#even if they don’t have the trauma of the games their story still isnt easy

[fizzysquish]

I'd really like to hear about your opinion on the ahit fandom if youre ok with sharing? love your writing by the way!!

Oh wow I actually didn't expect anyone to wanna know yifhfkhck

And thank you!

Alright this is.. Gonna be long and most likely have some spelling errors every now and then but bear with me.

Tw- talk of pedophilia, swear words

Tldr at the very bottom

The ahit fandom..

...sucks

But also doesnt? Its kind of hard to explain. In general, if you just glance at the fandom it will either come across as pure or as a shit show. This fandom has some serious problems.

This fandom has a lot of drama happy people in it. Im not going to name names or anything, cause there's no point, but it does. A single scroll through the tags will tell you that much. And this isnt me saying 'people can't have opinions' or what have you. What im saying is that there are people in this fandom who live just to stir up drama and make others angry.

Or, in a lot of cases, instead of just saying a persons opinion, they'll swear up a storm and say they hate certain people or call certain types of fans 'the problem with the fandom' and like.. That just makes you sound like an asshole honestly. And it hurts people, too.

(And nobody can tell me it doesn't. Ive had to reassure too many venting and upset friends because of it. It hurts people.)

Also, because you know I have to mention this and it fits perfectly after this first paragraph- subcon. Snatcher.

I legitimately do not understand why some people hate snatcher so much. And I also cannot understand why some people will specifically target snatcher fans at times.

Snatcher is a big comfort character for a lot of people. Wether its for personal reasons (ex- mine is because of my own past dealing with abuse and trauma), or if its just because they make someone happy.

Snatcher is a comfort character, and the whole story surrounding subcon is so so interesting and fun to explore? And so what if people enjoy it? I can understand that it can get frustrating seeing so much of it, especially if you like something else, but that is no reason to target snatcher fans (or.. Any fans in general) and/or make people feel bad for having fun.

Fuck, thats how you make people leave the fandom entirely. I understand it can get frustrating, but just.. Try to be nicer? Try not to make people feel bad for having fun? Please?

And before anyone tells me "it's not about that!", i want to point out that I often see posts like "don't let the snatcher fans see this-" and other things along that.

If you want me to believe its not about that, prove it. Cause as far as i can tell, it certainly is.

(Also as a note- who cares is someones thirsty??? Like

Just block them and avoid if it bugs you so much?? It's not that hard dude)

-THIS PARAGRAPH MENTIONS PEDOPHILLIA, SKIP IF NEEDED-

Another serious thing to mention is the pedophilia in this fandom. Feel free to skip this part  if it makes you uncomfortable, but its something i need to talk about.

There are pedophiles in this fandom. Ive seen the art and the fics (no matter how many times i scrub my eyes, because its disgusting and horrible and just- eugh-). There are pedophiles here and its easy to come across them because they just.. Aren't afraid to post in main tags. People follow them. People support them. Granted, not everyone, and generally most people know to avoid em, but they're still there. They havent been kicked out or ostracized. And it disgusts me.

I know this whole paragraph could be argued that "that doesn't represent the fandom!" Or whatever but.. This is a younger audiences welcome game guys. Its advertised as 'the cutest 3d platformer!'. Kids can and do play this game.

There is pedophilia in this fandom, and i feel its important to mention.

-END OF PARAGRAPH-

Also, some people in this fandom just.. Suck. Plain and simple. Some people in this fandom are just genuine assholes. And said asshole just like harassing others and causing problems. There's a literal shit ton of drama and problems with this fandom, and honestly it's.. So dumb??

This is literally just a video game and people are just having fun. If there's a problem, treat it like a grown up and either ask the causes to stop and why, or block and move on. Simple.

Now lets move onto the good parts of this fandom, yeah?

First of all- there are some serious sweethearts and amazing people in this fandom. While there are some that suck, there are more that are actually just here for a good time and to make good content.

Ive met some of the nicest people ivs ever known thanks go this fandom. Ive created friends who I seriously consider family. And most people ive talked with or even just ran across have been pretty cool.

This fandom is also generally very welcoming to new people (minus the assholes), ive noticed. Some people get into it really easily just because eveyones generally friendly and supportive. Which is always great!

Also, the fanworks people in this fandom create. Can i just talk about how fucking talented people are??? Its pretty amazing to see how people create things for this fandom.

People will take the story that gears for breakfast showed and they'll run with it, and create these amazing au’s and stories and 'what ifs' from it. Its just.. So amazing to watch people use what we've been given just weaved it into something.

(And this isnt even going over the mods and the stories those create, which always amaze me.)

So with all that laid out, do i think the fandom good or bad?

...i think its both.

The fandom itself has some serious problems in it. It gets unnecessary drama nearly every other month or so for no reason. There are some truly disgusting people and some absolute assholes, but the majority of people are actually pleasant, fun to be around, and welcoming. As long as you be careful of who you follow and use critical thinking skills, its not so bad.

Im not going to lie to someone and say it's all honkey dory. In this fandom, you will inevitably interact with either a creep, an asshole, or both at some point. There is a likely chance that you will have your feelings hurt in some way in this fandom. Ive see it, ive heard about it, ive experienced it.

All that being said, if you curate your viewing, follow people that seem/are cool, and use the block feature (don't. Debate it, if youre unsure about someone just block em)... Its a very fun fandom filled with both heartfelt creations and memes, and has plenty of potential new friends.

So its both good and bad, yeah.

Tldr-

Fandom has lotsa issues but overall is fun, just make sure curate your experience for yourself and dont let what drama pops up or what assholes say get to you.

[checkerpiececat]

Spicy Bis Headcanon(s)

It all starts after Jeremy is discharged from the hospital.

