#all bc of a lack of 'decisive evidence'

[mekatrio]

still in disbelief over this post i saw cuz how do u play 4 whole games of ace attorney maybe more and not see the problem with the concept of "decisive evidence"........

[howiscallmewhateveridctaken]

Lmfaooo what a week 😅

So a lot of people are, understandably, leaving the fandom. Drama like this always tends to put people off and unfortunately that affects the media they’ve come to love. I’m not going to be one of those people bc honestly, I don’t even know if I was ever that “in” the fandom in the first place to even leave it. My account isn’t and never was a nevermore account, yes I’ve made a few nevermore post but those were infrequent and amongst posts and reblogs of multiple other fandoms. I’m also in the discord server but I’ve only ever been a lurker, and usually only ever go in it when I want more context to something I’ve seen on tumblr. With that being said however, I still plan on reading nevermore when (or if) it continues because in THIS particular instance I can easily separate art from the artist and I’ll explain why in a moment.

Like I said I’m not and never have been very active in the fandom. I learned about this drama through a post from an account I follow and went through the server to find more context. I was not present through any of the actual conflicts but I’ve seen the conversations.

So why am I commenting on this?

Well mainly I want to make a point about para social relationships as well as moderation of servers and fandoms as a creator.

I just want to preface this by saying that after reading through all possible context, perspectives, takes and evidence I could find or come across, I genuinely don’t think red is necessarily a bad/morally wrong person. I DO however think she is in the wrong in this situation especially due to how she handled everything. As for how a lot of people are reacting to everything, there’s a couple of things I’d like to note:

From what I’ve seen, all of this is just one big thing of “he said/she said” and pointing fingers as well as just picking sides. If your absolutely distraught because red didn’t turn out to be the person you thought they were simply because she said things you didn’t like, I understand the disappointment and frustration but please remember that content creators in general aren’t your friends. You don’t know these people, they just do things you happen to like. Now I’m not saying you SHOULDN’T feel upset about it, it’s ok to and you even should if it’s an issue to you feel strongly about but please keep in mind that this isn’t a “sign of their true colors” or anything because you don’t know what they were actually like to begin with. Ofc I don’t mean that to say “expect the worst from people” but more as a reminder that can hopefully help you to look at the situation more critically and logically before jumping in guns blazing. It’s understandable if it affects you emotionally, you were emotionally invested in their work; but please realize this before you let it get to that point. Now on the other side of the coin, there’s the people who I feel as though will just pick the creators side simply because they’re fanboys and will stand by them no matter what. I’m DEFINITELY NOT saying that’s what everyone who’s on red side is, but naturally there’s bound to be a few that are going to dickride for the sake of dickriding. Regardless, there’s a lack of willingness to listen and understand from both sides (at least from what I’ve noticed) and that’s a problem because when no one wants to listen then what’s supposed to be a community coming together to resolve an issue just turns into a giant flame war. Also this should go without saying, but at least give the mods a chance. They obviously handled the whole situation horrendously but they aren’t going to do their jobs any better when they’ve got people coming at them with pitchforks.

Speaking of the moderators. I genuinely can’t wrap my head around how red and the other mods have managed to fumble this badly…….like it’s almost funny. All said and done they all had ONE very simple job and they blew it. Although I very much disagree with it, I do understand red’s decision to unban crimson. They wanted to give them a second chance, sure whatever. What I DONT GET is why would they not at the very least check to see if anyone else would be comfortable with a decision that would possibly affect them or even impact their safety. At the very least a warning to or a discussion with the victims would have been something. Not only that but even after they unban them, once red saw the NUMEROUS amount of people that were upset about it they, they should have immediately banned them again and then apologize after instead of some rushed explanation. But I get it stress gets the better of you. I understand their desire to keep things as transparent as possible (which i appreciate and I’m sure so do many others) but from that first apology/explanation it felt more like red trying to shake responsibility off themselves and pointing fingers in the guise of being transparent. I did see where red was trying to get at in her first statement, but there was also things that she honestly should have just had the foresight to realize wouldn’t put her in a better light, and this is aside from the victim blaming-esque wording. red basically says that she felt like a group of people (including Laci the one who reported crimson) were just out to get crimson, which is absolutely insane but then again it’s the internet so who knows. However it’s super clear that Laci obviously wasn’t lying bc the things she accused crimson of did in fact happen. So even bringing that up was enough for me to raise my eyebrow at but I digress. Then red practically says it was hard to handle the situation bc the evidence provided was censored, but Laci literally offered to give the uncensored versions so that was completely disingenuous on red’s part at best. To me it just seemed like the mods were looking for excuses for what could be there own laziness at best and negligence at worst. Their biggest fault so far is not being very good at actually listening to their audience and taking them into consideration. She also brought up that fact that Laci was apparently the only person to report crimson which I did not like to say the least. One of the victims confided in Laci and Laci brought it forward. I understand reds suspicions about Laci not being in the actual server where it happened but how are you going to immediately jump to “well why did no one else bring it up” instead of stopping for a sec and thinking “ hm clearly these victims feel uncomfortable stepping forward”. Which they had to do now anyway because of how bad the issue became. They should not have had to do that. Better it be just one person reporting, even if it’s someone you don’t like, than no one reporting and the issue persists under the radar.

And then there’s red’s formal apology…

First off, girl why are you dropping names??? A bunch of who are supposedly minors? Like let’s be so fucking for real right now😭

And then the audacity to be like “please don’t go after or dm these people” like babes if you were genuinely worried about them you wouldn’t have used their names at all. ESPECIALLY when in the end it was completely irrelevant and borderline inappropriate since it really had nothing to do with crimson, their actions or how you handled them. Not to mention the act of calling them “cliques” when literally all they were was side servers. Like if they’re cliques then what does that make red and everyone who’s on her side? It was very clearly just a biased reaction to people saying things she doesn’t like about her, which by all means she has the right to respond to but not in a way that is clearly trying to sway how everyone else sees them. The way red describes everything is as if it’s middle school drama and then proceeds to play directly into it. Don’t get me wrong her apology was fine, when she was ACTUALLY apologizing. Everything else felt like a last ditch effort to drag others under the bus with her. It was lowkey embarrassing to say the least.

Again, it’s important that I make it clear that I don’t believe red is a bad person. I just think she’s an immature person, or at least she is in how she handled everything and continues to handle it bc like I said I don’t know her, and don’t care to frankly. I didn’t start reading nevermore to be buddy buddy with her. Like if we look at the grand scope of things, this is a grown woman beefing with kids. Obviously they aren’t all kids, most of them aren’t I believe but she’s practically stooping down to school yard conflict in how she’s responded so far. Especially at one point in the server when she was being called out and jumped to “yeah I guess I’m the bad guy and totally evil. You all should hate me”. Like actually cut that shit out, what are you doing. I mean honestly.

And my final point because I’ve ranted long enough. I mentioned before that in this instance I am willing to separate the art from the artist, I stand by that because I genuinely do think this is a situation where red could hopefully grow from this and rectify things. The actual unbanning was a stupid and inconsiderate move on her part, but I don’t think she meant any ill-will or had any malicious intent. I disagree with the people calling her a r@pe apologist because that’s honestly just a huge reach. I’ve also seen some accusations of red and/or Flynn being racist, promoting inappropriate art knowing there’s minors around and from what I’ve seen it’s pretty iffy. Regarding the racism, I don’t believe that they are. Their characterizations of the characters regarding their ethnicities IS stereotypical and was obviously just very surface level research into those respective cultures but I chopped that up to ignorance rather than racism. As a woc I was frankly just relived they didn’t make the poc characters centered on some kind of discrimination or tragedy from their era, which yes is something that shouldn’t be ignored but also I don’t know if rednflynn could accurately and more importantly, respectfully portray those types of issues. Nor is it even their place tbh. With that being said however I don’t belong to most of the cultures the characters belong to. To me it never seemed like they were making a caricature out of these cultures, especially since their ethnicities are barely relevant to their stories anyway but I acknowledge that it’s not my place to deem what’s offensive or not.

