#but yeah it's annoying seeing people put into categories that don't even make sense

[apollos-olives]

theres a race section on american transcripts????

for my education transcript personally, as far as i know, yes :(

[p-r-e-s-t-o]

Long ass rant bc i needed to spill into the void, dont mind me.

My otome game hottake if I've ever had one is that it should be kept as is honestly. Can't explain the happy-giddiness I felt when I downloaded some admittedly poorly done otome games on my phone in like 2013 and realizing they're intended for girls like me instead of boys for once. I've always thought of the genre as a girlie safe-Heaven and honestly believe part of girlhood is playing some silly small otome games and trying not to smile at ur screen. Obey Me changed it up a bit although I personally don't see it as an otome game, ik others who do, by making the Main Character Gender neutral and that was chill, cool cool cool, innovative. Recently with the release of a big game like Love and Deepspace for instance I've noticed a demand to make it have a Male Main character for example because guys wanted to play too and it kinda iffed me personally because women/girls/fem identifying people are the target audience for Otome games, it legit means Maiden Game. I don't know specific identifiers for them since I don't play them, I do know BL games exist, they're out there, and I see no reason for them to breach the otome genre. I mean, I've never personally felt entitled to be included in a genre of content not intended for me at all even if what it presented appealed to me, like i may see some character and think "Wow he is hot" and then find out he's from a BL game, my first thought wouldn't be "Yo can you make a female main character, even though you honestly dont have to because you are a game/category intended for MLM and not Het or Bi women/fems? Thanks, i will wait on that". It's probably nonsense or me being young and immature but I feel irritated at the suggestion of sharing a space that was super unavailable to me when I was a kid and even now with men or male identifying people when so much of content has and does aim at them, but nooo the girlie little romance games have to suddenly accommodate men too because they feel entitled to it. Why can't something just be for girls? I don't get it. I feel like men get to be willy nilly in their spaces and games not forced to accommodate nearly as often as anything meant for girls, whenever something is intended for a female audience, it doesn't get to just be for a female audience, that really annoys me. I keep seeing "But obey me" as an argument for inclusivity bur frankly as an user on TT put it, having such options is a privilege, not a must. Otome games don't have to present themselves to everyone unless they choose to give players the privilege of it, because they've had an intended audience from the start who consume it frequently. That and Obey me isn't an otome game in mine and others opinions, it's more akin to Twisted wonderland, a rhythm game of sorts, especially nightbringer. Yeah, rant over, I just needed to speak into the void. May be controversial, but I genuinely don't hate anyone, I just feel irked at the expectation that me and others have to always make room for more because we aren't enough of a player base somehow. I've seen guys on tik tok say stuff like "Can't men just be attracted to men?" I understand you can't help who you're attracted to, I'm Bi personally, but just because you're attracted to some character doesn't mean an entire standalone genre has to change because you demand it imo, I don't get the sense of entitlement that comes with making that demand, and saying stuff like "Male MC?/No male mc?:(/ why isn't there a male mc?" is pretty mind boggling like do you know which genre this is rn pook. Do you know what otome means. Sigh but like, why can't something just be for the ladies? Genuine question smh

[gayloise]

a lot of the stuff around ts right now is putting a bad taste in my mouth but i think it comes down to this:

we as a society seem to have decided that people who make music have to be not just be artists but also impeccable marketing strategists and businesspeople, moral arbiters, allies and activists, the voice of the people, political grassroots organizers, etc. and i think tay does want to meet other people's expectations but this is an unwinnable ask. because one person is not all things to all people, and while there is an intersection of art and culture and history inherently, our connected world through press and digital communications has kind of distilled all of these roles into one job title: global superstar-cum-savior. and that's both unfair to put on someone and also a fatal error for her to try to meet the demands of these roles. idk. does that make sense? i'm annoyed by people who overinflate the purity of her capitalism as a feminist outcome rather than what it is, pink capitalism. i've been steadily disappointed by her choices to work with abusers, contribute to a climate crisis already at a breaking point, affiliation with the intellectual property of racists, merchandising that I find to be WHOLLY excessive and sometimes embarrassingly pointless, sending C&D to independent artists on Etsy who make tributes to her work [technically she totally has a right to protect it, but these are usually people working out of a home studio, if that] and the matt healy thing - there just wasn't a way to undo that for me. but is it really on me for expecting her to meet MY standards for ethical conduct? yeah, it is.

we all know too much about each other now. we have become narcissistic enough to need to see an idealized version of ourselves in our idols. taylor is a bit different because she has basic control over her image but think of the studio system in the 20s - we were never buying Norma Jeane Mortenson or Archie Leach - we bought Marilyn Monroe and Cary Grant. We bought Rock Hudson as the straight hunk of the age, we bought Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly as "pure" and unattainable ingenues when both had passionate affairs just like their male contemporaries [stating this without judgment as I love the work of both actresses and Audrey's personal work for UNICEF]. Entertainment is image and image is entertainment. So buying into Taylor's activism when it was never the point of her image or career, but something she briefly tried on for her brand, is just a confluence of all of these factors and expectations, I think. And these observations are confirmed, I think, by the fact that there is tension over why Taylor is POTY instead of Palestinian freedom activists - because we insist that ONE person fit all roles - cultural influencer AND wartime hero. No one will be both. Maybe the only fair way to handle that is do POTY issues in different categories, IDK.

