#especially with this ship because DAMN they have many flaws together

[boowhumps]

Whumptober 2023

Day 6

(@whumptober)

By - B.W

⚠TW⚠

~ Swearing

~ Mentions of Death

~ Mentions of Suicide

~ Mentions of Injury

Enjoy!

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

“..yes.. I understand..”

…

“..Thank you, keep us updated on his recovery.”

...

“Yes, thank you..”

Kaiden hangs up the phone, rubbing his eyes with a sigh. He walks to a closed door, and opens it a bit, peeking inside.

He smiles a bit seeing his daughter, Astrid, asleep and safe. He slowly closes the door as to not wake her, and walks towards his bedroom.

In the bedroom, Karyme sits on the edge of the bed, hands together in prayer. Her eyes are shut tightly together as she mumbles small prayers.

Kaiden walks into the bedroom, stopping at the doorway. Karyme looks over to him instantly.

“Any news.?” She mumbles.

“He’s okay right now, the surgery went fine.. but..” He says slowly.

“..but.?” She asks.

“..he isn’t waking up..” He replies.

Karyme drops her head, shaking.

“..they don’t know for sure if he’s.. in a coma.. they’ll run more tests tomorrow.” Kaiden mumbles, arms crossed.

Karyme does not respond. Her body shakes as she sits.

Kaiden approaches her, taking a seat next to her. He pulls her into a hug, sighing.

“Don’t say it.”

Karyme takes a quivering breath. “..but-..”

“No, don’t.” He replies. “Not now, not ever.”

Karyme shakes her head. “..I won’t..”

He squeezes her tightly. “I wont say it’ll be fine.. because frankly I don’t fucking know if it will.. but we’ll get through this..”

Karyme grips onto him. “..why him..? Why our son..?”

“I don’t know..” He mumbles back.

Karyme narrows her eyes. “..this won’t be left unsolved.”

Kaiden pulls away from her, looking into her eyes. “Karyme-“

“No, we have to find out who did this.” She says, standing up abruptly.

Kaiden stays sitting. “..Karyme.. whatever you’re implying.. stop. This won’t solve anything-“

“No, you don’t understand. Whoever is responsible for this will pay.” She says coldly.

Kaiden frowns. “Listen to me-“

“Elliot is assigned to the case. He’s helping me find data the police may have missed. I’ll find who did this, and when I get my hands on that person-“

“Karyme!” Kaiden shouts.

She turns to him, eyes widened.

He takes a deep breath and stands up. “Fuck.. I don’t mean to yell.. but I need you to listen to me.” He says, grabbing Karyme by the shoulders.

“But first, breathe. You’re tense.”

Karyme takes a deep breath, leaning into him. “..sorry..”

Kaiden sighs. “I know.. you’re grieving, I don’t blame you.”

She shakes her head. “Why can’t I be calm like you..”

“I’m not calm right now..” Kaiden responds. “I’m breaking, Karyme. The difference between you and me is I don’t act on those negative emotions.”

Karyme looks away in shame.

“Believe me, if I saw who did that to Ashton.. I would do as much as you.. but that won’t make our son better..” He says.

Karyme looks at the floor. “I’m fucking losing it.. I can’t be strong right now..”

Kaiden holds her close. “..I’m not asking you to be.. just don’t do something you’ll regret.”

“I’ll fucking die if Ashton dies..” Karyme whispers.

Kaiden shakes his head. “Don’t say things like that.. you won’t..”

There’s a silence as Karyme composes herself.

Karyme sighs deeply. “..What about Astrid..?”

Kaiden raises an eyebrow. ‘What about her.?”

“How are we gonna keep her safe..?” Karyme asks.

“Hun, she’s fine-“

“We thought Ashton was too..”

“..what are you thinking.?”

“She needs to stay home, until we find out who did that to Ashton..”

“Karyme, that’s drastic, we can’t keep her here locked up all day-“

“How else will we make sure she doesn’t end up with a bullet through her head like her brother!?” Karyme shouts.

Kaiden shushes her. “You’ll wake her up.”

Karyme takes a deep breath. “I’m scared, Kaiden. I failed once already, and I’ll be damned if I let the same happen to Astrid.”

Kaiden crosses his arms. “I know you mean well, but she has school, friends, a life. I don’t want to take that away from her.”

“Either we take her life temporarily, or someone else will take her life, permanently.” Karyme replies.

“Ashton isn’t dead-“

“He’s damn close to it, isn’t he?”

Kaiden shakes his head. “Look, we can’t come to any conclusions now, like this. We can discuss more in the morning, when we’re all more calm-“

“Dad.?”

Both Karyme and Kaiden turn their heads to the doorway where their daughter, Astrid, stands.

“Astri, sweetie, what are you doing up.?” Kaiden asks, suddenly changing his tone.

“I heard yelling..” She mumbles, arms crossed.

Karyme sighs. “..we didn’t mean to wake you, Astrid-“

“You guys were fighting..” Astrid says softly.

Both Karyme and Kaiden shake their heads.

“We weren’t fighting-“ Kaiden starts.

“You’re fighting over me and Ash.. right.?”

Karyme frowns. “..It’s nothing, we just had a disagreement..”

Astrid frowns. “..it didn’t sound like that..”

Karyme sighs. “Me and your father don’t always see eye to eye, Astrid. We aren’t mad at each other, we just have different ways of thinking.”

Astrid looks back and forth between her parents. “You guys never yell though..”

“Come here, Astri.” Kaiden says.

She walks into the room, and Kaiden pulls her into a hug.

“We’re sorry for waking you, sweetie. I promise, no more yelling, okay?” He tells her.

Astrid nods slowly. “Okay..”

Karyme feels guilty as she watches Kaiden take Astrid back to her room. She sits on the side of the bed again, fighting back tears. The last thing she wanted was to fight with Kaiden, but she was breaking inside..

She doesn’t look up, even when Kaiden walks in again. He doesn’t say anything, just walks up to her.

“Hun..” He starts. “Look at me..”

Karyme shakes her head.

He lifts her head up. “C’mon, we’re fine, yeah? No more fighting.”

Karyme holds back a sob. “Kaiden..”

She hugs him tightly, catching him by surprise. He doesn’t waste time and holds her, his head resting on hers.

“Let it out." He says. “I know you’re hurting, just cry, yeah?”

Karyme holds back from making noise, only letting tears fall.

He sighs. “There you go.. easy now.. we’ll get through this, just like we’ve gotten through everything else..”

Karyme takes a quivering breath. “..together.?”

Kaiden smiles.

“Exactly, together.”

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

[disventure-rewrite-takes]

Ideas for staff plot:

Instead of another love triangle, focus Instead on Krystal's favoritism of Derek and mistreatment of Trevor. Maybe Trevor builds up some resentment over this, especially since killing the animals was Derek's idea, so why is he the one being left off the hook now?

Derek wants the show back, so he ropes Trevor into various Pinky-and-the-Brain-style schemes to replace Krystal. We've already got a lot of drama, maybe we can have a somewhat comedic plot as a palate cleanser? Note: I feel with 2 and 3 you're better off just combining Derek and Emily because if Derek and Trevor are together you don't need an entirely new character for Trevor to talk to about how much he misses Derek. I mean a lot of what Emily says and does aren't really out of character for Derek (damn, Trevor, you really need to make friends with people who aren't jerks). Also maybe if Derek and Trevor aren't separated you can use the energy that went into Tremily to maybe make Trevek (as friendship or romance) not shit?

Just don't have a staff plot and spend that screen time on the contestants instead.

my favorite idea is the third one lol. like seriously why are we focusing on the staff of a contestant-driven show? not saying we should know nothing about them, but keep it ambiguous maybe? one of the many, many, many, many, MANY flaws that DCAS has is that it doesn’t leave room to interpret things. in DCS1 & S2 you could make a lot of hcs but now everything is directly served to you and it’s really annoying. trevek wouldve been perfectly fine as a fanon ship but they just had to make them canon for fanservice

[so-i-grudgingly-joined-this-site]

I don't like Thessaly all that much and there is a lot of reasons to dislike her character but I do think there is a double standard when it comes to the whole transphobia thing espeically in comparison to George who is a clear out and out transphobic. And maybe there are reasons maybe George doesn't get hate is because he's a much more minor character compared to Thessaly who is still minor herself but has a bigger role or because people don't see Thessaly as being good for Dream which one can debate the other way as well though I do think Dream's overall morals are better than Thessaly's but I can't help but think it's down to misogyny or at least it's partly down to that. Like I said I don't like Thessaly but I also don't like the double standard of how women and men are treated differently and this also happens in real life.

Oh yeah, I'd definitely say misogyny is a large part of it. Fandom loves any excuse to hate on a female character, especially one who "gets in the way" of self-shipping or a more popular non-canon ship for their (usually male) fave. Thessaly just happens to be a rare case where she ALSO is legitimately terrible. The fact that she's also terrible in a way that corresponds to a current hot-topic issue likewise gives people easy "brownie points" for hating on her, because fans can frame it in a faux-activist way that comes across as "cool" on tumblr or twitter.

And as for George, I'm not sure if it's because he's a minor character, or, sadly, if it's more "expected" for a man to be cruel towards a woman. The fact that he's presented as villainous to begin with likewise gives him something of a "free pass" to express bigoted views, because hey, he's obviously supposed to be evil anyway. Thessaly is at least marginally heroic in that she's helping our protagonist Barbie (although she ultimately does more harm than good), so hearing her be bigoted is more potentially shocking and disappointing to a reader. Of course, this misses the major theme of the story where everyone, including powerful or divine figures, can be flawed, wrong, or bigoted. Neil himself emphasizes this in The Sandman Companion interviews about A Game of You: the moon rules are supposed to be taken as outdated/bigoted for only accepting menstruating people as women, and Thessaly isn't supposed to be a "heroic" or aspirational figure.

(Also, as a side note: The Companion also states that Dream and Thessaly were supposed to not make sense and be a "wtf why are they together?" type pair. However, given that The Companion often seems to be nudging readers to see Dream in a negative light, it's not exactly clear why they would be "obviously" bad for each other...)

I have to say, Thessaly's TERF reputation preceded her before I got to A Game of You in the comics, and I was actually surprised at how little of her personality that is compared to her other unpleasant actions. I expected her to be full-on "author-who-shall-no-longer-be-named", but basically she makes one transphobic comment before instead doing a spell that causes mass destruction and presumable mass death by moving the moon and thus bringing the storm into the city. She also cruelly sacrifices animals at multiple points in her appearances. I mean, it's all bad, obviously, but the fact that the fandom hones in on ONE particular thing to hate her for, out of the MANY reasons she's hate-able, makes me wonder how much is performative activism.

And on one last note... we all need to talk about Wanda more. Seriously. She's far more than just "groundbreaking representation" or "a victim of transphobia". The Sandman Companion rightly points out that she embodies the intended message of the arc: that everyone should be able to change and define themselves as they wish, the will of any alleged authority be damned. Plus, in a series where the central conflict of the protagonist is ultimately about needing to gain self-knowledge and the willingness to change...Wanda is the one who actually MANAGES that! She, a normal human person, does what an Endless cannot. Of course, the inspiration kind of falls flat in that both her and Dream end up equally tragically dead. But still, she's a very notable foil in the overall themes of The Sandman.

[kinemonsassbiter]

Toki is such a nothing character for me i can't understand at all what people can like about her besides her devil fruit powers.

I mean everything that is cool about her is not herself but what is Happening Around her. Oden is cool, their children are cool, their story are cool...but nothing more.

The most characteristics we have is that characters THEMSELVES are talking about how kind and smart and in love with Oden she is (Kin'emon talks about how she was helping people in Wano and how much they liked Toki, crew was talking about how Oden and Toki in love without these two really spending time with each other romantically at that moment), and that is a very bad sigh for me. The most popular advice for writers ever - show, don't tell. I can tell Kin'emon is kind because of his actions and not because of words, i can tell Law is smart because of his actions and not because of words, i can tell Tsuru is in love with Kin because of her actions and not because of words. She has some little sparkles of what suppose to be her personality (that moment when she didn't wanted to tell Oden that she got hurt and her actions in the end of flashbacks in general) but it's so little it makes her look absolutely empty and dull ESPECIALLY in comparison to Oden. I can understand why she would fall in love with him, but not in the world i would be able to understand why ODEN would want her in his life. It was supposed to be more obvious after showing their little talk but...it was so little and so usual that the chemistry between them most of the time is nonexistent. And it's not like Oda can't write good female characters, damn he is cooking with them, and it also gets more obvious that Oden and Toki's relationship are hollow when we are shown to how Kin'emon and Tsuru act with each other (despite, such irony, them both spending actually little time with each other on the screen in comparison to Toki and Oden who supposedly were on ship all the time together), it's like earth and sky to be honest.

And, unlike many others - she has sparkles of something, and lack of details (and details are what always makes good character work because they always have thek in a huge amount). We don't know what she likes, what kind of food she loves, what's her favourite colour, literally anything that doesn't involves Oden or her family - something really little at first glance but very human that would help connect with her.

