#i am not engaging in discourse like this anymore this is the first and last time

[kaeyapilled]

So with the hangout.. do you think that settles the issue of mistranslation or not of Kaeya and Diluc being brothers?

is it even possible to settle it? i feel like there must be some insane cultural difference between me as a western person and chinese people when it comes to adoptive siblings because, i honestly don't see how the biological son of the guy you consider your adoptive father isn't, by extension, your adoptive brother; how would that relationship not be familial? even when you bring in the "sworn brothers" trope as a means of queercoding, which is a concept ive had explained to me more than once – like, okay? i agree that it's true you can't properly translate/localize that, but. how else did you want them to translate it? even if the word brother was never used once in the eng translation, how do you make it so that kaeya and diluc calling the same guy "father" doesn't imply some uncomfortable things if he and diluc are romantically involved..? but then, who knows, maybe i just don't have enough knowledge about how censorship works in china, how they do queercoding over there, how they deal with adopted relationships, whatever. it's fine. different cultural upbringings, no? it's funny when it's the western side of the fandom discussing this, though. because you'll have these extremely white people arguing with you about the intricacies of chinese BL media. as if either of us knows what the hell we're talking about. anyway, none of this matters in the end because most klc shippers just... like the incest. and the day we stop arguing about mistranslations and simply accept that people either 1) see this relationship in a different light due to their cultural background or 2) are a little bit of a freak online is the day i will finally know peace as a kaeya fan

[rriavian]

Shipper Tag Game

Tagged by @seiya-starsniper <3

What ship were you completely obsessed with as a teenager, but now you don't care about anymore?

I don’t think there are any actually! I’m pretty consistent and will usually circle back to a ship every couple of years 😊

Which ship would you consider your first one?

This is tough, I don’t think I actually remember. Though I think last time I answered this question I mentioned Lord of the Rings because of Aragorn/Arwen

Your first fanfic was about which couple?

My secret anon identity means I can’t answer this honestly – but the first one I’ve written without being anonymous is Corintheus

Do you remember the first couple you saw fan art of?

Long long time ago so not quite sure actually, might be a ship from Harry Potter

Have you ever gotten into ship discourse?

Nope! I try and stay away from it—though I never hide my opinions, I just don’t really engage too much in ship discourse. People are always going to have differing opinions over pairings, and I’ve seen it get very ugly in fandom spaces.

Did you use to have any NOTP or have one currently?

Oh I have a fair few, but usually they are ships I was previously neutral about. Some of them are also things I've previously shipped. My NOTPs are pretty much all results of a not so pleasant fandom experience, so I don’t really talk a lot about what they are. I’m a multishipper so the only time I actually have a NOTP is when a ship is overwhelmingly represented in a way that I just can’t get on board with.

Who were the last couple in the last fanfic you read?

Corintheus 😊 which is definitely what I’m most known for haha, so probably not a surprise

Currently, do you have any OTPs?

As I said…I am a multishipper, and I’ve never really had an OTP. It’s not a concept I really resonate with? Especially with fanfic because for me it’s all about the exploration of possibilities, and I can very much ship multiple things at once. I care more about interesting/well executed characterisation and well written relationship dynamics.

Is there any couple that, to this day, that you are extremely mad about not getting into?

Not really, because if I’m not into a ship in at least some way (or neutral/open to the possibility) then there is usually a very, very good reason.

Is there any ship you used to dislike but now you think they're kind of interesting?

Hmm. Maybe Desire/Unity? But it’s not that I ever really disliked them, more that there are some obvious consent issues within it that initially made me not really consider the ship too closely. The more I see others exploring it the more I’ve found them interesting 😊

Do you have any ship that, in the past, would have been considered normal but now you would be cancelled over?

I don’t think so actually! Though I’m probably forgetting something

What is your favourite crack ship?

Ooh I’ve read a lot of bizarre stuff. Hmm. It might have to be a certain ship that @writing-for-life introduced me to (if you know what I’m talking about it will need no further explanation haha)

What is the couple you read the most fanfics about?

I’m still anon in a lot of fandoms so I can’t actually answer this question too honestly. I haven’t actually been reading that much recently (very focused on writing at the moment)

What do most of your ships have in common?

Equality…in some fashion they are each other’s match. Which sounds like a strange thing to say for Corintheus but it doesn’t necessarily have to be in physical strength/power.

I also ship a fair few ‘enemies to lovers’ ships. Probably for the above reason! It’s the intimacy of it I think. Also the complexity, I like ships where the dynamic is compelling but not necessarily easy to pull off in a fic, because that usually means more thought is put into the execution of it. If that makes sense? And I am very much all about the execution when I read/write.

What do you absolutely hate in a ship?

Butchering characterisation just to play out a binary sex dynamic. Mostly this presents as overt feminisation of the one character who is designated to be ‘weaker’ for reasons both untrue and usually very offensive. Which sounds harsh but it’s something I utterly despise. Folded into this is also one character ‘fixing’ the other character, especially when this involves that character giving up something important/integral to who they are. I see it so much in published fiction as well and it’s just not for me at all.

I also really don’t like it when unhealthy behaviours are romanticised (usually to ‘fix’ one character) or miscommunication when it’s not something silly like accidentally buying your partner the wrong type of coffee because you were so tired you misheard a word.

[tickldpnk8]

Shipper Tag Game

Thanks for the tags @windsweptinred and @writing-for-life! Sorry it's taken me a bit: this week has been really hectic, but this is a fun one! I suspect that my answers may be a bit of a blend of both of yours.

What ship were you completely obsessed with as a teenager, but now you don't care about anymore?

I still actively ship the same pairings I did as a teenager. Mostly because I tend to like canon pairings, so when I engage with a fandom, it tends to be through that lens.

What ship would you consider your first one?

The earliest ship I remember liking is Clark Kent/Lois Lane from Lois and Clark. But this was pre-computer in my house growing up. The first ship I really got into online fan culture with and fan fiction was Harry/Ginny from HP.

Your first fanfic was about which couple?

So I've never written fanfic: I'm more of a fan art person, although I'm pretty shy about posting it. My earliest fan art was probably something Disney...most likely The Little Mermaid as a kid. My most recent foray back into fan art was for The Unknown and Static Strange, Dreamling fic. Otherwise, I've just had fun painting Morpheus' hair.

Do you remember the first couple you saw fan art of?

Most likely Harry/Ginny: there was this excellent artist, whose name (I think) was Marta, who used to post watercolor sketches on her own site called The Art Dungeon: they were gorgeous and really helped shape how I pictured the characters as I read the books. I'd love to find her artwork again to see what her portfolio is like now if she's still working as an artist.

Have you ever gotten into ship discourse?

Oh man...do you know how non-confrontational I am?? I won't touch it with a 10 ft pole: first whiff of a debate going heated and I nope out of there. I took a peek at the Loki tags when season 2 came out and couldn't close my browser fast enough. Ship and let ship, but don't ask me to comment on it.

Did you use to have any NOTP or have one currently?

I generally avoid anything that a huge power imbalance: (think: underage student with an adult teacher). But other than that, I've come to embrace any ship if the writing is good enough. Almost any trope too.

Who were the last couple in the last fanfic you read?

I'm super excited to see Hounds is updating again, even if I've largely moved on from actively pursuing Dreamling. And I LOVED @writing-for-life's The Light of Stars (Morpheus x OC). I dabbled in a few Loki one-shots recently, too.

Currently, do you have any OTPs?

Man, that's hard...because I'm honestly not reading fanfic for the ships: I'm mostly reading it to satisfy the brain rot. So while I tend to prefer canon-adjacent or gen fics (missing moments, alt POV, etc), it seems that the best way to find those is through searching ship tags. Sandman seems to be the exception: I want all of these characters to pair up with all of the other characters and all bets are off the table. If the writing is solid and the plot is intriguing, I'm in!

Is there any couple that, to this day, that you are extremely mad about not getting into?

Not really: I don't invest so much in the ships I like and hate that I can't Ship and Let Ship. Likewise, if I want to read something, I will. And if it's not for me, I'll just ignore it. I also don't get so invested that if it doesn't become canon I'm upset: I kind of figure all things are possible in Lucienne's library

Is there any ship you used to dislike but now you think they're kind of interesting?

I honestly didn't really like the idea of Dreamling to start: it's not a canon pairing, I wouldn't have put the spin on Hob's character that fandom seems to have latched onto, and I really like that he's the one platonic friendship that Morpheus has able to form. But I find the idea of someone living for that long infinitely intriguing so I dipped into the tags, and some of the most well-known and well-beloved early fics for this pairing really caught my attention and hooked me in. But since then...my interest has waned. As others have pointed out, it's just everywhere and hard to filter. It's also starting to feel a bit OOC as fandom does what they do in shaping a character's portrayal.