So while I'm increasingly annoyed with the forced bifurcation of pro- and anti- ts stuff I need to step back and realize that the whole thing is a mess from every angle and it's been and probably will continue to be harmful to her in the future, as well. A lot of actors do their work and in private have their charity focuses like animal rights, refugee aid, etc. Everything with tay is SO heightened and overexposed and public and that burden and privilege has become a monster I don't think even she has control of at this point. and all of this is hilariously contrasted with how personal and private her lyrics often feel, like things you would tell a close confidante.

[cj-sparkss]

the night we met -

masterlists

note | some more angst, im sorry😭 um idk how to write song fics but i think this is how?!?!?! if not i apologize- but yeah this is one of my favorite songs and it inspired this sad story so here. warnings | mentions of death, cursing category | angst, fluff wc | 1.9k+  pairing | levi ackerman & reader song | “The Night We Met” by Lord Huron

Levi didn’t plan on falling in love with you.

Hell, it was the last thing he intended to do. 

And then I can tell myself Not to ride along with you

But he still found himself falling deeper and deeper, everyday he saw you. And before he knew it, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with you. 

It all started one day when Erwin came to his office, knocking on the door while Levi was doing paperwork. “You will be getting a new comrade added to your squad, hand picked by me. She’s one of the best. You both will be fighting side by side,” He had said. 

Levi didn’t know what to expect, and he definitely wasn’t expecting one of the best, someone handpicked to join the Levi squad by Erwin himself to be so… so kind. Because really, who could be that kind and generous in this type of life that you lived in? 

Take me back to the night we met

He remembered the day you both met. You had waltzed into Levi’s life, all smiles, a happy look always painted on your face. You were always helping everyone, reaching out a hand and offering your shoulder to your comrades who were hurt, even if you were hurting yourself. And on top of that, you never expected anything in return. Not at all. You acted on all these kind actions, simply out of the goodness of your heart. Levi didn’t understand that. How could you be so nice, without even receiving anything in return? You were so innocent, so good. Levi even had to pinch himself a few times before he actually came to believe it. 

And then eventually, with all your kindness, your warm smiles directed at him that would make his heart flutter every time, you had worked your way into Levi’s heart. 

I don't know what I'm supposed to do Haunted by the ghost of you

-

Rubbing his slender fingers on his temples, Levi sighs, feeling a headache coming on due to his endless hours of working on paperwork. He reaches a hand out to his cup of tea, grabbing it and bringing it to his lips to drink, when nothing falls out. 

Oh. Right. He finished his tea an hour ago. 

Groaning, Levi places the tea cup back on the desk. He glances at the mountain of paperwork sitting on his desk, sure to take hours more to complete. Even with the countless hours he has already been working, not even half of the paperwork was completed. Looks like it was going to be another night with no sleep. Exasperated, Levi runs his veiny hands through his jet black hair, his bangs falling in front of his face. Picking up his pen, he begins to write on his current paper  in front of him, when he hears  a knock on the door. He raises an eyebrow in question. Who would be coming to his office at this time of night?  

Another quiet knock. “Levi?”

“Who is it? Name and business.” 

“It’s me.” The corners of Levi’s lips twitch up. He can recognize that soft voice anywhere. “Come in.” You push open the door with your left hand with a creek, a teacup in the other. Levi’s grey eyes follow your figure as you walk towards his desk while you give him one of your warm smiles. Wordlessly, you place the hot cup of tea on his desk, moving the empty one to the side. You take a seat on the other side of the desk, across from Levi and you lift half of the stack of paperwork and place it in front of you, grabbing a pen.

“What are you doing?” Levi’s deep voice makes you look up at him. Placing your elbows on the desk and cupping your cheeks with your hands, you tilt your head and give him a reassuring smile. “Is it not obvious? I’m helping you with your paperwork.” 

Levi glances behind your head to the clock ticking on the wall. He looks back at you, the same bored expression on his face, but dark bags evident under his steel eyes from a lack of sleep. “At 12 AM? No.” He shakes his head. “You’re not going to get enough sleep.”

“Levi, look who’s talking. You’re not going to get enough sleep. I knew you were awake, you always are. And I'm not going to let you pull another all-nighter doing an endless amount of paperwork. So I figured,” You connect your fingers together, stretching your arms out and cracking your knuckles. “Why not do it together?” 

Together? Levi hasn’t heard that one before. No one he knows would willingly take half of his paperwork like you just did, and work on it with him… together. He feels… He feels… happy? A weird sensation flutters in his chest. Levi hasn’t felt like this before, what’s happening? 

“Tch, brat,” He mutters under his breath while lifting the cup of tea to his mouth, basking in the steam rising and the hotness. He knows how stubborn you are. Once you put your mind to something, there’s no changing it. 

You only laugh, picking up the pen once more and getting to work. Levi gets to work as well, but every so often his grey eyes flicker to your face, admiring your determined state. He finds himself studying how your brows furrow when you are focused, your teeth sinking in on your bottom lip. A small smile grows on his face, shaking his head at how determined you were to help him. 

You guys continue on for a few more hours, enjoying each other’s silent company, only casual conversation sparking a few times. 

