#No appreciation for nuance and subtext in the fandom

[kashishmusings]

Once I figure this app out more I will talk about how Mai choosing Zuko in the boiling rock was very much a political choice and an act of great defiance against the Fire Nation.

[meltedmush]

Keep making the Binghorse. We gotta ward off people from entering this fandom. We need to keep it pure. I fr don't want this fandom to become famous. I'm scared that there will be toxic fans left and right.

HAHA I absolutely understand the sentiment. I feel a bit contradictory since I want more people to appreciate SVSSS, but the at the same time I like small tight knit communities and I personally can’t handle large fandoms whatsoever. 😭

Although I do feel as though describing the SVSSS as pure is very funny for how lawless this fandom is. But behavior wise, it is definitely a very positive and supportive space!! I haven’t met anyone or seen anything unpleasant since I’ve entered the fandom. Albeit, it’s only been a few months since I’ve started interacting with the fandom, and over half a year since I first read SVSSS, so I have no clue what horror stories the SVSSS fandom has. (I honestly haven’t interacted with that many SVSSS fans tbh…. Even though I want to.)

In addition, funny enough, I feel as though the book almost acts as its own barrier of entry. SVSSS isn’t the type of book you can read once unless you’re good at reading against the grain and noticing all the nuances and subtext. I know the first time I read SVSSS, SVSSS disturbed and confused me so badly. I talked to a few other people who read SVSSS once, who said that LBH and SQQ’s relationship felt like Stockholm syndrome. But people who’ve read SVSSS several times will know, that is not the case, and that SQQ is an INSANELY UNRELIABLE narrator.

I honestly find it funny how effective Binghorse or all the other skin creatures is at filtering toxic fans.😂

There’s always a general reaction to the skin creatures: “Omg, cute!!”, “wtf, but I like it”, “wtf”. Or getting blocked, or death threats. (I haven’t received any…? I don’t think…? One message I received is definitely debatable since I can’t tell if it’s sarcastic or not….😭)

But regardless, I’ll definitely keep drawing Binghorse!!! It’s actually really enjoyable!

[kingofanemptyworld]

Rin, identity issues, and the complications of being an isolated, alienated teenager

It feels sort of weird to say but I generally don’t head canon characters as having particular sexualities. Whatever people go for in fics is usually fine with me - gay, lesbian, bi, pan, something more general like queer. As long as it makes sense for the story they’ve built and the character they’ve shaped to fit it, I’m good. Unless you’re ignoring a canon LGBTQ+ sexuality, in which case, yeah, I’ll take issue with that.

But anyway. Rin.

I’ve got my personal ship for him (BonRin my beloved), but regardless of the pairing I see him as bisexual. He’s so open with his infatuation with Shiemi, and okay, sure, fandom likes to ignore the love interest in shounen for the most part because we’ve got gay ships to peddle. But I don’t see the point in that unless it really reads like it’s a front, or a result of a character suppressing themselves for one reason or another. And with Rin, I think it’s pretty clear his affection for Shiemi is sincere. You technically have the in-universe evidence of the demon that brought out his true desires to back that up, but even without it, Rin likes her. It’s complicated because of Yukio and Shiemi’s own inexperience with romance, and yet I never once doubt he really likes her.

That being said… he’s very appreciative of the guys in his life, too. (Peddling my gay ship here) Bon in particular, considering he’s often admiring how cool he thinks Bon is, that his haircut suits him whether it’s the blonde rooster look or the undercut. If you don’t want to see it as romantic interest, that’s your prerogative, but to me Rin comes across as seeing cool and cute as different traits he finds attractive (in Bon and Shiemi respectively).

I also think his bisexuality would fit neatly into his narrative struggles to “pass” throughout the early parts of the series. Rin has grown up as the neighborhood problem child, ostracized for being violent, and eventually he decides he’s fine with just his brother and his father — and the rest of the monastery, presumably — for company. (Except that’s absolutely not true and clearly he’s starved for friendship and support.) People looked at him and saw a monster, even before his demonic heritage made an appearance; why would he bother giving them even more ammunition when it comes to reasons to hate him? So no matter when he figured out his attraction to guys, he’s not going to lean into it, because he also likes girls, right? (Ignoring for a moment that bisexuality is a lot more nuanced than that.)

Rin likes girls, Rin is human — that’s what’s going to get people to like him, or at the very least tolerate him. That he likes guys, that he’s half demon, he can shove that shit down and pretend it doesn’t exist. Lock up any stray thoughts and keep the sword sheathed around anyone who doesn’t already know.

(Excuse me for being amused by Rin wielding his humanity and supposed heterosexuality as a sword and shield.)

The problem, of course, is that he can’t keep up the facade forever. The narrative won’t let him. Rin has to embrace his demonic side, because it’s the only way to move forward and to continue to help his loved ones. And once he’s moved past the issue of his friends being upset over the deception, when they understand he’s still Rin despite what he’d hidden from them, Rin is finally allowed to be himself. He uses his flames, he lets his tail move freely in the open around the Cram School kids. Rin still doesn’t like this side of himself — it’s inextricably tied to every moment of pain and isolation he’s dealt with his entire life, including the death of Father Fujimoto (and, y’know, his mom). But he is moving forward, he’s trying to adapt.

And isn’t that some great fucking subtext for his bisexuality, too?

[senlinyu]

Hiya— forgive me, this is a big one!

Something I really appreciate about your work on both Manacled and LTDI is your approach to the wizarding world’s oppressive systems. I recently read a bit about how the caste system in India parallels to Jewish and African American oppression (there’s a great film on this too) and it made me go back and re-read Manacled just to look at it from this perspective.

I’m not sure how this fandom usually talks about wizarding world oppression since I don’t really engage, so I apologize if this is rehashing old metas haha. I mostly only see the direct parallels to “wizard nazis,” but I like that your work is more nuanced and detailed. I think it’s fascinating how the blood purity systems of oppression basically operate as a form of caste.

And in HP canon, the statue of secrecy is also very interesting, but you made it so much more engaging. Came for the enemies to lovers smut drama, stayed for the intellectual commentary haha!