I tend to go in spurts where I really like a certain dynamic and then I get bored with the fic selection for a pairing. But generally, I'll always come back to it after enough time. I really want to see more Desire-centric pairings like Desunity as I think they're a really interesting character and it could be interesting to explore them in different relationships given their function.

Do you have any ship that, in the past, would have been considered normal but now you would be cancelled over?

I've been in fandom spaces a long time, but I don't think any of them would be considered problematic today. It's more likely that there are things I used to feel were problematic, but I'm actually okay with now. I've grown a lot as a reader (and a human) over time.

What is your favorite crack ship?

Prob Morpheus and his Helmet (have we named this yet @writing-for-life?? it needs a worthy ship name). I'm also fairly certain that I coined the name Timeslayer for the Loki fandom (or might have simultaneously come up with the name when others did). But I've never seen a ship sink so quickly.

What is the couple you read the most fanfics about?

Lately, it's been Dream x Joanna (ConstantDream) coming off of a big DreamMuse kick that was followed by Dream x Lucienne.

What do most of your ships have in common?

That's hard! I was going to say Hard Candy Shell of a Guy reveals he has a Gooey Nougat Center...but really it just comes down to 1) is the writing good? 2) is the plot intriguing? 3) do the characters feel in-character? If you satisfy those 3 things, I'll likely read it.

What do you absolutely hate in a ship?

Absolutely nothing outright. I'll sometimes go off a ship a little once it reaches that point where fanon locks in too tight around it. But I think that's a very me problem, as I crave variation/new experiences/ideas. I'll still love the ship, I'll just know that's just my time to move onto something new and come back and visit every so often.

^ @windsweptinred couldn't have nailed this better. I crave new: new perspectives, new takes on a character or dynamic, new AU scenarios. So once things get a bit too repetitive across authors, I'll pull back and visit something else.

This was fun! Thanks again for the tags. I've been minimally online this week so am not sure who else has done this: if you follow me and want to participated consider this your chance!

[yorsgirl]

TW: Discourse

See, i prefer to stay away from controversy and hate but this one ask really takes the cake

(I am using the ss of the ask to answer it as they have mentioned an author and I don't wanna disturb the author cause ik for a fact that its not them but one of their toxic fans)

So to the anon here, I get it and ik that my writing is far from perfect but that doesn't give you or anyone the right to tell me that I should pass my story to someone else cause they can write it "better." Your comment was fine when you told me to read someone else's work, I take that positively as I know reading more will let me improve. But I draw the line when you said me to pass the story to them.

Forgive me for sounding rude but if you don't like my writing style then don't read it. I haven't placed a gun on your head and forced you to read my work or anything. It's the simple rule: don't like, don't read.

It may seem that I am making a mountain out of a molehill but asks like these really disheartens me to go on and write further. I am not putting myself on a pedestal and proclaiming that me and my works are perfect. NO! I am not. I, myself do know the points where I can improve and I am trying. But instead of constructive criticism if I get compared to someone else then I am sorry to sound shallow no one gets to tell me what I should and shouldn't do. It's my work and if it's bad then also it's solely my decision for posting it. If you think that someone else could write it better then just ask them to write it, please don't fill my askbox with your nonsensical request.

(P.S. blurred the name of the author cause I don't want to engage in any beef with them. I have been following them since long and I do love their work and the last thing I want is to start some cold war amongst us cause of some toxic readers.)

Also, I am really sorry for my rudeness but this ask really stumped my day and i just had to reply (not trying to justify my shallowness I am truly sorry) and this is the first as well as the last discourse I am engaging in. Anymore asks or comments like this will be deleted or blocked. Thank you.

[abyssal-debonair]

so here’s what’s been going on:

a couple days ago on July 2nd, TGC, again, retweeted fanart featuring whitewashed characters, this time white skykids. now, I’m not on Twitter much anymore, but I was that day. I was among others who commented how offensive it was for TGC to be promoting artwork that utilized this racist practice. 

at first came the usual opposition, I gave my piece, then the convo died down. thought that was the end of it. by the next day, it picked up again with an incredibly mean-spirited tone — insults, bad faith takes, attempts to shame my friends and I. it was pretty disgusting.

eventually another Twitter user reached out to me and shared a Reddit link. someone had reposted a few of our tweets without censoring our usernames to r/skychildrenoflight (an unofficial subreddit not affiliated with TGC) with full intent to mock and deride us. that post currently sits on the subreddit with over 250 upvotes and over 200 comments, the vast majority of which are so stupid, asinine, and unsurprisingly racist. it explains how the discussion picked up again — the thread had been brigaded, my friends and I were being harassed.

I’m not here to talk about why this is an instance of whitewashing and why it is bad — I have already done that, though it’s overdue for me to make a more comprehensive, eloquent write-up.

Sky is a wonderful game. I love Sky, I love the world, I have invested so much creative energy into it. I love playing music on the game. I have multiple fics in the works. I used to engage with lorechat in Skycord on the regular, enjoying sharing my thoughts and discussing theories with others there. I am always fascinated by the artwork the community produces, even started trying to draw myself. the fanart TGC retweeted the other day isn’t even that bad compositionally — the artist is incredibly talented — the problem is the whitewashing that is all too common here.

I have never been in a fandom where a disgustingly racist practice, among others, was so accepted. I have never been in a fandom that harbored bigots who were so hateful towards the kinds of people Sky normalized, that they were playing as and interacted with. this community frequently proclaims itself as welcoming, diverse, and wholesome, but those words are hollow when many perpetuate bigotry then attack those who call it out, saying “it doesn’t exist here” and “you’re making shit up to get mad at” and “your ancestors would be ashamed of you.”

on that last one, I should mention that the commentary got disgustingly personal. I stated that I was Black in the Twitter thread, which many latched on to. they said I was entitled, never faced real racism, was a child, was pulling the race card, was “the real racist,” was why Black people are not taken seriously in discourse.

I shouldn’t have to mention that I have faced racism irl, including violence, including followed by a police officer on campus in the dark that could have ended poorly. I shouldn’t have to mention the racist harassment I have faced both online and offline. I play Sky and engage with its community because the game gave me the idea that I could escape the world that hated me for one where I felt seen and welcomed. if someone was being hateful, adding more to pile of bigotry I have to fucking live with, I thought I would have the backing of the community to support me when I fought back. I was wrong.

what happened over the last couple of days exposed me to some of the worst the Sky community has to offer and it didn’t even surprise me.

it is well documented how people of color like myself are mistreated in white-dominated spaces. our discomfort is viciously denied as false or exaggerated. we are told to suck it up because fandom is supposed to be enjoyed, an escape, “don’t bring politics in here.” except fandom perpetuates the same problems we are trying to escape from. we are not given a damn break.

[graylinesspam]

Alright, I'm only going to address this situation one time so listen up.

I made a silly little headcannon post not even 24 hours ago that has apparently stirred up a lot of feelings in the DC Batman fandom. It doesn't even have 200 notes yet and I've received a lot of negative feedback on it.

which I almost want to say is fine? Like you're more than welcome to disagree with me, whatever. Especially when it comes to DC characters who are some of the most mischaracterized by their own source material of any characters in existence. Rebloging with full essays including comic panels citing why I am wrong is a bit unnecessary, I don't usually engage with fandom discourse so I don't love to have it on my post but I'll let it go since it isn't really inappropriate just kinda unwelcome. It's a part of fandom, it's whatever.

But I am actually having to address it specifically because I've received five anonymous asks in my inbox since last night that have all been a lot more hostile than the people who've attached their usernames to their disagreements. One of which actually had suicide baiting in it. I deleted the first three after receiving that ask because I was just freaking out and kinda hoping they would go away. Again I never interact with discourse so I'm not really sure how to deal with this. But I've received two more asks today and I'm really not willing to deal with this at all anymore.

I didn't realize I needed to add a "don't like don't read" warning to a stupid tumblr post but It is never appropriate to send hate mail anonymously to another blog. We need to remember first the rules of "is it true, is it kind, is it helpful?" for the people asking me if I'm illiterate or if I've ever read a batman comic before. And for the rest of you; this is a reminder that you are in control of you're own online experience. There's a block button right there; use it liberally.

I have never been treated so disrespectfully in a fandom space before and I regularly hang around in the Star Wars fandom. It is a sad fucking day when you behave worse than star wars fans. And for the crime of mischaracterization of all thing? Like you'd have thought I said something morally offensive with the way people were judging my character.

I don't know; I'm rambling. I don't know what else to say about this except just Stop. And also my ask box will be closed until further notice.