Levi’s eyes land on your face again, and this time instead of your determined face, your eyes are shut closed, head resting on your folded arms against the desk. You fell asleep. Levi looks on his desk to the remaining paperwork, it’s only a bit left. You really did save him time, and stop him for what would be another night without sleep.

Sitting up from his chair, his legs walk over to you. Levi’s strong arms lift you up from the chair, carrying you bridal style. You stirred in his hold, softly grasping the front of his shirt with your fist. “Levi?” You mumble out, eyes half lidded. At the tone of your soft voice, Levi looks down at you in his arms, his black bangs falling in front of his face. “You were so stubborn and hell-bent on helping me, and you fell asleep anyways. Who does that?” 

You only softly laugh at Levi’s words. Despite the bitter tone, you know him well enough to see that he’s only looking out for you behind the whole facade. In your half asleep state, you let your hand fall to your lap as Levi carries you out of the office and to his bedroom. “Sorry Levi…” 

After what you assume are few turns and a door opening, your back comes in contact with a soft, pillowy material. Already knocked out, you don’t see Levi tucking you into bed, or placing a soft kiss on your forehead, his soft lips lingering for a few moments. 

Levi lays next to you, watching your chest slowly rise and fall back in calm, synchronized breaths. Murmuring a soft thank you, Levi thinks to himself that he wouldn’t want anyone else bringing him tea at night. 

-

When the night was full of terrors And your eyes were filled with tears

Levi wasn’t the only one that fell deeply in love. The man that everyone knew as the stoic, clean obsessed captain, you fell in love with too. 

“You’re too kind for your own good.” Levi would tell you. 

“Everyone deserves a little kindness.” You’d tell him back. 

Levi knew that one day your unlimited kindness would come back to bite you in the ass. And it very much did. 

-

“NO!” Levi’s usually calm and bored voice now screeches as your body falls from the sky. He catches you in his strong arms, the intensity of the impact bringing the both of you to the hard ground. 

“Why? Why the fuck would you do that!”

You had noticed your comrade about to be slapped out of the sky by a titans hand, while they were slaying another leading them not to sense the upcoming danger. On a whim, you used your own gear to rush to them and push them out of the way, letting yourself get hit instead. Unfortunately , Levi saw the whole scene go down above.

Holding you in his arms, dark blood seeping from your open wounds, you give Levi one last sad smile. “I love you Levi. Take care of yourself. Please… for me,” Were your last words.

Levi had watched you die in his arms. He couldn’t do anything to save you. Humanity’s strongest, just witnessed the love of his life get stricken down.  And in that moment, humanity’s strongest felt anything but strong. 

And then in that same moment, you were gone from his life. 

When you had not touched me yet Oh, take me back to the night we met

-

“I’m sorry it’s been a while since I’ve visited. Life has been pretty shit like usual.” Placing his handkerchief on the ground before him, Levi kneels on it so he doesn't get his pants dirty. Laying your favorite flowers on your tombstone, he sighs, tracing his hands over your beautiful name. “How was your day today?”

Silence.

“Mine was okay. Four eyes wouldn’t leave me alone like always.” Furrowing his eyebrows, Levi thinks of all the events that have happened since you were gone. “The brats are still as annoying as ever. Eren has been practicing with his titan, the others working on their combat skills, Sasha still stealing meat and eating lord knows how much food.” He almost smiles, thinking of the people he has grown fond of. “Nothing really new though.” 

I had all and then most of you Some and now none of you

Levi runs a hand through his jet black hair, closing his eyes. “We miss you. I miss you. A lot. I was humming your favorite song today. It reminds me of you. Wish you were here to sing it.” His mind flashes back to memories of when you would walk around singing your favorite song with your angelic voice, how he would act annoyed with it but secretly he really loved hearing your voice. How everyone else would join in with you and the atmosphere would instantly brighten up. Levi wishes he could go back to that now. 

Take me back to the night we met I don't know what I'm supposed to do

“Some things are a little different. People are duller without your smile. Things are less fun.” Tears fill his eyes. “Tch, only you would be able to get me so emotional.” He brings a shaky hand up to wipe his eyes, but more just keep on coming. “I- I think I see you sometimes. When it’s late at night and I’m doing paperwork, I look up and there you are, sitting across from me helping. The same angelic smile as always.” He misses seeing your smile. 

Uncontrollable tears pour down Levi’s cheeks, his sobs racking his chest, shoulders shaking up and down.

“I love you so much.” He stands up, picking up his handkerchief and placing it back in his pocket. He bows his head, bangs covering his eyes, face full of sorrow. “I told you that you were too kind for your own good.” 