I really like what you did in LTDI by exploring deeper how oppression looks like in a magical world, and the history behind the witch trials and dark magic. I *loved* the way dark magic was forbidden for muggle-borns, and the sickening and so realistic rationale that pure-bloods are taught about it.

And HOLY SHIT!—— You do such a good job at showcasing every aspect of this on LTDI through Hogwarts, Dumstrang, the archives, bullies, the press, and especially our two leads! Your depiction of the casual violence of oppression with Hermione and her journey learning about muggle-borns is devastating. and Draco’s absolute misery through the very oppressive system that’s supposed to put him on top is so true and also so brilliantly written. And it doesn’t hit me over the head with a shovel either, it’s just…human. It’s well done!! It reminds me why I like Dramione, besides the tension and the subtext, there’s so much richness that canon simply doesn’t have.

Sorry for the ramble! What I’m getting to is that when it comes to positive societal values (education, riches, peace, access to water and resources) and negative ones (lack of education, poverty, lack of resources, vulnerability to violence, incarceration,) the oppressor class is always going to rationalize that they earned it, and the subjugated second class deserves their lot. Here in America, the rationale was that people of color deserved subjugation because they were dirtier, meaner, stupider than their white counterparts; and these beliefs were upheld by religion, politics and incorrect science. But all of these are rationalizations and fabrications, because there is obviously nothing inherently superior about race (or in the case for white Jews— and here in HP— caste.) I think you translate that so beautifully to pure-bloods; but I was wondering how this works in relation to muggleborns.

On my reread of Let the Dark, I saw that muggle borns that didn’t manifest into Obscurus and went on to become wizards almost always grew into mastering black magic when they have access into the dark arts, while native-born wizards did not. The records of the fic also showed that black magic was corruptive to pure-bloods who tried it, and very hard to achieve at all even when put in similar nurture conditions when growing up.

So I guess this is all a really long-winded way of asking haha—— is Hermione’s muggle-born proficiency in black magic derived from nurturing or nature? and does that mean it’s vice versa for half/pure-bloods? Sorry I know you had a passage on exactly this but I just didn’t really know what you meant.

Anyway, these two are soooo fricking stupid horny for each other, I love the way you write them. Kudos ++ and thanks for all the work.

Can’t wait to see what’s next for LTDI ! ! ! !

Hi, thank you for the long ask. Am I correct in guessing that you saw the movie Caste? It's based on Isabel Wilkerson's book by the same name, which is one of the books that I read that was partially responsible for my inspiration for LTDI. A few years ago now, I was on a sort of journey reading about historical systemic oppression, but I didn't want to be limited to only American oppression and discrimination. I don't feel comfortable drawing absolutely direct parallels from real world in literature just because I feel like a lot of the times such attempts can perpetuate the very things they're trying to deconstruct (looking at you Zootopia), but the story is influenced by various reading I've done on discrimination and oppression throughout various colonial and class heavy cultures.

So as a result, I really didn't want to actually create a 'rational reason' for muggle-born oppression that had a legitimate basis, I wanted it to be a nurture based distinction. Yes muggle-borns have a unique ability that results from the trauma of their upbringing altering how their magic manifests, but that's not because they're actually naturally different, and in fact there's a very simple solution to preventing Black Magic by pre-emptively reaching out to muggleborns and preventing that formative trauma from occurring, but that would necessitate wizarding culture giving up their false sense of superiority and entitlement, and so they won't, and they let Muggle-born children and their families die where they don't have to see it.

[katyspersonal]

some fake bitch in Soulsborne fandom: Lmaaoooo the take that [insert something that doesn't follow their very one-dimensional, nuance-less version] is so braindead and nonsensical, like did?? everyone??? just suddenly forget???? this this and that detail in lore?????? Yall I am begging you to understand what subtext is and also to actually read into the story! We don't have to put up with these blatant misinterpretation just because you 1) are all misogynists 2) lack media literacy 3) want to defend white male character #158254 (select what applies). Anyways lol let's see how many soulsborne weirdos will want to crucify me for having actually CARED to analyze the lore 😭😭😭

me, an ACTUAL lore enthusiast: Hey, I accept your challenge with the very weapon of YOUR choice - the meticulous focus on the presumed implication of the writers and commonly neglected lore bits! Here is my essay going into excruciating detail on why your point about lore is wrong and so your toxic behavior doesn't even have factual backup. I hope you can appreciate how I haven't missed a single obscure item and how much new information you have learned from it as well as my masterful use of Spongebob memes.

the very same fake bitch: *sweats nervously* Ummmm w-well, why do you think obsessing over lore gives you intellectual high ground in the discourse..... W-we can all have opinions and our own interpretations and be mature about it!!! After all, Soulsborne fandom is about having fun, not about seeking the One True Lore...... I-I for one don't even care about loredigging that much, I just do what makes me happy and so should everyone else <3

????????????

______________

So, NOW you condemn the hassle about seeking "truth"? So, NOW you want to respect different readings within the fandom, including those that neglect some details? After you got beaten in YOUR OWN game? Coward.

It is seriously not okay that it happens from time to time, and, I want to tell that you people should always watch out for this particular brand of hypocrisy. The more you spot such """changes""" and document them, the less you will be worried about discourse. There is really nothing to be stressed about when it comes from opponents so pathetic they don't even have set standards and just tell whatever makes them have moral high ground at the moment

[skaruresonic]

https://www.tumblr.com/skaruresonic/774294348638683136

Yeah! Shadow’s character is often communicated with subtext. I thought more of the fandom could at least recognise that Shadow is not a converstionalist, and wouldn’t let himself be consumed by grief or trauma. Movie!Shadow being like “Will it ever stop hurting?” makes me want to break into a fit of laughter. Can I even call this character assassination if this Shadow isn’t even held together by a consistent personality? Aside from being ooc from Game!Shadow, this guy is so divorced from a distinct identity. Who was he before Maria’s death? Not a savior sibling, or even a character tasked with impending duty from his environment and circumstances. He’s just an alien who went along with being experimented on for no discernable reason.

