzy is the one getting worse. I see people wanting a relationship with Lucius to redeem him and I’m like girl you have that. That’s Black Pete. Like Black Pete chose to get better and he’s still working on it but when he realized that Blackbeard wasn’t who he thought he was he minded his business and he went from complaining about sewing being womens work and worrying about what Blackbeard’s crew would do in episode one to learning through his relationship with Lucius to be sweet and vulnerable. And while Izzy in canon is attracted to Lucius i guarantee you that Lucius will not be playing that roll in his narrative, because it’s the roll he plays for Black Pete. That’s not to say that Lucius fixed him, but they will give Lupete’s dynamic to Izzy for no fucking reason.

So I’m gonna do something I don’t usually do and that’s defend Izzy here. If you’re gonna like Izzy there are tons of things about him that you can like. His psychosexual obsession with Blackbeard and his and Ed’s weird codependency is juicy enough to drive the plot at times. He’s a little freak to the point where he got his toe cut off and he liked it. He’s stubborn. He’s driven. He’s manipulative. He’s plotting and conniving. He sees other people as caricatures of themselves and DOES NOT react well at all to people falling outside of the box he’s made for them. He’s angry all the time. He can’t identify love. He’s jealous of Stede in the way that a child is jealous of their friends’ friends. All of these are wonderful traits in a blorbo (and terrible traits in a person, but a blorbo is not a real boy) They make him interesting and they give him layers. It’s very fun to theorize what happened to him to make him this way. There are many reasons to like Izzy Hands. But it’s kind of annoying when other characters’ cool stuff is ascribed to Izzy and those characters are ignored and maligned in favor of Izzy, especially when those characters are the brown romantic lead and the bald kinda frumpy guy with a lisp, who in 99% of media doesn’t get to be seen as hot but in this media gets to be desired. And it makes me feel bad for your Izzy that you cant like him for him.

[super-hero-confessions]

I don't care for Peggy Carter. I think as a character, she's just okay. I'm pretty indifferent about her. But Jesus Christ. The "Peggy Carter bad because Hayley Atwell bad" discourse is so exhausting. You can dislike a character. I dislike many characters. But going after the actress and accusing her of things repeatedly on this blog is so weird to me because I have no idea what any of us is supposed to do about it.

*If* Atwell is guilty of anything (again, *if*) I'm sorry to tell you we don't have the power to do shit. "But there's evidence-" We still can't do shit. It's not our job. Police exists, judges exist, lawyers exist, etc. Something similar happens with Tumblr's security. Sometimes users and blogs get hacked here, I'm sure you're familiar with some cases. Some people lose their blogs, some others are lucky and get them back/never lose them to begin with because they're still logged in and change their passwords, but I'm sure you're already familiar with the ridiculous amount of bots and... well, sometimes users get hacked. Plenty of people constantly complain about how Tumblr's security is not safe because they have day one exploits and vulnerabilities that staff refuses to fix, which makes this site a laughing stock for hackers. Okay. If staff refuses to fix them, what the hell are we, the users, supposed to do? We can't fix their shit for them. Staff needs to do better, not us. The fuck. There is no use in screaming at me or any other user about it. All I do is reblog superhero stuff. Complain to staff, not to us. Similarly, there is no use in screaming at us about how bad Hayley Atwell is and how bad Peggy Carter is. Because we can't do jack shit. Is it really so hard to understand? We're just trying to watch superhero movies, here. And she happens to be an actress playing a character.

At the end of the day you're just being repetitive. You're not engaging in constructive debate or making anyone agree with you. Giving us 3000 potential "better love interests than Peggy Carter" or repeatedly attacking Atwell is not going to have the effect you think. It's sad. It feels like some sort of wish fulfillment for you. I get it, the MCU has attractive people, we can dream. Self-insert fics exist for a reason and are valid. It's cool. But don't try to censor people or tell them how they should think or feel about a particular character. I am friends with people whose ideas about certain characters are completely different from mine, but we have fun debating because... these characters aren't real.

People are going to like what they like and ship what they ship, just like you do. Maybe you're struggling and feel like this is the only thing giving your life meaning, because I don't understand being this invested and fixated on a particular thing (and I say this as an autistic person. Hyperfixation has been a trait of mine since childhood, but I was never this full of hate - I've hated people, but not to this extent). I get it. No, really. For so long I've been emotionally attached to the GOTG because they are my comfort characters. But I never want to become a shitty person for them. I like them precisely because they make me better. I don't mean to say this in a condescending way, but get help. If you can't accept that people have different opinions, you are going to live a very unhappy life.

No fandom is perfect, clearly. But the world is crazy - wars, pandemics, suffering. Let's maybe try to be a little kinder to ourselves and each other. I expect this advice to be ignored, but I want to put it out there regardless. I think we need to humanize each other more often, especially when we're online. That includes actors, directors, etc. Ignore Hayley Atwell if her existence makes you this angry. You'll be happier. Let's not spend our limited time on this floating rock in space being angry all the time.

And for fuck's sake... it's fiction. Don't forget.

[anvoo]

Pain. Cost of change and progress. Cost of inaction.

I recently read an article on LinkedIn, and for certain reasons, it really spoke to me at that moment.

Guess it shouldn't come as a surprise, since most of the points hit really close to home. I was hurting.

No progress without pain. I read something similar to this sometime early in December, and I think a part of me internalized it. I wanted to find a reason, a meaning as to why I was hurting back then. The breakup, the sudden loss of my only source of validation, reassurance, and positive feelings in the form of my partner, the realization of my own character and person; all of that hurt me immensely. I needed a "why" to bear it, I wanted an answer to soothe me in that moment. It was, progress. It was a change, a marking point for me. I did learn and grow from it, albeit the change and decision itself didn't come from me, but I accepted it nonetheless. No regrets, and honestly thankful.

But as the pain subsides, so did my motivation and willingness to change and progress. I sought meaning in the suffering and got complacent as it goes away.

Now, a while after that, I find myself not too far off from my original position, having drifted down the current just a little bit. And this is where it hits me. I remember all the things I said and wanted for myself. I remember being in love with my potential, daydreaming about the days-not-too-far-off. But that's where it ends. I'm still stuck in that cycle of frustration, failure, defeat, self-pity, and emotional regulation,... By doing nothing, I am setting myself up for future frustrations and regret; I'm not honoring my own potential; I'm betraying the belief I have in myself, and the belief my loved ones have in me.

I want to change. I want to prove that I want to change. I want to be the best I can be.

I have a bad habit of taking in too much information, up to the point of me not really being sure what's what. Read, read, read... Consume, consume, consume,...

"Be kind to yourself"; "Take as much time as you need"; "Mental health comes first";...

I'm not saying these are bad advices, but I tend to twist words around, rationalize and find loopholes in order to procrastinate, avoid pain, and stay in my comfort zone. Honestly, what would be good for me right now is probably some good ol' fashioned Asian-Tiger-Parenting XD

But jokes aside, I don't want to stay in one place anymore.

Too many people fall in love with potential but fail to honor the process.

I fell madly in love with my potential. Infatuated, obsessed, love-struck,... all of that. But that's not enough for me. I want it to be a reality. Here's to no more daydreaming, and baseless hopes.

I don't enjoy pain. I never did. Ever since I was a kid, I was always afraid of it. I would much rather wait till my tooth fall off by itself, instead of actually pulling it off. I would keep a band-aid on for weeks, I would avoid all things that could cause me pain or discomfort. Some make sense, but some robbed me of potentially fun and rewarding experiences, like going up a mountain, or meeting interesting people, or becoming incredibly jacked.

It's understandable, and human nature almost, to avoid pain and dislike being uncomfortable, but nowadays, or at least in my case, through pains and through discomforts is how I'll be able to move forward, and progress. It's like resistance training, and that includes also actual resistance training xD

I welcome pain. I want it. I expect it. It hurts, and it's uncomfortable, but it's a sign that I am trying to do better, and that brings more pleasure and happiness than anything I could possibly imagine.

A final note for myself:

Trust the process.

While you may feel like you are not moving as fast as you would like, you must understand that what is being forged in you will empower you to leave a legacy that speaks beyond your lifetime. Stop worrying about how fast your life is moving and instead focus on how fruitful your life is becoming. Progress is not about speed but significance.

[lucifer-is-a-bag-of-dicks]

Hello luci, Is it just me that is absolutely sick and tired of the fanon of an abuser maddie and jack? Because it is so ingrained in the phandom i can barely see any crossover fic that features a good fenton family. How exactly did you think this exploded? Because there are plenty of episodes of the show that the fentons love their kids.

because it makes for good motivation in crossover fics for Danny to leave

if the Fentons accepted Danny's ghost half and were perfect parents he'd have no reason to move away and live with someone else

granted there probably are other reasons people can think of, like maybe he leaves because he thinks it will keep them safe

so I consider this interpretation to be a valid and useful one in many crossover scenarios, but not the only available option

we know that in the canon his parents accept him even when finding out he's half ghost, but I think the reason that doesn't sit well with a lot of people is because of how little effort the show put into those interactions, they were very short and a bit shallow, so there wasn't a lot there to work with

and the Fentons obsessive hatred of ghosts does feel like it could very well overpower their love for their son, that complication was just glossed over in the canon and I feel like people just like to explore that

not to mention everyone here just fucking loves their angst and this trope is ripe with angst potential

and also despite them definitely not being abusive in the canon, an argument can absolutely be made that they're neglectful, and their work has put their children in danger, they love their kids and will protect them at all costs but they have done a lot of problematic shit as parents that can't always be glossed over

and honestly? I love that they aren't perfect, I love that they make a lot of mistakes, it makes them interesting, it brings conflict, and I love me some good character conflict

it can be annoying and frustrating to have a lot of people jump on a trope that you dislike, but it doesn't make them wrong for doing so, there are plenty of tropes I really dislike too, in fact I am very picky about the fics I read for that reason

(I HATE dissection fics, and they're one of the most popular tropes in the phandom, and I avoid them like the plague)

and I also am not the biggest fan of 100% demonising Jack and Maddie, mostly because I find it a bit too simplistic and boring, I like it the most when they are at war with themselves over their son being half ghost, I'm also a fan of when one Fenton parent is more accepting than the other because it makes for better conflict

alternatively, I also don't like when they are written as 100% accepting and perfect, I find that very boring and out of character, there is a happy middle ground I like to dance on, and I've been having a lot of fun there while writing Bitter

but I don't think it's my right to tell people how to write their fics so I just walk around the stuff I don't like and continue to contribute my personal interpretations instead of trying to change people's minds

so I totally understand the frustration but my personal approach to things like this is if people aren't making the content you like, make it yourself! 😁 if there's a gap needs filling you fill that gap! ✨

you aren't wrong for wanting to interpret Jack and Maddie differently to everyone else, your headcanons are just as valid as anyone's, write about it! share your interpretation even if it's unpopular, you have every right to express your thoughts