Haunted by the ghost of you Take me back to the night we met

[mowu-moment]

i feel controversial & i care too much, so here's my des rocs complete tierlist

ranked list & reasoning (ish) under the cut

1. WAYNE: hoholy shit wayne. can hardly put into words how explosive this one is to me. the intro sets a Whole Mood before swiftly (& cleanly) smacking it down into an Absolute Banger and i don't use the term lightly. very hard not to scream along with it. only detriment is that wayne the person is kinda an ass in the mmc video but that's no qualm

2. POS: basically the same thing as wayne (oh both have great lyrics btw, this one more so), only gets points knocked for being 2 minutes long and having 30 seconds of that being intro & outro. go danny give us nothing

3. WHY WHY WHY: there's a theme among my top picks--they're all hard-hitting w/ killer guitar. the lyrics are absolute batshit in a good way, but the chorus is a lil flat & i feel like in general it just needed a touch more spice to score the top spot. or maybe it's just seniority & it'll have a coup a few months out idk

4. DEAD RINGER: similar killer guitar & lyrics but this one is Groovy as Hell. don't particularly like his singing in this one & it's too repetitive if i'm feeling grumpy but there's something so magic about after the bridge. top 10 songs to twirl a flag to

5. NOTHING PERSONAL: the minute long outro irks me & it's a little bit empty but plays into that well. groovy, great lyrics, the Sexiest Guitar Solo of the lot, the screaming's a minus but it does have an emotion there. not entirely sure what one but it's there.

6. LET ME LIVE / LET ME DIE: his first time being all over the goddamn place, history was made. amazing guitar, a little worse lyrics than 1-4 i'll admit, the intro Slays me both in a good and bad way. must be a joy to play live where he can just drag out that intro & bridge as long as feels right. at least i liked it in the digital concert like that. would actually kill me in a physical concert, imagine how much stomping gets going to that beat. bonus points for presumable cowbell

7. PIECES: for once not this high for the guitar & lyrics, they're both kinda basic. idk what's about this one but it just takes me to a separate dimension & i love it so much for that. really fills those earholes. also a bit of personal meaning, heard it for the first time on the day we moved into the house i'm currently split-custody-living in (is that tmi?) & the first music video of his i saw. man i love some spaghetti on the wall

8. SLO: basically the same as dead ringer, but knocked points for a kinda lame outro & the subject matter being a little less interesting to me. still lovely.

9. HANGING BY A THREAD: not my normal fare really & the way that the ends of the verses don't really fit in the pacing of them is bleh, but it's just so reminiscent of the songs my brother puts on whenever we hang out together that it just makes me all warm & fuzzy. it's also nicely put together which is something i'll have to start saying for. the later list.

10. SUICIDE ROMANTICS: this is where i start griping about head voice & higher pitches in general. don't like em so the pre-chorus is a lil annoying. also not my normal fare but it's tender & the ending is awe-striking. imo better live where he's loud on that last line before the final chorus. not enough to bump it up though. shoutouts to love and a smoking gun, i still am dying to hear that one

11. THE PAST HAS PASSED AWAY: my favorite lyrics out of the first 2 ep's. only thing wrong with it really is the bridge getting kinda repetitive. love that last chorus heehoo. same schpeel as the Banger Category

12. MMC: this one's lower than the rest of the Bangers for being pop punk which is something the radio has made me dislike, i guess. that trope with the guitar in the second half of the chorus just kills me so much. improves greatly during & after the bridge, love that lil ragtime piano. generally the same bit as before but i do love him doing something un-romance-related. yeah fuck the establishment!

13. THE DEVIL INSIDE: reminds me A Lot of the electronic-ish cassettes i've got from the early 90's but that's just me. this one will probably move up as i get more used to it, but only a little bit. the first part of the second verse makes me like. genuinely uncomfy? but the second part of it's fantastic. ending's ass though what happened to the instrumence. bonus points for using 'reverie' that's an SAT word (maybe). good singing but returning to the gripe at higher pitches, just a little bit though

14. THIS IS OUR LIFE: feels shockingly generic for a des rocs song tbh but there's nothing really wrong with that. adore the bridge. singing's alright. kinda miffed that he doesn't pronounce the 'f' in the second 'life' in the chorus, but it makes sense here. that sort of thing won't later so i'm bringing it up now. guitar's nothing spectacular but fits nicely into the song, probably one of the most cohesive of his (especially in recent history).

15. OUTTA MY MIND: really lives in the same space as slo and dead ringer do in my head (most likely the 'songs to twirl a flag to' zone), but this is by far the worst of the three for when i'm grumpy. just. Very repetitive. back to great lyrics here but it's kinda hard to pick them out (i've heard the song at least 100 times by now & i'm still missing a few lines). still groovin'

16. RUBY WITH THE SHARPEST LIES: what the fuck actually goes on in this song by the way? not the premise or whatever it's just. so all over the place. the verses are incredible but bringing in another vocalist just for one line kills me. bridge is really cool but that one part i don't remember where it is, the one that alternates basically nothing & an Electronic Piano Chord blaring at ya? ruins it. partially anyhow. also can someone tell the people on genius that it's 'carved it in my skin' not 'crawled down in my skin'

17. GIVE ME THE NIGHT: same repetitive issue as outta my mind but it's not groovy enough to save it, shame. feels like a trial run of all the wackshit stuff he's been doing recently, with the additional vocal bits at the end & the kinda weird lyrics. it still has a place in my heart don't get me wrong but it's just fallen in favor of stuff that Commits to banger or batshit (or actually pulls off both strongly, yyy). oh yeah nice guitar alright singing etc etc

18. USED TO THE DARKNESS: similar story to give me the night. i love it i do, but it's just lackluster nowadays. also remember that under-pronunciation thing i brought up in this is our life? this is where that comes back. rampant i tell you! that second verse he just doesn't finish the words & i hate it!