He is a character that just has things happen to him, then he reacts to it “realistically”, and communicates this reaction “realistically” until the movie ends. What is this character if not some non-distinct traumatised asshole who, at his core, let grief define him? Couldn’t emit a single independent thought in his head in the entire 17 minutes he was in that movie lol

From start to finish, there was no moment in this movie where I thought that Movie!Shadow resembled the actual character. I’d get irrationally pissed if someone tried to convince me that this movie did Shadow’s character well. The same way I feel when I hear that Sonic Prime did Shadow’s character well.

Yeah! Shadow’s character is often communicated with subtext. I thought more of the fandom could at least recognise that Shadow is not a converstionalist, and wouldn’t let himself be consumed by grief or trauma.

Can you blame them, when in recent years we've had a revolving door of

Flynn: Shadow's not a conversationalist. He doesn't talk, he just does... Can you hear the fatigue in my voice?

Stanley: I'll try my best to write Shadow correctly, but also to do my best to ~make him better.~

Boom's writers: Sega wouldn't let us make Shadow a goofy quipster. They're very protective of him.

Jeff Fowler and Pat Casey: (gestures) is this someone who literally defines themselves by their pain?

Iizuka: Shadow's past is the deepest part of his character

Sonic Reddit: Shadow doesn't infodump like he did in Archie (read: Archie!Shadow is the GOAT, everyone agrees on this) because of those damned Sega Mandates(tm)

fandom: Shadow needs to revisit his past until the heat death of the universe because we didn't appreciate ~the nuances~ of it the first time around and also the first several times he said goodbye didn't count for some reason

me, losing my marbles: THE LID, PATRICK! PUT YOUR HAND ON THE LID! WHERE IS TOYODA WHEN YOU NEED HIM

---

Aside from being ooc from Game!Shadow, this guy is so divorced from a distinct identity. Who was he before Maria’s death? Not a savior sibling, or even a character tasked with impending duty from his environment and circumstances. He’s just an alien who went along with being experimented on for no discernable reason.

He seriously reads like a toddler. And I'm not being hyperbolic - I have seen with my own two eyeballs posts that explicitly liken him to a toddler. So you know it's not just me freaking out because "omg Movie!Shadow bad"; even film fans inadvertently agree, lol. They just think it's a good thing that makes him endearing (because the film's top priority is Making Us Feel Bad For Shadow, at the expense of nearly everything else), and not a disservice to his character.

Yesterday I mentioned the possibility that the goo and the meteorite are supposed to function as a symbolic "womb" of sorts, which might explain Shadow's amnesia. He doesn't remember his home or who he was before because no one remembers being born.

My friends doubt the film was attempting to be that thoughtful, but in the absence of a coherent narrative, I have try to make sense of what little it does give us.

---

and wouldn’t let himself be consumed by grief or trauma. Movie!Shadow being like “Will it ever stop hurting?” makes me want to break into a fit of laughter.

Like, yeah, you can't have an SA2-based film without an angsty Shadow, but istg this guy never shuts up about ~muh pain~. Which makes it ironic that he suddenly turns into a conversationalist with Sonic on the moon, lol. He doesn't use any other words to describe his experience because the scriptwriters couldn't pick up a thesaurus, let alone SHOW us that Shadow is in pain the way the game did by having him space out.

Having him repeat "I'm in pain" point-blank is like throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping it sticks. It's not creative. It's not compelling. It's boring, and the only way my mind can guard against the numbness that occasionally overtakes me when watching too many film clips is to turn it into a drinking game.

They're not subtle or creative about it in the least. They practically bludgeon you over the head with it. It's actively insulting to us, the audience: "FEEL SORRY FOR HIM NOW PLS. NO, NO CRITICAL THOUGHT, JUST SORRY."

That's the beginning and end of the thought. It's as though the film assumes once they've secured your pity, the rest doesn't matter; they don't need to characterize Shadow any further.

It's to the point where I have to wonder whether he even has a character outside of ~muh pain.~ It's so frustrating to insist that Shadow is more than his trauma for years, only for Paramount to literally have him say the words "I've been defined by it." I just know we're in for people being annoying about it.

...Can I please catch a break around here? Is Shadow to be chained to his misery forever because everyone in this Chili's thinks it makes him a more compelling character?

---

He is a character that just has things happen to him, then he reacts to it “realistically”, and communicates this reaction “realistically” until the movie ends. What is this character if not some non-distinct traumatised asshole who, at his core, let grief define him?

Yeah. Funny how it doesn't occur to people that sometimes the more realistic reaction is reticence.

Couldn’t emit a single independent thought in his head in the entire 17 minutes he was in that movie lol

>>movie is about Shadow

>>Shadow's only in the film for 17 minutes

>>oh this'll be fun

[bthump]

loving this blog. recently finished the manga and losing my mind over the universal stance on Griffith. went into it knowing he was intensely hated but it didn't come to me. also as a straight person, I am baffled by people's repulsion of Griffith having feelings for Guts, thought it was painfully obvious. what do you think are the reasons for this besides homophobia?

Thank you!

Yeah, the fandom is a big disappointment in some ways lol. Glad you appreciate Griffith despite the preconceived notions the fandom tends to give you!

Honestly I think the main reason is homophobia lol, but not necessarily individual homophobia in every case? Just like, the way the majority of straight people have blinders on when it comes to gay readings of fiction because of heteronormativity. Though when the response to people pointing out the gay subtext is steadfast denial rather than trying to see things from another perspective, that's still pretty homophobic.

I can't even cite any of the adaptations lol, because both the anime and ovas emphasize Griffith's feelings for Guts.

I guess there's also black and white thinking, where Griffith's love for Guts is a humanizing trait that makes him more sympathetic and nuanced, and a lot of fans are seemingly repulsed by the idea of Griffith having character traits that aren't 'evil and conniving' lol, so they make up a version of the story where he's pure evil and has no positive emotions and his love for Guts is really just evil possessiveness.

But yeah, idk. The Berserk fandom often baffles me. Thanks for the ask though! Hope you enjoyed the manga!

[darkwolf76]

This fandom is so mean about our man Criston Cole. Tell me what you love about his character and what you're excited to explore as you write him. Thank you!!!!