(Also blanket statement not to harass anyone else on that post on my behalf. Not that I have enough followers to need to worry about that, but seriously guys, just behave like adults please.)

[samwise9]

Hi, this is probably a very late response, not much of a question. I have stumbled upon your account and read through the whole "drifting away from Lucemond pairing" thing.

That's honestly very relatable. I used to like them a lot at the beginning, read through almost every fanfic, even yours too (they are great & you are one of the greatest Lucemond fanfic writers out there).

Honestly, it's kinda difficult for me to find out why it has become so hard to like the pairing (at least for me) because in the beginning, it was just so great, y'know, like magic. The Golden Era is probably in the beginning.

But you formulated so well, especially about the fandom discourse thing. I started falling off around the time one of the Lucemond fanfic I followed ended.

Afterwards, it's just constantly trying to catch up then failing. The last straw is probably when the discourse/drama about bottom/feminine/omega Luke being anti-tr4ns (which I don't get), and people start being a puritan about their preferred Lucemond Dynamics (top/bottom thing). It's all so silly, like they are the same ship with only slightly different dynamics, why bother hating on other people who doesn't have the same preference as theirs when they can just not interact.

The oversaturation & internal shipwars become tiring real fast. Even if a lot of content is supposed to be a good thing, for some reason it becomes one of the factors.

One of the silliest things I have ever come across on reading fic under that ship tag is when upon reading a supposedly "good fic" (that one of the readers start cross promoting it under other people's fic), the author opens the story by going on a rant how they don't like ABO, while writing & integrating ABO into their fic & making it a central theme. The author also calls ABO trope problematic (why do they even write a fanfic about it when they don't like the trope and call it "gross" then?)

When some people call the author out on it, they just go on this long paragraphic arguments in the comment section. It ends up being entertaining, but somehow tiring, too. I end up clicking out after reading the war in the comments.

You probably have read it. It's popular despite the author starting their fic with that hate note to the ABO trope.

Anyway, I just want to say I fully agree with you that some people are so toxic that their discourse ended up making others uncomfortable despite it being such a good pairing. Thank you for clearing it up. Now, I have a guess why I ended up falling off the pairing.

Also, I want to ask, do you think content oversaturation contributes to people leaving a ship ? Because I am on the fence about this too, on one side, contents keep a fandom alive, but on the other, it makes me dislike a ship despite liking it beforehand (could be because of other reasons, I just haven't discover it I guess).

I want to ask you a lot more, your opinions are really interesting. Thank you for engaging in QnA (ignore those people who are just trying to argue with you by submitting anon, I read them, and they come across as somewhat trying to rile you up).

It's fine if you don't answer this, I just want to send it because I do like going through your account, reading your responses, and see the discussion why & how you don't follow this certain pairing anymore (it is rarely discussed, so discovering your answers are interesting).

Sorry if some terms are unfamiliar/hard to understand, English isn't my first language.

God i am so sorry for how long it has taken me to get to your ask. No excuse, I have just been exceptionally lazy over the past few months and I cannot promise that this won't happen again however I am trying to avoid doing my real life job so here I am. Also your English is perfect so dont worry. It is better than mine and it is my first language 👍. I have a feeling that for as long as your ask was, my answer will be equally as long.

I am with you re. the internal ship wars. Let people read what they want to read and write what they want to write and it's all golden. I cannot stand people who try to dictate and police what others do be it in fan art, in a fic or, on a few memorable occasions, what people post on the Lucemond tumblr hash-tag.

Ahh yeah I do vaguely remember coming across an abo fic where the author was open on how they thought the trope was problematic which I found quite funny but it is a trope that is extremely popular in the fandom and, at the time, I thought that it wasn't that surprising that authors who haven't previously written the trope would expand into it, especially when hits/kudos began to dwindle across the whole fandom. However I mind reading an ask answer on here ages ago about how popular abo is in Lucemond and a really good point made was that abo is just a really good way of removing obstacles you have plot wise when you have a same sex ship, especially in a universe such as HoTD and GoT where canon is so detailed and lore heavy. That may be why writers who don't agree with the underlying tropes still utilise abo as it means you are not having to spend chapter or chaper trying to untangle a way to make the story work in a canon setting.  I do think there is a way to do abo without the problematic aspect some people have with it but I suppose its all down to how much of the trope you take issue with. It's something I have done in the past (both use it as a easy plot device and remove the aspects of the trope that I dont particularly jive with as a reader) and will probably do more of going forward.

In terms of oversaturation and people leaving the ship I dont think it was/is an issue with Lucemond as such. I just think Lucemond was always a ship which, with the benefit of hindsight, was destined for a relatively short shelf-life just by its very nature - at the end of the day the ship involves one person who is canonically dead in a show that is only on its first season with some very popular characters who are either still to make their debut or ones who will take more of a center stage in the following seasons. From being in a number of fandoms the truly popular ships which are able to continue to retain the levels of fan interaction that they had at the beginning were able to do so because the two characters in a ship continously interacted in a show/film (even if it is only a few scenes every now and then) which galvanised shippers to create more content. Lucemond simply doesn't have that as one character is dragon food. The discourse, IMO, just hastened the rate in which people left.

I think the downside to how quickly the ship exploded did contribute to is making people stuck in their ways somewhat. People have their preferences on what they want Aemond and Luke to act like and who they are and it makes it difficult for creators who want to go out of the box to get a foothold - the result of that is that they just go to different fandoms where they don't get shit for having one character bottom and the other topping or get thousands of notifications because yet another argument has broken out in a comments section but things will likely pick up once the new season hits.

[cheryls-blossomed]

Hi there, I know that you don’t engage with the flash fandom or watch the show anymore but I just wanted to bring up some observations that have been discussed on your blog in previous years which was right. The first is the chemistry between Grant and Candice I remember that it was frustrating for us when people would say they don’t have chemistry anymore simply because the writers didn’t give them scenes to show it off and blame it on the actors. I mean as per the usual pattern, season 9 has given them more opportunity to show it off and now the same people who said they didn’t have it anymore have changed their tune even though it’s simply just the writing being better.

Secondly, the issue of fandom never being satisfied don’t get me wrong it’s absolutely valid for people to have advocated more westallen especially with how the last 3 seasons went, but now we’re getting it *finally* it’s like some part of fandom are never satisfied. It reminds me of some of fandom’s reaction in season 3/4 when we had it good. if it’s a hug why wasn’t it longer if it’s a kiss why wasn’t it more intense…etc. now in season 9 it’s ‘oh they should’ve had a sex scene in episode 1’ which is just unrealistic. Valid criticisms are always allowed of course it’s just the nitpicking that annoys me, ha.

All that being said, it’s nice to see Barry & Iris working together and spending more time together it’s what we deserve for the last season of the show. You were one of the few level-headed fans in the fandom and I really do miss your well-rounded commentary on the show but I completely understand you stepping away as the show isn’t what it used to be. I hope you do one for the series finale. Take care ❤️

Aw, thank you for dropping by again, nonnie! I may have stepped away from the fandom/show in the last year, but I really loved the conversations and discourse about the show and Westallen. It's really what I miss most from fandom: all the amazing conversations. I'd like to do something more to celebrate Iris and Westallen: maybe a retrospective-type meta after the finale airs. I definitely plan to give my thoughts about the series finale and reflect about Barry and Iris's story, so there's definitely going to be more to come from me on this blog! I am really humbled by your kind words. 💛

Yeah, I like to think a lot of what was discussed previously on this blog is from experience of watching this show and having seen the high-points and low-points in material. I've never believed that Candice and Grant's chemistry just disappeared: the material just was not there for their chemistry to shine the way their chemistry did in seasons 1-4. Episodes like 5x05 and 6x11 and 6x17 and 7x18 really allowed us glimpses into how great their chemistry remained, but overall the writing did not invest in material that showed off that chemistry. I think in many ways having such a Westallen-centric episode right off the bat in season 9 showcased what could have been if the writing had invested in the right material for the last like four seasons. Because their chemistry was per usual fantastic in 9x01.

And for sure: some fans are never satisfied, and that's going to always be the case. But the things so many of us did hope for: more intimacy, WA outside of STAR Labs, more romance, more best friends in love-type content, more scenes in their bedroom... we got that in 9x01, which was really nice. There was really good Westallen content in the episode: a lot of which I know I had been hoping for for several seasons now.

Overall, I thought 9x01 was really promising and was a pleasant surprise. The Westallen content was great, and I would hope that this through-line of Westallen in story arcs together carries throughout the season.

[owengrose]

Shipper tag game

tagged by my friend @sunriseverse (hi friend!!!!!)