Jeremy decides to visit the hospital every few days to see Rich. He starts seeing him because he feels bad that Rich has to stay in his room alone once Jer is gone. At first, everything is a little awkward.

Jeremy doesn’t know how to act around the “real Richard Goranski”, and it’s hard adjusting to Rich’s new, genuine personality. Jeremy’s almost off-put by Rich’s kindness, but eventually he starts to understand and actually really starts to enjoy seeing Rich.

Before Jeremy was discharged from the hospital, Rich went on an hour long rant about how he was so sick of hospital food, and after hanging out for a while, Jeremy then made it his mission to come back with fast food at least once a week.

Rich would never admit it, but the first time Jeremy showed up with food, he just about sobbed with joy.

After a few visits, Michael starts tagging along as well. At first, he feels really awkward and still doesn’t know how to talk to Rich. Both because of Rich’s previous behavior because of his squip, but also because Michael doesn’t know where they stand personally. Obviously they spoke a few words here and there when Michael had been visiting Jeremy, but they never had any substantial conversations together.

Michael and Rich have an easy reconciliation by bonding over 90’s music, and drag out a joke about Smash Mouth for almost too long.

Eventually, Michael gets used to being around Rich, and all three of them end up having some really good times together.

Once Rich is healed and they’re both in school, Rich is actually the first one to approach Jeremy.

Jeremy, who had been getting used to school life again, has a moment where he convinces himself that Rich wouldn’t actually want to hang out with him.

Jeremy starts avoiding Rich for a few days, thinking that maybe Rich wouldn’t want to see him. He rationalizes this idea by saying: “The hospital was different. Rich wouldn’t want to be seen at school with a loser like me.”

Rich has to be the one to step forward. He approaches with a wide smile, and opens up with some dumb line like: “Hey tall asth, where’ve you been?”

Jeremy is nervous, but after a few minutes of easy conversation, he lightens up.

They both laugh and talk the same way they did at the hospital, and Jeremy gets the courage to ask Rich where they stand in their friendship.

Rich reassures him that he enjoys Jeremy’s company, and they end up making plans to hang out.

Being back at school causes Rich to confront the fact that a lot of kids are still spreading rumors about him, and some start to judge him for his scars.

Rich reacquaints himself with his friends as his new un-squipped self. They easily accept him, after all, he’s still the same short, meme-worthy guy they’ve always known.

Unfortunately, some of Rich’s friends, such as Jake, make jokes at Rich’s expense, trying to lighten the mood. They aren’t meant to be hurtful, but with everything going on, it sends Rich over the edge and he ends up needing to leave class to calm down.

Rich decides to hide out in the bathroom.

He comes close to crying before Jeremy shows up and finds him there. Rich ends up confiding in Jeremy as Jeremy calms him down. Rich talks about the fire and what lead him to do it, his scars, and even his lisp.

Jeremy tells Rich that he’s fine the way he is, lisp and all, and that his scars look, quote, “badass”.

They end up hugging it out.

Jeremy is a big factor in Rich being able to adjust and cope with being back at school, and dealing with his self-confidence.

After dealing with his feelings, Rich confronts Jake and the others about how he feels, and after a rough conversation and several shared apologies, they reconcile. Rich and Jake both mutually apologize for not realizing how bad everything had affected the other, and quickly fall back into old habits and good humor.

Rich goes back to Jeremy and thanks him for everything. Jeremy and Rich start spending more time together. They start hanging out before school, walking to classes together, finding excuses to say hi to each other in the halls...

It’s Jeremy who realizes his feelings first.

Jeremy, being shy and having anxiety, starts finding it harder to talk to Rich without stuttering.

Rich eventually realizes what’s troubling Jeremey, and end ups realizing his own feelings as well. Jake is the first person he tells about it.

After a moment of stunned, but supportive conversation, Jake encourages him to go for it. Rich ends up asking Michael what he should do to impress Jeremy.

Michael is skeptical at first, convinced that it’s some sort of weird, elaborate prank. His doubts are immediately erased after he asks Rich why he would want to ask Jeremy out, and Rich has literal heart-eyes when he says Jeremy’s name.

Michael ends up agreeing to help out.

Rich takes a notebook full of notes.

Rich is bold, yet slightly awkward when he asks Jeremy on a date. “So uh, hey. I’ve been thinking. Ya knowww, since I’m like, totally Bi and all, and we’ve been spending a lot of time together or whatever, I was thinking, pshh, I don’t know, would you... uh,”

- both speaking at the same time -

“Are you asking me on a date?/Would you wanna go on a date”?

Jeremy takes a second to freak out because “omg is Rich Goranski actually asking me on a date?”

Jeremy manages stutter out an ecstatic yes.

They end up going to a retro arcade due to Michael’s promise that Jeremy would love it. He did. Rich, to his surprise, also had a really good time playing games.

During their date, Rich is very non-verbally affectionate. Rich just finds reasons to touch Jeremy’s arms, or lean against his side, or press their knees together... anything to show that he’s interested and comfortable.

Rich also does everything he can to try and win Jeremy a prize, but he’s not as good at the machines as Jer. Jeremy is actually the one who ends up winning Rich a prize. Rich cherishes his weird arcade alien plushie forever.

After having such a good time, and both having gone home to their own houses, they both freak out over their relationship, trying to figure out if they’re official or not.

It’s soon, but they’re both eager and giddy.

That night, Jeremy is practicing what he would say to Rich in his mirror, and Rich is pacing his room. Jeremy ends up deciding to frantically call Rich before he loses his nerve. Saying something like: “So like- I don’t know what this is but like I had a good time and I just um, was thinking that maybeweshouldlikeactuallydate. ...like officially.”

After a few weeks, they decide to announce themselves as official.