Thank you for the ask! All the characters from House of the Dragon seem to have this complexity to them that I just love. There is so much subtext and a lot of nuance you can sink your teeth into. Criston Cole isn't excluded from this, and yet for some reason, a good portion of the fandom has decided to have an extremely reductionist and simplistic view of his character compared to other characters, who are arguably just as badly behaved as he is, if not more. A good portion of the show's characters are messy and flawed individuals, but the fandom can appreciate and explore the many facets to them, while they reduce Criston to a one-dimensional archetype that isn't accurate to the character portrayed.

I think there's a lot of themes surrounding his character pretty unique to him, tied to his implied backstory and arc in general. Racism, classism, struggle with personal identity, uneven power dynamics, guilt/blame/redemption. There are a lot of things I want to explore with him in my fic. I'd love it if I could change just one fan's opinion on him.

He's very much this deconstruction of the chivalrous fairy tale knight, a classic fantasy hero, of the Lancelot archetype. I find that all fascinating and just want to look at his themes and psychology a little deeper. One way I plan to do that is by exploring his relationship with an upcoming original character in my fic "Children of Blood and Bone", Tristan Rivers. He's going to be a deconstructed Galahad archetype to Criston's Lancelot. It will be a fun arc that deals a lot with honor, guilt, and redemption.

[rabbitfootjack]

Tumblr exghausts me now.

Fandom has always had its downs, but there's been a disturbing trend of people unable to read subtext, hold paitence for narrtives, or find nuance in character.

Discussions on here have become a morality contest, vistrue signaling, and ostrisizing anyone with an opinion outside of "good" character vs "bad" character.

It feels inevitable. Everything people here had hoped to fight they became in their own version. It snuck up so quietly; with every shame campaign against characters and their fans to every "call out" post on artists and their ships, we began to push put those who don't align.

We've accidentally recreated a polite society that will rival Victorian England if we're not careful. If we can't harbor conversations of sexual expression, discuss character flaws, love and appreciate impolite or darker themes in stories without being called evil or sick, then we as a collective have learned nothing from history. We will repeat ourselves with a new slew of prejudices to throw at people while we fan our pride and remark about how loving, open, and accepting we are.

[unholytrinityrpt]

I didn’t know where else to vent because I’ve been feeling incredibly isolated in my feelings about the RPC. What I’ve noticed is how there is an influx of creators fetishizing MLM to a degree that goes beyond the importance of representation. I don’t think it would be such a glaring issue if the RPC treated all queer people and relationships the same because the same energy is not paid to WLW or nonbinary relationships.

There is irrefutable evidence, regardless of how much people will post about respecting female muses and will still continue to leave women of colour and trans women out of the conversations. We do absolutely need more queer representation. We need more trans muses, non binary muses, bisexual, pansexual, homosexual, lesbian and aroace muses. However, the RPC in certain fandoms ( marvel, DC or those many ABC dramas for instance ) still prioritize and centre MLM ships that have no canonical text or subtext and I’m not actually sure people understand what healthy dynamics between men look like.

Which further perpetuates the societal divide and toxicity of the kind of masculinity that is dangerous. Men in fandoms can’t hug without it being gay, men can’t support one another or express their emotions and appreciate without it being some buried longing. This is the cycle of violence in the real world within the patriarchy and there are real consequences in the real world. Reasons why violence towards the LGBTQ+ continues.

I think at its base level, there are a lot of female aligning muns ( and this is not subject to just those who identify because as a trans man, I had to do so much work ) who have not done the internal work to review their own biases and internalized misogyny and are placing white cis men on a pedestal and erasing everyone else. I say this as a trans person of colour, that it’s disheartening to see this constant motion and dismissal towards anyone who voices their opinion or upset. I am by no means suggesting that people don’t ship what they want because that would be counter productive. But what’s happening is pure fetish without insight or understanding towards the real life struggles of gay men and other LGBTQ+ people in the world.

People are hiding behind the shield of wokeness while actively writing with zionist face claims, fetishizing MLM and putting mediocre cis white men above everyone and everything else. It’s very exhausting, it feels like I couldn’t possibly say anything else towards this without being called homophobic as a queer trans person myself. I think too much has been placed on smaller issues that we’ve forgotten how much queer stories and the stories or people of colour deserve a spot in the RPC that is safe and for the right reasons. Not to be fetishized, not to be a scapegoat for people’s internalized misogyny or complacency to the patriarchy. I’m very sorry for broaching this subject and taking up your time but I appreciate the space.

hi! just wanted to gently chime in. i think you bring up some really important points — especially about how often woc, trans women, and broader queer identities are excluded from conversations and representation. that gap is real, and it's disheartening when people say they care about diversity but don’t reflect it in their character choices or plots.

that said, i also think it’s worth recognizing that people often gravitate toward mlm ships (even the non-canon ones) because they’re reading queerness into media that doesn’t give us a lot to work with in the first place. sometimes it’s the only way folks feel seen — and while that doesn’t mean we should ignore imbalance, it helps to frame it as a broader fandom trend rather than blaming individuals. it’s not always that people don’t understand healthy male dynamics; sometimes it’s that they’re exploring something they didn’t get to see growing up.

i really do agree with the heart of your message though: we absolutely need more nuanced, intentional representation. not just queer-coded men, but also trans muses, nb muses, women of color, and queer women of all kinds. it’s possible to critique the trends and recognize where people are coming from. both things can be true. sending love — bubbles

[insxmonium]

Mun Communication Preferences based meme

🏠 Do you prefer to RP within just one fandom, or more? Which verses of yours are more, or less compatible with others?

i have many fandoms!! i haven't had a chance to really go much outside of the FFVII one but i love crossovers, would love to do a hyrule one, or maybe Hades based!

🗺️ How open are you to meeting new people? Do you like your muses being mentioned IC? To just anyone, or only fandoms/friends that you know?

i am v friendly and i'm always open to making a new friend!! i do like my muses being mentioned but if i don't know you i can be a lil bit shy. i tend to appreciate it more with a friend tho.

🪀 How do OOC posts make you feel? Do they affect your IC writing or flow, to know other muns better?

i like ooc posts esp if they let me know whether or not i'm doing a good job! it really helps me to know that my RP partners are having fun and that i'm doing well, it doesn't always affect what i'm doing, unless the mun is plotting with me and wants it to go a direction. i like getting to know muns too!