[moreidsdaughter]

my unpopular cm opinions

hotch is a bad father. it doesn’t matter how much he missed jack when he was away. he left jack with haley’s sister all the time. he didn’t step down as unit chief so he could have better hours. even when haley died, he didn’t make any adjustments to his schedule and was rarely around jack. he would have been better off without a kid.

seaver doesn’t deserve the hate she gets. it’s as simple as that...

calling seaver a replacement for jj is really just a backhanded compliment. what i mean by that is everybody calls seaver one dimensional, but that also applies to jj. in my opinion both characters are one dimensional.

if seaver had been on the team longer, we would have been able to see some character development from her. this character development would be great and i think if it happened people wouldn’t hate her as much.

the whole seaver was mean to spencer thing isn’t a reason to dislike her. yeah, she didn’t know him that long but we’ve also seen rossi do the exact same things. rossi was making jokes about spencer very early on. also, we’ve seen alex blake say a more harmful joke towards spencer that’s worse than what seaver said to him.

the episodes directed by mgg are some of the best, even the weaker episodes are better than the average cm episode. 

jj personality goes downhill after she has henry. before she had henry, there was actual depth in her character... 

jj is bad at her job once she becomes a profiler. now what i mean by this is jj only puts 100% effort into cases with kids. yes, that is a problem for me at least. every other member of the team can perform at their best even if it’s something they don’t relate to.

the entire team needs fucking therapy. they NEED it.

the writers did a bad job when it came to the teams mental health. for example: only three episodes after spencer‘s drug addiction it’s never brought up again (with the exception of the fight that happened between him and jj) and that’s just inaccurate representation because it’s going to be a constant struggle after addiction. if this were reality, the entire team would probably be seeing a therapist once a week or once every two weeks.

i don’t see the appeal for hotch. the man has literally admitted to being misogynistic at times.

spencer would be seen as annoying if he weren’t attractive. in fact, when it was brought up that matthew wasn’t supposed to play spencer and they showed the guy was supposed to play spencer people were saying that they wouldn’t tolerate him because he isn’t as attractive as mgg.

spencer reid didn’t love maeve. their relationship is questionable. their relationship was built off of a couple of phone calls. i’m not trying to say that you can’t build a connection with somebody that way, but how can you deeply and truly love someone without spending any physical time together. spencer and maeve knew each other, but only the versions of themselves that they knew from the phone calls. a part of the reason why spencer liked her was because he felt responsible for her happiness.  after years and years of being disliked by his classmates and possibly his own father he seeks validation from other people. a part of spencer thinks that if he were better, stronger, or the ideal person people would stay. that’s why he needs validation and maeve gives him that validation. people can bring up the letters and phone calls for 10 months all they want, but at the end of the day it was very one sided. spencer has pouring his heart out to maeve in those letters but he didn’t know a lot about her.  he didn’t know her name, where she worked or the fact that she was engaged. those things are huge. i’m not trying to hate maeve or make spencer out to be some flawless human being, but he didn’t love her. he craved acceptance from someone who wasn’t” obligated” to like him (his coworkers).

derek would be liked more if he wasn’t black... i’m not saying the reason why people hate him is because of his race, but his personality in film is liked more on a white person. the entire trope that he is built off of is often filled by white men and people tend to like that trope on men, so why don’t they like derek?

derek is under appreciated by a lot of members of the fandom...

emily almost has as much trauma if not equally as much trauma as spencer, but she hides it more. that’s why it’s not talked about as much. 

female characters are judged more harshly from the fandom than male characters.

gideon is an ehh person, but he was the best profiler. (this isn’t unpopular, but i feel the need to put it here.)

the fandom makes spencer out to be somebody who does no wrong, but we all know that his fight with jj was one of the most unnecessary things. the way spencer brought up his addiction was manipulative.

feel free to talk about if you agree or disagree with my opinion in the comments.

[captain-sodapop]

actually genuinely curious whether destiel antis are this way bc they’re homophobic or can’t get over the toxicity of the ship bc i def understand their latter but no one even,,, addresses it in their hate??

Hi!

I mean, let’s be real: for some of them, it’s definitely homophobia.  Not a valid reason for not liking destiel, and certainly not why I don’t ship it.  However, I do not know of anyone in my immediate circle who dislikes it for that reason.  In fact, I would be shocked if that were the case, considering so many of my friends on here ship sastiel, deanxbenny, jodyxdonna, dreamhunter, etc.  For me - and I think the majority of others (at least, I hope) it has nothing to do with it being an mlm ship.  There are other reasons why I don’t ship them (under the cut because it got pretty long):

1) I just...don’t like it?  Like, it’s that simple.  I’m not into seeing Dean and Cas together romantically.  From what I can tell, most of the general audience falls in this category, too.  I obviously don’t think it’s inherently wrong to ship it, and I try not to generalize.  i follow and have followers who ship destiel, and they’re lovely people!  I’m personally just not into it.  I literally cannot picture a romantic or sexual relationship between these two characters. 

2) There are certainly toxic elements to it, like you mentioned, and I think a lot of people notice this.  Nobody on this show is perfect, but it’s hard for me to look at Dean and Cas - who argue and belittle each other more than Cas or Sam, or Cas and Jack - and be like “oh yeah that’s true love.”  And often it’s Dean and his temper getting in the way of this.  Not to mention that Dean only recently forgave Cas for what happened to his mother, and that “apology” in 15x09 wasn’t really an apology for his previous behavior.  Yes, it was good to see Dean admit to having a horrible temper and let Cas know that he cares about him and forgives him, but it wasn’t truly an apology.  I just think that for as much as I enjoy their friendship, their relationship with each other doesn’t suit romance.  Look at Sam and Cas - I don’t ship sastiel, either, really, but I can see that their relationship is much more relaxed and understanding.  Plus there’s the fact that Dean (and Sam, of course, but he clearly wasn’t 100% on board and regretted it almost instantly) manipulated Jack and was willing to kill him, and Cas...Jack was Cas’s kid first, beloved and wanted, and even if Dean and Cas can be friends again, how do you even move on from that, really?  There are more examples of the more toxic element, but I’m already sorta getting long-winded here.

3) I ship Cas with other people, and so do others, so they just prefer him with someone else.  Totally cool, too.

4) I firmly and enthusiastically agree that people should have whatever headcanons they want and ship just about whatever they want (I also am firmly and enthusiastically against any pedophillic or incestuous ships, just so you know).  You think Dean is bi?  Awesome!  Sam is trans?  Love it!  Angels are on the autism spectrum?  I can totally see it!  Headcanons and shipping can make interacting with a text more personal and fun.  And text can definitely be open to interpretation, so it’s not even necessarily wrong to interpret Dean as bisexual.  But the way I read canon, Dean is straight.  I have never seen him express sexual or romantic interest in another man.  I’ve seen him acknowledge that another man is attractive, sure, but that’s normal.  I can admit that another woman is attractive, but still not want to be with her.  So for me, unless it’s explicitly stated in canon in these last seven episodes, I think it’s canon that Dean is straight and wouldn’t be interested in Cas anyway.  We can agree to disagree - I certainly welcome it! - but I’m someone who adheres pretty strictly to canon, usually.  And that’s how I see the canon.

5) One of the things I think supernatural has done better than a lot of other shows is show that families and friendships come in many forms.  To me, Team Free Will is a unit, and it would feel weird to me if any of them became romantically involved with each other, as if the dynamic had been thrown off-balance.  Same reason I don’t ship any of the boys in The Outsiders together - they’re a band of brothers, not necessarily related by blood, but a found family.  So when Dean says to Cas that he and Sam view Cas as a brother, then a romantic relationship between any of them would just feel...off to me.  

6) Finally, looking at the story and the character arcs and considering the character games, I do not see Dean ending up in a romantic relationship, or even wanting it.  Casual sex?  Yep.  A home?  Yep yep.  A family?  Yes, yes, yes a thousand times.  But a family, like I said above, can look like many things.  I also can’t see Cas ending up in a romantic relationship or wanting one (even though I ship megstiel.)  It’s just not where their stories seem to be headed.  Sam?  Sure.  I think the show is setting up him and Eileen to share some sort of romantic relationship in some capacity (which - woohoo!  At least on my end.)  But even then, that’s up in the air.  Romance is honestly the least of the characters’ - and especially the story’s - worries.  They have many much more pressing matters to attend to that need to be resolved first before any real talk of romance.

7) I feel like I should mention this even though it doesn’t have to do with the ship or the characters directly, but on the whole?  The destiel community is incredibly toxic.  Harassing cast and crew, harassing fans who disagree with them, superiority complexes, fetishization, unwillingness to listen to outside perspectives, believing their read of canon is the be-all end-all, and a dynamic that to me is eerily similar to the old Harry Potter fandom’s Inner Circle (of Cassandra Clare and msscribe fame).  This obviously doesn’t apply to every individual who ships destiel, but in general I don’t find the whole group pleasant to interact with or very welcoming.  It kinda turns you off the ship to know that’s the community you’re dealing with, and if/when destiel doesn’t go canon?  The toxicity will increase tenfold.  Hell, it’ll increase even if it does because their egos will go through the roof.  

I hope that clears some things up for you.  Once again, the fact that it’s an mlm ship IS NOT THE PROBLEM.  If anyone says that’s why they don’t ship it, fuck ‘em.  And there are many individual destiel shippers who are wonderful and I love interacting with, and are very understanding and accepting and non-toxic.  But these are the reasons I don’t ship it, so I’m sorry if I haven’t made that clear in the past.  I think a lot of people share the same reasoning, too, so I’m sorry if they haven’t made that clear either.  I know I sometimes get caught up in the wank and making jokes, and so do others, and our reasons for not shipping it can get lost in that.  I’m not trying to make any personal attacks.

But thank you for asking this, and I hope this cleared some things up for you!

[bigskydreaming]

Posting anon because I don't want to upset my friends who stan Tim, but that post about the roots of why Dick started going from fandoms golden boy to being actively disliked really hit home. Friends who I agree with on over 98% of other topics just can't let go of Dick giving Robin to Damian and then going on to commit an entire laundry list of other crimes against Tim, especially citing how he'd just lost his recently adopted new dad, Bruce, and turning it into a trauma olympics so that Tim wins and Dick fans sound like assholes for insisting Dick was hurting, as well. It feels like many of these fans only came into comics with or during the Nu52, and then went back to read the Red Robin series, after the fact, so many of them missed out on the Dick being a loving big brother phase, and they jumped straight into Dick being "mean" to Tim, Tim and Jason now as best buddies, Dick being absent in Bludhaven or Chicago, and Jason being there and now best friends with Dick's old friends and in the process saying that it's Dick's fault and what a poor friend or boyfriend he was to begin with.

Yeah, thing is, there’s always going to be a slight disconnect when it comes to reading the stories as they happen vs only coming across them years later and reading them in hindsight and a highly condensed form and time frame. BUT this fandom makes this particularly....exaggerated, as a phenomenon, by not just focusing on specific characters at the expense of others, but by not really putting any effort into at least knowing the CONTEXT of what’s going on with the other characters in the same family as the ones they’re focusing on.