As for the promoting inappropriate art of the characters and creating some themselves. Yeah they do. I’ve never been shocked about that nor did I think it was something that they are wrong for doing, I mean it’s their own work. Granted I didn’t realize how many minors were in the fandom but that’s literally every fandom, there’s only so much you could do about it. I don’t know if nevermore has a rating but it’s not like it was something ever promoted to be kid friendly, it’s obvious that some scenes are just straight up fan service. While I personally don’t like fan service it never was enough to impact the story so I personally never saw an issue. But point is I don’t think they should have to monitor what is and isn’t appropriate for minors but things get tricky when they have a server where they are clearly aware of minors.

And then there’s other things like people accusing them of promoting SA or some shit like that bc of a lot of stuff involving Montessor which frankly, that’s just a media literacy issue on the readers part. So yeah with that being said I don’t think red is a bad person, although I understand why a lot of people are done with them which is completely fair. I’m pretty much in a grey area about it, who knows if they end up getting in an even bigger scandal, hopefully they come out better from this but only time will tell. The best/smartest thing red has said throughout this entire debacle was that they’re taking a step back from the fandom. I think it’ll be good for everyone, especially them. It seems like it’ll take stress off them anyway. Plus the hole they’ve dug for themselves is already halfway to china by now so there’s that

[johannestevans]

i wanted to write a BIG essay on disability in House MD but the thing is that as it goes on the show plays and delves with the themes a bit differently - like in s1 they begin to introduce some addict stuff but not too much, and much less of the big grapples with house's own medical agency etc by his friends and coworkers

so i think i'm gonna do an essay series, set up some main themes around disability and autonomy in house

the first things will obviously be about the nature of house's own disability, firstly talking about his physical disability - yes, the lack of mobility from his leg and his reliance on his cane, and also the chronic pain that that comes with, but also specifically noting that house became disabled later in life and was previously extremely physically active

while the themes of house being an addict are extremely overstated because of the us' manufactured opioid crisis and its dehumanisation of addicts due to its racist and eugenicist "war on drugs", it's also noteworthy that he used to exercise all day every day on top of fucking and playing with substances on the side. no one minded this because his "addiction" to exercise was fun and sexy and healthy, bc he was making his own pain-killing substances rather than taking a pill

and then also talking about house's mental health issues - evidence of his autism and the way that people hate specifically his autistic traits, even when they're not actually causing them problems, and the way in which house masks and performs certain emotional responses, but more so like. his depression and his loss of identity as a disabled man, and his difficulties being OKAY with his disability when everyone around him hates disability

so apart from that evidence, the points of house grappling with this stuff will be:

house bonding with other disabled patients - in cases of chronic pain, lost physical mobility, and also mental illness and/or neurodivergence

and house specifically understanding disabled people's perspectives, or thinking about the PRACTICAL needs of the person they're treating or engaging with rather than what society cares about or what the hospital thinks is "appropriate" or "proper"

house bullying abled people for being Weird

times where house makes commentary about the injustice of the system (when he points out that the hospital is designed not to treat the poor, chronically sick, etc)

house being anxious and defensive of his own bodily autonomy (eg when ppl are trying to control his pain management or force him into systems that don't work, take over his medical autonomy, in general try to physically control his behaviours)

esp bc season 1 culminates in the stacy episode where we find that like... so much of house's trauma is not just being disabled

but the fact that stacy OVERRODE his desires, waiting for him to be put into a medically induced coma so that she could make "the best" decision for him and literally being the cause of his current disability. esp bc like...

she specifically went for the middle ground that he rejected, she was NOT a doctor

and in so doing she. invented his chronic pain. like there's a reason that in that same episode, we see the volleyball player who gets an amputation and is able to go back to sports - yes, house is a lot older than that volleyball player, but like

if he had either treated the infarction successfully or just got an amputation so that he could later work with a prostheses, house thinks he would have done much better

and so much of his TERROR around trusting others - not just stacy but wilson, cuddy, anybody else - is because of that. the one person he loved and trusted overrode his desires and created the hell he lives in where he's just in constant agony and he hates it, and the worst part is like

everyone tells him it's his fault. no one cares about what stacy did to him, that she manipulated him. every day they tell house how terrible it is that he does that to others, but when it's what happened to him and he lives in hell, it's on him because he's Mean and Too Autistic and he should just Stop Being In Pain etc

god it kills me.

BUT YEAH i think. season by season is gonna be a lot better to track the development of these themes and the way they shift and change from season to season - also idefk if i'll be able to stick with like. the last three seasons bc they just suck so ba dhfskjjgh

BUT WE'LL SEE

[cleromancy]

saw a post that was like. "jason probably wouldn't have ACTUALLY killed the joker if the joker had killed Bruce and jason had lived" using willis and harvey as an example and while i can see where that's coming from i do not agree at all for a couple of reasons.

firstly. jason finds out about willis's probable death in batman 410, which opens only 6 months after moving in with bruce; the 2-issue felipe plotline directly precedes the first issue of the death in the family arc, during which canonically the incident with felipe leads directly to jason being benched and seeking out his bio mom. most peoples sense of personal morals develops drastically from ages ~13 to 15, and we have direct evidence of this happening for jason whether you believe he killed felipe himself or not (more on this in a bit).

but going back to the two face incident and Willis. jason's still calling bruce "mr. wayne" at the beginning of this issue (bruce actually tells him to call him bruce *directly* before jason finds the file), and after the training montage they actually start talking about harvey after jason asks about the giant penny:

so one of the first things jason learns about harvey is that his benefactor and mentor, in whose house he currently lives, cares about Harvey as a person and believes he doesn't necessarily have to be this way. i don't think this is the main factor in Jason's decisions wrt harvey in 411, but i want to make note that it *is* a factor, and revisit it down the line.

moreover, bruce is making the case that harvey does villainous things because he's unwell, not because he's just a bad or selfish person.

this got long! cut for length.

of course we know jason at first still *does* want to kill harvey (batman 411):

this is however depicted as a very robin buildup of emotion, rather than a decision he made with a clear head and the intent to follow through. theres no indication this was a decision Jason thought through or a certainty that harvey had to die--theres no indication he even considered it before he got there and was physically facing him.

after the mission:

the thing that breaks through Jason's defensive shell is the word 'trust,' and it's there that Jason explodes and explains--and expresses how hurt he was by *bruces* actions. by *bruces* perceived lack of trust.

and there's a resolution which i'll describe and elaborate in a little bit, but this is bruce's assessment following that:

(...also worth noting that in 410 alfred adminishes bruce for comparing jason too often to "the first robin". there's evidence here jason's already feeling pressure to live up to dick's example, those high standards, or at least the version of them bruce has told him about, which almost certainly wouldn't have included that dick at one point wanted zucco dead, himself.)

and I cant post the entire sequence without running out of images, but to recap, jasons on-panel emotional progression after finding out two face killed his dad goes from shock at the discovery, stewing and fuming without telling bruce what was wrong, the furious outburst above when he and batman run into harvey, the tough guy facade, then a tearful fight where he accuses Bruce of hiding willis's death from him bc he doesn't trust him. pausing here to get into more detail on that last:

a thing you often see in traumatized/abused people, particularly children, is a conviction that any transgression will lead to disproportionate consequences, a constant sense that the rug could be pulled out from under them at any time. an invisible line they could trip over and lose everything. given his age and the complexity of the situation, jason most likely conflated a jumble of feelings here without the maturity or emotional management skills to untangle them. the ones we specifically get to see are jason feeling betrayed by bruce, angry at both bruce and harvey, and insecurity over whether hes still good enough to be robin. however, i think its reasonable to assume two further things: one, that jason hadn't been entirely confident in his place at wayne manor up to this point, and two, that he'd conflated being robin with that security. pretty clearly when jason asks if he's a washed-up robin, he's worried his outburst meant he might not be good enough for it anymore, and extrapolating further from that, hes possibly worried he might lose that level of security, of usefulness, of connection. so hes got a lot of really big, really upsetting emotions rn.

then the resolution of that fight pictured above is bruce telling jason he was wrong to keep willis's death from him, explaining his intentions, and then what you see in the above panels where jason asks for, and receives, reassurance, followed by them making a new plan of how to proceed together.

so the other thing that changes jason's mind to my reading, though this is extrapolation, is bruce reaffirming the trust between them, reassuring Jason that he has *not* crossed the invisible line that would make bruce hate him or kick him out, and jason feeling secure enough to leave that mental space of recklessness, of feeling like he had nothing left to lose. and that would be proceeds which is jason following bruce's lead as his adult guardian, with a clear head:

so summing up my thoughts on jason and harvey. 1) he's insecure enough in his place with bruce, and young enough to defer to adult perspectives on morality over developing his own, that his decision was more about following bruce's lead than the beliefs he would develop as he aged, and 2) that even when the emotions did boil over it wasn't exclusively about willis, and the deciding factor was not, in fact, "doing it because he took me away from you."