Rich is very excited and vocal about their relationship. When they first decide to announce that they’re official, Rich can’t help himself from going overboard and goes throughout the day finding excuses to mention “his boyfriend Jeremy”. He’s also not shy about PDA and finds himself smacking Jeremy’s ass when he sees him.

Once Jeremy asks Rich to “maybe dial it down” on the PDA, Rich listens, but still can’t help but to make excuses to talk about Jeremy to all of his friends.

After about a week to adjust, Rich calms down and doesn’t bring Jeremy up as much. But if he ever needs to tell a story that involves Jeremy he makes sure to STRESS “his BOYFRIEND Jeremy said this or did that”

Don’t take it the wrong way either. Jeremy ISNT shy about their relationship. He just has no idea how the hell to bring it up or really explain that they’re together. Jeremy takes the same week as Rich to just figure out what he’s doing.

Jeremy somehow finds the most awkward ways to say that he’s with Rich, and even tries practicing a few lines on Michael. One day while he’s practicing in his head, he blurts out a line in the middle of a conversation:

“I like Rich and Rich likes me, I like my friends and my friends like me.”

Michael: “Jeremy, what the fuck.”

Despite being very touchy, it actually takes them a while to have their first kiss.

It happens when they’re spending time at Jeremy’s house.

They had just gone out on a chill movie date, and had gone to Jeremy’s to unwind. Jeremy convinces Rich to start playing video games and it ends up getting pretty competitive. Rich ends up quitting the game.

Jeremy’s amused, but that only makes Rich more frustrated. Jeremy stands and suggests they play something different or find something else to do, but Rich isn’t having it.

“No no no, not happening. We’re gonna do this. You’re justh afraid I’ll win!”

Rich stands up and paces around Jeremy’s room, hyping himself up. Jeremy leans against his bedroom wall, giving Rich space as he continues talking.

“I’m gonna totally beat you at thisth, you have no idea whatsth comin”

Jeremy looks down at Rich. “W-wow, you may be short, but you’re intimidating when you’re motivated”

“I’m not short, you’re just tall. Tall assth” Rich walks to Jeremy and looks up at him.

Jeremy leans down slightly, “You’re also kind of cute when you’re all worked up”

“I- uh..” Rich falters, his face flushed.

“Oh uh... sorry, did I go too fa-“ Jeremy is cut off as Rich curls a hand in Jer’s shirt, pulling him down to kiss him.

“W-woah...”

“Yeah. that’sth what you get for calling me cute, tall assth.”

“Was that supposed to be a threat?”

“J-justh shut up and play the stupid game”

The next few weeks after that, they were in danger of never separating each time they kissed.

Weeks pass, and Jeremy and Rich get much more comfortable with each other. Butterflies start fading, and they start to get more serious.

Both Rich and Jer develop a much deeper emotional and physical understanding of each other. They both become much more comfortable with quiet touch. They often spend afternoons just cuddling in bed, sometimes not saying a word.

They’re also much more capable of helping the other with their emotions, especially regarding their trauma with their SQUIPS.

Jeremy can’t fathom the idea having a SQUIP as long as Rich did, and his heart sometimes breaks thinking of how hard it must’ve been on Rich.

The boys often talk a lot about what they went through, and help each other cope.

Like Mtn Dew. Jeremy doesn’t touch the stuff, but Rich chugs Mtn Dew Red. He also has frequent obsessive periods where it’s all he can drink. Jeremy always ends up getting too worried and has to talk Rich through it. It most normally leads with crying from Rich, which causes crying from Jeremy, and ends with cuddling and soothing hair pets from Jeremy as well.

There will be times where Jeremy will trace the scars on Rich’s body with feather-light touches and small kisses. Jeremy does it to reassure Rich that his scars really are perfect. There are times where Jeremy will simply get lost in conversation because he’s focusing on how much he loves Rich’s lisp.

Rich feigns being annoyed at him, and sometimes get embarrassed, but he always feels appreciated thanks to Jer.

Rich also returns the gesture by reminding Jeremy of how funny he is, and how smart, and perfect, and important he is. Rich is always reassuring Jeremy that his stutter is okay and reminding him that his anxiety will never be able to stop someone as amazing as him. Jeremy learns how to have just little bit more confidence each day, and always knows where he can go on his rough days.

[scadplaysdnd]

a reflection

aka “holy fuck mom its been a year”

just warning yall now this is about to get hugely personal and if you’d rather not see insight of the worse sides of me or what’s been going on behind the scenes then i fully understand not reading this. i wont be offended. this is kind of as much for myself as it is anyone else.

so there have been a couple times in my life where ive had to look at myself and go “if i dont reach out for help of some kind, something really bad is going to happen”. around this time last year was one of those times. i was three credits shy of getting my degree and the last thing i needed to do was an internship, which would have started around this time and finished up by the end of 2016. i would have finished my education and gotten my degree.

and then i would have died.

id known this fact for a couple months now but as we were reaching two months from the end of the year i had this thought--maybe i should like, not do that??? so i put the internship on hold. i took a semester off on medical leave. while all of this was going on, kelly and erik had come to me asking me if i wanted to play dnd. i said sure, though i was pretty wary. id only ever played dnd once beforehand and it ended really badly--basically my character died and the rest of the party kind of callously left her behind which hurt and sucked.