Damn, i can't even tell what her personality's flaws are - they aren't get acknowledged of at all! And it also very, very sad - flaws are what makes character feel realistic too, because all humans have their flaws!

And with all of that, Toki isn't the worst character i would say, but someone with lost potential. Toki has an interesting fruit and A Very interesting backstory - but it never got explored that much. She isn't human, she is specifically a character, and for One Piece, where many characters FEEL human and real it's a bad thing. I would even dare to say that's she's not just a character - she's a plot device for other character's around her to have motivation. And it's not a bad thing to have such trop in media, after all, all of characters in some way are plot devices, but there's a big difference between any of Strawhats flashbacks (Bellmere, Kuina, Tom, Nico Olivia, Yorki, etc) and her. And I'm not even TALKING about Cora-san.

And, talking about her flaws...as i said before, she doesn't have personality flaws... But she has character's flaws that aren't treated like flaws and aren't acknowledged.

I do have to say that i don't think all of her actions are as good as they portrayed to be.

Firstly - I don't like that she decided to die when Oden died (i know she was explaining it that she's been looking in time for her safe place and she decided to stay because of love and because it's her fate yareyeare it doesn't count here) - your husband did everything for his vassals and for you and you, instead of making his sacrifice worth it decide to really die with him and leave both of your children as orphans? Oden would not be really happy about it FOR SURE. Adding to this - i know why she decided to seperate Hiyori and Momo and why Hiyori stayed with her, but...bitch you leaving your daughter in a burning building why not bother to send her in future for like...week or two so she won't be distant from this time AND won't accidentally die in fire?? The fact that my poor girlie survived is rather a good luck than Toki's part of plan of keeping Kozuki's clan alive.

Secondly - while being nothing by herself and being able to serve as a plot point for others she doesn't had ANY interesting interactions with anyone besides Oden. Girl met Whitebeard, Roger, AND STILL NOTHING??? The way character interacts with others is the best and easiest way to show personality, and yet it doesn't happen here!! She has nothing to do with any of them and i can't even imagine on how she would've interact with them because she doesn't have anything in her soul. The only interactions she had outside family is Red Scabbards, and, what a surprise - excluding her death scene, they were also blend (because you can't have an interesting dialogue with a blend piece of brick i guess)

And, lastly - her backstory, while being the most cool part of her is somehow the most nonexistent at the same time.

She's come from 800 years ago, right after VOID CENTURY (and i remind you, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT MYSTERIES IN OP), and yet... It doesn't affecting her story and her character at all. We get the information that she wanted to get to Wano because it would be a safe place (and we know why exactly), and... that's all? Toki potentially could knew so, so many things - but it never gets anywhere whatsoever! When they talk about Joyboy (and she could with very high chance knew anything about him, because for her it was waaay lesser of a time than for others) at Fishman Island she isn't even shown in frame, her story of being like this never goes anywhere and never gets to be something important despite it obviously being so. She has cool mysteries around her with no normal explanation later. Fuck it's even hard to say if her name is not a fake one! With some exceptions, most of devil fruit users doesn't share their name with the name of their fruit, unlike her. Toki having a toki toki no mi fruit, what a day. And it either means A. Toki isn't her real name (and while being so in love with Oden she didn't bothered to fucking tell him her own real name???) and B. Oda himself couldn't care less to give her a normal name which would be both funny and sad.

I wouldn't mind if the plot will somehow go back to her (because it will 100% go back to Wano) and we will get an explanation for her character's actions a bit more, but for now, for me - Toki is the most boring ass woman in One Piece with no personality outside Oden and family (which is really, really bad, because female character that ends at "she loves her man and children" is truly what we need in this era (no)) that Oda ever made. And for me, being a boring character is worse than being a bad one.

[demi4ngel]

Updated/Edited on 9/20/2024 so it could be worded better, not just changing preferences:

I’m usually going to reblog posts of some of my favorite stuff on this account! I was just going to post this on my blog’s description section but this is going to be long-ish for mobile users.

Plenty of cursing and some slightly suggestive themes on a few posts ahead but there’s no outright NSFW/18+ since I’m technically a SFW reblogger.

Other Social Media Links:

https://archiveofourown.org/users/demi4ngel/profile

https://www.wattpad.com/user/demi4ngel

I am typically neutral to most things in fiction, so there’s not much point in throwing hissy fits over minor stuff and things that don’t affect sane people much unless the creators, canon and even the fandom are truly toxic and problematic. While there are technically bad apples in every fandom, some are way worse than the others so I block and filter out as much as I can for my own sanity. Yes, that includes blogs who still support badly written canon content.

I don’t care what your orientation/race is, if you are toxic then GTFO!

DNI

AI images/artists (At first I didn’t think much of it but it clutters many art sites with all these different tags if #ai art isn’t used! Not only does it have delusional fake artists and their audience who thinks it’s fine, it’s especially bad news for inactive or even deceased online users. Like, it’s unethical and most sharp eyed users see how flawed the “art” is. That makes mediocre human drawn art look good because they aren’t that blurry or has these machine made flaws. The AU Generated art is often uncredited which can confuse people. Oh god, I hate the realistic/real life ones the most because what if that’s used without that person’s consent? What if that’s used to make an innocent person look bad?)

Vivziepop Stans (I used to like her art but the plot of Helluva Boss portraying the main toxic romantic relationship as “good LGBT rep” is uncomfortable… the same ppl can criticize Val/Angel or MothDust but defend Stolitz? All bc it’s gay men screwing each other? I’m glad that critics point out the similarities because aren’t they both technically abusive relationships? Even without the out of context screenshots, those relationships are still unnerving. Toxic relationships are toxic regardless of their sexualities and how it’s written! I mean there’s a mountain of evidence of her many misdeeds and even abuse of her power! Also, she, her associates, and even fans had the audacity to diss other indie animation projects!)

Miraculous Ladybug (uncanny 3D graphics, especially the salters and the maribat shippers ruining practically everything they touch)

My Little Pony franchise (oh lord the damn fandom and fanarts won’t stop plaguing my feeds…)

Rabid proshippers [I hate the ones that take things too far like the big age gap (a decade to more apart &/or when one is old enough to be their parent/familial figure), prepubescent children and younger x adult (yes that includes real and fictional ancient/past times), and incest ones (blood related, adoptive or foster it’s still fucking unnerving… I mean aren’t they raised together as such even if their time together wasn’t that long?) Though I understand why people give them the side eye due to probably not tagging correctly and boundary disrespecting the ppl who use DNIs for good reasons bc the latter most likely have reasons why they hate or don’t like certain things.]

Rabid antishippers (I used to have a similar mentality many years ago but such a puritan approach wasn’t good for my sanity. I understand how y’all feel about certain fictional ships but blocks and filters exist here and several other sites that have these functions. So use them instead of causing unnecessary discourse over small things! Y’all don’t have to complain about every single thing that irks you. Besides, if y’all are that concerned about certain things, go help out real people who really need it and stick to your safe spaces! Spreading misinformation, doxxing and harassment are not acceptable!)

*Both sides of the shipping discourse have bad apples and rabid dogs crossing lines so I steer clear from them and their petty discourse whenever I’m surfing this site. Hence why I decided to stay mostly neutral in fictional matters from now on like a spectator. Funnily enough, it’s usually the antis starting shit and even being killjoys on actual harmless ships. I mean look at the screenshotted evidence here by the pros, neutrals and civilized smart ppl who stay out of drama. 🧩🥀 & 🌑🎈(former anti and currently a neutral shipper)

Nostalgia fandom (sheesh, these people need to try something new it’s like they are literally stuck in time, bitching about new things and going as far as to dislike or negative review bomb things not from their childhood time. Especially a portion of the western cartoon fandom. Yes, it’s usually those guys making a fuss about their favorite stuff being forever canonically discontinued. Well, there’s the fan works to create and consume! Wherever I am, I rarely hear the eastern anime fandom fussing about the “good old times”. But the downside to the nostalgia are lonely feelings when several others have moved on and a shitty attitude towards a lot of things not aligned with your own takes.)

Character Hatedoms/Bashing/Assassinations (Those who do hate characters for legitimate reasons are usually more civilized. But those who hate them for very minor or petty reasons get the side eye lol.)

Heterophobic/Homophobic (I legit don’t understand the intense hate from both sides, y’all just have different labels and sexualities/preferences that are seen as socially acceptable and legal. But there are vile ppl who use their gender and/or sexuality as a shield which is unacceptable!)

Reality Shifters/Otherkin (suddenly fictional drawn OCs and reader fics look like stellar content that’s much more preferable! It’s kinda weird that irl ppl insert themselves into fictional stories instead of creating OCs or just using canon characters…)

Age Regression/Age Play blogs (this type of content is kinda weird… it’s annoying and unnerving that teen/adult characters or even real people behave like little children to cope or smth. I don’t care if it’s also SFW, y’all still are getting the side eye for using baby/childish talk. And turning mature characters into that kind of behavior is just kinda stupid.)

Ppl who don’t properly tag/label (oh come on, no wonder I had to block certain blogs and tags here… some of y’all weren’t specific enough not just being irresponsible idiots. Had to block a shit ton of character assassination content not just ppl slipping past tags.)

Fetish artists/blogs (if you don’t properly tag/label, you do kinda deserve to get criticized heavily and blocked)

Fictional content that turns places and countries into anthropomorphic figures (weird ASF…)

RL crime/criminal apologists and hybristophiliacs (these guys make the fictional villain/antagonist character stans look like angels bc at least the latter will seemingly less likely simp for IRL criminals and know what’s fictional.)

[eusuntgratie]

8, 12, 16, 23 👀👀💚

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

i have some...complicated feelings about buck and chris's relationship and how that's portrayed/talked about especially in how it reflects on eddie. i say shit like THATS HIS DAD and THEYVE BEEN COPARENTING FOR YEARS because they HAVE and i think in a lot of ways buck loves chris like he's his and chris CLEARLY sees buck as a parental figure and eddie REPEATEDLY and PURPOSEFULLY puts buck in that role and is comfortable with him in that role.

where i get the ick is when that's pushed into this idea that chris needs buck, that eddie needs buck, in order for their family to be complete. and i don't know that i can articulate this well bc eddie does need buck, and chris needs buck too. but i also think it is so so important to recognize that eddie is a great father (despite a rough start) and that they were (and would continue to be) just fine without him.

i've even struggled with how i've written this relationship in fic, because it can be a tough line to toe.

i suspect that fandom subconciously leans in to this idea that buck can swoop in and save eddie and chris in large part because buck is white and eddie isn't. and i know that i'm icked by it more because of that.

and this is probably related, but i don't think chris would ever start calling buck anything but buck. the idea that a kid needs to call someone dad/mom/whatever for them to be "important" is bullshit. my best friend and i's kids call us by our first names but they also refer to us as their 'other mom'. i've always called my stepdad by the nickname everyone else calls him. buck has been in chris's life a long time; i don't think he's gonna start calling him something different if they finally get together and/or get married.

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

taylor and shannon and lucy on 911. fandom loves to hate any woman that's even vaguely connected to one of the boys. i like taylor because she's interesting, and i appreciate seeing a woman who puts herself and her career first. we see men do that all the time. i don't hate taylor for being selfish. i don't want her with buck, but i think their relationship was SO interesting and was important for buck figuring out what he wants.

i LOVE shannon and i have loved shannon from the beginning. people love to hate her and say she's a terrible mother for abandoning her child. but she was a young woman in an impossible position who had NO help from her partner for YEARS. she tried to do what she thought was best for her son, her mother, and herself. eddie wouldn't GIVE her that space so she TOOK it. and good for her, honestly. did it hurt chris that she left? absolutely. would people judge a father as harshly for doing EXACTLY the same thing? absolutely not. shannon loved her kid, she tried to do her best, but she was pushed well past her breaking point (which eddie is largely to blame for - yes i can love my blorbos and admit they have flaws GASP) and everyone had to deal with the fallout.

lucy is hot and badass and interesting and if you watch her kiss with buck and think anything other than 'fuck, that's hot' then we will simply never agree and i'm not going to argue with you. get off her ass, she's incredible and i want her back.

16. you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

miscommunication based pining. i can do it for a little bit, but my nightmare is a 100k+ fic rated t tagged slow burn and mutual pining. JUST OPEN YOUR DAMN MOUTH! AAAAAAHHHHHH!! i can do SOME pining bc yearning can be really delicious but when the whole reason 2 people are pining for seven billion words is because nobody will just TALK it makes me insane.

23. ship you've unwillingly come around to

oooh this is tricky bc i am a multishipper to my CORE i want everybody fuckin everybody and falling in love all over the place give it to meeeeee. i feel like the only ship i've ever really been AGAINST is thorki, and that's largely bc of people arguing that it doesn't "count" as incest bc loki was adopted, which pisses me the fuck off. the actual ship i don't really have beef with and i'm sure i would read a fic if someone sent it to me and it was good. idk. it takes a lot for me to be like, ew, absolutely not.