🐣 Is there anything you're new at, just now learning, or practicing when it comes to RP?

oh boy it's defs with tumblr here and how everything works. i'm pretty new to it and i can have a hard time figuring out formats; but luckily everyone here has been really nice and patient with me!!

💡Do you get ideas from reading meta/headcanons/bios, or do those only pop up as you write?

i have so many headcanons i could write a novella lmaooo i have too much free time at work sometimes when i'm all caught up and scribble down ideas

💌 Have you ever hit it off with a mun right away? What were they like? How fast do you think it takes to warm up to new people?

i have!! i've wound up in a relationship with a couple of them long term and honestly they're amazing been the best things in my life for me. they were so sweet and adorable IC and OOC and i felt like i'd known them for ages even tho we just met. they were easy to fall in love with, even before we were actively shipping, it was just all clicking into place. i think it only took three days to admit we liked each other lmaoooo and now we're living together after 4 yrs and it's great. i got two hands and two arms and i try to keep my heart and mind open to new experiences and ppl. it was really similar to my other long term partner in terms of how we got along and now we are all v happy together!!

💋 Are you silly ooc? Casual? Chatty? Do you prefer or enjoy things like small talk, when not rping?

i'm very silly my memes are powerful, i'm casual, chatty and enjoy getting to know the mun even if we aren't writing!! i always welcome DMs for plotting or otherwise bc i really value the ppl around me

🩵 Do you have any apparent flaws when it comes to RPing/interacting? Be gentle with yourself!

i have a hard time DM'ing or reaching out sometimes, it can take me days to get up the courage, and then i get anxiety that maybe i come off too friendly. i always want to join in on the fun with prompts but i get nervous that it's unwanted even if it's open replies... i can also get really really wordy when writing bc i have a constant flow of thought or consciousness going on ahahaha i sometimes also can not read a room even tho i try and text is hard i'm not good at subtext so sometimes nuance is lost on me with muns or i'm not able to tell that they're upset about something unless they tell me they are. i try to be as open and considerate as possible!! but i'm not a mind reader. :(( i also sometimes ask questions directly without understanding sometimes it's being read a very diff way than how I meant it. so please tell me if you want some clarification!! i don't get offended at all if somebody asks me questions, wants to know my feelings, wants to communicate their feelings or needs somebody to listen to them. i welcome venting and reaching out if you're having a tough time even if we aren't writing together

👾 Is knowing a fandom more comfortable when RPing, or do you prefer knowing muns? (Overall.) Do you try new things, or get into new fandoms?

i like to write in fandoms i'm familiar with to a degree, or at least understand the world and how it functions, but i don't mind trying out new stuff or getting into new things if it fits with my likes and aesthetics I really like fantasy and magic and things with great drama including horror

✨ Are you easily intimidated by muns or muses that you admire?

yes omg yes and i will sit and admire and think somebody is v cool from a distance for forever and worry about coming off wrong but wanting to reach out and augh some of you are so absurdly talented

❤️ How does the love in your heart affect how you RP? Any other notable emotions? 🪽 In what way is tumblr better than real life for you? Different from your personal dash, if you have one?

i am a naturally loving and kind person, it can make me very understanding and compassionate for what others are experiencing and going through. i am also considerate and try to make sure everyone is comfortable and having fun even if i can get a bit rambly. i have ASD and sometimes that can be hard for me bc i have a hard time reading others, so i ask a lot of questions, but it's because i care a lot about how the people in my life are doing. even if we're not writing. it's easier to type things to ppl than verbally speak them because my thoughts can get all jumbled IRL i don't have a personal dash i'm just here to write

🧤 Name the last need that you Had to take care of before rping!! Anything that made you leave dash, or before turning on the computer, etc.!

i had to spring clean my apartment and i wanted to die bc i stepped on a piece of glass and it was the worst while i was doing dishes :((( but now i'm good

🟢 Do You like to tell people when you're online? Why or Why not? 🪪 What's consistent between RP life and not? Anything about you bleed into your writing?

i don't tell ppl i'm online but i work from home so i can kinda always be online tbh i try not to bother them tho if i think they're busy or got other things to do. i'm a little bit of an anxious person sometimes when it comes to trying to DM ppl but i really do try my best i think what's been consistent for me is having a rough time relating to other ppl who share my special interests (thank you ASD for nothing) and that i can sometimes talk about things no one but me cares about for a minute. i have a lot of personality traits and things in common with Cloud that i'm not always proud of, but i'm working on, and i work real hard to tame every day and in therapy bc i believe in trying to become my best self. i think all of us put a degree of ourselves into our muses and that can make us really amazing at portraying them. i try to do it justice using my own personal experiences and trying to think about how they made me feel, so maybe it bleeds into it a little bit, but that's because i want to make sure i'm doing the best possible job i can at writing out the thoughts and feelings of what i'm trying to convey

🔦 Connect the dots between you and your muse. Ways that you're the same, different, last time you thought about them, etc.

we both struggle with autism, communication, anxiety and get kinda depressed a lot but we mask extremely well and tend to try to resolve it on our own. it's understood i think that our problems are our own and that we can't make others responsible for us or how we should go about processing things we need to. i can be a little aloof, sometimes quiet, but i am a lot funnier hehe with a broad spectrum of interests and things i like to do!! i'm a better cook, for instance, and i like learning about history, politics, philosophy, world histories, and mental health. i love musicals and poetry and high fantasy things!! i don't really like or watch much anime, but there's a couple of series i like, but i'm all about gaming and RPGs!! i thought a lot about him today bc i'm writing such a good romance between myself and a Tifa and it is melting me. we were talking about the mental illness that both of them deal with and how they process it together and it's been so sweet aaaa i also was thinking about one of my Aeriths and how the dynamic is different but both are so valid and i love how i'm writing two diff stories in tandem and it's the best

🎀 What's the last nice thing you saw pertaining to rp?

just so much good writing and interactions on my dash!! even if they're not mutuals i've been enjoying reading their stories and it's refreshing to see everyone be so into it without the drama. Twitter is a hellhole i am glad that i left holy moly i don't notice much fighting over ships over here and instead everyone is having fun, even with OCs, or not in my verse; and it's so nice to watch