Like, I’m VERY familiar with the hugely prevalent trend that is stories in the Battle for the Cowl era focusing on everything Tim had lost, and that’s why Dick not appreciating/respecting/understanding what Tim was going through at that time was such a huge offense (even though again, this is already blatant revisionist history as Dick very much DID care about what Tim was feeling and going through, just not in the specific way Tim wanted him to, ie total and unconditional acceptance of everything he said and believed, no matter what it might cost Dick to believe it only for it to turn out not to be true).

But I’m just saying, the reason this skewed perception of their respective losses, as though Dick didn’t also just lose his second father and thus know exactly how that felt.....like, the reason it bugs so much in particular is not just because I hate Trauma Olympics in general, but additionally.....when you’re familiar with the whole context and time frame of EVERYTHING that was going on at the time of those stories....things look very, very different.

To be perfectly clear, its not that Tim hadn’t suffered a huge series of losses, and everything he was feeling and how much he was reeling was valid. I’ve never once disputed that and I never will. Dude went through a lot, and that’s not in question. He had only lost his first father a couple years before this, as well as believing Steph was dead for most of it, and having lost Connor not long after Jack died.

BUT.

But but but but but.

The thing that is NEVER mentioned or acknowledged in ANY of these stories, the HUGE disconnect that is responsible for making it seem like Dick is so out of touch and just can’t fathom these kinds of losses himself....

Is the stuff with Jack, and Steph and Connor, all happened in a very specific time frame. It was a few years before BftC’s release in real world time, like, these events unfolded over the course of the first three or four years of the 2000s, and while comic book time is messy and inconsistent, it was always pretty clear that they all happened within a span of just a couple years.

But while comic book time is inconsistent and hard to pin down, its actually very easy to keep concurrent stories concurrent. Like its not always easy to say was there a year between this story and this other one, or was it two years or even five....but it IS easy to say, well however long these events took to unfold, we know these events in this story took place at the same time as these events over here in this other story, because they’re referencing these events in both stories and have characters crossing over.

Point being, no matter how long before Bruce’s believed death the losses of Jack Drake, Steph and Connor took place....AT THE EXACT SAME TIME.....

The Blockbuster story happened. And then the aftermath.

And I’m not just talking about Dick’s circus being burned down, or his apartment building targeted and blown up with everyone of his neighbors inside it, or the break-up of his relationship with Babs, and the rape by Tarantula....

I’m also talking about how seven months after that, in comic book time, and thus slightly after the deaths of Jack and Steph, and literally just issues before the loss of Connor.....Slade and the Society of Supervillains blew up Bludhaven.

So by all means, I’m down with stories focusing on how Bruce’s believed death impacted Tim because it compounded all the other losses he’d suffered in the years leading up to that. Anchors away with the angst there.

Its just really, REALLY annoying to see this hammered home repeatedly with the CORRELATING idea that Dick, by comparison, was just fiiiiiiiiiine, or at most was JUST struggling with Bruce’s death.

When by any viewing of comic book time, the context was very clear.....the long, extended and absolutely brutal string of losses Dick suffered during the Blockbuster story and its aftermath, that he was specifically targeted as an individual, to have those losses inflicted just to hurt him, to take away the things he cared about....his childhood home the circus, his current home and community he’d made for himself, and then literally the entire city he’d dedicated himself to protecting....

All of this, too, happened in the couple years before Battle for the Cowl, at the exact same times Tim was undergoing his own losses.

So the constant focus on everything Tim lost but JUST everything Tim lost, and using this to FORCE even more of a divide between Dick and Tim than the comics ever put in there, and all by emphasizing the idea that Dick just didn’t care about everything Tim was going through, he just didn’t UNDERSTAND what Tim had lost or what it was like to lose THAT much, THAT close together, in THAT short a span of time.....

I mean.

Just.

Lulz for days, y’know?

[retphienix]

My old deeds pay off by speeding this along a bit :P

He tells me to go meet a dude at the vivec high fane, then says he'll consider me the dude so long as I duel the one hold out. I'm down for that, though I'm curious if talking to the other councilors will help any? Or if he really is saying "I'm enough, just go kill that guy".

I'll find out later probably.

So before dueling or checking on the councilors I set a mark right then and there and walked my way to vivec to talk with Vivec lol

Here's the deal with Vivec.

I was 100% certain I'd hate him, no real reason, just assumed "god figure who looks full of himself, I'm gonna hate him".

Now I ain't saying I like him, but he actually didn't click any of the buttons that would make me hate him immediately.

He did a lot of that "It's up to you, I won't sway you" borderline reverse psychology on me but genuinely that helped- him not demanding jack from me and saying "Look, I'm reverting the decisions you dislike whether you want me to or not. I offer this help in your quest, if you want it or not." etc, it wasn't too bad.

Now I ain't sayin' I like him, he still very clearly views it as a full truth that's he is a god and being a god means he may not be judged- says as much, despite decisions made both before AND after godhood being suspect and flawed.

But he does admit some things were flaws or failures or mistakes, he just refuses to fully accept judgement from mortals until proven outdone which is, well it's not the worst, but I ain't liking him.

At the end of the day he says "We were wrong to become gods. We made our decisions based on what we thought was best to protect the people." and then glossing over the flaws and mistakes in his decisions because he thinks the intent was enough.

But the thing is, some of the intent kinda is, kinda. "Preserve faith so we can use that power to suppress Dagoth" is a valid idea, it's just a cold, calculating one devoid of compassion- which he says he's lost some sense of feeling and (my read) empathy in becoming a god so 'cold logic' makes sense.

Anyway, I thought I'd hate him wholly as some asshat who wants godly powers for his own goals but he seems more like some illusions of grandeur 'hero' who took on godhood for those selfish-selfless ideals and then the act of becoming a god kinda made him a cold version OF those ideals.

He's interestin'.

I killed him for fun because I'm The Stronk and because I am so tempted to make the alternative wraithguard just to have it.

I did not save.

I am not doing this I don't think.

But man, I really thought I'd get here and kill him so I could have both versions of the wraithguard, but then he started talking and I was like "wait a minute, you're supposed to be an entirely unlikable prick by virtue of writing 101 rules" and instead he's a bizarre look into what a god manifested in the mortal plane might be like.

Like the idea of good, devoid of humanity, born of selfishness.

One Hundred Percent if he's still in the game world after the main quest, I am killing him for fun before doing the expansions and calling this playthrough complete :) lol

[keeve-trenniis]

Some thoughts on 15x18 bc I'm somewhat upset

So we all knew what was going to happen in that episode. We've know for a while the Cas was going to die and I've been trying to get over that fact for a while. I stayed off social media until I could watch it so that I could avoid the spoilers but even that couldnt stop me from finding out about destiel trending on twitter and here on tumblr. That made me scared. That made me really scared bc I wanted Cas's death to be about Cas. Obviously I knew that he was going to sacrifice himself for the boys as Misha had requested it to happen like that but I still wanted it to be focused on just Cas.

Once I had watched the scene I was shocked by how, despite wanting to cry for him, I really did not cry as much as I thought I would. It wasn't until a little while after I had finished the episode that I realised it was because it was very much overshadowed by the 'deaths' of Charlie, Bobby, Donna and literally everyone else in the world except the boys. ( @inkbleeder has an excellent post on this so I won't go into it too much here), as well as the fear of how some members of the fandom would react to Cas's 'declaration of love' (which I stand by that we already knew Cas loved Dean (and Sam too(AND JACK)) because he has said as much in previous episodes).

I would like to clarify that what upset me isnt the shipping of destiel and the explosion of it on social media. I know that if this had happened with my otp, I would be excited too. This isn't a post about whether we should or shouldn't ship something. This is a post about the surge of hate from some shippers to those who do not ship it/not ship it as much. What upset me was that when tapping through instagram stories this morning I came across a story that blatantly called anyone who "still called their relationship platonic" homophobic and to stop hating Cas. I think it is quite justifiable for me to be upset at this for a number of reasons. 1) I absolutely do not hate Cas. He is one of my comfort characters and just because I do not ship him with Dean does not mean I hate him. 2) I am not homophobic just because I do not ship this one ship. I am tired of seeing people being attacked by being called homophobic bc they dont ship it. I am tired of people being attacked in general bc they dont ship it. There are other LGBTQ+ ships that I ship. I have friends in LGBTQ+ relationships. I myself am Pan/asexual. Even if I wasnt, I would not be homophobic for not shipping destiel. I just do not see a romantic relationship there.

The third thing that upset me was the "still called their relationship platonic" bit of the story. There is NOTHING WRONG with seeing something as platonic. This show has always been about helping people, making them feel happy with who they are and just generally helping people be happy. I do not deny there are issues with it (because there most certainly are) but the fact remains that this is a comfort show for a lot of people. Personally, I hold platonic relationships more highly than romantic relationships which is one of the reasons I feel so attached to the show and the 'family don't end with blood' line. For me, the show has never really been about romance which is why the "still called their relationship platonic" line upset me so much. I love the show and the characters yet I dont feel I can be completely part of the fandom because I cant look through any of the tags related to spn without encountering something about how destiel is the best and how everyone should ship it. I cant even block the destiel tag because people tag things I want to see (like cas screen caps that have nothing to do with dean) with destiel. This isnt really an issue I've encountered with other fandoms and sets the spn fandom apart from others for all the wrong reasons. I dont understand why I'm getting attacked because I prefer platonic relationships to a ship that caused some ridiculous hate and toxicity in this fandom.

Of course there are many other reasons why someone doesnt ship destiel and they are all valid. Unless the dislike of the ship is because of homophobia and anti LGBTQ+ views (which unfortunately is undoubtedly the case in some places) then I do not see why not shipping the ship is unacceptable. This does not happen in such a big way in other fandoms so why does it have to be the case in ours? We are suposed to be the spn family and yet some people cannot accept that their ship isnt the only ship in the fandom and that some people do not ship anything at all yet are still big fans of the show. I know that it is not all destiel shippers who are like this. I know people who do ship it and they are absolutely lovely and yet it is still a big enough problem that my fear on how some people would react to Cas's final scene completely overshadowed his actual death and it runied the scene for me.

If anyone thinks of anything else to add to this or if you think of a better way to word something then you are welcome to. Im even willing to have a polite debate in the comments but if anyone tries to tell me that I am homophobic for not shipping it again I will not hesitate to block you.

Excuse me while I go and rewatch the mandalorian bc my comfort show has made me feel terrible

[norrington-hell]

I agree. James’s “by your leave” is great, then Will, being the sassy bitch he is, throws it right back. But someone on the COTB deleted scenes pointed out that they seem to delete all scenes that makes James more likable (like him talking to Elizabeth after she accepts the proposal and him wishing her and Will the best of luck.) My trash boy deserved better. 😭

RIGHT ON ALL COUNTS MY FRIEND.