(speaking of that last point, about "took me away from you," we do also know that Jason didnt *expect* Willis to be around consistently or there for him bc in post-crisis Jason's debut issue when bruce asks where his parents are jason says that he doesn't know where Willis is but says derisively that hes probably back in prison. the consistency and presence in jasons life is key here.)

OKAY!!!! ONTO FELIPE GARZONAS!!!!!

so time has passed and now jason's the age he will be when he's murdered, either 14 or 15 depending on the version of his death certificate you go by. (i, like most people, go by 15.) either way, he's now demonstrating the maturity to be developing his own sense of morality independent of Bruce's, which we see in batman 422, when bruce relays the story of judy koslosky killing the unrepentant serial rapist who murdered her sister, and who she had baited into choosing her as his next victim:

i put a particular emphasis on this because judy's perspective is one that jason goes on to paraphrase to talia in lost days: "I didn't *'murder'* him. you murder *people.* i... ...*put that reptile down.* don't *tell me* the world isn't better off." evidently her perspective stuck with him.

with that in mind, i now argue that it is irrelevant for the purposes of this post whether jason pushed felipe or "spooked him" and he slipped. either way, we have evidence that Jason believes that sometimes a person's death, and therefore causing that death, can be the just course of action. but what i actually want to talk about is that in the case of felipe, batman 424 is ALL ABOUT how Felipe can't be touched for the rape and battery of gloria stanson.

essentially, the law's hands are tied, so batman and robin try a different avenue. the garzonases have been smuggling drugs or whatever--war on drugs propaganda not important--so theyre trying to deport Felipe for that. jason points out, "that's *not much* of a punishment," and bruce replies, "I'm afraid it's the *best* we can do."

so for the moment, Jason is focused on punishment--just retribution for the pain felipes caused to whatever degree the law and batman can deliver. he's willing to settle for that, at least up until they book Felipe and he makes a point of making a phone call in front if them to harass gloria.

and, well, then they rush to gloria to offer protection and tell her felipe was on his way back out of the country, only to discover gloria hanged herself rather than experience felipe a second time.

this is the point at which robin gives batman the slip and follows felipe to his hotel room, where we the readers witness him talking wistfully about how he'll miss american cocaine and american women. (*cough*PROPAGANDA*cough*)

again, it's irrelevant for my purposes whether Jason pushed felipe or not. what is relevant, is that when jason saw that the man they were trying to send away from his victim used the opportunity to victimize her agajn, and she took her own life as a result, jason arrived on felipes balcony. whether he intended to kill him or not, jason weighed the life of one of felipes victims against, at minimum, the potential fallout of a diplomatic incident bc Jason showed up at *all.* remember, they persecuted him on a lesser crime bc the law, and batman, can't prosecute for the one that left a woman dead. this is jason acting outside of that agreement.

the other reason we needed to talk about Felipe was bc the issue following, batman 425, has some... poorly written fallout where starlin was *trying* to show that 3 more people died bc of Felipe's death but in practice looked more like bruces carelessness/incompetence lol. but it's relevant rn that bruce made a point of telling jason that actions like that can have unintended consequences that he'd bear responsibility for. so that's a factor in play too at this point.

so to my mind, there are three major factors to Jason's decision on whether or not to kill the man who killed bruce. 1) personal hurt; "because he took me away from you," 2) the relative morality of the killer (motives, circumstances, and Do They Deserve It?), and 3) whether or not the world would be better off (which would have worse consequences, to kill them, or to let them live?)

(post-resurrection jason is a different story because lost days explicitly shows us Jason choosing not to kill the joker because then it'd be *over*; he goes on to tell talia that the world would be better off, "but i don't really give a *crap* about the world." and while we can't take him completely at his word there, because he spent the entirety of lost days leading up to that *extremely* giving a crap about the world despite his best efforts, at this point jason has made the choice to prioritize his hurt over the greater good. so while lost days jason would be less concerned with things like potential fallout because he has no intention of fixing any of the messes he made, we'll assume that the alternate Jason would still be in hero mode, and would take responsibility for them upon himself.)

on the topic of if the world would be better off, i dont... really have any interest in arguing whether Jason would believe the world is better off without the joker. he *would* believe that, full stop. where bruce told jason back in 410 to think about the tragedy behind harvey doing the things that he does, the joker... simply does not have one. by utrh *at least* jason fully believes that the joker caused pain for pains sake and filled graveyards just to fill them. and they had yet to fully build the joker up by that point to the unrepentant, uncomplicated monster that he is today, so I won't apply that retroactively, but by then he had already shot and paralyzed barbara. furthermore even if jason didn't kill the joker for killing bruce at the tender age of 15, as the jokers crimes and body count escalated Jason would be repeatedly facing *this same decision* each time. so let's take it as read that Jason would at some point weigh the joker's death against the deaths of uncountable future victims, and choose the side of the victims.

but right now we're arguing whether or not jason would kill the joker *for killing bruce,* specifically. so to be clear what im focusing on for the moment is reasons he might talk himself out of it--so, moving on to the next part of that: diplomatic immunity?

one of the reasons post-jasons death bruce doesn't rain holy hell on the joker is-- okay let me just say this whole plotline is blatant propaganda against the middle east. but if you take the conditions the story lays out at their word, Iran made the joker their embassador to the UN so he has total diplomatic immunity to any crimes committed before or after being appointed to that post, meaning he couldn't even be prosecuted, and any unlawful pursuit despite this could cause an international incident. and SUPERMAN HIMSELF comes down to tell bruce this. for our alternate Jason, we already know he's willing to cause those consequences even if hes not necessarily prepared to face them.

so recapping, jason 1) believes that killing someone can be the right thing to do if it means the world is better off, 2) was not deterred by the possibility of a diplomatic incident when seeking justice for gloria, and 3) has no sympathy for the joker in particular. *eye* think thats enough evidence, but i actually do want to go back to Jason's personal hurt re bruce and how it is presented differently to willis.

all the way back at the beginning of this post i talked about Jason's feelings of betrayal, how the perceived lack of trust was what finally made him break and tell bruce everything. this is, to me, a big deal. by contrast, we have no evidence that jason ever had or expected any kind of trust from willis; he didn't know Willis's whereabouts and assumed he had wound up in prison again without feeling the need to tell jason or catherine. willis was not someone Jason had ever had consistently in his life, and losing him to two-face was not functionally different from losing him to the justice of the state.

i do not believe the fleeting rage or feelings that he had a right to know what happened to willis would be *at all* comparable to the tidal wave of emotion Jason would feel, at this point, at losing Bruce.

"because they took me away from you."

[f0point5]

Honestly, as a woman I have to say it is very interesting to me how different people have handled the Christian Horner investigation compared to the allegations against Susie Wolff a while back for example.

Bc I remember the outrage online for the Susie one was big and people were crying misogyny so bad the FIA finished/dropped their investigation after one (1) day and everyone was happy.

Christian was investigated by an independent investigator hired by the RedBull company not RedBull Racing. He was, supposedly, interrogated for 8 hours and investigated for weeks. Now the investigation has exonerated him but people will still rather believe rumors they read in a newspaper than the official result.