Mun Communication Preferences based meme

🏠 Do you prefer to RP within just one fandom, or more? Which verses of yours are more, or less compatible with others? 🗺️ How open are you to meeting new people? Do you like your muses being mentioned IC? To just anyone, or only fandoms/friends that you know? 🪀 How do OOC posts make you feel? Do they affect your IC writing or flow, to know other muns better? 🐣 Is there anything you're new at, just now learning, or practicing when it comes to RP? 💡Do you get ideas from reading meta/headcanons/bios, or do those only pop up as you write? 💌 Have you ever hit it off with a mun right away? What were they like? How fast do you think it takes to warm up to new people? 💋 Are you silly ooc? Casual? Chatty? Do you prefer or enjoy things like small talk, when not rping? 🩵 Do you have any apparent flaws when it comes to RPing/interacting? Be gentle with yourself! 👾 Is knowing a fandom more comfortable when RPing, or do you prefer knowing muns? (Overall.) Do you try new things, or get into new fandoms? ✨ Are you easily intimidated by muns or muses that you admire? ❤️ How does the love in your heart affect how you RP? Any other notable emotions? 🪽 In what way is tumblr better than real life for you? Different from your personal dash, if you have one? 🧤 Name the last need that you Had to take care of before rping!! Anything that made you leave dash, or before turning on the computer, etc.! 🟢 Do You like to tell people when you're online? Why or Why not? 🪪 What's consistent between RP life and not? Anything about you bleed into your writing? 🔦 Connect the dots between you and your muse. Ways that you're the same, different, last time you thought about them, etc. 🎀 What's the last nice thing you saw pertaining to rp?

[utilitycaster]

Sorry to keep the string of im*dna questions in your ask box, but I've been wondering, in your opinion are laura and marisha having their relationship be this... offputting on purpose, and we will get to a point where they develop out of it, or are they trying to write their relationship as cute/romantic (and it's not coming out well)? I always thought it was an unhealthy dynamic on purpose, but after how fast they resolved the gnarlrock fight I wonder when they're going to sort their stuff out, if they're planning on it at all. I know I'm not too good at picking up subtext but the fact most of the fandom seems to think they're just cute girlfriends leaves me very confused on the whole situation, I'd appreciate hearing your perspective.

Hi anon!

I don't know what Marisha and Laura's intent is, but I have to assume they're aware to an extent of how this relationship comes off (ie, incredibly unhealthy). I think anything else diminishes their skill as actors, their intelligence as people, and feels outright incorrect based on what we've seen and heard from them in the past. Their answers during talkback and a few in-game moments across campaigns have led me to believe that in general, the cast in general, and Marisha and Laura in particular, have a good sense of how to portray relationships in a thoughtful, nuanced way. Which, you know, for a group of voice actors, some of whom also direct or write, is a pretty crucial skill! So anyway, I believe that their choices have been intentional.

I can only speculate as to why the fandom thinks they're just cute girlfriends, and will put it under a cut.

Again, speculation, but: people have been shipping this since quite literally the minute the two appeared on screen as characters who knew each other. As for why, I suspect it's one of the following: some are genuinely interested in the potential or the characters and aren't as attuned to how toxic this is. Some would like an F/F ship no matter what and don't care about the characters or how toxic it is (although like...honestly if you're shipping this as horrible toxic codependence, more power to you, it's not my cup of tea, but it's fiction, you're valid, and you're also not saying Cute Girlfriends so this doesn't apply anyway). Some are weirdly obsessed with Marisha and Laura specifically playing lovers despite consistently playing Two Women Who Don't Get Each Other/Can't Be Honest With Each Other across three separate campaigns, which is how we got the "Beauyasha is For Straight People" nonsense.

It's been fascinating to track the bargaining going on in the Cute Girlfriends camp. It went from early campaign "they're girlfriends already!" to "oh they've been in love for a long time" to "they realized they loved each other during the gnarlrock incident" (itself a backtrack from how Imogen sucked for being mad at Laudna) to "I would give anything for them to talk" and then when they did talk, began rapidly backpedaling. The idea of this being anything but explicitly romantic love would have gotten you anon hate a few months ago, but the popularity of it as a QPR has suddenly spiked as of the last episode (which, honestly, is weird, because like, yes, people in a QPR don't necessarily kiss, but also, I would still expect someone in a QPR to tell their queerplatonic partner 'hey it is fucked up that you can't promise me you won't SIDE WITH MY MURDERER'. I mean. I would expect you to be able tell any friend of two years that.)

It's like they're trying to hang on to their first impression in the early episodes - why they cling to such minor characters as Zhudanna or this idea of a static hypothetical dream cottage where nothing happens - but canon keeps diverging more and more, and I wonder what will happen.

Anyway. I guess I leave you with this thought:

Imagine that Ashton had entertained siding with the god-killing cult in conversation with Laudna. Do you think the people who ship Imogen and Laudna would have tolerated that?

Imagine that Imogen had said "I know loneliness you don't" to Laudna. Do you think the people who ship Imogen and Laudna would be mad about it?

[nicoleanell]

There's probably a more nuanced take here that is not worth scrapping about on twitter but siiigh.

Anyway yeah, what's so funny about this very literal take is that you still DO need to acknowledge Owen's gender dysphoria for it to make sense. We're not even one layer deep, the *surface* layer of the film is Owen = Isabel, and the gender fuckery of that is not an insignificant thing. Idk, it seems like Todd is conflating "I can still identify with this as a cis person" (bitch me too!!!) with "the egg crack part of it is subtext you can take or leave."

Weirdly enough, I was just thinking about his colleague (?) Dan Olson's old "Annihilation" video in the context of "I Saw the TV Glow". It's a pretty good video about the limitations of "ending explained!!" style content. The point he makes is that a movie like Annihilation has both a literal plot AND is so heavy with its symbolism and themes that you can't *not* engage with that side of it too... and when you understand what it's saying as a metaphor, the answer to what the ambiguous ending "means" flows from there. A shallow plot synopsis leaves that out.