It’s like Disney thought that if the audience liked James too much, they’d dislike the other characters more for some reason. I genuinely think that’s why they cut so much of him in Curse of the Black Pearl, because if the audience not only liked James, but also knew he was genuine in his feelings, they might have disliked Elizabeth for using him to rescue Will. Or WORSE they might have thought she made the wrong choice in jilting him for Will.

Which...is how a lot of people felt after the DVD came out and they watched the deleted scenes, so I guess their reasons were valid, if shitty.

But I cannot, for the life of me, understand why they cut his scenes in Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End. He was a fan favorite in DMC, and if they were going to cut anything, it should have been the thematic stand-still that was ‘Cannibal Island.’ But no. Disney doesn’t know why people actually watch these films, so they’re going to stuff them with more random Jack nonsense and either relegate everything else to the background or cut it entirely.

Fuck. It’s been thirteen goddamn years, and I’m still bitter as hell. Guess I’ll just have to Die Mad About It.

Anyway, thanks for dropping in to talk Jimothy to me. I hope my ensuing rant wasn’t too off-putting. XD

[fandomstuff67]

15x20 Thoughts

I’m going to be talking about 15x20 and what I thought about it so if you don’t want to read a long text post then keep on scrolling.

Okay, first things first, I liked it. I didn’t love it, but I liked it. I think it was fitting and I think it worked. Dean always wanted to go out on a hunt, that’s how he wanted to die, he knew he wasn’t going to live to a ripe old age and he was okay with that (I’m not saying we have to be okay with that, I’ll touch upon that in a moment, but Dean was happy with the way he went and I think we should remember that).

I’m glad Sam got a family and the Winchester name is being carried on. I loved that he named his son Dean and I’m going to assume that he was with Eileen because there’s no reason to assume he wasn’t. I just think they couldn’t get Shoshannah back so they used that awkward long shot instead. 

Before I dive into what I think could have been better and what I’ll forever remain mad about, I want to say that we’re allowed to dislike the episode, we’re allowed to feel mad about it and let down but please, please, do not attack the actors. They don’t get the final say in the end and they gave incredible, award winning, performances. So please refrain from directing hate to them and asking them how they could let this happen. And most importantly, on Sunday when Misha and Jared have their panels, please be respectful, they’re going to be emotional and they’re going to be nervous because they’re seeing our reactions, even if they don’t respond, so they know what we’ve thought, and so far all I’ve seen is hate and not one post about it being good. 

We’re also allowed to like the episode, and for those that 100% loved it, remember their feelings are valid, please don’t come at each other’s throats.

Ironically, with that being said, I’m going to talk about what I didn’t like. 

So, first off. Dean’s death shattered me. I don’t think I’ve ever cried that hard, I physically couldn’t breathe. Dean is my favorite character and watching him die like that absolutely wrecked me. 

I’m so torn about this scene, because on one hand, that’s how Dean wanted to go, but on the other hand, that was a shitty way for him to go. Killed by a fucking nail? In a barn? Just no. He deserved so much better. SO.MUCH.BETTER. This is Dean fucking Winchester, he defeated God’s, and devils, and angels, and demons, but this is how he goes? I’m not buying it. And his speech to Sam, while it was beautiful and I loved it and Dean was being so brave and vulnerable and proud of his baby brother, it was a little... off. The head touch was a bit too wincestie for me. That head touch shouldn’t have been there, if they were going to do a head touch like that, it should have been with CAS. 

Speaking of Cas. He should have been in that episode. There is NO EXCUSE. Covid is not a valid reason for his absence. They brought back our Bobby but not Cas? Castiel who has been such an important part of this show for so many years? Cas who confessed his love to Dean and who subsequently died right afterwards? And now, apparently he’s out of the empty and helping Jack with heaven, but we don’t get to SEE him? That is wrong on so many levels. I needed a DeanCas reunion, I needed it so badly. 

I firmly believe that Cas was supposed to be there (we’ll know eventually when the pre-Covid script is released and we learn what the changes were, and if that’s not the case then really, what the fuck? Like actually I’ll be even more mad). I also believe that Ellen, Jo, and Ash were supposed to be there too, in the roadhouse and there was going to be a reunion, John and Mary too, but because of Covid they couldn’t. 

I think it would have been very fitting if CAS was the one who welcomed Dean into heaven (stay tuned I will be writing this fix it fic). I needed Dean to acknowledge his feelings, I needed there to be more of Dean grieving. Don’t get me wrong, the montage in the beginning was amazing and I loved it, but they shouldn’t have been that happy. We know how devastated Dean has been in the past when Cas died, I find it very hard to believe he moved on so quickly, it just seemed so out of character. I needed them to talk more about Cas, about what he said, and what Dean thought about it. But they couldn’t even give us that. They literally buried their gays and dusted off their hands to a job well done and I cannot accept that. I have to ask the point of the love confession if it wasn’t going to be reciprocated? If it wasn’t going to matter in the end? I’m so unbelievably disappointed that they gave us that and nothing else, they didn’t even talk about it, or mention it. Did Sam ever even know what really happened? Cas deserved better. He deserved to be told he was loved, which he never heard, and no matter how many fix it fics we write, that will forever remain true and I hate it. 

Cas. Should. Have. Been. Back. I will forever stand by that. 

Sam’s ending worked. I liked it a lot and I wouldn’t change it. He deserved his happy ending, he deserved to be a father, and I’m so glad he got that.

However, this show is about family and how it doesn’t end in blood, and yet in the end it was all about blood. I’m genuinely so disappointed about that. That was like a slap to the face and I can’t believe that they decided that instead of ending the show by proving, once again, that family don’t end in blood, they decided to go back on everything the show has been about, everything that has been the core of this crazy little show that could for so long. 

They could have done so much better, and they should have done so much better. We deserved better.

So, after all of that, my final thoughts are as follows: 

I liked it. I really did. Were there things that should have been changed? Yes. HELL YES, but I can’t be entirely disappointed about the ending we got because it did fit, and it was beautiful.

The only thing that really would’ve made it better was having Cas there. All they had to do was give us Cas and I’d be happy with the ending. I’d be happy with Dean dying on an old nail in a barn, if we got Cas in heaven with Dean. But we didn’t, so I’ll never be truly happy with the ending, I’ll never be satisfied. But I will take what we got because in the end, this is the show that has brought so many people together, this is the show that’s taught us all valuable lessons, and this is the show that we all love so much it hurts. 

And remember... nothing ever really ends, does it? 

There are doors that were left open for a movie, even if they’re just set slightly ajar, the Winchester brothers, and their fallen angel, can return to us in the future and maybe everything they fucked up will be fixed. But for now... we must carry on.  

[zhoufeis]

I’m almost finished with rewatching all episodes of seasons 1, 2 & 3 of the tribe. So I decided it’s time for a personalized summary (under the cut). I’ll be focusing on favourite storylines, favourite characters and ships... and things that surprised me while rewatching.

So, to give you a heads-up season 1 and season 3 are far better than season 2. And, to my own surprise, it’s not just the lack of Amber that’s a problem in season 2. Season 2 is all over the place. The Mallrats don’t seem like an actual family anymore, the storylines are told throughout the city rather than mainly focusing on the things that happen within the mall, some members of the Mallrats don’t even interact with each other. I suppose, actually, that this atmosphere of a broken, dysfunctional family (and not in a good way) is precisely what the writers were aiming for though considering the turnout of season 2, which, btw, I didn’t even remember like this but it’s BREATHTAKING. Definitely one of my favourite scenes in the entire show, which was a huge surprise to me because I just couldn’t remember anything that was positive about season 2. But besides the season 2 finale, there was actually more. The attempted rescue of Trudy - I did remember this, it was a picture of the show that has been stuck with me forever and watching it again reminded me how incredible that scene was. My favourite thing about season 2 of The Tribe as a child was... who would have thought, Ellie. And she still is. She’s less biased than most people in there and looks at things with morality and rationality alike, but she always takes different perspectives. One of my 3 top characters in season 2, which leads to the surprises season 2 had in store for me: Alice and Tai-San. Honestly, I don’t remember loving Tai-San nor Alice as a child very much. I changed my point of view on them completely. Tai-San in season 1 might not be my fave, not even close, but starting with season 2, Tai-San actually becomes awesome. Her quotes were always great, but in season 2, her actions actually have consequences and she makes valid points when verbally fighting her own tribe members. I guess it also makes it easy to side with her because she constantly fights Danni, but well, that’s just a personal preference. The friendship of Alice and Tai-San is another of my fave things about this show, and I didn’t even remember it. They’re so different and yet have such a nice understanding for each other that their argument over Lex really hurt to see. However, like all good f/f friendships... a guy isn’t worth giving up a friendship about, which these two eventually prove. Therefore, Alice and Tai-San were my favourite surprise about my rewatch.

But enough of season 2, let’s talk season 1. Season 1 is great. While the first few episodes are slow-moving, by the time you get to episode 10, you just wanna keep watching and watching and watching. I don’t know exactly what it is - the drama, the characters, the fact that you basically only ever follow the events in the mall and barely anything outside of it... I don’t know, but it’s great. What I don’t understand is the hatred that some of these characters have to endure in the comment sections. This specifically goes out for Salene and Trudy. I mean, yeah, it’s not like this is the only season they’re hated on, but I feel like this season is the most constant when it comes to hatred towards both characters. Honestly, I love them. Do they annoy me sometimes? Absolutely. But basically all of their behaviour and actions are explained - post-natal depression, an eating disorder, or the simple fear of being alone (btw, all very well-developed storylines and well-explained for children); all of it is understandable if one puts themselves into their shoes for a moment. I do feel extremely bad about what happens to Ryan and Salene in season 2+3 because they deserved better but... I cannot hate Salene for it. Salene obviously has a lot of problems with herself, which she must figure out first before she can accept someone by her side who clearly accepted her more than she ever did herself. This leads us to Ryan. Ryan... God, Ryan. Ryan deserved better and I’ll forever cry about him. His character development from the guy who blindly follows Lex to the pure, freedom-loving, rebellious, kind guy who just wants to live in peace with his Mallrats is... tragic if you consider what happens to him. Never again will I forget the look on his face when he realizes that Salene is telling him he cannot see his child. So to sum this up: Salene and Trudy deserve more love by the fandom; Ryan deserved more love by the writers. So did Patsy, btw. Has anyone ever seen a child character suffer that much?