I myself am a little disappointed by the lack of transparency by RedBull but the hypocrisy in this is astounding.

I think society really has slipped too far into “believe all victims”. Because there was never even a confirmed victim. And people were still there with pitchforks.

As a woman, I feel bad for Christian’s wife, and his kids. He’s got daughters old enough to understand what people have been saying about their father, based on absolutely nothing. No one thinks about those women.

No one thinks about the fact that if every time a female makes a complaint about something, people just to accusing the guy of sexual misconduct, that it sets the precedent that women in the workplace are only to be sexualised. Or the fact that if every time a woman makes a complaint, a man is convicted in the court of public opinion before there’s any evidence (only to be acquitted when it turns out it was a rumour) it sets the precedent that these claims can very rarely be taken seriously. Or the fact that assuming any sexual misconduct in the office is entirely harassment by the man, infantilises and patronises women in the workplace. People are so quick to protect “victims” that they end up creating them out of thin air.

As much as I’d have liked to know the whole story, I think it’s good that Red Bull is not bowing to pressure to release details. They don’t owe anyone transparency. That employee filed a complaint with their employer, they didn’t call de telegraaf to make accusations. They didn’t go on TikTok to make this news. Their privacy should be protected. As should Christian’s. This is a company, not a government, they don’t answer to F1 Twitter. People have got way too comfortable demanding information they are not entitled to when it comes to “public figures”, especially in this sport. Good for Red Bull for reminding the mob of their place. (I do agree that Theresa certain amount of hypocrisy because I think they leaked the investigation themselves, but I have no proof of that and I think that it’s the best decision to give this the privacy it should have had all along)

[horizon-verizon]

What are your thoughts on GRRM new post ?

https://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/2024/07/05/blood-cheese-and-grief/

GRRM expresses that he enjoyed the episode's drama and Helaena's/Phia's performance of grief, the dog, excuses Cheese' confusion...but he doesn't actually commend the decision to make Maelor absent, which means he probably has issues with the actual event and interaction of the B&C event/Helaena's lack of Sophie's Choice. And what Maelor's nonexistence means for later events.

He talks around the actual thing itself--Helaena confronted by B&C-- only features of the main event that this episode was written for/around. I think that is very telling.

First, Helaena:

As I mentioned in this post, I already thought that Helaena would likely have ridden Dreamfyre often but what most interests me is his point that she was "adored" by the smallfolk. If so, he succeeded in not really conveying that with evidence because those same smallfolk still tried to kill the same girl's dragon and the Shepherd's contrasting her supposed "purity" to Rhaenyra's "evil" licentuousness provides more evidence as to why she'd be so "adored". Bec in this propaganda book, you'd think that there'd be more actual evidence for how she & Alicent was "adored" or "beloved" BEFORE the Dance like how there is for Alysanne and Rhaenys But we'll take it for now, since his intent in this post is to share his positive reaction to the first 2 episodes alone for the season.

Like what he said about how Viserys was written, he likes how Helaena here is given more "complexity":

Saban’s performance is especially noteworthy; very little of what she brings to the part was in my source material. Last season HOUSE OF THE DRAGON essentially recreated King Viserys, giving him a much different backstory and far more depth than the jolly party-loving king I created for FIRE & BLOOD. I talked about that last year, so I won’t repeat myself, save to say it was very well done, and DAMN but Paddy Considine was glorious in the role.   (He should have won an Emmy). The HotD team have done the same thing here with Helaena.  In the book, she is a plump, pleasant, and happy young woman, cheerful and kindly, adored by the smallfolk. A dragonrider since the age of twelve, Helaena’s greatest joy in life is to take to the skies on the back of her dragon Dreamfyre.  None of the strangeness she displays in the show was in evidence in the book, nor is her gift for prophecy. Those were born in the writers’ room… but once I met the show’s version of Helaena, I could hardly take issue. Phia Saban’s Helaena is a richer and more fascinating character than the one I created in FIRE & BLOOD, and in “Rhaenyra the Cruel” you can scarcely take your eyes off her.

It's...very interesting that he doesn't mention episode 3...which was nearly universally hated or treated as a "funny" or comedic episode...strange since a death of a child is supposed to hang around for a little longer and tensions are supposed to accumulate into unbearable levels but I digress 😐. I bring this up bc apparently, it is the same episode where you see Helaena express little of that grief he praises the show for making her express through Phia's performance (I agree w/GRRM--the grief factor alone of that performance was good) AND the show takes the time to say she "forgives" Alicent for apparently being inattentive for her kid's death to happen...meanwhile she's supposed to be so lost in grief that's it's unlikely she actually has the time or energy to even care abt Alicent OR to feel like she can forgive her bc her kids is gone forever...

So, this part:

And Phia Saban gave a wrenching, powerful, heart-breaking performance as Helaena Targaryen, Aegon’s doomed, haunted queen and mother to his children.

Is funny as hell. Undermines all of the 1st 2 episodes he liked.

As I said in previous show!Helaena criticisms, it was inevitable that show!Helaena was going to be a "rounder" character than the book...precisely bc she is not mentioned often besides that descr GRRM gave above, B&C, her going mad, and her death/Dreamfyre's cry. She's given more...but I maintain that the "more" is self contradictory and we haven't actually explored her life or her "visions", which are just shown as "feelings" rather than dreams. The characterization, is still flatter than show!Viserys, who we actually still explore and see outside of Rhaenyra, Alicent, Otto even. Thereby, Helaena show-wise is still an aesthetic of grief rather than a character and if you enjoy her being an aesthetic of the grief GRRM, I don't really understand how you aren't disappointed with how they ruined even that in epi 3.

 I have visited real castles that did not look half as imposing as the Red Keep and Dragonstone did.  And they were HUGE.  I could easily have gotten lost, just like Blood and Cheese did.

I once said that it was weird they got lost:

bk!Cheese was very knowledgaeble abt where to go and how, which tunels to use…which is why he was chosen in the first place and why his "job "profession" (ratcatcher) is so important, bc these guys know where to lay traps in hidden places for rats -

GRRM is not a medieval ratcatcher who consistently works at a specific castle he's been to many times and he never was/can be one, but sure we'll take his word of enjoyment for it. Would have been better argument if he brought in historical evidence of ratcatchers getting lost and how frequently they did. In the episode, Cheese said he never went up to the upper rooms like some other catchers...why? there's a hierarchy of "professional" ratcatchers, now? This was never shown. IDK, sometimes I think only a few people in this fandom actually care abt world building.

Me, I felt that it was an unnecessary thing to add bc how how limited they were in run time, the plausibility issue I speak of, and bc how this weird thing is used as a way for the writers to infuse more confusion and an element of dream like chaos into the episode. Which, sure....but then its a weird question of perspective that we're not really supposed to have when this is not a vision, but that's another digression. You could have had him be more sure and knowledgeable, or be as he was and we could have given more space for Helaena, but what do I know, I'm not the author.

He says some stuff about the dog. I liked the dog, too, and yes I wished he had included the dog.

Finally, and most intriguingly, he says this:

The only part of the show that is drawing criticism [from watchers] is the conclusion of the Blood and Cheese storyline.   Which ending was powerful, I thought… a gut punch, especially for viewers who had never read FIRE & BLOOD.   For those who had read the book, however… Well, there’s  a lot of be said about that, but this is not the place for me to say it.   The issues are too complicated.   Somewhere down the line, I will do a separate post about all the issues raised by Blood and Cheese… and Maelor the Missing.  There’s a lot to say.

Hehe.

Like I said above, it appears he has some issues for how they will or won't include Maelor's death AND how Helaena's Sophie's choice--arguably the biggest and most important and plot-defining action she ever took aside from her suicide (that will be used against Rhaenyra later), which only happens bc of this event--was rewritten and handled.

I guess I'll be on the watch out for that new post he's writing AND for his reaction on episode 3.