ANYWAY i came up with the basic concept for tami. i know i wanted to play an orc because it was always weird to me that orcs are like the stereotypical and defacto villains that most parties are pitted against from the very beginning--what must it be like to be one of those people? but i wanted her to also diverge from the typical orc playable character, in that she was going to be quiet, stealthy, dexterous, and “level headed” (in quotes because yknow her emotions are something she’s always struggling with).

basically tami naruto jumping through the trees was always a key character concept from the word go.

but character creation is easy for me. ive been doing it nonstop since i was 10 years old. i also joined a new roleplay group around this same time. creative endeavors are something i can still pursue rather easily even in the throes of the worst mental breakdowns. in fact, its probably the reason ive survived most of them.

and i had no idea how much dnd was going to be that.

by this point, things were getting really bad and we were basically deciding what to do with me. my support network as ill call them (basically my therapists and doctors) were thinking i needed to be admitted into some kind of program and i agreed with them. but they wanted me to go to an inpatient program--essentially either being hospitalized or cut off from everything while i was taught how to yknow. not die.

but i didnt want to be cut off from everything. i wanted to play dnd. it was pretty much the only thing i had going for me at the time, since i wasnt doing any work or school. not to mention most of my irl friends were still in school or just generally busy and it was pretty much the only social thing i had to look forward to.

of course, that wasnt the only thing. in general, i just really didnt like the idea that i wouldnt be able to have a phone or computer for xyz months, quite literally being cut off from everyone and everything, including all of my essential coping mechanisms that have been keeping me alive thus far. but really, i knew that if i left the campaign just as it was starting for what would probably be months, i wouldnt be able to come back. and i didnt want that.

so i put my foot down and we got me enrolled in a local outpatient program. every day for 5 hours, i had to go to group therapy and learn how to Not Die. i had to go completely sober. i had to get drug tests. it was......hard, to say the least. it was scary and frankly humiliating to get to that point where i had to be constantly monitored to make sure i wasnt a danger to myself or others--even more so that it was justified.

every day we’d have to check in, let them know what our level of suicidal ideation was among other things, and i remember for those first few months, it was never none for me. but as long as it was passive, it was alright. in response, we were supposed to take a step back and look for things to live for, and look forward to. every friday we had to write about what we were planning on doing for the weekend.

and every friday i wrote the same thing: dnd.

it was honestly everything i needed during this time. i was going through a pretty rough period of agoraphobia and social anxiety, but once a week every week i got to be social as someone who wasnt myself. my experience with dnd hadnt been much up until that point, but almost none of you guys had played before. i felt almost an obligation to make a character that was somewhat take charge and open, in an effort to coax you guys out for the same. its kind of hard to remember at this point considering where we all are now, but at the beginning there, i know it was rough for a lot of us. i felt like i had to take charge, which was so the opposite of how i was actually living my life at the time.

and it was...nice. tami is much more confident and forthright than i am, and i had to force myself out of a lot of comfort zones to put myself in that place. but as weeks went on, it became easier, both in and out of character. all yall nerds are busy now but back then we were hanging out practically every night and it gave me a chance to not be alone with everything i was going through. unlike with say, the roleplay group, i wasnt just my character--i also got be myself with you guys. i got to rediscover who i was and could be during a time where i really didn’t see myself as anything worthy, let alone anything at all. plus, my connections to others has always been a driving force of me Not Dying and being able to be a part of such a blossoming close group was essential while living at home with little contact to my other friends.

and this went on for months. in that time, through the program, i was able to learn some essential, new coping mechanisms. i discovered some trauma that was affecting me way more than id given it credit for and was able to start working through it in a way that i hadn’t for years. through helping and supporting the others in my group, i was able to do the same for myself.

while all this was going on, i was constantly doodling tami and others in the margins of my notes. i was singing the praises of the group and the campaign to my program, whose members also became somewhat invested in the story and started asking me every week what had happened. it became such a huge part of my identity and every day that soon members of the program began to identify me with the game itself. it played such a huge role in my recovery.

but by march, i had graduated the program. id started up my internship, and was on my way to getting my degree. i got a nepotism job at my dads company, and i was actually leaving my house on a fairly regular basis. i dont want to say that it was all sunshine and rainbows because it wasn’t. i still had some pretty dark periods, and there were times that if you asked for a check in, i wouldnt be able to honestly say that there was no suicidal ideation.

but i kept on. and the only consistent thing throughout all of this was dnd. i started my own campaign on top of all of that, which has been an adventure in and of itself. tami has been through a lot, both through what has happened and general character development. it would be impossible not to after a year, even if it hasn’t been nearly as long in game. 

i thought i had some sort of linear progression to all of this, and this would be the point where i wrap it up all neat and say that im all better and its all because of dnd but that.....isn’t true. its not true in life OR dnd, and i think thats why i like the game so much?? its narrative for sure, but there’s also so much uncertainty and surprise that you don’t get in general writing or roleplay. not everything works out plainly and neatly, with things being completely fucked just by a dice roll. it can be just as messy as life is. which is funny because thats exactly what i used to HATE about the game, and why i didnt want to play in the first place. i didnt want to not have control over the narrative. i didnt want to not have control over MY narrative

but i needed to give up that control if i was ever going to get help. i needed to put my safety, my mental health, my life into other peoples hands. i needed help and i needed connections--and thats kind of what dnd is all about. and in the end, it still might not matter. our characters can still die, the story can still go in a way that not even the dms are prepared for, we might not save the world.