Now... what did surprise me in my rewatch? The amount of characters I actually like or even love. Actually, there’s barely anyone I don’t love. I mean, when it comes to character depth, this show is one of the most well-written ones because the characters are not just one thing or another. They’re multi-faceted, multi-layered and you can understand most of their reasonings even when you don’t agree with all of their choices. And by “most” I mean there are exceptions. Some things you aren’t supposed to understand - you’re supposed to judge it negatively. I suppose, Lex in season 1 often falls into that category. However, it’s difficult to hate him afterwards, isn’t it?! His relationship with Tai-San is nice to watch, his love-hate relationship with Bray is entertaining, his parenting with KC is... questionable but all the more fun, his devotion to Zandra even after her death is beautiful, his friendship to Ryan is interesting, his friendship to people like Alice, Ebony or Amber is just wonderfully fun and... unlikely. So, who do I hate in my rewatch so far? There’s just three names coming to my mind and I’d like to make a difference here. I hate the Guardian. Like everyone who watches this show should. However, he’s an interesting, entertaining character to watch and he’s not someone I wish had never been in the show. The other two characters I really, really, really dislike... they’re this category of characters I wish had never been on my screen: Ned and Danni. While I do see that Danni was just this poor substitute for Amber, but was incapable of making up for Amber, I just don’t see the point in Ned. Maybe the show wanted someone to kill off none of the viewers would mourn. I certainly couldn’t. I was actually happy when Moz turned around his body and his dead eyes were staring into the sky. Kind of made me like the Guardian to 1%. #SorryNotSorry. However, Danni is a more interesting case here to discuss because there’s two things that went wrong with her character. The first thing that went wrong is the fact that she was definitely too much like Amber but she just WASN’T Amber. Also, as you may or may not have noticed... I’m a Bray/Amber fan. And I do admit, I might be biased. Then again, I love Pride. Like I looove him so far. I didn’t when I was a child, but I do now and I’m happy to. Sooo, the fact that I dislike Danni must be more than just me loving Amber/Bray. But well, still, viewers don’t like having to get over their favourite characters with characters who are basically like them but aren’t them. And the second thing that went very wrong with Danni’s character was the casting choice. The actress just was really, really bad. 

Which actually leads me to some noteworthy comment about the acting on this show: I was positively surprised how good it actually is. Like, duh, not Oscar-worthy. But I could have sworn it’s as bad as the Power Rangers series or teenage-driven shows like The Next Step. I suppose, that actually has something to do with the fact that I would watch the German dubbing as a child rather than the actual English versions. Now that I’m a grown-up, I’m watching the English versions ofc. And it actually isn’t bad acting. It’s better than most of the acting that I see on The 100. There are a few who stand out for being very good compared to the others and there are a few who stand out for being quite horrible compared to the rest - the actress of Danni falls into the latter category. But Dwayne Cameron, Beth Allen, Caleb Ross, Meryl Cassie and Michelle Ang actually make great leads. And there’s a couple more actors and actresses who are really not that bad. I also like to give this show credit for the fact that they mostly actually cast children and teenagers - most other children- and teenage-driven shows are incapable of doing that.

I don’t know what to say about season 3 of this show other than pointing out that it’s just well done. I love how it starts out with the rebels not being in contact with their Mallrats who have been enjailed in the mall by the Chosen. I like the Chosen storyline, I also love how it sometimes drags religion in general... it’s nice to watch. On the other hand, watching the rebels in the form of Lex, Ebony and Bray is just entertaining and fastmoving, which makes up most of season 3 anyway and goes by fast. The development of Ebony’s reign over the city is a storyline that starts pretty early on but takes up more and more screentime with every episode of season 3. She’s a great character who has always moved the plot forward and you just know that this will go very, very wrong for Bray and Amber. She’s always been established as an energetic, mesmerizing, charismatic leader who fears no means to get to her goal - season 1, 2, 3... Bray should have listened to Amber and Lex. They warned him. The only thing I dislike about season 3 is the romantic development between Alice and Ned. Then again, I really love Alice and I really hate Ned, so it’s understandable. Furthermore, unlike most of the fandom, I’m not a huuuuge Jack fan. I mean... he’s fine, but he never will be my favorite character, which is why I didn’t mind that he was gone for quite some time. I have to admit that I liked him a lot more in season 1 because he was mostly shown spending time with Dal there - and I should mention, Dal is one of my absolute faves. In season 2, Jack mostly behaves like a jerk towards Dal, which made him lose points with me. Tbh, I’d also rather ship Ellie with Dal than with Jack... but mostly still... Dal with Jack. And Ellie with Luke... or did anyone else get gay vibes from Ellie and Ebony? Because I did. Basically, I ship a lot of things on this show. Ah, right, another thing I should mention... most heartbreaking moments: Dal’s death and Ryan finding out he won’t get to see his child. Also... peak acting on this show of Beth Allen and Ryan Runciman there. Anything else... ah yes... surprises... KC. I love KC. I don’t remember loving him that much, he’s fine in season 1, he’s better in season 2, but I just LOVE LOVE LOVE him in season 3. Barely makes up for the loss of Dal, but I love KC.

Soooooo... let’s summarize obvious things. After 3 seasons... - Top 3 female characters: Amber, Tai-San, Ellie. (special mentions to Alice and Ebony... and also, Trudy and the kids and... really, I love everyone) - Top 3 male characters: Bray, Dal, KC. (special mentions to Ryan, Pride... did I mention I love everyone?) - Characters who deserved better by the writers: Ryan, Patsy, KC, Bray, Zandra. - Characters who deserve better by the fandom: Trudy, Salene, Bray,  - Favorite canon ships: Bray/Amber, forever and always. I also really like Tai-San/Lex as well as I like Lex/Alice. But we all know the best option here is Alice/Tai-San. I really am warming up to Pride/May right now... and I will always love Salene/May. I also don’t understand why the show didn’t go with Trudy/Salene when they were RIGHT THERE AND PERFECT. Istg, Ebony and Ellie are also a thing. But well... the child in me could watch an entire show on Bray/Amber... and I guess... grown-up me isn’t that different ;)

[orionsangel86]

I've been going through the replies to the experiment and aside from the obvious false claims (as discussed in other asks) and the baffling "I don't see it", what I find interesting is the general dislike of meta??? I mean yeah, meta about the T-shirts and pie vs. cake etc etc will seem stupid on their own but in context with everything else, it makes sense??? They're taking each meta post as a separate book when in fact they're chapters in an ever changing and evolving book. (1/?)

I just don't see how they don't get that. You don't need a degree in literature to understand it, just a basic knowledge of story telling. And most of the metas they're referencing can be seen as crack posts anyway compared the genuine meta written by so many of you guys (i.e the Break Up theory by Tink comes to mind) I mean, there's a reason you guys were able to predict the death of Cas, and Jack's role in the story LONG before any of the rest of us got the slightest hint. (2/3)

I mean, don't read the abstract and dismiss the whole thing as silliness????? Read the whole story and then make your comments or don't comment at all. I'm that went on longer than I anticipated. But wanted to get it out there, just in case it helps. (3/3)

Nonny you took the words right out of my mouth.

I noticed the comments on meta and to be honest at this point after 4 and a half years of being in the meta community I guess I just don’t even give these kind of comments the time of day. I dismiss them as just as irrelevant and idiotic as the “I don’t see it”s and “DeAn Is StRaIgHt”s that crop up constantly.

It’s another result of people falling into the bubble created by browsing anti tags regularly. You fall for the propaganda that meta is all shirt colours and pie vs cake, without ever reading any actual meta or understanding that meta is a constantly changing adaptive analysis of the source material, and that each new meta written builds on the rich background of previous meta establishing themes and patterns within the show. 

The only reason we can even talk about shirt colours or pie vs cake is because of the thousands of words of actual literary analysis that has given us an understanding of the use of symbolism and colour theory within media to the point that we have developed our own “meta language” which of course would sound ridiculous outside of our circles. For us, if an episode then has Dean sampling a piece of cake, we can point at that and say “lol Dean is bi! See! He is eating cake!” and to anyone else it looks ridiculous, but to us, that one cracky statement is based on thousands and thousands of words of meta on queer history and the use of symbolism in SPN so that anyone who actually READ the proper meta, they would GET the joke. No one is actually saying that eating cake makes you bisexual Sharon. But that’s how anti’s twist our own inside jokes against us. 

The other reason for the hatred of meta writers is simply because no matter what they try to argue against us, we can formulate a far more detailed, clearer counter argument that makes more sense logically. This must be ENRAGING for anyone trying to disprove Dean’s bisexuality, or Castiel’s clear love for Dean, or hell, even something like Sam’s need for control and body autonomy and how that connects to his eating habits and his personal relationships (I mean, when I read supposed Sam stans arguing against THOSE things I really am baffled like... do you even pay attention at all?!?)

I suppose we must come across as rather smug as well. It must be frustrating arguing on the internet with a whole bunch of academic types who are just generally better than you at putting thoughts into text. People generally hate being wrong, and when there is a whole bunch of people out there proving how wrong you are on a daily basis it must get very frustrating. 

So they make up lies and try to discredit us instead. Because even though there may be disagreements among meta circles, most of us do generally agree on the big things. Destiel is part of the show, Dean and Cas are pretty much in love with each other in the subtext, Sam and Dean are toxically codependent, Dean represses a large part of himself behind a mask of heightened masculinity... etc etc. When you have that many people all saying the same thing and coming to the same conclusions separately from one another, anyone who doesn’t accept those conclusions is gonna get mad. They are gonna lash out. Suddenly we are the bad guys for daring to voice our interpretation and have that interpretation validated time and again not just by other people agreeing with us, but by the show then validating our theories by bringing them to text.

As I said above, it must be extremely frustrating. I would also wager that if those people who genuinely think meta is all pie vs cake and other nonsense actually sat down and read some PROPER meta, they may find themselves realising just how much most of what we say makes sense in terms of analysing the show. But that’s the problem with antis you see, unlike me and others like me who have a genuine desire to attempt to see their point of view, they won’t even give the opposite view point a bloody chance. Hatred consumes all logic and sense.

[dailyspark]

2k of “I’ve had a brain scan before and this is not my brain” au where Will figures it out, set during “Buffet Froid”, taking some lines at the start directly from the show, up until it diverges away. // posted as chapter 4 of my hannigram fic collection on ao3

~~

Sitting across from Hannibal was familiar, it felt safe. If there ever was a place where he could be honest—so much more honest than ever, ever—it was here. Talking about Abigail was painful, but necessary. “Abigail ended Nicholas Boyle like a burst balloon. She took a life.”

“You’ve taken a life.”

There’s a bit of a cold look in Hannibal’s eyes at that and Will can’t help but respond in kind, “So have you.”

~~

“Do you feel alive, Will?”

“I feel like I’m fading.”  

~~

“I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I looked through me, past me. Like I was a stranger.” Leaning against the ladder, hoping for stability he wasn’t feeling. Will could only look at Hannibal, approaching.

“You have to honestly confront your limitations with what you do and how it affects you.”

Close, so close, Will could feel breath catch in his throat. Hannibal had him between the ladder and the rest of the room. Making their universe, this conversation, everything. Trying to push him away, saying, “If by limitations you mean the difference between sanity and insanity... I don’t accept that.” A fleeting eye contact with Hannibal, and he had to look away, over his shoulder. Wanting to escape this conversation. Move past it. But, but there was something. Something important to it.