(obligatory disclaimer that you're allowed to like shit i don't like. i'm not telling you your opinion sucks, i'm telling you what i think <3)

fandom violence asks <3

[otaku-108]

Hey there!

I'm your DCMK Secret Santa this year and am just dropping by to introduce my anonymous self. lol. I'm curious to know what your favorite aspects of ShinRan are and why you like them? Mainly asking to get a feel for what I should make as a gift for you. : ) -Your DCMK Secret Santa

Oooh hello Santa!! ❤️ Nice to meet you!

So, let me try to put into words why I love ShinRan so much!

For me, the fact they know each other since forever, and have shared a zillion experiences together, good and bad (and very bad) moments, makes their bond really strong and pure. I think Ran is the only person Shinichi has felt truly comfortable around for a very long time, and that is the reason he slowly fell for her. He understands her authenticity, has seen the good in her. He started loving her even before they grew enough to develop any physical attraction. He has known she is the one for him for years, and that is so *beautiful*.

And let's just say that I *understand* why Ran ends up liking Shinichi too, even if she fell later. He's, like, magnificent. Such a gentleman, so intelligent, talented. Those eyes of him. His eloquence. Even his flaws are interesting.

Their interaction is so cool. They are always around each other, no inhibitions about being a guy and a girl like we see many other times. I love that they call them a married couple because of that. The whole high school ships them, damn!

I really see their relationship would turn intense quite quickly if they were in more amicable circumstances. Emotions and needs just too strong, especially after Conan.

Damn. I love them so much.

I hope I could give you an idea of what's on my mind, Santa! Have a great day and week! ❤️

[celestemagnoliathewriter]

hey so i binged your entire "Nymph of the house Black" series and i have got to say its amazing. Like it takes the common time travel trope but makes it different. Dora isn't a super powered Op who can defeat Dumbledore in seconds and wins over all Slytherins and destroys the horcruxes in a day. I also love that she isn't playing the moral high ground. In a lot of fanfics, the mc just doesn't play dirty and to me its a breath of fresh air to see her do so - obliviating people, not revealing to everyone that she's a time traveller, taking unbreakable vows. And the character reactions, like how everyone doesn't just accept that she has secrets and actually questions her and her story. I also love how she doesn't cave in and just tell remus abt her time travel and its all happily every after. I love how you made her wait till remus was 17.

What I also like is that her relation with remus/es? I will say it up front i am not a huge fan or remus lupin or remadora. I always felt he was too immersed in his self pity and destructive behaviours and Dora deserved better (just my opinion) But your representation was quite nice to see in the sea of chocolate loving uwu remus who can do no wrong. We see the constant struggle by both sides. And it made me enjoy the remadora ship. And even then we see dora lose control and curse Marlene and lupin jumping to conclusions and being stupid which makes it so real. I also like her interactions with the death eaters, like she doesn't just go in the black family and infiltrate like and get all secrets and none is the wiser. She slips many times during the story, we also see her struggling with the whole time travel thing. Which is nice. In most time travels (its usually harry or the golden trio) and they are pretty chill about everything.

I also liked that even though she tried her best alphard and regulus (i thought jily might live and damn did that hurt) still died. It was gut wrenching especially since i thought regulus might live.

I also adored the black family interactions- everyone of them is flawed and it feels real, narcissa's personality isnt just being Lucius' wife and bella while still insane is seen as the formidable and cunning woman she was.

I dont know what i just wrote or why i wrote it but i just finished the series after binging it in like 1.5 day and i am patiently waiting for the updates on the 3rd part. I just finished it a minute ago and had to put my feelings somewhere.

thankyou for writing the story its absolutely phenomenal. little dora and dora are so sweet together.

i think ill head to sleep now its too late.

came to you blog for a meme stayed for the fantastic fanfic

First, thank you SO, SO, SOOOO much for leaving these lovely thoughts in my inbox about my work!!! *warning - spoilers in the ask and answer below*

The time-traveling Tonks story was a labor of love. It was born out of the classic "you write what you want to read" and all of the issues you pointed out were tropes I wanted to avoid because I was so sick of seeing them in other stories. I wanted Dora to kick ass and be a strong MC - and in the end, she's really powerful and talented, but still so human. She can do wrong and she makes a LOT of mistakes. She's powerful, but she's not perfect.

It's a point of great pride for me that you liked the way I portrayed the Remadora ship. I can't stand uwu super cutesy Remus. That's a bastardization of his character. He's not a super softie. He has the deep capacity to love but it's matched by self-loathing and jealousy.

My decision to have her struggle with time travel repeatedly came from the same observation. I put myself in her shoes. If I went back in time to the day of my birth I'd lose my shit.

I wanted to write a story that had realistic, gritty emotions, flawed, but good-hearted and sympathetic characters, and fix canon all at once. It's still my favorite story that I've written.

If you like my time travel mechanics, I recommend my Teddy Lupin time travel fic. It's only about 100k words and was another joy to write.

Thank you so much for reading!! I'm glad you stayed for the fanfic :)

[hamliet]

The Crows Summon the Sun

Or, Hamliet’s review of Shadow & Bone, which gets a 4.5/5 for enjoyment and a 3.5/5 in terms of writing.

The true heroes of this story and the saviors of the show are the Crows. However, the problem is that the show then has an uneven feel, because the strength of the Crows plotline highlights the weaknesses of the trilogy storyline. But imo, overall, the strengths overshadow (#punintended) the weaknesses. 

I’ll divide the review into the narrative and the technical (show stuff, social commentary), starting with narrative.

Narrative: The Good 

It’s What The Crows Deserve

I went into the show watching it for the Crows; however, knowing that their storyline was intended to be a prequel, I wasn’t terribly optimistic. And while it is a prequel, the characters have complete and full arcs that perfectly set them up for the further development they will have in the books (which I think should be the next season?). Instead of retreading the arcs they’d have in the books, which is how prequels usually go, they had perfect set up for these arcs. It’s really excellent. 

Jesper, Inej, and Kaz are all allowed to be flawed, to have serious conflicts with one another, and yet to love each other. They feel like a found family in the best of ways. Kaz is the perfect selfish rogue; he’s a much more successfully executed Byronic hero than the Darkling, actually. Inej is heroic and her faith is not mocked, yet she too is flawed and her choices are not always entirely justified, but instead left to the audience to ponder (like killing the girl), which is a more mature writing choice that I appreciated. 

Jesper is charming, has a heart of gold despite being a murderer and on the surface fairly greedy, and MILO THE EMOTIONAL SUPPORT GOAT WAS THE BEST THING EVER. I also liked Jesper’s fling with Dima but I felt it could be better used rather than merely establishing his sexuality, like if Jesper and Dima had seen each other one more time or something had come of their tryst for the plot/themes/development of Jesper. 

Nina and Matthias’s backstory being in the first season, instead of in flashbacks, really works because it automatically erases any discomfort of the implications of Nina having falsely accused Matthias that the books start with. We know Nina, we know Matthias, we know their motivations, backgrounds, and why they feel the way we do. It’ll be easy for the audience to root for them without a lot of unnecessary hate springing from misunderstanding Nina (since she’s my favorite). Matthias’s arc was also really strongly executed and satisfyingly tragic. Their plotline was a bit unfortunately disconnected from the rest of the story, but Danielle Gallagan and Callahan Skogman have absolutely sizzling chemistry so I found myself looking forward to their scenes instead of feeling distracted. Also? It’s nice seeing a woman with Nina’s body type as a romantic and powerful character. 

Hamliet Likes Malina Now

Insofar as the trilogy storyline goes, the best change the show made was Mal. He still is the same character from the books, but much more likable. The pining was... a lot (too much in episode 4, I felt) but Malina is a ship I actually enjoyed in the show while I NOTP’d it in the books. Mal has complexity and layers to his motivations (somewhat) and a likable if awkward charm. Archie Renaux was fantastic. 

Ben Barnes is the perfect Aleksandr Kirigan, and 15 year old me, who had the biggest of big crushes on Ben Barnes (first celebrity crush over a decade ago lol), was pretty damn happy lol. He’s magnificantly acted--sympathetic and terrifying, sincerely caring and yet villainous in moments. Story-wise, I think it was smart to reveal his name earlier on than in the books, because it helps with the humanization especially in a visual medium like film. Luda was a fitting (if heartbreaking) backstory, but it is also hard for me to stomach knowing what the endgame of his character is. Like... I get the X-men fallacy thing, but I hope the show gives more kindness to his character than the books did, yet I’m afraid to hold my breath. Just saying that if you employ save the cat, if you directly say you added this part (Luda) to make the character more likable (as the director did) please do not punish the audience for feeling what you intended. 

I also liked the change that made Alina half-Shu. It adds well to her arc and fits with her character, actually giving her motivations (she kinda just wants to be ordinary in a lot of ways) a much more interesting foundation than in the books. Also it’s nice not to have another knock-off Daenerys (looking to you Celaena and book!Alina). Jessie Mei Li does a good job playing Alina’s insecurities and emotions, but... 

Narrative: The Ehhhhhhh

Alina the Lamp

Sigh. Here we go. Alina has little consistent characterization. She’s almost always passive when we see her, yet she apparently punches an officer for calling her a name and this seems to be normal for her, but it doesn’t fit at all with what we know about her thus far. Contradictions are a part of humanity, but it’s never given any focus, so it comes across as inconsistent instead of a flaw or repression. 

I have no idea what Alina wants, beside that she wants to be with Mal, which is fine except I have no idea what the basis of their bond is. Even with like, other childhood friends to lovers like Ren/Nora in RWBY or Eren/Mikasa in SnK, there’s an inciting moment, a reason, that we learn very early on in their story to show us what draws them together. Alina and Mal just don’t have that. There’s the meadow/running away thing, but they were already so close, and why?  Why, exactly? What brought them together? The term “bullies” is thrown around but it isn’t ever explored and it needed to be this season. If I have to deal with intense pining for so many episodes at least give me a foundation for their devotion. You need to put this in the beginning, in the first season. You just do.

A “lamp” character is a common metaphor to describe a bad character: essentially, you could replace the character with a lamp and nothing changes. Considering Alina’s gift is light, it’s a funnily apt metaphor, but it really does apply. Her choices just don’t... matter. She could be a special lamp everyone is fighting over and almost nothing would change. The ironic thing is that everyone treating her like a fancy lamp is exactly the conflict, but it’s never delved into. We’re never shown that Alina is more than a lamp. She never has to struggle because her choices are made for her and information is gifted to her when she needs it. Not making choices protects Alina from consequences and the story gives her little incentive to change that; in fact, things tend to turn out better when she doesn’t make choices (magic stags will arrive). 

Like... let’s look at a few occasions when Alina almost or does make choices. For example, she chooses to (it seems) sleep with Kirigan, but then there’s a convenient knock at the door and Bhagra arrives with key information that changes Alina’s mind instantly despite the fact that Bhagra’s been pretty terrible to her. If you want to write a woman realizing she’s been duped by a cruel man, show her discovering it instead of having the man’s abusive mother tell her when she had absolutely no such suspicions beforehand. There’s no emotional weight there because Alina doesn’t struggle. 

When she is actually allowed to carry out a bad choice, the consequences are handwaved away instead of built into a challenge for her. Like... Alina got her friends killed. More than once. I’m not saying she’s entirely to blame for these but could we show her reacting to it? Feeling any sort of grief? She never mentions Raisa or Alexei after they’re gone, just Mal, and I’m... okay. They were there because of you. Aren’t you feeling anything? Aren’t you sad? The only time Alina brings up her friends’ deaths is to tell Kirigan he killed her friends when they were only there because she burned the maps. She yells at Kirigan for “never” giving her a choice, but she almost never makes any, so why would he? Alina has the gall to lecture Genya about choices, but she herself almost never has to make any. 

Which brings me to another complaint in general: Alina’s lack of care for everyone around her when they’re not Mal, even if they care for her. Marie dies because of her (absolutely not her fault of course) but as far as we know she never even learns about Marie. She certainly doesn’t ever ask about her or Nadia. Alina seems apathetic at best to people, certainly not compassionate or kind. 

The frustrating thing is that there is potential here. Like, it actually makes a lot of psychological sense for an orphan who has grown up losing to be reluctant to care for people outside of her orbit and that she would struggle to believe she can have any say in her destiny (ie make choices). It’s also interesting that a girl who feels like an outsider views others outside her. But the show never offers examines Alina’s psychology with any depth; it simply tells us she’s compassionate when she is demonstrably not, it tells us she makes decisions when it takes magical intervention to do so. It’s a missed opportunity. This does not change between episodes 1 and 8, despite the episodes’ parallel structures and scenes, which unintentionally reinforces that Alina had little real development. 

Inej and ironically Jesper and Kaz embody the concept of “mercy” far better and with far more complexity than Alina does. The Crows have reactions to the loss of people who even betray them (Arken, etc), learn, and course-correct (or don’t) when they are even loosely involved in having strangers die. They’re good characters because they change and learn and have their choices matter. When they kill we see them wrestle with it and what this means even if they are accustomed to doing so. Jesper can’t kill in front of a child. Kaz wonders what his killings do to Inej’s idea of him.