BUT WE ALSO MIGHT!! we’re going to work together and try our best and do everything in our power to fulfill our own quests, help one another, and create a greater good for ourselves and the world around us!!! and its like yeah, im not fully recovered, i dont think full recovery is ever going to really be an option for me, but i can keep going, and i know im always going to have the support of yall and the people who care about me. that means more to me than you could ever know.

and not to be a downer but like...im still going to die, someday. maybe in the ways that i thought, or maybe not. and in the meantime i might not figure out my life plan or get an amazing job or even move out anytime soon. but for once, that thought isnt as paralyzing and world ending as it was this time last year. its okay for things to be uncertain. its okay that things might not work out neatly in the end. and i think dnd played a huge role in helping me come to terms with that.

so remember like four paragraphs ago when i said i was going to start wrapping this up?? lmao for anyone who made it this far, i salute you and thank you. this game has been really important to me but more so its YOU PEOPLE. you guys are just such a wonderful and awesome group of people and its been a privilege taking this journey with you for this last year--and for many more years to come! we’ve been at this for two months in game and who knows where we’ll all be this time next year or the year after or even more after that. i dont know!!!! and thats okay

love yall im gonna go order a pizza now peace  ✌ ✌ ✌ (i have had nothing to drink thanks)

[thelegendofclarke]

I'm sick of people saying Sansa isn't "Stark enough" Also tired of seeing how headcanoning Sansa (just in my mind/art) as Queen is criminal. My intention isnt to erase other characters. I personally don't care if she is QitN in canon. I'll just be glad if GRRM gives her a decent ending. But only imagining Sansa as Queen surely cant be a crime. Sansa has given me a lot of hope irl; helped me deal w/ depression so wanting her success,happiness rulership even it's cathartic

Hi! QitN Sansa anon here. I just wanted to rectify that the word I wanted to use instead of cathartic was therapeutic. I think they both mean same but I’m not sure. Sorry. English is not my native language and I struggle w/ it. Thanks for understanding.

Hello Anonny!

First of all, please don’t apologize for your English, it is seriously EXCELLENT! It’s probably better than mine tbqh. Secondly, I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK ME SO LONG TO ANSWER! I have no excuse, I am The Worst. 

Getting to the down and dirty of your ask… My dear Anonny, I totally hear you; and if it makes you feel any better, you definitely aren’t alone! Your frustration is honestly one of my main ~grievances~ with fandom and why I honestly having a really hard time engaging with like 85% of the ~meta side~ of fandom. I am in some fandoms, GoT/ASoIaF included, that have some incredibly smart and talented meta writers who are so passionate and hardworking and insightful. The things that they come up with sometimes completely blow me away! It can be easy to fall down the meta rabbit hole and get caught up, especially when people are seeing all these interesting things and coming up with all these amazing and intriguing theories that you NEVER would have thought of. But on the flip side, it can be really frustrating when the meta you are reading just doesn’t resonate with you at all. I mean don’t get me wrong, I am Here for meta as a concept and I usually really love seeing what people come up with. My issue is often in the execution. Sometimes it feels like meta crosses that ~fine line~ between showing you one way to think vs. telling you how to think. 

I definitely see the value in discussing different interpretations of stories and characters, and I even enjoy reading most of them. But too often I feel like people forget that meta is still just an interpretation, it’s as though there has become this ~thing~ where calling something meta automatically makes it infallible. But it’s really important to remember that with meta in regards to literature, while it’s generally meant to be an academic and unbiased approach generally, is still just one person’s interpretation of the facts as they see them. Meta has somehow become this competition about Who Is Right and Being the Rightest, and it just completely disregards how inherently subjective and personal fandom is. I will always and forever maintain that is absolutely impossible to be completely objective in fandom; your opinions, your biases, your Faves, are always going to affect your interpretations and and resulting opinions, that’s just human nature. I don’t get this whole demand for objectivity thing; if people were truly objective about fandom, I don’t think we would even be having this discussion, because no one would be discussing much of anything. Yeah, its important to maintain some level of objectivity, especially when you are having discussions with other people about fandom, but tbh being ~completely objective~ all the time sounds pretty boring. Honestly, I feel like most of the time people who claim they are being “totally objective” when they talk about things like character arcs, possible end games, ect. are even less trust worthy than those people who are up front about their favoritism; imo it usually means they are either totally unaware of their own biases, or that they refuse to acknowledge them.  

I also feel you on the whole thing of “headcanoning Sansa as QitN is erasing other characters,” it’s frustrating to me as well. Because you’re right, wanting Sansa to be in a leadership role does not automatically mean you are disregarding other characters. Positions like Q/KitN or Lord/Lady of Winterfell are exclusive positions by nature, there are always going to be unequal power dynamics based on that alone. It’s also like you were saying, seeing Sansa in a position of power and leadership role can definitely be cathartic and therapeutic (I think both words work btw!). As a character who has essentially been completely robbed of her agency and self determination and has been at the mercy of others for almost the entire series, it would be extremely satisfying to not only see her regain some of her autonomy, but also be in a position where she could control her own fate. It would also be really satisfying to see a character like Sansa who has had to rely so much on her more feminine, intellectual “soft power” to be in a position where she is clearly powerful in a more traditional, tangible sense. Does she have to be QitN for these things to happen? No, obviously not. But then it also stands to reason that none of the other Stark siblings HAVE to be in that power position to be important either, the same basic logic applies. To say that Sansa fans are “sidelining” or “disregarding” or “erasing” other characters by theorizing or headcanoning that Sansa could be QitN or Lady of Winterfell then means that fans of ANY OTHER CHARACTER who headcanon or theorize about that character holding a position of power in the North are therefore intrinsically sidelining/disregarding/erasing Sansa based on their own argument. Honestly, debating like that sounds tedious and counterproductive and more than a little annoying. Because honestly, it could go on FOREVER, we could be here for the rest of our gd natural born LIVES arguing about this. People are always going to disagree with you, that’s just life. And they are free to do so, just as you are free to disagree with them. But there is a notable difference between disagreement and downright derision; one is totally fine and can be done respectfully, and the other is kind of a dick move. 