“What do you accept?” Hannibal, always prompting, always wanting his interpretation. Making Will admit to things. This is why he liked him so much, why he could be honest in this setting. While it made him want to escape the situation, he knew the conversations were much more useful, they made him confront things otherwise he would keep buried.

“I know what kind of crazy I am and this is not that kind of crazy.” Unwilling to see the doubt in Hannibal’s face he turned away, “This could be seizures. This could be a tumor.” Pushing away from the ladder, closer to Hannibal, continuing the desperate plea for it to be something medical, “A .. a blood clot.” Everything but the diagnosis of mental illness.

“I can recommend a neurologist.”

~~

Getting through the MRI was a lot more nerve wracking that Will expected. Hallucinating pulling Beth LeBeau under her own bed. He really was done with today. Contaminating a crime scene, upsetting Jack and turning his concerned gaze on him had been a lot.

Being rude to his face wasn’t as nice either. He truly disliked disrupting this ‘stability’ as Jack called it. Teaching and trying to catch the killers—saving lives—no matter how it was bad for him, ultimately was good for him.

And then Dr. Sutcliffe had to go and lie to him.

“We didn’t find anything abnormal. No vascular malformations, no tumors. No swelling or bleeding. No evidence of stroke. Nothing wrong with you neurologically.”

Will frowned at the scans, looking them over. No. They were wrong. He stepped closer, looking at the pictures of the brain, listening to the doctor continue talking.

“Usually when I tell a patient that, they’re happy to hear it.”

Something was very wrong. Will had had a brain scan before, in New Orleans, and he remembered it. Too well in fact, it had featured in his nightmares for long enough, that he could tell with a certainty that the brainscan Dr. Sutcliffe was showing him wasn’t his.

He needed time to think, to consider things. Will didn’t need to play up being upset, all he had to do was muddle through, “So .. what I’m experiencing is psychological?”

~~

The realization hit him not ten steps later, outside Dr. Sutcliffe’s office.

The reason for him lying, the reason for someone else’s brain scans, the two of them talking and talking while Will was in the MRI machine, the curiosity of the human mind under duress. It seemed so unlikely, but at the same time so fitting.

Will gulped, almost stumbling, moving the two steps required until the closest bathroom and got inside one of the stalls, gasping. Trying to have breath in his lungs.

The one person who knew so much, a doctor none-the-less, and skipping over all the medically valid options, repeating that all of this, all of it was mental illness. The betrayal hurt.

Hannibal was the first person Will had thought of calling as soon as he realized that Dr. Sutcliffe lied, he was the first and the last person Will would have trusted with this. The person who held all the power in this situation.

He was here, somewhere in the building, looking for Will, no doubt.

Almost hyperventilating, Will slid to the ground, hugging his knees. The chill from the floor tiles eventually brought him back. It chilled his thoughts as well. It also let him feel the subtle tells of a fever. So this was definitely medical. And something to be deal with now, instead of later.

He disliked leaving the case, but it had to be done. He hoped that evidence turned over enough to help apprehend the killer before he could be back at work.

And Hannibal. Well, Will would think what to do with him later. This betrayal was unnecessary, but it intrigued him as well. Why would he want to manipulate the situation such.

~~

Hannibal had tried to reassure him, but Will brushed him off, almost running away from the medical center, ready to get as far as he could.

He drove home.

While the mystery of Beth LeBeau’s murder would have lured him back to the crime scene, he put his survival first.

Feeding the dogs, he called the closest neighbours he had and arranged for someone to come feed them and walk them until he got back. He could have asked Alana for it, but she was too close to both the FBI and Hannibal.

Better that no one knew where he was going until he had some answers.

~~

Richmond was in the opposite direction of Baltimore. He was running away from Hannibal, wanting the distance between them to be more than real.

Checking himself into a hospital turned out to be easier than he expected—having a seizure in the emergency room instead of I-95 let him admitted and sent for another brain scan. Having non-FBI affiliated health insurance also didn’t notify anyone who might be looking for him. Realistically though, no one would, not until sometime tomorrow when he would fail to show up for a meeting with Jack at Quantico.

Until then all he had to do was wait for a doctor to say what exactly was wrong with him. A persistent thought kept saying that they would not find anything, and he had overreacted. That Hannibal would not betray him, that all of this was really stress of returning to field work.

Staring at the ceiling, trying to filter out rambles from his roommate from the other side to the privacy curtain, Will tried to unravel why would Hannibal and Dr. Sutcliffe pull something like this. Because on his own he wouldn’t have—something pushed him, and that something was most likely Hannibal. He had the presence for it. Manipulation.

Will remembered asking Hannibal if he was trying to alienate him from Jack. It had followed his first sleepwalking episode.

~~

Encephalitis.

The full diagnosis has a longer name, but Will had stopped listening. He was relieved, feeling tears in his eyes. Something was wrong with him, and not mentally. Hearing the doctor list the corresponding symptoms he has to flinch at each and every one.

Fits, if fucking fits. Despair has a particular taste in the air. He has a wish to grab the nearest phone, dial Hannibal’s number and scream ‘liar’ towards him, never listening to explanations. He curbs the wish, nodding towards the doctor and the proposed treatment.

~~

It’s Alana that find him first.

He’s on a second dose of a medical cocktail, floating between consciousness and darkness. The stag keeps walking past his room, huffing a cold breath, throwing snow to the ground. Will has to remind himself that Hannibal wouldn’t actually do anything to him. That he wasn’t that kind of person.

But why would he lie? Why would he betray Will so? Why was Will suddenly afraid of him?

A smile towards Alana when he felt more awake. A return smile made him blink again and realize that it was actually Alana there, and not another hallucination. “Hi.” Extending a hand, he pulled the glass of ice chips closer to him.

“Hi.” She seemed stuck someplace between confused and upset and relieved, Will couldn’t pinpoint it. It was probably all three at the same time. He could imagine the reason for confusion easily, but at the moment the upset and the relief were harder.

“I’m gonna be alright.” He tried to reassure her in return.

“Yes. Why are you here, Will?” A frown, and the confusion overwhelmed all other emotions.

“Umm, because I’m sick. Alana ..” He lost the end of the sentence, unsure what he wanted to say. Keeping quiet and letting Alana talk seemed more important at the moment.

“No, I mean why are you here, in a hospital in Richmond? I—I tried calling Hannibal, but he hadn’t heard from you either, not since your session. I had to get Jack to search area hospitals until we found you.”

Will blinked. Another lie. The last time he had seen Hannibal was after Dr. Sutcliffe’s false diagnosis. Was he right to fear for his life?

“Did .. does Hannibal know I’m here?” Will swallowed a few more ice chips, avoiding Alana’s gaze.

“I called him as soon as we knew. What is going on, Will?”

With a sigh, he turned back towards Alana. Finding a soft smile from the depths of his feelings, Will shook his head, “Nothing. I just .. needed to get away from everything. And then—I had a seizure in the er. The docs sent me for a brain scan. After that, well, they wouldn’t just let me go.” Shrugging, he felt the IV lines move, reminding him about their existence. Them and all the drugs were being pumped into him, to battle everything the encephalitis had already done to him.

~~

A week in the hospital, and Hannibal hadn’t visited once. Alana had insisted of transferring him to a hospital in Baltimore, but both Will and doctors objected.

It was on a drive home that Will had to stop at a rest stop, to vomit into the bushes.

The Copycat killer, the missing organs. Linking it up with the Chesapeake Ripper had seemed easy after that. Recalling that first breakfast with Hannibal, the protein scramble, and Will had to retch once more.

Stumbling back to the car, he slumped against it, pulling a water bottle from the back seat. Returning home mean a return to work, to his dogs. It also mean a return to Hannibal, to the Ripper.

He knew logically that there was no evidence. None. Miriam Lass had been looking into private medical records of Ripper’s known victims, and he was more than sure, that Hannibal had already corrected whatever it was the she uncovered.

Getting Hannibal to confess would be useless. If he was this careful, this connected to the current investigations, he wouldn’t let it slip, no way. Confronting him would no doubt end in Will’s death. Tobias Budge had proven that.

Back on the road, Will tried to understand his motivations. Why lie about Will to Alana? Why the deceit with the brain scans? Why, why, why? What was his agenda, his purpose in manipulating Will?

Whatever it was, Hannibal seemed to be pulling away from him. Will taking control made him pull away.

He recalled a conversation, one session before their last, about how they were both killed. How much had Hannibal talked about it. That, and alienation from Jack, getting immersed in the minds of the killers, Hannibal almost prodding him closer and closer to it all.

Was Hannibal trying to groom a companion? An opponent? Or was he simply playing with food? Will was determined to find it out. Having the knowledge gave him advantage.

He could show Hannibal, that he wasn’t the only one good at manipulation. At playing with food.

~~

Will had been home less than three hours when Jack called him. Abel Gideon, the supposed Chesapeake Ripper had broken out of custody.

Well, this was bound to be interesting.

[uhhhhhhokay]

My Unpopular Opinions of 2018

This is messy, a bit mean, and full of my mad/irritated feelings. You’ve been warned. No slipping into my asks as an anon to fight with me because I’ve posted this on my account. These are my opinions and I’ve already said that they aren’t that nice to some shows

1) Charmed and Black Lightning are the only good CW shows and it has the best lesbian rep of 2018 (and Rosa from b99 would be the best bisexual rep)

2) Melanie Scrofano/Wynonna Earp is the best part of Wynonna Earp. Honestly lately the rest of the characters for me have either awful or boring or funny but given nothing to do

3) Also even though she’s the main actress, Melanie is somehow the most underrated actress/character in the show. She’s disregarded by so many fans, either in favor of Wayhaught or Doc, and the show treats her like shit by constantly putting her with Doc

4) Descendants fans who pit Dove Cameron and China Anne McClain against each other in the hopes of making the other seem superior are doing absolutely nothing for their careers and are contributing to the unnecessary comparison between successful women

5) Also I don’t care if you don’t like Dove Cameron, but hating her for that Mal/Harry comment she made months ago is so fucking ridiculous. She’s a girl in love who also loves her character, god forbid she make her own headcanons for it, and it wasn’t like she was asking for it to happen (and no she wasn’t disregarding Mal’s current relationship Ben because she was talking about Mal and Harry being exes god damnit) 

6) I can’t believe i have to say this in 2018 BUT STOP WITH THE INCEST STORYLINES! IT AIN’T CREATIVE OR SURPRISING BITCHES JUST GROSS

7) ALSO STOP SHIPPING INCEST GOD PLEASE STOP

8) Timothee Chamalet or whatever his name is, isn’t that great. Like he’s fine I guess but like....Have you seen other actors? I mean, there’s Fady Elsayed, Jack Black, Jordan Renzo, Greg Austin (rip Class), and so many more actors that are, in my opinon, significantly more talented

9) Letterkenny and Galavant are the best comedies out there

10) Riverdale is shit for erasing Jughead’s asexuality and queerbaiting fans at the beginning with Beronica 

11) I’ve said this before, but people disliking Cole Sprouse because of the abuse allegation against him is incredibly valid. 