Narrative: The Mixed Bag

Tropes, Themes, Telling vs. Showing

So the show’s themes in the Alina storyline are a mess, as they are in the trilogy too. Tropes are a very valuable way to show your audience what you’re trying to say. They’re utilized worldwide because they resonate with people and we know what to expect from them. The Crows' storyline shows us what it wants us to learn.

Preaching tells, and unfortunately, the trilogy relies on telling/preaching against fornicationBad Boys. It’s your right to write any trope or trample any trope you want--your story--but you should at least understand what/why you are doing so. The author clearly knows enough about Jungian shadows and dark/light yin/yang symbolism to use it in the story, but then just handwaves it away as “I don’t like this” but never does so in a narratively effective way: addressing the appeal in the first place. If you really wanna deconstruct a trope, you gotta empathize with the core of the reason these tropes appeal to people (it allays deep fears that we are ourselves unlovable, through loving another person despite how beastly they can be), and address this instead of ignoring it. Show us a better way through the Fold of your story. Don’t just go around it and ignore the issue.

The trilogy offers highly simplistic themes at best--bad boy bad and good boy good, which is fine-ish for kid lit but less fine for adult complexity, which the show (more so than the books) seems to try to push despite not actually having much of it.

Alina and Mal are intended to be good, we’re told they are, but I’m not sure why beyond just that we’re told so. Alina claims the stag chose her, but in the show it’s never explained why at all. Unlike with Kaz, Inej, Jesper, and hell even Matthias and Nina, we don’t see Alina or Mal’s complex choices and internal wrestling. 

Like, Inej’s half-episode where she almost killed the guy they needed was far more character exploration than Alina has the entire show, to say nothing of Inej’s later killing which not only makes her leaps and bounds more interesting, but ironically cements her as a far more compelling and yes, likable, heroine than Alina. We see Inej’s emotional and moral conflict. We can relate to her. We see Kaz struggling with his selfishness and regrets, with his understanding of himself through his interactions with and observations of Inej, Alina, the Darkling, Arken, and Jesper.

We don’t explore what makes Mal or Alina good and what makes them bad. We don’t know what Alina discovers about herself, what her power means for her. We are told they are good, we are told she knows her power is hers, but never shown what this means or what this costs them/her. Their opportunities to be good are handed to them (the stag, Bhagra) instead of given to them as a challenge in which they risk things, in which doing good or making a merciful choice costs them. Alina gets to preach about choices without ever making any; Inej risks going back to the Menagerie to trust Kaz. Her choices risk. They cost. They matter and direct her storyline and her arc, and those of the people around her.

Production Stuff:

The Good: 

The production overall is quite excellent. The costumes, pacing, acting, and cinematography (for example, one of the earliest scenes between the Darkling and Alina has Alina with her back to the light, face covered in his shadow, while the Darkling’s face is light up by her light even if he stands in the shadows) are top-notch. The soundtrack as well is incredible and emphasizes the scenes playing. The actors have great chemistry together, friend chemistry and romantic when necessary (Mal and Alina, the Darkling and Alina, Kaz and Inej, Nina and Matthias, David and Genya, etc.) All are perfectly cast. 

The Uncomfortable Technicalities Hamliet Wants to Bitch About:

The only characters from fantasy!Europe having any trace of an accent reminiscent of said fantasy country's real-world equivalent are antagonists like Druskelle (Scandinavia) and Pekka (Ireland). When the heroes mostly have British accents despite being from fantasy Russia and Holland, it is certainly A Choice to have the Irish accent emphasized. The actor is British by the way, so I presume he purposely put on an Irish accent. I'm sure no one even considered the potential implications of this but it is A Look nonetheless.

The Anachronisms Hamliet Has a Pet Peeve About: 

The worldbuilding is compelling, but the only blight on the worldbuilding within the story itself (ignoring context) was that there are some anachronisms that took me out of the story, particularly in the first episode where “would you like to share with the class” and “saved by the horn” are both used. Both are modern-day idioms in English that just don’t fit, especially the latter. The last episode uses “the friends we made along the way.” There are other modern idioms as well.

IT’S STARKOVA and Other Pet Peeves Around the Russian Portrayal 

Russian names are not hard, and Russian naming systems are very, very easy to learn. I could have waved “Starkov” not being “Starkova,” “Nazyalensky” not being “Nazyalenskaya,”  and “Safin” not being “Safina” as an American interpretation (since in America, the names do not femininize). However, “Mozorova” as a man is unfathomable and suggests to me the author just doesn’t understand how names work, which is a bit... uh okay considering a simple google search gets you to understand Russian names. They aren’t hard. I cannot understand why the show did not fix this. It is so simple to fix and would be a major way to help the story’s overall... caricature of Russia. 

Speaking of that... Ravka is supposedly Russian-based, but it is more accurately based on the stereotypes of what Americans think of Russia. Amerussia? Russica? Not great. 

The royals are exactly what Americans think of the Romanovs, right down to the “greasy” “spiritual advisor” who is clearly Rasputin and which ignores the Romanov history, very real tragedy, and the reason Rasputin was present in the court. The religion with all its saints is a vapid reflection of Russian Orthodoxy. The military portrayal with its lotteries and brutality and war is how the US views the Russian military. The emphasis on orphans, constant starvation, classification, and children being ripped from their homes to serve the government is a classic US understanding of USSR communism right down to the USSR having weapons of destruction the rest of the world fears (Grisha). Not trying to defend the Soviet Union here at all, but it is simplistic and reductive and probably done unconsciously but still ehhhh. 

However, I’m not Russian. I just studied Russian literature. I’ve seen very little by way of discussion of this topic online, but what I do see from Russian people has been mixed--some mind, some don’t. The reality is that I actually don’t really mind this because it’s fantasy, though I see why some do. I'm not like CANCEL THIS. So why am I talking about this beyond just having a pet peeve?

Well, because it is a valid critique, and because it doesn’t occur in a vacuum. The Grishaverse is heralded as an almost paragon for woke Young Adult literature, which underlines itself what so frustrates me about how literary circles discuss issues of diversity and culture. Such praise, while ignoring its quasi-caricature of Russia, reflects a very ethnocentric (specifically American) understanding of culture, appropriation, and representation. All stories are products of their culture to various extents, but it bothers me on principle what the lit community reacts (and overreacts sometimes?) to and what people give a pass to. The answer to what the community reacts to and what it gives a pass always pivots on how palatable the appropriation is to American understandings and sensibilities. There’s nuance here as well, though. 

I'm not cancelling the story or thinking it should be harshly attacked for this, but it is something that can be discussed and imo should be far more often--but with the nuance it begs, instead of black/white. But that’s a tall ask. 

[writingtoforgetreality]

Gold Rush (Sebastian Stan x Reader)

[Actors-Masterlist]

Gold Rush [1] / You’re Not Sorry [2] / This Is Me Trying [3] / [4] (soon)

Summary: Your career was blossoming, especially with your new role in “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”. Working on set was a dream come true. It was never your intention to fall for one of your coworkers. Not when you knew that he would never look at you that way.

Words: 2,637

Warnings: language, it’s Anthony Mackie’s world & we’re just living in it, angst, feeeeeels, maybe I cried, maybe I didn’t, we’ll never know, REQUESTS ARE OPEN!

Inspired by: “gold rush” by Taylor Swift

If you like my work & wanna support me: a coffee would be highly appreciated ❤

Gleaming, twinkling

Eyes like sinking ships on waters

So inviting, I almost jump in

You scored big time when you were casted in the upcoming Marvel series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”. Working alongside Anthony Mackie & Sebastian Stan had been more than you had ever wished for. The atmosphere on set was harmonious. Everything would have been fine if it were not for your stupid crush on your fellow castmate. Mackie picked up on the fact that you liked Sebastian almost immediately & he teased you about it one too many times. No matter how obvious his teasing, it seemed like Sebastian was completely oblivious to it. Or he acted as if he had no clue. You were not quite sure about that.

The press tour was going strong, which meant that Seb, Mackie & you were teamed up for every interview. Now, that was not something that bothered you too much. After all, you were more than comfortable around them. But when some interviewers did not know where the line was, you got frustrated. Like, okay, we got it. Everyone with eyes knew Seb was hot. But as an interviewer, you should know when to stop. Shamelessly flirting in front of the camera with basically a stranger? Sorry, but you had no explanation for such a behavior. Yes, some interviewers flirted with you, too. But you were great when it came to brushing them off while staying polite. Of course, Mackie’s teasing did not make this any easier for you. Every now & then, he would bring up the chemistry you & Seb shared on screen. And off screen. Like usual, you laughed at him & so did Seb. During interviews, you teased each other a lot, it was a playful manner you all enjoyed. And the audience loved the three of you for it.

Sometimes, when Seb answered a question that had him explain scenes with you or something similar, you hated the butterflies you felt inside. You hated how your cheeks warmed up. You hated that he had such an effect on you. You hated Seb. You hated him for being so perfect. You hated him for being a literal God. You hated him for ruining every other man for you. Because nobody could ever compare to him. And you said that even though you were not even in a relationship. Hell, you were not the only person who looked at him that way. If the interviews were not proof enough, a look at social media did the job, too.

But I don't like a gold rush, gold rush

I don't like anticipating my face in a red flush

I don't like that anyone would die to feel your touch

Everybody wants you

Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you

Walk past, quick brush

I don't like slow motion double vision in rose blush

I don't like that falling feels like flying 'til the bone crush

Everybody wants you

But I don't like a gold rush

“So (Y/N)…” the man sitting opposite of you started. It was not a lot of times that questions were directed at you. Usually, people were more excited to talk to the guys. No offense taken. “The chemistry between Sebastian & you can be felt even after such a short trailer. My question is…are you two, like, a thing?” of course. If you got a question, it was about your love life or about how great you looked in your suit. The others got complex & well thought through questions & you got this shit. Internally rolling your eyes, you stayed professional & answered casually.

“Sebby & I are friends. We work well together. We know each other well enough to communicate with our eyes, body language & so on. Some people mistake that for dating, apparently.” finishing off with a sarcastic chuckle, you had to hide the fact that you wished that there was more between you two.

“I gotta say. Even I think they’re dating sometimes.” Mackie smirked when he spoke up which earned him a light slap from you. Seb only hid his face behind his hand & laughed quietly. It was nothing new. You were used to his teasing by now. Looking over at Seb, you could not help but admire him. Even when he was embarrassed, to you, he was the most beautiful person on this planet. Not a single flaw. Just…perfect. If only you had enough courage to do something about your damn feelings.

What must it be like to grow up that beautiful?

With your hair falling into place like dominoes

I see me padding across your wooden floors

With my Eagles t-shirt hanging from the door

“Stop that.” Mackie walked over to where you were sitting. Finally, you had a break after hours of giving interview after interview. Looking up, your face turned into one of pure confusion.

“Stop what?” he exaggeratedly rolled his eyes at your question.

“The daydreaming.” it was a simple statement. But why would he tell you to stop that?

“What? Is it forbidden to daydream now?” chuckling at him, you offered him one of your coffee cups. Your handler brought you two because you had not slept much that night. But Mackie needed one just as much & he gladly accepted it. Still, he could tell that you were trying to change the topic. Not with him, though. Sitting beside you, he sighed loudly.

“Why don’t you just tell him?” he looked straight forward when he asked that question. Your face fell at his words but maybe, maybe, if you played dumb, you could get out of this conversation without any awkwardness.

“Tell who what?” your innocent eyes bore into his side profile & you saw him shaking his head slightly. A low chuckle escaped him.

“Tell Seb you like him or I will.” he stated & your eyes widened in fear.

“You wouldn’t dream of it.” exclaiming frantically, you grew more nervous at the thought.

“I wouldn’t trust that thought.” & after a few seconds of silence, you breathed out loudly.

“Yeah, sure. And I’d risk our friendship for that? Forget it.”

“He likes you, too, you know?” he casually stated. Your face changed, but only for a second. He was wrong. Someone like Seb could never like you back.

“Stop, Mackie. Don’t just run around assuming shit.” you pushed his shoulder playfully but it did not do too much. What a surprise.

“My running around assuming shit isn’t assuming. It’s facts. You guys are awful, by the way. It’s exhausting, watching you two trying to dodge your feelings. Why can’t you just, I don’t know, get everything sorted out & be happy together? If someone deserves that, it’s you.” yes, Mackie could be sarcastic but when push came to shove, he could be serious, too. And that last part, he meant by heart. Was it true? Did Seb like you? More than a friend? Maybe you should just tell him. Life was too short to be filled with what if’s. It was now or never, right?