[ihateedwardnygma]

please elaborate (ignore how i voted i thought about it for 2 miliseconds only)

info dump time yay!!

i’d like to preface this by saying what i believe abt ed is likely a personal thing and up to interpretation… for starters he’s a fictional character + also. as with the majority of characters i enjoy, a lot of the things i love / find interesting about him tend to be things i headcanon. i don’t think my perception is necessarily the correct one and i also think the original poll has a lot of right answers… like you said lust and even if you put no thought into that vote i actually think it makes sense… at least in my opinion it ties into his pride, which is what i voted.

anyway! i believe that ultimately his biggest sin- and his fatal flaw overall- was his pride. his downfall is caused nearly exclusively by his own sense of pride and inability to let go of his ego. whether directly or indirectly, pride was at the centre of the majority of poor decisions he made: most of the time he acted out of a need to keep up his ego and save face, desperate to earn the respect of others around him.

i think ed had a very fragile self image- throughout the show, we see him sort of project things onto other people- denying them their own personhood or autonomy and acting as if this can both save him and perhaps save them too, if he gets it in his head that they need saving. he might view himself as smarter and superior to others on the surface, but this disguises a HEAVYYY case of low self esteem… the guy literally can’t function without his ego being stroked. he doesn’t particularly know who he is, and tends to define himself by arbitrary traits such as power and intelligence. when his inflated and distorted view of himself is challenged, he becomes angry and prone to lashing out. this can and does lead to him inadvertently torpedoing the rare few good things that actually do happen to him, which is, even if he is kind of an asshole, really sad to watch.

with this being said, i believe the fandom do tend to characterise him in black and white- either this pride and innate selfishness is a flaw set in stone that cannot be fixed, and this therefore makes him 100% evil and irredeemable- alternatively, people will go the opposite route and suggest he’s some kind of innocent little guy absolved of all responsibility for his actions because of his evident issues. and i believe it should be looked at with more nuance than that- yes, he’s not a good person, and yes, he’s done some downright evil things. but at the same time, ignoring that he was a deeply unwell and mentally ill individual with zero support system or help- i mean he got thrown in fucking ARKHAM when he was caught- does a disservice to the character. i doubt he could ever have been normal- i view him as CEN-coded (childhood emotional neglect) and also having multiple mental illnesses- majority of these are my own so it’s not like. Stereotyping lol- that may make it harder for him to navigate life. but i do think characterising him as purely evil or purely good are both takes that lack comprehension skills.

i went off on a tangent there and i’m really sorry!! but i wanted to clarify what i mean when i talk about ed + pride- in no way am i villainising the character nor am i saying everything’s okay bc he’s got like. 12 gazillions disorders or whatever- i just think he’s a very fun and interesting character to analyse… ^_^

[ad-hawkeye]

You came up on my recommended feed at the perfect time bc I have Artem brainrot rn AND YOUR ANALYZATION OF ARTEM’S CARDS ARE FANTASTIC! I’m one of the few players that avoids most CN server spoilers, and I’ve been abstaining from pulling most cards so I can pull for 3rd anni(which now I’m kinda questioning if I should LOL), so I missed out on a TON of content for all of the male leads. BUT, from the very few cards I had pulled this past yr, I did notice an odd shift in Artem’s personality. Although, I wasn’t too sure if it was just me being dumb or if it was a real thing that was happening. And after reading some of your posts I kinda want to re-read Artem’s Second Anni Card again bc I was so excited for the artwork from that event, that I didn’t pay much attention to the story LOL However, now that I’ve seen what you’ve said and what many other Artem fans have said, I’m sure my feelings weren’t wrong. And now I’m sad 😢

Artem was my favorite bc his relationship with Rosa felt the healthiest and was built on respecting each other’s boundaries, learning how to set boundaries, and working as a team, while also having a more traditional framework of a male leadership role(which I’m extremely fond of). Artem never restricted Rosa from spreading her wings as his work partner or as his life partner, he simply asked if he could come along beside her where ever she wanted to go. AND LIKE HIS ORIGINAL PERSONAL STORY IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THIS BEHAVIOR! Rosa makes a reckless decision to go get evidence, without Artem, for a the domestic violence case they were working on and almost gets hurt in the process. After that, Artem scolds Rosa for being reckless and for not taking better care of herself. And Rosa doesn’t take it lying down either! They equally argue and get their grievances out in the open, feel bad about later, and apologize. (THE COMMUNICATION IS SO REAL 😩) FURTHERMORE! This incident leads them to learning and understanding how differently they work as lawyers. Artem learns that Rosa is a lot more personal with her clients and handles her cases with an empathetic approach, while he works more pragmatically, so through this case they learn to work to each other’s strengths as partners, covering for what the other person lacks. And the chapters this incident took place in solidified my growing love for Artem bc unlike Luke or Vyn(I’m not sure about Marius bc admittedly I haven’t read his original personal story 😅), Artem doesn’t hinder Rosa by being overprotective like Luke or push her beyond her capacities like Vyn tried to do in his original personal story. Artem allows a natural course of growth to occur in Rosa, while being a hedge of protection for Rosa BUT ONLY when she seems to REALLY need it, and the same can be said for Rosa towards Artem.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk, sorry for ranting 😅

WAHHH YOU'RE TOO KIND!! ;_; thank you so much for the sweet words, it really means a lot!!! i'm so so happy you enjoyed my ranting and raving, honestly having a community of super awesome people to talk about this with has been such a comfort and ive made some awesome friends from my time here, even if we don't chat as much anymore!

and omg, do NOT ever feel bad for ranting in my inbox!!!! i've been ranting about tot in the main tag for two years at this point and i will Always be thrilled to read delightfully written meta such as yours!!!!!

i have to say, i entirely agree with all of this. and i mean ALL OF IT. his personal stories 2, 3, and 4 are my absolute favorites of his and gosh that's like. prime artem to me, i think. your ask reminded me of some meta i read such a long while ago about his second personal story (link can be found here, it's SUCH a good read)

i think a huge issue is that artem originally always felt like the antithesis to your typical daddy dom boss character. when you start playing tot, appearances wise, he looks and even comes across as one. but these initial appearances are quickly shattered.

he is absolutely inexperienced with interpersonal relationships. he fumbles the bag CONSTANTLY with rosa. he's terrible at holding conversation, he's constantly apologizing for being boring. he needs his own fucking boss to wingman (haha. wing) for him. he blushes if mc looks at him the wrong way. he's kinda strange. but he's earnest and genuine. he respects rosa's boundaries. he makes mistakes, but learns from them. he gives rosa time to think over her feelings for him so she can still say no to him if she changes her mind.

it's the contrast between this and his initial appearance that makes him interesting. what is extremely bizarre with artem's recent writing is it feels like someone who only read artem's introduction scene got some vague pointers and was like oh. your typical daddy dom boss guy. okay yeah i can write this. and then they did. which . defeats the whole entire point of what made artem compelling in the first place. he was compelling BECAUSE he subverted this trope. by just making him play the trope straight, you remove any and all intrigue from his character.

by not building off of older cards, you abandon all of the plot lines he had set up. they undid any angst in his stories. they dropped his issues with his parents. they downplayed neils impact on his life. he doesn't even grieve for him anymore. he doesnt even think about him most of the time. what happened to entwined fate? praying for neil's safety? what about neil being his father figure? neil potentially betraying the nxx? are we just going to ignore that now so we can watch artem be an insane freak who just apparently woke up with the skills of a sex god, forgot all of the lessons he learned, and doesnt care about consent anymore?

god, now IM ranting.... regardless. youre so right. i hear artem's newest cards are good so im praying those rumors are true : ((

EDIT: SORRY I MEANT TO TALK ABOUT HIS THIRD ANNIVERSARY CARD!!! it's not as bad as his second anniversary card. i know the bar is in hell but it's something. it's pretty contrived in the grand scheme of things (like why are they moving into a house...?) and has some weird moments, but is ultimately not as bad as it could have been in the slightest. i'd say its biggest crime is being boring as sin. holy fuck. i put that shit on 2x speed and i still found myself wanting to fast forward. like nothing happens at all???? it's so bizarre HAHA