What ship were you completely obsessed with when you were a teenager, but now you don't care about anymore?

johnlock. listen. i'm aware. i am aware. Thankfully I've grown as a person and now I don't care about anything or anyone associated with that mess of a show.

Which ship would you consider your first one?

uhhhhhh aang/katara maybe? I really wasn't interested in romance that much until like middle school, but I do remember thinking katara and aang should get together as a kid.

Your first fanfic was about which couple?

probably destiel. Actually wait no, guaranteed destiel.

Do you remember the first couple you saw fanart of?

i was in middle school when Twilight came out, so I can almost guarantee you somebody drew Bella and Edward fanart and showed me. I don't actually know this for sure though, this is just a guess. The first fanart I actually remember seeing was Percy/Annabeth.

Have you ever gotten into ship discourse?

lmao no. it's just not worth it literally ever

Did you use to have any NOTP or have one currently?

mmm not really. i have ships where I just don't see it, but I don't usually feel all that strongly about it.

Who were the couple in the last fanfic you read?

Sam/Jack from Stargate! This is entirely @kbunny10 's fault, she got me into Stargate and now I have Feelings.

Currently, do you have any OTPs?

I mean, always. The biggest ones are probably Morgwen, Sam/Jack, destiel (i thought i was free but then nov 5 happened so......). But I'm not super actively a shipper these days

Is there any couple that, to this day, you are extremely mad about not getting together?

no bc everyone i've ever wanted to get together did so in my heart. Sam and Jack should've gotten together on screen, but In My Heart they did get together so it's chill.

Is there any ship you used to dislike but now you think they are kind of interesting?

not that i can think of! my romantic tastes tend to be relatively consistent honestly. maybe the gay ones before i became not homophobic (and then not straight! yayyyyyy!!!!! :D )

Do you have any ship that, in the past, would've been considered normal but now you would be cancelled over?

again, none that i can think of! I'm kind of a normie tbh

What is your favorite crack ship?

so this isn't actually a crack ship but like. Captain Hook and the daughter of Snow White/Prince Charming on OUAT got together. That was a real thing. They really said "you know who we should pair with our main character, the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming? Famous villain Captain Hook. Yeah we're gonna make him young and sexy so it's fine." That was a real thing!! It aired on television and I was REALLY invested!! Man OUAT was such a wild ride lmao

What is the couple you read the most fanfics about?

i thought it was destiel but i checked by ao3 bookmarks and apparently newmann are still unbeat!! shoutout to the year where i was obsessed with those gay little scientists, i went absolutely NUTS for them. My newmann fics that I bookmarked are more than the #2 and #3 ships COMBINED.

What do most of your ships usually have in common?

there's usually an earnestness or a sincerity that either one or both of them has. where one person is just like very open about how much they like/admire the other, or where they engage with people so trustingly, or something along those lines. sometimes its sincere4snarky, sometimes its sincere4sincere, and sometimes its "i'm only earnest around you"

What you absolutely hate in a ship?

lack of communication. it drives me INSANE. unless they're miscommunicating about their feelings for each other, then it's great. but otherwise i hate it bc like, this is your partner!! talk to them!! what the fuck!!

Tagging: @kbunny10, @inesathammar, @cawfeeann, @lacigarra, and anyone else who wants to do this!

[louiswilliamtomlinsons]

ABOUT ME

logan ★ 25 ★ queer ★ nonbinary ★ he/they ★ brown latine

FAVORITES

music: louis tomlinson. rachel chinouriri. blackswan. zayn malik. one direction. jade thirlwall. darumas. kendrick lamar. debii dawson. the last dinner party. samia. olivia rodrigo. the aces. honey revenge. soyoon. towa bird. pacifica. manumi. leigh anne pinnock. normani. chappell roan. the academic. idkhow. selena quintanilla. lauren jauregui. beabadoobee. snarls. pale waves. muna. meet me @ the altar. natalia lafourcade. the snuts. ryan ross. arctic monkeys. black belt eagle scout. nova twins. hozier. muna. blur. the smiths.

media: 23.5 degrees. gap the series. bad buddy. the eclipse. the loyal pin. the last case. doctor who. yellowjackets. star trek. it 2017/2019. skamverse. first kill. julie and the phantoms. do revenge. drive away dolls. house of the dragon. the walking dead game.

characters: kieu my vu. aylin keuaahree. clementine (twdg). anaïs davis. maya etienne. felice ehrencrona. kat edison. evie alexander. aster flores. ellie chu. sana bakkoush. kali prasad. nancy wheeler mj sevilla. bill potts. lottie matthews. sam anuntrakul. taissa turner. donna noble. martha jones. nancy gillian. nyota uhura. jamie (drive away dolls). marian (drive away dolls). francesca bridgerton. michaela stirling. pat jindapat. richie tozier. ray pakorn. simon haynes. calliope burns. elena alvarez. deena johnson. drea torres. tony stark.

ships: kieutou. ayluna. anobbie. monsam. aninpin. jamiemarian. spirk. tpura. violetine. yousana. ronance. kalancy. ongsasun. inkpa. calliette. ellister. reddie. stozier. samdeena. dreleanor. lottienat. mistynat. sydlena. patpran. rhaenicent. zimon.

people: view benyapa. freen sarocha. ayo edebiri. laura harrier. rachel zegler. milk pansa. esther oruche. adria arjona. jude bellingham. trent alexander arnold.

misc: women. astronomy. education. astrology. purple. platypuses. beluga whales. cats. purple. football (soccer). plushies. indie/pop/punk/alternative rock. queer history. vampires. thai gls. wlw media.

BEFORE YOU FOLLOW

first and foremost, i’m a larrie. i don’t care if you’re not as long as we can remain civil about it. otherwise don’t follow and/or block me.

that being said, i’m not into harry anymore, so there won’t be much about him on this blog.

louis is my number one and i post about him a lot.

i love zayn too.

expect a lot about rachel chinouriri.

you could say i’m a louie zquad darling who happens to be a larrie.

i also post a lot about my other interests which are always tagged in case you want to filter.

i don’t talk about freddie/babygate here and i’d like to keep it that way thanks.

i believe louis and harry are queer but i don’t discuss nor care about their specific sexualities/labels (despite the url).

i don’t keep up with their families. my philosophy is to leave them alone.

i don’t like jeff azoff, irving azoff, ben winston, rob stringer, kid harpoon, james corden, sony, pleasing, nizam, liam payne, olivia wilde, simon cowell and savan kotecha.

i don’t like taylor swift or travis kelce. sometimes i reblog negativity about them. i tag it as #anti taylor swift and #anti travis kelce.

in this house we like joe alwyn.

i believe in criticizing your faves when they fuck up. criticizing them and/or feeling disappointed in them doesn’t mean hatred. i don’t agree with all of the comments/actions/beliefs my faves do/hold and i’m critical of it.

we support rpf here.

i don’t engage in proshipper and/or anti discourse. ship and let ship. block people and filter tags. curate your online experience.

i’m a crack shipper. 98% of the time when i’m shipping my irl faves it’s not serious.

i am a notorious url changer so sorry in advance for that.

(SOURCE)BLOGS

@latinecentral (owner)

@tomlinsonsource (owner)

@purpledit (member)

@musicgifs (member)

@userchappell (member)

@nataliasource (member)

(SOME) PREVIOUS URLS

kieumy. waoyf. faithinthefuturedeluxe. judevictorbellingham. usertomlinson. lt3. louwilliam. malikson. itslouistomlinson. zainmalik. rachelchinouriris. rachel-chinouriri.

[rosarrie]

It would be so fucking easy for you to AT THE VERY LEAST not use the term cottagecore and yet, despite being aware of its racism, you continue to spit in the face of First Nations people. You prioritize your racist little aesthetic over listening to First Nations people and you cannot be bothered to take even the most easy and basic of actions to stand with them. You cannot put even the most minimum of effort in and you continue to tie your art into a racist sunculture. You’re a racist, you don’t give a fuck about Indigenous people and you can go to hell.

 I've gotten multiple messages about this now in the same tone so I'm going to assume it's the same person sending them.

I’m going to use this as a chance to talk about the aesthetic of cottagecore as a whole in this post so it’s gonna be a long one. Hopefully this sheds more light on my current stance on the matter.

(I literally have no credibility aside from the fact i draw cute animals on the internet and call it cottagecore but I just gotta make my peace w this person)

I’d like to start by saying I never want to hurt people with my art, that is never my intention, whether intentionally or unintentionally. My art is made to make people happy and so being accused of hurting anyone with what I make upsets me and urges me to make things right.