Tbh I think you can absolutely watch Annihilation and enjoy it fine without "getting" or agreeing with Dan's take on what it's about, it doesn't make you dumb or whatever, and maybe there's a hypothetical viewer out there (TODD??) who's also watching and taking away something from "I Saw the TV Glow" the same way. Charitably, I think a point Todd's trying to make here is the story *does* hold together on its own terms, and you certainly don't have to be trans to appreciate it. (I felt seen as hell just on the fandom escapism part.) I'm sure there are equally bad takes floating around about how allegory sucks and the ending doesn't make any sense unless you disregard the plot entirely and approach it as *purely* symbolism. Which I don't think is true either, fwiw.

But you know... going back to the Annihilation thing, maybe it is *fine actually* for a movie to operate on two levels or more. Maybe it's all right - a feature not a bug of this particular movie - to say you can't unpack the meaning of it honestly without talking about (1) the literal supernatural/psychological horror aspect *and* (2) the real world analogies and experiences it's evoking. We can have both!!

Typed and deleted a reply to this multiple times bc 1) don't want to break my No Tweeting, Only Lurking streak, 2) character limit :(, and 3) I don't think you can say "cis" on there anymore without getting banned for hate speech ?

But anyway, the Purely Literal read of the pink opaque being real would still be "if you want to survive, you need to become a woman, answer to Isabel, and embrace your teenage experiments with crossdressing." Not a trans allegory in the sense of "these characters are literally cis and metaphorically trans," but the sense of "these characters are literally trans with an additional layer of metaphor."

(Also I would argue that "is the pink opaque real" is a much more ambiguous question by the end than "does Owen need to transition")

[anxiouspotatorants]

I agree with you that Rory and Jess's teenage relationship being immature and dysfunctional in a lot of ways was realistic, and... I mean, they WERE immature and dysfunctional, haha! Two teenagers who'd never witnessed a healthy long-term adult relationship in real life? It wasn't going to be smooth sailing! And so much of the blame gets put on Jess, but relationships take two to tango, and Rory definitely made mistakes too. They were BOTH really bad at communicating, and either too proud or too scared to be vulnerable with each other. I'm definitely NOT trying to claim that Jess didn't make some pretty disastrous mistakes (especially at the end), but neither of them was perfect at this, haha!

The other thing I wanted to say was... your tags about how lack of screentime plays into people's perception of the relationship. I like to say that audiences don't need everything spoon-fed to them, but... maybe they do. 😬 I'm not trying to be mean! Because my first impression of Jess and Rory's relationship (watching on TV!) was similar. For years I would say, "It was really disappointing, all they did was make out or fight!" But then, rewatching was surprising, because I picked up on all the subtext this time! I think, with a show like Gilmore, the dialogue is really fast, and when people are just casually watching a TV show instead of STUDYING it, it can be so easy to miss the subtle details and only remember the big surface appearance. Apparently we DO need it "spelled out" for us sometimes.

Oh totally! Obviously most viewers understand that relationships are nuanced and unless we’re talking abuse a teenage relationship is bound to have issues from all sides. (also what a person thinks and how it comes across in writing can also be an issue) But there does seem to be a certain amount of people who either think Jess was some force of evil who only ever treated Rory badly or that Rory was an out-of-touch spoiled cruel princess who left poor innocent Jess in the dust. And that’s just... so not it? Rory let other people’s assumptions cloud her judgement of Jess, Jess’ tough guy/lone wolf shtick kept him from openly communicating with Rory, and so on and so on, because they were both awkward messy teenagers trying to figure stuff out like teenagers do!

And yeah, I don’t want to make assumptions about individual viewers or Gilmore Girls fans, but overall in internet fandom there does seem to be a dip in media literacy and appreciating that character arcs demand flaws and problems...

[kanohivolitakk]

Honestly I have a lot of issues with 3h fandom and the type of climate it has regarding discussions of characters but if there’s one thing I genuinely like is how people have somewhat turned around on Rodrigue.

I remember when 3h was released there was a lot of negativity surrounding Rodrigue. This was most likely because he was Felix’s dad, they had a negative relationship and Felix was one of 3h fandoms darling characters (and for understandable reasons I feel, Felix good). As such people just lumped Rodrigue into the “bad dad” pile, called him a crappy irredeemable character and didn’t really give him much of a thought or wanting to understand him.

And it saddened me because I really liked Rodrigue, at the very least ever since I played the Blue Lions route. He was not only a likeable fellow but also an interesting and compelling character with an interesting mindset that was worth exploring. I love how so much of Rodrigues character and his actions can be understood by looking at how his mindset is largely shaped by Faerghus romanticaziation of death and sacrifice for the sake of chivalry. He has such an interesting mindset that not only makes sense with where he’s from, but also helps to explore on the games themes. And honestly Rodrigue is such an interesting and well-written character that I’d go so far as to say he is by far the best NPC character in the game that wasn’t Rhea, at least as far as being a compelling and intriguing character with some juicy character depth goes (I’d say Judith is on par with Rodrigue as far as being enjoyable and likeable mentor-like character goes, she just isn’t as interesting on the character psychology and narrative/thematic role level). Heck it could even argued that Rodrigue is just as interesting character as the playable cast, perhaps even more interesting and compelling of a character than some of the more “dull” playable characters in Three Houses roster.

So seeing the fandom giving Rodrigues character a second shot and having more of an appreciation towards him makes me very happy. As said Rodrigue is one of the more interesting characters as far as his characterization and what said characterization adds to Three Houses central themes and ideas. So seeing people look at his character and what he adds to the game and appreciating it makes me just so happy.. It’s just me going internally “yes! yes! you’re all right you’re so right”. and grinning so hard from my side of the monitor.

And yeah part of Rodrigues re-evaluation is because he’s a hot guy with sad gay subtext but honestly??? Given how one of the reasons I like Rodrigue is because he is a hot older gentleman with sad gay subtext that would be kinda hypocritical of me if I had an issue with that xD. As long as people can appreciate his more interesting aspects I don’t really mind if their reason of wanting give his character another shot is for more shallow reasons. And for what I have seen people do appreciate more complex and nuanced aspects of his characters, so tehre is nothing to worry hehe.

So yeah I may have issues on 3h fandom but people having a greater appreciation to Rodrigue these days isn’t one of them, and in fact is something I greatly appreciate.

[sneezemonster15]

Calling bullshit on the opinion that Kishimoto doesn't know how to write romance.