[wyllzel]

but what are your bridgerton opinions? share share

AAHHH 🫣 ty for asking omg! opinions time 😏

my big thing is that i'm annoyed whenever people complain about the lack of historical accuracy in the clothing, or when people complain that it all looks over the top... i firmly believe that bridgerton as a series of works has no interest in historicity (see rants A and B)!! so i think it's much more interesting for the costuming department to be able to construct these really interesting, elaborate gowns instead of painstakingly trying to recreate clothing from 200 years ago :^) plus they get to use modern visual language to emphasize characters' roles!!! like we know cressida and the featheringtons are trying too hard bc the patterns/materials they wear are what we associate with tacky/costume-y sort of looks 👀

i haven't seen many people talk about this - but i really wish the show had stuck with the 10 year time skip before colin's book... penelope is 28 years old during her book romance! both her maturity and her having to reckon with being "old" while never having been kissed/romanced is a big part of why her story resonated w me ;; it doesn't quite hit the same in the show, where she's probably in her early 20s still...

probably the worst decision the show has made for the polin romance is having colin keep an erotic diary rather than what he has in the novel, which is a travel journal 😭 i'll put this below the readmore since it's a pretty big spoiler haha

^ anyway cressida's gowns are everything 😔🫡

spoilers ahead for colin's weird erotic diary!!!

basically, the polin romance works so well bc they both respect one another as writers! so far, we only have one comment from penelope about colin's writing, which is right when she reads his diary and he finds her snooping :(

throughout colin's novel, we see him as really insecure bc his brothers have achieved some measure of success (anthony is respected as the viscount bridgerton and benedict is a renowned artist) while he's just kind of traveling the european continent lol... so when colin discovers that penelope is lady whistledown, he freaks out A) because she has haters and he has to "protect" her (LMAO) and B) because she's a successful writer and he wants to publish his travel journals, but he's insecure as an amateur writer...

and basically colin has to grow from:

not understanding why penelope is so proud of her gossip column, to

understanding why penelope is so proud of her gossip column (it's her life's work and is a valid literary artform), to

overcoming his jealousy of penelope's success, to

being actively proud of penelope's success and her talents

which is so fascinating!!! i can't think of many other romances/works that feature a male romantic partner who's jealous of his female romantic partner's abilities!! dude overcame his toxic masculinity and basically spends the rest of the bridgerton saga telling anyone who listens how much he loves his wife :') it's great stuff

anyway... i'm not super sure how the bridgerton show is going to tackle the whole "colin is jealous of penelope's talents as a writer" thing... because if he's writing erotica, how is he going to get published??? is he going to be regency nicholas sparks????? also, not everything has to be about sex/romance!!! his travel journals were perfectly fine as they were!!

plus so far the only hint we have that colin's insecure is his weird playboy era, but even that... i'm not super sure if that's supposed to be evidence of his insecurity, or if the show is hastily establishing his "rake reputation" that all the bridgerton men have LMAO

[primeministerofantarctica]

A3! reading club: act one (chapter 1-6)

(cw: talking about parental neglect and abuse, orientalism, one mention of suicide)

Hey, ten out of twelve isn't bad, all things considered! This very well could have gone down in October. Also, since it's February (March if you wanna be generous), does that mean everyone in Harugumi's slightly younger than their Year One ages now? Ack, timelines are confusing.

Izumi casually talking about how Yukio neglected her and following it up with "well, it was probably because he loved this theater so much!" is. Oh, girl. No wonder she snapped when Sakyo suggested he'd abandoned Mankai, because if he hadn't loved it, then why did she have to go through with that?

I'm not versed enough in Japanese particles but I recognize "daijoubu" and Tsuzuru watching this trainwreck unfold and saying something along the lines of "are you guys, like, okay?" is extremely funny.

Then we get to Sakuya and Masumi's family situations, which. From a meta perspective, it makes sense to want to give your minor protagonists the freedom that having parents limits. That's why the trope of "young protagonist in kid's spec fic media is conveniently an orphan" is so common. (was? I think it's becoming less common now.) The problem lies in the lack of willingness to follow through with the emotional conflict it creates, or resolve said conflict in a satisfying manner. Sure, I'm assuming they weren't starved or physically abused, but being treated like a burden when you're a child is still fucking traumatizing! Basically I think Izumi Sakuya and Masumi should start a union. And I'm glad later chapters go the reasonably more toned-down route of "my parents have a reasonable amount of trust in me to make these kinds of decisions".

Also, can we talk about Sakuya and Masumi, because they're one of my favorite brotps here. The way Sakuya appoints himself as Masumi's surrogate big brother? He's so eager to potentially share a room with him ;-;. (personally I hc that Ms. Sakuma was expecting another child before the accident or whatever killed them, so Sakuya's been a big brother without a younger sibling all this time </3)

Wow, that doesn't sound like a metaphor for anything! You're right, Izumi, why would you go the easy route of taking something prepackaged and guaranteed when a bunch of wildly different spices can create a delicious meal if you know how to utilize them right?

Am I grasping at straws here. Probably.

The little ka-ching sound effect is adorable.

Tsuzuru, I'd think "antagonist" should be near the top of the list...also, there's plenty of plays that have been pulled off with two or three actors. Just put on "night, Mother" or something. (Joking. Don't look up night, Mother if you're sensitive to themes of suicide.)

"Tsuzuru, you picked this troupe because it had a dorm, right? ...Then maybe our best bet is to focus on more people in your shoes."

"People in my shoes? In other words...."

"The homeless?"

I CAN'T ASJHGSKSDSK

he's literally doing the 😔 face i'm on the floor.

HE'S HERE! Funny how Izumi's right about Citron not being a regular tourist right off the bat. He may not be from another troupe, but he's definitely "in character" right now.

Also, oof. Citron's my second fave in Harugumi after Sakuya, but it's glaringly obvious how much of his character is rooted in orientalism. Sure, maybe it's an act, but why is he talking about how "shameful" showing skin is when his top is (conveniently for us) THAT low-cut.

On another note, I know people have pointed out his distaste for pig's feet as evidence for headcanoning him as Muslim, but I haven't seen anyone point out how he calls Veludo Way a "mecca" of theatre. Like yeah, mecca can just mean hub, but...why didn't they just say hub? Words Have Connotations. I'm not saying this coding is good or bad, it's just a neutral observation.

AND HERE'S THIS BASTARD (affectionate)

Oh, Kasumi! (insert pointing reaction pic bc I've run out of photo space.) It's Kasumi, guys! :D

[nikethestatue]

After I finished reading the books, I was excited for the resolution of the Lucien-Elain-Azriel "triangle" and fully believed elriel was the clear setup and would be endgame. After I started lurking in the online fandom across different platforms and was exposed to gwynriel theories I was like "OK they might have some points, that BC is sus" and I was a little worried but I was still 98% sure elriel would happen. Now, after the latest revelations in HOFAS, the latest interviews and looking at the evidence every which way from every angle, I'm 100% absolutely convinced we're getting elriel, I'm just filled with so much confidence. I know this probably isn't news to you, but I just feel like shouting it from the rooftops!! I believe the gwynriel mass hysteria phenomenon will be studied in the future, cult mentality is the only way to explain its popularity.

You are correct, Anon.

This is how you read books rationally, and made decisions based on text, which lead you to logical conclusions vs getting all your opinions off TikTok without even reading the books.

I've been shaking my head for 3 years at this but it's both disturbing and a great example of the lack of critical thinking and assessments that plague our society right now, and how easily people fall for nonsense.

The number of times the goal posts have changed for GAs is incredible. The number of times they tried to come up with 'new and improved' plots (the latest being--it's going to be another Nesta book and Az and Gwyn will be her sidekicks/lovers LOL) is countless.

Elriels--yep, nothing's changed. Everything still makes sense.