At dinner parties, I call you out on your contrarian shit

And the coastal town we wandered 'round had never seen a love as pure as it

And then it fades into the gray of my day-old tea

'Cause it could never be

Wrapping up for today, the three of you decided to grab some take-out & eat it back inside your hotel. After quickly showering & dressing more comfortably, you made your way over to Seb’s room. Mackie was already there, he texted you at least ten times to hurry up because they were starving to death. Dramatic diva. Knocking softly, a smile spread across your face when Seb opened the door. Stepping aside to let you in, you greeted Mackie briefly. He was already eating so why the hell was he rushing you earlier? He could be such a child. Seb handed you your food & motioned for you to take a seat on the bed. Take-out in a hotel bed? It should be illegal. Usually, you were not one for eating in bed but whenever you where staying at a hotel, it became some sort of a routine for you. Same for the guys. For a while, the three of you just talked & ate your food. Conversation always flowed easily with them. You knew all of their secrets & they knew all of yours. Well, except for Seb having no clue about your silly crush on him. When he & Mackie discussed a topic you did not know too much about to actually engage in their conversation, you found yourself stealing glances at Seb. If it were not enough for him to be so gorgeous, of course he had the best personality to match that. God really took his time with him. And the weirdest thing of it all was that Seb never let that thought get the best of him. He was aware of people admiring him but that never changed him.

'Cause I don't like a gold rush, gold rush

I don't like anticipating my face in a red flush

I don't like that anyone would die to feel your touch

Everybody wants you

Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you

Walk past, quick brush

I don't like slow motion double vision in rose blush

I don't like that falling feels like flying 'til the bone crush

Everybody wants you

But I don't like a gold rush

Mackie got a phone call & said goodbye to you before leaving the room. Which meant that Seb & you were alone. It was nothing special, the two of you spent a lot of time together. This time, though, you wanted to confess to him. Finally, you wanted to tell him how you felt. Could you live with the rejection? Well, if things turned in that direction, you had no choice but to. Seb’s lips moved but no sound came out. You zoned out & simply stared at him. Your thoughts were running wild. The sun had already started setting & the golden light illuminated his features in such a beautiful way. It almost looked like a movie scene. He was the masterpiece others could not keep their eyes from. You were this close to speaking up, taking a deep breath for preparation. This could change your bond with him forever.

What must it be like to grow up that beautiful?

With your hair falling into place like dominoes

My mind turns your life into folklore

I can't dare to dream about you anymore

A phone ringing interrupted you. It was not yours. But Seb pulled his phone out of his pocket. The moment he saw the notification, he started smiling so brightly. The smile you had grown to love so much. It brought a grin to your face, too. The things this man could do to you, completely unaware of the effect he had on you.

“What?” you asked when he could not stop staring at his phone. Had Mackie sent him a message?

“Nothing, it’s just…” he stopped before saying too much but you were having none of it.

“Aw, come on, Sebby. You can tell me anything.” encouraging him, your hand found its way on his shoulder, squeezing lightly. Seb seemed almost shy right now. And this was weird because he usually was everything but shy when he talked to you.

“There’s this girl & she’s just…amazing.” your face fell the moment he started talking. No. “I asked her for dinner but when she hadn’t replied after hours, I started losing hope. She just messaged me back.” his smile was sheepish & you hated that you had to admit that he looked happy right now. Genuinely happy. But you were not the reason of his happiness. Another girl was.

“And? What did she say?” deep down, you knew the answer & you actually did not want him to say it out loud. But you were best friends, after all, it was kind of your duty.

“I got myself a date. I’m going on a date with her, (Y/N)!” he beamed & pulled you into a big hug. One, that made the butterflies act out. Fuck, that hurt.

“That’s great, Sebby. I’m happy for you! You deserve it.” your excitement for him was fake but the sincerity behind your last words were not. If one person on this planet deserved endless love & happiness, it was him. Mackie was wrong. Seb had never liked you. Not in that way, at least. And his date saved you from embarrassing yourself & ruining your friendship. That did not change the fact that you felt like crying right now. You could not shed tears in front of him, could not show how much it actually affected you. No. You had to fake a smile. And that shit hurt like a bitch.

At dinner parties I won't call you out on your contrarian shit

And the coastal town we never found will never see a love as pure as it

'Cause it fades into the gray of my day-old tea

'Cause it will never be

“Something’s wrong with you.” Mackie stated at breakfast. No shit, Sherlock.

“What makes you think that?” feigning innocence, you rolled your eyes when you saw the look he was giving you.

“Clearly, you’re upset. Did something happen after I left you with Seb yesterday?” he hit the nail on the head with his assumption.

“Yeah.” was all you answered. His eyebrows raised, he waited for you to continue. But when he noticed that you were not planning on engaging in any more conversation with him, he pressed further.

“Did you tell him? Did he mess up?” if Seb messed up, he would kill him. There was no other person who was better for him than you. The two of you deserved each other. And everyone seemed to realize that but you.

“I wanted to tell him.” admitting quietly.

“But?”

“He got a notification.” your short answers made Mackie freak out. He grew frustrated with you when you dragged out this entire conversation.

“(Y/N), come on.” he urged.

“Sebby has a date.”

“With you? But that’s great.” his smile was small but present. Did you finally realize that you were feeling so much more for each other?

“With another girl.” then you looked up at his face, your eyes glossy. Clearly, you were trying to keep it together but he could tell that you had a hard time doing so. Yes, Mackie would kill Seb. He could have sworn that Seb only had eyes for you. The stolen glances, the efforts to make time to spend more with you. What the fuck was going on? When he saw your first tear falling, he wasted no time in pulling you in for a hug. You were broken, all because of one man. But the thing was that he was not just any man. He was Seb. Your best friend. Your everything. But he would never be yours. Not in a million years. Because he only saw you as a friend. Nothing more, nothing less.

It was not like you did not have options. Hell, you declined so many people over the time. All because of him. And you were afraid that this would not change anytime soon. Because you did not think you would ever get over him. Your heart was ripped into a million pieces & the only person who could help you fix it was getting excited over his upcoming date. Whatever you thought could be between you guys, it was nothing but a dream. Something that could never be.

Gleaming, twinkling

Eyes like sinking ships on waters

So inviting, I almost jump in

Gold Rush [1] / You’re Not Sorry [2] / This Is Me Trying [3] / [4] (soon)

Published (04/22/2021) by Cathy

Tags: @buckysleftarm420 (thanks for your support <3)

[elfyourmother]

a lot of downer ship talk, very long, and  i am begging you not to reblog this bc i am just talking about my own feelings on my own blog and don’t want to put bees in anybody’s bonnets

hmm but like. talking about Gisele’s conception of love and her inherent polyamorous orientation and worldview here made me think again about Thancred and why I rarely discuss or write Gisele/Thancred fic despite shipping it like burning and having a lot of feelings about it

their relationship arc was very different than with most other wols I’ve seen shipped with him, as a start. there were some heavy (albeit unintentional) parallels with Imani/Kaidan’s relationship arc in Mass Effect, what with one believing the other was dead for ages until they suddenly popped up again, and with Heavensward being their “Horizon moment”, though it wasn’t hostile so much as...many things left unspoken and hurt on Gisele’s part when Thancred inexplicably took this “I want my beloved to be happy so I will let her go” tack totally unasked and undiscussed solely bc of his intense feelings of guilt and his insecurities. and they didn’t reconcile until he damn near died in Amh Araeng all that time later on the First).

of course different isn’t bad, and I have to keep reminding myself that. lord knows fandom would be boring af if everyone wrote ships in the same way and I’m sure there’s an audience out there for this sort of thing, even if niche. but like...I really feel like myself and my wol stick out like a sore thumb in a sea of small white/light wols who are 100% monogamous with him (but for an occasional fridged Haurche before they got together). there is nothing wrong with writing that sort of thing but as a poly femme it’s just really demoralizing sometimes to consider that so many people seem to view Thancred’s promiscuity as a flaw that needs to be overcome somehow, that it was a sign of his emotional immaturity and that with proper character development and growth (and True Love from the right person) he will necessarily “settle down” into being monogamous. I see this idea expressed so frequently in fic and art and it hurts so much because it reminds me of nothing so much as the way Zev and Isabela got treated in da fandom (Zev’s actual romance in the game codified it as canon even), and it dredges up a lot of very old, very bad memories.i mean that one infamous scene at the Stones gets pointed to a lot but it’s like...the multiple gfs weren’t the problem, it was his lack of honesty about it. and it’s always contrasted with him in the latter stages of ShB, especially when it comes to the uri/than shippers. Weary Dadcred is wholly incompatible with Suave Thotcred to these people.

it’s like people think poly and/or promiscuous characters are not allowed to have any kind of depth or complexity, their romantic/sexual proclivities are treated as either something for laughs or a defect they need to work on. and I wholly, emphatically reject that not just wrt him but with Gisele also, her entire characterization and story absolutely puts the lie to that sort of thing. they do not and cannot relate to each other in that way. their conflicts were entirely down to his insecurities and a lack of communication on both their parts, not because they didn’t love each other enough because polyamory. shit, the whole reason Thancred couldn’t hate Haurchefant even though he rather irrationally wanted to at first was because of the compersion he felt seeing Gisele with him. and Gisele had been telling him to shit or get off the pot wrt Y’shtola for actual years. 

but outside of like 1 or 2 people, I really don’t know anyone else who views him that way and so I feel like I need to make myself scarce in those corners of fandom. especially since I also highkey ship him and Minfilia W. like listen I never played 1.0 and went into ARR knowing fuck all about anything and thus them being all “ugh no we don’t feel that way about each other, why would you think that???” in that one “no hetero” scene made me feel like absolute garbage considering I had OT3′d them and Gisele literally right up to that point. It felt like the game itself was shaming me, and then I saw that it was very heavily frowned upon in fandom for Important Lore Reasons and I was quite new and intensely self-conscious about having Wrong Opinions so I just made myself stop and turned it into a V with Gisele as the shared point. And ftr ShB only made the angst worse because it reminded me of it and it was all I could read it as (romantic angst) and I started hurting about it all over again, in large part because I felt like I couldn’t discuss it with anybody at all for fear of being viewed as a freak. The only thing I permitted myself to do was mention OG Minfilia having unrequited feelings for him a la Phedre and Anafiel in the Kushiel books, with her never telling him because he would never have seen her that way. (Never mind that he did end up with Alcuin; and I know some view that as very, very sketchy given the circumstances but I take no issue with how it went down bc D’Angeline social mores were very clear on Alcuin’s agency as a free & consenting adult when he made that decision. But that’s apropos of nothing here bc Min was a grown ass woman in ARR so.)

anyway tl;dr i don’t feel like i or gisele especially belong in thancred enjoyer land bc of my weird and apparently controversial views about him as a character so I tend to stick with fussing over my painfully victorian & catholic elves in public instead. i don’t even have wips that don’t see the light of day, i just straight up don’t write them lol

[vizowrites]

“We” vs “Me”| or “Why BlitzStrike Works So Well For Me But Stolitz [as of episode 6].....Doesn’t”

Alright my Loves, so I said that I was going to talk in further detail about my feelings regarding Stolas and the multi-layered portrayal of his relationship with Blitz in the new episode, and today’s the day where that happens!!  First of all, though, before I really get into my feelings about things, I want to just make it ABUNDANTLY clear that I’m not trying to sway anyone from one side to the other, or trying to shame anyone for shipping two fictional characters.  I’m fully in the boat that you are completely entitled to ship whoever you want, but I also think it’s wise to at least be able to recognize the faults and flaws in a pairing--and especially to be able to recognize them in the context of an IRL relationship.  In this analysis in particular, I’m specifically focusing on these two relationships within the realm of the Helluva Boss universe [......Hell] and within the specific context of their characters as they’ve been portrayed in the show thus far.  And, my biggest disclaimer of all: I’m doing this for no other reason than I felt like putting my jumbled thoughts together into a cohesive post so that they don’t have to stay bouncing and buzzing around in my head.  Please keep that in mind that this is just pure personal opinion and interpretation before anyone comes at me with torches and pitchforks.  <3 <3 

SO WITH THAT LONG ASS DISCLAIMER OUT OF THE WAY 

Let’s finally get to the good stuff.  And the not so good stuff.  :D

So I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone who follows me here that I’m a huge BlitzStrike fan.  What I think fewer people know is that when I first entered the fandom a few months ago, I actually was on board the Stolitz train like so many others that I’ve met here in the fandom.  Naturally Stolitz was the first major pairing I was introduced to, and I did find both the characters of Blitz and Stolas incredibly interesting and compelling in their own rights AND saw the potential in how they could really come to grow into one hell of a relationshp over time.  I was honestly really excited to see it happen, too.  

And then I watched Episode 5 [still my favorite episode, btw] for the first time and had this sudden question hit me like a truck that even now is still relentlessly burning in the back of my mind because I still haven’t found a legitimate answer for it: Why in the FUCK wasn’t Blitz falling head-over-heels in attraction to Striker throughout this fucking episode??