The reason why this entire shipping business on Naruto has been going on for over a decade and still going strong, making fans go absolutely mindless, about a story which is not even about romance, about things that are so effective and impactful that the fans feel completely consumed with it, to the extent where they have almost completely defined their life and philosophies on its basis, is because Kishimoto can write a good fucking romance. And that's what he did. That's the reason why ships are fighting with each other, because it's not just about Naruto the manga or Naruto the series, it's about how they imagine their own romance, it's a deep, profound feeling. That's why they have strong motivations and convictions that drive their insight into the story. That's why there is so much polarity in Naruto fandom. They are ready to jump to protect their ship at a moment's notice because that's how much it means to them.

Are you telling me that it just happened on its own? Just happy coincidences and random factors?

No.

A lot, a lot of thought goes behind closed doors of the studios. I know this because I work in the business. The reason why I was so astounded with Naruto's story because it was actually a brave story. A brave concept. In a shonen. Because I am ready to bet a million dollars I don't have on the fact that Kishimoto knew what he was doing. Anyone who enjoys poetry, or literature, or drama can, if not approve, appreciate Naruto and Sasuke's story. Because it's that deep. Because it's that impactful. Because it's that dark. Because it's that tragic. Because it's that tender. Because it's that painful.

Because it's so...

(Applause.)

Romantic.

These are all the ingredients of a well written romance. This is the reason why I don't care about other ships because I know that SNS is not random or a projection. It's mindfully and carefully and even tenderly written and developed.

Kishimoto's projection? Oh sure. It stands to reason that someone from his real life affected and inspired his favourite character through and through. He did say that he based some characters on certain people from his own life. And he did base Naruto on his own self, if partly. And the reason why I am able to surmise that he could have had a real crush on someone like Sasuke in real life, is because how clearly and insightfully written and contrasted the two characters are. So nuanced. They are like poetry, that's why I am so dazzled with them. Their story is so beautifully shaped by their characters and growth that it creates a clear impression of who they really are in the story. Soulmates. That's the whole crux of the story. They are written out to be this literally 'once in several lifetimes' pairing that finally broke the bonds of hate with bonds of love and changed the entire world and as a result, grew themselves. This is reflected in themselves what with Sasuke being propelled with hate and Naruto with love and coming together finally in a world that they made happen, for each other. And all of their parts and counterparts with which they think and move and function are so well in sync with each other that they lock together perfectly, like two pieces in a two piece puzzle box.

To say that this intricately and intelligently and tenderly written story is just like, an accident, my lord no!

No. The content that is finally syndicated on screens all over the world, especially with the type of response Naruto has enjoyed, and believe me when I say this, everything goes through many levels of scrutiny during production; to the extent of why would this camera angle work better than all the other angles, here's a flowchart and analysis of all of them and let's spend three days on deciding it while the producers are going crazy frustrated with fanatic creatives. This is a very common thing to happen in most serious studios.

Naruto stood out at the time it came out and reached a much larger audience for several reasons. But one of them was that it got the right exposure and was shown to critics outside of Japan, who could appreciate and admire it's cinematic beauty and this reached a different subset of audience. This extra effort is not consistent but it shines at so many places, because it's just good storytelling technically and aesthetically. And the reason why Naruto and Sasuke stand smack dab in the middle of that storytelling, is because Kishimoto told their story with so much feeling, it literally shows. The nuance is just crazy. Note that I am saying nuance and not subtext, even though it's there in heaps. But I want to make a distinction clearly. Like I can write pages and pages over it. Anyway, their story stands out because the nuances are so well defined and mindfully drawn by Kishi, that one can't help but wonder if Kishi actually experienced them. And they are just small things but still get a lot of exposure in the manga and anime. And because they are so small but clearly noticeable, it makes us stop in our tracks and think. And the thing is Kishimoto could have easily done without them and it would have made everything still seem undisturbed but he chose Not to. That kind of decision is a direct result of deep understanding, feeling and thinking in terms of forming a certain visual approach and meaning. The visual language Kishi has used to show their chemistry, their bond, their need for each other, is so tangible, like you could cut it with a knife, that it makes one feel something is right below the surface, simmering and about to explode, but you can't put your finger on what it exactly is. Until you start to think. And it takes some time.

You think that kind of writing is random? Are you out of your mind?

No, Kishi is a maniac. He pulled something that was not easy at all. He is a genius. He is also sadistic because he knows he didn't give us a resolution. Resolution is cathartic to viewers and the reason that nobody got any with Naruto and still not getting any from Boruto is making everyone go crazy. Fifteen years is a long time man. And I can bet my other non existent one million dollars on it. He owns a lot of rights over Naruto franchise, I don't think he can be cowed down to such an extent even by the studio. Kishi fought studios for a few significant scenes of Naruto and Sasuke, he is not unfeeling about them.

Maybe I am being a mere deductionist but more often than not, deduction is right. It's a valid form of acquiring knowledge. Sherlock is right more times than he is not.

Anyway, my point is, Kishi can write romance. Kishi can write very good romance. He could have chosen to remove some tropes and make Naruto and Sasuke either just brotherly or friendly. But he chose not to. A lot of people think that they are platonic. And I think I know why. But I don't. They are not platonic. They seem like they feel physically aware of each other, acutely so. they just don't know what it is. Maybe Sasuke does, Naruto doesn't. Kishi used also such common tropes to show this element, but just because it is in shonen and between two boys, y'all won't believe it. Don't you feel that palpable feeling, the simmering tension and emotion when they fight at the valley of the end both times? And it makes you think maybe it's just you, and what you are thinking can't be true because this is shonen and it would mean they are gay, let me tell you, no it's not you. It is Kishi. And it takes skill to write. Something like this is almost always used as a trope of unaddressed sexual tension in media. Pick any romantic drama of this genre, where 'hate turned to love' or 'two unlikely people who fall in love' and you would find it in almost every single one of them.

Why do you think Kishi designed it that way? You think with all the detail (action moves are literally inspired by real life martial arts, lighting, sound, editing, dialogues that sound like out of a Bronte novel), that was him just playing innocent?

No. No. No. And No!

He wrote SNS throughout Naruto and Shippuden and is still doing something of an extension of it that has made Boruto a weird and uncomfortable to watch family drama.