12) Mike Flanagan, Jordan Peele, and Kate Siegel are the only people I trust to write some bone chilling horror stories 

13) The Haunting of Hill House is better than American Horror Story and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrine combined 

Now it’s time to get serious.....

14) I have no respect and cannot get along with people who talk about how ugly people are 

15) The hellsite is shit for so many reasons but some of its worst qualities are when people take a situation and make it black and white, have zero sympathy or empathy for other people, and twist peoples words and put in meanings that were never there

16) I also hate how how people only care about mental illness when it doesn’t come to their jokes or memes. For example, mental health has been talked about a lot in regards to Ariana Grande, which is good, but once her engagement with Pete Davidson ended, no one hesitated to attack him in almost every way possible even though the man has been very outspoken about his depression. I don’t know shit about Pete Davidson but I’ve seen him relentlessly be attacked and have his depression and suicidal thoughts be joked about. 

17) Stanning is a fucked up culture that we need to leave behind in 2018. There are some celebrities who have a lot of projects that I love and I admire their talent, but the concept of stanning either includes an unhealthy amount of devotion to a celebrity or it erases them as a human being and reduces them down to objects. In some cases, both of these are true. It’s a sick thing for both fans and the celebrities. If a celebrity does something wrong, call them out, and if they don’t listen, well forget it or move on. Cancelling them as if they can be thrown in the garbage and disposed of promotes negativity and hatred, which is doesn’t solve anything, and it can inhibit any growth from that celebrity. They are human and will inevitably fuck up. It’s the only way to learn and grow. 

18) This is about Wynonna Earp but it’s a serious post. I’ve made my thoughts about this show abundantly clear but there is one thing I haven’t talked about at all and that’s the racism in the show and in the fanbase. Disclaimer: I am white. This show hasn’t treated any of their poc or black characters well. The latest example would be the treatment of Dolls and Kate. The last two seasons Doc has had two women of color as his love interests, and both of these characters have been treated as objects to make Wynonna jealous. There is also the lack of story and villainization of these women. There is also the major lack of story with Dolls, which most likely led to Shamier Anderson’s decision to leave. I won’t get into anymore, this is how I’ve always viewed these poor storylines, but I will say this: white fans of Wynonna Earp, we do not get a say on how black viewers should feel about any of these storylines. White lesbians, you would be livid is Waverly or Nicole were killed, and rightfully so. Black people or people of color probably felt the rage you would’ve felt if you lost one of those characters when Dolls was killed off. Telling people to get over it is cruel. If people want to stop watching, that is their right. We have no place in telling them how they should feel about the treatment of their representation. 

19) I made this post a while ago but it holds true: https://uhhhhhhokay.tumblr.com/post/179314393735/shows-with-good-lgbt-rep

20) Everyone needs a break from social media. I know that for some people, it really helps because we have friends on here that we can talk to, but it also has so many negative effects. The real world is nothing like this toxic website. You should take breaks from it every once in a while. You need to get hobbies. You need some other past time than this website. The majority of people on this site aren’t good and everyone should take a breather from it. I take breaks from this site on a regular basis and when I do it feels so fucking good. 

21) Random but The Lodgers is the worst movie ever and it’s an even worse horror movie. Would not recommend. Unless you feel like roasting something for an hour and a half. The only good part about watching that movie was that I watched it with my roommate who I am good friends with and we laughed our asses off and made fun of it so much. It is truly awful. Even though I had a blast roasting it, I will never get that time of my life back. 

22) The Last Jedi does not deserve that 91% on rotten tomatoes. Just like how The Lodgers deserves far less than 56%.

23) Time to get serious again. I get that a lot of us wished that the shows we loved were real, but they aren’t. That’s a fact that everyone needs to realize and accept. To me, hating an actor for their character’s actions is just as fucked up as stanning. They aren’t their character. They are not responsible for the shit their characters pull. They are carrying out the story written for them. As for writers, sometimes the writers do not support their characters actions either. Just because the character is evil or mean or whatever does not always mean that the people who work behind the curtain support that. 

24) Shipping real people and harassing them is sooo inappropriate and messed up. I shouldn’t really have to explain this one but too many people on this site don’t seem to grasp it. I mean, didn’t Harry Styles say a while ago that all the smutty fanfics, tweets, and fanarts about him and his bandmates effect his friendships with him? Him reacting that way is not homophobic, btw. It is him reacting naturally to people fetishizing and sexualizing him and his friends. These are real people. Their relationship, sexuality, and god just so much of their lives is none of our business. They don’t owe us any information about their personal lives. We don’t own them. They are their own people, which also means that they make their own mistakes. 

25) Random again, but original Charmed fans put their show too high of a pedestal. I never got really into show. I tried it, think I watched half of the first season, and I did a little research on it and I was in the fanbase for a hot sec but it was very short. From my research, it seems to me, that for a feminist show, the cast (except Shannon Doherty) was the opposite behind the scenes. I know you can’t help who you don’t like but you can control how you talk about someone, especially to the public, and from what I’ve seen there’s been more negative comments from them about their castmates than positive. I don’t think anyone will know the whole story but to me the feud between the og’s leading ladies has always very catty to me, and it’s gotten even worse with the remake. You can be protective of your show without being rude. You don’t have to support the remake, and you can do that without being rude either. By the way, this is more directed towards Holly Marie Combs, who I believe has been the most outspoken about being against it. Three young actresses are doing the job they love and they were given a chance to be the new charmed ones for a new generation. There is no reason to be so negative about it. It looks even more immature when you see the cast of the original Sabrina who gleefully gave their support to the new cast. 

26) Adults please stop thinking every show is for you. it’s not. Some shows are for kids, some shows are for teenagers, and some shows are for you. If you enjoy the show that’s directed towards a younger audience then that’s great. If you don’t enjoy it, then that’s fine too. What is not fine is you acting like that show was meant for you and tearing it apart and bullying people of that directed age group online. I can’t believe the amount of times I’ve seen some 19-40 year old dipshit on the internet go and bully a 15 year old only because they said they loved a show. That is not only sick and immature but it’s uncalled for. 

27) Also 15 year olds or younger, do not use your age as an excuse to be mean either. You might be young and you will definitely make huge mistakes, but there’s is nothing to justify you telling someone to kill themselves or insulting them just because they don’t like your favorite character or something. You might not be as experienced as some adults, but you’re old enough to know what the fuck you’re doing and how wrong it is. Don’t be cruel and blame it on you being young and stupid. You maybe young and all of us will always be a bit stupid, but that does not excuse your behavior. And @ older people who do that shit too, your older age and power does not excuse your cruelty either. Nothing excuses telling someone to kill themselves. Ever. Especially if it’s over a goddamn tv show. 

28) Can Ryan Murphy please just make one tv show and stick with it until it ends? He has so many great concepts but because he wants to do all of them at once they all go downhill after one season. 

29) On the same but different note, fuck Ryan Murphy for having Violet and Tate get back together. My girl deserves better than a serial killer/rapist that also got her mom killed because he impregnated her with the anti christ. Fuck that.

I never intended this to be so long lol no one will read this

30) The Hormone Monster is literally a metaphor for hormones. Stop twisting it into pedophilia. That show is so sex positive and is so much better than most of the sex ed that we got. 

31) Let’s leave monster fucking behind please

32) Puzzles are a treat to do

33) Funko pops are cute but they make a lot of dumbass decisions regarding which ones to make (like I saw pops of that new nutcracker movie a while before it was released like maybe wait and see how it does first????)

34) Also lets stop thinking of ships/shows as a way to up yourself as more progressive or whatever. We all have our trash shows and ships, stop acting like a saint. Just because someone has a trash ship, does not mean they are lesser than you. 

35) Fanbases are usually always trash. This didn’t change at all in 2018. 

36) Class’s first season was significantly better than Torchwoods first season. You guys are just mean. 

37) While I adore Class, Patrick Ness’s dialogue was really YIKES sometimes (the Charlie April deleted scene nearly killed me). Overall it was good though because it was the closest depiction of how teens speak.

38) Also any teen drama show that has a teen speak seriously in a hashtag should burn in hell (if a hashtag is used in dialogue as joke then it’s fine because it’s funny)

39) An actor being on a show you don’t like does not warrant hate

40) It’s been two years since Class but still, fuck the dw fans who were/are so mean to the class actors, especially Vivian Oparah and Sophie Hopkins. 

I think that’s it.

[boglog]

Wholesome Questionare Tag Meme

Tagged by @80sglamcowboy Rules are: -Post the rules -Answer the questions given to you by the tagger -Write eleven questions of your own -Tag eleven people

This is long as Hell, friends and I apologise.

One inquisitive bitch has asked me:

1. Name one person (real or fictional) that you think you could 100% take on in a fight

Foaming mouth guy from Avatar. He’s got no stamina, barely any health, no skill. He’s unfocused and weak and my noodley nerd-ass could take him. (Though I am a little concerned he has rabies.)

2. What’s your favourite snack rn

Grilled cheese w veggies, mustard, and grilled tofu w a side of ketchup made by my roommate. It’s honestly the purest thing.

3. Which apocalypse do you think you’d do the best in? (i.e. Nuclear winter/ robot uprising/ Too many vampires, etc)

O man. I love apocalypse movies and I love survival horror (that one episode of the X Files where they’re trapped in a cabin, anybody?). I also genuinely love camping and I’m a bit of a medical hobbyist. I also watched an unreasonable amount of prepper videos on YouTube. That said, as mentioned above, I am a couch potato weekling. Furthermore, I don’t do well in conflict so if the world hierarchy collapses into a power vacuum where you have to Orange is the New Black-style intimidate ppl for supplies, I would melt and die quickly.

My best bet, it would seem, is an Arrival-esque alien apocalypse where the ones who have enough patience and sci fi knowledge to communicate w aliens are at the top of the food chain. And worst case scenario it’s better for my ego to die at the hands of an alien than a human.

Sci go apocalypses are just cleaner y'know ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


4. Best and worst fandom you’ve been in? Or have you somehow managed to avoid fandom completely?

Worst has to be Steven Universe. I regret not just moving on after I got bored. Ah well.

(I also think celebrity/real ppl fandoms are a dead end.)

My other fandoms all have various pros and cons and it’s hard to pick a favourite.

Adventure Time has great fanart, great meta and ppl have yet to descend into Homestuck-ian chaos. That said, they’re quiet af. People also fixate way too much on the fake fanfic AU Fionna and Cake. I have yet to read a really good Bonny/Marcy fic and that is a tragedy (a few have come close tho). Bottom line for AT tho is that it’s my go to wholesome cartoonist fandom. I like that it has depth but that it’s generally very simple and fun and that the fans are mostly shut in animation adults.

AtLA/LoK fandom’s biggest pro is that it’s huge and you literally never ran out of quality content. I’ve even made a few friends via this decade old franchise. It’s also enjoyably rich and complex. One of my favourite (now inactive) blogs was one that connected world building and little background Easter eggs to real Chinese history and culture. That wAs so cool!! I defs think as a Chinese person it allowed me to connect to non-western culture in a socially acceptable way.