And I don’t mean that in a “They’re so hot and I ship them now why didn’t they get together?? DX DX” kind of way--I mean that in the genuinely perplexed “I don’t understand based on what has been presented to me thus far about Blitz as a character and the storyline overall why he’s reacting so nonchalantly to this whole thing”.  To Note: This is me wondering this from the context of what’s in the show itself, not from any extra fan materials like the Instas or Twitter or just straight up knowing that the most likely answer is that there are people on the creative team that ship Stolitz really hard and realistically wouldn’t have probably written Blitz as being attracted to Striker because that would just be--to quote Jack Sparrow--blowing holes in their own ship.  No, this is me disregarding ALL of that and trying to rationalize this with myself from the perspective of a fan whose entire knowledge of the show and its characters comes exclusively from what’s in the episodes themselves.  .....And that’s where I just can’t find my answer, except for the Stolitz positive “He’s not attracted to Striker because he’s in love with Stolas” answer.  Which really doesn’t even feel like a satisfying answer, because the entire vibe I’ve gotten from Stolitz in the show has just felt.....strangely.....off.  Like, the framework is there and the elements are there, but I’d felt as though they had so far to go still that it would be entire SEASONS before they got there.    

And THEN the new episode [Episode 6] came out and I’d heard a handful of fans going crazy because the show was finally addressing Stolitz in full, and I thought to myself, “Well, maybe if the show really is going to go with saying that the reason Blitz wasn’t interested in Striker is because he’s in love with Stolas.....sure.  I’m curious to see how they finally establish it in an episode, especially since there’s only two more episodes left in the entire first season.”  And then I watched the episode.  And then it hit me why Stolitz just does not do a damn thing for me but BlitzStrike does despite the fact that we’ve had 4/6 episodes [5/7 if you count the Pilot] of Stolitz but only 1/6 [1/7] of potential--not even canonical--BlitzStrike:

When Striker talks about Blitz, or interacts with Blitz, he always talks about them as a “we”.  As a team.  A partnership.  OR he just straight up puts the entire focus on Blitz and his accomplishments and keeps himself out of it entirely.

When Stolas talks about Blitz, he always talks about them within the context of “me”--of himself--of what Blitz does or should do for him.  Even here in episode 6, in the most “selfless” instance we’ve seen yet, where he does ask about Blitz’s safety first BEFORE going right back into how Blitz’s actions affect him and what Blitz should be doing in response for him.  Stolas’s focus is always automatically set to himself--and even when it comes to the people he supposedly loves the most.  

To explain what I mean here, let me give some examples directly from the show itself, starting with the Stolas side of things: 

Episode 1

Blitz, in the middle of trying to hide so much that he actually clamps both of his hands over his mouth just to muffle the sound of his own breathing, knowing damn well that this psychotic bitch who already shot him once won’t hesitate to do it again if she finds him.....gets a call from Stolas.  Stolas, who we clearly see from his leisurely hang out time in his bubble bath, is literally watching this happen and is fully aware that calling Blitz right then was potentially putting him in danger. But what does he say when he gets Blitz on the phone?  He offers--not help--but Blitz the use of his book in exchange for monthly sex.  Stolas literally uses Blitz’s peril as leverage here--consciously or not, though given the fact that he knows the situation at hand, I’d find it very hard to argue that he didn’t do this on purpose--just to get him to agree to be his bootycall until further notice.  

Stolas not only doesn’t lift a finger to help Blitz once in all of this--even at the moment where he and Millie are about to be shot in the face--but instead continues to stay on the phone talking about all of the things he wants for their upcoming future rendezvous.  He already got exactly what he wanted out of this and he still just continues to go for more for himself.

Episode 2

.....There are honestly so many fucked up things that happen here as far as Stolas and his relationship with Blitz goes but honestly the thing I want to draw the MOST attention to is actually Stolas’s storyline with his daughter, Octavia.  I know it’s a little left field, but bear with me--this is actually something I want to use as comparison for Stolas’s relationship to Blitz as we go along:

When Stolas first decides that he’s going to take his daughter to Loo Loo Land, he does so while completey setting aside the fact that she doesn’t want to go.  He just offers her assurances that it’s going to be so much fun because he remembers that she loved it so much when she was a little girl--effectively putting his memory above her wishes even as she’s sitting right there and telling him that she doesn’t enjoy the idea of going now.  

Stolas doesn’t actually notice just how uncomfortable he’s making Octavia throuhought their entire trip by spending his time sexually harassing paying more attention to Blitz than he is trying to cheer her up.  This tells me that Stolas--though I do believe he genuinely wanted to do something to make her happy--still wasn’t able to completely overcome his own self-centered tendencies at first even when it’s for her.  And this is the person that Stolas loves more than anyone or anything else in the entire world. It still wasn’t enough.

It’s only when Octavia runs off and completely breaks down that Stolas finally gets the much needed slap-to-the-face of reality to understand just what he’s putting his daughter through--and, for the first time in the entire show, he actually puts someone else’s needs and well being above himself.  It’s the one solid honest display of love that we see from Stolas in the entire show--and it’s how we as the audience come to learn that that’s how Stolas shows that he loves someone: When he puts their needs above his own with no strings attached or expectations of something in return.  A true selfless act just because he loves them.  **Keep in mind the parallel of Stolas carrying Octavia out of Loo Loo Land at the end, and how it compares to Stolas carrying Blitz out of D.H.O.R.K.S headquarters.

Episode 5

The. Fucking. Cigarette.  I had no idea that something so small and quick would be able to infuriate me as much as it did, but the fact that Blitz used the post sex cigarette to free Stolas from his wrist bondage but then Stolas turned around and put the cigarette out on Blitz’s horn which is literally a part of Blitz’s body just.....honestly it sums up exactly what I’m trying to get across in this entire huge ass post: Stolas only ever thinks of himself first and anything pertaining to anyone else just doesn’t cross his mind at all unless you blatantly put it there in front of his face.  And the fact that he’s still at this point with Blitz all the way here in Episode 5 is not.....promising for their relationship.

The fact that Stolas literally cannot stop himself from calling Blitz “Blitzy” or talking to him in such a condescending way no matter how frustrated Blitz gets and how many times he asks him to stop.  I just--how is that supposed to be interpreted as someone talking to a person that they love?  There’s no respect or dignity given to Blitz at all on Stolas’s part, and the fact that it seems to be presented as a “Oh teehee it’s just their cute couple thing” is just.....I really, really don’t like that.  It also doesn’t match with the Stolas in the very next episode which I quite frankly think is because the creators have been listening to the feedback from fans and were like “We need to SHOW THEM that Stolas actually does speak to Blitz respectfully!!” but that’s just my personal opinion there and, also, it still didn’t happen.  

Episode 6 

Keeping in mind that THIS is finally the episode where we see Stolas actually save Blitz from danger and demonstrate even the slightest inclination towards his well-being.....I think that honestly makes the next few things here even more fucked up

First and foremost: “WE”.  The second after Stolas asks if Blitz is alright and gets the assurance that he is, he roughly grabs his cheek and points out that “If you get in trouble, I get in trouble!  WE don’t want that”.  The fact that this is the first time that Stolas ever talks about Blitz in the context of “we”--when really what he’s really saying is that him [Stolas] getting in trouble is going to be a bad thing for all of them--is just.....so, so disappointing.  At least with this I could hope that perhaps the idea here is that Stolas is genuinely afraid that if he gets in trouble, he won’t be able to protect Blitz from the undoubtedly much worse trouble that he would be in as an imp, but still.  The fact that Stolas immediately reverts back to his self-centered perspective so quickly after supposedly being so worried about Blitz’s wellbeing, really makes it seem as though it’s just his own ass that he’s trying to protect.  And that.....isn’t  exactly what I’d been expecting from “the episode that confirms Stolitz is canon” feedback I’d been hearing.

"Am I going to get ANY thank you for the rescue Bltizy?”  This for me was kind of what actually lead to me having this whole epiphany over Stolas’s selfish perspective in the first place.  I realized that even here--even when he’s just been the most “romantic” towards Blitz that he’s ever been in any previous episodes up until now [and yes this shift in his character was incredibly jarring for me because of that]--Stolas still goes right back to thinking about what he’s going to get out of this now that he knows Blitz is safe.  Let’s take this back to that thing I was saying about Episode 2 and comparing how Stolas rescued Octavia and how he rescues Blitz.  Obviously they’re going to be different because it’s Stolas’s daughter vs his hook up BUT just think about where the focus is for Stolas in both of these scenes.  With Octavia, Stolas is entirely focused on making things up to her--taking her to do something she wants to do--even if it’s something that he himself doesn’t fully understand or isn’t fully into.  That doesn’t matter though, because the entire point is that he’s doing something just for her.  It doesn’t have to be about him.  But now go back to the scene where Stolas is carrying Blitz out of the room.  What does he do?  Ask what Blitz is going to do for him.  That just takes the idea that this scene was a confirmation of their love and throws it right out the window.  Stolas--as we’ve been shown before--would never ask for something in return from someone that he actually loves.  

Now let’s take a look at the one and only episode we have of Striker and Blitz interacting together, with an honorary shout out at hallucination!Striker’s appearance in Episode 6: 

Episode 5: 

Striker knows Blitz’s name.....and he uses it.  He’s literally the ONLY other character that we’ve seen so far refer to Blitz as “Blitz” instead of “Blitzo” or “Blitzy” by someone who wasn’t a member of I.M.P..  Aka someone who wasn’t a member of Blitz’s family.  He shows Blitz respect at that basest level, and only builds on that from there going forward.

Striker first recognizes Blitz for being “the bold imp that started his own killin’ biz”.  Not his hotness, not his skills in the Harvest Moon games because at that point he hasn’t seen them yet.....but for his accomplishment in starting up his own successful business down in Hell.  He treats it as an accomplishment.  With the kind of respect that comes with acknowledging another person for their accomplishments.  Right there, within two seconds of meeting him, Striker demonstrates more respect for Blitz than Stolas has yet to do in the entire show.

The Harvest Moon Festival Games.  Now this is something I find fascinating to think about from Striker’s perspective in particular.  We as the audience are shown pretty early on that Striker has a strong desire to be the one who comes out on top.  He likes the idea of being superior and he openly relishes in the praise and attention he gets for being better than everybody else.  ....Except Blitz.  When they tie in the games, Striker doesn’t seem bothered with sharing the spotlight with him at all.  If anything, he--again--respects just how skilled Blitz is in rightfully earning his place beside him on the stage.  That, to me, is HUGE.  I’m not going to go so far as to say that Striker necessarily sees them as equals because I think that might be going a bit too far for his ego but he does still fully acknowledge that Blitz is in the same general class as him: that is to say, better than most.  Worthy of the same kind of acknowledgement and praise that Striker gets.  I literally can’t get over just how big of a thing that is for what we’ve been shown of Striker’s character, and I think it’s unfortunately something that’s incredibly easy to miss or gloss over. :(

And now--for what I personally think is the most significant thing of all--we have: “We”.  How many times does Striker suggest during that final scene between them that he really wants Blitz to join forces with him as equals?  He never demands that Blitz join up with him, he doesn’t threaten him into joining up with him--Striker barely even hurts Blitz at all during their fight scene compared to how he tried to straight up murder Moxxie--and, most of all, Striker continues to acknowledge that Blitz deserves better than his current arrangement with Stolas.  And he’s right.  But instead of putting it as “I’M right and this is why you should do this”, he always puts his focus on Blitz himself, or the two of them together as a partnership:  “You are so above sucking on a a digusting rich pompous Goetia” | “We could be the most dangerous beings in Hell, Blitz” | “You could partner up with me and klll the unkillable--starting with the one that treats you like a plaything”.  It’s just--I honestly can’t believe it’s taken me this long to put together why Striker appeals so much more to me as a romantic interest for Blitz, but really breaking it down episode by episode and comparing the differences in wording between Striker and Stolas’s dialogue when it comes to Blitz is just.....holy shit. 

Honorary ShoutOut of Episode 6: 

The fact that the only thing hallucination Striker has to say to him is “But you don’t want to do things alone Blitzo!” is really, really interesting to me in the fact that he’s.....not......wrong??  Like, To be fair, Striker, RoboFizz, and Verosika all spill their harsh truths, but the thing is.....Striker’s is markedly different in that his wording really isn’t harsh or aggressive at all the way the other two are.  He’s just kinda stating a fact in an overexaggerated way because tripping balls hallucination sequence.  It’s very interesting to me that that’s the worst that Blitz can imagine him to say--as well as the fact that halluci!Striker calls him “Blitzo”, which is really weird considering that Striker’s never called him “Blitzo” once in the entire show.  Makes me kinda wonder where that came from tbh. 

Alright so, in conclusion of this very long and rambly styie post: I want to take things back to where I started by reiterating that this is not me trying to convince anyone that BlitzStrike is “right” and Stolitz is “wrong”, or that you should stop shipping what you’re shipping in the fandom.  This was just me honestly getting way more excited than I should’ve been over having my “Eureka!” moment for realizing why this new episode didn’t put me back on the Stolitz train like it did for so many other people--and why, in fact, it actually made me think even more favorably of the idea of Blitz and Striker being together.  