19. DON'T HURT ME: i honestly don't know why this one isn't in D. the chorus bit where he just cuts it short is irksome. the lyrics aren't anything special. i don't know what i like about it. but i can tell it does exactly what it set out to do if that makes sense. respect, respect. and using missile in an analogy, he's getting creative with the vocab

20. LIVING PROOF: kinda got a vendetta against this one i think? i don't know why i hate this one but i do. it's just kinda, blah. like the perfect sort of thing to nightcore up. sentiment's lovely & i do love the lyrics even if they aren't impressive but like. it bores me to an extent

21. TICK (LIVE): separating the version i heard in the digital concert just to give it some credit, this one was actually kinda nice. another one with a nice sentiment & what he was going for is great. no clue what the second part of the second verse has to do with any of this though. and it also begins our final group, the songs that just feel empty. like there's not nearly enough going on. this one's alright though i was just hoping the studio version would add some flair. you can see where that one is though.

22. IMAGINARY FRIENDS: also got a vendetta against pop. kinda hate the sentiment here (contrast!), the chorus just falls short of what the verses prime me for, head voice is rampant, and yet i still swing along to it. it's infectious props to him. love the outro though, monkey laugh and all.

23. MAYBE, I: another empty one, like it's a four-note progression what is that. love his singing in it, and the chorus parts do round it out, but like. eh? it doesn't even give me much to say.

24. BORN TO LOSE: another flop on the chorus! too smooth i say! and i absolutely Despise the pitch-shifting thing going on. not something i was expecting him to express so points there, lyrics are nothing fancy to my Literary Mind though. initially good singing but the chorus he's just sloppy over it. the instrumental is lovely but the vocals just throw it so hard into the bin which is a right shame. fuck that outro too i hate that gimmick

25. I KNOW: here's where the bad batshit comes in. singing is some of his worst imo, does the other-vocalist thing for that bridge, genre i'm not fond of, just a soup of Stuff I Don't Like. not one i'd kill someone over putting as #1 like i can see where it comes from but. mmmmmhhhh bad. cover does NOT help his case.

26. HVY MTL DRMR: empirically i should put this one higher. but the chorus flops so goddamn hard it deserves to be in the bottom of the barrel. the verses are lovely for what he was doing back then! but then just... nothing!

27. RABBIT HOLE: i was so excited for this name but it's just sad boi hours playlist curated by some corporation you hate. probably the most nothing of them all, genuinely where are the instruments. what happened. was this one just shoehorned in as the final track just to pump numbers up. and i swear he had some autotune or something which only makes his voice worse it's fantastic naturally. also that's not what a rabbit hole is! that's not the idiom! a rabbit hole is when you go on a wikipedia spiral from jennifer lopez to group theory! not when you just have a shitty night's sleep or whatever this is! i'm not just miffed i'm downright annoyed

28. TICK (STUDIO): what the fuck happened des. how did you release this. it sounds like a 3rd grader singing for the school talent show it's so out of rhythm. singing's honestly kinda bad & the instrumental has the same problems i talked about in the live version. the last chorus is fine, i guess, but no i don't forgive him for what he did to tick.

[youtubetheories101]

Roman Analysis

If I am going to be doing analysis of the sides why not start with the noblest Roman of them all! Let's go plebs.

We're going to analyze and sort things into 4 different categories which. They'll probably overlap like a lot but it's fine. (ihope) So the categories are going to be

Moral Alignments/Standards

Social Standing/Interactions

Personal Issues

Use/Goals for Thomas

Ready? No? Me neither but let's dive in.

Moral Alignment/Standards

Neutral Good

I debated with this and Chaotic Good a bit, however, Neutral Good fits better.

Roman would prefer to follow the law but only if the law is just and upholds to his moral standards.(kinda funny he was a judge.) He wants to help and while he can be self righteous at times and prideful, he generally tries to treat people well and uphold a standard of purity.

He may have moments of doubt such as in SvS. He was the judge because he was the one who was in the most agreement with Deciet, however he chooses what he believes is best for Thomas in the end.

Social Standing/Interactions

This one is an interesting one for Roman. He is generally respected among the other sides, however he is somewhat antagonistic. He tends to but heads with Virgil and Logan most, because of their criticisms of his optimistic attitude, and at times his input will be ignored.

His antagonism to the other sides has improved however it seems. He's genuinely making an effort to be more understanding, lessening the nicknames and trying not to judge people because they don't agree with him.

(ex: SvS "Are you seriously so close-minded to think that everything said by someone you don't like is automatically untrue?" and DWIT "Oh, shut up, Nerdy Wolverine. No! Ugh! I mean-*sighs* I'm sorry, Logan. I didn't mean that.")

Now to analyze interactions with specific sides:

Patton & Roman: A friendly interaction, mainly positive, however Roman has belittled Patton before. They do care about each other which has been shown and will often agree on matters of Romance and Dreaming. There doesn't seem to be any antagonism between the two of them besides sometimes not taking each seriously.

Roman & Logan: Friends however, they argue plenty. They can be annoying to each other, and fight over ideas over Thomas's future and what he should do. That is also, oddly enough what they agree on the most, even creating alliances against the others when arguing over it. They are both critical of each other but will support each other in some of their pursuits. They have been trying recently to understand each other and be more kind.