There’s plenty of arguments to be made about the aesthetic, and I’m not here to be it’s guardian angel, this isn’t a hill I’m gonna die on. I acknowledge that there's problems even within the very concept of the aesthetic itself, but I also don't believe repeatedly accusing me of supporting harmful behavior is the right way of changing this and I'd like to respond to it in a constructive way. I'm also gonna be linking to a bunch of articles/posts regarding the conversation that I think were insightful.

Here’s the main points/problems I'm gonna talk about

To romanticise the idea of living in a house amongst nature away from society is ignoring the struggles of many indigenous people still trying to reclaim land. If everyone were to uproot and go live in a house in the forest away from civilization, you're taking away potentially important land to indigenous people in that area.

It is VERY white. There is an imbalance of POC creators in the cottagecore space, just type in “cottagecore” to google images or pinterest and there’s your proof.

The visuals are closely related to the trad-wife subculture, which is deeply rooted in white-supremacy and the alt-right.

Here’s my take:

Cottagecore is a form of escapism, easily evident in the aesthetic’s rise during the beginning of COVID-19. It’s a form of escapism the same way movies and books are. I can appreciate it’s visual elements while not actively participating in a lot of the activities depicted. I promise you I’m not going to go running off to the woods and building a cabin any time soon. I can understand the anger over trivializing the action of taking away potentially important land for its aesthetic value, but I also don’t think it’s in good faith to assume this is a genuine reality that is going to happen. The majority of people appreciating cottagecore are young, often times queer people looking to it as a form of escapism, not a step-by-step guide.

With that being said, there are however core principles within the subculture. It prioritizes handmade ethically sourced products and sustainability. It thrives off the importance of caring for the space u live in, actively shunning things like fast-fashion and encouraging the integration of slow-living practices into your own life (gardening, growing ur own fruit and veg, learning to cook, etc)

Cottagecore is incredibly white. Very rarely do I see non-white creators being spotlighted, and even when I do, their reach and audience is not nearly as much as their white counterparts. Addressing this issue through actionable achievable tasks feels like, where do u even begin. but I guess talking about the issue? Lifting poc voices within the community? I’m really not someone who should be a voice for this (as a white bitch myself) but I can acknowledge that there is actionable tasks I can take as someone with somewhat of a platform to at least help. I acknowledge the issue, I don’t know entirely what the solution is, but I’ll try to do better.

In regards to the trad-wife similarities, I can understand the argument being made, but the values of each subculture are so vastly different that it seems unreasonable to put them in the same category. Cottagecore is built on the fact that it’s a queer-centric feminist form of escapism, while Trad-wife principles originate from traditionalist christian values of being a mother and providing for your family. I think the overall intention of the comparison is to be made aware of how easily conversation around idyllic cottagecore lifestyle can blend into far-right rhetoric (this post does a great job of highlighting the similarities), but to say the two cannot exist separate of each other feels wrong. I’d like to think I am able to enjoy the cottagecore aesthetic while still critically consuming its content.

At it’s core (lol), cottagecore is a queer-friendly sub-culture that prioritizes nature, slow-living and the soft dainty aesthetic that can be associated. I am able to be critical of it’s downfalls while also still actively appreciating it for all it’s positive elements.

I am always open to the conversation around this topic! There’s definitely still plenty I don’t know about, and I am always eager to learn and better my judgment on things like this.

However! This is the last message I’m going to engage with that immediately jumps to accusatory language! Telling me to “go to hell” for using #cottagecore on my dumb cute art because it proves to u that I'm a racist is not a good use of ur efforts. PLEASE direct your anger somewhere else, I know this is coming from a well-intending place because you’re rightfully angry about injustices that are still present today, but pointing that anger at a 20-something-yr-old artist on the internet that draw frogs and calls it cottagecore is not a productive use of ur time.

Anyway thank u for listening, my dm’s are always open. feel free to reply with ur thoughts. Much love

[unbidden-yidden-deactivated20240]

Okay so I feel like I may be swinging a bat at a hornets nest here, but please hear me out. I'm asking this genuinely and hoping for an actual discussion on this.

This is an excellent and insightful thread that I'd ask you to read in full first because I am writing this after reading it; however, this is definitely part of a larger conversation on tumblr so it's not a direct response to just this post. Also that thread is so long already and OP seems pretty done with it, so I don't want to blow it up (again.)

---

At what point does someone stop being culturally Xtian? Is there a threshold past which someone has actually done enough unpacking of Xtian ideas and assumptions to ever escape it? Do you have to literally join another culture to overwrite Xtian culture? Does that, by itself, actually even fix it?

I guess what I'm struggling with here is this: are we talking about a behavior that people engage in, and can therefore escape by not doing that behavior or thinking in that way anymore? Or are we talking about a set of privileges that one cannot ever truly leave behind?

If it's the former, then I think it would be more appropriate, more accurate, and more respectful (especially to survivors of Xtian religious abuse) to describe the behavior rather than the person. Because at the end of the day, this person, no matter how obnoxious - and trust me when I say I've been on the receiving end of this obnoxiousness and sometimes outright antisemitism plenty - isn't a Xtian* and isn't necessarily defined by this behavior. It's one thing if they define themselves by a bigoted behavior - a self-identified t//erf is a transphobe by their own definition, for example - but people whose identity is otherwise neutral are not, as a person, a/an [x] based on this particular example of their behavior. So if this is the case, perhaps saying "[x] thing you said comes from [y] culturally Xtian idea that is antisemitic," (for example) would be more productive and lead to a better conversation than simply saying "you're culturally Xtian and need to stop speaking over us on [x] issue."

This is also important because anyone can make culturally Xtian assumptions, even if they've never once been Xtian in their lives. Do you know how many Jewish-from-birth folks I've had to help unpack culturally Xtian ideas and internalized antisemitism that they were putting out into Jewish spaces? Especially (but far from only) assimilated Jews? It's not only a non-zero amount, but it comes up frequently. Because I've spent the last several years unpacking my own cultural Xtianity and intentionally assimilating into Jewish culture, thought, and religious ideas, I am hypersensitive to the intrusion of Xtian normative ideas and am able to explain the difference from personal experience in these conversations.

On the other hand, though, that brings me to possibility #2, which is that this is a privilege that is being described. If we're talking about the set of circumstances that one grew up with and the cultural assumptions one has baked into their emerging personality from birth, then I'm still, as a person who is now Jewish, more culturally Xtian than someone who was raised an atheist by atheists. My hard work over the last several years does not change where I came from, no matter how much I sometimes wish I could overwrite my past. I not only grew up as part of the privileged religious majority (and since I am white and was part of a mainline protestant denomination, I really was at the top of that pile) I still, to this day, know Xtian texts and religious practice and assumptions from the inside and can therefore speak to people who are coming from that place in a way that others without that privilege typically cannot.

That is still true, years after I finished converting, never mind started the process of de-Xtianizing my culture and worldview. Yet, I've never been accused of being culturally Xtian in discourse on here, and I feel like anyone who would do more than say, "hey - [x] particular thing you said seems to be coming from [y] Xtian assumption about the world. Can you clarify what you mean and/or maybe this is something you need to address?" is likely to get yelled at for how they are othering me as a ger. Even if what they're saying is true! Because it would be disrespectful to point it out by just flatly telling me I'm coming from a culturally Xtian place and need to put a lid on it.

So I guess I'll end by posing some questions for discussion. I am genuinely interested in people's different responses to this.

Is it possible for someone who has left Xtianity to no longer be considered culturally Xtian?

If so, what would it take for someone to reach that?

If not, why not?

Does the answer change if the person is an atheist/areligious/non-religious full stop, versus someone who has replaced it with another religion?

Does it matter what that new religion is? Must it have longstanding culture behind it, such as Judaism or Hinduism, or can it be a new and/or eclectic religion, such as many neo-pagan religions, Satanism, new age religions, etc.

What do our answers to these questions say about how we view and treat atheists, followers of new religions, and gerim?

Part of my concern with how we talk about this besides just the interfaith piece, is that it also gives Xtianity a whole lot more space and power to control the conversation about religion and interfaith discourse than it necessarily needs to, as well as sometimes starting a weird purity rabbit hole to try and get away from the "taint" of Xtian ideas. I'm just not sure we want to cede that much control, but obviously at the same time we need to be able to name Xtian privilege and the thoughts, behaviors, assumptions, and discourse that flow from it, so I'm not sure what the right balance here is.

(*For purposes of this thread I'm only talking about people who are not religiously Xtian, even though obviously Xtians engage in this behavior plenty and are the privileged religious group in the US.)