And also, like I was talking about earlier, our faves are our faves. In fandom, you are allowed to concentrate on YOUR FAVE and their significance and where you see their story going. That is totally and completely 100% legit! Characters like Sansa are very easy to connect to and care about, especially for people who see themselves and their own struggles in her story. And I think the same goes for Arya… They are these two young characters who experience similar trauma and abuse and honestly just horrendous things that no child should ever have to experience, and they deal with it in such vastly different narrative ways. Arya takes action and lashes out and lets herself be sad and angry. Sansa rationalizes and compartmentalizes lies to herself and everyone around her in order to get through the day. Sansa is pretty much a poster child for traditional femininity, while Arya’s character has so much focus on defying gender roles (or disregarding gender completely in the case of the faceless men). Both have their moments of weakness and strength, both have their aptitudes and their flaws. Relating to and connecting with either on a personal level, as is common with fictional characters, is completely possible and understandable. That’s one of the most beautiful things about the Stark Sisters imo, together and separately they appeal to such a wide array of readers. 

There is no “wrong way” to fandom, there are no “wrong reasons” to love certain characters or story lines, there is NOTHING wrong with Sansa Stark being your favorite character and caring about what happens to her. And also, probably an ~unpopular opinion~ (but idgaf tbh), there is nothing wrong with caring about Sansa (or any of your faves) more than you care about other characters! It’s natural, you are not doing anything wrong, and your interpretations and opinions are no less valid than anyone else’s. That’s the great thing about fiction, it is literally impossible to have a “wrong” interpretation of a fictional work. You don’t even have to agree with the author to be ~right~ about a work of fiction because according to “death of the author” an author’s intentions and biographical facts should hold no weight in regards to an interpretation of their writing; a writer’s interpretation of his own work is no more or less valid than the interpretations of any given reader. Debate is fine, discussion is cool, dialogue about differences of opinions and interpretation can honestly be awesome. What’s not awesome though, is when people think that their interpretation is not only and absolutely correct one, but the sole correct one. That seems, like, wildly narrow minded and more than a little bit cocky tbh. Fandom isn’t a dictatorship; no one’s interpretations are law that can be enforced, no one’s preferences are superior, no one’s faves are automatically more important, and no one is The Great Supreme Rightest (or whatever a fandom dictator’s title would be idek). 

So the point is Anonny, YOU. ARE. VALID. Fandom is all about connecting with a story and it’s characters because they make you feel things. Something or someone in that story made your sweet little anonny (or in my case, cold dead salty) heart fall in love. So just keep fandoming and loving Sansa exactly how you want in a way that makes you happy!

(And on a totally mature, adult end note: fuck people who say Sansa isn’t Stark enough, what ever the hell that even means!? They are just jealous they don’t look that Boss 👏  Ass 👏  Bitch 👏  decked out in furs like a badass Northern Lady Pimp! QUEEN SANSA OF THE HOUSE SNARK, FIRST OF HER NAME!!!)

[thegeminisage]

more botw blogging, SUPER spoilery

this is a real long post sorry normally i break these up and this time i didn’t

and finally, off we go to a new province

this time im making its tower my first stop, since i can see it from here

i tried to paraglide across the river but i didn't have enough height so i landed on the cliffside and ITS RAINING!!!!! for fucks sake

i cant believe this game actually got me to hate rain..........

not only that but when i died in the water it didn't reload me back to where i started to glide from but a bit of cliff i stood on lol so #struggles right from the first minute

rain for the next 3 hours.......and i gotta climb it in the rain....jesus

i guess i could fast travel but i'd have to walk all the way back there :/

hmm. maybe the gae's throwing me the rain on purpose. an npc mentioned this river was notoriously difficult to cross :///

yep as soon as i turned away: it cleared. Great

well i see some bridge-like things further downstream i guess i'll check that out

lol jk i managed to glide across a different part and climb

like i saw my forecast change but then it changed back to sun so w/e i'll take it im up here now

aaaaah i can see so many cool things from here!!!!! i cant wait to explore them all!!!! that #new province feel

i hate like, feeling obligated to track down every last bit of stuff in the old ones when you're seeing new exciting stuff

but i love the feel of getting to a new one and not even knowing which cool thing to check out first

ohhh my god lol there's a big-ass bokoblin camp on the way to the tower i think i see a moblin but im not sure

aaaand im dead

at least there werernt any moblins!

tbh it isnt a difficult camp i just wasnt vigilant about healing

me every time i see something new: what the Fuck is that!?

in this case it was an ice wizzrobe which made it snow EVERYWHERE oh my god

That Was Difficult

if i didn't have my fire arrows and lynel bow it would have taken way longer

i died again!!!

those weird pattern bokoblins have SO much attack power ):

come on i have to clear out the camp AGAIN? and kill the wizzrobe?

naw dude i am skipping this nonsense i am going straight up the fucking cliff

HA i sniped them from above >:3

w

there's a zora on top of this tower!!!!!!!

omg poor thing he can't get back down i wish i could carry him on my paraglider

man i love the tower cutscenes and music and the way they unfold it's so cool

BIG SHINY NEW PROVINCE YYYYEAH!!!!

oh hey i found another zora down near these bridges

they all want me to go see their prince haha noooo i have too much to explore!!!

oooh it's so easy to get all turned around on these bridge thingies

man i love this province it's SO pretty

ah i found a goron on a sandbar!! how did you get out here with all this water...

nooo the blood moon again i knew it was coming the music has been funny all night >:(

lol jk the music faked me out its 2am and i warped to the stable for nothing (i was trying to get that one dude's reaction)

i came back and did the shrine and found another zora!! lol they all really want me to go see that dude

there's a thing i need to climb but ugh rain

while i was bored i chopped grass and attached octo balloons to things

now i am in the wetlands which are AWFUL to walk through i can practically feel the mud squishing between my toes and i want to die lmao

there are horses here!! i miss mine ):

ive done enough shrines now to get another upgrade but i dont feel like doing all that backtracking blegh

oh noooo i see a guardian out here, a moving one ;_;

ah it's been awhile since i failed to fight the still ones on the plateau...i wonder what the start screen meant by "the right tools" ive got a lot of damn tools!! did they mean arrows??

lol yet another zora telling me to meet with the prince.........dude

this prince must be either desperate or spoiled

uh

okay maybe its a glitch but i think?? i see?? a flying island in the distance? What The Fuck

wait no it looks kind of like a ship or giant bird??

my pins don't stick to it, it's definitely moving around

jesus fuck

AHAHAH FUCK THE GUARDIAN SAW ME

HAD TO TAKE REFUSE IN THE FUCKING SHRINE

jesus christ i hate those things!!!! you can't kill them!!!!!!!