Virgil & Roman: They started off really rocky. Really rockily. However over the episodes they get better, and are friends now. At the beginning they mainly fought and didn't find a common ground until The Dark Side of Disney and even then it didn't really relive the tension between the two until AA. They tentively became more aware of each other, and Roman even started including him more in videos such as the Christmas episode.

Roman & Deciet: Roman and Deciet actually seem to get along fairly well. Deciet plays to Roman's sensitivities and desires, advertising to his ego I suppose. Roman even comes to Deciet's defense, probably because he's trying to be more... trusting? Less judgemental? Not sure which exactly but he's trying. They're an odd duo but they seem friendly.

Remus & Roman: They have literally interacted twice and Remus knocked him out twice. They're definitely more of Cain Instinct siblings than anything else. And from what Roman has said on Remus, he dislikes him, due to him being like a mirror image of everything he doesn't want to be. I want to see more of them because I love sibling dynamics and I want to see if they could ever be nice to each other but I don't think we will. :(

Personal Issues

Oh this is going to be fun because Roman still hasn't had his issues resolved. We've had an episode on his issues (Am I Original?) but it didn't really address what was wrong and it's ending didn't really... fix anything. Roman was still dissatisfied. And it didn't address all of them. But I think it's coming up because at this point it's been lead up to for so long that if it doesn't I will be very surprised and riot. Help! Him! So what are these issues?

Well the one addressed in An I Original was his dissatisfaction with his own work and perfectionism because he can't let Thomas down and while it was,,, handled? Sorta, it felt like it was putting a bandaid on a bullet wound. Roman still seems to be disappointed in his work and instead of well, dealing with said issue, internalizes it.

He also seems to be disappointed in... well himself and Thomas's relationship status. He's lonely, and his view of his own worth seems to... be lacking.

Examples of said thoughts:

Am I Original?

[Roman]: No! If I can't think of an original idea, what would you think of me? I can't.... let you down.

[Roman]: It's just... I only ever pushed you toward your dreams, Thomas. And I never said a bad word about you. Why don't you want to listen to me more? This whole thing could've been avoided if you did.

Moving On Part 2/2: Dealing With Breakups

[Roman]: Possibly because it reminds you of a time when you felt... worthy of someone.

Crofter's: The Musical

[Roman]: Roman, you dunce! You made a joke and now they'll think that everything is fine.

Learning New Things About Ourselves:

[Roman]: I'm sorry that everything I make isn't the Creation of Adam...

[Roman]: Earlier. I made you angry. I do that quite a bit actually... I provoked you and you retaliated with violence. (Under breath) Like a stupid caveman.(Aloud) But! I am responsible for my actions and my actions alone...So, I'm sorry

[Virgil]: You feel low.

[Roman]: That's not true!

[Patton]: It's okay!

[Roman]: Don't assume!

[Thomas]: You don't need to save face.

[Virgil]: In almost any case,

[Patton and Virgil]: We'd embrace you.

[Roman]: That's rich...

[Roman]: -sighs- It's so hard to create anything that I'm proud of when it's critiqued, so harshly... by you.

[Logan]: What?

[Roman]: Nothing ever seems to be good enough, professional enough... Serious enough for you.

Selfishness vs Selflessness:

[Deceit]: Wow, guys, it's so cool how you never listen to Roman.

[Virgil]: Why is he still here?

[Roman]: Why am I still here?

[Deceit]: Wooow.

[Virgil]: I meant Deceit!

[Roman]: The one and lonely! What? Freudian slip.

[Roman]: It's my sworn duty to help Thomas achieve his hopes and dreams.But Thomas wouldn't dream of attaining his hopes through deceitful means.

[Deceit]: Sure, and you want that stuff that makes you happy, right?!

[Patton]: Do I!

[Roman]: Do I...

Dealing With Intrusive Thoughts

[Roman]: *sighs* Yeah. It's a little like looking into a funhouse mirror, but instead of a giant head, or, like, long legs and a tiny torso, ... it shows you... everything you don't wanna be.

His self worth is... lacking in many aspects. But I don't think it's what's going to be addressed next, I think that's going to be Virgil being an ex-darkside. So hopefully it's soon but... I'm not sure. And I'm not sure if the others are noticing this issue.

Use/Goals for Thomas

He is "Good" Creativity, Ego, Dreams, Romantic aspirations, and Passion. He also is the embodiment of his femininity and masculinity at the same time? Fuck gender roles is what I'm getting from this. Of course he is still a "Manly man, a man who is Manly!" but Thomas has said he represents femininity in a Q&A. So.... fuck gender roles. That's the answer right? Probably.

What he aspires for Thomas to do is to be able to persue his dreams and goals, as evidenced with "I only ever pushed you toward your dreams, Thomas." (AIO) and "It's my sworn duty to help Thomas achieve his hopes and dreams." (SvS) Roman typically goes after this by pursuing a new role, a new romance, or encouraging Thomas to try things to expand his career. Since Thomas is an Actor/Youtuber, Roman is able to influence a lot but seems to be willing to take the side line if Thomas doesn't feel comfortable following said dreams in the way he intended.

He's a dreamer, through and through, complete with the idealization factor. He encourages Thomas to accomplish his dreams but only if Thomas is willing to do so in the way purposed. Which makes sense seeing as he is,,, Thomas.

So that is my Analysis for this week, and until next time, it's just a theory.