[saintqueer]

hello jordan. i hope you're doing well. it's been a while that i have sent you an anon ask. i used to be here a lot of times in 2021 but used to talk to you about bbg. i was fairly new and always had tooo many questions about bbg and you seemed be very very hopeful back in aug 2021 or around that time and it was good to talk to you. then shit went down with constant bbg push and ever since then till now i am quite confused about what the fuck is happening with Louis and his stunts. i am quite tired and i did notice that you are too. you aren't as active as you used to be. i hope everything is fine and you are happy and healthy.

i dont dig into these things these days but i saw the dm discourse and all this time even after everything that happened with bbg in 2021 up till now, i was hopeful it's leading towards the end but this is so disturbing and has been for a while with the way tomlinsons are being with F (Lottie pregnancy video also had mentions of F). I will never believe he his kid until and unless i get the positive dna test but i can't make anything out of it than we have been pushed under the bus again and it's a never ending circle.

i also read on a discourse that maybe louis wants us to believe he's his kid now. the way he's trying too hard but that just breaks my heart for the same boy who fought so hard and was able to not participate in this for four years is now okay to play dad roles all of a sudden. like that would be so bad. altho i agree that he made a conscious decision regarding what ever is happening with him and nobody is forcing him to do this on this level (like lot of blogs).

i liked your opinions on bbg always. they seem to console me. if you want to pls share your genuine opinion on why it's happening now? and where do you think things are leading?

because honestly i am only here till lt2 comes out and if things aren't better i am swearing on myself this shit is not worth my time. i would honestly just disappear in the general crowd of people who listen to their songs and then forget about them.

ps: did you get the job you were talking about? I think it's been few months since i last checked on you. also saw your new house, it's amazing. congrats!

this is such an amazingly articulated message, anon! i'm so happy you came back to talk.

first, thanks so much for asking about me! i am feeling so much more hopeful in my personal life rn. i got the job in a contract position and will move to salaried once the hiring freeze lets up in the company. getting out of my roommate situation has changed so much for the better just in the last week or so. i don't know what is going on with you, but i hope you are happy and healthy!

okay, onto the meat of it. yes, i was so hopeful. i mean i was cheekily so sometimes. like i didn't actually always think babygate was gonna "end today" but i did have hope it could still end by lt2.

anyways, i stopped engaging on tumblr as much because of many things, not just personal. ive become frustrated with the state of the fandom and i also just got more and more confused by HL's actions. i didn't have patience for the discourse and the clout-chasing and the biased opinions (i know i'm not immune to those things). basically ive still been very tuned in but just in private, on discord. i engage a lot still with their content but just in private because the fandom felt so different. i tend to know generally what the "fandom discourse" is on any given day but i'm a lot more detached because there are very few takes i can fully agree with anymore.

ive been very confused as to everything that has gone down since, i would say, April of 2021. and ive felt very conflicted by HL's choices since this past winter. i don't have the same interest in theorizing or expecting change as i once did because i don't see a particular pattern anymore. HL's motivations appear to be different and i'm not sure what to make of it.

as to the discourse... yeah those dms were something and that discussion blog is...um...ok....lol...

for me, the attacking of larries is not a matter of "he has done it before and it's to be expected". it's a matter of: it is 2022 and this is playing into his homophobic image which is no longer necessary for his closet and unhelpful for his career in current society. this isn't 2011 anymore. i know he did the same in 2017 but like??? he has left Syco, he had a tour filled with rainbows, he has young 14 and 15 year old queer women who look up to him. for me, there aren't excuses for specific things that have been done in the last two years. for both harry and louis. i feel conflicted about both of their actions in equal measure.

i agree about the apparent lack of fighting tbh. things feel wildly different than 2020. something has changed and i'm not sure what it is. it does feel like something happened that kicked off this extreme change in energy around spring 2021. as my friend Brenda says, it feels like we are missing a piece of the puzzle. that being said: it's been going on so long and it's gotten so bad and relentless that very little feels fun anymore. even compared to the start of louis's tour, something feels off. HL are less loud and less combative and less rebellious and even moreso since february 2022. even the larriebaiting we've gotten since then feels more passive and subdued.

i've gone through many emotions watching it all with my friends from angry to sad to heartbroken to apathetic. i've gone crazy enough to be reading them with my tarot deck on the regular, trying to make sense of why they've been doing what they are doing.

nothing will ever convince me out of what i know yo be true. nothing will ever convince me that louis is the father of freddie. even if he got himself a positive pat test, briana was never pregnant. nothing will ever convince me that their het images are real. for me, it's just becoming a question of how much i engage. i always felt appreciated and loved and connected as a fan even when shitty things happened. i cannot say i feel that way anymore. sometimes it feels like they want a shift in the fandom and i don't want to be in a place where i feel unwanted. this might mean i don't buy merch anymore or i only get one copy of the album or i don't engage in content creation anymore. i'm not totally sure what it means but if things keep up as they have the last year, i probably won't re-engage.

to answer your question of what i think this is leading to: fuck if i know. it's starting to feel like nothing. we could wake up next week to find out all this bullshit was leading to a custody case where louis ends it and then we get leaked pics of HL kissing during the dwd premiere ruining olivia's whole career. OR this could go on and on and we have to put up with louis using a full on child who is old enough to understand what's happening and has been exploited by his own family for promo of his new album while an independent artist and watch harry get engaged to olivia to sell a shitty movie advertised as all about female pleasure when's it really about hostage and rape. i just don't know anymore because everytime i thought they had a plan and a direction they were moving in, it just got worse.

to be perfectly clear: i'm always gonna love these two boys from the bottom of my heart. they are imperfect and have made many mistakes but i still love them. i'm never gonna doubt what i know about them up to this point. i'm always gonna think they are gay heroes intheir own right. i still believe they have been misled and are being talked into things by greedy and corrupt execs and managers. i'm never gonna think louis is a dad and i'm never gonna think harry is a womanizer. i'm gonna continue listening to their music. i am gonna buy lt2 (but tbh if bg ended, id buy five copies instead of just the one). i'll likely never stop keeping an eye on them even if from a greater distance. BUT i believe the mistreatment of the gay subset of this fandom has grown and has become less acceptable over time as they have gained more say in their promo strategies. i won't put an immense amount of effort and time and money into a fandom where i am constantly gaslit and made out to be insane. at the end of the day, no matter how fond i am of them and the way they fought, they are two extremely privileged white rich people who have been in this very fucked up industry since they were teens.

i hope that answers your questions. i know i really went on there but louis and his stunts make no sense to me and have not for a while. nor his social media activity. i think he could be scared and making really dumb decisions out of fear of losing the success he has had. but, of course, i really have no clue at the end of the day. in my opinion, he is being nowhere near as transparent as he once used to be.

sorry if there are a billion typos, i just typed this all out in one go on my phone lol

[pixiecaps]

I remember like, the first time I saw you. I hadn’t recognized your pfp, and after seeing it a few times on my dash I decided to click. After scrolling a bit, I came to the realization I had followed you on accident (something that happens plenty to me). I usually would’ve unfollowed, but you seemed just interesting enough for me not too. A few months later, I’m surprised when you follow me back, especially since I don’t make original posts, and am not ranboo-centric.

Nowadays, you’ve managed to become one of my favorite mutuals. I always get giddy when I see you in my notifications, and 90% of the time I make note to see what post you liked and/or reblogged. It’s the “I’m getting a good grade in reblogging, something that is both possible to achieve and normal to want.”

We aren’t close mutuals, though I definitely wouldn’t mind it. I’d love to send more asks, however I’m horrific at carrying conversations and also have some social anxiety that makes me nervous. I also don’t want to intrude, as previously mentioned we aren’t close mutuals, and I don’t want to be pushy or annoying, haha. And I would start by responding to some of the posts you make that expect responses, but I don’t refresh my dashboard enough to see them in time. And I don’t know if it’d be appropriate to ask for a discord, which I’m better at checking, because I know it’s usually used for friends.

All in all though, you are funny and witty, and I often to stop and read your posts when otherwise I’d scroll. I like your opinions when you do decide to get serious, and despite some non-common interests, you present them in such a way I can easily engage in anyways. I wish you lots of love and luck, take care of yourself, and keep your chin up, king!

(P.S. sorry for the rlly long message whoops, I hope I’m not too late to send this.)

helllooo anon i think this was for the ask game:0 im sorry i didnt see this hours ago im pretty sure you sent this around the time i went to sleep but yes hii hello!!