Thanks for sticking around with me for this very long read, I hope you found it interesting, and I really really hope that it didn’t piss anyone off or rub too many people the wrong way.  Like I said at the beginning, ship who you want to ship!!  That’s part of the fun of being in a fandom.  I’m just hoping that this might help make it easier to understand at least one perspective on why Stolitz is seen as being so problematic as a ship [as of where they are right now].  

Here’s to seeing where things go from here!! 

[aion-rsa]

Doctor Who: Perfect 10? How Fandom Forgets the Dark Side of David Tennant’s Doctor

https://ift.tt/2URb21b

As recently as September 2020 David Tennant topped a Radio Times poll of favourite Doctors. He beat Tom Baker in a 2006 Doctor Who Magazine poll, and was voted the best TV character of the 21st Century by the readers of Digital Spy. He was the Doctor during one of Doctor Who‘s critical and commercial peaks, bringing in consistently high ratings and a Christmas day audience of 13.31 million for ‘Voyage of the Damned’, and 12.27 million for his final episode, ‘The End of Time – Part Two’. He is the only other Doctor who challenges Tom Baker in terms of associated iconography, even being part of the Christmas idents on BBC One as his final episodes were broadcast. Put simply, the Tenth Doctor is ‘My Doctor’ for a huge swathe of people and David Tennant in a brown coat will be the image they think of when Doctor Who is mentioned.

In articles to accompany these fan polls, Tennant’s Doctor is described as ‘amiable’ in contrast to his predecessor Christopher Eccleston’s dark take on the character. Ten is ‘down-to-earth’, ‘romantic’, ‘sweeter’, ‘more light-hearted’ and the Doctor you’d most want to invite you on board the TARDIS. That’s interesting in some respects, because the Tenth Doctor is very much a Jekyll and Hyde character. He’s handsome, he’s charismatic, and travelling with him can be addictively fun, but he is also casually cruel, harshly dismissive, and lacking in self-awareness. His ego wants feeding, and once fed, can have destructive results.

That tension in the character isn’t due to bad writing or acting. Quite the contrary. Most Doctors have an element of unpleasantness to their behaviour. Ever since the First Doctor kidnapped Ian and Barbara, the character has been moving away from the entitled snob we met him as, but can never escape it completely.

Six and Twelve were both written to be especially abrasive, then soften as time went on (with Colin Baker having to do this through Big Finish audio plays rather than on telly). A significant difference between Twelve and Ten, though, is that Twelve questions himself more. Ten, to the very end, seems to believe his own hype.

The Tenth Doctor’s duality is apparent from his first full appearance in 2005’s ‘The Christmas Invasion’. Having quoted The Lion King and fearlessly ambled through the Sycorax ship in a dressing gown, he seems the picture of bonhomie, that lighter and amiable character shining through. Then he kills their leader. True, it was in self-defence, but it was lethal force that may not have been necessary. Then he immediately topples the British Prime Minister for a not dissimilar act of aggression. Immediately we see the Tenth Doctor’s potential for violence and moral grey areas. He’s still the same man who considered braining someone with a rock in ‘An Unearthly Child’. 

Teamed with Rose Tyler, a companion of similar status to Tennant’s Doctor, they blazed their way through time and space with a level of confidence that bordered on entitlement, and a love that manifested itself negatively on the people surrounding them. The most obvious example in Series 2 is ‘Tooth and Claw’, where Russell T. Davies has them react to horror and carnage in the manner of excited tourists who’ve just seen a celebrity. This aloof detachment results in Queen Victoria establishing the Torchwood institute that will eventually split them apart. We see their blinkers on again in ‘Rise of the Cybermen’, when they take Mickey for granted. Rose and the Doctor skip along the dividing line between romance and hubris.

Then, in a Christmassy romp where the Doctor is grieving the loss of Rose, he commits genocide and Donna Noble sucker punches him with ‘I think you need somebody to stop you’. Well-meaning as this statement is, the Doctor treats it as a reason to reduce his next companion to a function rather than a person. Martha Jones is there to stop the Doctor, as far as he’s concerned. She’s a rebound companion. Martha is in love with him, and though he respects her, she’s also something of a prop.

This is the series in which the Doctor becomes human in order to escape the Family of Blood (adapted from a book in which he becomes human in order to understand his companion’s grief, not realising anyone is after him), and is culpable for all the death that follows in his wake. Martha puts up with a position as a servant and with regular racist abuse on her travels with this man, before finally realising at the end of the series that she needs to get out of the relationship. For a rebound companion, Martha withstands a hell of a lot, mostly caused by the Doctor’s failings. 

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Series 4 develops the Doctor further, putting the Tenth’s Doctor’s flaws in the foreground more clearly. Donna is now travelling with him, and simply calls him out on his behaviour more than Rose or Martha did. Nonetheless the Doctor ploughs on, and in ‘Midnight’ we see him reduced to desperate and ugly pleas about how clever he is when he’s put in a situation he can’t talk himself out of.

Rose has also become more Doctor-like while trapped in another reality, and brutally tells Donna that she’s going to have to die in order to return to the original timeline (just as the Doctor tells Donna she’s going to have to lose her memories of travelling with him in order to live her previous life, even as she clearly asks him not to – and how long did the Doctor know he would have to do this for? It’s not like he’s surprised when Donna starts glitching). Tied into this is the Doctor’s belief in his own legend. In ‘The Doctor’s Daughter’ he holds a gun to Cobb’s head, then withdraws it and asks that they start a society based on the morals of his actions. You know, like a well-adjusted person does.

What’s interesting here is that despite presenting himself as ‘a man who never would’, the Doctor is a man who absolutely would. We’ve seen him do it. Even the Tenth Doctor, so keen to live up to the absolute moral ideals he espouses, killed the Sycorax leader and the Krillitanes, drove the Cybermen to die of despair, brought the Family of Blood to a quiet village and then disposed of them personally. But Tennant doesn’t play this as a useful lie, he plays it as something the Doctor absolutely believes in that moment, that he is a man who would not kill even as his daughter lies dead. It’s why his picking up a gun in ‘The End of Time’ has such impact. And it makes some sense that the Tenth Doctor would reject violence following a predecessor who regenerated after refusing to commit another double-genocide.

In the series finale ‘Journey’s End‘, Davros accuses the Doctor of turning his friends into weapons. This is because the Doctor’s friends have used weapons against the Daleks who – and I can’t stress this enough – are about to kill everyone in the entire universe. Fighting back against them seems pretty rational. Also – and again I can’t stress this enough – the Daleks are bad. Like, really bad. You won’t believe just how mindbogglingly bad they are. The Doctor has tried to destroy them several times by this point. Here, there isn’t the complication of double-genocide, and instead the very real threat of absolutely everyone in the universe dying. This accusation, that the Doctor turns people into weapons, should absolutely not land.

And yet, with the Tenth Doctor, it does. This is a huge distinction between him and the First Doctor, who had to persuade pacifists to fight for him in ‘The Daleks’.

In ‘The Sontaran Strategem’ Martha compares the Doctor to fire. It’s so blunt it almost seems not worth saying, but it’s the perfect analogy (especially for a show where fire is a huge part of the very first story). Yes, fire shines in dark places, yes it can be a beacon, but despite it being very much fire’s entire deal, people can forget that it burns. And fire has that mythical connection of being stolen from the gods and brought to humanity. The Time Lord Victorious concept fits the Tenth Doctor so well. Of all the Doctors, he’s the most ready to believe in himself as a semi-mythic figure.

Even when regenerating there’s a balance between hero and legend: the Tenth Doctor does ultimately save Wilfred Mott, but only after pointing out passionately how big a sacrifice he’s making. And then he goes to get his reward by meeting all his friends, only to glare at them from a distance. His last words are ‘I don’t want to go’, which works well as clearly being a poignant moment for the actor as well, but in the context of Doctor Who as a whole it renders Ten anomalous: no one else went this unwillingly. And yet, in interviews Russell T. Davies said it was important to end the story with ‘the Doctor as people have loved him: funny, the bright spark, the hero, the enthusiast’.

It’s fascinating then, that this is the Doctor who has been taken to heart by so many viewers because there’s such an extreme contrast between his good-natured front, his stated beliefs, and his actions. He clearly loves Rose and Donna, but leaves them with a compromised version of happiness. They go on extraordinary journeys only to end up somewhere that leaves them less than who they want to be, with Russell T. Davies being more brutally honest than Steven Moffat, who nearly always goes the romance route. Davies once said to Mark Lawson that he liked writing happy endings ‘because in the real world they don’t exist’, but his endings tend towards the bittersweet: Mickey and Martha end up together but this feels like they’re leftovers from the Doctor and Rose’s relationship. The Tenth Doctor doesn’t, as Nine does, go with a smile, but holding back tears.

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It’s a testament to how well written the Tenth Doctor is that the character has this light and shade, and with David Tennant’s immense likeability he can appeal to a wider audience as a result. It’s not surprise he wins all these polls, but I can’t help but feel that if the Doctor arrived and invited me on board the TARDIS, I’d want it to be anyone but Ten.

The post Doctor Who: Perfect 10? How Fandom Forgets the Dark Side of David Tennant’s Doctor appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[brekker-by-brekkerr]

You know what gets me?

The way people act about show!Mal and the changes made to his character. Some people get so bothered by the fact that Mal is more likable in the show and how it brought more people to the book ship. I generally see the opinion held that "show!Mal is fine. You can stan show!Mal if you want. But that's only because they had to take out every toxic thing of his from the books."

I want to unpack why this is actually kind of wrong.

First, let's look at what they changed from the books. They got rid of him sleeping with Zoya, they got rid of the palace fight with Alina, and they made him a lot more devoted to her in the beginning of the story, where he seems to be somewhat aware of his feelings for her, versus in the books, where it takes him a while to catch on. They also add more scenes from their past.

But the only real changes I see to Mal's character are the I-have-feelings-and-am-going-to-chase-your-carriage-down part. I still stand by the fact that overall, he's mostly the same person, we're just getting to see his side of things. But the things they chose to delete/change...weren't inherently bad things?

Like the Zoya thing. So a teenage guy isn't allowed to be attracted to people? Or the palace argument-the fact is, he's spent this entire time thinking Alina was in trouble, being hurt or tortured or whatever, and he's been fighting for his life, literally, just to get back to her. And he lost his best friends, the only other people in his life, in the process. This post does a better job of discussing this than I ever could.

And then when Alina and Mal are together, searching for the stag, Mal apologises for his mistakes. He's come to understand why some of his actions were wrong, where his behaviour was coming from, and the fact that he hadn't been appreciating Alina for a while. And then he gives one of the most beautiful speeches I've ever seen in any romance, and we see that Mal really does appreciate Alina for who she is now, and it's not because she has powers or is popular now, but because he understands how important she is to him, how wonderful a person she is, and he apologises for waiting this long to acknowledge it. Because she's the person he wants to turn to when he sees something random, because he loves hearing her voice, because she's his family and his world and someone he's come to love and damn he's an idiot for finally freaking realising it when it was too late.

All of his mistakes throughout the book--understandable mistakes, mind you, especially for a teenaged boy--he owns and makes up for.

As for the scenes from their childhood that they added...they don't exactly change anything about Mal? They just expand upon the canon to strengthen their relationship, which is good writing, and something there wasn't as much space for in the books (especially since people already complain about them being too romance-centric as-is).

So why did they have to change these things? Is it because book!Mal really was that bad and the show writers knew that, as many claim?

No, I don't think so. It's because Mal isn't allowed to make mistakes.

Think about it. Show!Mal is virtually perfect. Like literally, name some flaws this boy has other than just being literal chaos who doesn't always think things through (*cough cough* jumping on a ship full of Grisha and armed guards to shoot the Darkling point blank). That's what it takes for people to accept his character. Him being literal perfection.

Here's the thing. The Darkling, and Darklina, have to be compelling and sexy and all of that jazz, because that's part of his character and part of what Leigh was trying to do in writing them. You know, the whole hey this guy is sexy and charming and he's using his power to abuse someone, but hE's SeXy sO iT's FiNe thing. And, no matter how you try to write it, even as you balance the Sexiness™ with horrible acts like forcing a collar into someone's neck and taking away their consent, people will still be pulled to that relationship.

So what about the ship you want to be canon? It's going to be less popular or liked to begin with. Then, heaven forbid, the other love interest has flaws?? And he has to grow as a character?? Bleh. Disgusting.

Readers were unable to accept Mal for the chaotic, flawed, seventeen-year-old boy he was, so the show writers had no choice but to upgrade him to Mal the chaotic embodiment of literal perfection.

And, as a side note, since some people get so twisted up over the fact that Mal got "character upgrades," let's not forget that they also upgraded the Darkling into this soft boy who cries over Alina with this puppy dog love.

The popularity of both ships benefited from these changes, Darklina even more so than Malina, yet people are so bothered by Mal's changes?

Whatever. It's fine I guess.

Just give Malinas a break and stop asking us to act like Mal's the devil incarnate and we're all just blind to it. I have reading comprehension skills, thanks. I know what I read.