NO oh my god there's a hinox over here too

why this Why This

lol the hinox fighting music is giving me trauma flashbacks

actually that wasnt so bad with a defense elixir on

maybe it's just me but this province feels kinda small? i feel like i could finish exploring it p quickly, which is nice

not that i'm not having fun but i know i'm going so slowly ):

me every five seconds: i miss my hooorse i want one to ride around to go faaaaster

i guess...i could catch...one of these

and like. not register it bc the stable is 10000 miles away but

a temp ride. let's see if i can. need to use up some of my sneak potions anyways

i caught one and rode it awhile, but my heart's not in training it...i want My Horse

oh my god wait i hear town music!! is this a stable right here!! AAAAAH

so i did catch a pretty black one and named it luna - had to let the first one i caught go lol but it didn't have great stats and i only rode it once so it'll be happier in the wild probably

KASS IS AT THIS STABLE IM SO HAPPY SO IS HESTU

he's playing epona's song i'm gonna CRY

I MISS EPONA IM DYING

oh my god he had a story for me!! the same one that impa told!!!!! man

the music is still so good. fuck.

lmao i was talking to one dude and he was like well might as well head back inside ugh that place is so filthy and the women so free you might as well call it a manfill

UM?? NINTENDO??

i can see hyrule castle super close from where i am and it looks super scary and i super want nothing to do with it rn

i get the feeling you can like, go in there whenever? maybe even do the endgame stuff early? but oh my god i Dont wanna

OMG i just mounted a bear

i read that you could ride things other than horses but holy shit lmao

i mean

it killed me after i got off, but man

sadly i must now board my horse and continue with The Story see i explored the non-story bits of that province SUPER quickly dang

oh no

this shrine is called a minor test of strength

Oh No

Why, God

oh. that was actually like SUPER easy compared to the other two haha phew

this lady at the crossroads said the prince was creepy omg i knew there was something, ahaha, excuse me, "fishy"

whoa i love his music theme!!

lmao i always get so SHOCKED when they talk!!! even still!!!!!

voice acted cutscenes of this game are like fmvs of final fantasy games in generations 5-7 lol

oh my god...the wink/sparkle thing...he's such a HAM

he's flattering me TOO much omg dude what do you want.......

ok, ok, i like him

he doesn't seem very trustworthy but since his people are in trouble i'll cut him some slack on that one

oh nooo i gotta climb this in the rain......

ah, it's sunshowering tho! that's kinda neat

i just got attacked by octoroks and my heart wept a little because traveling up zora's river dodging octoroks to get to and save zora's domain...I've Been Here Before

listen, i could write a book on this

(lol i did write 300k on this but shhh that was a long time ago)

like...if link is actually a reincarnation does he get flashes of memory

oot happened in every timeline but i know wind waker didn't

but do you think assuming this is in the same timeline as wind waker something in him feels at home the first time he sails a raft again

or hears kass play epona's song at the ranch

or ducks an octorok on his way to zora's domain

people treat the incarnation thing as a kind of tragedy - the world will never be free of evil so long as ganon/ganondorf exists

but maybe there's happiness in it too

no matter what happens, no matter how sad the ending - i mean hell, in this very game, link and zelda LOST

no matter what though, it's guaranteed that they'll see each other again

over and over and over without end, link and zelda are gonna meet and be together for awhile while they defend hyrule again

frankly if that's not a soulmate idk what is

and frankly i'm perpetually offended that they don't develop ganondorf the man more like they did in wind waker...that was the Peak tbqh

i would kill for something like that again

anyway

i love how present the current here is, like with the stuff floating down the river, thats a NICE touch

tbh it's actually really nice that he keeps uselessly checking on me on the way up the river

like, i've been so lonely

even now i miss my companion going "what's WITH that guy" like they probably would if i had one

so this is nice. tbh.

i know it was probably a deliberate choice and makes the game stronger but a companion for this game, someone to share it with...that would've been cool

even just zelda as the protag, she could do some internal narration

but the whole thing is just so quiet.

this place is so pretty tho?? in the distance i see these like, pink coral looking plant things, and the blue columns and bridges are gorgeous

OH NO LIGHTNING GOD WHY

i think its an area thing too i cant just wait it out lmao im gonna Die

oh jk it's just rain now

idk why my entire forcecast changes to a particular type of weather and its only like that a few seconds...super weird and annoying

lol sidon all "you're almost halfway there i believe in you!!" and not helping fight and link's little "k" wave

i love link as a silent protag even if i did have him talk in my writing like it's so endearing

i wonder if link is like sgr like "i am 100 years old what is this zora kid even doing. what is he EVEN DOING."

lol just had to dodge some rocks rollin down a hill

you see this is what i mean. there's a weird sense of familiarity and nostalgia if you've played the games a lot. i wonder if the spirit of the hero feels that way with each new adventure, too

like if he's okay doomed to an eternity of fighting and parting with zelda over and over

because in the end he always gets to do this again

like i can see the spirit of the princess/goddess being high key miserable about those circumstances but i wonder if the spirit of the hero is maybe secretly glad

because part of him will always yearn for the next adventure

he never COULD be happy settling because this is what he was born for

WE love doing this again and again and again, maybe it's not such a stretch to think the spirit of the hero does too

or maybe i'm projecting so hard onto him because undertale has so successfully blurred the line between the player and the game for me LMAO

oh man i just noticed all the names on this map

lulu, mikau ;_;

i miss them!!!!