“interesting enough” LETS FUCKING GOOO. okay! i usually follow back people i’ve seen around a lot on dash or urls i recognize in my notifs!! i must have recognized you:)

thats so sweet thank you i appreciate it😭 also wanna thank you for sticking around the idea that you’ve grown to rlly be fond of me after accidentally following me is heartwarming

ah dude don’t worry about. look i started this blog because i had horrific social anxiety and my irls were encouraging me to make new friends!! so even though i was shaking and wanted to throw up (that bad ik) i started posting and slowly but surely it wasn’t as scary anymore. it takes time so you can take your time dont feel pressured to interact if you dont want to. that being said i don’t mind if people who arent “close mutuals” send an ask or dms me. you become a close mutual by doing these things ya know😭 oh!!!! you can ask for discord too!! all mutuals are allowed to :) i however suck at holding conversations too so be aware of that lmao

AW TY!! ehehe you like my takes🤭 genuinely though i try to stay away from discourse or serious topics cus it may come off intimidating and thats the last thing i want to come off as but im glad whenever i do make a few posts like that you found it easy to engage:) i will! i am trying my best to take care of myself and for u i shall hmmm i was gonna say go outside but i already have plans to do that so it’d be disingenuous. i’ll just drink a lot of water today 👍 omg have u ever noticed theres no water bottle emoji on ios. i wait every update to see if they added one but nope. i would use that emoji so much…

anon congrats on getting the award of longest ask ever sent BAHSJD i woke up and saw this and my eyes popped in a good way

( also adding this after i posted this. i know anons dont usually like their own asks to stay hidden so i need you to know you seem lovely:D )

[liquid-luck-00]

Queen Marinette

Queen Marinette

Here is a ~2000 word song fic that I wrote in place of working on my ongoing fics hope you guys like it.