[dinosaursatemymom]

Tw:sa, mentions of sa

TL;DR: nuance is incredibly important when discussing ships and characters. Also don't fucking make shit up, that's gross.

oh

Oml

I just found out that some people think that Steve SA'd Nancy in s1

Btw I don't ship stncy, but this is just, no. Oml no.

I just have to say that this is definitely wild. Especially because that's, just, not what happened in the show, and trying to paint Steve as this evil assaulter who was only using Nancy for sex literally undoes his entire plot in s1 that proves he wasn't just using her for sex.

In the first scene, he pushes for more, she says no, they joke a little, and then he stops. It was clearly meant to be lighthearted. The scene where they actually do have sex, Nancy initiates it. Steve did not at any point force Nancy into having sex. Lighthearted joking about having sex is not sa. If you cannot tell the difference between lighthearted joking around and literal fucking SA then please do not say shit like this, especially if you haven't experienced SA yourself.

Like, if you wanna talk SA maybe talk about the very real violation of consent in the show by Jonathan.(ftr I have forgiven Jonathan for this, he has clearly grown since s1 I just feel it's necessary to bring up in this convo bc jncy shippers tend to just ignore that this happened) Jonathan not only violated nancy's privacy, he also violated Tommy's, Barb's, Steve's and Carol's consent in taking these pictures. They were not in a public space, he went into a private gathering and took pictures without consent. That's a violation of privacy, tommy and carol being assholes doesn't mean they should get their privacy taken. It's gross, and it's even worse when people try to excuse Jonathan's actions and say he didn't do anything wrong.

Yes, Jonathan has grown and can be forgiven for this.

But, he was not in the right for taking those pictures of them.

It's the same with Steve

No, he shouldn't have slutshamed Nancy or said those things to Jon.

But, he was in the right for being upset about the pictures and he has grown since then

All of these things are true.

What isn't true it's saying that Steve SA'd Nancy. Especially when this is used as anti stncy "evidence". That's gross. Wtf.

Don't erase the real consent and privacy violation and make one up just to defend a ship. Ew

Also Nancy deserved so much better than Jon in s1, I'm actually glad about the decision to make them get together in s2 because it gave Jon some time to grow and be less weird. I don't really like how they got together (a grown adult giving teens alcohol and telling them to have sex will never not be weird) but I digress.

JSYK this isn't rlly an anti jancy post. I think that they could be really great if they could just fucking communicate and work on their problems better.

Also I just get really annoyed when people treat ships as if they have no issues and are perfect, which tends to be a lot of peoples attitudes on jncy which has kinda turned me off from the ship itself.

So many conversations surrounding jncy and stncy lack much needed nuance, which can lead to people saying things like this as "proof" that a character/ship is bad and terrible and the worst ship ever.

[buffyspeak]

for the Character Asks, how about I give you your pick of any/all of our 3 established Gossip Girl Main Characters bc we're writing a whole show about these 3 rich dysfunctional gays lmao

hello YES! i enjoy our rich disaster gay trio sitcom (/dramedy) headcanon chats! work with for the other two so it would largely be headcanons anyway. i decided to go with jenny since the others don't have much canon to work with.

How I feel about this character: my beloved <3 more seriously, she's the character in gossip girl i find most interesting so this is going to be. long. anyway. she can be flawed and self-righteous and self-destructive and petty and she can be awfully, egregiously cruel, she knows how to take someone's insecurities or mistakes and hit them where it already hurts -- and despite all that, she's so sympathetic. because she's also ambitious and creative and starts off the show so optimistic and relatively happy-go-lucky, even with her parents' separation. she's cutthroat because she HAS to be, because she would never be able to hang in the upper east side if she wasn't, and that's the path she sees towards her dreams and doesn't she deserve her dreams? she knows she can hack it if she can just GET THROUGH THE DOOR. she's funny and charming and witty and SAD, sadder than i think anyone in the show realizes until she's imploded by the end of season three. she develops this armor of black clothes and sharp eyeliner and bitchy witticisms in season two and season three even moreso and so many people see this as character derailment or think it makes her awful or irredeemable somehow but i look at her and see a girl who's been tread on too many times, with chuck and with damien and with agnes and the guys in the club and what they almost did. with her father, even, and his lack of ability or willingness to understand where she's coming from, that she's not just sad or lonely at school, she's in DANGER. (evidence: the reference to the fact that apparently everyone except two girls in her chem class apparently tried to light her hair on fire?) so she builds up walls and she isolates and she makes decisions that maybe aren't great but she doesn't have the support she needs and all of this makes me feel so soft and sad for her and protective OF her and protective, even, of her right to be flawed, of her right to make mistakes. every other character in the show has equally (or even worse) egregious flaws that get excused or hand-waved by not only the fandom, by the narrative. jenny is held to a much different standard. the narrative screws her and casts her aside (and yes, i get that taylor momsen wanted to leave, i respect it, and i even respect that it's a teen drama and her exit was always going to be a little dramatic, but they did not have to do what they did) and if they didn't think all of this was the perfect storm for me to emotionally adopt her into the list of blorbos in constant rotation in my head-oven well. they've got another thing coming. tldr; jenny is the Born To Die trope except it's more like Metaphysical Innocence Born To Be "Corrupted". it's so clear what they're doing even in the pilot. i will go to my grave defending her.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: jenny x therapy LMAO. actually answer is uhhh idk. might be easier to give a list of my DEFINITE NOTPS (easily guessable, i'd assume.) i simultaneously DO headcanon jenny as having had a crush on blair and think they have interesting dynamic (and lots of angst and turmoil and admiration/jealousy psuedo-political warfare that makes me understand why people DO ship it) while also not really wanting it be like. A Thing. (i also think their relationship was too fraught and blair in particular was too awful to jenny for them to ever have a healthy romantic relationship, so.) i have... a soft spot for nate and jenny let's say? i don't think canon was the right time for them to be together, obviously, and i can easily see how some of her feelings could come across as comphet (especially with him being so constantly unavailable). at the same time, i think they have a lot of sweet moments that are rooted in like, affection and genuinely liking who the other person is. he's very gentle with her and i think jenny could have used a lot more gentle moments in the show. at the same time, i'm not sure they're ultimately the right fit for each other, and i don't really imagine that they're "end game", so to speak, but i do like reading the occasional post-canon fic about them. so that's where i land on them, i supposed. in actuality, i think jenny probably realizes she's queer in some capacity eventually, but that's a whole other question lmao.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: jenny and eric! but also jenny and dan! but also jenny and serena!! it's hard to pick lmao. i think the show does a pretty decent job showing the complexities of the friendship between jenny and eric given eric's limited screentime lmao. i think they hit something very grounded and real with eric and jenny's back and forth, which how much they love and need each other and also can't stand each other half the time, how their introduction was a really simple moment of jenny showing him compassion and him meeting her back with that effort full-force, with how they both value each other more than is common in heterosexual romance-based western cultures but also can't or won't or don't know that they need to or how to admit that to one another. it's a very honest depiction of a friendship at this age and of this kind, at least for me.

i was about to say that my feelings about dan and jenny are simpler, but i don't know if that's true? i might be repeating myself here, but if there's one thing gossip girl does well, it's grounded and realistic dynamics. they tease each other lightly and they tease each other too harshly sometimes, they fight, and they try to understand each other but often can't, they secret-keep for each other until that's no longer viable, and they do their best to protect one another and it's all just so balanced. one scene that stands out to me is when jenny steals the dress in season one and dan goes into talk to her and it's so clear he's had to take on somewhat of a parental role with her since their mom has been gone? and i'm sure that's frustrating for both jenny and for dan. but despite taking on this role of care, he doesn't treat her condescendingly or with any ire, he tries to be understanding and careful and thoughtful where rufus couldn't be. and while i'd say the show does a disservice to their relationship as time wears on, i think when dan gets the CHANCE to be a good big brother to her, he always always is. he tries to do right by her and even in her harsher, more isolating days, she still tries to trust him and lets herself be jenny around him moreso than she knows how to do with other people.

with jenny and serena -- i think i love what their dynamic could have been more than what it was? watching the pilot for the first time, i was sure there were going to be more big sisterly moments between them, but they end up going for conflict instead. which is understandable; like i said, it IS a drama. but serena tries so hard to be kind to jenny in the first season and while jenny wants to BE blair, i think serena's kindness lets her hold onto her dream a little longer, imagine that there's a world where she gets in with the in-crowd and someone like serena is there to back her up. i also think there's a really intriguing theme of jenny's arc paralleling what's serena's been through in terms of assault and sexual exploitation. the "the sixteen year old virgin" really exemplifies how serena WANTS to protect jenny from going down a path of self-destruction that could lead to her getting hurt even more. and just. that's an interesting but woefully underexplored dynamic. she also has the best approach (at first) in that episode which is to just like. talk to jenny like a peer. explain her worries over a shared pint of ice cream. it's only when she panics and starts Plotting that it becomes Too Much. anyway. there's a world in which their relationship was meatier and i want to live in it!