just once i wish zelda games would feature the same side characters in two or three titles

we never got to see saria or darunia or lulu again

we get to come back to the world but every friend we've ever made has been gone

like some narnia shit i swear to god

lol this is why i should never do story all i do is rant about My Zelda Feels, which are literally endless

oh NICE battle with a blue moblin on the bridge!!!!

ah i like the zora history here too please give me all the worldbuilding i wanna know everything about this world that i can bc rn all i know is "we got Fucked"

i guess i also know about the automans but i need More

i say, while procrastinating on getting to the story

in other news i have an ice and lightning rod which i havent bothered trying to use

bc when i tried to use the boomerang i failed utterly lol

but these? holy shit dude these are Powerful when you actually land a magic hit like Dang

i Love them im never avoiding another wizzrobe again (thats where they drop from)

oh wow

i finally made it, and

man. oh man. it's so beautiful

i wish i could see if better

jesus the zoras always had the prettiest parts of the games imo

OH NO THE MUSIC

OH NO!!! im gonna cry omg

it's the same melody from oot i think!! oh my god!!!!!!

omg there's a zora here named rivan who says he knows me?!?!

omg no he's listing some of link's old pals from Before im so sad why can't he remember

OOOH i shouldn't speak to the elderly bc apparently i am "guilty" of something?? i love this development PLEASE tell me more

i love that they all age so slowly #nice

am i walking into a fucking execution lmao sidon don't play me......

omg the little zora kids are adorable!!!

omg there's a statue of the zora champion ;_;

man this is all so cool i wanna know EVERYTHING about what happened back then!!!!

lol the shrine here was SUPER nerve wracking god you had to like, roll the giant ball down a hill and stop time at JUST the right moment skjghf

oh my gosh ANOTHER zora who knows me (lol "linny")

im so ;w; they all know me!!!!!!

i slept on the blissful water bed at the inn and was mystified and alarmed by the sound effects but i got an extra stamina wheel and 3 extra hearts!!! god damn you can't beat that shit

im so amazed at how many people knew link and like, blame him? i wanna know so bad what happened, i wanna know more about mipha

ten bucks says she's still alive and like trapped in the divine beast but corrupted

or a ghost or something like the old man ;_;

aww zoras sleep in the water aw aw :3

i'm loving this theme of link sleeping for so long like at first i thought of sgr but i just realized it's also like oot (and i can't believe i didn't make that connection first...)

like in oot the people who knew him Before are so happy to see him again and are sure he can help them

but in this game it's a bit mixed

and in this game we don't know the details of 100 years ago yet ;_;

zora's domain here is like. so GLOWY. reminds me of waterfall from undertale tbh lol i wanna paint it

so i'm talking to the king and this one elderly zora goes "the hylians abused an ancient society's power to turn hyrule into what it is today" & like...tbh my dude you have a point. if they had never gotten those guardians out then they couldn't have turned on them

oh my GOD

i just got my first look at a divine beast and i can't believe i was calling them jaegers

my jaw dropped irl holy shit

like that thing truly looks both divine and beastly (this one is an elephant)

is mipha still in there as like a ghost ;_;

it's so clear how much everyone misses her

and she seemed so sweet in the one short memory i recovered

every time sidon does his sparkle smile i love him a little more

i didn't trust him at first bc he seemed a little too eager but now i see he's just doing his best!!!!

especially as someone who thinks radically and progressively in a society where elders stay around hundreds of years

YESSSSS I GOT ZORA ARMOR!!!! YES!!!!!!!!

SWIM SPEED UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

omfg and it's an engagement thing just like the sapphire

MADE BY MIPHA?

thats right that other lady said link was supposed to choose between her and mipha

listen mipha seems cool and all but i've been shipping zelink for 19 years, so

oh NO, mipha had feelings for link

oh no poor mipha...oh my god

WAIT AM I ABOUT TO GET ANOTHER MEMORY??? OH MY GOD!!!!!

duuuuuude

"no matter how bad the wound i will ALWAYS" heal you and then link wakes up in water

did she do that!!! did she save him ;_; oh my god im going to cry

"you are quivering like a hatchling" PLEASE protect my poor son

muzu is making me sad dude he misses her so much and he hates this so much

ooooh i have to fight another lynel for shock arrows...good Lord im not looking forward to that

I KNEW IT

"calamity ganon took control of the beasts and trapped the champions inside" yep either she's still alive like link and zelda or her body is in there and so is her fucking ghost

DUDE!! i just swam up my first waterfall and it was AWESOME!!!!!

so im at shatterback point now hwere lynel is just bc i wanted to swim up a waterfall but probably he will kill me quickly lmao

apparently you can mount him too which. sick.

but idk i dont have any good food or elixirs or weapons ready im just up here for science im probably gonna knock off soon i gotta Draw

Oh Fuck There He Is ):

it's super tedious to have top go back and delete every fucking picture i take for my copendium one by one those shouldn't save in my album automatically come on dude im trying to take a picture of this lion centaur thing here

aaah there's a rainbow here too #nice

ah well got him about a quarter pf the way down before i died :/ not bad for being completely unprepared

tbh i only had one defense food?? had i had more i could have whittled him down eventually

anyway thats all for tonight!! i doubt i'll play anymore tonight bc i have drawing to do

lol this is a long post but it's all in one bc i'm typing them in notepad now and don't have to worry about them getting too long