A SANDERS SIDES THEORY.

Thank you for reading. Peace out!

[scarletwitching]

I'm curious about Wanda's whitewashing controversy. Especially with the X-Men and Gifted buzz, you don't see nearly as much criticism over Erik or Lorna not being played by Jewish actors, or "Peter" being more whitewashed than either MCU twins. It's really jarring to see someone censure Elizabeth Olsen in one post while hyping Fassbender or McKellan in another. Obligatory "I know you don't like MCU questions," but do you think you could shed light on what seems to be a prevalent double standard?

I have no clue why people didn’t care when it came to Quicksilver in the X-Men movies. I saw someone say once that it was fine because Evan Peters “looks Southern European” and ummmmm………………. 

As for Magneto, I have some thoughts.

I think the big answer is here is “the US-American view of race,” if that makes any sense. The US view on things tends to be treated as default in English language fandom, and viewing goywashing (is that the term? I think that’s the term) as different to whitewashing is a very US-American view.

You’re assuming that Ashkenazi Jews and the Roma/Sinti occupy identical or interchangeable places in the great nonsensical mess that is race… stuff. I don’t want to get too deep in the weeds on this because it’s way above my paygrade and people tend to end up here when they try, but it’s not necessarily hypocritical for people to view different groups differently. Whitewashing takes more than one form, and a person might think one example is unacceptable, whereas another is a “missed opportunity.”

Plenty of people put Wanda in the “missed opportunity” category too. And others say that casting an actor who isn’t Jewish as Magneto is automatically not okay. The latter group tend to not be in X-Men movie fandom because it’s been twenty years and he still hasn’t been played by a Jewish actor.

Then there are people who are begrudgingly okay with Magneto being played by non-Jewish actors thus far, but would be extremely annoyed if they cast another Magneto who still wasn’t Jewish. (I’d say I’m in this camp.)

There are also people who think Magneto should be Sinti because he was for a time and none of these characters have backstories that make sense.

Putting all that aside, there are other mitigating factors, such as:

Magneto is established as Jewish in the first scene of the first X-Men movie. Unlike Wanda, who has three giant crosses on her bedroom wall. The obvious counterargument is that they can just make Wanda Roma or Sinti and Jewish at some later date, but 1) that seems to be firmly in Emma Stone in Aloha territory, at least to me and 2) Olsen herself is… yeah. She was cast half a decade ago and still doesn’t understand what her character’s ethnic background is. She’s never bothered to learn anything about any of this. She doesn’t care. Even if you think it’s okay for a hypothetical WASP-y white person to play a character who is Jewish and Roma or Sinti, I think this WASP-y white person has disqualified herself.

There have been Jewish creators behind the camera, shaping the direction of Magneto’s story in the films since the beginning. One of the reasons people want actors cast who are the same ethnicity as the characters is the cultural insights they can bring and the way that affects the overall product. While it’s not the same thing, having people behind the camera who are from that culture is also important. You may not like Singer or Kinberg or the choices they made (I don’t), but at least, they’re there. There are no Roma or Sinti creators deciding what happens with Wanda. Bendis and Loeb were on the creative committee back when Age of Ultron was being made so that’s two Jewish voices theoretically in the conversation at the beginning, but 1) I doubt the creative committee had much say and 2) it’s Bendis and Loeb. The guy who made everyone hate Wanda by making her commit a genocide, and the guy who made everyone hate Wanda by making her fuck her brother.

There are several other Jewish actors who have been/are currently in superhero movies, playing some of the most recognizable characters in the genre. Having other Jewish actors in the mix, even if they aren’t playing explicitly Jewish characters, takes the sting out to some extent. (For some people, not everyone.) There are no Roma or Sinti actors in any superhero movies. That voice is absent from the genre, on and off screen.

Then there is the second biggest thing, which is the performance. Whether or not people like the performance and the character overall affects how they view these things. The movie version of Magneto is generally well-liked, even though he murdered millions of people. Fassbender and McKellen have an easy confidence in the role that elevates even bad movies.

That said, my appreciation for Fassbender went way down when I learned certain things about his personal life. I feel uncomfortable with uncritically supporting him or movies he’s in. Why do people keep doing it? I don’t know. No clue.

Olsen has trouble imbuing her characters with personality. They tend to be defined by what happens to them, rather than internal characteristics. They don’t usually feel distinct from one another. Some of that is the writing, both in and out of the MCU, but it’s also her performances. That’s not me saying she’s a bad actor. Acting is an art. There are variety of skills involved. It’s not just columns of “good” or “bad” actor that you sort each person into. You can be talented in some areas and fail in others. In this genre, crafting a noticeable personality is key. 

(There’s an argument to be made here about MCU Bucky and how he’s supposed to seem empty for much of his screentime and the ways that’s different and also the same, but this post is NOT getting any longer.)

For me personally, there are other things that make a difference. Whedon copy-pasta’d Wanda’s background in the MCU from an Azeri-Iranian character in Millar and Hitch’s Ultimates 2. You can’t take elements from a character of color’s life and give them to a white character in the adaptation like you’re grave robbing a corpse.

…

Okay. Yeah, I guess you can do that, but you shouldn’t.