My unpopular opinion about this character: she deserved way better than the narrative throwing her under the bus to prioritize ch*ck.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: i think i wish dan would have found out somehow about jenny getting drugged by agnes. on the one hand, nate telling him maybe would Kind of Not Be Cool, buuut it's tv the characters are allowed to be flawed and messy. plus! it makes the most sense. i feel genuinely feel that if dan found that out, she would be able to open up to him and they would figure out what was best for her (going to stay with their mom for senior year, lots and lots of therapy) sooner and without the ch*ck of it all.

[spliffymae]

what’s up! this is my two cents since we all writing essays regarding this “n****!eren” topic. :)

1)the ppl pressed about him using nicknames like “ma” and all variations of it don’t know how to read (i’m not sorry).

from what i have seen, NO ONE is saying eren should be using aave and should be completely swapped for a black character(i.e taking on stereotypes of black men, adopting the demeanor of black men, etc). what is being said however, is that because he is a non black person in a relationship with the black reader, he is going to adopt some of her lingo or going to refer to her as the names best suited for her. same way she would him. names that the reader and eren like. most of the time it’s gonna be a variation of ma. and if you don’t like it—click out the story and find one that aligns w what you want.

2) yes, it is easy for lines to be blurred and for non-black characters to be written as if they were black, but again understand you’re reading a fic from a BLACK WRITER

writers write from experience. each fic you read will differ depending on the writer. a black writer is going to write through the lens of their experience/their culture.

here’s what i don’t really get w this whole issue. if you as a reader are not happy with what you are reading, instead of clicking off ana’s finding something else, why do you make it your mission to harass, hate, and get on the writers for THEIR decisions in regard to THEIR fics?

OR OR OR

if you are not seeing any fics that represent you, start writing your own. this is not in a rude way rather in a way to encourage ppl to not just use this app for reading and liking, but to create your own stories so that your preferences and your interests can be shown. bc you never know who might feel the same way about being left out.

3) y’all are not really pressed about this, you’re really just pissed black writers are feeling welcome/included in a space where our representation is limited.

all i say to this is a hit dog will holler. if you feel a way about this (whether it be offended or ‘called out’) ask yourself why. this whole discourse has just been an open door for A LOT of microagressions against black writers (and black ppl in general) to be shown. and it’s disgusting :)

sidenote: if black writers are saying your critiques are coming off anti black (which if you look at it through an objective lens, THEY ARE) why is your response to continue instead of stopping?

4) THESE ARE LINESSSSSS! THEY ARE COLOUR SCHEMES! THEY ARE NOT REAL!!!

before you come on here to twiddle your thumbs and type out long ass essays w 0 substance and 0 evidence of critical thinking while simultaneously flexing you lack reading comprehension, ask yourself: why the hell am i doing this?

because i can assure you, it’s not for the reasons you think.

5) for the love of everything good, find a new name instead of “niggacore” or “nigga!eren”

you lot are weird for using the n-word in association with this (idc! y’all sliding into asks w anon on saying it are not all black)

that’s my opinion. no one asked but idc, this is aggravating bc the simple solution to this problem is just exiting out the fic. ppl are gonna write for who they want, how they want, and if you don’t like it just get off their page and find something else.

y’all stay blessed and safe out here! 🫶🏼☺️

[mekatrio]

anyways it wouldve been nice imo if ace attorney was a bit more abt the law and a little less of a detective-esque game. like i really liked that part in rfta's final trial where we had to use a loophole in evidence law to win the case. and this is also why aa4 is peak to me, cuz it has the only cases in the series where we're actually like real world lawyers (or at least non-japanese lawyers), bc we lack decisive evidence/testimonies to arrive at a verdict, and instead have to rely on circumstantial evidence. cuz thats how law irl tends to work, we dont always have a miraculous piece of evidence that can prove what had definitely transpired without a shadow of a doubt. the cases in question are the ones with kristoph (not enough legal evidence to decisively convict him), and magnifi's death (theres not enough evidence to prove whether it was a suicide or if valant had killed him, all there is is valants testimony)

[haleigh-sloth]

Hello shigaraki expert (btw no amount of AFO posting will take that title away from you!) I wanted to ask you, since you’ve talked a lot about Shigaraki’s lack of action/ real goals when he’s isn’t being purported in some way, what do you think he actually wants deep down? Does he want anything? What do you think he will want when he is finally able to decide that sort of thing for himself? Thank you, and btw your art is lovely 🥰

I still feel unworthy of that title ;-----;

Here’s the thread in question I was mentioning

And, yes. He definitely wants something.

Tomura says he wants to destroy everything. He even doubles down on this when he manages to snatch control over his body in the precise moment AFO got a bit to rage-y and drunk on hate juice and lost the upper hand, and says that his origin keeps him present—and that his origin is wanting to destroy everything to do with his house and family.

Except his actual origin says uhhhh

“Somebody, anybody”

“If someone, anyone had reached out—“

So yeah, his origin kept him present alright. It sure did, but right now his denial and doubt about his ability to be saved, about the notion of someone wanting to save him at all, are getting in the way of him realizing (or more like, acknowledging, bc deep down he knows) that he desperately wants someone to reach out to him, take his hand and save him, really save him, save him in every sense of the word:

Not let him destroy everything and just further prove to himself that he was born to destroy and that’s all he can do, and that his family dying at his hands was because he wanted them to. He wants freedom from all of those beliefs because the doesn't want to belief he's just a born monster, someone incapable of being cared about or loved, or reached out to (things he's wanted since he was a kid! even when his family was alive!).

Him deliberately bringing up their chat at at the mall here almost completely recontextualizes that whole encounter as his unhinged way of crying out for help from Izuku (someone he perceives as someone who will save anyone). Also his weird belief that, as a villain, he is someone’s specific villain.

All of these moments point to him just, hoping and hoping for Izuku to do what Tomura thinks he would do, and save him. I need him to expose himself a bit more to say the mall scene is completely unveiled as a cry for help—even though most evidence points to it being so. But that’s where it’s heading with these two.

Right now, deep down, he wants to be saved.

I do think to some extent he wants an improvement in the world around him—but blaming society, while justified, is mostly his way of coping and avoiding the grief of his family’s deaths. He tells himself he wanted his family to die, and so he killed them. He tells himself that his family/house is a result of society being the way it is, so he killed them and therefore blames society for his “decision” to kill them.

Well, he’s not wrong about everything outside of himself, but everything about himself specifically he is 100% in denial and lying to himself to avoid the harsh reality (he didn’t want his family to die), because that grief is too much due to AFO not letting him move on from it properly.

While I do think there is some genuine desire for an outward change for the world within Tomura, that's not going to fix the root of his problems nor is it going to give him what he wants. He wants freedom from his self-hatred so he can move forward.

I honestly don't think he'll be getting to any point any time soon where he is thinking about stuff like, what actually needs to change, and how it should be done. I'd be genuinely surprised if he thought too hard about it post-war within the time span of the manga. I honestly think once he's completely free from AFO, really saved in every sense of the word, he'll want to properly move past his family's deaths so he can move forward and actually heal and figure out who he is as Tenko Shimura.