I saw a post a while ago where Damian would call Mari Queen/Your Majesty as she was a princess, but i cant find the post anymore but the idea stuck so here we are.

~~~~~~~~~~

The League of Assassins also known as the League of Shadows is one of the Earth's best kept secret society second to Themiscyra home of the Amazons and Atlantis of the Atlantans. However there is one that only a handful know and whispers of their existence are mythical in the cosmos. Only known to the head families, or rulers, of Themiscyra, Atlantis, and the League of Assassins.

That would be the Kingdom at Miraculi.

Marinette is anything but a normal girl. She is the crowned princess of Miraculi as well as being the reincarnation of the goddess Tikki. She is creation herself, but on top of that she was blessed by the other gods as well, meaning she is able to wield their gifts as well. She is Princess Marinette Dawntreader of Miraculi.

But right now she wants to be anywhere but the palace. At the age of eight she just met her betrothed and let's just say he did not make a good first impression.

In front of her stood Damian Al Ghul the heir of Demons and next head of the league of shadows. The league is the guard of Miraculi, ensuring that the existence of the Kingdom remains peaceful and in turn the Kingdom of Miraculi supplies the magic of the Lazarus Pit. The concealment of Themiscyra and Atlantans able to survive under water are other blessings provided by Miraculi. But back to the pain on hand, Damian Al Ghul.

"Tt. you really do look the part of a princess" she was in a long flowing dress with long sleeves as she had finished her classes for the day. "Fragile and helpless."

"Yes and you appear as a demon" she shot back. "self-absorbed and arrogant" she turned on her heel "keep up little Prince" she called over her shoulder.

They got to know each other better but he was always so cold and distant. But they grew to love each other. Damian left to be with his father when they were 10, but they still stayed in contact. Then when they were 13 she got news that broke her heart, Damian was dead.

She couldn't stay in the Kingdom without remembering him. She needed distance and new scenery wouldn’t hurt. So she brought it up to her parents, and they were reluctant, but Diana Princess of Themiscyra brought up the solution Marinette would be staying with Sabine Cheng, an Amazon who was granted leave of Themiscyra , and her husband Tom Dupain.

That was how she found herself in Paris as an 8th year introducing herself as Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

That was how she also met Adrien Agreste. He was kind and sweet. He was new to school life just as she was new to life outside of Miraculi.

But not long afterwards did Lila Rossi enroll at Du Ponte.

With a quick search on google revealed most of her tales to be just that, fiction.

Adrien and Mari dated for two years before he ended the relationship. It was because she

wouldn't stop trying to reveal Lila's lies. That it was hurting his image that he was seen with her. That if only they knew the truth it would be enough. Well, fine, goodbye Adrien was her only thought. Her head held high.

Cross my heart and hope to die

I don't need another guy

To fight my battles, to overshadow me

Don't ya know I'm dangerous?

Fire burnin' in my blood

I got this handled, I don't need rescuin'

Unfortunately for him she didn't stop trying to get her class to see the truth.

A side effect of the liar's influence was that she was ostracized from the rest of the class.

But that wasn't a priority. Miraculi was going to become public. So she had a revealing ceremony to prepare for.

But before that she was asked to join as a joint member of the Teen Titians and Young Justice.

She was to meet with the two teams at Mt. Justice so she was looking for Kaldur, Aqualad, as she exited the building.

She was making her way towards him when she heard it.

"Princess" Adrien called and pulled her to look at him.

You can call me a princess all you like

'Cause you love to keep me helpless by your side

But that ain't what I want, I'ma show you

"Can I do something for you Agreste?" she asked as calmly as she could. "Because if not I am meeting a friend I haven't seen in ages."

"Just make up with Lila" he started "she isn't hurting anyone. And when you do everyone will be your friend again."

She smiled and noticed Kaldur closer than before. "Kaldur good to see you again how was your flight?" Adrien turned to see who she was talking to, and Kaldur after a second of shock responded.

"Uneventful, is everything set?" he asked giving her a way out.

"Yes" Mari answered "Sorry Adrien, another time"

"B- 02 Aqualad, B- 34 Omni"

She was in a black formfitting sleeveless top that rose to form a mask covering her face to her nose. Dark red combat boots that were tucked into black motorbike pants. A red belt with a forest green sash that faintly resembled a skirt just under it. Her gloves and arm guards were black and grey, and all over were golden accents. Her hair was cut short and was pitch black and her eyes were a golden color with flecks of green. (Outfit)

After quick introductions she noticed him, Robin of the Teen Titians, was standoffish but was familiar oh so familiar. Then she saw his hand twitch towards his sword and tapped the butt of the hilt twice before dropping his hand.

That was all the confirmation she needed. As everything fell into place.

That little jerk.

Batman asked for her to spar, to assess her combat skills. As she predicted Robin stepped in to be her partner.

She pulled two red batons from the small of her back and they began. Yes they were evenly matched but then she decided to mess with him. She turned back time to feign a right but ducked and swept his legs from under him. With him distracted she created a Mirage of herself and another to make herself invisible. She snuck up behind him used venom to freeze him and flip his cape over his head while her Mirage took his sword.

"Tt. unfreeze me" he practically growled she noticed almost everyone flinch and took a step back.

"You sure that's what you want, while I have your sword?" she taunted. She noticed a few shot her looks of sympathy. Odd. As Robin stayed quiet. "Fine" she dropped venom and he charged "Have it your way little Prince."

She jumped and he seemed to freeze mid charge but she didn't. She created a shell-ter around him.

Which he crashed into. He stood up and was gaping at her.

She dropped shell-ter and was making a few final decisions with Batman, while Robin still hadn't moved 30 minutes later and his mouth still agape. By this time Nightwing had come over.

"I think you broke little wing" he chuckled.

"You think so." she responded with a slight question. "Close your mouth your going to catch flies Al Ghul."

"Yes, Your Majesty" he finally snapped out of his stupor.

She saw Nightwing and Batman share a look and then look between the two of them.

I'ma show you

How to treat me like a queen (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Boy, you better bow down on your knees

Can I get a "Yes, your majesty?"

So treat me like a queen (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Boy, you better bow down on your knees

Can I get a "Yes, your majesty?"

They explained the role of Miraculi in the world. How they had met and knew one another. Their engagement and finally the reopening of the Kingdom to the world. By now she dropped her transformation, meaning her eyes were back to bluebell and her hair was a midnight blue, and the bats had taken off their masks.

Then an idea hit.

"Your plotting something" Damian snapped her out of her planning.

"Plotting makes it seem malicious" she paused "I'm planning."

"I'll bite, what are you planning?" Nightwing, Dick as he introduced, asked.

"How would you like to come to my coronation and be some of the first outsiders in Miraculi?" she responded.

Eyes on me like I'm a prize

But you better recognize

I'm not your angel 'cause I belong to me

You can call me a princess all you like

'Cause you love to keep me helpless by your side

But that ain't what I want, I'ma show you

As she guessed the news of Miraculi opening up was all the news was covering. The hidden Kingdom known only by the Amazons and Atlantans, officially, was all everyone was talking about.

The fact that the opening was set for the coronation of the princess added to the suspense.

About a month before our teacher had news. "Due to a special invitation our class has been invited to attend the Princess’ coronation in Miraculi" that was when the class erupted.

In a week Lila convinced everyone she personally asked the Princess to invite the class as a favor to her. That she grew up in the castle with her and was made a lady in waiting. Two weeks until the coronation, she asked Damian to tweet that 'he can't wait to see his best friend again in Miraculi.’ Which caused a small discourse with a boy called Jon Kent of how he was Damian's best friend. Where he answered with 'female best friend. Better Kent' That Lila used to say it was her, and that he only used best friend instead of girlfriend.

I'ma show you

How to treat me like a queen (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Boy, you better bow down on your knees

Can I get a "Yes, your majesty?"

So treat me like a queen (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Boy, you better bow down on your knees

Can I get a "Yes, your majesty?"

The week before they left to Miraculi, in order to show them around. Before landing Mari changed into an emerald green dress with a mandarin collar. A jacket and belt with a duster in a dark silver trimmed with gold and matching gloves. Her hair was in a side braid and a thin golden circlet on her brow. A few of her classmates glared at her but she didn't pay them any attention. (Outfit)

She was the last out of the airport and you could feel the tension in the air. Lila was spouting some nonsense to the guards that were sent to retrieve them. Then they noticed her, every guard formed a straight line to the captain as they dropped onto one knee and bowed their heads. As she passed them they stood up.

"Captain Chase it is good to see you again” she smiled as he also rose.

"The honor is mine Princess" he bowed again.

You can call me a princess all you like

'Cause you love to keep me helpless by your side

But that ain't what I want,

She turned back to face the class. "Welcome to Miraculi, I am Princess Marinette Dawntreader. I hope you enjoy your stay. The guards will escort you in these carriages to the castle for your stay." she mounted Yin (Silver), who Captain Chase brought for her. "I will ride ahead, as they are in capable hands." She smiled and rode off towards home.

The next week was amazing. Between tours of the Kingdom her classmates were part of an honorary court, to glimpse into the Royal life.

Damian almost cut off Lila's head the first time they met. Most of the class realized that if Lila lied about knowing Marinette, well the Princess but Lila hated Mari, and dating Damian, what else had she lied about. Turns out they can use google and Mari received several apologies and offers to be friends. She accepted the apologies but not their offers.

"Why?" was a consensus of the group.

"You realize that you were deceived, but that does not excuse your actions. As I am also assuming you wish to be friends because of my status." That seemed to force them to think, thank Kwami.

I'ma show you

How to treat me like a queen (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Boy, you better bow down on your knees

Can I get a "Yes, your majesty?"

So treat me like a queen (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Boy, you better bow down on your knees

Can I get a "Yes, your majesty?"

But the best part of this week was after the apologies was hearing them all, Lila included, only address her with 'Your Majesty’.

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

Hi! So, why BTS? And why now? I want to follow your blog, but may I speak openly?

Writing about BTS through the lens of various critical theory is amazing. You are so smart. I am going to be honest about my own biases here, so feel free to trash me for it. I am anonymous after all so trash away as is your right. I understand.

There is often a supposition from critics, both professional and amateur, that the fandom- frequently presented as an immature, undifferentiated mob of cultists- is unable to think critically and must have basic things explained to us so that we don't throw stones at the free speech warriors of truth and standards (not saying that this is your attitude). I find that a little alienating. This fandom has existed for eight years. We have seen blogs and empires rise and fall.

I also don't think that it is an accident that the desire to project these more critical ideas into the public sphere usually comes after a year of being a full on ARMY (judging from my friends experiences). I have read peices about BTS's work referencing Lacan, neo-marxism, post-structuralism and other such stuffs. (My friend used to have an analytic blog that she chose to shut down a few years ago). I am going to be a bit blunt again, so trash if you must, but I think what was being exposed in those pieces was not only "critical thinking" but an excess of emotional investment in BTS, and the desire to intellectualize or justify it.

BTS got a lot of people through 2020. Those long content dives kept people sane. But now, based on a lot of the dissapointed PTD criticism, it feels like some people are waking up hung over and kind of bitter. Emphasizing the three English singles and ignoring BE, an album they worked on for months, seems like a symptom of this. Removing BE from the narrative seems to advance theories of BTS's 'Americanization', lack of creative agency and homogenization into some inferior or less Korean form of pop. BE should not be dismissed as irrelevant to this discourse. Many western artists take an average of 2 years between albums. BTS put out a lot of work. Maybe some of the distrust of criticism that we plebes have comes from the suspicion that critics may use art and events to construct a story. As a person of Asian heritage, LGO going #1 on Billboard meant a lot, emotionally.

I hope none of this caused offense. If it did please just ignore. Thanks for your great thoughts. Wishing you success in your goals.

Hi! Your ask did not cause offense, I'm more than fine to talk about this.

There's a lot to unpack here, so I'm taking it one by one.

Why BTS and why now? I chose to write about BTS because it's been an interest of mine for quite long. I mean, I didn't expect more than a year later to be here. My past obsessions usually lasted between 2 to 3 months, max, and everything felt so intense, but then it faded for a few years. (The last band I really focused on was Pearl Jam back in my first year of college while I was going through a bit of a difficult period in my life).

Yes, I have become a fan during the pandemic. It was sort of inevitable for it to become such a huge focus (escapism from the world outside and from writing a thesis). If I had started this blog a year ago, then you're right in one way: it would have been emotional investment and my desire to intellectualize and justify it. Basically that's what I did in the first few months (when I was on my own, in no community whatsoever). In order to explain myself and others why I'm spending time on this, I used to read research articles. But that's not the full truth and that's because to me such practice comes naturally, just as when I was 16 I couldn't just watch and enjoy movies, I had to read about them every day, or how I'm surrounded by pop culture just as everyone else, but I want to read books about it so I'm willing to do that for months. It's how I'm wired, so in a way, of course it had to happen with BTS as well.

The reason why I decided to make a blog now it's not necessarily because I ''woke up'' or that suddenly I see ''the truth''. Perhaps you may have had that impression because of my first post where I talked about PTD and the recent talks about ''Americanization''. I touched on that subject because I was closely following it, but that is not to say it was my only purpose on making a blog. I feel that, a year later, I'm more secure with my general knowledge and that of BTS. I couldn't have done it before that. I also plan to talk about other topics as well, not just what's ''hot'' at the moment. If I didn't have any other ideas, I wouldn't have made a blog.

And I'm certainly not here to teach anyone or ''plebes'' as you said, anything. And I also know that I'm not going to be the last to have a blog, write a think piece or publish something about BTS. People are allowed to engage in all types of discourse, depending on what they like and what they feel comfortable with. There are countless blogs with countless topics and perspectives. Some last, some don't, that's just how it is. I don't have huge important plans to teach the fandom, my ego is not that big and this is just a hobby for me. It's also not the first time I'm publishing something, but it is the first time on my own blog, despite being on tumblr for 10 years now.

But you are right when you talk about people forgetting about BE and I may add, Film Out which is more recent. I too thought that LGO going #1 on Billboard was incredible. It was a song in Korean that really reflected how people felt during the pandemic. Not just LGO, but the entire album is a true reflection of current times on top of being just simply good music. The album was promoted as well, different versions of the MV, the logs that preceded it focusing on production, it really made me look forward to it and it did not disappoint. The last few months of 2020 have been really good for what BTS has delivered. To go back to your argument, I don't think it's about constructing a story. Yes, in a way people could be accused of ignoring BE, but what's the problem with focusing on what's been going on at present? We shouldn't be surprised about that, PTD was released not too long after Butter. It was full of promotional material ever since May.

I stated in my blog introduction that I'm in film studies, so I will end up making a lot of references because I can naturally make my point across. Let's say I'm a fan of Xavier Dolan. I've watched his first films, fell in love with his aesthetics and his stories. Then he releases something that I don't really like, doesn't work for me. Then another. And then another. I'm thinking, ok, this is the direction he's going with, it's not as daring as what he used to do before, but so what? He gets the awards at Cannes, but I'm still writing a negative review of his film Mommy. Doesn't mean I'm wrong, doesn't mean the Jury at Cannes is wrong, it certainly doesn't mean that I don't like Xavier Dolan anymore. We're just looking for different things.

We write about things that are happening at the moment and how see them now. We make judgments of value based on our current knowledge. Who's to say that in 10 years people won't look back and think: those critics had no idea what they were saying about BTS (Antonioni's L'Avventura was booed at Cannes when it was released in 1960 and now it's considered a masterpiece and even taught in schools). But that's just a possibility right now and if in 10 years I'll remember that I used to write about this, perhaps my opinions could/would change. Maybe less than10 years :)