The downsides tho are many: it can be overwhelmingly complicated (esp as someone who knows jack shit abt Chinese history), people take it too seriously, The Great Shipping Wars, it’s so big it’s a little lonely, the show itself has so many flaws upon greater inspection you wonder why you wasted your time on anything related to it, it’s an Asian themed story created by white dudes who make fun of their fans, the best parts of the show were written by other writers but those same white guys get k the credit. Also as w any fandom related to POC culture, racism happens. Anyways most of you know this already. IMO the best thing to have happened do the fandom is korrasami. Now it’s just abt Asian lesbians ruling the world.

(Though I also thoroughly enjoy the Family Rivalry part of the fandom. There are so mNy dysfunctional families to choose from!)

Rick and Morty is technically speaking my newest fandom. It’s got a lot of obvious cons (pickle Rick sexists, Szechuan sauce racists, asfhkkh incest) but one other con is just how pedantic and overly analytical people are abt the world building. I can’t breathe wo being corrected. RM has a misleadingly complicated high sci fi aesthetic that begets the kind of overanalysing my brand of overanalytical nerdiness can’t handle. Too many alternate universes. It’s just too complicated.

However one thing I like is that conversely I can overanalyse the writing and characters’ psychology/relationships (which I LOVE) and ppl take me very seriously. (At least they used to.) it’s kinda validating to have your 3k word essay on an old man’s bedroom and what that signifies for his depression get over 1k notes.

Rm also attracts the fun, super talented animation crowd so there’s boundless fanart and memes. I never knew I would like a gravity falls crossover retirement home AU btwn Rick and Stan so much but the art is objectively gorgeous?? So ??

I really dislike the lack of attention the female characters get from fandom bc they’re all really great? Female rep is limited but both canon and fic really do their 2-3 tokens justice. Also the jerry hatred is getting old (that male aggression… Like… Calm down, Jake) but it’s a refreshing departure drom when Megg from family guy was the butt of the joke.

Harry Potter, one of the pillars of nerd society, has both changed my life and irreconcilably annoyed me to death. (W no thanks to the racist creator herself!) One can’t underestimate how huge the hp fandom is which offers you as many reasons to love it as reasons not to. Harry Potter’s canon has complex world building that’s also charming enough not to take itself too seriously and much the same could b said of fanon. To a degree. Certain corners of the fanbase are fantastic shitposters and meme-ers and can draw you back in like a black hole. Casually enjoying Harry potter imo is where it’s at. The fanfic is probably one of the most impressively vast. Strangers at Drakesaugh, believe it or not, still updates and not only that, I still read it.

Not casually enjoying Harry potter is, um, yikes? HP and Hunger Games love to insert themselves appropriately in real life political traumas and honestly the dedication of the fandom can be overwhelming.

The HP fanart corner of deviantart circa 2010-12 and @flocc HP comics however are the best.

Meet the Robinsons, Ye Olde Fandom, still stands to this day. (Thanks in part to me ngl) As Iroh might say, they are a proud people. MTR is so bizarre and tiny it’s the only fandom I was able to read EVERY fic summary in existence (ones published on obscure sites excepted). The fandom has never ceased to surprise me for better or worse and mostly due to its age range. The original movie was intended for 8-12 yr olds and their (jaded) parents which means that now, ten years later, the fans are anywhere between 12 and 25. It has approximately 20 pieces of professional-grade fanart and fic and I am downright serious abt the quality and thoughtful complexity of this minority of fanart. Like I shit you not some of it’s almost too dark. However, tragically, one can’t talk abt obscure Disney fandoms wo also mentioning the incest ships (this is what happens when middleschoolers have to resort to cartoons to explore their sexuality in an anti sex ed world), the disorganised crossovers, and the blinding lack of imagination. Nonetheless, that a fandom of any kind could sprout from a 90 min cgi movie before the recession, based off an obscure but objectively fascinating children’s book, is still impressive. The fandoms smallness can in many wars work to everybody’s benefit: it’s a tightly knit community w little to no drama. And lots of memes (that I mostly make) to enjoy sincerely or ironically.

I’m also going to mention, very briefly, the Twin Peaks fandom, most of whom, even the die hards, are v casual when it comes to fan content (I need more fic damnit). Nonetheless it’s a decidedly cool art kid crowd for an art house show and I really enjoy befriending twin peaks watchers.

5. What’s one hot food that you prefer cold? (or, alternatively, one cold food you like hot)

Is it snobby to say I like food to be the temperature God intended?

Like I like cold pizza and salad-y pasta but I wouldn’t mind if everything were room temperature as long as the food itself was well made.

6. ya like jazz? What music do you enjoy listening to? Can you recommend any songs/ artists from that genre?

I think in some contexts I can like jazz. It’s very cosy and nostalgic, it can make you feel like a grand dame stepping out of your limo into your martini filled mansion as records pop around you and your fur carpeted living room. I also occasionally like jazz covers and alternate genres of jazz like electro swing etc.

Generally though I also think jazz is a little antiquated and a little all over the place. I lean more towards the ambiguous minimalism of mellow techno music like Jonna Lee, Grimes, Björk, early Lorde, Yasmine Hamdan, Austra, TRST, etc

I mean I don’t stick to just one genre (I imagine most ppl don’t). I like alternative (Tori Amos, Regina Spektor, Joanna Newsom) and some musicians who seem to completely exist outside of genre like iMonster and the Gorillaz. Not to mention straight up pop like broods, Ellie goulding, lady gaga and Lana del rey. (I mean technically Ldr isn’t pop but u get the ideer)

7. What binge worthy show do you like?

So many man. There are so many out there! Twin peaks, Transparent, Love, Grace and Frankie, Adventure Time, House of Cards, Bojack Horseman, Rick and Morty, Mad Men, Girls, Broad City, Black Mirror, Avatar TLA, 6Teen, Chowder, Over the Garden Wall, Flapjack, the first season of Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones, etc

The list goes on. I’m a TV fiend.

8. What’s an old meme that you miss and wish would be brought back?

Always liked the Gothic [x town or whatever] meme. It was like a text post version of the cursed images meme. Currently I’m really enjoying the song from another room meme and I hope even after it gets old it’ll make a comeback.

9. Tell me your aesthetic



O man. That’s a can of worms! Okay. Deep breath.

I like futurism, of all kinds. I like strong lines and clear shapes. I like colour blocking and minimalism and glass and holographic LED neons. I like white Japanese urban tiled buildings. I like aliens and ruins and cubes and white and colour blocking and black. I like technology and aliens and Comme des Garçons and Issey Miyake. Rooms that are empty but for one light and one window and one plant. Love that.

I like the midcentury cubism and Mod and 30’s futurism. Clear and strong industrial shapes and curves and post modernist abstractionism.

I also love nature, I love most every Björk and Iamamiwhoami music video. I love the mountains and the forests and the desert and the winter tundra and most of all I love the water. A vast expanse of sky and sea w so many colours and textures. I love the 2000s and funny blob shapes and y2k’s obsession w secondary colours and shiny round things. Love pink. I am a grown adult who will never tire of pink. (Though I don’t really like when people overdo pink.) I love cursed image family photos taken with flash in a suburb. I love the grime and the sanitary aesthetic of suburbs and hospitals and brutalist office spaces. The fluorescent lights of the institution but with purple carpeting!

I love 70s mod and I love colorful 80s brutalism I like it when houses are shaped weirdly and they have carpets and polished curved wooden countertops and spacious nothingness where everything looks clean and cosy and bizarrely ugly and it all looks like an art gallery w too many plants.

I also really love maximalism and wood and detail and fur and velvet and embroidery and silk and windows and wood carvings.

I love 70s kitsch like John waters movies and Shrimps designer fake fur CDG17 where they just piled on knickknack after knickknack onto white dresses w food long trains. Toys and novelty items and lamps shaped like a woman’s leg in a fishnet stocking. (See also: most Tim burton movies, wes Anderson, Carrie fishers house)

An overwhelming mishmash of wool patterns with clean cubic 70s architecture and so many plants and windows and wallpaper and candles and cobwebs. Also really like witchy mourning jewelry and essentially every house in Harry potter. Love the unfortunately racist boho/hippie aesthetic. Any house designed by bill kirsch is a masterpiece. Woven baskets on the ceiling piles of hats and art supplies everywhere. Stuff!! Everywhere! Hidden passageways reading nooks fireplaces the Pink Palace from Coraline!

Everything!!!

I’m a cartoonist who’s a nerd for design so I like when concepts are taken to the extreme in a humourously charming and clear-minded way. Whatever aesthetic someone chooses, they should go all out and really dedicate themselves to the highest form of that aesthetic. It has to be perfect without being sanitary of fake. It has to be alive yet beautiful, frozen in one perfect moment.

10. Favourite time of day and why?

Dusk. I think it’s a nostalgia thing. I loved the hours before bed time as well the hours before dinner when it was getting dark and the sun was reflecting freaky colours along the horizon while I ran around the grass. It’s cozy but it’s spacious and adventurous. So many things can happen at dusk!



11. You have the choice to live in any fictional universe - which one do you pick and why?

Harry Potter!!! You get the best of both worlds: magical, over-romanticised Victorian/medievalism, wish-fulfillment surrealism and wifi. It’s great. Likelihood of dying is so low, medicine is so advanced and even then ppls n°1 choice of lethal weapon (Avada Kedavra) is painless. Me and Luna could hang in her garden. I’d never have to pay for the subway again. I could live a nomadic life in a tent w infinite space. If you chose to live as a wizard amongst Muggles you’re basically god and you can cheat capitalism. Gravity is my bitch! And I’m not gna lie my dream house has always been a combination of The Burrow, the Lovegood house, and Shell Cottage.

My turn to pick your brain:

1 Favourite texture?

2 Favourite smell?

3 Favourite children’s book/children’s TV show? (I’m talking about the bizarre abstract ones for toddlers)

4 Best and worst prank you’ve ever pulled?

5 Weirdest beginning of a friendship?

6 When you’ve been in fandom for a while you start to notice you’ve a habit of staying in the same corners. What corner are you in? Are you part of the fluffy ship corner? The intense world building spec meta corner? The shitpost comic fanart corner? Etc

7 If you could invent a class that would be obligatory for all high schools across your country what would it be?

8 What’s the weirdest thing you’ve gotten at Halloween while trick or treating?

9 Weirdest family tradition of yours?

10 Describe your significant other (or your crush, or your dream partner or if you’re aromantic your fave person) through only TV references.

11 Favourite piece of dialogue in a movie?

I don’t know 11 ppl but nonetheless tagging: @that-guy-in-the-bowler-hat @skairheart @nochangenohope @eventheslightestrayofsunshine@autistic-jaredkleinman@phoenixkluke

…and YOU (if you were not mentioned above and so choose to accept this mission)