[pigeonsatdawn]

law school ep 15 (and solhwi overall)

gonna put in my two cents for the line that singlehandedly caused the solhwi nation to implode.

(apologies in advanced because my thoughts are too messy for me to neatly put it in a post but i want to say it anyway—also this is just the way i view solhwi so please don't come screaming at me if you disagree!)

i'm a diehard solhwi shipper and i love their relationship, and think they have one of the best relationships out there in the fictional world, and also definitely one of the healthiest. but to me, their relationship extends far beyond the romantic relationships we so often see portrayed in media.

kim beom said in one interview that this relationship between HJH and KS is kin to that of a soulmate relationship that's not necessarily romance, and i find myself agreeing with that notion. while soulmates are typically used to describe romantic partnerships, it doesn't necessarily have to start with romance. (many people have pointed this out in other posts so i won't go further down the fact that HJH x KS's relationship is a friends-to-lovers slow burn but you get me.)

but in fact, this bond between soulmates (or at least how i define it), in my opinion, is far beyond what we usually see in romance. as in, it's not just someone you like, but it's someone whose changed your life in a certain way. i know some may be averse to the idea of having to change for the one you love because loving is the notion of accepting someone in spite of the person's flaws, but what i mean is that when you love someone in this way, you want to change because of them. you see them, and they inspire you, and you grow in your own way. once again—growth is a very subjective idea, and even for HJH and KS we can see them grow in different directions—but we can clearly see how they have impacted each others' lives.

it's quite obvious, imo, how KS's life has been impacted by HJH's. she's,, not the "smartest" out there, and we can't deny that. we know she probably won't make it through law school if not for HJH's help. HJH is always there, a step ahead of KS, but he's not just being proud about it, instead opting to help her understand what the laws are and why they are the way they are, which KS especially needs, being a particularly empathic person. but we've also seen that HJH has helped KS beyond simply academics. he's always been there to protect her—almost all their interactions have proven that (the camera outside her house, the hungover soup, the switching seats—i think literally everything?..?..?.??). maybe she doesn't necessarily need protection, but surely thanks to his protection she's much better than she might've been without, especially knowing her terribly miserable life.

but i often wonder why HJH is so heart-eyes of KS of all people. i mean, i know love is love and sometimes you just catch feelings, but i believe there's more meaning behind their relationship than meets the eye. like you don't just look at someone so lovingly for it to be just a crush, y'know? the first reason that comes to mind is clearly simply KS's amicable personality. she definitely stands out: she's not that intelligent, struggling and barely surviving, but she has insane passion to pull through even despite truth attacks (like SJH saying she should reconsider her life decisions, saying that a chance of passing isn't something to be proud of, etc). she treats everything with such a positive outlook, and, well, KS is just an adorable human, so it's hard not to have a little crush her.

what makes KS stand out most, the core of her personality, is that she has hope, despite everything. she's been through shit because of her circumstances—left by her twin sister without a word, been in juvie, has no money to deal with it—you know, entire backstory. but instead she fights her weakness, even though she feel like it should've been her sister, even though she's not smart enough, because she has to do this. she keeps going, even though things keep turning out for the worse for her, holding hope when circumstances are most dire. but why? because she strives for justice. she doesn't want to be wronged. she wants the law to own up its mistakes, wants to make sure the law gets its own revenge. that's why she wants to work in law, yeah? and so she keeps fighting, even when hope seems lost.

okay but why did i mention this? because i think this is what HJH sees in KS. why? because this is what he needs.

HJH had lost hope. in an episode (i don't remember which), he mentioned he doesn't trust anyone, and it's obvious why: his uncle. it's the worst kind of betrayal that causes your ideals being burned down. he realized that even people who work in law can be corrupt, people who he thought he could trust above all others, people who seemed utterly good. and then he just begins to regard everyone with baseline amity, and no further. many have pointed out he doesn't have real friends (other than KS), even though he looks outgoing and friendly. it's not quite shown, but it must've been lonely. and a lonely fight, trying to prove that he will be a better prosecutor than his uncle was. and we know that HJH's nature as a person is to be calculating, objective, seeing things through facts and statistics; it's what makes him so intelligent. what that also makes him is realistic, and more often than not, that is almost equal to pessimistic—because reality just... sucks, as has been proven by the betrayal of his uncle. and further into the drama we see only more corrupt people in the business, so we certainly don't get out hopes fueled.

there's scarcely anyone in what we see who's actually pursuing law because they're passionate about the law, or if they are, they're not often very... human in doing it. examples: YJH, SJH, KSB are all very cold and indifferent types, people who really just come and do what they do, focus on studies (in the case of YJH, his teaching), and interactions with others are treated as "lesser". SJH and KSB in particular—they're good at the law, sure, but they seem to prioritize their position in law first and foremost. SJH and KSB don't hesitate to call out their losses, and even would rather not intervene for justice if it meant their position would be compromised. not that they're bad characters, not at all; i mentioned them simply to compare them to KS, who, despite not having the brains to do half the things she's supposed to do and earning herself nosebleeds everytime she tries, still does what she does for justice, passionately, hopefully, all for righteousness.

okay this was longer than i intended WHEW so i'll cut to the chase: long story short, HJH needs KS because KS gives him hope. hope of a humanity where people actually work in law and choose to fight for justice against all odds, even if the system itself is infiltrated by filth and corruption. KS is someone who, in her first lecture, was grilled the fuck out by Yangcrates, yet the first thing she does after she nearly throws her guts out is ask HJH whether he can tutor her. she does not ever lose hope, and that, truly, is what stands out to HJH, what he needs.

and KS needs HJH because he is her hope as well! hope by itself does no good if you can't actually do something about it, and KS knows this. HJH, despite seemingly just being someone to help her in her studies, is someone she needs if she wants to achieve her goals, if she wants to get back on the law the right way. which is why, in the end, KS and HJH are, while independent in their own way, dependent on each other in terms of their growth—KS gives HJH hope in humanity, HJH helps KS realize (make real) her hopes that would have been dreams if not for her.

oh my god i've rambled on this long without stating my point: THE DAMN LINE.

HJH saying he owes her makes sense in this light because, indeed, KS's positive outlook in everything keeps him going. it gives him a reason to keep wanting to work in law, because she is a reason to believe in goodness and justice, that there will be people who keep fighting for justice against all odds. he owes this to her—and perhaps that is why he goes all out to help her achieve that hope, perhaps that's why he goes out of his way to care for her. because they are each other's missing puzzle piece, the other half. soulmates.

sigh ok this was long ONE FINAL POINT. everyone has their own opinion on a solwhi ending, so i might as well chip in mine.

certainly, as a solhwi shipper, i want them to end up together. i believe they're really the best of soulmates, two people who just complement each other so well. but in the current timeline, them having a romantic relationship out of the blue would be,,, simply unnecessary, imo. they're still very much in the stage of friendship, and are both dealing with their own personal baggage, that shoving a romance would just take away the focus from their growth. i personally think even this platonic relationship is already a beautiful one, one that outshines many of the romances i've watched, even without having to flood everything under the romance light—which i think many can agree with me, seeing as how solhwi is shipped so much. i still want to see them end up together, though, so SEASON TWO LAW SCHOOL MANIFESTATION. please please please directors writers make it happen i am begging you. thank you.

sorry for this long ass post, thank you if you do read it and leave any thoughts! again this is just my opinion, you're free to let me know if you think differently or anything, or shoot me a message if you want to scream about solhwi or whatever i'm just solhwi brainrot 24/7 🤸🏻‍♀️

[just-patchy]

I just read your unpopular opinion about non fictional simping by real people and I just want to express my own opinions for it. 

I have seen lots of simping from fandoms and it's not just a single character but even to a ship as well, straight or gay/lesbian ships. 

My main concern about self insert shipping to the canon characters is that most of the OCs they made are specifically for them to be shipped with the characters they are simping on,  while it wasn't that bad, sometimes it can get really out of hand, especially if they really made them just to be shipped with no depth in character at all. I don't really like people making OCs with no character other than being a typical love interest to the characters they are simping on. MalleYuu for example, Ive seen people shipping them so bad that they want them to be legit. Even if we're aware that it won't happen, and I'm brave to say that I'm guilty for this.  

Also, sometimes people always see the idealistic side to the characters they Simp on that they made them almost OOC. Like some of the boys in Twst. Take Leona for example, most of the Simps for him interpret him in the most OOC way possible, how he will act differently when he were to have an S/O when in reality, he literally gives no damn care about others and can be a jerk, even if you're a woman (at least in his pre character in EP 2) and how they see Malleus as a misunderstood and lonely Fae, while it may be true, they forgot that Malleus has flaws that gives him much reason to be feared.

I just want to share this, I read a manga about a fujoshi who is female, who loves BL so much that she wishes to be a boy and get a taste of sweet BL anime life. Its kinda weird but a bit bothering that it happens too in real life. That a person would throw away their real persona and become a fake almost perfect version of themselves in a fictional world just for a fictional guy or having a perfect fictional romance that they think they would never have. Many Otakus have been facing that issues that it becomes a mundane thing for them now.  

That's all I have to say, I would extend to how they oversexualized the characters, especially the lolis (shivers) and insisting it to be real but I know it will be the same thing over again. BL is probably the most guilty when it comes to being over sexualized, most LGBT are bothered with they way how BL fans interpret such romance as too sexual when BL can be like any normal romance. 

———

Yeah I’ve seen my fair share of ocs made only to ship with characters and while I’ve done so myself, I don’t really take those ocs of mine seriously, more like a fun “hehe what if they smooched” moment. I think the biggest problem with ocs specifically built for ships is when the creators take these ocs too seriously and get defensive when people don’t like their ship, and are desperate for validation for their ocs/ships even though it’s just a bunch of basic ship tropes haphazardly stitched together. I don’t have anything against any particular ship, but using your example of MalleYuu, I don’t necessarily think it’s going to be canon either. Malleus doesn’t have a lot of experience socialising I assume, aside from maybe some fancy court functions, because of his status. Yuu is pretty much the first friend he made on his own outside of his usual circles. Honestly, while I do ship MalleYuu a bit, I’d be just as happy if they end up having a strong platonic bond. I think people force shipping a lot when really sometimes you can just leave the characters in question as friends and it’ll probably be the exact same thing.

I’ve also seen people project so much of themselves or their desires onto characters that they basically reduce them to reverse harem characters. Classics also include “Idia is a shy soft anxious uwu gamer boi when GM proves that he’s capable of being sassy and a lil selfish”, “Floyd is just an oversized puppy who means hugs when he says he squeezes people when he’s really like halfway to becoming a serial killer”, and a few more. Don’t forget the staple “love cures all trauma so the obs don’t actually matter bc they have an s/o who loves them uwu”. If that’s how relationships worked we wouldn’t need therapy, all we need is like, Tindr or something.

I don’t necessarily think there’s anything wrong with wanting your self insert to be an ideal version of yourself, but I’d say maybe don’t just use the same old tropes over and over even if they are true to who you are or who you want to be, add some unique flair or subvert tropes in your way. When all ocs end up being like the same character with a different appearance, you stop keeping track of them tbh. Also, try to be a bit realistic if you’re making a serious oc (if you make one for fun/crack then just go ham lol). 22 different characters aren’t going to fall in love with the same person. That’s just not something that will happen. Surface level crushes? Maybe, but not actual love.

I wouldn’t necessarily say BL is the most guilty. There are regular ol’ hentai mangas and stuff out there that’s just as bad after all. It’s just that the fujodanshi happen to be the most vocal about it which attracts the most criticism I’d say. I’ve read some BL manga that have pretty good portrayals of romance, and even one that was based off of essays from a famous gay activist and essayist in Japan. It’s a bit of a biography about his life and how he struggled with romance before meeting his husband, and the translation I read included a translated section of one of his essays as well. It was quite a touching read.

Anyways, back to the original topic, I don’t necessarily know about oversexualising the characters? Mainly because as a teenager I don’t necessarily find the idea of the characters having sex or whatever that strange? I can’t speak for everyone but honestly judging by the amount of horny teenagers on the Internet idk why people still have a problem with sexualising the characters when they really should start looking after the teenagers posting things like “i’m really kinky ;3” or “i wanna get fucked by [insert character name] 😩😩🥵🥵” instead. Characters are ultimately part of fiction, and even the most horrendous things that happen to a fictional character cannot hold a candle to a fraction of said horrendous things that happen to real people. And this is coming from someone who regards themselves as a stereotypically horny teenager:

MINORS PLEASE STOP GOING INTO 18+ SPACES AND MAKING LEWD STATEMENTS IN PUBLIC WHERE ANYONE (INCLUDING CHILDREN, P/DOS AND P/REDATORS CAN SEE) FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. AND PLEASE STOP COMPLAINING WHEN YOU INVADE 18+ SPACES AND DIDN’T EVEN AT LEAST BOTHER READING THE DAMN TAGS. THE ADULTS ARE PROBABLY JUST AS UNCOMFORTABLE WITH YOU THERE.

Overall good points anon 😌😌