There’s also the issue of how the US military is handled in the MCU. That’s my biggest sticking point and why I don’t like posting about these movies. There is enormous cowardice in the way Wanda’s arc in Ultron is constructed. Some of Iron Man’s victims finally get a voice. That’s theoretically a good thing. But any scenes that acknowledge the US military’s involvement were cut. And Whedon chose to cast, not just an actress who isn’t Roma, but the blondest, palest actress he could find. And any mentions of their status as an ethnic minority were cut. And they do evil things that make no sense for no reason. And the movie does not care to explain their thought process. And they can only be redeemed by joining Iron Man.

The real problem here is the MCU can’t have brown people saying, “Iron Man is bad,” and explaining why they feel that way and not murdering random people to get back at him. The MCU won’t contextualize its main character. It won’t talk about the crimes he committed (war crimes), who he committed them with (the US and other military powers), and who he committed them against (mostly people of color).

So, if Wanda is going to represent his victims, she has to be white, evil for no reason, and act in completely nonsense ways. And that makes all of this even worse than regular examples of whitewashing.

[kookmint]

If I'm being honest I didn't vote for Fake Love for SOTY. I voted for Shoot Out. It's not that I don't think Fake Love deserves to win, and I know it would mean the world to them, but honestly, it's not my favorite song of theirs. Plus, they're gonna win so many awards this year probably, and I think it'd be cool if Monsta X got some of that love too. It's really annoying when people parade around calling out fans and deciding by themselves that that person isn't worthy to be in a fan base.

So like I stated before, yes, vote for whoever you’d like! Its absolutely your right! But please try to vote for the song you really truly love! Not just because “theyre going to win so many awards anyways”. It makes it sound like charity. If you believe FL deserves that title, I mean vote for it, even if they will win many awards after it. All I’m saying is just try to keep your intentions pure! At the end of the day it’s whoever you wanna go for but just keep that in mind~ And yeah im really tired of people attacking others for being a “multi” or not streaming or not buying albums cause they can’t afford to. Since when do we care THIS deeply about #’s that we attack our own people...

anon said: Not surprised lol you can't say you like a song by another Korean artist bc some armys attack you saying that u're fake army or they tell you to listen to the song illegally or see their mv on vlive not to give them views bc you know, if you do this it's "stream" to them. So many dumb things... just enjoy the music.

Pretty much. Idk when this “pureblood” movement started but its only brought disgusting attitudes and a platform to ridicule anyone who doesnt follow b*s to the death. Like you said, enjoy the music!

anon said: I totally agree with you on your answer😤 i think some newer fans who have not been here since 2015 may find it difficult to understand that and that's sad

HNGGG i try not to separate “new” and “old” but it seems like a lot of new people who are unfamiliar with kpop have a deeprooted hatred for it or are embarrassed by it (or afraid of being made fun of for liking kpop) that they attack any group that isn’t them and try to strip them of part of their identity (aka kpop????) 

anon said: liking songs have never been this complicated ;_____; if i dont like the song despite they're my fave group, i dont like it period. i can vote other song which probably deserves better recognition? jeez kpoppies need to go outside, take a deep breath and find new hobbies jshshs

forreal? like my song likes are no one else’s business. you dont see us trying to force them to change their likes? and yeah i don’t like EVERY single b*s song (aka i literally only have like 5 that i dont like of the hundreds they put out so thats fair lol). Vote for a song that deserves the title*** !! i swear some people just sit on their computers all day and spew hatred

anon said: I agree with everything you've been saying! people just need to think more rationally about voting. At the end of the day it's important, yes, but there's no need to guilt-trip fans for voting other than for the boys. I, personally, did not vote for them in every single category they were nominated in because I follow a lot of groups and their journeys. Sometimes it's nice to let other groups take the limelight! In saying that though if people feel they deserve all the votes then that's fine too

Yes exactly, the guilt-tripping needs to stop. These people are not allowed to control others. And thats totally fine! You follow groups and you know how hard theyve worked and you know their journey! but no no no, its not about “letting other groups have the spotlight” its about voting for the song or album or artist you believe truly fits the description of the award! Try to avoid pity votes~ you know in your heart who you believe deserves it! 

anon said: There was a loonarmy alliance that lasted a day and then it was ended cause armys had sticks up their ass. "They're only benefiting from us." No Susan, didn't your mother teach you manners?

how come armys have no issue forming an alliance with western fandoms smaller than ours but when its a kpop fandom smaller than ours they are like FUCK YOU. It makes no sense, it circles back to them hating kpop lol. why cant people go a day without fighting, this isnt fuckin economics its about keeping the peace dammit

anon said: Love Scenario is gonna win SOTY anyways so y’all can keep fighting each other all you want, it don’t matter 😘

completely unneeded, you completely missed the point of this discourse, kindly fuck off. this is the crap that starts fights LOL 

anon said: I'm gonna be completely honest here and say that there's no other song worthy of soty than love scenario. And I'm a Hard core army. Like, the way love scenario took sk by storm really isn't comparable to what fake love did. I love bts, I really really do, but I say love scenario was a nation fave, whereas fake love was really just an army fave. You don't have to agree obvs but that's just my humble onion

and that is your opinion, yes! but remember a lot of people will not think the same exact thing as you dear, that’s how life is~ so vote vote vote for what ya believe in and lets just see what happens ^-^